05/05/15 best of 2014-15 issue

Henderson State University - Tuesday, May 5, 2015 - Volume 108, Issue 28

@HSUORACLEwww.hsuoracle.com

THE BESTOF THE BESTA look back at the2014 - 2015 year

THE ORACLE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF – Scott McKinnon

FACULTY ADVISER – Mike Taylor

COPY EDITOR – Katie Brown

NEWS EDITOR – Moe Skinner

SPORTS EDITOR – Kaitlyn Kitchens

FEATURES EDITOR – Devin Anderson

VIEWS EDITOR – Dax Guilliams

PHOTO EDITOR – Chris Sharp

PAGE DESIGNER – Megan Snoddy

GRAPHIC DESIGNER – Megan Snoddy

ONLINE EDITOR – Scott McKinnon

BUSINESS MANAGER – James T. Allen

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER – Carmin Wills

Have an opinion on an issue or re-sponse to what we said? Just want to rant about something for a while? Write us at [email protected]. We want to hear what you think. Hell, if it doesn’t suck, we’ll publish it in next week’s is-sue. Try to keep it between 400 and 600 words. Just like your Tumblr, we ignore anonymous submissions.

Battle of the Ravine

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

20PHOTO BY JEFFERY P. GILMORE

PHOTO BY CHRIS SHARPPHOTO COURTESY OF JAMIE ENGMANIMAGE BY HEATH SIMS

Kesha Pilot in Belize The art of poiHumans vs Zombies 11 135

THE ORACLE

3MAY 5, 2015 FEATURES VIEWS HUMOR SPORTS

BIDDING A FOND FAREWELLAs the school year comes to a close,

it’s time to bid a fond farewell to this year’s Oracle.

We began this year with an idea to rad-ically change what this newspaper looked like and what it was all about. We wanted to give students a newspaper that they felt was approachable and fun, while remain-ing informative.

Thanks to the hard work that Page Designer Houston Fryer put in over the summer and the dedication the staff put in all year, I’d like to think that we ob-tained our goal.

During this school year, we tackled a lot of interesting stories. We were able to poke the administrative bear when we found unfair policies like early registration for student athletes being implemented.

We introduced interesting students and their hobbies, like Dakota Clark and poi, to everyone on campus. Unfortunate-ly, we also had to cover tragedy on cam-pus when nursing student Callie Morris was killed in an auto accident in February.

Arkansas, and Arkadelphia specifical-ly, was relentlessly assaulted by winter weather this year and the resulting can-celed school days became major news as professors tried to keep their classes on track. It’s definitely been an interesting year.

I came into the role of editor-in-chief unexpectedly last fall. Our previous Ed-itor-in-chief Stephanie Malcolm made the decision to move and finish her last semester of classes online. It was a sur-prising responsibility to take on without much experience at the job, but I took it on with no questions asked.

There’s no way that I could have sur-vived this semester without the awesome support of the entire editorial staff, along with our advisor Mike Taylor.

Mr. Taylor gave me the confidence that I needed to make this newspaper into what it is now. The skills and expe-riences that I have gained while serving as editor-in-chief and from the countless emails of both support and critique that I would receive from him will go a long way to help me achieve my career goals. I am eternally grateful to both Henderson and Mr. Taylor for this opportunity.

One of the most exciting things that

happened was that we were named the Runner-up for General Excellence in Newspapers by the Arkansas College Me-dia Association, losing only to the host school (don’t get me started on that).

Knowing that judges looked at our paper and recognized the hard work we have been doing to make The Oracle stand out from other college newspapers was incredibly rewarding.

Several members of the editorial staff will be either graduating or moving on from The Oracle this year. It has been an absolute honor to work with all of these guys. I’ve learned so much from our Sundays when we would put the pa-per together and I will always look back fondly on those days, even when we were up until 2 or 3 a.m. trying to get pages to look right.

I will truly miss this group of people. We were fortunate enough to become a close little family of oddballs over the course of the year and some of my best memories of my time at Henderson in-volve events with this staff.

I don’t think I would have even had the privilege of knowing how unique and talented each of them is if I had not had this job. Whether we were standing on the football field in the freezing cold to take photos during the Battle of the Ravine or singing Hall and Oates karaoke in New York City together, I have loved every second of my time with everyone on this staff.

Incoming Editor-in-chief Moe Skin-ner is going to take over the paper in the fall and continue building it into some-thing that everyone on this campus is proud of and other campuses are jealous of. She’s not afraid to stand up to injus-tices or concerns that affect the students of this school. She’s passionate about re-porting the facts and standing up for the little guys and will be a great editor.

The Oracle will be in good hands next year and I can’t wait to see how it contin-ues to grow.

I hope you enjoy this final issue of the semester that takes a look back at some of the more interesting and exciting sto-ries that helped make this 2014-2015 year such a memorable one. We hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have.

A farewell letter from the editor to the readers of The OracleBY SCOTT MCKINNON

4 FEATURES VIEWS HUMOR SPORTS

There is a new policy at Henderson that requires the student athletes to register for classes before non-athlete students

for the 2015 spring schedule. This require-ment has sparked controversy and disapproval across campus from students and faculty alike.

As if it weren’t tough enough in the past to get pertinent and required classes, this spring Henderson will set a new precedent for stu-dents registering for future classes.

The new policy will allow more than 300 student athletes to go to the front of the regis-tration line. Student athletes will now get their classes before any other students, including seniors.

“I think it’s ridiculous that they get prior-ity for no good reason that I can think of,” Maverick Rudd, junior computer science ma-jor, said. “Makes no real sense why they get priority registration.”

The new registration regulations imple-mented on campus come from guidelines mandated by NCAA eligibility rule that states: “Division’s progress-toward-degree require-ments are designed to guide student athletes through their academic journey to gradua-tion.”

This is theoretically supposed to apply to all students who have declared a major at Henderson according to the college’s mission statement.

“The NCAA has raised their standards in the past year and we feel that this is crucial for the students,” Shawn Jones, athletic director said. “We have to make sure as an institution that we’re doing our due diligence to make certain we are following NCAA and that re-quires us to do things differently.”

Nowhere in the NCAA eligibility rule does it state that student athletes are required to register first.

Henderson’s administration is to thank or blame for that change, and faculty voiced their opinions at the November faculty senate meeting last Wednesday.

Steve Adkison, provost and vice president of academic affairs, spoke with the senate about the changes that will start immediately.

“We had to do something with student

athletes before fall,” Adkison said. “It’s not a bright solution. We’re not happy with it. It’s coincidental, not accidental.”

Adkison said that advisors did not think they could handle the extra workload and that no one was happy with the solution.

The extra amount of work comes from student athletes having mandatory faculty ad-vising as well as professional advisors. Student athletes that want to remain eligible are now required to get a compliance slip signed before they can register for classes.

The only positive change to come from this is that athletes can no longer drop diffi-cult classes after they are registered. They are locked in to their schedules and cannot swap their classes for easier ones later.

Adkison was met with strong opposition from Carolyn Eoff, professor and chair of mathematics and computer science, and Jana Jones, assistant professor of communication and theatre arts.

Eoff objected to the new solution and clearly voiced her disapproval.

“What does the NCAA have to do with

our mission statement?” asked Eoff. “You got things out of whack with this,”

Eoff said. “It’s not a federal law, it’s NCAA compliance.”

Adkison respectfully disagreed with Eoff, but failed to offer other other possible solu-tions for students. Jones also voiced her con-cerns.

“I want to make sure I don’t have to ask an advisor if I can drop them,” Jones said.

Adkison replied with an absolute no. Ad-kison later said that the only reason this was originally scheduled for the week prior to the ninth was because professional advisors did not think they could get it done any other way.

The original idea was to have athletes go through the mandatory advising with faculty advisors and then sit down with their profes-sional advisors to be registered during the reg-ular class standing periods.

Professional advisors objected and said there was no way that they could do that be-cause there were too many other students they needed to help.

“I understand the privileged part of this;

it’s catching everyone’s attention, but the real story is they are being required to submit to very intrusive mandatory advising in regis-tration,” Adkison said. “That’s what’s driving this. That’s the only way we feel like we can ensure what we need to.”

Student athlete Taylor Daniels, junior mass media major, agrees with the new policy. “I actually already registered,” Daniels said. “We were supposed to have a meeting with Mrs. Hooten [Chanda Hooten, student advisor] but all we had to do was meet with our advisor and turn in a piece of paper with our desired courses and she irons out the rest for us.”

Adkison said Pam Ligon, associate dean of academic services, had spoken with Adkison and said she and the professional advisors found out it’s not going to take as much time to register student athletes as Ligon and the advisors had previously thought.

So, the question still remains. What war-rants the privilege of early registration to stu-dent athletes?

This new early registration policy, with no other viable solution available for students, is a contradiction and the polar opposite of Hen-derson’s mission statement, Henderson’s mot-to: “The school with the heart” and the newly released Strategic plan 2014-2020.

Henderson’s mission statement prides it-self on “a century-long tradition that has dis-tinguished Henderson since it’s founding.”

The mission continues to declare the “uni-versity care and concern, positive student response, small class sizes, and a personal friendly atmosphere-these characteristics are the heart of Henderson.”

“This is very common at many schools and it has not ever been a problem,” Shawn Jones said, “This will force them to work towards a degree and be able to get their schedule so they do not miss class and are able to attend practices and represent this institution better.”

Adkison said if three or four students are concerned about the number of classes being offered, he knows there are 30 or 40 other stu-dents that agree with them.

Adkison said he expected and wanted to hear from students about the changes.

Henderson institutes new registration policy allowing student athletes to register before all othersBY INVITATION ONLY

STORY BY MOE SKINNER — GRAPHIC BY MEGAN SNODDYORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOV. 11, 2014


Zombies have sunk their teeth into the youth of this generation. With the zom-

bie apocalypse invading our tele-visions, films and novels, it’s hard to ignore the zombie craze. Now Henderson brings the zombie apoc-alypse to campus.

The Student Activities Board takes the game of tag to the extreme with Humans vs. Zombies. Players should sign up in Chad Fielding’s of-fice before 3 p.m. on Nov. 18.

Considering the current popu-larity of zombies, it’s possible a lot of people may show up to partici-pate in the event.

“I expect a large turnout for this event,” Heath Sims, senior, digital arts and design major said. “It’s a large game of tag with Nerf guns, and who doesn’t enjoy Nerf guns?”

Sims said that if there is a high turnout, there will be a round two for the next semester.

Anyone interested in the zom-bie genre is sure to enjoy Humans vs. Zombies. In fact there are Hen-derson students on campus who regularly participate in a Live Ac-tion Role Playing, or LARP, event in Texas called Dystopia Rising. Ash-

ley Bles, junior mass media major, is one of the Vice Commanders for The Legion of Nerds.

“I like being able to go all out on events like these other than for just Halloween,” Bles said. “Obviously I love to dress up scary because I par-ticipate in actual zombie LARPs.”

Players can cosplay however they choose as long as it follows the game rules and doesn’t cause dis-ruption in class.

SAB scheduled the game as their semester sendoff, and they hope there is a strong turnout.

“For SAB I want to put the “stu-dent” back in ‘S,’” Sims said. “I want students to be able to participate in events and get involved in this cam-pus activity.”

With this being the final major student event, zombie lovers will have the chance to go all out in de-sign for makeup and costumes. Ev-ery zombie enthusiast will want to take advantage of this opportunity.

The infection is spreading, and an apocalypse is looming on the horizon. Students must be prepared because on Nov. 19, hungry zom-bies will be sinking their teeth into tasty humans. Try not to lose a limb.

Students to end fall semester on a post-apocalyptic note

STORY BY BRETT RUCKS – PHOTO BY HEATH SIMS

HUMANS VS ZOMBIES

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOV. 18, 2014


The art department in conjunction with the communication, mass me-dia and theatre department, has sent

a proposal for a new interdisciplinary major and minor called innovative media to the state for approval.

Professors in the art and communication departments saw that there was a need for an interdisciplinary program with the way media has rapidly evolved and become digitally inte-grated. The program is designed to prepare students for a career in the changing field of digital media.

“Design students need journalism skills,” according to a proposal for the innovative me-dia program. “Mass media students need de-sign, and they all need to be comfortable with mass media production skills.”

This program is a necessity because the na-ture of media is changing. Media jobs used to be in abundance. From reporters to graphic designers, they were specialized fields.

“As more and more media has become electronic and exists on the web, tablets, and cell phones a lot of those jobs have consoli-dated,” Michael Taylor, professor of commu-

nication, said. David Stoddard, professor of art, and Taylor came up with a plan to have an integrated, interdisciplinary approach using courses that already exist in the art and com-munications departments. The program is also going to use elements from marketing and the business school.

“It is kind of a broad design for the new media reality,” Taylor said. “Students have been good at writing and editing, but they get in the job market and are told they need to make a web based article with a podcast and video.” Stoddard has come across the same thing where students have been good at design but do not know how to gather content and report it. There will be a few elective classes from computer sciences, education and busi-

ness integrated into the media program. Ac-cording to the program proposal, “Henderson is well situated to become the first university in Arkansas to offer such an interdisciplinary approach with a major focused on media in-novation.”

“Currently, the ability to both write and de-sign to produce professional content for on-line, mobile, and social media platforms is one of the most sought out attributes of media and marketing firms,” Brandon Scott, assis-tant director of marketing at Oaklawn Racing & Gaming wrote in an email.

Stoddard and Taylor have also proposed the creation of an innovative media lab, where students can earn practicum hours. Students will be able to create digital media for differ-

ent devices such as smartphones, tablets and computers.

“The fun side of it is we also want to add creativity, where students learn to create from what exists right now, but also try to imagine what could exist 10 years from now and try to create that too, whether it be new kinds of apps, or new kinds of devices with games with news clips,” Taylor said.

Students in the media workhop will work with equipment and software similar to what The Oracle staff uses and will also work as a small marketing agency.

“A project we want to give them to be creative with is advertising this major to high schools and community colleges,” Taylor said. “So that we begin to recruit students to come to Henderson for this major.”

A lot of new equipment will be needed for the new digital media lab, including studio cameras, green screens, lighting, and Apple iMac computers, just to name a few. The esti-mated cost for the facility is $178,045. A plan is already in the works for the program to have its own space on campus with offices, class-rooms, studios, and labs.

IN THE WORKSInnovative media to become new major in fall of 2015

STORY BY CRYSTAL CORDOVA — GRAPHIC BY MEGAN SNODDY

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JAN. 20, 2015


Last week the world lost someone who had made an impact on the lives of a lot of people. Callie Morris, junior

nursing major, was involved in a fatal one-ve-hicle accident on her way home to McAlester, Okla.

Morris had been missing since Thursday, Jan. 29. After an extensive search by land and air, Morris was found on Sunday, Feb. 1. Searchers found her car, a tan Ford Explorer, upside down and submerged under a bridge in Latimer County, Okla.

“You couldn’t know Callie and not like her,” Sara Watkins, senior math major, said. “She was a special person and will be missed.”

Morris was very special, indeed. She had attended the Texas State Southern Gospel Music School for nine years where she played piano and sang. Her two nephews played a big part in her life. Callie was attending Henderson

to earn a degree in nursing. Morris was also an active member at her church, Faith Missionary Baptist Church in Arkadelphia, and MBSF, a collegiate ministry home.

“She always looked for the bright spot in things,” Kelvin Richardson, director at MBSF, said. “She was always ahead of the game and jumped right in and got involved here.”

Morris attended events at MBSF including Encounter, the girls’ Bible study and Mid-Week, where the students gather at the MBSF house for fellowship on Wednesdays.

Everyone could see that Callie lived her life for God and would encourage others to do the same. “She wasn’t afraid to stand up for her faith. She lived her life in a way that was pleasing to God whether it seemed cool to others or not,” Watkins said. Callie Morris was a devout Christian. She knew the Bible well and was always excited to help out the church.

Callie had two church families, one back home in Oklahoma and the family at the church she attended while in school.

“She lived her life for God and inspired others to do the same,” Morris’ roommate Brittany Moore, junior nursing major, said.

“Callie was just an incredible person who had a heart for God and others like no one I have ever met,” Clayton Sorrells, junior nurs-ing major, said. “Callie will be missed because there’s not another one like her.”

Callie Morris was a most genuine and sweet person, and all of her friends and fam-ily agreed.

“She was so excited about becoming a nurse,” Watkins said.

All Callie wanted to do was to help peo-ple, and with her nursing degree, that is exactly what she could do. Not everyone chooses the perfect major for him or her, but nursing was a

perfect fit for Callie because of her eagerness to help people and be there for them.

“We know that if Callie had one wish, she would hope that her death would draw oth-ers closer to Him,” her family’s statement, released by KATV, stated. “She would want those that have not experienced Christ’s for-giveness to know how much God loves them.”

Everyone close to her agreed that Callie loved God, loved people and was an optimis-tic young soul. “Today we choose to praise God,” her family’s statement said. “We chose to thank Him for the time we had Callie here. We thank Him for knowing where she is.”

To remember Callie and begin the healing process for the students and friends who lost her in this community, Henderson will hold a memorial service for Callie on Monday, Feb. 16 in the Garrison Center Lecture Hall. The memorial service will begin at noon.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEB. 10, 2015

Friends and classmates look back at their time with her STORY BY ASHLEY SMITH — PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTEN MACK

THE LIFE OF CALLIE MORRIS


When the groundhog showed its shadow on Groundhog Day, many blew off the notion that there was going to be six more weeks of bad weather. Boy, were they wrong.

Over the past few weeks Arkansas was hacked by winter weather. Due to the serious nature of weather and hazardous traveling conditions, the campus was closed eight times in a 15 day span.

Few remember an occasion when Hender-son was closed this many times in a semester.

Since the campus has opened back up there have been some noticeable changes to the academic calendar.

Steve Adkison, provost and vice president for academic affairs, sent out an e-mail last week detailing the specific changes to the cal-endar.

Those changes were moving back the date for submitting mid-semester grades for fresh-man is now March 9-10, and the last day to drop with “W” grades is now March 20.

There have been several consequences due to the campus being closed.

“The lost instructional time has direct consequences for our faculty since they must review and revise their courses to account for the lost instructional days while maintaining the overall standards and learning expectations they have set for the courses,” Adkison said. “Trying to adjust course syllabi and schedules while maintaining appropriate expectations for content and learning has been a real chal-lenge for the faculty and administration.”

Meanwhile, some of the professors did not mind the excessive amount of days that

the campus was closed.Bill Sutley, assistant professor of mass me-

dia, said that it is a good idea to go back and change aspects of the syllabus in a semester. “I’m teaching a writing-intensive course, and you want to make sure students comprehend certain basics before moving on to more-ad-vanced skills,” Sutley said.

Paul Glover, assistant professor of commu-nication, also had the same thought. “Changes to the syllabus were necessary,” Glover said. “This included due dates for projects because a great deal of my assignments involve audio and video editing software.”

Students have been able to take a much needed break from what many are calling a hectic semester. Before the winter weather blast hit Arkadelphia, the only off day that

students had was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Between then and spring break, students usu-ally go to class nonstop. That was not the case this semester.

The outlook on the rest of the semester happens to be a positive one.

“I’m glad the mid-term was extended be-cause HSU requires faculty to tell certain stu-dents at that point how they’re doing,” Sutley said. “I believe the HSU faculty wants to help students succeed, but we also want students to realize the work that needs to be done on their part.”

With the spring weather approaching, it is certain that Arkadelphia has had its last ordeal with winter weather this semester. Now the task on everyone’s mind is finishing up this semester strong.

SNOW & ICE HALT CLASSESEight cancelled days in three weeks rewrites school schedule as administration tries to keep students on track academically

STORY BY ALVIN STUCKEY — PHOTO BY SCOTT MCKINNON

WINTER BLUNDER LAND — A blanket of snow covers campus and transforms familar surroundings into an isolated and frozen no man’s land.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MAR. 10, 2015

9MAY 5, 2015 NEWS VIEWS HUMOR SPORTS

Every year Henderson’s freshman class is asked to read a book, as part of the Reddie Read program and attend a lecture on the book by an expert.

Some years the students are as lucky as they were this week, and they got to meet the author of the assigned book.

Most of the assigned books over the years have been on the subject of the human rights in other countries and cultures.

This year was no exception. The book “Little Princes” follows the tale

of author Connor Grennan and his plight to save the “orphans” of the little children’s home in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Grennan was exposed to the plight when he decided to take a year off from school and travel the world.

What could be more fun than taking in some rays on the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea or the Chilean Pacific for a year?

But all of Grennan’s friends kept asking if he was going to volunteer somewhere.

The decision to volunteer came to Grennan not how most of his readers would think.

He was on a date with this girl, and things weren’t going well for him.

When she got up to leave mid date he men-tioned his trip.

Her interest was piqued a bit and she sat back down.

“So, what are you going to do?” she asked.Wanting to keep her at the restaurant,

Grennan said, “I’m going to volunteer!”“Oh! Where?” she asked.“Nepal?” Grennan said, all while thinking,

“What can I do there besides climb moun-tains?”

“What are you going to volunteer there?” she asked. This girl seemed to never be out of questions.

“I’m going to volunteer at... an orphanage,” Grennan said. “They do have orphanages in Nepal, right?” he thought to himself.

Now, isn’t that the story of how every per-son gets into volunteerism?

Many people take the plight of the children as the main topic of the book, but as Grennan spoke, in Arkansas Hall on Thursday, Sept. 10,

the book began to make a different point. “If not me, then who?” This powerful statement was made time

and time again that night. Each time he faced a new opposition to

what he was doing, Grennan would think to himself, “If not me, then who?”

What started as a fun trip around the world led to the creation of a man whose heart is for family and service.

“We would hike for days in the mountains in hopes of finding a village that one of our children might have been from,” said Grennan, as he told the students of the early days of Next Generation Nepal (NGN).

NGN was founded to reunite the “or-phans” of Nepal that were stolen from their families for profit in the slave trade or adoption trade.

When Grennan started NGN, he thought there might only be dozens of the children.

He never expected there to be over 15,000 “orphaned” children, and possibly the worst part is that the list of “orphans” is never ending, because of the isolated nature of the mountain villages many families haven’t heard the horror stories and keep letting their chil-dren get taken away to be sold.

When most people would give up and say “I’ll help these five then I’m done.” Grennan hears the mantra of his heart, “If not me, then who?”

As Grennan told his story, he noticed that many were letting themselves be kept from serving by their own mind and the question of “Are my motives right?”

“It doesn’t matter what your motives are. The people that you’re helping don’t care if you’re there because daddy made you, or you need something nice on your resume, or if you have a servant’s heart. All they care is that you came. You don’t need a heart for service. Go! And the service will change your heart for you,” Grennan said as he closed the lecture.

“I read the book for a class last semester,” said Kate Patrick, a senior early childhood ed-ucation major. “I would love to get out there and volunteer, but it seems like such a brave thing to do to leave home and everything you’re

familiar with.”Kate wasn’t alone many of the Henderson

student body felt the urge to give back. “I loved the book. Coming tonight gave

more detail,” said Cheyene Eslick, a freshman radiology major. “Because of the book it is now a dream of mine to go to Nepal.”

In addition to the few pictures in the book, Grennan showed dozens of photos of the chil-dren in the book.

He used his laser in group photos to bring each child’s story to life.

The passion in his voice was cascading out as he brought each new story to Henderson with more drive than the one before.

“I’m not normally a reader,” said Reynolds Beckham, a freshman aviation major. “It was a great novel and pretty inspiring and coming here and seeing him in person was pretty amaz-ing.

There’s no telling what the future can hold. Listen to him and how he wasn’t really into it, but then fell in love with it. It’d be nice to do that too.”

Grennan never expected his trip around the world to change the world, but yet it did.

Even though his motives weren’t “pure” lives were changed, families were reunited and hope was given to a country ripped apart by civil war.

He also never expected for his blog to be made into a book, but yet because a publisher

thought, “If not me, then who?” thousands of people each year are informed of societal in-justice and prodded to do something about it.

So Henderson, “If not you, then WHO?”

A story about a journey to Nepal changed his heartSTORY AND PHOTO BY JEFFERY P. GILMORE

FROM HACK TO HERO

DAYS OF OUR LIVES— The children of Nepal changed the heart of Con-nor Grennan from caring only about his own life and the world immediate-ly around him to changing the lives of an entire nation.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPT. 16, 2014

10 NEWS VIEWS HUMOR SPORTS

There are some things in today’s society that don’t get talked about. It’s easier to avoid the issue and to say things are better than it has been in the past.

Race is a pretty big example.Are we past racism as a society? Or is

racism evolving, becoming something less obvious but just as present? The Henderson Theatre Company is raising this question with their first production of the semester, a play called “Clybourne Park” by Bruce Norris.

The play opened last Thursday, followed by an interactive Q-and-A with the cast on the topic of race relations.

It doesn’t matter what your race is, this play says what needs to be heard by everyone.

The play is tied to Lorraine Hansbury’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and the home that the Youngers fought so hard for. The play is split into two acts, the first taking place in the home in 1959 and the second in 2009.

In 1959 we meet the white couple who is selling their house to the Younger family. Bev and Russ, played by Georgeann Burbank and Dakota Mansfield, are moving while still cop-ing with the death of their son.

We see their friend Karl, played by Zach-

ery Ingersoll, tell them the family they sold the house to is black. Karl tries desperately to convince the couple to reconsider, saying how one black family only opens the door for more which would ruin the safety and value of the community.

There to add to the tension are the couple’s black housekeeper Francine, a polite and meek woman played by Jordan Sereal, Francine’s husband Albert, played by LaDarius Jamerson, and the couple’s friend Jim, played by Matthew Burnett.

The scene escalates and runs the emotion-al spectrum from playful banter to screaming and swearing as Bev and Russ’ son’s death comes up alongside the issue of blacks and whites living together.

Comedic relief comes in the form of Karl’s pregnant wife Betsy, played by Jacey Russell. She is sweet, deaf and adorably obliv-ious to most of the tension.

The play skips forward 50 years to 2009 for the second act, which takes place after an intermission that is its own entertainment. The set is changed from a quaint 50’s living room to an abandoned and trashed shell of its former self, complete with a new door and

graffiti.The second act features the same people

playing new roles. This time, however, rather than blacks moving into the neighborhood the newcomers are a white couple who want the house for its “charm” but not any of its story.

This scene has less of the blatant separa-tion of the first act. The tension lies in what nobody will talk about or say — that race is very much a line between the two couples who are discussing the terms of selling the house.

The white couple Lindsey and Steve, played by Russell and Ingersoll, and the black couple Lena and Kevin, played by Sereal and Jamerson, try to discuss the 20 page contract for the house.

Instead, they end up dissolving into a screaming match over offensive jokes and more importantly how race can be a punchline or insult, even in today’s society.

The entire debacle is made even worse by Kathy and Tom, two lawyers played by Bur-bank and Burnett, who can’t keep the meeting on track.

The comedy in this scene comes mostly from Mansfield, who plays Dan the construc-tion worker who is happy to discover a trunk buried in the yard.

Dan eases the tension by appearing, bab-bling cheerfully and then bustling back out again in the middle of the heated argument.

The play’s shortest but strongest impact-ing character is Bev and Russ’ son Kenneth, played by Skyler Shankles.

He is a part of few words at the end of the play, but his part is haunting and somber to end what was at times hilarious, at times tense and at times absolutely heartbreaking.

The play overall is something that sticks with you after you walk away, something that Sereal at the Q-and-A said, “Takes people by surprise.”

“We’ve reached a period in our history of political correctness and ‘what can I say to not offend people’... this is something that’s been so forbidden to talk about and having a play where we can discuss it is great,” Sereal said.

Adrianna McLeod is the dramaturg for the production, a person that does research and helps the cast to connect to the play in order to better make the audience connect.

She led the Q-and-A afterward, asking the audience what they took away from the play and their opinions on race relations in modern America.

In the first act of the play, Burbank’s char-acter Bev asks desperately why black and white

people can’t just sit down at the table together and “try each other’s food” instead of staying separate.

The parallel of this scene with two couples trying to sit and have a conversation while del-icately avoiding race in the second scene asks a big question.

Does ignoring race and racism make it go away?

The answer comes off as a loud and clear “no” that makes the entire play worth seeing.

I laughed, I cried. I actually laughed until I cried, too.

It’s the kind of play that opens up the heart of a society where we’re all afraid to of-fend someone and points out that by ignoring things, there’s plenty of offense happening.

It’s the kind of play that makes you grit your teeth, tense up in your chair and really pay attention.

The cast and crew did a phenomenal job of evoking emotion and calling attention to something that even on our modern campus still should be talked about today.

The play will be showing the week after fall break, Oct. 23-25, in the Arkansas Hall studio theater.

Play tackles the sensitive topic of race STORY BY ASHLEY BLES — PHOTOS BY JEFFERY. P GILMORE

CLYBOURNE PARK LEFT: Matthew Burnett, sophomore theatre major; Zach Ingersall, fresh-man theatre major; Jordan Sereal, junior theatre major; Jaycey Russell, freshman theatre major; LaDarius Jamerson, junior theatre major. RIGHT: Jaycey Russel, theatre major.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCT. 14, 2014


Few things can stop Kesha Pilot. Two years ago a car accident tried when it cost her the use of her legs, but this summer Pilot proved not even that could get in her way. She went to Belize on a school marine biolo-gy trip, making her the first paraplegic to do so.

“Going abroad is going to be an experi-ence for anyone,” Pilot said. “But for me it was an even bigger deal.”

Belize, a small country about 1,200 miles away from Henderson on the coast of Cen-tral America, is home to the second largest coral reef in the world. The trip is one of two that James Engman, professor of biol-ogy and department chair, leads abroad each summer.

Engman has been organizing study abroad trips since 1999, but this was his first

time making accommodations like the ones Kesha needed. Fortunately, they had time to prepare.

To begin, there was the issue of money. Pilot would need to be accompanied by her husband Clay, which would double the cost of the trip. Engman granted her a full schol-arship for the trip from a tropical studies scholarship fund granted by the Henderson Foundation.

The trip was heavily focused around snorkeling, which was another problem: how could they give Pilot mobility? The answer came in the form of a scuba scooter.

“Actually, getting the scooter was the easy part,” Engman said.

Pilot and Engman went to the disability resource center, where general legal counsel Elaine Kneebone arranged for the scooter to be purchased. Once the scooter was in, Pilot

spent hours in the campus pool practicing with it.

“Being in the water was really liberating,” Pilot said. “I was able to go somewhere with-out my chair for the first time in two years.”

Getting the scooter (and its 20 pound lead acid battery) aboard the plane to Belize proved to be another challenge.

After plenty of emails, phone calls and meetings with Delta Airlines and their disabil-ity hotline, Tropic Air Belize airlines and the director of the TSA at Little Rock’s airport, the scooter made it safely. The group focused particularly on studying the preservation of the reef, which is very carefully protected and is one of the only remaining completely alive sections of coral reef in the world.

The Belize Tropical Research Education Center, the lab that hosted and housed the fourteen visitors including Engman and Clay (Pilot’s husband), has been hosting study abroad students for twenty years and Pilot was their first visitor in a wheelchair. Belize does not have the same accessibility require-ments of the United States.

Pilot says the other students were very in-clusive and helpful to her. They carried her up and down stairs, pushed her across sand and helped her in and out of boats.

In fact, the only part of the trip that Pilot wasn’t able to join in on was cave exploration. Instead, she got to go zip lining.

Pilot said that although there were chal-lenges and difficulties to overcome, she hoped she could help clear the way for others with disabilities to also be able to go on such trips.

Sarah Wolven, a sophomore business ma-jor from National Park Community College, also went on the trip to Belize and says Pilot’s confidence, willpower and smile were an in-spiration during the trip.

“I wish every person in her situation could experience what she did with us, be-cause it would show them that they can do it,” Wolven said. “She truly puts meaning to the words ‘yes I can.’”

Pilot said it’s not at all about feeling like a burden. Instead it’s about getting out there.

“It really is liberating,” Pilot said. “Ev-eryone really did a lot to make sure I was in-cluded.”

Pilot also said the lack of accessibility in Belize made her more thankful for her situa-tion in the United States.

The study abroad trips for the summer of 2015 will be to the Galapagos Islands and Machu Pichu in June and Belize in July.

Disabilities don’t keep Kesha Pilot from exploring the coral reefs of Belize

STORY BY ASHLEY BLES — PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMIE ENGMAN

UN-BELIZE-ABLEORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOV. 11, 2014

NEWS VIEWS HUMOR SPORTS12


While working out in the Dunn recre-ation center, I noticed a fellow student doing something I had never seen before. He was swinging tethered weights through a variety of rhythmical patterns.

“Hey you, I’m just curious. What the heck are you doing?”

After recovering from my startling him, he explained to me that it is an art called Poi. Some of the weights even light up or can be lit on fire. He not only does this as an upper body workout, but also for meditation and as a hobby.

I asked his name.“Dakota Clark,” he said.I was sure there was a lot more to learn

from him about Poi. He is what you might call a “talker.” He is about my height, 5 feet 9 inches, with long orange hair, cream-colored skin, and mysterious baby blues. Most peo-ple on campus look at him and scoff like he’s weird as hell. Not to judge, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen him wearing a cape in the cafeteria. It wasn’t Halloween.

I thought surely as an athlete I could spin the ropes like him with no problem and may-be even better. But then came the humbling reality.

“Would you like to try? I was in here on Saturday practicing for five hours,” he said. “I only started three weeks ago, and my arms al-ways feel it after a couple minutes.”

I grabbed the cords and swung away. A few minutes was enough for me. It clearly takes more than one time to master it. After I hit myself in the face twice and once in the leg, I saw how it could be an addicting hobby. Not hitting yourself, but perfecting a craft that takes practice.

He told me this is a more wide-spread ac-tivity than people realize. Anyone at any age can participate.

I’m thinking, “okay, which redneck got bored sitting on their porch watching their kids play the same old boring games in the front yard, and thought to tie some weights on shoe strings and swing them around?”

The origin is much more interesting. “Poi” is the Maori word for “ball.” It orig-

inated in New Zealand where they used it in

training for battle. The method was to put a large stone in what they called the “kii bag” and swing this around to make the arms and wrists supple, build strength and to test re-actions. It also kept the women’s hands and wrists conditioned for weaving.

“It has been modernized into a perfor-mance art since,” Chris Hobbs, operations manager for the Home of Poi organization, said. “It’s a little bit like juggling because of the muscle toning and coordination.”

Hobbs also explained the health benefits of spinning Poi. It is often used for rehab after injury and in some university physical educa-tion programs. People like Dakota Clark use it for exercise but also for self-expression.

“Everyone has a different style and you put yourself in the dance,” Clark said. If you’re feeling sad it can come out in the dance, same for any emotion. Although I had seen it as a joke at first I realized that it can be an interesting and beneficial hobby.

“There is no correct way to spin,” he said. “There is only your way.”

Poi has helped Dakota in more than one area in his life. He said he had never had some-thing he could personally identify with. He was always tagging along with other people to their activities and has now found something of his own.

“When you are spinning you are in a world all of your own,” he said. “More than exercise, it helps me clear my head on a bad day and helps me think.” A quick search on Google will lead you to a million sites where you can buy a plethora of fancy Poi equipment.

But, if you’re like me and just want to see if you like it or want to practice, there are some cheap and easy ways to make your own.

According to the Home of Poi organiza-tion, if you have an extra pair of socks around, you’re ready to get started to make a “Sock Poi” set. No strings necessary.

All you need:• A pair of long socks or stockings• Another pair of socks of any sizeTips:

• Roll each smaller sock into a ball shape. If you want you may add extra weight to the in-

side of these socks like seeds or rice.• Push the sock ball down into the toe of the long sock.• If you want something heavier you could use a tennis ball instead.• Repeat process for the other sock.• Pull and stretch out the top end of the sock and tie a knot. This makes a knob that you can swing the sock poi from.

You can also sew ribbons onto the ball end of the sock for extra decoration and visual ef-fect once being spun.

Be aware that if you hit yourself like I did, you may want it to be soft and light enough not to bruise because the ends can get moving pretty fast. The heavier you make it, the slower you can spin and the less likely the Poi will be affected by any wind if you’re outside.

When you’re ready to advance from Sock Poi, or if you would rather try it on a string from the get-go, here are some more beginner instructions:

Supplies:• A pretty good sized scrap of fabric• Some yarn or string• A couple of old shoe-laces• Two plastic baggies• Some rice or sand• Scissors and a rulerIf you’re using zip lock baggies, snip off

the zip locks so the bags will tie easier.Then take your baggie and fill it up with

rice or sand until you think you’ve found a good weight. Twist them a couple of times and tie them tight with some string, or try some small pieces of duct tape just to make sure it’s tight.

Place the baggie in the middle of the fab-ric square and fold all four corners around it. Take your shoe lace and tie the baggie in tight and start swinging. The length should be about as long as your arm – from wrist to arm-pit. If your shoe laces aren’t long enough, use nylon cord or fancy fabric ribbons.

Dakota Clark enchants the campus with the spiritual art of poiSTORY BY SARAH WILLIAMS — PHOTO BY CHRIS SHARP

A PASSION FOR POIORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JAN. 20, 2015


Henderson has its fair share of quirky teachers, but one man stands out from the rest. Travis Langley is not

only a professor of psychology but is also a master of Batman. Langley’s fascination with this hero has resulted in his being featured in a Netflix documentary, “Legends of the Knight.”

Director Brett Culp traveled to Arkadel-phia to interview Langley here on campus. Through social media Culp discovered that Langley teaches a course called “Batman.”

Throughout the course, Langley takes the psychological phenomena he observes in Bat-man’s world, and weaves it into lectures and assignments in the classroom. Langley said that everything Bruce Wayne, his alter-ego Batman and all the villains in Gotham do is relevant to psychology, just as is everything real people do.

“Batman is a superhero because of his psychology,” Langley said.

Langley and his students were the first people Culp interviewed for the project.

“Legends of the Knight” is a documen-tary featuring people who embrace their own personal heroism.

The movie explores how Batman inspires people. For example, the film features a man who dresses like Batman and hands out toys to sick children in local hospitals.

Langley contributes to the project through his psychological insight. He analyzes the motives behind the fact that as a young boy, Bruce Wayne watched his parents be murdered, but as an adult he decides to help

people by heroically fighting crime. “What does it take to bring out the best in people?” Langley said. “What if people could learn not just to be a bystander?”

It encourages the viewers to embrace their inner superhero. The film was generously crowdfunded by 1,100 people. Their shared love for Batman is the catalyst for Langley and Culp’s relationship. “He’s a very nice, sin-cere person,” Langley said. “He is fascinated with stories to inspire.” Langley was present when Culp was presented his honorary doc-torate degree. Langley’s Batman psychol-ogy course is an intense, senior-level class that is only available every three years. The course discusses different psychological trau-ma, three chapters of criminals (insane and flamboyant enemies of Batman), kinds of development, and other phenomena. Langley asks, “How do you grow up thinking fighting crime is the moral thing to do?” as a means of demonstrating how Batman’s world relates to American mores.

Culp’s new documentary is not Langley’s first IMDB credit. He also appears in “Comic Book Literacy” and “Necessary Evil” (by DC Comics). Both can be found on Amazon.

Langley said he loves contributing to edu-cational projects that incorporate comics, but thinks “it’s weird” to see himself on television and on film. Langley spent his childhood in Arkadelphia. He graduated from Tulane Uni-versity in New Orleans and has been teaching at Henderson for 21 years. He is the author of the book “Batman and Psychology: a Dark and Stormy Knight” and is currently work-ing on two upcoming books, “Walking Dead: Psychology” and “Star Wars: Psychology.” He will collaborate with other psychologists this summer and hopes to finish this year.

Langley said Batman has always been an important part of his life. His mother read him comic books when he was a child, so he literally can’t remember his life before Bat-man.

“When I knew my mom was mom, and my dad was dad, I knew Batman was Bat-man,” Langley said. “I always knew Batman.”

Langley actively uses social media to give updates on his projects. Langley’s Twitter ac-count, @superherologist, currently has 66.2 thousand followers. Recently, he offered some creative advice:

“There comes a point when a creator must recognize it will never be perfect, just get it out there and work on the next thing before you die.”

Psychology professor Travis Langley is featured in new a Batman documentary featured on NetflixSTORY BY ELIZABETH LAU — PHOTO COURTESY OF BRETT CULP PICTURES

THE DOC KNIGHTORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JAN. 27, 2015


Excelsior! In a land that is infested with zombies, thieves and bandits, only one group of students can save the

lives of the innocent: The Legion of Nerds! The group led their first live action role

play (LARP) of the semester last Tuesday on the quad. Although this was only the second LARP since the group was established, sever-al people showed up to participate.

Anyone around the quad Tuesday evening witnessed many college students dressed up in interesting and animated costumes acting like people and creatures from a world of their own imagination.

The students fought epic one-on-one bat-tles against each other and acted as if they were the main characters of their very own video games.

They created their own story and tale of adventure. The participants used realistic swords made of PVC pipe and foam cushion to intensify the game and make it feel alive.

“These weapons, in LARP, are called bof-fers,” Coley Henson, junior general studies major and president of Legion of Nerds, said.

Henson defines LARP as “the act of playing a role that is not your own (alternate

personality) with the intention of progressing a story that is unique and independent from the real world.”

For many people this may seem strange or difficult to understand, but for the Legion, and for many other people who share this in-terest, it is very real.

“You get to make a creative outfit. There is a story or a world that the LARP is tra-ditionally set in and you try and fit into that particular world,” said Henson.

While the group was playing pretend and attacking each other vigorously, there were many other students outside enjoying the sunny day as they watched the live action take place.

Junior accounting major, Steve Hibbard said, “Ever since I saw the movie ‘Role Mod-els’, I wanted to do it. It’s super cool. You get to blow off some steam.”

“I do appreciate that people are express-

ing themselves in this way. It’s awesome,” Leighton Hall, sophomore computer science major, said.

Though many of the students loved it, and enjoyed watching the comic mischief take place, there were still people who were left confused by the event.

“I think it’s really weird, but I can respect their hustle,” freshman psychology major, Jessica Richards said.

This may be the Legion’s first LARP of the semester, but Henson said that there will be many more to come.

“We are going to try and shoot for a LARP once a month, and everyone’s wel-come to join,” Henson said.

The Legion of Nerds meets every Friday at 6 p.m.in the Wilson room in Garrison. Henson said that the group recently joined forces with Pokemon Club which meets Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in Caplinger.

The Legion of Nerds continues to grow and prosper on campus with LARPsSTORY BY CALEB WILLIAMS — PHOTO BY CHRIS SHARP

LEGION STORMS THE QUADORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEB. 3, 2015


Ever walked into a giant room and got-ten hit with a million scents at once? The smells of food from foreign

countries such as Africa, Europe, Ocenia, Asia and even our own country, America, filled the banquet room on campus Friday night. It was a “smell-rific” explosion.

This year the Henderson International Students Association (HISA) held their nine-teenth annual Food Bazaar in the banquet room inside the garrison center.

Many students participated in this year’s bazaar by not only sharing food from their home country, but dancing and singing songs from their native home.

Of these few performers was senior music major, Haley Patillo. She was asked to perform a foreign piece for the event. She sang an aria from an opera written by composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

“It may be strange to some people that this is an Austrian opera, but it’s written in Italian,” Patillo said. “But this is because supposedly Italian opera was the only cool opera at that time.”

The comical Patillo was not the only one to perform though. Many of the members of HISA performed West African, Fiji and Solo-mon Island dances from their native country. During these performances, the audience sat and watched in awe as they ate. They truly felt the themes of each country move in the room.

Along with the talented performers there was even a coconut shredding demonstration that was shown by one of the students from Fiji.

You would think an event such as this might not attract many people other than stu-dents, but people from all over Arkadelphia came to enjoy the rich food and priceless en-

tertainment. “I feel like this event is special because it

offers culture diversity on campus,” Director of International Programs Drew Smith said. “Students can come and see the different cul-tures on campus. I would even go so far as to say that this event is one of the more signifi-cant events on campus. There’s usually a good turnout of about 200 to 300 people.”

The event offers a great opportunity for college students to enjoy delicious foreign food from many countries, and also see and feel the atmosphere without having to travel the distance.

“I love the different cultures in general, and to see that all in one room is awesome,” freshman Lola Desjardins said.

The food was prepared by many of the students of HISA.

“I made an American dish called mini French silk croissant pies,” Desjardins said.

“I made Curry Chicken, but the food or the bazaar for that matter is not the only thing special about HISA.” sophomore biology ma-jor and president of HISA, Nwakoby Chu-karerones said.

“Every student from different countries comes together, has fun, shares and learns to live in America,” Chukarerones said. “It’s es-pecially helpful when we get homesick.”

“It’s really a great event no matter the turn out. Plus the flags from all the different coun-tries always look great in the ballroom,” Smith said.

If students are interested in HISA, they meet at 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday in the com-munity room at the International House.

All students are encouraged to be involved in the organization and put some spice into their college experience.

Henderson gets a taste of international student’s cuisine at the annual International Food Bazaar

STORY BY CALEB WILLIAMS — PHOTO BY SCOTT MCKINNON

EXOTIC GOOD EATS


SHARING THE LOVE — Umid Khasanov, MBA student, serves up some tradi-tional Uzbek cuisine that he prepared to one of the hundreds of guests at the event.

MAY 5, 2015 NEWS FEATURES HUMOR SPORTS 17

OPINION BY DAX GUILLIAMS — IMAGE BY MEGAN SNODDYJust like with last semester, I’d like to do a

recap of my opinions that I’ve discussed over the past few months.

I started off this semester by mocking a few politicians who were considering running for presidency.

Fortunately, each of those politicians have since withdrawn their presidential announce-ments. But two more people have announced their run for president.

Hillary Clinton announced she would be running after months of all of us already knowing she was going to do it.

Honestly, I didn’t care all those months ago and I don’t care now. I don’t care for her and because of how boring her announcement was, I’m having a hard time making fun of her.

It seems Clinton waited so long to an-nounce her bid for presidency in order to build up hype, but that would be like wearing beige to build up hype for boring colors.

But I am glad Senator Bernie Sanders an-nounced that he will also run for president, but as a democrat instead of an independent. Bernie, if you’re reading this and I don’t know why you would be, know that I support you every step of the way.

Like always, I talked about video games be-cause I’m a sad child on the inside.

Indie games were something I enjoyed dis-cussing, but I haven’t gotten to play any new indie games. There is more news on some in-die games I’ve been following.

Production is going well for the sequel to “Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden,” which I’ll call Barkley 2 because the actual name is way too long to write out.

“Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden” is a free turn-based RPG where basketball player Charles Barkley fights to survive in a post-apocalyptic society and protect his son, Hoopz. It may sound dumb, because it is, but the game, the humor and the story were all so amazing.

Barkley 2 will be a direct sequel, somehow. I don’t know what the developers are planning but everything I’ve seen for the game looks great and it should be just as funny as the first game was.

While I’m happy for the sequel to Bark-ley, I’m not happy with what I’ve seen for the

spiritual successor to the Megaman games, “Mighty No. 9.”

I’m shocked that with all the money they got from using Kickstarter, the developers of “Mighty No. 9” couldn’t make the game look nice at all. The graphics look bad and the con-trols look bad from the videos that have been made so far, but I hope that all of that gets fixed before the game is released.

Not only did I discuss indie games, but I also discussed several cult classic games that I like. I don’t have much more to say about them, they’re still amazing.

“Steambot Chronicles” is still my favorite game of all time and “Deadly Premonition” and “Shenmue” are both incredible.

Piracy was a big topic I discussed and my opinion on it remains the same. Don’t pirate music, especially if it’s from indie bands who don’t make that much money, and don’t pirate movies and games unless you simply cannot get them by any other means.

BattleBots is coming back and I can’t be-lieve some people aren’t excited for that. What could possibly bring joy to someone who doesn’t find it in robot death battles?

Honestly, I don’t want to know what would

make those sociopaths feel happiness. That’s right, you’re a sociopath if you don’t like Bat-tleBots and that’s the bottom line.

If you were to propose to someone at a BattleBots event, they would have no choice but to say yes. Did I mention I’m a sad child on the inside?

There were some very good games re-leased over the semester.

“The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” was remade for the Nintendo 3DS and while the original feels better to me, it is still a fine remake of a very fine game.

“Mortal Kombat X” still proves that fight-ing games are awesome and thankfully, the on-line is getting better. It’s still kinda bad, but it’s still fine enough to play on.

While I didn’t do a review of it, “Blood-borne” is a great game and a great addition to the “Souls” franchise, despite not having “Souls” in the title. If you like the “Souls” games, you’ll like “Bloodborne.”

The subjects I probably discussed the most were comic books and media related to comic books. There’s a reason I did this, it’s because comics kick ass.

The Green Room in the Huie Library now

has even more graphic novels than they did when I wrote about them earlier in the semes-ter and they had quite a few to begin with.

Also, the “Daredevil” show on Netflix is not only amazing, but it’s so amazing that Net-flix ordered to have a second season filmed. With that and the other comic book based se-ries Netflix has planned, life’s good for comic book fans.

Plus, Arrow and Flash are getting a spin-off show that will have a big focus on Hawk-girl. Hawkgirl’s an amazing comic book char-acter who will work well on TV.

She’s got a great backstory with Hawkman, she fights with a cool mace, plus she’s a hawk and a girl at the same time. I’m looking for-ward to seeing her and the other characters they have planned for the show.

The animated ‘66 Batman movie will be entertaining just to hear the voices of Adam West and Burt Ward over the characters they helped define. This is good as it’ll continue the tradition of animated Batman movies being fun to watch.

And, most importantly, I got to write a re-view over a fake Ted Cruz video game.

Take it easy, HSU.

SEMESTER AT DAX’S

18 NEWS FEATURES VIEWS SPORTS

19MAY 5, 2015 NEWS FEATURES VIEWS HUMOR

The calm before the storm on the day before the nationally televised game against Southeastern Oklahoma State University was not so calm indeed. Everyone who could help was helping prepare Henderson show the country how Henderson does football. Ev-eryone seemed to be more nervous than even our own Reddie football team. The crowd was excited.

“The team as a whole is looking forward to the crowd,” Cameron Devereaux, senior cornerback and athletic training major said. “Having this opportunity to perform on a bigger stage with a bigger crowd makes our hard work and dedication on the field finally pay off.”

The crowd was huge to say the least, with having the biggest attendance so far this sea-son with 6,178 fans. The coaches kept remind-ing the team that this is just another game but a bigger opportunity to give Henderson the exposure they deserve. They wanted them to

remember to ignore the cameras as much as possible. The day of the game brought differ-ent types of nerves and rituals.

“I just keep trying to sleep until the game starts so I don’t have to think about it,” Joseph Snapp, junior wide-receiver, said, “it’s really helping me cope with my nerves and not get over excited about tonight.”

Snapp ended the game with a career-best seven catches for 120 yards During the game a lot of big things happened for the Reddies, besides being televised. Records were broken and some history was made. Not only was the first play of the game a 62-yard touchdown by Snapp from Kevin Rodgers, Rodgers threw his 100th career touchdown pass and set the new Arkansas collegiate career passing record with 11,035 yards.

The previous record was held by Ryan Aplin of Arkansas State with 10,758 yards.

“I’m humbled,” Rodgers said. “The reason I was able to set a new record was because of

my offensive line, receivers, coaches and all of my teammates. They deserve the record be-cause without them I would be nothing, they have been with me since day one.”

Rodgers completed 29 of 41 passes for 382 yards while the whole night totaled 627 yards offensively and only allowing just 274 yards on defense. The first quarter ended with Henderson leading 18-7 and it did not slow down from there.

Although the second quarter ended with a touch-down from each team, Henderson continued to lead the Savage Storm. The third quarter was low scoring but the final quarter had bigger numbers for the Reddies, scoring 28 points and making it a shut out quarter for SOSU. After every time Henderson brought up a first down the crowd and announcer would chant and fill the Carpenter-Haygood stadium with, “First and ten, Henderson!”

The coaches were proud of the outcome and the hard work put into each and every

day of practice, and each week the team has a game they are always wanting to get better.

“There is always improvements you can make, we’re never too proud to think we’re good enough,” Coach Espinoza said. “We are humble enough to prepare and confident enough to perform.”

Preparation is something this team does well, whether it is film, the weight room or on the field, the Reddies worked hard to get where they are today. With the help of a saying all the coaches instill in their heads.

“This is the most important game of the year because it is the next game on our sched-ule,” Coach Espinoza said. “Moving forward makes East Central University now the most important game of the year because it is our next game on our schedule. Can’t look ahead and can’t look behind.”

The Reddies will be on the road again to face East Central University at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27.

Henderson squared off against Southeastern Oklahoma on CBS Sports Network and crushed it 60-17STORY BY TAYLOR DANIELS — PHOTO BY JEFFERY P. GILMORE

SHOWDOWN AGAINST THE STORMORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPT. 23, 2014

20 NEWS FEATURES VIEWS HUMOR

END OF AN ERASTORY BY MACKENZIE STONE – PHOTOS BY JEFFERY P. GILMORE

Reddies fall in the Battle of the Ravne for the first time in five years

It was a heart breaking loss for HSU. Sat-urday was not only the Battle of the Ra-vine, but it was also senior day. The cer-

emony took place before the game on HSU’s field to recognize all the HSU football seniors. There are 16 seniors on the team, including star quarterback Kevin Rodgers. The battle began at 3 p.m. on Saturday and ended in a devastating loss for HSU. For the first time in five years OBU defeated HSU with a final score of 41-20.

During the first quarter HSU’s tailback Ryan McDonald rushed up the middle for two yards and scored the first touchdown of the game. OBU answered quickly. By the end of the first quarter the score was 17-7 with HSU in the lead.

Henderson was unable to score in the sec-ond half while OBU scored 20. The Battle of

the Ravine is the oldest rivalry in the NCAA D II, making it an exciting and eventful week for both universities.

As tradition goes, students from both uni-versities enjoy playing pranks on each other throughout the week. Some of the pranks go too far, however, and pranksters have to pay the price.

On Tuesday at 2 a.m. several HSU students were reported throwing tomatoes at an OBU safety vehicle. According to the police report, upon arriving at the scene, Officer Ward was told by an OBU security officer that he saw some kids running just north of Pine Street. Ward found several people huddled on a porch attempting to hide. When the group was instructed to step off the porch and onto the street a female ran from the scene. Immedi-ately after, Shontal Estell, freshman education

major, ran from the scene as well. Ward or-dered both of them to stop but neither com-plied, so Ward chased Estell to North 7th St. where he caught up with her in a residence’s yard.

Ward reported that he ordered Estell to lie on the ground, but she did not comply. He again told her to get on the ground, or she would be pepper sprayed. Still, she refused to comply. Ward administered a short burst of pepper spray to the suspect. She then com-plied and was placed in custody.

Estell was charged with criminal mischief in the second degree and Annie Thomas was charged with fleeing. Both are misdemeanors.

A total of 15 suspects are listed on the po-lice report. However, only Estell and Thomas were charged.

On Thursday the Oracle received a screen

shot of a Yik Yak (an app which is used to send anonymous comments) post: “Appar-ently a bunch of girls from the hoops team got arrested in class??? Lol.” In response to the post one user commented, “Snitches get stitches.”

On Wednesday night another prank took place by HSU students. However, this prank was much more harmless than the last. It turns out that somebody poured red Kool-Aid into OBU’s fountain causing the water to turn red.

There were other, non-prank related events during Battle of the Ravine week including Friday morning’s pep-rally at Carpente-Hay-good Stadium. KATV Channel 7 reported live from the pep rally. The pep-rally began at 5:30 a.m., but neither the early hour nor the freezing cold weather stopped students from coming out to support their team.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOV. 18, 2014


Both Reddie basketball teams came out on top Thursday against Southern Nazarene University.

The Lady Reddies game ended with a score of 81-71, the men’s falling within a simi-lar range 83-68. The women’s had a David and Goliath atmosphere, while the men duked it out in a battle of the giants.

The Lady Reddies struggled to contain Aminata Fall, a 6-foot-4 utility player from SNU. She had 43 of the team’s 71; the only player to score in double digits for the Crim-son Storm.

Fall stood a solid five inches taller than the closest Reddie player who booked minutes during the game.

Aungelique Sledge, senior guard for HSU, had 29 points, leaving her just 12 shy of mov-ing into the number three spot for all-time

leading scorers in Lady Reddies’ history. She also had four steals and 13 rebounds,

making her the Suddenlink Player of the Game.

Haleigh Henson, freshman guard, was the second leading scorer for the Lady Reddies with nine points on the night. She hit sever-al 3-pointers for crucial points in the com-petition. Coach Jill Thomas said Henson has range beyond the arc, and she is just going to continue to get better.

HSU had a large 27-point lead going into half-time, scoring 46 points to SNU’s 19. The lead quickly dwindled in the second half, but they were able to hold on to it in the end.

No single player stood head and shoulders over the others in the men’s competition.

Every player from SNU is listed at six foot or taller and only one of HSU’s starters didn’t

match the height lineup by just two inches, making this a battle of the big boys.

Reggie Murphy, senior forward for the Reddies, put on an impressive performance, coming out with a two-handed dunk less than three minutes after tipoff. He ended the night with 16 points, 12 rebounds and a block.

Murphy was not the only Reddie looking to score, however. All five starters for HSU finished the game in double digits. Micah Walker, another senior forward, led the team with 17 points.

The Reddies led the entire second half, and kept it until the final buzzer. Kerrell Da-vis, junior point guard, ended the game with a monster block with just 15 seconds remaining.

Davis replaced Aaron Cooper, also a ju-nior point guard, in the starting lineup.

Coach Doug Nichols said this was due to

injury, and they were hoping to have Cooper back at 100 percent for Saturday’s game.

Both of the Reddie basketball teams took on Northwestern Oklahoma State University on Saturday in the Duke Wells Center in Ark-adelphia, Ark.

The men’s basketball team fell in a heart-breaking game to the Rangers, 78-77. The Lady Reddies came out with a win over North-western Oklahoma, 87-59.

In the battle against Northwestern Okla-homa, Sledge had a record-breaking game moving into the number three slot for all time Lady Reddie scorers.

The teams will next take on Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Okla. on Saturday, Feb. 21. Tip off for the Lady Reddies is 1 p.m. and the men’s game will begin at 3 pm.

REDDIES STORM OVER SOUTHERN NAZARENEWomen’s and men’s basketball teams both beat the Southern Nazarene University Crimson Storm on Thursday at the Duke Wells Center in Arkadelphia, Ark.

STORY BY KATIE SMITH — PHOTOS BY KRISTINE MOORE

JUMP ON IT — Kelvin Dixon lays it up for two points and Victoria Stewart runs the ball down the court in the games against Southern Nazarene.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEB. 17, 2015


OXYGEN IS OVERRATED — Jeanne Miller swims at Ouachita Baptist University in a swim meet last semester.

FINISH STRONGSenior Jeanne Miller represents HSU in NCAA National Championship

STORY BY MARIAH DELAVEGA — PHOTO JEFFERY P. GILMORE

Jeanne Miller was the only one from the HSU swim team who made it to the NCAA National Championship Tournament in the last two years.

Miller went to the NCAA National Cham-pionship Tournament last year in 2014, but didn’t go as far as she did this year.

At this year’s NCAA National Champi-onship Tournament in Indianapolis, Miller placed 13th in the 100 butterfly having a time of 55.97 on Thursday, March 12.

She placed 10th in the 200 butterfly on Fri-day, March 13.

Her time was 2:03:63 in the preliminaries at the morning session. Her time qualified for the consolation finals on Friday.

Miller cut nearly a second off of her time from the morning session and received 2:02:34.

Miller totaled 11 team points for HSU for this year’s NCAA National Championship Tournament.

“It’s been so fun being on the swim team at HSU,” Miller said. “It’s sad that it’s all over for me now, but it was a perfect way for my season to end and I had a fantastic senior year, and I really cannot complain at all.”

Miller received All American, Academic All American and all conference this season.

“The thing that is so great is that she saved her best swim for last,” Coach Coak Matthews said. “That was her best record of her career and broke her own school record.”

Miller’s plans for next year are to go to graduate school.

“We are really going to miss Jeanne, she is a big impact on the team and she always im-presses me,” Matthews said.



WE ARE THE CHAMPIONSThe Lady Reddies claim first in the Great American Conference after winning three out of four games against Southeastern Oklahoma

STORY BY JOSEPH NEWMAN — PHOTO BY CHRIS SHARP

In what hasn’t been done since Henderson State University joined the GAC in 2011, the HSU softball team swept Southeastern Okla-homa University, the Savage Storm, to take their first ever GAC conference title in soft-ball.

Henderson needed to take just one game out of the doubleheader to win the confer-ence and Michelle Sorenson had a big part in the first title ever.

In the first game she lead HSU to a 4-0 win after she struck out four batters and surren-dered just four hits in the win. “The offense

did what they had to do and I knew today was going to be a special day,” Sorenson said.

The first game started off slowly as the first inning finished with a 0-0 tie on the board.

That would soon change as Taylor Daniels led off the second inning with a double, she would reach home after Ashlyn White’s single to right field to make the score 1-0 Henderson.

Henderson would again get on the board in the third off of a fielding error by the Storm.

With the bases loaded, Taylor Daniels hit a hard line drive to first base which was fielded wrong by the first baseman.

Tricia Hock’s home run in the fourth would provide the last score of the game as Henderson went on to win 4-0 and claim their first ever conference title in softball, but their day was not over.

In the second game of the doubleheader Henderson would get off to a quick start.

Déjà vu would quickly occur for the Sav-age Storm as the game started off the same.

Hock led off the game with a single and would later score off a double by Sarah Gip-son to make the score 1-0 after the first.

That score would hold until the third as

HSU would add two runs in this inning. With the bases loaded Caroline Cullins

blasted a double to center field to bring in two runners to increase the score to 3-0. The Sav-age Storm would get their first and only run of the day in the seventh, but Ali Hargis prevent-ed the comeback attempt on the day by hold-ing SOSU scoreless the rest of the afternoon.

The Reddies will be the top seed at next week’s GAC Tournament in Bentonville, Ark.

Henderson State will open the tournament on Thursday against No. 8 seed Southern Ar-kansas with the first-pitch set for 2 p.m.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED APRIL 28, 2015


NFL BOUNDPrevious Henderson quarterback Kevin Rodgers and wide receiver Darius Davis sign as undrafted free agents with Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers

STORY BY KAITLYN KITCHENS — PHOTOS BY RYAN KLARE & JEFFERY P. GILMORE

Minority InitiativeSub-Recipient

Grant Office

Arkansas Department of Health

Two previous record-breaking Hender-son State football players have signed as free agents in the National Football League on Sat-urday after the NFL Draft was completed.

Kevin Rodgers and Darius Davis were both significant players to the Henderson

State offensive line while being a Reddie. Rodgers, a Rockwall, Texas, native, signed

with the Houston Texans immediately after the NFL Draft finished.

“I got the phone call within thirty minutes after the draft was over,” Rodgers said. “You

get that feeling of adrinaline and you see there is a number calling you from Houston, you’re just like, wow and thankful for the opportu-nity.”

Davis, from Frisco, Texas, signed with the San Francisco 49ers shortly after Rodgers signed.

While attending Henderson, Rodgers col-lected 13,678 passing yards, which makes him fifth in the all-time NCAA Division II history.

Positioned as quarterback, Rodgers com-piled 124 touchdowns in his career including completing 1,010 of 1,518 passes for 66.5 per-cent. This makes him the third all-time NCAA Division II player to make this record.

According to NFL.com, Rodgers is one of the top free agent quarterbacks to be drafted

this 2015 season. “I was super pumped when I found out I

had an opportunity to play the sport I love,” Rodgers said. “God always provides and it’s a blessing to be able to continue playing.”

Davis has broken many records as well in-cluding the HSU career leader in scoring with 302 points. He also has the career receiving yards record with 3,686 yards and 179 recep-tions. The wide receiver also made 47 touch-downs in his career at Henderson.

Davis ran more than 100 yards in 14 differ-ent games including his best 232 yards against Southern Arkansas on Nov. 9, 2013.

Now Rodgers and Davis will attend team camps and can hopefully earn a roster spot.

Additional Reporting by Troy Mitchell.

DON’T MESS WITH TEXANS — Kevin Rodgers, who recently signed with the Houston Texans, gets ready to catch the ball as a Reddie.

STRIKING GOLD — Darius Davis, who signed with the San Francisco 49ers, saluting the crowd after a Henderson State win.

05/05/15 best of 2014-15 issue

Documents