Fort Smith considers Civic Center expansion; local citizen expresses views...

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photo by Clint Fisher

Leadership development course gives direction to students in leadership positions... 7

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Westark students volunteer to help local youth at Boys/Girls Clubs...

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8

Vol. 50 I s s u e 9 The Student N e w s p a p e r o f W e s t a r k C o m m u n i t y Col lege April 24,1996

jj? Opinions April 24,1996

LionPride ispublished throughout the fall and spring semesters, excluding holidays and breaks, and once in summer I. LP is produced by Student Publications, which include s tudents as editors, reporters, advertising staf f , and photographers. The positions of editors, ass is tant editors, and ad managers are subject to contractual agreements and terms. This is a s tudent service budgeted from student act iv i ty fees.

LP s t a f f members are eligible f o r academic scholarships through the journalism program of the Division of Humanities.

Editorial policy is established with the approval of the adviser of Student Publications and the Student Publications Advisory Council.

Let ters to the editor are welcomed and encouraged. LP re serves the right to edit all let ters to conform with AP style and grammar, but meanings will not be altered.

All let ters must be signed and include Social Security number for verification; however, names will be withheld from publication and only initials used upon request. No libelous let ters will be considered for publication.

Views expressed are not necessarily those of the board, administration, faculty, s t a f f or s tudents of Westark.

Manusc r i p t s , photographs, and a r two rk are welcomed. LP reserves the right to accept or reject materials for publication.

LP will neither knowingly discr iminate nor pr int fraudulent or false information in i ts advertising.

LP is printed by Graphics Place. A special thanks to Judy Howard for the E5ell Tower

artwork. Judy Howard 1994 ©. The LP staff wishes to thank Mrs. Joy Beard, Division

of Humanit ies Chair, for her continued e f f o r t s of assistance with th is publication and support of i t s s ta f f members.

LP Editor-in Chief Leanna DeLeon

Ass is tant Editor

Clint Fisher Campus Life

Jessica Graves Reporters Tim Higgins Jan Dunn

Jennifer Hietanen Ads

Tina Tisk?e Chris Folks Cartoonist

Jason Lochner Photo Manager

Tracy Morris Photographers

Lewis Hill Mary White

Adviser Lori Norin

Makes dollars, sense

Dressing up downtown Will Fort Smith continue to

advance its economic, cultural and entertainment interests, or will it halt in its progressive footprints? Voters may be given those options if city directors approve a bold plan this month to renovate and expand the Fort Smith Civic Center.

The proposal may seem extravagant—to the tune of $23.5 million—going forth posthaste with this project will continue to promote revitalization of the downtown area. More importantly, it will be akin to putting money in the bank.

According to Gordon Guest of Guest Reddick Architects of Fort Smith, an estimated $50 million to $60 million dollars could flow through the local economy during the next five years as a direct result of the proposed Civic Center expansion.

The current Civic Center [built 30 years ago], when renovated and combined with the expansion, would contain 55,000 square feet of space for utilization. Compared to the 13,200 square feet of

exhibition/convention space now available, such an offering would provide chambers of commerce in the area a good sales pitch for large conventions, which would, in turn, bring big bucks to the hotels, motels, restaurants and tourist attractions in the area.

One need only attend a Westark Season of Entertainment production or other cultural event in the present facility to see the need for a larger venue for performances.

Fort Smith is enjoying prosperity because city leaders and the majority of its voting citizens have a vision for the city's future.

Dressing up downtown with an expanded Civic Center would give the area a tremendous economic boost, but just as importantly, it would continue to move Fort Smith forward into the 21st century with its progressive mission, thus ensuring continued prosperity for its citizens.

It may be a hard sell, but nothing good ever comes easily.

---JKD

April 24,1996 News 3

>The Westark Department of Music presents a Spring Concert by the Westark Concert Band, Dr. Greg 3enson, conductor & Westark Percussion Ensemble, Kristen

Scheirman, conductor. It will be held on Wednesday, April 24 and Thursday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Breedlove Auditorium. Tickets are $5 and free to Westark faculty, staff and students. For more information, call 501-788-7300.

>The last day of regular classes will be Friday, April 26.

>The Student Awards Program will be held on Friday, April 26 at 7 p.m. in the Breedlove building. A reception for students

and their families will begin at 6:30 p.m.

>On Wednesday, May 1 at 10:30 a.m., Student Activities Council will sponsor an Exam Study Break in Fullerton Union.

>Commencement will be held Friday, May 3 at 7 p.m. at the Campus Green on the steps of the Donald W. Reynolds E5ell Tower Plaza, or in case of inclement weather, at the Fort Smith Civic Center on Saturday, May 4 at 2 p.m.

>History/Geography instructor, Billy Higgins is the 1996 recipient of the Lucille Speakman Excellence in Teaching Award. Instructors are selected for the award by a selection committee from the faculty senate.

>Westark graduates and prospective spring 1996 Westark graduates can apply for entering Junior Transfer Scholarships for the 1996-97 school year at universities around the state. Scholarship applications are available in the Financial Aid Office.

Send your Campus Life news to The Lion Pride, c/o Jessica Graves, CL editor, Ballman-Speer 105A, or call 788-7261.

Final Exam Schedule Spring Semester

April 29-May 3 ,1996

Day Class Times Exam Period

8-8:50 a.m. MWF, MW, WF.... Monday 0-9:50 a.m. 11-11:50 a.m. MWF, MW, WF.... Monday 11-12:50 p.m. 2-2:50 p.m. MWF, MW, WF..... Monday 1-2:50 p.m. ***ALL Sections Monday 3-4:50 p.m. of Accounting (l&ll)

8-9:20 a.m. TR Tuesday 0-9:50 a.m. 11-12:20 p.m. TR Tuesday 11-12:50 p.m. 2-3:20 p.m. TR Tuesday 2-3:50 p.m. 10-10:50 a.m. MWF, MW, WF . Wednesday 9-10:50 a.m. 12-12:50 p.m. MWF, MW, WF .. Wednesday 12-1:50 p.m. 4-5:15 p.m. MW Wednesday 4-5:50 p.m. ***ALL Sections....................... Wednesday 2-3:50 p.m. of Economics (l&ll) *9:30-10:50 a.m. TR............... Thursday 9-10:50 a.m. **12:30-1:50 p.m. TR............... Thursday 12-1:50 p.m. 4-5:15 p.m. TR Thursday 4-5:50 p.m. ***ALL Sections Thursday 2-4 p.m. of Legal Environment of Business 7-7:50 a.m. MWF, MW, WF ..... Friday 7-0:50 a.m. 9-9:50 p.m. MWF, MW, WF Friday 9-10:50 a.m. 1-1:50 p.m. MWF, MW, WF. Friday 12-1:50 p.m. includes classes which start at 9 a.m. on TR **lncludes classes which start at 12 noon on TR *** Instructors will announce room schedule

Evening Class Time/Day......... Exam Day/Time

5:25-6:40 p.m., MW Monday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday only Monday 7:45-9:45 p.m. 6:50-8:05p.m. TR Tuesday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday only Tuesday 7:45-9:45 p.m. 6:50-0:05 p.m. MW................ Wed. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday only Wed. 7:45-9:45 p.m. 5:25-6:40 p.m. TR Thursday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday only Thursday 7:45-9:45 p.m.

Campus Life

>Zeta Upsilon Chapter of Phi Beta lambda will sponsor a cake walk to benefit the March of Dimes on Wednesday, April 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., or until the cakes are gone. The cakewalk will be held on the green or, in case of bad weather, in the Flanders

Building Lobby. The cost will be 50 cents per walk.

4/5 Centerspread

Bright colored serapes, the sounds of Latin American folk music, and performers in traditional Spanish outfits were just some of the things that helped make Festival de Abril a huge success.

Nancy Zechiedrich, Spanish instructor, says

Rene Galvan, trumpeteer, is one of the founders of the Mariachi de Tulsa, a group of musicians who play traditional hispanic music at parties and special occasions around the area.

that the main purpose of the festival, held last Thursday on Westark's campus green, was to expose students who are learning Spanish to the S p a n i s h - s p e a k i n g community.

"It's a natural combination that should be made somehow, because we have to get people who want to learn Spanish together

with people who do speak Spanish so they can better learn the l a n g u a g e , "

Zechiedrich said. The festival, sponsored

by Sigma Delta Mu, was put together exclusively by students who spent weeks preparing for the event.

Local businesses that specialize in Hispanic goods, such as the Panederia de los Angeles and Jumpers Fiesta set up booths with items for sale.

Members of Sigma Delta Mu set up several booths as well, with everything from Honduran crafts to hand-made paper flowers. There were also booths with games. One booth challenged players with questions about Hispanic culture. Approximately ten local high schools attended the festival, as well as members of the Hispanic community. Westark students and faculty also

participated. Carillon music by Dr.

Stephen Husarik, humani-ties instructor, began the festivities. Following Husarik's performance, Laura Dickey, Sigma Delta Mu president, greeted the crowd in both the Spanish and English languages.

Mariachi de Tulsa hit the stage and entertained the crowd with traditional Hispanic music. Mariachi de Tulsa, a group composed of five musicians, play at parties and special occa-sions around the area. The band was originally formed four years ago when the original members met at a Mother's Day party.

According to Jorge Rodriguez, guitarist, co-founder, and lead vocalist for Mariachi de Tulsa, the group began playing to-gether at a festival for fun and later decided to make a career of it.

"People began inviting us to play at parties and after a while, we decided to practice more and play professionally," Rodriguez said.

Between performances of Mariachi de Tulsa, the crowd was entertained by other dancers and performers as well.

Marc Gentry, a native of Venezuela, played the cuatro, a four string guitar popular in Venezuela. Gen-

try was also accompanied by his daughter, Carrie Gentry, who sang the popu-lar mexican song "Eres tu."

Gentry's performance was followed by Susan Pointer, who danced the Jota, a traditional Spanish dance. Pointer studied dancing in Spain for several years.

After a brief intermission, Jason Guerrero, Mariachi de Tulsa, and Gabriella Kinslow performed a traditional Mexican folk dance accompanied by the music of Mariachi de Tulsa.

Following a second performance of Mariachi de Tulsa, the festival was concluded with a Conga line led by Pamela Schultz, director of choral activities.

Because of the tremen-dous success of the festival and the enthusiasm gener-ated by it, Zechiedrich says that the festival may be-come an annual event.

"It always depends on the students you have. This year, the students are incredibly talented, and if we have that same kind of talent in our classes next year, then we will definitely have another festival," Zechiedrich said.

Great performers and outstanding work by the students of Sigma Delta Mu have made this year's festi-val a tremendous success.

EVERYBODY DANCE! In an attempt to set the new state record for the longest Conga line, students, faculty, and members of the Mariachi de Tulsa formed a Conga line, led by Pamela Schultz, at the end of the festivities. Despite efforts to beat the previous record of 125 people, Henderson State College still holds the record.

by Clint Fisher

April 24,1996

GUITAR M A N Marc Gentry, a native of Venezuela, plays the cuatro, a Venezuelan guitar. Gentry later performed with his daughter, Carrie Gentry.

MEXICAN TWO-STEP Jason Guerreo, Mariachi de Tulsa, and Gabriella Kinslow dance a traditional Mexican folkdance accompanied by the music of the Mariachi de Tulsa.

L o s MARIACHIS Mariachi de Tulsa provided entertainment during the festival. The Mariachi de Tulsa are from left to right: Hiram Birkitt (guitarron), Jason Guerrero (guitar), Rene Gal van (trumpet), Gilbert Birkitt (vihuela), and Jorge Rodriguez (guitar and vocals).

FRESH BAKED Jose Miguel Huerta from Panaderia de Los Angeles sells baked goods and refreshments to festival participants. Panaderia de Los Angeles is a local bakery specializing in hispanic pastries.

SPANISH DANCE Susan Pointer dances the Jota, a traditional Spanish dance. Pointer studied dance in Spain.

photos by Clint Fisher

Spring photos April 24,1996

GETTIN' AROUND In an effort to raise

money for scholarships for automotive students at Westark, antique car buffs brought out their classics for the Show and Shine Car Show sponsored by the Fort Smith Antique Auto Club on the north parking lot Saturday, April 13.

Here, John Branum cruises the parking lot in his 1901 Ford.

photo by Tracy Morris

DISHIN' IT UP

At a barbeque for the soon-to-be graduates of the Westark Honors Organization (WHO), Tara Harvel, business administration major, serves up an extra large helping of potato salad to Jason Lairamore, biology

major. , , photo by Clint Fisher

CHEF STACEY Warm and breezy spring weather and the smell of grilled hot dogs (or maybe just the promise of a good time in the great weather) brought out students for fellowship in the sun at the spring picnic sponsored by the Student Activities Council. photo by Clint Fisher

April 24,1996 News 7

Students prepare for end of semester

Commencement ceremonies set After years of hard study, Westark

students who have completed requirements will graduate in the commencement ceremony on the campus green Friday, May 3.

The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m., but in case of inclement weather, there will be an announcement on local radio and tele-vision stations by 3 p.m. on the day of graduation. Alternate plans are to hold the ceremony Saturday, May 4 at the Fort Smith Civic Center at 2 p.m.

There will be a reception held on the Lion Pride Square with refreshments im-mediately following the ceremony.

About 1,500 people are expected to at-tend the ceremony, so there will be ad-equate seating provided for graduates and their families and friends.

"I think we're ultimately going to have more seating and better seats than we did at the Civic Center," Peggy Forsberg, di-rector of Admissions and Records, said.

About 250 students are expected to par-ticipate in graduation. This will include

Westark, Arkansas State University, and for the first time, University of Arkansas at Little Rock students.

Some of the requirements that students must meet include filling out an applica-

GETTING MEASURED Chanci Highley, business administration major, gets measured for her cap in preparation for commencement ceremonies.

photo by Mary White

tion to graduate, meeting all course cata-log requirements, which include general education core and elective requirements, and have at least a 2.0 GPA.

The honors students,those who have completed 15 credit hours of honors courses, will wear a medallion and be de-noted in the program. Phi Theta Kappa graduates will wear a gold stole over their graduation gown.

President Joel Stubblefield will deliver the key note address and will recognize the college's first Master of Science in Nurs-ing student to graduate from the Univer-sity of Central Arkansas, through the Uni-versity Center. His speech will also fea-ture some graduates with interesting lives and unique challenges.

"It will be a wonderful opportunity for him [Stubblefield] to share his vision for the college," Forsberg said.

Dr. Stephen Husarik, humanities in-structor will give a short carillon concert before and after commencement. The bell tower will also chime at 7 p.m. before the ceremony begins.

Class offers

Skills for leaders Building trust, delegating responsibili-

ties, resolving conflict, and empowering others are not usually on the list of topics studied in most college classrooms. Thanks to a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, students in Westark's leadership develop-ment course learn the skills necessary for effective leadership.

Students study 12 topics in the course through active learning with a text pro-vided by the Kellogg Foundation, a vari-

POLITICAL LEADERSHIP Tara Harvel, business administration major, participates in the mock political campaign in the leadership class. p h o t o by Clint Fisher

ety of leaders in the community as speak-ers, videos, and role playing situations.

"The speakers that come in serve to re-inforce what is in our text book, but also to present a new perspective," Stephanie Zerkel, leadership development instructor, said.

In a class filled with strong leaders, Zerkel says that anything can happen, in-cluding interesting discussions. But she says that the differences expressed serve as a springboard for the students to learn from, because it forces them to look at things in a way they have probably not looked at them before.

"I think a class like this really provides them [the students] with the opportunity to not only study what a leader is, but to look at the different aspects of leadership," Zerkel said.

Students have worked on several projects to help them conceive a leadership plan for their lives, including a five year leadership plan and a leadership journal

on topics including the development of a leadership philosophy.

The class has also participated in an exercise in team building and delegation which included a mock political rally. Stu-dents chose candidates for their rally, and then the two teams delegated responsibili-ties between team members.

"We do activities every class period that serve to be a model of what can possibly happen, like role playing scenarios/' Zerkel said.

A study of the vision of the founding fathers of the United States also allowed students to focus on the importance of a vision in the leadership process.

Currently, 20 sophomores are accepted to enroll in the course after an application process, but Zerkel says that student in-terest has been high, and the program may expand in coming years.

For more information on the leadership development course, contact Stephanie Zerkel at 788-7015.

Students volunteer to help youth

_ _ o f Fort Smith As the youth of tomorrow

mature, guidance and direction is a must. A handfull of students have decided to become those leaders through programs such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

The Boys/Girls Club ask each year for volunteer coaches for sports such as baseball, soccer, football, basketball and

SOCCER COACH Girls' soccer coach, Kylee Connor, instructs her players on the field.

photo by Tracy Morris

softball. Participants' ages range from K-12 grade.

"I really enjoy working with my team. I have helped coach several age groups in baseball and basketball. My favorite season so far was the most recent. We made it to the semi-finals in basketball," Matt Charles, criminology major, said.

Paul James, philosophy major, was also an assistant in the Boys Club program. James' team finished with an outstanding 11-2 record during the Pee-Wee Basketball Tournament.

"The kids learn responsibility and sportsmanship. Those two things are needed throughout life. To be able to give that is a gift in itself," James said.

Charles grew up around the Boys Club sports programs. When Charles was a child, his father was the director at Evans Boys Club.

"I saw what the volunteers did for the kids. They pushed them to do their best. The club was part of my life as a child. I don't know what I would have done without the hours of baseball, days of basketball, or the friends that I met," Charles said.

Charles played baseball through his senior year and

came to Westark on a scholarship. James also came to Westark to play baseball after growing up in the Little Rock Boys Club program.

"With all the changes that have occurred in Little Rock over the past 10 years involving gang violence, it has become a necessity to have something for kids besides the streets. I'm glad that I am a part of that program," James said.

Another volunteer, Kylee Connor, psychology major, has been coaching girls soccer for three years now, and has managed an 8-2-2 record this year as head coach.

In her team's first tournament, they swept through the competition with out giving up a single goal.

In their second tournament, they made it to the finals, but lost in a double-overtime-shootout.

"A major part of coaching is keeping the kids on track. When I get around the kids, I become a like a big sister. They tell me everything from why they are grounded to what they made on their math test," Connor said.

The local Boys and Girls Clubs are always looking for coaches. If you would like to participate in one of the local programs, call 782-7093.

SIGN HERE, PLEASE Westark's leading

rebounder, post, Reggie Love, signed a letter of intent with Centenary of the Trans American Conference as family members look on. Love averaged 7.8 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game this season as a Lion.

Sherman Lusk, Patrick Hunter, Paul Taylor, Ladeana Quick, Alisa Burras, and Debra Williams also all signed letters of intent on Wednesday, April 10.

photo by Clint Fisher

Here's a look at Lion baseball.

Mar. 23 Bacona 6 6 WCC 7 1

Mar 2 6 Car I Albert 2 5 WCC 9 4

Mar. 3 0 Seminole & 7 WCC 1 3

April 1 NorthArk 4 4 WCC 2 13

April 3 Bacone 5 5 WCC 4 &

April 5 Redlands 10 2

WCC 0 12

April 6 Rose State 0 1 WCC 2 0

April 9 Eastern 2 4 WCC 0 O

April 11 Connore 1012 WCC 0 0

April 16 Murray State .... 3 1 WCC 7 5

April 20 N.E.0 2 9 WCC 9 4

Look for more listings of Lions and Lady Lions basketball schedules and Lion baseball in future issues of Lion Pride.

8 Sports In The Ticker