the
Signal
www.obusignal.com
04.16.15 Volume 124 Issue 22
Ouachita Baptist University
IN THIS ISSUE:
“Hollywood Lost” Ace Collins on his life as an honorary Tiger, p.3
Mr. 400 How to lift the equivalent of a Welsh pony, p.4 Tyler Rosenthal z The Signal WILL STOTTS stars as Shrek in “Shrek the Musical,” opening tonight in JPAC at 7:30 p.m. Showing tonight through Sunday afternoon, the musical “tells the story of Shrek, everyone’s favorite ogre, who embarks on a quest to save his swamp,” according to Daniel Inouye, director of the production. OBU students receive one free ticket with a student ID and all other tickets are $12 each. Tickets can be purchased from the OBU Box Office in person or online at www.obu.edu/boxoffice.
Authenticity Why we should remember that social media feeds are just one big highlight reel, p.4
Legacy A look back at some of the greatest college football dynasties, p.6
S News 1 n S Features 3 n S Opinions 4 n S Sports 6 n
“Shrek the Musical” opens tonight By ANNA HURST News Bureau
Ouachita’s Division of Music and Department of Theatre Arts will present Shrek the Musical April 16-19 as its annual spring musical for the 2014-2015 theatre season. Performances will be held in Jones Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on April 16-18 as well as a 2:30 matinee on Sunday, April 19. Tickets are $12 each. “Shrek the Musical tells the story of Shrek, everyone’s favorite ogre, who embarks on a quest to save his swamp. Joined by loyal and wisecracking Donkey, this unlikely hero rescues the beautiful and feisty Princess Fiona from her tower guarded by a fire-breathing, lovesick dragon,” explained Daniel Inouye, associate professor of theatre arts and director of the production. “Through his adventure Shrek learns
the value of true friendship and love, and that some fairy tales should really be updated,” Inouye said. “Add to this the diminutive Lord Farquaad, a gang of fairytale misfits and a cookie with a serious attitude problem, and you have got a must-see musical comedy!” The production is a two-act adaptation of the children’s book Shrek! by William Steig and the DreamWorks Animation motion picture Shrek, with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. “We wanted to do a modern musical that has lots of audience appeal,” Inouye noted. “Everyone is familiar with the animated films, and when we got a chance to produce this musical it just seemed like a great fit for our students and a show that our audiences would love to see.” Serving alongside Inouye are Musical Director David Stanley, OBU instructor of
music; Choreographer Grace Whitaker, a 2011 Ouachita graduate; and Technical Director Eric Phillips, professor of theatre arts and chair of OBU’s Department of Theatre Arts. Will Stotts, a freshman musical theatre major from Jonesboro, Ark., will play the lead role of Shrek. “I am looking forward to presenting this hilarious, but also beautiful, story to the audience. It has such a great message, with a whole lot of laughter here and there,” he stated. “I am also pretty excited to sing and dance as a big green ogre in front of my peers. … It is the most fun I have ever had putting together a show. The same goes for a lot of my castmates, and that will show through our performance.” All ages are encouraged to attend the production. “This is a show for absolute-
see SHREK z 2
Students win first place for interdisciplinary research at Alpha Chi convention By MCKENZIE CRANFORD News Bureau
Three students from Ouachita won first place for their research at the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society convention held recently in Chicago. Given the theme “The Nexus of Science and the Arts,” students were challenged to craft research projects exploring the intersection between science and the arts. Six universities accepted the challenge, with Ouachita’s team earning the $5,000 first prize. Describing Ouachita’s winning team as “an amazing group of bright and enthusiastic students,” Dr. Lori Hensley, Ouachita’s Alpha Chi sponsor, said, “I think the interdisciplinary focus of the collaborative research project is absolutely perfect for students from liberal arts universities. The nature of the project forces students to think outside their majors and consider their knowledge in a broader perspective, a
skill that is critical in the real world.” Led by Dr. Allyson Phillips, assistant professor of psychology, the student team members included Stoni Butler, a junior psychology major from Camden, Ark.; Jessie Little, a senior biology major from Woodway, Texas; and Dustin Walter, a senior biology and chemistry double major from Marion, Ark. They worked together to research, plan and conduct the study. Butler and Little then presented the research, “Too Tired to Think Outside the Box? An Analysis of Ego Depletion’s Effects on Creativity,” at the convention. “Stoni, Jessie and Dustin were truly a joy to work with, and I was so excited to see them win,” Phillips said. “They worked exceptionally hard on this project, and it was thrilling to see them rewarded for all of their efforts. It was a well-deserved win, and I feel so blessed to have been a part of this experience.” see ALPHA CHI z 2
Kristen Young z The Signal SENIOR GRETCHEN GOSSER presents her research at last spring’s Scholars Day. Students present research across various academic areas and the day is open for anyone to attend.
Students to present theses, research at annual Scholars Day By KATHERINE CARTER Staff Writer
Scholars Day is an annual event that celebrates academic achievement in every discipline at Ouachita. It is hosted by Alpha Tau, the student organization of the Carl Goodson Honors Society, which will welcome future OBU Honors students and celebrate the academic achievements of current students, especially seniors who are presenting their theses. It will be hosted
this year on April 22. Scholars Day is a campuswide event held for anyone interested in participating, including prospective students, current undergraduate students, staff and faculty. It is a day to honor students who are involved in the Honors Society, particularly those who are about to graduate and move on to higher levels of education, whether that is graduate school or seminary. Senior students will be see SCHOLARS z 2