O UAC H I TA
B A P T I S T
U N I V E R S I T Y
SINCE 1890
the
SIGNAL
04.27.18
Vol. 126, Issue 22
FEATURES | 3
A WEEKEND AT CAMP Backyard Bible Club’s Camp Wamp ministry
www.obusignal.com
Carl Goodson Honors Program presents Scholars Day By ANNI WILLIAMS
Staff writer The Carl Goodson Honors Program hosted the annual Scholars Day event in venues across campus last Wednesday, April 25. Students of all disciplines showcased their research and academic work to fellow students and faculty through their presentations throughout the day. “It celebrates academic achievement in every discipline,” said Honors director Dr. Barbara Pemberton. Scholars Day gives students the opportunity to see what their friends have been doing all year, and gives professors the opportunity to see what their students and colleagues have been researching, according to Pemberton. Scholars Day also gives students an opportunity to practice presenting their work before they do it in a professional setting. “This is just like a professional setting, this is good practice for them,” Pemberton said. The students presented their research in many different locations across campus. Science posters were presented in Walker Conference Center. The theatre arts showcase was held in Verser
A STUDENT at Scholars Day presents her research poster. Students from every school and many areas of study presented research projects or theses during Scholars Day.
Theater. The art exhibit and two art presentations were held in Moses Provine. Honors theses were presented in Walker, Young Auditorium and Hickingbotham Hall. Presentations were held in McClellan, including several group presentations and a poster exhibit in the McClellan Rotunda. Presenting an Honors theses is also a requirement to graduate from the Honors program. “The theses must be presented at Scholars Day and so it’s a huge milestone for our seniors,” Pemberton said. “We are very proud to
have had 38 theses presented this year, more than we have ever had in the program. We even had two that were Skyped from students who are off campus now.” “Not only did over 270 students participate, of the 270 that participated, many of those are members of the Carl Goodson Honors Program, who were in charge of setting up, hosting and moderating the various rooms,” Pemberton said. “(Scholars Day) is the big event that Honors puts on.” “All the presentations were recommended by professors,
and that says a lot,” Pemberton said. “Much of it has already been award winning at other venues. So, there is absolutely excellent work.” Many across the OBU campus came together to help with the event. The refreshments for the day were furnished by the president’s office. Professors also helped with the event. Above all, the Honors program’s officers were the ones who pulled the day’s events together. “Really it was the leadership of the Honors program that helped,” Pemberton said. “They deserve
much credit.” In particular, Pemberton recognized the efforts of Mary Grace Hill, who “worked above and beyond on every part of it, from the program to the setting up. She’s an officer of the program and has really stepped up above and beyond her position as leader.” Scholars Day was an excellent display of the academic success at Ouachita across all disciplines. Pemberton echoed the sentiment of many as she said, “I could not be more proud of our whole OBU campus.” n
Theatre Department to Bands to stage PRISM concert in present One Act Plays Jones Performing Arts Center By MALLORY MORRIS Staff writer
Ouachita’s Theatre Department will present One Acts May 3-4 on the Verser Theatre stage. Everyone who would like to attend is welcomed by the theatre department. “One Acts are spread across two nights, and three directors present their shows each night,” explained Anna Darr, a senior musical theatre major who will be directing one of this year’s shows. Seniors are given the opportunity to direct a show as a part of their final for the Directing class. Directing a One Act enables students to showcase their own sense of creativity as well as gain important leadership skills. The students directing this year’s One Acts include Darr, Hannah Hines, Mackenzie Holtsclaw, Cody Walls and Michael Pere. “I really enjoyed being able to create a fun new world that my show lives in,” said Darr. “Trying to find the pieces that the playwright left within their writing allows for the directors to make their own choices in those moments. It is very exciting, it’s like putting together a sort of elaborate puzzle.” A good deal of thought and preparation goes into creating the ideas for a One Act. Then, once the layout for a play is determined, rehearsals begin.
SCAN FOR AN ONLINE EDITION
“My cast meets three to four hours a week for rehearsals,” Darr said. “Outside of rehearsals, they are expected to memorize their lines, which can take weeks. The directors are expected to do a lot of prep work for each of the rehearsal times. We’re all part of the Directing class that meets twice a week to discuss how to be a good director, directing techniques and how to get feedback from our peers.” Darr enthusiastically explained her own show, saying, ”it is a story about a boy and a girl, who represent all humans that have ever been in a relationship. It brings attention to how mechanical and arbitrary the courting process can be, while also showing how magical and personal each relationship is.” Hannah Earls, who will be starring in Darr’s show, described her favorite aspect of the One Acts, saying, “I like that the show is so small. You can goof off and have fun, but you are still able to get things done at the same time.” One Acts help their student directors to gain practical experience, but they are also beneficial for those outside the department. “It’s a great opportunity to get the whole campus involved in a different form of theatre,” Darr said. “We often get nontheatre majors who get cast in roles, and they seem to walk see One Acts z 2
By VICTORIA ANDERSON Staff writer The combined band and steel bands will perform PRISM in the Jones Performing Arts Center on Monday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. PRISM is a free concert that surrounds the audience and uses lighting as an integral part of the performance. “The reason it is called PRISM is that as light passes through a prism it produces different colors, so we will use light cues to show the different ‘colors’ of our instrumental program,” said Dr. Craig Hamilton, director of bands. “It is a wonderful way of showcasing our instrumental ensembles and our wonderfully talented students and faculty.” PRISM is different from other concerts in that it does not break between songs for applause. As soon as one ensemble completes a piece, the light shifts to illuminate a different ensemble that immediately starts performing the next piece. The directors of the ensembles include Hamilton, Mrs. Kristin Grant, Dr. Caroline Taylor, Dr. Heather Thayer, Mr. Geoff Durbin, Mr. Adam Davis and Mr. Nevada Mills. Ensembles have been rehearsing for most of the semester, both during and outside of class times. Abby Tipps, a senior percussion performance major from Sulphur Springs, Texas, is
OUACHITA’S WIND Ensemble, conducted by Dr. Craig Hamilton, stands for applause at a concert earlier in the semester. They will perform in Monday’s PRISM concert.
performing with the Wind Ensemble, Combined Bands, Saxophone Ensemble, Saxophone Quartet and Flute Choir and has practiced 10 hours a week for the past month. Ensembles will perform a variety of pieces, so there will be a song for each member of the audience to enjoy. “My favorite piece that I’m performing in has to be ‘Blue Burn’ with the Percussion Ensemble,” said Jonathan Miles, a sophomore physics major with a double minor in music and math from Arkadelphia. “It’s an exciting, diverse piece that really shows the dimensions of what percussion is, from quiet shakers, to fast rhythms on bongos and bass drums.” There will also be an ar-
THIS WEEK AT OBUSIGNAL.COM
y Advice for surviving finals y Reflections on conflict y Worthy: a night of student-led worship
rangement of “Hymn of Axiom” for the saxophone ensemble. “It’s not the typical style of music you expect to hear from a large saxophone group. It leaves the listener wanting more,” said Sierra Westberg, a junior instrumental music education major from Arkadelphia. Sarah Coles, a senior accounting and finance double major from Van Buren, has two pieces she is looking forward to performing. “One is ‘Dance of the New World’ by Dana Wilson and will be performed by the Wind Ensemble,” Coles said. “It is very challenging and is different than what the Wind Ensemble usually plays. My other favorite piece is see PRISM z 2
CONNECT WITH THE SIGNAL
NEWS
www.obusignal.com
Friday, April 27, 2018 u page 2
thisTweets weekzCALENDAR of the Week Danny Hays @Haysdanny 15 Apr I love my job. I get to study God’s word & then teach it to eager college students who love the Lord. It’s a great job. Even on Mondays.
CAB TRIVIA NIGHT will be CONCERT CHOIR will Saturday, April 28 at 7 p.m. host “A Night of Gloria’s” on at Dr. Jack’s Coffeehouse. Tuesday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Students can participate in “Star McBeth Recital Hall. For more Wars” movie trivia games. For information, contact Dr. Gary @Ouachita contact Duel Gerber at gerberg@obu.edu. 15 Apr moreOBU information, So how do you social media -- to affirm and encourage Cunningham atusecun60324@ or to attack and tear doen? “Be ye kind to one another.” obu.edu. (Eph. 4:32). Hmmm...
PRISM CONCERT featuring REFUGE will be at Second Ouachita bands will be Monday, Baptist Church on Thursday, Apr For more AprilJustin 30 atYoung 7:30@JustinYoung072 p.m. in Jones May 3 at 916p.m. The Harley Davidson leather vest must be the key to Performing Arts Center. For information, contact James memorizing the entire Bible. Dr. Taylor at taylorja@obu.edu. more information, contact Gary Gerber at gerberg@obu. edu.
The Signal @obusignal 27 April Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for up-to-the-minute updates on everything going on around Ouachita Baptist. Twitter: @obusignal Facebook: facebook.com/obusignal Instagram: @obusignal
from our perspective
Will Blase Features editor
Will Johnson Sports editor
“Spider-Man.”
“Iron Man.”
TOP
5
Study break activities
5 4 3 2 1
Waffle House run Walmart run Hammocking Naps Netflix
Which Marvel character do you most relate to?
Katherine Carter Opinions editor
Josh Salim Copy editor
Julia Williams News editor
“Hawkeye.”
“Groot.”
“Captain America.”
One Acts
PRISM
Sarah Engebrecht wins Juried Student Art Exhibit
away having had a lot of fun. A lot of the time we get repeat students who audition for every all night theatre and one act show we do.” Darr emphasized the importance it holds for the department. “It helps to grow interest in the theatre as a whole when the entirety of the campus comes out to support,” she said. More information about the upcoming performances will be sent through email. If you have any questions, contact Dr. Holsclaw or members of the theatre program. n
‘Masques’ by Anne McGinty and will be performed by the Flute Choir. This is one of my favorites because I’m playing the contrabass flute on this piece.” PRISM is not just a chance to listen to new music. It is a chance to recognize the work instrumentalists do every day in order to put together a concert people will enjoy. “There is so much talent, and it is an honor for everyone involved not only to get to perform, but to be appreciated for what we do,” Tipps said. n
By KATIE SMITH
z Continued from Page 1
z Continued from Page 1
NEWS BRIEFS Quick recaps of the biggest stories of the week Royal Baby arrives The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their third child earlier this week on Monday, April 23. The yet unnamed son of Prince William and Kate Middleton is the sixth greatgrandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and the fifth in line of succession to the British crown. According to Kensington Palace announcements, both the Duchess and the baby are in good health and are home. Prince William was in attendance for the birth at St. Mary’s Hospital. The baby weighed eight pounds and seven ounces, and his name has not yet been announced. The Duchess announced her pregnancy in September 2017 after she missed a royal engagement. Princess Charlotte is two years old and recently began nursery school, and Prince George is four years old, having begun school in September. n Source: CBS
Travel Ban case heard before Supreme Court The Supreme Court on Wednesday morning began to hear arguments from Solicitor General Noel Francisco and opposition attorney Neal Katyal on the controversial “travel ban” plan initiated by the White House. In the last consideration until October, many believe the conservative majority Court is poised to uphold the travel ban, but the opponents of the ban are asserting that this order is unlike any other established precedent of immigration policy. Many in this camp hearken back to President Trump’s campaign sentiments about keeping those of the Islamic faith out of the United States. While opposition focused rhetoric on allegedly discriminatory motivations, supporters of the travel ban argue in favor because of national security concerns from nations assumed to sponsor terrorism. n Source: AP
News Bureau
Sarah Engebrecht won Ouachita’s Juried Student Exhibit, sponsored by Ouachita’s Art Club. Zhanxiu Lu placed second, and Carrie Hill placed third. Engebrecht, a senior graphic design major from Morrilton, Ark., won with Nostalgia in Blue, a drawing completed with a blue Bic ballpoint pen. Engebrecht’s drawing celebrates her early childhood doodles also done with ballpoint pens. “As a kid, I couldn’t pay attention to the long sermons in church, so instead of tuning them out or squirming in my seat, I would doodle all over the program,” Engebrecht explained. “Since I never brought something to write with, I would just use my mom’s pen. As the years went on, I kept using the pen to doodle. I even started using it at home and wherever because I loved how clean it was and how it lasted longer than pencil.” Nostalgia in Blue is a detailed drawing of flowers and insects and reflects on the time Engebrecht spent outside as a child. “I love plants and insects, so I decided to draw some from my childhood as a tribute to God for letting me interact with so much of His wonderful creation,” Engebrecht added. “That’s where the title comes from. This piece is very nostalgic to me, and every time I look at it I can reflect on my amazing memories.” Matthew Smith, assistant professor of art at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, served as the guest judge for the competition. He displayed an exhibit, “Sources of Evangelical Spirituality,” earlier in the semester. “Sarah Engebracht’s blue
ink pen drawing (no pencil) is the best work of art in the show because it communicates the guileless joy of drawing things the artist is interested in,” Smith said in his critique. “Drawing is used here to inquire into a subject the artist cares about. Simple tools – blue ink pen – are clearly sufficient to accomplish this task. The composition, likewise, is simple, almost naive, and without unnecessary complexity.” Lu, a senior studio art and music major from Shaoxing, China, won second place with a piece titled Dream, a digital work drawn on an iPad using the app ProCreate. “Chinese traditional culture is strongly cultivated in this piece,” Lu said. “For techniques, I studied Chinese traditional ink paintings and transformed what I learned into the contemporary digital painting. For the image, all these subjects have a sort of ancient Chinese look, and the story behind it is also inspired by some ancient Chinese fairy tales.” “The iPad drawing employs a simple digital tool to successfully achieve varying line weights, accent colors, gradients, washes and transparencies,” Smith said in his critique. “It is easy to imagine this artist extending work like this to illustrate similar ideas or to visually narrate original stories and ideas.” Lu’s We Don’t Talk Anymore was also selected as an honorable mention. Another of her works, Hope, also was chosen for inclusion in the exhibit. Hill, a senior graphic design major from Benton, Ark., won third place with her piece, Lost at Sea, a subtractive monoprint created by wiping inks off of a printing plate. “Originally, I wanted to create a dark and scary im-
age depicting tentacles coming out of the water,” Hill explained. “However, there wasn’t much of a story to it; it was just a bunch of tentacles, and that’s it. Instead, I decided to depict a cute octopus talking to a bird. I don’t know exactly what they’re talking about, but the mystery creates a far more interesting scene.” “The monoprint is effectively executed with a range of grays, blacks and prominent highlights, and the draftsmanship is more than sufficient to depict characters, personalities and even an allusion to the tension of a plot line,” Smith noted. “It is easy to imagine this artist extending work like this into a series of frames – illustrating an existing story, or telling a new one.” Hill’s pieces Meeting and Bendingeidfrin Attacks Ireland were also selected as honorable mentions. Another of her works, The Room’s Aftermath, also was selected for the exhibit. Honorable mention awards also were given to Lexie Hoggard, a junior graphic design and mass communications double major from Roland, Ark., for Screwtape Cover, and Bethany Lagen, a junior graphic design major from Cordova, Tenn., for Movin’ On. Lagen’s pieces Didot and The Rose also were selected. The Juried Student Exhibit is sponsored by Ouachita’s Art Club and will be on display April 12-Sept. 29. The exhibit will be located in Ouachita’s Hammons Art Gallery in McBeth Fine Arts Center, and admission is free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. For more information, contact Summer Bruch, associate professor of visual arts, at bruchs@obu.edu or (870) 245-4655. n
FEATURES
www.obusignal.com
Friday, April 27, 2018 u page 3
Scott Westberg z Courtesy LIZZIE HALL (class of 2017) plays in a paint war with campers at last year’s Camp Wamp. Camp Wamp started more than 10 years ago as an effort to create a devotional weekend for underprivileged children in the Arkadelphia community.
Backyard Bible Club’s Camp Wamp: a day for fun and worship By WILL JOHNSON Sports editor
Camp Wamp is an annual event led by Ouachita’s Backyard Bible Club (BBC), with goals of entertaining, educating and spiritually mentoring kids. This all-day event takes place in Ouachita’s Tiger Den, as kids will participate in worship, small group discussions, teamwork competitions and other activities throughout the day. Camp Wamp was established over a decade ago by Daniel Graham, a local ministry leader. His intention was to start a devotional weekend for kids in Arkadelphia who wanted to grow in their faith while making new friends along the way. This year, Ouachita has the privilege of hosting the event on campus for the first time. Nearly 50 kids from around the Arkadelphia in second to eighth grade will gather on Saturday morning and spend the rest of the day together. BBC reaches out to kids from three separate apartment sites in the Arkadelphia community, which are usually low-income government housing. Members of BBC will visit the residents every Monday and Tuesday to hang out with kids for roughly an hour and a half, reading Bible stories and participating in fun activities. These same kids are invited to attend Camp Wamp over the weekend. One of the ministry leaders of BBC, Tori Lackey, has helped organize the event alongside
other club leaders. Lackey, a senior biology and Spanish double major, will primarily work behind the scenes with a few other leaders. Her responsibilities will range from setting up a game, cooking, cleaning up, enforcing rules or performing a variety of other tasks. Additional leaders will be responsible for the handson activities with the kids. This will be Lackey’s fourth year in a row working at Camp Wamp. She has developed friendships with many of the kids over the years, while seeing new faces along the way. “We’ve had a lot of kids that I remember being in diapers, and now they’re actually coming to Camp Wamp for the first time,” Lackey said. “Some of the kids who were in, for instance, fifth grade, are getting up in their years now. It’s definitely a yearto-year process, but it’s really exciting to see all of them grow.” Camp Wamp usually lasts three days at a remote campsite in Arkansas, but this year, the entire event will proceed Saturday in Ouachita’s Tiger Den. The kids are initially fed breakfast as they arrive, followed by a student-led worship service. Landon Salman and Katie Kumpuris will co-lead the worship, and Ben Cockrell will respond with a sermon. After worship, the kids will be divided into four teams to compete for points and prizes among the many activities. The Camp Wamp leader-tostudent ratio will be one-to-one, so that the kids have more staff members observing and encouraging them throughout the day.
Though many of the kids have impacted staff members, one child in particular has influenced Lackey’s life. When she met him during her first semester at Ouachita, he would often get angry and neglect others. He dealt with a difficult home environment and didn’t trust that the staff leaders would be there to support him. Over time, he has matured and grown closer to Lackey. She recently saw him at Wal-Mart, where he gave her a big hug. “Seeing him run across WalMart to give me a hug was special,” said Lackey. “I know that it’s nothing to be super happy about, but it’s such a difference from four years ago. I see God working in his heart a little at a time, and I really hope that tradition continues and he’ll one day come to know Christ.” Camp Wamp serves as an opportunity for both kids and leaders to grow in friendships, teamwork and faith. The event may also provide the staff with leadership experience by ministering to kids. Prior to her first camp experience, Lackey anticipated that her main goal was to challenge and help grow the kids, when in reality, it was quite the opposite. “I really thought that God was going to use us to make an impact on the kids,” said Lackey. “Instead, the kids have made such an impact on me as a person.” Camp Wamp will take place tomorrow, Saturday, April 28, in the Tiger Den. The event will begin at 8 a.m. n
Scott Westberg z Courtesy SOPHOMORE BROOKE SANDERFORD talks to campers at last year’s Camp Wamp. Last year’s camp took place at a local campsite.
Scott Westberg z Courtesy A CAMP WAMP LEADER hugs a camper during worship at last year’s Camp Wamp. Worship is led by student leaders.
Scott Westberg z Courtesy CAMP WAMP leaders gather for a group hug at last year’s camp. The event has always relied heavily on student volunteers, and this year’s camp will have a one-to-one student-to-camper ratio.
Scott Westberg z Courtesy A TEAM at Camp Wamp gets excited before kicking off team games. Teams compete for points in games throughout camp.
LIFESTYLE
www.obusignal.com
Friday, April 27, 2018 u page 4
Hidden gem in ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ By WILL BLASE Features editor
Let’s be honest. It’s a slow season for movies. Every few weeks, we’ll get the next big action or horror installment, but for the most part these movies are catered more toward entertainment rather than winning awards. As we wait with baited breath for “Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War” to release, there’s ample time to return to movies that didn’t see as much praise as these massive blockbusters do. Odds are you didn’t see “Edge of Tomorrow” in theaters; odds are you didn’t rent it from Redbox or off Amazon Prime. In an awkward marketing attempt, “Edge of Tomorrow” saw its title changed once it released to DVD. “Live Die Repeat” became the retitle and as one may assume, this didn’t do anything to bring in consumers after coming to DVD. It’s just not memorable. It doesn’t stand out… at least not in a good way. Most moviegoers took one look at the movie and thought, “it’s just another Tom Cruise action flick.” From the outside it does look this way, and truthfully, yes, it is just another Tom Cruise action flick. But unlike the “Mission Impossible” and
Warner Bros. z Courtesy
the “Jack Reacher” re-installment, this movie boasts incredible story writing and pays a beautiful homage to the Japanese sci-fi novel, “All you need is Kill.” “Edge of Tomorrow” (I much prefer this title), follows the story of Major William Cage (Cruise), during a worldwide war against alien invaders dubbed “Mimics.” Cage is a member of the U.S. military, but works to promote the war effort and advertise leaders. The movie begins with Cage traveling to
London and meeting General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson), commander of the Western allied forces. Cage expects to receive a propaganda assignment from Brigham, but after attempting to escape the military headquarters, he is tased and wakes up at Heathrow Airport. Sergeant Farrell (Bill Paxton), wakes Cage up and after informing Cage that Brigham has listed him as a deserter, posing as a Major, he takes him to his squad. The motley crew of criminals doesn’t
‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ returns to Netflix
Age of reboots: classics brought back to life By CATHERINE LYP
Staff writer
By MICHAEL RICHARDSON Staff writer Netflix’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” the television series based off of the popular novels written by Lemony Snicket, recently returned for its second season. Neil Patrick Harris returns as Count Olaf and is again chasing after the Baudelaire children in an effort to take their family fortune for himself. This season takes the audience through books five through nine of the series, with “The Austere Academy,” “The Ersatz Elevator,” “The Vile Village,” “The Hostile Hospital” and “Carnivorous Carnival.” The second series continues with the use of varying color pallets to express the differences between an ideal life and hope, and the drab realities of the difficulties in the Baudelaire children’s lives. The set work also continues to use classic absurdist and expressionistic elements to create a world that is similar to our own, but different enough for us to recognize that this is a fictitious setting. It is a creative use to tell the story and allow the audience to recognize the caricatured world the television series presents. The series is constantly painting books and knowledge as some of the greatest powers for good within its story. Klaus’s ability to hold great knowledge and retain it for application later serves the story well. Similarly, Violet’s knowledge of engineering and intellectual prowess to think outside of the box allows her to apply her knowledge to create inventive ways to help the children get themselves out of tight situations. Sunny, though a young toddler, is creative and able to
take to Cage, but takes him to their physical training session nonetheless. The following day, the crew wakes to battle sirens going off. They quickly run to their exosuits, a robotic suit of armor controlled by a pilot, and put them on. Cage enters his suit with help from a crew member, but doesn’t know how to access the suit’s functions. The crew gets into a helicarrier traveling to the French coast. In a rapid turn of events, Cage’s crew is forced to
Netflix z Courtesy
create things with the use of her razor-sharp teeth. With this focus on literary and academic commitment being essential, the series gives many nods to literary history. The Baudelaire children themselves serve as a reference to poet Charles Baudelaire. Prufrock Preparatory School in “The Austere Academy” is named after the main character of T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” From the Nevermore Tree in “The Vile Village,” serving as a reference to Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”, to more direct literary references made straight from the characters, “A Series of Unfortunate Events” serves as a love letter to literature and learning, and the show is no different. Season two of the series begins to take Violet, Klaus and Sunny down darker paths. The children begin to be faced with moral and ethical dilemmas that test their character. After the adults around them refuse to listen time after time, the Baudelaires begin to take matters into their
own hands, as they realize that the general population seems to be oblivious to the trickery around them. Where previously the Baudelaires served as the obvious moral heroes, they begin having to break their own moral codes as they begin to lie and steal themselves. They rationalize it as a necessary evil, but it is an evil all the same that serves to damage their character and even hurts other people’s care and respect for them. Their actions hurt people and betray the trust of those who they commit such actions against, which often turns around to haunt them. “A Series of Unfortunate Events” season two is a great success and serves to further build upon the world it has created. It is a great return into a world that is bleak, yet holds hope, and knowledge is the key to overcoming evil. It serves as a reminder for the viewer that knowledge and literacy is truly of importance in a bleak world. Season two is a great continuation of these principles and is highly deserving to be watched. n
jump out of their helicarrier. The crew is quickly overrun by Mimic forces and begin to die off. Cage runs, trying to get away from the Mimic forces and meets up with Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) a renowned exosuit soldier, who then also dies on the battlefield. Cage finds himself alone and cornered by a massive Mimic, unlike any of those seen previously. Cage reaches for a claymore mine and in a last ditch effort kills the Alpha Mimic as it lunges, killing him. Cage wakes up laying on the same duffel bags Sergeant Farrell first met him at. He looks around confused and watches as the previous day’s events unravel before him. Personally, I love this story. It’s “Groundhog Day” meets “Independence Day.” Doug Liman directed a compelling story of trial and error, with the entire world at stake. Tom Cruise fits the character of William Cage perfectly and although he fills the role of action hero, this time he must learn as he goes, rather than having all the skills available to him from the beginning. Teamwork and persistence play a major role in this story, but don’t think you’ve seen this story told before. Prepare for twists and turns that bring a fresh new experience to this tried and true structure. n
It has been almost impossible to not see a reboot of some sort in the last few years. From movies to television shows, the media has been full of reboots of popular entertainment. While they may be prominent, it is unclear what the majority feels in regards to reboots of beloved stories and characters. One of the many companies that have taken advantage of the reboot’s rise to popularity is Disney. Beginning primarily with “Maleficent” in 2014, Disney began its long run of rebooting their classic animated movies into live action versions with slight plot variations. Following “Maleficent,” Disney would continue with the release of “Cinderella,””The Jungle Book,” “Pete’s Dragon” and “Beauty and the Beast,” and continuing into the near future with “Christopher Robin” set to release later this year. Whether these adaptations from the original material were favored by the general public is a mix. While some of the films such as “Cinderella” and “Beauty and the Beast” did exceptionally well and brought the company a large number of ticket and product sales, others did not do as successfully. Another company that has jumped onto the reboot train is the streaming service that the majority of people use today is Netflix. While Netflix is new to the reboot entertainment category, they have released some of the most popular reboots to date. For example, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” and “Fuller
House” have seen both massive success on the streaming service just in the last two years. While I know of some people who have enjoyed other Netflix reboots such as “Arrested Development,” the “Gilmore Girls” reboot stirred up a lot of buzz, and it didn’t die down for months after. While “Fuller House” was not as critically well received, the show has since been come out with a second and third season, with a fourth on the way. Television networks have also gotten into the trend of releasing reboots of loved shows. Fox, for instance, just released their reboot of “Roseanne.” I, myself, have not seen either the original or the renewed continuation of “Roseanne,” but based on the reviews and trailers I have seen for the series, it seems like it would be enjoyable and close to the original. There are good and bad qualities in regards to reboots. If each individual audience member has seen the original show and the new version is close in style as well as a flowing continuation, then it is likely that the reboot will be a hit. However, if the new show doesn’t hold up to the expectations of such audience members based on the original, then the opinions of the reboot will be less favorable. While reboots vary in the audience response and way they are produced, they all have an equal chance to either prosper or fall short of expectations. Whether they are considered successful compared to the original, reboots are all made with the intention to recreate what was once considered a favorite among viewers. n
OPINIONS
Friday, April 27, 2018 u page 5
www.obusignal.com
Time’s up for sexual assault By KATHERINE CARTER Opinions editor
Last week, I went and looked around briefly in the “What Were You Wearing?” exhibit in McClellan in between classes. Inspired by Dr. Mary Simmerling’s poem, “What I was wearing,” it showcased the clothing each person was wearing when they were assaulted. It was heartbreaking going through the exhibit. It’s sometimes easy to forget something like sexual assault exists in the Ouachita bubble, and even still, it occurs right here on our campus. It’s more comfortable to ignore problems like these and just forget about them. Sexual assault is dirty, messy and dark; that being said,
that doesn’t make it any less real. It’s a terrible reality of our world today, and while thankfully some light has been shed on the darkness, it still exists. It still happens. It’s still occurring. What struck me were the number of male survivors. We normally think of women when we think of sexual assault survivors, but it happens to men as well. While more and more support is being offered for female survivors, male survivors have often been ignored to their detriment. Many are hesitant to come forward when they’re sexually assaulted, perhaps even more so than women. This is why it’s so important to spread awareness about sexual assault. It can happen to anyone, regardless of age, race or gender.
Likewise, it can happen anywhere, including a private Christian university. Awareness is the first step. People need to realize how prevalent sexual assault is. It doesn’t just happen to 20-something-year-old scantily-clad, inebriated women. Dress as a cause for sexual assault is a lie perpetuated by our culture, and the “What Were You Wearing?” exhibit is proof of that. So what can be done? What can we do? Well, as stated above, awareness is the first step, but there is an underlying problem in the way the world views people. Just as in the days of old when slavery was rampant throughout the world (and even in many places today), people have been viewed as commodities, as objects that “more important” people use for their
Phone applications: the good, the bad, the ugly By CODY POE Staff writer
We live in the digital world. Face to face communications are slowly and steadily dying because we all have our faces buried in our phones. Instead of going to talk to someone in person, we would rather just text them. On the off chance that we are not texting or calling someone, we are all sitting at a table playing on our phones. There are a countless number of apps on both the App Store or the Android Marketplace, and all of them are out in the store for various reasons. Some of them are for fun and others are to test your brains. The thing that we have to figure out is if they are really helping us, or are they just wasting our time? Apps like Candy Crush are designed to be an additive with all the bright colors and its very simple mechanics that even small children can use. So, no, I don’t think that that this app is one of the ones that help you. There are apps out there that are designed to help your brain function. Apps like Lumosity have been designed to improve your memory and test your critical thinking skills. Multiple mini-games put on a schedule to test your memory on a daily basis. This is the kind of app I can see actually helping people. To make a long story short, to measure if an app is successful or not you have to actually look at the app and see what it does. It also depends on the person. Some people have a more addictive personality than others and will suck themselves into their phones. The apps themselves do not hold the entire burden of wasting peoples time. Some people have an addictive personality and fall more easily into this trap. Some apps play a dirty trick where they make their
own benefit. Perpetrators of sexual assault objectify people and use them as a means to an end. They view them as objects to use for their own pleasure, then to be discarded after they are no longer useful. We live in a fallen world, a world consumed by evil. The reality is that we’re not going to be able to do away with sexual assault for good, not at least until Christ returns, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything. Our God is a God of justice, a God who despises sin, and he has instilled that quality within us, his children. We need to make it clear that sexual assault is not okay, nor are any behaviors associated with it. We need to create an environment where survivors of sexual assault are comfortable enough to
Dealing with stress in a healthy way as a college student By JOHN SHARP
Staff writer
games super easy and fun to play. A lot of phone applications have a reward system where if you play it every day, you are rewarded with incentives or extra lives. Rewarding their users with free gifts as they continue to use their app is a way that the creators of the apps keep their user’s faces buried in their phone. A change that I could see helping with this issue is either the creators of the phone like Apple and Android making an app that only allows people to play with the apps on their phone for a certain
the
SIGNAL
amount of time. They could make it where the phones could tell if you are out with a group of friends by how long that your phones have been near each other. Once the phones realize that you are with a group of friends, it would disable the game apps. It would not disable your apps like maps, texts or calling because you would need access to them in case of an emergency, that would only block the video game apps and force you to actually be social with the people around you. n
facebook.com/obusignal twitter.com/obusignal instagram.com/obusignal
There comes a time in every college student’s life late in the semester when stress hits its all time high. A time when every class has a test on the same day and they have five papers all due on the day before. This is the time in the semester when stress-related mental breakdowns become very common and a part of our everyday life. Stress is not always a bad thing. In today’s world, people often view stress as the source of all kinds of problems. Now don’t get me wrong, stress is not fun. But it can be a good thing to have certain levels of stress. When an individual has no stress, the likelihood that they will be productive or get their work done is a lot lower. On the contrary, if there is too much stress, the individual is in danger of having a meltdown. The moral of the story is that having just the right level of stress can help keep you balanced. This level is different for everyone. For some, the amount of stress that can cause them to crack can just be one assignment. For others, the entire world can be crashing down around them, and they can be perfectly fine. In the end, stress affects everyone differently, and each person should learn how different levels of stress affect them. There are many different ways to deal with stress. The fastest way to deal with stress is to find out what the source of your stress is and directly resolve that is-
Ouachita Baptist University Office: Evans Student Center E-Mail: signal@obu.edu Phone: 870.245.5210
Katie Kemp
Katherine Carter
Will Johnson
Dr. Jeff Root
Ethan Dial
Will Blase
Andy Henderson
Dr. Deborah Root
Julia Williams
Kevin Barnard
Richard Resnick
Ms. Tiffany Eurich
z EDITOR-IN-CHIEF z ONLINE EDITOR z NEWS EDITOR
z ED/OP ED EDITOR
z FEATURES EDITOR z VIDEO EDITOR
z SPORTS EDITOR z PHOTO EDITOR
z ADVERTISING MANAGER
z ADVISER z ADVISER
z ONLINE ADVISER
come forward without fear of stigmatization. It needs to become a priority; they need to become a priority. Survivors of sexual assault need to feel like they’re heard. They need justice for the crimes committed against them. This is something they have to live with the rest of their lives—the least we can do is to make sure they know we care and that we’ll do everything in our power to support them. The vast majority of sexual assaults aren’t even reported. Those that are normally don’t go to court, and even then rarely is the perpetrator convicted. That needs to change. Thankfully, it looks like we’re going in the right direction. Change happens one step at a time, and it’s up to us to get it going. Let’s make sexual assault a thing of the past. n
sue. This is seemingly the most rational way to deal with stress. It’s the closest to tackling your problem head on as you can get. The perks of dealing with your stress head on is that you can get it over with. However, this also means that you are going to dive right into the stress. If you can handle dealing with your stress like this, do it, as it will bring an end to whatever is causing you to stress. Some people (like myself) deal with stress by working it out. By working it out, I mean exercise. Running, lifting weights or any other types of exercise are great stress relievers. Exercise releases the “feel good” endorphins, which is also known as the “runner’s high.” These endorphins can help put you in a better mood. Another side effect of exercise is the distraction from the stress. Getting away for a few minutes will do wonders for your mental health. Sometimes the best way to get something done is to take a break from what you are doing. Another great way to deal with stress is to talk it out with someone. Sometimes just speaking your mind on your stress can be great. Verbalizing your stress both makes it more real and allows you to share your burden with other people. Knowing that someone has your back is a wonderful thing and can help reduce your stress levels. Letting others know your stress can also lead to them giving you outside opinions. These people will have a different view on whatever your stress is. n
The Signal is the student newspaper of Ouachita Baptist University, and is published every Friday during the fall and spring semesters when school is in session. The newspaper is distributed free of charge; 1,200 copies are placed in more than 20 locations across campus. Opinions expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the newspaper staff or university. The Signal is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Associated Collegiate Press and is printed by the Hope Star.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Letters to the editor are encouraged and accepted, unless libelous, irresponsible or obscene. Letters should be typed and include a signature and contact phone number, and must be less than 500 words. The Signal reserves the right to edit letters for space and style. Letters should be sent via campus mail to Box 3761 or via e-mail to signal@obu.edu.
SPORTS
www.obusignal.com
Friday, April 27, 2018 u page 6
Butler shines with no-hitter, perfect game in same weekend By JOSH SALIM Copy editor
Across the globe, millions of people strive for perfection every day, yet few ever reach it. It is impossible to be perfect in everything, so people will typically choose one thing that they are good at and try to perfect it. Whether it is to get a perfect score on the SAT, to sing a song perfectly on pitch or to accomplish any feat without making an error, people desire perfection. For the Ouachita Tigers softball team, junior pitcher Marissa Butler was a perfectionist on the mound in game three of the series against Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Butler threw her first perfect game of her career, as well as the first perfect game in school history. Not only did Butler throw a perfect game in game three, but she was nearly perfect in game one, throwing for her first no hitter of her career, as well. No pitcher in the Great American Conference has ever thrown a no hitter in game one and then followed it up later in their next start with a perfect game in the same series. Butler walked only one batter in her no hitter 2-0
Dani Droste z Photo Lab JUNIOR MARISSA BUTLER warms up between innings for the Ouachita. Butler has pitched 129.1 innings in the Tigers’ 2018 season, compiling a 2.71 ERA.
win over Northwestern and combined for 10 strikeouts through 14 innings of pitching between her two starts. The no hitter was also Butler’s first shutout of the year
and her seventh complete game of the season. “I was trying not to think about it honestly, because of the whole superstition thing, but I really was thinking of
it,” said Butler about pitching in the final inning of her perfect game. After her perfect game, Butler was in shock about her achievement, saying, “I can’t take any credit, my team played great behind me. Honestly, I’m still in disbelief. Going through that inning, I was thinking to myself that this is actually happening.” Pitching three final outs with a perfect game on the line was very nerve-wracking for Butler, but she got the job done and can relax again. Butler’s teammates played a great game defensively as she got some help from senior Paige Purifoy in left field, who tracked down two balls in the left-center gap for outs. It was a collective effort by Butler and her teammates to accomplish throwing a perfect game in their 5-0 win over Northwestern. Collectively on the weekend, the Tiger’s pitching staff did not allow a single run to score for Northwestern and accomplished their first complete series shutout in over a decade. It was also the first series sweep for the Tigers since March 29, 2013. Concerning the remainder of the season, the Tigers have one final home series against Oklahoma Baptist University this weekend. They are cur-
rently in seventh place, but need to win the series to stay in front of East Central University. When asked about her hopes for the rest of the season, Butler said, “I want to do my best for my team and offense. I want to make smart choices each pitch so if the other team does well, it’s off of my best pitch and not a mental mistake.” Butler will likely pitch in multiple games in the final series this weekend against Oklahoma Baptist University and has complete faith when her defense is behind her. “I trust my defense to make plays every time that I am out on the mound,” said Butler. “Our defense is what helps us win our games and I trust everyone on the team to make plays for me while I am pitching. Even when one of our girls messes up, they do not hang their head because they understand that the next ball is coming right to them.” The good news for Ouachita is that Butler still has one final year of eligibility on the softball field. She hopes to go far into the playoffs this year, here in a few weeks, as well as go even farther next year. She also plans to finish as one of the top seeds in the Great American Conference next season. n
Coaches influence athletes of all ages Grizzlies’ Brooks recaps By JESSICA WILLIAMSON Guest writer
Let’s all take a moment and think back to the early tee-ball playing days. Your mom and dad come in your room and say, “You ready to go play some tee-ball?” You put on your probably over-sized jersey that says the name of one of the local sponsors that supports all of the tee-ball teams. You run out to the car while your mom and dad get the lawn chairs loaded in the back of the car. You then are on your way to go play some ball, and you can’t help but feel a mix of nervousness and excitement. When it’s finally your turn to bat, you step up to the plate, begin swinging, but can’t seem to make contact with the ball. Picture your coach, what do they do? They come over to you and say, “You got this! Keep your eye on the ball and have the confidence to hit that ball out of the park!” You then take your next swing and hit the ball the farthest that you’ve ever hit it before. Why did that just happen? There could have been a lot of reasons, but you couldn’t have done it without the encouragement of your coach. As you get older, the encouragement of your coaches changes dramatically compared to your tee-ball days. Some people who had those
encouraging coaches in tee-ball (or whatever sport you played as a kid) sometimes continue to be blessed with encouraging coaches all throughout their athletic days. As you grow up and continue to stay in the athletic field, you’ll have coaches in your elementary school, junior high, summer leagues, high school, college and then if you continue to pursue your sport in the professional field, you’ll have a coach there, too. But how big of an impact do these coaches have on you when it comes to their attitude toward how you’re playing? There’s a difference between constructive criticism and just being completely negative. I have definitely seen both sides of these. When a coach offers you the criticism that you need, it’s to help you improve and rise to the potential that your coach knows you have. Their job is to lead you and pull that out of you as you become more advanced in the sport that you play. When coaches are negative, though, it’s an entirely different story. Sometimes coaches think that they’re offering you positive criticism, but really, it hurts too much to actually improve your game. Athletes take criticism differently, but most athletes’ goals are to take that criticism and put it to work. But how are you supposed to do this when
you’re being told that you’re pathetic and useless? Coaches often think that screaming those types of words at you push you to improve, but it most cases it really doesn’t work that way because we’re all human and words like that sting. Now, it’s different when at practice, your coach tells you over and over in a positive way how to improve a certain skill and you don’t execute that during a game that counts. Your coach probably has a solid reason to be a little upset with you. But their job as coaches is to come back and continue to be a coach that pushes their players and brings them up, not down. Coaches, your words affect your players a lot more than you sometimes think, even if they do put on a brave face and act like they’re taking it well. Future coaches, think back to the days when you had a coach. Were they great coaches who pushed you to be the best you could be without being hurtful? Strive to be like them. Were they negative all the time and made you feel worthless to the point where you still feel slightly hurt by them? Strive to be the opposite of them. Be the coach that impacts players so much that they come back in a few years and thank you for pushing them to be their best, regardless of potential challenges. The tee-ball days were really good, weren’t they? n
This Week at Ouachita Friday, April 27
Softball vs Oklahoma Baptist (DH) @ 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 28
Softball vs Oklahoma Baptist (DH) @ 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
For a full calendar, go to obutigers.com and select “team schedules.”
GO TIGERS!
special rookie experience By TIFFANY LEE Guest writer
Dillon Brooks is a native Canadian pursuing his dream of being a pro basketball player in the United States. Brooks attended the University of Oregon from 2014-17, before being drafted as the 45th pick in the second round of the NBA for the 2017-18 season. Brooks is 22 years old, and just finished his rookie season with the Memphis Grizzlies. With his rookie season coming to a close, Brooks reflected on his first season as a professional player. “I think it went great. You know I got to learn the ups and downs; I stayed professional when we would lose and have winning streaks. I tried to learn from every experience. I got better. I got more confident. I definitely don’t feel like it was a waste of a year,” Brooks said. While in college, Brooks remembers a talk with his agent when his agent asked, “Do you want to work a factory job or do you want to be in the NBA?” He quickly knew the answer. The 22-year-old NBA starter had been dreaming for as long as he could remember of the day he would wear a NBA jersey. “I wanted to be in the NBA so bad, I worked hard and my dream came true,” Brooks said. Becoming a pro athlete didn’t come easy for him. He was picked in the second round, but in the competitive NBA he wasn’t sure if that assured him a spot on the team. But Brooks knew what he was capable of and how he
could make his mark on the court. He never gave up and worked hard to prove he belonged in the league. Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, “He is probably one of our most diligent workers. He is going to be a very good player in this league for a long time and the best thing about him is he may make some mistakes but it is not because of a lack of being impressive or a lack of effort. He never runs from a challenge and he never backs down. That’s how you get better and that’s how you get recognized in this league.” All of Brooks’ hard work has showed throughout the season. For his rookie season, Brooks has had quite a bit of playing time, averaging around 28 minutes and 11 points per game. Brooks is the only Memphis Grizzlies team member who has played in every game. Looking back at the season, Brooks says the playing time gave him the opportunity to grow as a player. “It feels good to have played in every game. Playing is what helped me get confident and get better and you’ll learn the game more,” Brooks said. Hard work, dedication and perseverance helped to make a dream became reality for Dillon Brooks. “It feels good to be out there playing with the best and playing with my teammates,” Brooks said. n Junior Tiffany Lee received the opportunity t ovisit the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. After the home game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Tiffany interviewed rookie Dillon Brooks about his first season in the NBA.
For more sports coverage, visit obusignal.com/category/sports