the
Signal
www.obusignal.com
01.29.15 Volume 123 Issue 13
Ouachita Baptist University
IN THIS ISSUE:
Super Bowl XLIX What kind of snacks match your viewing party personality? We have some ideas, p.2
Meal4Meal Ouachita alumni give back one taco at a time, p.3 Kamikaze Fireflies z Courtesy ROB WILLIAMS AND CASEY MARTIN, the real life couple that makes up the acrobatic duo, Kamikaze Fireflies, met four years ago working at a renaissance festival in Florida. After two years, they created the act that landed them on season nine of the popular competition show, “America’s Got Talent.”
“America’s Got Talent” act comes to JPAC tomorrow sb2k15 Should you stay(cation) or should you go? p.4
#45 Colt Fason on “God, family and basketball,” p.4
S News 1 n S Features 3 n S Opinions 4 n S Sports 5 n
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By MCKENZIE CRANFORD News Bureau
Ouachita will host acrobatic duo Kamikaze Fireflies for a special, one-night experience Friday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 in Jones Performing Arts Center as part of the Ouachita School of Fine Arts’ Guest Artist Series. Tickets can be purchased for $10 each at www.obu.edu/boxoffice. Showcasing their years of experience with strange tricks and vaudevillian arts, Los Angeles-based performers Rob Williams and Casey Martin bring a comedic approach to acrobatics that seeks to appeal to audiences of all ages. An act seen on America’s Got Talent, this duo puts on a dynamic show that features “a series of routines, physical impossibilities, unbelievable situations and audience interactions.” America’s Got Talent judge and co-
median Howie Mandel said of the act, “It was dangerous. It was exciting. It was funny!” “I think Rob and Casey’s acrobatic tricks will certainly amaze audience members,” said Adam Wheat, Ouachita’s fine arts administrator. “But I think beyond that, the audience will be thoroughly entertained by their wit and humor.” Wheat has been working to expand the School of Fine Arts’ Guest Artist Series. “The Guest Artist Series allows us to bring in a variety of artists and events,” explained Dr. Scott Holsclaw, dean of Ouachita’s School of Fine Arts. “These larger events are geared not only toward the students and the Ouachita community but also to the larger Clark County constituency.” Along with the benefit of providing a broader range of artistic experiences
for Ouachita and the local community, Wheat added, “These events also give students even more opportunities for interaction with professional artists, which further enhances their creative exploration.” Williams (formerly of The Flaming Idiots) and Martin (formerly of the acrobatic show Barely Balanced) have performed their vaudeville-style act nationwide, and their performance will be full of tricks, props, comedy, audience engagement and other surprises. Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased from the OBU Box Office weekdays from 1-5 p.m. Tickets also may be purchased online at www.obu.edu/ boxoffice. Current Ouachita students may receive one free ticket by presenting their student ID at the box office. For more information, call the box office at (870) 245-5555 during business hours. n
Ouachita faculty member Dr. Dave Ozmun published in media history textbook By CHELSEA WHELPLEY News Bureau
Dr. Dave Ozmun, professor of communications at Ouachita ==, was recently published in Routledge Reader on Electronic Media History. Ozmun’s article, “Opportunity Deferred: A 1952 Case Study of a Woman in Network Television News,” contributed to a textbook that will be used in universities worldwide. The article was originally published in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. “The first publication of Dr. Ozmun’s article was an affirmation of his scholarship, and it’s especially gratifying to see it included in a book highlighting exceptional academic work,” said Dr. Jeff Root, dean of Ouachita’s School of Humanities. “Dr. Ozmun’s research adds to the strong reputation of the Rogers Department of Communications.” “It’s very nice to have an editor look at your piece and
think it will work well in a textbook,” said Ozmun. “The hardest part was getting it published in the peer review journal, so this is just icing on the cake.” The Routledge Reader on Electronic Media History illustrates the growth and development of electronic media research from its earliest appearance to current day and lays the groundwork for future study. Ozmun’s piece, exploring Natalie Jones’ experience as one of the first female news correspondents, is included in the news, information and political programming section. Highlighting how academic research both adds knowledge to the field of study and complements the act of teaching, Root said, “Dr. Ozmun is an expert in his field, and his students benefit from both his work in class and his standing as a published author.” “It’s fun to do historical research in my area because I have always been a student see OZMUN z 2
Students, community gather for documentary screening By ANNA KUMPURIS News Editor
Students, faculty and community members alike gathered in Walker Conference Center last Tuesday night for the free screening of the 2014 documentary “In Plain Sight,” hosted by Second Baptist Church and IJM Ouachita. The film, produced and narrated by Christian music artist, Natalie Grant, seeks to shine a light on the crisis of commercial sex trafficking in the United States, highlight-
ing six cities across the U.S., including Little Rock. Ouachita alumni director, Jon Merryman, heard about the film straight from Natalie Grant and worked through Second Baptist to bring it to Arkadelphia for this screening. “I have known Natalie Grant, the narrator and executive producer, for some time,” Merryman said. “The church I worked at in Nashville worked with orphans in Moldova, which is the number one see SCREENING z 2