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Tunes Rewind unites students and alumni BY LANGLEY LEVERETT
Arts/Entertainment & Opinions Editor While most people associate fall with cozy sweaters and warm mugs, September at Ouachita signals the arrival of “Tunes season.” Every year, social clubs and campus organizations plan memorable performances with efforts comparable to Broadway. Students are seen running across campus in strange costumes and practicing dance moves and reciting lines, while amused professors watch from a safe distance. However, Tunes season looks a little different this year because of COVID. This year, the Ouachita Student Foundation (OSF) is hosting Tunes Rewind on Oct. 3. This livestream event will combine videos of current hosts and hostesses, a silent auction, an intermission and shows from Tunes past. Although these new plans don’t involve the majority of students, they do still require the leadership of OSF and participation from the hosts and hostesses. These few students, with the help of faculty members, have worked to successfully organize the production to keep fundraising for scholarships and boost student morale. “Ouachita is hosting big watch parties and I know different clubs and alumni groups are hosting watch parties too,” Student Director of Tiger Tunes Brady Barton said. “I’ve always said that my senior year would be for Ouachita, for the alumni and the legacy. That has definitely manifested in a different way, but I think that with everything we have lost, it has made everybody thankful for anything that we can do.” Typically, Tiger Tunes is OSF’s primary event to raise scholarship money. For over 40 years, OSF has been able to sponsor upperclass-
men so that they can finish their degrees at Ouachita. “Our concern right now is raising any money we can,” Vice President of OSF Anna Roussel said. “You don’t realize it, when you’re doing mundane tasks like putting popcorn in a bag or walking seniors in high school around campus, but each thing you’re doing is raising money for people. The people that you love and your close friends — a lot of them couldn’t stay on campus if they didn’t have an OSF scholarship.” While preparing for the rewind, the hosts and hostesses had to choreograph and design their performances in compliance with COVID guidelines. They were required to stay 12 feet apart, sanitize and wear masks. Otherwise, the show wouldn’t be able to air. “Whenever we auditioned in February we expected a full, normal Tunes show. I barely knew what the coronavirus was back then, so the expectations were not the end result,” junior middle school education major and hostess Melody Stotts said. “It’s been crazy and different, but also exciting because we are the first group that gets to do this online format. If it does get to happen next semester, we’ll be the first group to be able to do it twice. It’s a new frontier.” Tiger Tunes usually has hundreds of participants, featuring students from all across campus. OSF still wanted to showcase student talent and create an opportunity for fellowship even with the unusual circumstances. “The first time I saw Tunes, I was a senior in high school. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s so cool,’ and I thought, ‘That’d be cool to do someday,’” senior musical theatre major and host Ryan Lynch said. “Tunes is known for bringing people together. I hope it still does that.”
On the cover: Autumn Romines and Wade Wilson practice one of their numbers for Tunes Rewind. Above: Senior Ryan Lynch performs as part of the hosts and hostesses performance. Lynch was a student director for Kappa Chi last year. The hosts and hostesses practice another part of this year’s show, posing as they finish the number. Hosts and hostesses for this year’s show had to stay twelve feet apart. Senior Melody Stotts performs as a hostess. (photos by Abby Blankenship)
