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PAGE 4 | WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM Huckabee leads ‘Journeys of Paul’ tour

BY JULIA SHANDS

Staff Writer

Former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee has hosted many trips to biblical sites in past years. This year, Huckabee is taking a trip through the Mediterranean Sea, bringing along senior Abby Blankenship, alumnus Alex Blankenship and professor emeritus of Biblical studies, Dr. Danny Hays.

Passengers participating in the tour boarded the cruise ship on Oct. 24 on a 10-day journey to various cities in Greece (Athens, Kavala, Patmos, Rhodes and Santorini) and Turkey (Dikili and Kusadasi). Passengers will return home on Nov. 2.

While traveling from destination to destination, passengers will get to hear engaging lectures from Dr. Hays on the apostle Paul as they follow his footsteps throughout the Mediterranean. The Blankenship siblings will be working as videographers, capturing the sights and experiences of each location on the tour.

“With the current COVID restrictions, large group trips to Israel are not possible, so Gov. Huckabee scheduled a ‘Journeys of Paul’ cruise to the Aegean Sea to visit sites on the coast of Greece and Turkey,” Hays said. “Originally, he had someone else scheduled to be the Bible teacher on this cruise, but that teacher cancelled about six weeks before the departure date. Gov. Huckabee, scrambling to get a replacement, got my name from a mutual friend and invited my wife Donna and I to go on the cruise, with me serving as the Bible teacher. So the first time I even heard of this trip was mid-September. Fortunately, Donna and I were free at this time and we accepted.”

Travel looks differently due to COVID protocols. In order to participate in the trip, passengers had

Senior communications major Abby Blankenship and her brother, Ouachita alumnus Alex Blankenship stand ready for a day of filming near historic ruins in Greece. The two are working as videographers during the ‘Journeys of Paul’ cruise trip led by former Governor Mike Huckabee. (photo courtesy of Abby Blankenship) to be fully vaccinated and test negative for COVID before the trip began.

For Hays, these precautions made the trip a possibility.

“As many people on campus know, I am a strong advocate of COVID prevention protocols,” Hays said. “Normally, I would shy away from going on a cruise, but this cruise line requires both vaccines and a negative COVID test for all passengers and crew, so we thought it would be relatively safe.” In his lectures, Hays will distinguish the biblical significance of the locations to passengers every day of the tour. “We will be visiting several exciting biblical sites from the Book of Acts (Athens, Corinth, Philippi, Ephesus) as well as Patmos (where John wrote the Book of Revelation),” Hays said. “There will be local guides to lead the group at the actual site. My job will be to teach a Bible study on what happened in the Bible at these sites and to point out the features at each site that are mentioned in the Bible.”

Blankenship had no idea that a trip to Greece and Turkey would be included in her semester. Although the trip takes her out of classes and other obligations at school, it was an opportunity she could not refuse.

“This trip came as a surprise as Alex had asked if I would be able to join him and help film the trip,” Blankenship said. “It is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you can’t pass up. I am extremely thankful for my professors being so supportive and accommodating to make sure I am able to keep up in classes.”

Blankenship made all of the necessary preparations just in time for the cruise and now joins approximately 500 other passengers. All passengers are on the cruise for Huckabee’s ‘Journeys of Paul’ tour.

“There are about 500 people on the cruise and the entire ship is dedicated to this particular tour,” Hays said. “That is, there are no other passengers on board who are not on the Mike Huckabee Journeys of Paul tour.”

Aside from the opportunity to teach Biblical stories on-site, Hays is excited to visit a city he has not had the chance to visit in his lifetime.

“Dr. Scott Duvall and I have led two previous trips to this area with Ouachita students, so I am familiar with most of the sites we will visit,” Hays said. “However, I have never been to Philippi, so I am especially excited about visiting that site.”

Blankenship is most thrilled to experience Paul’s journey taught by an expert at the actual sites.

“I’m so excited to hear from Dr. Hays as he is explaining the significance of each destination of Paul’s journey through the Mediterranean,” Blankenship said.

Honors program fosters scholarship

BY EMILEE WEBB

Staff Writer

The Carl Goodson Honors Program is designed for students to pursue higher learning and academic excellence while attending Ouachita. Students in the honors program are invited to explore subjects outside of their areas of study by taking 13 hours above their regular degree plan. This motivates honors students to expand upon their intellectual curiosity. To graduate with honors, students are expected to maintain a 3.50 GPA, write an approved thesis, carry out an approved directed study, take two honors seminars and take three honors courses.

Dr. Barbara Pemberton, director of the Honors Program, is passionate about the program and its benefits for students. Pemberton is happy to assist students interested in joining the honors program.

In addition to academic advancement, honors students also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of events throughout the year. These events are designed to create community and help students get involved on campus.

The honors program hosts a colloquium monthly that features current honors students and their ongoing directed study or thesis projects. The honors program will host a retreat for freshmen honors students on Nov. 5. This honors tradition allows freshmen in the program to visit places of worship for various religions in the surrounding area. The retreat relates to the honors OBU connections class, “Sacred Spaces,” so it is a great way for freshmen honors students to attach real life experiences to what they have learned in class.

Dane Jester, academic co-chair of the honors program, encourages current and prospective honors students to stay informed about honors activities.

“Students within the program can refer to their honors calendar bookmarks or watch for emails and GroupMe messages from their ambassadors to be reminded of upcoming events in Alpha Tau, the social component of the program,” Jester said. “If anyone has not received these emails or notifications, they can reach out to me at jes67033@obu.edu to make sure they are on the proper lists. Colloquium is open to all students and faculty, and email invitations are sent out to all of campus in the days prior.”

To further enhance their experience, Jester advises current honors students to consider taking on a leadership role when applications come out later this academic year.

“I would advise students to pursue leadership positions in honors, as there are many roles to be played and serving in this capacity is a great way to boost your odds to earn an honors travel grant to grow your education and pursue your interests around the world.”

Jester urges all students to consider joining the honors program, even if they did not qualify for honors when they began their freshman year.

“Students are welcomed to join the Carl Goodson Honors Program, even if they were not involved their freshman year. Many upperclassmen have joined the program and graduated with the honors distinction. Dr. Pemberton consistently works to enable students to finish the program, so any student interested in joining should reach out to her to evaluate their paths to completing the program’s requirements,” Jester said.

Jester advocates for the completion of the program by those eligible, citing the many advantages they will have as a result.

“I would advise students in the program, first and foremost, to finish the program. It is an outstanding and easily recognizable distinction on any resume and allows you to grow your knowledge of the things you are interested in. When spread out over many semesters, the requirements are not very strenuous, and the rewards are significant,” Jester said.

For students with big aspirations for the future, participating in the honors program is a catalyst toward making those dreams reality.

“To any students not already in the program, I would say that if you are at all intellectually curious and looking for ways to grow as an individual and future job or graduate school applicant, the Carl Goodson Honors Program is the premier extracurricular opportunity that Ouachita offers to accomplish this goal,” Jester said.

Students gather at the honors barbecue on Oct. 22. The honors program gives students opportunities to go deeper in their academic studies. (photo by Levi Dade)

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Counselor Kaneil Purifoy talks with a student in his office. Ouachita’s counseling services are free for students. (photo by Levi Dade) Counseling center offers mental health resources

BY MALLORY GATSON

Staff Writer

Mental health refers to a person’s psychological, emotional, behavioral and social well-being. The condition of a person’s mental health informs how they handle stress, interact with others and make decisions.

Mental illness affects 1 in 5 people in the United States. Fortunately, the topic is becoming more acceptable to talk about in society. This increased awareness results in more support for those who are in need of it.

Dr. Sue Poole, a counselor on campus, believes that the increase in demand for counseling at Ouachita is due in part to the lingering effects of COVID in students’ lives.

“I think it has been a combination of the stress everyone has been under due to the pandemic and how it has interrupted everyone’s life,” Dr. Poole said.

Kaneil Purifoy, another counselor on campus, believes that anyone can benefit from a listening ear in the context of professional counseling.

“There has always been a stigma: when you are going through something you need to tough it out… get over it… work through it,” Purifoy said.

Society pressures individuals to quickly recover from mental issues, but these issues are often more complex than they may appear on the outside. Mental illness can cause people to act out, and many do not know how to handle those instances.

It can be uncomfortable talking to a stranger about deeply personal struggles, but Poole counters that this is actually an upside to counseling.

“When a person feels really heard, that builds trust,” Poole said. “Careful listening is a part of the process. Any relationship with trust between a person and their counselor builds over time. A lot of students are relieved when they realize their sessions are confidential.”

Ouachita offers counseling services at no cost to students. Students can contact Vickie Davis at 870-245-5220 to request an appointment.

“We do have a waiting list, not because we want a waiting list, but we are doing our absolute best to see you,” Purifoy said. “We care about each student’s whole health- not just their mental health. We will make sure that students experience that quality of care that we are striving to provide.”