O UAC H I TA
B A P T I S T
U N I V E R S I T Y
the
SIGNAL
02.09.18
Vol. 126, Issue 14
SINCE 1890 FEATURES | 3
DAVID HUDSON One student’s semester at the Happiest Place on Earth
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“Walk Worthy”: Christian Focus Week at Ouachita By CATHERINE LYP Staff writer
Christian Focus Week (CFW) began on Monday, February 5, and concludes today. Planning aspects such as who will speak at the various Christian Focus Week events are coordinated with the year’s theme in mind. This year, CFW was based on the idea of “Walk Worthy” from Ephesians 4:1-3. The broad topic of “Walk Worthy” was chosen as a means of allowing meaningful discussions of various ideas to take place. From figuring out what one’s calling is to evaluating if one walks with God in their daily life, the idea that the Lord should be present throughout students’ lives was the main objective this year. In today’s society, most people tend to get so wrapped up in the busyness of their lives that they forget to make a conscious effort to slow down and walk with God. One of the student leaders for Christian Focus Week, Katie Jo Henley, said in regards to the events of this week that their hope was for students to “slow down for a week and examine their lives.” The speakers who were invited to lead this year’s Christian Focus Week were chosen for the differing experiences and viewpoints they could introduce to the student body. Henley described CFW as a great learning opportunity because of the opportunity to hear from outside speakers. “Ouachita is blessed to have many incredible teachers and speak-
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Andy Henderson z Photo Lab CAMERON CONNOR (from left), Abigail Sanders and Stephen Ray lead worship during Tuesday’s Christian Focus Week chapel service. Ray, a Ouachita graduate, has led worship all week for Christian Focus Week.
ers on campus, but there is just something different about having someone new come speak,” Henley said. This week’s speakers included Stephen Ray, Chad Hampsch, Austin Wadlow, Barbara Pemberton, Brandon Barnard, Blake Johnson, Scott Duvall, Noah James, Barbara Schleiff, Dan Jarboe, Emily Smith, Marc Carozza, Nick Burt and Molly Bowman Maj.
“The Noah James concert was exciting for me because one of his songs has been very important to me in my walk with Christ,” said Delaney Bedunah, a junior business major from Wichita Falls, Texas. Many of the week’s events serve as an opportunity for students learn and grow in their faith as well as examine already established elements of it. The events began on Sun-
day with an open prayer meeting in McClellan where students could come as they pleased and pray with fellow students for a meaningful week centered on the Lord. CFW continued with daily morning worship services led by Chad Hampsch, followed by various meetings and activities throughout each day. By having a variety of experiences and perspectives, as shared by
this year’s speakers, students were more easily able to connect with them and find something applicable to their own lives. The plans for CFW are evaluated each year to keep the message and topics relevant to the students and faculty. The general schedule of events is kept fairly consistent; however, Henley stated that each year, Ouachitosee CFW z 2
Theatre department presents student-composed Muse Project By ANNI WILLIAMS Staff writer
Dani Drostez Photo Lab
KENDRA PRUITT speaks at MORE’s Black Alumni Spotlight last Friday. MORE has several events planned to commemorate Black History Month.
MORE organization hosts events in celebration of Black History Month By VICTORIA ANDERSON Staff writer
February is Black History Month, and MORE, which stands for Multicultural Organization Reaching for Equality, has planned several events to bring campus together and celebrate. “I am hoping these events will allow Ouachita students of every background and color to have a deeper appreciation for the long history and achievements of black people and black culture,”
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said MORE Vice President Neeshia Harvell, a junior psychology, sociology and English major from Arkadelphia. “The goal is for everyone to walk away from this month inspired by the black alumni and services and determined to make this heritage live on.” The celebration began on the first day of the month with the Soul Food Lunch in the cafeteria. Some items on the menu included ham, see MORE z 2
This year’s Muse project, “Painting the Roses Red,” will be performed in Verser Theatre February 15-17 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and February 18 at 2:30 p.m. This production, a prequel to “Alice in Wonderland,” will use media such as song, dance and nontraditional puppetry to communicate a message of hope through pain and grief. “This year the Muse project is a prequel story to Alice in Wonderland. Not necessarily going along with any prequels that may be in the original series, but our interpretation,” said Libby Villegas, a music industry major from Wylie, Texas and the show’s music director and composer. “We’re using this story and these characters to communicate a bigger message of how people deal with pain and how people glorify and idolize things before God. We’re using [Alice in Wonderland] to tell a different, bigger story.” Villegas has played a key role in the entire production.
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Libby Villegas z Courtesy MUSE PROJECT cast and crew gather to take a photo on their first night of rehearsals. “Painting the Roses Red” is an original student production.
“All the songs you’ll be hearing are written by me. They were orchestrated by Tyler Sanders, who’s a junior music industry major… he’s helped me out a lot… I’ve been teaching all the music to the cast and wrote all of it. I started writing it a year ago to this day. I helped collaborate with the script, the plot line, and character development.” After proposing the idea in February of last year, Villegas and her fellow directors waited to hear back about their proposed show until April. “So, I went the whole
semester thinking, ‘it’s not going to happen,’” Villegas said. “I was taking 19 hours last semester, I was in four ensembles and I was just taking lots of classes, doing lots of things.” Then, Villegas said, their idea was chosen. Initially she considered dropping out, “but this process has shown me that God has a bigger plan than my own plan. This summer I went through a lot of changes in my life, a lot of grief and a lot of pain. This show was my outlet. This show, writing the music for it, was my way to see Muse z 2
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