The Signal | Ouachita Baptist University | 3.6.19

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3.6.19 | Vol. 127, Issue 18| www.obusignal.com

CM missions to send students abroad Glance inside The Signal!

By JACOB COTTRELL Staff writer This semester, Campus ministries will be taking mission trips during spring break and the beginning of summer break. There are two teams that will be going to New Orleans and California over spring break. This summer, there will be one team going Kraków, Poland to serve alongside missionaries from the International Mission Board. These trips offered

by Campus Ministries, give students an opportunity to help serve in ways they have never been able to serve before. The students get to go to places and work with all varieties of people and see firsthand how mission organizations are helping those in need.

“We have 20 people going to serve in New Orleans over Spring Break and 15 students going to California to serve there,” James Taylor, director of Ouachita Campus Ministies, said.

The team that will be going to New Orleans during spring break will be working alongside Habitat for Humanity. The students will be able to do some construction on houses and remodeling in the New Orleans area over spring break. These students will get to meet physical needs of the New Orleans community with this trip.

The trip will provide students with experience in construction, working with their hands and the

ability see Habitat for Humanity organization at work within this one community.

The trip to California will be mainly focused on helping with the local refugee population there.

The Ouachita students who will be going will be involved in helping teach English classes, moving furniture for housing and anything that is a need at the moment. The hope of these almost every day

focused on helping the mission team already there comprised of two students from Ouachita and the International Mission Board team. The students will get to work alongside the missionaries, as well as Polish believers, to help teach English with in the city. The team will lead English classes at the local church for the Breakthrough English Academy and also get to work in some universities there in the city. They will have to the opportunity to meet and connect with college students at these events, start relationships and connect them to the missionaries who live in Poland.

“The best thing about going on trips with students is getting to know them better while serving alongside them on these trips. You can get to know people better on these one to two-week trips than in an entire semester while seeing James Taylor how ministry is done around the world,” Taylor said.

If you are interested in applying for future trips and opportunities tasks are vital to help the people to serve other through Campus there get acclimated and have op- Ministries be looking for informaportunities to share the gospel with tion in the fall of 2019 via emails countless people they will run into. or social media for meetings and “For the Poland trip, we have application deadlines. eight going but also have two If you have any questions restudents already there serving on garding trips or opportunities to hands on so we will get to meet up serve on campus, you can go to with them,” Taylor said. the bridge of Evans Student center For the second year in a row, the to the Campus Ministries Office summer trip to Kraków, Poland, or go online to obu.edu/campuswhich will last 18 days, will be ministries. n

“The best thing about going on trips with students is getting to know them better while serving alongside them on these trips.”

“Spread the Word to End the Word” finds campaign roots on Ouachita campus

By GRACIE STOVER Staff writer Ouachita students are hosting the “Spread the Word- Inclusion” campaign event on Wednesday, March 6, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. in the cafeteria lobby and in the student center. Their campaign is in conjunction with the National Spread the Word to the End the Word Day event.

Spread the Word to End the Word is a national campaign created to increase inclusion among people with and without developmental disabilities. They push to end stereotypes about people with developmental disabilities, beginning with breaking the negative cycle of how people speak about them.

Senior speech pathology major Sarah Cowell is helping put on this event. She said, “OBU students can be advocates for individuals with intellectual disabilities by pledging to promote inclusion in their environment. We are living in an era of promoting inclusion and removing the separation of students with and without intellectual disabilities in schools and society. Once a student pledges for inclusion, they have the opportunity to reach out and get to know students around them with intellectual disabilities. Forming

Alex Blankenship z Photo lab editor

friendships with individuals with intellectual disabilities in your intellectual disabilities and truly community is to remember them getting to know them is the best as a person first, and then an way I think you can advocate for individual with an intellectual them.” disability,” said Cowell. “Keith The national campaign has over Lertpenmaeta is one of my clos782,166 people that have pledged est friends from home. I love to promote inclusion in their lives. spending time baking with Keith, Cowell said, “I pledge because I playing games, watching movies, want my friends with intellectual going on trips or playing sports. disabilities such as Keith, Lindsey, We write letters back and forth Cody, Jon and so many others to to each other all throughout the feel as included and loved by my “I believe the most important thing friends as they you can do when trying to include do by me. It is important to take an individual with intellectual the inclusion disabilities in your community is to pledge, because it is a way to help remember them as a person first...” keep yourself acSarah Cowell countable. As society starts to see more and more individuals around year. Keith also comments on my them pledge for inclusion and Facebook page pretty frequently discontinue use of the “r” word, to encourage me. Keith also has I believe we will see even more an intellectual disability. acceptance of individuals with “This is not the first quality that intellectual disabilities.”

I think of in Keith, but rather I The event will be giving out think of his personality and how “Spread the Word” phone pop much fun we have when we hang sockets and hat pins to lucky, out. It is my friends, such as Keith, random winners who pledge on that encourage me to promote Wednesday. Additionally, every inclusion. It is so important to single person who pledges will get me that my friends at OBU know a bracelet or pin for their backpack. how amazing my friend Keith is, “I believe the most important and that is why I am an advocate thing you can do when trying for individuals with intellectual to include an individual with disabilities,” she said. n

Check out page four for an extensive read into the artwork of the faculty of the Visual Arts Department, in additon to guest recitals, movie reviews and more.

Annual Integrity contest to focus on racial unity

By JACOB COTTRELL Staff writer For the month of March students have the opportunity to write or produce a video for the Campus Integrity Project being hosted by the Sutton Center for Success.

This year’s campus discussion is based on Racial Unity. The essay and video must be over a topic dealing with the theme for this year’s competition. The essay is required to be 500 words or less and emailed to rootj@obu.edu by noon on March 29. Video projects are to be submitted to YouTube and links emailed to Dr. David Ozmun at ozmund@obu.edu. The winners of the video will receive $600 for first place and $300 for second place. The winners of the essay will receive $400 and, for second place, $200.

“For the last four years, we have invited students to write essays or produce short videos focusing on some virtue or character like civility or integrity that we need as a campus community to accomplish what we are doing here at Ouachita,” Dr. Byron Eubanks, director of Ouachita’s Sutton Center for Integrity, said.

The essays are for students who want to write their point of view on the year’s chosen topic. They will need good evidence of research and a good laid out paper to show the judges they have put in the work to validate their argument. The video portion has been added in since the beginning of this project to reach the Ouachita student body who are gifted in videography and filming.

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These two methods of submission allow students from all major to participate.

“This year’s theme is based on our chapel speaker, an evening lecture on racial unity and an upcoming lecture on this same subject. We thought why not keep the conversation going, let’s talk about racial unity,” Eubanks said.

The goal of this project is for student to work both individually and collectively to put together these essays and videos that will help shed light on their perspective of the year ’s theme. These are ways that students can show what Ouachita campus is doing well on and introduce new things that the faculty and students can do to grow in these areas. This project’s goal is to bring to light the way our campus runs and how the student body treats each other. Each year the topic makes students and staff rethink how things are done and to see what they can do better to facilitate a more Christ-like atmosphere.

“How can we do a better job being a real community that appreciates and celebrates our differences and the unity we have in Christ? How can we put into practice what we say we believe and that we all are created in His image?” Eubanks said.

The entry process and rules can be found in emails that will be sent to all students or in The Signal for more details.

For more information on the videos contact Dr. David Ozmun at ozmund@obu.edu and for articles email Dr. Jeff Root at rootj@obu. edu. n

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“Incandescent.”

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News Briefs

A look at the biggest news of the week Tornado tears through Alabama A tornado tore through the small community of Beauregard, Ala, on Sunday, March 3. This tornado is the deadliest U.S. tornado in six years and has claimed the lives of 23 individuals. Authories have also issued dozens of missing person updates as search teams go door to door looking for survivors.

Drones and dogs have been scouring the wreckage and debris searching for signs of life.

Drone technology that detects heat signatures is being used in the search.

The National Weather Service declared that winds of 170 mph from one, possibly two tornadoes, ransacked Beauregard, Ala. This tornado is the deadliest since 2013 when an EF-5 tornado claimed 24 lives in Moore, Okla.

Source: AP Caroline Derby z Courtesy

PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS discuss the “Mount Everest” Case Study in small groups at this semester’s President’s Leadership Forum.

Dr. Ben Sells plans to use this same topic for the inaugural “Senate Summit” for current student leaders.

Senate, Sells to host “Senate Summit”

By ETHAN DIAL Online editor Ouachita’s inaugural Senate Summit, a leadership meeting for students sponsored by the Ouachita Student Senate, will be held March 28 from 7-8:15 a.m.

“Over the [last] few years, Student Senate has been searching for new ways to serve our students.

We believe Senate Summit is the perfect way for us to help train the leaders on our campus. We want these students, whether they are currently in a leadership role or seeking one out, to be encouraged and trained in teamwork and leadership to help them better their organization,” said Selby Tucker, a junior who is helping with plans for the event as Student Senate’s external vice president.

Though it has been an event long in the making, it will hopefully also be a one long lasting.

“In the past few weeks, Student Senate has taken on a project, along with Dr. Sells, to encourage leadership, service and growth on our campus. This event will hopefully be the first Senate Summit of many, and we are ready to see what impact it will have on our campus,” said freshman Allie Harris, Student Senate’s freshman senator and the campus relations committee chair. “I am so excited

to see this event come together.

I think this event will motivate and challenge the attendees to be more effective leaders and team players.”

Harris’ committee is the one in charge of planning the event and will be collaborating with Dr. Sells in planning this first Senate Summit, which has included creating the name, forming the purpose, establishing the agenda and promoting the event.

For this first summit, Dr. Ben Sells, Ouachita’s president, will lead a case study titled “Mount Everest,” which was developed by Harvard Business School.

“At Ouachita, students often develop their leadership skills through the many wonderful extra-curricular opportunities.

The case study approach, especially the Harvard one on Mount Everest, is a proven learning tool to augment students’ leadership development,” Sells said.

Not only has Sells participated in this case study himself, but he also used it in this year’s President’s Leadership Forum. Sells is excited for this opportunity to collaborate with an organization on campus and facilitate.

“I applaud the Senate for this initiative and appreciate the chance to partner with them in serving students,” Sells said.

The leadership session will in-

clude a light breakfast, and both current leaders on campus and members of the student body are encouraged to attend. Leaders from all of the different clubs and organizations will be invited first.

The remainder of the seats will be open up to the rest of campus.

Seating is limited so students who would like to attend should be on the lookout for emails and further information to be sent out to students via emails from Student Senate.

Senate intends to continue this event in the future with plans to have a different keynote speaker and topic of discussion each time.

According to a Senate email sent out to the student body, future Senate Summits will “focus on leadership roles, service and other areas of growth on our campus.”

“Senate’s hope for this event is to give OBU students an opportunity to grow their leadership skills,” said senior Zach Street, Ouachita’s student body president. “In whatever capacity a person leads, we believe it is important our school creates an environment that encourages good leadership qualities and continual learning in this area now and after college. Senate believes this event has the potential to inspire students to become more comfortable leading and can motivate existing leaders for years to come.” n

Clinton not to run in 2020 election Early Tuesday morning, 2016 Democrat frontrunner Hillary Clinton announced that she will not be running against President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Clinton fell to Trump in 2016.

Clinton has stated that she won’t be running, but will still be working and standing up for what she believes in.

Many believed that Clinton would return to the election pool alongside contenders like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, California Senator Kamala Harris, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Although they haven’t officially declared their involvement, many expect former Vice-President Joe Biden and former congressman Beto O’Rourke will throw their hats into the pool.

Source: BBC

Jenner becomes billionaire Popular icon and celebrity Kylie Jenner has become the youngest billionaire in history.

Jenner, who is the youngest member of the Kardashian-Jenner family, runs Kylie Cosmetics. The three year old make-up company brought in an estimated $360 million in 2018 sales alone.

The 21-year-old reached the billionaire milestone faster than Mark Zuckerburg. Zuckerburg, the CEO and founder of Facebook, achieved billionaire status when he was just 23, due to the success of the networking and social media site.

Jenner’s success wasn’t expected by the celebrity, but her recognition in the Forbes Billionaire list was humbling. Kylie Cosmetics seeks to continue the trend of success in 2019.

Source: BBC

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“A Day in the Life”: Emma Pitts at Ouachita

By SARA PATTERSON Staff writer

For Emma Pitts, a junior music education major from Rogers, every day is full of activities and responsibilities that keep her on her toes.

On a typical school day, she can be seen going from class to class, attending various club meetings and making time for friends whenever she can.

This semester, her class schedule requires much of her time.

“I’m in 21 hours this semester so, I mean, classes keep me pretty busy, but I like to stay busy. I’m in two different choirs right now: Ouachita Singers and Concert Choir… Sometimes with Ouachita Singers, we’ll do tours and we’ll go out and visit high schools in the area so rehearsals with that can get kind of busy,” Pitts said.

Along with her classes, Pitts’ work study job is another important part of her daily routine on the weekdays.

“I’m a student worker in the student development office so I can be seen in there a lot of the times during the week… that’s just kind of fun because I get to help out with chapel, and I get to help out with things that may be going on on campus,” Pitts said.

With these commitments, a typical school day for Pitts looks something like this: “[Last Wednesday] I woke up at 8, and kind of did my thing, had my breakfast here because I love a good cereal. I’m reading “My Utmost for His Highest” right now as my devotional so love that. I had work at 9, went to my work study, got an hour in… then I had class at 10 and 11. I had two back to back music classes. One’s a music history class and the other one’s a choral conducting class, which is kind of more fun, I get to kind of workshop the things that I’ve been learning for the past two years. Then I had voice studio at 12 which is when all the people

that are in my voice teacher’s studio get together and we get to sing for each other and present whatever we’ve been working on in our lessons that week.

Typically, at 1 o’clock I would have Ouachita Singers which is a half hour credit but we meet three times a week, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1.

At 2 o’clock, every Wednesday I have my voice lesson,” Pitts said.

In the afternoon, Pitts will usually spend another hour or two in her work study before the day is done. Then, she likes to spend time talking with friends and attending small groups. Pitts routinely attends a home group at Dr. Kluck’s house on Wednesdays and helps lead a life group on campus.

“Typically…I’ll be on campus from about 9 to 5 usually and then I’ll have meetings or whatever. In my free time I try to either hang out with friends or go to the intramural games because that’s kind of what’s going on right now,” Pitts said.

That’s an average day in Pitts’ life, but each day’s schedule fluctuates depending on if any of the many organizations Pitts is involved in has an event or meeting.

Pitts is engaged in many different subcommunities on campus. She is a fully active member of Tri Chi, a Kappa Chi Lil Sis, a senator for the junior class in Student Senate and a member of Ouachita’s theatre fraternity, Alpha Psi Omega.

Pitts is also active in the community outside of Ouachita. She interns as a worship leader at Rock Creek Church in Little Rock and occasionally competes in pageants across Arkansas. Both of these commitments made for a pretty crazy day in the life of Pitts a couple of Sundays ago.

“On Sundays, I lead worship at Rock Creek. I’m an intern there and so I leave Ouachita at about 6:30 in the morning to get there and have a rehearsal for church service, and then we’ll have two services back to back there and

Emma Pitts z Courtesy EMMA PITTS is a junior music education major from Rogers. Along with going to class, Pitts is involved in several activities around campus including Chior and various clubs and organizations.

then get done around noon. This Sunday, I actually left church when we finished the services and I went to Hot Springs and did a pageant. So, I was in Hot Springs from about 12:30 p.m. until 10 at night doing pageant stuff… I’m passionate about the Miss Arkansas system, so that’s a fun day for me,” Pitts said.

Whether it’s during the week or on the weekend, Pitts is always going from one thing to another and working to maintain her busy schedule.

“It’s like that every week. I don’t think I’ve had a free weekend since winter break. But that’s okay! I prefer to be busy because it keeps me going, it keeps me happy, it keeps me involved and so that’s how I like it,” Pitts said.

To handle her busy lifestyle with grace, Pitts makes her planner her best friend.

“I love my planner. I have to keep it up to date or I will forget stuff… if I didn’t have my plan-

ner, oh man, I would go crazy. I also do one on my phone, so I get notifications to remind me things that may be last minute or may have changed,” Pitts said.

Pitts finds enjoyment in what she’s able to be involved in and the people who have poured into her through her experience at Ouachita so far. For her, everything that she has gained from her involvement makes the busyness worth it.

“The way that I’ve been able to be involved at Ouachita, I don’t know if I would’ve found that somewhere else. I’ve been able to do as much or as little as I want and for me it’s been ‘do everything, do as much as you can,’ because this is the only time we’re going to have to be as involved as I am, and the amount of people that have poured into me, the leaders who have been over all of the things I’m involved in have just really poured into me and invested in me and made my time

here worth it,” Pitts said.

With the personal connections Pitts has made, she’s found a lot of happiness in all she’s done in her college years.

“It’s just been fun. I’ve been able to be at Ouachita and yeah I’m getting my degree and getting my education and someday I’ll be able to go and get a job, but it’s also just been such a fun thing,” Pitts said.

From being involved in social clubs, performing in various theatre or musical productions, representing Ouachita as Miss OBU 2018 and being a Tiger Tunes Hostess last fall, Pitts has consistently filled her college days with lots of excitement thus far. Going forward, Pitts is looking forward to finishing her time at Ouachita by being as invested in the activities of this campus as she always has been, and in new ways, as well.

“There is always more to come,” Pitts said. n

Academic Success Center offers tutoring, encouragement

By HAYDN JEFFERS Staff writer

The Academic Success Center (ASC) has been an invaluable resource to Ouachita students for years now. Everyone on campus knows they can go to the ASC to get tutoring help for a given subject or class, but what many Ouachita students may not realize is that the ASC offers so much more than mere tutoring services. They provide students with success workshops on how to get through college and prepare for the reality of what life outside the Ouachita bubble.

Amber Goodrum, the student success coordinator of the ASC, can attest to the many services the ASC offers.

“Nicole Porchia [director of academic success] and I both do success mentoring where students will come in,” Goodrum says. “We’ll do success coaching meetings for whatever they may need and curate handtailored success plans where we go through their planners with them, and they check in with us every week to talk about what they need to do.”

“Or, if the students have personal issues going on that affect their course work, we’re able to utilize other resources on

campus and kind of marry them all together to come up with a success plan,” Goodrum adds.

Of course, Goodrum and Porchia are not the only ones who uniquely tailor their material to each student. They have been able to instill that skill in the minds of ASC tutors as well, sometimes so well that the tutors even find themselves building mini-versions of success plans for their tutees. In fact, besides tutoring, one of the most common pieces of advice a tutor has to offer revolves around planning and time management.

Mattie Couch is one of the tutors who believes in the sanctity of a planner. As a senior mathematics and secondary education double major, she has good reason to value writing everything down in one place, and she knows that all students could benefit from doing the same.

“When you can see all the assignments on one list, it makes everything seem much more manageable, and it allows you to plan your time so that you don’t procrastinate,” Couch says.

“Organization, time management and hard work are the keys to success,” Couch continues. “A planner is one tool that helps cultivate those traits.”

Aside from helping with

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The

organization and planning skills, the ASC tutors, help students to understand their material better, otherwise known as tutoring.

Paige Smith, a junior English and political science double major, tutors all English courses and helps students who may be struggling with writing a paper, understanding a reading assignment, studying for a test or honing their grammar skills.

“I am obsessed with grammar, so my favorite part of the job is teaching grammar to students and hopefully instilling in them some of my love for the subject,” Smith says.

As someone who has been tutoring in the ASC or two years, Smith knows how to help students wrap their minds around often difficult subjects such as grammar, and she knows just what it can take to really get a student on the right track.

“Sometimes a student won’t open up for several sessions,” she said. “I once had a student who wouldn’t work on his assignments or communicate with me about what he needed, and he was constantly disturbing other students in our small groups.”

“But one day he came to one of our one-on-one sessions and handed me a quiz that he had gotten a perfect score on to let me

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know that I was really helping him,” Smith continues. “It made my whole tutoring semester.”

Had that student never taken the time to go to Smith and show her that he was learning from her, she wouldn’t have known.

But, because she had been patient with him and shown him that she cared about his education, he made a point to show her that she was doing a good job, and that he was taking his education seriously. This is only one of countless success stories to come out of the ASC, and every tutor gets to experience something like that with a student.

Abigail Saunders, a senior English and sociology double major who, like Smith, tutors all English courses, knows how beneficial the ASC is to students, and she gains great satisfaction from being able to boost others’ confidence during her tutoring sessions.

“We have a pretty great group of tutors and the atmosphere is really encouraging,” Saunders says. “Most of my favorite memories of tutoring involve helping people write papers who believe they are ‘bad at writing.’

I think everybody can be a good writer with enough practice, so I love being able to help these students create a well-written paper and hopefully build their

Ouachita Baptist University Office: Evans Student Center E-Mail: signal@obu.edu Phone: 870.245.5210

confidence when it comes to writing.”

Seeing how these ASC tutors help Ouachita students not only with homework and test prep, but with confidence, time management and skill-building as well, it is easy to see why the ASC tutors are not merely tutors; they are mentors, friends and study partners. This is why, starting next fall, ASC tutors will no longer be known as “tutors,” but instead as “course consultants,” similar to the way that students working in the Speer Writing Center are referred to as “writing consultants.”

“We’re moving away from the tutor-tutee verbiage, which best practices in higher education says that students tend to view with a negative stigma,” Goodrum said.

“It’s going to be a hard transition because we’re all so used to the tutoring lingo, but we’re going to try to move in that direction successfully.”

“We really want students to feel like it’s safe here,” she said.

“If we don’t know the answer, we’ll find somebody who does.

But this is the place to come first. We want you to feel safe if you need somebody to talk to, because if you feel like people care about you, your Ouachita experience will be all the better.” n

The Signal is the student newspaper of Ouachita Baptist University, and is published every Wednesday 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 Nashville Leader.

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Alex Blankenship z Photo lab editor DR. CRAIG HAMILTON bows with the Ouachita Wind Ensemble following their Monday night concert in Jones Performing Arts Center. Preparation for the performance began at the beginning of the Spring 2019 semester.

Ouachita Wind Ensemble presents spring concert

By MANDY HALBERT Staff writer

The Ouachita Wind Ensemble held their concert on Monday, March 4. The band played pieces of all different styles and genres in hopes that the concert would feature something that every member of the audience would appreciate.

“I try to select music we will enjoy playing and the audience will enjoy listening to,” Director of Bands Dr. Craig Hamilton said. “I include standard literature from wind band repertoire.

We also include a solo feature for the winner of our concerto competition, Richie Blosch.”

The Wind Ensemble received

music in January. The band has been rehearsing the pieces and students have been practicing their parts since then in preparation for Monday night’s performance.

“They have worked hard to prepare a great concert,” Hamilton said. “The music is challenging, but entertaining. We begin by reading through the music and then break each piece down to work out the technical and musical elements.”

Students receive their music and put in many hours of practice before the band’s performance so that rehearsals can run smoother.

“Preparation includes a lot of practicing outside of rehearsal,” Betsy Patterson said. “It’s a lot

of work on your own so that when you come for rehearsal, Dr. Hamilton can help the band as a whole instead of having to work on individual parts. That way there’s a lot less repeating things and wasted time.”

Members of the band include both music majors and non-music majors who commit to extra hours of rehearsals and practice.

“Aside from the great scholarship opportunity it provides, I participate in band because we get to play a lot of different literature,” Patterson said. “I really like playing my flute, and this had given me the opportunity to continue to do that even though I am not a music major.”

Hamilton believes that the band program is beneficial to all

participating students regardless of their major.

“Music is food for our soul,” Hamilton said. “Wind Ensemble is a chance for great musicians to come together to create great music. The result is a communal experience that is bigger than any of us. It’s great fun and a wonderful experience to create music.”

Each piece selected for the concert presents its own challenges.

Some pieces have stories, as well, that can make it a favorite of students, such as a piece called “Impressions” by Julie Giroux that was commissioned in memory of a woman’s sister. “‘Impressions’ was commissioned by a lady named Karen Judge whose sister, Janice, had

passed away after a battle with breast cancer,” Patterson said. “It was written in her memory. Different sections of the piece were written in ways that could represent parts of her life. The story behind it just makes the piece more enjoyable for me.”

Hamilton hopes that all members of the band learn lessons from being in the group that they can apply to other parts of their lives.

“I hope students learn something about themselves, and I hope they learn something about others,” Hamilton said. “I hope they learn something about music, and I hope they have a great time creating something of beauty. I hope they create memories that will last a lifetime.” n

“Coraline” brings stop-motion into mainstream media

By CATHERINE LYP Arts / Features editor

Films are an art form all their own, and within the category of films, there are a variety of media used. From live action to animation, there are several forms that a movie can be made in. One such form of filmmaking that is similar to animation, yet holds its own unique qualities, is stopmotion. There have only been a few commonly known stop-motion films, but one of the most notable is “Coraline.”

Made by the Laika stop-motion animation studio and released in 2009, “Coraline” is one of the company’s most known films. Based on Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name, “Coraline” follows a young girl as her family moves into a new home for her parent’s jobs. Within the first few minutes, the story makes it clear that Coraline is not entirely happy in her new home.

Being in an older building with various apartments, Coraline finds her new environment boring. Coraline tries to entertain herself by exploring and gardening, but with her parents gardening catalog deadline quickly approaching, they are unable to keep her amused. After meeting the grandson of the women who owns the building they now live in, he finds a doll in his grandmother’s things that strongly resembles Coraline. He then gives Coraline the doll, which leads her into an exciting and colorful alternate reality where her parents are fun and Coraline can do as she pleases. From there, the story gets more twisted as the button-eyed Other Mother that Coraline meets through the little door tries to entice Coraline to stay by first sewing buttons in her eyes.

The story within the film is playful, yet dark. Going from a film about a girl who finds a magical new world to a girl who is fighting to get back home from a scary villain is difficult, but

“Coraline” portrays it well. The film has a strong contrast between reality and the world the Other Mother created, that as the film goes on, intrigues both the audience and Coraline. The audience is shown everything from Coraline’s perspective, seeing the strange, damaged and uninteresting qualities of the new apartment and the other residents. As Coraline is transported to the other world, the contrast is literally night and day, just as Coraline is in reality in the daytime, and the other world each night.

The other world is characterized by immense color and personality. By having the story play out in this manner, the audience is put in the same position as Coraline and can form opinions and thoughts as they experience the journey with her.

Film itself is an incredible art form with infinite possibilities, but stop-motion animation like that which is used in “Coraline” is filled with a variety of art. Each frame of “Coraline” is occupied by characters and sets that are sculpted from clay, constructed and set up for each shot. In addition, there are at least seven main characters throughout the movie, most of which have another character representation in the other world. For each character, they have to have several different movable forms made with different costumes, facial expressions and body movements to fit each scene. From the coloring, attention to detail and the commitment that was made to the film, the art that makes up “Coraline” is absolutely unbelievable.

“Coraline” is an immensely unique story that teaches a lesson of being thankful for what you have. Through Coraline’s wishing and hoping for more, she is taken into another world full of excitement, as well as horror.

The stop-motion style of the film masterfully portrays the stark contrast and magic between the real world and the other world in a way that other film forms couldn’t. n

Alex Blankenship z Photo lab editor

Alex Blankenship z Photo lab editor THE VISUAL ARTS FACULTY EXHIBIT showcases the artwork of faculty members in the Rosemary Adams Gallery in Moses Provine.

The exhibit opened to the public on Monday, March 4.

Visual Arts Faculty Exhibit now open

By WILLIAM GOODSON Staff writer

The Visual Arts Faculty Exhibit was opened in the Rosemary Adams Gallery in Moses Provine Hall on Monday, March 4, and the exhibit will be open until the 28. Donnie Copeland, chair of OBU’s Department of Visual Arts, served as the organizer and gallery facilitator for the exhibit.

Essentially this year’s Visual Arts Faculty Exhibit, “is an opportunity for the art faculty to showcase their creative scholarship with the university community,” said Copeland.

“There have been previous exhibits meant to display the art faculties work. However, it has been several years, so this is a great exhibit for all students to come see and get an idea of the variety of talent we have in our art department.”

One great thing about the exhibit is that there is something

for everyone simply because of the different types of works that are on display.

Carey Roberson, associate professor of Visual Arts, has a series of pictures that have been modified with colored pencil, acrylic, archival inkjet and graphite. These pieces show variations of the subject that will have you comparing them, looking for the connection. Kara Gunter, adjunct instructor who specializes in sculptures, has some very cool pieces on display.

Gunter’s, The Skeletal System, is initially intriguing because it is the only piece plugged in to an electrical socket in the exhibit.

But when you step closer to look at it, you see how artistic and thoughtful the piece is.

Ferris Williams, assistant professor of Visual Arts, has a mixed media piece in the exhibit that is one of the first things you notice when you enter the room. This is partly because of placement, but it is more about

the colors, the texture of the letters and how it all works together to pop. Furthermore, the piece is really a tribute to Stan Lee of Marvel, who just recently passed away in November. For those of us who love history, Williams has also created a prismacolor piece of every one term president.

The variety allows for a diverse group of students and faculty to enjoy. Communications students can come see perfectly designed logos by René Zimny, assistant professor in Visual Arts. Political Science students can come see Williams’ one term president’s pieces. There really is something in this exhibit for everyone to come see. Copeland referred to Monday’s exhibit opening as a soft one, so over the course of the exhibit we may see more works added. Towards the end of the exhibit, on March 26 at 11 a.m., there will be a reception for the Visual Arts Faculty Exhibit in the Rosemary Adams Gallery in Moses Provine. n

OPINIONS

06, March, 2019 u page 5

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Various media continue to retain value of literature story they’ve been tasked with narrating. Fantastical stories tend News editor to be read by narrators supplied by audiobook streaming services that Think back to your youth. Do don’t allow the story to display you remember the anticipation itself through their voice—they to continue reading a book don’t speak with the excitement series? The joy of turning that last page and sharing your accomplishment with your parents? Suggesting a favorite book to your best friends? Now think to your daily life. Do you read for pleasure? Do you even read at all?

Undeniably, we’ve become lethargic in upholding one of the greatest arts—reading literature worth reading.

Too often we’re asked to read books for school that we would never open on our own volition or find ourselves too busy to read on a daily basis. Audiobooks have helped to bridge this gap for many users, allowing for easy consumption of literature without effort.

Contrary to physical books, audiobooks can be crippled by their narrators. Sometimes the author works with these companies to record their own audiobooks and sometimes the narrator is an individual that narrates for a living. Casts of talented voice actors sometimes collaborate to record an audiobook that features multi-voiced narrations. and tone the author placed into This allows for vocal variation the work. Non-fiction stories in each character’s dialogue. But tend to be well narrated, due to we don’t always see this audible their historical and biographical delight in narration. Sometimes content, while fictional stories are we’re stuck with a singular, very hit or miss. It’s easy to tell monotone individual who doesn’t the difference when listening to seem to have any passion for the an audiobook.

By WILL BLASE

Marketing, new music to sponsor ‘80s Renaissance

By JULIE WILLIAMS Editor-in-Chief

I grew up on old music. The kind of old music that my parents cranked up on 45’s and cassettes in their rooms when they were teenagers. The kind of old music that was the sound of their childhood and young adulthood.

When I was younger, I was kind of held hostage by the parents’ control of the radio, grumbling as any child would, but when I grew a mind that could form a personal opinion, I realized that their music was better anyway. I found it not only to be a comforting and familiar sound, but I found it to be the sound I most enjoyed or identified with. There was some kind of gradual slide downhill in the realm of good music, so much so that my generation’s music is mostly painful.

However, there’s been a recent stirring of 1980s music back in the mainstream. This could simply be a result of the marketing research available. Those who were young in the ‘80s are now the primary working, parent age- quite simply, the ones who are buying things.

Consider the various commercials that can be seen on television with background music of the ‘80s and ‘90s. There’s a scene in which a couple decides to reenact the dance from the end of “Dirty Dancing” to Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes’ “I’ve Had the Time of My Life.” Granted, the famous lift doesn’t go as well for this TV commercial couple as it does for Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.

A Hyundai commercial uses Ryan Reynolds’ likeness throughout its advertisement layered over the sound of Salt n’ Pepa’s “What a Man.” (Salt n’ Pepa is a personal favorite.)

In yet another example, pizza advertisements feature the melodramatic power of Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” and a Google commerical taps into the fame of Queen with the theme from “Flash.”

One of the most shocking

arrivals of ‘80s music on the scene was the use of covers of many popular hits from the decade in an entire season of Grey’s Anatomy.

According to an article by the Hollywood Reporter, creator Shonda Rhimes handpicked all of the covers that appeared from the mid-season premiere of season ten throughout the remainder of the season.

Throughout some of the more relationshippy drama scenes that Rhimes drafts, there was an evident lilty, coffee-shop sounding cover of popular ‘80s one-hitwonders or power ballads, such as Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” and Simple Minds’ “Don’t You Forget About Me.” The growth of shows like “Stranger Things” have glamorized the 1980s setting, added fuel to the classic rock and ‘80s pop craze.

‘90s alternative rock band Weezer released their “Teal” album in January after the rapid populariy growth of their May 2018 release of “Africa,” originally recorded by Toto in 1983. “Teal” was comprised only of covers of the band’s favorite 1980s hits.

The examples are endless as marketers and television producers alike have finally discovered their true audience of my parents’ generation.

At the same time, the popularity of such products or television programs has drawn attention to the “oldies, but goodies” as my parents like to call them. People of my generation are suddenly listening to the same music I grew up listening to at home. It’s no longer weird...although it was in high school.

I am deeply moved and relieved to find those in my acquaintance have found true wisdom when it comes to the essence of good music.

Perhaps, as some friends of mine have suggested, this “renaissance” of old music is simply because of nostalgic older generations, but I’d also like to believe that it has something to do with the growing saturation of it in modern pop culture and the hope of wisdom in America’s kids. n

Take Stephen King’s “On Writing” for example. King narrates the book himself and takes you on a personal journey through his discoveries, one that is different from that which you would create by reading the book

readers and narrating it the way they intended it to be read.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with listening to audiobooks. Most users utilize the medium while performing daily tasks. Have you ever passed someone on the

alone. In the end, you would receive the same teachings, but through King’s inflections and cadence, importance is stressed in areas that you may not place into your own reading. Authors like King have seen the value in creating this content for their

highway pinching a book between the fingers while trying to grip the steering wheel? Don’t even try it—just listen to a book while your mind is occupied with safely operating a car. Working long shifts at a company that permits headphone usage? Jump into an

audiobook to help pass the time.

Recently, I read through “Dune”

by Frank Herbert, often considered the “Lord of the Rings” of the science fiction genre. “Dune,” while it’s a cult classic, was boring at times and I found myself taking longer breaks between chapters. Herbert wasn’t alive for the rising trend in audiobooks and hadn’t left behind a recording of his work, so the prospect of listening to the novel never crossed my mind.

The most popular recording of “Dune” features three narrators who split the story amongst themselves. And I have to say that this is perhaps the best way to go about narrating the book.

Sometimes the characters began to blend together in my reading and through a variety of narrators an audiobook may have helped me to stay on track.

But ultimately, I knew the audiobook couldn’t give me the same sense of satisfaction that I had persevered toward.

Here’s my takeaway— finish books that you start.

Flip that final page or listen to that last bittersweet string of words. Audiobook or physical, don’t let anything break your stride. Be diligent in your reading and, if you don’t read at all, be diligent in reading more often. The feeling of accomplishment when you slowly turn the final page of a wellweathered and loved novel is hard to beat. Audiobooks simplify this feeling, but, as many would argue, they still produce the effect. n

Ask The Signal

By ANNI WILLIAMS Copy editor

What are some ways to stay motivated through the spring semester?

As students anxiously await the beginning of spring break, many may be struggling to find the motivation to continue working hard at their studies and extracurriculars. How do you find motivation when you’re tired, overworked or just uninterested in your work? Here are a few good things to keep in mind as you move forward throughout the semester.

First, don’t let small failures get you down. Sometimes a failed quiz can be enough to ruin your day, and sometimes you wish a failed quiz was all you had to worry about. On whatever level, understand that failure is just part of the college process. Don’t let any failures you experience keep you from continuing to try.

Learn from your mistakes where you can and don’t let the fear of failure keep you from moving forward or trying new things.

Second, develop helpful habits and routines. Developing habits and routines can be helpful in try-

ing to move forward throughout your college career. Identify areas you want to improve in and decide what actions you can take to improve. Make a plan and stick to it. It can be as simple as scheduling workouts every other day, finding better study habits for you or waking up earlier. Everyone has areas they can improve in. Find one you think would be helpful for you.

Third, find a hobby. If you’re experiencing burnout or lack of motivation, finding something you’re passionate about can be helpful. Self care is just as important as good study habits. Let your life have color and dimension. Pick up a creative hobby like painting or writing, schedule more visits with friends, sign up for an intramural sport; find something that makes you feel fulfilled and excited. You’re at college to learn but also to become a well-rounded individual. You don’t want your life after college to revolve around work, so you should learn a good work-life balance now, too. Take time for relationships, creativity and things you enjoy. Not only will it help your stress, but it can also help with your academics.

Fourth, have a good support system. No man is an island. College is not meant to be lived in scholarly isolation. Find friends

that you both enjoy being around and know you can rely on. Life is full of ups and downs. You want friends you can go on late night Walmart trips with and also crash with when life gets stressful.

Having good friendships is both fulfilling and important to your college experience.

Finally, remember why you’re at college. You came to college for a reason. Keep your motivation and intentions in mind. College is a stepping stone into the future.

Keep in mind the future you’re fighting for when the going gets rough. Don’t lose sight of why you’re here. Keep the end goal in mind.

When the going gets tough, don’t just keep trying to make things work without first considering how you can better address your problems. Everyone loses motivation sometimes and everyone has bad days. Allow yourself to have some bad days.

When you find yourself with a lack of motivation, don’t blame yourself for it, but also don’t ignore it. Try to find the root of the problem and change your approach. You’re at college for a short season. Do what you can to both capitalize on the opportunities you’re given and enjoy your time in college. n

Submit your “Ask The Signal” questions at signal@obu.edu.

SPORTS

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06, March, 2019 u page 6

Tigers face GAC Championship test after week of mixed results

By CAITY HATCHETT Staff writer

It was an interesting weekend for Ouachita’s basketball teams.

The Lady Tigers lost both of their games this weekend, while the Tigers won their game on Thursday but lost their game on Saturday. Both teams recognized their senior players during the games on Saturday afternoon; the women’s team bid farewell to Alivia Huell, and the men’s team said goodbye to Wesley Franklin, Mahlon Martin and Matthew Ward. These were the last home games of the season for both teams.

In their game against East Central University on Thursday night, the Lady Tigers (7-21, 5-17 GAC) suffered a 75-40 loss. Eden Crow scored the first points of the game, and she was followed in scoring by Madison Raney, Madison Brittain, Maija Gertsone and Alivia Huell. The Lady Tigers ended the first period down by a score of 2417. In the second period of play, Raney made the first field goal for Ouachita, making the score 27-19. East Central maintained their lead, but Crow and Huell also scored points for Ouachita.

The score was 41-25 at half-time, with Ouachita on the losing side. In the third quarter, Rylee Lavender scored several points; Jessi Bennett and Kara Rogers joined her in scoring. The score was 62-35 at the start of the fourth quarter, and the Lady Tigers were looking to make a comeback. Rachel Wilson and Laura Spradlin both scored for Ouachita. However, the Lady Tigers could not keep up with East Central.

The Tigers (14-12, 11-11 GAC) faced off against East Central and came out on top by a score of 86-72. Mahlon Martin, Wesley Franklin, Kendarious Smith,

Abby Blankenship z Photo Lab

Abby Blankenship z Photo Lab

(LEFT) Junior Madison Brittain crosses halfcourt and looks for a teammate to feed the ball into against East Central. Brittain shot just 1-10 from the field but responded nicely over the weekend with 26 points versus Southeastern Oklahoma. (RIGHT) Junior Morris Talbert hits a floating jump shot against East Central. Talbert helped lead the team to an 86-72 victory.

Eric Brown, Trey Harris, Morris Talbert, Isaiah Harper and Matthew Ward led the scoring in the first half. The Tigers trailed by a point at halftime by a score of 39-38. In the second half, Franklin, Ward, Martin, Brown, Harris, Allie Freeman, Smith, Matt Stanley, Harper and Talbert led the scoring for the Tigers. The team reached a score of 86-72, beating East Central by 14 points in the game.

The Lady Tigers took on the Savage Storm of Southeastern Oklahoma Baptist University on Saturday. Raney scored the first point of the game for Ouachita in the first period; Crow, Huell,

Brittain and Jakyya Clay led the scoring for the rest of the quarter, ending with a score of 19-13. The Lady Tigers kept their lead in the second quarter, but the score was tied at half-time. Brittain, Crow, Huell, Raney and Lavender scored for Ouachita in the second period. The top scorers in the third quarter were Crow, Brittain, Clay and Lavender; the Storm surpassed the Lady Tigers in scoring about halfway through the period. The score was 57-53, with Ouachita trailing by four points at the start of the fourth quarter. Brittain scored a team-high 26 total points, and Gertsone, Clay, Raney and Huell

OUACHITA versus OKLAHOMA BAPTIST Game 1: March 8 (2 p.m.)

Inspired softball team returns to diamond

By CAITY HATCHETT Staff writer

After the passing of head softball coach Mike McGhee last weekend, Ouachita’s softball team had two exciting victories under interim head coach Leslie Dean this past weekend.

The Lady Tigers played in a doubleheader against Southern Nazarene University on Saturday and Sunday. The teams played well against each other, and they seemed to be evenly matched.

The Lady Tigers (4-10, 2-2 GAC) took on the Crimson Storm of Southern Nazarene University in a doubleheader on Saturday.

The first game ended in a 7-0 loss, but the Lady Tigers closed the gap in the second game, losing 10-7.

In the first game, the Lady Tigers played well, keeping the Crimson Storm from scoring until the top of the second inning. Southern Nazarene did not score in the top of the fourth or fifth innings, but they did ultimately win the game, scoring their final runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

Freshman

Jillian Jones hit a home run at the bottom of the first inning, putting the Lady Tigers on the board in their second game against the Crimson Storm. In the bottom of the second inning, Madison Miller, Macy Wilson, Samantha Ortiz and Natalie Jackson scored. The Lady Tigers scored their final two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Tobi Finley hit a home run and Callie Jourdan scored. It was not enough for them to defeat Southern Nazarene, however, and Ouachita fell short of beating the Crimson Storm by three runs.

The Lady Tigers fared better in their doubleheader against Southern Nazarene on Sunday, giving Dean her first wins as interim head coach. The Lady Tigers beat the Crimson Storm in the first game by a score of 8-6.

Ouachita was down for most of the game, scoring five of their eight runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jackson, Finley, Miller, Ortiz and Brooke Taylor scored for the Lady Tigers, tying the score at five against the Crimson Storm. The game went into an eighth inning, where Jackson hit a home run

and allowed Jourdan, Taylor and herself to score. Ouachita won the game, and the Lady Tigers geared up to play again.

In the second game against Southern Nazarene, Ouachita earned a 12-4 victory. Ortiz hit a home run in the bottom of the first inning, allowing Leighton Withers, Wilson and Jourdan to score. The Crimson Storm tied the game 4-4 in the top of the third inning, but Taylor, Jackson, and Withers scored three runs for the Lady Tigers in the bottom of the third. Jackson and Taylor scored in the bottom of the fourth inning, making the score 9-4. Jackson, Withers and Taylor scored the last three runs for the Lady Tigers in the bottom of the seventh inning, closing the game with a score of 12-4.

The Lady Tigers will head to Shawnee, Okla. this weekend to take on the Lady Bison of Oklahoma Baptist University, playing in two doubleheaders.

The first game will take place at 2 p.m. on Friday. The Lady Tigers and Coach Dean are hoping for more wins as they enter their third weekend of conference games. n

also contributed for the Lady Tigers, but the team ultimately fell to Southeastern by a score of 80-76. The women finished 11th in conference, four games back of a GAC Championship bid.

The men also lost to Southeastern Oklahoma University on Saturday afternoon. Franklin started the scoring for the Tigers in the first half of the game, and he was followed by Martin, Smith, Stanley, Talbert, Freeman, Harper and Harris. Ouachita trailed Southeastern by a score of 47-36 at halftime, however.

Scoring by Smith, Brown, Ward, Franklin, Stanley, Harris, Martin,

Freeman and Talbert tied the score at 77, and the game went into overtime. Martin scored the first overtime points for Ouachita, followed with scoring

by Stanley, Freeman, and Talbert.

Unfortunately, the team could not keep up with the Storm, and the Tigers fell to Southeastern by a score of 93-89.

The Tigers will play in the eight-team GAC Championship, with the first round game scheduled for an 8 p.m. tipoff on Thursday versus the top-seeded Southern Nazarene Storm.

The men hope to bring home a conference championship and NCAA Tournament bid. n

Baseball must recapture roots

By CALEB BYRD Staff writer

For decades, baseball was the top sport in America. More recently, football, basketball and even soccer and hockey in some areas have passed America’s pastime as the most popular spectator sport in the country. Many view baseball as slow and boring, and rising ticket prices cut the average fan out of the market. Despite this decline, baseball teams are still highly profitable and shell out lucrative contracts to players – Bryce Harper signed the largest contract in baseball history last week for 13 years and $330 million. The money is still in the game, yet how long will it remain with interest fading? With Spring Training and the Opening Day approaching, what can Major League Baseball do to revive its popularity and make a push towards returning as America’s predominant spectator sport?

Quite possibly the biggest problem facing Major League Baseball is its departure from its roots. Baseball is an experience. It has a nostalgic element. It brings people back to old times – a simple summer afternoon with a hot dog and some cracker jacks.

Fifty years ago, many kids would spend their entire summers at the ballpark supporting their favorite professional team.

Baseball would be a family affair. It was a way of bonding for fathers and sons – a great way for them to spend time together. The sound of the bat and the smell of the grass – going to baseball game is simply different from watching a baseball game on television.

Today, it is more difficult than ever to attend a professional baseball game. Teams have built large, modern ballparks and charge exuberant prices for fans to enter. At the same time, these large ballparks feature high concession products and

large private suites, catering to a higher-income fan base. Some teams, like the Atlanta Braves, have taken this catering to the next level by moving their teams from downtown stadiums to stadiums in the suburbs, where more of their higher-income fan base lives. This cuts an entire portion of the fan base from attending even a single game, much less every game in a given season – taking them away from the most important part of baseball, game day experience.

Other American sports have done the same thing. Ticket prices are up across the professional sports scene. Big new stadiums cater to higher-income fans across the country. Why would baseball be negatively impacted by this change while the other sports have grown over the past twenty years? Television. Baseball is slow-paced, especially when compared to basketball, football or hockey. There are at least thirty seconds between every play that happens on the diamond.

Couple this with the fact that there are 162 games throughout a major league season and the fact that most regular season games on their own will not have a major outcome on the end-ofthe-season standings, and it’s no surprise that regular season MLB games do not have a huge TV following like the NFL does.

The MLB has taken recent steps to make the game move faster.

Pitching clocks and changes to intentional walks do make the game move a little faster, but not nearly quick enough. To make baseball regain supporters, it must take advantage of its biggest asset – the game day experience. Make ticket prices cheaper and allow the average fan to come back to the ballpark.

Then, baseball can return to the forefront of the American sports scene. As long as the MLB focuses on being a moneymaking machine, it will not be able to return to its glory days. n