The Signal | Ouachita Baptist University | 4.10.19

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4.10.19 | Vol. 127, Issue 22 | www.obusignal.com

Over 600 Ouachitonians serve at 110 homes on Tiger Serve Day Kori Goudeau z Signal Lab

By CAITY HATCHETT Staff writer Just over 600 volunteers from Ouachita spent their morning participating in Tiger Serve Day, last Saturday. Eighty-nine groups of students and faculty members completed 110 service projects in and around Arkadelphia.

Tiger Serve Day is a chance for Ouachita students to give back to the community and each semester it is organized by Judy Duvall and the Elrod Center. It allows Ouachita to reach out to people in need in the Arkadelphia community and to show others what a Christian life is truly about.

“In big and small ways, Tiger Serve Day has a great impact on our community. If you are a senior adult or are disabled, you can feel isolated. Volunteers come alongside individuals who may not be able to do the work themselves and perhaps cannot afford to pay for the service. They do very practical jobs to ease the burden,” Duvall said. “Volunteers also extend friendship and care to the people they serve. These relationships formed are a way to bridge the gap between our university and the community and are a beautiful extension of Christ’s love.”

Tiger Serve Day is also a great way for the students at Ouachita to give back to the community. The students enjoy getting to connect

SOPHOMORE Caleb Crow carries tools back to the Tiger Serve Day tool station after completing a project with his team. Crow served alongside 608 volunteers, compiled into 89 teams, working to service 110 different projects in Arkadelphia on Saturday.

with others in the Arkadelphia area, and most of them really appreciate the experience that they gain from serving. It also unites the students at Ouachita under a goal of service and meaningful work.

Tiger Serve Day is about connecting and sharing the love of Jesus Christ with others in the city.

“I appreciate the transformative impact the day makes on the volunteers and those served,” Duvall said. “The volunteers are able to experience the pure joy of serving others and those served are being

helped in a very practical and relational way.”

Most of the projects involve helping elderly people in the community with yardwork, and some of the projects deal with local schools or other places. Both types of projects allow the Ouachita teams to help out and connect in a meaningful way. The students genuinely enjoy the work they do for Tiger Serve Day, and they see the value in their service.

“I love Tiger Serve Day because it gives students a chance to give

back to the community by lending a helping hand. I believe this is extremely important for people in our generation to learn,” freshman Addison Mercer said. “Giving builds character. Having the opportunity to [do] physical labor with our hands is such a raw gift to the person in need. Learning to work selflessly in order to benefit another is something this world needs a lot more of.”

Tiger Serve Day also allows students to have fun. They serve alongside each other to make the

community better, and they love the projects they get to work on and the connections they get to make. At the end of the day, they get to see their hard work helping another person, and that makes all of the sweat and aching muscles worth it.

“I love doing Tiger Serve Day because it gives me the chance to go out into the community and make a small difference,” freshman Graycie Bohannan said. “The faces of the people we help make it all worth it.” n

Award recipients reflect on ACMAs Williams to host first ROTC

By JULIE WILLIAMS Editor-in-Chief Student editors and faculty of the Ouachita student publications staffs attended the Arkansas College Media Association (ACMA) annual meeting on Friday, April 5 in Russellville, Ark. and received a number of awards for studentproduced work. Following a year of work for the Ouachitonian Yearkbook, The Signal, The Online Signal and the Photo Lab, editors submitted student work to the Association earlier in February.

Alex Blankenship, Addy Goodman and Ethan Dial were all awarded Editor-of-the-Year in their respective categories of Photographer, Yearbook and Online. Taryn Bailey, a 2018 Ouachita alumna and the 2017-2018 Ouachitonian editor, was awarded Designer of the Year for the 2017-2018 “Phases” edition of the Ouachitonian.

Ethan Dial, a junior from Little Rock and editor of the Online Signal, was humbled. In his second year in the editor position, Dial also won this award at last year’s convention. Dial will be taking over as Editor-in-Chief of both The Online Signal and the weekly print issue of The Signal in the fall.

“In a sense, awards are extremely trivial. However, in this instance, it has proven that all of the busyness and extra responsibilities that come with the job were not done in vain,” Dial said. “I am incredibly humbled to receive this award for

the second year in a row and am so glad that it comes with a position that has challenged me and grown me in my communication skills, as well as allowed me to serve the Ouachita community in producing meaningful content. Telling the story of Ouachita is telling the story of some of the best years of our lives, thus far. The weight of doing this accurately is enormous, and I hope to continue to keep this at the forefront of every Signal writer and editor’s mind as I have the opportunity to work for this award winning newspaper again next year. Events like this one make me proud to be a Ouachitonian.”

Addy Goodman, a junior from Arkadelphia and current editor of the Ouachitonian, was awarded Yearbook Editor of the Year, but also accepted the award for Yearbook of the Year in the general excellence category. Her staff was given over 24 individual awards for either writing, photos or design layout.

“Bringing home those awards doesn’t just validate the quality of the work we’ve been doing. I think our professors, our advisors and our opportunities given to us through the job we do in publications does that,” Goodman said. “However, when we go out and see ourselves next to other university students, other young journalist, and we succeed, it gives us a sense of perspective. It shows me personally how thankful I am for the work I’m doing on campus, because this work is quality and

worthwhile. We have the awards to prove it.”

Alex Blankenship, a senior from Little Rock and current Photo Lab editor, was awarded Photographer of the Year.

“I see these awards as a way to show the world that the Lord gives good abilities to his kids. I think they also display the work ethic He has placed in us. I’m really glad that Ouachita came home with all the awards we did. I am especially grateful to have been awarded the photographer of the year,” Blakenship said.

All four publications staffs were awarded 38 individual awards, either for general excellence or for individual writing, design layouts, photos or multimedia content of the student staffs. Deborah Root, faculty advisor for the Ouachitonian, considers this to be a telling mark on the work of the department and its students.

“I’m so proud of our students and their work on our university publications. To have four students honored as editors of the year for the state of Arkansas is outstanding,” Root said. “Our publications give students hands-on learning in the print, video and digital media world. It’s nice to see their hard work and dedication rewarded, and speaks to the quality of our students and our program.”

For more information on Ouachita’s experiences with the ACMA or how to become involved with a publication staff, contact Dr. Deborah Root at rootd@obu.edu. n

Prayer Breakfast at Ouachita

By GRACIE STOVER Staff writer

Julie Williams, a senior mass communications major from Arkadelphia, is hosting the ROTC Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday, April 17, at 8:00 a.m. Jeff Crow, retired from the Marine Corp Reserve, will speak at the breakfast, in which there will be a full breakfast buffet for the cadets and staff of Ouachita and Henderson’s joint ROTC. There will also be veteran’s families and other honored guests of the Clark County community.

Williams organized the breakfast with the purpose of ministering to the cadets and staff on campus and veterans of the community. She is the reigning Miss Ouachita Baptist University.

“My Social Impact Statement is called ‘Bridging the Gap Between the Free and the Fighter’ and focuses primarily upon facilitating relationships between America’s veterans and the younger generations around them. It provides a springboard of knowledge in a child, while granting an ear and a hand to those who have given everything in service to someone else,” Williams said.

A prayer breakfast like this has been a goal for Williams for a long time, and when she was crowned Miss OBU, it provided the perfect opportunity for her to act on her idea. She hopes the inclusion of a keynote speaker who has exten-

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sive military and service-minded history will encourage cadets who have committed to serve. She also hopes the inclusion of some local veterans validate their service and prove to them how much their own service mattered to our generation.

“We do not take for granted the service of either generation, and I hope that this event helps to show my personal appreciation for those who serve, both young and old,” Williams said.

“I’ve often noticed that the ROTC community does quite a bit to serve this area of the state, and it can sometimes go unnoticed.

They work incredibly hard on a daily basis in their training and studies, but we, as a campus, often fail to notice all that they do. I wanted them to feel appreciated for the work that they do to serve the community and the commitment to military service that many of them have already made.

Some of these students are already members of the National Guard or will be commissioned upon their graduation as a Second Lieutenant. I hope to see this University rally behind them in a way that has never been seen before, but more importantly, I want those young men and women enveloped in prayer by the Miss Arkansas organization, by Ouachita, by my friends and family and by the State of Arkansas. We must pray not just for their safety, but also for the success of their missions.” n

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[from our perspective]

Julia Williams Editor-In-Chief

Will Blase News editor

Will Johnson Opinions/ Sports editor

Anni Williams Copy editor

Catherine Lyp Arts/ Features editor

“Skyfall”

“Spiderman 2”

“The Empire Stirkes Back”

“Toy Story 2”

“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”

TOP

5

‘Friends’ Episodes:

5 4 3 2 1

What is your favorite movie sequel?

“The One Where No One’s Ready” “The One Hundredth” “The One with Ross’s Wedding: Part 2” “The One with the Proposal: Part 2” “The One Where Ross Finds Out”

News Briefs

A look at the biggest news of the week Parents to plead guilty in admissions scandal Three weeks ago, the FBI uncovered a scandal involving entrance exams and bribes by prominent, big-name actors.

Today, actress Felicity Huffman, alongside 12 other parents, is prepared to plead guilty to the accusations. The charges these parents face include rigging standardized tests and bribing collegiate coaches. Many of the students attend elite and prestigous schools such as Yale and Stanford.

Racketeering charges fall upon Rick Singer, the consultant that Huffman and many others reached out to.

As of now, only one student has been expelled, a young woman from Stanford who lied about her sailing credentials.

More information is yet to come.

Source: AP

Carl Goodson Honors Program to present Scholars Day on April 24

By SARA PATTERSON Staff writer The Carl Goodson Honors Program is making final preparations to host one of its largest events on campus. Scholars Day, which is on Wednesday, April 24, honors members and allows other Ouachita students to present a variety of academic research to their peers and faculty members.

Many of the presenters will be students who are involved in the honors program. Many honors students will be presenting work from their directed studies and theses that they have been working on over the course of the school year. The honors students who have completed their theses will have their works published, as well.

Cole Jester, senior political science and Christian studies double major from Benton, serves as academic chair for the honors program. Jester oversees many activities of the honors program, and Scholars Day will be one of his last activities with honors before he graduates in May. “The honors organization is actually the largest organization on campus, and we create work that is interesting and useful for scholars everywhere,” Jester said.

Jester is excited to see how the Ouachita community will benefit from witnessing Ouachita students’ academic work from this year.

“One of the best things about Ouachita is that we have a really close community and the different members of our community have different pursuits… Just as we love to support athletic competitions and musical endeavors, we should support our scholarly activities,” Jester said.

Dr. Barbara Pemberton, direc-

Dani Droste z Signal Lab JUNIOR JJ Askins presents his scholarly research to attendees at the 2018 Carl Goodson Honors Program on Scholars Day last year. Askins, among many other students, prepare their studies and scholarly research into posters and presentations for guests to see their progress.

tor of the honors program, describes Scholars Day as a science fair, but for a much wider array of academic disciplines. Jester also finds value in the diversity of academic work that is presented at Scholars Day. “My favorite part is the broad array of research that is done from every discipline and how it isn’t focused in just science or just literature, but it could be any major here at Ouachita,” Jester said.

Those who attend Scholars Day can expect to see presentations related to science, literature, history, visual and musical arts and more.

Seniors in Honors will be presenting theses related to many of these different areas of academia.

Jester is excited to speak about an area of academia that he is passionate about and well-versed in as a political science major.

“I will be presenting my thesis which is on how college attendance drives diametric political polarization, and there are other theses from people who aren’t as interested in political stuff,”

Jester said.

While Scholars Day is an honors program sponsored event, any student that is involved or not involved in honors is welcome to present on this day. Students of any class and any major are encouraged to showcase any academic accomplishment or learning experience they have had this year.

The deadline to sign up to present at Scholars Day is today.

Students can access the online sign up through the Scholars Day link on the Honors program’s website at obu.edu/honors.

For students not planning to present on Scholars Day, there is still a lot to look forward to. Many classes are cancelled on this day so that Ouachita students can support their peers in their academic accomplishments and learn about different fields of intellect.

“I would encourage you all to come out to see the really cool things that so many members of our community have been working on,” Jester said. n

Cavaliers beat Red Raiders The Virginia Cavaliers closed out an incredible season by beating the Texas Tech Red Raiders 85-77 in overtime. This marks the first NCAA championship for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Virginia Sophomore De’Andre Hunter nailed a crucial 3 point shot to tie the championship game with 12 minutes left in regulation.

The Red Raiders started an early 3-0 lead in overtime, but eventually fell to a 11-0 response from the Cavaliers.

After many fans outrage toward a seemingly boring championship, the ‘Elite Eight’ began to heat up the tournament. Virginia had narrowly advanced over strong teams like Oregon and Purdue, making its victory all the more sweet.

Virginia ended its season 34-3 while Texas Tech put up a respectable 31-7 season.

Source: AP

Libyan forces clash over Tripoli The Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Hifter, launched an airstrike on the Mitiga airport yesterday. The airport is just eight miles from the center of Mitiga. Nobody was harmed in the airstrike.

Hifter ’s forces continue to clash with rival militias that back the U.N. supported government.

The government currently has control over Tripoli and western areas of the country. Many anticipate another civil war comparable to the 2011 conflict that removed and killed Libya’s dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

According to the U.N., the conflict has left over 3,400 Libyans displaced. The European Union ‘s foreign policy chief, has reached out to both sides, pleading them to cease the conflict and begin talking.

Source: AP

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Studying abroad together: Students study in Spain

By SARA PATTERSON Staff Writer

Ouachita students and best friends, Sean Carney, Katie Kumpuris and Robert Pilcher, are studying abroad in Spain this semester. Not only are these three studying abroad in the same country, but they are also living in the same host home.

This unique dynamic has enhanced their friendship and has also given them a once-in-alifetime opportunity to learn and appreciate Spanish language and culture together.

Sean Carney, a junior from Little Rock, is thankful for the opportunity he and his friends have to study Spanish as a part of their daily life in the city of Alicante, Spain.

“OBU offers study abroad during the summer in Costa Rica or during the year in Alicante, Spain. We chose Spain because we wanted to study during the year instead of the summer. I am so thankful OBU has connections here because Spain is amazing,” Carney said.

From the beginning, Carney, Kumpuris and Pilcher had hoped that a host family would be willing to house all three of them in the same place and were ecstatic when they found out this possibility was a reality.

“The fact that we all got to live together is thanks to the Centro de Idiomas de Alicante. We told them that we wanted to live with a host family and, if possible, all live together. We were prepared to have to live separately, but then we got an email telling us that we had been paired with a family that could house all of us,” Carney said.

Studying abroad in Spain has offered numerous learning

experiences for Carney, Kumpuris and Pilcher. For Carney, seeing his friendship with Kumpuris and Pilcher grow has been a somewhat unexpected blessing.

“I had no idea what to expect living with these two. I was a little nervous that by the end of our time here we may not like each other as much; thankfully, that is not true. It is like living with siblings and I would not trade it for anything. I would say it’s grown in that we can almost read each other’s minds now.

We also can tell when the other needs to be alone or needs to be loved without them asking,” Carney said.

From an academic standpoint, Carney has enjoyed learning Spanish from native Spanish speaking professors and the Spanish speaking community in the city. With this more immersive experience, Carney has been able to make a closer connection between Spanish culture and language as he studies. He has learned to appreciate Spanish as its own individual language, not simply as a translation.

“I think the biggest learning experience for me has been the language. We learn the grammar of Spanish in Spanish, not in English. Our professors explain vocabulary in Spanish instead of just translating the vocab words into our own languages. This has helped me realize that Spanish is not just a translation of English but its own language with its own structures and its own culture,” Carney said.

In the realm of cultural differences between Spain and the United States, Carney said that one of the biggest differences is in transportation methods.

“Cars. Absolutely, cars. When I tell people that from my house

Sean Carney z Courtesy

Katie Kumpuris z Courtesy SEAN CARNEY, ROBERT PILCHER AND KATIE KUMPURIS (TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) smile in a selfie at the beach in Spain, where they are studying abroad together and actually living in the same home. As scene in the bottom picture, the group has had the chance to travel to many different places throughout Europe during weekend getaways, one of which includes the Tower Bridge in London, United Kingdom.

in Little Rock to downtown Little Rock is a 30-minute drive, they cannot believe it. It is such a different culture being able to walk almost anywhere we want.

It is pretty fun, but I do miss driving a lot,” Carney said.

In Carney’s favorite memory from this trip so far, he and some fellow study abroad friends ended up sleeping in a car all night after a long trip.

“My favorite memory would

be when [we], our friend Asha from London, and our friend Adri from Spain ended up sleeping in Adri´s car when we went to Valencia for Las Fallas​ . It was such a fun day, but a long day.

Around three in the morning we decided that it would be best if we didn’t drive back to Alicante and chose to sleep in the car.

Well, I think the only one who really slept was Adri and the rest of us prayed that morning would

come quickly,” Carney said.

While being quickly immersed into an unfamiliar culture can be scary, Carney, Kumpuris and Pilcher have been able to rely on each other through all of the uncertainties and challenges which has strengthened their friendship. The three are deepening their knowledge and relationships with people in the area and getting to know each other better each day. n

A Day in the life at Ouachita: Micah Overstreet Haydn Jeffersz Courtesy

By HAYDN JEFFERS Staff writer

It’s 6 a.m. and senior English and Spanish double major Micah Overstreet’s phone starts sounding its alarm. She considers tossing it out her second story window, but she thinks better of it after remembering that it’s her phone and she would prefer for it to remain unbroken. She climbs out of bed, puts in her contacts and begins working on homework left unfinished from the night before. Currently, this means translating English fiction, nonfiction and prose into Spanish for Ouachita’s literary journal, Scope. Overstreet is the Spanish editor for Sigma Tau Delta along with senior Kaitlyn Taylor. After that, Micah prepares for Dr. Jay Curlin’s English Literature II class.

At 8 a.m., Overstreet puts away her homework to get ready for the day. By 8:45, she’s out the door and headed to Perritt Primary School, where she tutors two first graders through America Reads.

She spends an hour and a half with these kids every week to help them improve their reading fluency.

“Vaccinations are important,” said Overstreet, who is from Hensley, Ark. Once she finishes tutoring at 10 a.m., Overstreet drives back to her apartment to grab her backpack, make a cup of ambition as Dolly Parton would say and eat a bowl of the lifeblood otherwise known as cereal. Earlier in the semester,

MICAH OVERSTREET is a senior English and Spanish double major at Ouachita. Among doing other things across campus, Overstreet has been working at the Writing Center for the past two years.

she would also memorize poetry during this time. She would do this as part of a requirement for Curlin’s class in which every student must recite 200 lines of verse. Overstreet, though, being the overachiever that she is, took part in the “Great Shelby Marathon,” named for alumnus Shelby Spears, to recite 200 lines before everyone else. She won in March.

When it comes to reciting 200 lines of poetry in under three months, “the trick is to never actually look at him,” Overstreet

Signal

The

said.

By the time Overstreet finishes her breakfast, it’s lunchtime.

She trots over to the cafeteria and snacks on whatever sweet morsel appears the most edible.

Then, because she wants to teach English as a second language, she heads to Sharon Cosh’s office and talks with her about working with an ESL student through practicum.

After this, Overstreet memorizes yet more poetry, but this time it’s for Dr. Johnny Wink’s senior literature seminar

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on the sonnet. Wink requires one sonnet per week in order to be satisfactory, so Overstreet paces up and down Lile’s halls as she chants iambic pentameter to herself and passersby.

In the midst of all this English, Overstreet also finds time to complete coursework for her second major: Spanish.

Sometimes she even memorizes Spanish sonnets for Wink just to keep him—and herself—on her toes.

Eventually, Overstreet returns to her apartment to get dinner

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

before 7 p.m. At this time, she begins her shift at the Speer Writing Center. Overstreet has been working in the Writing Center for two years now, and lately she’s begun consulting in both English and Spanish. She does everything from helping scared students write their first exegeticals to teaching ESL students and helping students study for upper level Spanish courses.

“We help with all sorts of writing in the Writing Center, and we’re proud of it,” Overstreet said.

After a full night of work, it’s 9 p.m. and Overstreet has just enough time to coerce her coworkers, which include two of her friends, into traveling to the local feeding trough otherwise known as Sonic. They help themselves to beverages as they decompress after the day.

Before 10 p.m., Overstreet has returned to her apartment, where she hears a train in the distance and shivers just before entering her home away from home.

The train’s whistle is incessant and reminds her of her recent trip to St. Louis for the Sigma Tau Delta International English Convention, a trip which resulted in 25.5 hours of back-breaking travel via commuter train.

Overstreet doesn’t go to bed just yet. She instead does some homework for the next day, showers and sets out her clothes in preparation for whatever tomorrow may bring. She’s in bed by 11 p.m., feeling tired but satisfied. 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.

Julie Williams

Will Johnson

Will Johnson

Dr. Jeff Root z ADVISER

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Letters to the editor are encouraged and

Ethan Dial

Catherine Lyp

Alex Blankenship

Dr. Deborah Root

Will Blase

William Jackson

Anni Williams

Ms. Tiffany Eurich

accepted, unless libelous, irresponsible or obscene. Letters should be typed and include a signature and contact phone number, and must be less than 500 words. The Signal reserves the right to edit letters for space and style. Letters should be sent via campus mail to Box 3761 or via e-mail to signal@obu.edu.

z EDITOR-IN-CHIEF z ONLINE EDITOR z NEWS EDITOR

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Senior Art Exhibits showcase students’ work while at OBU

By CATHERINE LYP Arts / Features editor

Several Senior Art Exhibits will be taking place throughout the next few weeks. Before graduating, several art students have a Senior Art Exhibit where they showcase the artworks they have made during their time at Ouachita. Beginning this week, there are four more Senior Art Exhibits being shown before the end of the semester.

This week there are two Senior Art Exhibits taking place, the first of which is Bethany Lenards’ exhibit, which is titled “Clean & Simple.” “Clean & Simple” had it’s reception Monday, April 8 and will be available to view in the Rosemary Gossett Adams Gallery on the first floor of Moses-Provine until Thursday, April 18. The exhibit’s title, “Clean & Simple,” was created “because that is what I strive for in my work,” Lenards said.

Lenards’ exhibit consists of graphic design, videography and photography based artworks.

“I wanted to put my best work in my show and only pieces I was proud of,” Lenards said.

Of the works that she chose for her show, a 2019 Tiger Traks shirt design and Israel Experience

Video are favorites because she enjoyed working on those the most.

“I felt this collection of them worked well together and would best reflect me,” Lenards said.

Shortly after Bethany Lenards’ “Clean & Simple,” Lexie Hoggard’s Senior Art Exhibit, “Creating Me,” had it’s reception on April 8 in Rosemary Gossett Adams Gallery on the second floor of Moses-Provine. “Creating Me” is made up of artworks that “played a part in creating who I am as a designer and person,” Hoggard said. Hoggard began working on the works in her exhibit her sophomore year at Ouachita. Hoggard’s artworks consist of graphic designs that feature “simple design[s] with bright pops of color,” Hoggard said.

“I looked at designs that I learned important lessons from while creating them,” Hoggard said.

All of the artworks included in “Creating Me” “played a part in me finding my style,” Hoggard said. Hoggard’s exhibit, “Creating Me,” will also be available to view until Thursday, April 18.

One of the last Senior Art Exhibits of the semester is “Lifelines” by Tyson Hume and Hannah Smith z Signal Lab

Sarah Rush z Signal Lab

SENIOR ART EXHIBITS provide the student artist with the opportunity to showcase their work to their peers and for those peers to be able to truly experience a liberal arts education. Featured above, is Lexie Hoggard’s show, including the title and sign-in table.

Christian Lockard. Hume and Lockard’s exhibit is composed of mainly “graphic design with some illustrations with the use of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop,” Hume said.

“We decided to name it ‘Lifelines’ because we wanted people to see our passion, what/ who inspires us, and how we have come together as friends

News editor

‘Oklahoma’: Spring musical to open Thursday, April 11, in JPAC

By CATHERINE LYP Arts / Features editor

There are several events going on across campus, with one such event being the spring musical.

This year’s spring musical is “Oklahoma,” which will have its first show later this week. “‘Oklahoma’ is a beautiful story of friendship, community, love and hope,” said Dr.

“‘Oklahoma’ is a beautiful story of friendship, community, love and hope” -- Dr. Joe Hernandez

Joe Hernandez, the director of this year’s musical.

“Oklahoma” follows the story of two friends, Curly and Laurey, who ultimately come to find that they have feelings for one another; however, Ouachita’s production of the musical aims to add more depth to the story.

“In most productions we see them as adults embarking on the romance that they have been destined to have,” Dr. Hernandez. “Our production

gives you a glimpse of what they were like as children and how two unlikely friends would ultimately fall in love and give our story and the community a sense of hope.”

The cast of “Oklahoma” has been rehearsing since “January with music and have been working tirelessly for over 10 weeks, and nearly 200 hours of rehearsal” time has been put toward this production, Hernandez said.

The cast of “Oklahoma” is made up of over 40 students.

The main characters are played

by Clay Mobley as Curly, Michaela Finley as Laurey and Micah Brooks as Jud Fry, with an ensemble of students portraying the remaining characters. Along with the actors, the show has a team directors, a choreographer and various light, sound and costume designers, among others, to make the show possible.

Hernandez hopes that the show will take audience members on a “journey of love, friendship and hope.”

“Oklahoma” will open with it’s first show this Thursday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. and continue until Saturday, April 13. The last show will be on Sunday, April 14 at 2:30 p.m. Students are able to earn a fine arts engagement credit for attending any perfomrnace of the show. n

April 23, in the gallery on the second floor of Moses-Provine.

The final exhibit that will take place before the end of the semester is Karis Caddell’s “In My Shoes.” “In My Shoes” will have a reception in the Verser Fine Art Gallery on the night of Tuesday, April 16, at 6:30 p.m., and will remain available for viewing until Friday, April 26. n

‘Avengers: Endgame’ to end long running Marvel Cinematic Universe movie series

By WILL BLASE

“OKLAHOMA’S” cast prepares for the opening night and a weekend full of performances.

The annual spring musical is set to show Thursday through Saturday, starting at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday starting at 2:30 p.m.

and designers,” Hume said.

The exhibit is made up of a variety of works from each artist, including Hume’s “skate decks and other illustrated pieces,” Hume said. As a whole, Hume and Lockard hope that their exhibit shows “the ties of events and people that have affected who we are today,” Hume said.

“Lifelines” will open Tuesday,

Nobody anticipated “Iron Man” to grace the silver screen with what would become arguably the largest continuous on-screen universe. Eleven years later, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is continually dominating box offices, consistently putting up larger numbers than comparable franchises such as Star Wars or the DC Extended Universe.

As a lifelong fan of Marvel and DC comics, I can safely say that we’re living in the golden-age of comics. Writers and artists are constantly breaking the mold on various characters longrooted pasts and, alongside onscreen presence, are adapting their mythos and backstories in new and exciting ways.

Take Thanos for example. The portrayal of Thanos in the MCU is different from any depiction of the villainous character in his comic run. That being said, the Russo brothers and Kevin Feige have worked to incorporate characteristics of the villain into the Thanos we’re given on screen.

Warning. If you haven’t seen “Avengers: Infinity War” you may not want to read this article.

I’ll be discussing plot-heavy spoilers vital to the timeline and events of “Avengers: Endgame.”

If you’ve never seen a Marvel movie, this will likely sound like gibberish, but bear with me.

At the close of “Avengers: Infinity War,” viewers were left with nothing but destruction.

Thanos collected every infinity stone (soul, reality, space, time, mind and power), completing

his gauntlet and granting him extreme power and control.

Thanos’s “snap” completed his vision—wiping out exactly one half of the galaxy, a “mercy” as he put it. For the first time in a Marvel movie, our heroes lost— they lost the biggest fight of their lives and in doing so lost half of their friends as well.

The “dusting” of our favorite characters left audiences shocked and many were angered by the decision making at Marvel HQ. However, I think that this inclusion drove the story of “Avengers: Infinity War,” challenging the viewer to question the reality of the Avengers being defeated. It’s safe to say that our heroes will re-enter the MCU, seeing as it’s been confirmed that SpiderMan, Doctor Strange and Black Panther are all receiving sequel films.

Just how are our heroes going to defeat Thanos? Internet forums have been pondering this question since last summer and many believe they’ve stumbled on the answer. Thinking back to “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” fans will remember that AntMan is trapped in the Quantum Realm— a result of Hank Pym, Janet and Hope Van Dyne being casualties of “the snap.” In recent promotional trailers, Marvel has shown Ant-Man, bewildered by the sudden decrease in population. Somehow Scott Lang, Ant-Man, escaped the Quantum Realm.

Reddit users are speculating that there’s going to be a fair amount of time travel included in “Avengers: Endgame.” Many believe that Ant-Man is going to

reveal his knowledge of quantum travel with the capable scientist Iron Man and the handy Rocket Raccoon. This will be the first time the three heroes are together, on the same side, and will likely result in technical inventions that will help the Avengers best Thanos. Alongside travelling through time, investigators believe that our heroes will be working to collect the stones before Thanos, preventing the catastrophic events we witnessed in “Avengers: Infinity War.” Now, who’s to say this theory is correct? I certainly can’t, but I will say that it’s very plausible.

Time travel opens up a new can of worms for Marvel, but if anyone is capable for the job it’s definitely the Russo brothers.

With Ant-Man leading our team of superheroes into quantumbased time travel, the film will certainly take audiences on a wild ride. Some speculators even believe that the current line-up of trailers only showcases the first twenty minutes of the film.

Doctor Strange saw one timeline in which these larger-than-life heroes prevailed, so assuming we get a time-bending story, they’ve only got one shot at this.

To their credit, Marvel has done an excellent job of keeping the plot shrouded. We know that our heroes are going to prevail (surely, they won’t lose twice) and we know that most of our heroes are committed, “no matter what it takes.” This is quite possibly the largest film event in history and I, for one, will certainly be there opening day.

“Avengers: Endgame” releases in theaters everywhere, April 26. n

OPINIONS

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Tips for students facing challenges in summmer job hunt

By SARA PATTERSON Staff writer

As April is passing by and May is quickly approaching, time is running out for college students who may still be looking for a summer job. This is a normal panic that many college students face every year as summer draws near. Many students enrolled in college plan to spend their summers working to contribute to their tuition or general cost of living, but for some, the job search may be becoming discouraging at this point. Luckily, there are many resources available to broaden and quicken a summer job search even with only a few weeks left.

In a last-minute situation like this, the internet is going to be a job-searcher’s biggest help. There are many credible websites, like Indeed, SimplyHired or Job that display a variety of frequently updated job postings and application information.

Setting up a LinkedIn profile and networking with employers through that social media may also be helpful, especially for internship positions.

Even just a quick Google search like ‘Summer Jobs in *insert city here*’ is a fast and easy way to see what options are available at first glance. However, local part-time job opportunities don’t usually stop in these general online job postings.

Swimming pools and waterparks often hire a lot of college students as lifeguards in the summer, so searching for a position in this area may be more promising than other types of

jobs.

Another popular category of summer work is nannying or babysitting, and these positions are often more flexible in hours.

For information about childcare jobs in a certain area, Care.com is a great online resource. For babysitting, mutual friends are a great networking tool.

Having conversations with friends who have younger siblings or parents of young children you may know could get you in contact with a family

Scooters provide enjoyable experience for students, but also create risky encounters

By WILL JOHNSON

Sports / Opinions editor

The recent arrival of Spin scooters has sparked considerable popularity among students at Ouachita. These scooters can be found all across campus for students to use for quicker transportation to class or to ride in groups. By creating an account on the Spin app and scanning a QR code, these rides can easily be accessed and used.

Many positives emerge with the new partnership between Ouachita and Spin, but there are safety concerns that must be weighed before stepping on a scooter.

The primary consideration is knowing where to ride the scooters. Obviously, they’re meant to be used to get from class to class or to ride around campus for enjoyment, but there are areas these scooters shouldn’t be anywhere near. I sure don’t want to see a student riding a Spin scooter while I’m traveling the interstate back to Little Rock, but let’s just assess that as an unlikely possibility and move from there.

Riding scooters down steep slopes, like taking the hill to Speer Pavilion, is probably not the safest decision. Since these are powered electrically, they can reach much faster speeds than a man-powered scooter.

Well, unless you have Lance Armstrong leg muscles. It’s also advised in the guidelines by Spin to use a helmet for safety. If you plan on maxing out on those rad slopes and have any intentions on protecting your precious nervous system, use a helmet.

Same goes with taking a scooter to the Lake DeGray trails or another natural location. It may sound fun, but those dirt paths aren’t meant to be navigated with an electric scooter.

The next point involves acknowledging the safety of

pedestrians. This is a campus, not a playground. During the day, there a plenty of students walking around campus going from class to class. Enjoy these new scooters because that’s what they’re meant for, but also understand that reckless riding can and likely will get someone hurt, including the rider. Some of the campus paths have “blind corners” where users may not see an oncoming pedestrian. Take these turns with extra caution, because there could be a student around the corner sprinting to class after sleeping through an 8 a.m. exam. There may also be another student riding a longboard or using a Spin scooter, or somehow, remarkably, both at once. Let’s do our best to avoid collisions and respect the safety of others.

The final comment I want to make about smart scooter decisions encompasses parking rules. There are designated areas on school grounds where these scooters are (should be) located. Even if you are riding a scooter and there aren’t any nearby parking areas, the least you can do is park it out of the way from where students are walking. Instead of cluttering the sidewalks, drop them off to the side in a somewhat organized fashion.

Safety is vital and must be taken seriously in the new addition of Spin scooters at Ouachita, but on a more upbeat note, this partnership offers positive campus life activities at school. The new scooters are an enjoyable, easy way to travel from one end of campus to another. If you woke up two minutes before class, you can hop on one of the many school scooters and quickly travel to your destination. These rides seem to have worked magic in compelling more students to go outside and appreciate all corners of Ouachita’s beautiful campus. n

that needs help with childcare this summer.

Similarly, daycares often hire a few extra employees for the summer months. Local daycares may not always put their hiring information online, so paying a visit to the actual building during its operating hours is a good way to get this information.

Probably the most obvious but one of the most frequently available and accessible summer job positions would be part-time jobs in retail or food service.

Many of these positions will be shown online, but a good strategy for seeking out a summer job last-minute is to casually ask if a store or restaurant is hiring when you go there. This may seem awkward at first, but that moment of awkwardness could potentially lead to a needed job opportunity.

In any of these instances you need to be willing to put yourself out there. You never know what job opportunity may come about by simply expressing your need

for employment or your interest in a particular position to a few friends, professors or friends of your parents could lead to.

Lastly, remember to be patient.

The truth is, you may not find a job in May, but that doesn’t mean you should stop looking.

A position may open up a few weeks into the summer, so keep your eyes peeled and continue networking with people in your life until a job opportunity comes. The perfect job might be right around the corner. n

Ask The Signal

By JACOB COTTRELL Staff writer

School is busy. Any tips for keeping the Lord in the center?

In the busyness of life, our schedule gets all sorts of whack and we have no idea where the time goes. One moment you are sitting in your room in your freshman dorm, then the next thing you know, you are graduating.

Time flies here on campus, and our foundations can get shaken when our priorities get off kilter and out of focus.

Our eyes get shifted from the thing that matters most to things that are important but not the essential thing to life.

When things get hectic, for most people, including myself, keeping the Lord first is the first thing to go or put to the side.

Our quiet times or our daily interaction with the Lord is something that we so easily set to the side without thinking.

Before I go on, I want to say that this is being written for myself as well because I too struggle with not prioritizing the Lord like I should when life gets crazy. We so easily forget the sustainer when we are trying to sustain ourselves in our daily struggle. We are very quick to set aside the helper to help us in our helpless situations. We forget that we are loved in a world that quickly reminds us

that we are sinners and are not worthy of love.

I hope with these little tips, that I am figuring out and applying in my own life, we as believers can continue to walk step in step with the Spirit in our busy everyday lives.

I want to focus on getting the word of the Lord into our lives daily. My first thought is waking up early and getting a solid quiet time in the morning. If we wake up ten to fifteen minutes earlier, we can dive into the word first thing. When we do this, we can get our minds set on the Lord and bring our struggles to him.

We can give our day to the Lord before it has even started. I have seen when doing this that the scripture I read in the morning, I can use that and meditate on it all day. The Lord will use this to keep revealing himself to me.

Wake up early and “Make the Time,” because we can never seem to “Find the Time.” Always remember scripture without walking with the spirit is just reading. We need to be in tune with the spirit.

My second thought that is also very simple, but very effective is listening to a sermon in the morning. We all like listening to music while walking across our huge campus or while sitting in the student center. We can replace some of this time during the day with listening to a sermon on YouTube or a podcast series. Faith comes by hearing the good news.

So, there is hope in this method,

because we can constantly be hearing. This is something we can do while getting ready, driving or just straight chilling.

You can get some friends to go through the same series or listen to the same sermon in the morning, and it gives your community something to talk about. Church on Sunday is good, but we have to be doing something outside of that to be growing and fending off the enemy.

My third idea is finding someone to just simply talk with about scripture. Bounce ideas and what the Lord has been teaching you. We clearly see that we all take something different from what we learn from the Lord, for example the Gospel accounts. Find some community to tell what the Lord is teaching you or what you need prayer for. This can be a simple conversation while walking to class or while grabbing a bite to eat.

These are three very different ways that I believe the Lord can bring growth during the busyness of school. I pray that we hold tight to the Gospel and hold tight to Jesus when we are so easily tempted to set him aside. Relationships are twoway roads and he wants to be there with us in the business, so call out to him. Like I said before, I am no perfect example of doing any of these things, but I wrote this for all of us in the good fight. n

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

SPORTS

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Polk celebrates memorable cross country career at Ouachita

By MANDY HALBERT Staff writer

A bittersweet final season came to an end in the fall for senior Kallie Polk who ran for Ouachita’s women’s cross country team. Polk has been a part of the team since her sophomore year and began her competitive running career in her middle school years.

“I was forced to do track in 7th grade for basketball, and I ended up being decent at it,” Polk said. “I found that I was better at longer distance. I really liked it, so I ran all throughout high school. But when I came to OBU my freshman year, I didn’t want to run because I was burnt out of it.”

Polk decided to get back into the sport her sophomore year with her friend Kesley Brown, an old high school rival.

“We did it our sophomore year, loved it and that’s how we got back into it,” Polk said. “The team got a new coach that year, so we all started together, and that’s been really fun.”

Polk had to adapt to balancing school work and juggling her obligations and social life with the demands of her sport.

“It’s obviously pretty difficult,” Polk said. “Trying to balance 5:30 a.m. practices, and school and work, and hanging out with friends, and being in a social club and Tiger Tunes is really difficult.

So that’s a struggle. I think cross country is one of the easiest sports to balance, though.”

Polk is also involved in the Women of EEE. She says the group has been supportive of her involvement in Ouachita cross country throughout her time in the club.

“The EEEs have always been really supportive during championship week,” Polk said.

“I get a lot of encouraging texts and congratulations and all that

in a way, for sure,” Polk said.

“Cross country is definitely a sport that requires discipline, and that’s carried over to my school work. It’s made me more disciplined in basically everything I do.”

Polk has used her senior year to form connections and bonds with the younger girls on the team and help lead them and share her wisdom that she has gained from her past experiences on the team.

“This year, being a senior, I got to kind of mentor the younger girls a bit, so that has been really cool,” Polk said. “Just talking to them and encouraging them. It’s less of a director mentoring and more like being a leader to them.

The seniors kind of set the tone for the team, and I wanted it to be a happy, positive atmosphere.

My past experience in high school was that if a senior wasn’t having a good day, nobody was having a good day, so I really kept that in mind.”

Polk hopes to continue to mentor girls through running in the future through teaching elementary students.

“Being a teacher, I really hope to start Girls on the Run, which is a program that leads them up tp a 5k race, and that would be really fun to do on the younger level,” Polk said. “If I have the chance to coach high school cross country or track, I will definitely take it. I just love the sport.”

Polk says she is sad that her time on the team is coming to an end, but is grateful for the memories and relationships she Wesley Kluck z Courtesy has formed through it.

SENIOR KALLIE POLK poses for a fun cross country photo shoot before the 2018 season. Polk displayed leadership for the Tigers all “It’s really bittersweet to be three years, including her final season as the only senior on the team. a senior,” Polk said. “Being the stuff. It’s really nice.”

“I’ve definitely met people able to see cool things and eat a only senior is kind of weird, Polk says that she believes that I otherwise wouldn’t have lot of food, which has been really because the other girls still have being involved in cross country through cross country,” Polk fun.” so much time on the team. It’s for the past three years has given said. “It’s really cool getting Her sport has also taught been sad, because they all get to her valuable opportunities and to know people outside of my her lessons that she feels have experience it longer than I do, unforgettable experiences that social club, for sure. We’ve gotten been beneficial to her work and but these girls have been great. she believes she would not have to travel to fun places like Austin studies.

It’s the best last team I could’ve had otherwise. and Nashville. We’ve just been “It keeps you more disciplined had.” n

SEC basketball recaptures once distant prestige

By CALEB BYRD Staff writer

Alex Blankenship z Photo Lab Editor SENIOR ALEX JONES dribbles the ball up court in a spring intramural basketball game. Intramurals are a great way for students to hang out with others after class while getting some exercise.

Thrilling intramural season approaches end

By WILL GOODSON Staff writer

Although water polo, ultimate frisbee and softball are still in progress, this school year’s intramural season is coming to an end. And according to Collin Battaglia, Assistant Director of Recreational Life, this has been a great year for intramurals at Ouachita.

“A large part of the success of the program this year has been through the work of our incredible team of referees,” Battaglia said.

The referees who volunteer are really a huge part of the success of the intramural league this year.

They have put in many hours to make sure the games are called fairly and organized properly.

From fall to spring, student involvement in intramurals was very high with, “759 students participating in at least one intramural sport this year,” Battaglia said.

Many of these students participated in more than one sport. One such student was Austin Connolly, a senior from Rogers, Ark. Connolly has had lots of intramural experience and success; this year was no exception. Connolly has won nine intramural championships during his time at Ouachita, and he is currently working toward one more. So far this year, Connolly has lead the Beta Black flag football team and the Beta Blacc basketball team to league championships as team captain.

This year’s championship in flag football was one of

Connolly’s favorite (of his nine) because it was against Henderson’s intramural team.

This intramural championship was special because it was the first time Ouachita had beaten Henderson State in intramural football, and as Connolly puts it, “we won by a lot.” To be exact, the score was 25-13.

Also in flag football, Jake Edmonson and Brooke Bearden lead their teams to league championships; Dylan Bester and Christian Lockard in soccer; Matthew Wallak and Heath Holzhauser in volleyball; Colten Clark in ultimate frisbee; and Chandler Ferrell and Natalie Jackson in basketball. Softball games will be running through April, so make sure to check them out and support the players during intramural season. n

The Southeastern Conference has an interesting basketball history.

Kentucky is the conference’s longtime basketball power – boasting the nation’s best all-time winning percentage and the second-most Division I tournament championships.

The Wildcats also have the most SEC championships of any team with 33. Over the past 30 years, Kentucky’s team has been joined in the SEC elite by multiple teams through different periods.

Nolan Richardson’s Arkansas teams of the mid-1990’s made three Final Four appearances.

The Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators won back-to-back national championships in the mid-2000’s.

The 2010’s have been markedly different, however. For the most part, Kentucky has stood alone atop the SEC standings.

They’ve won either the SEC regular season championship or tournament in seven of the last nine seasons. During that time, there were three seasons – 2013, 2014 and 2016 – in which the SEC only put three teams in the NCAA tournament. When former SEC commissioner Mike Slive retired in 2015, he challenged the SEC schools to reprioritize men’s basketball. The conference had been dominant in football during his tenure, yet the conference’s basketball prestige had faltered.

The conference responded to Slive’s charge with a purpose.

After a three-bid 2016 NCAA tournament, the SEC won five bids for the 2017 edition. The real change has been seen in the last two NCAA tournaments. In 2018, the conference put eight teams in

the tournament, and it put seven teams in 2019’s tournament.

What changed between 2015 and today? Coaching.

The SEC has seen drastic improvement in coaching throughout the last decade. The first big-name coach to move to an SEC school was Frank Martin to South Carolina in 2012. The Gamecocks had only made three NCAA tournament appearances during their previous 20 years in the SEC. Martin turned the program around and brought them to the Final Four in 2018’s NCAA Tournament. Auburn brought Bruce Pearl to their school in 2014, and he brought a program which hadn’t made the NCAA tournament in over 10 years to two-straight appearances and to be within seconds of a National Championship game in this year’s Final Four. Tennessee brought Rick Barnes from Texas to Knoxville in 2015 and have since seen two seasons of top10 rankings and a Sweet 16 appearance. In the past year, Georgia hired former Indiana coach Tom Crean and have since signed a five-star recruit. Texas A&M signed former Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams, and Arkansas signed up-and-coming Nevada coach Eric Musselman.

These appointments signal intent from the SEC. They are no longer only a football powerhouse. They are here to compete in men’s basketball, and they are ready to spend the money necessary to do so. It will be interesting to see in the coming seasons just who rises to dominance in the Southeastern Conference and who will be competing for national championships in an extremely competitive college basketball conference. n