OBU Signal - Feb. 28, 2013

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Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013

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Volume 121, Issue 17

Judges to select Miss OBU Saturday

REPORT:

FACULTY LOUNGE

By KELSEY LAMB Online Co-Editor

@Kelsey_Lamb

armed robber on campus? we’ve got you covered.

Noah Hutchinson z The Signal EDITOR’S NOTE: Satirical cartoon. Ouachita has said it will not change its policy prohibiting guns on campus regardless of legislation.

Students, professors talk guns on campus

By SAM CUSHMAN News Editor

@SamuelCushman A bill introduced in the Arkansas House of Representatives that allows licensed and trained professors and staff members to carry concealed handguns on college campuses passed the state Senate Monday and is currently on its way to the Office of the Governor, where it will either be vetoed or signed into state law.

House Bill 1243 was introduced and sponsored by Rep. Charlie Collins, RFayetteville, on Feb. 1, 2013, in light of recent school and mass shootings in an effort to make Arkansas university campuses safer. Since college campuses are currently gun free zones, they are potential targets for violent criminals. Collins says that campuses in Arkansas would be safer if professors and staff were allowed to carry handguns.

“Crazies and killers, they understand where the gun-free zones are,” he said in an interview with 5News in Fayetteville in December when he spoke of plans to reintroduce the bill after it failed last session.

When Collins spoke before the state House he said we have a “serious problem” in America.

“On our college campuses, about every two months we have somewhere in the country a shooting incident,” he said.

“And our loved ones are the ones that are suffering. One of the things I think we can do to protect our loved ones is to move forward with this bill.”

When the bill was originally written, it would have required public institutions

to allow the concealed carry of handguns on campus. Collins has since amended the bill to allow institutions to have an annual vote to allow them to opt out if they so wished. The bill also had a provision for private universities, such as Ouachita, to opt out. see GUNS z 3

Tanner Ward z The Signal DATA SHOWS that crime levels on college campuses are significantly lower than crime levels across the nation. Source: University of Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute.

The annual Miss Ouachita Baptist University pageant will take place on Saturday, March 2 in the Jones Performing Arts Center, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Each year, girls from around campus sign up to compete for the title of Miss Ouachita Baptist University. Each girl that competes is sponsored by a club or organization on campus.

The pageant will consist of four categories that each girl will compete in. The categories include: talent, evening wear, swimsuit and on stage question.

Another category of the pageant will be the interview portion. This portion of the pageant will happen the day before the pageant and takes place before a panel of judges in private.

Each category that the girls participate in will give them an opportunity to win scholarship money. At the end of the night the overall winners of the individual categories will be announced.

Throughout the pageant, MaryLacey Thomson, Miss OBU 2012, will be making appearances as she performs her talent from the Miss Arkansas pageant and also performs with the Court of Honor.

Thomson will use this time to say her farewell and hand over the crown at the end of the night, to whomever the title of Miss OBU 2013 will be awarded.

"Passing along the title will definitely be a bittersweet moment,” said Thomson, a junior see MISS OBU z 2

Elrod Center sponsors Healthy Relationships Week

By ANNA KUMPURIS Staff Writer

Love is in the air, spring is almost here and along with it, the “ring by spring” season that is so popular here at Ouachita. With so many budding relationships, engagements and marriages right here on campus, the Ben and Betty Elrod Center for Family and Community wants to prepare students to make these relationships last with Healthy Relationships Week.

The Elrod Center will sponsor the annual Healthy Relationships Week March 4-10, which consists of various

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speakers, breakout sessions, dinners and more all geared towards equipping students currently in relationships and single students to maintain healthy relationships in their future.

Healthy Relationships Week first began over 20 years ago as “Marriage and Family Week” when a foundation chose to provide funding for a program to prepare college students for strong marriages in the future.

Interestingly, this foundation has always chosen to remain anonymous, although they have been funding Healthy Relationships Week

through the Elrod Center since the beginning.

“Part of our mission at the Elrod Center is to strengthen families,” said Judy Duvall, assistant director of the Elrod Center. “We want to start early by equipping and teaching college students how to have healthy relationships. Good relationships don't just happen. They take practice and skill and we want to do all we can to help our students know how to do this long before they are in a married relationship.”

To accomplish this, the Elrod Center brings in speakers who are in successful mar-

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TIGERS OPEN HOME N I V E R S I T Y SEASONS SPORTS, P. 7

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ONLINEAT:

TIGERSHARK SHOOTS FOR OLYMPICS

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Leader in training

shop will be serving a variety of pastries and juices. Officially called the Library Café, the old coffeehouse was referred to as Starbucks by the majority of students because of the brand of coffee they sold.

Haney attends Institute in D.C.,

Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012

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Volume 121, Issue 5

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Staff Writer

There are many questions students face when entering college and even more as they begin the voyage into the “real world.” What am I doing, where am I going and how do I get there? Where do my priorities lie and what will happen if I can’t do it all? Before getting too bogged down, students can rest assured that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Career Services is available as a launching point for every Ouachita student, no matter their classification.

Whether you are an upperclassman preparing for your life ahead or a freshman that doesn’t know where to begin, you are not on this journey alone. Career Services is an organization at Ouachita whose main goal is equipping students with the answers, opportunities and connections needed to succeed both on campus and off. It’s never too early to start taking advantage of all that Career Services has to offer.

“I really hope that more people will get involved with Career Services as a freshman or a sophomore,” said Aly Smith, a sophomore Mass

Tiger Tunes 2012

Dr. Jack’s legacy inspires sense of school pride The fact that there is a new coffee shop on campus is old news. However, just reading the name or looking at the

JOEY LICKLIDER FEATURES, P. 4

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Photo courtesy of Dr. Barbara Pemberton.

Volume 121, Issue 2

Career Services offers students variety of tools, resources

News Editor

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On Jul. 30, 2012, Dr. Jay Curlin, professor of English, had a poem featured in The New Yorker. Curlin never submitted the poem, but after a remarkable set of circumstances, The New Yorker’s poetry editor, Paul Muldoon, contacted Curlin and asked him whether he might publish it in the magazine. The poem, entitled “Evidence of Things Not Seen,” was written in the fall of 2010 to feature

By Tanner Ward two words that appeared in the Editor-in-Chief Daily Word Game utilized by ight students and two professors got what will professors to enhance students’ probably be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in vocabulary. The words were May. They, along with a community member, were “Higgs-Boson,” the legendary granted an almost unheard of invitation to tour god particle and “hirsute,” a Saudi Arabia, a country typically closed to tourism outword meaning hairy. The poside of religious purposes. em’s title is a reference to the Dr. Barbara Pemberton, associate professor of Christian Bible verse Hebrews 11:1. missions and one of the professors who attended, said “After a couple of years of the trip was the result of years of talks between herself, playing the daily word games, a tour company in Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian [Jay] would put [them] in his Nicole McPhate z The Signal embassy in thethe United Theofcertainty of the trip was in the reading in poems he STUDENTS ENJOY newStates. features Dr. Jack’s Coffeehouse recentlyquizzes renovated Evans Student Center. The first president’s unknown evenhelp to the last minute. wrote that he called lexical iconic mutton chops to reinforce the sense of school heritage among students.

Saudi Arabia, traditionally shy of tourism, invites student group for visit

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New Yorker publishes Curlin poem in July issue

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riages and can pass on their wisdom. This year’s primary speaker, Michael Johnson, has been married to his wife Julie for over 20 years, and is a founder of an organization called Future Marriage University, a group that began as a small Bible study in Johnson’s home, and focuses on preparing young people for healthy marriages.

“My mom gave me a marriage book Christmas of my junior year of college, and at that time, I had no relationship and no ‘love chemicals’ flooding my brain, so I was able to grasp everything that book had to communicate,”

son, vice president of communications. “He was elected president in 1886 at age 29 and was responsible for recruiting students, hiring faculty and developing the Arkadelphia campus.”

is important to have a reminder of where the school came from and the people who had a hand in making OBU what it is today.”

Dr. Jack stands out as a symbol for Ouachita and is more

The complete print edition in a new interactive format. Now compatible with iPhone/iPad.

Johnson said. “I remembered thinking, ‘Who would want to wait until they were stuck in a miserable marriage to learn this stuff?’ So after 10 years of marriage I felt like God wanted me to go back and create a class to trick other young people into doing what my mom tricked me into doing.”

Johnson hopes his talks during Healthy Relationships Week will go “beyond just sex and salvation” and the typical things young people are taught about marriage in church, and rather focus on the many truths about sucsee RELATIONSHIP z 3

CONNECT WITH THE SIGNAL

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REFUGE will take place tonight from 9:30- 10:30 p.m. at Second Baptist Church. For more information contact: James Taylor at taylorja@ obu.edu

ROCK CLIMBING COMPETITION will take place tomorrow from 6-10 p.m. at the Rock Climbing Wall. For more information, contact: Tiffany Ohman at ohm47710@obu.edu.

LIVE MUSIC at Dr. Jack’s Coffeehouse will take place tomorrow at 12:15 p.m. For more information, contact: Allison Sweatman at sweatmans@obu.edu.

MISS OBU PAGEANT will take place Saturday from 7:30 - 10 p.m. at the Jones Performing Arts Center.

For more information, contact Joey Licklider at lickliderj@obu.edu.

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Movies of the 90’s Titanic Lion King Forrest Gump

The Shawshank Redemption Schindler’s List

THE THE

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this weekzCALENDAR

From the Archives “Tuition increased to $6,990 for 1990-91” April 13, 1990 By: Naomi Mercer “For yet another year, Ouachita’s educational costs will rise significantly. The Board of Trustees has approved a $580 (or 9 percent) increase in the overall cost of tuition, meals and housing. This amounts to a fee of $6,990 for a year to remain a fulltime student living on campus.”

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Kristen Barnard z The Signal BECKY HORNE speaks during chapel as her husband Dr. Rex Horne, president, laughs. Horne spoke as part of Healthy Relationships Week, which begins next week. Related article, pg. 1.

Tweets of the Week

From Your

What is your biggest pet peeve?

J. Scott Duvall @jscottduvall 26 Feb Just received this request: “Here is my application for cemetary, and I was gonna see if I could put you down as a reference”

No photo available.

“When people use my toothpaste.”

Kyle Hargis, sophomore

“Having my picture taken.”

Brian Monk, sophomore

Ryan Strebek @ryan_strebek 26 Feb Allow me to translate the @Ouachita singers for you right now: “Hiiiiiiiiiiii banana. UGHH Hiiiiii I don’t know my name I need a banana.”

“When people make me late.”

Megan Scarbrough, junior

Arkadelphia HS students use New Tech project-based learning

By NOAH HUTCHINSON Opinions Editor

Technology is a bigger part of our lives today than it has ever been before. With laptops and smart phones, computers are more mobile than ever, and are a constant part of most people’s lives. Arkadelphia High School has decided to take advantage of that by participating in a program called New Tech, in which students participate in project-based learning revolving heavily around the use of computer technology.

“New Tech is an established program that we’re taking part in,” said engineering instructor Bud McMillion. “Its main purpose is to help kids prepare for college, and later on the real world, through projects and hands on experiences.”

The thought behind this is that the projects will force the students to become more involved. The projects used in the New Tech program are considered to be more stimulating than pencil and paper tests, and raise the stakes for students to perform well.

“When I give a normal lec-

ture, maybe 60 percent of the students in the room are actually paying attention,” McMillion said. “However, everybody loves to get together with their friends and talk out a solution to a problem. Aside from that, the stakes are higher.

We ordered a modeling plastic, as well as the ingredients for soap, to use with a 3D printer.

It was expensive, so they only had one shot at it. The soap was supposed to be blue, but some of it came out black, and some of the negative molds wound up leaking. After it was all said and done, they had to give a presentation about what they did.”

On top of the nontraditional teaching methods, the New Tech program also uses technologies that might not be available in a normal classroom.

“We’re sponsored by Alcoa,” McMillion said. “They’ve payed for us to be able to give each of our students a laptop to use. We’re also trying to up the schools bandwidth, which is supposed to make the Internet five times faster than it is right now. We’ve started to let stu-

Justin Young @JustinYoung072 25 Feb Currently building an ark to survive this storm. I can only take two from each club. And, I’ll take four from CM for extra prayer. #BYOFood

dents use their smart phones as well, as long as they’re using them correctly.”

McMillion as well as his students involved believe that the program has been a success so far.

“I think that these projects will help us out in the real world,” said Dustyn Spinks, a freshman at Arkadelphia High School. “One project involved all of us living a mock life in the post school world. We had to ‘apply’ for a job, being told whether we would have been hired or not, and then given a number that would’ve been our expected pay. Then, as a group, we had to get a house, pay bills, and budget everything out. One thing that lots of people complain about is never being taught how to do that stuff, so i think it’ll really be helpful.”

Overall, the students and faculty involved believe that New Tech will be highly beneficial to any student who participates.

“I believe that in ten years, all classes will operate this way,” McMillion said. “We’re ahead of the game.” n

Sam Beary @samuelbeary 27 Feb Maintenance already fixed the window, so in order for them to come fix my bathroom ceiling, I need a deer to come smash into it... #newplan

MISS OBU

z Continued from Page 1 musical theater major. “It has been an absolutely incredible year. There are so many great girls competing this year so I feel confident in knowing Miss OBU 2013 will be fantastic.

"I am going to miss the platform and opportunity to serve and give back to the school which has done so much for me.”

During the pageant there will be a group called the Court of Honor. This group will consist of students from Ouachita that were handpicked by Kirt Thomas, pageant director. The Court of Honor will provide musical entertainment throughout the pageant and will also assist the reigning Miss OBU in her performances.

"I think overall, we provide a

more engaging source of entertainment,“ said Joseph Hurst, a junior accounting major and member of the Court of Honor. “Rather than simple background tracks, the audience is provided live entertainment.”

The winner of Miss OBU 2013 will have the opportunity to compete for the title of Miss Arkansas 2013 this July in Hot Springs. She will also get to work with the directors of the Miss OBU pageant, Kirt Thomas and Justin Harper, as they help her prepare.

"The greatest piece of advice I can give would be to remain true to who you are during your reigning year," Thomson said. "So many people will look to you as a role model and leader on campus, so represent Christ in all you do, and enjoy every single moment, because the year truly does fly by."

For more information contact Joey Licklider. n

MISS OBU 2013 LIVE BROADCAST Saturday, March 1 • 7:30 p.m. obusignal.com

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Thursday, February 28, 2013

NEWS BRIEFS n Thirty second recaps of the biggest stories of the week.

NATIONAL ― People gathered at the

World Trade Center in New York on Tuesday to honor six people killed 20 years ago in the first terrorist attack on lower Manhattan. Family, friends and city officials stood near the 9/11 Memorial honoring those who perished 2001 attacks, which destroyed the same towers that were targeted in the 1993 explosion. More than 1000 people were injured in 1993 when terrorists detonated a truck bomb in an underground garage at the World Trade Center. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Mayor David Dinkins, who was in office at the time of the attacks, were present for the ceremony. At 12:18 p.m., the exact time of the explosion, a bell signaled a moment of silence. The victims’ names were then read by the family members before the New York Police Department bagpipers played “Amazing Grace.” n

WORLD ― Nigerian police say six

foreign sailors kidnapped by armed pirates have been released unhurt.

Police said that no ransom was paid for their release. The sailors, including three Ukrainian and two Russian nationals, were taken when gunmen stormed their oil servicing vessel on February 17. The attack took place about 65 kilometers off the coast of oil-producing Bayelsa state. In the days after the kidnapping, police announced the gunmen had demanded $1.3 million for their release. But police said the kidnappers abandoned the hostages on February 25 while Nigerian security forces were in pursuit. The kidnapping of foreign oil workers is on the rise in Nigeria’s oil-rich south. The hostages are often released following a ransom payment. There have been at least five such attacks in the area this month. n

HEALTH ― A major new study has

SCIENCE ― After nearly a half mil-

found that a Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil, nuts, fish, fruit, legumes and wine reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from heart disease by 30 percent. The study, published by the New England Journal of Medicine, followed 4479 people in Spain - men and women aged 55 to 80 - over a five year period, finding dramatic confirmation of previous observations of such a diet’s health benefits. The study concluded that it observed that an energy unrestricted Mediterranean diet, supplemented with extra virgin olive oil or nuts, resulted in a substantial reduction in the risk of major cardiovascular events among high-risk persons. It put the risk reduction at approximately 30 percent, among high risk persons who were initially free of cardiovascular disease. n

lion votes cast by the public, Pluto’s two tiniest moons may have new names, one of them possibly being christened after the home world of an iconic pointy-eared humanoid known as Mr. Spock. Astronomer Michael Showalter and his team who discovered the moons put out a call to the Internet community asking for help in naming them. The only pre-requisite they had was that the names must be associated with the Underworld of Greco-Roman mythology. There were 12 names on the list but when actor William Shatner, who played James T. Kirk in the original “Star Trek,” suggested “Vulcan,” that entry quickly took the lead, followed by “Cerberus.”

In Roman mythology Vulcan is the nephew of Pluto and Cerberus is the three-headed dog that guards the gates to the underworld. n

Compiled by Sam Cushman, News Editor. Sources: chron.com, newswatch.nationalgeographic.com, skynews.com.au, rferl.org.

GUNS

z Continued from Page 1 Governor Mike Beebe told reporters in a statement on Feb. 15 that because the bill allows for universities to decide whether or not they want handguns on campus the bill is “palatable” and that he is probably going to sign it. Collins also said that after adding the opt out provision, the state’s public two-year and four-year universities agreed not to oppose it. As the bill has already passed both the House and Senate, its fate is up to Beebe.

Stephen Curry, a sophomore church music major, said that he would rather not have professors carry concealed weapons on campus but that the situation may not be that simple.

“It’s hard because you want

to have access to firearms to stop a gunman,” he said. “But at the same time, having all these guns around could potentially be a bad situation.”

Curry is not alone in his views. Shane Light, a student at Henderson, said that university professors carrying concealed handguns is an “added element of danger” in an interview with THV 11 News in Little Rock.

“I don’t really feel like its safe for a teacher to have a gun in the classroom,” said Abby Fain, a junior biology major. “I don’t feel like there is a necessary reason to have it. If there was a drastic situation where a teacher were to get mad or go crazy or something, then the situation wouldn’t end well.”

Still, other students have voiced their support for the measure. Jordan Stewart, a

sophomore business management major, compared the idea to Cold War nuclear deterrent strategies.

“I think that people having concealed weapons is a similar concept to why the United States has so many nuclear weapons,” he said. “It’s just a preventative measure to keep anybody else from bombing us. Its not like we’re going to use them in the foreseeable future, but we still have them as a sort of protection.”

“I think the same thing applies to having concealed handguns for staff and faculty,” he said. “If somebody knew the campus was protected, they’d be less likely to do something.”

Dr. Kevin Motl, assistant professor of history, said that while he understands the motivations of gun advocates to

make as many public spaces as safe as possible, he does not believe that the average university faculty member would have the competency with firearms to merit regular concealed carry on campus.

“My reasoning for this is that whenever we see a school shooting situation it is by definition a tactical environment,” he said. “And in concealed carry classes, which is usually the maximum level of formal training or certification that a weapons carrier would have within a student body or faculty body, those competencies do not constitute sufficient qualifications to deal with a tactical situation.

“In my view there would be a greater danger in that environment to other civilians from someone carrying weapons on campus than there would be

to a campus shooter or team of shooters. The potential for greater harm is far more likely than the potential for doing good.”

Ouachita administration said it has no plans to change its no firearms policy if the legality of carrying concealed handguns on college campuses were to change.

“This has been the longstanding policy for Ouachita as it relates to campus safety,” said Trennis Henderson, vice president for communications.

“It has worked very effectively for us in the past. We have a strong safety record and would not anticipate the need to revisit that.”

For more information on House Bill 1243, or to view the full text of the proposed bill, go online to www.arkansashouse. org/bill. n

Advertising, PR campaigns class gives students real world experience

By NOAH HUTCHINSON Opinions Editor

People go to college to prepare themselves for the real world. However, some classes are geared more towards this goal than others. Advertisement and Public Relations Campaigns (Ad/PR) gives students a chance to get hands-on experience in the advertising and Public Relations (PR) field by giving them a real-world client whom they will create for and then present an Ad/PR campaign to.

“The class works with a real world client to create an advertising, marketing and PR campaign for them,” said Rebecca Jones, assistant professor of communications and instruc-

tor of the class. “At the end of the semester, the class will pitch their campaign to the client, and then the client is free to pick and choose any of the concepts given to them that they might want to use.”

The class has worked with various clients over the years, not all of which were based out of Arkadelphia. This year, however, they are working with Downtown Arkedelphia.

“Downtown Arkadelphia, as an organization, was just formed recently and gained accreditation as part of Downtown Arkansas,” Jones said.

“They’re trying to revive the downtown area, and actually came to us as a volunteer for our program so that we could help them out with that.”

Every client has a specific goal that they bring to the table when working with the Ad/PR Campaigns class. For Downtown Arkadelphia, that goal is to make the area more attractive to college students.

“The campaign we’re working on this year is meant to target college students,” Jones said. “The idea is to try and give Arkadelphia more of a college town feel. Obviously, there are some challenges here, but we hope to offer suggestions to Downtown Arkadelphia that will bring about incremental change that could eventually create a better relationship between the Arkadelphia community and the two colleges.”

Jones admits that this pro-

cess will be challenging, but her class has access to several helpful resources, such as the Downtown Arkansas organization, that they can get direction and inspiration from.

“One of the ways that we might draw college students to the downtown are is through events,” Jones said. “There was a town in Mississippi that had a welcome back block party for their local college. One of our ideas was to maybe do something like that in downtown Arkadelphia.”

Jones believes that her class is a very effective tool for giving students hands-on experience. Student participation and enthusiasm is vital to producing a good final product.

“I’ve enjoyed the class so

far,” said Devan Malone, a senior mass communications major. “It’s a great opportunity to get hands-on experience.

We can’t just think about what we want to do, we also have to think about our clients and what they want to see happen.”

Jones and her class hope to deliver a useful and innovative set of ideas to their client.

Overall, the students describe it as enjoyable, and Jones believes it to be a beneficial experience for everyone involved.

“It’s a hard class, and it brings its own stresses and challenges,” Jones said. “However, I love it that students take on that challenge. I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested.” n

RELATIONSHIP

who seeks it out, whether marriage is a deep desire or a vague curiosity.”

The Elrod Center also chooses to sponsor Healthy Relationships Week to engage students with volunteer opportunities that will allow them to participate actively in their community, including set up/break down of events, decorating, baking, and more.

Students who are interested in volunteering or want more information about Healthy Relationships Week can contact Duvall at duvallj@obu.edu. n

z Continued from Page 1

cessful relationships that students have not already heard.

“We simply want to prepare OBU students for relational success when it counts: before you fall in love,” said Johnson.

“We call it love education. It's the essential missing link between the sex education you get in middle school and the premarital counseling you won't get until you're coupled up. It's the wise individual

Now At

Spa Scents ‘n Shoes 2905 Pine St. Arkadelphia, AR

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Abbey Jamieson z The Signal BRANDON PERRY works on homework in the computer lab in Hickingbotham Hall. Perry is studying at Ouachita following his treatment for leukemia in Little Rock last year; he will return to Baylor University in the fall to finish his studies. Scan QR code to view video online.

Senior reflects on life with leukemia

By EMILY TERRY Features Editor

@EmilyMTerry “I told her I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he said with a smile as he leaned back into the chair, eyes closed and face to the ceiling.

Senior Brandon Perry, an accounting major from Denver, Colo., isn’t speaking of a funny moment from his past or his all-time favorite childhood memory.

The “it” he’s referring to is his sevenyear battle with leukemia.

Perry grew up in Denver in a “good, church-family home” where he was very involved in sports.

“Going into my freshman year of high school, I transferred to a big basketball school, hoping to eventually play in college,” Perry said.

He tried out for the team and made it, but after a while began getting unexplainable injuries and shoulder pains.

After about a month, he was always tired and became very pale, but doctors could give him no explanation as to why.

“On my birthday, I was so sick and so weak I couldn’t even open my presents,” he said. “I couldn’t eat. I had no energy to take food and put it in my mouth and chew it and eat it. So then we decided it was time to do something.”

He was taken into the ER and was there for over a day before the doctor came in and gave him the news that he had leukemia, a cancer of the blood that is usually found in bone marrow or spinal fluid.

“They said it had been occurring over about three weeks, so I maybe had a couple more days to live,” Perry said.

“But my doctor said the treatment for it had good returns. I think I had about an 80 percent chance.”

He immediately began chemotherapy and was homeschooled for the first six months of the process. After 34 days, he was diagnosed in remission, meaning there was no more cancer that they could find.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have cancer when it comes to cancers of the blood,” Perry explained.

“Leukemia is known as a smart cell because it can hide.”

When doing the tests, a only a tiny portion of all the blood in a patient’s body is tested. This means there could still be some left that doesn’t get picked up by the sample.

About six months into the chemotherapy, Perry had an allergic reaction to some of the chemo. The fat content of his blood cells was incredibly high, causing the blood to thicken and not flow as freely or as easily as it should through the body. This resulted in him having two strokes before he was even old enough to drive.

“My doctor was looking at me and saying there was no way I should have been living at that point,” Perry said.

After three and a half years of chemo, he was finally off three days before finishing high school, which he had been attending again, this time without playing sports.

“It was pretty cool. I did my senior speech in front of the thousands of people that were there,” he said. “They were all people who knew me and had been praying for me.”

After graduating, Perry started at Baylor University the following fall with a positive outlook on the future and getting the opportunity to start over.

“The Lord really got my life transformed with a life group and guys who really wanted to help me live a life fully for the Lord,” Perry said. “I really got to understand and know who God was in a deeper place.”

However, Perry said he always had a peace about leaving his life in the Lord’s hands from the time he was diagnosed in the ninth grade.

“I was never afraid of dying or anything like that. I just knew it was all in the Lord’s hands,” he said. “I’ve learned that I’m at my best when I’m at my weakest place because there’s more of the Lord and less of me.”

A way that Perry kept the interests and well-being of others above himself was by taking what would have been his junior year of college traveling to Haiti and Seattle to love on others with the love of Jesus. He also attended a discipleship school in Waco, Texas.

He then went back to school for a semester and was hired to be a director at a summer camp in Arkansas, where he met his fiancé, senior Kate Dodge.

“She is way outta my league. I’m super blessed,” Perry said. “She came with me and we worked camp there and it was a great summer.”

However, during the summer, he experienced random episodes where he woke up throwing up with tension in his neck. He didn’t think much of it because the pain always went away after a nap and wouldn’t bother him until the next time.

Towards the end of the summer, he began having tests done and discovered the cancer was back, this time in his spinal fluid.

He began the chemotherapy process again. This time, treatments were more intense because they wanted to be sure it didn’t come back again.

Two or three weeks into the chemo, he was again diagnosed in remission and was able to spend the next summer working the same camp again. Except this time, his summer of camp ended with proposing to Kate.

“She said yes and I’m still trying to understand why,” Perry said. “She’s been awesome. When I’ve been at my sickest, she’s been there to help me and still cared about and liked me.”

Dodge said she initially wanted to wait until he was completely finished with treatment to get engaged.

“But then I had a revelation one

PERSPECTIVES Brandon Perry

Birthday: Jan. 13, 1989 Home: Denver, Colo.

Favorite Color: Blue & Green Favorite Food: Chicka Tikka Marsala Favorite Music: Worship Biggest Influence: My brother and dad, Dr. Bryan McKinney, Carl Gulley and Mark Owen morning that marriage is about sickness and health,” Dodge said.

He enrolled at Ouachita last fall with 12 hours and made it through and is now in his second semester here. In May, Perry and Dodge will marry and move to Waco and in the fall, he will finish his bachelor’s at Baylor while she goes to the discipleship school he attended during his year off.

While at Ouachita, Perry is teaming up with Dr. Mike Reynolds, Dr. Terry DeWitt and the kinesiology department to work on creating and testing a recovery program for kids trying to get back on their feet after battling cancer.

“For all the kids that do the chemo I’ve done, there aren’t really any recovery programs. The hardest part for me and others is getting back into the normal routine of life,” he said. “When you’re doing treatment, that’s your life.

You’re living from pill to pill and you schedule your whole life around appointments. You’re put on pause.”

The steroids patients have to take when on the therapy erode joints and can cause long-term problems. This is something Perry hopes to help through his partnership with the kinesiology students.

“I approached them and volunteered to be a guinea pig for a training program and nutrition plan and see how it goes and what we can do to help kids recover from what they’ve gone through,” he said.

Perry is now in his sixth week of the program and has seen promising results.

“I feel normal again, I guess; whatever that feels like,” he said. “Last semester, I would be pretty worn out.”

Perry says he makes an effort to not mope about campus, but some days he may look rundown, though he is in good spirits.

That same positive attitude that has brought peace and comfort to Perry and his family throughout this whole process.

“It’s really brought my family to closer places with the Lord,” Perry said.

Though the experience has strengthened his family, the hardest part about

As a child, I wanted to: Play in the NBA Something I hope to accomplish: Become a church planter This year, I am most looking forward to: Marrying Kate Dodge and pursuing the things the Lord has planned for us

everything for Perry has been having to see his family deal with it.

“I couldn’t do that. I think I would have a really hard time to see, say, my brother get cancer. That would be devastating for me,” he said.

Another tough part for Perry has been not being able to interact with the other patients at the hospital and seeing constant sickness.

“We don’t get to interact because all of our immune systems are compromised. To see a lot of the hurting kids and not be able to share the love of Jesus with them and love on them is pretty difficult,” he said. “Just seeing the devastation in other kids at the hospital… I have it really good.”

Perry gives special credit to the nurses who work in those surroundings every single day and says they make the experience a lot more enjoyable when they’re happy and fun, which is especially important at a children’s hospital.

“I can’t imagine having their job. All they see is sickness, so I just try to go in there and give a little life to them and encourage them,” he said. “They’re pretty phenomenal people. It takes a gift to work in that environment.”

No matter how bleak and dreary that environment is, Perry is thankful for the series of events that has lead him closer to and grown him in the Lord.

“When I lost everything, He was the one that was still there. When I didn’t have anything, all I had left was to rely on the Lord,” Perry said. “It took me getting to that place to realize the importance of intimacy with God.” The number one lesson he has learned is that the most important thing in life is to know God, because when everything is stripped away, without him you have nothing.

As he leans back in the chair and remembers the conversation in the hospital, his smile grows.

“It’s totally worth it to experience the Lord and see His heart for people,” Perry said with absolute certainty. “For me to get to know God so I can love people better and reach out to other people – that’s totally worth it. I would do it over and over again.” n

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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Cancer: ‘Best thing to happen to me’ Dickerson diagnosed twice with breast cancer, now cancer-free

By TANNER WARD Editor-in-Chief

@TannerWard “Cancer is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

That isn’t the reaction most people expect from a two-time cancer survivor.

But Beverly Dickerson wouldn’t trade her experience for anything.

Dickerson, assistant manager of the Ouachita Store, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and again in 2010. The first time, she underwent six months of chemotherapy, followed by 42 days of radiation therapy. The second time, she underwent six more months of chemotherapy.

As of two weeks ago, she is cancerfree.

“In 2005, I had a sore spot that I went to the doctor about,” she said. “He thought it was linked to my large intake of caffeine, so I stopped drinking caffeine.”

Dickerson said the pain level decreased some, but the spot kept growing larger, until it was large enough to be seen from outside her body in September.

“It began to turn black and blue, so I knew I had an issue,” she said. “So I went back to the doctor, and he said, ‘You need to go see a surgeon immediately.’”

Still, radiologists believed it was simply a fluid-filled mass, and began to drain it. It was only when surgeons went in to clean up the area that they discovered the mass was actually a cancerous lump.

“When I woke up, they said it was breast cancer,” she said. “That was a Friday. The following Monday, I went back and found out they thought it was a stage four — and there are only five stages.”

After being diagnosed, Dickerson did what many other newly-diagnosed cancer paitents to: research. She said she had seven pages of notes to go over with her doctor by the time she started chemotherapy. But it was the other thing she did during this time that is very unexpected of someone who is about to undergo chemotherapy.

“I hiked a lot at that time in my life,” she said, “so I hiked Pinnacle Mountain.

I think I did it to show everybody that I could. I did it halfway thinking, This could be the last time I get to do this for a long time, and the other half trying to kind of thumb my nose at cancer.”

This hike was within a week of having a lumpectomy, a hysterectomy and having her port put in — the normal recovery time of a hysterectomy alone is six weeks.

“From that point on, I had chemo on Thursday, I worked on Friday and every weekend I would hike Saturday and Sunday,” she said.

However, Dickerson developed rheumatoid arthritis during the treatment process, so her hiking passion would slowly come to an end.

Dickerson said the chemotherapy process begins with the insertion of a port into the chest. Because the drugs used are poision, they must be inserted through the port rather than an IV line to avoid damaging the smaller veins in the arm.

“Then you go and get your blood work,” she said. “We call it your counts.

So if your white blood cells are high enough and your red blood cells are high enough, you can get chemo that day.”

Chemotherapy works by attacking fast-growing cells in the body, which includes cancer cells. However, red and white blood cells are also fast growing, and must be at a certain level to ensure that they won’t be depleted, causing death. If the blood cell counts were too low, drugs would be administered to bring them back up.

“There was an experimental drug called Neulasta, and only a few patients got it,” Dickerson said. “It was very expensive, and the drug company that made Neulasta paid for my shots.

It was a $7,000 shot, and I only had to pay $20 every time.”

Once blood work confirmed that your blood cell counts were high enough, Dickerson said she would “go back into this big room and sit in recliners.

“They’ve already accessed your port, so they leave an IV line out,” she said.

“I got a bag of Benadryl because I was actually slightly allergic to my chemo, but it was the best one for me so I took it anyway. And then you get a bag of steriods, and then you start getting your chemo.”

Reaction to the chemotherapy and the time required to administer it varies from patient to patient. Some patients sleep through the entire process and only wake up to throw up and have to remain in the hospital for extended amounts of time, but Dickerson said she was lucky enough that her routine wasn’t greatly affected.

“For most people, the day after chemo isn’t so bad; it is two days after,” she said. “So on Fridays, I didn’t feel too bad and I went in to work. Saturday and Sunday, I didn’t feel too good.”

Dickerson said when she lost her hair, she preferred to wear scarves rather than wigs. But she said her kids had another idea.

“They didn’t mind if I didn’t wear my wig during the week, but on Sundays, they said I had to wear my wig to church,” she said. “They said I had to wear hair to church.”

Dickerson’s oldest daughter Brittney is a senior history major here. Her son Christopher graduates from Arkadelphia High School this year and her youngest daughter Katy is 14.

Katy remembers the day her mom broke the news of her second diagnosis.

“She sat us down and said, ‘The scans came in and I found out that I have cancer again,’” Katy said. “The first thing that came to my mind was, ‘How are we going to get through this again?’”

Beverly also remembers her second diagnosis. She said it was Christian Focus Week at Ouachita, and a guest artist named Lindsay McCaul had come to campus to perform a concert.

“She sang a song called ‘Take My Hand,’ and it’s about Peter being on the water and getting scared and grabbing for Jesus’ hand,” she said. “That song resonated with me so much, because that’s how I felt.”

Beverly said she bought McCaul’s CD and listened to it “over and over again.”

“Then the next day, on the day of my

Kristen Barnard z The Signal BEVERLY DICKERSON folds shirts in the Ouachita Store. Dickerson, the assistant manager of the store, is a two-time breast cancer survivor.

PERSPECTIVES Beverly Dickerson Birthday: Aug. 1, 1970 Home: Arkadelphia, Ark.

As a child, I wanted to: Be a lawyer

Favorite Food: Mexican

Something I hope to accomplish: Become a CASA, which is a courtappointed advocate for foster kids

Favorite Music: Contemporary Christian

If I had to choose another job, I would: Do social work

Biggest Influence: Jesus. It sounds corny, but it’s true

This year, I am most looking forward to: Becoming a CASA

Favorite Color: Pink

biopsy, I had read ‘Jesus Calling’ that morning, and the verse was about God holding our hand,” she said. “It says, ‘Whenever you start to feel afraid, I am holding your right hand.’”

She said while she was waiting at the doctor’s office, she began to pray that God would hold her hand through the biopsy process.

“So I had the verse in Arkadelphia, I had just prayed before I went in and I had this Lindsay McCaul song ‘Take My Hand,’ so we have a theme going,” she said. “So I go into the room to have my biopsy and I’m laying on the table and the doctor says, ‘You’re going to feel a little prick,’ and the nurse reaches over and grabs my hand.

“I tell people from that moment on, that was Him clearly telling me, ‘I’m going to hold your hand. You’re going to be okay.’ I asked Him to hold my

hand, and He sent somebody to hold my hand.”

Beverly said the whole process brought not only her, but her whole family closer to each other and to God. “To be a Christian is to be Christlike,” she said. “Christ’s entire life was suffering — suffering and service. So all of us have to have something to suffer through to build our faith.”

She said the hardest part was worrying about her kids.

“I’m a single mom; I worried about them,” she said. “I didn’t want to leave my babies until they were grown and established. But through that process, I think we figured out that we were going to be okay.

“What’s the worst thing that can happen? I die and go see Jesus. That’s the worst scenario — going to heaven. It doesn’t sound too bad.” n

Q&A: Sherri Jones, Executive Director, American Cancer Society S: What resources are available for cancer patients in central Arkansas?

J: The American Cancer Society offers a free, 24-hour help line (1-800-227-2345) for anyone touched by cancer. Callers can be connected to the Little Rock office to access local resources such as support groups, patient service programs and volunteer opportunities.

S: What are the most common forms of cancer in central Arkansas?

J: The Society estimates 16,330 new cancer cases will be diagnosed in Arkansas this year.

Residents throughout Arkansas are most Sherri Jones z Courtesy commonly diagnosed with cancer of the lung, prostate, breast and colon.

The five-year survival rate for all stages of lung cancer is only 16 percent. The majority of prostate cancers are discovered in the local or regional stages, for which the five-year survival rate approaches 100 percent. The five-year survival rate for female invasive breast cancer patients has improved to 90 percent and for localized breast cancer it’s 98 percent. When colorectal cancer is detected at an early, localized stage, the five-year survival is 90 percent.

S: How can Ouachita students join the fight against cancer?

J: Get involved with the American Cancer Society through our Relay For Life

events to help people stay well, get well, find cures and fight back against this disease. Advocate for policies and legislation that positively impact the lives of individuals touched by cancer. Educate others about cancer prevention and early detection. Volunteer in your hometown for programs that support cancer survivors and those fighting cancer.

S: Should college students be testing for cancer? How? J: College students are developing lifetime routines and daily practices. Living healthy helps to ensure that those routines and practices will help you stay cancer free. Cancers caused by cigarette smoking and heavy use of alcohol could be prevented completely. And one-quarter to one-third of new cancer cases expected to occur in the U.S. this year will be related to overweight, obesity, physical inactivity and poor nutrition, and thus could also be prevented. Have regular medical checkups and be alert to any unusual, persistent symptoms.

Learn about your family’s medical history. Don’t smoke and keep away from secondhand smoke. Eat a well-balanced diet. Stay physically active and maintain a healthy weight. Protect your skin from the sun’s rays and avoid indoor tanning.

S: What advice to you have for college-aged people fighting cancer?

J: The American Cancer Society is here for you. We are available around the clock so cancer patients and their loved ones don’t have to face cancer alone. Just give us a call at 1-800-227-2345. The good news is, as of 2009, the overall death rate for cancer in the United States had declined 20 percent from its peak in 1991. These large drops are primarily due to reductions in smoking for lung cancer and to improvements in early detection and treatment for colorectal, breast and prostate cancers. Having cancer is hard but finding help shouldn’t be. n

6 n opinions Thursday, February 28, 2013

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Forgiveness does not come easy KATHLEEN SUIT Staff Writer

Let’s be honest. Sometimes the last

thing we want to do is forgive.

From the minutest mishaps, to devastatingly earth shattering decisions made by others and affecting you, one thing is undeniable: people hurt people. It is nearly impossible to go your whole life without being hurt at the hands of another person, and even more impossible to go your whole life without hurting another person yourself. Unfortunately, and against God’s original intent, when humanity welcomed sin into the world, we ushered in with it all the pain, hardship, and suffering ol’ Dorito Breath himself could conjure up. Even without intending to, our human nature, with sin, causes us to do and say things that wound the ones around us. I think it is safe to say that all of us have felt or said, at some point, this

argument. “I am mad at you. I don’t really know why, I just am.”

Relationships with people take work, simple as that. You can’t just will someone into your life; will them to bare their soul, and accept yours as easily. Sometimes I wish that I could just meet someone, and be close to them, but that just isn’t how it works.

Relationships take cultivating, time, tending to, and the passionate desire to connect with one another in the deep facets of life. As much as we may long for rainbows, lollipops and butterflies, that is not feasible. They take sacrifice. They take putting other people’s needs before their own.

They take forgiveness.

Most of the time, forgiveness is just plain difficult. We get the mentality of, “Well, bless God, they did this and that and don’t deserve to be forgiven!” Pride engulfs us and whispers into our ears that we are right, they are wrong, so why should they be forgiven? Right and wrong is not the issue, forgiveness is the issue; obedience is the issue. And I, for one, feel so blessed and so thankful that I was

not given what I deserve. God’s word says in Romans 6: 23 that the wages of sin are death, and sinner— that’s me. I am so enthralled at God’s love and the redemption of Jesus Christ bringing grace into our lives. Even though I deserve death, Christ died in my place.

I look back over the course of my life so far and it is so apparent how much forgiveness I have received from God through Christ. I have been forgiven much, so God has called me to forgive much. I once heard someone pose this question, “Why should I forgive them if they didn’t even ask for my forgiveness?” I would say, look at Jesus. Over two thousand years ago, our Messiah, faced the ultimate betrayal. The words that He muttered from His lips while enduring His unfitting punishment were not, “Smite them Lord! They deserve to die like they are making me!” His gracious loving words were, “Forgive them, Father. For they know not what they do.” While we were yet in our sin, Christ died for us. He humbly, and with submission, took our place

on that cross that we deserved. Maybe you are at a point where forgiveness for others comes easily. You have to remember that there comes a time when you will look in the mirror and you have to forgive yourself. Take joy that when God sees you, he doesn’t see your sin—he sees his Son. Be on guard. It is so easy for unforgiveness to sneak in and take nest in our hearts. I have heard it said that not forgiving is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Love tells us to keep no record of wrongs, and even more than for the other person, forgiving others is for our personal sake.

I give you this challenge to try forgiveness. Next time you feel your professor was being unfair, or a friend tells you something that cuts you down to your core, instead of bottling in that anger, that frustration, and desire for justice on your part, try forgiving. Like my mom always told me, be a duck! Let it roll right off your back like beads of water rolling off a duck. Choose forgiveness—and experience freedom. n

Words are powerful; use responsibly

By ANDREA LOCK Staff Writer

Words are the most powerful weapon that humankind has at its disposal. Guns and knives are nothing compared to the damage that words can cause. They have the power to invoke our dreams or destroy them. Most of the time, we do not think of the effect of our words before they are spoken and, at times, that can be a problem. I know I have a problem with just speaking my mind with my family (especially growing up) and my friends.

This makes me have to stop and think. Looking back, I remember arguing with my mom or dad and they would constantly tell me to “stop being a smart aleck!”

The biggest problem with our words is that we sometimes use malicious words intentionally to hurt others. This is also one of my biggest faults because, for example, when I get riled up at someone, I think of something that will anger them so that they will leave me alone and it is not the wisest choice. If you have this problem, just stop. Stop and think of how much this can hurt the person you are angry with. The problem with words is that they are charmers. They hook, line and sink us with

their manipulative power. Let’s get real for second, guys. How many times have you used your words to get your way? I am going to be the first to say yes I have. Let’s say you are desperate to make a trip to Wal-Mart, but you need a ride. So you need to finagle a clever way to ask without making the driver feel like you are using them for their vehicle.

Words can do some damage to another person, but they can also be uplifting and encouraging. For instance, when I am discouraged and stressed, I like to pick up my Bible and read a few passages from Proverbs or Jeremiah. I cannot tell you how amazing I feel afterwards, just spending a little alone time with God’s word. Because of words, we have been able to weave together stories that captivate us, music that bewitches us and poetry that mesmerizes us.

One of my favorite poems, for instance, is “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell, and I cannot stop repeating it in my head. Next time you need some comfort, pick up your favorite book or listen to your favorite song that you know will perk up your spirits and bring a smile to your gloomy face. Words can take us on a quest that will enlighten our minds and bring peace to our souls. Why do you think we have those Chicken Soup for the

Words are the most powerful weapon humankind has at its disposal. Guns and knives are nothing compared to the damage words can cause.

Soul books? They motivate us! We live and breathe words. Words are a huge paradox because we love and hate them. In her novel “The Thirteenth Tale”, Diane Setterfield states “There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic.”

Words are powerful. It’s up to us to use that power responsibly. n

Beauty, Beast’s Gaston: True American Hero NOAH HUTCHINSON Opinions Editor

“What’s the matter, Gaston, too kind hearted?” snarled the beast.

Yellowed fangs shining in the dim moonlight, the terrible monster closed in on our hero. Gaston glanced over to Belle and knew immediately what he had to do. He sprang to his manly feet, swung his masculine arm through the air and connected with a testosteronefueled rocket of a punch. Broken teeth filled the air as the beast fell to his well deserved doom on the jagged rocks below the balcony where they had been fighting.

Belle threw herself into Gaston’s rippling arms as he walked back inside the castle.

“Gaston!” she cried. “You and your biceps have broken the spell that horrible creature put over me! Please don’t think me a fool for not falling for your slabchested charms the first time around, I wasn’t in my right mind.”

“Shhhhh...” he said, pressing a finger to her lips. “I know. All is forgiven.”

As they walked back to the tavern to celebrate with a riveting song of Gaston’s awesomeness, the evil castle exploded in the background to the sound of a sweet guitar riff.

I didn’t get to finish my far better version of “Beauty and the Beast”, because it was at that exact moment that the police finally broke down the door and removed me from the Starbucks where I was educating the ignorant masses. However, I think you get the gist of it, just as my captive audience did. It’s a crime against humanity that Gaston wasn’t the hero in “Beauty and the Beast.”

For right now, we’ll ignore the fact that according to the song that was

named after him, the man was invincible. There’s a much better argument here than “Gaston was awesome.”

Why did Belle reject Gaston in the first place? Because he was self centered? If that’s the case, then the beast wasn’t any better. He had more angst than a 13 year old girl’s Facebook timeline and threw a fit when he didn’t get his way. Sure, as they started to fall in love he got all cleaned up and learned how to eat properly and took her dancing. The beast wasn’t really responsible for any of that though. For every sweet little nothing that the beast managed to half heartedly mutter, his magic furniture had to spend ten minutes nagging him to stop being a jerk.

The beast didn’t even bathe himself before the big ballroom dance scene.

Gaston loved being Gaston (can you blame him?), but the beast was a child.

In fact, the only person in the entire movie that wasn’t self centered was the talking candle stick, and he got friend zoned faster than he could organize an on the spot musical number.

The big turn around for the beast was when he saved Belle from the wolves, but even that wasn’t that spectacular.

What was he going to do? Let an innocent, smokin’ hot babe get eaten by wild animals? It was his fault that she left. On top of that, those wolves may as well have been walking protein shakes if Gaston had gotten the opportunity to save her. He’d have been snapping necks, going for rad throwing knife kills and walking off without a scratch. What the beast did was nothing special.

The beast being a bad choice doesn’t make Gaston a good choice though.

What does make Gaston a good choice is the fact that Belle would’ve had a fantastic life with him. When he laid out how everything was going to be, it may not have been what Belle had in mind, but it would’ve been better than what any of the townsfolk could’ve given her. Plus, Gaston was the one reaching

up for Belle. She could’ve told him how she wanted it to be, and he would’ve had to compromise on at least a few things if he wanted to marry her. He would’ve actually had to change for her to win her over. Unlike the beast, who just used his unlimited resources to put on a flashy show for her without doing anything hard. Don’t even say that Gaston wouldn’t make the effort. He ate 48 eggs in one sitting every day just to get jacked. Go eat 48 eggs and tell me that he wasn’t willing to wok for what he wanted. As far as the whole threatening to put her father in an asylum if she didn’t marry him thing goes, that was just anti-Gaston propaganda created by hippies and liberals.

To top it all off, the beast could’ve never beaten Gaston in a fight. Gaston had been hanging bear heads on his wall for who knows how long, while the beast was just moping around in his castle listening to Linkin Park and screaming that he was totally getting a nose ring when he moved out while his talking furniture wondered where they went wrong. Gaston was ready for a fight, not to mention the fact that he tore a stone gargoyle clean off the side of a castle with his bare hands and could shoot a muzzle loading shotgun three times without reloading it. As soon as he got to the beast, the writers just decided he wasn’t a genetic super mutant anymore, which is inconsistent.

No one fights like Gaston. It’s in the song, so it’s automatically true.

It’s not hard to enjoy going on dates with a girl that has Barbie doll proportions, literal “Disney princess hair” and is your only hope of not being cursed anymore (although I don’t see the problem with being a werewolf and living in a castle straight off of a heavy metal album cover). In half a year, I guarantee Belle was longing for that rustic hunting lodge with Gaston. The moral of this story is, if you’re going to be a jerk, be a jerk with a castle. Chicks dig that. n

theSignal Ouachita Baptist University Office: Evans Student Center E-Mail: signal@obu.edu Phone: 870.245.5210 Tanner Ward z EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Sam Cushman z NEWS EDITOR

Emily Terry

z FEATURES/SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Noah Hutchinson z OPINIONS EDITOR

Chelsea Byers z SPORTS EDITOR

Daniel Aylett

z ONLINE CO-EDITOR

Kelsey Lamb

z ONLINE CO-EDITOR

Nicole McPhate z PHOTO EDITOR

Abbey Fowler

z ADVERTISING MANAGER

Dr. Jeff Root z ADVISER

Dr. Deborah Root z ADVISER

Ms. Tiffany Eurich z ONLINE ADVISER

The Signal is the student newspaper of Ouachita Baptist University, and is published every Thursday 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 Hope Star.

Letters to the editor are encouraged and accepted, unless libelous, irresponsible or obscene. Letters should be typed and include a signature and contact phone number. Letters 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.

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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Dr. Wesley Kluck z Courtesy THE REFEREE announces another victory for the Ouachita Tigers wrestling team during the NCAA Super Region Two Championships on February 23.

Four wrestlers advance to NCAA tournament

By JOSH FINK

Sports Information Director For the second year in a row, the Ouachita Tiger wrestling program, under the direction of Head Coach Kevin Ward, will be sending athletes to the NCAA Tournament following their performances at the NCAA Super Region 2 Championships.

The Tigers will send Garret Evans (125 lb.), Josh Myers (141 lb.), Dexter Carter (165 lb.) and Dallas Smith (184 lb.) to Birmingham, Alabama to compete in the NCAA Tournament on March 6-8.

Evans posted a third place finish in the 125 lb division with an overall record of 4-1 at the regional event, good enough to seal his second straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Evans recorded two wins by fall and two by major decision en route to his third place finish.

Anthony Melillo competed in the 133 lb class for the Tigers, but got a tough draw in the first round with No. 1 ranked Casy Rowell of Central Oklahoma, who defeated him by technical fall.

Melillo would then win his first match in the consolation bracket before falling to the No. 4 ranked Ross Benzel from Limestone University.

Melillo finished with a sixth place

finish, after dropping his last match by a score of 11-0, thus ruining his hopes of a trip to Birmingham.

Myers hit the mat in the 141 lb weight class, posting a second place finish with a 2-1 record at the event.

He entered the event as No. 1 in the region, giving him a first round bye.

He started off his run with a 7-0 win, which he followed with a 12-7 win.

In the final match, Myers fell by a score of 3-1 to the No. 2 ranked athlete in the region, Maurice Miller of Notre Dame College.

Marc Smith was the Tigers’ participant in the 149 lb division, posting a 2-3 record. He won his first match by fall, before winning his second match in a 10-5 decision win.

Smith struggled the rest of the way though, falling 10-0 in his next match before losing 5-2 to the No. 5 ranked Daniel Genetin of Ashland and 7-0 to Paul Viterisi of Central Missouri.

Ouachita’s Bobby Williams entered the 157 lb weight class as the No. 2 ranked participant, but a tough division proved to be his undoing as he ended up with a sixth place finish.

Williams finished 1-3 at the event, with his win coming in his first match via a 6-5 decision.

He fell by decision (9-3) in his next match, before dropping a 1-0 decision

in the consolation bracket.

His last match of the event found him in a battle for fifth place. Unfortunately, Williams was pinned at the 6:20 mark of the match, leaving him in sixth place.

Dexter Carter overcame all odds in his path to the NCAA Championships, as he dropped his first match in the 165 lb division, throwing him to the consolation bracket off the bat.

He reeled off three straight wins though before falling in the third place match, giving him a fourth place finish.

He finished with a record of 3-2, with all three wins coming in tight decisions.

David Butler was the Tigers’ 174 lb participant finishing 1-2 at the event.

His win was a 7-1 decision, but it wasn’t enough to fuel him to Birmingham.

Dallas Smith competed in the 184 lb class, claiming his second regional championship in as many years.

Smith ran through the bracket with ease, recording two major decisions, a technical fall victory and a 7-2 win in the championship match.

He entered the bracket ranked No. 2 and defeated No. 1 ranked Adam Walters from Findlay in the finals.

Seth Calvert struggled in the 197 lb division, finishing 0-2 at the event with a pair of tough losses.

He lost his first match by a 7-6 decision and his second by in a 3-2 decision,

For the second year in a row, the Ouachita Tiger wresting program will be sending athletes to the NCAA tournament.” eliminating him from contention.

Taylor Poe rounded out the list of Tiger participants, taking the mat in the heavyweight division. Poe struggled to get anything going and finished 0-2.

He lost both matches by fall, thus eliminating him and squandering his hopes of a trip to the tournament.

The Tigers sent four participants to the NCAA Tournament in 2011 as well, finishing 15th at the event and garnering three All-Americans.

Myers, Evans and Smith were three of the four in last year’s championships, with Evans and Smith notching two of three All-American selections.

Ouachita’s Smith, Evans, Carter and Myers will travel to Birmingham and begin action from the NCAA Tournament on March 6. Competition will continue through March 8. n

Coaching negligence poses major problem CHELSEA BYERS Sports Editor

PRESS BOX

Numerous cases have occurred recently across the nation involving the issue of coaching negligence and endangerment of athletes.

This is a problem in the world of athletics, at every level and in every sport.

In a specific case, a high school football coach was sued and charged with negligence and endangering a player.

The coach’s team had fallen to a rival team in a very embarrassing loss, and the coach was not too happy.

The day following the game, he made his team

practice slightly differently than usual.

He told them, because of their emberrassing loss, that they had to break the legs of the tackling dummy.

Which, in this case, was a very much alive athlete, a freshman, who was also a member of the team.

The football team pummeled the freshman player over and over again, using him as their tackling dummy.

Once it was over, the player suffered a dislocated shoulder, calf and leg injuries and many other injuries from the intense and brutal collisions.

In my opinion, this is not okay, not in any situation, not ever.

Yes, the team is required to sign a waiver saying that they understand the risks

that come along with playing the sport of football, but none of them signed up for being killed in practice.

I would sue the guy too.

Apparently his temper, or some form of mental illness, got the best of him, because no human in their right mind would put a 15-yearold through that, no matter how bad the loss against another team.

All this showed was a lack of moral character and compassion from a coach who

needs to take a step back and analyze his career and see if this is really what he should be doing with his life.

He will lose all respect from his team and the school, as well as support from the parents and possibly even the community.

It’s time for him to start looking for another career path.

In this certain event, the coach was sued, and let go by the school, following his outrageous conduct during

Apparently his temper, or some form of mental illness got the best of him, because no human in their right mind would do this.”

SCHEDULES

Tiger Baseball March 1 ― OBU vs. Southern Ark., 2 p.m.

March 5 ― OBU @ Arkansas Tech, 6 p.m.

March 8 ― OBU @ UAM, 2 p.m.

March 12 ― OBU @ Henderson, 2 p.m.

March 15 ― OBU vs. NW Okla. State, 2 p.m.

March 19 ― OBU vs. Union (Tenn.), 1 p.m.

March 22 ― OBU @ SW Okla. State, 12 p.m.

Tiger Basketball Feb. 28 ― OBU @ Henderson State, 7:30 p.m.

March 2 ― OBU vs. UAM, 4 p.m.

March 8 ― OBU @ GAC Conference Tournament, TBA

practice.

Something must be done about the problem of coaching negligence and endangerment of athletes.

This dilemma in sports should be more strongly addressed in schools, especially at the high school and college levels.

School administration, athletic directors and whoever else does the choosing of coaches, should be more discerning in their decisions, and do a more thorough background check, as well as insisting on recommendations from more than one party.

These incidents have no reason to be happening, and should be stressed as a major issue, not as a common occurrence. n

Tiger Tennis March 9 ― OBU @ Delta State, TBA March 10 ― OBU @ North Alabama, TBA March 18 ― OBU @ BYU-Hawaii, TBA March 19 ― OBU @ Hawaii Hilo, TBA March 20 ― OBU @ Hawaii Pacific, TBA March 29 ― OBU @ SE Okla. State, TBA March 30 ― OBU @ East Central, TBA Lady Tiger Basketball Feb. 28 ― OBU @ Henderson State, 5:30 p.m.

March 2 ― OBU vs. UAM, 2 p.m.

March 7 ― OBU @ GAC Tournament, TBA

8 n sports

Thursday, February 28, 2013

www.obusignal.com

Lady Tiger softball splits last day of series at HSU

By JOSH FINK

Sports Information Director After dropping the first pair of games in the Southern Bancorp Battle of the Ravine Series, the Ouachita softball team (7-13, 1-3 GAC) split the second day of action against the Lady Reddies of Henderson State (9-11, 3-1 GAC).

The Lady Tigers got their first win of the series in Sunday’s first game, winning by a score of 8-0. The second game was a much closer bout, with the Lady Tigers falling by a score of 6-5.

In the first game of the afternoon, the Lady Tigers stomped the Lady Reddies in what would turn out to be an 8-0 final.

Abbi Frakes was lights out on the mound, missing a perfect game by just one hit in five innings of work.

Ouachita got the scoring started in the first inning, when Megan Askew scored on a passed ball.

They would make the score 7-0 in the second inning, with the scoring staring off of an RBI single from Parrish Reed that scored Olivia Guin.

Jocelyn Jones added two more runs to the Lady Tigers’ totals with a 2 RBI double in the second, scoring Reed and Suzie Gresham on the play.

Just moments later, Kailey Madden stretched the lead even further with an RBI single, this time scoring Jones from second base.

The final score of the second inning came off of the bat of Bailey Sanders, who launched a two run home run and scored Madden and herself.

The last run of the game would come in third inning, with Askew picking up an RBI on a single to right field, scoring Guin and making the score 8-0, where it would stand until the game was called after the fifth inning.

Frakes improved to 4-8 with the win, recording two strikeouts en route to her one-hitter.

Frakes got the start again in the second game of Sunday’s action, but it was a different story this time, as the Lady Tigers fell by a score of 6-5.

Both teams got going early, as the Lady Tigers got a run

in the first inning, but Henderson answered with two of their own.

The Lady Tigers then added another run in the top of the second, tying the game, but again the Lady Reddies retook the lead, adding another run to their totals in the bottom half of the inning.

A two run third inning for Henderson gave them a 5-2 lead, but three runs over the course of the sixth and seventh innings would tie the game going into the bottom of the seventh.

Unfortunately, the Lady Reddies notched an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning, winning the game, and the series, over the Lady Tigers.

Frakes took the loss, dropping her to 4-9 on the year.

Only five of the Lady Reddies’ runs were earned, and Frakes recorded two strikeouts in the game.

The Lady Tigers will resume conference play on Saturday, March 2, when they host Southern Nazarene University. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. n

Dr. Wesley Kluck z Courtesy LANDON FLAX hits a fastball during an intense gam against Tarleton State. The Ouachita Tigers are currently 7-5-1 and 3-1 in conference this season.

Baseball wins 15-inning marathon over Southeastern

By JOSH FINK

Sports Information Director

PRESS BOX

It took 15 innings and over four hours of play to do so, but the Ouachita Tigers (7-51, 3-1 GAC) ended up beating Southeastern Oklahoma (4-5, 1-3 GAC) on Saturday morning by a score of 3-2.

The game was suspended on Friday afternoon due to darkness, but the teams picked up where they left off on Saturday, with the Tigers winning in the bottom of the 15th.

Action on Friday saw a battle, with neither team able to take a deciding lead.

Ouachita took an early lead, with Luis De Jesus singling to left field and scoring Landon Moore in the second inning.

It took a long time for anyone else to notch a run, but Southeastern took the lead in the seventh with a 2 RBI double to right field by Troy McCartney, scoring Evan Ramsey and Tucker Alexan-

der on the play.

The Tigers weren’t going to accept a loss though, as they came out in the eighth inning and got a couple of runners on base. An error by the second baseman helped the Tigers tie up the game, as Keegan Ghidotti crossed the plate and tied the game.

The teams played all the way to the 14th inning before the game had to be suspended due to darkness, but the teams picked things up at 11 in the morning on Saturday.

Davis Ward came in to pitch for the Tigers and kept the Savage Storm off of the board, but Southeastern wasn’t so fortunate.

The Tigers put runners on first and second before Parker Norris hit a ball to third base.

The third basemen threw a little late, allowing Norris to get on base, but along with the late throw came an errant throw, allowing Landon Moore to score the winning run from second base. n

Ward receives GAC Pitcher of Week award

Meet the Coaches: Garry Crowder

By CHELSEA BYERS Sports Editor

Where are you from?

My home town is Leola, Arkansas. It is 40 miles from Arkadelphia. It is a very small community of around 500.

I graduated from Leola High School in 1974. There were a total of six in my graduating class. There is no longer a school in that community.

How did you get your start in basketball?

When I was an elementary student in Leola, I attended my first basketball games when our school hosted the Grant County Tournament. From that early age I knew I wanted to coach basketball. I loved the competition of trying to win.

How did you get your start in coaching?

My first coaching job was in Taylor, Arkansas in 1979. It is located near the Arkansas-Louisiana state line about 15 miles south of Magnolia. We were one of the best teams in the state at the small school level. I coached at Taylor for three years. We won over 20 games in each of those three seasons before I left to take the job at Jessieville High School in the fall of 1982.

Jessieville was a small school with great basketball tradition. I had 13 great seasons at that school. We won our conference 11 times. I then moved to Ouachita in 1995 and have been the coach of the women’s basketball team for 18 years.

What is your favorite thing about coaching basketball at OBU? There are a lot of things I like about coaching at Ouachita. Coaching at the college level allows me to coach highlyskilled and dedicated athletes to the game of basketball.

Being at Ouachita allows me to attract people of high character and strong Christian morals. You cannot ask much more than to have good people and good players.

What is the most memorable moment of your coaching career?

When you have coached for 34 years there are a lot of memories. At Ouachita, I would have to put our run into the National Tournament and making the Nations Sweet Sixteen in 2009. We had just come off a 5-22 season the year before and made one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA history by winning 23 the next year.

We lost to national power Delta State by one point on their court for the South Regional Championship. Earlier that year we ended Delta State’s 31-game conference winning streak when we defeated them here at the Sturgis Center. That game was my 214 win at Ouachita and tied me with Carolyn Moffatt for the most wins at the school. n

By JOSH FINK

Sports Information Director Following a weekend in which he pitched 10 scoreless innings and recorded eight strikeouts, Ouachita baseball’s Davis Ward has been awarded the Great American Conference Pitcher of the Week award.

Ward pitched the final inning of a 15 game thriller against Southeastern Oklahoma, striking out two and not giving up a hit or a run.

He followed that with a complete game shutout performance in which he only gave up four hits in his nine innings of work and recorded six strikeouts.

Ward is the first Tiger to receive a GAC Player/Pitcher of the Week award so far this season. n

Dr. Wesley Kluck z Courtesy COACH CROWDER watches the Lady Tigers sink another Ouachita point against Harding University. Crowder has been coaching at OBU for 18 years.

STATS & RANKS

Men’s Basketball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13–11, 6th Women’s Basketball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16–8, 6th Brand New Sports Talk Show OUT MONDAY AT 5p.m.

Baseball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6-1, 5th Softball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–13, 5th Weekly Topic: OBU Tiger Wrestling Team Men’s Tennis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–3, 2nd heading to the NCAA Tournament Women’s Tennis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–6, 7th Round Table Topic: Nick Saban recruiting an (wins – losses, conference rank)

eight-grader and the problems with recruiting Check us out: www.obusignal.com and @TheRundownOBU