OBU Signal - Oct. 17, 2013

the

Signal

www.obusignal.com

10.17.13 Volume 122 Issue 8

Ouachita Baptist University

“Making positive impact drives me.”

Sitting down with wrestling coach Kevin Ward, p.4

Having Tunes withdrawls?

Watch online anytime!

Finer Things Visual Arts department hosts Seattle artist, p.2

Man Points Student gives reasons to wear top hats in modern age, p.3

Chivalry Ladies, be patient.

Men, pursue. p.3

Give Thanks Thanksgiving shopping ruins purpose, p.3

Q&A Get to know wrestler Taylor Poe, p.4

S News 1 n S Opinions 3 n S Sports 4 n

New KIPP partnership opens door to college

By NEWS BUREAU KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) and Ouachita officials announced last week that they will partner in an effort to increase college completion rates for underserved KIPP students in the Arkasas Delta and nationwide.

“We are most pleased to partner with KIPP,” said president Dr. Rex M. Horne, Jr. “Their investment and interest in each young man and woman is most compatible with Ouachita. We believe this partnership will produce difference makers.”

Within the terms of this partnership, Ouachita plans to recruit and enroll two qualified KIPP alumni for the current academic year and each year thereafter. This fall, three KIPP alumni enrolled at Ouachita, exceeding the goal of the partnership. The university will provide strong support to all KIPP alumni who enroll. Additionally, Ouachita will address the full financial need of KIPP alumni at the school and develop a mentorship program to provide further peer support.

“We are very excited about this partnership with Ouachita Baptist University,” said Scott Shirey, executive director at KIPP Delta. “OBU is committed to helping more students graduate from college, particularly students from rural areas like our KIPPsters.

Our students have the opportunity to get a rigorous college education in their home state, which will build and retain strong human capital right here in the Delta.”

Ouachita joins a growing list of KIPP college partners, including Brown University, Duke University, Georgetown University, the University of Pennsylvania and Spelman

Emily Coles z The Signal OUACHITA SINGERS perform in McBeth Recital Hall during its 2012 fall concert. The 2013 fall concert will take place tonight at 7:30 in the same place and will highlight the debut of the group’s sixth musical album “Sing Me to Heaven.”

Singers: ‘amazing choral experience’

By NARA WESLEY Staff Writer

O

uachita Singers is the premier choral ensemble at Ouachita. It represents the university through on and off campus concerts.

“A few times every semester, we travel to different schools and churches around Arkansas and perform,” said Carli Sasser, senior music and choral education major and president of the Ouachita Singers. “My job is mostly geared towards helping Dr. Gerber with PR during those performances.”

Performances on campus for this semester begin tonight, with the fall concert beginning at 7:30. Next semester Ouachita Singers will sing in the Southwestern Division of the American Choral Directors Association.

“We were selected by audition out of 34 entries to perform at the convention,” said Dr. Gary Gerber, professor of music, chair of the division of music and director of the choir.

The Ouachita Singers work diligently in class and individually all semester in preparation for each performance.

“We start work the first day of class and practice three hours every week,” said Meredith Martin, senior music and choral education major and vice president of the Ouachita Singers. “We also have a retreat every semester to take a weekend and focus on learning the music.”

Each student involved in the ensemble has a specific

see KIPP z 2

Ouachita Singers to release newest CD at concert

By TAYLOR TOMLINSON News Bureau

Ouachita’s division of music will present the Ouachita Singers in concert on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s McBeth Recital Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

The Ouachita Singers also will release their newest CD, “Sing Me to Heaven,” at the concert.

Since several of the students who helped record this CD last spring have graduated, the concert will debut the many new members of Ouachita Singers and “help them officially come together as one choral unit,” said Dr. Gary Gerber, director of the choir. Gerber also serves as chair of the Division of Music, director of choral activities and professor of music.

see SINGERS z 2

see CONCERT z 2

SNATS chapter comes to Ouachita

By HANNAH PEARCE Staff Writer

.com/obusignal eVERSION: NOW AT OBUSIGNAL.COM the

Signal

www.obusignal.com

10.10.13 Volume 122 Issue 7

Ouachita Baptist University

The complete print edition in a new interactive format.

Compatible with Student Village hosts annualmobile outdoor Refuge and tablets.

Molly Salmon. Photo by Kristen Barnard.

Tunes Coverage

TONIGHT

Past Winners, p.2

By CAROLINE POOLE

OSF, p.2

Joey Licklider, p.2 GROW, p.3 Alumni Office, p.3

Staff Writer

Campus Ministries will host Refuge in the Student Village circle tonight, after Tiger Tunes. The student-led service will not be held at Second Baptist Church as usual in order to accommodate many GROW students. Refuge is a

TOMORROW NIGHT

weekly time for Ouachita and Henderson students to meet and worship together.

“We like to have at least one outdoor service a semester,” said Kendall Calvert, campus ministries assistant director.

“It’s always fun to have a little change.”

With more than 300 prospective students on campus for a preview weekend

and GROW, Calvert explains that Campus Ministries wants to have plenty of space and create an exciting atmosphere.

The outdoor sound and lighting is set up specifically to accommodate the area and audience. Jake Fauber, a senior music major, and the worship team will lead students in a time of worship before Kyle Fischer, a senior Christian

Studies major, speaks.

“Having the service outside just creates a really fun atmosphere for everyone,” Calvert said.

The outdoor service has become a tradition for Homecoming weekend and continues to draw both current and prospective students together in a Christian community. n

As of September, a new group for the vocally-inclined on campus, SNATS — or the Student National Association of Teachers of Singing — has found a home at Ouachita “The main purpose is actually to help students and to give them resources for teaching voice,” said Dr. Maggie Garrett, assistant professor of music and Ouachita’s SNATS advisor.

Dr. Jon Secrest, professor of music and governor of the southern region for NATS, came up with the idea to start SNATS at Ouachita. The Na-

tional Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) has been around since 1944 and has more than 7,000 members across the U.S., Canada and 30 other countries, making it the largest professional group of teachers of singing.

“I want SNATS to spread throughout the vocal department because I think it’s something valuable to every single vocalist out there regardless if you’re vocal performance, music education or church music,” said Josh Wayne, a junior vocal music education major and the newly elected president of SNATS. “I believe that it’s very beneficial for all of them.”

So far, in the first three

meetings, the group known as OBU SNATS has elected officers, created a chapter constitution, discussed summer vocal programs and listened to guest speakers Mr. David Stanley and Mr. John Briggs present about vocal graduate school programs.

“In the spring, we’re going to focus more on things that relate directly to teaching voice,” Garrett said. “Things like setting up your own voice studio once you graduate, teaching children’s voices or teaching senior citizens.”

Although the group is small with just thirteen members, it has high goals and will be atsee SNATS z 2

“I want SNATS to spread throughout the vocal department because I think it’s something valuable to every single vocalist out there...”

JOSH WAYNE

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Thursday, October 17, 2013

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TOP

this weekzCALENDAR OUACHITA SINGERS CONCERT will take place tonight at 7:30 p.m. in McBeth Recital Hall. For more information, contact: Scott Holsclaw at holsclaws@obu.edu.

MEN’S FRATERNITY meets Sunday, Oct. 20, from 8 – 10 p.m. in the Tiger Den. For more information, contact: Jayson Harris at har50994@obu.edu.

REFUGE is tonight from 9 – 10 p.m. at Second Baptist Church. For more information, contact: James Taylor at taylorja@obu.edu.

INTERNATIONAL CLUB Date Auction is Monday, Oct. 21, from 9 10:30 p.m. in the Tiger Den. For more information, contact: Michelle Perez at per49864@obu.edu.

LIVE MUSIC at Dr. Jack’s Coffeehouse is tomorrow at 12:15 p.m. For more information, contact: Hillary Hill at hillh@obu.edu.

HALLOWEEN MOVIE NIGHT with Campus Activities Board is Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 8:30 p.m. at Speer Pavillion. For more information, contact: Hillary Hill at hillh@obu.edu.

Things We Would Rather Do Than Study For Midterms

5 4 3 2 1

Eat a bucket of nails.

Digest that bucket of nails.

Cover ourselves in fire ants.

Get hit by Miley’s wrecking ball.

Eat BBQ loaf from the caf.

By: Megan Scarbrough, Brittney Jones and Ryan Strebeck

SNATS

z Continued from Page 1 tending the Southern Region NATS Conference held Nov. 7-9 at Harding University in Searcy, Ark. There, students can audition with one song from their repertoire and two songs that the judges have chosen. The winner will receive a $60 cash reward, second place, $45, third place, $30, and fourth place, $15.

“This upcoming NATS, there is a very, very famous vocalist, Thomas Hampson, who is going to be attending that NATS, and we SNATS members might be able to go have a discussion with him.

“And something like that, that’s priceless experience for any vocalist,” Wayne said.

“That’s what I would like for SNATS to be able to do: more events that allow us to learn from these really big name vocalists out there to help us in our own artistry.”

Because it is such a new group, publicity is important for spreading the word about SNATS. “Music majors are quite busy and so it’s hard to reach out. It’s hard to say, ‘Hey, can you come spend more time doing something else?’” Wayne said. “We hope to promote it by bringing in great presenters, great information that they can use as tools for their future." n

CONCERT

z Continued from Page 1 “This first concert will show the new members how amazing it is to be in this group,” said Meredith Martin, a senior choral music education major from Garland, Texas. “We have a lot of fun together and all love making music. … We’re excited to share this with other people and hopefully make them smile.”

The concert will feature a variety of choral works from the 20th and 21st century. Dr. Gerber said that while in the past this choir performed mostly a cappella, this year’s performance includes more instrumental compositions to highlight guest pianist Dr. Adam Hass, OBU lecturer in

KIPP

z Continued from Page 1 College. A complete list of KIPP’s college partners can be found at KIPP.org.

Founded in 2002, KIPP Delta serves more than 1,200 students across four schools in Helena and Blytheville, Ark. Ninety-four percent of KIPP Delta’s students are African American, and more than 88 percent qualify for the federal free and reduced-price school lunch program. In 2013, KIPP Delta Collegiate High School was named the fourth best high school in the state of Arkansas by U.S. News & World

Visual Arts department hosts Seattle artist

By DAVID HICKERNELL Staff Writer

Seattle artist and illustrator Margaret Davidson will be on campus this week for a gallery talk and a drawing workshop.

Davidson will present a gallery talk today at 3 p.m. in the Hammons Gallery, where an exhibit of her drawings is on

display until Nov. 8.

“The drawings are wonderful illusional compositions of buttons drawn on a variety of surfaces. But they are also intended to be filled with meaning in this other way, as in making the connection through drawn buttons to this idea of women’s work as work that is inherently difficult, requiring ones full attention, and

also as work that is done in the service of others,” said Donnie Copeland, professor of visual arts. “I think she intends her artworks to be, very literally, in the service of others, perhaps to meet the viewer’s need for a visual, aesthetic experience, in the way that a mother or a seamstress would sew a button on an article of clothing in order to meet the need of whoever might be in need of that article of clothing.”

The free drawing workshop is tomorrow morning from 9 a.m. until noon in Moses Provine.

“The workshop is available for anyone at any level of interest. All the materials will be provided,” Copeland said.

“For those who have never tried drawing, this might be a great place to get their feet wet. For those with experience there’s no doubt that she will only enlarge ones ability.”

Anticipation of the workshop has already reached many students.

“I am excited about the workshop,” said Adam Oakes, a senior graphic design and computer science major.

“Though her works have the same subject matter (buttons), they are re-contextualized through different mediums.”

Some students may already be somewhat familiar with

Margaret Davidson. Her book, “Contemporary Drawing: Key Concepts and Techniques” has been used in several drawing classes at Ouachita.

“We get to lift up

role to benefit the group as a whole.

“I am a member of Ouachita Singers as a baritone, which basically means I sing in the middle, not too high not too low,” said Connor Goad, senior Christian studies and church theology major. “I am also historian for the Ouachita Singers which means I get to document and take pictures of all of our Singers tours and church and school visits.”

Each person involved in the Ouachita Singers enjoys his or her time singing and making music together during each practice and performance.

“It’s a time to come in a class and not worry about anything else going on,” Martin said.

“We get to lift up our voices to glorify God and use the talent He has given us.”

Every student has his or her unique reasons for being part of the group. For Sasser, the meaningful relationships she builds are what make her experience and time in Ouachita Singers dear to her.

“What I like most about being in Singers is the relationships that I’ve built with people in the group,” she said.

“Making music with people is a very powerful thing and it brings you very close to the ones that you get to share that experience with.”

Membership in the Ouachita Singers is an excellent opportunity for students to be a part of the Ouachita community.

“I know that my experience at Ouachita has been largely shaped by Singers and more

than their peers in neighboring district schools.

According to the Pew Research Center’s 2012 analysis, 33 percent of Americans aged 25-29 have earned a college degree. For students in the bottom economic quartile, only 10 percent complete college by their mid-20s. As of fall 2012, 40 percent of KIPP students have earned a four-year college degree after finishing eighth grade at a KIPP middle school 10 or more years ago.

KIPP’s college completion rate is above the national average for all students and four times the rate for students from low-income families nationwide. KIPP’s goal is to

reach a college completion rate that is comparable to that of the nation’s highest-income students.

KIPP is a national network of open-enrollment, collegepreparatory public charter schools with a track record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life.

KIPP was founded in Houston in 1994 and has grown to 141 schools serving more than 50,000 students in 20 states and Washington, D.C. More than 95 percent of students enrolled in KIPP schools are African American or Latino, and more than 86 percent qualify for the federal free and reduced-price

meals program.

Ouachita Baptist University, a leading liberal arts university, is ranked nationally among “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report and Forbes magazines. Founded in Arkadelphia, Ark., in 1886, Ouachita seeks to foster a love of God and a love of learning in a Christ-centered learning community.

For more information about the KIPP/Ouachita partnership, contact Lori Motl, OBU director of admissions counseling, at 870-245-4264 or motll@ obu.edu or Carissa Godwin of KIPP Delta at 870-714-9635 or Carissa.Godwin@kippdelta. org. n

Margaret Davidson z Courtesy “Button Coat with Superstrings.” Colored pencil on Arches Palatine paper, 2011, 34×32.5 inches. album “Sing Me to Heaven.”

music.

The program includes: “O quam gloriosum est regnum”

by Tomas Luis de Victoria; “I Will Lift Mine Eyes” by Jake Runestad; Michael McCarthy’s “Vidi aquam”; “Exsultate Justi” by Thomas Juneau; “Sing Me to Heaven” by Daniel Gawthrop; “Autumn” by Jussi Chydenius; Eric Whitacre’s “The Seal Lullaby”; Ryan Murphy’s arrangement of “Pilgrim Song”; Eric William Barnum’s “Fair Ines”; “O Gracious Light” by Howard Helvey; Gunnar Eriksson’s arrangement of “To the Mothers in Brazil: Salve Regina”; and Craig Courtney’s “Let There Be Light.”

For more information about Ouachita Singers, contact the School of Fine Arts at (870) 245-5129. n Report and one of five “exemplary” schools by the Arkansas Department of Education in 2012.

KIPP Delta is part of a national network of 125 KIPP public charter schools. A report released this year by independent research firm Mathematica showed that KIPP middle schools nationwide are producing positive, significant and substantial achievement gains for students in all grades and four subjects—math, reading, science and social studies. Mathematica researchers found that KIPP achieved these academic gains with students who entered middle school with lower achievement scores

SINGERS

z Continued from Page 1

Margaret Davidson z Courtesy

“I like the fact that last year we used her book in my drawing class,” said Melanie Herring, a sophomore dietetics and studio art major. “I really liked her work in the book, and now I get to see it here on campus.”

Davidson’s experience extends well beyond her drawing textbook; she has a BFA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from the University of Washington, experience in archaeological illustration, has been teaching at the Gage Academy of Art since 1994 and has also taught at Cornish College of the Arts and Pratt Art Center in Seattle.

For more info, contact Copeland at copelandd@obu.edu.n

our voices to glorify God and use the talent He has given us.”

MEREDITH MARTIN importantly, the relationships therein in a hugely positive way.” Goad said. “Some of my absolute dearest friends are in Singers with me.”

The Singers will also perform, in addition to the concert choir, as part of the annual Festival of Christmas, held this year Nov. 22-23, and in the Service of Lessons and Carols on Dec. 3. n

opinions

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Thursday, October 17, 2013

Top hats: bulletproof vests for your ego

By NOAH HUTCHINSON Opinions Editor @Hutch15 “Man rule #105: Never wear a hat without a purpose.”

I found that gem while trekking through the vast recesses of the Internet the other day, and frankly, it’s a load of nonsense. Some of the greatest hats ever made are also some of the most useless, unless looking dapper as Sean Connery doing a hat and cane number in an opera house directed by Christopher Nolan counts as a practical function.

Specifically, I’m talking about the top hat. It’s more than useless in terms of functionality, but if wearing one in public breaks one of your “man rules” then you should probably take that up with Theodore Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Just in case you’re wondering, T.R. once showed up at his would-be assassin’s house to ask him when they were going to fight to the death. Just try and take his man card away.

There’s probably never been a faster way to desperately need to see a surgeon and a therapist at the same time.

Manly heritage aside, there are definitely still reasons for the modern man to wear a top hat. In fact, I can say from personal experience that there’s no quicker way to make yourself feel invincible than to proudly strut into a crowded room with a hat that’s taller than a traffic cone.

First of all, once you enter a room wearing a top hat, you can do no wrong. Essentially, once you’ve left the house wearing something that ridiculous, you’ve already done something so stupid that every other embarrassing thing you do that day will pale in comparison.

Guy in a finely tailored suit asks you how many five-year-olds you could take in a fistfight? He’s probably a serial killer. Guy in a top hat asks you the same question? Not a big deal. He may still be a serial killer, but what did you expect? The saying “the clothes make the man” holds a lot more truth than people give it credit for, and when you show up in a top hat, you’re basically wearing a lunatic costume. It’s the most freeing experience I’ve ever had in my life. You could be released from a 50-year prison sentence via a naked skydive and you still wouldn’t know the freedom of having no expectations bestowed upon you other than “being a weirdo.”

Top hats also make great conversation starters.

Complete strangers will walk right up to you with an ear to ear smile on their face and start asking you questions about it. Where’d you get that? Why are you wearing it? The best part is, as I mentioned earlier, you can say whatever you want. You could tell them it was first prize in a paint-huffing contest or that it serves as a miniature prison for the elf that secretly feeds you everything you say through a teleprompter inside your head. They’ll eat it up. You were the weird top hat guy from the get go, so you aren’t really surprising anyone.

On the flip side of that coin, if you say anything even slightly intelligent or profound to the onlookers your headwear has attracted, it’ll sound twice as good. It’s

like that gorilla that learned sign language. Anybody who saw it would say it went above and beyond as a member of the gorilla community, even though learning sign language isn’t that impressive for a human.

It works the same way for people in top hats. If you masterfully help your neighbor install their sprinkler system, you’re just that guy who’s handy with tools.

If you do the same thing in a top hat, you’re an eccentric genius.

Lastly, and this takes the whole “feeling invincible” thing to another level, a top hat can be an excellent self-defense weapon. Back when top hats were socially acceptable, a man named William Barton Wright invented the gentleman’s martial art of Bartitsu (Barton combined with jujitsu). While beating people with canes and pulling your attacker’s coat over his head like you were in some kind of classy hockey fight were popular tactics, some of the most useful moves involved top hats. For example, if your attacker was further than arm’s length away, you could throw your hat straight into his face like a frisbee, giving you an opportunity to either run away or knock his teeth out.

Aside from being a good distraction, top hats are also fairly hard and heavy (if they’re wool), which meant they’d also do a fair amount of damage when thrown.

If you want to wear a top hat, don’t let any “man rules” (the guy who compiled that list didn’t know the difference between a tie clip and a clip-on tie, just so you know) or societal norms stand in your way. Make everyone’s preconceived notions work in your favor and bask in your newfound freedom. If anyone gives you any real trouble, remember, you can easily give them what-for with the Victorian death disk you’re now wearing on your head. T.R. would be proud. n

Ladies: stay patient, wait; men: pursue woman first

By HALEY MARTIN Staff Writer

If you’re the girl who is waiting for the right guy to come along, keep waiting. In regards to a previous article on dating, I felt as if all women were given a shallow and societal stereotype. Some women, especially at Ouachita, I would believe, have deeper standards than a title of “Doctor” or a man who woos them with the purchase of their favorite things.

Where’s the heart in that? Where’s the pursuit?

Guys will never know the burden that girls feel in the realm of dating. We are fully aware that the pressure to ask is constantly on the men, but that is because of the nature of how dating has always been. Maybe it is a lot to handle, but I feel like men find pride and excitement in “the chase.” If a girl began to pursue, she would never be released from the demand that she now feels to always be a pursuer. Why is it assumed that everything would still be fine with the girl if the guy she asked on a date said no? This shows a lack of knowledge of the heart of many girls.

If the woman becomes the pursuer, she then takes on the same role that the man plays as pursuer. If she gets turned down, she would then naturally move on to the next one and then the next one. However, the article points out that if a girl were to be rejected, she would simply go back to how life was and wait for a guy to ask her on a date. But this simply would not be how things played out. Sure, the girl would accept the rejection in the face of the situation, but a girl’s mind would never shut off from the question “why?”

“Why doesn’t he want to go on a date with me? Why am I not enough?”

Even though this insecurity might be short-lived, I think it is still unfair to say that the girl would go unharmed in this situation. I believe a man is to pursue because it sets the stage for how the rest of the relationship would play out. How does the girl pursuing the relationship put the ball in both courts? This is a double standard. If the girl begins the pursuit, naturally she would feel the need to carry out the pursuit for the rest of the relationship. What would this mean for marriage and family? God calls men to be the leader of the household.

Also in rebuttal, why is it assumed that

girls are the only ones who reject in a rude way? I do not think this is, firstly, always true and, secondly, fair to say. A man is capable of being just as rude to a girl as a girl can be to a guy. Not every guy would respond with, “You’re a beautiful human being, but I’m not interested.” Though I agree that if a girl were to ask a boy on a date, they might have a higher success rate than the reciprocal, I do not agree that it is under the assumption that girls are picky. As girls, we want to feel valued. Having soft skin, smelling good and laughing at lame jokes are not the prime reasons we want to be chosen to spend the rest of our lives with someone. What about common hobbies? A mutual love for the Lord and passion for his will in our lives?

Relationships are a two-way street, so guys who think all the pressure is on them should get over the speed-bump that may come at the beginning of a new romantic relationship. If the girl is respecting their efforts in turn, she will show him the due affection in return.

I think that “unless someone is doomed as a person” is a wrong approach to singles. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 7 that this might be an even better lifestyle for the believer.

I understand the different viewpoints in dating, but the role of the pursuer belongs to the man for reasons that may only make sense to me. Being a girl myself, I find flaws in the method from the other article. I understand that the opposite has happened and that there are God-honoring relationships that have started with the woman, but I don’t think this should become the social norm for interactions between men and women. n

I believe a man is to pursue because it sets the stage for how the rest of the relationship would play out.

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Noah Hutchinson z The Signal

Thanksgiving Day shopping takes meaning out of holiday

By KATY FIRMIN Staff Writer

Macy’s Inc. has just announced it will open on Thanksgiving Day for the first time. Last year, Walmart and Target opened on Thanksgiving Day as they have for quite some time, but earlier than in years past. It seems to me that Thanksgiving has become more of a commercial holiday than a time to give thanks.

Think back to Thanksgiving Day when you were younger. I remember family crowded around the dinner table, casseroles and side dishes surrounding the freshly baked turkey, pies waiting in the oven and laugher filling the house. Now it seems Thanksgiving dinner is simply a speed bump on the road to great deals and doorbuster prizes.

Companies are competing for business by opening earlier and earlier with “unbeatable deals.” Maybe it’s just me, but I think it is pretty hard to be thankful for all you have while pushing your way through the sea of shoppers searching for the best

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

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z EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

z ASSOCIATE EDITOR z NEWS EDITOR

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sales. Thanksgiving is a day to appreciate all we have been blessed with, not look for all the things we wish we had.

Maybe you don’t agree. Maybe you think you have plenty of time to be thankful then go on the hunt for everything you still need. Here is something else to think about then: what about the employees? Someone has to be there to manage the mob awaiting great deals on coffee mugs or luggage sets. My guess is very few people want to give up their holiday to work retail all night long, and who could blame them?

Crowds become greedy and violent; both shoppers and employees are often trampled (a few to death even) when the doors open. How could a few dollars off here and there be worth a life?

It pains me that this is what Thanksgiving has become. Perhaps in the future stores won’t close at all and it will be a normal work day. It seems no holiday is safe, and that all anybody cares about is profit nowadays. So how will you spend your Thanksgiving this year? n

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: 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, 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.

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sports

Thursday, October 17, 2013

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Meeting his match, making his mark

OBU Wrestler Q&A Taylor Poe What are your goals for this season?

My goals are to have a winning season, make it to the national tournament and become an All-American.

“Motivation and making a positive impact on someone’s life is what drives me and if wrestling is a tool to get that done then all the better. “ — Kevin Ward

What’s your favorite food?

I love to eat sushi.

What do you do with your spare time?

In my spare time I like to play disc golf with my friends, play “Street Fighter,” and just relax and watch TV.

Wrestling Team Roster

Class

Wrestler

Weight Class

Jacob Andrews Dexter Carter Lee Celestino Elyjah Crumpler Garret Evans Seth Hutchinson Nathan Jackson O’Dell Lee Andrew Martin Zach Mathews Troy Mercer Joseph Mereo Josh Myers Mason Pembo Taylor Poe Nathan Rodriguez Dallas Smith Sawyer Smith Max Welsh Bobby Williams

Fr. So. So. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. Jr. So. Fr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Sr.

165 165 125 165 125 133 285 197/285 157/165 149 197 125 141 197 285 133 184 149 149/157 157

Favorite UFC fighter?

Not GSP. I am a fan of Rampage Jackson, and Cain Velazquez is very entertaining to watch because he is a smaller heavyweight, but he is always grinding his opponents and breaking them, and Johnny Hendricks. I always like to see a fellow Okie doing well.

What are you going to be for Halloween?

I have a couple of luchador masks lying around, so if I’m feeling up to it I may throw one on and ask for candy.

Why wrestling?

One day after football practice freshman year, my coach asked if I wanted to sign up. I was a big fan of mixed martial arts and all of the top guys were wrestlers such as Matt Hughes, so I thought, “Why not?” I haven’t looked back since.

What are your future plans after Ouachita?

I am not really sure yet. I would like to try a career in MMA, but I also would like to train other people in weight lifting and wrestling if the opportunity presents itself.

If you could go back in time and give your ten-year-old self advice, what would you say?

To keep on keeping on. I don’t have any regrets and feel like everything I have done has made me who I am to this point, and I am very happy with what I am doing at the moment. n

Wrestling coach builds program from mat up

By DIXON LAND Signal Writer

@DixonCLand

H

ead coach Kevin Ward of the Ouachita wrestling team graduated from Soddy Daisy High School in Tennessee in 2001. He was on his way to the prestigious Oklahoma State University, where he planned to wrestle.

“When I went to OSU, they had already won 30 national titles. The transition from a small Tennessee school to one of the top schools in the country was crazy,” Ward said.

Oklahoma State is one of the best wrestling programs in the country and most of the second and third string wrestlers on Oklahoma State’s team could start on other collegiate wrestling team.

“There is really no easy day at practice,” he said. “You’re going into a room where the competition is the best of the best every day. College is tough enough, and then adding a transition into a program with that talent — it’s tough physically, mentally and emotionally. I knew what I signed up for when I went there, and I enjoyed my experience tremendously.”

Post-Grad, Move to OBU After Ward graduated from the program, he stayed on as a graduate assistant for four seasons before deciding he wanted to move on to something different.

“I was twenty-six and trying to decide what I wanted to do,” he said. “I was deciding between a couple of options and I knew I wanted to make somewhere my home and get settled in on a career.”

Ward contributes the opportunity to apply for the job through his relationship with Pat Smith, the first 4-time NCAA national champion in collegiate athletics and former assistant coach at Oklahoma State, where Ward met him.

“Definitely knowing Pat Smith and Greg Hatcher [through Smith], I realized that they wanted to start a program at Ouachita,” he said. “I wanted to feel like I could make a difference and this opportunity came along.”

Difficult Challenge Ahead “When we got here, we had an idea in place, but not much groundwork,” Ward said.

He started a program that had zero players, no facility and no schedule in April. By August, he had brought in 21 new freshmen with two transfers. He had a wrestling room built and got a full schedule.

“My head was spinning,” he said.

“Some days seemed to drag on forever.

There was just so much to get done.”

The first year, the wrestling team had to wrestle out of a storage room by the football field. The room had hardwood floors, a mat, plywood on the walls, no plumbing and no locker room.

“You walked in, changed, got on the matt and wrestled,” Ward said. “The first year was difficult for us. We finished last in the country, where everyone expected us to finish.”

He did say that he believed that the team that year wasn’t bad, “we just didn’t finish well,” he said.

Ward believes that the first year set a precedence for the future of Ouachita wrestling.

“Looking back,” he said, “some of the things we did that first year really set in place opportunities for us to be successful the following seasons. The first season was rough but we won

three matches that year, so we had three more than anyone expected from us.”

New Facility Greg Hatcher, of Hatcher Insurance in Little Rock and founder of the Arkansas Wrestling Academy, donated enough money and saw through the construction of a new wrestling complex that was finished before the 2010 season. Hatcher Wrestling Complex rivals any Division Two wrestling facility in the country.

The major jump in success came the second year that Ouachita fielded a wrestling team. Ward was able to focus on recruiting following the first season and less on managing other aspects like scheduling and making sure they had a place to wrestle.

The second season saw Tiger Wrestling go from last in the country to making the national tournament and placing 15th in the country. It was the biggest jump of any team in wrestling regardless of division.

New Goals Set This past year, the team had even more success, inlcuding another top 15 finish and three all-Americans. Dallas Smith, one of the premire wrestlers on the team also made the national championship in his weight class.

“Last year,” Ward said, “we had our first national champion finalist, [Dallas Smith]. Preseason rankings aren’t out yet for the upcoming season, but when they do come out we’ll be in the top 10, and we expect to finish there if we continue to get better day by day.”

Future of Tiger Wrestling Ward said while he’s very proud of his success so far, he looks to the next motivating milestones that Ouachita wrestling will experience.

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“I look forward to see who will be our first national champion, who will be our first four time all-American, and the year we bring home our first national championship trophy as a team,” he said. “Those are things we are capable of doing either this season or in the next few seasons to come.”

Ward said he’s happy where the program is at and is very comfortable in Arkadelphia.

“I absolutely love where I’m at right now, “ he said. “I’m placed here for a reason and everyday I think about how to make the most positive impact I can.

I’ve got a chance to be a positive influence on these guys lives and it just so happens that I can help them with their wrestling goals as well.

“I’m a very lucky man. Motivation and making a positive impact on someone’s life daily is what drives me, and if wrestling is a tool to get that done then all the better, because I think it’s the greatest sport in the world and I love coaching it.” n

PRESSBOX

Oct. 19 – OBU vs. Harding, 1 p.m.

Oct. 26 – OBU @ Arkansas Tech., 3 p.m.

Nov. 2 – OBU@ Southern Ark., 2 p.m.

Nov. 9 – OBU vs. UAM, 1 p.m.

Nov. 16 – OBU vs. Henderson State, 2 p.m.

Lady Tiger’s Volleyball

Oct. 18 – OBU @ NW Okla. State, 6 p.m.

Oct. 19 – OBU @ SW Okla. State, 1 p.m.

Oct. 22 – OBU vs. HSU, 7 p.m.

Oct. 25 – OBU vs. SE Okla. State, 7 p.m.

Oct. 26 – OBU vs. TAMU Commerce, 2 p.m.

Oct. 31 – OBU vs. Harding, 4 p.m.

Nov. 2 – OBU @ Kentucky State, 2:30 p.m.

Nov. 5 – OBU vs. UAM, 6 p.m.

“Looking back, some of the things we did that first year really set in place opportunities for us to be successful the following seasons.”

— Kevin Ward