OBU Signal - Oct. 31, 2013

the

Signal

www.obusignal.com

10.31.13 Volume 122 Issue 9

Ouachita Baptist University

THIS WEEK:

Ring-a-ling Handbell choir to present concert, Nov. 4, p.2

Face Lift Required CORE for students altered, p.3

Green Thumb A look into the campus greenhouse, p.3

Signal staff recognized nationally

by CSPA

By JESSICA STEWART News Bureau

‘Trick ‘r Treat’ Perfect Halloween flick, p.6

Attention Girls How to participate in No Shave November, p.6

Extra Cash Should college athletes be paid? p.8

S News 1 n S Features 4 n S Opinions 6 n S Sports 7 n

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) has awarded The Signal three Gold Circle Awards for the 2012-13 year.

“It is a great honor for Tanner Ward and The Signal staff to come away with three Gold Circle awards,“ said Dr. Jeff Root, dean of the School of Humanities. “They competed against college journalists nationwide regardless of the size of the university. It says a lot about the quality of our students at Ouachita.”

Tanner Ward, editor-in-chief of The Signal and obusignal. com, earned a second place award in News Page Design for “Blue vs. Red.” Ward is a senior mass communications business management and finance major from Bryant.

The Signal staff also received second place in Single Subject News or Feature Package for its “Ouachita Ripples” throwback edition and a certificate of merit in Editorial Writing for “It’s time for equal rights.”

“These awards are a big deal for us,” Ward said. “We are competing against the largest schools from across the United States, and we — a small college in Arkansas — are able to keep up with them.” see AWARDS z 3

Kristen Barnard z The Signal JOEL ROGIER and Caitlin Secrest perform in Johann Straus II’s The Revenge of the Bat, a comedic opera set in Victorian Era Vienna. Rogier plays Gabriel von Eisenstein, a baron, and Secrest, plays Rosalinde, his wife.

‘Revenge of the Bat’ opera opens tonight

By TAYLOR TOMLINSON News Bureau

O

uachita Baptist University’s Division of Music Theatre will present Johann Strauss II’s comedic opera Die Fledermaus, or “The Revenge of the Bat,” on Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. as well as a matinee performance on Nov. 3 at 2:30 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at www.obu.edu/boxoffice.

Students with a current OBU ID may receive one free ticket.

“Our cast is one of the best we have ever assembled for an operatic production at OBU,” said Dr. Jon Secrest, music director and conductor of the opera and coordinator of Ouachita’s vocal studies program. Secrest added that the opera contains “beautiful soaring melodies” and that the audience should recognize many of the tunes.

Set in Vienna during the Victo- Revenge of the Bat rian Era, Die FleTonight–Saturday, 7:30 p.m. dermaus is a threeact opera centered Sunday, 2:30 p.m. matinee on retribution and mistaken identi- Jones Performing Arts Center ties of prisoners, wives, old flames Tickets: $10/each and old friends at free with student ID Prince Orlofsky’s obu.edu/boxoffice ball. As a comedy, audience members should “be ready for an evening of fun and laughter,” said Dr. Glenda Secrest, stage director of the opera and professor of music at Ouachita.

According to Jon Secrest, the audience will also enjoy “the visual spectacle of the grand Viennese style.” Costumes for the performance see OPERA z 2

Survey to measure OBU student drug, alcohol use

By SAM CUSHMAN News Editor

@SamuelCushman

.com/obusignal eVERSION: NOW AT OBUSIGNAL.COM 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

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’

The complete print edition in a new interactive format.

O Compatible with mobile and tablets.

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

By NARA WESLEY Staff Writer

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

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.

Ouachita will participate in a national Alcohol and Drug Survey starting on Nov. 4 with a sample of 400 randomly selected students to assess the frequency and nature of alcohol and drug use among students.

According to Dr. Wesley Kluck, vice president for student services, Ouachita has seen a 400 percent increase in reported alcohol incidents since 2010. Before 2010 Ouachita saw about seven reported incidents each year.

Now the school is seeing around 28 reported incidents.

Kluck cites the report that Ouachita submits to the federal government each year that

“What we’re really trying to do is create a well-informed student community.”

— DAN JARBOE includes incidents ranging from theft to drug use.

The last time Ouachita did an evaluation of alcohol and drug use was in 2007, before Clark County voted to become a wet county. Kluck believes that the increase in reported

incidents is a result of alcohol becoming more accessible.

According to Dan Jarboe, the university counselor, the survey will seek to measure the frequency of alcohol use among students in addition to measuring attitudes and ascertaining the nature of alcohol and drug use.

“We want to identify what we need to do to help students make better judgments about this issue,” he said. “There’s a lot of ignorance, I think, about alcohol’s dangers to health.

Most of the students I have come in for alcohol violations cannot articulate the ear marks of a developing alcohol dependency. They think that it’s being in a drunken stupor all the time, not going to any of their classes.

“But dependency starts long before that,” he said. “It

starts with a psychological addiction: ‘If I’m gonna have a good time, then I got to have some alcohol. If I’m gonna relax this weekend, then I need to have alcohol.’ It becomes a necessity, a form of escape.”

Jarboe said the survey is taken by universities all over the country and will compare Ouachita’s drug and alcohol usage with other similar institutions around the country.

Jarboe assures that for each student’s response, full confidentiality will be maintained.

“Everyone involved will be assigned a nine digit number so there are no student IDs or names associated with any survey taken,” Jarboe said.

“It’s completely anonymous.”

As for changes in the school’s policy regarding the see SURVEY z 2

Thursday, October 31, 2013

www.obusignal.com

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TOP

this weekzCALENDAR RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE will take place today from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Tiger Den. For more information, contact: Randy Stribling at william. stribling@redcross.org.

REFUGE will take place tonight from 9 - 10 p.m. at Second Baptist Church.

For more information, contact: James Taylor at taylorja@obu.edu.

CHI DELTA OWL-O-WEEN will take place tonight from 5 - 7:30 p.m. at Grant Plaza. For more information, contact: Lauren Linton at lin49033@ obu.edu.

LIVE MUSIC AT DR. JACK’S will take place tomorrow at 12:15 p.m. in Dr. Jack’s Coffeehouse. For more information, contact: Hillary Hill at hillh@obu.edu.

DIE FLEDERMAUS OPERA will take place tonight thru Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday in JPAC. For more, information, contact: Jon Secrest at secrestj@obu.edu.

HAΩ DATE AUCTION will take place in Walker Rooms AB Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 9 p.m. For more information, contact: Josh Rubin at rub5492@obu. edu.

5 4 3 2 1

Treats You Don’t Want When Trick-or-Treating Peppermints Happy Meal Toys Cough Drops Toothbrushes Raisins

By: Werewolves Megan Scarbrough, Brittney Jones

OPERA

z Continued from Page 1

Jason Pullano z The Signal THE OUACHITA Handbell Choir parctices in the McClellan rotunda for their annual Ringers in the Round performance in Fall of 2012. This year’s performance will take place on Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Handbell choir gives students ‘different kind of challenge’

By CAROLINE POOLE Staff Writer

The Ouachita handbell choir has been a large part of the music program for over 30 years. Students can get one-half credit point for joining the ensemble directed by worship arts professor Dr. Rob Hewell. Hewell has been directing the choir for the past nine years, and previously directed church handbell choirs for 35 years.

Currently, four students participate in the ensemble.

Students must be able to read music, but they do not have to have experience playing handbells in order to join the ensemble.

The tradition of handbells originated in 17th century England where the bells were modeled after large church bells. Today, handbells are most popular in America and Japan, where there are many choirs for musicians to participate in.

“Handbells are a very

SURVEY

z Continued from Page 1 issue, Jarboe said that things are uncertain as to what the school will need to do based upon the survey findings.

“I think education is certainly a big part of what we know we need to step up our efforts in,” he said. “What we’re really trying to do is to create a wellinformed student community about alcohol and drug use.

It’s not really about responsible use, however. It’s really about those who are at risk to develop serious problems.

“My hope is that there will be some students who recog-

unique instrument,” Hewell said.

The bells are made of brass and are tuned to a specific note. The bell produces sound when the “clapper,” a small, brass part on the inside of the bell, strikes the wall of the instrument. The musicians hold the bells by a leather strap. There are several ways to produce sound from handbells, including traditional ringing, mallet ringing, and plucking the clapper. Each musician is only responsible for four to five bells, but when put together, the ensemble produces full chords and harmonies.

“You have to be an expert on your bells,” Hewell said.

“But you should be able to play any of the parts.”

Senior music major Kathryn Lee is playing in the ensemble for her fifth semester.

Lee also plays handbells for her home church in Azle, Tex. “Playing handbells is a different kind of challenge,” Lee said. “It’s a challenge but very rewarding.”

Lee and Hewell explain that handbells are a form of both aural and visual art.

“It’s not just what you ring, but how you ring,” Hewell said.

The ensemble plays a variety of music including sacred and secular music.

The ensemble performs twice a semester. The group will host “Ringers in the Round” on Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the McClellan Rotunda. The ensemble will also participate in the choral concert “Lessons and Carols” on Dec. 3.

“Handbells are a new way of making music for a lot of people,” Hewell said. “It’s a really unique experience.”

The handbell choir is open to all majors. What started as a mimic of church bells is now a form of worship among many people.

“It’s an amazing experience and an awesome form of worship for anyone who has the chance to experience it,” Lee said. “I encourage everyone to give it a try.” n

nize, even by the questions, that they need to take a closer look at their behavior. Many, if not most, long term alcohol problems develop right now at [these ages].”

Jarboe is correct in saying this. A survey of 40,000 adults done by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism indicated that among those who began drinking between the ages of 14 and 20, nearly half had become dependent by their early 20s.

“Drinking among college students produces no long term physical, social, psychological or spiritual benefits,” Jarboe said. “But instead is associated with a plethora of se-

rious human tragedies, as well as increased numbers of dropouts. As is obvious to most, few college drinkers engage in ‘responsible drinking’, rather – they drink to get drunk.”

Students selected for the survey will receive an email indicating their invitation to take the survey. They will be given a link to a website where they can take the survey if they so choose. As an extra incentive, one student will be randomly selected to receive a significant prize.

For more information about the alcohol and drug use survey, contact Jarboe through email at jarboed@obu.edu. n

will be rented from a professional company in New York, and “are going to be incredible,” said Kaylee Nebe, a junior musical theatre major from Mesquite, Texas, who heads the costume crew.

Also involved in the production are David Stanley, instructor of music, who serves as chorus master for the show; Joey Licklider, JPAC manager, who serves as technical director; and Dallas Sleeman, a sophomore theatre arts major from Kentwood, Mich., who serves as stage manager.

Those interested in the story but unfamiliar with the operatic genre should not be intimidated, Jon Secrest said.

“Our audience members are surprised at how entertaining the OBU Opera Theatre productions are,” he noted.

Nebe added that it should “be really easy for the audience to follow along and invest in the story.”

Cast members for the production will include: Chad Burris, a junior musical theatre major, as Alfredo; Tara Clem, a sophomore musical theatre major, as Ida; Todd McNeel, a junior mass communications and speech communication major, as Frogg; Victoria Mantooth, a senior vocal performance major, as Orlofsky (this role also is covered by Sarah Talley, a junior vocal performance major).

Joel Rogier, a senior vo-

cal performance major, plays Eisenstein; Seth Russell, a sophomore vocal performance major, as Dr. Falke; Caitlin Secrest, a senior vocal performance major, as Rosalinda; Jillian Turner, a junior vocal performance and music major, as Adele; Josh Wayne, a junior choral music education major, as Frank; and Jalin Wesley, a sophomore musical theatre major, as Dr. Blind.

Members of the women’s chorus will include: Ashley Bundy, a senior vocal performance major; Tori Clark, a sophomore choral music education major; Beth Crisler, a freshman musical theatre major; Kayla Kreger, a sophomore choral music education major.

Lindsey Lederer, a senior musical theatre major will also be a part of the women’s chorus; so will Katelyn Mason, a freshman vocal performance major; Taylor McKinney, a sophomore choral music education major; Lizzie Shelby, a freshman vocal performance major; Sarah Talley, a junior voice performance major; and Esther Weicht, a sophomore vocal performance major.

Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased at the Jones Performing Arts Center Box Office weekdays from 1-5 p.m.

Tickets may also be purchased online at www.obu.edu/boxoffice.

Students with a valid OBU ID may receive one free ticket.

For more information about the opera, call the box office at (870) 245-5555 during business hours. n

S3 news n

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Thursday, October 31, 2013

CORE classes to become more student-friendly

By RACHEL TIMOKHINA Staff Writer

In the fall of 2014, Ouachita will offer a new, more effective CORE curriculum that allows students more flexibility, while simultaneously lowering the required number of hours necessary to complete it.

The update process is one that Ouachita is very familiar with, having revamped its CORE several times before.

“We did make some significant changes to the CORE in 2006, but for the most part the current curriculum was put in place in 1999,” said Dr. Stan Poole, vice president for academic affairs, professor of English and dean of interdisciplinary studies.

This new, 2014 CORE curriculum focuses on moving students from high school to college and on to the work place.

“Under the new curriculum,” Poole said, “students should find it easier to double major, study abroad, or add an internship experience to their academic work, all of which promote more active, engaged learning.”

The minimum number of hours required for most degree programs will drop to 120 hours, an alteration that falls in line with a new state law requiring the hour change in public universities and one that Ouachita willingly adopted to give its students the same advantage.

Courses that remain an unchanged part of Ouachita’s university CORE curriculum include the following: Contemporary World, World Literature, Western Civilization, Survey of the Bible and Interpreting the Bible.

The biggest change for the university CORE curriculum includes OBU Connections, a course that will replace Introduction to Liberal Arts. Three potential sections are already being piloted this semester.

The new OBU Connections would give students the opportunity to choose between different topics chosen by the different professors teaching the course that semester. For instance, one OBU Connections professor may chose letters from the American Civil War as the course’s area of study for that semester, while another professor may choose Asian poetry or something similar.

Once students choose their class, they spend the rest of the semester viewing that topic through three or more interdisciplinary lenses. This liberal arts approach will incorporate art, history, science, literature and other disciplines, while introducing freshmen to college academic life and allowing peer collaboration on class projects.

There will still be a Composition I course required of all freshmen, but Composition II may take different forms depending on your major. For example, a mass communications major may take Composition I and Fundamentals of Media Writing. This specializes students’ writing techniques for their particular field of study and, eventually, their careers.

As replacements for Life Science and Physical Science, Ouachita is introducing Scientific Inquiry and Scientific Connections. The first, Scientific Inquiry, will introduce students to scientific reasoning and vocabulary, giving them the tools to intelligently add to discussions about today’s most intriguing scientific topics. Scientific Connections will build on Scientific Inquiry, encouraging students to apply this course to daily life.

In fact, Scientific Connections is only one of seven new menu headings found in Ouachita’s newly formed Flexible CORE. The Flexible CORE is a portion of the university’s CORE that will give students more choices when it comes to some of their required courses. Scientific Connections, for example, is required of all students, but from this menu heading each student will be able to chose between course topics, such as bioethics, climate change, forensic biology or even chemistry in art.

Other Flexible CORE menu headings include the following: Analytic and Quantitative Reasoning (i.e., math and logic courses); Applied Skills (personal finance or public speaking); Artistic Engagement (students choose between the fine arts courses for art, music, theatre or a new integrated course that includes all three); Civic Engagement in America (American Civ. or American National Government); Intercultural Appreciation and Communication (i.e., six hours of a foreign language); and Physical Well-Being (includes leisure activities and wellness).

Along with regular CORE and the Flexible CORE, another portion is Ouachita’s Experiential CORE. As the name suggests, the Experiential CORE is meant to encourage students to be involved with their Ouachita community. It includes Chapel, an Arts Series and OBU Passport -- all events that take place throughout the whole of a student’s time here at Ouachita.

Chapel will remain the same, weekly tradition.

The new Arts Series requires that students attend, present or perform at three art, three music and three theatre events. Students will write 1-2 page responses about each event to be submitted online within two weeks of attending the event.

Kelly Ferguson z The Signal HEATHER FRANCIS and Marissa Thornberry work in a physical science lab. Physical Science is among the CORE classes that will be changing to become more student-friendly. Scan QR code to view an article about potential online degrees at Ouachita.

OBU Passport will act as a sort of record, showing students’ progression and activities throughout their time at Ouachita. Students will need to participate in two events from each of four experience categories: Intellectual Engagement (e.g., lectures and seminars); Spiritual Engagement (e.g., a bible study group and worship services); Personal Engagement (e.g., intramurals and Scholar’s Day); and Community Engagement (e.g., internships and volunteerism). There are many events in each of the four categories from which to choose.

“Hopefully, these things would be talked about in the Senior Capstone Course,” said Dr. Deborah Root, professor of mass communications and the coordinator of assessment.

Each school or department will have its own Senior Capstone Course to review the students’ academic experience at Ouachita. This course is not due for approval until Dec. 2015.

“Some of the courses are upper level courses and won’t have to be ready in the fall of 2014,” Root said. “We just

have to be ready for the incoming students.”

No matter when each individual course receives approval, the new CORE will go into effect next fall.

“We still have work to do as we prepare to launch the new program next year,” Poole said, “but I couldn’t be happier with the way our faculty worked together on this important project.”

Alongside Poole and Root, the faculty members involved in the two year process to develop this new CORE: the late Dr. Tom Auffenberg, professor of history, the R. Voyt Hill Professor of History and chair of the history department (succeeded by Dr. Steve Thomson, assistant professor of political science); Dr. Chris Brune, assistant professor of finance; Dr. Terry Carter, Vaught Professor and associate dean of Christian Ministries; Dr. Sally Dann, assistant professor of kinesiology and leisure studies and the athletic academic coordinator; Dr. Eric Phillips, professor of theatre arts; and Dr. Jeff Sykes, professor of mathematics. n

Greenhouse offers conducive research environment AWARDS z Continued from Page 1

By NARA WESLEY Staff Writer

Unbeknownst to many Ouachitonians, there is a science greenhouse. It is located behind the Jones Science Center and Moses-Provine. Its purpose is to provide an ideal environment in which students grow plants for their classes.

“Botany uses it every semester as we have an experimental project all botany students are required to do . . . where they raise plants and perform basic experiments with them,” said Dr. Jim Taylor, professor of biology.

“This is to introduce the scientific method, the basics of performing research and how to write a scientific paper,” he said. “This helps freshmen determine if they actually like science or not before they get too far down the degree trail.”

Many students enjoy the freedom of growing their own plants from seeds without having the constraints of a classroom.

“We are using the greenhouse to grow our bean plants that we will use to conduct our experiments for a grade,” said Brandon Gaither, freshman biology major from Bismarck, Ark. “It really is a cool place for research because it provides such an amazing opportunity to monitor your own experi-

ments first hand. And in that greenhouse, all the work is your own; there isn’t anyone telling you what should be done and what to expect,” said Jack Hunley, sophomore biology major from Ashdown, Ark. The freshman botany students are not the only ones who use the greenhouse.

“A few people on campus put plants they want to keep alive during the winter in the greenhouse,” Taylor said.

It has served the campus well, though its age is starting to show.

“It is maintained by the botany students—so that is why it isn’t always in the best condition-- and work study students in the biology department. The bulk of keeping it somewhat in order goes to the work study students. It is a low priority building as it is pretty basic,” Taylor said.

Hunley is a work study student who diligently tries to maintain the greenhouse.

“When it’s not kept up, plants grow; and they get out of control. At the beginning of this year we had to go as far as using a machete to clear everything out,” Hunley said.

Its physical condition and appearance are not exactly ideal for class or for well-controlled plant growth.

“The greenhouse could use a new door. The door it currently has does not close all the way,” Gaither said.

“There are lots of things that could be improved in the greenhouse. It’s a little small. If multiple people are in it, there is barely room to walk around.

And lots of glass is busted out.

The greenhouse is made mostly of glass, and it helps to trap all the heat and stuff you need for it to be ideal for plants to grow,” Hunley said.

Another issue is that it cannot be used year round.

“There is no cooling system so you can’t use it after April or before mid to late September.

It does have a heating system that allows students to use it in the winter,” Taylor said.

Hunley said that all of the

problems could be fixed and that “it just needs a little TLC and some people willing to help.”

The greenhouse was built in the early 1970s using funds provided by Dr. J.D. Patterson.

“The maintenance department used to use it for raising the flowers on campus but when they built the new facility, they built themselves a greenhouse for that purpose,” Taylor said.

Students are welcome to visit the science greenhouse at any time. For more information, email Jim Taylor at taylorj@obu.edu or contact Tim Knight at knightt@obu.edu. n

Kristen Barnard z The Signal THE GREENHOUSE behind Jones Science center provides an area for botany students to grow plants and introduce them to the basics of the scientific method and scientific research.

As editor-in-chief, Ward is responsible for planning coverage, assigning reporters, editing copy, designing the newspaper and website, uploading content online, managing social media presence, assisting staff with interviews or stories and coordinating with advisers.

Sam Cushman, a junior mass communications and political science major, serves as news editor for The Signal.

“Working for The Signal is a great opportunity to expand your portfolio; it is a professional organization,” Cushman said. “My job as news editor gives me leadership opportunities. I get to coach new writers and help guide the direction of the paper. It’s a great opportunity. We all put in a lot of time – more than 40 hours a week sometimes. It’s hard work but very rewarding.”

These awards come on the heel of a Gold Medalist ranking for The Signal and obusignal.com from the CSPA for hybrid publications, or newspapers which also produce websites.

The Signal was also named runner-up for both 2013 Newspaper of the Year and 2013 Website of the Year for by the Arkansas College Media Association (ACMA) in April, among 22 others awards presented to the staff by the ACMA. n

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features

Thursday, October 31, 2013

www.obusignal.com

THE CREEPY HISTORIC DOWNTOWN CHURCH STANDS GUARD SINCE 1884

2013

By TANNER WARD Editor-in-Chief

@TannerWard

T

he Gothic-style building has watched over Arkadelphia from the corner of Seventh and Caddo streets for 129 years. It saw the establishment of Ouachita Baptist College in 1886 and Arkadelphia Methodist College in 1890, the town’s first car in 1908 and Adolph Hitler’s car when it broke down here in 1927.

The former place of worship of Arkadelphia Baptist Church now sits vacant downtown. Despite its tired appearance today, the building has a storied past and, unfortunately, an uncertain future.

When the building was dedicated in 1884, a bell tower on the corner chimed the hour as worshippers entered the 250-seat sanctuary. Light flowed through the blue and white stained glass windows while churchgoers sat in black walnut seats and listened to hymns on a pump organ.

The 34-by-56 foot building was completed for $3,000 and preceded electricity, telephone service and city water.

By the time the building was dedicated, just 70 members called the church home. By 1886 — the year Ouachita opened — membership stood at 166. As the church grew over the next two decades, additions were made to two sides of the building. By 1909, with 476 members, there was simply no more room, and plans were made to construct a new facility — the same facility the church, now called First Baptist Church, calls home.

Over the next several decades, the building served as a meeting place for other churches and ultimately a cleaners.

After the cleaners closed and a fire affected the interior, the building was purchased recently for $70,000 and a new metal roof was added.

However, a new roof is far from all the repairs needed.

Dr. Ray Granade, director of library services and local historian, said costs to renovate the building could exceed $1 million, and thus far, no one has any feasible use of it.

“Yes, we want to save it, but what are we going to do with it?” he said.

Structurally sound for another 100 years, the building will continue to watch over the citizens of Arkadelphia. n

Tanner Ward z The Signal

1890S

Clark County Historical Association/Special Collections z Courtesy

CONE BOTTOMS GHOST: SPOOKING GENERATIONS OF FRESHMEN LADIES

By KELSEY LAMB Online Editor

@Kelsey_Lamb The Cone Bottoms Hall ghost story has been around since the early 1900s and continues to be told even today.

The story is set inside Cone Bottoms, which used to be a freshman girl’s dorm building. There are a few different versions of the story, but the main theme is consistent.

The version of the story told in the 40s starts out with the story of a Ouachita girl who committed suicide after finding out that her boyfriend, whom she thought she was going to marry, had dumped her for another Ouachita girl. She was said to have killed herself in her dorm room inside Cone Bottoms.

“Her ghost was said to reside in the basement of Cone Bottoms and she would often roam the halls at night searching for the girl who stole her man and seeking revenge,” said Shirley Hardin, Ouachita’s assistant registrar.

The ghost is referred to as “The Lady in Black.” She is said to have worn a black flowing dress and her hair was wild. She had her face covered with a black veil and carried a butcher knife on occasion.

“Upperclassmen in Cone Bottoms used the legend to frighten freshmen,” Hardin said.

The freshman that were targeted were typically girls that were thought to think highly of themselves or seemed to be disrespectful. The upper classmen would arrange for one

of them to dress up as “The Lady in Black” to act like her.

“News would spread that the ghost was walking that night. A few upperclassmen arranged to be in the chosen freshman’s room that evening,” said Hardin.” At the appointed time, other girls began to make noises that came closer and closer to the student’s room.”

The older girls that were in the room with the freshman would pretend to be scared of what was happening. They would then make the freshman really scared and believe that the ghost was actually coming. The door would eventually fly open and the ghost would be standing there screaming. This would cause extreme chaos with the girls.

“When I was a freshman, we heard about ‘The Lady in Black’ but nobody ever came around to act like her,” said Krista Carlisle, a senior accounting major. “It was only a story by our time.”

Other versions of this ghost story say different ways that the girl killed herself. In the 70′s, Neno Nowlin Flaig said that she heard “the girl’s fiancé was killed in WWII and she killed herself when she was notified of his death.” There are other versions on her death that have been stated over the years.

“Over the years, there have been reports of blood on walls, windows breaking without explanation, a figure appearing in a window as well as in old photographs of Cone Bottoms, and “orbs” seen in the basement,” said Hardin.

To this day, the ghost is still suspected to haunt Cone Bottoms. But, no one actually knows if they are really hearing the ghost or if it is just their imagination. n

“Her ghost was said to reside in the basement of Cone Bottoms and she would often roam the halls searching for the girl who stole her man.”

— SHIRLEY HARDIN

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Thursday, October 31, 2013

TOUR

The Cone Bottoms ghost.

The Gurdon Light.

The old church downtown.

Arkadelphia is full of creepy places and stories.

Join us on a tour of some local historic sites and “hauntings.”

GURDON LIGHT: MURDERED, HEADLESS RAILROAD WORKER HAUNTS (TRACKS)

By NOAH HUTCHINSON Opinions Editor @Hutch15 “If you see the light and try to run away from it because you’re scared, it’ll show up right behind you.” said Sherry Kelly, Gurdon local and Gurdon Light enthusiast.

The Gurdon light is a mysterious, ghostly light that can be seen on and around the railroad tracks running through Gurdon, Ark. It’s said to be the ghost of a railroad worker who was beheaded by one of his coworkers in the 1940’s, still wandering the tracks in search of his head. However, people have been skeptical.

“The murder is a true story,” Kelly said. “A man named McLaine was actually killed, although we’re not sure if he was really beheaded. His son was present at his killer’s execution.”

The Gurdon light is not only a fun thing for the Gurdon locals to claim about their town, it attracts a fair amount of tourist attraction. Almost everyone who has visited claims to have seen the light, making it a popular destination for people looking for paranormal activity.

As mentioned before, there are skeptics. People who don’t believe in ghosts have claimed that the light is just about anything under the sun, but Kelly is still a believer.

“People have said that the light is anything from swamp gas to fox fire, although I’m not even sure what that is,” Kelly said. “Lots of people say it’s a reflection of the lights from the highway. They can say whatever they want, but I think it’s McLaine.”

Our little group from the Signal drove out to Gurdon on a dark and stormy night and walked all the way past the seventh bridge (there’s a series of foot bridges spanning a creek in the woods that’s been used as a system of distance to tell when you’re in the light’s territory) to see for ourselves. I had seen the light before, but only with a few people, and we had been flashing signals down the trail with flashlights, which led me to believe it was another group just ahead of us flashing their lights back.

This time, however, we didn’t see the light. The train tracks have been pulled up, which may have given peace to any wandering spirits associated with them, and it was raining, which Kelly herself said would probably prevent us from seeing the light.

Whether it’s lights from the highway or a headless ghost searching for lost body parts by lantern light, the Gurdon light is a great local legend, a fantastic piece of history and an adventure that’s hard to come by nowadays. I’d highly recommend going to see it to anybody, especially now that they have torn the tracks up; it may not be there much longer. n

“[People] can say whatever they want, but I think it’s McLaine.”

— SHERRY KELLY

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VIDEO: SIGNAL EDITORS VISIT GURDON LIGHT obusignal.com

OTHER ARKANSAS GHOSTS: FAVORITE HAUNTINGS FROM AROUND THE STATE

By NARA WESLEY Staff Writer

Ghosts are said to haunt places all across Arkansas.

Here are a few of our favorite stories: LITTLE ROCK Vanishing Hitchhiker: It was a dark and stormy night, and a young man traveling down Arkansas Highway 365 south of Little Rock saw a young girl walking along the side of the road. He pulled over and offered her a ride.

He draped his coat over her shoulders because she was cold and wet. She gave him directions to her house. When they arrived, the young man got out of his truck and went around to open her door for her. But when he did so, no one was there. He then knocked on the door of the house and explained to the woman who lived there what had happened. She said she had a young daughter who was killed years before. The woman said her daughter hitchhiked home once a year. The young man then went to the cemetery where she was buried and his coat was draped across her tombstone.

Old Arsenal Tower Building in MacArthur Park: When the second floor served as a theater, a uniformed man was seen lying across chairs during closing time. The woman who saw him went to get help to remove him from the building. When the second person approached the man, he turned around and dissolved into thin air.

A see-through apparition has been seen walking down the stairs. On late afternoons or stormy winter days, this ghost has been known to throw things at people for fun. If you walk down one flight of stairs, stop, and look over your shoulder, you may see a shadowy object fly past you.

Unexplained shadows, including two dueling men, have also been spotted many times.

The Empress of Little Rock Bed and Breakfast: Several strange incidents have occurred here. Once, the owner, Bob Blair, and his wife walked about the house contemplating how to remodel it to make it more appealing for guests. Bob noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turned, he saw a dapperly dressed man in a homburg hat almost float down the stairs. The strange

eyes seemed to speak to him through telepathy and said “Save this house.”

Another time, Bob was under pressure of how much it was costing to repair the house and how long it was taking.

The house was empty except for him when he suddenly felt a blast of cold air from behind. He somehow knew no one would be there when he turned around. Yet, an image of the dapperly dressed man in the homburg hat came to his mind and seemed to say “Don’t dare forget whose house this is. I’m watching.”

CAMDEN The railroad track: On Halloween night, a mysterious light always appears. Someone may have died there looking for a way home. It appears right across from the Pepsi plant, and only at night.

Burketts’ House: A young girl lived there who was allegedly beaten by her parents and then locked in a room, where she starved to death. Many people swear of ghastly sounds coming from the house and strange things have happened to vehicles passing by.

HOT SPRINGS Mayberry Inn: David Mayberry was shot in his home but was not killed. It is said that the bullets left in his body caused him to have schizophrenia. This mental illness is said to have caused him to stab his wife to death and burn her in the fireplace, which displays a creepy message on the wall above it. Mayberry also drowned his infant son, and strange screaming can be heard from the basement bathtub.

MAGNOLIA Southern Arkansas University – Horton Theater: A girl was to be the star of the performance one night when she was killed by train on her way there. Sometimes she can be seen walking along the catwalk during performances.

Once, a student was in the lighting control booth and was the only one in the room. When he looked at the stage, a rocking chair was rocking by itself. He took a picture. When he developed the film, all the pictures came out perfect except for that one — it was blurry. n

“America’s Most Haunted Hotel” The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs is said to be the most haunted hotel in America with more than 80 spirits living inside. Built in 1886 – the same year Ouachita was founded – the hotel has had a tumultuous past, opening and closing many times. Over the years, the hotel has been used as a women’s college, junior college, summer hotel and hospital/health resort.

The hotel appeared on the television series “Ghost Hunters” in 2005, in which hosts claimed to have seen full-body ghosts walking about – one of the only full-body apparitions they had ever captured on camera.

CHECK OUT MORE COVERAGE ONLINE @ OBUSIGNAL.COM!

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‘Trick ‘r Treat’ perfect Halloween movie

By NOAH HUTCHINSON Opinions Editor @Hutch15 It’s Halloween night. You’ve got homework, but you’ve already read half a chapter and only have three more of your four classes tomorrow to study for anyway. You’re practically halfway done. You deserve a little break, and it only seems right to mark the occasion. Back home you’d have needed something to keep yourself busy while you waited for the torrent of trick-or-treaters to trickle away in the twilight hours.

Probably watch a movie or something? Sounds like the perfect thing to do at this very moment..

So, you hunt to down a straight to DVD nightmare that maybe has some blood on the cover or something. Cheesy title. No actors you’ve ever heard of.

No indication at all that it’s going to be anything but awful. It winds up blowing your mind so hard that you force all your friends to watch it the next day just so you can reference it in casual conversation.

Horror is one of the only genres where that can actually happen. Round up a bunch of z-list actors and throw them in a swamp/haunted house/forest/ whatever and suddenly you’ve got a fantastic cast that would’ve been unwatchable in any other environment. That’s exactly what happened with “Trick ‘r Treat.”

Maybe not “exactly” what happened, but I’d bet you couldn’t call any of the actors in this movie by name. That being said, it’s a fun movie with interesting characters and a few jump scares along the way.

It’s perfect for Halloween.

The movie takes place in a small town on Halloween night and follows four different story lines: A girl looking for a date to a halloween party, a killer middle-school principal, a group of kids exploring a haunted rock quarry and an old man that doesn’t believe in celebrating Halloween. Everything’s tied together by this creepy kid in orange footy pajamas with a burlap sack over his head that pretends to be a trick-or-treater and murders people when they don’t

Noah Hutchinson z The Signal

keep their jack-o-lanterns lit until midnight.

The first thing this movie does right is not taking itself too seriously. Nothing you can put in a horror movie is a new thing. Vampires? If it’s the classic version, I’ve got a supersoaker full of Holy water with their name on it. If it’s the new version, I’ll just hurt their feelings to death. This movie knew that people aren’t really afraid of that stuff anymore, so they just used the classic horror movie tropes to get a few laughs and let suspense take care of the “scary” aspect.

The second thing it gets right is the amount of time they put into making everything look exactly the way they wanted it to. It doesn’t necessarily look realistic, but that’s because that’s not what they were going for.

It looks unusually creepy. The janky freight elevator at the rock quarry looks like something you’d see in a more industrial version of “Bioshock.”

The crappy cardboard robot costume on the blonde that dies before the title screen (of course there’s a blonde that dies before the title screen) looks just

crappy enough to call it that, but just good enough that you know it was made by the prop department on a movie set. The spectacles that this movie makes leave bigger impressions than almost anything else in the hour and a half or so it has your attention.

Finally, most of the characters that they want you to care about are legitimately interesting. You know the girl that leads the other kids down into the haunted rock quarry has made at least three other girls cry that week and her homeroom teacher probably loves her.

Whoever wrote this script knew how to make stereotypes seem funny and familiar rather than canned. It’s got the same feel as the crew members in “Alien.” You may not remember their names when the credits roll, but they were more than just moving props.

“Trick ‘r Treat” isn’t winning any big awards anytime soon, but that’s what makes it the perfect halloween movie. It’s funny, it’s weird, it feels like Halloween and you don’t have to be Hell Boy to not break your vertical jump PR every time a monster pops up on screen. n

‘No Shave November’ not just for men

55 shopping days ‘til Christmas, Girls’ shaved legs have no place in winter avoid giving these 10 awful gifts

By ANNA KUMPURIS Copy Editor

@AnnieBananie14

Tomorrow “No-Shave November” begins. Guys will start growing out beards, congratulating each other on their masculine ability to grow facial hair. They’ll take before and after Insta-pics, it will be a fun game and they’ll have a good ‘ol time.

On the other hand, very few girls will participate in “No-Shave November” and the ones who do may be judged by their friends. Well judge away everyone because if you’re a girl I’m proposing not just “No-Shave November,” but “NoShave Winter.”

Let’s all be honest here. Does anyone actually enjoy shaving their legs? No. Maybe we love the after product—nice silky-smooth legs—but the process of getting there is a pain every time. Let’s think about it: It takes FOREVER, especially in comparison with shaving a face. Guys just don’t get it. Legs have so much more surface area than faces do. Just when you’ve spent around five minutes on one leg and you think you’re finally done you remember that you still have a whole other leg to get to. Leg shaving adds 10 minutes, minimum, to your shower time and if you use shaving cream and are actually trying to do a good job it takes even longer.

It’s IMPOSSIBLE not to miss a spot.

Unless you get them waxed professionally, (and who’s got the time or money for that?) no matter how hard you try on your own, an hour later you will always find that one tiny—or not so tiny—patch of hair that you missed. It’s infuriating.

On top of that, Ouachita’s residence halls have tiny showers. A lot of girls never thought they could be very flexible until they were forced to start shaving their

legs in a college dorm shower. Surprising to the men out there, there’s actually a very specific method to shaving your legs in a dorm shower.

If you just try to bend down and do it, the water will wash off all your shaving cream. Nope, you have to bend in ways you didn’t think you could, and prop your leg way up on the questionably clean shower wall so that you can shave and keep your leg out of the water. And we all know standing that way gets exhausting before you’re even halfway done with the first leg.

Even after that grueling process, it NEVER lasts. You go through all that for silky-smooth legs and it won’t even last 24 hours. Especially at this school where nearly every building is unnecessarily cold and the goose bumps you get just bring your leg hair back all the faster. On a winter day where it’s freezing outside and in your classrooms, you’re lucky if your smooth legs last even six hours before the prickles start poking through.

Maybe you’re one of those girls who can shave your legs once and they stay perfectly smooth for a week and half. If you are, I hope you sleep well at night because you can rest assured that the rest of the girl world secretly hates you people.

Take all of that into account and then add the cost of razors, shaving cream and lotion and I think we can agree that it almost isn’t worth it. I’m not suggesting we all move to Europe and quit shaving all together. That would be gross. But I am saying that a pair of slightly, hairy, lady legs never hurt anybody.

If you’re a girl I dare you to boycott shaving this winter. Think of all the time and money you’ll save! I certainly won’t judge you. And who cares what your boyfriend thinks! You’ll be wearing pants all winter and he never has to know that your legs resemble the coat of a long-haired house cat. When springtime rolls around and we get our shorts back out, we can all start shaving again and no one will ever be the wiser. Who’s with me? n

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By HANNAH PEARCE Staff Writer

Alright guys, with the Halloween spirit coming to an end tomorrow, that can only mean one thing: the inevitable skip of Thanksgiving into Christmas.

I know, I know, none of us are ready for that. Gift giving is extremely stressful, especially on a college budget. To make things easier, I’ve compiled a list of things you should NOT give someone.

1. A “basically what they asked for” gift.

This is your typical Mom and Dad cop-out. My roommate, Hayden, once asked for a car and got Hotwheels instead last Christmas. One of my suitemates, Kate, got a robodog instead of a puppy to top that.

If someone asks for something specific and you can’t get it, don’t go for second best. It will top their list of all-time worst gifts, like it did for Hayden and Kate.

2. Money.

Money is great gift to give when you’re middle-aged and don’t know what to give your nieces and nephews. Don’t give it out. It also shows that you gave little to no thought in selecting a gift. Save the money for yourself!

3. A gift for their dog.

Dogs are cute, I get it, but the practicality of a chew toy is very minimal. Very.

4. A gift that’s actually for you.

My other suitemate, Jenna, tells a story of how her brother was about to break up with a girl right before her birthday and didn’t want to get her anything nice, so he bought her a brownie mix to bake him.

Although an extreme example, it happens all the time. For example: buying your dad a Kindle so you

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can play with it, too. (Guilty!)

5. Gift baskets.

Seriously, stay away from these: fruit baskets, bath amenities baskets with all the fruity smelling stuff. NO! This includes the mason jars full of the coco powder and tiny marshmallows that are ready to use to make hot chocolate.

6. Pictures of yourself.

Last year, my uncle gave me a beautiful picture frame with a cute quote about family on it and every single picture slot was occupied with a photo of him. This is also the uncle that has given me lint before.

Don’t give out that, either.

7. Anything that’s obviously regifted.

Kate’s boyfriend gave her his used Batman movies as a going-awayto-college gift. Needless to say, they are not together anymore.

8. A child.

My older brother was born on Christmas and he is a pain this time of year. He goes non-stop about how he shares a birthday with Jesus, blah blah. NEWSFLASH: Christmas isn’t even historically accurate as Jesus’ birthday. Christmas babies are a nuisance, so you better hope you don’t get one this year or ever.

9. Dolls.

Just watching the previews to the Chucky movies should give you the answer to why this is a bad idea. They’re CREEPY. 10. Anything with their face on it.

This includes but is not limited to: mugs, coasters, marble statues, phone cases, paintings, tattoos, blankets, etc.

Reading through this list, there is really only one thing you can safely give with no issues: socks. Hope everyone likes a good pair! Merry Christmas! 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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“Above all, I want to give glory to our team, our coaches, and most importantly, to God.”

Sports Editor Vent Fest

It is not a major issue, but an important one

— Haley Hatcher

Dr. Wesley Kluck z Courtesy

Hatcher brings experience to Ouachita soccer team

By DIXON LAND

Assistant Sports Editor @DixonCLand Haley Hatcher, a sophomore mass communications major, is one of the new starters on the Ouachita women’s soccer team.

Hatcher is starting as forward this year, where she is expected to be the first player to have a chance to score.

“My goal as a forward,” Hatcher said, “is to get the ball is the net. We are the furthest up on offense and are expected to score when we get the chance.”

Hatcher started playing soccer when she 3 years old. Her father, Greg Hatcher, founded the Bluebird Soccer Club team and she became one of the premier players on the team. As she grew up learning how to play and love soccer, she found success in it.

“There were tough times, but I began to really love soccer and understand why it was important to my life,” she said.

Hatcher said there were long nights and early mornings learning the fundamentals of soccer, but she doesn’t regret a single one of them.

With the Bluebirds, Hatcher won 20 straight tournaments, a number-one U12 ranking and 6 state championships.

The Bluebirds are well known in the state of Arkansas for developing talented soccer players early on in their

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Thursday, October 31, 2013

careers. With the Bluebirds, Hatcher thrived and gained significant experience against some of the best soccer players in the southeastern United States.

She said her experience with the Bluebirds gave her a competive edge over many of her competitors and challeged her to become an even better player each day she practiced.

From the Bluebirds, Hatcher joined her high school soccer team at Central Arkansas Christian Academy.

There she led the Mustangs to a state championship her senior season. As well as soccer, Hatcher also starred at CAC in basketball.

Hatcher gained All-State honors in both basketball and soccer three consecutive years with the Mustangs.

Following her senior season at CAC, Hatcher decided to try and play at Arkansas.

“It was a tough decision,” Hatcher said. “I was given the chance to play for the Razorbacks and didn’t want to regret not giving that opportunity a chance.”

There, she played in 14 games her first season. She scored her first goal against Missouri State and it was also the game-winning goal.

While Hatcher said she did enjoy the ability to play at the University of Arkansas, she said it wasn’t what she wanted out of the college experience.

“I’m glad I gave Arkansas a chance. It has given me a greater appreciation for Ouachita

and how much I love it here.”

Hatcher said she also enjoys the ability to balance her soccer with her social life and grades.

“I love at Ouachita how connected athletes are to everyone else,” Hatcher said. “I love being able to play soccer but also have a social life and be able to balance grades with all of that.”

On this season, Hatcher says that she wants to work as hard as she can to make the team better.

“I want to play the hardest I can and do whatever the team needs me to do,” she said. “I want to be a team player and make the team the best it can be. Above all, I want to give glory to our team, our coaches, and most importantly, God.” By playing her hardest, Hatcher believes that example will be the best form of leadership. She also said she wants to be even more of an encourager this year.

After college Hatcher said she wants to move on to something besides soccer. Hatcher is currently studying mass communications and said after college, it would be difficult for her to try something other than soccer.

“Soccer has always been a part of my life,” she said. “It will be challenging to move on, but I’m excited to try some new things.”

When asked, Hatcher said she is still considering coaching on the side.

“I definitely wouldn’t rule it out,” she said. n

Lady Tigers Season Scores

Oct. 15 – OBU vs. Texas A&M at Commerce, L 0-1 Oct. 27 – OBU vs. SW Okla. St., L 0-1 Oct. 18 – OBU vs. Harding, L 0-1 Nov. 1 – OBU vs. Southern Nazarene Oct. 25 – OBU vs. NW Okla. St., W 7-0 Nov. 3 – OBU vs. East Central

Tiger Football

New Episodes Debut Fridays at Noon Dr. Jack’s Coffeehouse

This Week: Halloween Hot Seat with Hosts Jackson Carter and Ben Cline Intramurals: Soccer coverage with Hosts Mitchell Kelley and Tyler Davis Watch online at www.obusignal.com

By CHELSEA BYERS Sports Editor

@Chelsea_Byers So here we are again. It’s the middle of the first semester of what feels like the rest of our lives, and fall sports are in full swing. I figured since we’re covering one of the biggest issues in college sports on the following page, I would spend this column venting about other not-as-hot issues. I mean, I’m allowed to vent; I’m a girl. At least I think that’s how it works. So to kick off this vent fest I would like to start with something that really gets under my skin.

1. Those fakers. Let’s be honest with ourselves here before we vent about the rest of the population. We all have faked one time or another in our sports knowledge; I’ll admit I’ve done it myself. There have been one or two debates when we’ve all said we think Lebron James isn’t that great of a basketball player when, against all the odds, he is. But this isn’t an AA meeting for Athletic-fraud Anonymous, this is me venting about all of those jokesters who fake their sports knowledge all the time.

If you are one of those people, you need to either a) admit you are a pathological liar, b) admit that you aren’t ever going to date an athlete, or c) hand in your man card until you actually acquire a decent amount of knowledge about sports.

Unfortunately, these fakers live and breed among us, and not to call anyone out, but the majority of these people are of the female gender. Now I don’t want to bash on my fellow girls, but just because guys like a girl who can talk sports doesn’t mean they like a girl who lies about knowing about football and basketball and every other sport. Not cool, ladies. Now, onwards to the second.

2. Those socially inept sports fans. Oh dear, this one is definitely not the girls. Sorry boys, but this is pointed directly at you. Ever been on a date with someone who has no idea what to talk about so they start talking about the weather?

Can’t say I have, but I’m sure it happens. It definitely happens to me when I’m hanging out with a friend and they’ve got nothing, so they just talk about sports.

Now there is never anything wrong with talking about how well the Florida Gators did that week or how awful Clemson is this season, but when you use it as your last and only resort for conversation, it gets old pretty fast.

So for this one, it would be much appreciated if we kept sports to a minimum and talked more on an appropriate social level, such as how the other is doing, how school is going, what funny thing happened the other weekend, or what the future may hold. These are all topics that allow you to really get to know a person. So boys, take a tip from a girl, and expand your social skills before going on your next date.

3. Those know-it-alls. I’m sure every one of us has a friend who falls under this category. Not that these people are bad, they’re just annoying because we all wish we were them.

They’re the ones who always win with their absolutely stunning Fantasy Football team, win all of those bets for baseball and have the highest percentage at the end of March Madness.

Now these guys made my vent list because they rub me the wrong way. To throw out a disclaimer, this category is not by any means talking about those sports fanatics who act like they know it all, but in all reality don’t know anything about anything, literally. That falls under the above.

This is the “I literally know everything about everything” kind of people. The guy who sits next to you at lunch who you’re best friends with but know it’s dangerous ground to start a debate about sports. (We all hate losing, totally not even worth it.) This is who I am venting about. They’re not losers by any means, but sometimes we just want to call them that to feel better about ourselves. The know-it-alls are the perfectionists in the sports world. I’m venting to those kids who push the other guys around just because they can. Hate that.

4. Those do-nothings. You know, couch potatoes, the guys who are always glued to their television or laptop screen because they can’t spend more than an hour away from the world of sports and their precious Fantasy team. This group is those who barely have a social life and whose friendships are hanging on by a thread. They have a permanent dent in the recliner where they spend their time with a coke and a remote flipping through the different baseball games on TV after class.

Quick tip from yours truly, it is not attractive to always be on your phone ignoring the rest of humanity or in your room watching television ignoring your failing grades. Unattractive and annoying – two reasons I added these guys to the list.

They may be avid sports fans, but they have a bit more social skills to acquire. They need to get out and get social.

5. Those rude people who vent about their feelings all the time. Oh wait. n

PRESSBOX

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.

Tiger Basketball

Nov. 2 – OBU @ SE Missouri St., 7 p.m.

Nov. 8 – OBU vs. Campion Baptist, 7 p.m.

Nov. 11 – OBU vs. Ecclesia College, 7 p.m.

Nov. 15 – OBU @UA Fort Smith, 7 p.m.

Lady Tiger Basketball

Nov. 11 – OBU @ TWU, 7 p.m.

Nov. 21 – OBU @ East Central, 5:30 p.m.

Nov. 23 – OBU @ SE Okla. State, 2 p.m.

Dec. 1 – OBU vs. Midwestern State, 2 p.m.

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SPECIAL REPORT:

should

college athletes be

paid? by: Dixon Land & Chelsea Byers

S

temming from recent controversy regarding Johnny Manziel, Cam Newton and the Ohio State football team (including notably Terrell Pryor), the old debate regarding paying collegiate athletes has flared up once again.

It’s important that fans understand some of the main points that have been presented from both sides and then make their own conclusions on the subject.

The NCAA has remained firm on the issue, including a recent statement from NCAA president Mike Emmert, who commented on the issue.

“Rather than push college athletics further and further from academics,” he said, “we need to bring it closer.

Compensation for students is just something I’m adamantly opposed to. We’re providing athletes with world-class educations and worldclass opportunities.”

Nevertheless, the amount of money that is made annually from college football has led to serious criticism of the NCAA’s decision to keep that money regulated to the school, the program, and itself; and out of the hands of the players that generate it.

The Money Situation One of the major issues anticipated by many, if the NCAA were to reform, is the way the money would be spent.

Some argue that players should each receive a stipend that would help them pay for meals, gas and the occasional movie night.

Others argue that players should be played on merit. They say that someone like Johnny Manziel or Jameis Winston should be payed more based on their performance than a third-string defensive lineman.

Anti-pay advocates argue that scholarships are enough. They say that the NCAA would have a tough time regulating stipends and have an even tougher time defining different levels of merit for merit-based pay.

Furthermore, many argue that by allowing this to happen, the NCAA would turn into the NFL where money is just as much a factor to winning a football game as player’s ability is.

Recruiting Advantages Many argue against paying collegiate athletes because of the unfair advantage that bigger schools would have.

If a major Division One school can pay an athlete more to sit on the bench for four years than a smaller school can pay its best player, then that creates an unfair advantage towards the established schools and creates a top-heavy system. Furthermore, this negates the chance for many schools to improve their pro-

Pedro Alcocer z Courtesy

gram through good, fair recruiting.

As a counterpoint, advocates of paying players say that athletes should be allowed to pick a school based on how much they can pay.

Why not gain more money? Many athletes would benefit by making a decision to play for more money, similar to the way players do in the NFL all the time.

The Money Generated The biggest issue that many bring up when discussing whether or not players should be paid is the massive amount of money that pours into universities and the NCAA each year due, in large part, to ticket sales, merchandise and advertisement. Should players have a share of this money?

They certainly generate it through their play on the field.

On the allegations that Manziel possibly received money for autographs, Dez Bryant had some serious words to say that echo many players’ view on this subject.

“He should be able to sign as many autographs and make as much money as he wants, because it’s his name,” Bryant said. “I feel like he’s the one who created it. Shoot, the NCAA is making money off of it when they’re selling those No. 2 shirts. Why can’t he make a little bit of money off of it?”

While specific to making money off autographs, this does tailor specifically to a broader complaint among many that the NCAA and many universities make millions of dollars on their players’ performance.

Implications for Div. II, III Another major question that has been raised by many is the affect that this type of change would have on the subdivisions of college football.

Those that play in Div. II and III put in a significant amount of their time to practicing and work just as hard. Would such regulation and monetary changes apply to these student-athletes as well? In reality, there are many points in this debate.

While this issue can be debated, the NCAA has been clear on its decision: it’s not going to budge.

Nevertheless, fans must remember that these are students. They are college kids that are going to make mistakes and thus must still be held to the standard of an amateur until they are ready to become a professional. That is a process that doesn’t just happen overnight.

By paying athletes, the NCAA would take away its “amateur” status and the level would become professional. College football would become a simple stepping stone to the NFL, dominated by more conflict off the field than on it.

Do we really want that in college football? That’s the underlying debate that warrants more discussion. n

“Many college athletes put in upwards of 20 hours of practice per week; the amount of energy and time put into their sports surpasses any other extracurricular activity.

Nearly all free time is absorbed, making a supplemental sports stipend a valuable consideration.”

– Kirby Von Edwins

I strongly believe that paying collegiate athletes downplays the importance of receiving an education.

A quality education is the most important thing a student-athlete can take from college – the lessons and personal attributes gained from participating in athletics are a huge benefit, but not more important than an education.

Coach Kevin Ward

I just feel like it should be the same as it always has been. Money shouldn’t even come into the picture for a college athlete. They are a professional and they are getting a scholarship to get a degree which is more important in the long run.

Quarterback Benson Jordan “I personally believe that athletes should not be paid. Although I don’t doubt that the amount of work they do deserves pay, I think that there is no way to properly regulate payment of players and ensure that everyone gets paid, including walk-ons. Also because Kirby’s opinion is invalid.”

– Ben Cline