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Sanders reminds audience, ‘God is in control’
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BY ETHAN DIAL Editor-In-Chief
“Surviving the White House... [is] all about knowing who you are before you ever step in the building and knowing that nothing that anyone says about you can define you if you don’t allow it to. And I really tried to remind myself of that every day and really live out who I decided I was going to be beforehand,” said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former White House Press Secretary and Ouachita alumna.
As a part of the Birkett L. Williams Endowed Lecture Series, Sanders spoke to students, staff, faculty and guests Monday evening in Jones Performing Arts Center. While answering questions from President Ben Sells, which were formed by communications students in Dr. Deborah Root’s Senior Seminar class, Sanders addressed various aspects of her personal and professional life, while also encouraging students to enjoy the cherished moments spent on this campus and boldly take on life when they leave this place, standing up for their faith and family.
Thanking professors, including Dr. Bill Downs, who passed away last year, Dr. Doug Reed, Dr. Kevin Brennan and Dr. Hal Bass, Sanders emphasized the vital role her education at Ouachita has played in her success.
“I stepped onto this campus almost 20 years ago...and if you had told me at that time, when I was coming to Ouachita, that I would one day be the White House Press Secretary and I would do that for Donald Trump, I would have laughed in your face. And I got the preparation I needed from Ouachita to do that job, and frankly if Ouachita can prepare me for that, then it can prepare anybody for anything,” Sanders said. “It was the relationships and the environment that Ouachita put such an emphasis on that really helped empower me to go out and take on pretty much anything.”
Ouachita not only gave her a strong sense of community, many friends who traveled across the country to attend the homecoming event, but was a place that enabled her to grow in her faith. That faith was the foundation of the perseverance and stamina she needed to handle the stressful demands that came with the job of press secretary.
“In terms of confidence, it goes back to my faith: the fact that I don’t need anybody from the Washington Post or the New York Times or Saturday Night Live to define me; God has already done that,” Sanders said. “I know exactly who I am and I don’t have to wake up every day wondering who that is and what that’s going to look like, and to have that comfort and that confidence going into every day, it makes everything else disappear. When you can focus on who God created you to be and know that He has a unique purpose for your life, then it is a remarkable feeling and gives you all the confidence you need to face even the greatest challenges you could imagine.”
While Sanders was only the third woman to ever hold the honor of being White House press secretary, she was the first mother to have the job, and she has seen her experience parenting as great preparation and above all else, her greatest accomplishment.
“I got a lot of different exposure to a lot of different political and campaign practice, and in the midst of all of that, the greatest achievements I had [were] I got married and I had three kids and, you know, it’s certainly the greatest thing I’ve ever done. And my biggest success are those things, for sure,” Sanders said.
However, juggling parenthood
Former White House Press Secretary and Ouachita alumna Sarah Huckabee Sanders responds to questions from Deborah Root’s Senior Seminar class posed by President Ben Sells as a part of the Birkett L. Williams Lecture Series. (photo by Hannah Smith) in the political frenzy of Washington D.C. was not an easy task, especially after receiving so many substantial threats on the job that she became the first White House press secretary in history to require Secret Service protection.
“It was, you know, very difficult for our family during that time, but it was still important for us to stand up and talk about what we thought was right and to stay strong and steadfast in our faith throughout that process. And I think we’re stronger and closer as a family because we went through that and came out on the other side,” Sanders said.
Sanders also remarked on the distortion of her relationship with the press and encouraged students to “never read the comments.”
“Despite what most people saw on TV, I actually had a very good working relationship with a large number of the White House press corps. They’re some of the shrewdest, most talented, toughest reporters anywhere in the world, and we had a good back and forth. Sometimes, it was difficult for both sides, but there was sort of a sense of ‘I have a job to do, you have a job to do,’ and behind the scenes we actually a lot of times worked very well together,” Sanders said. Ultimately, in the midst of all the chaos, Sanders credits her faith as her driving force.
“If your faith is real to you, it defines who you are and it’s something that you should be very proud of and be very public about. I have no apologies for my faith. At the same time, I never want to impose my faith on somebody else, so while I’m open about it, I’m not going to force anybody else to follow what I’m doing,” Sanders said. “I would want to live a life that they see something different and something different inside of me that they want too. I want to live a life that’s full of joy even when it’s hard to have it and I want people to want that and to see that light and hope that they can have it. I think that’s the best way that Christians can impact other people is to live a life that is worthy of the grace that God has shown us.”
In the end, Sanders marveled at the Lord’s provision and realized the importance of constantly remembering, “God is in control.”
“Every single day that I stepped into that building, I knew that it was an honor and a privilege to be there, and one that I didn’t want to take for granted. I knew that I had a responsibility to serve in that role and to serve the American people and it was one that I cherished... one I was proud beyond belief to have held and something I never thought that I would be able to do,” Sanders said. “ I always said that if I ever went into the White House and I didn’t have a sense of reverence and a sense of appreciation then I didn’t need to be there, and I’m thankful that I never had that moment, that I always respected not just the president that I served but the presidency as an institution. And I think that our government and our democracy and what America is is so incredible and so special and so unique that we should never allow it to be upended and destroyed. And I think that we all have a part to play to make sure that we protect and preserve an America that we love [and] an America that we want our kids to get to experience and grow up in.”
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Ouachita to host performer
Robert Edwin to speak in
Birkett Williams Lecture BY ASHLY STRACENER Ouachita News Bureau
Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music and Vocal Studies Program will host professional singer and actor Robert Edwin for a lecture and performance on Thursday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. in Ouachita’s McBeth Recital Hall in Mabee Fine Arts Center. The event is part of Ouachita’s Birkett Williams Endowed Lecture Series and is free and open to the public.
The lecture, titled “Is Music Really a Universal Language?,” will explore Edwin’s career in the performing arts as a renowned voice teacher, professional singer and actor. Edwin also will perform as part of the lecture.
“Robert is such a refreshingly creative individual whose experiences in the world of music are rich and widely varied,” said Dr. Jon Secrest, Addie Mae Maddox Professor of Music. “He has instructed literally dozens of Broadway performers and adjudicated vocal competitions all over the country. I know the community will be enriched so much by his lecture-recital.”
Edwin has been a professional singer and actor since 1965, a recording artist since 1966, an ASCAP songwriter since 1967, a published author since 1968 and an independent studio singing teacher and coach since 1975. He has sung Bach cantatas in church cathedrals and rock songs in New York City’s Greenwich Village, recorded for Avant Garde and Fortress Records and toured extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Edwin also has served as an adjunct voice instructor for the University of Michigan, as a master teacher for the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Summer Intern Program and presently is on the Editorial Board of Australian Voice. Some of Edwin’s notable students include Bianca Ryan, season one winner of America’s Got Talent; Ian Eisendrath, music supervisor and director of “Come From Away” on Broadway; and contemporary Christian recording artist and songwriter Paul Baloche.
Also a leading authority on contemporary commercial music and child voice pedagogy, Edwin is an associate editor of the NATS Journal of Singing, a frequent faculty member of the Voice Foundation’s Annual Symposium: Care of the Professional Voice and a member of the distinguished American Academy of Teachers of Singing (AATS).
“Being exposed to elements of the arts always gives one a new perspective on the creative thought process of one’s own discipline,” Secrest said. “All arts impact all our thinking, whether we are fully aware of it or not.”
Ouachita’s School of Fine Arts, Division of Music and Vocal Studies Program will serve as hosts for this Birkett Williams lecture. Ouachita’s Birkett Williams Lecture Series was established in 1977 through a gift from the late Birkett L. Williams, a 1910 Ouachita graduate. His generous endowment established the lectures as an opportunity to extend the concepts of a liberal arts education beyond the classroom by bringing renowned scholars and public figures to Ouachita’s campus.
For more information, contact Dr. Jon Secrest by email at secrestj@obu.edu or by phone at (870) 245-5134.
Tigers for Life week offers opportunity to appreciate students
BY LANGLEY LEVERETT Staff Writer
The Ouachita Student Foundation (OSF) is hosting its annual Tigers for Life week March 9-13. This week is a philanthropy outreach project dedicated to honoring and appreciating Ouachita students and faculty.
Organized by OSF Philanthropy Committee Chairs Racheal Smith and Tyrese Allen, the week will have events for students to pick up snacks, engage in fellowship and relate to the week-long conversation of purpose.
“What we’re looking to do during Tigers for Life week is make it a moment where students actually feel like they’re appreciated on campus,” Allen said. “I feel like we focus so much on our donors and alumni. We have alumni banquets, we have donor’s banquets and all these other things. We sometimes forget that we actually have to appreciate the students that are here, now, in the present. We want to show that what our students are doing is affecting Ouachita.”
Each day will have something different to celebrate students’ efforts in making Ouachita what it is today.
“On Monday, we will have a A freshman student sports his new Ouachita beanie and Tiger for Life T-Shirt at Welcome to Ouachita’s World. With Tigers for Life week, OSF strives to continue this school spirit in the hearts of the entire student body. (photo by Justin Trostle)
percentage day to raise funds for the rest of the week and students’ scholarships. Tuesday we will have a video at the beginning of Chapel, so that we can show what it means to be a ‘tiger for life,’ now and in the future,” Allen said. “Every day of the week we are going to do a banner sign, which will be a way for students to sit down and think about why students are here outside of their education. On Friday, we’re doing ‘Pops and Bops’ which will be during Coffee House...There’s also a day where we’re going to have pancakes in the Student Center.”
By attending events throughout the week, students can find ways to pause and reflect on their Ouachita experience with gratitude.
“None of the events offered are a large time commitment, as we wanted them to fit around students’ schedules,” Smith said. “I think by showing up, there is something to take away from each of the events...It can have a huge impact when you stop and think about all that Ouachita provides us with - intellectually, socially and spiritually. I am hoping students will take away a better sense of what it means to be ‘tigers for life’ and that it will encourage them to give back to future tigers.”
OSF wants to convey that Ouachita will always be a place that current and eventual alumni can return to and engage with.
The overarching goal of the week is to create an environment of fellowship and respect, where students feel comfortable not only being themselves, but to also create lifelong memories and relationships.
“I felt like I had a vision to make Tigers for Life week something bigger. Structuring it and trying to find what to do has been an uphill battle, but I just had a vision for making it that space for students. Knowing that these people are working so hard, I wanted to actually have a space for making recognition and appreciation intentional,” Allen said.
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Healthy relationships week shares life advice
Ouachita will host this year’s Healthy Relationships Week March 2-7. Events include special Noonday speakers, breakout groups, chapel and Refuge speakers and the retreat for married and engaged couples.
“Part of being a well-rounded person is knowing how to relate well to others,” said Judy Duvall, associate director of the Elrod Center. “We don’t automatically know how to do this. Our sessions for the week will be led by faculty and staff members and other experts in the field who have experienced joys and successes and disappointments and failures and through BY MANDY HALBERT Staff Writer
their life experience have learned how to love and relate to others well.”
The annual tradition has had several names since its beginning due to its focus changing many times to more effectively reach students.
“The annual emphasis has been modified over the years,” Duvall said. “Originally [it was] known as Marriage and Family Week. Elrod Center leaders felt the need to include more of the campus in the event’s focus. The name changed to Dating, Engagement and Marriage Week, and then Healthy Relationships Week in 2012.”
The week had originally focused on marriage topics, but was changed in 2012 to help students learn how to improve all relationships, even friendships and family relationships, rather than only romantic relationships.
“Healthy Relationships Week is a week dedicated to helping students make connections and strengthen bonds with each other in all the important relationships of life,” Duvall said.
The breakout and session speakers for the week include Susan Goss, an OBU alumna, who is a licensed family and marriage counselor, founder of Joshua Center - a faith-based therapy center - and founder and director of Tangible Truth Ministries.
Stew and Shelli Grant are also speaking. Stew is the pastor of marriage and family at The Woodlands United Methodist Church in The Woodlands, Texas and his wife Shelli is a women’s Bible study leader and teacher. They will be leading the couples’ retreat at Wingate in Little Rock for married and engaged couples.
“The retreat is a Friday night and Saturday morning where couples gather together to learn from a married couple trained in marriage and family counseling on how to have a healthy relationship,” said Dillon Thomas, an admissions counselor. “Not only do you get personal time with your significant other, but you also get to meet other couples that are in the same life stage as you as well as some fantastic faculty and staff couples that are there to support.”
The retreat aims to provide couples with helpful tools and lessons to strengthen their relationships.
“The thing that I have learned from the retreat and applied most to our marriage is to not use the word ‘but,’” Thomas said. “During the first retreat we learned that this both inhibits discussion when conflicts start to arise and can affect the way one views love. Since then I have tried and struggled to use ‘and’ more than ‘but.’
Thomas says that the retreat in the past has given him the tools and knowledge to better his marriage. “While there are times where I still mess up,” Thomas said, “I have been able to implement this simple but extremely helpful advice and it has changed our marriage for the better.”
OSF to hold Fund Run for student scholarships
BY ELIZABETH STEELY Staff Writer
The Ouachita Student Foundation (OSF) will be hosting a Fund Run on March 14, from 8-10 a.m. on campus. This event consists of a 5K walk/run for Ouachita students and members of the community. Race registration costs $10-20 based on the participant’s age, and an event t-shirt will be included in the cost.
This is the first Fund Run hosted by OSF, and they hope to make it an annual fundraiser for student scholarships. Since 1974, the organization has been raising scholarship money for students who are in financial need to continue pursuing their college education.
“We are hoping to make it a staple event,” said Brady Barton, OSF’s special events co-chair. “The Fund Run will hopefully make a great addition to the fundraisers we already do like Tiger Tunes and Tiger Traks.” The Fund Run will take place throughout Ouachita’s campus, and participants will run or walk for three miles, stretching from one end to the other. Anyone that wants to participate is welcome, including elementary-age children.
“Our goal is to make it as accessible as possible for people,” Barton said. “That’s why it’s only a 5k, but we do have hopes that in the future there could also be a 10k or even a half marathon.”
The success of this event depends on student engagement and community participation, and one of its goals is to welcome Arkadelphia’s community on campus. Nicole McGough and the Arkadelphia Run Club have played an important role in helping OSF learn how to host a successful 5K.
“Our Tiger Tunes and Tiger Traks Director Addy Goodman noticed there was no event really like this on campus and there was potential for students to really connect with this,” said Selby Tucker, OSF President. “From there, we got the idea to partner with the Arkadelphia Run Club to create it.” The idea for this new campus event was inspired by a conference where OSF recently won high awards. At the CASE Affiliated Student Advancement Programs Conference in August, OSF was named the national Outstanding Student Advancement Organization for 2019. This conference allowed members of OSF to learn about other fundraising events that schools across the country host. Several other student advancement programs have annual runs to raise scholarship money, so OSF decided this would be a great addition to this campus.
“We are always looking for ways to advance our student organization, so I can’t wait to see how the kickoff of this event will go,” Barton said.
To register for the Fund Run, go to www.obu.edu/fundrun, and for more information, email OSF at osf@obu.edu or call 870-230- 8974.
March 14 , 2020 Race starts at 8 am On Ouachita’s Campus $20- Adults $15- HS/College Students $10- Middle School & Under *T-shirt included in sign-up fee **Price increases $5 for day of sign-ups
All Welcome! Register Online www.obu.edu/fundrun
