NEWS
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Apartment updates provide new housing opportunities BY CAROLINE DERBY Staff Writer
President Dr. Ben Sells delievers the convocation chapel speech. This was the first in-person chapel since March 2020. (photo by Madison Melcher)
Chapel resumes in hybrid form BY ANGELA WEBB Guest Writer
“As a public expression of Ouachita’s identity and purpose as a Christ-centered learning community, the university’s chapel program is designed to deepen students’ spiritual lives, to broaden their cultural appreciation and to realize their role as a part of the Ouachita community,” James Taylor, director of Campus Ministries, said last week at Ouachita’s first in-person chapel celebrating its 136th year. President Ben Sells delivered a message drawn from Galatians 5:7 and Galatians 5:19-26. He also presented the 2021-2022 chapel theme: “Vision, Integrity, Service.” Ouachita faculty and staff are working to maintain the health and safety of students while reviving gatherings like chapel that have been put on hold for the past year. “This year we will have what is called a “hybrid chapel” in which
all of Ouachita’s students will be separated into two groups: Group A and Group B. Group A met at JPAC for in-person chapel at last Tuesday’s first chapel of the 20212022 school year while Group B watched it online along with a quiz as proof of their viewing of chapel,” Taylor said. Taylor hopes that chapel will be at 100% capacity after fall break. Elaina McKenzie, senior English major from Gulfport, Mississippi has had several different chapel experiences in her time at Ouachita. “Last year, we weren’t able to have our normal in-person chapel due to COVID-19. Instead, students, members of faculty and staff and occasionally other speakers, would put together a recorded chapel program that each student would watch online individually during the week,” McKenzie said. Though students were unable to gather in Jones Performing Arts Center, online chapel still gave students a chance to learn together.
“One thing I loved about our chapel videos was that I would always watch chapel with a friend or with my roommates. That kept a sense of community alive for me, even in times of social distancing which made community-building such a challenge,” McKenzie said. “This community made all the difference in creating a positive chapel experience.” Noah Barker, sophomore nursing major from Batesville, experienced in-person chapel for the first time with Group A last Tuesday. “What I like about this year’s chapel is being able to witness all of Ouachita come together under one roof and worship the Lord. I find myself paying attention a lot better than last year when it was all online. I am liking this year’s chapel situation a lot more than last school year,” Barker said. Students in both groups have weekly opportunities to learn in community, whether they are watching online or in person.
Ouachita plans to break ground on a 144-bed and $12.6 million apartment complex that will be completed in 2022. This new apartment complex is part of Ouachita’s “Project Foresight,” an initiative meant to clean up the area surrounding campus. This apartment complex will provide another housing option for qualifying juniors and seniors. Along with this new addition, Ouachita is renovating current apartments. Tatman Corner Apartments, formerly Pine Square, was renovated during the summer. Kinsey Potts, a senior musical theatre major from Wylie, Texas, lived in Tatman Corner before and after the renovations. “There was originally carpet throughout the entire apartment with the exception of the bathroom and kitchen. Now, there are hardwood floors, new appliances and new paint,” Potts said. “We had problems. Last year, our dishwasher broke and there was damage in the walls. We made it homey last year, but we would never turn on the overhead lights because they were fluorescent. We had lamps everywhere.” Potts didn’t know what to expect from the renovations. She returned to campus pleasantly surprised. “We were told there would be updates, but we were never told just how many updates,” Potts said. “Now, it’s gorgeous.” For students looking for apartments for the next school year, Potts said that a benefit of living in Tatman Corner was not only the updates, but also the convenient distance from campus. Tatman Corner, unlike a majority of Ouachita’s other apartment com-
Ouachita plans to open a new 144-bed apartment complex next fall. The new apartment is part of a larger effort to renovate areas surrounding campus. (rendering by Lewis Architects Engineers)
plexes, is within a short walking distance from campus. Caitlin Hetzel, director of housing and assistant director of residence life at Ouachita, is excited to witness the new apartment complex being built over the next year. “The new apartments are two-bedroom apartments, two people per room, four to one apartment with two bathrooms, one living room and kitchen,” Hetzel said. Hetzel enjoys seeing students form a community at college. Throughout the years of her job, she sees a lot of that community take place in the context of campus housing. “I love that apartments are a unique situation for students as they take that step into independence and adulthood. You know all of your neighbors around you, and it’s all of the people who are OBU students and it provides a unique dynamic,” Hetzel said. “144 students will be in one spot, and that provides another opportunity to form a community dynamic.” The new apartment complex is projected to be open and ready for use in the Fall of 2022. Tatman Corner is still being renovated on the exterior. Those renovations are expected to be complete soon.
