THE HENDRIX COLLEGE
ROFILE VOLUME 105 ISSUE 1
HOW TO HENDRIX
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR THE HENDRIX COLLEGE
P ROFILE Editor-in-Chief: Brooke Nelson Managing Editor: Casey Hawkins Business Editor: Chirag Lala Layout Editor: Jessica Frazier-Emerson Layout Editor: Liz Green Photo Editor: Megan Prettyman Copy Editor: Sydney Meyer Photographer: Aditya Katke Photographer: Konrad Witkowski Photographer: Leah Headley Staff Writer: Marlee Bird Staff Writer: Jenson Chier Staff Writer: Madeline Chosich Staff Writer: Peyton Coffman Staff Writer: Brendan Duncan Staff Writer: Hunter Herrera
HENDRIXprofile.com Online Editor: Sarah Gilmour
Advisor Jamie Groat
MISSION STATEMENT As a student-run and student-funded newsmagazine, The Profile uncovers the smart edge to campus culture: the people, places, things, and trends that curious, confident students and faculty want, need, and ought to know. By critically examining issues important to the Hendrix community, The Profile aims to act as a catalyst for change, a tool for transparency between the student body and faculty, and a source of inspiration for its readers to begin thinking globally and acting locally.
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nce upon a time (i.e. three years ago), a lanky, blonde Texan showed up at Hendrix for freshman move-in day and immediately decided to turn around. Outside of my dorm stood a bunch of insane-looking people, all wearing the same shirt, screaming and running at my car with their arms outstretched. “Welcome Homedrix!” were, I think, the unintelligible words coming out of their mouths. But this was not home, and I did not feel welcomed—yet. I didn’t know the first thing about college classes, or college parties, or college food, and I felt ill-prepared to embrace those changes. If I had been driving instead of my dad, I would have put the car in reverse and high-tailed out of there. This fear and bewilderment, I have learned, is common among the fresh faces at orientation every August. Yet this year, that feeling hasn’t been exclusively reserved for the freshmen. The seniors, in many ways, have come back to a campus we hardly recognize. What are these cameras doing at Huntington? Who is this new PSafe guy? And where did our library hours (and the Raney Building) go? With all these recent changes, at times the campus feels as new and unfamiliar to the seniors as it does to the freshmen who just arrived. The alterations to our status quo have fueled heated discussion, debate, and even a little resentment among the upperclassmen—and they’ve been through this drill at least three times already. Imagine how the freshmen probably feel. After all, only so much can be taught at orientation. They can tell you about learning domains and Odyssey credits, give you the phone numbers for the nurse and Public Safety, show you where to study and eat. But they can’t teach you the appropriate time to show up to a Martin party. Or the right ratio of chocolate sauce to ice cream on Sundae Thursdays in the caf. Or how to get through your first all-nighter. Yet I’ve come to believe that these tidbits of information are as vital to survival at Hendrix as Odyssey credits and good study habits are. That’s why The Profile staff has put our heads together to produce “How to Hendrix,” a comprehensive guide to anything and everything we think you ought to know about Homedrix this year. Get to know Mike LeBlanc, the new head of Public Safety. Dive into our campus traditions and how they have evolved. And if you’re missing your home state’s signature dish, we have a solution for that, too (hint: there’s cheese dip involved). It’s easy to immediately put the gears in reverse at the first sight of change. However, I encourage you to give these stories a read and consider the changes to campus with due diligence. Regardless of how many years you have already spent here at Hendrix, I have a feeling you might learn something new.
CONTENTS 6 Passive Cameras
NEWS
VOLUME 105 ISSUE 1 OCTOBER 2016
A eulogy
WHILE WE WERE AWAY:
The problem with political memes
HENDRIX BY THE NUMBERS
New cameras at Huntington
7 Farewell to Raney
OPINION
8 Modern Loathing 9 Public Safety
FEATURE
Interview with new director Mike LeBlanc
12 Nobody Here Looks Like Me
Diversity Task Force launched on campus
14 Tangoing with Tradition
Hendrix’s good, bad, and offensive
16 Freshman FAQs New faces on campus
SPORTS
17 Football, 3 Years Later
The first senior class in 50 years
19 Class of 2020
Athletes to watch for
20 Nostalgia Food Tour
CULTURE
Where to eat your favorite meals
Cover photo by Lexi Adams
83 29 22 13 11 5 4
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HUNTER HERRERA
Percent of materials from the Raney Building that will be recycled. Trays dropped since the beginning of classes. Most refrigerators moved in by one person (not at the same time) on freshman move-in day. Pieces of pizza found outside of Martin after Shirttails. Bailey Library’s new closing time. Dorm keys replaced since move-in day. Eight-hour work days spent demolishing the Raney Building. Shirttails victory for Galloway. (Ever)
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GETTING TO
KNOW: LEIGH LASSITER COUNTS HUNTER HERRERA Q: What role do you play at Hendrix? A: My main role is running the internship program. I teach the internship class. I work with external places to create internship opportunities for our students. I also meet with students one-on-one, and we talk and dream and figure out their perfect internship.
Q: Recently, you received a Fulbright grant to travel to Germany to learn about internships overseas. What was the process of applying for the Fulbright?
A: I actually came across this Fulbright program helping a student apply for her Fulbright program. I didn’t realize that they offer Fulbrights for educational administrators. It was a very lengthy application process. In July [of this year], I was notified that I was selected. I’m one of 20 that will be going to Germany [this month].
Q: What is the purpose of this trip? What do you hope to learn? A: The purpose is to learn about the German and European model of higher education, which is very different from the Ameri-
can model. Something that Germany has always been strong in is hands-on experience, kind of like we do with Odyssey. I also hope to make some cultural connections for our students. More and more students are asking about international internships. I’m hoping that by virtue of being over there, I’ll be able to make some connections with museums and labs and whatever else could offer internship opportunities to our students.
Q: How long will you be in Germany? A: I’ll be over there for two and a half weeks this October. I’m going to three different cities, several different campuses, and we’ll get a chance to meet with the ministry of education.
Q: What are you most excited to eat in Germany? A: I am definitely a meatatarian, so I’m excited for the schnitzels, bratwursts and sausages. 4
Photo by Aditya Katke
PHOTO OF INTEREST Freshman Clari Brooks is hoisted into the air by her fellow dancers during the Couch girls’ Shirttails performance in August. This was the 103rd year of the Shirttails tradition at Hendrix.
Photo by Lexi Adams
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NEWS
EYE SPY:
PASSIVE SECURITY CAMERAS INSTALLED AT HUNTINGTON
MARLEE BIRD
Photo by Konrad Witkowski
F
or the class of 2017, the implementation of passive cameras has been a long time coming. The debate concerning the cameras, and the degree to which they are “passive,” has been festering within the student population for years. “They’ve been talking about cameras since I was a freshman, with the two main targets being either apartment complexes or parking lots,” senior Peter Butler, Student Senate President, said. “And there was a lot of pushback, a lot of people talking about this being a ‘slippery slope’ with Public Safety monitoring them.” During Butler’s sophomore year, there was another aggressive push for the cameras with an equally contentious push-back against the cameras. Then an assault at Huntington in the summer of 2015 shifted opinions. “I think there was about 20 percent of campus that was really engaged and wanted cameras, and then there was about 10 to 15 percent who really didn’t want cameras,” Butler said. “Everybody else was tuned out of the discussion, and I think a part of that was because Senate didn’t necessarily talk about it a lot, because you would have people showing up to meetings screaming that the cameras were a bad idea. But the assault made people aware that something needed to happen.” Senior Joe Rossi has been involved in the discussion of cameras through Senate and Apartment Hall Council. He noted that people were hesitant about the idea of “being monitored,” but that there were also other issues in the way of installing cameras. “The Board of Trustees was hesitant to put that money out there because it’s a big sum of money to install these cam6
eras…and unfortunately it ended up being that once there were enough problems that cameras could have helped with, they decided to put them in,” Rossi said. One of these main problems was the Huntington assault. “It was beyond debating...We understood that we really needed them at that point,” Rossi said. Even though many Hendrix students had wanted cameras beforehand, the incident at Huntington came to be the deciding factor in the installation of passive cameras. Although students were concerned about being monitored for possession of drugs and alcohol (among other things), passive cameras imply that no one is actually monitoring live footage. The cameras continuously record the footage, but only Public Safety is allowed to see the footage if it pertains to a specific, critical incident. “The Dean, Student Life [Committee] and others have really worked to craft this policy that maximizes the use of the cameras but still protects the students. It’s specifically outlined in this document that the cameras will not be used unless there is a drastic complaint,” Rossi said. The Hendrix Corner, formerly known as Mills Apartments, is next on the list for camera installment and should be finished by the end of the year. Both Butler and Rossi noted that although the apartments have been the leading topic of conversation, the Student Life Committee, Public Safety, the Dean and others are looking into parking lots and other vulnerable parts of campus, as well. Any of these projects depend on the kind of funds that can be allocated. Rossi noted that Hendrix is still catching up to safety standards but acknowledged that the college “is making huge steps, really quickly, to remedy that.”
OPINION
Photo by Maddison Stewart
FAREWELL TO RANEY:
A EULOGY
hey destroyed her in an instant, a moment, a flash. With clichéd speed, she became something else, or many somethings, piles of brick and glass and wood. It was the speed that was so terrible; so quickly it demands metaphor, personification: this was not a demolition but a murder. They killed her, broke her down in the time a soul needs to slip quietly out through a knife-wound. (I have been inside the Raney Building a total of three times; once to deliver a paper, once to complete a truly byzantine scavenger hunt, and once to say goodbye to Mary Richardson, who is unsurprisingly teaching her eighth “last semester” this fall.) I remember the last time she stood between an angry sky and the quivering earth. The rain broke like a bottle on a bar, like a hurled slur, like the back of a hand across a face. Arkansas rain. Like God has finally had it with this disappointment of a state, enough to go back on His word and drown the whole thing. Cover it all in gray waves and let the sharks take care of the swim team. And then somebody Up There reminds Him that attorneys are first cousins to sharks and can smell breach of contract across dimensional planes, and the rain stops. And she’s still there, for the last time, sheltering a thousand and one things that really don’t need to get wet. In the space she left sits a trailer. A fence wards off the anguished philosophy and religious studies professors.
T
STEPHEN HULSEY
(No, I don’t pretend to have any sort of connection to her. I watched the last raindrop fall on her unbroken crown, then went on about my business. She was a bit of background, a presence somewhere on the level of the Provost in terms of importance to my daily living.) But I saw her in the rain and I loved her before she became some alumni’s stupid little paperweight. In the space she left, there isn’t anything but hot dirt and dust. Nothing worth sheltering. The rains come. The mud forms. And slowly, far too slowly, the next creation is crafted. I will not love what they make. I did not love her, but for that one moment. Let the children have her successor, let them pass through, by and around her until she is gone. Let them learn what it is to lose what should have been loved. Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. -Dylan Thomas
OVERHEARD AT HDX: FRESHMAN 1: It’s just so incredibly frustrating when professors pick books without SparkNotes.
FRESHMAN 2: Yeah man, I know. This TEC class went from, like, zero to six thousand. I just found out I have a four page paper due tomorrow.
FRESHMAN 1: Aw, man. Well, at least this book has pictures in it.
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OPINION
MODERN LOATHING
ARE POLITICAL MEMES PREVENTING IMPORTANT DISCOURSE? I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M ASKING THIS QUESTION.
ight now, someone you went to high school with is sitting in traffic, sipping on a 20-ounce cherry limeade and hitting the share button on a picture of Hillary Clinton caught with a ridiculous face, the words “THIS IS THE BEST THE DEMOCRATS COULD DO” plastered in big, white capital letters across the bottom. Also right now, your cousin is in Starbucks posting basically the same meme, but with the word “Republicans” and a picture of Donald Trump flailing his arms. This means that later, when you log on to Facebook to see if Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary has posted anything new, you’ll have to scroll through hordes of useless and offensive content before you eventually just give up and close the tab, wondering why you didn’t delete your account years ago. It seems as if memes have become the public’s favorite means of political expression. So many people are angry, and so many people want to degrade the other side. They want to call a politician stupid in a meme and then see it get liked, or retweeted or reblogged. And it does. It spreads. Sometimes it’s even funny, but only in the way that makes you experience a split-second of internal levity as you scroll, not in the way that actually makes
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PEYTON COFFMAN
you laugh out loud. Most of the time, it’s just reductive and inflammatory. Instead of offering a wellresearched and thoughtful opinion on why ‘X’ candidate is unfit for the presidency, a meme offers the modern adult equivalent of a bully calling a kid a loser on the playground.
Illustration by Tom Richmond
It has no supporting evidence, no logic, no real point other than to be divisive: you agree and chuckle along, or you disagree and move on, offended. Political memes are so popular because they are cathartic, and in this tense election cycle, that can
be valuable. Hatred can be valuable, too. When directed at the right targets, it can evoke social and political progress; it can point at problems in our society and government. The issue with memes is that they offer hatred sans any explanation for said hatred, and the presidential election isn’t really where we should be skimping on educating ourselves. For many young people, memes with a word count of 20 are taking the place of legitimate political news. Ironically, the news being replaced is likely much more powerful than the conclusion it’s replaced by. Wouldn’t it mean more to discuss Donald Trump’s sexism than to post a picture of him with his lips photoshopped onto his eyes? Or his face photoshopped onto Roz from “Monsters, Inc.”? Jokes are for the incrowd. Jokes are for people who already believe that the butt of the joke is stupid. If any of us—Democrat or Republican, Libertarian or Green Party—want to be listened to, we have to explain ourselves. We have to explain why we think the butt of the joke, that candidate we hate, is stupid. And then, maybe, just maybe, we can begin to understand each other. Not agree with, not unite with, not love, but understand each other. Is that too hopeful?
FEATURE
READY FOR PROGRESS AN INTERVIEW WITH NEW PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR MIKE LEBLANC MARLEE BIRD
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FEATURE
IT COMES AS NO SHOCK
TO ANY HENDRIX STUDENT THAT THERE HAS LONG BEEN A GAP IN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE STUDENT BODY, RESULTING IN A GENERAL FEELING OF MISTRUST AND DISAPPROVAL. As new director Mike LeBlanc put it, Public Safety has “fallen behind” with the student body, but his fresh-faced and forward-looking approach looks to remedy these sentiments. LeBlanc said that while he was interviewing for the position, one of the biggest complaints he received was related to response times. “For all intents and purposes, we are a customer service organization. We’re here to serve the Hendrix community,” LeBlanc said. Yet he also realizes that issues may arise that prevent an officer from handling a student situation immediately. In addition, LeBlanc discussed that due to different personal situations, Public Safety (PSafe) can be short on staff, and this also affects response times. But LeBlanc believes that the whole conversation concerning response times, as well as other issues on campus, can be aided by communication. “What we’ve got to take a step back and think is ‘How can we communicate this better?’” he said. Communication has already been heightened between PSafe and Student Senate with the initiation of bi-weekly meetings. “I’ve told them that it’s an open forum with me. If I don’t know what’s wrong, then I can’t fix what’s wrong,” LeBlanc said. He also mentioned that lines of communication with the RAs and area coordinators have been strengthened with situational training exercises. “Ultimately, we’ve got to get everybody working together,” he said. LeBlanc knows how to push through tough circumstances and has moved around enough to understand that the keys to success are universal. After graduating high school from Wyandotte, Mich. at the age of 17, he entered the Air Force Security Police, which moved him from Idaho to Korea to Arizona – where he met his wife, and they had their first daughter together – to England, where their second daughter was born. LeBlanc’s family then moved to northwest 10
Arkansas where his wife’s family is located and where LeBlanc took up construction work. He started to look for public safety jobs and found one in Rogers, Ark. where he worked as a policeman for five years. Then the family decided to move to Iowa after LeBlanc’s wife’s parents retired. There, LeBlanc worked his way up to Sergeant, was in charge of special operations, and was the student liaison in the Dewitt, Iowa police department. September 11, 2001 changed everything for LeBlanc. He went back into the guard, and was called into active duty for the next four years. LeBlanc was first stationed at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and then at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia during Operation Freedom. He finished with a tour in Afghanistan. After serving in the armed forces, LeBlanc was left wondering what to do next and soon realized he wanted to pursue higher education. “One of my goals was always to get my degree, and so I enrolled in college. I got my bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security...[at] Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa. While I was attending school there, a position opened up for Director of Campus Security and Safety, which put me back into the realm of law enforcement: what I’m good at and what I enjoy doing.” “In my opinion, this job is the best kept secret in law enforcement,” LeBlanc said. LeBlanc did not shy away from the fact that he loved his time at Ashford, and when the traditional campus shut down, it hit him hard. Yet upon arriving at Hendrix, he found a new home that reminded him of his Iowan campus with its red-brick buildings, religious affiliation and small community appeal. During his interview process, LeBlanc noted that the consensus was clear: everyone loves the community, and they feel there is no other place like Hendrix. After Ashford, LeBlanc knew how to handle the challenges at a small school, yet he understood that any potential changes would not sprout immediately. He found one of those challenges within his own department.
FEATURE
Photos by Leah Headley
“I’ve got a great bunch of officers that really enjoy being here and working here,” LeBlanc said. “The problem is they are operating as individuals instead of operating as a team. And so one of the things I’ve got to do is to get them working together as a team.” “One of the things I’ve started is identifying each officer’s strength,” LeBlanc continued. “If you give them duties according to their strengths, you’re going to get more productivity, and they are going to be more efficient.” LeBlanc also noted that PSafe’s actual devices of communication need updating, along with their vehicles. PSafe’s policy and procedure manual is also getting a facelift, as it lacks comprehensive material and only takes up about a third of the binder space. “Ideally, if you’ve got a great policy and procedure manual, somebody should be able to come in here, open this up, and should be able to run the department based on this book,” LeBlanc said, adding that the current manual doesn’t
make the cut. “The great thing about having the Standard Operational Procedure in place is the officers will have this on paper specifically, black and white, and so there aren’t any questions.” While there are many changes to be made, LeBlanc is eager for the challenge. His focus is on the future, and what he has done so far is already telling of that mantra. “We can’t lose ground. That’s what has kind of happened right now as far as within the community. The image of the department and the relationship we have with students, just by going off my interview with students, is tainted because students don’t feel that the communication is very good.” For LeBlanc, the goals are not short-term, but rather he sees this as a process to improve upon every day. “I’m hoping that students are starting to see some positive steps. Baby steps are OK. Rome was not built in a day, but as long as we are making forward progress, I’m happy with that.” 11
Photo by Megan Prettyman
“NOBODY HERE LOOKS LIKE ME” DIVERSITY TAKES A LEAD ROLE ON CAMPUS
I
t is expected that foreign exchange students will initially feel like strangers at their host college. Their different accents, clothes and languages set them apart from the local majority, but this is considered a beneficial facet of the experience of studying abroad. The student will go back home with a deep understanding of their host country and an even greater understanding of their home country. For some students at Hendrix, however, the feeling of being uncomfortable in their own space, at a college in their own home country, does not go away. “I mean, everyone here is just so... white,” a student claimed as we looked upon the frenzied crowds of freshmen outside Staples during Orientation Week. This feeling of exclusivity is an issue that affects a considerable portion of our student body, and Hendrix has implemented several measures which could help create a healthier and more beneficial climate for diversity and inclusion. One of President Tsutsui’s biggest efforts during his tenure has been to increase diversity and inclusion. He appointed Dr. Dionne Jackson as the Chief Diversity Officer in February of this year and is currently implementing a 12
BRENDAN DUNCAN
diversity office that will work to achieve the goals set out by the 2015-2020 Hendrix College Strategic Plan. Over the next five years, a Diversity Task Force will seek to advance diversity and foster an accepting climate here at Hendrix. During spring of 2017, for example, the Task Force will be developing an equity inclusion plan. This will involve an informal “Climate Survey,” which will identify several key areas in campus diversity that need improvement. “It is a survey that you and other students can use to figure out how welcome it is here,” Dr. Jackson said. The survey will also help identify underrepresented students within the college population, as well as reveal particular classroom experiences which need improving. During a recent meeting with the Student Senate, Dr. Jackson highlighted the issue of underrepresented lowincome students, who make up a considerable portion of the student body. According to Dr. Jackson, there may be funding opportunities for these students, such as research grants for juniors and seniors who are low-income, first generation students. But the Task Force’s work doesn’t stop there.
FEATURE
“IF YOU AREN’T REPRESENTED, YOU FEEL UNIMPORTANT.” -DR. DIONNE JACKSON According to Dr. Jackson, the Task Force will be focused both on underrepresented minorities and students from low income backgrounds. Any student can bring forth concerns regarding inclusivity at Hendrix, and monthly Student Affairs meetings will be held to address those concerns. As for creating a healthy, diverse community, Dr. Jackson believes in the importance of observing how different demographics are distributed among the student body and the effects of that distribution. “If you aren’t represented, you feel unimportant. As individuals, we must look constantly at what we put out, we must be thinking systematically. We must ask ourselves if we are representing the broad campus,” Dr. Jackson said. Pratheepa Ravikumar is the Chair for the Multicultural Development Committee (MDC) this year. The MDC helps to facilitate faster cooperation between all the multicultural organizations at Hendrix, and Ravikumar has outlined plans that the MDC will implement during her tenure. “This year, we will be focusing on communicating with organizations and helping them be successful through their events and involvement,” Ravikumar said. “The MDC will also promote its own events and other organizations’ events, which will ensure people are participating.” If you are a fresher, you may have noticed a distinct emphasis on diversity and inclusion during Orientation Week. Ravikumar and the MDC played a role in this, in the effort to realize the goals set out by the Diversity Task Force. “The whole idea is to create a space where students can share culture. When people came to these events, I heard from some students that it took them a while to realize there were even multicultural organizations [at Hendrix].” Ravikumar emphasizes that involvement is important. If you want to try food from another culture, learn a language or have any interest in diversity, you should be on the lookout for advertisements around campus, and you should check Senate emails for events happening that week. “If you feel uncomfortable being in a space, you should just try it,” Ravikumar said. “You could be surprised at the people you meet, and the knowledge you share. As a Hendrix student, you have an obligation to respect and share that knowledge.”
SO HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED? We’re so glad you asked! The Multicultural Development Committee (MDC) is an umbrella organization that facilitates communication between all of the diversity clubs on campus. You can join any club under MDC, regardless of your race or religious affiliation. And be sure to keep an eye out for the cool events these clubs host throughout the school year (delicious food is often included)!
ORGANIZATIONS UNDER MDC • International Club • Muslim Student Association • Multiracial Student Association • Students for Latin and Iberian Culture • Students for Black Culture • Friends of India • Arab Language and Culture Club • Hillel • Ngoma African Student Association • Disability Awareness Club • Korean Language and Culture Club • Asian Culture Club 13
TANGOING WITH TRA
MADELINE CHOSICH
LEGACIES OF HENDRIX: THE GOOD, THE BAD, L
egacies are born, in essence, on these red-brick pathways we call home. Memories resurface each year as our traditions emerge for another round. For incoming freshmen, the first experience is orientation trips. Think back—you’ve just said goodbye to your parents, settled in and convinced your roommate to speak to you. Next thing you know, you’re traveling to Lord knows where with Lord knows who. Nature? You may not survive the weekend. It’s that first experience that gave you the courage to take off the rose-colored glasses and become a part of the Hendrix community. “I don’t know where I’d be without the friends I met on my OR trip… probably still trying to set up cable in my room and inventing a way to un-loft my bed by myself,” freshman Kayleigh Johnson 14
said. So you’ve realized that you’re not totally alone in this world. You decide to do Shirttails. You’ve heard about it from upperclassmen and all of those campus “walks” you were forced to go on. You’re excited, but you don’t yet know why. You don’t yet know about the dorm rivalries, the competitive spirit growing more alive inside of you with each bead of sweat dropping from your forehead during practice. “Hands down, Shirttails is one of my favorite events at Hendrix. Even though there are hundreds of students squeezed in tight and you’re left roasting on the red bricks, there’s so much excitement in the air,” senior Morgan Carrico said. Veasey glitter will be found in every nook and cranny until spring rolls around. The winner will
Photo by Wil Chandler
DITION
FEATURE
“WHEN ELSE IN LIFE WILL YOU GET TO DANCE AROUND IN HUNDREDS OF GALLONS OF FOAM?” -MORGAN CARRICO
THE OFFENSIVE continue to bring up their victory at every opportunity, which shuts down any argument. Shirttails may end, but it’s always lingering in the background. “It’s been three years since I hit the bricks with glitter in my hair, but I still remember the late night practices and that final performance,” Carrico said. “When certain songs play on campus, I can spot three or four other Veasey ladies busting out those moves.” You’re starting to load yourself down with classes now; homework swarms you from each and every direction. And then: Foam Party. “Honestly, I had planned to avoid the foam all four years at Hendrix,” Carrico said. Back by popular demand (and tradition, of course) foam will once again flow in the Brick Pit.
While it may be associated with certain modern myths, it’s undoubtedly still a great way to spend a Friday night. “After a couple of friends’ pleads, I gave in,” Carrico said. “When else in life will you get to dance around in hundreds of gallons of foam?” We skip ahead. More homework, a few tests and bad-hair-days later, it’s time for Ghost Roast. “Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, so I was overjoyed my freshman year when I got to Ghost Roast,” Carrico said. “Hendrix students are creative folk, so you’ll see it all—clever to scary to cute.” Carrico said that students love to “go all out, and that truly makes the event.” “A few friends and I have been thinking ahead. We just can’t wait,” Johnson said, in regards to costume planning. Perhaps one of the best events of the year— Miss Hendrix—is just a ways away after Ghost Roast. “Miss Hendrix will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s an incredible production and a fun tradition that I wouldn’t miss for the world,” Carrico said. “The contestants put a lot of work into their dances, and every year I am amazed by their creativity.” Hendrix is well known for its quirky nature and the legacy behind our traditions. This year, yet another class will experience the thrill that goes along with each and every one of them. “This campus has seen decades of Miss Hendrix productions, hundreds of unique Ghost Roast costumes and nearly enough foam to cover Conway,” Carrico said. “That’s something I’m honored to have been a part of.” Like Sisyphus, we’ll continue to roll the boulder of traditions down the red brick pathways on which we leave our legacies—may they be memories made, papers aced, or medals earned. 15
FEATURE
NEW FACES AT HENDRIX FRESHMAN CLASS HOUSES DIVERSE POPULATION
PEYTON COFFMAN
L
ast month, 360 freshmen hauled their mini fridges, microwaves and Bob Marley posters through drenching rain into their dorms and were henceforth baptized as official members of the Hendrix community. But what do we really know about the freshmen? And what do they want to know about living in the Hendrix bubble? We ventured where no publication has gone before:
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MORE THAN
40
NEW STUDENTS ARE LEGACIES OF HENDRIX
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
FROM ARKANSAS
50.8%
Female
61%
45 First
Male
generation
49.2%
college students
FRESHMAN FAQS: HENDRIX’S NEWEST LOOK TO ELDEST FOR ANSWERS
Q
16
How should I manage my time? –Corinna CampbellGreen, ‘20
A
AIways prioritize. I keep a schedule so no deadlines slip by. If there’s a deadline I know I have to remember, I’ll put a reminder on my phone so that I’ll get notifications. I’m also the most productive when my space is clean and when I’m sitting at a desk. –Grace Dearing, ‘17
Q
Is studying abroad popular, and do people usually like it? –Nicola Bryan, ‘20
Q
If you could go back and change one thing that you did in college, what would it be? - Kameron Cook, ‘20
A A
Studying abroad is definitely popular, and there are many opportunities here for it. It was great being able to immerse myself in something new and to reach outside of my own little bubble. –Haley Shefferman, ‘17 I would change the fact that I decided on a major very early on. I probably would have ended up choosing the same thing, but I think the wise thing would have been to keep an open mind for the first year. – Kara Coffman, ‘17
SPORTS
FOOTBALL, 3 YEARS LATER
WITH ITS FIRST SENIOR CLASS IN 50 YEARS, FOOTBALL LOOKS TOWARD SUCCESSFUL SEASON
O
JENSON CHIER
n
the surface, Head
Football
Buchanan
Coach
embodies
Buck every
football stereotype: big body, Southern accent, cowboy boots and an office plastered with x’s and o’s. However, he’s anything but stereotypical. He graduated from Austin College as an honor student. He came to this school three years ago with “a dream and not much else,” he said.
Photo by Nelson Chenault
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After coaching at his alma mater, Buchanan got the call to come to Hendrix to be its first head football coach in 53 years. “Teams in the SAA (Southern Athletic Association) are all interconnected,” he said. “Hendrix was a peer institution, so we knew what to expect coming here. Going to and coaching a liberal arts college, I knew what it meant to be a student-athlete.”
“EVERYONE WHO WAS A PART OF THE TEAM PUSHED ME TO HAVE AN OPEN MIND.”
Photo by Nelson Chenault
-MATT RAMIREZ Coach Buchanan would not be here without Amy Weaver, Hendrix’s athletic director and head coach of the women’s softball team. A part of the faculty since 2002, Coach Weaver took on the responsibility of athletic director in 2011 as an interim director. She has since become the permanent director and has been overseeing the various renovations around Hendrix athletics, such as the Sturgis Center, the women’s lacrosse and field hockey field and most controversially, the construction of a football field. When these renovations were announced in 2008, prior to Coach Weaver becoming the athletic director, there was a lot of pushback on the reinstatement of the football team. “I remember thinking how the [lack of a] football [team] would affect me,” Coach Weaver said. “Then there I was, three years later, trying to oversee it[s revival]. I couldn’t have written a better result. At the time, there were a lot of alumni who came forward against the reinstatement. Those same people are the ones that fill up the stands on Saturdays.” Senior Matt Ramirez is the type of guy Coach Buchanan brags about. A dual-sport athlete (he also runs track), Ramirez came here three years ago because he wanted to play football. Since then, he has been elected Couch Hall President and a SOAR Associate Team Leader. “Coming here, we were definitely under a microscope,” Ramirez said. “We were told immediately that we would not be kings of this campus; we learned that from the class above us. Everyone who was a part of the team pushed me to have an open mind. I hope that I give the younger guys the same kind of perspective.” Coach Buchanan has several themes he has taught his players. One of the main teaching points he gets across is something few coaches are brave enough to profess: football isn’t forever. “Either it will wear your body down, or you will just run out of places to play,” he said. “The guys that are here playing love playing and feel lucky to have this opportunity. That’s what makes us different. We’ve been able to have so much success because of our guys understanding that. The student body has been so accepting of us; we’re not the dumb jocks that most football players are stereotyped as.” Another major teaching point of Coach Buchanan’s is based off of something former President Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” They clearly have: three years in, they already have a conference championship under their belt, with their eyes on a deep playoff run to the Division 3 national championship. 18
Photo by Nelson Chenault
Photo by Michael Tarne
Photo by Michael Tarne
SPORTS
CLASS OF 2020: ATHLETES TO WATCH FOR FRESHMAN CLASS BOASTS UP-AND-COMING TALENTS
STEPHANIE LEAKE
Stephanie Leake started off her year in impressive fashion, breaking Hendrix’s low round record twice in her first college golf tournament. At the Rhodes Classic, Leake shot an 80 and 79 on consecutive days to tie for 14th place. Homeschooled through high school, she has been competing individually since she was seven years old. With her lowest individual tally ever at 69, she looks to lead a growing women’s golf team at Hendrix. She said, “My goal is to just keep getting better and see what I can do. Over the next four years I want to help grow our team and have a top finish in conference.” She’ll surely continue to impress and improve, already a star golfer on the team as a freshman.
A freshman quarterback, Miles Thompson is currently in the shadow of senior starter Seth Peters, but anyone who has seen him toss a football knows he has a bright future. In each of the Warriors’ first two blowout wins over Austin College and Lyon College, Thompson has tossed touchdown passes coming off the bench. He said, “The first touchdown I threw… I had been working on that play since I was 10 years old. It was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever had happen to me.” While this is undoubtedly Peters’ team now, Thompson looks poised to take over the reins next year. “Seth is the man,” Thompson said. “He’s like an older brother to me. I try my best to shadow everything he does and ask him as many questions as possible. It’s going to be hard, but that’s one of the reasons I came here.”
HAGAN GRIFFITH
JENSON CHIER
MILES THOMPSON
A freshman from Arlington, Texas, Hagan Griffith was an all-regional defender in high school. Now she finds herself as the head striker on the women’s soccer team. Through six games, the Warriors are 5-1 and Griffith has four goals and three assists. Her breakout performance came against Fontbonne. She said, “We come back from halftime up 2-0 and they even up the game 2-2. We go to overtime… It’s a 12 o’clock game and the sun is pounding down, so we’re all tired. My dad always told me to ‘bust a gut.’ I just did what I knew I could do, and we were able to win.” Her performance earned her “SAA Offensive Player of the Week” honors. She repeated her stat line against Williams Baptist in a 4-0 win, totaling two goals and another assist.
Photos by Cody Usher
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NOSTALGIA FOOD TOUR
KATE SANDERS
LOCAL RESTAURANTS HAVE REMEDIES FOR EVERY HOMESICK CRAVING
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very year, hundreds of students from around the nation flock to Arkansas to attend Hendrix. It’s easy to feel homesick while adjusting to this new culture, especially when one’s favorite meals are not served in the cafeteria on a regular basis. Thankfully, restaurants around Conway cater to a wide variety of regional tastes.
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CALIFORNIA:
UMAMI SUSHI GRILL AND LOUNGE Sushi has become very popular in the United States over the last few decades, especially on the West Coast. The Hendrix cafeteria, however, does not serve this protein-rich delicacy. To fill sushi craving with style, head down to Umami Sushi Lounge and Grill, located on 500 Amity Road. This trendy venue serves the best California rolls in town. Sushi lovers rave about the full flavors and artful presentation of their food. Even those who don’t favor fish have plenty to choose from thanks to a large menu of Asian fusion cuisine.
1090 Skyline Drive is home to one of the best Tex-Mex restaurants in Conway. Los 3 Potrillos serves many delicious foods that are popular on the border. Queso, beef nachos, chimichangas, fajitas and fried ice cream are only a few of the excellent dishes available here. Even better, the lunch menu at Los 3 Potrillos is well within a college student’s budget, especially considering how large the portions are. These reasonable prices also carry over to this restaurant’s drink menu, which ranges from margaritas to beer buckets. 20
Photo by Lea h He adl
LOS 3 POTRILLOS
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STOBY’S EXPRESS For a taste of New York prepared with the speed a New Yorker would expect, stop by Stoby’s Express at 805 Donaghey Ave. This sandwich shop quickly crafts Reubens, Philly Cheese Steaks and a variety of other delicious subs. The building, which is just a few minutes’ drive from campus, has a drive-thru window for ordering. Those who want their food ready when they get there often opt to place their order online. Plus, customers get a free cheese dip with their first online order. Photo by L eah Hea dle y
CHICAGO:
OLD CHICAGO PIZZA Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom serves, as the name would suggest, Chicago-style pizza. For those who don’t enjoy deep dish pizza, however, there are several other options. Besides a wide selection of crust types, which includes a gluten-free variety, there are also calzones, wings and burgers. This tavern is located on 1010 Main Street and has a very urban feel. It would also be a great place to go on game days, since sports are constantly playing on all the televisions in the restaurant.
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LOUISIANA:
ALMOST FAMOUS SMOKEHOUSE AND GRILL Creole comes to Conway at the Almost Famous Smokehouse and Grill, located on the outskirts of town at 258 Highway 64 E. This small, down-home diner is decked out with memorabilia from around Arkansas and Louisiana, where the chefs honed their cooking skills. This restaurant’s Boudin Balls, a classic Cajun appetizer, are a must have. Other regular menu items with distinct New Orleans flavor include the Shrimp Po Boy and the Roughneck, a messy customer favorite that consists of Cajun Sausage, BBQ and a variety of sauces. During the cooler months, gumbo is also served daily, alongside a rotating list of creole specials. 21
1600 Washington Ave Conway, AR 72032