The Bison - Vol. 90, No. 18

April 24, 2015

Vol. 90, No. 20

@HUStudentPubs

April 25, 2014

Facebook: The Link

Vol. 89, No. 18

@HUStudentPubs Facebook: The Link

By Alexis Hosticka Editor-in-Chief

Through an online form and phone line, students, employees and community members can submit tips — anonymous if they choose — regarding “suspicious or criminal behavior, harassment … workplace safety concerns or other hazards.”

Because of the rules set forth in the student handbook regarding behavior guidelines, the phrase “anonymous tips” has become associated with students turning in fellow students for breaking rules. However, according to Craig Russell, the director of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), this is not the intention of the system.

“I think a lot of students think this was a system put in place to encourage students to kind of tattle on each other and that was absolutely not the reason the system was created,”Russell said. “The system was created to help keep the campus safe … I can also tell you that, yes, you do get some of that tattling back and forth on each other that does happen on occasion. We’ve also had real situations … and

information that was provided made sure something bad didn’t happen.”

Junior Corey Bassett said he was pulled out of chapel last year by assistant dean of students Brandon Tittle to go to assistant dean of students Chad Joice’s office.

“We small talked for about 15 minutes until he asked me about drug use on campus,” Bassett said. “I told him I don’t smoke and he then told me that someone had tipped that I sold marijuana to students on campus. I told him that I didn’t and he then said that what they usually do next is drug test.”

Bassett then took the drug test and found out a couple days later that he had passed. After this experience, Bassett has a strong dislike for the anonymous tip system.

“I honestly hate the whole anonymous tip line,” Bassett said. “We are all grown men and women who are completely capable of approaching one another when there’s a conflict.”

Although some students may use the tip form to tattle, Russell believes that they misunderstand the intent

of the system. He said that this year, a group of students found a way to subtly protest anonymous tips.

“This past year we had a group of students who just did not like the idea of that reporting resource and for a period of several days we would get two or three tips a day of ‘I saw somebody doing an act of kindness or a good deed’ or whatever and they were reporting it on the reporting software,” Russell said. “We read every one. But I think there was a lack of understanding with those students of why we have that resource there.”

Russell said that the tip line is used to help students and bring situations to light. The DPS has received tips from students concerned about a peer who was thinking about suicide. Through the tip, that information was forwarded on to Student Life and the student in danger was able to receive help. Russell said another more common report is from female students about harassment.

“Those are the types of situations that (the system was) created to deal with,” Russell said. “If we can

ANONYMOUS TIPS ‘‘

prevent one suicide or we can step in and intercede where we’ve got one young lady that’s being harassed or feels threatened that’s the reason that resource is there. If I have to wade through 100 silly reports — and we did have some that were kind of silly — to be able to protect one student when there’s a safety issue then that’s what we’ll do.”

Zach Neal, the assistant vice president of student life, said all tips regarding student conduct, behavior or mentioning a student’s name are sent to him. He looks into that information and situation to determine the actions, if any, that need to be taken.

“The tip itself is never used as evidence against someone,” Neal said.

“I look into that situation from a tip line but any consequence is related to information I know is fact.”

He approximated he receives five to 10 emails per semester from the tips form. Neal also emphasized that, although the form can be anonymous, people are encouraged to include their name and contact information

in order to help the administration. He also said that he believes the tip line is used mostly in accordance with its original design, which is to keep the campus safe and provide students a secure way to report information.

“A tip line could receive information that is bogus all the way to information that could jeopardize an individual’s safety or well-being if they were to make themselves known,” Neal said. “It is important for those situations that they have the option to not include their contact information.”

Neal said that he encourages students to confront their peers in a Biblical manner rather than submitting a tip.

“I encourage students to be willing to go to each other personally and hold each other to high expectations,” Neal said. “When information comes to me, unfortunately I am not afforded the knowledge of what has taken place up to this point and my role is to then make sure that I am able to have a conversation with the person of concern.”

Camden

Coping with tragedy, grief

Students use time, various resources to heal

By Hannah Moore Beat Reporter

courtesy of PATRICK BRIMBERRY

Associate professor of business and faculty adviser Dr. Allen Frazier, senior Bradley Wheeler, junior Austin Yates and seniors Cody Veteto, Zachary Clevinger and Andrew Brackins present their Governor’s Cup first place awards on Wednesday, April 22.

Students win $28,000

Rachel Brackins

Asst. Copy Editor

A team of Harding students took first place for the first time since 2006 in the Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Collegiate Business Plan

Competition on Wednesday, beating 50 collegiate teams and garnering a total of $28,000.

The team consisted of senior engineering majors Andrew Brackins, Zachary Clevinger, Brad Wheeler and Alexander Wang, senior sports and recreation management major Cody Veteto and junior accounting major Austin Yates. According to Yates, their winning idea, T.I.R.E. (Tire Inflation and Regulation Equipment), is a system that allows air to pass through the axel of a bike and up into the tire while it is rotating. After the idea was solidified, the team created a

40-page business plan that outlined every facet of what would need to be done to create a working company.

According to Yates, out of the 50 teams that submitted a plan, 12 were chosen to present in front of the judges. The teams were then narrowed down to the final six and overall winners were selected.

“It’s exciting to represent Harding on what will now be a national scale, because it proves to all of the people who think that Harding is just a place to be spiritually enhanced that we can compete with the bigger colleges that surround us,” Yates said. “I now feel confident going into the workforce.”

Clevinger said he and the other engineers were hesitant to get involved, but he is glad they committed.

Engineering project, page 2A

“Through this whole experience I’ve learned so many things that a normal class wouldn’t force you to learn,” Clevinger said. “It has provided me with more practical knowledge for my career than any class has, because I’ve been able to work at things and see the result.”

According to Dr. Allen Frazier, associate dean of college of business and faculty advisor to T.I.R.E., the business and engineering departments have been teaming up for almost a decade.

“They are talking to people who help startup businesses get funding, and getting to have candid conversations with them, ” Frazier said.

T.I.R.E. will compete against the top two teams from Oklahoma and Nevada in the Tri-State competition May 27-28 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Club soccer, page 2B

Due to weather, men’s and women’s social clubs were only able to play a few games of club soccer.

In the midst of tragedy, it can be difficult to cope with grief and heartbreak. Even when the loss occurred months or even years ago, many students still struggle to cope and are still working to find ways to deal with grief.

Senior Hayley Waldron lost her friend and former student Ty Osman who died in a car accident in spring 2012.

“I would want friends of those who are hurting to know that it’s OK to talk about it,” Waldron said. “I wished so many times that someone would have asked me if I wanted to talk about it. I encourage friends of those hurting to be there to help them heal.”

Freshman Macy Pate is still dealing with her mother’s passing at the beginning of this school year.

“Losing my mother is easily the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced, and hopefully the hardest thing I ever will experience,” Pate said. “The only way I can think to describe it is that it’s like having everything you would consider stable and certain about your life crumble to pieces within minutes.”

In January 2014, one of

senior Christy Beck’s best friends, former student Kailey Massey, died in a car wreck on the way back to school.

“Losing one of my closest friends was the hardest thing I have ever gone through,” Beck said. “I felt lost. Nothing really made sense. Losing a friend changes who you are. You experience and learn true pain, suffering, exhaustion, hurt and hopelessness while also experiencing and learning empathy, compassion and love.”

Many of the students who suffer these types of losses have reached out to counseling services and friends to help make it through the most difficult periods of grieving.

Some of these include the grief support group at The Rock House, the university counseling center in the McInteer and local counselors and organizations such as the Dr. Robert E. Elliot Foundation.

Director of the university counseling center, Dr. Lew Moore, said it is important to reach out for help in a time of need. Moore said that the university’s counselors have a lot of experience and that is normal for people to need a period of time to heal and to be hesitant to seek help during periods of grieving.

“Individuals who may be

President McLarty’s summer, page 3B

President Bruce McLarty and his wife have summer plans filled with catching up, time with family and relaxing.

I wished so many times that someone would have asked me if I wanted to talk about it.

- Hayley Waldron, senior

anxious about seeking help are very normal,” Moore said. “I know very few individuals who really want to ask for help. My encouragement to anyone grieving is to view the struggle like a partnership with caring individuals who share our journey of joy and sadness.”

It can be difficult to sympathize with a friend who has dealt with a loss, but remember that your friends will ultimately need you for support during this difficult time. Beck said the best way to help friends is to just be present.

Pate also emphasized the importance of being willing to listen, even when it is not the easiest thing.

“The worst thing you can do is make someone feel like they’re inconveniencing you with their grief,” Pate said. “If your friend wants to talk to you about whomever they have lost, let them. If they want to sit in silence, let them. If they need to cry in the middle of chapel, let them.”

MO summer menu, page 4B

I think a lot of students think this was a system put in place to encourage students to kind of tattle on each other and that was absolutely not the reason the system was created.”

- Craig Russell, director of the Department of Public Safety

their intended purpose, information submitted, & the misconceptions

illustration by Jewelya Williams

2A |

Friday, April 24, 2015

Daily Citizen adjusts to staff changes

By Nakisha Milton Student Writer

2B |

Friday, April 24, 2015

For more than 150 years, The Daily Citizen has been serving the community with news coverage of all of White County. As the times have changed, so have the staff. With a new publisher, Harry Porter, The Daily Citizen’s readers can expect to see some changes in the near future.

Friday, April 24, 2015| 3A

“My biggest goal is to open up the newspaper to the community,” Porter said. “We want the community to engage with us.”

4A |

Friday, April 24, 2015

Porter said he thinks much of the interaction with the community could be done digitally.

Supreme Court questions LGBT marriage legality

Friday, April 24, 2015 | 3B

By Jordan Doyle Student Writer

4B |

The Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding same-sex marriage on April 28.

The cases being heard are from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

According to The Washington Post, the four cases revolve around same-sex marriage licenses and the recognition of legally married same-sex couples in states where gay marriage is banned. The outcome of these cases will determine whether states can continue to ban gay marriage, or if same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage.

Senior Silas Heffley said he did not think the federal government should get involved in the debate on gay marriage. “I think it’s best left to the states and I don’t think the Supreme Court should touch this issue,” Heffley said. “It’s in direct violation with the Judeo-Christian values that this nation was founded on. I don’t hate gay people, but it’s a lifestyle I disagree with. I think you can still love a person and still disagree with their lifestyle.”

Senior Amanda Gierisch said the outcome of the cases will show the rest of the world what direction America wants to go.

“The Court’s decision can say a lot about our country, especially when it comes to how other countries and cultures look at us,” Gierisch said.

In the past three years, the views within the U.S. on samesex marriage have changed considerably. According to The Washington Post, 36 states allow gay marriage, compared to 2012 when

BEYOND BEYOND THE BUBBLE

Friday, April 24, 2015

only nine states allowed it. That was the last time the Supreme Court heard cases on same-sex marriage.

During the last case, it was ruled that legally married gay couples should have the same federal benefits as legally married heterosexual couples. This time, the Supreme Court will go a step further and make a nationwide ruling regarding the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Senior Meagan Adkins has a cousin who is gay and said that while the law change would be convenient, she said that it would not change how LGBT couples feel about each other.

“Not being able to get married isn’t going to have an affect on my cousin’s love for her partner; she’s going to love her regardless of legalities,” Adkins said. “But if gay marriage is legalized, they benefit from the protections that institution allows. Ultimately, it would make everything easier. They’re already trying to navigate something that’s difficult and messy, but not giving them the same protections as everyone else makes it that much harder.”

A poll taken by USA Today reported that 51 percent of those surveyed believe the Supreme Court should rule in favor of gay marriage.

While the outcome will bring mixed feelings, freshman Taylor Haynes said she hopes for a caring response to the decision.

“I just feel like we should respond either way with love, because that is our Christian duty,” Haynes said.

The Supreme Court is expected to make its final ruling by the end of June.

“Whether it’s posting comments on our website or comments on our social media site or interacting with us by sending us pictures of events or student happenings at Harding or Arkansas State University we want that information, we want to put that information out so that the community can be tied closer together because an informed community is a bonded community, and that’s what we’re looking for,” Porter said.

Some of the changes will be seen online, as The Daily Citizen will implement new features that include videos, podcasts and a shift in the

5K

content shared on social media sites. The logo will be redesigned, and many of these changes are taking place under the supervision of Porter who invites readers to lend their feedback and suggestions.

“I’m excited; the new changes for the news being through social media will be great for me,” graduate student Cameisha Brewer said. “I am very hands-on and anything I can read or watch on my phone or iPad will be much more convenient.”

“There’s no other source for local news really, so we depend on The (Daily)

Citizen to keep us up-todate,” professor of broadcast journalism Dutch Hoggatt said. “I’m glad it’s here — I hope the hardcopy of the newspaper never disappears, the actual paper copy.”

Porter has been with The Daily Citizen for about four months now, and prior to his move he worked with The Paragould Daily Press, which is a sister newspaper to The Daily Citizen; both are owned by Paxton Media Group. He said that so far the transition has been very smooth.

“The community has been very open with us and very receptive to our new

direction and the things that we’re looking to do and have really partnered with us to make some of those things a reality,” Porter said.

The Daily Citizen is published every day except for Saturday and Monday, and can be viewed online every day starting at 2 a.m. To view entire stories online requires a subscription for $65 per year. The subscription fee for access to both the print and online edition is $141.50 for a year. According to Porter, there are more people reading The Daily Citizen now than any other time in its history.

run to benefit neglected children

By Zach Hailey Head Copy Editor

WASHINGTON, D.C.

—

Court

Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for children is putting on its fourth annual “I Am for the Child” 5K Run and 1-mile Fun Walk tomorrow, April 25, at 8 a.m. at Spring Park. The volunteer group encourages all to indulge in an afternoon of music, food and activities for children. All of the proceeds for the event will go to support CASA.

Junior Olivia Bissell worked at the CASA 5K event in 2012.

“I was taken to a part [of the race] closer to the finish line,” Bissell said. “I had a route marker to show people where to go. While I did that, I cheered for the runners and I encouraged them to finish strong. It was a lot of fun being out there and seeing all of the people participate for this cause.”

Bissell said she will be working the CASA 5K again this year, but isn’t sure where she will be working.

According to the www.wccasa.org, CASA is a group of trained volunteers appointed by a judge to speak up for children who have been abused and neglected. Volunteers work alongside attorneys and caseworkers as appointed officers of the court once each has completed their training.

Volunteers are assigned cases to gather information about each child’s individual needs. Although they do not act as attorneys themselves, they do have the opportunity to work with the Attorney ad Litem who has been appointed to represent the child’s legal interests. According to the site, attorneys appreciate the assistance and information that is provided to them during the course of CASA’s investigation.

Executive director of CASA Laura Burks has been putting on the event since it began in 2011. She said she feels strongly for what CASA represents and who they serve.

“For many of these children, their CASA volunteer is the only presence in their life,” Burks said. “That single volunteer can often be enough to break the cycle of violence and neglect. Not just for one child, but for generations to come.”

Runners can register before or the day of the race for a fee of $35 starting at 7 a.m. Runners can also register at Simmons First Bank today from noon – 2 p.m. Teams of 10 members or more can sign up together for $15 per person and children under 12 can register for $10. To register online and for more information on the 5K, visit the website at www.racesonline.com/events/casa5k-fun-run-1-mile-run-walk.

Biomedical engineering team creates device to aid victims of broken limbs

By Zach Burgan Beat Reporter

Since the beginning of the fall semester, a group of four seniors has been developing a new and improved version of a medical device for their senior project. The team, officially titled Automated Traction Equipment and Management (ATEAM), has been brainstorming, designing and constructing for the past several months.

According to senior Todd Doran, a biomedical engineering major and member of the group, the product of their efforts is a machine that aids nurses and doctors in preparing broken legs for surgery.

“With a mid-femur fracture, the bones will typically be overlapping,” Doran said.

“This traction device is pulling the leg so it will realign the bones and reduce any more risk of harm to the patients leg.”

Doran and his classmates came up with the idea when they consulted with White County Medical Center. According to Doran, the hospital had some issues with the current version of the device. The model in use involves the operation of a manual crank, which requires

a strength that some nurses at the hospital could not provide.

Furthermore, the sling that splinted the broken leg was not always reliable. Doran cited instances where a patient’s leg would slip out of the straps, causing the already damaged bone to clash against itself and threaten further harm to the leg. Doran says that their model of the traction device addresses both of these issues.

“We looked at it and saw which ways we could improve it,” Doran said.

The group established that the strain of the manual crank could be replaced by the “steady, controlled pulling” of a motor.

“We looked at the straps and said ‘What’s missing from this?’ and it’s reinforcement of the foot, straps that really work to hold the foot and leg in place,” Doran said.

However, the ATEAM’s innovative efforts will not be continued past the group’s graduation.

“It’s tough to get in the market with medical devices,” Doran said, citing multiple sources of red tape surrounding the proposal including FDA requirements, insurance needs and intellectual property rights. For now, the device will

remain the property of Harding University. As the project nears its closing stages, Doran says that the efforts were in no way obsolete, regardless of the termination of their progress.

“I love what I’ve done with this project and just improving medical devices in general,” Doran said. “I would love

to work for a company that either creates completely new medical devices … or even improving current devices.” With graduation just around the corner and fresh experience under their belts, Doran said he hopes the rest of ATEAM’s role in the biomedical engineering world is just beginning.

LINDA FERELLE | The Bison

Senior reporter Matt Burks and sports editor Jason Balso work on the Citizen April 22. Harry Porter, the newest staff member, started in December.

GRANT SCHOL | The Bison

Senior Doug Bailey operates the medical device the ATEAM designed April 21.

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

— John Stamos announced Monday on Jimmy Kimmel Live that “Full House,” a TV sitcom that ran from 1987-1995 would release 13 new episodes on Netflix in 2016. Stamos and many from the original cast have

stated their involvement in the project. Candace Cameron Bure told “Dancing With The Stars” Tuesday that the reprisal would not be a remake and said she thinks fans will be “really excited for the new version of the show.”

John Hinckley, who shot former President Ronald Reagan in an assassination attempt in 1981, has requested to leave his psychiatric care facility and live full-time in society under close supervision. According to CBS, he has been spending 17 days per month at his mother’s house since 2013.

Graphic by Cina Catteau

Small risks and big rewards

are all things that fall under the category of a grand-scale risk. I believe that taking a risk is so much simpler than that. Forget the drama and forget potential death. It does not take those things to get the rush of adrenaline and feel the excitement.

Taking risks: it is something that I have always been told to do and have always told others to do. I have heard that life is more fun when you take bigger risks. But what exactly does that mean? This is a question that I ask myself often. Is it really a risk if the consequences are not dire?

Some people take this advice about risks and think about it in a grand way. They do something that terrifies their friends and parents because to many, taking risks means participating in activities that put their lives on the line. They hear this advice and apply it in the most physical sense possible — they do something crazy. Driving too fast on dangerous roads, jumping off of tall cliffs or approaching dangerous groups of people

Throughout our lives we are presented with opportunities to take risks on a much smaller scale. I have come to find that these risks bring a more lasting joy than any free-fall ever could. When I was presented with the opportunity to be the editor-in-chief of the yearbook, I lacked the confidence in myself to trust that I was capable. I thought that I was the underdog — someone who lacked experience and would be overshadowed by a person who was better fitted for the job. Then I thought to myself, “What if this is it? What if this is the risk I was meant to take?” So I decided to take it. From that point onward my entire life changed.

After being offered and accepting my position as editor, every decision I made was spurred by the idea that I could reap major rewards from taking small risks. Every page of the book felt like I was going out on a limb with the potential to fall off. However, each

small success gave me the joy that kept me going. Now that we have reached the days that the student body gets to hold and read the book that I was in charge of producing, I feel a massive reward for taking that first risk. Had I never taken it, I would lack so much experience and so much development as a person. I learned that I was truly capable of much more than I gave myself credit for. I discovered truths about my work ethic and determination and how to truly be a leader. If I had never taken that risk, I never would be at the point I am at now: a confident woman with knowledge that I can conquer anything in my future. So take your small risks. Do not feel the need to go bungee jump off of a bridge or ride a motorcycle if it is not necessary. Say yes to opportunities that scare you, because the person who comes out on the other side is going to be better than you could have imagined — a more powerful and confident you.

Challenges for Jay-Z’s ‘Tidal’

Tidal, the most recent application and streaming service, is having some significant issues breaking onto the scene since its launch on March 30. Maybe the problem is that its pricing structure is nearly twice as costly as Spotify’s subscriptions (for roughly the same library), or perhaps it’s the principle behind supporting a “platform for artists, by artists” that is run by what many call “music’s one percent.” Regardless of what you want to attribute it to, Tidal’s stumble out of the starting block likely reflects what its targeted market thinks: that Tidal is just not wanted.

Tidal had a lot going for it at the start: financial backing by famous artist and businessman Jay-Z, support from many other popular music acts including Beyonce, Daft Punk and Jack White, and a premise of creating an “artist-owned” platform. However, it also had a lot going against it, including the hefty price tag of $19.99 per month, which is double what users pay monthly for Spotify, the streaming market already saturated by popular apps such as Pandora, Spotify and Beats Music, and the financial and societal position of many of those supporting artists.

Tidal had a great idea in that it wanted to create a streaming service that focused on giving more money back to artists, which is an issue common to other services like Spotify and Pandora, but had poor execution. Spotify is already a wildly popular app, available on all mobile operating systems as well as on the desktop, and features a

vast library of music. Taking it on would have to come from a powerful group of supporters, something that Beats Music, the streaming service operated by Apple, did not have. Tidal’s supporters, however powerful they were, probably aided in the downfall of the service’s public opinion; recently articles featuring lesser-known musicians lashing out at these wealthy artists have gained traction, pointing out the irony of millionaires promoting a service that will “return more money to the artists.”

While Spotify and Pandora do not have a great track record of providing strong returns to artists or groups, they provide a possibly more lucrative reward: visibility and market share. Spotify, especially, allows users to fine-tune their own playlists, and offers a vast library of both popular bands as well as local, unknown groups. Harding’s own Story Collectors have released an album on Spotify, showcasing

are often more beautiful and elegant than they are perceived to be. If we say only what we can understand contains beauty, then we are making a gross mistake. A sort of “music-centrism” develops from this, or even a form of elitism. For example, take a look at the Billboard Top 100 chart. Besides the beat and the singer’s voice, what else can we say is good about the song? Have you heard anyone describe pop songs as truly being “beautiful”?

that even young talent can get their music on the service. Tidal may have that opportunity as well, but they have not garnered the user base required to achieve that goal. Million-dollar acts such as Daft Punk and Kanye West may find the move to Tidal easy, but upcoming artists cannot afford to jump to a new platform without the promise of exposure.

Despite what you think about the supporters of Tidal (sorry Jay), or competition for the sake of competition, Tidal is an unnecessary addition to a market already dominated by Spotify and Pandora. Remember that it is not up to the financial backers of the app to promote upcoming or lesser-known artists, but it is the consumers who drive this focus.

GEOFF DAVIS is a guest writer for the Bison. He may be contacted at gdavis5@harding.edu.

When I went back home for Christmas, I saw a progressive metal show, two ska shows and a metalcore show. I wear several different articles of clothing that represent bands. My iTunes contains numerous bands from numerous different genres and subgenres: like Judas Priest to Switchfoot, or Insomnium to The Classic Crime, and even Fallujah to the Goo Goo Dolls.

On Wednesday, April 22, Reuters ran a headline that read: “U.S. top court makes it easier for people to sue the government.” The article reported that in two cases, the Supreme Court ruled that the two-year deadline for legal action against the federal government may be ignored if the circumstances demand.

The cases themselves were pretty straight forward. One involved an immigrant who was mistreated while detained. The other was filed by the family of a man who died in a highway accident, with the family claiming that a defective barrier attributed to his death.

As it often is with Supreme Court cases, the significance of the decision comes not from the cases themselves, but from their implication, and Reuters hinted at it with their headline. Obama’s administration has been pushing for harder deadlines for legal action against the government. With this decision, however, the Supreme Court set a precedent that offers the American people more opportunity to challenge the government.

The U.S. government was created, of course, for the people and by the people. Along with that idea comes the concept of transparency: the government should be open and honest in its actions. If our government is for and by the people, then the people must be able to monitor and react to what the government does. How can that happen if there is no transparency?

While it may not seem significant, the extension of legal action against the federal government gives more power to the people at a time when that government is becoming antithetically powerful. In a poll released Tuesday, April 21, the Pew Research Center found that only five percent of Americans believe that the federal government is effective in sharing data with the public. Very tellingly, the same survey showed that only 23 percent of people have faith in the federal government “most of the time.”

Obama’s administration has been a total loss of transparency. According to the Associated Press, his administration has been the least transparent in U.S. history, featuring record rates of censorship and denial of requests employing the Freedom of Information Act. The amount of backlogged requests for information has grown by 55 percent during his administration. A study by “Reporters Without Borders” ranked the U.S. at No. 46 in terms of countries with the most freedom of the press. According to the Washington Times, a survey of veteran journalists claims that Obama’s administration is the most secretive since Nixon’s.

“March Madness” swept across the nation recently, and the public was filled with anticipation of which teams would make it into the bracket and rise as the victor. Even though I share the same birthday as Justin Bieber, I have a different reason to celebrate March — it is Metal Month. Amazon not only proudly supports Metal Month, but also gives deep discounts on almost all metal albums. Seemingly, I am the only one within my friend circles that took advantage of this offer. Why is that? Why don’t more people listen to metal?

People fear what they do not understand. With most of us, this is true. People fear the lyrics they cannot understand, even if they

“Metal is the devil’s music” is often the prime reason why people don’t listen to metal. This is not true, for only a select niche of bands do this (Satanic black metal). Some artists don’t even have singers. (Pomegranate Tigers) A hasty generalization is not only a poor excuse, but also, can we really say that a certain genre worships the devil when the hit songs in America and across the globe worship pleasure, chemicals and sex?

Metal has always been a big part of my life and my family. My sister and I went to punk shows when we were 5 and 7, respectively. We’ve gone as a family to countless local and non-local rock, ska, punk, metal, and Christian shows. I have probably been to more than 100 concerts, and that is no exaggeration.

Metal is also not defined by what anyone says; oftentimes “metal” is a leap into the unknown and uncharted. Whoever could have guessed that some artists use an orchestra? (Haggard) Does any music on the radio have heavy influences in jazz or make use of violins? (Ne Obliviscaris) Would there ever be an international artist on your phone besides Psy or One Direction? Is there any explicitly Christian music on your iPod? (Demon Hunter)

I challenge all of us to follow that zeitgeist into the art that is music. As Confucius said, “everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

So it’s evident that there isn’t much transparency or trust between the U.S. government and the American people. But what’s the big deal? It comes down to the concept of for the people, by the people. If there is no trust in the government, how can the people be confident that they will be heard? Regardless of their catalyst, things like riots and violent protests — which have been numerous under Obama’s administration — are reflective of the breakdown of transparency and trust. If people feel they will not be heard through the proper avenues, such as forums or their own representatives, they will find ways to make their voices heard. As minor as it may seem, the Supreme Court’s decision to expand the power of the people is a promising change in the context of a government that offers almost no transparency.

Babies aren’t lab rats

We like things made to order — from our burgers to our cars, customization is readily available and almost expected. If we don’t want something, we just don’t have to have it. And if we want something done differently, we change it.

But there is one situation that customization and selectivity absolutely should not apply to: babies.

For the first time ever, scientists are genetically engineering human embryos. An article from Nature.com states that the attempts at genetic modification largely did not work. Of the 86 embryos that were experimented on, only a few successfully “contained the replacement genetic material.” According to a Buzzfeed article, their work is raising concerns about “designer babies.”

These experiments and tests raise countless ethical questions. First off, why do we need to genetically modify babies? Babies were not meant to be special ordered. They are created by the master creator, and I’d like to assume that God didn’t intend for scientists to change them.

In addition, these tests require embryos. Embryos are fertilized eggs; babies in the making. By experimenting on embryos, especially with such a low rate of success, the scientists are essentially performing abortions. Some may argue that some genetic modifications could save babies’ lives or prevent certain birth defects. However, if that comes at the price of losing hundreds of embryos through scientific testing, can we really say that it is a gain at all?

Now, some people may say that losing embryos is of little or no concern because they are “just embryos.”However, I believe that life begins at conception, and anyone who is pro-life likely feels the same way. So, destroying embryos is destroying human lives.

And for those who say that the idea of “designer” babies is not feasible, stem cell biologist Paul Knoepfler of the UC Davis School of Medicine said to Buzzfeed, “I do worry about stuff like designer babies because it feels like there’s this shift towards this use of the technology becoming more of a reality. But then today’s (research) makes me think that would probably be sort of disastrous.”

There may still be a long way to go before genetically modifying embryos actually becomes a reality. However, with technological and medical advances, it is a possibility. After this recent round of testing, “researchers are alarmed because the experiments caused unexpected genetic modifications.”

These are not lab rats we are messing with here — they are developing human babies. It just does not make sense to play games with the genetic makeups of babies when we do not know what the results will be. “Unexpected genetic modifications” can’t be good.

Genetic modifications are not worth the risks they present.

ALEXIS HOSTICKA is the editor-in-chief for the Bison. She may be contacted at ahostick@harding.edu. Twitter: @alexis_hosticka

Shopping local benefits community and self

to allow you to shop locally. The importance of shopping local is often underestimated. It offers a way to support farmers, working mothers, dreamers and your own neighbors. It allows neighbors to help neighbors, and is that not what Harding has taught us to do? Local businesses often need assistance in executing their message that they too hire locally, whether it is a contractor or an accountant.

College is a time of growth for students. Many build foundations for their futures, whether it is a formal education, marriage, finding themselves or all three. Another aspect of college is learning how to balance a budget.

Financial independence means students have the responsibility to make smart financial decisions on where and how they spend. Shopping locally is a wise option that will leave you, the community and your wallet happy.

Local shopping invests in the community and builds relationships. While Searcy does not have the largest scene for shopping it has enough

Owners of local businesses invest their money, emotion and time into creating a place or service for their community to enjoy and utilize. While Searcy may not be a student’s forever home, it still continues to host and welcome them into the community. The least a student can do in return is support the Searcy local businesses. Shopping at huge corporations may be convenient, but it lacks the quality shopping local has, such as the opportunity to build relationships with the producers and sellers. Once you realize the importance of supporting locals, you should help raise awareness of shopping and eating local.

The Searcy Square offers the community services to enjoy, from indulging in something

savory or sweet to watching a movie at the historical theater, The Rialto. Rather than driving through at a fast food chain, you should try a local eatery that features unique and well-made foods such as The Cookie Basket or Slader’s Alaskan Dumpling Company. The Searcy Certified Farmers’ Market sells a variety of foods and goods and is worth a visit. The market offers reasonable prices on foods that are beneficial to your health. You cannot find a better source for pesticide-free products than the local farmers’ market, because the farmer can directly inform the consumer on the process of how the product was made.

Little things like shopping local make a big difference in both the community and world. So this spring season shop local to support the Searcy community; you will not be disappointed.

Just the Clax A life well lived (times three)

As another academic year winds to a close, I’m torn between two subjects for this year’s last column. I’d like to say something to the graduating seniors. I want to thank you for choosing Harding. Your choice gives purpose to hundreds of people like me. Your presence pushes us all to work harder so that you will be better prepared for life and faith in an exciting world. Please stay in touch. You have no idea what it means to us to hear about your successes, and even your setbacks (which are often just successes-in-training). I’d like to say that it’s our honor to go with you on this journey, and our role as supporters doesn’t end when you frame your diploma.

But I’m torn because something should also be said about three dedicated Christian women who have meant so much to Harding and who left us last week within a few days of each other. Only a handful of current students will recognize their names, but each has made her mark — just as so many of you are leaving yours — on this campus and on this community.

So I’d like to celebrate our seniors and your future by pointing to the past, to three sisters in Christ who have much to teach us.

Marilyn McCluggage Allen was the Petit Jean Queen of 1949 and a graduate in Elementary Education soon afterward. For 63 years, she was the devoted wife of one of our brotherhood’s most successful evangelists. As Jimmy Allen crisscrossed the country holding more than 4,000 gospel meetings, Marilyn supported him, sowing seeds of her own during 50 years as a Bible school teacher at the College Church of Christ. Her daughter Cindy recalled that week after week, her mother began on Monday to prepare for next Sunday’s class. Propping a flannel-board in front of the television, she used her own children as a “dress rehearsal” for each lesson, cleverly keeping them away from excessive TV at the same time.

If I volunteer to do something for an hour, I feel the need to put it on my resume, but Marilyn Allen volunteered for half a century to help children feel welcomed, valued and nurtured in church. All while doing the same thing for her own children at home, in order to enable her husband to fulfill his calling as a preacher. Jimmy Allen estimates that during his career,

more than 50,000 people responded to God’s message, and at his wife’s funeral, he credited half of those responses to her.

When her father died at a young age, Stephanie Killgore Carr had to learn about dry-cleaning to help her mother keep the family business open during the Depression. But she began her professional life serving her country as a supervisor in the War Department, being among the first to work in the Pentagon when it opened in 1943. She was named the outstanding graduate of her class at Vanderbilt University in 1946, the same year she married Jimmy Carr. They lived for 25 years near the sports complex at Florida State University, where her husband worked. Stephanie was an avid sports fan but an even more avid reader, and she often lamented that she couldn’t raise her three boys closer to the university library. A lifelong learner, she kept a dictionary by her favorite chair, and sometimes read it for pleasure.

When Jimmy Carr — who famously coined the phrase “It’s Great to Be at Harding”—moved to Searcy in 1970, Stephanie plunged into community service. She sponsored Ju Go Ju social club, taught Sunday school at College Church and volunteered for many years at the White County Hospital. Her Christian worldview was unshakable. When a son came home from college, thinking he might shock his mother with what he had learned about existentialism, she calmly said, “That all sounds familiar” and opened her Bible to Ecclesiastes. In her 93 years she saw the world with gratitude. Asked late in life which was her favorite holiday, she answered wisely: “Every day is a holiday when you are 90. It’s a gift.”

At Harding we sometimes imply — unintentionally — that the primary ways for women to serve God are through marriage

and motherhood. Please forgive us for that.

Dee Bost lived all her life as a single woman and never stopped using her gifts for others. Dee was baptized at one of Jimmy Allen’s gospel meetings in Dallas in 1964, and after graduating from Harding in 1974 she taught for 14 years at the Sunshine School in Searcy, working with special needs students. As the house manager for the White County Group Home, she often spent her evenings driving the residents to the jobs where they worked — this after a long day of teaching.

Then for 20 years with Harding’s Advance program, Dee counseled students who started college with disadvantages, sometimes working with as many as 350 at any given time. She retired as Director of the Academic Resource Center (now the Center for Student Success), a program she guided through its accreditation. After retirement, she really got to work, conducting home Bible studies, traveling for disaster relief efforts and gospel campaigns, organizing a new outreach ministry for the College Church, and for the last 12 years working with female inmates at the White County Jail.

In my prayer journal, I have a page with names of people who have recently been baptized. The latest entry simply reads, “Six at the women’s prison.” Society might have given up on these women, but Dee did not. A quiet, humble servant, Dee’s sudden death from a massive stroke last week broke the hearts of everyone who knew, admired and loved her. But she lives on in the lives she changed.

For all of you who are graduating, your gifts will be different from those of Marilyn Allen, Stephanie Carr and Dee Bost. Or from Nicholas Smith or Kailey Massey or Ty Osman. But you have the power to make your life matter to other people by loving and serving them. I just hope your list of such people is long and grows every day. May God bless you all.

MICHAEL CLAXTON is a guest writer for the Bison. He may be contacted at mclaxto1@harding.edu.

At the Bison, it is our goal to serve the Harding University student body with integrity, truth and open ears. However, we believe that meeting that goal is a two-way street between our staff and the public it serves. We pledge to keep our eyes and ears open to what our community has to say and hope that, in return, that community will be an interactive audience, sharing its stories with us. We also pledge to do the basics: Report accurate and relevant information, check our facts, and share them in a professional, timely manner.

If you have any story ideas, questions, comments or concerns for the Bison staff, please email Alexis Hosticka, the editor-in-chief, at ahostick@harding.edu. “ The Bison (USPS 577-660) is published weekly (except vacations, exams and summer sessions), 20 issues per year, by Harding University.

contribute work under the byline “guest writers.” Due to this arrangement, staff writers may rewrite

identifying the work as the guest writers’ own.

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Shane Schock

Schock Talk

Mock draft

For my last issue of SchockTalk, I figured I would talk about my favorite sport: football, and the upcoming draft. Here are my top five picks in, “Schock’s Mock Draft.”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs are an easy choice on what their needs are as a franchise: a quarterback. I think Jameis Winston will be the overall No. 1 pick. He has had his moments turning the ball over, but has come through in the clutch with big plays in the second half. He is big, so he will be tough to bring down and he understands how to attack the secondary. He is also the most pro-ready quarterback in the draft with the offense Florida State ran his senior year.

Tennessee Titans: I think the Titans will end up trading their pick to the Eagles or Browns for potential future draft picks, but if they stay, I see them picking USC’s Leonard Williams. The defensive end is 6 foot 5 inches and 302 pounds. He has exceptional athleticism with a broad frame and surprising quickness. His fantastic agility and raw strength will make him a tough load in the middle as a run stopper.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags are in need of an offensive tackle and a running back.

To protect their franchise and long term investment in quarterback Blake Bortles, I think they should go OT, and my top linemen in the draft is bruiser, Brandon Scherff. Scherff is an All-Big Ten lineman and brings enough power to lift a house. He is a great run blocker and rarely gets beaten on the outside in pass blocking and would be a great addition to protect Bortles blind-side.

Oakland Raiders : The Raiders are in need of a big-name wide receiver who can help young Derek Carr at quarterback. I think they should look no further than Alabama’s Amari Cooper. He is the best wide out in the draft and brings great speed and superior route running. He has the ability to break corners down and get them leaning the wrong way before heading the opposite direction.

Washington Redskins:The Redskins are another prospect in a possible trade-for-picks scenario, but they are in need of a pass rusher. I think that guy should be Dante Fowler Jr. from Florida. He is versatile and can basically rush from anywhere on the field. He can rush from a two-point or three-point stance and has great off-the-ball quickness.

He is raw at rushing the passer, but I think he can adjust well and use his quickness to be a big threat.

It is unpredictable if the Titans and Redskins will stay in their draft spots, but I believe someone will pay them enough to move up and get Oregon’s Marcus Mariota in the top five.

My final send off.

#SchockTalk

SHANE SCHOCK is sports editor for the 20142015 Bison. He may be contacted at sschock@harding.edu.

Twitter: @Shane_M_Schock

Despite tough season, tennis works to finish strong

By David Salley Asst. Sports Editor

For the men’s tennis team, 2015 has been a roller coaster ride.

After an up-and-down start to the season, the Bisons came out of a slump to win six of their next seven matches, only to see it all come down in the form of a five-match losing streak. They carry that streak into the first round of Friday’s Great American Conference (GAC) tournament.

Injuries and the departure of players have hit the Bisons hard this year, but they may have taken their toughest blow of the season last week. After playing through pain for five weeks, No. 1 singles player, senior Jon Mark Rowden, discovered he had a completely torn latissimus dorsi

muscle, which will end his college tennis career.

“That news made me feel like my career was over,” Rowden said. “But my teammates and coaches have been supportive and picked me up and let me be a part of helping them get better to finish this year up. Heading into these final matches, I’m just going to be an encouragement to my teammates.”

Rowden, the most experienced player on the roster, was a 2014 All-GAC selection. His loss will be another tough situation to handle for the Bisons, but there have been bright spots in the past week.

Sophomore Neto Cacace won his 20th doubles match of the season on Monday playing with freshman

Adrian Torrico. The win makes Cacace the first Harding player since 1998 to win 20 doubles matches in a season. Cacace was quick to give his teammates credit for his success and said that no matter how the season ends up, this team is going to fight.

“I wouldn’t have made it without (my doubles partners),” Cacace said. “But it feels good seeing the hard work that I have been putting in this year paying off. We have had trials this season, but our team faced them positively and this weekend won’t be different. We are going to fight and bring our best.”

For Rowden, watching from the sidelines this weekend will be much like the 2015 season has been: difficult. Despite the highs and lows, though,

Baseball on top in GAC

By Jonna Hopper Student Writer

The baseball team won their series against Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU), moving them into first place in the Great American Conference.

The team went into the series with the disadvantage of having the location switched from their home at Jerry Moore Field to their opponent’s home turf. Junior pitcher Andrew Fiddler said the team was determined to pull through.

“Coach McGaha always says to take it one game at a time and that’s what we did this weekend,” Fiddler said. “We took it one game at a time and didn’t let the circumstances interfere with that.”

The final score was 2-1 with Harding scoring right away in the first inning, then both teams making a run in the fourth inning. Fiddler pitched the entire game only

allowing seven hits when he was on the mound.

“The main thing was trying to get ahead of the hitters and let them put the ball in play so the defense could work and make plays behind me,” Fiddler said.

Senior outfielder Shane Kinnear scored the second run bringing the Bison’s back into the lead.

“I hit a line drive that the shortstop misplayed and was able to get on base,” Kinnear said. “Kyler Offenbacker was up to bat and has been really hot lately, and with two outs, I knew I needed to get to second to have a chance to score on a base hit, and I was able to get to second on a ball in the dirt. Kyler ended up getting a hit and I was able to score from second.”

The Bisons next game was held up by rain in the second inning. The teams were forced to take a 67-minute delay of game while they waited for

rain to pass through.

“We just tried to keep our focus small and not let the weather affect us,”Kinnear said.

They stayed strong and played well even after having to take out their starting pitcher following the delay. They kept SWOSU hits to a minimum and had an ending with 5-3 as the final score.

The third game was on Monday. They pulled off a shutout ending with 1-0 even after playing the double-header the day before. They scored their one run in the second inning. SWOSU only had four hits in the game.

The Bisons winning streak came to an end on Wednesday against Southern Arkansas University, as they fell 7-2. Despite the loss, they still sit atop the GAC standings with a conference record of 17-7.

The team plays again this today against Arkansas Tech University in Russellville at 7 p.m.

there is no doubt that he will be there for the team he’s fought so hard for these last four years.

“As we go into our conference tournament we are going to have to change our mindset from ‘poor us look what we have been through’ to ‘this is what we have to work with, lets do the best we can with it,’” Rowden said. “All I can do is really encourage and push my teammates to be the best they can be and fight harder than they have ever fought until the end. If they do that, we will finish the season on a positive note, regardless of the outcome of these matches.”

The Bisons play Southeastern Oklahoma State University in the first round of the GAC Tournament today at noon in Bentonville, Ark.

Softball looks to end season on high note

Four games left before Great American Conference tourney

By Addison Hurst Student Writer

This past weekend, the Lady Bisons finished conference play by winning three of their four games against Ouachita Baptist University (OBU).

On Sunday, the softball team played two of their four games against OBU. The Lady Bisons pulled away with two wins, 6-2 and 7-2. Sophomore infielder Emily Jones led the Lady Bisons in scoring in the first game with two runs. In the second game senior utility player Jessica Greene and sophomore infielder Marley Edwards led in scoring, both with two runs.

Sophomore Kaylie McFadden attended both games on Sunday in Arkadelphia to support several friends.

“I love going to the away games, especially OBU,” McFadden said. “I feel like there is a different feel to them than the home games. I also have several friends on OBU’s team so it was fun to see the rivalry between them.”

In the last two games of the series, the Lady Bisons suffered a 2-1 loss in the first game but were able to finish with a 6-4 win in the second on Monday afternoon. These were the softball team’s final games in regular season conference play. The team traveled to

Cleveland, Miss., on Tuesday, April 21 to take on Delta State University (DSU) in non-conference play. The Lady Bisons won the first game 6-4, but failed to take the lead in the second game losing 1-4.

Junior infielder Kinsey Beck, who was 2014 Academic All-Great American Conference, was one of the leading scorers in the game. Beck had five at-bats and two runs.

“We finished our conference against OBU winning three out of four and went straight into playing DSU the next day, so we were ready to compete and on a high from winning,” Beck said. “We prepared well by having good approaches at the plate and we gave it all we had.”

The team finished the conference season with a record of 15-15. So far their overall record is 22-26, winning 11 games at home. They will head to the GAC Tournament on April 30 in Bentonville, Ark. Sophomore catcher Kimmy Hendricks and the rest of the Lady Bisons are looking forward to the tournament.

“There’s always an anxious feeling when it comes down to the tournament, “Hendricks said. “We’ve worked all season to get there and now it’s time to just give it all we’ve got.”

Sophomore Josh Hurt returns a serve in his match against the University of Arkansas Fort-Smith on March 31. Hurt lost his singles matches 6-1 and 6-4, but won his doubles match 8-6.

GRANT SCHOL | The Bison

Red-shirt junior Harrison Hunter gets a hit against Southern Arkansas University on April 22. The Bisons fell to the Muleriders 2-7.

GRANT SCHOL | The Bison

Paul Smith guest space

NHL draft

On April 18, the NHL held the draft lottery to determine the order of this year’s draft pick. The 14 teams who did not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs all held their breath in anticipation to see which pick they would get.

This year, everyone wanted to be a top-two pick because there are two extremely talented prospects that are eligible to be drafted. The two players that scouts across the continent are raving about are Connor McDavid of the Erie Otters, and Jack Eichel of Boston University.

Men’s and women’s track clean up at UCA

By Shane Schock Sports Editor

The men’s and women’s track and field teams turned in quite the performance at last weeks University of Central Arkansas (UCA) Open on Saturday, April 18. The men posted 18 top-five finishes and the women followed that with 13 of their own top-10 finishes.

“As a whole, the track team has slowly progressed and continued to stay well-rounded throughout the multiple events,” junior Josh Syrotchen said.

Syrotchen, who is the top-ranked discus thrower in DII, performed well in the UCA Open leading all Harding athletes by finishing top-10 in discus, shot put and the hammer throw.

In the discus throw Syrotchen finished second with a mark of 171

feet, 10 inches, fourth in the hammer throw at 144 feet, 5 inches and seventh in the shot put event with a throw of 42 feet, 9-3/4 inches.

“My teammates and I were able to finish with top level times and distances from the hard work everyday and keeping our focus on our goals,” Syrotchen said. “Pushing ourselves to a new level every week and sometimes everyday gives us the ability to reach great outcomes.”

Syrotchen said staying humble through his successes and his failures have helped him stay focused and determined to continue competing at a high level.

Other top finishers for the men’s team were the 4x400-meter relay team who finished second with the 10th fastest time in DII this season,

fourth place in the 100-meter, fifth place in 1,500-meter, fourth and fifth place finishes in the 5,000-meter, fourth in the 110-meter hurdles, three top five finishes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, a third place finish in pole vault and a fourth place finish in the triple jump.

The women’s team showed their talent as well with 13 top-10 finishes at the UCA Open. Junior Sarah Coleman finished sixth in the high jump with a personal best 5 feet, 1 inch and fifth as a part of the 4x400 relay team with a time of 4 minutes, 2.30 seconds.

“For our 4x4 we haven’t had our normal relay from years past with women graduating, so we have had to have girls step it up and run the relay who haven’t before,” Coleman

said. “Individually I was excited as well. I had two PR’s in the high jump and 100 hurdles. Since both of those events are in the heptathlon, that will be extremely helpful at conference.”

Coleman said a lot of their success as a team this season has been due to great coaching from Brian Phillips. She said it also comes down to focusing and being committed on hard work and willingness to sacrifice for the team.

Junior Kelsey Taylor won the 1,500-meter with a time of 4 minutes, 47.28 seconds and freshmen Sylvie Mueller won the 5,000-meter.

The men’s and women’s last track meet of the season is the Lone Star Conference Championship at Legrand Stadium in San Angelo, Texas on May 7-9.

Club soccer canceled due to bad weather conditions

By Katie Diffine Student Writer

Club sports are one of the many reasons students look forward to joining a social club. This year, soccer joined the lineup and became a highly anticipated option for the men’s social clubs.

With this being the first year in a long time that the men could sign up to play, many students anxiously waited for the first games. Unfortunately, Tuesdays and Thursdays this season saw a whole new meaning of “April showers” and the soccer tournament was brought to an end due to inclement weather.

Junior Sam Morris, a member of new men’s social club Lambda Chi Theta, looked forward to bringing his club together and expected more for this season.

“Club soccer is a great idea and it can really bring a club together,” Morris said. “Although,

Our Athletes’ Views on Pop Culture

if I’m being honest, April can be a tough time to try and play outdoor games. With game cancelations we didn’t really get a season at all. I’m not sure how this can be improved or avoided, but I am thankful we got somewhat of a season.”

Not only did the cancellation of soccer games come as a surprise and disappointment to the men, the women’s clubs were also saddened to see the season fall short. Talk of games being conducted on Saturdays came quickly after the dismissal of Tuesday and Thursday games, but with careful consideration it was decided to end the soccer season entirely.

For an athletic director, the season was a challenging one to plan for. Sophomore Averie Albright, sports director of the women’s social club Ko Jo Kai, hoped to watch her club compete this year and also looked forward to the addition of men’s soccer.

“I thought that it was super difficult because

we would post about games every other day and then we would have to turn around and post again that games were canceled,” Albright said.

“I hated it because people made plans around the times their games were and they never ended up happening. I think adding men’s soccer was a good choice. They are really fun to watch just because men are so fast and aggressive.”

Overall, due to excessively wet fields and hazardous playing conditions, men’s and women’s club sports director, Jim Gowen, decided that conditions would simply not allow for the finish of the soccer tournament.

“This season was not what was expected,” Gowen said. “Due to winter weather in March, spring break, rain and wet fields and Spring Sing week, we were able to complete 12 matches and a half of two others. Because of these factors and next Monday being the start of Dead Week, the soccer tournament could not be completed.”

McDavid is 18 years old and is a scoring machine. This year he played in 47 games, had 44 goals and 76 assists. That’s a total of 120 points. For those of you who don’t know, that is an insane number of points. I couldn’t even do that in EA SPORTS NHL ‘15.

Eichel is also 18 years old and is completing his freshman year at Boston University. If you have Snapchat, you may have seen the Frozen Four story. The Frozen Four is the hockey equivalent to NCAA Basketball’s Final Four. Eichel led the Terriers to the Frozen Four as a freshman, but they lost in the championship. In 40 games, Eichel had 26 goals and 45 assists for a total of 71 points. There is no question that he is a world-class talent.

The projected order of the draft was Buffalo, Arizona and Edmonton, respectively. Luckily for Edmonton, they won the draft lottery and were awarded with the number one overall pick. This bumped Buffalo to number two and Arizona to number three.

Edmonton is excited, Buffalo is satisfied and Arizona is angry. Arizona desperately needs young offensive talent, but will likely be unable to find the game-changer they were hoping to get in either McDavid or Eichel.

I’ve got to say, as a relatively novice hockey fan, this is all very exciting to me. I am excited to see how these guys pan out and how everything unfolds a few years from now. Tune in on June 26 to see what happens. Go Stars.

Junior Josh Syrotchen throws at practice on April 7. Syrotchen is currently the top-ranked discus thrower in Division II and also competes in shot put and the hammer throw.

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Bailey Pearson Track Noah Chandler Baseball

Kinsey Beck Softball Kaylie Brown Tennis Corey Bassett Track

Au pair work offers travel, experience

Students receive free room, board in exchange for familial employment

By Andrea DeCamp Student Writer

When leaving college, students often have a hard time trying to figure out what’s next. Senior Chelsea Reid has her plan. When she leaves school, she will be preparing to leave for Lyon, France as an au pair. An au pair is someone who travels to another country to live with a family and help provide childcare without being considered a full-time nanny. They receive free room and board and work for the family.

Bruce McLarty’s summer

By Shelby Dias Student Writer

While some students plan a Searcy summer filled with work, internships or local adventures, university president Dr. Bruce McLarty has plans for travel, rest and time with family. With students not on campus, the presidential duties in the summertime involve catching up on business that there was not time for during the school year.

“Summer always feels like you have more hours in the day,” Bruce McLarty said. “It’s an opportunity to finally catch up with yourself and then plan ahead. Summer is a time to work on some of the very important work that gets lost in the busyness of the school year.”

Bruce McLarty will speak to parents of incoming freshmen during two sessions of Stampede, take a retreat with university cabinet members and vice presidents and conduct an orien-

tation for 20-30 new faculty members before the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year.

“I get to spend about eight hours with them doing the stuff I wrote my dissertation about, which is helping first year professors of Harding embrace the spiritual mission of the university,” Bruce McLarty said. “It’s one of the most enjoyable things I do all year long. I love being able to share the story of Harding and talk about what it means to teach from a Christian perspective.”

Bruce McLarty said he hopes to spend some time this summer writing and revising the “Embracing the Mission” curriculum he developed for the orientation.

Bruce McLarty will have opportunities for personal and professional travel throughout the summer. He plans to travel with his wife Ann to three family graduations and a wedding.

They also will spend a week with the College of Business Administration (COBA) London program and another week with the chair of the Board of Trustees touring the campuses in Greece and Italy.

This summer marks the beginning of retirement for Ann McLarty, who has been a nurse with Student Health Services for two decades.

“This May, right after graduation, I will be hanging up my stethoscope after 20 years at that clinic,” Ann McLarty said. “After that, I’m going to spend all my time trying to keep up with (Bruce) as my full-time job.”

Both Bruce and Ann McLarty said that they most looked forward to the small joys that summer brings, like having one service at College Church of Christ where they can sit with grandkids and take Sunday night trips to the Bulldog Cafe.

Students attend college with life ‘in the rear view mirror’

Non-traditional students reflect on facing difficulties, getting out of their comfort zones

By Austin Nightengale Student Writer

“Where are you going to college?” is a question that many high school students are familiar with. Chances are it was the sheer frequency of that question that may have made some students make a decision in the first place. However, some student’s post-high school plans were a bit more non-traditional.

“I started my bachelor’s degree when I was 26,” Brittany Beckloff, who is in the Center for Advanced Ministry Training (CAMT) program, said. “I had been living and working as a missionary, massage therapist and community clown. I had always planned that I would be married by at least 25. God had a different plan I suppose. I’ve been blessed to do many amazing things with those years. When I was 18, college didn’t appeal to me.” Beckloff and many other students at Harding and across the world fall into a category commonly referred to as “non-traditional students.” In the simplest definition, it refers to students who did not go to college right after high school. It can also refer to students like Mark Walker, who chose to return to school for a change of direction and to join the CAMT program.

“I am currently 53 years old,” Walker said. “After a couple of career changes throughout my forties, I decided to change directions in pursuit of something I hope to be more fulfilling than simply chasing a paycheck. My previous careers were as a pilot, and then an engineer. I knew if I wanted to do anything full-time in ministry I would need training.”

Having gone through more of life than traditional students, non-traditional students have significantly more diverse backgrounds. No matter the background, it is enough to greatly change their Harding experience.

“My time isn’t as free and open, having two kids,” Samuel Baggett, who is studying broadcast journalism, said. “I can’t join clubs, or participate in extracurricular activities like other students because I’ve got to pick up my kids from school, get home, cook dinner, give baths and tuck them into bed. I can’t live on campus. I can’t freely come to the Bison ball games. I can’t enjoy the college life as

It is nice to have some of life already in the rear view mirror. Like many others getting ready to graduate, I do not know what I will be doing, or where we will be living. However, I am not as anxious about the unknowns as we have already weathered many of them in the past.

the kidless traditional students do.”

Walker said he finds a big difference between being a student now and being a student before.

“My approach to school is completely different than it was when I graduated the first time in 1984,” Walker said. “I do not learn as easily as I did 30 years ago, but my interest level is higher, so I would say I learn better than I did. My wife and I live off campus, and our two sons are in college, so I would guess our life is quieter than most traditional students.”

The experience is different for every non-traditional student. For Beckloff, her greatest challenge is relating with other students who are younger than she is. For Baggett, his greatest challenge is scheduling “everything around everything.” What they all do have in common is a bit of life under their belt.

“It is nice to have some of life already in the rear view mirror,” Walker said. “Like many others getting ready to graduate, I do not know what I will be doing, or where we will be living. However, I am not as anxious about the unknowns as we have already weathered many of them in the past.”

Non-traditional students have a lot to offer others, according to Beckloff. From why you should stay in school, getting out of your comfort zone and reaching out to others, each one is a wealth of experience and knowledge.

“I’m not ready to be in the ‘real-world’ yet, and I always wanted to up and move somewhere new, but didn’t know where that’d be,” Reid said. “I loved traveling this past summer on the study abroad program in Scotland and I’m most excited about traveling this next year.”

Reid is an education major and wanted to find a way to use her talents in new ways before jumping into the education system. Reid said she does have fears about leaving for France.

“While it’s all very exciting and thrilling, it’s always terrifying starting over somewhere, but especially where you don’t know the language,” Reid said. “I’m a little directionally challenged, so getting lost worries me a little.”

The process for becoming an au pair involves actively seeking families and trying to connect with people of another culture. This means a person must be up front about all things involving beliefs.

“I used the website, AuPair-World.net and created a profile describing myself, my experiences, why I’m wanting to be an au pair and what I’m looking for in a family,” Reid said. “After that, I browsed families that created profiles and looked for families that I seemed compatible with and contacted them. The family I ended up choosing brought up religion first, and they’re Protestant. They asked a lot about family values and want someone to be a good role model for their kids, which I really liked.”

Junior Hannah Perry attends the same Bible study as Reid and has heard a lot about the opportunity she is experiencing.

“I know that she (Reid) has been very prayerful about her future and it is really cool to see that this has worked out for her,” Perry said, “I know that she is very excited and it will be awesome to see how her ten months abroad goes.” Reid will spend almost a year with a family and will spend time assisting in childcare and their education.

God-ordained mission

By Madeline Jones Student Writer

Jamey Grimsley, 22, is a freshman Bible and Missions major and plans to go to Jinotega, Nicaragua this summer. Though it is his third time going, he has no intentions of this being his last visit.

Last year’s spring break was the first time Grimsley went to Jinotega and volunteered with Mision Para Cristo. Grimsley said he believes the trip was God-ordained because it was a very quick process.

“I came to the church one day and the youth minister told me he was taking a group of teens to Nicaragua and said ‘I want you to chaperone and I have already signed you up,’” Grimsley said.

Grimsley was there for a week the first time. He said that by the middle of the week, he knew he wanted to be there permanently. He said his desire to stay began with the Nicaraguans begging him

not to leave. This desire was later reinforced when people from home encouraged him to think about going back the following summer.

“It was a mixture between them just telling me I was staying and me finally believing and wanting to stay,” Grimsley said.

Grimsley returned the following summer for a three-month stay. Junior Jamie Capri also interned in Jinotega. Capri said that even though they did not work together every day, they still became close friends. Mision Para Cristo is involved with numerous communities within Jinotega.

“The mission doesn’t just do one thing,” Capri said. “They have a battered woman’s shelter, a pregnancy home for teenagers and young women, they sponsor almost 27 different schools; they have eight different towns they do after school care with and so much more. They are everywhere.”

Capri said they usually would visit each other in the evening if they did not work together during the day. She said he was great to work with because he is laid back and flexible, which helped immensely in a foreign country.

“His personality in general is just goofy and silly,” Capri said. “He just wants to have fun, and I think that is really great, especially for the kids. They grasp on to this big, goofy guy who just wants to go play with them. They love him.”

Grimsley said he felt like he had found his calling and was just going to stay in Jinotega permanently after his first summer there. He said the people there were eager to have him, but encouraged him to finish his degree before making the choice to stay.

Grimsley said he plans on moving to Jinotega once he graduates.

“I can’t stay out of Nicaragua; I can’t stay away from that mission,” Grimsley said.

GRANT SCHOL | The Bison Freshman Jamey Grimsley, a Bible and missions major, sits in the McInteer building on April 22. Grimsley has visited Nicaragua twice and plans to move there after he graduates.

EMILY EASON | The Bison

President Bruce McLarty dines at Pizza Hut with his wife Ann and his grandchildren on April 22. McLarty hopes to spend this summer revising the “Embracing the Mission” curriculum he has developed.

- Mark Walker, Center for Advanced Ministry training student

Returning summer menu draws locals and students

By Toria Parrett Student Writer

Midnight Oil’s lunch menu has become a favorite among Harding students and Searcy locals alike. The changing of seasons means the return of the summer menu with old favorites like the “untitled” sandwich and curry chicken salad, and new crowd pleasers like the colossal club.

During the 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. lunch hours, Midnight Oil hosts a number of people all lining up and filling the small coffee shop for the three hour span. Barista junior Tyler Newton said that this time is always extremely busy and filled with many people who have lunch there everyday.

“It creates a different environment for about three hours during the time that we serve lunch,” Newton said. “We get a very specific crowd and it creates a different environment in line and behind the bar. Around 11 everyone piles in and then it is non-stop for the rest of the lunch hours.”

Cities offer huge Slip‘N Slides to kick start summer fun

By Rachel Young Student Writer

This summer, Slide the City is coming to multiple cities across the country bringing 1,000 feet of slick vinyl to slide down, all while supporting a good cause.

At Slide the City there will be a family-friendly Slip‘N Slide water party event, live music, food, drinks and more, according to the Slide the City website. A portion of the money raised from the event goes to a charity in the area. Junior Courtney Barnett is looking forward to participating in the event in Houston, Texas.

“I am very excited about Slide the City,” Barnett said. “It is for a good cause, and just the concept in general is a really neat idea for raising money.”

Junior Celeste Bolen is also excited about Slide the City.

“I remember being a child playing with my neighbors on a Slip‘N Slide in my back yard,” Bolen said. “I am looking forward to doing the same this summer at Slide the City in my hometown St. Louis, Mo.”

There was some concern about what Slide the City was doing for water conservation in the cities. On the website, Slide the City sent out a statement about this issue.

“Approximately 12,000 -20,000 gallons of water are typically circulated in a day. At the end of the event, the water used in the slide will be treated and then recycled back into the community,” Slide the City said.

Anyone over the age of 5 is welcome to slide, according to the Slide the

City website. To register, go to their website where you can choose to do the Single Slider, Triple Slider, or the VIP Slider.

The Single Slider gives you the ability to slide one time during the day. The Triple Slider lets you slide three times during the day. The VIP Slider includes as many slides as you want as well as sliding an hour before everyone else and an hour after everyone else. The prices range from $15 to $50 depending on which option is chosen.

An event is tentatively planned for Little Rock, but the date has not yet been set.

For more information and details about all of the locations for this summer, visit at www.slidethecity.com.

However, the success of the menu has brought some challenges that affect the shop on a daily basis, like the large amount of grocery store runs that must be made by employees to replenish necessary ingredients throughout the day. In order to hopefully remedy some of these challenges, manager Zak Kelley has started a project with barista senior Addie Hayes.

Behind Midnight Oil on the employee entrance ramp sits several flower pots filled with various fruit and vegetable plants, all ingredients used frequently on the lunch menu. These pots are the beginning of what Hayes and Kelley hope will soon turn into a fully sustainable garden that Midnight Oil can use to supplement their lunch menu instead of buying their produce from a grocery store, saving time and money.

Hayes said she thought of the idea last summer when she was interning with Midnight Oil and thought of the project as a way to bridge the gap between the Kibo mission team the coffee shop benefits and Midnight Oil itself.

“I wanted Searcy citizens to know what Kibo Group was all about by seeing how Midnight Oil can change its own community in the same way Kibo does for its community in Jinja, Uganda,” Hayes said. Kelley said he feels the garden is a way for Midnight Oil to practice the sustainable lifestyle the Kibo mission team is preaching to the people of Jinja, Uganda.

“Kibo group’s whole message is sustainability,” Kelley said. “They want to bring sustainability to villages in East Africa. Something that we need to do as Midnight Oil is be sustainable in what we do, so it is cool that we can bring some form of sustainability to our lunch menu by growing things in the back.”

Searcy offers fresh produce through various markets, farms

By Hannah Perry Student Writer

With the Searcy Farmers’ Market opening last weekend, there is much excitement from the regular shoppers and the farmers. For many of the farmers at the market, they started growing produce for their own families. As time passed, the quantity of produce grew so large the families could not consume it all themselves, so they decided to sell their leftovers at the farmers’ market.

Shopping locally not only keeps the money within the town of Searcy, but it also supports the farmers and

could potentially provide more jobs.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, public support for 500 farmers’ markets every year could create up to 13,500 jobs in a five-year period. Local farmers provide healthier, more flavorful produce. When a large corporation ships their products across the country, the produce loses some of its nutrients and flavor, accordingt to Amanda Louks, a farmer at Beyond the Garden Gate Herb Nursery. She also said most of the items sold at the farmers’ market are organic and encourages Harding students to use fresh farm

products to prepare meals.

“Come down and buy your fresh stuff, go back to your apartment at Harding, make something fresh out of the locally grown produce,” Louks said. “How wonderful is that? Most of the things here are organic. You can’t beat that. If you want a healthy life, start putting healthy things in your body.”

Here are a few farms and markets to visit in the Searcy area:

Searcy Certified Farmers’ Market:

The Searcy Farmers’ Market is located next to the courthouse and features produce from farms across White County. Organic eggs, herbs,

varieties of vegetables and homemade baked goods will be sold on Saturdays 8 a.m.-noon and Tuesdays

4 – 6 p.m. The market opened April 18 and will run through November.

Beyond the Garden Gate Herb Nursery:

Beyond the Garden Gate Herb Nursery started selling produce at the Searcy Farmers’ Market one year ago, however, they have been farming for several years. Beyond the Garden Gate grows and sells herbs, fresh-cut flowers and small vegetables like tomatoes and peppers.

The nursery is located in Judsonia, Ark. but the easiest way to

Strawberry fest raises funds for Cabot

By Kristina Kiser

Student Writer April 25 is Cabot’s 13th Annual Strawberry Festival. The Cabot Strawberry Festival is a family-friendly event in Cabot, Ark., with a 5K run, beauty pageant, carnival and lots of strawberries.

The festival began as a way to bring funds into Cabot without having to request money from the federal government, and as a way to show off Cabot’s strawberries.

As the festival began to grow, the Junior Auxiliary of Cabot started officially organizing it in 2009.

Melissa Davis, the public relations chairperson of the Junior Auxiliary of Cabot, has been working with the festival for two years. Davis said she looks forward to all that the event does to give back to the community.

“My favorite thing about Strawberry Festival is the reason for the event itself,” Davis said. “All proceeds from the weekend go back into our community to benefit primarily the children in Cabot. This is one of our largest finance projects, and with the money raised, we will be able to complete our service projects for

the year including: Stock the Pantry, Reading First, Smile Program, Christmas Blessing and Child Welfare.” A new addition to this year’s festival is the Run for the Berries 5K run. The run will take place on a certified course starting at the Cabot High School track at 8 a.m. Registration and packet pickup will be held at the high school track on race day beginning at 6:30 a.m., and medals will be awarded for the top three in each age category for male and female participants. The awards will be presented following the race at the main stage of Strawberry Festival at the community center at 9:30 a.m.

Fresh strawberries will be available from Barnhill Orchards, Cabot Patch and Holland Bottom Farms. The Junior Auxiliary will be selling strawberry shortcakes and strawberry lemonade.

“It’s a great way to support our community and enjoy a day of live entertainment and outdoor activities,” Davis said.

Admission is free but registration for the 5K and pageant are additional costs. Vendors open Saturday at 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. The carnival will be open Thursday and Friday from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. The beauty pageant will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday. More information about the event and registration for the festival 5K can be found at www.juniorauxiliaryofcabot. com/strawberryfest.html.

buy their products is at the farmer’s markets. Their nursery hours are Thursday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Five Acre Farm:

Five Acre Farm began in 2009 with a mission of growing food without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. Today they are living out their dream by selling organic foods such as onions, garlic, broccoli, kale and a variety of other greens and peppers at the Searcy and Batesville Farmers’ Markets.

The farm is located in Pleasant Plains, Ark. For more information contact Brandon Gordon at 501412-0817.

The Student One Act Festival continues this weekend at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in the Ulrey Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $5 at the door.

illustration by Jewelya Williams

GRANT SCHOL | The Bison

Senior Jared Davenport serves the “untitled” salad from Midnight Oil’s summer menu to junior Sara Wilmsen. Other assorted dishes can be purchased throughout the season.

illustration by Cina Catteau