The Bison - Vol. 89, No. 8

Deans approve new women’s club Phi Kappa Delta

by Alexis Hosticka news editor

About 30 girls have come together to form Phi Kappa Delta, a new women’s social club set to officially launch at the start of the spring semester.

According to Kara Abston, assistant dean of students, the club is still in early stages and has a lot of work to do regarding things like officers and the constitution. They are also still working to secure sponsors, which are required before the club can become official.

Abston said, however, she is not worried about the progress of the club.

“I think with the determination of these young ladies and the fact that they’re very eager, motivated and enthused, the club will be ready,” Abston said.

Abston explained the way Phi Kappa Delta came together as “friends of friends who found each other.”

Although the handbook states that new social clubs need at least 10 upperclassmen with club experience, Phi Kappa Delta was approved to begin without involvement of any students who had previously been active in a club.

“We’re willing to accommodate chartering new clubs in order to help them meet their goals,” Abston said. “They may lack

Recent Libertarian momentum sparks political speculation

by Lyndsey Ruble Nuckols editor-in-chief

On Nov. 1, election officials announced that the Libertarian Party of Arkansas received enough petition signatures to appear on the 2014 ballot.

According to THV 11 News in Little Rock, this is the second time in Arkansas history that the Libertarian Party of Arkansas will be considered an officially recognized political party. More than 100,000 Arkansans cast their vote for a Libertarian candidate in 2012, but since Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson did not receive 3 percent of votes, the party was forced to re-petition for a spot on the 2014 ballot.

According to the Libertarian Party of Arkansas’ website, Libertarians advocate smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom.

LPAR Chairman Jessica Paxton, in a press release by the LPAR, said Arkansas Libertarians are happy with the results, but frustrated because, due to the petition process, the party’s “resources have been exhausted before campaigning even begins.”

A new poll by the Public Religion Research Institute suggested that 7 percent of Americans now identify themselves as Libertarians, and another 15 percent said they sympathize with Libertarian principles. Last week, in Virginia’s governor race, Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis pulled 6.5 percent of the vote – a substantial amount for a third party candidate – according to an article by the Daily Beast. A CNN exit poll indicated that a lot of Sarvis’ support came from young, white, educated voters.

“College students and young people are suffering enormous consequences because of the decisions made by previous generations of both parties,” junior Thomas Coffey said. “Between student debt, the national debt, health care reform and many other things, there is a trend of passing financial burdens down to the younger generation. This has caused distrust and dissatisfaction with the current system. Libertarianism often speaks directly to the problems of young people, and offers ways to deal with them over time.”

Steven Breezeel, associate professor of political science, said, despite the commotion about the Libertarian party, he does not think the party will ever be large enough to account for a reasonable threat to the two-party system.

Coupled with Congress’ approval rating at 9 percent, according to Gallup, Breezeel said much of the buzz about the Libertarian party is indicative of general discontent among voters. He said public polling shows growing dissatisfaction with both the Republicans and Democrats, which could lead to a partisan re-alignment.

“Familiarize (yourself) with what these parties stand for,” Breezeel said. “Then take a look and see how that understanding squares with (your) understanding of faith, because I firmly believe partisanship should follow faith, not lead it, and that it absolutely should not be independent of it. Try to avoid just reacting in frustration to politics, because politics (have) always been messy, and it’s always been a difficult process, and it’s always been kind of frustrating to watch, because you don’t win every time.”

The Libertarian Party of Arkansas said they are currently recruiting candidates to run next year and will hold a convention in Little Rock on Feb. 21-23. The Green Party of Arkansas was also cleared to appear on the 2014 ballot.

actual club experience but I think they’re going to do great and be fine.”

Phi Kappa Delta’s official symbol is a key and the colors are Tiffany blue and gold. They are also looking to be a part of Spring Sing with Iota Chi and Shantih.

Sophomore Courtney Petree said she is excited for the opportunity to grow in friendships and be a part of something new through Phi Kappa Delta.

“One of my friends had told me that Phi Kappa Delta was starting and I thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to be a part of,” Petree said. “It gives me a chance to make more friends in a much more relaxed and natural way than I would if

I were going through club week.” Petree said that, looking to next fall, she hopes Phi Kappa Delta will stand out among other clubs because of the relationships they form with girls looking at the club.

“I think Phi Kappa Delta will really strive to be a club that, even if we couldn’t take everyone for third and fourth rounds, we still stop you on the sidewalk to say ‘Hi,’ and we (will) still try to make sure that you know you are still loved and included even if you don’t have a jersey to wear on Fridays,” Petree said.

SEE NEW CLUB, PAGE 2A

‘A Company of Wayward Saints’ opens on Ulrey stage this weekend

Wayward Saints” is a new approach to the theatre department’s season. Two of the department’s pieces every year will now be focused less on lights and set and instead will feature talented actors and introduce them to a new technique like commedia dell’arte.

“One of the things our students ask for regularly is more faculty directed opportunities,” Frye said. “With only five or six faculty members and multiple productions in a year, we have to give and take a little. The focus in these shows is on the student performers, not the costumes and set.”

by Jesse Hixson student writer

This weekend at the Ulrey Performing Arts Center, the theatre department will be showing “A Company of Wayward Saints” directed by professor of theatre Steven Frye. The show follows a wayward commedia dell’arte troupe as they try to perform the history of mankind for a nobleman in the audience who has promised to send them home if he is impressed. While the first act is full of commedia-style humor and physical comedy, the second act takes a serious turn as the troupe falls apart at the seams trying to work together.

According to Frye, commedia dell’arte is a style from the 1500s that involves fast paced, physical motions that move away from realistic facial expressions. Every character wears a mask throughout the performance.

BISON BASKETBALL

A look at Tuesday’s Rowdie Runthrough and expectations for this season’s Bisons and Lady Bisons basketball teams.

“We’re looking for an overall comic expression and how to translate that into your voice and body,” Frye said.

Along with the commedia dell’arte, the show will employ a large amount of improvisation. Throughout rehearsals, actors are encouraged to add lines and jokes they feel fit the scene. Additionally, every performance of the play will have a certain theme that is announced to both the audience and actors the night of the show. The actors then have the task of adding lines throughout the evening that pertain to that theme.

“As far as the improv and the themes go, it doesn’t really make me nervous because it gives the show a chance to be fresh,” senior David Goble said. “I’m excited for the themes and I’m excited to not know what they are until minutes before we go on stage because the show will never get dull.”

According to Frye, “A Company of

FIVE

The annual festival, which features student talent, is tonight.

With this new idea from the theatre department being launched this season, students said they are more excited than ever to be involved in these productions.

“This is constantly proving that we are diverse as a department, and that we can do different things,” junior Kayli Kendall said. “It’s exciting because every night you get to show off what makes you different and unique as an actor and prove why you’re in this profession.”

Freshman Patrick Jones agreed, saying that it has been incredible taking a script and adding to it to make it their own new and fresh show.

“A Company of Wayward Saints” will be showing Thursday through Saturday night at the Ulrey at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 or free with a CAB Pass.

In Part 2 of this series, meet the people behind Searcy’s local hospital.

Camden Henry

GRANT SCHOL | THE BISON

Juniors Harrison Waldron and Kayli Kendall rehearse “A Company of Wayward Saints” on Tuesday night. The production, which opens this weekend, will feature a different theme for each performance. Minutes before the performance, the theme will be announced to both the actors and the audience. The actors are then challenged to improvise lines to fit the theme. The show is playing tonight and tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in the Ulrey.

GRANT SCHOL | THE BISON

Students use film festival to exhibit talents

by Tin Nguyen student writer

Tonight in the Benson Auditorium, the Harding University Film Studies Association as well as the communication and English departments will host the fifth annual 5 Minute Film Festival. Starting at 8 p.m., short films created by students will be presented before the crowd for consideration. The crowd will be given the opportunity to cast their votes and determine which film will win six different awards. Awards include: best film (there will be first, second and third place prizes), worst film, best actor, best screenplay, best music video and best club film.

Friday,

“It’s a collection of the most creative people on campus,” said Grant Dillion, associate professor and creator of the film festival. “You’re never going to know what will happen.”

The Film Festival is open to all students on campus. The only rules for submission are that the film needs to be appropriate for viewing on campus and must be less than five minutes in length.

Senior Landis Tindell said that because there are so few restrictions, students are able to freely express themselves and their imagination through their work, thereby producing very entertaining films.

Last year’s first place winner in best film was “The President’s Secret,” directed by senior Jon Scott Smith.

The film revolved around J.N. Armstrong’s creation of a weather machine and the main character’s efforts to locate it. The winner of the worst film award and second place in best film was “Holmes’ Chrome Gnomes” directed by senior Ross Holmes. “Holmes’

Chrome Gnomes” was a spoof of infomercials in which Holmes is selling his product of chrome gnomes. The submitted films range from serious to ridiculous.

“One of the reasons I put the festival on is because I don’t want people to think film and filmmaking is stuck up,” Dillion said. “I want it to be where anyone can make a movie with their cell phone and have it play in front of 500 people. It is just a celebration of creativity. I want it to have an atmosphere where we aren’t taking ourselves too seriously. It is supposed to be just everyone having a good time enjoying film.”

The purpose of the 5 Minute Film Festival according to the festival’s emcee, senior John Michael Cronin, is to raise money for Harding’s Film Studies Association. Around $1,500 was raised last year. All the money will come from the $5 admission and will go toward helping the film club purchase better equipment.

“The quality of films has gotten better and better every year, and this year will be especially good,” Cronin said. “I hope a lot of people will come out for it. They won’t regret it.”

#FallatHarding

‘10 Days’ project raises money for wells

by Lyndsey Ruble Nuckols editor-in-chief & Alexis Hosticka news editor

Campus organizations Alpha Chi and the McNair Scholars recently launched the “10 Days” project, a campaign to encourage college students to drink only water for 10 days and donate the money they would have spent on other beverages to help bring clean water to the Ruhango district of Rwanda.

The groups are working in partnership with Living Water International and senior Michelle Henry on the initiative. The project began on Nov. 11 and will last until Nov. 21.

According to Linda Thompson, director of the McNair Scholars Program, the project started with Henry, a McNair Scholar. In 2012, Henry conducted a research internship on water purification systems and how to build low-cost filtering systems to be used to retrieve clean water for poverty-stricken areas of the world. The next summer, Henry worked an internship in Rwanda with Living Water International.

“I got to see a lot and learn about drilling, placement and maintenance of wells,” Henry said. “I mainly worked in water quality testing with a portable laboratory that we brought from village to village.”

This year, Thompson said Henry brought the idea for the 10 Days project to her. Other schools such as Pepperdine University have been doing this project for years, but it is the first time Harding is participating in the fundraiser. The national service project for Alpha Chi this year planned to focus on global access to clean water sources, so Henry’s project idea was a perfect match, Thompson said.

“It’s important for Christians to be socially proactive to help alleviate the ills of the world, and Living Water International’s motto of ‘water for life in Jesus’ name’ is very fitting for Harding’s aims,” Thompson said. “Part of our community of mission is most certainly to reach out to help those in the world who don’t have the benefits we have, and clean water is a crucial need in many areas of the world. One of those areas of dire need is Rwanda.  I believe our students have giving hearts that care and want to help,

and this is a relatively easy way to do it: ‘Drink water to give water.’ It’s also a healthy challenge to drink water only for 10 days.”

Thompson said the goals for the initiative are to raise money to help provide clean water to under-resourced areas of the world, to raise awareness of the worldwide problem of poor drinking water and to promote healthy habits among students regarding drinking water.

Henry said that nationally, the goal is to raise $100,000, which would pay for six wells in Ruhango, Rwanda. But she also emphasized that this project is not only about the money.

“(The 10 Days project) is about being aware, not just about buying a water bottle and saving money,” Henry said. “It’s hard for us to give up those other drinks, but it’s really good to do because it makes you look at how you spend your money and think, how could that change the world?”

The fundraiser will close on Nov. 21 at 8 p.m., with a worship night hosted by Texas A&M University and broadcast live to all the schools participating in the initiative. The broadcast will play in McInteer 150.

ASI speaker to give advice on careers, goals, job search

by Henry Gonzalez student writer

As part of the American Studies Institute lectureship series, Carl Camden will be speaking on the topic “The New World of Work.” He will speak to the faculty, student body and public in the Benson Auditorium on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

President Bruce McLarty said he heard Camden last winter when he attended a conference for new presidents and thought Camden would be a beneficial speaker for the students. This is part of Harding’s placement effort for graduates.

Leaves

Junior Jessica Romero said she is glad to be part of forming something new.

“I wanted to be in this club because it’s a chance to make it whatever we want,” Romero said. “There aren’t any reputations to live up to and we can start our own traditions.”

Although the students are excited about the opportunities that Phi Kappa Delta will offer, they are also aware of the amount of work that it takes in order to form a club.

“The most difficult part of being involved in forming a new club is definitely

Harding offers different programs to help students successfully identify and pursue their career goals by offering guidance, training and tools. Camden regularly consults with leaders of some

of the largest and most well known corporations in the world. According to Camden there are plenty of jobs even in a jobless recovery, but people need to realize that those jobs involve a number of different skills.

Camden has observed that jobs are being split among a number of people who work as private contractors.

“His number one challenge to us as college presidents was to teach our students, regardless of their majors, to be such private contractors,” McLarty said.

According to Bob Reely, associate executive director of the American Studies Institute, there are plenty of jobs out there, but future graduates need to be willing work at an entry level position. This lecture is not solely for seniors; everyone will benefit from

trying to get organized and to know everyone,” freshman Ashton Grace Yates said. “But the most rewarding aspect of being involved in a new club is to start a new tradition. It’s not very often that you get to say ‘hey, I helped to start (a new club) and was a charter member.’”

fresh ideas about how to prepare professionally.

Reely said a bachelor’s degree provides a solid foundation to start a career, but graduates will likely work in a career field that differs from their degree.

Camden is recognized as a leader on talent management and how companies can adapt to succeed in the changing economic landscape. He is currently the president and chief executive officer of Kelly Services.

Camden has been a marketing executive for a bank holding company, co-president of an advertising agency, co-founder of a behavioral research group and a tenured university professor.

Camden has been featured in Business Week, The New York Times,Huffington Post, Bloomberg and numerous other publications.

Although Phi Kappa Delta has reached the maximum number of members for its first semester, Abston said that if there is another group of students who are interested in forming a club she is always willing to help those students with another new club.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELLE HENRY

Senior Michelle Henry cleans the spout on a well in the Ruhango district of Rwanda before testing the water for bacteria or other harmful materials. Henry spent her summer interning with Living Water International which led her to help head up the “10 Days” initiative on campus, raising money to build new wells in Rwanda.

GRANT SCHOL | THE BISON

change color outside the Administration building. Students can post photos on Instagram with the hashtag #FallatHarding until Thanksgiving break to enter a university-run fall photography contest. The university photographer will choose first, second and third place winners to receive gift cards.

staff list

Lyndsey Ruble Nuckols editor-in-chief

Hillary Miller business manager

Alexis Hosticka news editor

Alex Ezell sports editor

Matt Ryan features editor

Bethany Aspey opinions editor

Matt Chaffin asst. sports editor

Hannah Robison PR and marketing director

Jess Boyd web editor

Kristi Soto asst. web editor

Grant Schol head photographer

Virginia “Vivi” Vitalone asst. photographer

Tyler Carmical graphic designer

Jewelya Williams asst. graphic designer cartoonist

Hazel Halliburton head copy editor

Jared Dryden asst. copy editor

Julie Anne White editorial assistant

Brian Petree multimedia editor

Braden Niblock asst. multimedia editor

Michael Birchmore beat reporter

Bradley Cain beat reporter

Shane Schock beat reporter

Henry Gonzalez photographer

Katie Ramirez faculty adviser

guest writers

Ben Buterbaugh

Michael Claxton

Jesse Hixson

Logan Keim

Pupei Liao

Tin Nguyen

Tori Sheets

Megan Smith

Rachel Weiss

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 e-mail Lyndsey Ruble Nuckols, the editor-in-chief, at lruble@harding.edu

“The Bison (USPS 577-660) is published weekly (except vacations, exams and summer sessions), 18 issues per year, by Harding University. Periodicals postage paid at Searcy, Arkansas 72143. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Bison, Harding University 11192, SEARCY, AR

is it Still Too Soon for season’s greetings

There will always be the very serious debate of how soon is too soon to start playing Christmas music. Some wait until the day after Thanksgiving. Others even postpone it until Christmas break. But many are starting around late October.

“What? That’s supposed to belong to Halloween,” you’re incredulously crying out. But if you’ve been inside Wal-Mart lately, or any other shopping center or department store, you will see this is true. Christmas decorations, advertisements, sales and yes, the holiday tunes are here. According to the National Retail Federation, four out of 10 shoppers have already started their holiday shopping before Halloween.

Now, this is not going to be an anti-Christmas

?

tirade or a pros and cons list weighing the benefits of allowing children to believe in Santa Claus. Not by any means. I love Christmas, the lights, the atmosphere, the Michael Buble Christmas album, the greater sense of joy in the world and the real meaning and story behind it. And as a bonus, here at Harding, we have thousands of lights hanging, illuminating the front lawn. Who doesn’t love that?

But let’s not get too hasty here. What happened to Thanksgiving?

The pilgrims and American Indians, the turkey, the football, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? How did we jump right over that and straight into “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Christmas Shoes”? Thanksgiving tends to just get thrown in with the rest of the holiday season or lost in the buying frenzy of Black Friday. What I, and many others, propose is this: Why not hold off a little on the red and green decorations

and enjoy the orange and gold season? Relish in all things pumpkin, (pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice lattes and the classic pumpkin pie of course) participate in a Turkey Day run, or host a Thanksgiving themed Pinterest party with your friends and make those cute little edible turkeys out of those marshmallow cookies everyone loves. Instead of rushing your Thanksgiving dinner to hit those Black Friday sales super early, enjoy the day with your family and revel in the brisk autumn air. We need to give Thanksgiving a chance before inviting the Christmas spirit in. With plenty of time still left to enjoy the magic that December brings, I think it’s more than OK to put your foot down on the Christmas Creep and say yes to more turkey and mashed potatoes, please.

Respect Your Place at the Kids’ Table

One week from today most of us begin the journey home in honor of all Thanksgiving festivities. Now don’t get me wrong — I love Thanksgiving as much as the next caf-starved college student, but it doesn’t seem to matter how old I get, I’m placed at the “kids’ table” every year. I am the youngest in my family, and so there’s quite an age gap between me and whichever relative is placed next to me.

I’m sure many of you can immediately identify with this situation, but for those of you who aren’t sure where you stand, or in this case, where you sit, I’ve included the following indicators to help you differentiate if you’ve moved on to adulthood or if you’re still a reoccurring resident of the kids’ table.

You may be at the kids’ table if: The table is made out of an extension of another table, card table or some other makeshift dining area. Take a look around. Is there a slightly taller, slightly larger table next to yours? Is the other table the one that contains all the food? Which table is closest to the pies cooling on the counter? There’s an exact distance-from-table-to-pie equation that can clearly identify the status of the table at which you’ve been placed. So those of you who complain about never using algebra in every day life can bitterly mumble your complaints all the way back to said kids’ table.

You may be at the kids’ table if: There are cups instead of glasses, and presumably none of them match. If the cup you’re drinking out of for this festive occasion was once in a McDonald’s promotional event, you’re probably at the kids’ table.

More than 50,000 man hours; that’s what I assume to be the approximate amount of time that went into club week, not including visitation. By now, most have recovered from sleep loss, clubs are resuming a normal life and people’s minds are shifting toward seeing families over break. But before we move on too quickly, I think that any event we give that much of ourselves to is worthy of some further examination.

Let me begin by saying what an opportunity club week is. What an opportunity to show Christ, get to know new people and help freshmen and transfers connect to peers. Great things can happen during this week, and they do, but it seems to me that there are elements of our induction process that are hard to reconcile with our faith. These can be summarized into three phrases we use during the week.

1) “They (new members) need to earn this.”

2) “We need to be tough on them (new members) during the week.”

3) “Their (new members’) unity will come through adversity.” Did you notice anything similar between each of these? They, them and their. Our focus is on others, but not in a good way. There is this myth on campus that the ideal model for a club week is for “us” as members to create difficulty for “them” as new members, with the end goal being unity. There is great value in overcoming hardship through support of others and reliance on God, but a serious difference exists between that and what we currently do. Too often, our maxims are just a nice way of saying, “be a jerk for a week.”

Instead, let us look to the only perfect model we have, which comes from Christ. Speaking to the disciples in John 13:14, Jesus said, “Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” And what has Jesus done for us? Has he made us earn our entry into the Kingdom?

Has he been harsh with us except in condemning our sin? And has he left us on our own in this life to rely on ourselves for strength? Or has he freely forgiven and welcomed us, treated us with unconditional love and finally given his own life to save us in our times of need? (Note that washing the disciples’ feet was not different in tone from the rest of his ministry).

Jesus’ example is centered on humility and the lifting up of others. Recent changes in our handbook have attempted to create this, but no real change is going to occur until our hearts and minds are aligned with Christ’s. Now we do have moments that accomplish this, but it is high time we stop needing to justify our actions and mindset with “the goal of unity” and simply follow Christ’s commands. While I don’t exactly know what this looks like, I believe it can be done and I am eager to hear your ideas on how to do it.

You may be at the kids’ table if: You’re sitting on a chair that was never intended to be a chair; common examples are ottomans and piano benches. Another way to tell is if you are sharing a chair with someone else, or worse, with more than one someone else. It’s like a weird wild-chair call when my mom demands that we need more places to sit around the table. Suddenly chairs come out of the woodworks in lieu of being carried over people’s heads and being rolled out of offices –– not to mention the couch cushions being swept right out from under some poor by-sitter who picked the wrong sofa.

You may be at the kids’ table if: You avoid talking about money and politics and instead enter into a heated argument about whether the pirates or the ninjas would stand a better chance in an all-out alien invasion. Both conversations are an attempt to make the world a better place, but one conversation tends to accomplish more than the other; I’ll let you decide which one is which.

You may be at the kids’ table if: The more you eat is impressive rather than shameful. If you are reaching for a third helping of potatoes, there is nothing directed toward you but the utmost respect. There’s no “be sure to save room for dessert” or any discouragement of the kind. In fact, you are often scolded for leaving anything on your plate. So go for another serving and continue to impress your comrades.

Now if any of these situations identify you as a kids’ table native - have no fear. The kids’ table is often the most fun. There’s always the danger of getting into an involuntary food fight, being shown a booger, or even worse — having your own meal delayed in order to cut up bite-size portions for the locals, but overall they’re a fairly accepting crowd. There’s always room for more at the kids’ table.

The Lightbulb

Consider a Career in Curiosity

It’s time for a wake-up call. As much as we want to blame it on other people and outside circumstances, it’s time we took some responsibility for the recent graduate unemployment rate. So many of our peers either graduate to unemployment or to a job they are way over-qualified for. Now, I realize there are indeed external factors at play, but we need to realize how our own behavior is affecting post-grad job woes.

Time magazine recently reported on several surveys of employers that aimed to answer the question, “Why aren’t you hiring young post-grads?”

A recent survey by the Workforce Solutions Group at St. Louis Community College asked employers what young postgrads were missing.The result? Sixty percent said applicants lacked communications and interpersonal skills. Another survey by another staffing company reported that 44 percent of respondents said applicants were lacking soft skills, such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication.

As a result, jobs are going unfilled, according to Manpower Group’s annual global Talent Shortage Survey. One in five employers reported not being able to fill positions because they couldn’t find a suitable employee with the soft skills needed to excel, innovate and work on a team.

The jobs are out there, we just can’t seem to get to them. That’s a problem. So where does the issue stem and how can we fix it?

An important part of developing interpersonal communication skills, as well as creative and innovation-related skills, is work experience, especially internships. The same Time article I cited earlier included a Harris Interactive survey of college students and hiring managers. According to the result, 80 percent of employers said they wanted graduates to have completed at least one formal internship, but only 8 percent of students said they spent a lot of time interning in a field related to their major.

Looking around, the results make sense. There are a lot of students at Harding who take internships and job opportunities very seriously. But for every one of those students, there is one who is just trying to scrape by. They get good grades and say they are mindful of their future, yet they try to get away with worthless internships (or no internship at all). You need the real-world training, the interaction, mentorships and opportunity to learn to work on a team and under a superior.

I am bothered by the sheer apathy of this sort of mindset, but I also worry about the impact on creativity and innovation. Creativity isn’t about the knowledge you can retain, or the technical skills you can list on your resume or even the work you do through a job or internship. The jobs and internships are a vehicle through which you learn the things that are truly important in the workplace, such as interpersonal communication and collaboration.

To me, it will always mean more to be curious and wide-eyed and eager to learn and work than to be skilled in any other technical way.

I urge you to step back and really look at what you’re doing with your education. It may be time to wake up and make a change.

LYNDSEY RUBLE NUCKOLS is the editor-in-chief for the Bison. She may be contacted at lruble@harding.edu. Twitter: @lyndseyrnuckols

My View on How Christianity is Different

I am very appreciative of his help.

Iam a Chinese student who is learning about Christianity in a systematical context for the first time. I’m a freshman at Harding, but I’m still in the ESL classes and am currently taking BNEW 111, taught by instructor of Bible Gary Jackson. I believe I am the most active student in the class, as I’m learning a lot that I have never learned before. I’ve learned the difference between the Christian faith, Catholic faith and Orthodox faith, and more specifically the differences in how they worship. I remember asking a question about the Crusades, and being informed that though they believed their work to be in the name of God, it was still a terrible sin that God will punish. I learned a lot about these kinds of in-depth situations because of Mr. Jackson’s willingness to have several discussions in order to provide me with a better understanding of Christianity.

Because Harding is a faith-based university, these kinds of qualities in teachers are common; they are willing to help students for any occasion. Some of them invite us to their home to have dinner, where there are plenty of Christian activities such as Bible studies to help students in their understanding of God outside of the classroom. Harding staff are always ready to help you improve your English as well. I feel their warm-hearted care, which is beginning to make me think about the cores of Christianity, concerning how and why it is different from other religions. My conclusions are the following:

The distinction between Christianity and other religions is that followers have a good tutor, a fellowship with their peers and they are thankful.

First, Jesus, the tutor, unlike other religions’, is not a domineering person. Even the lowest people can receive and understand his wisdom. In Mark 1:2934, Jesus cured many patients’ illnesses and those patients were the poor and lowly. Jesus said to the scribes “they that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call

the righteous, but sinners.” Every one has access to this wisdom if they want, so that makes Christianity much more personal.

Second, there is good fellowship with their peers. To refer to this, Acts 2:43-47 provides some insight, where they have partnership with one another and share their feelings with each other, as we often do today.

Finally, and most importantly, is thankfulness. In my point of view, this is the main principle of Christianity, including hymns, prayer and the Lord’s Supper. I remember once I was in a Bible study with my host family, and they said we should be thankful to everyone; our parents and friends, even our enemies, because we may be unaware of their disadvantages, and I completely agree with this statement.

As someone who has never learned systematically about Christianity before, it is my hope that there are others that I may teach in the way that Mr. Jackson has taught me, and that others will also feel encouraged to continue to teach me.

PUPEI LIAO is a guest writer for the Bison. He may be contacted at pliao@harding.edu.

On Your Mark, Get Set, TXT

michael claxton

When I was in high school I took a typing class. In the late 80s the electric typewriter was holding on for dear life as a form of word-processing technology, and I learned to type on one of those old, loud machines. As a skills course, typing was extremely practical, but it was also hopelessly boring. As the teacher called out letters, we hit keys. For 50 minutes she called out letters, and like trained monkeys, we hit keys. For the entire first week, we could only type the letter “F.” It was a long week.

On test days, we had timed typing exercises to see how many words we could churn out per minute without making mistakes. It was sheer mental and physical torture. When the teacher said “Fingers ready,” the panic and sweating began. And then the sound of keystrokes and carriage returns filled the room, as students typed like the wind. But as intense as all this pressure was, no one would have dreamed of filming us and putting it on national television. Only C-SPAN could be worse than watching teens type.

Oh, how times have changed. One of my students recently told me about the LG National Texting Championship held in New York City on April 21, 2007 (I’m a little behind here — more evidence that I need a grad assistant).

Teens competed in contests of speed and accuracy for the grand prize of $25,000, and the whole thing was broadcast on ESPN. For several hours, sports fans could watch a room full of teens crouched over their cell-phones, ignoring the rest of the world as they texted for dear life.

Naturally, most parents might ask how this is any different from watching their own teenagers on the sofa texting for 18 hours per day. The same languid pose, the same rapid-thumb movement, the same defiant refusal to acknowledge that anyone else is in the room. In fact, the only difference between the National Texting Championships and the average American household is that instead of winning $25,000 at the end of the day, Dad will be paying the same amount to Verizon at the end of the month.

How does one get in shape for this event? Finger lunges? Index curls? Knuckle pops? Is there such a thing as a “Thumb-Master?” Is there a certain way to grip the phone? Or maybe it’s all mental preparation; memorizing shorthand, trying to go through an entire day without any vowels, filtering out all distractions (such as people trying to talk to you and whatnot). Whatever the strategy, this has to be the only sport in the world where contestants train 24/7.

As usual, television has followed its standard formula of finding a pop culture craze that annoys parents every day and putting it on TV. We’ve seen this pattern before. Does your teen sing so loudly in the bathroom that the family pets run and hide? Let’s film her for American Idol. Does your son go out with a different girl every week? He may be the next Bachelor. Do your kids whine

constantly about their chores? They are already living The Simple Life. But TV may have reached a new low. Instead of running reruns of Sports Center, ESPN must be desperate to fill airtime with fodder like the Texting Championship.

After the 2007 contest, the new champion was a 13-year-old from the East Coast, whose proud mother boasted about her daughter to CNN: “She gets eight to 10 thousand text messages per month, so I thought if anyone can win this, she can.” And so yet another parent gleefully cashes in on her daughter’s bad habits. Augustus Gloop’s mom felt the same way. While some called her son a lazy, gluttonous goof, she believed that someday society would find a way to reward his special talents. I think this enabling East Coast mom needs an Oompa Loompa song (1971 version): “Oompa, Loompa, doopedy do I’ve got a perfect PZL 4 U: Oompa Loompa, doopedy de Close up your phone and LSTN 2 me.

What do you get when you kid is a twit? Cooped up all day in a messaging fit?

Texting is really a drain and a bore, And it can make their thumbs . . . so . . . sore.

(Plus it gives them callouses)

Oompa Loompa, doopedy da, Their conversation skills are so blah, Oompa loompa, doopedy dee Your kids could use some TXT therapy. Dr. Claxton is on sabbatical this semester. This column originally ran on February 22, 2008.

lyndsey ruble nuckols

guest writer

pupei liao

Alex Ezell

110%

It’s a toss up, folks

Sometimes all I think about in the fall is football. Is that a bad thing? To some people it would be, to others it is completely normal to eat, sleep and breathe football.

As this NCAA football regular season is winding down, the Bowl Championship Series race is heating up. This is also the last year for the BCS to have a large part in who ends up in the National Championship. After the 2014 regular season, the College Football Playoff will begin with four teams selected to play in two semi-final games that will lead to the National Championship.

The committee in charge of the College Football Playoff met recently to discuss details and get acquainted. They decided to host the first playoff in Arlington,Texas at Cowboy Stadium on Jan. 12, 2015.

I am not sure how I feel about the four-team playoff, but I think it is a step in the right direction. The way the BCS works now, it all comes down to a team’s ranking, and sometimes that is dependent on other teams helping a team out. So, with the playoff, at least I will feel like the teams in the National Championship earned their spot at the top.

Heading into week 12, Oregon fell to Stanford in a game that led to the BCS being flipped around a little. Obviously we still have Alabama and Florida State University at the top, but now we have teams like Auburn and Baylor who are looming in the shadows hoping they can sneak into the top spots. Basically, what it comes down to is teams helping each other out.

The hype surrounding Oregon after their loss was a little much if you ask me. Yes, the Ducks were not supposed to lose to Stanford, but they did. So, get over it people. They are not that great anyway.

Here is the deal; it will be a thrilling, nail-biting end to the 2013 regular season. Keep your eyes peeled for the teams in the shadows who are trying to make a comeback. Also, do not be surprised if the teams that have been at the top remain at the top. That is just how the cookie crumbles most of the time.

ALEX EZELL is sports editor for the 20132014 Bison. She may be contacted at aezell@harding.edu Twitter: @AlexLEzell

Rhodes Field House back in action

Chaffin asst. sports editor

Last basketball season, Harding’s Rhodes Field House won the well-publicized honor of being named Enterprise’s “Best Road Trip Destination in College Basketball.”Tuesday night, the Rhodes Rowdies gathered together to prepare for this season. They look to show their opponents just what makes a trip to the Rhodes Field House so unique.

Tuesday night’s Rowdie Runthrough was a chant practice for the Rhodes Rowdies. The leaders of the popular cheering section led the crowd in a number of well-known chants such as “left, right, left,” which is chanted following an opposing player fouling out of a game. However, beyond the chants and cheers, there were a number of different giveaways for those in attendance. The Harding coaches also spoke to the crowd.

One of the giveaways of the evening was given to the first 500 students through the door. Tickets were handed out to each student and could be turned in for gold T-shirts to be worn during Thursday night’s home opener. The night was deemed “Gold Rush” night.

While “Gold Rush” night offered an opportunity to pump up the crowd that filled the Rhodes Field House, it also offered a chance for the crowd to, in turn, pump up the Bisons and Lady Bisons as they begin their home schedule for the 2013-2014 season. One of the leaders of the Rhodes Rowdies, senior Kyle Nossaman, talked about how “Gold Rush” night offered a chance for the home-opener to be something truly special. Nossaman is also involved in the American Marketing Association, which helped to sponsor the event.

“The Gold Rush game has the potential to be something for the record books,” Nossaman said. “We’re expecting a crowd at the Rowdie Runthrough that rivals the one at Midnight Madness. As for the first home games, we are expecting a sell-out crowd, standing room only.”

Jeff Morgan, men’s head coach, said he appreciated everyone who attended the Rowdie Runthrough.

“It was great to get together before our first home game of the new season,” Morgan said. “We love the passion and energy of our student body.”

The Rowdies were not the only Bison fans that were energized by the Rowdie Runthrough; others in attendance were getting excited for the season to tip-off.

“Being here tonight is making me even more excited about knowing the Harding basketball season finally tips-off on Thursday,” senior Patrick Meredith said.

According to Morgan, the Rowdies are a valuable part of having home games in the Rhodes. He said the Rowdies are a huge part of the team.

“We need the Rowdies to bring the energy as we open up the 2013 season,” Morgan said.

After Thursday’s games, the Lady Bisons will have 11 days off before facing the defending NCAA champions, Southern Nazarene University in Betheny, Okla. The Bisons will play Northeastern State University tomorrow in Tahlequah, Okla.

The Bisons open this season ranked No. 25 in the NABC poll and second in the GAC preseason poll. The Lady Bisons entered Thursday night’s game with two preseason wins under their belt.

Cross-country finishes season at the top of GAC standings

by Jared Dryden asst. copy editor

This past Saturday, Nov. 9, the men’s and women’s cross-country teams competed in the NCAA Central Region championships in Sioux Falls, S.D. Both teams won their respective Great American Conference championships this season on Oct. 26, in Russellville, Ark.

The men’s team placed eighth overall while the women’s team placed 10th. Senior Andrew Evans and junior Eva Zaborowska both earned All-Central Region honors.

While proud of winning the conference championship, senior Taylor Lively said he was also proud of the effort the teams put forth at regionals.

“The weather conditions were really rough, but those were the cards we were dealt,” Lively said. “The two other seniors really pushed us forward when it got tough. But we ran hard and to the best of our abilities.”

Senior Rachel Roberts, captain of the women’s team, said the team ran their best in spite of the weather.

“The team handled the conditions at regionals flawlessly,” Roberts said. “I heard minimal complaining while we were out there freezing and we all ran great races. We were focused on the task at hand and refused to let something as

silly as the weather distract us.”

Lively said the men’s team was more highly motivated this year, due to losing conference championship the last two years.

“This year we were more focused and determined, and ran with a vendetta,” Lively said. “The seniors really wanted it this year. We were running with a purpose.”

Roberts also said the team had a special drive this year, one that grew from the relationships within the team.

“I believe our drive for this season stemmed from a desire to reach our full potential and represent Harding in the best way possible,” Roberts said. “We lost conference last year and we absolutely refused to let that happen again. The closeness of our team made it incredibly easy to want to work hard and succeed for each other, Coach Guymon, (Harding) and God.”

Both Lively and Roberts said the men’s and women’s teams’ ability to always support each other and to build lasting relationships means they really are one team.

Roberts said she hopes future teams will benefit from the same attitude and atmosphere.

“I hope the returning runners will take away the attitude this 2013 team carried this entire season,” Roberts said. “No matter what we did, we had fun and were successful.”

- Women's tennis is ranked ninth in the Central Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

- Senior Andrew Evans and junior Ewa Zaborowska earned All Central Region honors for cross-country.

- Mens and womens cross-country earned first place in the GAC Championship. The mens team placed eighth at the Central Region Championship and the women placed 10th.

- Lady Bison soccer placed second in the GAC tournament.

- Womens soccer head coach Greg Harris was named GAC coach of the year.

- Volleyball won the regular season GAC conference title.

- Lisa Copeland was named to CoSIDA Academic All-District VII First Team.

- Volleyball is ranked ninth in the Central Region.

- Football beat East Central 52-30 on Nov. 9 and plays tomorrow against Arkansas Tech in Russellville, Ark.

Senior Kyle Nossaman leads the crowd in the fourth foul cheer during the Rowdie Runthrough on Tuesday night, Nov. 12. This was a chance to get the Rowdies prepared and pumped up for Thursday night’s game. Students came together to learn new chants and review the old ones while winning over 75 giveaway prizes. The Bisons and Lady Bisons hosted Christian Brothers University in the regular season home opener last night, Nov. 14.

GRANT SCHOL | THE BISON by Matt

- Mens tennis is ranked No. 39 in NCAA Division II.

Football looks to beat Tech

Bison soccer heads into off-season

by Julie Anne White editorial assistant

The men’s soccer season came to a close a few weeks ago as Harding faced off against Northeastern State University. The Bisons were defeated by the RiverHawks 2-6, ending their season with a 6-7-3 record. Head coach Odie Guzman said this was the best record in the program’s history and that the season overall was a success.

“I think we did well,” Guzman said. “There were a lot of games that we weren’t able to compete in in years previously, so it was a good experience this year.”

This was a fundamental season for the Bisons in part because 13 of the 25 players this year were freshmen. Guzman said this will strengthen the team in seasons to come.

“We’ve got a lot of talent on this team,” Guzman said. “My freshman class is probably one of the strongest ever to come through. These guys have had a whole semester to play together and build chemistry. Even toward the end of the season you can see those bonds strengthening. I think a lot of

Student athletic training: a new view of the game

Football trainer reflects on the players’ love for the game

For most students, Saturdays mean two things; sleeping in and football. When the Bisons have a home football game, the ground in front of the GAC becomes full of tents for tailgating, and the stands fill up with fans rooting the team on. While most fans enjoy a seat well above the field to watch the team, as a student athletic trainer, my view of the game is a little different.

teams are going to be pretty nervous to go up against this team next year because of how well we did this year with a number of freshmen starting.”

Of the 25 players on the team this season, two will not be continuing to play for the Bisons next year, one of which is senior Will Lynn.

“This last season meant a lot to me, and not just in it being my last time to play for Harding,” Lynn said. “Throughout this season I was forced to grow not only as a player, but as a man of God. There were several frustrating times that I had to learn to trust in my teammates, friends and God for strength and guidance. I did change what I am doing for the rest of my life, so I will be here through next fall as I am applying to medical school. I will not be playing, but I hope to still help out with either the men’s or women’s soccer team.”

Guzman said he will be adding five new players to the team next year, and that he will continue to foster bonds of friendship within the team so they can grow closer to God and each other.

“When a team has a strong sense of commitment to each other and not just to themselves, they will go pretty far, and I think that is exactly what they are going to do,” Guzman said. “I want to do anything I can to help that and to create and keep an environment with a strong sense of spirituality.”

Sophomore Curtis Hunt said the team dynamics are what make the team so special.

“My relationship with my teammates is awesome,” Hunt said. “It’s like having a family on campus because, during the season, we do everything together and we are always around each other.”

Guzman said the future is bright for the team if they continue to stay close and uplift each other.

“We’ve got a strong group that really does have their foundation on God and their spiritual lives,” Guzman said. “I wish I were part of something like this while I was here at Harding. This team is just different. They are going to go far the next couple of years, especially with the chemistry that they have.”

I absolutely love Saturdays and sports. Whether it be basketball or football season, it’s definitely something that I look forward to every weekend. My take on the game of football, though has changed a little bit in the past couple years.

Saturday, also known as game day, used to be just another thing. After sleeping in and watching games with friends, I would participate in the usual tailgating and then head with my fellow students into the stadium to cheer on the Bisons. I went because I enjoyed watching football and hanging out with friends, not because I really knew any of the players.

That’s a little different now that I’m a student athletic trainer. Game days are now a reward for all the hard work during the

week, watching the guys who have spent countless hours practicing and watching film preparing to win. It’s fun to root for a team that you have grown up watching, but when you have become really good friends with them, there is nothing you want more than to see all their hard work pay off. I guess it also helps when you live with two of the players. You cannot ask for a better view of the game than right on the sidelines. It allows you to see the best and worst of the players. The joy of winning, the smiles and hugs that come with it, and the bruises along with the pain of defeat make my view worth it.

The guys have a love for the game, as well as for the guys that line up with them. It is truly a blessing to observe.

-Ben Buterbaugh,

senior

The coaching staff preaches the idea of brotherhood, and the team is truly one that has embraced this concept. The guys have a love for the game, as well as the guys that line up with them. It is truly been a blessing to observe.

As the Bisons finish up the regular season and are fighting for a postseason spot, I have really enjoyed getting to know the players and team. It truly has been a great experience. Oh and one last thing… Beat Tech.

Our Athletes’ Views on Pop Culture

Do you have a bad habit?

What is your most embarrassing moment?

What is your favorite sports-related memory at Harding?

If you could pick a celebrity to be your best friend, who would it be and why?

If you could trade places with another athlete at Harding, who would it be and why?

I beat Hayden Johnson in FIFA too much. It hurts his self-esteem.

Slipping on the ice on my way to the Benson was pretty embarrassing...

Winning an NCAA tournament game.

Will Ferrell. He just looks like a great best friend.

Will Lynn because he just stands around...and I'm jealous of his beard.

Yes, procrastination.

Throwing up in the middle of the Homecoming game this year.

The victory against OBU this year, the most emotionally draining game I've ever been a part of.

Ty Powell, who needs a reason?

A golfer, wouldn't be as sore all the time and I wouldn't suck at golf.

I always leave Sonic straw wrappers in my car. My dad gets mad.

Not checking my mail.

I forgot to bring my running shoes to a cross-country meet freshman year.

One day, I was running down the court and tripped before I got to the basket. I rolled all the way into the bottom of the bleachers.

It was really funny.

Jim Carrey. Hands down. He's just so funny.

Keenan Kellett, because he always gets to lead singing in chapel.

Winning the crosscountry conference championship this season.

Christian Bale, because Batman.

Landon Belcher, because he is so fast... and tall.

When we beat Delta State my freshman year. They were No. 1 in the nation at the time, so it was super exciting.

Rebel Wilson, hands down. She. Is. So. Funny.

Hayden Johnson, so I could see what the world looks like from way up there.

Ben Buterbaugh guest space

Weston Jameson

Matthew Cumpian

Marindia Turner Jeremiah Vivio

Kristen Celsor (Basketball) (Volleyball) (Football) (Basketball) (Cross-Country)

One time freshman year, our libero served the ball then fell straight on her face.

Senior linebacker Erik Ragsdale, No. 13, makes a tackle during the Bisons game on Saturday, Nov. 9. Harding defeated East Central University 52-30. On Saturday, Nov. 16, the Bisons will travel to Arkansas Tech University for their last regular season game. After the Tech game on Saturday, the Bisons will find out about postseason play. Harding hopes to receive a bowl game bid that is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 7.

GRANT SCHOL |THE BISON

Weekend craft fair hosts local vendors

by Jess Boyd web editor

The Associated Women for Harding (AWH) is hosting a craft fair today and tomorrow in the student center. There are 10 vendors selling a variety of handmade items including painted coasters, photo cards and oil paintings. Part of the sales from the fair benefit the AWH scholarship fund.

The primary vendor is Missouri artist Sara Van Horn from Sara’s Old Country Porch. Debra Howard, a member of AWH, met Van Horn at the Northwest Arkansas Craft Fair and asked if she would be interested in coming to Searcy to sell her hand-painted items.

“I already knew from my conversation with Sara that I wanted her to come here to sell some of her items in Searcy,” Howard said. “And then I thought, instead of having her pay a fee to rent a space, why not find her a place on campus where she could sell and donate part of the proceeds to the AWH scholarship.”

The rest of the vendors are from Searcy and many of them are from Harding. Howard said she spread the word about the craft fair through the Searcy garage sale Facebook page.

“And then through word of mouth, more joined in,” Howard said. “This year it has snowballed, especially for being the first year. I hope it is successful and we can continue it next year.”

Van Horn primarily paints whimsical snowmen on items she finds at flea markets and garage sales; the items include suitcases, windows, doors, boxes, muffin tins, vinyl records and bricks. She will also be able to personalize items at the craft fair.

“When I was young I liked to paint and craft and my grandmother signed me up for my first craft fair when I was 18,” Van Horn said. “For the past 21 years, crafting has been my full-time job.”

Deb Johnson, administrative assistant for the American Studies Institute, specializes in hand painting and staining bisque Santas, which she sells through her online shop, Red Suit Studios. Along with the Christmas theme, Patty Taylor is selling handmade wreaths.

Judy Cuellar, assistant director of financial aid, and her husband, Rod Cuellar, a photographer who specializes in high dynamic range photography, are selling photo card sets, posters and wall-sized art. Many of Rod Cuellar’s photographs are scenes from campus. He will also be taking custom orders, such as family Christmas cards.

Desiree Byrd, RLC for Searcy Hall, will also be a vendor at the craft fair. She sells Thirty-One Gifts, which is a purse, wallet and accessory line that allows you to customize your items.

Randy Smith, postal services director, is selling oil paintings, primarily landscapes. He also has a process where he prints old black and white photos onto canvas and then colors them in with oil paints. He is taking custom orders this weekend.

Rachel Cochran makes hand-stamped ceramic tile coasters and trivets. Her designs include scriptures, monograms and holiday images.

“I began stamping about six years ago,” Cochran said. “It started out as making Christmas gifts for family members, but they became popular with other friends. When I realized people were willing to buy them, I started my small business. However, now that I have two kids and am teaching again, it is just a hobby I do occasionally or when someone asks for an order.”

The AWH craft fair is in the student center today from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Van Horn is the only vendor today and is located outside the bookstore. All vendors will be in the student center tomorrow from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. All payments must be made in cash. A portion of the sales will go toward the AWH needs-based scholarship fund.

A talk with Tanya McGary, a nurse from White County Medical Center.

The White County Medical Center opened in 1967 with a starting staff of 50 employees. Now, the hospital is the largest employer in Searcy with a medical staff of 150 physicians and more than 1,750 associates and has 438 licensed beds.

Tanya McGary has been working as a nurse for 23 years, 16 of which she has spent at White County Medical Center. She started there on the medical surgical fl oor, where she worked in a 36 bed unit with a variety of ill patients. Last November, she accepted a job in the educational department, where she teaches graduated nurses in the new RN Residency Program.

Q: How do you find a connection with the patients?

A: The patients are like our family, our community, people that we live around. Those are the ones we’re going to take care of. You have to treat them like your family or the most significant person in your life. So you want them to have the best care and treat them with the most respect and compassion and care 24/7.

Q: What’s the key to being a Nurse Educator?

A: Communication is the key. You have to be able to communicate with your team and understand your staff. The other educators and I have to understand the different ways nurses learn. We all interpret in a different way, and the way you can administrate that care could be different. The only right way to do it is to understand how to take care of patients in a way they can have an impact on them in the proper way. I am just observant. What we do for education and for our

by Tori Sheets student writer

Every other Friday, a group of students meet in the science building to battle each other. The students meet “wiikendly” in room 200 to have fun and fellowship while playing Super Smash Brothers for Wii.

Senior Barrett Montgomery created the group and organizes the semi-monthly meetings. Montgomery said he designed the group to give students the opportunity

nurses impacts them and they will carry that on. If we have respect for our students, they will have respect for the patient. It’s cohesive. The way you treat them they will treat others.

Q: What’s the difference with working in a college town?

A: Here in Searcy, I get the opportunity to meet people and young nurses from different backgrounds. I learn about their environment, why they chose nursing or about their heart for mission. I want to hear their stories and the patients want to hear it too because it brings them to a more personal level. Sometimes we might have students with severe infections, meningitis or appendicitis who are far from home. Then we always try to have somebody from Harding to be with them and talk to their family. We don’t want them to be alone and we do whatever we can locate their family. We comfort them and stay next to them until someone can get here.

to hang out and get better at Smash Brothers.

“We hope everybody can come and enjoy it and just hang out, because it’s one of our integral goals of the thing is not just to play Smash Brothers, but also to fellowship with one another while we do it,” Montgomery said. “We don’t have devos and services and stuff, but we’re trying to maintain a good atmosphere.”

Along with the meetings on campus, Montgomery also schedules tournaments in Little Rock that give Harding students the chance to compete with players outside of Searcy.

“A few of us are interested in playing on a competitive level,” Montgomery said. “We go to tournaments around the state, but most of us come to just hang out and play Smash Brothers.”

Since the group’s creation, attendance has been anywhere from 20-50 people per meeting. According to Montgomery, even people who have never played Smash Brothers before are welcome.

“Everyone there is perfectly willing to teach if you want to learn,” Montgomery said.

Q: Why did you become a nurse?

A: I became a nurse because of a major surgery where I almost lost my life. God kept telling me I needed to be nurse, but I kept telling him I couldn’t. I finally gave in and took the test and got accepted into nursing school. I love every second of every day. Twenty-three years and it hasn’t been a day where I felt like I haven’t done something in someone’s life, even if it’s just a smile, greeting a patient or holding the door for someone.

* * *

McGary’s son, Will McGary, was a police officer in Conway who was killed by an intoxicated driver while on duty last February. He donated his organs and earlier this week McGary and her family were able to meet the 16 years old recipient of one of her son’s kidneys for the first time. McGary said she believes whatever happened was God’s will and said she is glad her son keeps touching lives.

Senior Patrick Waites helps Montgomery organize and judge events and help set up by lending consoles and controllers and designing posters for tournaments. Waites said the group occasionally holds tournaments to raise money for good causes.

“We have had two tournaments and, knowing Barrett, we will have more,” Waites said. “We have these tournaments to help purchase Bibles for a mission group, which Barrett is a part of, that gives them to kids in Ukraine.”

If you would like to challenge experienced players to a game, or just want to hang out and chill on a Friday night, Montgomery encourages everyone to come to the science building for the next meeting on Nov. 22 from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.

“The first thing that people say when I invite them is ‘Oh, I’m not very good,’ then I have to explain that we just want everyone to come and hang out,” Montgomery said. “So I think the biggest thing is that we would like for people to understand that it’s a friendly, welcoming, fun environment and you don’t have to be skilled at all to play.”

Graphic by Tyler Carmical Story by Virginia “Vivi” Vitalone

VIRGINIA “VIVI” VITALONE | THE BISON Clinical Support Associates Connie Wilson and Penny Comer, registered nurses Tanya McGary, Brittany Miles, Kim Rutherford, Annie Kanitz, Lindsey Nichols, Lestie Kissinger and Amber Chandler are among those who serve White County.

‘Wiikendly’ group gets together for semi-monthly brawls

A guide to local seasonal coffee

by Megan Smith student writer

The fall season brings changes to the trees as well as changes to our favorite coffee houses’ special menus. The coffee venues in Searcy may have a different name for their drinks, but they all have the same idea when it comes to delicious fall specials. A few common coffee shops in Searcy that have a specific fall menu are Midnight Oil (801 E. Race Ave.), Starbucks (915 E. Market Ave.) and Mr. Postman Expresso (2307 W Beebe Capps Expressway). The one beverage that is common on all three menus is the famous pumpkin spice latte. Although this beverage seems to win the heart of most people who attend coffee houses, there are a few more drinks on the menu that should be explored.

The three coffee places put their own twist on the fall specials. Midnight Oil’s specials include “The Woodsman,” “The Great Pumpkin Latte,” “Hot Apple Pie in a Mug,” “Candy Corn Soda” and “Campfire Steamer.” The unique “Woodsman” includes maple flavoring, macadamian nut flavoring and cinnamon. The “Hot Apple Pie in a Mug” is not actually hot apple pie but it takes on this flavor by adding vanilla to apple cider. The “Candy Corn Soda” features salted caramel flavor with orange soda, topped with candy corn. The “Campfire Steamer” is hot chocolate with toasted marshmallows.

Starbucks is very consistent with their seasonal menus. For the winter season they bring on the “Gingerbread Latte,” “Caramel Brulee Latte” and the “Peppermint Mocha.” The “Gingerbread Latte” has gingerbread flavoring with real molasses drizzle. The “Caramel Brulee” includes caramel brulee flavor with the standard steamed milk and espresso that is in all lattes.

Mr. Postman Expresso has a similar menu to the other two coffee houses. They include a “Campfire Mocha,” with chocolate sauce and toasted marshmallow syrup, “Caramel Apple Cider Steamer,” with caramel syrup and steamed apple cider, and “Pumpkin Spice Latte.” The two drinks that differ would be their “Caramel Apple Latte,” with caramel syrup, espresso and steamed milk, and their “Spiced Chai.”

3. Grab your local newspaper on Thanksgiving Day because it is usually stuffed with a lot of sales advertisements.

4. Check the opening times for the stores that you plan to shop. This year there are a few stores that have decided to open on Thanksgiving Day. Target, Macy’s, JcPenney and Staples are just some of the stores that plan on opening at 8 p.m. on Nov. 28. Kmart will be open for 41 hours straight by opening its doors at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving.

1. Make a list of what you want to purchase on Black Friday. Don’t just think about yourself, with these great deals, you can scratch off gifts for your friends and family.

2. Once your list is made, search online to compare stores and see which sales are better.

5. Bring a friend or family member. There will be a lot of people, and it’s always great to have a sidekick in case the crowds get rough.

6. It would be wise to wear comfortable clothing and sneakers. You might have to break out in a run in order to purchase the last big screen TV. This might be the time to rock out that fanny pack.

7. This is obvious, but make sure you bring your wallet. It would be such a waste of time and energy if you reach the check out line and can’t pay for it.

8. Make room for a food break in between all of the shopping. Coffee doesn’t count as a meal, and make sure you have water with you to keep hydrated.

9. If you are planning on making large purchases, make sure you bring the right vehicle that will be able to transport everything back to your house.

10. If shopping in a crowd, waking up early or fighting off a mom for a talking Elmo isn’t your thing, I suggest waiting for Cyber Monday deals where you can peacefully shop online while still wearing your pajamas. You can find great online deals at Amazon, Target and Wal-Mart.

The key to the perfect Thanksgiving is picking out the best _______. Sure, the turkey, stuffing, and mashed _________ are important, but it isn’t until you bring out the _______ that the day is complete.

A common favorite part of the meal is the _______ sauce, which often is served while still in the shape of a _______. But no Thanksgiving meal is flawless. There’s always that one _______ that complains about her ________ neighbor. Uncle Joe tells the longest stories about the one time he built a _______ out of __________, but no one ever really cares.

Regardless of all the _______ stories, getting together with the family is always _______. There’s something to be said for Grandma’s _______ pies. Grandpa always talks about that one time he out ran a wild ___________.

In any case, even though this year was full of _________ and _________, I’m already looking forward to next year.

gRAB SOME FRIENDS AND TELL YOUR OWN THANKSGIVING TALE : IT ' S PROBABLY THE VOCABULARY BRUSH - UP YOU ' VE BEEN NEEDING ANYWAY