Multiple Spring Sing club shows create cast waiting lists after reaching 160 members
Hundreds of students participate in Spring Sing every year, but multiple social club shows this year faced the challenge of exceeding the member limit. Club shows are allowed up to 160
homework increased, some students switched to a smaller role or dropped the show. DGR director Lauren McDuffie, a junior, said the show is now at 156 members. The directors created a waiting list for students who wanted to join the show when others left so as many students could participate as possible.
Gamma, competing with Theta and Pi Theta Phi, started with around 170 participants and is now around 140-145 students. TNT and Zeta Rho are also just under capacity with 159 participants in their show.
The size of each club’s new class in the fall also factors into Spring Sing participation numbers. Freshmen and sophomores make up much of each club show, so
Spring Sing participation has been larger in the years after COVID-19. Frye said students’ interest was renewed in 2022, which was the first full-scale production after the pandemic. Students’ desire to perform
Honors College hosts annual research conference
The Honors College Undergraduate Research Conference is an annual event that allows students to present research they have prepared throughout the school year. This conference provides students with the opportunity to present individually or with a partner.
Sophomore Julia Howell is presenting for her first time regarding the biblical themes in the popular 2023 film, “The Barbie Movie.”
“I wrote this paper when I was at Abilene Christian University as a freshman,” Howell said. “We did this whole research project where we could just write about anything concerning the Barbie movie. The first time I had seen that movie I immediately thought that it had Biblical themes and allusions in it so I wanted to write about that. I wrote this paper and then my professor really encouraged me to either speak about it at a conference or publish it.”
After transferring to Harding, Howell met with several English and Communication professors and ended up submitting her paper to the Honors College Undergraduate
Research Conference, which is how she achieved the opportunity to present her work. Sophomore Henely Sanders took a different route to presenting her project. While in her research lab this semester, Sanders’ professor asked her to team up with a partner and
research any chosen topic to present at the conference. Sanders and her partner, Danae Lucio, decided to study “The Importance of Research as an Undergraduate Student.” Together, they will present their findings on April 18.
“We have 31 research grants at Harding, totalling $4.5 million, but we found most people don’t even know about the research going on,” Sanders said. “Out of the 68 people that I conducted my survey on, only 7 percent of them knew there was research going on.”
With the amount of funds the University receives for various research, students have plenty of opportunities to conduct their own research.
Sophomore Emma Gaskill said she has been conducting her own set of research.
“I am presenting on parental reactions to children’s negative emotions and the TV show, ‘Daniel Tiger.’” Gaskill said. “I was familiar with the show, and parents and family dynamics are super interesting to me since I’m going into the field of psychology.”
Gaskill’s research is led by the fact that children consume more TV, YouTube and media in general than they used to. Gaskill is hoping to analyze TV shows and help parents decide what media is appropriate for their children. Gaskill’s research has taken her to Las
Nevada, where she presented her findings Monday at the Broadcast Education Association’s annual convention.
Vegas,
KENZIE JAMES news editor
AMANDA TOYE community editor
Cast members of the Gamma Sigma Phi, Theta, Pi Theta Phi and Friends Spring Sing show (left) and the Delta Gamma Rho, Omega Phi, Phi Kappa Delta and Friends Spring Sing show (right) perform on the Benson Auditorium stage. Both club shows had to create waiting lists after reaching cast capacity.
Former Honors faculty member James Huff speaks to the 2024 Honors College Research Conference in Cone Chapel. This year’s conference will be on April 18.
Photos by EDGAR CARDIEL
Photo by JULIANNE BAKER
Members of various club Spring Sing shows perform in the Benson Auditorium. This year’s Spring Sing theme is Rise, and multiple shows are over or near the 160 person cast capacity.
Tornadoes hit students’ hometowns
JULIA JENKINS guest writer
A historic and deadly tornado outbreak swept through the Midwest from March 13 to 16, 2025, leaving widespread devastation in its wake. The secondlargest March outbreak on record spawned numerous powerful tornadoes across Missouri and Arkansas, including multiple EF3 and EF4 storms that leveled neighborhoods, destroyed homes and claimed lives.
Although Searcy was not directly affected, several Harding students from the Midwest experienced the storm’s impact through the devastation faced by their family and friends back home.
Senior Korban Butler, a Missouri native, was at his social club’s spiritual retreat when he learned that a tornado had torn through his hometown.
“I didn’t know anything was going on until 11 o’clock,” Butler said. “Which, honestly, is probably for the better because it was already hard enough finding out what happened.”
Although his home remained standing, the tornado inflicted significant damage on his property. Broken windows, uprooted trees, two crushed cars, a destroyed boat and two demolished sheds were just some of the destruction left behind.
Junior Alex Kowiti, from Bakersfield, Missouri, described how the tornado devastated her community, claiming three lives and flattening homes and buildings.
“We’ve never had one that bad before,” Kowiti said. “I mean, we’ve had tornadoes go through, but not any that have done any massive destruction at all.”
Despite the devastation, Kowiti has seen her town unite in the aftermath. Relief groups, donations, and businesses have stepped in to support those affected, strengthening the sense of community even in the face of tragedy.
Junior Kiersten Mahan, whose town was also impacted, echoed similar sentiments.
“You can tell that people love each other and are there for each other and have each other’s backs through it all,” Mahan said.
All three students expressed the difficulty of being away from their families and
hometowns during this challenging time. While they want to help, being in school has made it difficult. However, they have found comfort in the overwhelming support from the Harding community.
“That’s my favorite thing about Harding,” Mahan said. “Everybody surrounds one another and everybody is there for each other. It’s really awesome.”
For Butler, one of the most powerful moments in the aftermath of the storm was seeing his church community come together. The Sunday after the tornado, his church still gathered — despite having no power — and more people attended than usual.
“I think it just brings out the good of God in it,” Butler said. “Because that’s really where you got to keep your focus.”
IP office announces COMM 1010 study abroad intersession
The International Programs office announced last Wednesday a new study abroad program in August to pilot class materials.
The two-week program in Greece will test the new textbook for Communication Principles (COMM 1010), a required class many students choose to take overseas. Dr. Pat Garner designed the original curriculum for students to take the class abroad, and Dr. Laurie Diles wrote the new textbook. Dr. Charles Bane, Communications Department chair, said a publisher approached Diles about writing a new textbook, and they saw it as a chance to update materials for COMM 1010.
“We’re in the middle of updating that curriculum, and we thought it would be helpful to her… to have an opportunity to actually teach it to a group of students in the same number of class periods in the context in which it’s going to continue to be offered
on an ongoing basis,” Executive Director of International Programs Audra Pleasant said. Diles, Bane and communication instructor Noah Darnell are the faculty for the COMM 1010 program and will take 24 students to the Harding University in Greece (HUG) campus. The trip is Aug. 3-15, right before the start of the fall 2025 semester. Pleasant said the intersession-like course provides an opportunity for students who haven’t taken COMM 1010 or can’t do a full semester abroad to participate in an abbreviated program.
“I love being able to offer shorter-term experiences to students who can’t study abroad for a whole semester,” Pleasant said. “I realize there’s a lot of reasons, whether it’s work or family obligations or your degree plan or finances, and we want to be as accessible to as many students as possible.”
Diles and Bane will teach the class at the Artemis, a Harding-owned building where students stay during their abroad trip, and around Greece. Darnell, the facilitator for the
program, said students will explore Greece like other abbreviated programs, and there will be 20 class sessions within the two weeks.
“There’s going to be more classroom time than we usually do on the short-term programs, because we’re making sure that we have the appropriate number of class hours,” Darnell said.
The intersession program and updated materials are being introduced to reemphasize the class’s objectives. Bane said multiple students who travelled abroad in recent years said they did not present speeches, and their COMM 1010 class focused more on intercultural communication.
“That’s one reason we’re revamping it, because we’ve been hearing that the students are taking the class, and then they’re not actually doing presentations or speeches, which is kind of the point of the class,” Bane said.
COMM 1010 abroad is geared towards the location students are at and incorporating cultural components, but Bane said students
should still learn the same outcomes and objectives as students who take the class on Harding’s main campus. Bane said another factor of this could be that professors who teach the class abroad are not always communications professors so they may not be comfortable teaching COMM 1010. The pilot trip will be a model to help those professors teach future classes.
Pleasant said International Programs is not currently planning for the intersession program to become a regular program but could be open to the idea in the future if the program succeeds. COMM 1010 will continue to be offered on campus and on semester-long study abroad programs.
“It might be a good model for other classes of its type,” Darnell said. “This creates kind of the ability to test those before a full threemonth program hits it… I hope it becomes either this for 1010 or something that can be a platform for testing other classes so that more things are offered in the future.”
Freshmen Ellie Nicolas and Anna Cox, pictured left to right, take pictures at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece over spring break. The Greece photography spring break trip was another pilot program offered this year.
Photo by LILLI BURCH
KENZIE JAMES news editor
TheLink.Harding.edu 3A OPINIONS
Guest Writer
This term I decided to take a photography class taught by Jeff Montgomery. I’ve been a professor for 15 years; switching back to the student side of the desk has been fun – and illuminating.
“Catching light” is my favorite concept I’ve learned so far. “Find natural light,” Montgomery told us, “and catch it
Catching light
some long-stowed interest of your younger days? Astronomy? Ornithology? Human Anatomy? Creative Writing? Coding? Drawing? Philosophy?
Learning for fun seems unlikely, here and now. A few years ago the federal government started to refuse to provide any financial aid for courses not required by a student’s
than ever before. There’s even a great new “Interdisciplinary Day” initiative encouraging faculty from different fields to guest-lecture in each others’ classes.
Is this a new trend? The result of these last years of Harding’s Liberal Arts renewal, or our new push for asking the Big Questions? Or is the new generation of college students more curious and open? Whatever the cause, I love it. Learning for its own sake. At least
We have the gift to live and work and learn at a university–a tiny universe all its own, only half a square mile of bricks and grass and trees, but filled with galaxies of light. Your professors are only a step or two away from all the brightest lights in all the important conversations around the world; they can point you to the superstars and the books where their brilliance can be
There are depths
(aperture and shutter speed, depth of field ratios, principles of composition, complex dynamics of storytelling) he helps us learn almost effortlessly. “Go and take pictures, and show me 10 you think are good,” Montgomery says. Week by week, he teaches us to be increasingly sophisticated in our techniques and understanding, increasingly rigorous in judging what’s really good. I’m learning so much so fast, and I’m loving the experience. What course might you take — if you didn’t have to worry about grades, or requirements, or tuition costs, or time commitments — just for fun, or out of curiosity, or coming back to
Guest Writer Abby Chen
I was sitting at the table, lost in thought, when my eyes landed on a pen. It wasn’t just any pen — it was the one that helped me pass the exam and opened the door for me to study abroad. As I thought back to the International English Language Testing System exam that shaped my future, I remembered how I sat in that exam room with this pen in hand. Surprisingly, I felt calm. The test questions didn’t seem as difficult as I expected. For each question, my mind felt clear and sharp. It was as if the pen itself was saying, “You’ve prepared for this. Just answer confidently!” Even though I know this was just something I projected onto the pen, a kind of emotional attachment, the power it gave me was real. I know that, to many people, superstition may seem utterly absurd, but in my opinion, it is a combination of cultural traditions and personal beliefs. Our superstitions actually reflect the depth of our cultural identity, and they can boost our confidence and motivation in surprising ways.
First, let’s dig a little deeper into where these weird superstitions come from. They’re deeply tied to cultural traditions. For example, in Italy, the number 17 is considered a bad omen. Why? Rearrange the Roman numeral XVII, and you get “VIXI,” Latin for “I’ve lived” — basically saying, “I’m done living.” Creepy, right? Then there’s the poor black cat. Since the Middle Ages, they’ve been branded as witches’ companions, earning a bad rap that’s stuck ever since. Superstitions like these have been passed down from generation to
major requirements grow, students get fewer “elective” slots in their majors than they used to, overall degree hours get cut and everyone scrambles for students’ attention. Add to this our collective overcommitment, media overconsumption, burnout and financial strain, and taking a course for the sheer fun of learning looks pretty impossible.
But still, I’ve seen and heard of more students sitting in for a day in classes they’re not taking, this semester, than I’ve ever noticed before, just out of curiosity or interest; and I’ve heard of more colleagues guest-speaking in others’ classes, or even taking others’ classes,
of beauty everywhere, as photography class is teaching me. Even grit scattered on a demolished workshop foundation catches the morning sun, as I walk to work, and sparkles like jewels. Every yard of earth holds wonders if you zoom in close. Every face, every body, has beauty, and grace and dignity, when you’re watching for the decisive moment.
I know you have so many obligations. I hope you can still find time to take Photography, or whatever. I hope you’ll learn how to audit, or maybe just show up with a friend to class sometimes out of pure curiosity. I hope you join the trend — that you keep a little margin, somehow, to practice catching light.
The power behind lucky pens and rituals
generation and are ingrained in our cultural DNA. Anthropologist Edward Burnett Tylor, who came up with cultural evolution theory, believed superstitions were early humans’ way of making sense of the unknown. In his 1871 book Primitive Culture, he explained that superstitions reflect shared beliefs and offer a sense of belonging, especially in a constantly changing world. So, even though they might seem irrational, they carry emotional and cultural significance.
The point here isn’t holding on to irrational fear, but instead reducing anxiety. In 2010, psychologist Lysann
Damisch and her team ran a fascinating experiment on superstitions. They had participants carry lucky items or perform quirky rituals and guess what? Their confidence shot up, and anxiety plummeted! Why? Damisch explained that these rituals give people a sense of control, like adding a psychological safety net when facing uncertain outcomes. It’s like wearing emotional armor against the unpredictability of life. As I mentioned earlier, Italians believe that the number 17 brings bad luck, and there’s the
ancient connection between black cats and witches. These superstitions aren’t just about irrational fear — they actually help reduce anxiety.
Superstitions also fire up our motivation, especially in sports. Athletes swear by their pre-game rituals — whether it’s a “lucky” charm or a repetitive action — believing it gives them an edge. It’s not just about comfort; their superstition helps them get “in the zone,” Csikszentmihalyi’s “flow” state, that magical moment of total focus. For instance, tennis players may always bounce the ball a certain number of times, or basketball players have their free-throw routines. I am sure you must have seen professional athletes lacing their shoes before a game. Look! That’s their superstition boosting their mojo!
Superstitions, while often seen as irrational, play a fascinating role in both our cultural and psychological lives. They are a blend of ancient traditions, personal beliefs and even modern rituals and they offer us a sense of control and comfort in unpredictable situations. Whether it’s grabbing a lucky pen for an exam or watching athletes perform pre-game routines, these small actions tap into a deeper cultural identity. They boost our confidence and motivation. Superstitions may not hold any real power, but their emotional and psychological impact is undeniable. They give us a little extra courage when we need it most.
Getting away with it
The words we say about one another can be placed on a sliding scale. On one side are words that can truly hurt; bullying or “punching down” at vulnerable populations — words that are viewed by almost everyone as “too far.” On the opposite side are words that build up and beautifully transform. Most of the comments we make to and about our neighbors are between these two extremes. I know a few exceptions to this — there are certainly people on Harding’s campus that I do not think have ever said a negative thing about or to anyone else (Jessica Leite, I am looking at you!). However, for the most part, we say some good and some bad things to people depending on our mood and who we are talking to.
Recently, I’ve noticed phrases that do not cross into explicit bullying territory but that emit the faintest of dog whistles. People reference their neighbors in coded ways to imply that they may be lazy or incompetent. They give knowing glances after making seemingly innocuous comments. With these phrases, they are merely “getting away with it.” The perpetrators will not be penalized in any official way, but their words are not bound to do anything good, either. In fact, they could easily inflict some hurt or encourage listeners to make similar comments.
Do these comments ever do anything productive? I cannot imagine so. Explicit bullying is harmful, but so are subtly mean words. A cut may hurt less than a gunshot wound, but that does not mean that the cut does not hurt.
I am not saying this to be condescending. I have done this very thing before, and I know plenty of otherwise kind people who have done the same in moments of exasperation. Instead, I am calling for introspection. We need to understand that what we say has power. People are listening, and they can easily be affected by any comments we make.
One defense some people use against being careful with one’s words is that listeners are simply too sensitive and easily “triggered.” Instead of immediately blaming those around us, though, we need to look inward. Maybe we firmly believe that what we are saying to and about others is right, but is it also productive? Will it encourage and guide others? Does it do more harm than good? Do not get me wrong; sometimes, we need to say hard things. Some things will upset people no matter how hard we try. We cannot please everyone all of the time. However, we owe it to our neighbors to consider the potential impact of our words before we say them.
We are called to more than simply getting away with what we say. Let’s do something good with our words this week.
HELEN STRICKLAND is the opinions editor for The Bison. She may be contacted at hstrickland@harding.edu.
Katherine Moore
April Fatula
Jon Singleton
Strickland
Aja Griffin
Julia Jenkins
Cassell Stewart
Jon Singleton
Abby Chen
Jaelyn Harrison
Graphic by SYDNEY PALMER
Gold in the Sand
Editor-in-chief Maggie Samples
Happy to be a Celtics fan
For those of you who aren’t aware, it’s professional basketball season. Basketball is, without a doubt, the best sport in the world. It’s fun to watch. It’s fun to play. It’s fun to yell at the bad calls regardless of whether you’re watching or playing. I will accept no debate; basketball is the best sport.
My love for basketball was instilled in me when I was young. Both my parents played high school basketball, and my maternal grandfather was a high school basketball coach for his entire career. It was not an uncommon occurrence for Grandpa to let the family into the school gym and run a few drills with the grandkids when we all got together.
I grew up just a few miles from the University of Kentucky, famed for its borderline insane basketball fans and being the second greatest basketball school in the NCAA. There was no way I was going to escape the basketball craze that runs in my family.
I played basketball from the third grade until I graduated high school. It wasn’t until after high school, though, that the real obsession began. Once I was no longer a player of basketball, I became an avid watcher of basketball.
My team of choice is, of course, the Celtics. I decided on the Celtics for a pretty convoluted reason. My little brother Nathan has the soul of an elderly man. He gardens, he drinks a Tervis of black coffee daily and he loves Larry Bird. Because the Hick from French Lick played for the Celtics before he was born, Nathan is a zealous Celtics supporter. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to hold a conversation with a 16-year-old boy who acts like an 80-year-old, but it’s difficult. There were very few things that Nathan and I had in common and even fewer he was willing to converse with me about.
So, I did the only thing I could, I started obsessively following the Celtics, so that we could discuss their latest games together. It worked, but it also became a genuine love of mine.
My other brother Jacob could talk to a wall, so I didn’t have to create new hobbies to have a conversation with him. In fact, he loves to drag the Celtics whenever possible, because one of his favorite hobbies is aggravating people. However, his supposed hatred of the Celtics didn’t stop him from cheering with me and Nathan when we got to watch the Celtics destroy the Pacers in person last January.
I love the Celtics, and I also love the connections they have given me. I love Bill Russell, Civil Rights activist and the NBA player with the most championship rings, some won when he was both a player and the team coach. I love Red Auerbach, long-time Celtics coach and first NBA coach to draft a Black player and to have an all-Black starting five. I love Larry the Legend, a man with attitude, spunk, and, occasionally, a mullet. I love the Celtics franchise itself, the franchise with the most wins in NBA history.
This current team is a fun one to watch and support. I love Drew Holiday’s defensive skills and Derrick White’s habit of losing teeth on the court. I love Al Horford’s 2024 championship win after 186 playoff games without one. I love Joe Mazulla and the very strange, cryptic things that he says to the press.
The Celtics have introduced me to many things that I love but mostly, I just love watching the Celtics with my brothers.
Guest Writer Jaelyn Harrison
This is a question I’m often asked after I share that Good Friday is one of my favorite holidays. I often have to suppress my surprise by remembering it’s a question I would’ve asked before I began attending a church that has a Good Friday service each year. Now that I have seen and experienced the power, grace and unfathomable love of Good Friday, I cannot pretend it is not one of the greatest holidays we have.
Good Friday, for those of you who may be asking the same question I would have been asking years ago, is the day we remember the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The day we remember all we gain because of Christ’s death. We now have victory over sin and death through him. We are now conquerors through his power. We have been freed from the power of sin. We have seen the love of God. We have seen God’s kenotic nature. We are now able to be in the presence of God, no longer separated from him.
I was drawn to Harding because of the Christ-centered lifestyle that is taught and
What exactly is Good Friday? I’ll tell you!
implemented on this campus and in this community. I love the focus we have on worship, prayer and service. So you can imagine my shock freshman year when I found out Easter weekend was most commonly known as “Spring Sing Weekend” around campus. I was shocked we didn’t have Good Friday off, as so many public schools do, and horrified we were using it as a day to market our university, even though it was through a generous, service-oriented show. I longed to go home to reflect on Jesus’ death and resurrection without the hustle and bustle of Spring Sing surrounding me. I refused to go to Spring Sing, I emailed all my professors and I went home for the weekend. Last year I was abroad, so I did the best I could to focus on Jesus and held a Good Friday service for our abroad group (love you HUG Spring 2024 fam).
I am thrilled Spring Sing has been moved to a different weekend. I am excited for whatever Easter weekend plans Harding has for this year, but I still believe there is more work to be done.
I believe there are numerous reasons we should be given the day off. I believe we should have the day off so those of us who are blessed with the ability to go home can remember Christ’s death amongst our family. So those of us who must stay on campus can have a full day to reflect and remember Christ. To remember our reason for life. So professors can spend the day with families and relatives. So we can dedicate our entire campus to remembering the cross through a day filled with prayer, service, worship, Scripture reading and fellowship. I think of how Jesus spent his hours before the cross. His hours were spent quietly in desperate prayer. Yet we’ve chosen to make this same day a busy day full of our own hustle and bustle of classes, studying, events and regular campus-life chaos. What a testament of our faith it would be if we could find the time in our schedules to slow down, just as Jesus did, and remember God’s love for us shown through the death of Christ on the cross.
The worst way to fight inflation
It was bound to happen. Inevitable, really. I just didn’t expect it quite yet. Yes, it happens to everyone, sooner or later. Naturally, I was hoping for later. Much, much later. But we must face life with serenity, or else all is lost.
To make matters worse, it happened during spring break. Spring — the time of youth and renewal, the season of rejuvenation and beginnings. When all is green and sunny, and the butterflies take flight in the cool late afternoon breeze.
It was 6 p.m. Just that sweet spot in the day between the slow dimming of the sun and the tuning of the cicadas. When the day winds down and a fellow settles in for his dinner.
A dinner of golden fried chicken, with potatoes creamed into ultra smoothness, green beans with just a twang of vinegar, and yeast rolls directly from the central oven of Heaven itself. All topped off with a cobbler that could only be made with Georgia peaches and can only be eaten with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream.
“Life is like that,” says little Ralphie in “A Christmas Story,” “Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters descend up us.”
That’s when I looked at my bill and realized the waitress had given me the senior citizen discount.
If you need to ask whether I am old enough to qualify for the senior discount, a plague upon you and your family, to the fourth generation. I most certainly do not qualify for such a thing, as anyone with two eyes and half a heart can plainly see. I am a full seven years away from needing a geriatric break on my dinner bill.
I can reconstruct how it happened. I was with my mother. At this particular restaurant, patrons who are 90 and above can eat free for life. We had announced her age to be sure to receive this greatest of senior discounts — the lifetime supply of fried chicken and cobbler. The same deal that Willy Wonka
offered to the five lucky children who found the Golden Tickets.
Naturally, the waitress looked at my sister and me and assumed that the children of anyone that old must surely be on Social Security. And she did so without asking — that’s what really galls me, to be honest; not the discounting, but the assuming — the accusatory presumption that if Momma Bear is 90, then the Baby Bears have surely been put out to pasture, too.
I know I am mixing my metaphors, but I am upset.
Life offers many rites of passage. The first day of kindergarten, the 16th birthday, the high school graduation, the first wedding anniversary. All these moments are filled with promise — they look ahead to a bright horizon and reassure us that we are still young and have so much of life ahead.
The first senior discount is not that kind of milestone. It is a sign to the world that you are now too frail to pay full price for your mashed potatoes (and the softer those mashed potatoes, the better). I am surprised that no one offered to help me to my car afterwards.
If the waitress based her decision on our mother’s age, that is reason for hope. Otherwise, I am faced with a cruel truth. Could it be that others don’t see the young guy I see in the mirror every day? Could it be that my years of hard living are finally starting to show? Like the Picture of Dorian Gray? Could it be that people are now describing me with the kindly euphemism “distinguished”?
According to the AARP, plenty of establishments offer senior discounts for people as young as 50. The restaurant that
age-shamed me, I should point out, is not one of these. They draw the line at 60. But, to add insult to injury, I now learn that I could have been milking the cheaper rate at CiCi’s Pizza for the past three years. That’s why my glass-half-full friends tell me just to be happy for saving $2 and move on. But I can’t help but see a $2 tax on my dignity. While it’s typical for an offended client to demand a refund, I am tempted to demand full retail.
When I complained about this to my 86-year-old uncle, he gladly told me about the time he was carded by a waiter who didn’t believe he was old enough to get the senior discount. Yes, the garçon was just trying to get a better tip, but his approach should be the gold standard in the industry. Remember, the customer is always young.
Narrative Columnist
Michael Claxton
Illustration by KIT MOORE
Graphic by CARYS BIRDWELL
Graphic by MATTHEW KIPTOO
LeBronify
Opening Day for my favorite sport went down during spring break, and while it would be easy for me to talk about what makes baseball the greatest sport of alltime, there was one sports story over the break that I absolutely could not ignore.
Journalism can often stress many in the industry out, often constantly churning out negative stories one after another. And like negative stories, stories with controversy embedded in them are far more popular to the average reader. I’ve written columns this year about the disastrous ownership tenure of John Fisher with the Oakland A’s and Caitlin Clark’s WNBA rookie season, but sometimes it’s fun to laugh at why a controversy matters so much to so many people. So while all of those stories thrive on controversy, this column is about the most ridiculous and hilarious thing that was all over mine and millions of others’ TikTok pages over the break. AI song parodies dedicated to Los Angeles superstar LeBron James.
Granted, not all of the thousands of parodies on the platform are AI. Most find humor in the fact that the poster’s singing ability is rather poor, intentional or not. The songs, which combined have already been viewed hundreds of millions of times, pull from hundreds of artists, and often praise James on his athletic ability that gave him the title of “The Chosen One” during his junior year of high school. But of course, as I mentioned earlier, no story in today’s journalism world would not be complete without controversy, and this one takes the cake for the dumbest controversy in recent memory.
ESPN’s main headliner when it comes to their content has been for years, Stephen A. Smith. Host of the long-time weekday show First Take, he has been a presence on the network that hasn’t gone away in over a decade.
So, when Smith tried to rile up people after a court-side chat about his son and Lakers teammate Bronny James went viral, Smith doubled down and said on his own podcast that if James had laid his hands on him, he would have “swung” at the 6 ft. 9, 250 lb. James. The idea that the 57-year-old and rumored Democratic party nominee for president in 2028 would come anywhere close to winning in a fight against James is exactly why there is always room for the dumbest of controversies.
So, back to the fun part. I think it’s hilarious that someone thought it would be funny to make a song parody of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” and make an absolute masterpiece of a song, with an ending that feels like it would be played during the end credits of a future lowbudget movie about James’ career twenty years from now.
The point I’m trying to make here is one that often journalists fail to recognize: you don’t have to take everything so seriously all the time. For every serious story with a dramatic controversy that disappears within 24 hours in our ever-constant news cycle, there’s a story that’s worth smiling about and moving on. Or, in this story’s case, maybe it’s something worth singing about.
ELI DEAN is the sports editor for The Bison. He may be contacted at edean3@harding.edu.
Senior athletes share spring semester challenges
KELLY MAHAWANNIARACHCHI head copy editor
The senior year of collegiate athletics marks the culmination of years of dedication, struggle and triumph. For senior athletes, it’s a time to reflect on everything they’ve accomplished, but also to face the bittersweet realization that this chapter of their life is coming to an end. The senior athlete experience is a unique blend of nostalgia, pride and a renewed sense of purpose.
Senior athletes often look back at their collegiate careers with pride. Many seniors have been through the highs of winning championships, breaking records and experiencing the support of fans.
Senior cross-country runner Emily Patterson commented on the pride she feels having made it to her senior year.
“I really think my proudest accomplishment of my athletic career has been sticking with it for so many years,” Patterson said. “Track is a really difficult sport mentally, and continuing to push myself to new levels is something I will always be proud of.”
Women’s tennis alumna Grace Dodd stated her perspective on her college experience.
“Looking back, I am proud of the strength and perseverance I possessed throughout my entire collegiate career,” Dodd said. “I faced many injuries, had four surgeries, had a life changing family issue, and struggled with my mental health. Despite these tribulations, I was able to find success, and ultimately I have had to come to terms with the fact that I left it all out on the court each time I competed, so I couldn’t ask more of myself.”
As the team leaders, senior athletes often face pressure not only to perform but also to guide and mentor younger teammates. Many seniors take this role seriously and see it as a way to leave a legacy.
Senior tennis player Madison Stafford shared several ways she’s found balance as a student athlete.
“From a time management perspective, I build a schedule each week to balance my coursework and tennis commitments while allotting time to FaceTime my family and have lunch or dinner with friends a few times during the week,” Stafford said. “In terms of communication, I try to establish good working relationships with each of my professors and strive to be proactive when there are conflicts between my coursework, tests or labs, and my tennis commitments. I have found if I am consistent with both of these habits, then life as a collegiate athlete is less hectic and more manageable.”
Unlike freshmen, senior athletes have a better grasp on balancing academics, athletics and personal lives.
Patterson gave a word of advice to incoming freshmen on how to balance everything that comes with being a student athlete.
“You will not be successful as a student if you give everything to your sport and your social life,” Patterson said. “You will not be successful as an athlete if you give everything to your academics and your social life. You will not have a healthy social life if you
only think about athletics and academics. Take care of every part of yourself to be the strongest version you can be as a student, athlete and friend.”
Dodd also stated advice for incoming freshmen on how to have the best athletic journey possible.
“First, get to know your professors,” Dodd said. “Introduce yourself to them and tell them what sport you are playing. They will be so much more accommodating and willing to help if they have a face to your name. You will also get faculty support at your sporting events. Second, get to know your team. You might be on a team from different parts of the world so it is important to know their culture to make them feel welcomed or to avoid a future misunderstanding based on a difference in cultures. Third, get to know the other sports teams. It is great to be friends with your team, but you also need people outside your teams because you will be spending so much time with them, sometimes you will need just to be away from them and with a different group of people.”
Freshman student athletes adjust to college experience
KELLY MAHAWANNIARACHCHI head copy editor
The transition from high school to college is a monumental one for most students, but for those who are athletes, the change can be even more challenging. The first year of college sports is an exciting, yet sometimes overwhelming, journey filled with new experiences, unexpected hurdles and the steep learning curve of balancing academics with intense athletic commitments.
One of the biggest challenges for freshman athletes is adjusting to the intensity of college athletics.
Freshman soccer player Nora Henderson commented on the transition.
“It’s really cool to see the skill level change from high school to college because in college you’re with a bunch of amazing talented people who all love and care about the sport that you do and are on that team for a reason,” Henderson said. “Balancing academic life and sports was definitely a big transition too because both require more time in college. It took a little bit to get used to first semester but now I have a good routine where I prioritize school right after my practice so that I have it done the next day.”
Freshman athletes often face the challenge of earning their place on the team. Unlike high school, where they were the stars, many freshmen must fight for playing time and prove themselves worthy of their position.
Junior softball player Riley Price commented on her freshman experience.
“I started my college career at a different university and had a completely different environment than what I am around now,”
Price said. “I had always played softball and knew the expectations for that sport, yet going to the college that I did, it was a completely different game. Reflecting back on it now, I am grateful for the lessons I learned that first year since it made me into the person I am today.”
For many freshman athletes, the hardest part is finding balance. Learning time management and coping with the constant pressure to excel both academically and athletically can be overwhelming for freshmen.
Freshman basketball player Amelia Rogers commented on how she’s found the balance between academics and athletics.
“Balancing academic life and athletic life was difficult for me in the first semester because I didn’t have the community I have today in my classes,” Rogers said. “I think the biggest thing about balancing both is communication, whether with my coaches, professors, or even classmates. I can communicate with them if I miss class or with my coaches about the practice timing and when we will have time to take tests. I talk with my classmates about content and material I may miss, which is why the second semester has been easier for balancing because I do have that community of people surrounding me, and I know I can reach out for that support.”
Eli Dean
Senior Emily Patterson tries to keep her jump alive in the long jump during a Harding track meet. Harding track is looking to conclude a strong season with the hopes of a Great American Conference championship.
Freshman Amelia Rogers high-fives fans as the Bisons run back to the locker rooms in the Nov. 21, 2024, 84-56 win over Central Oklahoma. The Lady Bisons finished the season 25-7 with an appearance in the NCAA DII tournament.
Sports Editor
Photo provided by Jeff Montgomery
Photo provided by Jeff Montgomery
Searcy offers places for visitors to enjoy
JULIA JENKINS guest writer
Searcy is a small but growing city with many new restaurants, activities, coffee shops and entertainment sources. Harding University, a home for students for nearly 100 years, brings life to the Searcy community, but there are plenty of places to go off-campus as well. From off-campus activities such as the Art Alley downtown to the fun family atmosphere at the Searcy Skate Rink, there are endless opportunities to give your parents and guests the full Searcy experience.
“When my parents come to Searcy, I enjoy taking them to restaurants like the Tamale Factory, Burgers Pies and Fries and Greek house,” freshman Drew Coffey said. “We will always go watch Harding basketball or football games and usually meet with some college friends for dessert.”
Coffey is the fourth of his siblings to attend Harding, so his parents are no strangers to Searcy. In addition to watching their children participate in Spring Sing shows, the Coffeys enjoy their local favorites and take advantage of what all Searcy has to offer.
“My parents typically take me and my brother out to eat,” sophomore Blake Trevathan said. “There is nothing better than two worlds colliding when your home life meets your school life.”
Senior Elise McFarlin has her routine down of what to do with her parents.
“My mom and I get our nails done and it wouldn’t be a real visit if we didn’t go get our Freddy’s custard as a sweet treat,” McFarlin said. “Since we don’t have one near where we live, it is always a fun time with my parents and friends and is an essential part when my parents come to Searcy.”
In addition to Freddy’s, there are plenty of dessert options around town. Creme and Sugar on Race Street has snow cones, frozen yogurt and other treats. Downtown, Soda Jerk has milkshakes, acai bowls and classic waffle cones and assortment of ice cream flavors. Maybe sweet treats are not your thing but you do like coffee. Searcy has plenty of coffee options all around town as well.
Churches accommodate Easter services and celebrations
HILL
ELLIE
beat reporter
As Easter approaches, the community of Searcy is preparing for a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Churches across the city are offering special services, each creating an opportunity for locals to come together, reflect and rejoice in this season of hope and renewal.
New Life Church is welcoming everyone to their services on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. On Friday, April 18, they will host a Good Friday service at 4:30 p.m., where attendees can reflect on the significance of Christ’s sacrifice. On Easter Sunday, the church will host three services. The first service will begin at 8 a.m., followed by another at 9 a.m., and the final service at 11 a.m.
At Searcy First Methodist Church, Easter Sunday will be filled with meaningful worship and fellowship. The church offers two different worship styles. The first service, The Gathering, starts at 9 a.m. and features a more modern vibe, with contemporary music and a welcoming atmosphere. For those who prefer traditional worship, the church will hold a service at 11 a.m. Both services will offer childcare between services, guests are invited to join the Sunday classes for all ages at 10 a.m. No matter what style, Searcy First Methodist Church invites everyone to join in celebrating the risen Jesus this Easter Sunday. Searcy Church of God will host a special Easter service on Sunday, April 20, beginning with Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. followed by their worship celebration at 10:45 a.m. Their Easter service promises a time of reflection on the power of the resurrection, community and the unending love of Christ. After the service, the congregation invites families to stay for an Easter potluck and an Easter egg hunt for the kids.
Meanwhile, Fellowship Bible Church will continue to hold its services at the usual
time, 9:30 a.m. and is looking forward to celebrating this meaningful season with its congregation. The church invites all to join in reflecting on the joy and hope of Christ’s resurrection.
Highway Church of Christ will also welcome many from the Harding community this Easter.
“Easter Sunday at Highway will include a worship service at 8:15 a.m., Bible class at 9:30, and another worship service at 10:30,” Fred Gallo from Highway said.
With a strong weekly presence from Harding students, the church will be a hub of celebration this Easter. Sophomore Jake Plattner, a regular attendee, shared his plans.
“Highway is a great place to spend Easter Sunday,” Plattner said. “I’ll be attending with foster kids from the Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch.”
Seniors Elle Brumley and Brenna Fuller also plan to be there.
“I love Sundays at Highway Church, especially Easter.” Brumley said.
“It’s just so uplifting being around people who really care. There’s something special about worshiping together like that.” said Brumley.
Highway Church of Christ has several college-age attendees.
“I’ve always felt at home at Highway,” Fuller said. “The messages speak to my heart, and the people make you feel seen and supported. Easter especially reminds me how powerful it is to have a church family walking with you in every season.”
Midnight Oil, Mr. Postman, Perk and Post, Starbucks, Warehouse 4, 7 Brew and Stu’s Brew provide more than enough options to get your favorite coffee drink.
Chit Chat & Chew, Wild Sweet Williams, and KJ’s are some go to breakfast places for locals. For lunch or dinner, Mi Pueblito, El Almacen, Guacamole, Venezia’s, Casa Brava, and many more are all within five minutes from campus. We have pizza places such as Brick Oven, Greek delights at Greek House, American classics at Rock House, Asian cuisines at Pho Ever and More and barbecue at Knight Fire or This Guys Smoke ‘N Grill. There are plenty of places to visit to give guests the full Searcy experience.
Photo by AMANDA TOYE
The popular bakery, Wild Sweet William’s, offers breakfast treats and brunch options. This location is a great place to visit with family and friends.
Photo by BRILEY KEMPER
New Life Church is a non-denominational church in Searcy on Beebe Capps. This church will host various Easter services.
BSA students anticipate Memphis trip
This weekend, Harding’s Black Student Association (BSA) will visit the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis has a long history of civil rights action, and its Civil Rights Museum is located at the site of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination — the Lorraine Motel. The BSA intended to visit Memphis closer to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January, but their plans fell through, so the visit was rescheduled for April.
Senior and BSA Secretary Patricia Baptiste explained the trip’s organizational process. “The idea for this trip was developed by the executive team of the Black Student Association, whose mission includes creating meaningful and educational experiences for its members,” Baptiste said. “Under the leadership of our President Zalen Robinson, and freshman Event Planner Alexis Quashie, the vision for a trip to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis began to take shape. Their dedication and planning were instrumental in bringing this initiative to life.”
The trip will be on Saturday, April 12. Students will depart from Harding’s campus at 9 a.m. They plan to arrive at the Civil Rights Museum/Lorraine Motel around 11 a.m. BSA members will tour the museum and hotel and then get lunch at a local barbecue restaurant, as Memphis is renowned for its barbecue. They will begin their return to campus around 2:30 p.m.
An estimated 10-15 BSA members will attend this trip, which Baptiste called a great turnout for the group. Quashie emphasized that this group size would allow for a more thorough visit of the Civil Rights Museum.
Baptiste explained what she and other BSA members could gain from the trip.
“This trip is an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the historical struggles and triumphs of those who fought for civil rights and justice,” Baptiste said. “We want
to honor the legacy of the brave individuals who paved the way for today’s freedoms. Through this experience, we hope to educate ourselves and reflect on how we can carry their legacy forward in our communities and beyond.”
Quashie provided another perspective on the trip. Quashie is from the Bahamas, so she is one of a few international students in the BSA.
“Our journey to the Civil Rights Museum is more so for the international students in the BSA, myself included, because I’m from the Bahamas, which is a black majority country, and so a lot of the struggles that African Americans have been dealing with, and are still dealing with, myself and many others, we haven’t experienced that,” Quashie said.
“We share a very common history, regardless if it was like earlier or later on in the timeline [of history…]. I think for me personally, going to the Civil Rights Museum will make me a little less ignorant. It’ll broaden my understanding and my perspective of the
struggles and of the issues.”
Baptiste expressed the gratitude the BSA feels for their educational day trip.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to learn, reflect and grow together through this meaningful experience,” Baptiste said.
Quashie expressed the importance of the trip for the BSA as a whole.
“I think it’s our responsibility as the next generation of Black young men and women, we need to know our vision,” Quashie said.
“We need to know where we come from, because there’s going to be a long time when people try to discredit us or try to make us feel as though our voices don’t matter, or feel as though we aren’t being heard, and that is totally unacceptable. So I feel as though knowing where you came from, and knowing why all these people fought for what they fought for, gives you a sense of identity.”
Senior Chelsei Arnold will not be able to attend the trip this weekend, but she expressed her appreciation for what the BSA has done for her during her time at Harding.
“The BSA serves as a safe space and a great way to become more familiar with others who share my culture and background,” Arnold said. “In the last four years, I have really been blessed with the holistic conversations, activities and companionship that I have felt here. Being a Black student at Harding has definitely had its challenges, but the BSA has provided comfort and appreciation that has truly helped me. Our President Zalen [Robinson] and the other officers have worked very hard this year to revamp the organization, and I am excited to see it blossom as the years progress. As my time at Harding comes to an end (I graduate in May), I am grateful for the time and effort placed into this organization.”
Undergraduates impress at BEA conference in Las Vegas
ELI DEAN sports editor HELEN STRICKLAND opinions editor
Students and faculty took home awards and presented research at the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) conference last weekend in Las Vegas.
Sophomores in the Honors College, Haleigh Carter and Emma Gaskill, were selected to make poster presentations at the conference. Carter presented on “Female Frames: A Content Analysis of News Media Portrayal of Women Accused of Violent Crimes.” Carter said that she learned a lot at the conference, and she gained confidence that she’s going to use what she learned in the future.
“It was really impactful to me to see how many people came by that were genuinely so interested in me and my research, and they were all so encouraging and excited for me,” Carter said. “One really cool thing is that Emma and I were the only undergrad presenters. Everyone else that presented was in a master’s or Ph.D. program, and so most of the people that came by were really surprised and impressed that we were there.”
Dr. Jim Miller, assistant dean of the Honors College and professor in the Department of Communication, said that he was proud of Carter and Gaskill and that their work surprised many at the conference, given that they were undergraduate students.
“I’m incredibly proud of Haleigh and Emma,” Miller said. “They were the only undergraduates selected to present in their
Harding
Arts competition
research sessions, and it was clear they made an impression. Several attendees told me how surprised they were to learn they weren’t masters or doctoral students. That’s the kind of quality work they presented.”
across the country is a big positive for him.
“Journalism education is evolving faster than ever, which can feel both thrilling and overwhelming,” Miller said. “Being part of conversations with educators and professionals from across the country gives me hope and renewed inspiration for where media education is headed.”
Gaskill’s research presentation was titled “Analyzing Parental Responses to Children’s Negative Emotions in Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: A Mixed-Method Content Analysis.” She said that she came into the conference not sure what to expect, but that she was able to come out of the trip with more interest in doing one again in the future.
“The biggest thing I learned is that research is interesting and fun,” Gaskill said. “I was kind of expecting a research conference to be stuffy and boring, but it was cool. I opened my eyes to research being fun and collaborative, it doesn’t have to be all about just getting a good grade on a project.”
For the awards Harding took at the conference, Harding students and faculty submitted pieces in the Festival of Media Arts competition. Dr. Dutch Hoggatt, professor of communication and KVHU 95.3 station manager, won the Faculty Award Competition in the Radio Documentary Category for his piece on Loud Belly. Junior Edgar Cardiel brought home two awards, one in the Educational Program category with a second place finish for his artist spotlight on Vicente Fernandez, and the other a first Place finish for his and Harding graduate Asa Clay’s work with the Harding Bison
Graphic by MATTHEW KIPTOO
Sophomores Haleigh Carter and Emma Gaskill pose for a photo at the Broadcast Education Association conference in Las Vegas. Several
students and faculty submitted pieces to the Festival of Media
and brought home awards.
Photo provided by Jim Miller
Miller said that conferences like BEA are energizing for him both personally and professionally, and that being able to be in a space with other educators
TNT to host memorial golf tournament
Men’s social club TNT is hosting a golf tournament to honor the late Avery Martin, a senior TNT member who died in October 2024. Following Martin’s passing, a memorial fund was started in his name. TNT plans to contribute to this fund by donating proceeds from the tournament to the Avery Martin Memorial Fund. The tournament will take place April 13 — the Sunday of Spring Sing weekend — at 12:30 p.m.
Junior Tucker Steed spoke of the heart behind the event, explaining that Martin enjoyed golfing.
“This event was inspired by the club’s love for Avery and his love for golf,” Steed said. “Avery was a guy that anyone could get along with, and I think that’s because he enjoyed the things that everyone enjoyed. He loved ministry, golf and football, which meant that any of the guys in our club could find a way to relate to him.”
The idea began with junior Zane Dulin and his friends. TNT traditionally hosts a golf tournament during the spring semester, and Dulin proposed that this year’s tournament be aimed at honoring Martin and raising money for his memorial fund.
Dulin said golf uniquely bonded TNT members and made their community stronger.
“Golf absolutely brings people together in a way that not a lot of sports do,” Dulin said. “We have a lot of guys in TNT that love to play golf together, and last semester we would all go out once a week and draw teams to play a scramble. It really just brought everyone closer together while playing something that we all love. I’m glad that we are able to honor Avery and his legacy by getting to create more fun memories on the course with our friends in honor of him.”
Junior Joey Hobbie has also helped organize the event, and he explained its impact on him.
“This event means a lot to me,” Hobbie said. “I played golf with Avery three times a week, and I am so glad that we are getting to do this to honor him and to raise some money for his scholarship fund.”
As the golf tournament costs money to host, TNT aims to meet those costs before the tournament date so that all tournament proceeds may be donated to the memorial fund. TNT contacted several Searcy businesses to find ways to raise money for the tournament.
One fundraiser they hosted was a “dine to donate” night at Texas Roadhouse on April 8 from 5-9 p.m. When diners showed
the tournament flyer at the restaurant, 10% of their meal’s proceeds went to TNT and their efforts to host the golf tournament and honor Martin.
Hobbie said the tournament is open to everyone, and people who do not plan to participate can still donate money to the fund.
TNT sponsor Garrett Escue spoke of the greater goals of the tournament.
“I think we just wanted to continue that outpouring of love for [Martin] and for his parents, for his family, and then be able to honor his legacy for years to come,” Escue said. Steed emphasized the importance of community within TNT and the ways this tournament reflects that.
“This event is a testament not only to the love that TNT has for Avery, but also the bonds that we have with each other,” Steed said. “Included in our club verse is the line ‘Honor one another above yourselves.’ (Romans 12:10-11). The collective efforts of the club to organize and raise money for this effort showed that this is not just a slogan, but a lifestyle. It makes me proud to be in TNT.” Escue also spoke highly of Martin’s character and his impact on TNT.
“He was super, super inspirational, and just an ideal man of God, and that’s what TNT is hoping to be like, and to emulate, to replicate,” Escue said. “And I think in many ways, we’re just trying to match what Avery gave to us and try to give that to other students.”
Golf teams may enter the tournament by registering with a $500 entry fee, and anyone is welcome to register. A QR code is available below for those who wish to sign up for the golf tournament.
Art students debut projects
GOODDAYS STARTWITH
The Stevens Art Department put up their annual Branding Show last week, featuring museum concepts that were brought to life with blood, sweat and tears by many talented designers (I know, I was there). Interdisciplinary teams of designers from the Harding graphic design, architecture and interior architecture and design programs came together to create, brand and design museum concepts inspired by the city of Detroit.
This year’s Branding Show was especially significant, as it marked the first time that the architecture program has been involved. The addition of architecture students brought an entirely new dimension to the project, transforming it from a more conceptual graphic design and interior design-driven show to a full-fledged design experience. This integration was not without its roadbumps, but the final result was an amazing display of interdisciplinary creativity and teamwork.
The three museum concepts on display in the gallery are The Resilience Project, The RAY Museum of Arts and The Milliken Discovery Center. Senior graphic designer Kit Moore, a member of the Milliken team, explained their concept:
“The Milliken Discovery Center is an ecological museum dedicated to helping
Detroit thrive. By teaching young adults and families practical skills, the Milliken hopes to cultivate a greener future.”
The team designing the Milliken was tasked with developing a museum focused on natural history and science, so their concept centers on ecology and sustainability. The addition of architecture resulted in an exterior that felt alive and breathing, blending organically with the interior design and graphic elements, all of which supported the museum’s overarching theme.
What made this year’s Branding Show unique wasn’t just the addition of architecture students, but also the incredible designers behind the projects. These hardworking, talented and incredibly capable designers made the long nights, frustrating conversations and tight deadlines worth it. It was a wonder to work alongside them. A special shout-out also goes to professors Amy Cox, Nikki Crane-Hasty and Stacy Gibson for their expert guidance throughout this project. We couldn’t have done it without you.
The Branding Project will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with a special reception on Spring Sing Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Stop by the gallery to see the hard work these students have put in. (And if you have any friends who were involved in this project, buy them some ice cream or make them take a long nap. They deserve it.)
CASSELL STEWART guest writer
Photo provided by Cassell Stewart
Students display branding projects in the Stevens Art Building gallery. This year, the students designed museum concepts inspired by the city of Detroit.
HELEN STRICKLAND opinions editor
Photo provided by TNT Social Club
Members of TNT gather to play golf at River Oaks Golf Course for their annual golf tournament. The proceeds from this year’s golf tournament will be used to honor Avery Martin, raising money for his memorial fund.
Money earned, spent for Spring Sing
Spring Sing took Harding by a storm 51 years ago and has not since relinquished its grip on the campus. Parents of students travel hours to crowd in the Benson Auditorium and cheer on their posterity.
It’s entertainment, and also a fundraiser. According to an email sent to undergraduate students at Harding by the chair of the Department of Theatre, Dr. Steven Frye, Spring Sing has raised over $100,000 in the past 20 years for local charities. In further support for the community, Frye said for each ticket bought on Thursday’s “We Act Locally” night on April 10, Harding will donate $5 to the six local charities listed in his email.
The clubs participating in Spring Sing perform in an annual show where a portion of proceeds go to charity. Harding invests
money into the show. Sophomore Ty Getty is one of the Spring Sing directors for Theta, Gamma Sigma Phi and Pi Theta Phi’s joint show. He said for every participating club member, up to a limit of 120 members, Harding gave them $25 for show expenses.
“For every costume performer you have, they’ll give you $25,” Getty said. “That’s up to $3,000.”
Getty said they charged members $50 to participate in their show. Moreover, some shows also were blessed by the previous generation of students who had leftover cash.
“We actually got really lucky this time around, and we have about $1,700 in our account to start off, because last year some of the costumes didn’t come in,” Getty said.
“They put all the money back into our account.”
Other clubs received money from outside sources and were able to lower costs for members. Sophomore and club show director
“Our dues were only $15 for people on stage and $10 for vocal track people,” Thurman said. “We have smaller clubs, and we knew that we wouldn’t have as large participation, and so we didn’t want to have overly oppressive dues”
The costumes are Spring Sing’s highest money sink. And where do they go after they are worn on stage? Excluding specially made clothing, Getty said they let the members keep them.
“We usually let them keep [the costumes],” Getty said. “We don’t have any use for them.”
Spring Sing moves off Easter weekend, first time in 50 years
Spring Sing is arguably one of Harding’s most iconic traditions, drawing countless visitors each year.
This annual musical production, performed by students, has been held over Easter weekend for decades. However, this year marks a significant shift, as, for the first time in 50 years, Spring Sing will be held on a different weekend. This change breaks a long-standing tradition.
“We have been trying to move Spring Sing off of Easter weekend for over 25 years,” professor and chair of the Department of Theatre, and Spring Sing director for 30 years, Steven Frye said. “The fact that Easter can fall anywhere from mid-March to late April depending on the year has made it difficult to plan consistent production schedules. It conflicts with what should be a holy week for Christians, and conflicts with other religious group activities.”
Frye said administration worked with the president to change Spring Sing’s date.
“When Dr. Williams became president of Harding, we started conversations with admissions, religious and academic leaders on campus, and found that there was overwhelming support for the change,” Frye said. “We decided to wait until after the Centennial events to make the change, marking a new tradition for a new century and a new tradition for the 51st Spring Sing to establish.”
Shifting Spring Sing up to a different weekend caused a shorter time for practicing
and required the directors, Jazz band, stage crew, music production and all other parts of Spring Sing shorter time to get everything in order. While the adjustment to a shorter time frame may seem challenging, this change offers some long-term benefits. Theatre Department administrator and recruiter Emily Hutcheson said the move to a consistent weekend every year will allow for better planning and preparation moving forward.
“Last year, we were doing the biggest Spring Sing ever (50 years of Spring Sing and 100 years of Harding) in the shortest amount of time ever,” Hutcheson said. “It has made working with the clubs all year easier, as they are less stressed and more confident in their work due to the extra time.”
In addition to offering better long-term scheduling stability, the fixed timing could make it easier for students to balance Spring Sing with their academic and personal commitments. For example, the event no longer has to compete with other important campus events or the challenges that come with Easter weekend, such as travel or family obligations. Junior and director for the Omega Phi, Pi Kappa Delta and Delta Gamma Rho show, Lauren McDuffie, said she hopes students will participate in Spring Sing, and is not sure whether the event falling on Easter weekend will help.
“I personally would say that the participation has been more and honestly, I don’t know that it has anything to do with not being on Easter weekend,” McDuffie said.
Nathan Thurman said the donations helped their club avoid excessive fees. He directed Chi Omega Pi, Delta Nu and ROME’s joint show.
ANDREW RENEAU copy editor
ABBI CROCKER beat reporter
Members of the Gamma Sigma Phi, Theta and Pi Theta Phi Spring Sing Show perform on the Benson Auditorium stage. Cast members are charged $50 to par ticipate in Spring Sing and Harding provides $25 per person to the show’s budget
Graphic by BEN EVANS
Meet the hosts and hostesses
ISAAC LINNETT
Sophomore Isaac Linnett has been involved in theatre for most of his life, starting when he was in elementary school.
“I started theatre because my mom started the [children’s] theatre when I was growing up,” Linnett said. “That entire thing ignited my spark for theatre.”
Linnett participated in dozens of shows growing up and continued that momentum in college. He jumped into Harding’s theatre program with both feet, participating in every show he could, including ensemble in Spring Sing last year. Linnett said he enjoyed being in ensemble and wanted to audition for the role of host for fun, and he was cast as one of the hosts.
“It’s a privilege, for sure,” Linnett said. “I wasn’t expecting anything, and I know for some people it’s their dream to be [host], because they’ve grown up with Harding, but I kind of stumbled upon it with my girlfriend.”
Linnett said the production will have some changes from last year’s show, but it will be just as exciting. The biggest change was returning to the traditional four hosts from the six cast last year.
“I don’t think we’re necessarily, like, stepping back from how big it was last year… I mean Spring Sing is big,” Linnett said. “I don’t think it’ll ever not be big.”
The production team and students have been working on this show for months, and Linnett said he was excited to share it with the audience and see their reactions.
WESTON EADES
Spring Sing cultivates connections within the Harding community, and those relationships are one thing that makes the production special for junior Weston Eades.
Eades, one of last year’s hosts, said he wanted to audition for host again because he loves seeing families and alumni reuniting at Spring Sing, including both sides of his family. Preparing and rehearsing for the production also creates and strengthens relationships among participating students.
“[Spring Sing 2024] was one of the best performance experiences I’ve had,” Eades said. “You make such good friends when you spend countless hours with people when you’re under pressure.”
This environment is consistent in activities around campus, but especially in Harding’s theatre productions. Eades said one of his best friends, sophomore Isaac Linnett, is also a host, and they have participated in Pied Pipers together this year as well.
“My first thought was how excited I was that me and Isaac both got it,” Eades said. “Me and Isaac had worked on our audition pieces for three weeks together… so that was the most rewarding part, was getting to see our work together paying off.”
The importance of relationships in Spring Sing’s culture is also incorporated in Eades’ feature song, “If I Can Dream,” by Elvis Presley. Eades said the original idea for his song was to have a group on stage behind him with differences among the members, whether that be age, occupation, race or gender. The final decision was to tie in a little bit of Harding and have the ensemble wear club jerseys and have various social clubs represented in the number.
“I think the message is as relevant as ever,” Eades said. “Elvis wrote it with race relations in mind, and that topic exists, along with all different types of people coming together. One [message] is looking towards heaven, when we’ll all be together without any conflict, but also looking, dreaming, towards a time now when we can find a space of mind to show everyone love despite any difference.”
KENZIE JAMES news editor
Photos by EDGAR CARDIEL and KENZIE JAMES
Hosts and hostesses Anna Wright, Weston Eades, Rachel Sims and Isaac Linnett, pictured left to right, welcome the audience to Spring Sing after the opening number. Spring Sing 2025: Rise is the 51st year of the production.
Photo by EDGAR CARDIEL
TheLink.Harding.edu
“Something has changed within me.”
These well-known lyrics from Stephen Schwartz’s “Defying Gravity” describe junior Anna Wright’s experience stepping onto the Benson stage as a hostess for the second time. “Defying Gravity” is also Wright’s feature song in Spring Sing this year. Wright said Steve and Dottie Frye have wanted to include the song in the production for a long time, but the right voice, theme and year didn’t align until now.
The song also has a special meaning for Wright in connection with her feature song last year, “What I’m Doing Here.”
“A lot of the meaning behind it was doubt about overcoming the ‘I’m not sure if I’m really supposed to be in this place,’” Wright said. “This song is about, you know, something’s changed. I do belong here, and I’m going to rise up.”
Wright’s theatre career began in middle school while growing up in a musical family. She auditioned for her first musical in high school and has continued ever since. She has acted in other shows at Harding, including as Mae Tuck in the 2024 Homecoming musical, “Tuck Everlasting,” and as a hostess for 2024’s Spring Sing.
Wright said she was excited to be a part of the 50th anniversary show and auditioned this year because she thought it would be fun to do again. Wright and sophomore Weston Eades are returning hosts in this year’s production.
“It’s been really cool to apply our knowledge from last year to try and help Spring Sing be better,” Wright said.
With Spring Sing, no two shows are ever the same, even when hosts and hostesses return for consecutive shows. Wright said this year’s host group is different because they were all good friends and performed together at Harding before this production.
“What makes each Spring Sing unique to me is really the different people who are a part of the process,” Wright said. “Each different personality type and creative type brings a different flair and energy to the process… [This year,] we kind of have a lot more of a crazy energy. And so I feel like a lot of our intros and numbers have a lot more firecracker, crazy energy in some of the spots.”
RACHEL SIMS
Freshman Rachel Sims has been involved in theatre and dance for 12 years, completing her first audition at 8 years old. She participated in community theatre growing up and was frequently in the children’s chorus of adult productions before starting at Christian Youth Theater in Dallas.
“I graduated high school and was like, I don’t really know what I’m doing,” Sims said. ‘My director recommended I pursue theatre in college, and then I had a friend who had toured Harding.” Sims decided to attend Harding and immediately got involved in the theatre productions, performing in “Tuck Everlasting,” “Taming of the Shrew” and now Spring Sing. Sims said she wanted to just be part of the Spring Sing production and decided to audition for hostess to get her foot in the door.
“I think I was the only girl freshman called back, and it was a complete and utter shock,” Sims said. “I was like, ‘Oh, I’m definitely not supposed to be here.’ I was utterly terrified, but I sort of just kept in mind this thing that a lot of directors will tell you… just see every audition as your one and only opportunity to play this character.”
Sims’ only Spring Sing experience was visiting Harding last spring to watch the anniversary show. She said being involved with Spring Sing has similar elements to past productions she has performed in.
“I grew up doing the Nutcracker when I was younger, and so I know the feeling of putting on the same show and carrying on a tradition,” Sims said. “There are things about it that are uniquely Spring Sing and uniquely Harding. But then there are also some things that are just like very familiar to me, and I love the combination of it, because it’s like an entry point where it’s comfortable for me because I recognize it. But then once I get there, there’s so much to learn from because I’ve never seen anything like this.”
The hosts and hostesses perform “Dreams” during Act 1 of Spring Sing 2025: Rise. This is the only song besides “United We Stand” that the hosts perform together without the ensemble.
Photo by EDGAR CARDIEL
SPRING SING 2025: RISE
The hosts, hostesses and ensemble perform “Something About This Night” as the Act 1 opening number.
Photos by KENZIE JAMES
Pictured left to right, sophomores Josh Patterson, Bethany Johnson and junior Tamson Smith-Gardner perform in “Diamond in the Sun.”
Members of social clubs Pi Theta Phi, Gamma Sigma Phi, Theta and friends perform as mountain goats in their show, “Peak Pursuit.”
Freshman Paul Ryan performs in the enemble during “Rise.”
The hosts and hostesses perform a parody number before the “Whisk It All” show.
The ensemble bows at the end of the finale, “Blast Off.”
The hosts and hostesses sing together in “United We Stand.”
Members of social clubs Delta Gamma Rho, Phi Kappa Delta, Omega Phi and friends perform their show, “Block Party.”
Members of social clubs Chi Sigma Alpha, Sigma Phi Mu, Regina, Iota Chi and friends perform their show, “Whisk It All.”
Senior Korban Butler is the Monopoly Man in TNT and Zeta Rho’s show.
Photo by JENNA GAESSLER
Members of social clubs TNT and Zeta Rho pose at the end of their show
The hosts perform a parody number before the club show “Cash Me If You Can.”
A student performs as a dinosaur in “Jurassic Harding” with Chi Omega Pi, Delta Nu and ROME.
