The Bison Newspaper - Vol. 98, No. 14

Facebook: Harding University Student Publications

University to increase tuition costs

EMMA JONES editor-in-chief

The University’s estimated tuition prices for the 2023-24 school year are being raised by 7.7%, reflecting a national increase in expenses due to inflation.

University President Mike Williams said tuition prices increase slightly each year but that the upcoming price spike is higher than normal due to drastic percentage increases in the consumer price index (CPI) over the last few years.

The CPI, as defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (US BLS), represents changes in the prices of all goods and services purchased for consumption by urban households. Prices used to calculate the CPI are collected in urban areas around the country, as well as various retail and service establishments.

“For the last five years, the net tuition has actually stayed flat,” Williams said. “When things are relatively stable, you can pull that off sometimes … but the same dollars aren’t the same dollars as they were before, so this is a little bit of a catch up with that.”

Net tuition refers to the actual cost needed to cover education expenses, which is determined by subtracting grants and scholarships from an institution’s cost of attendance.

According to the US BLS, the CPI rose 2.3% from 2018 to 2019, and from 2019 to 2020 it rose 1.4%. The following year, 2020 to 2021, the CPI rose 7%, the largest yearly percent change since 1981. From 2021 to 2022 it rose 7.5%. CPI is typically determined on a December to December basis, but from February 2022 to February 2023 it has increased 6%, with food prices specifically increasing 9.5%.

“You can go to sit-down restaurants, and it’s cheaper than fast food places now, so this is just an echo effect of what’s happening in the marketplace,” Vice President of Enrollment Services Steve Lake said.

CPI is always something that Harding considers when making its yearly budget,

“Even though tuition is going up, we expect the aid to continue to go up too,” Williams said. “We believe that in the wash, it’s not as big an impact to the students because aid is going up faster than tuition is going up.”

Lake said the national government is increasing its financial aid amounts, and in addition, Harding’s endowment fund has been performing well the last few years so the University has had the ability to award larger scholarships. He also said compared to other private schools, Harding’s tuition ranks in the lower percentile.

“Historically we’ve been in the lowest percentile of private schools in America,” Lake said. “We are an extremely low cost private school education.”

From the 2019-2020 to 2022-2023 school years, Harding’s yearly tuition cost has increased by an average of $804, according to statistics provided by the National Center for Education Statistics. This upcoming year it will be increasing by an estimated $1,740, a 7.7% price increase.

Comparing private Christian university tuition costs*

Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer Tammy Hall said.

“That’s just a big factor in it,” Hall said. “You think about a service organization — what’s the biggest expense? People … so we want to take care of our people.”

Williams said though tuition prices are rising, financial aid awards will also be increasing.

“Even though affordability is really important for us to do as a school, and a nation, there’s still a huge return on investment [in higher education], even with student debt,” Williams said. “We don’t want to minimize cost increases because we know those are painful for a large number of students, but at the same time … the investment is going to pay off.”

The tuition cost for next school year is currently estimated at $24,240, but according to Hall, the budget, including the tuition price, won’t be approved by Harding’s board until the first week of May.

$24,550

$25,000

$24,240 $38,824

$42,380

*as estimated for the 2023-24 school year

Student Life announces change in privileged housing

Student Life announced a change to privileged housing on campus on March 14 in response to the student satisfaction survey that was administered last semester.

An email sent to female undergraduate students from the Office of Residence Life said the decision had been made for the 2023-24 school year to allow all of the Legacy Park Apartments to become rental apartments for off campus housing, while Shores Hall will become “upperclassmen housing by application,” and will not have curfew or require a meal plan. Currently, Shores Hall is an upperclassmen women’s dorm.

Privileged housing, according to the Residence Life Handbook, is available for students who are 20 years of age and have either 70 completed credit hours, are a thirdyear student with 50-59 credit hours, or are 21 years old with 27 credit hours. Currently, privileged housing options include some

Legacy Park Apartments for women and Cone Hall for men. Qualifications to apply to live in Shores Hall include being a female student who will be 20 by Aug. 31 and will have completed 70 or more hours by the end of the preceding spring semester.

Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Zach Neal said the change originated with the administration intentionally listening to student voices and areas of dissatisfaction.

“Every year, we give consideration to all of our policies, but I feel the surveys and focus groups indicate a very intentional campuswide approach to listening to feedback,” Neal said. “The specific topic at hand had the goal of increasing the number of students who had the opportunity to live where there is no curfew or required meal plan.”

Neal said the change was well thought out and he understands it does not impact the whole student body, but he considers the change to be important for individual students.

“We are a residential campus, so there

is an understanding that students will live on campus for the majority of their time at [Harding], allowing for an organic closeness,” Neal said.

According to Neal, Student Life intends to make changes and inform the student body, rather than waiting to inform in bulk about changes being made. There was urgency with the decision about Shores because of the fall housing selection process. The Student Life deans and Residence Life staff have continued to have conversations with students and combine the insight of the administration with the opinions of the students affected.

Neal said the next step in this process is to create student focus groups and hear the students’ ideas for improving Residence Life.

“We continue to evaluate our processes and expectations with the end goal of creating more opportunities for individual development while maintaining an emphasis on community and relationships,” Neal said.

Senior Lena Dallas said she was concerned about not being able to bring her friends with

fewer hours with her to Shores Hall. Dallas said she thought the decision would push more people to live off-campus than before.

“I think I am for it,” Dallas said. “But I wish it was more like a case by case situation.”

Senior Camille Smith said she felt the change was overdue, but exciting for future upperclassmen.

“I wasn’t able to live in privileged housing for the fall semester of my senior year because [Legacy] was full,” Smith said. “It was not ideal to be a senior living in the regular on campus housing because many of my other friends were living in the privileged housing, so it was slightly disappointing to see them with a little more freedom and independence that privileged housing offers and not be able to experience that as well.”

The email from Residence Life said Legacy had 137 beds available for privileged housing this semester, while transitioning to Shores will allow for 198 beds.

Those who are interested and qualify to live in privileged housing can apply through Pipeline under the “Housing” tab.

MAGGIE SAMPLES lifestyle editor

Students from across campus attend new formal

Students participated in a new activity in Cone Chapel called “Informal Formal” this past weekend. The March 25 event hosted 47 students from varying majors, social clubs and classifications for a night of spontaneous choreography and food for $20.

“It was fun,” senior Chandler Curtis, an attendee, said. “It was just good to dress up a little bit.”

The idea for “Informal Formal” started in fall 2022 when sophomore Alexa Cook decided she wanted to join a club for the purpose of going to a formal. After talking with several friends, she realized other universities did not require their students to be associated with a particular group in order to have this type of opportunity. So Cook took it upon herself to create her own formal event that could include anyone who wanted to participate.

“I think it’s good because it gives the opportunity to cross boundaries,” Cook said. “It gives an opportunity to have kind of a clean slate.”

In the fall, Cook planned an “Informal Semi-formal” with the help of the Student Association and Logan Light, assistant dean for Campus Life and chapel programs. The semi-formal was really meant as a trial run for the formal Cook would eventually put on in the spring.

Instead of planning the event alone, as she did for the majority of the semi-formal, Cook enlisted the help of her close friends to create the “Informal Formal.”

Junior Merek Hailey said he was in charge of finances and making the videos shown in chapel over the course of the month ahead of the event. The purpose behind the videos was to make people excited for the event. But, aside from the videography and financial side, Hailey

emphasized the importance of the idea of accessibility.

“Come as you are and come comfortably I guess is the theme,” Hailey said. “The whole point is that it’s informal so you can go however big you want.”

Planning an “Informal Formal” does not come without its challenges. Cook said creating a price for the event when there is no confirmation of how many people was one of the greatest difficulties she encountered. However, it was important to her that there was a space on campus that was as accessible as possible.

“Oftentimes in life, the most difficult things are the most beautiful,” Cook said. “They’re what we reap the most fruit from, and it’s the best fruit.”

Data breach disrupts Spring Sing ticket orders

GABRIEL HUFF head copy editor

Senior Marc Barnett

on an American Studies Institute trip in Washington, D.C., in February when he received a notification from his bank that his account balance had reached zero.

“I said, ‘That’s not right,’” Barnett said. “I know I had some money in there. So I looked at my bank — my app — and it showed several charges for like 500 something dollars from this random place I’ve never been to before.”

Barnett later discovered he and others have been dealing with the repercussions of malicious software after purchasing Spring Sing tickets from a platform managed by AudienceView, a third-party vendor used by Harding University for event ticketing at hardingtickets. com.

The incident was not isolated to Harding as the software company encountered a nationwide data breach in February affecting the platform’s national customer base, which includes other universities, colleges and companies.

Heather Kemper, the director of Alumni and Parent Relations, which houses hardingtickets.com, said AudienceView discovered their product was impacted by malware on the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 21. An investigation disclosed that

personal credit card payment information was among the information breached from the malware. Those who bought tickets from its platform between Feb. 17 and Feb. 21 were potentially subjected to unauthorized access.

“When the incident was discovered, AudienceView took immediate steps to remove the malware and implement additional security measures to safeguard against any unauthorized activity,”Kemper said.“AudienceView confirmed that the malware in question was removed by the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 21.”

In conjunction with the ticketing platform, Kemper worked with others at the University to ensure Harding’s website was safe and customers were being protected, she said, shutting down the site until the incident was resolved.

“AudienceView reported that they had ‘contained the incident’ and ‘implemented additional safeguards and taken measures to help prevent further unauthorized access,’” Kemper said. “Hardingtickets.com went live again on March 9.”

monitoring and identity protection services for 12 months through CyberScout, Inc., a TransUnion company.

Keith Cronk, the University’s CIO and senior vice president, said since Harding’s system was not directly breached, there were limited actions it could take. He warned those affected to stay alert.

“Keep an eye on your credit card statements,” Cronk said. “Keep an eye on your debit card statements. Don’t just assume that everything on there is what you purchased.”

Other institutions such as Abilene Christian University, Colorado State University and the University of California at Santa Cruz offered their customers similar advice.

After discovering his bank account had been compromised, Barnett took immediate steps to secure his account. He had to spend a few weeks without revenue, but friends helped with purchases while he waited to get a new debit card. Things finally were settled after he returned from Spring Break.

“So I took tabs of what I owed people and then once I got back and got my card back, I paid off on them,” Barnett said.

Kemper said Harding has been using AudienceView for about the past five years under annual contracts and will continue to use its services for now.

Graphic by COOPER TURMAN Election

AudienceView sent emails to those potentially impacted, informing them about the situation and advising customers to monitor their credit card activities. The software company also reported the breach to federal law enforcement and is cooperating with its investigation. Additionally, the platform offered free credit

Message from the Student Association

information and dates

LANEY BELL SA vice president

With the changing of the seasons comes budding flowers, baby birds and of course, Student Association elections. For all those interested in running for a position, here are the dates and details you should keep in mind:

April 2 at 3:30 p.m. — Interest meeting

At this interest meeting, you will be given the official petition sheets and allowed to collect signatures for your campaign. Fifty signatures are due by April 6 at 5 p.m.

April 9 at 8:30 p.m. — Campaign meeting

For those who fill out their petitions, attending the campaign meeting will give you the do’s and don’ts of how to run, as well as some advice on how to conduct your campaign.

April 10-12 — Time to campaign

These are the only dates candidates are allowed to conduct their campaign or push out any sort of materials related to their election.

For presidential candidates, there will be a debate in chapel on one of these dates.

April 12-13 — Voting opens on Pipeline

April 13 — Winners announced in chapel

If there is a need for a runoff, there will be further information. For now, if you have any questions, visit the election discussion board on the Student Association’s Canvas page or direct message us on Instagram (@sahardingu). Thank you, and happy campaigning!

BAILEY RIDENOUR student writer

Sophomores Doakata Lucero and Mia Johnston play cards during the “Informal Formal” March 25 in Cone Chapel. Students organized this event to be open to all students, including those not in a social club.

Freshman Reese Saccoccio and sophomore Sam Robinson pose for a photo at “Informal Formal” March 25 in Cone Chapel.

Photo by MACY COX

Photo by MACY COX

was

Graphic Designer Cooper Turman

As I walk around campus during the month of March, I hear murmurs of one thing and one thing only. Not Spring Sing, not the Wi-Fi and definitely not the return of soft serve ice cream in the Range Food Hall — but March Madness. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, where 64 of the best college basketball teams go head to head, battle each other for supremacy and the craziest things can happen.

March Madness has always been like Christmas to me and my family. Ever since the championship of 2008, where the University of Memphis Tigers infamously lost to the Kansas University Jayhawks, March Madness has been bigger than any sporting event to us. Every year since I have had the same curiosity.

Why isn’t the March Madness tournament style being used in other sports post-season

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

playoffs? The NCAA uses a bracket tournament style. Thirty-two teams are paired on two sides of the bracket and divided by geographical conferences throughout the tournament. In the middle of these two sides are the final four and the championship game.

March Madness also has teams organized into seeds based on probability of winning and overall success as a basketball program during the season. These seeds are 1-16, best to worst. The amazing thing about the NCAA tournament is no one ever knows what is going to happen. Just this year, brackets have been busted by teams considered “the worst” beating teams projected to win the whole tournament. Would this tournament style not be entertaining in other sports as well? Why not the NBA? Why not college football? Who wouldn’t want to see a tournament where there could be the tiniest

opportunity for some no name teams to give top ranking football teams like Alabama, Georgia or Michigan a run for their money and maybe, just maybe, shock the world. We’ve seen it time and time again in the world of basketball. Even just this year, we have seen the worst teams in the tournament totally beat the odds and have everyone watching in total disbelief.

The final four in the NCAA tournament is considered to be one of the most watched sporting events in America, rivaled only by the Super Bowl. March Madness is a beautiful thing. I wonder if it could be applied to other sports, where we would see other teams fight their way to have their one shining moment.

COOPER TURMAN is the graphic designer for The Bison. He can be contacted at cturman@harding.edu.

‘One Thing At A Time’ album review

If you know me then you know that March 3, was a highly anticipated day. Singer Morgan Wallen released his newest album titled “One Thing At A Time,” which is 36 songs long. When Wallen announced his album on Jan. 30, talk about the length of the album began to spread. It seemed the consensus was that 36 songs were too many. Personally, I was excited to have so much new music.

Wallen started teasing the album before he even announced it by releasing three tracks, “One Thing At A Time,” “Days That End In Why” and “Tennessee Fan,” on Dec. 2, 2022. Then, after his announcement, he released three more: “Last Night,” “Everything I Love” and “I Wrote The Book.” In total that is six songs that were released before the album that fans had not heard before. To my surprise, when

the album dropped on March 3, Wallen had included three more already released songs from April and May of 2022: “You Proof,” “Thought You Should Know” and “Don’t Think Jesus” were all included in this album.

I was slightly disappointed to hear that nine out of the 36 songs were some I had already known, but 27 completely unheard songs were still exciting. In addition, artists HARDY, ERNEST and Eric Church were all featured on songs in the album. The album contains a good mixture of songs that range in speed but also in emotion. Between its diversity of songs and artists, I think “One Thing At A Time” is a huge contender for top country album of 2023.

During the first week of the album’s release, it moved 501,000 equivalent album units, which is the biggest single week number for any album

Asst. Photographer Macy Cox

RecentTikToks from influencers have sparked rumors and discussions about whether American model Hailey Baldwin Bieber is bullying and mocking singer Selena Gomez on her social media platforms.

The discussions started with how Hailey married 29-year-old singer Justin Bieber in 2018, two months after he and Gomez broke up. Both Gomez and Justin dated on-and-off for eight years, from 2010-2018. There have been rumors that because Justin is from Canada, Hailey only married him so he could become a citizen of the United States. Well, it takes five years to become a U.S. citizen. It’s about to be five years this September, which makes people believe the Biebers are going to get a divorce. Gomez produced a song in 2020 about Justin called “Lose You to Love Me.” In the song, she says, “In two months, you replaced us. Like it was easy.” This was interesting because

It’s all Greek to me

T his is my fifth semester taking a biblical language, and if you were thinking “Poor soul, who would do that to themselves?” then the answer is me. Part of the requirements for the Bible and Divinity major is three semesters of Greek and three semesters of Hebrew. People often ask me, “So can you speak Greek?” and the answer is no. During my time on the Harding University in Greece (HUG) program, I did not have much of an advantage at all learning the modern language than my peers — many of them even knew the alphabet from clubs they’ve seen on campus or as variables in their physics or chemistry classes. Why should I learn a language that isn’t going to help me communicate to people?

since November 2022 and the biggest for any country album since November 2021 (billboard. com “Morgan Wallen’s ‘One Thing at a Time’ Has Fifth-Biggest Streaming Week Ever for an Album” March 9). According to the same source, Wallen’s album also received the most streams ever for a country album in a single week, at 498.29 million on-demand official streams. He is also the first artist of any genre to get over 30 Hot 100 hits in the same week. So it’s safe to say that even if “One Thing At A Time” doesn’t make the top country album of 2023, Wallen is setting high standards for the country genre to beat this year.

BAILEY RIDENOUR is a student writer for The Bison. She can be contacted at bridenour@harding.edu.

Keeping an eye out for Selener

Justin produced the song “2 Much” in 2021, which says, “When I can’t feel you, I feel out of touch. Two seconds without you’s like two months.” This sparked the rumor that both of them communicate through their songs.

One of the many influencers that followed all the details of the saga saw that Gomez had a tattoo of a “G” behind her neck in honor of her grandmother. They then discovered Hailey had the same tattoo in the same spot, even though she doesn’t have a known connection to anyone that has a name starting with G. With some more digging, people found videos of Gomez’s comments and saw in other interviews of Hailey, she copied almost word for word what Gomez said.

Most recently, Gomez produced a cooking show on HBO Max that premiered in 2020 called “Selena + Chef.”Then here comes Hailey in 2022 with her YouTube show, “What’s In

My Kitchen?” If you watch Gomez’s cooking show, you will see she has a jar she has to put money in when she says the words, “okey dokey.’’ Then you watch Hailey’s cooking show, and you see Hailey says the same things in her episode.

This brings us to the question: How far will Hailey go to bully or mock Gomez? I think the fans add to the fire and make the situation bigger than it needs to be. I do believe Hailey and her friends have repeatedly bullied Gomez online, and because their fans are not happy, it has created a feud between the two. Not only has this affected Hailey, Gomez and Justin, but their friends too, showing that fans can take things too far.

All these people are humans, just like you and me. We have loved the same person, and we selfishly decided to get involved with something that is really none of our business. When I look at the relationships between the Biebers and Gomez, I think they are just a normal married couple and an ex.This discussion is only trending because people have nit-picked into these celebrities’ lives and found little details to point at. But really, if they were not celebrities, this wouldn’t be a big deal. I do believe Hailey has been in the wrong many times about what she has said on the internet, and I do want to be on Gomez’s side, but we will never be able to fully know what their relationship is really like. We will never know their true feelings toward each other, and we will never know any of the reasons behind all this drama.

MACY COX is the assistant photographer for The Bison. She may be contacted at mcox8@harding.edu.

It seems silly to make Bible students take between three semesters of Greek or Hebrew when the only time we use it is when preachers say the name “YHWH” or pull the classic “Agape means love” out of their overused one-liners. I often even roll my eyes when the preacher gets up and talks about sentence structure or word glosses of an obscure sentence when I would rather learn about who God is and how I can listen to the Holy Spirit more.

As someone who is not the star Hebrew pupil, I’m not an advocate for the idea that all or even most Christians ought to learn Greek and Hebrew, but I avidly oppose the idea that the Church should ever let these languages slip completely. It’s only because people knew the original language that the Reformation was able to take place, we were able to have Bibles in our own languages and can continue to translate Bibles in languages that don’t have it yet.

With the rise of deconstructionism from Foucalt, Iser and Derrida, as well as global instant communication, language changes faster than ever. As a 21-year-old, I have a hard time keeping up with the new slang communities develop on TikTok and Instagram and my friends throw around as if I inherently know it. Derrida tells us because language and communication are man-made constructs, we can never quite articulate what we are thinking and truly understand what anyone is saying to us. Luckily for us, we know better than to think communication is a man-made construct.

In German philosopher Friedrich Nietzche’s “Twilight of the Idols,” the author says, “I am afraid we are not rid of God because we still have faith in grammar.” Nietzche was able to understand the microstructures of language is one of the best proofs of a divine. For us Trinitarians, we know that all languages are a product, a means of tapping into communication that existed between the Father, the Son and the Spirit. As long as you and I can point at the same object and both say “chair,” the English language holds up. As long as the Gospel writers have written accounts of the resurrection, and we can know what they mean, the Church holds up.

If we allow the Greek and Hebrew languages to pass away and use a long lineage of English translations to uphold the scriptures, we lose commonality with our non-English-speaking brothers and sisters, as well as endanger the Scriptures to a Derridadic language spiral where we don’t remember what the author said. Maybe if one person in every congregation knew Greek or Hebrew, each congregation could look like they’re reading the same Scriptures.

MALACHI BROWN is the opinions editor for The Bison. He may be contacted at

Student Writer Bailey Ridenour

Graphic by Cooper Turman

Graphic by Cooper Turman

Ten Thousand Words

Editor-in-Chief Emma Jones

Thoughts and prayers

Are you guys tired of living through national tragedies? I feel like every couple of months my social media feed is flooded with news of a shooting, photos of victims, cries of outrage against gun violence and then silence until the next one happens. We cannot keep living in this endless loop of anger and inaction.

This past Monday morning, March 27, six people were killed in a school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, including three children and three adults. Their names were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, William Kinney, Cynthia Peak, Mike Hill and Katherine Koonce. The shooting occurred at the Covenant School, a private Presbyterian elementary school.

Gun control is a nuanced and controversial topic; I understand that. I’m from the South, so I’ve grown up around this conversation. But I feel it is unsensible to defend our country’s current stance on firearms, as recent research by the Kaiser Family Foundation has found the United States as being the only country among its peers in which guns are the leading cause of death among children (kff.com, “Child and Teen Firearm Mortality in the U.S. and Peer Countries,” March 28, 2023). A New York Times article from last year compared restrictions in Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway — all countries with a culture of gun ownership. All of these countries were similar in that after a mass shooting happened, the response was to impose new restrictions on gun ownership which led to mass shootings becoming rarer, as well as homicide and suicide numbers decreasing (nytimes.com, “Other Countries Had Mass Shootings. Then They Changed Their Gun Laws,” May 25, 2022). Comparatively, restrictions in the United States have not changed to reflect the increasing frequency and severity of mass shootings; there have been 130 so far in 2023 alone, and we’re only three months into the year (gunviolencearchive. org, March 28, 2023).

The main problem with imposing ownership laws in the U.S. isn’t that voters don’t want it; a Gallup poll from February of this year found that 63% of Americans are dissatisfied with the current gun control laws and policies in place (news.gallup.com, “Dissatisfaction With U.S. Gun Laws Hits New High,” Feb. 15, 2023). The main problem is Americans really love their guns. And that’s okay, to an extent. For example, I think it’s wise for a woman living by herself to own a handgun, and I’m fine with the fact that my little brothers go deer hunting every year. But legal gun owners should be willing to let policy be put in place that could lessen our chances of gun violence, because lives are more important than guns.

Do I think we need more policy regarding gun control? Yes. However, that is not going to completely solve our issue — if we ban assault rifles, people who want them are going to continue to obtain them illegally.

I think my good friend Carson Hayes phrased it best in a Facebook post he made regarding the Nashville shooting: “What truly stops a mass killing is the love of Christ and the recognition that life is precious and that anger within the heart toward another is just the same as murder.” Those affected by events like what happened in Nashville do need our thoughts and prayers, yes, but most importantly this country needs our love and a Christ-like passion for peace that inspires change.

EMMA JONES is editor-inchief for The Bison. She can be contacted at ejones19@harding.edu.

Almost in my concert era

S

inger Taylor Swift performed opening night of the Eras Tour March 17, performing for three hours, singing 44 songs from 10 albums and making 16 costume changes. She’s performing at 52 stadiums over the course of her tour. Ticketmaster’s sales reported that her fanbase had bought 2.4 million tickets out of 2.6 million tickets available. She broke singer Madonna’s record for the highest attendance at a female artist’s concert, and it has only been the start of her American tour.

Swift held opening night of the Eras Tour, her sixth concert tour, in Glendale, Arizona, which was renamed temporarily for the show nights to “Swift City.” Glendale mayor Jerry Weiers said, “We know all too well that she’s one of the most influential artists of her generation, and we are writing our own love story for her and greeting every Swiftie in style.” Some people have even called it Swift City, “Era”zona. Her last day of tour is scheduled to be Aug. 9 in Inglewood, California.

Swift hasn’t toured since 2018, when she performed her “Reputation” album. With each new album, Swift has gotten more and more popular. She released her

latest album, “Midnights,” in October 2022. It only makes sense that her ticket prices would be extremely competitive.

I happened to be in Germany when her ticket presale happened. This was the end of the Harding University in England trip. After sitting in my hotel room for two hours, the website updated, and I was told by Ticketmaster they would move the Capital One presale to the next day because their system crashed. So I tried again the next day. In my hotel room in Germany, after waiting in a queue of over 40,000 people, I finally got in to choose my seats. I struggled in vain for over an hour trying to get seats, but was unsuccessful.

Due to an influx of bots and scalpers, the tickets sold out so fast there was no option for general sales on Ticketmaster. The issue was even taken to the U.S. Senate, as they slammed Ticketmaster and Live Nation, who basically have a monopoly on ticket sales. A lot of smaller ticket companies are re-selling the tickets for astronomical prices. Swift said she hopes to provide more opportunities for tours in the future.

“And to those who didn’t get tickets, all I can say is that my hope is to provide more

opportunities for us to all get together and sing these songs,” Swift said. “Thank you for wanting to be there. You have no idea how much that means.”

You can imagine my feelings when Swift had her opening night recently. My TikTok feed was Swift’s concert for almost an entire week. Because of all the TikTok videos and livestreams, I actually have been able to watch the majority of her show. With all the Eras Tour content I’m getting, I’m seeing advice for people who are going to see her. For example, some Swifties advise you to show up to the venue hours early because of traffic. The official merch for her tour sells out fast, with fans and re-sellers standing in a line for up to six hours, as I’ve seen on TikTok. My advice for people who didn’t get tickets like myself: Get TikTok.

ABBEY WILLIAMS is a guest writer for The Bison. She may be contacted at awilliams18@harding.edu.

How are all these words the same?

This will be hard. Last time I wrote a piece with no “a’s.” This week, I do not plan to use long words. Just short words. Lots and lots of short words. Words that do not take long to say. And do not take up space on the page. Words that have just one beat in them. So, I will use small words. Can I do it? Yes, I can. Not so well, but yes, I can. Wish me luck. Here goes.

Where to start? I could ask this: So what do you like to eat? I like cheese. Lots of cheese. Too much cheese. Way too much cheese. I like square cheese and round cheese. Mild cheese and sharp cheese. Hot cheese and cold cheese.

One time, I went to the store, and they were out of cheese. I mean, come on! No cheese? There are lots of cows and goats. How come no cheese? They ran out of cheese. Who keeps up with the cheese? No cheese on the shelf. Not a piece of cheese to be found in the whole place. The cheese had flown the coop.

Lots of ways to say this. No mas cheese. So long to the cheese. Who let the cheese out? You say all I write is fluff just to use up space. You try it. You, too, would talk much of cheese.

Fine, no more cheese talk. But I must write more words to get to the end. Lots of words still to go. And I am out of things to say on cheese. Now I know how Doc Suess felt when he wrote his stuff. All those green eggs and ham. And cats in hats that hopped on Pop.

I guess I could turn to toys. Who does not like toys? I mean, is there a soul out there who hates toys? Cars and bikes. Trains and guns. Dolls and bears. You can spin the top, or roll the dice, or build with blocks, or fly a kite, or throw the ball or sail boats. Lots of fun all day long.

I like old toys. The kind you get at a yard sale. Toys that make me think I am a kid one more time. Which is not hard. Yes, I did grow up, but not all the way. I am still a child at heart. Now I have a house full of old toys. Ask my friends. They will tell you. They would like to come by to play. But their kids won’t let them. “Grow up and make my lunch,” they say. Still no long words yet. I bet you thought I would give up. But you were wrong. I will not quit. So long as I have more short words to use. Still, this is hard for me. My job is to teach, and you know how we are — we like to use big

words. Lots of big words. We like to put them side by side to make long books. Long books that no one reads. Our moms will read them. But they may go to sleep while they read.

I will try hard to do this. I don’t want you to be sad. “If he can’t do it, no one can!” you might have said. Of course, you did not say that, but I can dream, can’t I?

I will soon have to go teach my class. I will talk. They will hear. We will read and write. Some will doze.

As we near the end of this, as we reach the last bit, as we round the bend, let’s go back to cheese. There is so much you can do with cheese. You can eat the cheese, slice the cheese, spread the cheese. You can melt the cheese, burn the cheese, freeze the cheese. Or, if you want, you can make squares out of the cheese, put them on a plate and serve them to your guests. You can buy the cheese, sell the cheese, save the cheese, stab the cheese. I know which verb you want me to use next. But I do not want to clear the room. Well, that is it. We are done. Yes, I did not say much. But the main thing is, I did not use a long word. So there. Now let us end with a verse.

There once was a big piece of cheese, Which was knocked on the floor by a breeze. Twas a shame no one saw Till it smelled rank and raw, Now the spot is a nice home for fleas.

At The Bison, it is our goal to serve the Harding University student body with integrity, truth and open ears. However, we believe that meeting that goal is a two-way street between our staff and the public it serves. We pledge to keep our eyes and ears open to what our community has to say and hope that, in return, that community will be an interactive audience, sharing its stories with us. We also pledge to do the basics: Report accurate and relevant information, check our facts, and share them in a professional, timely manner. If you have any story ideas, questions, comments or concerns for The Bison staff, please email Emma Jones, the editor-in-chief, at ejones19@harding.edu. “The Bison (USPS 577-660) is published weekly (except vacations, exams and summer sessions), 20 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 72149-0001.” BYLINE POLICY: The Bison provides an opportunity for class writers to contribute work under the byline “guest writers.” Due to this arrangement, staff writers may rewrite a portion of the guest writers’ stories as they deem necessary, while still identifying the work as the guest writers’ own.

Narrative Columnist Michael Claxton

Guest Writer Abbey Williams

Illustration by Gracie Cornett

Graphic by Cooper Turman

Graphic by Cooper Turman

Harding hires new basketball coach

SPENCER AIELLO student writer

Harding University recently announced the hiring of Weston Jameson as the new head coach of the men’s basketball program to replace former head coach Jeff Morgan.

Jameson graduated from Harding in 2014 after playing four years with the basketball team. Following graduation, he became the assistant coach under head coach Tim Kirby for the women’s basketball program from 2015 to 2020, helping to bring in 106 wins over those five seasons.

Jameson won two regular season conference championships, obtained one conference tournament championship, and appeared in the 2017 Division II Final Four with the Lady Bisons. He went on to be an assistant coach at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, and Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas, before returning to Harding.

Morgan announced his retirement in February after three decades of coaching the men’s basketball team, paving the way for Jameson to enter the scene. A search party consisting of Morgan and seven others was assembled following the retirement to recruit the next head coach.

Morgan expressed his excitement about the team and what it will look like under Jameson.

“I think it’s going to be a fun group to watch,” Morgan said. “So I’m excited to watch.”

Jameson began his time as head coach on campus this past week. He met with the team and began to familiarize himself with the staff again.

“We met with the players individually,” Jameson said. “And really just wanted to get a baseline on where they were at and what their expectations were.”

Jameson shared his thoughts about the meetings and what the players felt.

“All of those meetings were really productive,” Jameson said. “Everyone was very excited, and we just hit the ground running.”

Redshirt freshman Keyln McBride said he thinks people will have a great reaction to the new brand of basketball that will be played under Jameson.

“I think that people will be a lot more excited about the games,” McBride said.

“Having somebody new around and a new play style, get to winning games [so] there’s more people in the stands at our games.”

McBride described how he feels having a more personal connection with Jameson due to the way both he and Jameson played.

“Coach Jameson kind of had the same role that I had being a smaller guard in the conference and being able to play knowing the game,” McBride said. “I think that it was easy for me to talk to him, and he was able to understand me.”

As next year’s season approaches, many wait with anticipation and high hopes for a bright future with Jameson. Bradley Spencer was hired as the new assistant coach March 23.

Lady Bisons soccer hosts Toronto Blizzard

The Harding women’s soccer team hosted the number one rated soccer scholarship program in Canada March 18 for an offseason exhibition game.

The Lady Bisons defeated the Toronto Blizzard 14-0 to kick off their off-season schedule. The game between Harding and Toronto was one of 14 games in the Blizzard’s annual United States collegiate road trip. This was the first time the club traveled to the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Playing in Ontario’s top PRO-AM (Professional Amateur) development league, the Toronto Blizzard trains players at a higher level of intensity to gear student-athletes toward obtaining college scholarships.

The Blizzard are currently coached by Joe Parolini, a former manager for the 2011 Canadian women’s World Cup team. Parolini said it is beneficial for his team to play against experienced college teams and coaches.

“Getting the coaches to see and watch all of our players perform against their players is massive,” Parolini said.

Parolini’s team played against multiple Division I and Division II schools, including Ouachita Baptist University, the University of Memphis and the University of Vanderbilt.

Harding has hosted the Blizzard on multiple occasions since 2014, but the meeting between the teams this year was a special occasion.

Sophomore Lauren Service played against the Toronto Blizzard for the first time since

playing for the club in 2020. The midfielder from Oakville, Ontario, has participated in the annual road trip with the Blizzard. Service scored four goals in the exhibition Service said it was a great feeling to score against her former team but also praised the performance of the Lady Bisons. “It’s less about me getting to play against my team but more about us trying to see the work that we have put Lady Bisons head coach Greg Harris said it was incredible to see Service’s growth on display in front of her former coach.

“She’s stronger, she’s faster, and she’s more confident,” Harris said. “I’m asking her to do different things than what she was asked to do at the Toronto Blizzard.”

Harris also said the exhibition was a memorable moment for Service and said he hopes that other members of the Lady Bisons will interact with their former teams in the future.

“That’s neat for someone like her to be able to have that experience,” Harris said. “You kind of wish all these girls would be able to go back and play against their club teams.”

The Lady Bisons and Toronto Blizzard expect to continue their annual exhibition match over the next couple of seasons. As the fall season approaches, Harris said the team is continuing to improve and strengthen throughout the off-season. “They’re making me work my tail off to continue to push them to be a championship team,” Harris said.

Tennis teams make progress during spring season

Freshman Karli Roux said the upcoming conference matches will be important ones for the Lady Bisons.

The men’s and women’s tennis teams have continued to make progress in their matches during the spring 2023 season, with the men’s team holding an overall record of 8-7 and the women’s at 6-11 as of March 29.

The women’s team defeated the University of Texas Permian Basin 5-1 in Searcy March 16 but then lost to Southwest Baptist University 0-4 in Springfield, Missouri, the next day.

The men’s team lost 3-4 against Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, Thursday, March 23, but came back the following day to beat Newman University 4-3 in Wichita, Kansas.

Freshman Georgia Plunkett said the season has had its ups and downs, but she looks forward to the rest of their matches.

“We’ve got quite a few matches coming up that are important, including a conference home match next week and four conference matches that will be home matches,” Plunkett said.

“Those matches will most likely be very difficult, but we hope we can get a lot of people to come out and show their support for the team,” Roux said.

Head tennis coach David Redding said he feels he has seen growth in his players throughout this season.

“I feel good enough about our team’s competitive ability,” Redding said. “It will be a dogfight in the coming conference matches to see who comes out on top.”

Redding said this year’s teams have a lot of talent, though they’ve been faced with issues such as injuries.

“I do think this year’s team has the most talent and depth that Harding has ever had in comparison to previous years and seasons,” Redding said. “We are playing against a lot of nationally ranked teams, and we have had quite a few injuries, so our record has not been as good, but we have greatly improved and have done so much better.”

Alumni Weston Jameson has been hired to serve as the new head basketball coach. Jameson was hired to replace former head coach Jeff Morgan March 16.

Photos provided by Jeff Montgomery

NIC FRARACCIO student writer

Photo by BALAZS BALASSA

Graphic by COOPER TURMAN

SOPHIE THIBODEAUX student writer

Freshman Georgia Plunkett hits the ball across the court in her match against The University of Texas Permian Basin March 16. The Lady Bisons defeated the team 5-1.

New ammendment loosens dog restrictions in Searcy parks

Searcy dog owners received good news Tuesday, March 14, as Searcy city officials amended a longstanding ordinance to allow leashed dogs on designated walking trails in public parks.

The change in the law came from the results of surveys Searcy Mayor Mat Faulkner put out during his campaign. Director of Parks and Recreation Mike Parsons said a change in this ordinance was one of the many topics people mentioned.

“This all poured and stemmed from the citizens and things that they wanted,” Parsons said. “We’re trying to be very transparent with what we’re doing as a city, spending taxpayers’ dollars, and we want people to know that we are listening to them.”

Initially, the proposed change allowed dogs both on trails and in open spaces, but after some pushback, it was changed to include only the designated trails. Planning and development director Richard Stafford did much of the research in writing the ordinance.

“There was some concern brought up specifically on Spring Park,” Stafford said. “There are a lot of volunteers that work on all of the planting beds and the flowers and stuff at Spring Park, and it’s very important to them. And so allowing [dogs] in open places in a place like Spring Park kind of means the majority of the park.”

Stafford said allowing dogs in open spaces could make people think dogs are allowed off-leash, and keeping them on the trails makes it easier to keep them from areas like playgrounds and flowerbeds.

Alumnus Daniel Ockay has three retired racing greyhounds — Thorin, Éowyn and Bilbo — that he walks regularly on Harding’s campus. The old ordinance, Ockay said, was not well enforced — and for a while there were dog bag stations in the parks while it was still against the rules for dogs to be there.

“It wasn’t a big deal,” Ockay said. “But also, eventually, I was like, ‘I’ll just avoid the parks, because it’s easier.’”

While Ockay said he would probably continue walking his dogs on campus, he would consider the parks as well. The existing parks will not be the only other option for long, however. The Searcy Parks and Recreation department is also in the process of constructing a new and improved dog park.

“We’ll relocate it to a more central area,” Parsons said. “Right now it’s just kind of out on the east side of town out by the events center and the ballfields. We’re gonna move it from there and put it in a more centrally located area, make it bigger, have more amenities for the animals, more shade, things of that nature.”

Those involved with the new park toured six different dog parks in central Arkansas to get ideas for the new design. While there is no set site yet or a date for construction to begin, Parsons said plans are being drawn up and to expect them soon.

Harding Nursing Student Association plans Easterthemed fundraiser

The money raised will help cover expenses such as registration, food and travel for the convention, she said. Dr. Kim Cooper, HNSA

students will be representing Arkansas, not just their school. They will have the chance to listen to speakers and present a resolution

A group of Harding students have planned to play the role of Easter bunny for some local children this spring in order to raise money to attend a national convention.

Senior Sadie Nelson said members of the Harding Nursing Student Association (HNSA) have organized a fundraiser in which they offer to hide pre-filled Easter eggs in local residents’ yards the night before the holiday. Nelson said HNSA also did this event last year, and it was successful. Proceeds will benefit students who plan to go to the National Student Nurses’ Association Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 11-16, she said.

According to a poster from HNSA, people can fill out a Google form by 5 p.m. today, March 31, to pay for the egg-hiding service. Those who sign up can choose from four options, ranging from a cost of $20 for 25 eggs to $60 for 100 eggs.

Nelson said some HNSA students plan to have an egg-filling party later this semester to stuff the eggs with candy. On the night before Easter, they will visit people’s houses to plant the eggs outside.

“It’s a fun thing for us to do, and it’s a fun thing for kids to wake up to the next morning,” Nelson said.

and two faculty members, including sponsor Dr. Kim Swenson and herself, plan to attend. Nelson said the national convention is important because she and the other Harding

patients. Cooper said if student delegates vote for this resolution, it could be added to future legislation that impacts the nursing industry.

Senior Ella Givens, one of the HNSA vice presidents, said this year’s resolution advocates for better education about the importance of American Sign Language services. She said deaf patients can understand English about 40% of the time through lip reading, meaning they may not understand some words containing critical health care information.

“These proposed changes are important because they ultimately are working toward providing safe and just care to patients,” Givens said.

HNSA students began preparing for the Easter egg fundraiser in January, Nelson said. They placed posters for the event at local businesses around town and began buying eggs and candy. Cooper said the group also spread news of the fundraiser on social media and through word of mouth. Although the group does not have a specific monetary goal for this year, Cooper said, she has high hopes for the fundraiser.

“Our students try to raise as much as possible so that the school doesn’t have to pay any out of the funding,” Cooper said. “And so, gosh, the sky’s the limit on how much money we can make.”

SARA HOOK features editor

Photo by MACY COX

Zeke the dog sits beside Shane Ryan in Spring park on March 28. Dogs such as Zeke are now allowed leashed along walking trails in local parks due to an amendment on a longstanding local ordinance.

SOPHIE ROSSITTO news editor

Graphic by WAGNER VALDEZ

HU Outdoors offers free equipment, tandem bikes to students

TIANE DAVIS sports editor

With the start of spring comes the increase of fun outdoor activities such as biking, camping and hiking. HU Outdoors, a program started by professor of kinesiology J.D. Yingling, offers free outdoor equipment to anyone with a student ID.

Junior Collin Sewell, one of the students who works for HU Outdoors, said they offer an array of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags and mats, hammocks, cooking sets, hiking backpacks, head lamps and several yard games.

“It is super high quality, and not to mention, it’s free,” Sewell said. “It is so awesome to have the opportunity to go and camp and experience the outdoors for free, as well as being able to help others experience the outdoors.”

Sewell said he works with sophomores Lydia Radke, Caleb Johnson and Darcy Durden. The program started last semester when Yingling collected donations from alumni and faculty, but its popularity has risen since the weather has become more pleasant.

“I just really want to thank all the faculty and members of the community who have donated and given to this program, as well as professor Yingling for all the work that he has put into Harding Outdoors,” Sewell said. HU Outdoors recently added tandem bicycles to its inventory, and Sewell said they have been very popular this spring.

“People have been loving riding them in the spring weather, as well as our brand new kayaks,” Sewell said.

Sophomore Gillian Hinckley said she rented out the tandem bike with her boyfriend in February. She said it was difficult to get used to riding on the back seat, since she had no control over the steering.

“It was a little scary, because all I could see was his back, so I didn’t know where we were going to go, but eventually he started calling out the directions,” Hinckley said. “I also think I had it easier, so I wouldn’t trade it.”

Hinckley said it was fun to see people they knew while they were riding around campus.

“It was funny because some people had really good reactions and were smiling, and some pointed at us,” Hinckley said. “Some people just looked shocked to see us. I would do it again, though, 100%.”

Hinckley said it was a great way to spend time with her boyfriend in a unique way, and she would recommend it to anyone.

“I would suggest that everyone takes this opportunity to use the tandem bikes,” Hinckley said. “It’s a super fun experience that you can just take a hold of right now for free.”

Junior Regan McClure said she rented a tandem bike with junior Gracie Hamlett, and they try to rent it out every Tuesday with friends. She said students are allowed to rent equipment out for a week at a time.

“It was the perfect spring experience,” McClure said. “It was one of the first warm days of the semester, and it was so sweet and silly to see everyone on the front lawn while we rode by.”

Good Morning Arkansas features Waldron Center for Business and Entrepreneurship

The Waldron Center for Business and Entrepreneurship was featured on Good Morning Arkansas Tuesday, March 14. As a part of College Days on KATV Channel 7 in Little Rock, Arkansas, three areas of study at Harding were featured — counseling, architecture and business.

Waldron Center assistant director Caleb Young, assistant professor of business David Kee, and senior Alex Hall represented Harding as they discussed the College of Business Administration and the Waldron Center on the show.

“I enjoyed being able to share more of what we do and explaining why that was important, because I think some people don’t fully understand what goes on in the

Waldron Center, and they possibly don’t appreciate the support that it provides for students,” Young said.

Hall is an integrated marketing and communication student who has been involved in the Waldron Center.

“I thought it would be good to provide a new perspective from someone who has his foot inside both the business department and the comm department, which is why I invited Alex Hall,” Young said.

Hall said he got involved with the Waldron Center because of his connections with people who worked there and his own experience with entrepreneurship.

“I’ve owned a business and operated a business for a year … and so I know how to start and how operations usually go when you create your own business,” Hall said. “... When

I found out about the Waldron Center, I got closer to the Waldron Center and got closer to the people that work there like Caleb. So through that networking, I was presented with the opportunity to speak about it, so I took it.”

Kee said he owned his own business for 20 years and shares the stories of that with his students.

“I like to share those stories with my students to help them and encourage them so that they can go out there and give it a shot, too,” Kee said. “I think a lot of them are interested in starting their own business, maybe not right away, but they are interested in doing it.”

Kee said an important part of the discussion on Good Morning Arkansas centered around the Waldron Center’s role in supporting entrepreneurs.

“The entrepreneur is a key person in society, and the economy can’t flourish without entrepreneurs: people who take the risk and start a business, create opportunities and jobs and places for people to work and new products that people need,” Kee said. He added that the Waldron Center works to support a range of different kinds of entrepreneurs, from young people just starting out, to family businesses, to local entrepreneurs in Searcy.

“The idea [of the Waldron Center] is really to support the entrepreneurs, the ones who really kind of create value for society,” Kee said.

Photo by MACY COX

Juniors Regan McClure and Gracie Hamlet (left) and seniors Janae Bradshaw and Watkins Kelley (right) ride some of HU Outdoor’s tandem bikes across the front lawn March 14. HU Outdoors offers tents, sleeping bags, hiking backpacks and other outdoor equipment to rent for free to anyone with a student ID.

MORGAN WRIGLEY student writer

Photo provided by Alex Hall

Waldon Center assistant director Caleb Young, assistant professor of business David Kee and senior Alex Hall talk to Ansley Watson from the KATV news station in Little Rock, Arkansas, March 14. The Waldron Center for Business was created to foster entrepreneurial students.

Midnight Oil to host Battle of the Bands

Members of mens’ social clubs Omega Phi, Theta and Knights are going head to head this Friday on the Midnight Oil Kibo Stage for a free Battle of the Bands concert.

The participating groups are the Omega Phi Pajama Jammers, the Theta Band and the Knights Band. With each band getting around 30 minutes to play their set, the groups will be challenged to find the perfect set list that will win over the crowd.

Senior Zach Bishop is both a drummer and a vocalist for the Omega Phi Pajama Jammers, and he said he is excited for the chance to get up on stage.

“I love to play,” Bishop said. “I’m a musician in a million other things. I play drums for Belles & Beaux. I’m in the band, the wind ensemble, percussionist ensemble and I’m in chorus. I’m used to singing in front of people and playing in front of people, so it’s just another thing I’m going to do.”

Across the three groups, the mindset seems to be similar. They all just want to have a good time and put on a good show for the audience.

Junior Kyle Ras plays the bass guitar for the Knights band and said he is excited to be a part of the concert — his only worry is that the band won’t have enough time.

“We actually were a little challenged because we are used to doing bigger setlists,

so we’re confined to about 30 minutes,” Ras said. “We’ll probably be playing around like six to seven, maybe eight songs if time permits. But the crowd that shows up to listen to us is usually pretty energetic, and we usually end up going over quite a bit because of banter and all that.”

With each band having its own set of fans and their own unique sound, setlists are bound to showcase a wide range of original and covered songs.

“A lot of the stuff that Knights Band ends up playing is more along the lines of punk rock,” Ras said. “And then every once in a while, we’ll throw something indie in there. It’s really just kind of a mix of whatever the guys like. I think normally we cater toward

the group of Knights guys because we know what they like to hear. So there will probably always be a Weezer song in there whether we like it or not.”

Senior Cooper Moore is a member of Theta as well as one of the leaders in organizing this event.

“Yeah, I mean everyone has a band, and I was like we should have a meet up,” Moore said. “I just love it when the community comes together, you know what I mean? Club unity but also club competition.”

The Battle of the Bands will begin at 7 p.m. this evening, March 31, and is free to attend.

Chartwells holds focus groups for better dining options

Chartwells, Harding University’s food service company, decided to hold focus groups this week to get feedback on campus dining services, aiming to improve the experiences of students, faculty and staff.

An email was sent out March 21 asking for participation in their focus group sessions by applying online. The sessions took place March 29-30 at various times throughout both days. Spots were limited.

The focus group sessions included campus residents, faculty, staff and commuters. As an incentive to partake in the focus groups, participants were given 25 dining dollars and a free meal at the session.

Taylor Grant, a marketing manager at Harding and one of the coordinators of the focus groups, is seeking to have discussions that go beyond the limits of a survey.

“It just gives us a good opportunity to sit down with students and faculty and staff as we do lots of surveys throughout the year, but a lot of times the results are very vague,” Grant

said. “It’s just, ‘Better food, better quality,’ but that doesn’t really give us a whole lot to go off of. So having these focus groups lets us sit down one-on-one and be like, ‘Okay, what is better food for you,’ because what I consider maybe better may not be something that our students, our staff consider.”

This is not the first time Chartwells has organized focus group sessions for feedback as they held similar sessions the last two years.

Many students signed up for this year’s event, including freshman Reagan Marks.

“I’m looking forward to watching what some people say turn into something positive for future students,” Marks said.

Another student who applied to be a part of a focus group session was sophomore Alyson Voigt, who believes the discussion can make a difference in Harding’s dining experiences.

“I think if they take our advice, then it will [make a difference], ‘cause if it just is a meeting, and they don’t act on it, then it won’t,” Voigt said. “But I think if it does, then it’ll help.”

TEST YOUR NEWS KNOWLEDGE

ACROSS

2. The last name of Searcy Director of Parks and Recreation.

5. According to Coach David Redding, the tennis team’s biggest problem is what?

6. The student group playing the Easter bunny this year.

7. The founder of the Informal Formal.

10. The amount of dining dollars given to members of dining focus groups.

1. The women’s soccer team played a team from where?

3. The third party that was hacked during Spring Sing ticket sales.

4. Battle of the Bands starts when tonight?

8. Student Life informed the student body about the changes to Shores Hall via what?

9. A type of bike offered by HU Outdoors.

Graphic provided by Midnight Oil Coffeehouse

MATTIE POWERS student writer

CALEB CHUNN student writer

Crossword by MAGGIE SAMPLES and COOPER TURMAN

Graphic by COOPER TURMAN