The Bison Vol. 102 No. 2

ng

Sept. 11, 2026 Vol. 102, No. 2 NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2A OPINIONS . . . . . . . . . . 3v&4A SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1B COMMUNITY . . . . . . . . . . 2B FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . 3B LIFESTYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . 4B

@HUStudentPubs Facebook: Harding University Student Publications

HST introduces international class in spring 2027 KENZIE JAMES editor-in-chief Harding School of Theology (HST) will offer their first international intensive course in Greece in March 2027.

HST Dean Peter Rice said the weeklong spring course is about the Corinthian letters and students will be based out of the Artemis, Harding’s property in Porto Rafti, Greece.

“That’s pretty cool to have a class on First and Second Corinthians and you actually get to go to Corinth and be in Greece and experience modern Greek culture,” Rice said.

The discussions between HST and International Programs about designing an international course began when Rice became dean in 2024. Rice’s hope is to offer at least one course abroad every year, but that may change based on student interest.

“I think we may actually have so much student interest we want to try to offer two classes a year abroad and explore different locations,” Rice said.

The timing for the course in Greece coincided with an increase in HST students facing challenges obtaining visas to come to Searcy for the intensive classes. Rice said the discussion about the international intensives did not begin because of the visa restrictions, but the course offered a solution to that challenge.

“We quickly realized this is a great idea that is also going to help with these visa problems that we’re increasingly having in greater numbers,” Rice said.

SEE HST, PAGE 2A

Remembering 9/11, 4B

Communications professor is the new HUG director LUCA MANARY beat reporter Communications professor Laurie Diles will be the new director for the spring Harding University in Greece (HUG) programs, starting in the spring 2027 semester.

Diles grew up in Brazil as a missionaries’ child and later served as a church planting missionary in Prague, Czech Republic, with her husband Allen. She said that experience equipped her for her new position at HUG. Additionally, her doctoral studies focused on intercultural communication.

“I feel that I have stretched my crosscultural wings in several directions,” Diles said.

Diles said she is excited to return to the Artemis and become part of the family there, welcoming students each semester to a new country.

“I want students to have opportunities to see and experience new cultures as they learn about their history and customs, to see and experience how God is working in other places beyond our borders, and to catch a glimpse of how God is preparing them for his Kingdom work,” Diles said.

SEE HUG, PAGE 2A

Bison Crossword, 4B 1

2

3

6

4 7

9

ght

11

10 12

13

#

14

15

16 17

19 21 22

5

8

18 20

Honors students visit New York for 9/11 anniversary

Photo provided by APRIL FATULA

Honors College Dean Jim Miller, right, talks to the students in the Ground Zero Memorial Park in New York City on Sept. 10.

KELLY MAHAWANNIARACHCHI head copy editor Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, 12 Harding University Honors College students traveled to New York City to study the lasting impact of the event.

The students will travel Sept. 10-13 and visit locations connected to the attacks and attend anniversary events.

The experience was designed by Honors dean Jim Miller, assistant communications p ro f e s s o r A p r i l Fa t u l a a n d f o r m e r communications professor Jack Shock to connect the historical event with the students’ academic interests. Each student investigated how 9/11 influenced their academic discipline and developed a scholarly or creative project based on their research. The project will also fulfill an Honors Contract requirement for one of their fall courses.

“There is a big difference between reading about an event in a textbook or watching documentaries and standing physically in the spaces where history unfolded,” Miller said.

“Being there in person lets them feel the real weight of 9/11 and shows them the resilience that brought people together afterward. It turns a historical site into a classroom.”

Miller, who led the trip, said connecting students with the people and places of the tragedy will help make 9/11 feel more real to the students, who were not alive when the attacks happened.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity to have an on-site experience and learn from survivors and first responders who were there twenty-five years ago,” junior Jared Wrigley said. “I hope that studying this event will help me better understand the lives touched by the attacks and help me grow in appreciation for America’s resurgence following the tragedy.”

Students were selected through an application process requiring a one-page proposal explaining how they planned to explore the impact of 9/11 on their academic discipline. Junior Kennedy Kittenger, an exercise science major, said her project will study exercise physiology and physics through the feats of the first responders.

“I am interested in the endurance of our hearts and how our lives are impacted by our heart health,” Kittenger said.

The Honors College is covering the students’ travel and lodging through a donor gift, while students will be responsible for their meals during the trip.

KELLY MAHAWANNIARACHCHI is the head copy editor for The Bison. She can be contacted at kmahawanniarachchi@ harding.edu.

Construction begins for Kendall elevator AUDREY LITTLE asst. copy editor

The Public Safety entrance in Kendall Hall closed indefinitely starting on Aug. 28 because Harding is installing an elevator in the building.

Originally a women’s dorm, Kendall Hall was converted to an academic administrative building after COVID-19, due to a steady drop in student enrollment. The first floor houses the Department of Public Safety and The Table, and the second and third floors are used by students in the architecture department.

There is no disability access in Kendall for the second and third floors, since it is one of the older buildings on campus.

“It hasn’t been a problem for me, but I do know classmates or friends who do have mobility issues that it might be hard for,” sophomore architecture major Kate Birdwell said.

Senior Emily Crawford said the architecture students were told about the plan for an elevator a year and a half ago, so she is excited to see it is now being installed. She navigated Kendall on crutches at the end of the spring 2025 semester and the beginning of the fall 2025 semester. She said the experience opened her eyes to the importance of making campus more accessible.

“I am overjoyed that it is finally being put in,” Crawford said. “Kendall Hall is one of the few buildings on campus without an elevator, and it has remained not accessible for far too long.”

The elevator will be installed to comply

Photo by JENNA HUTCHENS

The sidewalk between Kendall Hall and the American Studies Building is closed for construction to install an elevator in Kendall. with the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Director of Public Safety Craig Russell said the elevator will be built against the outside of the building and change the layout of the entrance to Public Safety.

“The existing steps and ramp and all of that, that’ll go away and it’ll be replaced with something new along with an elevator,” Russell said.

Birdwell said one of her classes was supposed to be upstairs but they are meeting on the first floor due to the construction. The students usually use the entrance near Cathcart and Pattie Cobb Halls to enter the building, so they have not been disrupted much by the

construction. However, Birdwell said the noise from the construction is occasionally distracting during class.

Crawford also said her access to the studio and classrooms on the second and third floors is not affected by the construction.

Construction is paused as they wait for the elevator to be shipped. The main entrance to Public Safety is still boarded up, and students can access the building through The Table entrance on the front lawn or the entrance near Cathcart and Pattie Cobb Halls.

AUDREY LITTLE is an assistant copy editor for The Bison. She can be contacted at alittle4@harding.edu.

2A NEWS

Friday, September 11, 2026

Local school reacts to online hoax trend KENZIE JAMES editor-in-chief

A recent social media trend targeted local schools, but the Searcy Police Department and Searcy School District said no threats have been identified related to the posts.

TikTok accounts “Cat in the Hat” and “Searcy Cat in the Hat” posted AI-generated images of the Dr. Seuss character in the dark at a doorbell camera, Harding Academy and the Searcy Lions arena. These posts, made between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, said Searcy, Cabot and Conway were among the next locations the character would come to.

Senior Taylor Ritzel, a student teacher at Searcy High School, said that when she first

Graphic by GRACE BROWN

ASI announces fall speakers PEYTON LAWYER asst. copy editor The American Studies Institute announced their fall 2026 guest speakers in chapel on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

JR Duke, the executive director of ASI, first announced the November speaker: Bradley Geary, a former Navy SEAL. The second speaker Duke announced is the guest who will arrive on campus in one month.

“On October the 12th, we’re looking forward to welcoming former British prime minister Boris Johnson to Harding,” Duke said in chapel.

Johnson served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 2019-2022, and has also served as the mayor of London and the U.K.’s foreign secretary.

Students in chapel applauded at the announcement of Johnson’s arrival, and Duke said they would hear more information in the coming weeks.

ASI is known for its distinguished lecture series, bringing in speakers from all disciplines to engage in an evening of discourse.

“It helps us engage with issues concerning American history, civil discourse, politics and faith, especially because we’re at Harding,” Duke said.

PEYTON LAWYER is an assistant copy editor for The Bison. He can be contacted at plawyer@harding.edu.

saw the Cat in the Hat posts, she thought it was a meme trend.

“It kind of reminds me of the 2016 clowns that were going around,” Ritzel said.

CNN reported in Oct. 2016 that the creepy clown trend, which started in August and lasted through the fall, involved people dressing up as clowns and lingering near schools and neighborhoods.

Imitators across the U.S. bought their own clown masks, posting photos and videos online, and the trend spread to other countries, including the United Kingdom.

Similarly, the Cat in the Hat trend spread on social media and features the Dr. Seuss character at private residences and schools.

The TikToks did not make direct threats to any cities or schools.

Lieutenant Todd Wells said the Searcy police were aware of the social media trend and were monitoring the situation, but the department had not received any reports of threats involving Searcy schools.

“We want to remind students and parents that threats made through social media are taken seriously, regardless of whether they are intended as a joke or part of an online trend,” Wells said. “Any threat involving a school, student or member of our community will be investigated.”

Searcy School District communications and community relations contact Betsy Bailey said she first saw the Cat in the Hat posts through her children’s social media.

She said the district is aware of the threat, but it is not a concern to the community.

“We encourage parents and guardians to remain present and engaged with their children’s online activities and to have

regular conversations with them about what they are seeing and experiencing on social media,” Bailey said.

USA Today reported on Sept. 1 that Cat in the Hat posts have been directed towards schools in multiple states across the country. Other Arkansas schools were mentioned in some of the posts, according to Little Rock’s KATV. Gosnell, Siloam Springs, Drew Central, Heber Springs, Pocahontas and Dewitt school districts released statements saying they worked with local law enforcement to investigate the situation and determined there were no direct threats made to the schools.

Ritzel, who was in sixth grade during the 2016 clown trend, said she did not experience a clown threat, but she was scared to be alone for even a few minutes.

Now, during the Cat in the Hat trend, she used her previous experience to teach her students about safety and said it was important for them to always stick together.

“Being in the high school, I’m like, ‘Guys, don’t be alone ever,’ but it’s like that all the time,” Ritzel said. “When things go around like this, it’s scary.”

KENZIE JAMES is the editor-in-chief for The Bison. She can be contacted at kjames7@harding.edu

Harding hires new chief marketing and innovation officer LEAH WRIGHT guest writer An alumnus returned to Harding this fall as part of the Office of University Communications and Marketing.

The UCM News and PR Services Specialist, Taylor Hodges, announced Todd McCullough (‘84) as the new Chief of Marketing and Innovation on Sept. 3.

“Todd brings an exceptional combination of marketing leadership, strategic expertise and a proven record of driving innovation,” President Mike Williams said.

McCullough joins the Harding team with over 30 years of experience, working for companies like Target, Subway, McDonald’s and SC Johnson.

Chief growth and strategy officer Paul Maynard said that McCullough has many traits that made him an attractive candidate for the role, including his skills as an innovator, high-level experience and work in academia.

“It’s like we’re kind of pinching ourselves…

HUG

continued from 1A

Despite being located in Greece, HUG students are exposed to many other cultures.

Former HUG director Daniel Adams, who retired in August, said the program’s diversity increased over time; the Artemis regularly hosts more groups than just the semester-long HUG program and students are exposed to multiple nationalities among the staff they get to know at the Artemis.

“Our staff represents the diverse and inclusive world of believers that we so want our students to embrace: we have two Greeks, an Albanian, two Polish citizens and an Indonesian brother,” Adams said.

“Along with the directors and assistant who are American, we have five nationalities represented at the Artemis.”

Being the spring director at HUG means that Diles will

HST

continued from 1A

Graphic by MELANIE GUYETTE

Photo provided by TIKTOK

An AI-generated image posted on TikTok on Aug. 30 shows the Cat in the Hat standing in front of a depiction of the Searcy Lions’ Arena.

The traditional intensives were weeklong classes offered on Harding’s campus. HST students are required to take a certain number of hours in-person, so students take intensive classes to balance school with their full-time jobs and fulfill the in-person requirement if they live outside of Searcy.

International students who want to study at HST, or any school in the U.S., need F, M or J visas. Presidential Proclamation 10998 and the Department of State restricted the issuance of these visas in 19 countries on Jan. 1. HST administrative assistant Tyler

there’s like three boxes checked, that’s hard to find in one person, you know,” Maynard said.

McCullough spent his recent years in higher education at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology and Lipscomb University.

“I love to put together really great teams to come up with great solutions and I believe that Harding already has a really great team,” McCullough said.

McCullough said he will start with a ‘listening tour’, where he will talk to leaders, staff, students and parents. This tour will help him learn more about Harding and to look at what innovation means in the context of the university’s mission.

“Innovation is not about changing the mission, it’s about improving our ability LEAH WRIGHT is a guest writer for The Bison. She can be contacted at lwright8@harding.edu.

leave Harding’s main campus in the middle of every school year, but she said she felt supported by International Programs and the communication department to take the opportunity.

“My entire department has been supportive as my colleagues shuffle their schedules to cover classes I would have taught on the Searcy campus,” Diles said.

Executive Director of International Programs Audra Pleasant has worked with Diles before through the study abroad trips and curriculum, and she said she looks forward to partnering with Diles again.

“Dr. Laurie Diles is an exceptional teacher and has been a good partner of International Programs for years in curriculum development as well as serving as faculty abroad with her husband, Dr. Allen Diles,” Pleasant said.

LUCA MANARY is a beat reporter for The Bison. He can be contacted at dmanary@harding.edu

Burdette said that 35 of HST’s 227 students are international students. Five students are from countries under the partial restriction, including Angola, Cameroon, Uganda and Zimbabwe. According to the U.S. embassy in Zimbabwe’s website, the visa restriction is still in effect.

“It’s just been a f rustration as we’ve advised students,” Rice said. “We may have a student who needs to be on campus and is ready to graduate, and so it’s created a host of problems, mainly on the advising side.”

HST has students on every continent except Antarctica, and Greece is an easier country for foreign nationals to enter than the United States. Assistant professor Joshua

Photo provided by JEFF MONTGOMERY

Alumnus Tod McCullough returns to Harding this fall as the new Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer.

Photo provided by LAURIE DILES

Allen and Laurie Diles smile for a selfie in front of the Acropolis during their trip to Greece in August. Dr. Laurie will be the new spring director at HUG.

Marcum said a class at the Artemis would be easier for some of HST’s African students to attend in-person.

“It’s sad that we can’t just invite them here; this is their alma mater,” Marcum said.

“I think it’s a great way to work around this situation.”

KENZIE JAMES is the editor-in-chief for The Bison. She can be contacted at kjames7@harding.edu

3A OPINIONS Antes de que nos olviden

FrontLawnMedia.com

Danae Lucio

Opinions editor

Just a few letters

Comic by GRACE Illustration by GRACE BROWN

a little to see the point of it. We of the other kids just chose not to speak What I struggled were told to take personality strengths tests, up, me included. I’m more of an introvert we weren’t even organized by said test. and it’s early in the morning so it was easy think about but We talked about our results briefly, but I still to just let the others do the talking. My know why we had to take the test. A morning usually starts when my alarm goes chapel don’t lot of the people I’ve talked to still haven’t off at 8:45 a.m. From there, I drag myself Caleb Davies

Guest writer

Any student who comes to Harding knows that chapel is a part of the deal. While waking up before 9 a.m. isn’t ideal for me, I’ll admit that starting off the day with worship and a devo is a unique opportunity not too many students, or Christians for that matter, get to partake in. When I first heard about Freshman Chapel, I thought it could also be a cool opportunity to start off the day and get to know other freshmen, but honestly, I didn’t have the best experience with it. I

taken it. I assume it was just to figure out more about ourselves, but I don’t know why it was so heavily stressed if it was just for us.

I’m guessing the main point of Freshman Chapel was to give us a chance to meet new freshmen and go about chapel in a more engaging way, but I just don’t think it worked. It seemed like everybody was just there because they had to be, not because they wanted to be, which I guess is true.

The conversations were forced and mostly dominated by the same few people. That’s not to say they were stealing the floor; a lot

Photo provided by PARKER WIGGAINS

New students write on blue cards during one of the freshmen breakout chapel groups in the second week of school.

out of bed, order Einstein Bros and hustle to chapel to be in my seat by 9:00. I could probably get up earlier, but I don’t think it’s super realistic to expect a really productive conversation 15-30 minutes after waking up for the day—maybe that’s just me. I’d prefer to be in chapel to listen and worship.

That being said, I know it’s one of those things where I have to put effort into it to get something out of it. At first, I thought it was just me who didn’t love freshman chapel, but I’ve talked to a lot of guys and girls, and the group consensus seems to be that nobody thought it was very productive or fun. I know I’ve done a lot of complaining so far, but I would like to thank my chapel leader. She’s a student here at Harding and she really did a great job trying to lead us in conversation and letting us know that if we ever needed help or somebody to talk to, we could go to her. That’s the biggest thing I got out of the whole experience: another person on campus I could trust.

Overall, it seemed like Freshman Chapel was an attempt to fix a problem where there wasn’t one. I understand there’s a lot of information freshmen need at the beginning of the year, so just knock it all out in the Rhodes Fieldhouse. Kids have plenty of opportunities to get to know each other candidly during Stampede, in their classes and throughout the whole club process and school year. We don’t need another manufactured small group at 9 a.m. But again, maybe that’s just me.

CALEB DAVIES is a guest writer for The Bison. He can be contacted at cdavies@harding.edu

Club season definitely brings out the pride and belonging we feel in our clubs, or…maybe not.

Oh, how excited I was for club stuff as a freshman. I had heard a lot from upperclassmen about clubs and their stereotypes. I remember getting multiple third round invitations and hearing plenty of opinions about what the “right” choice was. At the time, I remember thinking, how could someone else possibly know what is right for me? Because of this, I was nervous about where I would end up.

Because once you know, it becomes really easy to let a group become part of how you see yourself.

We wear the letters, the colors; we make friends through them. I’ve collected stories, beauxed one of my best friends; I’ve been an officer multiple times and collected insane amounts of merch. Eventually, saying the name of your club can feel almost like saying something about who you are.

I understand why. Community matters.

Having people who feel like home matters.

Putting effort into a club and making it your own can be one of the best parts of college.

At least, it has been for me.

But that isn’t as easy or simple in other cases. That’s also why it can be difficult when someone decides to leave or decides to jump.

Sometimes we worry too much about where people belong and we tend to forget that people are allowed to change. That’s why I will always support anyone who wants to jump clubs. The person who joins a club freshman year is not necessarily going to be the same person by the time of their senior year.

We change a lot while we are at Harding, and that is awesome. And that is not only for clubs. We don’t have to stick to friend groups, relationships and even majors if that is not what feels like us now. Some people change their minds, don’t identify with that group of people anymore or simply want something new.

We take these decisions so seriously, even though most of us are still figuring ourselves out.

When someone leaves a club and chooses another one, it can feel like they are rejecting more than just some Greek letters and colors.

It can feel very personal, even when it isn’t.

disagree with this take. He isn’t Why completely the strongest nor the smartest considering very near future for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, my answer will more than likely was using a Chitauri army that he Loki hehappened to stumble upon after the effects change within the next two years. With The attack on New the events of “Avengers, Doomsday,” stands ofYorkthewasfirsttheThorresultmovie.

“Secret Wars,” X-Men projects and the of a collaboration rest of the movies coming very soon, I very alone between Loki and the titan, Thanos, much doubt Loki will be the strongest With all that said and considering the

Brady Verett

Guest writer

In terms of how strong a superhero is, there are many different ways to judge who is the strongest in a comic universe.

This could be through observing power levels based on prior comics, hypothetical battles based on who would win, battle intelligence, movie scenes that show off their powers, etc. Many people have opinions that differ from the other for who might be the strongest superhero based upon many different reasons, but I’ve had my opinion for many years and it can still be backed up to this day.

As of right now, I would claim that the strongest Marvel character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) would be Loki, son of Odin and brother of Thor.

I understand that based on what we see in the first Avengers movie, you might

staff

Kenzie James editor-in-chief Eli Dean managing editor Sidney Davies news editor

which shows that there are many different, more powerful beings than Loki in that timeframe. Although, recent projects in the Cinematic Universe did change this.

In the events of the Disney Plus show, “Loki,” Loki gains the ability to contain infinite amounts of cosmic power. This is because in season two, he spends centuries going through a continuous time loop where he learned many hardcore subjects such as theoretical physics, history and certain elements of engineering from separate timelines. This was also a reason he could now control the ability to, in his terms, “time-slip.” This ability is where someone doesn’t definitively exist in any timeline, which causes the being to teleport between the past and the future in a violent fashion. Now that he can essentially control time and travel through it as well, I would consider Loki the most powerful character with the most unique ability at this moment in the MCU.

Danae Lucio opinions editor Natalia Lago community editor Lorelai Curtis sports editor Kennedy Picker lifestyle editor

Savannah Gingerich features editor Kelly Mahawanniarachchi head copy editor Peyton Lawyer asst. copy editor Audrey Little asst. copy editor

Aidan Efaw

being in the universe by the end of 2028.

With characters potentially coming to the big screen such as Sentry, Phoenix, Molecule Man and even the embodiment of Eternity, there’s no telling how strong some people will be within the MCU.

BRADY VERETT is a guest writer for The Bison. He can be contacted at bverett@harding.edu

Graphic by GRACE BROWN

But if someone chooses a different place, it does not erase the friendships or memories they made.

You can remember where you started without having to stay there. You can be grateful for a community without letting it define your entire identity. I love my club, but that is not all that I am.

Maybe, at the end of the day, the letters on our shirts are just letters, and I really hope I am remembered for more than just that.

DANAE LUCIO is the opinions editor for The Bison. She may be contacted at dlucio@harding.edu.

Vote here!

Grace Brown head graphic designer Carys Birdwell graphic designer Melanie Guyette graphic designer Reese Mallett photo editor

Leah Wright

Briley Kemper asst. photographer Jenna Hutchens asst. photographer Luca Manary beat reporter

Renée Colby beat reporter Noah Darnell faculty adviser Michael Claxton narrative columnist

guest contributors

4A OPINIONS Life’s little moments Kenzie James

Editor-in-chief

Friday, September 11, 2026

Milk Bash

Colin Wilson Guest writer

Hi. My name is Colin… and my life? It’s 25 years later… but pretty whacky. Now I bet you’re wondering how I got here or why you can find images I’m only 21 on Instagram of me drenched from head-toSince the tragedy of 9/11, this is only the fourth time The Bison has had a print on the anniversary. Of those four years— 2009, 2015, 2020, 2026— this is the first where most of the undergraduate student body was not alive on that day.

9/11 is one of the world events people distinctly remember what they were doing when they heard the news. I remember coming home from school and asking my parents “Where were you when 9/11 happened?” for a homework assignment.

My mom, an elementary school teacher at the time, was at school with her students.

She said the teachers got a notification from the school office within minutes of the first collision. She and the other teachers watched the news coverage during the day in the teachers’ lounge between classes because they couldn’t turn the TVs on in front of the students.

When she got the notification about the first tower, my mom immediately called my dad to turn on the news. He did not have to teach that day and planned to work from home. When my dad turned on the Today Show, the first reports he saw were about President Bush receiving news of the attack. The church my parents attended, like other religious groups, held a prayer meeting that day.

We’ve grown up in a post-9/11 culture.

The attacks changed people’s habits and were the reason for things I’ve always thought were normal, like TSA. I’ve never been to an airport that didn’t have bag checks and metal detectors. I always took my shoes off—at least, until that policy changed last summer.

How can we remember something we didn’t experience?

I’ve thought a lot about this question in the past couple weeks. When I was recording an episode on Wednesday for the podcast I produce, I even brought this question up with the hosts.

Every generation has at least one big event they lived through and they can answer the “Where were you then?” question I asked my parents. For millenials, it was 9/11. For Gen Z (so far), I’d say it was COVID-19.

But the one event we all have in common that we remember but didn’t experience firsthand was Christ’s ministry on earth and his physical death and resurrection.

None of us were there 2000 years ago, but we participate in remembering that event when we take communion each Sunday.

Similarly, I didn’t live through 9/11, but I still remember it.

Now, I don’t have a symbol or ritual for every major event or holiday I want to remember. How I choose to remember an event might be different each year. But I want to keep making that effort, to learn what happened in the past and to see how the world was shaped into what it is today.

The best way I can remember 9/11 is by learning. I’ve visited New York and been to the museum. I’ve watched documentaries, read newspaper articles from 2001 and listened to friends, family and professors share their memories. I can’t imagine experiencing a day like 9/11, but when I hear those stories, I can still see the emotions from that day.

Today is a significant day for all Americans, and for many around the world. No matter how old you are, you were affected by 9/11.

If you’re like me and weren’t born before 2001, take a few minutes today to ask someone who was. Listen to their story.

People across the nation are gathering to collectively remember this anniversary, but remembering means something different for those who have a personal memory too.

toe in milk while atop a shopping cart in the middle of a parking lot. All valid questions. I was the winner of Theta’s Milk Bash this year and I can honestly say that the contest was more fun than the victory. Not to diminish the magnitude of my glorious triumph, but from my perspective, Milk Bash is only the spectacle that it is because of the sociable, kind-hearted and Christ-centered young men who were in charge of it, as well as the Theta sponsors and everyone else who helped to put it together. People like Logan Thomason and Ben Jackson put in effort to

Of all the titles that Beckie Weaver held, the most surprising may have been “Burp Coach.” When Harding produced “Shrek the Musical” in 2014, one scene had Shrek and Fiona engage in a belching contest. That required some vocal training, since not everyone can do this on cue.

They needed a speech pathologist, and Dr. Weaver stepped in to coach the cast on the finer points of eructation.

Dr. Bruce McLarty was Harding’s President at the time, and he was asked how he thought the Homecoming crowd would react to the scene. “The kids will love it,” he said, “but the Gold Circle may struggle.”

But now the real story can be told. As it turns out, the leads couldn’t get the hang of it, so the director put a microphone in front of Beckie and recorded her belching with increasing volume, and those were the sounds the audience heard. She declined to be mentioned in the program, but she told the director that burping on command was a required skill in one graduate SpeechPath class, and Beckie had mastered it.

Not all of her classmates, did, though, and one even gulped Dr Pepper before the final exam.

Beckie had at one point majored in theatre, but eventually speech pathology won out, and she taught that subject here for nearly four decades. She served as Department Chair for Communication and later Communication Sciences and Disorders, and when Harding created the new College of Allied Health, she became its first dean. She taught at our campuses in Italy and Greece and designed

give new freshmen like myself every opportunity to meet and make connections with not only Theta members, but other members of the newest generation of Harding students. Selflessness like this—giving of your own time to help others— is what I believe we are called to do in service to one another, overflowing with the joy and love of our Lord. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to participate in something as simultaneously silly and love-filled as Theta-Milk Bash.

I am even more grateful for the friendships and bonds formed by the milk that was shed in the GAC parking lot. I stand on the shoulders of every Milk Basher who has come before me and I wait with excitement for next year’s champion to be named, joining the ranks with those such as Nolan Hatfield and myself. Despite how little time I have spent on campus, every day I am more and more certain that I made the right decision in choosing Harding because of

Graphic by CARYS BIRDWELL

the wonderful student body. May the Good Lord be with each and every one of us this year. Peace be upon you all.

COLIN WILSON is a guest writer for The Bison. He can be contacted at cwilson25@harding.edu.

their skills, and she did so with great humor.

One former student shared this story on Facebook: “My first client in the school clinic was a kindergartner with arctic therapy . . . Dreamweaver had me introduce myself to his parents. I was nervous and said, ‘Hi, I’m Mena RcCarty. I mean Rena McCarty! Ahhh!’ Without dropping a beat, Beckie said, ‘She’s here to help your child AND work on herself at the same time!’ It was so funny.

The parents laughed right along with us.”

Another former student, who worked with Dr. Weaver in Zambia for six weeks, wrote this: “It was there where I grew to love our profession even more and how it makes such a difference in lives. Watching her love and serve in the way she did shaped who I am today as a therapist . . . It really is true that it only takes one teacher to believe in you for you to do big things. She was that one for me.”

I got to know Beckie in our Sunday morning Bible class at College Church, where she sat on the lively back row, surrounded by vocal friends. Whenever our teacher tried to call the class to order as we began, her row would be the last to comply. And even then, it was a fragile peace. But whenever Beckie spoke up, we listened. Her genuine love for people and Scripture was evident in every word she spoke. Very much like her mother Barbara Oldroyd, who was also in our class until her death in 2016, Beckie talked with wisdom and kindness. But also with confidence born of long experience.

After her passing last week, we extend sympathy to her husband of 51 years, Gene, and their daughter, Reagan and her family.

The Weavers moved to Cape Cod after Beckie’s retirement, and she confessed that it took her a long time to spell “Massachusetts” correctly. Yet she still cheered on her beloved Bisons from afar and found time to direct Abilene Christian’s online CSD program.

Dr. Weaver signed her email like this: “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” She lived that mantra for 75 years.

Remembering Dr. Beckie Weaver Michael Claxton

Narrative columnist

the HIZ-PATH program in Zambia, which she directed for six years, befriending the Zambian president and taking students to serve people who had no previous access to such specialists.

Her work was recognized nationally, statewide and on campus. She was a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and received a Clinical Career Award from the Arkansas SLHA. She received a Teacher Achievement Award in 2009, was featured on the cover of Harding Magazine in 2019, and in 2021, she was honored as the Outstanding Alumna from the College of Allied Health.

These achievements don’t even begin to tell how influential Dr. Weaver was, and how deeply her colleagues and students loved her. She was a fierce advocate for Speech-Path majors and had a gift for seeing and nurturing talent. A patient listener and a source of wise counsel, her kindness and warmth endeared her to everyone. Her students either called her “B Weave” or “Dreamweaver.”

As a supervisor at Harding’s Speech Clinic, she observed majors as they practiced

MICHAEL CLAXTON is a narrative columnist for The Bison. He can be contacted at mclaxto1@harding.edu

Photo provided by JAN TRAUGHBER

For more stories about Beckie Weaver, see page 3B.

Beckie Weaver blows bubbles while sitting in her office.

KENZIE JAMES is the editor-inchief for The Bison. She can be contacted at kjames7@harding.edu.

Graphic by GRACE BROWN

These opinions, and other columns found in The Bison, are also available online at frontlawnmedia.com

Vol. 102, No. 02

September 11, 2026

Bisons dominate in season opener AIDAN EFAW guest writer

The Bisons football team made national headlines Sept. 3, with a dominant performance in their season opener against Northwestern Oklahoma State. In their first game with Roddy Mote as head coach, Harding set or tied multiple school records, including setting the offensive total yards record with 747 along with the defensive yards allowed record with -26. It was the first game with more than 700 yards in Bisons history, the first time allowing zero first downs and tied the program points record at 76.

Harding started fast with 34 points in the first quarter and had a 48-0 lead by halftime. The Bisons defense registered six sacks for a total loss of -54 yards, and added 11 tackles-for-loss. Five of NWOSU’s 12 full drives ended with negative yards, and only advanced past the 50 yard line once after a Harding fumble.

Fifth year quarterback Malik Young made his first start in his thirty-second career game, making him one of the most experienced new starters in college football coming into the season. Young’s first start was a success across the board, as he finished two-for-two passing for 80 yards and a touchdown, and led the team in rushing with 162 yards and three touchdowns on 11 attempts. Young praised the team’s effort after the game and said the offensive line’s strong performance was the driving force behind the successful evening.

“We played well across the board,” Young said. “Everyone gave everything they had, and it really showed tonight. That’s what happens when the offensive line is able to get such a great push all night long.”

The Bisons’ performance drew national attention, with CBS Sports calling it potentially “the most lopsided college football game ever” on their Instagram page. Harding outgained the Rangers by 773 yards, forcing 11 punts and securing one turnover via an interception by third year defensive back Corey Dean.

Sophomore kicker and punter Dean Roberts was named Great American Conference special teams player of the week in his collegiate debut during the game.

Photo by REESE MALLETT

Running back Andrew Miller runs the ball through the defense during the home opener against Northwestern Oklahoma State University. The game ended with a 76-0 win for the Bisons.

“Harding sophomore kicker matched a program record with a 10 made extra-points in his Bisons debut, adding 10 points to HU’s record-breaking 76-0 performance,” the GAC said in their weekly awards release. “In addition, Roberts also handled five kickoffs for 282 yards (56.4 avg), keeping NWOSU pinned deep in its own territory throughout the contest.”

The game was called off with 13:15 remaining in the fourth quarter after Bisons running back Cedric Hawkins suffered a medical emergency on the sideline and was taken to a local hospital. Hawkins was released at 2 a.m. Friday and is expected to make a quick return to football. Under GAC rules, the game will be counted as a full game as three full quarters were completed, and the final score will be counted as Harding 76, Northwestern Oklahoma State 0.

Volleyball hosts invitational

AIDAN EFAW is a guest writer for The Bison. He may be contacted at aefaw@harding.edu.

TNT vs. GSP A-Team culture ELI DEAN managing editor Gamma Sigma Phi’s A-team secured a 17-10 win over TNT’s A-team on Sep. 8, displaying the competitive nature of club intramurals.

Both teams came into the game undefeated, and in a game where the scoreboard was out of commission and time was kept by a student referee, a back-and-forth game ended after senior Bailey Sosebee dove for a red-zone interception to clinch Gamma’s win and put them on top the A-team standings. Sosebee said after the game that playing intramural sports enhanced his club experience.

“It’s a blast,” Sosebee said. “It’s a great opportunity to be out here, and they play a huge role for clubs to build your brotherhood no matter what club you’re in.”

Sosebee said his interception meant a lot to him to claim victory, but he had a great time regardless of the result.

“Just being out here, bonding, playing the game and just being able to goof off and have fun, it’s always a blessing,” Sosebee said.

Gamma President Mason Baxley said that despite the high-intensity nature of A-team sports, he enjoys the moments where things are a little less serious.

Just being out here, bonding, playing the game and just being able to goof off and have fun, it’s always a blessing.

Jones said that it goes without saying that A-team sports go much deeper than playing games as one.

“All of our guys on A-team sports are so close off the field, that makes playing together easy,” said Jones.

ELI DEAN is the managing editor for The Bison. He may be contacted at edean3@harding.edu.

Photo provided by HILTON DUNCAN

Senior Drew White makes a catch against TNT seniors Jackson Parker and Luke Jones during there game on Sep. 8.

Photo provided by MADISON MEYER

Middle blocker Rauly Eason and outside hitter Josie Bishop go up a block during a game against Southeast Arkansas College last season on Oct. 24, 2025 beds and let our fans and families see us play SIDNEY DAVIES on our home court more often,” Fear said. news editor Delaney Garner, the team’s graduate Harding’s volleyball team will compete in assistant, is responsible for coordinating and host the 2026 Pre-Conference Harding home game workers and other logistical Invitational Tournament this weekend. The needs associated with the tournament. She tournament marks the fourth week of the said Harding has traditionally performed competition season and the third three-day well in the tournament.

“This tournament is special in that we tournament the team has competed in this year.

The other schools in attendance will be get to play three home games in three days,” Southern Arkansas, Missouri Southern, Garner said. “It’s a way to jump-start the Union, Missouri S&T and Southwest Baptist. home season games and show people what Head Volleyball Coach Meredith Fear Harding Volleyball is all about.”

Senior Olivia Wiedower has been a said there are extra logistics that go into hosting a tournament as opposed to traveling member of the Harding volleyball team for to one, including inviting teams to compete four years. She said playing at home in front and coordinating a schedule that works for of Harding fans creates a special atmosphere for the team. all participating schools.

“The energy from the crowd really does “We also have to schedule officials, game day workers and other items like a hospitality make a difference,” Wiedower said. “There’s room for staff and coaches,” Fear said. “Then nothing better than playing in front of a of course we are still scouting our opponents packed home crowd, and we’d love to have and putting together the best game plan we everyone there cheering us on.” can for each match.”

In addition to the logistical responsibilities, SIDNEY DAVIES is the news hosting the tournament provides the team editor for The Bison. She may be contacted at sdavies2@harding.edu. with the opportunity to compete at home.

“While hosting a tournament does put more on my plate personally, it is worth it for the players to be in class, sleep in their own

– Bailey Sosebee, senior

“It’s super fun to joke around when we play,” Baxley said. “It makes the games less serious and allows each person to enjoy being together more rather than playing a game.”

TNT athletic director senior Luke Jones said that the brotherhood and the men that play to his left and right is the reason they fight for wins.

“In TNT we have a history of excellence in sports…” said Jones. “Our competitive drive is fueled by the ones who did it before us.”

Graphic by GRACE BROWN

2B COMMUNITY

Friday, September 11, 2026

Local golf tournament honors 9/11

Photo provided by HILTON DUNCAN

Searcy golfers prepare for upcoming Searcy American Legion’s Patriots Day Red, White, and Blue Golf Tournament on Sep. 11 at River Oaks Golf Course. special day for themselves to have a golf Members of the Harding golf team tournament,” Green said. also participated in today’s tournament.

R.E. COLBY Tournament director Steven Cooper, The team competed against each other beat reporter who is also a veteran, said the tournament last weekend to determine who would is a chance to remember the anniversary compete in the American Legion The River Oaks Golf Course in Searcy of 9/11, but it is also an event he wants tournament. Sophomore William Pulley, held the Third Annual Searcy American participants to have fun at. He said door one of the players representing the Legion’s Patriots Day Red, White and NATALIA LAGO prizes are given to every participant, and Harding team, was not alive when the Blue golf tournament today. community editor the grand prize is a 2026 Ford Bronco.

World Trade Center was attacked, but he The tournament honored both “I like seeing people have fun. I would said the tournament was a reminder of a the 250th anniversary of America’s To honor the 25th anniversary of the love to play it if I could, but I can’t play time when Americans came together. independence and the men and women 9/11 tragedy, the city of Searcy hosted because I’m running it,” Cooper said.

“I feel like that’s the last time we were who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 attacks events for the community to gather Green and Cooper said that the event very united, and I think we would do well 25 years ago. together. will benefit veterans in addition to having to remind ourselves of what we’re capable Course manager Jason Green said Memorial Prayer Service: The a day to play golf. Ten percent of profits of,” Pulley said. approximately 80 players are going to city hosted a memorial prayer service will be donated to the Veterans Memorial participate in the tournament. on Harding’s campus at the Benson Fund for White County, who is building “I was in the military during 9/11, R.E. COLBY is a beat reporter for Auditorium on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. a new veteran’s memorial for veterans who The Bison. She may be contacted at so it’s just nice to see people, especially Heather Kemper, an instructor of applied served during 9/11. rcolby@harding.edu. veterans, get together and have a human sciences, explained the event was an opportunity to remember those who died; to remember the courage of the first responders; and to remember how people rallied together to serve.

“Not to sit in the grief, but in the hope we have in Christ, and then the commission to move forward,” Kemper said. “How can we, as a community, be the hands and feet of Jesus?”

Flags on the Front Lawn: Every year since 2002, students in the American Studies Institute and Pi Sigma Alpha place 2,977 flags on the Front Lawn honoring the lives lost during 9/11. The tradition was started by Dr. Mark Elrod, a former Harding professor; who recently passed away on August 24, 2026 at 68.

“It’s a part of ‘never forget,’ just about remembering those who lost their lives and those who tried to serve people and help people who were losing their lives,” ASI executive director Dr. John Duke said.

Searcy Fire Memorial Stair Climb: The Searcy Fire Department will host their annual Memorial Stair Climb on Photo by ETHAN FARMER Sept. 19 at the Lion’s Arena. Participants Jackson Neir, City Clerk and Treasurer begins the monthly city council meeting, held on Sept.

8. City Attorney Will climb the same number of stairs that Moore was absent, so Nier filled both roles. firefighters climbed in the World Trade Center. Searcy Fire Department Chief Brian Dunavan said the climb honors the safety. The document lists the property The council did not indicate what the selfless sacrifices made by the firefighters, PAUL RYAN as structurally compromised due to “the city plans to do with the property after the police officers, EMS workers and day-toguest writer absence of an entire back wall.” hearing, but chapter nine of the Searcy day heroes who gave up their own lives to The police department’s request for Code of Ordinances defined removal save those in the towers.

The City of Searcy Council meeting the hearing said there were no utilities as “the act of clearing all material and “They gave everything, not worried on Tuesday, Sept. 8 set a hearing for Oct. connected to the house and a nondebris whenever it becomes necessary to about what was going to happen to 13 to declare 616 E. Market Ave. a public operational vehicle along with significant demolish that has been condemned and them,” Dunavan said. “Their main focus nuisance. The property is only a few blocks amounts of debris and tools were stored found to be a nuisance by resolution of the was getting to those people and making from Harding’s campus and is in violation outside on the premises. city council.” sure that they got as many people out of of several city ordinances.

The Police Department has tried on Up to this point, however, the structure the building as they could.”

A request filed by Kenneth Shoemaker, multiple occasions to contact the owner has not been officially condemned. the code enforcement officer for the by mail and have yet to receive any form Searcy Police Department said they of response. The building was built in find the building out of accordance PAUL RYAN is a guest writer for The 1955 and is owned by Scott Coleman with chapter nine of the Searcy Code Bison. He can be contacted at pryan@ Rental Properties LLC according to White of Ordinances and a threat to public harding.edu.

County property records.

9/11 memorials throughout Searcy

Updates on City Council meeting

Council sets public hearing in October for nuisance property

Northstar EMS ownership transfers to Pafford Medical Services ETHAN FARMER guest writer

Illustration by GRACE BROWN

NATALIA LAGO is the community editor for The Bison. She may be contacted at nlago@harding.edu.

The Searcy City Council acknowledged the transfer of ownership of Northstar EMS to Pafford Medical Services during its meeting Tuesday night.

Northstar owner Donald Shull had previously informed the council about his retirement and introduced Jamie PaffordGresham, the CEO of Pafford Medical Services, as the new owner.

In response to questions from the council, Pafford-Gresham said the transfer of ownership will not affect any current operations or employment within the company.

“One of the promises that I have made to the NorthStar family is that I’m not

changing NorthStar,” Pafford-Gresham said. “Our company is founded on taking care of others, and that starts with the men and women in our company.”

She said Pafford Medical Services is a 59-year-old family owned and operated company founded in Arkansas, with operations across six states and nearly one-third of Arkansas counties.

Pafford-Gresham highlighted the Northstar EMS services in Searcy and said they are a strong and respected crew, and hopes the new acquisition will create further opportunities to expand operations in the community.

City Council member David Morris questioned Pafford-Gresham about changes to the company’s title.

“There’s going to be no change, and is that what I’m hearing from you,” Morris asked.

Pafford-Gresham responded that the Northstar name would remain, though it may include the phrase “Powered by Pafford” due to its ownership changing.

She added that Pafford Medical Services does not plan to alter the company’s operations, staffing or deployment of assets in the community.

“That’s what we want people to know in the community, is that it may be a different owner, but it’s still going to be Northstar EMS,” Pafford-Gresham said.

ETHAN FARMER is a guest writer for The Bison. He can be contacted at efarmer@harding.edu.

3B FEATURES

Friday, September 11, 2026

Expressing emotion through every note DANAE LUCIO opinions editor

Mandy McDaniel, a senior child life major, released her second instrumental piano EP, “When the Heart Breaks,” on Sept. 4.

McDaniel started her music journey at a young age. She grew up playing by ear and experimenting with the piano, rather than following traditional learning methods. She went through multiple piano teachers who encouraged her to focus on scales and theory, but she found greater freedom in creating.

McDaniel had brain surgery in eighth grade and she said people around her were worried about it affecting her ability to play; however, her talent remained intact, and she continued developing her art. She released her first EP, “Landmarks,” when she was a senior in high school.

Her songwriting process is mainly based on memory and experimentation. She often records short ideas on voice memos, returning and adding to them later and, over time, piecing songs together.

“A lot of the time, I find the most inspiration through my emotions, going through hard things,” McDaniel said. “Writing has definitely been an outlet for me to decompress, relieve stress and process hard things.”

“When the Heart Breaks” drew inspiration from McDaniel’s personal experiences and emotions.

Her piano mentor, Carly Kennedy, encouraged and supported McDaniel through the process. Kennedy also helped connect her with a recording opportunity in her hometown at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Her music is as beautiful as her personality, so it creates this lovely, peaceful, musical vibe when she plays,” Kennedy said. “I think everything really comes from the heart. She’s really authentic.”

Senior Gracie Tiller, McDaniel’s childhood friend, saw her ability develop firsthand, to the point of playing a song quickly and without sheet music.

“If we have guests over at the house, people will ask her, ‘Oh, can you play this song?,’” Tiller said. “She can just translate it into music on the piano. It’s very interesting.”

Before college, McDaniel said people would ask if she wanted to pursue music as her major. Instead, she found her purpose in becoming a child life specialist.

“My greatest fear is losing my passion for it, so that’s why I didn’t want to study music, as it would just turn into my job,” McDaniel said.

Photo provided by MANDY MCDANIELS

Senior Mandy McDaniels sits at a piano during the recording session for her newest EP, “When the Heart Breaks.”

Listen to the album online at the QR code: Even though Mandy does not plan to fully devote herself to music as a career, she hopes to keep writing and making more albums and eventually work toward having her music considered for film scores.

“I think the great thing about music is you don’t ever have to stop,” McDaniel said.

“Piano and music are something you can carry DANAE LUCIO is the opinions editor with you for the rest of your life.” for The Bison. She may be contacted at dlucio@harding.edu.

Weaver remembered by CSD faculty

Portrait of a poet

KENZIE JAMES editor-in-chief

Photo by JENNA HUTCHENS

One of the portraits from Holsinger’s exhibition “4 Photos: A Girl, a Boy, a Cowboy, and a Ghost,” displayed in the Stevens Art Gallery until Oct. 8.

AUDREY LITTLE assistant copy editor Four large print pictures are displayed in the Stevens Art Gallery, next to handwritten journal entries and poems from freelance photographer and journalist Philip Holsinger.

Holsinger, who is an adjunct professor this semester, named this exhibition “4 Photos: A Girl, a Boy, a Cowboy, and a Ghost” after the four images the showcase centers around.

The photos were from the two years he spent in El Salvador covering stories on the aftermath of gang wars and the Venezuelan deportees from the U.S. The gallery is also an expression of Holsinger’s personal experiences in El Salvador, the thoughts and opinions he wasn’t able to share with the larger press in his news stories.

Holsinger grew up journaling and writing poetry, but never thought much of his abilities until his mother submitted one of his poems to a contest where it won. Even still, he studied architecture instead of journalism, but poetry has always been a deep part of his life.

“Poetry is the imagery of emotion—it’s like music,” Holsinger said. “Poetry, to me, is one of the most pure forms of human expression because the words and their meanings change, culture changes meanings, but with music it’s hard to lock it in because it’s a relationship. You hear it, internalize it with your memory and life, and it becomes a meaning that something can’t undo.”

His private journals, he said, are music, harmonizing with his photographs and turning them into an extraordinary memory.

Harding alumna Audrey Jackson spent a week with Holsinger during his time in

El Salvador, reporting for The Christian Chronicle. She is mentioned as ‘the young journalist’ or ‘young photographer’ in several of the personal journals hanging in the gallery, as she prompted many of the self-reflective moments that spurred the gallery.

“You don’t have to spend much time with Philip before you realize he has a strong conviction to tell stories that are deeper and more profound than the surface level stories many of us are used to,” Jackson said.

Holsinger’s gallery displayed his poetry and photography, examining the relationship between wonder and suffering, between people in pain; the people who have caused pain and the people who continue to truly live in spite of the horror of the world around them.

The Stevens Art Gallery has hosted artwork from many Harding students and faculty since the early 2000s. However, the current office manager and gallery coordinator, Carissa Watson, said it doesn’t always exclusively feature Harding affiliates.

“It’s mostly Harding people or Harding related things, but not always,” Watson said.

“We do have a lot of visiting artists.”

In the past, it has also displayed work from Arkansas artists like John Roberts, Marjorie William Smith and AJ Smith in 2023, and others like Miguel Covarrubias, a painter popular in the 1920s and ‘30s.

Holsinger, who has been published in Time and CBS 60 Minutes, opened his exhibition to the public on Sept. 3 and it will be open until Oct. 8.

AUDREY LITTLE is the assistant copy editor for The Bison. She may be contacted at alittle4@harding.edu.

Beckie Weaver, a retired Dean of the College of Allied Health and a communications sciences and disorders professor, died on Aug. 31, 2026, at age 75.

Weaver graduated from Harding with her husband Gene in 1973, and returned in 1984 to teach communications sciences and disorders. During her time teaching at Harding, the CSD program was first part of the communication department, became its own department, was part of the college of communication and moved to the College of Allied Health in 2011. Weaver was the founding dean of the college and stayed in that role until she retired in 2019. She also helped to start the Harding in Zambia Speech-Language Pathology study abroad program in 2010 and oversaw the trip for six years.

Weaver accomplished a lot in her career, but she also impacted a lot of students and faculty by building personal relationships with them. She taught many of the current faculty when they were students and later hired them, like assistant professor April Watson.

“The dean of allied health—that’s a big job, but it felt like she was never too busy to spend time with us and to have a good time,” Watson said.

Weaver was known for being intentional about building relationships with students and faculty, and she always knew what the other person needed.

Photo provided by JAN TRAUGHBER

Beckie Weaver dresses up as the Statue of Liberty for an America-themed party with the CSD department.

Pharmacy student accepted into competitive program LORELAI CURTIS sports editor Hunter Corker, a third-year pharmacy student at the College of Pharmacy, was selected nationwide by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) for their year-long program on Aug. 25.

The AACP chose students from 141 schools of pharmacy, in which one student

from each school can apply for the program.

Only 29 students are selected in total. “[The] organization is the professional society that faculty members of pharmacy schools belong to,” the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Dr. Julie Hixson-Wallace, said.

For Corker, the opportunity provides a chance to gain valuable experience in pharmaceuticals while working with others from all over the country.

Read the full story online at frontlawnmedia.com

Photo provided by JAN TRAUGHBER

Beckie and Gene Weaver sit in lawn chairs at a party for the CSD students.

Photo by JEFF MONTGOMERY

Beckie Weaver will be remembered at a memorial service during Harding’s homecoming weekend.

“She could be a teacher with deadlines and with consequences if they were deserved, but she also was instantly a mom and mentor, and she could read it in your body language and your eyes when you walked in,” associate professor Jan Traughber said.

Traughber and department chair Melanie Meeker were also students of Weaver’s in the 1990s, who she brought back to the CSD department as faculty.

Meeker said Weaver also helped her students by pushing them to grow and try new things they didn’t think they could do.

“She believed in people who didn’t believe in themselves quite yet, and she was a dreamer for them; she would see potential in them and she would plant a seed,” Meeker said.

All three women described Weaver as the life of the party. Watson and Traughber said Weaver hosted themed parties for the department and was known for going allout in her costume—like dressing up as the Statue of Liberty or a citizen of the Capitol from “The Hunger Games.”

“She wasn’t afraid to have a good time,” Watson said. “We used to have big end of the year parties, and she would dress up and be completely into all the action.”

Weaver also decorated the CSD hallway in the Swaid in different themes to make the learning environment fun for students.

The faculty continued this tradition after Weaver retired, and the hallway was filled with Harry Potter decor at the beginning of the fall 2026 semester.

“That engagement between the faculty working together to get it done for the students is how she’s built this legacy,” Traughber said.

“The students love this department. They loved her, and we’re just following in her lessons.”

Weaver’s family held a memorial service for her on Saturday, Sept. 5, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where Weaver and her husband, Gene, moved after she retired.

Rachel Dennison, Weaver’s daughter, said on Facebook that a second memorial service will be held in Searcy on Harding’s homecoming weekend in November.

KENZIE JAMES is the editor-in-chief for The Bison. She may be contacted at kjames7@harding.edu.

Read Corker’s story and more features online at frontlawnmedia.com

4B LIFESTYLE

Friday, September 11, 2026

Remembering 9/11, 25 years later

Faculty and staff reflect on experiencing the tragedy as students KENZIE JAMES editor-in-chief As senior Jeremy Beauchamp walked to chapel on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, he had no idea about the attacks that had just occurred.

“There was nothing about September 10 that made you think that we were really living in fear of something happening here,” Beauchamp said.

Even as he heard other students talking about a plane going into a building, Beauchamp thought they were talking about a video game.

When chapel started, President David Burks walked to the podium on the Benson stage and shared the news about the attack on the World Trade Center. After the announcement and a prayer, the students walked to the student center to watch the news reports.

Some classes met and discussed the attacks, while others were canceled. Students filled the student center all day, quietly watching the news.

“I’ve never had a feeling like that since, just like there’s something in the pit of your stomach that makes everything feel wrong and eerie and surreal, and everybody kind of walking around a little like zombies,” Beauchamp said.

While Beauchamp, who is a current adjunct professor of communications, and most of the student body were in the Benson and the student center, another group of students learned of the World Trade Center attacks in the Camp Tahkodah mess hall. Senior Jonathan Singleton, currently the chair of the English department, and f reshman Logan Light, now the dean of spiritual life

and chapel programs, were both at the Bible majors’ retreat on Sept. 11.

The students started their day with a devotional, then spread out around the camp to pray. Singleton said he sat on a rock by the river to pray. The students were gathered back to the mess hall and Dr. Ken Neller shared the news about the twin towers being hit.

“It was a very intense moment, and I remember us all being very worried and praying about things,” Singleton said.

When the group returned to campus, Light said he remembered joining the other students standing in the student center watching the news coverage.

“It just felt pretty discombobulating, and what stands out to me is that Harding responded in that very communal way, kind of drawing together,” Light said.

Beauchamp, who was the head photographer for The Bison, said the newspaper staff focused on getting reactions from people and trying to connect the story to the Harding community.

In The Bison issues following 9/11, reporters shared stories of how individual students and faculty were affected by the attacks. Some students had family in New York or Washington, D.C. The HUF and HUE programs were delayed because of the uncertainty surrounding air travel. Gas prices in Searcy increased. So many students decided to donate blood at two social clubs’ annual blood drive that they were turned away at the doors. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled his scheduled ASI speech.

Sears Hall residents held a bake sale to raise money for the Red Cross. Students enlisted in the National Guard, including current assistant Bible professor Jason Darden (who

Students drive hours to attend concerts

Photo from THE BISON ARCHIVES

The Bison front page on Sept. 14, 2001, displays a picture of students gathered in the student center on Sept. 11 watching live news coverage about the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. was a sophomore at the time), were called The Harding community, the U.S. and the away from campus and deployed overseas. world have remembered the 25th anniversary Twenty-four hours after the towers were with prayer services, wreath layings and events hit, Beauchamp, Singleton, Light and the that encourage the community to come student body gathered for chapel. A large together to remember the first responders American flag nearly spanned the width of and all the lives lost during the 9/11 attacks. the Benson stage. Dr. Burks walked to the “It just reminds you of the heroism of the podium again and read Psalm 46 to remind people who responded, who gave everything,” students that God was still in control.

Beauchamp said. “I think it’ll continue to be “My memory of being at Harding around a cultural touchpoint for us.”

September 11 was trying to look to God and understand that God was doing something KENZIE JAMES is the editor-in-chief bigger than just the United States,” Singleton for The Bison. She can be contacted said. at kjames7@harding.edu.

Ring by spring: Legend has it that couples that get together during the fall semester will be engaged by the end of the spring semester.

Three swings and a ring: The idea that if a couple frequents one of Harding’s many swing sets at least three times, they’re guaranteed to tie the knot eventually.

KENNEDY PICKER lifestyle editor

Attending concerts is a staple for many Harding students, and students have already traveled this semester to watch artists perform live in Fayetteville, Little Rock and New Orleans.

Pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer performed at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Aug. 18. The Band Camino opened the show.

Although this concert was on the second day of the fall semester and took place three hours from Searcy, senior Emma Adams and her friends made the drive to attend the performance.

“Senior year spontaneity is what really got me to go, it’s my last year so I have this ‘yes’ attitude where I’m saying yes to everything,” Adams said.

Country music artist Ella Langley performed at the Simmons Bank Arena four days later on Aug. 22. Over 15,000 tickets were sold for the Little Rock stop on Langley’s “Dandelion Tour.” Senior Max Thweatt bought a couple of those tickets.

“I bought tickets an hour before because my roommate Dusty Lee convinced me to,” Thweatt said.

Celebrity rapper, Drake, also attended the concert and some Harding students spotted him in the crowd.

“It was such a surprise to see him in Little Rock, Arkansas, and watching the crowd reaction to him singing ‘Choosin Texas’ on the big screen was a highlight for sure,” Thweatt said.

Rapper and songwriter Kanye West, professionally known as Ye, performed a sold-out show at the Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Aug. 28. A few Harding students made the nearly 500-mile drive to New Orleans to attend the concert.

Junior Davis Lusk traveled seven hours with five other students but he said that it was worth it.

“Kanye is definitely one of my favorite artists, so seeing some of my favorite songs

The Stu: The student center. The “Stu Pit” refers to the common area in front of Tacker’s Shake Shack.

Graphic by GRACE BROWN

GAC: Ganus Activities Complex; the gym where people go to work out/scroll Instagram reels.

HUF, HUG, HUE, HUA, HULA, HIZ: Acronyms for study abroad programs Bucking: When a guy tries a little too hard to get beauxed for a women’s club.

Cathcart Crack: The gap between Cathcart Hall and the Public Safety building; a popular pickup spot for friends.

Holly Wally: The Holland-Waller building.

MO: Midnight Oil, Harding’s beloved local coffee shop.

PNM: Potential new member of a social club

Photo provided by LANDRY EARNEST

Seniors Emma Adams, Landry Earnest and Kaitlyn Mulcahy stand in the crowd after The Band Camino performed the opening set at a 5 Seconds of Summer concert in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Aug. 18. being performed live was amazing,” Lusk said.

“My favorite part was when he performed ‘Father Stretch my Hands’ three times in a row.”

Finally, pop artist Benson Boone performed at the Simmons Bank Area in Little Rock on Aug. 29. Harding students from every class went to see Boone perform at his “Wanted Man Tour.”

Freshman Joe Boone was in a group of ten freshmen at the Benson Boone concert that got their tickets upgraded to the pit for free.

Joe Boone said being so close to the artist during the performance was the best part of his experience. “Even though I wasn’t a big fan before, I’m a huge fan now,” Boone said.

“He was such a good performer that it didn’t even matter if I knew all the songs or not.”

KENNEDY PICKER is the lifestyle editor for The Bison. She can be contacted at kpicker2@harding.edu.

Photo provided by JULIA CARLIN

Pop artist Benson Boone performs in the Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock on Aug. 29.

There are 7 stars hiden on the grid. Each row, column and colored region can only have one star each. The stars cannot touch in any direction, including diagonally.

There is only one possible solution.

Answers here!

By AIDAN EFAW