The Bison Newspaper - Vol. 97, No. 7

Facebook: Harding Facebook: Harding Facebook: Harding Facebook: Harding Facebook: Harding University Student University Student University Student University Student University Student Publications Publications Publications Publications Publications

THE

@HUStudentPubs @HUStudentPubs @HUStudentPubs @HUStudentPubs @HUStudentPubs

A RD D IN N UBBB N V E O I TN N Y S T U D E N T P U B L I C AT I O N AAAHHA GGGUUU NNN I IVIVV EER SSS IITITTYYYASSSTH TTTTTG PPPPPU LLLIIIIC IN D EEEN N U C A IIO O N TTU U D N U HAR ARD RDIDN IN DEE N U CA ATRTTIIS O N ERR UD

THE THE THE

Nov. 12, 2021 Sept.

24, 2021 Sept.

24, 2021 Sept.

17, 2021 Sept.

17, 2021 Vol. 97, No. 07 Vol. 97, No. 03 Vol. 97, 03 Vol. 97,No. No. 02 Vol. 97, No. 02

Searcy, Searcy, Online atatat TheLink.Harding.edu Searcy, Online TheLink.Harding.edu Searcy, Ark., 72149 Online TheLink.Harding.edu Online at TheLink.Harding.edu Searcy,Ark., Ark.,72149 72149

NEWS 2A NEWS NEWS NEWS .2A 2A NEWS 2A NEWS NEWS. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2A OPINIONS .

3&4A OPINIONS . . . . . . . . . . . .

3&4A 3&4A OPINIONS OPINIONS 3&4A OPINIONS 3&4A OPINIONS OPINIONS SPORTS SPORTS. .. . . . . . . . . . . . .1&2B .1&2B . .1B 1B SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS 1&2B SPORTS COMMUNITY COMMUNITY. . . . . . . . . . . . .2B 2B 3B FEATURES FEATURES 3B FEATURES FEATURES 3B FEATURES FEATURES. FEATURES.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .3B 3B 4B LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE 4B LIFESTYLE 4B LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4B 4B

Searcy, Ark., 72149

to help remember ‘I wantone-cent to beNever abletax Searcy renewal passes Never forget forget search update Presidential and tell their stories’ backyard and impacts the nature of my neighbors ... A nice Searcy, a cleaner Searcy, is a better place for Harding.”

The City of Searcy will have more money go toward basic services — such

have voted in favor of making the tax permanent. Betsy Bailey, the school and community coordinator for Searcy Public Schools and member of the Move Searcy For ward committee, said she

“A permanent tax will ensure quality services are provided, and it will also EMMA JONES digital content editor provide an avenue for thinking ahead to what we might be able to provide in CAROLINE BIRDWELL terms of parks and recreation and future head copy editor quality of life projects and endeavors,” Bailey said.

EVERETT KIRKMAN The total annual revenue f rom the editor-in-chief permanent sales tax is projected to be around $6.5 million. This revenue will Searcy citizens voted in favor of making be split up as follows: $2.644 million a one-cent sales tax permanent during to inf rastructure, $1.566 million to a special election that was determined police and fire departments, $694,000 on Tuesday, Nov. 9. to parks and recreation, $653,000 to In the results of the election, the tax sanitation departments, $500,000 to received 1,593 votes, or 56.09%, in its economic development, $250,000 to favor and 1,247 votes, or 43.91%, in the reserve fund and $193,000 to courts opposition. and administration.

T h e on e - c e n t t a x w a s o r i g i n a l l y Dr. David Burks, University president, instituted in April 2012 as a temporary said he supports the renewal of the sales tax effective through June 2013. one-cent sales tax and the utilization This revenue helped fund Arkansas’ of the tax revenues for city funding. highway bypass project. In July 2014, “Sales taxes are an ideal way to pay a second temporary one-cent tax was for city services because they allow us established, effective through June 2022. to collect revenue f rom everyone who Photo by MADISON MEYER Photo by MADISON MEYER In Februar y 2021, a special election passes through town and utilizes our Dr.Jack Jack Shock, Shock, distinguished distinguished professor professor of of communication, communication, and Dr. and Dr. Dr. Ginger Ginger Blackstone, Blackstone, associate associate professor professor of of communication, share their firsthand experiences in media from Sept.

11, 2001, with honors communication was communication, held in attemptsshare to make tax services rather than have 100% of that theirthe firsthand experiences in media from Sept. 11, 2001, with honors communication Photos by MADISON MEYER students.

Students and faculty visited the 9/11 memorial in Downtown Manhattan on Thursday, Sept. 9.

by MADISON permanent, butStudents the effortsand failed leading burden paid forPhotos by those who liveMEYER within students. faculty visited the 9/11 memorial in Downtown Manhattan on Thursday, Sept. 9.

Emily Stinnett was a student on “My job was to bring the story out,” Blackstone worked as a producer for CNN theJunior Photo

by JEFF MONTGOMERY to this second special election. city limits,” Burks said.

“The oneJunior Emily Stinnett was a student on “My job was to bring the story out,” Blackstone worked as a producer for CNN Photo

by JEFF MONTGOMERY EVERETT KIRKMAN Charles Ganus, head of the person, Harding presidential president the board and Lindy member of the trip and created aIngram, video$2.6 documentary of Atlanta in Septemberof2001.

She andof hertrustees; Shock said.search committee; Dr. RobertinWalker, EVERETT KIRKMAN “By nature I am an anti-tax cent renewal provides million per Charles Ganus, head of the Harding presidential search committee; Dr. Robert Walker, president of the board of trustees; and Lindy Ingram, member of the trip and created a video documentary of in Atlanta in September 2001.

She and her Shock said. editor-in-chief the board of trustees, leave the American Heritage building Sept. 10. team have since received an Emmy Award it. A shorter version of her work, specifically Even national newsoncorrespondents editor-in-chief theI board of ytrustees, leave thever American Heritage building Sept. 10. but view cit and local taxes y for infversion rastructure improvements it. A shorter of her work, specifically team have since received an Emmy Award year Even national newsoncorrespondents for“ There’s their reporting work over the course of Solomon, from outlets like NBC, ABC and Eleven honors communication students University focused on theofreflection of students, chair the Lipscomb Board of a number good things president.

This marked theCNN first for“ There’s their reporting work of over the course of for like NBC, ABC and CNN Eleven honors communication students from outlets focused on theofreflection of students, EVERETT KIRKMAN different,” vice president of enrollment our citizens.”

Solomon, chair theon Lipscomb Board a number of good things president.

This marked the firstas the Photo by MADISON MEYER KIRKMAN was shown in chapel Friday, Sept.

10.of weeks following the attacks, as America had restricted access at ground zero, and fiveEVERETT communication department faculty University Trustees, said in a statement at the time happening here at Harding right now,” time an outside executive search firm was editor-in-chief the weeks following the attacks,right as America hadan restricted access at search groundfirm zero, as happening and five communication department faculty time was shown in in chapel on Friday, Sept.

10. services Steve Lake said.

“To me,City they The results ofa the vote are Trustees, said statement at awaiting the time here at now,” outsideGuard executive was Graphic byHarding macrovector / Freepik editor-in-chief Her project documented the visit to the learned about the terrorists’ motives and the the National patrolled what was an members traveled to New York from hired ofHer theproject announcement.

Ganus said.

“I’m looking forward to the by the University for thiswhat process. learned about the terrorists’ motives and the the National Guard patrolled was an traveled to the Newcommunity; York City fromashired documented the visit to the add members quality of life to sanitation, street and roadway repair, believes the tax becoming permanent certification, happening today, Nov. 12. of the announcement.

Ganus said. “I’m looking forward to the memorial, by the University for this would process. as wella as visitsalso to St. Paul’s U.S.president government’s responsethe in mission real time. ongoing investigation.

Journalists often new Sept.

8-12 Charles to observe the 20th anniversary York College, continuing “We are conductingJournalists a nationwide search Alumnus Ganus, board member U.S.president government’s responsethe in mission real time.of ongoing investigation. would often new Sept.

8-12 Charles to observe the 20th anniversary memorial, as wella school as visitsalso to affiliated St. Paul’s York College, school affiliated continuing of “We are conducting a nationwide search Alumnus Ganus, board member they of add to theterrorist community.

I onandspeak competitive police and firefighter anFor important step for11, 2001, future her of chapel, Trinity Church and the Engine 54, Blackstone, Sept. to Shock as a liason, then isHarding theamenities Sept. 11, 2001, attacks theTrinity Churches of Christ, — continuing for 2001, it to was be the for a president that will who lead would Harding and chairman of 2001, the presidential search For Blackstone, Sept. 11, her with speak to Shock as a liason, who would then Harding of chairman the Sept. 11, terrorist attacks on for chapel, Church and theannounced Engine 54, with the Churches of Christ, announced — continuing for itplane to was be the a president that will lead Harding and ofbecause the Center presidential search Ladder 4, Battalion firehouse on 8th Ave. day off.

Unaware of the initial crash, enter the Red Cross area to find someone the World Trade in New York support city tax it stays in my wages — now that S earc y residents Searcy. the appointment of a99new president on June special place it hasof been.

I look forward University in its Cross vision area as a Christ-centered committee, saidTrade while Center the process isNew ongoing, day off.

Unaware the initial plane crash, enter the Red to find someone the World in York Ladder 4, Battalion firehouse on 8th place it has been.

I look forward theMidtown appointment of a new president on Ave. June inshare its vision as a Christ-centered special committee, saidstudent while the process isfulfilled ongoing,an University in Manhattan.

Fifteen firefighters when the second plane hit the second tower, willing to their story.

City.

Each on the trip 12, 2020. Dr. Samuel A. Smith, anfirefighters alumnus the next president building on that.” the presidential search committee’s rolean institution ofshare higher education,” Walker said towhen the second plane hit the second tower, willing to their story.

City.

Each student on the trip fulfilled in Midtown Manhattan.

Fifteen to the next president building on that.” institution of higher education,” Walker said thehonors presidential search committee’s role 12, 2020.

Dr. Samuel A. Smith, an alumnus from Engine has Co.served 54 went to the World two cell phones,also landline and BlackBerry “At that“We moment, that firefighter became herOther contract on ahe topic related to 9/11, in February. the college, as president since colleges affiliated with the of are searching for a mature is now over.

He said andrelated other to board two cell phones,also landline and BlackBerry “At that“We moment, that firefighter became herOther contract on ahe topic 9/11, in from Engine has Co.served 54 went to the World colleges affiliated with the Trade is honors now over.

He said and other board February. aresaid. searching for a to mature of the Center college, as2001, president since on Sept.

11, and all began to ring at the same time.

After my client,” Shock “It was up me to the events surrounding it and the effects July 6, 2020, after spending nearly 20 none years of Christ havesame recently gone of the church of“It Christ who isme ledto Churches members were grateful for the time and member all began to ring at the time.

After my client,” Shock said. was up to the events surrounding it and the effects Trade Center on Sept.

11, 2001, and none Christ recently gone Christ who is led members were grateful for the time and member July 6, 2020, after spending years — the most men lostnearly from a20single learning ofofthe events,have she was advised to returned ensure of hethe hadchurch a safeof experience that did Churches felt worldwide. a variety Lipscomb. transitions. the word of God the Holythat Spirit, effort every committee member put into byensure learningpresidential of the events, she was advised to inreturned he had a safeand experience did through felt worldwide.

—of theroles mostatmen lost fromSmith’s a single presidential transitions. effortThe every committee into bynot theexploit word of God Spirit, in a variety of roles Lipscomb.

Smith’s company thatatday.

The firefighters stay home and rest up for the work that engine him, thatand didthe notHoly put him in a through group visited themember Sept. 11put Memorial willsexual take day. placeThe today.

Onhome Aug. 5, Lipscomb in inauguration narrowing the visited searchthe forSept. the University’s the that spread the gospel of a stay The discrimination, harassment The U.S. and Department ofUniversity Education’s domestic violence, assault or firefighters stalking will rest up for the work that not Liberty exploitto him, didof not put himand in The group 11 Memorial committed engine company that shared their stories with the would ensue 5, in Lipscomb days and weeks to come.in there zone that would unhealthy him, and and Museum at ground zeroUniversity’s on Thursday, committed On Aug. University to thebe spread of theforgospel of narrowing the search for the inauguration willpersonal take place today.

“Smith has proven himself to bethe aas Nashville, Tennessee, announced the Christ and focused on strengthening the next would ensue in days and weeks to come. zone that would be unhealthy for him, and andpresident.

Museum at ground zero on Thursday, there shared their personal stories with sexual misconduct policy includes an amnesty Office for Civil Rights enforces Title IX of not be subject to disciplinary sanctions, such EVERETT andhas faculty and shared memories “All of the Turner networks, allthe of students also toand accompany to and throughthe the Nashville, Sept.

9. While KIRKMAN there, Dr. Jack Shock, Christ Tennessee, announced focused him on strengthening next president.

“Smith proven himself to be a thoughtful listener with a visionary spirit,” appointment of the university ’s 18th University in its pursuit of excellence in On Oct. 30, 2020, the retirement of Dr. “All of the Turner networks, all of suspension alsowhich to accompany him to and through Sept. 9. While there, Dr. Jack Shock,clause, students and faculty andforshared memories encourages complainant, witnessesthe Education of— 1972 or probation, violations of the editor-in-chief colleagues that had been lost. them — evenAmendments like TBS they were of interview.” distinguished professor of communication, in its pursuit of excellence in the appointment of TNT, the university ’s(Title 18th On Oct. 30, 2020, the retirement of Dr. University thoughtful listener with a visionary spirit,” Dr. R.ofWayne White, chairman oforthe York president — Dr. Candice McQueen, former Bruce McLarty professor as University president was and higher education.” them — even like TNT, TBS — they were interview.” distinguished of communication, of colleagues that had been lost. others to report prohibited conduct and IX).

Among other things, Title IX states, code conduct that occurred at near the saidWhite, one of chairman the most memorable all simulcasting CNN,McQueen, including former CNN Dr.Stinnett Shock described the many interviews president wasMcLarty interviewed by multiple news outlets — Dr. Candice higher education.”

Bruce as University president was R. Wayne of the York College Board of Trustees, said.

“After Tennessee commissioner ofincluding education and announced to the Harding community via participate Two weeks after this announcement, all simulcasting CNN, CNN Shock described the many interviews was interviewed by multiple news outlets Stinnett said one of the most memorable in investigations of prohibited conduct.

“No person in the United States shall, on the time of the incident if the University learned moments of the of trip to her was reading International,” Blackstone said.

“The thinking heweeks took part in, where he stood directly Tennessee about experiences at ground zero invia the that On Oct. his 24,to ProPublica published a lengthy of education and interviewing announced the Harding community Two after this announcement, College Board Trustees, said.

“After several candidates, it former deancommissioner the university’s department Harding constituents received email basis anabout emailhis from Board of at Trustees International,” Blackstone “The thinking that hestates took part in, and where stood directly experiences groundChairman zero in was theThe moments of tripgreat to her was reading clause that the university willan provide ofthere’s sex, beof excluded participation the violation because ofpeople the complainant’s the names of the the 2,977 that diedit was, no point infrom ussaid. clamoring over of behind the camera theheinterviewer, as former weeks following the attacks.

Shock dean of the university’s department Harding constituents received an email an email from Board of Trustees Chairman interviewing several great candidates, report detailing the stories of over a dozen was apparent that Smith’s experiences in of education.

McQueen was the first female from the presidential search committee, Dr. Robert Walker the on behalf of Shock the entire was, there’s no point in us clamoring over behind the camera and the interviewer, as weeks following attacks. was the names of the 2,977 people that died amnesty from policy violations related to the in, be denied the benefits ofwas or be to or witness’s report orSmith’s participation.” on 9/11, seeing their faces in photos andin right now, we just need to centralize a presence of familiarity. called to Walker New York by a former student, from the presidential search committee, ofresources education.

McQueen thesubjected first female Dr. Robert on behalf of thewhom entire was apparent that experiences former Liberty University students, all of higher education were the best match for requesting input for future presidential president hired inany the Church Christ board.

On Feb. 10, Walker the incident, resources right now, weeducation just need program toofcentralize a presence of familiarity. called toIrby, Newnational York bymarketing a announced former student, onZach 9/11, seeing their faces in photos and including personal consumption of discrimation under or Neal, Title IX decision maker and learning more about their individual lives. the message.”

“I could stop the interview if I saw him Darren officer of president hired in the Church of Christ requesting input for future presidential board.

On Feb. 10, Walker announced the higher education were the best match for alleged that Irby, they were discouraged by the ofalcohol the challenges and opportunities ahead.” school’s 130-year history. candidates.

The survey included questions formation of a presidential search committee the message.”

“I could stop the interview if I saw him Darren national marketing officer learning more about their individual lives. or other drugs or sexual immorality. activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” dean of students, said the University takes all “I think it’s easy to define those people Blackstone said the channel stopped in distress, and I made that clear with the the American Red Cross, to assist with Red school’s 130-year history. formation of a presidential search committee candidates.

The survey included questions the challenges and opportunities ahead.” university from sharing their stories of sexual Candidates foreasy the role of Harding president “IBlackstone am confident that her vision, deep reports characteristics and qualities inthe a campus-wide The committee saidbreaks the channel stopped in distress, and I made thatvice clear with one the running American Red email.

Cross, to assist with Red regarding “I think it’s to define those people Scott Lamb, former senior president Title IX defines sexual harassment and requires of sexual harassment seriously. by their death,” Stinnett said.

“I mean it commercial for two full weeks. reporter,” Shock said.

“The number Cross media relations.

“I am passion confident that her vision, deep regarding characteristics andconsidered qualities expertise, in a campus-wide email.

Thethree committee Candidates for the role Harding president interview with the of University boardit forbreaks faith-based education included seven board members, Harding alumni, faculty staff running commercial for twoBlackstone full weeks. will reporter,” Shock said.and “The number one Cross media relations. by“We their death,” Stinnett said.

“I mean assault.

The school, founded by evangelist JerryYork students, respond with in aatimely manner was ainterview huge event, andcare it was huge attack “You just had tofor gofaith-based on feeling,” issue here is the safety and wellbeing of expertise, Seated inboard the same spot in the Harding New students, alumni, faculty and staff considered passion education included seven members, three will with the University board of trustees, who will then vote on finalists. and love for Lipscomb will lead us boldly most important for a president and what faculty members and three Harding alumni.

“You just had to go on feeling,” Blackstone issue here is the safety and wellbeing of Seated in the same spot in the New York was a huge event, and it was a huge attack Falwell, reportedly ignored multiple reports while thewill privacy ofvote individuals,” Neal — butrespecting they who deserve for their fullon stories to said.love “There was no rulebook for this.usNothing the subject, especially at this brutal time. “ and Marriott Marquis whereHarding he metalumni. with the most for Lipscomb will lead boldly important for a president and what faculty members and three of trustees, then finalists.

The board has not publicly announced a newhad season greatness, exemplified theespecially president should be prepared Upon the announcement of met theSeptember search said.athis “There was noof rulebook forLike, this. when Nothing theDr. subject, at this brutal time. “ into Marriott Marquis where he with the challenges —remembered but they deserve foron their full stories to of Upon rape sexual assault and threatened to said in an email statement Nov. 10.

“We want be and told.

I want to be able like ever happened. is restand of his team each morning in Ginger Blackstone, associate professor into athis newhad season of greatness, exemplified the announcement of in theSeptember search challenges the president should be prepared The board hasthey not publicly announced a date on which expect to announce a by excellence, diversity and immersion in to address. committee, Walker also announced the like ever happened.

Like, when is Dr. Ginger Blackstone, associate professor rest of his team each morning be remembered and told.

I want to be able to help remember andexpect tell their stories.” it okay to run diversity a commercial again? When communication, was beside Shock in by 2001, Shock the students histhe two toofaddress. punish accusers fortold breaking its moralofcode, all students to bethey aware of the Victim Rightsa excellence, and immersion in committee, Walker also announced date on which to announce regarding and the new hiring.

Incommunication, the meantime, Ganus hethe felt blessedin our community together again? we work to decision appointment oftold anzero executive search firm, it it okay to run a as commercial When wassaid beside Shock 2001, Shock the students of his two of to help remember tell immunity their stories.” the seating area, sharing with is appropriate?” weeks at ground with the Red Cross. includes former students said.

In the meantime, Ganus said hethe feltstudents. blessed transform our we work to handout, appointment of to anzero executive search decisionwhich regarding thethe new hiring. clause, the livesasoftogether our students,” David Dr. David Burks’ interim CarterBaldwin, aid the search for afirm, new bythe is itcommunity appropriate?” weeks at ground with the Red Cross. seating area, sharing withpresidency. students.

According to the report, former for students transform the lives of our students,” David made available in the Student Life Handbook CarterBaldwin, to aid three the search a new by Dr. David Burks’ interim presidency. and online via Harding’s webpages at Student who have come forward recall signing forms Life, Public Safety and the Counseling Center. acknowledging their potential violations of Additional information can be found at https:// the Liberty Way after seeking to file a sexual www.harding.edu/titleix. We encourage all assault complaint. Other students said they students to report any knowledge of dating were warned against reporting altogether. Some violence, domestic violence, sexual assault or students also said Liberty University police stalking.”

Brands Association wrote a letter to the GABRIEL HUFF officers discouraged victims from pressing The Victim Rights handout details Brands Association a letter to the GABRIEL HUFF president requesting clarification, asst. copy editor problems instead ofwrote attacking the asking woman charges after reporting assaults.

GABRIEL HUFF campus prevention programs, the immunity president requesting clarification, asst. copy editor problems instead attacking the asking woman questions suchinas, “Must an employee who’s already a of tough situation, I think GABRIEL HUFF asst.the copy editor The Liberty Way, university’s moral clause, procedures for victims, a statement of such “Must anand employee already inas, atotough situation, think I n a n e f f oasst. r t tcopy o c ueditor r b COV I D - 1 9 questions bewho’s vaccinated to work?”

“What wefully wouldn’t have ban abortions toI make code, is similar to the code of conduct outlined confidentiality, existing services available to I n Ina na 5-4 ePresident f f ovote, r t tthe o cSupreme u r bBiden COV I D -of1on 9 be fully vaccinated work?” and “What we wouldn’t havething.” totoban toone’s make numbers, Joe said are the consequences of abortions falsifying Court the abortions a rare victims, accommodations for victims, student in numbers, Harding University’s student handbook.

President Joe Biden said on are the consequences of falsifying one’s In9a 5-4 vote, therequesting Supreme Court ofnew the vaccination abortions a or rare thing.”

Sept. that hedeclined is the U.S. testing status and does the United States to block Texas’ Freshman Skyler Marcellus, secretary proceedings, student notification, student The Liberty Way lists three community vaccination or testing status and does the Sept.

9 that he is requesting the U.S. United States declined block Texas’ new Skyler Marcellus, secretary Depar tment of Labor require all responsibility restfor with the individual abortion law on Sept.

1.to to forFreshman HU Students Life, said he agreed appeal process, student disciplinary sanctions responsibility rest with the individual Depar tment of Labor to require all standards process options tothan enforce the honor abortion law on Sept.

1.

HU Life, said he agreed companies with more employees orfor employer?”

The Texas law, coined the100 Texas Heartbeat with theStudents Texas lawforbecause it aligns with and protective measures. companies with more than 100 employees employer?”

The Texas law, coined the Texas Heartbeat theKlein, Texasvalues. law because it aligns L ori assistant professor of toAct, mandate COVID-19 vaccinations or orwith code: restorative conferences, pathways and seeks to prevent abortions when a fetal his Christian Furthermore, he with said Neal said the assistant deans in the Office L ori Klein, assistant professor of to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations or Act, seeks to prevent abortions when a fetal his Christian values.

Furthermore, he said political said Harding weekly testing. heartbeat or cardiac activityfor is conduct detected in history the lawand holds peoplescience, more accountable for traditional sanctioning.

Sanctions of Student Life serve as Title IX investigators. history and political science, said Harding weekly testing. heartbeat or cardiac activity is detected in the law holds people more accountable for would also be subject to these The mandate will affect 80amillion womb, which typically begins around University their actions and saves lives. code the violations are determined upon point Kevin Davis, assistant director of public safety, The mandate will affect 80 million University would also be subject to these the womb, which typically begins around their actions and saves lives. em p weeks lguidelines, o y e einto s , wranging h i c h from i s More a lamcategory o specifically, s t t wofo - mandates if that theywebecome effective — sixof pregnancy.

“I believe need to fix the systems system serves as University Title coordinator.

Amie ethirds m p l o y e e s , w h i c h i s a l m o s t t w o mandates if they become effective — six weeks into pregnancy.

More specifically, “I believe that we need to fix the systems Photo byIX MADISON MEYER the private sector to workforce, hasgovernment more than is100 employees the actofpermitted individuals sue anyone since that itthe trying to fix with offenses worth zero to 30 points. Thirty-point Carter, assistant director of human resources, Photo by MADISON MEYER thirds of the private sector workforce, since it has more than 100 employees — the act permitted individuals to sue anyone that the government is trying to fix with Flowers are propped up beneath an American flag at the Engine 54, Ladder who performs or assists abortions.

The law abortion,” Marcellus said.

“So I believe according to AP News. The task of unless it applies for religious exemption. offenses “may include aassists $300 fine, 30 hours ofof serves as Title IX for54, employees.

Flowers are9propped upon beneath aninAmerican flag at coordinator the Engine Ladder Battalion firehouse 8th Ave., Midtown Manhattan commemorating who performs or abortions.

The law abortion,” Marcellus said.

“So I believe according AP News.

The task it applies forand religious exemption. allows citizens to produce lawsuits instead of unless we need to gosaid in wean need to fix the 4, However, she such exemption issuing thetomandates will fall upon community service and/or possible dismissal or 4, Battalion 9 firehouse Ave., Midtown Manhattan commemorating firefighters who diedon on8th Sept.

11.in This firehouse lost the most “The Office of Student Life isfirefighters open Monday allows citizens to produce lawsuits instead of However, we need to gosaid inbecause, and wean need toasfixto the she exemption issuing the mandates will upon necessitating public officials tofall enforce the foster system.

Isuch believe we need go the may becare difficult as far she the Occupational Safety and Health the9/11. firefighters who died on Sept. 11. This firehouse most expulsion,” student honor codethey Liberty’ s the may through Fridaylost fromthe 8 a.m. to firefighters 5 p.m.,” Neal necessitating public officials toregulatory enforce system.

I believe wesystems need go on becare difficult as far as to she the Occupational Safety and Health law.

Ifthe plaintiffs win a case, can obtain inaware, and we need tobecause, fix all that Administration (OSHA), aon isfoster the Church of these Christ does not on 9/11.

Graphic by COOPER TURMAN law.

If plaintiffs win adepartment. case, canBiden obtain in and we need to all systems that website states. said. “The Office of Public Safety is open 24/7 Administration (OSHA), adamages regulatory aware, the Church of‘Ifthese Christ does not a minimum $10,000 in they along is the is fix like, youvaccinations just have an agency of theoflabor have agovernment precedent of rejecting awith minimum of $10,000 incommunity;” damages alongofhave the isLiberty like, youvaccinations have an universities to follow specific procedures when and remains in communication with Student “Disruption university communications at University, told attorneys’ fees. department. abortion, this other stuff‘Ifwill bejust taken care agovernment precedent of rejecting agency of the labor Biden also said heto would sign an executive as a group, though individuals can apply withsaid attorneys’ fees. abortion, other stuff will beto taken care addressing allegations of sexual harassment.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signedProPublica ofa ’exemptions. because they areon not trying fixapply those “possession or consumption alcoholic beverages;” hethis was fired Oct. 6 “for internally Life deans including evenings and weekends. as group, though individuals can also he would an executive order to mandate allofsign federal employees for Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed of ’exemptions. because they are not trying fix of those act into law inall May, it and to takeblowing systems; they’re just to get rid the “violation ofmandate the Statement onallowing Sexuality thehave whistle thetrying storepeated Harding’s immunity clause was added to We want students to be and feel safe. Please order to federal employees for tothe get vaccinated, exempting them from “You to on have auniversity’ basis,” Klein said.

Photo by MADISON MEYER the into law inexempting May, itthe to take systems; they’re justconcerns to get rid of the University policy in the fall semester of 2016, feel free to contact effect Sept.

Some haveallowing criticized newfailures problem that’s those systems.” to getact vaccinated, them from “You have tooverloading have aobject basis,” Klein said.

Relationships (e.g.1. sexual immorality, including to respond to about sexual me by personally any weekly testing options.

Furthermore, “You can’t just say, ‘Itrying religiously.’

Photo MADISONwith MEYER Second year pharmacy student Claudia Sifford administers COVID-19 effect Sept.

1. have criticized the problem that’s overloading those systems.” law, saying sixSome weeks is not enoughwill time forassault.” weekly testing options.

Furthermore, “You can’t say, ‘Itoobject religiously.’ inappropriate personal spending thenew ProPublica reported Lamb was and was announced in chapel on Sept.

19, 2016. questions or concerns.” beginning Oct. 1,contact, immigrants be You have tojust be able saythat why.

We don’t vaccination at the student vaccine Claudia clinic held in the Liberty Room on Aug. 27.

Second yearshots pharmacy Sifford administers COVID-19 law, saying six weeks is enough time forfiling someone to seek abortion.

There are also beginning Oct. 1,an will be You bea able to say why.

We have, sorttoof, history inhe the Churches required receive vaccinations as well night with a to member ofimmigrants thenot opposite sex);” ahave federal lawsuit alleging was fireddon’t for The immunity clauseatstates “students vaccination shots the that vaccine clinic held in the Liberty Room on Aug. 27. seek an vaccinations abortion.

There are controversies regarding the medical “Very important,” Kelley said. “Because delivered law an executive have, sort of, a history in the required totopermanent receive asaccuracy well of Christ saying we don’t do Churches that.” tosomeone become residents. “refusal to submit to an Alco-Sensor test oralsobringing his concerns about Liberty’s conduct who believe by they arerather victimsthan of dating violence, of a term used in the bill: fetal heartbeat. controversies regarding the medical accuracy delivered by law rather thanoran executive said.

“Because know important,” that a lot Kelley of folks who have order, Klein said.

Christ saying don’t do that.” to become permanent residents.

Klein also saidwethe mandate would domestic Theuse announcements supplement the toof substance test;” and “procuring, financing, violence, sexual assault stalking may we “Very light.

Some professionals have said a heart does of a term used in the bill: fetal heartbeat. we know that a lot of folks who have order, Klein said. immune systems that don’t respond as A Centers for Disease Control and applyalso to students.

Biden administration’s six-prong The announcements supplement the not Klein said theassault mandate facilitating or obtaining an abortion,” are plan all “Concerns about sexual wouldwould go up obtain redress through University procedures. not form around six weeks into pregnancy.

Some professionals have said a heart does Prevention committee met Sept.

22 to robustly did not develop enough of an A Centers for Disease Control and immune systems that don’t respond as to reduce the30-point spread ofcategory, the coronavirus “ The students notsaid. covered

by Complainants and witnesses who report or Biden administration’s six-prong plan the not apply to students. listed under the among chain and then die,”are Lamb “[It was] Senior Julia Carrell said she was disappointed not form around six weeks into pregnancy. discuss who should be eligible for a immune response; it looks like from the Prevention committee met Sept.

22 to robustly did not develop enough of an and keepthe thespread countr on coronavirus track. The a conspiracy that provision,” Klein said.covered “They are “ The students are not by participate in an investigation of dating violence, to reduce ofythe other offenses. of silence.” with the Julia Texas Heartbeat Act. Senior Carrell was disappointed of the Pfizerwithresponse; the thirdit booster they discuss whobooster shoulddose be eligible for a data immune looks likethat from the plan listed or tssaid to vaccinate the that moreprovision,” likely to be Klein affected by testing said.

“They and are COVID-19 and keep theeff countr y she on track.

The “Ideally, the government should attack the with the Texas Heartbeat Act. BioNTech vaccine.

A U.S. Food and Drug are.

So it ’s just taking a little bit more data with the third booster that they COVID-19 booster dose of the Pfizervaccine requirements for large venues unvaccinated, administer booster shots, plan listed eff or ts to vaccinate the more likely to be affected by testing and roots of thethe issue,” Carrell said.

“Lotsattack of people “Ideally, government should the vaccine panel voted Sept. to to getSothem there.”

BioNTech vaccine.

A U.S. Food and17 Drug are. it ’s just taking a little bit more — football, basketball,for etc.” keep schools open, increase testing, assist unvaccinated, administer booster shots, requirements large venues Administration searching abortion is said. aysymptom larger — U.S. roots of thefor issue,” Carrell “Lots ofof people approve the on Pfizer booster shots to8.those Administration panel voted Sept.

17 to to get them there.”

Klein said basketball, states and private companies with economic recover and improve Rep. French Hill visited the University Monday, Nov. keep schools open, increase testing, assist football, etc.” issues like poverty, access toand childcare being searching for abortion ispatients. aysymptom of larger or older who are atshots high of approve the and Pfizer booster torisk those care for COVID-19 The full may filesaid lawsuits the government Klein states and private companies of65 with economic recover improve Everett Kirkman, editor-in-chief The Bison, interviewed him limited …

It could be that the woman can’t issues poverty, access childcare illness but declined to approve 65 or older and who are at high risk of summary of the plan cantobe viewed on may will face challenges Biden’s severe file lawsuits andenforcing the government care forlike COVID-19 patients.

The being full in the which HU16 TV studio. afford another child could be thatcan’t the will limited … could be[or] that woman the shots for other people intothe U.S. severe illness but declined approve the White House website. executive order since OSHA,Biden’s summary ofIt the plan canit the be viewed on face challenges enforcing woman doesn’t have emotional support.

There afford another child [or] it could be that the Hillasdiscussed the importance local government, Assistant ofvaccine nursing Photo by MADISON MEYER arose after Biden’s executive serves the primary enforcer, has only ofthe shots forprofessor other people in theKaren U.S. the Many Whitequestions House website. order since OSHA, which are so many factors that go into deciding woman have emotional support.

There Junior Emily Stinnett tries on is a Karen firefighter’s gear at the Engine 54, Ladder 4, said the booster shot ver y announcement as the administration didto serves 800mandates, enforcement officers for the Assistant professor of nursing Photo

by MADISON MEYER as the primary enforcer, hasentire only Kelley Many doesn’t questions arose after Biden’s infrastructure, inflation and his love for the state of Graphic by COOPER TURMAN take care of a child.

And if we attack those Battalion 9 firehouse on 8th Ave. in Midtown Manhattan. are so many factors that go into deciding to impor those with immunoJuniortant Emily Stinnett tries on is a firefighter’s gear at the Engine 54, Ladder 4, country.

COVID-19 not release a detailed course of action.

Kelley the booster shot ver y enforcement officers for the would entire announcement as the administration did 800 Scan thebymandates QR code to access partsaid offor the interview featured Graphic COOPER TURMAN take care ofato adetailed child.

And if weConsumer attack thoseArkansas.

Battalion firehouse on 8th Ave. in Midtown Manhattan. conditions. have beenCOVID-19 easier to enforce if they were compromising According CNBC, the impor tant9for those with immunonot release course of action. country. mandates would on Tuesday’s Live at Five news show. Interview begins at 23:00.

According to CNBC, the Consumer have been easier to enforce if they were compromising conditions.

Christian universities’ handlings of sexual assault

Students respond respond to to Students Possible vaccine vaccine mandates mandates to affect private companies, Possible to affect private companies, Supreme Court’s ruling on Supreme Court’s ruling on universities universities Texas abortion ban Texas abortion ban

Photo by CALEB CHUNN

2A

NEWS

Friday, November 12, 2021

Photo by JEFF MONTGOMERY

The Hatcher Indoor Soccer Center was dedicated Nov. 9, 2021. The facility has been in use since September 2020 and includes air conditioning, a full size practice field, weight room and observation balcony.

Hatcher Indoor Soccer Complex dedicated HAYLEY KATE WEBB guest writer Greg Hatcher and other donors were present for the dedication of the Hatcher Indoor Soccer Center on Nov. 9.

Harding head men’s soccer coach Jon Ireland said the soccer facilities would not be a reality without the support of the donors.

Ireland said the donors have completely transformed the soccer program’s facilities into some of the best in the country.

“Their incredible gifts have allowed our programs to reach kids that we may not have reached before,” Ireland said. “We are so thankful and blessed to have incredible people who have invested in the lives of our student athletes.”

The indoor soccer field was completed in 2020. Shortly after the completion of the field, the weight rooms were completed as an addition to the new indoor soccer facility.

The teams began fully utilizing the facility in September of 2020.

Over the past year, the Hatcher Indoor Soccer Center has benefited the Harding University men’s and women’s soccer programs.

Ireland said the Hatcher Indoor Soccer Center is a game changer for the Harding soccer program.

Their incredible gifts have allowed our program to reach kids that we may not have reached before.

specifically for soccer. It allows us to have more freedom and mobility in the workouts that we do. It’s also just a fun space to go kick around and hang out as a team.”

Senior men’s soccer player Jack Savage said

the indoor facility has elevated the standard of excellence within the soccer program.

“Being able to go to a school where the facilities are amazing has truly been a blessing,” Savage said.

– Jon Ireland men’s head soccer coach

“The players have access to the weight room, player lounge and field seven days a week,” Ireland said. “It is just a really great space for them to bond and improve their game.”

Senior women’s soccer player Grace Ann Green said the indoor facility has many benefits. Green said one of the nicest aspects of the new facility is that the weather is no longer a determining factor on whether the team is able to practice that day.

“It is nice knowing that we will get to practice rain or shine,” Green said. “It is also super nice to have a weight room designated

Photo by MADISON MEYER

Greg Hatcher speaks during the soccer facility dedication ceremony Nov. 9, 2021. His daughter, Larkin Hatcher, graduated from the University in 2016.

American Studies Institute holds veterans breakfast SHANNON KEYSER guest writer The American Studies Institute (ASI) held its annual veterans’ breakfast in Cone Chapel Thursday. The event lasted about an hour and included a brief presentation

by Col. James Gant. Veterans from the Searcy community were invited and served a complimentary breakfast.

“We want to honor those that have served in any branch of the military,” associate professor of history and ASI executive director John Richard Duke said. “As I look down the RSVP list, I know just about all of them.

Sometimes you forget that they spent part of their lives serving the country in this way, so you want to honor that and honor them.”

Some students also attended the breakfast and talked with the veterans while they ate.

“It’s a very informal type of thing,” ASI co-president senior Seth Sims said. “We

get to sit and talk with them about their experiences and their life.”

The breakfast aimed to show appreciation not only for veterans in the community but also for student veterans on Harding’s campus.

“Very often, student veterans feel left out,” History Department chair and ROTC faculty liaison Dr. Shawn Fisher said. “They are typically older, and they don’t fit in on campus quite as well. Something like a veterans’ breakfast is a way to make a gesture to those students showing that they are remembered, that their service is respected and that the campus cares about them.”

Student veterans and current service members compose around 0.5% of the student population on campus, and Fisher said that it can be easy to overlook these students.

“Though [non-traditional students are] a small percentage of the total student body, they’re important,” Fisher said. “As we think about ways to engage with the student body,

it’s important to remember that everybody that is sitting next to you in the classroom may not be like you. We know to think about that in terms of ethnicities and other [subjects] such as that, but sometimes military service is not on everybody’s mind.”

Something like a veterans’ breakfast is a way to make a gesture to those students [to show] that they are remembered.

– Dr. Shawn Fisher history department chair

ASI’s underlying values motivate it to host the veterans’ breakfast, Sims said.

“I think it’s important to show some sort of commemorative memorial day activity,”

Sims said. “We are the American Studies Institute, after all, and one of the aspects of ASI is history. Having something where we honor Memorial Day and honor our veterans just comes with the name. It’s something that we gladly represent and are a part of, and we are happy to host.”

One of ASI’s major goals is to form connections between students and community members, which activities like the veterans’ breakfast help do.

“ASI strives to give people at Harding access to information and people that they wouldn’t have access to,” Sims said. “ASI gives you an opportunity to meet community figures … who have served and have incredible life stories and good advice to offer. I think that ASI is a great opportunity to reach out not just to Harding but Searcy as a whole.”

Photo by MADISON MEYER

Col. James Gant speaks during the veterans’ breakfast Nov. 11, 2021. Students currently serving in the military, student veterans, and veterans from the Searcy community were invited to attend the event.

OPINIONS 3A

TheLink.Harding.edu

Hengel Zelaya Guest Writer

L

atin American students at Harding represent less than 3% of the student body, making us a minority. Transitioning f rom the Latin American lifestyle and education system is a big deal. Let me tell you why.

This is my first year in the United States and as a college student. I am from Nicaragua, which has a far different culture than the U.S., so it took a while for me to adjust to this lifestyle. Even little things like crossing streets, eating new food and greeting someone are different. Adapting to a new culture, language and education system seems like a nightmare and a dream at the same time.

When I arrived in Searcy and started crossing streets, I noticed that vehicles stop and let you pass. In my first week, I used to wait until there were no cars so I could cross. Then I noticed they were stopping to let me cross. I am still getting used to the fact that American drivers are considerate toward cross-walkers. It is significantly different in my country. If you try to cross the streets and cars are coming, they will most likely honk at you and speed up, and if you do not move, there is a high probability that they will run you over.

I hope I do not get used to crossing the streets this way, or I could get hit by a car when I go back to my country.

My senior year in high school (back in Nicaragua) was the most stressful because of many assignments and exams. Most of what I learned was self-taught since education in my country only guides you to the basics.

As a result, the amount of knowledge you need to acquire is more than what you learn in school. Also, obtaining a job back home is tricky; you need exceptional skills and experience even if you just graduated from college. As a teenager in Nicaragua,

Getting used to Harding as a Latino student you will not get a job at a restaurant or store because you need degrees, high-level education and years of experience, making it more difficult for adults. You can guess the culture shock when I came here and met numerous teenagers who had worked since they were 15. My country also makes it difficult to pursue education. The pressure of not getting a job, even if you are qualified, makes education even harder to access; therefore, it is a privilege.

There is no better way to educate yourself about other cultures at Harding than speaking to international students.

– Hengel Zelaya, guest writer

However, I have to say that food in my country is much better. When I came to the cafeteria for the first time, I noticed that the rice was different, and people ate beans with barbecue sauce. Barbecue sauce? Really?

One day I saw tacos and took some. Then, when I tried to eat them, they had lettuce inside, not chicken. Food in my country has a different taste — a unique seasoning that I did not know we had until I came here. I am still getting used to having fried food every day, and I would not like to get used to it. Since I came here, I have wanted to have some carne asada (grilled chicken/ meat) and gallo pinto (seasoned beans and rice), and I hope the cafeteria serves some during Latin Week. Although American food is not my favorite, as a Latino, I try

to modify my meals as much as possible so they taste more Hispanic.

I always like to talk about my country and share experiences. When I speak to Americans about my country, they are often surprised by the differences. When I talk about Nicaragua, my peers often tell me how different things are here in the United States and at Harding. I love my country, but I know it is not in its best moment since we are under a dictatorship and an economic crisis. Still, I was shocked when people said: “Are you okay?” and “Is it safe to live there?” after I finished telling them about my country.

I have the chance to meet international and American students. It is always a pleasure to learn about other cultures, and Harding is the perfect place to do that.

Many cultures shape Harding and that makes it a great university. I have met people who have taught me about their food and traditions and did not make me feel like a stranger. I love how American people treat Hispanics with such hospitality, and it encourages me to learn more about this country and other cultures.

Transitioning to a different education system and culture can be challenging. As an international student, I can relate to how hard it is to get used to Harding and the United States, but I would encourage others to go and talk to someone f rom another country and learn from them. There is no better way to educate yourself about other cultures at Harding than speaking to international students. We might be a minority, but our diversity is widespread.

H E N G E L Z E L AYA i s a g u e s t writer for The Bison. He may be contacted at hzelaya@harding.edu.

From a nurse

Kristen McCook Guest Writer

I

was a nursing student the first time I saw a woman give birth. Even though I was young and naïve, I was cognizant of the weight of the moment when the baby took its first breath — the thin space where we see the holy and miraculous here on earth.

I sometimes reminisce about the special pleasure I felt showing the new dad how to bathe his brand new baby.

I can also recount the triumph I’ve experienced as I helped patients take their first steps following a major surgery. I’ve been there when the news was really good, when the cure was pronounced or when they finally got to go home. Believe me; we celebrated. Those memories are like buoys; they keep me afloat.

Now, with nearly 20 years of nursing experience behind me — in hospitals, clinics and patients’ homes — you might be surprised to know that those bright, shiny moments of new life, second chances and celebrations are not the ones that left the deepest impressions.

Those belong to the patients whose stories were full, not of joy, but of sorrow: They are the ones for whom I kept vigil when their families could not be there, with whom I grieved when the news was bad, and sometimes my heart broke as they faced the terrible consequences of their own self-destructive choices. I held their hands as they breathed their last. I ached to bring them comfort, even when no relief or respite was possible. Maybe you know about those experiences, too. Though in America, we are sometimes afforded the luxury of avoiding the difficult subjects of

staffEverett Kirkman

A more perfect union Eric Johnson

suffering and death until we can’t avoid them any longer.

W hen I think about the 750,000 COVID-19 deaths in our country, I see the faces of those former patients and their families — not because my patients died of COVID-19 or because they must live with its long-term consequences. No, I think of them because I bore witness to their suffering, and sometimes to their deaths.

If you’ve been waiting, I implore you to get vaccinated now, not because you’re afraid of death, but because you know what a beautiful and precious gift life is.

– Kristen McCook, asst. professor of nursing

As an eyewitness, I know with a kind of certainty that is heavy and powerful and difficult to convey that they were never numbers or news stories: They were real; they lived. I see the faces of my nursing colleagues and friends, who are no more immune to their patients’ pain than I am.

I know what it is like to be weary, for the work to feel unending and fruitless. You see, I am acquainted with that kind of

suffering, too. And I see your faces also, and I am convinced that if you had any idea about those things, you would not need to be persuaded to be vaccinated against a deadly virus — a virus that has caused tremendous suffering and death, much of it preventable.

It ’s completel y reasonable to be hesitant; it makes sense to ask questions.

It’s prudent to weigh the evidence carefully, to be discerning in decision-making. But if I thought the facts would convince you, that’s where I would have started. Although I have a good foundation in pharmacology (I teach it to nursing students), I’ve listened to the vaccine experts and immunologists who have far more. Some of my nurse colleagues participated in the vaccine trials. I’ve read the studies from Pfizer and Moderna myself.

The data is absolutely compelling: The vaccines work, and they are safe. The vast majority of American nurses (90%) and physicians (96%) have been fully vaccinated.

I will vaccinate my two children at the first opportunity. If you’re not convinced by the science and urgency of our circumstances: What would it take for you to change your mind? If you’ve been waiting, I implore you to get vaccinated now, not because you’re afraid of death, but because you know what a beautiful and precious gift life is.

KRISTEN MCCOOK is a guest writer for The Bison. She may be contacted at kmccook@harding.edu.

Opinions Editor

Unnecessary inequality I

nequality is an inescapable fact of life. It is a fundamental fact of reality.

No matter where one looks, one will find imbalance and unequal outcomes. There is much of this inequality that is entirely natural and unavoidable. Some trees are taller than others. Some people are faster than others.

These inequalities, which are innate and unchanging, are things to merely be observed and accepted. They seldom are found to be offensive as they do not result from human greed or exploitation and therefore do not represent a shortcoming of human behavior.

However, other inequalities that pervade our world are not of this type. These inequalities are offensive to proper human functioning because they do result from human greed and therefore are preventable. Perhaps the most visible aspect of this type of social inequality is the current distribution of wealth in our modern civilization.

First of all, the statistics are staggering.

I’m sure you have all heard similar statistics before, but it is nonetheless beneficial to remind ourselves of just how drastically lopsided wealth distribution in this country is.

Statista reported in August that the wealthiest 10% of Americans own 70% of total U.S. net worth. The same report found that the bottom 50% of Americans own only 2% of the nation’s wealth. Furthermore, this report, along with many others, such as an extensive study conducted by Pew Research Center in 2020, all share a common consensus: Many (but not all) of these wealth gap trends are only growing wider.

Before continuing with my main argument, let me acknowledge that wealth distribution is definitely a very complex and complicated subject of study. I have clearly not captured all there is to see in these few statistics. But nevertheless, these figures speak pretty loudly for themselves and must be addressed.

I am not going to pretend like I have the answer for how to fix this inequality, nor am I going to pretend like I do not contribute to these trends or enjoy the benefits of living on the privileged side of the wealth curve.

Furthermore, I am not going to pretend like income inequality in America is the worst in the world. While it is important to note that, according to the Pew Research Center, America does have the worst income inequality among G7 nations, I do not wish to suggest that America is the only country to have social inequality. My point here is merely to say that this type of inequality does not have to exist in our country to the extent that it currently does, and we should care very much about addressing it.

With that being said, I am sure many of you already recognize that most readers of this newspaper do not belong to the wealthiest class of Americans. Therefore, one might throw up one’s hands and say, “Well, there’s nothing I can do about this; it’s their fault, not mine.” While there is truth to this — that Americans with the largest shares of wealth do clearly have a greater ability to flatten the curve of inequality than middle or lower class Americans — I do not think that all responsibility should be scapegoated to the mega rich. We all can afford to live more modestly and give more to those who are in greater need.

To be clear, this is not an appeal to classism, but to fundamental Christian ethics. I write this merely as a reminder to readers as well as myself that it is entirely within the power of Christian Americans to drastically reduce wealth inequality throughout the country.

It is not a question of whether we have the resources to do this; it is a question of whether we seriously want to.

ERIC JOHNSON is the opinions editor for The Bison. He may be contacted at ejohnson7@harding.edu.

editor-in-chief Sara McClaran features editor Ben Lane news editor Tiane Davis sports editor Sophie Rossitto community editor

Eric Johnson opinions editor Ryan Gallagher lifestyle editor Emma Jones digital content editor Caroline Birdwell head copy editor Gabriel Huff asst. copy editor

Cianna Jay editorial asst.

Madison Meyer head photographer Caroline Palmer asst. photographer Jillian Jarvis asst. photographer Theo Westbrook video/social media

Hunter Woodall pr/social media Cooper Turman graphic designer Blue Billingsly illustrator Eden Henderson beat reporter Michael Claxton narrative columnist

Erin Booher Ella Duryea

Shannon Keyser Abby Long

Kristen McCook Jada Robison

Hayley Kate Webb Hengel Zelaya

April Fatula faculty adviser

guest contributors

4A

OPINIONS

Friday, November 12, 2021

Work in progress Everett Kirkman

Editor-in-Chief

I remember it ‘All Too Well’ Y

ou are most likely reading this in a post-”Red” (Taylor’s version)-releaseworld. What a world to be in. Of course, the original version of Taylor Swift’s fourth studio album, “Red,” was originally released in 2012, meaning I have been graced with her lyrical genius for nearly half of my life.

A lot of people in my personal circles have been on the edge of their seats waiting for this day. The Empire State building was even lit up red earlier this week, in anticipation of the upcoming release, according to its official Twitter account. (Until this week I didn’t even know the Empire State building had a Twitter — now I’m obsessed.)

“All Too Well,” on the “Red” album, sits at No. 2 on Vulture.com’s list of Swift’s entire ranked catalog, and at No. 1 of Rolling Stone’s rankings. To me, “All Too Well,” is part of a group of songs that defines a generation. It’s one of her most covered songs and one of her most-requested at live events. And yet, “All Too Well,” was never a single. It’s not upbeat, nor does it have the typical radio-hit pop sound of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” or “22.” “All Too Well” is introspective. It’s patient. It leads to an emotionally charged, crying-while-scream-singing-along bridge.The story of “All Too Well” highlights the simple, everyday, mundane parts of a relationship — red lights, photo albums, old scarves left behind — the details that may not seem like much in the moment, but mean everything “after all these days.”

Despite her lyrical genius, and international success for well over a decade, Swift has had more than her fair share of criticisms throughout her career. Most of her scrutiny is rooted in calling out the inspiration for many of her songs — men and breakups. Outspoken feminists have called her out for not doing enough for the cause of women, and misogynists have hounded her for chronically dating men who she can later profit from. I remember a time not too long ago when I felt like listening to Taylor’s songs was “basic.” Almost like a guilty pleasure, and not something I would want to brag about.

Of course, that was before I began to find my own voice. That was before I began coming to the seemingly simple mindset that people can enjoy things. I can enjoy things without defending to anyone else why. I am allowed to like music if it brings me joy, if it gives words to emotions that I have been unable to describe in the past.

I think Taylor Swift is a storytelling genius.

But, she’s re-releasing “Red” in the first place because she is having to fight for the right to use her own voice and her own work. She is passionate about her and other artists being able to own their own work, so she is leading the charge by taking drastic, trailblazing measures to reclaim what is rightfully hers.

Swift has a history of using her platform to make positive strides towards change. In 2017, she countersued her assaulter for $1 — and won.

Now, through a clause in her unjust contract, she is re-recording her early albums, including several additional songs from her vault, never before heard by the public. She represents what it means to be a powerful woman in what is still a male-dominated world.

She doesn’t need to be a feminist icon, persay, to do good work and make strides for women through her work.Terms like that often get flippantly thrown around on social media.

And yet, through her musical brilliance, she is able to show her fans, and the world, what real feminism looks like. It’s not perfect, not everyone will like it, and it may not work for everyone. But, with the world watching, Swift has progressed from a teenage, small-town,“good girl,” to someone who continues narratives on gender and inequality on a world stage.

Swift’s music is empowering, and gives voice and an outlet to people in our society who are not always taken seriously. Any work that makes anyone feel seen and understood is important.

You don’t have to think Swift is a feminist icon, but I encourage you to look at her work through a lens of respect, rather than hatred.

She has fought to use her voice in some of the most important conversations in the world.

She’s endured systemic misogyny since the start of her career. She has advocated for women’s place within the industry and worldwide. She has lived out a life that shows her listeners that we can’t all be feminist icons, and we don’t all need to be. But we all need to have a fire in our soul for something worth fighting for.

EVERETT KIRKMAN is the editorin-chief for The Bison. She may be contacted at ekirkman@harding. edu.

Bri Hall

Asking questions

Guest Writer

M

y f reshman year, I remember watching a video for the National Collegiate Athletic Association pertaining to sexual assault. This video made me feel uncomfortable, but what made me more concerned were the snickers and gawks of several male athletes heard from the back of the room. Ironically, the video emphasized the fact that the largest demographic of perpetrators on college campuses were, in fact male athletes. This made me uneasy, and I became curious. After reviewing Harding’s annual public safety records, I found that the year reported zero sexrelated crimes. Initially, one might boast about this statistic, coming from a mindset like: “This is amazing; nothing bad ever happens here,” but sadly this is not the case.

This mindset stunts progress on college campuses across the nation.

According to content distributed by the NCAA, one in four women during their time in college experience a sex-related crime — men are at one in 16 — and with thousands of students on campus — predominantly female — this report seems inaccurate. One question that can be asked is: “Is Harding accurately reporting sexrelated crimes?” If we answer “yes,” then I believe we are faced with a more difficult question. Why might victims remain silent?

This causes reflection, but it also makes us acknowledge a serious issue. We can look

at those statistics and convince ourselves that it doesn’t happen here. But it does. If you take time to listen, you realize that the world still intrudes us here. We know the victims; we have heard their stories. But I challenge you to come to this realization, as well. We know the predators.

We have to empower victims by creating an enviornment in which they can be heard, because their silence is louder than you think.

– Bri Hall, guest writer

My reasoning for writing this piece is because, over the past year, I have fallen into conversations with friends and peers about this topic, and their stories infuriate me because I hear the same names over and over again. Those who do these horrific acts to fellow image bearers of God are those that I had once proudly looked up to. They were leaders, charismatic, athletes. They helped me study for exams, they laughed at my jokes, smiled at me on the way to class and participated in various social

clubs. Now I had to bear the guilt of that admiration for the harsh acknowledgment of their actions against people I loved. And worst of all — I did not listen the first time I heard about it. I brushed it off. I thought, “Well, maybe they got it wrong.”

If you have not experienced something like this and are trying to derive meaning, then this is a call to action, to take responsibility and begin to listen. Question what you know. Just because you know someone in one way, does not exclude them from acting in another. One quote that has stuck with me since high school was this: The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. If we desire a community of safety and love at Harding, we need to collectively admonish actions that contribute to this issue and begin to seek out conversations. We have to empower victims by creating an environment in which they can be heard, because their silence is louder than you think.

BRI HALL is a guest writer for The Bison. She may be contacted at bhall10@harding.edu.

Buckling under pressure

Y

esterday I sat and watched somebody pay $90,000 for part of a belt.

Maybe I should back up and give some context, though I’m not sure it will help.

I’m writing this column on Halloween, and for most people, that means costumes and haunted houses and children going door to door demanding candy.

But in other circles I travel in, Halloween has another meaning. Ninety-five years ago on this day, the famous escape artist Harry Houdini died in a hospital in Detroit. A ruptured appendix had gone untreated too long, and a week after surgery, the 52-year-old magician breathed his last.

Poignantly, the indomitable daredevil — who had f reed himself f rom jail cells, handcuffs and leg irons — made a touching confession to the doctor who tried to save him.

He said he had always wanted to be a surgeon. Dr. Charles Kennedy told him that, as the “greatest entertainer of the age,” he had made thousands of people happy. “Maybe,” Houdini said, “but the difference between me and you is that you actually do things for people, and I, in almost every respect, am a fake.”

Modesty was not usually Houdini’s strong suit, but death has a way of curbing the bombast. Still, his reputation as the man no restraint could hold has only grown since his death in 1926. There’s something romantic about the story of a Hungarian immigrant who came to America with nothing and became one of its first megastars, a symbol to struggling people everywhere that f reedom was within reach. His feats of jumping into rivers handcuffed or swinging upside down in a straitjacket high above the city were more than just publicity stunts.

They were metaphors.

Movies and documentaries have been made about the man. Entire libraries

Michael Claxton

Narrative Columnist

have been filled with books telling his story. Websites chronicle the minutiae of his life. And people pay big money for tangible artifacts from his career.

That’s why on Saturday, I sat for seven hours and watched online as an auction house in Chicago sold off parts of a major collection of magic history. Props, handcuffs, posters and signed books related to Houdini were among the stars of the sale. Bidders all over the world competed for a piece of the legend. And somebody paid $90,000 for Houdini’s belt buckle.

My first thought was, “ Wouldn’t suspenders be cheaper?”

The silver buckle was 3 inches long and monogrammed with an H. Houdini’s brother had given it to another magician as a gift, telling him it was on the very belt the legendary performer was wearing when he went to the hospital in Detroit.

A letter of provenance was framed with the tiny relic, and no doubt the framing had cost at least $90.

So that accounted for one tenth of 1% of the selling cost. And at $22 per ounce, the melt value was probably another $200 bucks. Still, I dropped out of the bidding at $89,000.

I’m totally kidding. I don’t make near that in a year. I just watched, slack-jawed.

Hero worship is a difficult thing to explain. Twenty years ago, a monogrammed pocket from Houdini’s pajamas sold for nearly $4,000. I know the guy who bought it. I also know that the famous magician

David Copperfield owns Houdini’s bathtub — the very tub where Harry used to practice holding his breath under water.

I imagine it cost some serious change.

“What would possess a person,” you might ask, “to spend so much on seemingly trivial remnants of a celebrity’s life?”

I do not know. All I can do is try and catch the wave. The following personal artifacts are now for sale: 1) One Toyota Camry hubcap. The last remaining of four originals from the personal vehicle I have driven across the country, it has stood sentinel on the front driver’s side tire for almost a quarter of a century. Worn and scuffed from rugged use, it hung on when all the others quit.

Since it finally gave out two months ago, it has hung on my garage wall as a talisman.

2) One Timex watch. A high-school graduation gift, it has kept me on time for class for over 30 years. The battery has been replaced so often that the tiny screws are now nearly impossible to get loose. In fact, the repair shop has asked me not to come back until I buy a decent watch. The face is scratched, the band has come loose, and, last week, the old boy ceased telling time for good. Either that, or it has been 1 o’clock since Friday.

3) One black-and-blue argyle sock.

Guaranteed authentic Clax footwear.

The mate will be included in the lot when I find it.

As painful as it is to let these relics go, I realize that others may wish to own a small piece of Camelot. Granted, I am no Houdini, so I don’t expect them to fetch $90,000. But give them a century, and I am willing to be wrong.

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

At The Bison, it is our goal to serve the Harding University student body with integrity, truth and open ears. However, we believe that meeting that goal is a two-way street between our staff and the public it serves. We pledge to keep our eyes and ears open to what our community has to say and hope that, in return, that community will be an interactive audience, sharing its stories with us. We also pledge to do the basics: Report accurate and relevant information, check our facts, and share them in a professional, timely manner. If you have any story ideas, questions, comments or concerns for The Bison staff, please email Everett Kirkman, the editor-in-chief, at ekirkman@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.

Vol. 97, No. 07

THE

A H A R D I N G U N I V E R S I T Y S T U D E N T P U B L I C AT I O N

Online at TheLink.Harding.edu

November 12, 2021 Searcy, Ark., 72149

Seniors celebrate final season TIANE DAVIS sports editor Three Harding sports teams had recent ceremonies to honor their seniors, with women’s soccer on Thursday, Nov. 4; football on Saturday, Nov. 6; and volleyball on Tuesday, Nov. 9.

Harding football defeated Southwestern Oklahoma State University 55-7 Saturday afternoon, and they held a ceremony right before the kickoff to celebrate the seniors.

Buff the Bison and several senior cheerleaders were also honored before the game, as well as several senior members of the Thundering Herd during halftime.

Senior lineman Mason Hutto, one of 13 seniors this year, said it was hard for him to say goodbye to the offensive players because they have a tight bond all the way from the freshmen to the seniors. He said it was tough at the end of his freshman year, too, because he had been so close with the seniors then.

“It was always sad to see [the seniors] go, but it was really fun to try to live up to their legacy,” Hutto said.

Hutto said it was also hard to have to say goodbye to his coach, since he feels like part of the coach’s family.

“We go up to his house almost every other Thursday, and we have become basically like his kids,” Hutto said. “It’s always sad for him, but he keeps in contact with everybody, and he knows that we’re gonna move on to do good things.”

Senior outside hitter Amber Robin, one of two volleyball seniors this year, said she had a hard time believing this was her last year playing volleyball. She said she remembers watching older seniors graduate, but this time the roles were reversed.

“I’m already so close with the freshmen, and it’s only been one semester,” Robin

Photo by MADISON MEYER

Senior lineman Mason Hutto runs down a path of teammates during the football senior ceremony before the game on Saturday, Nov. 6. The Bison football team celebrated their senior game with a victory against Southwestern Oklahoma University. said. “With the juniors, I’ve known them be nice because I’ll finally have that time.”

“When you’re a freshman, it’s just the end for so long. It’s gonna be weird not being The volleyball team had their senior of your season,” Green said. “When you’re at practice with them, and it’ll be weird for ceremony Tuesday night after defeating a senior, it’s the end of your career, so I just them without us.”

Southern Arkansas University 3–0. feel like now, it means a lot more.”

Robin said it will be an interesting and Soccer midfielder Grace Ann Green The soccer team’s seniors were honored new experience still being at school but not said she thought it was bittersweet, but she before their game Thursday night, at which having to go to practice anymore. is excited to be able to focus on something they tied 1-1 with East Central University.

“I’m gonna be done with class, and then else and live a life without soccer. She also no practice,” Robin said. “I’m gonna have so said it was much different ending the season much time, which is weird, but I think it’ll this year than when she was a freshman.

Harding places 18th, 19th at central region meet GABRIEL HUFF asst. copy editor Harding’s men’s cross-country team placed 18th, and the women’s team placed 19th at the NCAA DII Central Region Championships on Nov. 6 in Joplin, Missouri.

The meet was held at Missouri Southern State University. Thirty-one men’s teams — participating in the 10K run — and 35 women’s teams — participating in the 6K run — competed in the regional championship.

Freshman Dylan Mayberry was Harding’s top runner as he finished the race in 31 minutes and 26.09 seconds, placing 42nd individually.

This was the first time Mayberry served as Harding’s top runner this season. Freshman Luke Walling placed 57th and was second among Harding runners.

Head cross-country and track coach Don Hood said Saturday was Mayberry’s first ever 10,000-meter race.

“I think to some extent he surprised himself, but he ran about a minute faster than I thought he could,” Hood said. “So I was really excited about him.”

Mayberry said his expectations were really low entering the race.

“The race itself was good,” Mayberry said.

“The conditions were good. There was really good competition ... all those combined just

kind of created an environment that I just really thrived in.”

For the women’s cross-country team, junior Nieves Megias finished first. She placed 29th overall, finishing the race in 21 minutes and 54.41 seconds. Megias ran more than a minute faster than the last time she ran the same course in 2019. Junior Jada Trice was Harding’s second top runner as she placed 79th.

Megias said this season was her best ever and that she was really emotional after the race.

“It was impressive,” Megias said. “I’m not gonna lie. When I stopped my watch, and I saw the time, I was like, ‘There is no way that this is 6k.’”

Hood said Megias ran a really smart and tough race.

“I feel like in another year, if she’s healthy and stays hungry, that she can be in the top 15, top 10 in this competition, which would be tremendous,” Hood said.

Finishing with 488 points, the women’s team did not qualify for the national meet.

Harding’s men’s team also did not qualify for nationals as they completed the race with 486 points. Hood said injuries played a factor in both teams’ performances as seven players from each were injured.

Augustana finished first in both the men and women’s race, qualifying for nationals.

Missouri Southern State and Pittsburg State were second and third respectively in the men’s race. In the women’s race, University of Minnesota Duluth and University of Mary finished second and third respectively.

Hood said Harding had a very successful cross-country season and believes the program

at the bottom,” Gilbert said. “That was crazy to me. You grow up watching all these college games on TV, and you always watch them on ESPN. So to actually be on ESPN is pretty crazy.”

Smithson was five for nine during the night and made two of Harding’s 3-pointers, putting him as the only Bison to sink more than 10 points. Sophomore center Taylor Currie put away eight points and led the team with five rebounds. Following close behind were senior guard Ramiro Santiago and junior guard Davis Morgan who both scored seven points for the night.

After the game, Morgan reflected on the two biggest takeaways from the game against Arkansas State.

“I think we need to work on limiting turnovers, being strong with the ball,” Morgan said. “Also rebounding: they hurt us on those and stretched their lead. I think if we improve on those two things we will be really prepared for the upcoming games.”

Before playing against Arkansas State, head basketball coach Jeff Morgan spoke about his feelings on starting the season off with an exhibition match and seeing his team take the court.

“I’m excited about sitting back and watching our guys play and compete,” Jeff Morgan said.

“I think it is a great opportunity to learn a lot about ourselves. It will give us some great video to watch and go back and see.”

The Bisons’ regular season kicks off tonight at 5 p.m. when they face off against the Minot State Beavers in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Bisons played the Beavers once in 2019, falling to the Beavers 78 to 65. Tomorrow, the Bisons will play at the same time and against St. Cloud State. The Bisons have played the Huskies only one time in 2019 when they squeezed out a 61-60 victory.

Last year, the Bisons had a 15-game season where only four athletes were able to play the whole season due to COVID-19 protocols.

In their two-month season, some athletes had to sit out half of the season, including

Graphic by COOPER TURMAN

is moving toward a higher level.

Now that Harding’s cross-country season is over, Hood and the players now look forward to track season. Indoor track begins in January, and outdoor track starts in March.

Basketball team tips off season with exhibition game RYAN GALLAGHER lifestyle editor

Harding men’s basketball team took the court for the first time this season on Nov. 2 in an exhibition match against the NCAA Division I Arkansas State University.

The Bisons lost 81-55 at the First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Arkansas State now leads the all time series, 7-13.

The game was featured on ESPN 3, showing sophomore guard Stetson Smithson leading Harding in scoring with 14 points.

Harding shot for 35% from the field and made six 3-pointers out of their 21 attempts.

Meanwhile, Arkansas State shot for 44% from the field and sank 20 out of 21 of their free throws.

Freshman Wyatt Gilbert spoke about how honored he was to play basketball while being live on ESPN. “I had some people from my hometown and my family sending me pictures when I was in the game with the ESPN scoreboard

Davis Morgan, who sat out almost an entire month. The NCAA now returns to a regular schedule with nearly 30 games to play for the season.

Graphic by COOPER TURMAN

2B

COMMUNITY

Friday, November 12, 2021

Searcy City Center to welcome Old Navy EMMA JONES digital content editor

Dalrymple Commercial, a real estate service based in Searcy, announced via a Facebook post on Nov. 1 that Old Navy will be coming soon to the Searcy City Center.

The post from Dalrymple thanked Searcy citizens, government officials and members of the Move Searcy Forward committee for helping progress new city projects. The post also spoke in favor of the one-cent tax vote, which was passed on Nov. 9.

“By voting in favor of the extension of the sales tax … we will be able to continue to bring retail shopping, jobs and quality of life to our awesome city,” the post from Dalrymple said. “We are pleased to announce our newest tenant, coming soon, to Searcy City Center. Welcome, Old Navy.”

The one-cent temporary sales tax was voted into place in 2014 and is set to expire on June 30, 2022. The vote on Nov. 9 was to determine if the tax would be made permanent or not.

Because the Searcy residents voted in favor of the tax, the City of Searcy will now have more money go toward city infrastructures, police and fire departments. Betsey Bailey, the school and community coordinator for Searcy Public Schools and member of the Move Searcy Forward committee, said she believes the tax becoming permanent is an important step for the future of Searcy.

“I believe that [because the tax was passed], companies like Old Navy see that Searcy is progressing or moving forward, then they will be more inclined to develop here,” Bailey said. “The one-cent is crucial for economic development as businesses want to know that they are setting up in a location that is going to be fruitful for them and that the city is going to bring more people in through new families settling in the area or through tourism.”

Harding admissions counselor Jane Chandler said several friends sent her the post from Dalrymple because they knew how excited she would be about the news.

People gather around the Beats & Eats Thanksgiving table in downtown Searcy on Nov. 7.

“We don’t really have many clothing options in town, so I think it’s really great that we’re getting a place of such high caliber that can cater to men, women and children,” Chandler said. “I think from an admissions standpoint, I’m excited to hopefully get more stores like

Graphic by DALRYMPLE COMMERCIAL

Old Navy and restaurants too, which show we are moving in a good direction.”

As of press time, no official date has been released as to when construction will begin on the retail store.

Photos by MADISON MEYER

A square dance team teaches people how to square dance in downtown Searcy on Nov. 7.

Thankfulness Beats and Eats celebrates members of the community SOPHIE ROSSITTO community editor

A local organization brought music, food and family activities to downtown Searcy on Sunday, Nov. 7, to express thankfulness for city workers and community members.

Beats & Eats hosted its annual Thankfulness event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The organization introduced new activities this year such as square dancing and train rides for kids, Beats & Eats coordinator Heather Kemper said.

At the event, workers set up banners on which people could sign their names and write thank you notes to various Searcy departments and organizations. Beats & Eats coordinator Marka Bennett said her group planned to give the banners to each organization after the event.

The Beats & Eats committee also brought back their extensive Thanksgiving table, consisting of 25 to 30 tables lined up along Arch Avenue, Bennett said. Four food trucks opened at 11 a.m. to provide meal options for people. Bennett said the

event emphasized the spirit of living in a small community.

“We can sit down next to our neighbors or people we don’t know and get acquainted with new people, sitting there together having a Thanksgiving meal,” Bennett said.

Kemper said that for the first time, the Beats & Eats committee held its Thanksgiving event on a Sunday to avoid scheduling conflicts with fall sports and other events.

The group also moved the start time from the evening to the morning so people could enjoy warmer temperatures.

Bennett said that this year, Thankfulness Beats & Eats occurred on the same day as Holiday Open House, an annual event in which many local stores open their businesses and hold special Christmas sales.

Bennett said her committee made lists of participating businesses to hand out to people at Beats & Eats.

“One of our goals in Beats & Eats is to support local entrepreneurs and shops,” Bennett said.

Kensett First Baptist Church kicked off Thankfulness Beats & Eats with a full

worship service in Citizen’s Park, Bennett said. The church’s praise team, The Pursuit, performed worship songs until noon, and a bluegrass band provided music f rom 12:30-2 p.m.

Bennett said that on the square, a family fun zone offered pumpkin-themed activities for children, and a square dance team from Rose Bud, Arkansas, came to teach and perform square dancing from noon to 2 p.m.

Aaron Overstreet and his wife, Jamie, brought their two young children to Thankfulness Beats & Eats. They said the atmosphere at the event was friendly and lively.

“It’s fun, it’s family oriented,” Aaron Overstreet said.

Bennett said the Beats & Eats committee started in 2017 and now consists of about 25 volunteers. Kemper said the organization formed with the goal of turning Searcy into a place people would be proud to live in.

“And so Beats & Eats, we think, has helped promote and kind of emphasize some of the good qualities of our community,” Kemper said.

Photo by MADISON MEYER

A bluegrass band performs live music at Citizen’s Park on Nov. 7.

sponsored ad The Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership is an interdisciplinary academic degree that focuses on individual and team success. The field of organizational leadership includes many factors that are part of the daily life of a leader.

This degree can help take your leadership, communication and organizational skills to the next level — not just in the office, but out in the world, living your life.

Common skills that are focused on include the ability to establish goals, strategize plans, recruit teams, communicate effectively, manage conflict, carry out plans, develop individuals and teams and evaluate organizational effectiveness.

Organizational leadership is an ideal field of study for students who care about people and systems, and have a desire to use their leadership abilities to help others.

For more information, visit harding. edu/maol or email maol@harding.edu.

FEATURES 3B

TheLink.Harding.edu

Brackett library holds hidden treasures BEN LANE news editor

Photo by MADISON MEYER

The librarians gather in front of the Brackett Library before their meeting on Nov. 9. Left to right: John Boone, Jean Waldrop, Brenda Breezeel, Amy McGohan, Alyssa Eller, Amelia Brister, Whitney Hammes. Not pictured: Hannah Wood.

Unlike “The Librarian” movie franchise, librarians at Harding do not travel the world fighting supernatural forces. They do, however, play a key role as information gatekeepers and in student’s research projects, papers and presentations.

“I think librarians are so cool,” e-resources librarian Amy McGohan said.

“I want to be able to share information with people, and [librarians] have to take care of it, buy it and put it out there.”

Instruction and outreach librarian Whitney Hammes said a student’s basic introduction to a librarian is commonly during their freshman or sophomore year when a librarian hosts a session in a class explaining the library’s resources. Which librarian a student encounters depends on the subject area of the class. For example, Hammes teaches library resources to the Music and Bible departments.

Research projects are almost inevitable over the course of a college experience.

McGohan said the eight librarians at Harding provide assistance to students conducting research by showing them how to find sources for their work and navigate the Brackett Library’s databases, and students have found value in consultations.

“Librarians do not exclusively use online databases; instead, they manage information in both the physical and digital world,” Hammes said. “There are timeless fields of study that need print because not everything has been digitized. There’s all kinds of deep information not in the cloud.”

Harding librarians are available for research consultations where they individually work with students to help them find sources. Students may set an appointment at library.harding.edu, and librarians are also available for online consultations. Walk-ins are accepted, but students are not guaranteed a consultation if the librarian is unavailable. Consultations typically last for at least 25 minutes.

McGohan said anyone from the beginner to the experienced library user can benefit from research assistance and librarians can best help if they know the research topic before the consultation, so they are able to gather specific information for students.

Librarians do not find individual sources for students to use in their research.

Instead, they attempt to show students better and efficient ways of finding specific sources related to their research.

“It’s the concept of teaching a man to fish,” health sciences and graduate studies librarian John Boone said. “I want to teach them a skill they can use not only for this class, but they can take that and use it for the rest of their classes.”

“I’m not just giving them something,” Hammes said. “I really want to show them how to search … it’s giving them tools [for a more advanced search technique].”

Hammes’s goal for students after leaving a consultation is to give them confidence when searching through the library’s databases.

“We’re here to help our students and our faculty with their research,” Boone said.

Authors of “A Murder in Searcy” visit Harding CAROLINE BIRDWELL head copy editor JADA ROBISON guest writer Searcy is a small college town where seemingly not much happens, but in 1974 one of the biggest murder cases in White county history took place right here in Searcy. Years after the murder, Mike Allen and Deana Nall decided to dive back into the case and write a book centered around the story.

The book — titled “A Murder in Searcy” — tells the story of Dr. and Mrs. Porter, a couple with a strained marriage and a long history. After being married for over 40 years and enduring financial burdens, infidelity and illegal activity by Dr. Porter, the relationship was on the rocks. As the book continues, the reader will learn more about their marriage, the murder of Mrs. Porter and the trials and investigations that followed.

Allen said he was a third grader at Harding Academy when Mrs. Porter was killed. He said in a small town like Searcy, this was big news.

“There was a terrible crime, a murder, that happened that caught the attention of the whole town,” Allen said. “There’s crime, an investigation, a trial in town … and it caught everyone’s attention. It was a tragic crime for sure. It was a story that stuck with me.”

During the first trials of the case, national news picked up the story, Allen

Photo by MADISON MEYER

Mike Allen and Deanna Nall, the authors of "A Murder in Searcy," are on campus today. The book covers a famous murder case in Searcy in 1974. said. For a local story to gain national attention stuck with Allen. He said once the digital age began, he would go to online forums to discuss the case with other people who were interested. Eventually, this led him to meet co-author Nall.

Nall explained that she and Allen had worked together on a blog for another book Allen had written titled “Growing

Up Church of Christ” and that is how they became acquainted with one another.

This first encounter led the two to write “A Murder in Searcy.”

“One day he just called me up and said, ‘There’s this murder that happened in Searcy in 1974, and it was a huge deal when it happened, and there’s never been a book written about it. Do you want to write a book with me?’ and I said yes,” Nall said.

Nall said the process of writing the book and obtaining the information needed was a long process full of unknowns and fact checking.

“It was a very long process, it took us about seven years to write it and a lot of that is because he and I both have our real jobs and families,” Nall said. “But the first thing we had to do was see who all we could talk to who was still alive because it happened so long ago. Then we were able to get all of the court documents, and that was important to us because we wanted to keep this accurate. We wanted it to be the facts. We didn’t want to add anything to it or speculate.”

While Nall and Allen worked hard to present the correct information and an accurate description of the case, they also recognized the importance of humanizing Mrs. Rogers, who was the victim of the attack.

“A lot of times when you’re talking about a high profile murder case, it’s easy to get caught up in all of the details … and it’s easy to kind of lose sight of the

fact that a real person lost their life here,” Nall said. “Mrs. Rogers was a pillar in the Searcy community, and we didn’t want to lose sight of the fact that she did lose her life in a horribly tragic way, so we were careful to write it in a way where that didn’t get lost in all the details.”

Kacy Barden, a library media specialist at Harding Academy, recently attended an event in which her book council hosted Deana Nall as their guest speaker in October.

“I was impressed with how she and Mike Allen worked very hard to maintain the integrity of the book by researching the documentation about the case for many years and then writing the book based on what they found in that documentation,” Barden said. “They wrote the book as a way to preserve history, not to sensationalize the event.”

Nall emphasized the importance of acknowledging the things that happen within a community, good and bad.

“In a town like Searcy it’s easy to think, ‘These kinds of things don’t happen here,’ or then when they do happen, it’s easy to just now want to acknowledge it, and that’s what a lot of people did after the trial,” Nall said. “People just stopped talking about it and kind of pretended like it never happened. What we think is, we can’t choose our history, but we think history should be preserved the way that it did happen.”

Allen spoke to a group of journalism students on campus about his experience writing the book on Thursday afternoon.

Two English professors publish new books

ERIC JOHNSON opinions editor

Two Harding English professors, Dr. Terry Engel and Dr. Nicholas Boone, published original books this year.

Coincidentally, the two books, which were written independently of each other, were published just two days apart this past summer. Engel’s novel, “Natchez at Sunset,” was published June 8, and Boone’s memoir on his grandfather, “Call me Buf,” was published June 10.

While both professors have had various writings such as scholarly articles, short stories and poems published before, this is the first time to have a complete book published for both Engel and Boone.

Additionally, both professors have been working on these books for several decades.

“Natchez at Sunset” tells the story of a man who begins raising wolves in Mississippi. Engel first came up with this idea in the early 1990s after reconnecting with a high school friend while attending graduate school at the University of Southern Mississippi. Engel’s friend relayed a story he had heard about a man who was raising wolves in Mississippi, and Engel decided to take that idea and use it as the basis for an assignment he had in a creative writing workshop.

After writing this initial short story, Engel decided to expand the scope of the idea and turn the short story into a novel. Engel continued to work on the novel periodically, but found that life kept getting in the way. Between having two prematurely born daughters and having to prepare and teach his university courses, Engel’s progress was slow and scattered.

In 2017, Engel hurt his back and was unable to perform his normal tasks. Here he began to make huge progress on the novel. Engel said he sat down and wrote every day. After taking a pair of scissors to his novel draft and a lengthy revision process, Engel finally finished the book and got it accepted for publication through the Adelaide Books Publishing House.

Engel said completing and publishing “Natchez at Sunset” has been very rewarding. After receiving hundreds of rejection letters, Engel said it has been a dream to have his novel published. But Engel is already looking forward to future projects, as he already is in the process of writing another novel.

“Getting your first book published is kind of like getting your first tattoo — you start wanting another one,” Engel said.

Boone’s publication, “Call me Buf,” is not a work of creative fiction, but a memoir on the life of his grandfather, James Buford

Smith. The idea for this book started about 20 years ago when Boone asked Smith to put some of his most memorable life stories into writing.

At the beginning, Boone had no intentions of publishing these stories.

But eventually, Smith wrote more and more and Boone began to get the idea that they could be compiled together into a cohesive chronological memoir.

Once both Boone and his Photo by JEFF MONTGOMERY grandfather embraced this new vision, the two Dr. Terry Engel shares his novel at the English set out on the work of department reading in Oct. Both “Natchez at completing this project Sunset” and “Call Me Buf” are available on Amazon. together.

Boone worked to take his grandfather’s experience as the stories that comprise it individual stories and fit them together have been very impactful on his own life. into a unified narrative. Almost all of the “There’s no greater feeling than sharing book was written by Smith, with Boone what is most important to you with other contributing an introduction, conclusion people,” Boone said. “The stories he told and transitional sections throughout. In me and the lessons I learned from him the words of Smith, “It’s Nick’s book; I just have been the most important things in my wrote it.” life.”

Boone said getting to share this Both “Natchez at Sunset” and “Call Me memoir with the world has been a special Buf ” are available for purchase on Amazon.

4B

LIFESTYLE

Friday, November 12, 2021

Harding hosts first annual Fall Bash

ELLA DURYEA guest writer CAROLINE BIRDWELL head copy editor Various campus organizations came together to host the first annual Fall Bash, which took place Oct. 31 through Nov. 5.

The Fall Bash included nightly activities during Club Week that all were welcome to attend — ranging from games in the student center to black light dodgeball to a drive-in movie. Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL), Campus Activities Board, First Year Experience, the Rock House and the Student Association sponsored and hosted the week.

A majority of the student body participated in Club Week and devoted their time to the club activities. Fall Bash was created for the students who do not participate in this process.

“Fall Bash was created to plug students into the Harding community,” assistant professor of kinesiology Dr. Britney Finley said. “We have seen students being excluded during Club Week throughout the years, so this year we wanted to do something about it.”

Finley said Fall Bash was about providing students with a good experience and new community.

“This week was about helping students find their people and get out of their comfort zones,” Finley said.

Senior David Reed, SA treasurer, agreed with Finley.

“We want everyone to be in community

with others and simply have fun,” Reed said.

“We want every student to feel included no matter where they are at.”

Senior Lindsey Reece, president of HEAL, along with J.D. and Kim Yingling, kinesiology faculty members, was instrumental in bringing the idea of Fall Bash to life. After seeing how Club Week could be lonely for students not involved in clubs, they formed a mission based on Matthew 20:28: “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.” The team sought for students to “find their identity not in clubs or in grades, but in who God created them to be,” Reece said.

The concluding event of the week was the bonfire at the Yingling farm on Friday night; this event garnered the most attendees and was Reece’s personal favorite.

The night had hayrides, brick oven pizzas provided by the Charles White Dining Hall, a bonfire, trivia, prizes from HEAL and s’mores.

Reece said she wanted all Harding students to get plugged in and to get out of their comfort zones during this week.

“Friday night was the most special —getting to meet so many people that I never would have come in contact with, and getting to see so many people sharing joy with each other and the faculty,” Reece said.

Reed said he hopes more people will join in the Fall Bash next year.

“I hope that more students will be aware of the opportunity,” Reed said. “I hope that this will become a yearly event to look forward to in conjunction with Club Week.”

Photo by TIANE DAVIS

Students ride the hayride at Fall Bash event hosted by J.D. and Kim Yingling on Nov. 5. Fall Bash provided students who were not involved in the club process the opportunity to partake in each day of Club Week.

Arts and Life program closes the semester SARA MCCLARAN features editor

Photo provided by the Department of Music

The Music Department Arts and Life program is hosting cellist Christopher Adkins and the all-female brass quintet Seraph Brass. Adkins performed yesterday, while Seraph Brass performs Sunday at 2 p.m.

As the semester comes to a close, the Harding University Arts and Life program has been preparing for the last two performances of the semester. On Thursday, Nov. 11, principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Christopher Adkins came to Harding for the second time to perform. Harding will host the final performers of the year, Seraph Brass, on Sunday at 2 p.m.

“It was obvious in the time that I had on campus … that concerns of faith have not disappeared at Harding,” Adkins said.

Adkins performed a concert specifically focused on music touched by the faith, including both Jewish and Christian composers. He was accompanied by Harding professor of music Scott Carrell.

“It’s delightful … when a musician is just as accomplished and as intuitive and as imaginative as Dr. Carrell is,” Adkins said.

“It comes together really, very easily.”

Adkins has been performing professionally since he was 16 years old and said he sees music and the performance of music as valuable and important to life.

“When we play music, we do touch upon very deep things of the soul,” Adkins said.

“It touches on things that we oftentimes don’t have the words to express, but yet when music is done properly, suddenly you feel ... like that something about our own humanity has been illuminated to us.”

Seraph Brass is an all-female ensemble and has performed all over the world.

“Mary Elizabeth Bowden founded the group to offer a new face in the world of chamber music,” trumpet player Raquel Samayoa said. “One that focused on empowerment for women in brass and to celebrate the music of female and other under-represented composers.”

Samayoa said many members of Seraph Brass also teach and that they often discuss the importance of making music meaningful like Adkins.

“Nobody goes to concerts to just listen to notes,” Samayoa said. “Folks go to concerts to be moved, so it is the musician’s job to say something when they play.”

Chair of the Music Department Jay Walls said the Arts and Life program tries to find Christian performers who are doing work on a high professional level, as well as who are interested in education.

“We have very intriguing people who are super talented and super smart, and what I love is seeing that, a lot of times, people who are on the highest level of performance professionally are also really friendly and interested in other people,” Walls said.

The goal of the Arts and Life program is to bring high quality music to the Harding community, as well as Searcy as a whole.

Performances are free with a Harding ID and cost $8 per person otherwise.

“It seems to me kind of a shame to miss the opportunity to hear world class, top tier performers for free,” Walls said. “I just want them to take advantage of a really great opportunity.”

Student jobs available on campus ERIN BOOHER guest writer A variety of on-campus jobs are available to students looking to make money or get involved.

The commitment levels of jobs available varies. Some openings are looking to cover just one shift per week, while others expect 10 or more hours. This variety means there is an opportunity for every student to find what they are looking for.

It is not difficult for a student to find a job opportunity. Job openings are posted under “messages” on the homepage of Pipeline.

Sophomore Ashlyn Voss was introduced this way to the job she currently holds as a Career Center assistant.

“I applied for a few postings that were on Pipeline,” Voss said. “After applying, they responded to me almost immediately, and I was hired very quickly.”

There is also diversity in what each job entails. Some jobs require no background experience or knowledge. Others, like the job of sophomore Luke Ziegler, may have specific requirements for acceptance. Ziegler works for “La Mesa,” an extracurricular opportunity for foreign language students who are required to meet a quota for Spanish practice outside of the classroom.

La Mesa is not an open-application job.

Ziegler was considered for the position based

on his high level of performance in previously taken Spanish courses.

“I am in the Student Center every Tuesday night, facilitating conversations for students studying Spanish,” Ziegler said. “Additionally, I TA for Dr. Kristi Bond and help her with grading assignments for her classes.”

Regardless of qualifications, part-time jobs for students on campus and within White County are easily accessible for anyone interested. As of Nov. 10, there are more than 15 openings posted on Pipeline, with companies ranging from the local gym to Chartwells on Harding’s campus.

“A friend mentioned the job I have right now to me, and I just sent an email to ask about it,” sophomore Briana McSpadden, a student worker in the American Studies Institute (ASI) office, said. “If you don’t see exactly what you are looking for online, I recommend just asking around to see what’s available.”

McSpadden said her job in the ASI office has helped her make connections on campus and explore a department she otherwise would have never been part of.

Ziegler said he also enjoys his job and is grateful to have a part-time position in which he continues to learn and practice Spanish.

“Not only does it fund my Midnight Oil addiction, but it’s a really great way to meet people and foster learning outside of the classroom,” Ziegler said.

Graphic by COOPER TURMAN