September 5, 2014 Vol. 90, No. 2
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Searcy, Ark., 72149
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The Ancient Theater of Epidaurus is one of the locations the group visited last spring. Students in the spring 2014 semester at HUG had a different experience than those traveling this fall will enjoy.
HUG evaluates how ISIS effects travels
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel and Hamas agreed to a permanent truce after 50 days of conflict, according to a Lebanese newspaper called The Daily Star. Although both parties were reluctant to lay down their weapons, Netanyahu said Israel faces conflict at every border and must focus on more immediate threats, such as the growing power and religious persecution of the Islamic State of Iran and Syria (ISIS). ISIS has become increasingly terroristic, capturing and murdering innocents as a bargaining tool. On Tuesday ISIS leaders released a video showing the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff, and promised to continue the trend of murders if the U.S. does not cease bombing ISIS targets in Iraq. ISIS has also made international headlines this month for presenting non-Muslims with an ultimatum: convert, pay a fine or die. After driving an estimated 50,000 members of the Yazidi population out of their homes and into mden -- Henry the wilderness, ISIS threatened to murder
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Students reflect on time in China through art display
online at thelink.harding.edu
them if they refused to convert to Islam. According to ABC News cargo planes brought supplies to the refugees sheltered in the mountains and were followed with a series of airstrikes by the U.S. military. In light of these circumstances, Harding students who will study abroad in Greece this fall may encounter a few changes to their travel itineraries. Dean of International Programs Jeffery Hopper said as of yet, trips scheduled to Israel have not been canceled and the truce with Hamas seems promising. However, since the students’ safety is a top priority, there are several possible back up locations for the students to visit if Middle Eastern conflicts become too dangerous for visitors. “We make changes to any and all of the programs based upon need, safety concerns and cataclysmic events,” Hopper said. “The situation in the Middle East is difficult because it is changing by the hour.” Last year, Egypt was dropped from the program after tumultuous protests and elections created an unsafe environment. Over the summer, Israel was also removed and replaced with travel in Prague after
OPINIONS
Searcy, Ark., 72149
By Maeghen Carter Student Writer
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conflict between Israel and Hamas climaxed. Hopper said other alternative trips could include touring concentration camps in the Czech Republic or ancient Greek temples in Southern Italy. “We always try to give students what they pay for,” Hopper said. Harding University in Greece director Mike James said he is hopeful that students will still be able to experience a trip to Israel this semester. “We received good news that a truce has been made, but these are sometimes short-lived,” James said. “Israel, we hope, will be clear by the time of our visit in mid-October.” James said the majority of the HUG program is not affected by Middle Eastern conflicts, and there will still be plenty of experiences for the students to enjoy. “We have the same terrific guides and visit about 80 percent of the same sites each semester,” James said. Hopper said the final call about allowing the HUG group to visit Israel must be made closer to their departure. “We don’t make changes lightly,” Hopper said.
When people return from overseas programs, they usually come back with souvenirs they purchased as a reminder of their time. For this past summer’s Global Outreach and China Now team, four students and one art professor returned with an art gallery. Asst. Professor of Art Beverly Austin and sophomores Maggie Cox, Brandon Rickett, Hayden Rickett and Paige Martin spent four weeks in China teaching English to university students while developing their art skills; their work is now on display in the Stephens Art Gallery. Austin and the four students spent three weeks teaching students at Yangtze University in Jingzhou, China. The students taught conversational English by using the Bible, while Austin taught western art principles. When the students were not teaching, they were busy working on their art. The four Harding students also took a drawing class from Austin while overseas. Martin said she primarily worked with pen and ink, oil pastels and watercolors. Her favorite piece, however, was her photography, which she calls “trash can bread.” All of China was their tool for working on art, but Martin said she got most of her inspiration from the Three Gorges Village and the Great Wall of China.
‘We went with the idea that, through our art, we could reach people that we could talk to about Jesus.’ - Beverly Austin, art professor “Going to China was never in my travel plans, but God just spoke through Mrs.. Austin and all of us,” Martin said. W hile art skills were being developed, Brandon Rickett said he learned the most about the cultural art of the area. The Chinese use more vertical art techniques while he was used to linear perspectives. Brandon Rickett said he was most inspired by the mountainous regions and the landscapes. Austin said that her goal for her students was that they would create art. “We went with the idea that through our art, we would reach people that we could talk to about Jesus,” Austin said. One of the main goals of their trip was to use art to show others the love of the Lord. “I never had an opportunity to combine mission with art so that was really a unique experience,” Brandon Rickett said. The “Art in China” exhibit is on display in the Stephens Art Gallery until Sept. 12.
the white county fair ‘a celebration of prosperity’ Graphic by JEWELYA WILLIAMS By Hunter Beck Beat Reporter
The White County Fair will open for the 78th consecutive year on Saturday, Sept. 6, and run through Saturday, Sept. 13. The fair features over 20 rides and a certified rodeo and has been a tremendous success over the last century, according to former Arkansas Fair Managers Association president Buddy Phillips Fair admision is $8 and the fair begins Saturday, Sept. 6. Sunday, Sept. 7, admission and parking are free, and tickets for rides will cost $1 each. A full schedule of events and hours of operation can be found at www.whitecountyfairgrounds.org. Phillips said the fair is recognized as the largest county fair in the state and one of the top-10 county fairs in the nation. It has also become special to Harding students. “It’s just a lot of fun to walk around, to see all the rides,” said
50 years of debate, page 3B
senior Jay Gentry, who has gone to the fair the past two years. “It’s a good weekend activity.” Phillips has been compiling a history of the White County Fair that dates back to its first event in 1883,. In 1887, the fair moved to Spring Street in Searcy and was held in tents and an old stave mill. Phillips said the first White County Fair of Searcy featured livestock exhibits, displays from organizations such as 4-H and the garden club and merchant stands for hardware and farm equipment stores. The White County Fair was held sporadically over the next 48 years, in part because of World War I and the Great Depression. In the early 1940s, the fair moved to a building on Moore Street that was built by the National Youth Administration, a government
agency that was a part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program. The building was on Searcy High School’s property and across from the McRae Football Field. The field hosted the fair’s horse races. According to Phillips, the fair has been held at the White County Fair Grounds every year since 1954. This location on Davis Drive was originally outside of the city limits, where it had been a county farm that offered work and aid to the poor until the late 1940s. Going into its 60th year at the White County Fair Grounds, the fair offers many attractions in addition to the traditional agriculture exhibits and carnival rides. In addition to the customary 4-H exhibits and quilt-making displays, this year’s White County Fair will feature a variety of events, from lawn mower races to an Elvis impersonator. According to board member Kim
Harrison, this variety is what secured a turnout of over 70,000 visitors last year. “We have such a draw from surrounding areas and counties,” Harrison said. “That’s just come over time, finding what the people want and presenting different things. A lot of counties don’t have a fair this size, so they’ll come to the White County fair and see something different.” Phillips, who has been to each of the 75 fairs held within the state of Arkansas, believes that the fair’s rodeo and derby events are a big reason that the White County Fair draws the diverse audience that separates it from the state’s other county fairs. “There’s not anything that draws a crowd as much as the demolition derby,” Phillips said. “That crowd’s not really a fair crowd . . . I guess the only time we’ve ever had a fight
Elizabeth Smart coming to Searcy, page 2A
Letter to the Editor, page 3A
Smart, anti-child abuse activits, to share story with community.
One student shares her views on feminism.
was at the derby pit, and it was two grandmothers.” This representation of White County has made the fair a unique event for Harding students to attend. “You get to see an entire culture that you don’t see that often,” Gentry said. “It’s something that’s so close but has nothing to do with Harding.” Phillips and Harrison agree that it is the diversity of the fair’s attractions and visitors that have allowed the fair to serve as a feature of White County. “I think it’s a celebration of the prosperity we have had here,” Phillips said. “White County is a very diversified county.” To Harrison, the audience reflects the county’s community. “It’s a gathering place,” Harrison said. “You see people you don’t see but one or two times a year. A lot of communities will have their own little festivals. Ours is the fair.”
Ty Powell in the NFL, page 2B