CYAN
MAGENTA
YELLOW BLACK NEWS
In Sports:
Vol. 87 No. 7
November 4, 2011
2A
OPINIONS
3&4A
SPORTS
1&2B
FEATURES
3B
ENTERTAINMENT
4B
In Entertainment:
Aerial Whiting takes on the famous “Weather is something we all experience, one of life’s romance novelist Nicholas Sparks Athletes juggle great unifiers you could say. When in need of a topic and his latest love story. However, sports and social with a stranger, bring up the weather ...” Aerial’s not feeling the love for it. club inductions John Shrable breaks the ice with weather talk. SEE Page 3a SEE Page 1b SEE Page 4b
Dr. David Burks announces retirement for next year Harding’s president will move on to chancellor position at the end of spring 2013 by J.M. ADKISON editor-in-chief During this year’s Homecoming weekend, on Friday, Oct. 28, Dr. David B. Burks announced he will retire as president of Harding University and gave his formal notice to the university’s Board of Trustees at their semiannual meeting. Burks, who has served as Harding’s president for 24 years, is the university’s fourth president in the 87 years of Harding’s history. He will officially retire after the spring semester of 2013. “The plan has always been for me to retire at the end of the 2012-2013 year,” Burks said. “I was originally supposed to make the announcement this coming May, but I wanted to give the Board sufficient time to start searching for the next president. The Board has always known about the announcement, but with everyone aware of my plans now, they can start the search earlier.”
According to the official press statement released by Harding Public Relations, the search committee for the next president will be led by Dr. John Simmons, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and will consist of six other Board members. “The work Dr. Burks does is extraordinary, showing vision and faith and a track record of success and excellence,” Simmons said in the press release. “His leadership has continued the work of his predecessors by expanding the university’s degree programs, promoting academic rigor and integrity, improving the fiscal stability of the university, and developing other initiatives to enhance the Harding experience for her students by integrating faith, learning and living.” Burks said it is too early to tell if the Board will select the next president from within or outside of the Harding community. “For the first part of the selection process, the Board will create a framework of what they are looking for in a president,” Burks said. “Then after that they will set deadlines
for applications and resumés.” Once he retires, Burks said he will become chancellor of the university and Dr. Clifton L. Ganus, Burks’ predecessor and current chancellor, will become the chancellor emeritus. Burks graduated from Harding as a student in 1966 and joined the faculty in 1967, receiving his Ph.D. in 1974 from Florida State University. He became dean of the College of Business in 1977 and president in 1987. As chancellor, Burks said he will continue to serve the school, but in a supportive role for the next president and administration, not carrying any of the responsibilities he did as president or CEO of the school. “I am looking forward to having more flexibility and being freed from the day-to-day responsibilities I have as the president,” Burks said. As for what he will miss the most about being Harding’s president, Burks said he will miss interacting with the students on a regular basis and being involved in creating new programs and new buildings for the school.
Deans encourage students to form new social clubs by AMANDA PRIDDY guest writer Among the long hours and diligent work of deans and club members alike to make this year’s club week a success, some students are looking to charter new clubs as a part of the social club overhaul. “The larger clubs are at capacity,” said Kara Abston, assistant dean of student life. “Hopefully, new clubs will be chartered and we continue to grow.” After club week, Abston said they plan to reach out to students who did not find what they were looking for in the club process. She also said upperclassmen have already expressed a desire to take on this challenge of starting new clubs. This summer the Student Association president, senior Bruce McMullen, was approached about creating a new club. “I spent some time talking with the deans about club week and how it’s going to be different, and we spoke of the lack of clubs and how kids get left out,” McMullen said. “We decided new clubs for guys and girls need to be started.” McMullen said he hopes that new clubs can provide more opportunities to more students still looking to join social clubs. “I think that social clubs
are an avenue to build relationships and have go-to people … all just to grow closer to God,” McMullen said. “That’s what clubs are: an avenue. We don’t find our identity in clubs.” McMullen said he would have regrets about leaving his current club, Sub-T 16. “The only reason I would start a new club is for other kids,” McMullen said. “I would want to try and create an opportunity for them, but that would come at a huge cost. I’ve had opportunities in Sub-T and will always be a member.” According to the social club handbook, a new club must be approved by Feb. 1 and must have an organization of no more than 30 charter members with 10 upperclassmen who have three semesters of club experience. Also, no more than one-third of the charter members can be first-year students without club experience. The charter members must also find two qualified sponsors and submit a completed constitution to be approved by the Office of Student Life. Charter members also cannot use National Greek Letters to form the name of the new club. “For any group that comes and approaches me and wants to talk, I will sit down and help them with their constitution, help them with whatever they need to do,” Abston said. “I am willing to hold their hand through the process.”
photo by CALEB RUMMEL | photo illustration by HENRIQUE RUIZ | The Bison
Above, members of Gamma Sigma Phi put their hands and baby powder up in the air as they finish their chant at all-club devo in the Ganus Athletic Center Tuesday night, Nov. 2. This year’s club week has been given a whole different look and feel due to the new social club regulations enforced by the administration. For many clubs, the changes have not been easy and while opinion on the new induction process is mixed, all club members are still able to express club pride and unity every night at all-club devo. Check out the Nov. 11 issue of the Bison for an in-depth look at the 2011 Club Week.
Occupy Wall Street inspires protests across nation by GINA CIELO web editor & J.M. ADKISON editor-in-chief A leaderless movement has arisen in the United States. It began in Wall Street and has moved from the east coast to the west coast. It has even left American shores. Thousands of people are gathering in city parks, pitching tents and staying put for as long is it takes to get their point across. It started on Sept. 17, when the Canadian anti-consumerism magazine “Adbusters” organized an event known as “Occupy Wall Street,” sending out a press release statement on July 13.
“Our nation, our species and our world are in crisis,” the press release said. “The U.S. has an important role to play in the solution, but we can no longer afford to let corporate greed and corrupt politics set the policies of our nation.” While Adbusters sparked the campaign of Occupy Wall Street, it is by no means the leader. There is no central leader, masterminding organization or political party holding the reins of Occupy Wall Street. It is entirely organized by the masses. The movement has been criticized for having a lack of focus and the absence of specific political demands, according to Oct. 16 article in the New York Times. The first protests began in Zuccotti Park in New York City’s financial district, with people pitching tents
and protesting corporate greed and corruption, who they refer to as the wealthy “1 percent” and the protestors refer to themselves as the “99 percent” or as the “Occupiers.” According to occupywallst.org, the Occupiers’ goal is to empower people to create real change in society and end the domination of the “1 percent” over the government. “Americans have always feared what they think of as ‘unchecked’ power,” said Kevin Klein, associate professor and chair of Harding’s history department. “OWS group seems to believe a handful of people have too much wealth and influence over society. “ Since Occupy Wall Street has gotten notice and publicity, more “Occupations” are popping up in major cities across the nation,
including Little Rock. According to the Arkansas Times website, Occupy Little Rock began on Oct. 12 at the Riverfront Park amphitheater near the River Market area in the downtown area. According to Arkansas News, the group marched through downtown Little Rock with 400 people chanting and holding up signs in protest of corporate greed. “The people who are Occupying do not expect the rich to hand anyone anything,” said Jared Abelson, a former Harding student who was involved in Occupy Nashville. “What the 99 percent are protesting engulfs a lot more than just student loans … These people are not lazy. Many of us do indeed have jobs (some more than one). We seek to call attention to the rampant
greed and corruption that has been going on in this country for a very long time.” While the Occupiers continually strive for peaceful protest, conflict between Occupiers and the police has resulted in some of the other “Occupations” across the country. In Occupy Oakland, city officials had ordered protestors to vacate their encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza and when Occupiers refused, the police tried to force them out with tear gas, according to a Huffington Post article. Occupiers retaliated by throwing bottles and rocks. “At this point, the occupation has no intentions of ceasing their peaceful protests,” Abelson said. “They will not leave their locations, even as police and politicians evict them and arrest them.”