Nov. 7, 2025 Vol. 101, No. 06 NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2A OPINIONS . . . . . . . . . . 3&4A SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1B COMMUNITY . . . . . . . . . . 2B FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . 3B
@HUStudentPubs Facebook: Harding University Student Publications
Digital Forensics Lab receives national accreditation SIDNEY DAVIES beat reporter
The Digital Forensics Lab at Harding University has officially received national accreditation, making it one of only two accredited digital crime laboratories in the state of Arkansas. The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), the highest national standard for testing and calibration laboratories, granted the accreditation in October 2025. Sage Hawley, the lab’s quality assurance manager, explained the important role the Digital Forensics Lab plays in modern investigations. “Bad guys do bad things, and they also have a phone in their pocket,” Hawley said. “The phone is now more important than DNA evidence in many cases. We take the phone, we dump it all, we analyze it and eventually it gets sent back to police departments, agencies and prosecutors.” While the accreditation process typically takes at least 18 months, the Harding Digital Forensics Lab completed it in just seven months – a testament to the team’s dedication and work ethic. Lab manager RJ Holt described some of what went into the process. “The accreditor asked a lot of technical questions,” Holt said. “They have to figure out how we obtain the evidence, what we do once we get the evidence and whether we handle it within the standards that the accrediting board was looking for.” Students play an active role in the lab’s operations, gaining valuable hands-on experience that prepares them for careers in cybersecurity, digital forensics, software security development, and information security. Junior Caden Haustein, one of the few students trusted to work in the lab, described what it means for the lab to be accredited. “We’ll be able to start working with the Arkansas State Crime Lab to deal with their backlog of digital forensic evidence, which can be more than a year’s worth of devices, to help our goal of accelerating investigations,” Haustein said. “What it means on a dayto-day level is that we’re preparing for an
In this issue “Perspectives” Exhibit, 2A
Ditching Liberal Arts, 3A
DGR, KJK Concert, 3B
unprecedented increase in case load in the coming months as we start that partnership and look to expand further.” Haustein, who ser ves as a systems administrator in the lab, has worked there for about five months. During that time, the lab has funded his training and two professional certifications in their Cellebrite software, which are credentials he can take with him into the workforce after graduation.
“My experience working in the lab has been amazing,” Haustein said. “I’ve gotten a lot of real world experience doing networking, IT and cybersecurity work, as well as getting to work on real cases and really develop a day to day understanding of digital forensics and how criminal investigations work, especially with regards to the legal concerns that the software has to assure.” The accreditation marks a major milestone for Harding’s
Digital Forensics Lab, demonstrating its commitment to the highest professional and technical standards. It also expands the lab’s ability to collaborate with other accredited agencies, such as the Arkansas State Crime Lab, and ensures that its evidence is admissible in court. “Our team has worked very hard for this,” Hawley said. “We’re a close knit group, we work together, and it’s a big deal, so we’re ready to shout it from the rooftops.”
Photo and graphic provided by SAGE HAWLEY
Director of the Digital Forensics Lab Jeff Cavitt instructs senior forensics students Josh Ballard and Caden Haustein. The Digital Forensics Lab was recently nationally accredited.
SGA hosts ‘Harding’s Got Talent’ for students SIDNEY DAVIES beat reporter The Harding University Student Government Association presented a lineup of student skills, from bands to dancing, during its “Harding’s Got Talent” show on Thursday, Nov. 6. The event took place at 7 p.m. in the Reynolds Recital Hall. The show was the semester’s primary project for SGA’s senior female representative, Emma Roach. Roach, who co-organized the show with Max Thweat, emphasized that the night was designed to be highly entertaining and interactive, drawing inspiration from classic entertainment. “The hope for the talent show is that it will feel like a talent show out of a Disney Channel movie,” Roach said. “Very fun, very involved.” A unique feature of the talent show was its hosts: University President Mike Williams and Executive Vice President Jean-Noel Thompson. “The talent show is hosted by none other than President Mike Williams and Dr. T, and it should be a really fun time watching them host and facilitate this event,” Roach said. “We have a variety of performances ranging from interpretive dancing to rock bands.” Ultimately, Roach anticipated the event would serve as a unifying experience for the student body. “I hope a lot of people show up and support their friends that are a part of it,” Roach said. “We’ll have a lot of laughs and get to see a lot of the talent that’s at Harding right now. I expect quite a few people to turn out and hope that everything goes really well. I’m confident that it will.” SGA President Grayson Hume framed the event as a new opportunity for students to display their abilities outside of traditional campus outlets.
“It was an idea that was adopted and developed so that people with different talents could have a stage to showcase them,” Hume said. He connected the talent show directly to one of the SGA’s guiding themes for the academic year. “It taps into the theme ‘available,’ so we’re giving students that outlet to be creative in ways that they want to be,” Hume explained. He differentiated the event from other largescale performances, noting that it provides a different kind of exposure. The goal, Hume said, is to give performers “an audience other than just their communit y ” and to provide a platform for those “without having to be in Spring Sing or perform for just their friends.”
Hume also gave credit to the event’s lead organizer. “I’m excited and proud of Emma Roach, who’s been the lead on this, and excited to see what happens,” Hume said. One of the student performers was sophomore Evan Ashworth, who looked forward to singing “Three Wooden Crosses,” the 2002 hit by Randy Travis. “Me and my friend Malcolm are performing a song,” Ashworth said. “Malcolm’s playing the guitar, and I’m singing.” When asked how long he has been singing, Ashworth kept his answer simple. “I guess since I was born,” he said. Ashworth expressed his confidence in the upcoming show. “It’s going to be good,” he said.
Photos by REESE MALLETT
Senior Caleb Herrington (left) auditions for “Harding’s Got Talent” while sophomore Nona Nielsen (middle) and senior Emma Roach (right) watch from the crowd. The event took place last night, Nov. 6.