March 20, 2026 Vol. 101, No. 13
NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2A OPINIONS . . . . . . . . . . 3&4A SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1B COMMUNITY . . . . . . . . . . 2B FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . 3B LIFESTYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . 4B
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HUG reroutes spring trip amid Iran conflict NATALIA LAGO guest writer
The spring 2026 HUG group recently saw some significant changes to its scheduled trips. With the war in Iran, Harding University at Greece was forced to cancel all travel plans to Egypt and instead took an extensive tour of the United Kingdom. The war began Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel launched a strike on Iran, starting a regional conflict. As of now, both sides have sent and received a series of missile and air attacks. The war itself has also spread across the Middle East, affecting global oil supplies. Iran’s government remains in
control, and as of right now, there is no clear end to the war. Due to the close proximity of Egypt, HUG’s trip was forced to cancel with a day’s notice. They were quickly rerouted for two days in Dublin, Ireland; two days in Edinburgh, Scotland; and four days in London, United Kingdom. They visited historically notable sights such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Oxford University, Edinburgh Castle and many more. With the short notice, multiple directors stayed up throughout the night planning. Daniel Adams, the HUG director, shared the many considerations of the decision. “Is the choice we are going to make safe
for the students?” Adams said. “What are we going to be able to do?... It is going to be a different trip but one that is equally special. And so those are the things that go on in our heads.” The on-site assistant to the HUG program, Regan McClure, stated a similar statement on the pace of this decision. “ Working with people who travel professionally, especially with Audra Pleasant, it was very on the fly but also very structured, so there was a balance of going with the flow of things that were out of control, and having a plan for the things in our control,” McClure said. “It was a privilege to travel and have the opportunity to go on a trip in
exchange for the canceled Egypt trip.” Though most students were disappointed in the change of events, they expressed their love for the alternative trip. “While I was extremely disappointed in the change of plans, I was appreciative of Harding for prioritizing our safety as well as creating a phenomenal trip on such short notice,” sophomore Lauren Tracy, a current HUG attendee, said. “We were able to visit countries I didn’t think I would get a chance to visit and see so many historically beautiful sights in just a week.” The HUG group is scheduled to visit Turkey, Crete and the Peloponnese Peninsula before the conclusion of their program on April 16.
Photo provided by NATALIA LAGO
Students attending Harding University at Greece pose with the Parthenon in Athens, Greece Feb. 9. The group had significant changes to their travel prgram due to the war with Iran.
Harding hosts ACWHE conference PAUL RYAN guest writer
On March 12, Harding hosted an annual conference with the Arkansas Council for Women of Higher Education. The group’s official website states: “The Arkansas Council for Women in Higher Education was founded in 1979 to function as a support group for Arkansas women in higher education. At that time it was composed of three faculty or staff members from every public and private institution of higher education in the state.” The organization’s vice president, Andrea Bishop, helped lead this year’s event. “I hope that our attendees walked away with new connections with other incredible women and new ideas to spark growth and passion in their roles and communities” Bishop said. “Personally, I walked away with an immense feeling of pride at how beautifully Harding welcomed our guests to campus. I received
so many compliments from our attendees about the hospitality, warmth, and beauty of Harding’s campus and community. I also walked away with a deep sense of gratitude for the smart, passionate women working in higher education in Arkansas. There are many wonderful things happening at institutions across the state.” The theme for the conference this year was “G.R.O.W.” which stands for Goals, Relationships, Opportunities and Well Being. The event had several breakout sessions dedicated to digging deeper into these points, along with keynote speakers Robin Maynard and Amy Cox speaking on “Leading with Conviction.” English and medical humanities professor Katherine Dillon commented on the event. “The Arkansas Council for Women in Higher Education conference came at a good time for me,” Dillon said. “Getting to meet women f rom other higher ed institutions who were working for similar
goals of improvement in teaching was a much-needed mental refresher. The sense of humor and connection they provided was the energy boost I needed for a bit of renewal mid-semester.” The event was also a wide reaching one. “We had close to 100 attendees for the conference; they came from Arkansas Tech, Arkansas State, Pulaski Tech, Crowley’s Ridge, UALR, Southern Arkansas University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, ACLU Arkansas, Little Rock Job Corps, Pine Bluff Downtown Development, and Harding University,” Bishop said. The conference also awarded two women with ACWHE awards. Harding librarian Carri Baker received the Rising Star Award for showing exceptional promise and making notable impacts during her time with the organization. Bishop received the Outstanding Member Award for her many contributions to the group and the University.
March 20 Midi ACROSS 12 Rudyard Kipling 1 Land of _____. poem (Genesis locale) 13 Screenshot, 4 What one might slangily say after 14 Former reading a tricky 18 What one might crossword clue call "this" in 6 Subtraction Spain amt. 19 Opposite of 8 The Dutch as NNW seen in the 20 ###-##-#### World Cup 9 Therefore 10 Portland container 11 Green Nickelodeon specialty 13 Binary compound with Sulfur 15 Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 16 Veto 17 Exercise result Photo KENZIE JAMES 19 Earlyby afternoon naps 21 Mailroom employees 22 Colgate rival
Director of alumni and parent relations Heather Kemper, vice president of ACWHE Andrea Bishop, and graduate marketing manager Hannah Robison sit together at the ACWHE yearly conference March 12. The conference was hosted by Harding this year and their theme was “G.R.O.W.” DOWN 2 Take too much medicine 3 Preventive persuasion 4 2018 Horror
In this issue New Tacker’s open, 1B
Reggie Webster, 1B
Bunny crossword, 3B 1
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