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Judge moves Gillean trial to Van Buren County, cites ‘unwanted publicity’

Marisa Hicks — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:06:40 +0000

Faulkner County Circuit Judge Charles E. Clawson Jr. ruled in favor of former UCA Chief of Staff Jack Gillean’s motion for a change of venue.

Gillean’s trial will move to Van Buren County from Faulkner County because of pretrial publicity.

Jack Gillean

In a letter to Faulkner County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Cody Hiland and Tim Dudley, one of Gillean’s three attorneys, explaining his ruling to move the trial Clawson said that up until President Tom Courtway’s appointment, UCA had gone through a period where multiple “higher level officials” were involved in the criminal justice system, including former presidents Lu Hardin and Allen Meadors.

“These events have brought, what the court would suspect, to be unwanted publicity to the university and would also create an environment where this defendant would be in a situation that his responsibility for any criminal actions could be tainted by the public’s perception of the past few years,” Clawson said.

Gillean, 55, was charged with four felony offenses and a misdemeanor offense Oct. 5.

Three of the four felony charges were counts of commercial burglary, which relates to the accusations that Gillean gave former student Cameron Stark his master keys and ID so that Stark could steal tests from professors’ offices and medication from former Assistant Director of Scholarships Andrew Linn. He received an additional felony charge for fraudulent insurance acts and a misdemeanor for issuing a false financial statement.

Stark was granted limited immunity in the case for his cooperation.

Gillean, who initially said he would turn himself over to authorities Oct. 8, 2011, turned himself in to Faulkner County police at about 8:45 a.m. Oct. 10 and left on a $17,500 bail.

Gillean resigned abruptly from UCA on June 15, 2011.

After Gillean’s pretrial hearing May 10, Dudley said he was glad Clawson would consider granting Gillean’s motion. He said he would prefer for Clawson to move the case to Searcy County, because residents of Searcy County showed they had fewer opinions on the case, according to surveys by Opinion Research Associates, Inc.

Dudley said Ernie Oakleaf, Opinion Research Associates, Inc. co-founder, was paid $9,000 to conduct surveys in Faulkner, Searcy and Van Buren counties.

Oakleaf said 106 individuals who were registered voters were interviewed in each county.

Surveys were conducted in Faulkner County on April 8, in Searcy County on April 17 and in Van Buren County on April 11.

“You can’t guarantee anyone a perfect trial but we can do our best to try to give the defendant the best trial that we can,” Dudley said. “Almost 60 percent of jurors in Faulkner County have read or heard about the defendant. Close to 40 percent of those have already determined he’s guilty. The numbers are a little better, but not too much better, in Van Buren County; they’re much better in Searcy [County]. Why wouldn’t do everything we can to make sure he gets a fair trial?”

According to the surveys, 56 percent of Faulkner County residents had read about or watched coverage of UCA officials facing criminal charges over the past year. In Searcy County, 31 percent of residents had read about or watched coverage against UCA officials and 41 percent of residents in Van Buren County had read or viewed coverage.

Fifty-six percent of Faulkner County residents had discussed charges against UCA officials with their family and friends. In Searcy County, 18 percent said they had discussed criminal charges against UCA officials and 42 percent in Van Buren County had discussed charges.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Troy Braswell said it is not necessary for the jury to be “totally ignorant” of the case as long as they can set aside their opinions and base their verdict solely on the evidence.

It was misleading for the survey not to include Gillean’s name, he said.

“Not one time did any of the questions [Gillean’s] $9,000 expert asked is ‘even if you have made up your opinion, even if you have read something can you set that aside and could you be a fair juror?’” Braswell said. “None of those questions were asked. We know [the defendants] could have asked any question they wanted because when Oakleaf submitted questions to the defendants, the defendants specifically took out the defendant’s name. That is huge in this situation.”

According to Oakleaf’s surveys, 56 percent of Faulkner County residents did not discuss charges against UCA officials with family and friends, 82 percent of Searcy County residents did not discuss charges against UCA officials and 58 percent of Van Buren County residents did not discuss UCA criminal cases.

Clawson said Gillean’s burglary charges will be tried first and set a pretrial date that “we may or may not use” for 9 a.m. June 3. He said in his letter to Hiland and Dudley that he would have available time in early November for a trial.

The judge ordered prosecutors to provide Gillean with specifics pertaining to when and where each alleged burglary took place. Prosecutors must also disclose names of witnesses they expect to call to testify and any physical evidence they plan to use against Gillean before the June 3 pretrial.

Memorial tree gets new life as bear sculpture

Brandon Riddle — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:35:42 +0000

Iowa artist Gary Keenan gave one memorial tree in front of Wingo Hall a transformation this week when he carved it into a life-sized bear representing UCA’s mascot.

Work began Monday on the project. After days of sawdust, final touches were completed Thursday with detail work on the mouth, claws and overall appearance. Keenan said that initially the structure was too tall and he spent time getting the height and width of the bear in realistic proportion.

Keenan speaks about carving to Carl Stuart Middle School students Thursday. Courtesy of the University of Central Arkansas

The tree was planted as part of a living memorial to World War II victims. In an archive document explaining the memorial, UCA Archives Director Jimmy Bryant said 46 oak trees were planted to remember UCA alumni who died in the war.

Memorial trees line Donaghey Avenue, stand in front of Wingo, McCastlain and Bernard halls and in front of the Student Center. A plaque was created in 2003 and placed in front of McAlister Hall that lists the names of fallen veterans memorialized.

When university officials knew the tree was not capable of surviving disease, they decided to give it a new identity in a way that would preserve its importance.

Art professor Bryan Massey will use a portion of the tree not used during the carving process to create a memorial bench in honor of World War II veterans.

Keenan said he hopes the bear sculpture project will be a new symbol of school spirit. The placement of the bear allows for different, interesting perspectives depending on where a person views the sculpture, he said.

The UCA sculpture wasn’t Keenan’s first foray into chainsaw carving on campuses. Four of his works have been at higher education institutions. He was invited as the only American of 12 wood sculptors to attend the England “Sculptree”/Westonbirt Festival of the Tree in 2007, according to his website.

Housing Director Stephanie McBrayer said she was proud to be on the committee that selected Keenan as the project’s sculptor after evaluating project bids.

“[The bear sculpture] is a place where people can come take pictures,” she said.

Fredericka Sharkey, associate director of media relations, said UCA paid Keenan $4,000 to carve the sculpture.

Faculty, staff, students and local residents watched throughout the week as Keenan carved the bear sculpture. He treated Carl Stuart Middle School students to a sculpture lesson Thursday, carving frogs and a small bear to illustrate his work. The fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade students were separated into four groups, totaling about 125 students.

“[There were] far more students than I expected,” Keenan said. “All had good questions.”

Ericka Ruble, public information specialist, said the groups arrived at 8 a.m. and left at 2 p.m. Thursday. Despite taking time away from Keenan’s work, she said he was gracious to students.

“We’re lucky to have found him,” she said.

Conway resident Sarah McMillen brought her 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter Wednesday and Thursday to view the project as it unfolded.

“I’m impressed that he made something remarkable out of something so simple,” she said.

Keenan said he was grateful for the opportunity to carve the sculpture. His next project will be at a city park in Iowa, where he will carve a sculpture symbolizing the classic “Three Little Pigs” tale.

To learn more about Keenan’s work, visit his website at carvingbykeenan.com and view the university Flickr photostream for a complete gallery of images taken during the UCA project.

University opts out of concealed-carry law

Brandon Riddle — Thu, 09 May 2013 22:10:10 +0000

UCA became the first four-year university to oppose Act 226 of 2013, the Arkansas concealed-carry law, when the board of trustees voted 5-1 to opt out of the law at its May 3 meeting.

If board members had not decided on the matter before the law takes effect within 90 days, UCA would have automatically opted in to the law that allows faculty and staff members with concealed-handgun permits to carry weapons on campuses.

State Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, introduced the bill and Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe signed Act 226 into law March 1.

President Tom Courtway said that while some faculty and staff may support the law, the best move for the campus is to remain a gun-free zone. Courtway first publicly voiced his opposition to the law at the Feb. 20 Campus Talk.

“The existing [gun] policy has been in effect for many years,” he said. “We did have the situation in 2008 on a Sunday night, but other than that I believe our campus is very safe.”

Two students — freshman Ryan Henderson and sophomore Chavares Block — were shot to death outside Arkansas Hall in 2008. Following the incident, UCAPD established the UCAAlert system, which notifies the UCA community of emergency situations on campus.

Before the vote, board member Kay Hinkle voiced her support for Act 226 and opposition to the board resolution as the only no vote among trustees.

She asked Courtway to provide trustees with his biggest objection to concealed carry at the university. Courtway said UCAPD adequately monitors and handles threats to campus security.

Hinkle said she is a firm believer in the second amendment right to carry weapons. She added that faculty and staff should be given the choice to carry concealed handguns even if UCAPD is “one of the best [police forces].”

“I think it’s their right to be able to do that,” she said. “That’s just my opinion. I know I’m in the minority. I can’t live with myself if I don’t express that.”

Trustee Bobby Reynolds asked Courtway if the university had a list of names of employees with concealed-carry permits. Courtway said he did not believe the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act allowed such information to be available to the public. The Arkansas legislature exempted the information from state law during the 2013 session.

The board vote followed months of deliberation and discussion from students, faculty and staff who participated in forums and surveys regarding the concealed-carry law.

UCAPD, faculty senate and staff senate opposed allowing handguns on campus, while polling from students showed support for the law.

Members of the UCA community participated in a staff senate survey conducted between March 30 and April 10. According to survey results from question three, 56 percent of students (248) supported the law with 71 percent of faculty (140) and 50 percent of staff (75) opposing concealed carry on campus.

The opt-out decision is effective for one year and the board will decide annually on the law. Courtway said the board can decide then whether it could “delineate a certain group.”

“I would go down that road with great trepidation,” he said.

Republican State Rep. Mark Lowery of Maumelle, visiting communication lecturer, co-sponsored the concealed-carry measure and praised UCA’s efforts to receive feedback before making a decision at the board meeting.

Hendrix College also voted out of the concealed-carry law last week. Other Arkansas four-year institutions such as the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Arkansas State University and Arkansas Tech University have yet to decide on Act 226.

The University of Arkansas is scheduled to take up the issue at its May 23 board of trustees meeting.

Student media outlets receive awards at ACMA conference

Brandon Riddle — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:35:41 +0000

UCA student journalists took home top prizes April 26 at the annual Arkansas College Media Association conference. During this year’s event at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, The Fountain received 16 awards. The Echo followed with 15 awards in writing, photography, design and advertising. News6 took home 10 awards, The Vortex received nine and The Scroll won seven.

The Echo, weekly print newspaper:

Echo Staff – Third place in In-Depth News, first place in Editorial Writing
Jeanette Anderton – First place in Meeting/speech coverage – “Trustees name Runge provost,” Honorable mention in Election/political writing
Brad Smith – Second place in Editorial Page Layout
Christina Huynh – Honorable mention in News writing: “Faculty members upset about athletic employee raises“
Carissa Gan – Honorable mention in General Column Writing
Hunter Brooks – Honorable mention in Sports Column Writing for “New guidelines help combat concussions“
Sean Shrewsbury – Third place in News Photo for “Decisions,” second place in Sports Photo for “Bears Win in OT”
Daniel Becker – Third place in Sports Photo for “Track Team Posts 13 Firsts”
Lee Hogan – Third place in Feature Photo for “Game Face”
Darlecia Williams – Honorable mention in Feature Photo for “Pizza…”
Matt Williams – Third place in Advertising for “The Echo Spring – The Echo Special Edition”
James Johnson – Second place in Editorial Cartoon

The Fountain, daily online news source:

Fountain Staff – Website of the Year, third place in News writing for “Man Threatens to Kill Police,” honorable mention for “Crosby FIGHTS in ‘Fite Nite’” in Video Podcasts
Jordan King – Website Editor of the Year, second place for “Robbery Suspects in Custody” in Breaking News, second place in Sports writing for “Basketball Player Arrested for DWI“
Kendra Beattie – First place in Breaking News for “Students Protest State Senator“
Courtney Prindle – Third place in Meeting/speech coverage for “Return of the Jed“
Ashley Bronson – First place in In-Depth reporting and/or multimedia package for “Audit Reveals History of Fraud“
Collin Lingo – First place in Online Topical Reporting/Blogs for “Farmer’s Market RSO Coming“
Christina Huynh – Second place in Online Topical Reporting/Blogs for “Saudi Arabian Students ‘Freezing’“
Elise Williams – Third place in Online Topical Reporting/Blogs for “UCA Does the Harlem Shake“
Taylor Gladwin – Third place in Arts & Entertainment articles for “Conway’s Hottest New Band“
Lisa Burnett – First place in Arts & Entertainment reviews for “Crowd Loves Craig Robinson“
Paige Murphy – Third place for “Singer Serenades Students” in Arts & Entertainment reviews
Lee Hogan – First place in Sports writing for “Preview: Bears vs Panthers“

News6, UCA’s broadcast news program:

News6 Team - First, second and third place in Regularly Occurring Newscast
Callie France - First place in Television News Reporting for “Faulkner County Fair“
Matt Bloomfield - Second place in Television News Reporting for “Pitza 42“
Xiaobo Pang - Honorable mention in Television News Reporting for “Gun Control“
Raven Ambers - Honorable mention for “Shorty’s Restaurant” in TV Feature, first place in Political Coverage for “20-week Abortion Bill”
Lacey West - Second place in Sports Feature for “Honey Bears”
Wynrick Smothers - Third place in Sports Feature for “Women’s Basketball”

The Vortex, literary magazine:

Vortex Staff - First place in Illustrative Narrative
McKenzie Hobbs - Magazine Editor of the Year
Alan Masingill - Second place in Cover Design
Alli Muller - Second place in Nonfiction Writing for “Fear Not”
Erica Lewis - First place for “Little Life” and honorable mention for “Grey Dapple” in Feature News Photo
Elizabeth A. Sneed - Third place in Feature News Photo for “Bittersweet Journey”
Caty McMains - Second and third place for “Untitled” in Art/Illustration

The Scroll, yearbook:

Scroll Staff – Third place in Yearbook Cover, third place in Endsheets, second place in Sports Layout for “Track”
Callie France – First place in Student Life Layout for “Miss UCA”
Jay Sterling – Second place in Feature Photo for “Morgan Linn gets Queen”
Callie France and Jay Sterling – Third place in Sports Divider
Carley Dangar – Third place in Portrait layout for “People”

Residence halls increasing shower privacy; Torreyson Library adding family bathrooms

Peyton Olsen — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:00:20 +0000

Renovations for on-campus residence halls, apartments and Torreyson Library are in the works for the summer.
UCA Housing and Residence Life will complete work in all of its buildings, with the most extensive and expensive project being the installation of a sprinkler head system in Hughes Hall.
Housing Director Stephanie McBrayer said, “What we have [installed] is adequate and working, but this is an upgrade [to the existing safety system].”
She said Hughes Hall is safe to live in, but the goal is to keep up with fire and safety standards through modernizing existing features.
Housing will update the community-style showers in Hughes, as well as in Bernard and Conway halls. The project will add privacy stalls to the existing shower stalls. The new stalls will have benches and a hook for hanging towels or robes.
“It is kind of a simple fix, but it has been really well received,” McBrayer said.
Similar privacy stalls were added to Carmichael Hall in 2012.
Cosmetic updates are the focus of renovations in the Bear Village and Stadium Park apartments and Farris Hall.
Updates will include $90,000 toward interior paint in Farris Hall and $179,000 toward “full renovations” in the apartment building, McBrayer said. Several units will be updated with new baseboards, toilets, fixtures, flooring, paint and showers.
McBrayer said the cosmetic changes must be done in phases to help keep the budget balanced.
During the summer, six of 10 Bear Village apartments will convert to single-single style suites with one resident in each two-bedroom suite. The change will coincide with renovations before the fall semester.
McBrayer said housing does not expect any complications for accommodating students in need of Bear Village housing despite less occupancy.
“We’ve taken a lot of time to evaluate our numbers, how many spaces we have open and the need for housing,” she said.
Farris, Baridon and New halls are scheduled to receive kitchen and main lobby updates.
The major renovations will not begin until after students leave for the summer. Students are required to move out of residence halls by 12 p.m. May 4. At that point, their Bear Cards will not grant them access to the dorms.
Updates on a new outdoor feature at State Hall began earlier this month.
Assistant Vice President of Housing and Contract Services Rick McCollum said housing gave State Hall $7,500 to build a labyrinth, a maze-like walking path, behind the building.
The project began at the residential college’s request to utilize the empty green space and housing matched their funds.
McCollum said pavers will be put in this week, and the labyrinth may be finished before the semester is over.
Upon students’ requests, the Torreyson Library’s west wing will undergo renovation over the summer.
Library Director Art Lichtenstein said more diverse study areas will contribute to the academic mission and satisfy both large and small group workspaces through zoning.
The projects will include new flooring, paint, more electrical outlets and additional data lines.
“We have some students that want a very dead quiet place to work — no interruptions, no nothing,” Lichtenstein said. “We have some students that have to do a class project, and you can’t expect them to do a project if they are not allowed to speak.”
Lichtenstein said the library is moving forward on “family room” bathrooms to better accommodate UCA’s diverse population.
The project would focus on a safe space for students with children, disabilities or transgender status.
UCA’s wireless Internet access will expand to create more “hot-spot” areas in the library and in the residence halls.
Lichtenstein said he hopes to saturate the library with connectivity.
McBrayer said she hopes to see Wi-Fi capabilities throughout residence halls instead of only lobby areas.
Lichtenstein said the wireless connection has been lacking because the buildings were not designed for the electronic technology of 2013.
The renovations will directly combat this problem by adding more electrical outlet and datalines.

Alum heading downtown Conway mural project

Hunter Brooks — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:59:43 +0000

Work is set to begin on a new community mural for downtown Conway after the Conway City Council unanimously voted to match an $8,000 grant from the Mid-America Arts Alliance.
UCA’s College of Fine Arts and Communication Associate Dean and art professor Gayle Seymour said Conway will benefit from the mural.
“Conway has already seen how murals contribute to the vibrancy of a community,” she said. “The new mural will contribute to the vibrancy of our historic downtown. Its location will create a kind of gateway to the Hendrix Village. I anticipate it will also become a way finding device for people trying to get around town.”
Lead artist Jordan Karpe will oversee the project that will be painted on the east wall of the old Grant Theater at the corner of Chestnut and Oak Street.
The wall is 20 feet high and 65 feet wide.
Karpe, a 2012 UCA graduate will spend time working with community groups to gather ideas, design and execute the mural. He will conduct historical research and provide guidance for a voluntary design team that will assist him during the process.
Karpe will hold meetings to gather ideas and volunteers from the community.
The meetings are scheduled for 5 p.m. April 30 and May 1 in the Conway City Hall Conference Room.
Design workshops with volunteers will be held May 6-24 with the painting phase of the project taking place June 8-July 10 in the conference room.
Seymour said the $16,000 is a reasonable amount for the project.
“The mural will take about 3 months to complete, from start to finish,” Gayle said. “Karpe will more-than-earn his stipend. High quality acrylic paints, produced by Nova Color, are expensive but will last 25 years on the wall. There is also the cost of renting scissors lifts. Finally, there are insurance costs that are part of any project that is in the public domain.”
A mural was painted by Morton Brown six years ago in Simon Park.
Titled “Aurora Rising,” Gayle said the mural has become a symbol for Conway.
“The mural in Simon Park, for instance, is often seen in the background of a magazine advertisement, a television commercial, or a news cast,” Gayle said. “It has become a place maker. When you see that image, you know you are in Conway.”
She said the project will help to continue revitalization of historic downtown Conway.
Seymour and the College of Fine Arts and Communication applied to the Mid-America Arts Alliance in spring 2012 to bring nationally-known muralist Dave Loewenstein to Conway for a mural project.
The application made it to the final round but was not selected.
Arkadelphia was given the project and Karpe was selected to be the mural apprentice.
Upon completion of the mural, “From a Dream to The Promise,” Karpe applied for a grant to paint in mural in Conway and was awarded $8,000.
The grant was awarded through the M-AAA’s “Artistic Innovations” program.
This mural is supported in part by the award from M-AAA, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Arkansas Arts Council.

Gender gap shows problems with pay within university

Echo Staff — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:01:46 +0000

This week, The Echo published a story about gender pay gaps at UCA. While many of these issues are due to larger problems than a university can address, there are some problems the university can address.
The gender pay gap is caused by many issues, including a bad maternity leave policy and female professors’ tendency to focus more on students than research.
The maternity leave policy should be revamped, with guaranteed paid time off and a guarentee of a return to the same position they took leave from.
The university also needs to address the tendency of female professors to focus on students more than research. UCA is a university, which should strike a balance between research and teaching. However, it is more important to professors’ teaching ability that they focus on helping and mentoring students and becoming involved in the community.
Part of the intent of a university is to connect with the community and help make it a better place. Professors who do this should be rewarded and lauded, not kept at lower-paying jobs because they don’t focus as much on research.
Other factors in the gap in pay are compression and inversion, which are closely related and are unfair to professors who spend more time at UCA. Professors who have worked at UCA longer started at a lower pay rate than professors who began more recently because the market value of the position has gone up.
Since professors generally don’t receive many cost-of-living raises or any raise related to inflation, they are eventually paid below the going rate of a similar job. This means they are paid less than professors hired a few years later. More focus should be put on equity and cost-of-living raises, meaning the committee devoted to this issue should meet more often than it does.
Events at UCA during the past few years have overshadowed the day-to-day problems facing the university community. It’s time to get back to dealing with issues such as the gender pay gap.
Although he may have destroyed his legacy at UCA, former President Lu Hardin did introduce the committee devoted to this issue. Unfortunately, since his departure, little has been done to focus on this issue. This issue is a good opportunity for the administration to get behind something that can take the focus off itself.
Dealing with gender salary gap is not only the right thing to do, but it could garner some good press for the university. Being seen as a more equitable university than others around the state could be good for recruitment of students and faculty and would help with the university’s prestige.
Most people in a leadership position at the university would most likely agree that something should be done about the gender salary gap. However, more focus should be put on the issue to make it more fair for female professors, who are very important to the university community and should be rewarded for doing their jobs well by being paid as much as their male counterparts.

The Top Five Fashion Magazines

Anastassiya Khvan — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:01:40 +0000

1. Lula (Great Britain)

Lula is a monthly British magazine that was founded in London. This magazine is designed in retro style, which has light, soft, pastel and sort of blended colors that make this magazine absolutely charming and feminine. Visualization is Lula’s base, so there are a lot of great pictures in the magazine. Another important part of Lula is the interviews it features with different artists, which makes it interesting and unique.

2. Worn Fashion Journal (Canada)

Worn is a Canadian publication founded in Toronto. It mostly concentrates on the educational opportunities of fashion, and that puts Worn “between pop culture magazine and academic journal,” according to its website. Worn is a bi-annual publication. Each issue covers different topics. One of the editions was devoted to shoes and another to hair. Worn’s team gathers information from all over the world.

3. Acne Paper (Sweden)

Acne Paper is a bi-annual magazine that was founded in Stockholm, Sweden under Acne fashion label. It is written in English. The magazine embraces fashion, art and culture. It is a very intellectual publication with a simple and elegant design, which makes it outstanding and special from others. Since 2005, there have been 14 issues and each focuses on one idea. Last issue’s content was exclusively about New York.

4. OE (Germany)

OE is an independent German magazine founded in Berlin and published in English. It concentrates on fashion by focusing on images. “In every issue, 10 photo editorials reveal what keeps designers, photographers, stylists and hair and make-up artists moving these days,” according to its website. A bi-annual publication, OE is still young, having published only four issues. OE will be successful due to its unique design.

5. Rookie (United States)

Tavi Gevinson is not new to the fashion world. She started writing about fashion when she was 12 years old, shocking people with deep knowledge of fashion and her great sense of style. Tavi has her own blog and online magazine Rookie. Her first print edition of Rookie tells stories of different girls in the form of interviews, images and diaries. The publication is personal and at the same time it will be dear to all girls.

Fountain of News – April 23, 2013

Echo Staff — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:01:34 +0000

Echo news coverage continues over summer
While the spring semester may be coming to a close, The Echo will continue to report on breaking news and important stories during the summer months. Stories will be published online at ucaecho.net.

Inaugural Communication Week includes debate
The communications department hosted the first Communication Week April 15-18. The department held several activities throughout the week that were free and open to the public. The UCA forensics team held a debate and a presentation on concealed weapons on campus.
Honors students support local charities
Freshmen and senior Honors College students collected donations for a number of charitable causes in front of Short/Denney Hall on April 18. Proceeds from the Campus Impact event will go to Our House, a homeless shelter in Little Rock; Feed My Starving Children, a Christian nonprofit that feeds malnourished children; and charity: water, a nonprofit that devotes its donations to making clean water accessible in the developing world.

‘Poster Girl’ director visits campus
Director and Producer Sara Nesson screened her short film “Poster Girl” April 19 in Stanley Russ Hall. Nesson spoke about her film and answered audience members’ questions. “Poster Girl” won the International Documentary Association award for best short in 2011. It was nominated for Best Documentary Short at the Academy Awards and for Best Editing- Documentary and Long Form and Best Informational Programming- Long Form at the News and Documentary Emmy awards in 2012.

Seminar integrates service learning
For the first time, UCA will offer a pedagogical seminar for faculty. The seminar will focus on integrating service learning into their instruction. The seminar will take place this summer. More information can be found at uca.edu/ idc/servicelearning/.

View more stories at MyFountainOnline.com
Stories featured include articles written by Fountain writers.

Survey suggests students support Act 226

Brandon Riddle — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:01:29 +0000

Survey results from a staff senate concealed-carry questionnaire show a divide in how the UCA community views Arkansas’s concealed-carry law, Act 226.

When asked if the university should opt out of Act 226, 36 percent (158) of 442 students answering question three agreed, while 56 percent (248) disagreed. Eight percent of students (36) were neutral on the subject.

The percentage contrasted that of faculty and staff. Seventy-one percent of faculty members (140) and 50 percent of staff (75) said in the survey that UCA should opt out of the concealed-carry law.

Surveys were conducted between March 30 and April 10.

The staff senate provided the surveys in print form to April 2 and 3 staff senate forum attendees and online via OrgSync to individuals in the UCA community who could not attend the event.

Of the overall survey takers (790), 444 were students, 197 were faculty and 149 were staff, according to responses to question one of the survey.

The bill, House Bill 1243, was passed by the Arkansas legislature earlier this year and Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe signed the bill into law in March.

Act 226 will go into effect 90 days after the 89th Arkansas General Assembly adjourns.

The general assembly was scheduled to adjourn April 23.

Arkansas’ Senate passed the legislation 31-4 and the House of Representatives passed it 70-11. Nineteen House members abstained.

Following weeks of discussion from administrators and debate during a staff senate forum, university officials must decide swiftly before the act automatically includes UCA.

President Tom Courtway said at the Feb. 20 Campus Talk that he opposes Act 226 and will recommend that the board of trustees opt out of the law.

UCA’s Board of Trustees will be the deciding factor on whether UCA will adopt or reject Arkansas’ concealed-carry law.

The issue of gun rights has been a touchy subject for the UCA community since the 2008 on-campus shooting that resulted in the death of two students.

At the April 2 staff senate open forum discussing the law, UCAPD Lt. Jamie Boothe said police reaction times to emergencies on campus are sufficient and additional resources are not needed to ensure safety.

In the survey, 44 percent (349) of 788 students, faculty and staff overall agreed that concealed handguns for self-defense would make the campus safer.

UCAPD Project Manager Arch Jones said the police department opposes the law, explaining that the campus should remain a gun-free zone.

The faculty senate echoed a similar view when it passed a resolution opposing the concealed-carry law March 12.

When asked if faculty and staff should be allowed to carry concealed handguns on campus, 47 percent overall (373 students, faculty and staff) were in favor of the legislation, while 48 percent (380) opposed and 4 percent (35) were neutral.

Sixty-one percent of students voiced support (271), while 34 percent (151) opposed the idea.

Faculty had a different view with 73 percent against (143) and 23 percent (46) for concealed-carry licenses on campuses.

Staff voted 38 percent (56) for the right and 58 percent (86) against the right for self-defense through concealed handguns.

On the topic of whether stricter regulations and policies governing concealed carry on campus should be enacted, 631 of 785 survey participants (80 percent) favored restrictions. 92 respondents opposed regulations while 62 were neutral on the subject.

Of the participants, 78 percent of students (346), 85 percent of faculty (166) and 80 percent of staff (119) said there should be strict regulations and policies.