The Bear Ledger

Author Charlaine Harris Lecture, Book-signing April 1

New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris will hold a free lecture and book signing at the University of Central Arkansas’s Reynolds Performance Hall on Thursday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m. The book signing will immediately follow the lecture. Harris, a Mississippi native who now lives in southern Arkansas, writes the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mysteries novels on which the HBO hit series True Blood is based. For more information, call the Office of the Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication, at (501) 450-3293 or e-mail smaiden.uca.edu.

Ceremony to Recognize April as Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month

The Court Appointed Special Advocates of the 20th Judicial District will host a flag raising and proclamation ceremony to recognize April as child abuse prevention and awareness month at the Faulkner County Courthouse on Arpil 1 at noon. Guest speakers will include Arkansas State CASA Director, Julian Holloway; Faulkner County Judge, Preston Scroggin and 20th Judicial District prosecuting attorney, Marcus Vaden. The purpose is to send a message of hope to the 265 children who were abused and neglected last year in the 20th Judicial District.

Graduate Thesis Film Screening Set At UCA

The Digital Filmmaking Program of the Department of Mass Communication and Theatre will screen four graduate thesis films on April 3 at 7 p.m. in the Reynolds Performance Hall. Graduate thesis films are: Sam Abaza’s Voices in the Walls, Justin Bauer’s Decaf, Emily Lane’s Our Place, and Jason Knowles’ Midnight Lyric. For more information, call the Office of the Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication, at (501) 450-3293 or e-mail smaiden@uca.edu.

UCA Smoking Cessation Classes

Smoking Cessation class will be offered to help individuals kick the habit. All classes will be held from noon to 1 p.m. at the Student Health Center 307. The following classes are scheduled: April 6, Understanding Affects of Nicotine; April 13, Coping Techniques and Strategies; April 20, Preparing to Quit; April 27, Quitting; May 4, Staying Quit; and May 11, Congratulations!

Caputo Lecture Rescheduled to April 7

John D. Caputo, the Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Syracuse University, will present a lecture on April 7 in the Doyne Health Sciences Auditorium. His lecture will be entitled “What is Radical Theology? A Postmodern Proposal.” Caputo is a nationally and internationally acclaimed philosopher of religion, and one of the foremost interpreters of Jacques Derrida’s deconstruction and postmodernism. Caputo’s lecture is co-sponsored by the Department of Philosophy of Religion at UCA, UCA College of Liberal Arts, UCA Honors College, and the Norbert and Carol Schedler Endowment Fund. For more information, contact Dr. Clayton Crockett at 450-5506.

UCA and Conservative Forum of Faulkner County Hosts Senate Debate April 7

The Conservative Forum of Faulkner County is sponsoring a U.S. Senate debate for Republican candidates on April 7 at 6 p.m. at the Reynolds Performance Hall. There are eight candidates in the Republican Primary. There will be a 1 minute self-introduction at the start of the event from each candidate. A moderator will conduct as many rounds of questions as is feasible during the 90-minute debate.

Knitter Coming to UCA as Visiting Artist

Magda Sayeg, a fiber artist known for using knitting to make public art, will appear at the University of Central Arkansas as visiting artist in the Department of Art April 5-7. Sayeg will give a presentation to area art teachers in McAlister Hall Room 311 from 6-8 p.m. on April 5. On April 6, she will work with a Fibers class on doing some guerilla fiber art on campus, then give a presentation on her projects at 1:40 p.m. in McCastlain 143. She will conclude her work with students when she visits a Contemporary Media class at 2:40 p.m. in Schichtl 126. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.knittaplease.com or call (501) 450-5785.

Stonehenge Scholar to Speak at Arkansas College Art History Symposium

UCA will host the 20th anniversary of the Arkansas College Art History Symposium April 8-9. Dr. Christopher Chippindale, a British archaeologist who specializes in prehistoric rock art (paintings and engravings on rock, sometimes called cave paintings, petroglyphs or pictographs), will kick off the symposium Thursday, April 8 with his keynote lecture “Stonehenge: 1,000 Years of the World’s Most Famous Ancient Place” in the McCastlain Art Lecture Hall, room 143, at 7:30 p.m.

On Friday, April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 11 undergraduate students from around the state will present art history research papers ranging in topics from the Renaissance period, Rococo style, 19th and 20th Century art, Arkansas Arts Policy, Ancient Japanese art, Byzantine art and prehistoric African rock art. Morales said a record 21 papers were submitted, but only 11 were chosen. The students are from UCA, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of Arkansas, Hendrix College and Henderson State University.

After the presentations, Chippindale will end the day with his 3 p.m. lecture, “Ancient Autobiographies in Rock Art” in the McCastlain Art Lecture Hall. The Arkansas College Art History Symposium was created by Seymour and UALR Art History Professor Dr. Floyd Martin 20 years ago.

Jesus Christ Superstar Comes to UCA

The original rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar will be performed at the Reynolds Performance Hall at 7:30 p.m., April 16. Jesus Christ Superstar tells the story of the final seven days in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Tickets are $50, $45 and $40 for the general public, $35, $30 and $25 for UCA faculty and staff (limit two at discounted rate), and $18, $15 and $10 for UCA students with a current student I.D (also, limit two). For tickets, call (501) 450-3265 or visit www.uca.edu/tickets.

UCA Theatre to Present Thornton Wilder Classic

UCA Theatre will present “The Skin of Our Teeth” by Thornton Wilder on April 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16 at 7:30 pm in the Bridges/Larson Theatre of the Snow Fine Arts Center at 201 Donaghey in Conway. This unconventional drama about the history of mankind recounts epochal events including the Ice Age and the Great Flood, and includes fire, pestilence, locusts, pox wars and depression. Tickets are $8 for the general public. UCA students and faculty can receive two tickets free with UCA identification. Tickets are available through UCA Ticket Central, located in the Reynolds Performance Hall box office or by calling (501) 450-3265. The play is appropriate for ages 16 and up.

“Premiere for Table” at Luigi’s Set for April 12

The premiere of the school’s first feature-length narrative film, “Table at Luigi’s” will be held April 12 at Reynolds Performance Hall. Faculty and students from Digital Filmmaking, Theatre and Music have collaborated on the film. The completion of the feature-length narrative film adds UCA to a very short list of film schools that have undertaken such an enormous effort. The screening will begin at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. VIPs will depart the limousines for the red carpet beginning at 6:45 p.m. in front of Reynolds.

Theatre of Illusion Slated for April 13

Kevin and Cindy Spencer will perform their “Theatre of Illusion” April 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Reynolds Performance Hall. The husband-and-wife team takes magic to a new level by including drama, spectacle, interaction, danger, and personality into their show.
Tickets are available at the UCA Ticket Central Box Office. Tickets are $30, $32 and $35 for the general public, $27, $29 and $32 for seniors, $25, $27 and $30 for UCA alumni, $23, $25 and $28 for UCA faculty and staff, and $10 for all student tickets. For tickets, call (501) 450-3265 or visit www.uca.edu/tickets.

African American Alumni Assocition Hosts Black Alumni Weekend April 15 – April 18

The African American Alumni Association is hosting its first Black Alumni Weekend. The Black Alumni Weekend, scheduled April 15 – 18, includes a comedy show, networking, cookout, workshops and scholarship banquet. The events will take place on campus.

16th Annual Student Research Poster Symposium April 23

The College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics will host the 16th Annual Student Research Poster Symposium in the McCastlain Hall Ballroom on April 23 from 2 to 4 p.m. The public is invited to stop in and visit with students presenting posters associated with their research projects. There will be approximately 80 posters and more than 100 students involved. Refreshments will be served.

Seminars

Sexual Harassment

Participants have the option of attending a sexual harassment seminar on-site or online at http://training.newmedialearning.com/psh/ucentralarkansas/choice.htm.

An on-site seminar will be held:

• April 15, 9-10 a.m., Student Center Room 214

Diversity

• April 8, 9 – 10:30 a.m., Student center Room 215
• April 13, 2:30 – 4 p.m., Student Center Room 215
Professional Development

• April 9, 2-3:00 p.m., Student Center Room 215

Personal & Professional Goals: Dr. Roger Pauly and Charlotte Strickland will provide information on how you can assess your current skills and work output, create personal mission statements, and set professional goals.

UCA’s Lambda Delta First Year Honor Society’s petition has been approved by the National Council of Alpha Lambda Delta and will become a national chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta.

Alpha Lambda Delta is an honor society with over 80 years of tradition in honoring outstanding students on college campuses. The society was founded in 1924 at the University of Illinois by Dean of Women Maria Leonard and was one of the first members of the Association of College Honor Societies – the organization that sets the standard for honor societies in the United States.

Alpha Lambda Delta is an honor society for students in their first year of higher education and membership is open to all students at an institution with an ALD chapter who have earned a 3.5 or higher GPA in their first year or term of enrollment. Aside from the honor and recognition that come with becoming a member in an academic honor society with over 80 years of tradition, Alpha Lambda Delta offers students the opportunity to compete for more than $150,000 each year awarded as scholarships and fellowships to deserving ALD members.

During UCA’s fall 2009 semester, 45 students accepted an invitation to join Lambda Delta, and at the beginning of the spring 2010 semester, 88 students accepted an invitation to join the honor society.

New chapter installation and new member induction ceremonies will be held April 25 with Dr. Alice Lanning of Oklahoma State University performing the ceremonies in coordination with Casey Griffith, UCA faculty advisor for Lambda Delta, and current UCA Lambda Delta officers. Dr. Lanning is the director of freshman programs at Oklahoma State University where she serves as OSU’s Alpha Lambda Delta Chapter Advisor.

Casey Griffith is an instructor of First Year Freshman Seminar and is the First Year Experience and Sophomore Year Experience Programs Coordinator. These programs are part of UCA’s Learning Communities located in the Division of Undergraduate Studies.

Fourteen members of the University of Central Arkansas Circle K Club attended the Missouri-Arkansas Circle K District Convention in Osage Beach, Missouri on March 5-7.

UCA Circle K is a collegiate community service organization that is sponsored by the Conway Kiwanis Club. It is part of a world-wide K-Family network consisting of Kiwanis Clubs, Circle K Clubs, Key Clubs, Builder Clubs and K-Clubs. This past year, UCA Circle K members participated in 40 service activities while donating nearly 700 volunteer hours to the community.

The UCA Circle K Club received several awards at the district convention including Outstanding Scrapbook Award; Outstanding Club T-shirt Award; Most Mileage Award for District Convention Attendance; Distinguished Club President Award given to Matt Gill; Distinguished Club Secretary Award given to Amanda Mangus; Distinguished Faculty Advisor award given to Gary Roberts; Distinguished Kiwanis Sponsorship Award given to the Conway Kiwanis Club; and the Outstanding Club Achievement Award for the best overall club in the Missouri-Arkansas District. Information about UCA Circle K can be found on Facebook at Bears Circle K.

Math educators from across the country converged on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas recently to discuss challenges in mathematics learning.

The 37th annual meeting of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning was held March 11-13. More than 80 educators from 15 states participated in the national conference that featured two lectures and 63 sessions on mathematics learning.
The sessions examined topics such as mathematics learning for students who are learning English as a second language; how demographics affect mathematics scores on the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program; and how to use movies, literature, and the Internet to promote critical mathematical fluency. Several presentations were made by UCA math faculty and graduate students.

The conference was hosted by the Arkansas Center for Mathematics and Science Education and the Department of Mathematics at the University of Central Arkansas. The conference chair was Dr. Umadevi Garimella and the program chair was Ms. Belinda Robertson.

The conference is unique because it provides math educators a platform to discuss methods of improving mathematics learning, said Dr. Ramesh Garimella, chair of UCA’s Department of Mathematics.

“They are exchanging ideas and trying to learn from each other,” Dr. Garimella said. “Usually at big conferences, you have people come in and do a ten-minute lecture and then they are out. You don’t have time for questions or interaction. This conference allows for really in depth conversations about the state of mathematics, how we can improve the teaching of mathematics, and how we can improve mathematics learning at all levels.”

More than 70 faculty members and students from universities across the nation submitted proposals to give presentations at the conference, said Dr. Carolyn Pinchback, a math professor at UCA who also serves as vice president for conferences on the Research Council on Mathematics Learning Executive Board. After being notified that their proposals had been accepted for presentation at the meeting, speakers then submitted their manuscripts for possible publication.

The manuscripts were then forwarded to referees for reviews. All manuscripts with favorable reviews were submitted for inclusion in the 2010 RCML Proceedings to be published.

Dr. Uma Garimella, director of the Arkansas Center for Mathematics and Science Education, said it was the right time for such a conference. The goal of Arkansas Center for Mathematics and Science Education is to improve mathematics and science education in the state through the implementation of programs which enhance the mathematical and scientific knowledge of the Arkansas students and teachers.

“This year, there is a big push for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education,” said Dr. Uma Garimella. “This conference not only fits our mission, but also the university’s mission. The university has been leaning toward STEM education.”

The University of Central Arkansas Debate team hosted the 2010 International Public Debate Association National Tournament March 26 through March 28.

Competitive rounds were held throughout the weekend across campus. It culminated with the IPDA Awards Luncheon on March 28.

More than 200 competitors from 12 universities and colleges from six states took part in the tournament. Two high schools also competed.

International Public Debate Association promotes public forum debate, a format that uses public speaking skills and logic to build persuasive argumentation aimed at a general audience. IPDA focuses on enhancing education, rhetorical skill building and the development of fellowship. It is meant to apply critical thinking and oratorical skills in developing persuasive arguments.

The UCA debate team is coached by Anthony McMullen, an adjunct instructor in the College of Business and Mark Lowery, a Department of Speech and Public Relations adjunct instructor. The debate team is an approved university activity of the Department of Speech and Public Relations.

“The UCA Debate team has been up and running three years now, and to host this national tournament so soon is a great honor,” Lowery said.

• President Bill Clinton, former governor of Arkansas, was a guest speaker during one of the university’s 75th anniversary celebrations. After he finished his speach, the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to UCA.
• A group of bluegrass musicians from UCA’s College of Natural Sciences, known as “The Professors,” recorded two albums – The Professors and Remember Me – they also recorded several 45 rpm records. The group, formed in 1967, consisted of Ralva Bass, physics; Dr. Neal Buffalo, biology; Dr. Denver Prince, physics; Dr. Faril Simpson, chemistry; and Dr. Jerry Manion, chemistry.
• In 1986, Torreyson Library became the first university library in the state to become completely automated. The librarians held a mock funeral to symbolically bury the old card catalog system.

Source: The Centennial History of the University of Central Arkansas by Jimmy Bryant.

A 10-member team of consultant-evaluators with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools visited the UCA campus March 8-10.

The HLC team met and interviewed faculty, staff, students, and the UCA Board of Trustees. The team’s goal was to verify the university’s self-study findings, make judgments about UCA’s compliance with good practice, federal requirements, and HLC policies; recommend appropriate follow-up; and provide consultation to the university.

For more than a year, UCA has been engaged in a self-study as part of the accreditation process. A steering committee, chaired by Associate Provost Jonathan Glenn, conducted the university’s self study.

“The visit seemed to me to be thorough and fair. I wasn’t sure how a 10-member team would be, but they managed to get through a great deal of work — verification of our self-study findings — in their two days here,” Glenn said. “I do think that we had in fact prepared them well, with a manageable and thorough self-study and a significant array of Resource Room evidence.”

Glenn said the reviewers were impressed by UCA’s students, and more than one team member commented on the beauty of the campus and its facilities.

“The team members were all veteran higher education professionals, so they seemed rarely surprised but also shared interesting stories of what they do on their own campuses in addressing certain kinds of issues,” he said. “I expect much of that to be included in the team report.”

It will take nearly three months for the final report to be created, corrected, responded to, and then distributed as “final” by the Higher Learning Commission, Glenn said.

Commission action takes several weeks beyond that time. There must be a review by the appropriate panel, action by the appropriate committee, and validation by the Commission’s trustees, he explained.

“It’s always longer than one would like, and we won’t know all the details of the report until it is in fact final,” he said.

UCA has been continuously accredited by the commission since 1931. The university’s last comprehensive evaluation took place in April 2000. Currently, the university’s accreditation is at the master’s degree level with limited accreditation at the specialist’s and doctoral level.

More information on UCA’s accreditation process can be obtained at: http://www.uca.edu/panda/hlc2010.

The call came in shortly after 1:30 p.m. A man wearing dark clothing and a toboggan entered Minton Hall and fired upon a professor and a group of students.

UCA police officers entered the building three minutes later and found mass casualties and several students injured. After a sweep of the building, police located the shooter in another room on the second floor. He had shot himself.

Police officers and emergency personnel then helped the injured students out of the building, while criminal investigators questioned witnesses.

This scenario was played out March 11 during an exercise to test the university’s police response to an active shooter on campus.

About 60 students and more than 30 emergency personnel from Faulkner County Office of Emergency Management, Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office, Conway Police Department, Conway Fire Department, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, and MEMS were involved.

Also assisting emergency personnel were staff from UCA’s Student Health Clinic, who established a hospital-like triage center to manage the treatment of those injured.

UCA officers have put hundreds of hours into training and drilling their response to an active shooter scenario, said UCA Police Chief Larry James.

“The exercise provided them an opportunity to apply their training and knowledge, and focus on their objectives, while surrounded by the chaos and life-threatening distractions of the panic that immediately follows a shooting of this nature,” he said.

The goals of the exercise were:

• Emergency Public Safety and Security: Demonstrate the ability of police department personnel to establish and maintain security, neutralize a threat, establish incident command, coordinate with responding agencies, and effectively communicate in accordance with the emergency operations plans, and standard operating procedures of UCA Police Department.
• Public Information: Access the ability of the UCA Police to develop, coordinate and disseminate public information during an emergency in accordance with university policy.
• Communications and Warning Systems: Demonstrate the ability of the UCA police and response personnel to activate and maintain both internal and external communications during an active shooter incident in accordance with the university’s emergency operations plan, standard operating procedures and National Incident Management System.
• Incident Command and Onsite Incident Management: Assess the ability of senior responding officer to establish and maintain Incident Command during mass casualty incidents in accordance with the university’s emergency operations plan, standard operating procedures and National Incident Management System.
• Mass Casualty Response: Coordinate medical management, triage, and evacuation. Assess the ability of response personnel to coordinate victim triage, evacuation, and transport during a mass casualty incident.

The department was evaluated by subject-matter experts in various areas including the response of patrol officers and other first-responders, interoperability and coordination between responding agencies, investigation of the incident, emergency communications, and coordination of news releases, public information, and press conferences.

UCA police will take the lessons learned and modify policies and protocols, James said.

“We have, over time, established excellent policies, procedures and protocols for responding to a wide range of critical incidents. We work with and have a strong respect for the departments on campus who are called on to serve in support of planning for, responding to, and recovery from critical incidents, such as Physical Plant, Housing, and the Student Health Clinic to name a few,” he said. “But plans, policies and working relationships are not enough to ensure that an emergency can be handled effectively. Plans and policies must be practiced, under realistic conditions, to properly address variables that often go unaddressed in written documents. And good working relationships must transition to effective and integrated relationships during a crisis.”

The exercise went extremely well considering the short timeframe for planning, said James.

“It was clear to me the professionalism and skill exhibited by our officers and communications staff and by the delivery of emergency services by all of our supporting agencies,” he said.

UCA departments assisting in the exercise included UCA President’s executive staff, student services, student housing, student health, counseling services, journalism, theatre/drama, nursing, and physical plant.

Arkansas Tech University’s Emergency Management Department and Harding University’s Physician Assistant Studies were instrumental in the planning of the exercise.

There will be a large-scale exercise planned for each academic year. The department’s goals will be exercise its response, rescue and recovery abilities, not only at the department level but on a university-wide level, when faced with a crisis.

The next exercise will focus on a tornado that rips through a part of the campus and impacts much of the city.

“In this scenario the university community will have to ‘take care of ourselves’ because outside emergency responders will be spread thin,” James said.