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Henderson State University - Monday, January 25, 2016 Volume 110, Issue 15

THE ORACLE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF – Moe Skinner

FACULTY ADVISER – Mike Taylor

COPY EDITOR – Madison MacNew

NEWS EDITOR – Carmin Wills

SPORTS EDITOR – Dom Cella

FEATURES EDITOR – Rickey Miller

VIEWS EDITOR – Dax Guilliams

VIEWS EDITOR – Jae-Kur Lockhart

PHOTO EDITOR – Joshua Bradley

PAGE DESIGNER – Melanie Cole

AD DESIGNER – Chris Sharp

GRAPHIC DESIGNER – Jordan Jones

ONLINE EDITOR – Ashley Smith

BUSINESS MANAGER – Coley Henson

Have an opinion on an issue or response to what we said? Just want to rant about something for a while? Write us at ORACLE@HSU.EDU. We want to hear what you think. Hell, if it doesn’t suck, we’ll publish it in next week’s issue. Try to keep it between 400 and 600 words. Just like your Tumblr, we ignore anonymous submissions.

CRASH AND BURN

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THE ORACLE

PHOTO BY KRISTINE MOORE

COVER Brittany Branum, freshman, takes a shot during last Thursday’s game. PHOTO BY KRISTINE MOORE

8Learn about what to expect when flying your drone

5

TRY AND KEEP UPLady Reddies take the win over Arkansas Tech

PHOTO BY CARMIN WILLS

PLAY THERAPYA new way to ease your stress

4THE OSCARS The issue of racism vs. talent

6

3JAN. 24, 2016 FEATURES VIEWS SPA CITY HUMOR SPORTS

IN CASE OF EMERGENCYNew system installed to help keep campus community safeSTORY BY CARMIN WILLS — GRAPHICS BY JORDAN JONES

THERE IS A MAN WITH A GUN ON CAMPUS

Imagine hearing those words in the halls of one of the buildings on campus, or even worse yet, in a small stairway with nowhere to go. With the numbers of mass shootings across the United States that have been seen on the news, this scene is a very real possibility for any campus.

During the break, with the collaboration of Mar-keting and Communications office and the Chief of Police, there were 26 Alertus beacon boxes installed in buildings on campus. These bright yellow beacon boxes are designed to use loud sounds, lights and text notifica-tions to notify the campus community of emergencies.

This system is used to ensure that our campus community knows what to do in order to maintain safety and security in the event of an emergency Johnny Campbell, chief of campus police stated in an email interview.

“This allows individuals who do not have access to their phones (for Rave alerts) to receive emergency messaging,” Campbell stated.

Once the system is activated students, faculty and staff will receive messages through their networked computers as well as on the screen of the beacon with instructions. The boxes will display messages such as,

emergency on campus, lock-down campus immedi-ately or severe weather close by. They are designed to get emergency notifications more efficiently.

Campbell has been conducting safety meetings on what to do if an emergency arises. In these meetings he discusses the scenario of what to do if there is a person with a gun on campus. If a student actually does see an individual with a gun on campus, Campbell urges them to immediately call 911, and try to get as far away from that area as quickly as possible. These yellow boxes will help get the message to all of the campus community.

The Alertus boxes are designed to use loud sounds, lights and text notifications to inform the campus com-munity of the emergency.

“It is not like the blue phones that are used to notify campus police of an emergency, and individuals with-out permission cannot activate this system,” Campbell stated.

The Alertus system is used to report to the campus community that an emergency is under way Tonya Oaks Smith, executive director of marketing and communica-tions stated in an email interview.

“It is not used to inform police of incidents, but the other way around,” Smith stated.

Once an emergency call is made to 911, the campus and local police will be notified. Law enforcement will

then notify the office of marketing and communica-tions, that office would at that time set off the Alertus boxes and send notifications to all campus computers, as well as issue a Rave alert to the campus. There will also be information posted to social media.

The boxes at this time are not in the residence halls, but these buildings have the text-to-speech systems. These systems get the Rave text alerts and those alerts will be broadcast over the PA system.

“We are in the process of ordering more beacons for these buildings to bolster our safety and security measures for students,” Smith stated.

The Rave alert and Alertus systems are separate but they are interoperable. Henderson is currently working on integrating them so that everyone on campus gets the notifications in case of an emergency.

Smith stated that soon the university will begin test-ing this system. Students will hear an alert sound com-ing from the bright yellow boxes and they will display the test message. Computers connected to the network will also display the test alert message. These tests will be conducted on a building-by-building basis.

“Maintaining a safe campus continues to be a focus area for the university,” Smith stated.

4 NEWS VIEWS SPA CITY HUMOR SPORTS

A NEW WAY TO PLAYWho we become as adults has a lot to do with how we grow up as children. Ed-

ucators and counselors are practicing a new form of counseling called play therapy, and the results are becoming more and more successful. Counselors practice it by using playtime as a time to also solve their problems.

“In play therapy, toys become words and play becomes the language,” Dr. Franc Hudspeth, assistant professor of counselor education and editor of the International Journal of Play Therapy, said. “We use something naturalistic to solve their prob-lems.”

Dr. Hudspeth is helping to pave the way of play therapy and bringing opportuni-ties for students to learn it and help shape their career.

Two new classes have been introduced as elective courses for students who are interested in play therapy. Play Therapy Expressive Arts and Play Therapy Practicum offer an opportunity for learning how to use it in counseling, and gives students a chance to practice it in the classroom.

“The long term goal is to develop a certificate program, and expanding it to where it can be used with art, music and theater, so students can eventually become regis-tered play therapists.” Hudspeth said. “Or an art therapy program.”

He also plans for a clinic to be on campus eventually.Henderson was the first approved play center therapy in Jan. of 2013, and since

then two more centers have popped up in Arkansas. It is becoming more popular in the US, and has been popular in North America for some time now.

Play therapy has been around since Freud’s time, and was popular back in the 80s. It has recently become a more practiced form of therapy.

Play therapy benefits children, adolescents and adults who have been involved in the therapy. According to the American Psychological Association, grades and test scores in math, reading and science have increased after being exposed to play thera-py. It also improves their social skills, problem solving skills, and individual behavior. Play therapy has been proven to benefit every one of all ages. It is also becoming increasingly popular with elderly adults.

“Play therapy is growing with elderly adults because it’s working on a subcon-scious level.” Hudspeth said.

Play therapy classes offer a study path for students involved in education. The future of play therapy is becoming apparent, and soon students can have a career in the counseling of play therapy.

Dr. Hudspeth speaks about play therapySTORY BY ASHLEY SMITH

PHOTO BY ASHLEY SMITHTHERAPY TIME — Dr. Hudspeth play counsels a young boy.

JAN. 25, 2016

Our world is becoming a vertical playground. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), such as Quadcopters, are zipping through our atmosphere exploring our Earth, capturing relatively new views from in-flight footage. For the newbie — this all sounds good, but there are a few steps you should probably fol-low before taking to the skies unprepared.

First things first — this article is for the novice that is interested only in non-commercial flying.

If you already have one of the popular UAVs, then you know what’s up. And sadly, I too, have had multiple crashes. If you’re unfamiliar with operating and flying them, buy cheap at first.

Because you’re going to crash it! Get to know your UAV, the components, and its capabilities. Your first few flights may seem like a revolv-ing algebra problem as you try not to panic and over-correct. The only answer is to practice, get in your flight time. Watching a few tutorials on how to control them will help you understand

how your machine responds to what your fingers are doing. My out-of-the-box maiden flight ended with my SYMA Quadcopter stuck 20-feet high in the branches of an Oak tree.

Understand what you’re purchasing before you actually press, “Add to cart.” There are several op-tions to consider such as, flight-time, is it equipped with first person view (FPV), and is it relatively easy to get parts?

After the fact, my next purchase was a crash pack which included an excellent inventory for every part of the Quadcopter except the fuselage. If you purchase a craft with a small flight-time, go ahead and order extra batteries and a multi char-ger, you’ll be glad you did.

Earlier this month, the FAA made an announce-ment requiring all UAS users for personal use to register their craft with them at http://www.faa.gov/uas/registration/

The application is simple and requires a $5 fee. According to the FAA’s website, “Owners must

register their UAS online if it weighs more than 0.55 lbs. and less than 55 lbs.”

During the application process, you must com-plete the safety guidelines and “Agree to operate accordingly.”

The FAA website also stated, “People who do not register could face civil and criminal penalties.”

After you complete the app, they will provide you will a FAA registration number that you must place in/on your aircraft.

As you will find out during the application process, you can’t just fly your UAS anywhere you want. Your flight pattern may be limited. There are restrictions in place on and off campus. Learn and respect your physical boundaries.

“The only current restriction for (Henderson) student use is at ball games,” Tonya Oaks Smith stated in an email response.

“Of Course, students will want to follow federal law to ensure they are operating within the current guidelines.”

5 NEWS VIEWS SPA CITY HUMOR SPORTS

THE VIEW FROM ABOVESo you wanna be a pilot?STORY BY MOE SKINNER

PHOTO BY CARMIN WILLSNO MORE PAPER PLANES — Moe Skinner takes time to practice flying her drone

6 NEWS FEATURES SPA CITY HUMOR SPORTS

Every year sees its share of mov-ies based on comic books and this year has several to look forward to. For these films, I’m excited for all but one of them that are announced to be in theaters this year even though I have some problems with a few of them.

The first comic book film that will be “Deadpool.” Ryan Reynolds will reprise his role as Deadpool, but unlike “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” “Deadpool” has a possibility of being good.

While the character of Deadpool was completely wrong in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” the trailers for “Deadpool” have already proven that they’ve gotten the character right.

Granted, I usually don’t like reading comics where he’s the lead character, but he’s an interesting character wherever he shows up. Plus, I know Reynolds really likes the character and I think he’s got the ability to play the character properly.

My biggest concern with the film will be the humor that they choose to go with. I just don’t want it to be filled with dumb internet jokes that only a handful of peo-ple will understand.

Out of all of the films on this list, the one I’m most worried about is “Batman vs Superman.” I’m not even worried about the actors picked for the characters, but instead that there are just so many characters and actions going on.

Not only are Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Lex Luthor in this film, but Cyborg, Aquaman and Dooms-day are also going to be included. There are also rumors that Robin is going to somehow be included and that’s just too much for one film.

However, even though “Man of Steel” was disappointing to me, I’m willing to give any movie involving DC’s biggest su-perheroes a fair shot. I just hope the first film in DC’s cinematic universe can do a good job of setting up its characters in a

way most people can enjoy.There’s not much to be said about

“Captain America: Civil War” since it looks so good from the trailers. I’m just excited to see more of Hawkeye and Ant-Man and their not even the main charac-ters of the film. The “Civil War” storyline from the comics was amazing so I’m glad to see it in movie form with a big focus on Captain America.

It’s also nice that Black Panther will fi-nally be a part of the cinematic universe. They’ve been planning to put him in a movie for so long but he’s finally in.

As a big fan of the X-Men, one of the films I’m looking forward to the most is “X-Men: Apocalypse.” Sure, Apocalypse looks like kind of dumb, but the fact that they’re introducing the characters of Jubi-lee and Psylocke make up for it.

And since it’s an X-Men movie, Ice-man will be getting some more screen-time and there’s nothing wrong about that. His entire scene in the film could be him staring at a wall for several minutes and I would love it.

But out of every comic book mov-ie that’s going to be released this year, the one I’m most excited for is “Suicide Squad.”

I’m not excited because I like the idea of DC’s villains being forced to take on suicide missions for the government, I’m not excited to see The Joker and Harley Quinn, I’m excited for Captain Boomer-ang.

The moment he was announced to be in this movie, I knew I wanted to see it. Captain Boomerang is such an amazing villain and he’s also my personal favorite member of the Suicide Squad and The Flash’s villains.

So many people are going to see the movie for Joker, Harley and maybe even Will Smith as Deadshot, but not me. I want to see a wise-cracking, beer drink-ing, boomerang throwing Australian steal

the show.I hope Jai Courtney as Captain Boo-

merang becomes such a hit out of no-where that DC is forced to include the character in more things. Whenever The Flash gets his own movie, I want Captain Boomerang to be the one to fight him.

It’s just going to make me laugh so hard when Captain Boomerang gets so much focus put on him when the studio is pushing Joker and Harley Quinn more than anyone else.

I will not stop until Captain Boomer-ang gets the recognition he deserves. For me, 2016 is the Year of the Boomerang and it will be a good year.

Not a lot has been shown for both “Gambit” and “Dr. Strange,” but I think with Marvel’s record on all of their films so far, they’ll be just fine. So far, the cast-

ing for both films is pretty good with Channing Tatum as Gambit and Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange.

Then there’s the sequel to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” I will not be see-ing the sequel to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

Granted, it already looks better than the first movie, but that’s not exactly an accomplishment worth bragging about. I will not be fooled by Micheal Bay again, whether he’s the director or a producer.

I’m a very big fan of comic books and all of the movies they have been getting in just the past few years. I was skeptical of DC’s attempt at a cinematic universe, but now that I’ve seen more for “Bat-man vs Superman” and “Suicide Squad,” I think they can compete with Marvel’s movies.

YEAR OF THE BOOMERANGOPINION BY DAX GUILLIAMS — PARODY IMAGE BY JORDAN JONES BASED ON AN IMAGE © WARNER BROS

JAN. 25, 2016 NEWS FEATURES SPA CITY HUMOR SPORTS 7

It seems as though racism is still rearing its prom-inent head – and this time it is in the film industry. There have been recent accusations about the Oscars claiming that they are geared more towards nominating and awarding movies that are predominantly casted with Caucasians as opposed to African Americans or any other minorities.

Actress Jada Pinkett-Smith spoke out on the issue on her personal Twitter account soon after the 2016 Oscar nominations were released.

“People of color are always welcomed [at the Os-cars] to give out awards…,” said Smith. “We are rarely recognized for our artistic accomplishments.”

Her tweet was later favorited by the likes of fans and celebrities -- rapper Nicki Minaj included.

Some spectators believed that Smith only spoke out on the idea of racism simply because they believed Smith was upset because her husband, and fellow entertainer – Will Smith, was “snubbed” for an Oscar nomination for his movies “Concussion” and “Focus.”

Will Smith has received Best Actor Oscar nomina-tions for his movies “Ali” (2001) and “The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006), but none for his role in “Focus” or “Concussion” – both of which were released in 2015.

Both Will and Jada have both decided against

attending this year’s Oscars awards ceremony and Jada wonders if other actors and actresses of color should follow suit.

“Should people of color refrain from participating all together?” Jada Pinkett Smith asked.

An interesting point is while 20 actors were nomi-nated for Oscars, none of them were anything less than Caucasian – not a single person of color in the line-up. What is up with that?

The case is not that only “white folks” released movies this past year; i.e. “Straight Outta Compton”, “Creed”, “The Hateful Eight”, and “Concussion” – all of which starred African-American actors -- so what is keeping our actors of color out of the line up?

Then again, everyone may be over-exaggerating. It could simply mean that the whites dominated the box office and are being awarded for their achievement. With “Straight Outta Compton”, released nationally on Aug. 14, 2015 bringing in a staggering $200.4 million, “Creed” following with $119.9 million, and “Concus-sion” raked in a paling $34.2 million since its 2015 Christmas release date.

“The Martian”, starring Matt Damon, brought in $597.1 million. Wow. “Mad Max: Fury Road” conjured up a grand total of $375.8 million; both of which sub-

stantially outdid the latter of the competition. Maybe black and white people alike go and coin-

cidentally watch movies that just so happen to star white actors and actresses. Other than just to spark up controversy of what a celebrity said, do people honestly care about the Oscars? Is everyone just trying to spark up beliefs of racism when there probably isn’t any – well at least in this particular case?

“Personally, I believe that ‘Straight Outta Compton’ deserves an Oscar nomination; if not the whole award,” Alayna Williams, freshman, said. “It is very insightful on what young black musicians had to deal with at that point in time. It is not fake – it is real.”

Just to say we support roles that show what is “real” and true is not enough. What more can be done to ensure that a fiasco such as this will not happen again.

Film academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs says that the academy will double the female and minority members by 2020. Will that help shift things to a more perfect balance?

Only time will tell. Until then, the Oscar goes to… Snow White!

If you have an opinion about this, please feel free to write to the Oracle and voice your opinion.

GRAPHIC BY JORDAN JONES

BLACKOUT AT THE OSCARSIs it truly about the talent?OPINION BY JAE-KUR

NEWS FEATURES VIEWS SPA CITY HUMOR 8

HOLDING OFF HARDING

The Lady Reddies have had a line of ups and downs the last several weeks. They are now 7-4 in conference, making them tied for fourth in the Great American Conference.

After a tough loss to Division I opponent, Texas A&M Commerce, HSU hit the road for a couple conference games in Oklahoma.

Their first stop: Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU). This ended up being their first conference loss of the season, but just the beginning in a string of bad away games.

Despite the 97-87 loss, senior forward, Dulin-cia Keener had a double-double, with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Her next game looked similar, as she led the Reddies to a win over NWOSU with 45 points and 13 rebounds. Following her two impressive performances, she was named GAC Player of the Week.

Unfortunately, the victory over the Rangers was the only win in their four game conference road trip. They traveled to Magnolia to be bested by SAU 78-70 and then to Monticello to be trumped 77-54 by UAM.

However they were able to find redemption back at the Duke Wells Center in the Battle of

the Ravine game. The Lady Reddies beat the Tigers 82-69. Keener scored her 1000th career point during the course of the game.

On Thursday, January 21, HSU hosted Ar-kansas Tech. The Golden Suns led throughout the game, ending play with an 87-64 victory. Coach Jill Thomas chalked the loss up to two things: the wrong mindset and not enough rebounding.

HSU had 34 rebounds in the game, to Tech’s 48. The Lady Reddies only pulled down eight boards on the offensive end, while letting the Golden Suns get 19 second chances on their end.

“The girls had a lot of fight in the second quarter, and they will look to build on that going forward,” Thomas said.

Torrie Thompson, freshman guard, said that she feels like the team is going to have a good season. She said they have great leaders in their seniors and coaching staff to help lead the way.

She may have proved to be right, as they battled to beat Harding on Saturday 66-62.

The Lady Reddies will face Southern Naza-rene at home on Thursday, January 28.

Lady Reddies take down HardingSTORY BY KATIE SMITH

POSTING UP — Senior Victoria Stewart lays it in for two.

PHOTOS BY KRISTINE MOORE

DRIVING TO WIN — Freshman Brittany Branum charges to the rim.