UAM Debate Team Takes Third Place at Regional Competition

Spirit Week at UAM

UAM Art Club Decorates Campus

The Creative Society: A Unique Club

Feature Story: Benas Matkevicius

Midnight Madness

     The center of the University of Arkansas – Monticello (UAM) campus is very typical of any university.  Large trees, green grass, and tall brick buildings compose the basic architecture of the school.  However, with the help of one of UAM’s most unique organizations, the Art Department is making a mark with student’s artwork.
     For many years, the UAM Art Department has created numerous masterpieces.  Artwork of students has been displayed in both local and state exhibitions, but never has anything been hung from a tree in the center of the UAM campus. 
     However, the department had a mission to change that, and they did.  The UAM Art Department recently began hanging sculptures from trees near the University Library and Technology Center.  The artwork was created by the Sculpture class, instructed by Art Department faculty member Tom Richard. 
    “Students were instructed to create sculptures relating to nature.  The sculptures had to deal conceptually with the idea of life.” 
     The idea was conceived by both Richard and local artist, Alice Guffey Miller.  Miller, who is on the Arkansas Arts on Tour roster, submitted a mini-grant to help students work on the project.  According to Richard, sculptures are Miller’s specialty.
     “I knew she was exactly what we wanted.  She deals with found objects and recycled materials in her pieces.  She was a great asset for this assignment.”
Before creating the large sculptures, each student was required to create a small mobile out of screws, bolts and wire.  According to Stacey Moore, a senior art major from Hamburg, Arkansas, the small mobiles helped prepare the class for the large creations.
     “We new our large mobiles would have to be stable in the trees.  The small mobiles helped us practice for the balancing of the large sculptures.”
     The cost of the project was minimal.  Students made their mobiles out of recycled objects.
     “The class took a field trip behind the forestry building to look for recycled materials and junk items.  We wanted to keep costs low, and we did.  They are made of junk tin, metal, and plastic objects,” says Richard.
     It took approximately two weeks to create the sculptures.  According to many of the students, the most difficult task to master was making the sculptures move.  Creative thinking skills were also required to insure stability within the object.
     Creativity was encouraged.  Creations of all types can now be found swaying from trees in the central area of the campus.  The creations include everything from dragons and solar systems, to Indians and humans.  According to Andy Caruthers, a junior art minor from Hudson, Florida and creator of Old Man of the Woods, the experience was one he will never forget.
     “It was awesome getting to work with Alice Guffey Miller.  I was able to work with a professional artist.  I learned how she thinks when she does artwork.  It required several modifications before it was ready, but the overall experience was great.”
     According to Moore, the art department has received several compliments on the sculptures.
“People have said they were interesting.  They like them because it’s something new to look at.  It also adds to the diversity of the campus.  Sometimes I feel the art department is under-appreciated.  The sculptures make our organization more visible.”
     Richard believes having creations visible in numerous places helps others appreciate the true meaning of art.
“It makes the overall presence of art more visible at UAM.  The diversity of the project is driven by the process of creation.  Hanging our sculptures also meant a lot because we were able to display the artwork outside of the gallery setting.”
     The sculptures are only one of the many projects the various art classes at UAM seeks to accomplish each year.  Richard believes the students should not only learn, but also enjoy working on their art. 
     Currently, students are carving animals out of bulky plaster mounds. 
      “The plaster carving is another example of our unique way of embracing the various aspects of the process of sculpting.  It’s easier and more cost efficient to use plaster rather than wood.”
     For now, the towering sculptures will remain dangling from the trees in the center of the campus.  After removing them, it is certain that the art department will embrace yet another wild idea.
     As Richard said,  “We always have something going.  There is never a dull moment in the Art Complex.”

     UAM is host to many diverse clubs both scholastic and athletic. Though the Creative Society is just one of the multitudes of student organizations, its activities, charitable contributions, and unique structure truly set it apart.
     Started by students as a literary club seven years ago, it has since evolved into a group that promotes creativity, regardless of the source. The most unique thing about the Creative Society is its lack of a hierarchy. There is no president, vice president, or even a secretary. 
     “We wrote it up where we didn’t have officers; we just had people with creative ideals. When they wanted to do something they became the “courageous” (a term derived from Ancient Greece, a courageous would supervise the tragedies and comedies of the time and motivate the actors). It’s totally student motivated,” faculty advisor Dr. Gary Marshall explained. 
     Creative Society member Rhiannon Cabaniss said she joined for several reasons. 
     “I liked that it was less structured than other groups, and the general ideals that the society is trying to promote. I’ve been a member for over a year now and I’ve really enjoyed the experience so far.”
     What many people may not be aware of is that the popular event Mocha Madness is sponsored by the Creative Society. Mocha Madness is a collection of poetry, prose and music performances. Madness is a bi-annual tradition that has been around for as long as the club itself. 
     Marshall said that any performance is welcome, “anything from juggling Jell-O to poetry or your own songs.” 
     However he does urge people to bring their own material. 
     “Every once in a while someone sneaks in a cover, but most of it is homegrown,” said Marshall.
     The Creative Society also does many civic services such as sponsoring impoverished children at Christmas. They buy toys for children that are not able to receive from their own families.  Also the group has set up recycling cans at various locales around UAM. One is located in the MCB’s Writing Center, while the other is in the Science Center.
     The Creative Society has no dues, and any UAM student is free to join. Meetings are held every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at the Patio Café. 
     The next Mocha Madness will be November 4th at 7:00 p.m. at the Patio Café.

Excitement over Midnight Madness lured over five hundred Weevil and Blossom fans into Steelman’s Fieldhouse to tip off a new basketball season on October 14, 2003.
      “I went in there expecting to participate in the dunking or three-point contest, but for some reason they didn’t have them this year. I was looking forward to winning the dunking contest again,” said senior Computer Information Systems student Shamon Coger. 
     In the past, Midnight Madness began with activities and contests for fans to participate in.  Because these activities are time consuming, there were no activities or contests this year.
     At 11:00 P.M., the doors were opened and fans began to fill the bleachers.  Many students showed their school spirit by painting their faces and bodies green and white. 
     “It’s good to see that despite the team’s success, students still support the Weevils and the Blossoms. Maybe with the support of the fans, the teams will be somewhat motivated to play and win this year,” comments Rosalyn William, senior Business Administration student.
      Last season, the Weevils blamed their losing record on the team’s lack of experience and leadership.
     Everyone was welcomed and entertained by the percussion members of the UAM band and cheerleaders. Those who arrived early got to sign up for door prizes, which included a Sony PlayStation Two, DVD players, and a cordless telephone. 
     As the night went on, the cheerleaders showered the bleachers with Midnight Madness t-shirts and fan-sized basketballs. 
     At 12:01A.M., the 2003-2004 Cotton Blossoms were announced. The team, consisting of nine players, are seniors Casper Bobo, Kayla Pilgram, and Shana Woodruff, sophomores Myisha Colston, Ashley May, Jenna Thomas, and Wendy Young, and freshmen Mary Knight and Tiffany Spratt. The Blossoms are led by second season Coach Jill Lewis.
    The Boll Weevils took the floor at 12:35 A.M. entertaining the crowd with their dunking skills.  This year’s team is made up of seventeen players, seniors Corwin Elliot, Aric Furlow, Kyron Green and Terry Lain, junior Mike Reese, sophomores Damon Harris, Justin Marks, Benas Matkevicius, Brandon Mayweather, Billy McDaniels, Archie Treggs and DeMarcus Wilson, and newcomers Johnathan Cantley, Jaston Carter, Marcelle Goins, Nate Newell, and Eric Womack. The team is lead by Coach Mike Newell. 
    After the Weevils scrimmaged, the last door prize was raffled and the fans began to clear the stands.
     Midnight Madness has emerged as a college basketball tradition through the duration of many years. The tradition derived from the fact that college teams were not allowed to formally practice before a predetermined date, usually in late October. As a result, teams started practice at the stroke of midnight of the morning of the date that the NCAA granted the team to do so. This event also gives the team the opportunity to announce its players. 

Mocha Madness
Patio Cafe
7:00 pm

Ozark Archeology Program
Library "A"
7:15 pm

Alpha Chi 
12:40 
MCB 105 

Alpha Chi Initiation
7:00 pm, FAC

Fall Choral Concerts             FAC, 7:30 p.m.

Great American Smoke-Out