Monthly Archives: May 2019

Nature Center Promotes Outdoor Education

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by Chase Gage
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO — Summer is coming and children across the nation need activities to fill their time other than cellphones and tablets. The Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center offers several educational programs for children and adults alike over the break.

In a world of technological overload, screens dominate while nature sits on the backburner. The Forrest L. Wood Crowley’s Ridge Nature center is combating this issue through various educational programs in hunting, fishing, trapping and more.

Lifelong outdoor enthusiast and Education Program Specialist Cody Walker said he hopes to spread his passion for the outdoors through programs at the nature center.

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One of the many animals on display at the Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center is a coyote, a canine species found in Northeast Arkansas. This display, along with several others, functions as a learning mechanism for visitors at the center. (Photo by Chase Gage)

“I didn’t have a cellphone until college. I went outside to play. My parents wouldn’t allow me to stay inside and I see that trend declining. It’s important to get kids and adults outside doing these activities not because it’s my job, but because it’s a passion for me. I like passing that (passion) on to other folks,” Walker said.

The nature center provides programs across the outdoor spectrum, from Hunter and Boating Education courses to simple fish feedings. Two programs available during the spring were the “Crankin’ Good Time” introduction to fishing course, where participants learned the basics of fishing and get to create a unique fishing lure to take home, and a “Turkey Fan Seminar” that taught hunters how to mount their trophy gobblers.  

Watching screens can be addictive. Studies conducted by Dr. Piush Mandane, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Alberta, conclude that screen time in children can be directly linked to ADHD.

“Children should develop a healthy relationship with screens as young as 3-to-5 years of age,” Mandhane said in an interview with ABC News. “Our data suggests that between zero and 30 minutes per day is the optimal amount of screen time.”

With screens dominating American society, it can be hard to escape them. Televisions, tablets, cellphones and more have made their way into nearly every aspect of life. 

Some local parents are facing this issue head-on, using the nature center as an outlet for education and an escape from the digital world. Kalob Welch, a history teacher at Blytheville High School, took his 4-year-old daughter, Arden, to the center as a Saturday getaway.

“She loves being outside, she loves animals. I think it’s important for kids to get outside. We need a healthy balance (of outdoors and technology). It’s definitely nice to bring her out here to exert some of her energy,” Welch said.

The nature center provides several classes every Saturday and Sunday year-round.

This summer, residents of Northeast Arkansas have the opportunity to go outside and experience the beauty of the natural world around them, or to stay inside and strengthen addictions to screens.

Watch the full interview with Walker here.

Concealed Carry Price Lowered

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by Chloe Short
Delta Digital News Service

CHERRY VALLEY — A new law in Arkansas brings down the price of obtaining a concealed carry license.

Arkansas law originally charged citizens $100 to obtain a concealed carry. Following the passage of HB1036, the price decreased to $50 or only $25 for those 65 years or older. Renewal prices for concealed carry license decreased from $35 to $25.

In Arkansas a person does not need a concealed carry license to carry, it does help when entering into federal prohibited places and carrying to different states if they’re in compliance with Arkansas.

Jim Dotson, the state representative from Bentonville behind the law, said the price decrease opens doors for more individuals to attain a concealed carry license. Dotson said the act will go into full effect sometime around August.

“It makes it easier for folks that have limited means to exercise their right of self defense in a legal manner by getting a concealed carry license,” Dotson said.

Dotson said with a concealed carry license, citizens can skip the background check when purchasing firearms since a concealed-carry license requires all background conditions to be met. This makes purchasing firearms an easier process.

Buck Morris, a concealed-carry class instructor from Wynne, said the price decrease allows more people to get their license. He touted the benefits of taking the course.

“You will get hands-on, know how to shoot your gun, and the law states that you have to have six hours of classroom experience,” Morris said.

Citizens fill out an application during a concealed carry class or they can register for a concealed carry license online through usconcealedonline.com for $150. If registered online, they must still fulfill the requirement of completing classes, which is an additional fee.

Concern over the Arkansas State Police’s revenue brought in by the money spent on concealed carry license can be put to rest.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Featured photo of “Phalanx Defense Stealth Operator OWB Holster with Gun” by huntingmark is licensed under CC BY 2.0

The Road Ahead: A-State Prepares New Teachers

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By Matthew Emery
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO — The second floor of the Education and Communication building on the campus of Arkansas State University features a lot of traffic. Throughout the day, hundreds of students will rest on the wooden benches that align the narrow halls and line up outside classrooms as they await the start of class.

Inside the Department of Education and Behavioral Science at A-State, the program increased enrollment from 203 to 215 students over the last school year. 

However, with teacher strikes continuing to pop up all over the nation and the number of Arkansas teachers quitting after three years in the profession trending upward, some question if A-State students are being prepared for the profession that awaits them.

“Those first few years feel like survival of the fittest, unfortunately,” said Mary Jane Bradley, dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Science at A-State.

Bradley noted a “support network” developed by the university that offers regular meetings and conferences to aid newer teachers.

“We focus on self-care, mental health, stress and so on,” she said. Bradley also mentioned a state-provided mentorship program eases the burden that may accompany a new teacher.

As for students currently in the program, Bradley is faithful that the program is sufficiently preparing future teachers. She touts a required internship program designed to be the last course most students take before graduation as a huge factor in teacher readiness for students at A-State.

The internship provides the “capstone experience,” according to Bradley and is a “hands-on, performance semester where the students act like a full-time teacher for three or four weeks” while under the supervision of local classroom teachers from schools that have partnered with the university.

On top of this internship, A-State developed a program in the late 1990s to ensure students gain experience in a range of schools. The university has three categories for partnering public schools, differentiated by the diversity of race, socioeconomic levels, language, and so on. Each student who participates will spend some time with a school in each of those categories.

“We want our students to be able to teach at any school in Arkansas,” Bradley said.

The shortage of teachers in Arkansas and in rural areas seems due in part to poor and unfortunate press coverage and a lack of excitement around the teaching profession, according to Bradley.

Educator Signing Day (Photo by Matthew Emery)

In an attempt to spread positive, exciting news about the future of teaching, A-State held a teacher signing ceremony in April, where current students attended and signed pledges to educate among their peers and administration in the education department. The ceremony was similar to athletic commitment signing days.

Sarah Palmer, an elementary education student from Bryant, was one of the dozens of students that signed the pledge. Her commitment to become an educator comes from her desire to work with children.

“I always knew I wanted to work with kids and the more I researched teaching, the more I fell in love,” she said.

While only a sophomore and solely an observer of local classrooms, Palmer said she felt like her time in A-State had been beneficial so far, saying the courses have helped her understand what and how to teach.

Palmer is from central Arkansas and went to a large school and feels a natural affinity to return to a school like that one day. However, she currently observes a smaller school and it has been an enlightening experience for her.

“It’s shown me how close the teachers are with each other and with the students. That’s awesome to me. I would be very open to teaching there,” she said.

Palmer has had a positive experience with the program at A-State, but another student who attended the signing, Sophie Rottinghaus, an English education major from Bay, offered a different perspective.

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Sophie Rottinghaus, a junior, signs her pledge to become an educator. (Photo by Matthew Emery)

While she has not yet had the “capstone experience” mentioned by Bradley, Rottinghaus is currently in her “field one experience,” which she described as “mostly observing.” She said she believes teachers should use time wisely with their students and give them tools they can use in life.

“I want to teach them how to learn,” Rottinghaus said. “I don’t feel prepared. I don’t think ASU, or other institutions, equip potential teachers for all the adaptations teachers must make for their students to maximize their learning capabilities.”

Rottinghaus said she believes students are exposed to teachers who lack passion, which sends a bad message to students about learning.

“It’s been a lot of content knowledge and little instruction. I would like for the university to offer more classes on instructional strategies,” Rottinghaus said.

Rottinghaus said she hopes she can help revolutionize the teaching field for a new generation of teachers and their students, stating that people simply are not as passionate about education as they should be.

Bradley echoed the need for passionate teachers.

“There’s no occupation like teaching,” she said. “You make a difference in lives that desperately need you. Every occupation needs a teacher to assist and guide them along the way.”

CORRECTION: In-crop Dicamba applications end May 25

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By Camden Metheny
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO — Arkansas farmers must stop in-crop applications of dicamba pesticide no later than Saturday, May 25 or potentially face fines up to $25,0000.

The rule applies to all dicamba products registered for in-crop use in the state, which includes Engenia, Fexapan, Tavium Plus Vaporgrip, and Xtendimax. While the cutoff affects the vast majority of state farmers, farmers within the Mississippi River levee areas can apply for a special permit as they typically plant later due to high river levels in the spring, according to the Arkansas State Plant Board. The board changed usage rules in March, including:

  • A half-mile buffer zone required around all non-dicamba crops when dicamba is applied.
  • A one-mile buffer zone for university and USDA research stations, certified organic crops and commercially grown specialty crops between April 16 and May 25.
  • Prohibiting the mixing of dicamba with glyphosate between April 16 and May 25.
  • Requiring applicators to provide proof of training to pesticide dealers prior to purchasing dicamba in-crop products.

Controversy surrounds the use of dicamba due to the pesticide damaging non-resistant crops. An estimated 3.8 million acres of soybeans have shown symptoms of dicamba damage. Because of this, many farmers have complaints.

Dan Hosman, a farmer from Craighead County, is one of many in Arkansas who are opposed to using dicamba.

“As a steward of the land, after a good deal of research, it’s just too volatile to use,” Hosman said. “There’s different alternatives that we should employ before hurting someone else’s crops.”

The reason dicamba is so dangerous is due to its volatility, meaning it can vaporize instantly. This causes it to spread to more crops and without the genetic resistance it can cause serious harm to those plants.

However, dicamba isn’t just dangerous to plants.

Richard Coy, a bee farmer in Arkansas, is also affected by the use of dicamba. In 2017, he noticed a significant drop in honey production due to the use of the pesticide in fields where Coy’s hives are located. With the loosening of restrictions on the cutoff date for use of the pesticide, this puts several Arkansas beekeepers in jeopardy as the season moves forward. In an interview with KASU, Coy said dicamba wasn’t killing the bees but the plants they needed in order to pollinate.

“The plants that produce the honey that we were selling to the retail market are the plants that have been severely damaged and the honey that are our bees collect off of other vegetation is not as desirable and I did not want to put a product that is undesirable on the shelf,” he said

The use of dicamba has been a contentious topic in Arkansas to the point where one farmer was shot and killed over the use of dicamba. Mike Wallace, a farmer in Monette, died in a 2016 altercation with a farmhand due to the pesticide drifting into Wallace’s fields. He had always been a vocal opponent of dicamba, appearing in a Wall Street Journal describing how the chemical killed 40 percent of his soybeans.

EDITOR’s NOTE: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that dicamba pesticide could be applied between May 26-Oct. 31 if a half-mile buffer was maintained between non-treated plants. Although DDNS does not knowingly publish inaccuracies, errors are corrected as soon as possible regardless of the source of the error.   

Robotic Lawnmowers Provide Quiet Cut

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By Brooke Buckner
Delta Digital News Service

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Danielle Trent displays the Husqvarna robotic lawnmower at Lowes. (Photo by Brooke Buckner)

JONESBORO — Robotic lawnmowers are the new trend in outdoor hardware when it comes to yardwork because it requires very little effort to cut grass. Since they are electric, they’re quiet and have low maintenance.

Home Depot in Jonesboro sells a few different brands and styles, with cutting sizes ranging from 7 inches to 11 inches.

David Blankenship at Home Depot said, “Anything battery-powered is becoming a trend.”

Ryobi and Ego make the best-selling brands due to their convenience and quietness. Currently, these robotic lawnmowers can only be purchased online.

Tractor Supply Co. sells a handful of robotic lawnmowers at its store, including McGulloch, Robomow and Worx brands. It also sells robotic lawnmowers online.

Craig Swanner from Tractor Supply Co. in Jonesboro said, “Half acre is the biggest one we have on our website.”

Swanner said Husqvarna is the most popular robotic lawnmower. The Robomow RS622 cuts grass down to an inch and uses boundary wires that must be set up by a professional.

Lowes in Jonesboro displayed the Husqvarna lawnmower, which mows half an acre of land. It features a timer and even works in the rain, but doesn’t handle tall grass well. Danielle Trent at Lowes said the boundary wiring is “similar to a dog fence.”

Trent said she would rather invest her money in an electric lawnmower because of the convenience factor.

Old Pine Provides Fresh Coffee

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by Colby Sigears
Delta Digital News Service

Old Pine provides an Arkansas product to local businesses.

JONESBORO — Old Pine Coffee Roasters provides Jonesboro residents with the freshest coffee possible.

Ann Williams, a local worker at The Edge coffee shop, said Old Pine is a popular product in their store.

“We have been working with Old Pine for little over a year, and it sells very well. Our customers love it,” she said.

Old Pine does not have a storefront, i.e. the majority of its business is online. But it partners with local coffee shops such as The Recovery Room. Clay Crume, a server and bartender at the Recovery Room, said they have been partnered for nearly a year this summer.

“We help get the business out with including it in our store. Our customers like its taste,” Crume said.

Old Pine takes pride in making coffee with love. It provides customers with the best they can offer by their specialties or time and effort.

“Their dark roast is a favorite here at The Edge,” Williams said. “It has a distinct flavor.”

The consistency of the coffee roast makes it a popular pick for most people.

“I like it better than the other coffees I have drunk,” Crume said. “The taste is different, not bitter like the rest; it is smoother.”

Old Pine is gradually growing business in the Jonesboro area and even provides a coffee trailer for local events.

 

International Agreement Concerns A-State Faculty

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By Jessica Ladd
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO — A recent dual-program degree agreement between Arkansas State University and the American University of Malta sparked concerns amongst A-State faculty. A gap in communication could be to blame.

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Agreement Signing-  Photo of A-State and AUM agreement signing in Malta. (from left) A-State Chancellor Kelly Damphousse, AUM President Dr. Walker and Malta’s Education and Employment Minister Evarist Bartolo. (photo from AUM’s Facebook page)

AUM, a private liberal arts college in Cospicua, Malta, signed an agreement with A-State in March 2019.  The agreement would allow students from A-State to attend AUM their sophomore and junior years, with their freshman and senior years being on the A-State campus. AUM students can take online classes through A-State for their first six semesters. Their senior year, students can attend classes on A-State’s campus full-time. Students would receive a degree from both universities.

Loretta Neal McGregor teaches psychology at A-State. She also serves as president of the Faculty Senate. McGregor said a breakdown in communication occurred and the issue of the Malta agreement didn’t come before the Senate until after it was signed.

“When the Chancellor came to the Faculty Senate, he said that he had talked to some of the deans from various colleges and department chairs from various colleges. But, the Faculty Senate is the governing body for the entire faculty. So, it was almost like there was a bypassing of the Faculty Senate to include deans and chairs. Then it was stated that since the deans and chairs are part of the faculty, their voice was representative,” McGregor said.

She said A-State considers itself a shared governance. The administration should work with the Senate to help make sure the university has policies that are beneficial to students and faculty members, and to help the university run smoothly.

McGregor said the university struggled with communication over the years. It’s important to have clear lines of communication because the faculty are the ones there day in and day out.  She said most of the faculty concerns center around the curriculum and courses students will be engaged in.

When asked why the Malta agreement wasn’t brought before the Faculty Senate beforehand, A-State Chancellor Kelly Damphousse said the Faculty Senate doesn’t have the authority to approve these agreements. The authority resides in the faculty. The administration took the issue to the faculty and they approved it.

The potential communication breakdown occurred as the administration spoke with chairs and deans, who weren’t elected to represent the whole faculty. The communication gap might not have been as big of an issue if AUM didn’t have a questionable history.

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AUM– Photo of the American University of Malta. (photo from AUM Facebook page)

AUM, a relatively newer university, opened in September 2017. The central Mediterranean institution managed to gather tons of publicity in its short operation. The Sadeen Group, a Jordanian construction and property development company, owns AUM. The company’s only background in education comes from its for-profit schools in Jordan. Their main developments include travel, tourism and hotels. In Malta, citizens protested the development of the university.  The two pieces of land granted to Sadeen for the development were considered valuable public property. Once the college opened, more odd events occurred.

Erik Gilbert, a history professor at A-State, said he was shocked after he conducted a quick Google search regarding AUM. He sent an email with a list of sources to all A-State faculty explaining what he found.

“There seem to be so many red flags there. They got fined for misrepresenting who they were, they seem to have mispresented their relationship with DePaul (university) and had to have that explicated. They fired all their faculty one semester into their operation and then rehired a bunch suggesting that maybe they still needed faculty, but they wanted different faculty, perhaps, cheaper faculty,” Gilbert said.

Seventeen students attended in fall 2017, a lower number than expected.  AUM fired 12 of its 13 professors in January 2018 after offering them three-year contracts. Maltese law legally allowed the firings.  At the end of their six-month probationary period, the faculty received notification of their termination. AUM claimed the firings were due to the low enrollment. AUM hired six new professors. They currently have seven faculty members including the provost.

Despite the controversy sounding AUM, Damphousse said he still sticks by his decision. He knows there is concern regarding faculty terminations there. He said, unfortunately, that happens when a university faces financial difficulty. It happens in America as well. Damphousse said he doesn’t have any concerns regarding the firings.

A lot of work goes into an agreement like this. Damphousse, Global Engagement and Outreach director Thilla Sivakumaran and Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications Bill Smith traveled to Malta to negotiate the agreement. Damphousse said he remains confident in A-State’s short-term study-abroad opportunities in Malta.

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Damphousse In Malta– A-State Chancellor at the agreement signing in Malta. (photo from AUM Facebook)

“I went there and visited the place. I met with the faculty who are there. I taught a class while I was there. I met with students who are there. So, I’m very comfortable with our decision to be partnering with AUM,” Damphousse said.

He said A-State is always looking for ways to make itself distinctive. Malta, a country rich in history, brings in students from across the globe. Most of the professors come from America and all classes are taught in English. Damphousse also said Malta can be a great European location for A-State faculty members to plan short-term study abroad and research opportunities. ASU prides itself on being diverse. This agreement would help expand that diversity. ASU has similar agreements with other universities, and they’ve been successful as well as beneficial. He also said A-State did not invest any money into the actual agreement. According to The Sun, travel expenses to and from Malta totaled $7,000.

As for the confusion among faculty regarding the agreement, Damphousse said currently a plan is in motion to keep it from happening again. The provost has been working with A-State’s international program to develop a process to ensure the faculty all have a say in determining when the university gets involved in relationships like the one with Malta. The new policy should be completed shortly.