Author: dxj014

By Grant Lancaster

The Razorback Reporter

 

UA Police officers have evicted approximately 20 people who were living in a homeless camp on undeveloped UA property at 19th Street and School Avenue.

Officers removed 20 people and arrested four; there were no reported injuries during the operation, UAPD Capt. Gary Crain said.

This decision came after multiple serious crimes on the property in the last year, said Mark Rushing, associate vice chancellor of University Relations.

Fifty-two reports of crimes or arrests on the property were filed in 2018. Those included assault, battery, theft, arson, rape and drug charges, according to the UAPD Daily Crime Log.

“A small faction of the camping community out there made it an unsafe environment,” Rushing said.

One person was arrested on charges of trespassing on the property and another was arrested on charges of trespassing and possessing drug paraphernalia, Crain said.

Officers arrested a third person on charges that included trespassing, possessing a controlled substance, possessing drug paraphernalia and carrying counterfeit currency. The fourth was arrested on charges of public intoxication and possession of a controlled substance.

UAPD officers arrived at the property at approximately 6 a.m. Sept. 6 and began removing people and their belongings from the property, Rushing said.

Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies provided a van that could be used if a large number of people were arrested, Crain said. Deputies also were prepared to take action if a crime occurred outside of UA property.

Many of the dislocated people went to the 7hills Homeless Center, directly across 19th Street from the encampment.

During an Aug. 7 meeting at 7hills, UA administrators asked those living on the land to leave by Sept. 6, Rushing said.

Workers from UA Facilities Management cleared trash and underbrush from the property over the next week, Rushing said. UAPD officers can patrol the area more easily, Crain said.

Mike Jersey, who lived on the property for the last six months, thinks that UAPD officers did not give the campers enough time to find new places to live and move their belongings, he said.

Many of the people living on the property have mental illnesses, substance addictions or past felonies, which makes finding a permanent place to live extremely hard, Jersey said.

“They just need a little help. We just need a place where we can get housed right now,” Jersey said.

The CEO for 7hills, Jessica Andrews, hopes that the relocation will draw attention to the problem of homelessness in Northwest Arkansas, she said.

Andrews thinks that UA officials were helpful during the relocation process, but it is always hard for so many people to find new safe places to live, she said.

UAPD officers will continue to patrol the property to ensure none of the people come back, Crain said.

By Elizabeth Green

The Razorback Reporter

 

Free hotdogs and hamburgers cooked on a grill donated by the American Cancer Society quickly became a source of heated irony at a Registered Student Organization’s recent cookout.

The Razorback Relay for Life RSO hosted the cookout Sept. 10 to meet students and encourage them to get involved.

Senior Matt Campbell, a nutrition major, contacted the RSO after learning that the group would be joined by the American Cancer Society in handing out hamburgers and hotdogs at its event. In his email, Campbell said he urged the club “not to literally serve cancer.”

The International Agency for Research on Cancer released information from its evaluation of the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat, according to a 2015 release by the World Health Organization. The agency classified the consumption of red meat as “probably carcinogenic to humans” while processed meat was classified as “carcinogenic to humans.”

“For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,” Kurt Straif of the IARC said in the release.

After receiving no response, Campbell booked a table next to the RSO Monday and handed out copies of the IARC findings to encourage students not to consume red or processed meat.

“The WHO classified processed meat as a group one carcinogen; that’s the same group as asbestos exposure and cigarette smoking,” Campbell said. “The argument essentially is: if you wouldn’t hand out cigarettes, why would you hand out processed meat?”

Alie Bolling, the community development manager for the American Cancer Society, has a bachelor’s degree in human nutrition and a master’s in community health promotion.

“Red meat can be a carcinogen when consumed in excess, but if you’re eating it about three times a week maximum at regular sized servings of about three to four ounces, then there’s no health issues whatsoever,” Bolling said.

Junior Mackenzie Lancey helped represent the RSO at the cookout.

“Consuming anything in excess usually has a negative effect,” Lancey said. “We would hope that people would consume red meat responsibly and pay attention to research.”

The cookout also raised awareness for Relay for Life, an annual event honoring cancer survivors. The Razorback Relay for Life is scheduled for 8-11 p.m., Oct. 5 at the HPER.

By Elizabeth Green

The Razorback Reporter

 

Nearly 100 high school students traveled to the UofA campus to attend the Fay Jones School Summer Design Camp, where they engaged in extensive hands-on projects geared toward encouraging careers in design.

Weeklong camps take place each summer in four cities across the state, from the Delta town of Wilson to the busy city of Fayetteville.

“Students will have the opportunity to work closely with faculty and collaborate with peers in a fun and creative studio environment while they walk with you through the design process,” according to the Fay Jones website.

Senior Andrew Wright was one of several teaching assistants at the Fayetteville Design Camp this summer.  

“My duties mainly included marketing the camp in schools and other educational facilities across Arkansas and preparing materials for the camps themselves,” Wright said.

The Fayetteville camp had two classes, one geared toward beginner architecture and design students, and another for more advanced students, Wright said. Design Camp I students worked to develop a pavilion that would be placed on the Old Main lawn, while Design Camp II students developed a proposal for a permanent farmer’s market pavilion behind Chipotle near the Fayetteville Greenway.

Josephine Boynton is a former Design Camp student; she is now a freshman in the Fay Jones School.

“Design Camp was what made me decide to come to University of Arkansas,” Boynton said. “It allowed me to fall in love with both Fayetteville and the Fay Jones School, and it’s also where I met some of my best friends and my roommate.”

As the camp continues to grow in popularity, it is being modified to draw more students’ interest.  

“The camp has made some major strides in the past few years and the success is discernible,” Wright said.  

These changes have included offering more challenging projects for advanced students, creating additional camp locations and even offering an overnight option at the UA campus.

This summer 145 students attended the camps, the largest number of campers in the program’s history. Ninety-eight students attended the Fayetteville camp, compared to 80 students last summer.

The 2019 Design Camp will have more changes after the record attendance this year; the Fayetteville camp will offer two weeklong sessions, and another camp will be added at a fifth location Alison Turner, the Director of Community Education and Clinical Assistant Professor of Architecture, said

“We are already planning for next summer and will add two more camps – a second camp in Fayetteville and a new camp in El Dorado,” Turner said.

Camps are located in Fayetteville, Hot Springs, Little Rock and Wilson, with Fayetteville being the only overnight camp.

By Kristen Phantazia Smith

The Razorback Reporter

 

Flu shots are now available for UA students, faculty and staff at the Pat Walker Health Center, officials said.

The start of the flu season can’t be officially pinned down to a specific date because of its unpredictability, but the sooner individuals can get flu shots the better, said Zac Brown, assistant director of communications for the Center. Flu season generally lasts through March.

Flu shots will aid in protecting students, but don’t guarantee a perfect bill of health, Brown said.

“I say protected loosely,” he said. “It’s not a sure thing that if you get the shot you won’t get the flu, but it can help to reduce the severity and length of it.”

Walk-in clinics will be open from 3 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Shots for insured individuals are covered in full by their health plan. This is true on campus, and if students, faculty or staff seek medical care off campus from a health-care and health services provider.

In the last two years the campus health center has seen fewer flu cases than in the previous year, Brown said.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to take their health into their own hands and not solely depend on the flu shot to keep them healthy. Health officials recommend that persons should avoid contact with sick people, cover their mouth and nose when they cough or sneeze and wash their hands and other surfaces often and effectively before touching their eyes, nose and mouth.