Texas A&M University – Texarkana (TAMUT) started a new initiative this semester to encourage students’ well-being. Wellness Wednesdays are a weekly event held by the Center for Financial Literacy and Investment (CFLI) meant to encourage students to focus on several factors of their health and wellness. These events hope through financial literacy, students will be more prepared for all aspects of life. Jay Davis, who oversees the CFLI, spoke about the program’s inception and future.

Davis is the Executive Director of Financial and Entrepreneurship Engagement at TAMUT. His main goal is to “empower students to take care of their finances.” This inspired the creation of Wellness Wednesdays, as the CFLI believes there’s a relationship between financial wellness and overall well-being. “We believe true financial health goes beyond just managing money – it’s about feeling secure, balanced, and empowered in all areas of your life,” he says.

Every week a different aspect of well-being is discussed. The seven types of wellness the program focuses on are emotional, physical, occupational, social, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, and of course, financial. There are presentations at 8:10 and 8:30 a.m. Even with the promise of free breakfast, Davis says it can be difficult persuading students to get out of bed and join. He says that the students that do show up have “overwhelmingly positive” feedback, and they “really seem to appreciate the relaxed come-and-go format.”

Davis explains how collaboration with other departments on campus has been huge for the program. The Patterson Center gave a presentation on physical wellness, and the Student Counseling Services discussed emotional wellness. Davis says these departments’ presentations were “incredibly insightful and well-received by our students.” He continues, “This collaborative approach not only enriches the content of Wellness Wednesdays but also strengthens the sense of community on campus.”

While the program is still in its infancy, Davis is already looking for ways to expand for the Spring 2025 semester. The first step is accessibility. In order to reach those students not willing to get up at eight in the morning, the program is considering adding a mid-afternoon presentation. On top of that he wants to “ramp up the fun” through interactive activities, guest speakers, and competitions featuring prizes. As he puts it, “We’re just getting started!”

The CFLI is not only looking to work with campus departments, but students as well. Davis says, “Next year we’re planning to take Wellness Wednesdays to the next level. But we need your help!” He implores anyone with suggestions on topics and speakers to email his department at cfli@tamut.edu. He also suggests students looking for more information on the CFLI and Wellness Wednesdays to visit www.tamut.edu/cfli. “While we might not have the same ring as ‘Taco Tuesday’, we hope ‘Wellness Wednesdays’ becomes a campus tradition!”

‘Brat’ has it all: versatility, vulnerability and Von Dutch! You might have seen Brat’s jarring bright neon green marketing campaign, perhaps as a meme, or more recently in Times Square. Brat could be considered Charli xcx’s breakthrough into the mainstream public’s consciousness, but quite frankly, there is nothing mainstream about it. Brat makes use of electronic production elements distant from the mainstream public perception of the pop genre. With its vulnerability and enthusiastic use of auto-tune, Brat is about being the life of the party, and the life after the party. If you, like me, are not familiar with Charli xcx I’ll tell you now that you’ll have to approach Brat with an open mind. Begin by disregarding the universal disapproval of auto-tune (and the British) and pay close attention to the lyrics.

You will be eased into the listening experience with a couple of dance tracks (360 and Club classics) before you hit the first round of unexpected introspection. ‘Sympathy is a knife’ for example, explores the nuance between being insecure while also being painfully self-aware – a double edged sword that paves the way to the following track. ‘I might say something stupid’ is a vulnerability statement where Charli briefly (but brutally) describes her feelings of isolation. However, it only takes her a couple more tracks to find herself hyped up again with ‘Von Dutch’, the perfect track to play at any stage of the party to maintain the high.

If you were worried that the album would be a constant up and down regarding introspection and hype songs, I’m pleased to introduce you to ‘Rewind’. A song that can be used double-time with 89 and 175 beats per minute, that reflects on all of the overthinking that comes along with a growing career, and the reminiscence of the days where it wasn’t there. In the same field, we can find an ‘Apple’. The viral song makes the perfect 15-second audio for a Tiktok, and it even has a dance to go with. The lyrics, however, are the star of the show. I think the apple’s rotten right to the core / From all the things passed down / From all the apples coming before / I split the apple down symmetrical lines / And what I find is kinda scary / Makes me just wanna drive. In case you had trouble understanding metaphors in your high school English class, the song attempts to understand generational trauma and navigating through the conflicting feelings that come along with that understanding. With these songs, the listening experience will depend on your mood. A personal recommendation is to not pay too much attention to the lyrics if you’re at the gym because you might get existential on a random Tuesday night.

Other highlights of the album are ‘Everything is romantic’, ‘So I’, ‘Girl, so confusing’ and ‘I think about it all the time’. These tracks showcase Xcx’s songwriting versatility, exploring themes like grief, romance, doubt, and even the contemplation of motherhood.

The closing track, ‘365’, makes cocaine fashionable again just in time for you to decide it’s not worth it. If you want to replicate the feeling, play the remix album ‘Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat’.

What do you get when you have three men performing all 37 plays of one of history’s most well-known playwrights in under two hours? Utter chaos and loads of hilarity, that’s what.

I was unsure what to expect when taking my seat Sunday afternoon at the Stillwell Theater at Texarkana College to watch Texarkana Repertory Company’s performance of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged]. And, after sitting through a ten-minute introduction, I was even less sure of what to expect.

I honestly kept wondering how on earth they were going to accomplish such an incredible feat.

But I can definitely say, any expectations I could have thought of were deliciously exceeded.

Austin Alford, Gabe Lohse and Colin Perry took on the task of bringing to life the beloved bard’s tales of tragedy, comedy and history. The trio, playing parodies of themselves as stage actors, took on all of the roles. And in true Shakespearean-style, genders were bent, blood was shed and men wore colorful tights. But I don’t think their choice of footwear (all three wore Converse to match their tights) was exactly in fashion at the time.

The first of Shakespeare’s works brought to life is the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet. Alford and Lohse play the titular roles and a few other key characters while Perry primarily takes on the role of the narrator. After twelve laugh-inducing moments, it ends with the deaths of the two star-crossed lovers.

“We’ve got to speed things up … At this rate, we’ll be here for seven and a half hours,” Alford says to a triumphant Perry.

Titus Andronicus becomes a French cooking show, the histories become a football game in which you get to witness King Henry VI literally get cut into three parts, the famed “Scottish Play” (Macbeth) is performed in kilts and horrible Scottish accents and 16 plays get condensed into one very confusing script. All culminating with the finale, Hamlet.

While the words in the script are important, it is the three actors who really bring the production to life. I’m sure other actors could have been cast and it would have been a great production, but I felt this script was written for these three. Their engagement with the audience was stellar. Audience participation made those in attendance the uncredited fourth cast member of the production.

Not to mention, several of the scenes brought to mind other productions performed by TexRep. The death scenes of Juliet and Ophelia likened to The Play That Goes Wrong and the French chef seemed a little reminiscent of Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

While it was hard to pick a stand-out, I have to hand the crown to Lohse. From the moment he walked out on stage in a dress and wig with his groomed beard to play Juliet, I felt he would steal the show. And his MANY death scenes do just that.

TexRep has one more weekend of this production and I would highly recommend spending the $15 per ticket and two hours of your life to see it.  Show times are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. You will not be disappointed.

SPOILER ALERT: be cautious of sitting in the first rows of the center section at stage right. Audience participation may be a little more “participative” than expected.

Photo Credit: Shawn Jones/Focal Point Productions of Texarkana

This past Fall, Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) introduced the “Eagle Book Bundle”, a textbook rental program that includes all of the students’ required textbooks and is automatically billed to their account. The fee charged into the students’ account is calculated to be $24 per credit hour. 

The school’s Office of Communication notified the students during mid-July through their institutional email. The notification email included information about the Eagle Book Bundle instruction and delivery process. In the following weeks, the school’s bookstore continued to send out emails reminding students to choose their delivery options. However, there wasn’t any mention of opt-out options. 

It wasn’t until the beginning of the semester when students realized the fee in their account. “I found out when I was setting up my payment plan for the semester,” says Nathan By, an engineering student at TAMUT, “I had to ask the person at the [Business Office’s] front desk about that charge.” That was also when Nathan learned about the opt-out option. Nathan will not be participating in the Eagle Book Bundle next semester since he feels like “certain courses don’t actually require you to have the book, so [he] wouldn’t want to get those books, and sometimes you can find the book cheaper somewhere else too.”

Business Office specialist Hailey Epps says that “even if [students] say that they didn’t know about [the fee] some of them are still happy to pay it, since […] then they can be good for the rest of the semester to get any materials that they need for their classes.” She considers the student’s reception was positive overall and says that “if [the students] wanted to opt-out they definitely could.”

The bookstore’s supervisor for the Eagle Book Bundle orders, Leslie Morales, says that “a lot of the students […] did have a lot of questions when they would come into the bookstore […] because a lot of them have not even heard of [the Eagle Book Bundle] before.” Leslie learned about the details of the bundle through her institutional email, but says that “that’s just because [she] read all the information and double-checked with the bookstore,” which seems to be an isolated case considering the student’s reception; she says that “a lot of people were confused, and some people were even upset about it.”To learn more about the Eagle Book Bundle process, details and opt-out options you can visit TAMUT’s specialized page here.

This year marked the 50th anniversary of the legendary horror flick, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Variety also recently crowned the movie as the best horror film of all time on their website. On Halloween night with a bucket of candy and nothing better to do, I decided to sit down and watch the slasher classic. While the film was well made and clearly an influence for later horror classics, I found myself disappointed overall. The plot, characters, and actual horror of the film were all underwhelming in my opinion. The film follows an uninteresting group of friends, as they travel to visit an abandoned property. Based off the title, you can probably guess what happens from there. While I was not satisfied with the first viewing, after having some time to think, I started appreciating how this film founded tropes still seen five decades later.

I went into the film with what I would consider reasonable expectations. I kept in mind the movie was made fifty years ago and didn’t expect it to have the same scare factor as modern movies with hundreds of millions to spend. I did expect the film to compensate with a disturbing atmosphere, where I felt unsafe and unsure of what would happen next. The first couple of minutes led me to believe this might be the case, starting with mysterious reports on the radio of grave robbings and imagery of the dead. The film then cuts to a group of traveling friends who decide to pick up a hitchhiker, and that scene also had me feeling uneasy. The man they picked up is clearly unstable and ends up attacking one of the main characters.

However, this early tension only set me up for disappointment as the plot became comedically predictable. After the first major kill happens, the movie repeats the set up and reveal again and again. Once we see a man walk into a house and get murdered, it’s easy to guess what’s going to happen for the guy that walks in looking for him. Sure, horror movies are notoriously known for characters making the worst possible decisions. In this film, the characters don’t just make dumb choices, they’re also boring and unlikeable. I didn’t care about the wellbeing of a majority of the characters, because I never got to know them. I can live with boring characters, the film’s focus seems to be more on the antagonist and his family. Unfortunately, the antagonist of the movie was also a big let down.

To be fair, I find this to be the case with many classic horror films. I feel like this had to do with my preconceived notions about Leatherface, the chainsaw wielding murderer. I grouped him in with the other major horror icons like Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, only to be disappointed with his actual portrayal. He can be intimidating at times, but as the plot progresses you start laughing at this bumbling idiot and his family of unstable freaks. I know the villains are supposed to be disturbing and intimidating, but the acting is so hammy I could not help but laugh at some scenes. One scene in particular has Leatherface’s father laugh maniacally as he attacks a woman with a broom. It could have been an intimidating scene fifty years ago. Today it feels more like a Looney Tunes bit.
With all these complaints about the film being formulaic, I realize the reason for this might just be because this film was the basis for the formula. Every horror film I’ve seen that has led me to being able to predict each twist and turn was inspired by this film. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a solid production, even if I thought overall it was lacking. It is well directed and the props (such as the various furniture seemingly made out of bones and skin) are disturbing and amazingly crafted. It is clear how this movie impacted the horror genre, and created a new era focusing on creepy mascots. However, just this year this film was acknowledged as the BEST in its field and I cannot agree with that.

While Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees might not exist without Leatherface, they are exponentially more interesting. I appreciate this movie for everything it pioneered and normalized. I would recommend it to anyone interested in horror movies, as it is one of the essential classics. Purely because you can see the foundation for the greatest horror movies of all time. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre feels more like a test trial than the definitive greatest. The film has solid ideas and does a good job at creating disturbing imagery, but the uninteresting plot had me wanting more. It is not that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a bad film, it just is not as good as I thought it would be.

Texas A&M University – Texarkana’s (TAMUT) Program for Learning and Community Engagement (PLACE) strives to engage the local community. This year’s theme is “Community and Civic Engagement.” On Thursday, October 24^th, PLACE hosted an Election Symposium “Making Sense of the 2024 Election,” geared toward reaching out to the community and educating people on the upcoming election. According to Dr. Daniel Mintun, Assistant Professor of Political Science at TAMUT and co-director of PLACE, he says the goal of this symposium is to “provide accurate information and answer any questions they [the community] may have.”

Bringing in two political scientists, Dr. Amy Friesenhahn, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Texas Woman’s University and Dr. Ayal Feinberg, Director of the Center of Holocaust Studies and Human Rights at Gratz College, the symposium offered an opportunity for community members, students and faculty to pose questions about the election and the current political landscape and have them answered by experts in the field. Friesenhahn says about the election, “In many ways… This is not a normal election.” With a former president and current vice president as the candidates for the parties, this is an unprecedented election that brings rise to many questions about the possible results of the election.

Audience members came prepared to the symposium, asking hard-hitting questions of the guest speakers, like “Could we see a true third-party competitor emerge?” and “What do you think is the role of political polarization in this election?” Feinberg and Friesenhahn offered deeply thoughtful, thorough answers to each question posed, offering valuable insight into the presidential candidates, the role of political polarization and the media in this election, and how close the election has the potential to be. Discussing themes like voter participation, “common sense middle ground positions” and concerns they hold as political scientists, Friesenhahn says, “It’s also making being in civil society less pleasant and harder.”

As the event ended, it was clear that the symposium had successfully fostered a space for meaningful dialogue and community engagement. The symposium not only provided attendees with a deeper understanding of the unique dynamics surrounding the 2024 election but also emphasized the importance of informed and active participation in the democratic process. As the election draws nearer, opportunities like these that allow the community to be involved and informed, will be vital in ensuring that the public is both educated and empowered to make decisions that will shape our nation’s future. Don’t forget to get out there and vote!

As part of the Honors College here at Texas A&M University- Texarkana(TAMUT) honor students are required to participate in the co-curricular colloquium series. Students are paired with faculty across disciplines. The series is held several times throughout the semester allowing students the opportunity to present their research. Earlier this week, honors student Camille Janes from the nursing program and the Dean of the Nursing Program Dr. Heather McKnight presented her research findings on Medically tailored meals for diabetics.

Knowing people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, Camille was interested in how she could help improve their lives. With eating habits being the main focus for diabetes control, Camille went into detail about the different dietary meals that showed some improvement when it came to lowering blood sugar levels. Some of those meals are low carb high protein, mediterranean and plant based meals.

Camille is a second semester nursing student at TAMUT and spent the last year working on her honors project.

The Honors program at TAMUT “offers motivated undergraduate students a unique opportunity to deepen their knowledge in their fields.” One of the requirements for the honors program is a GPA of 3.5. But don’t worry, you can still apply for the program by filling out the application.

Last year Texas A&M University – Texarkana (TAMUT) announced an official Esports team, offering students the chance to represent the university through competitive video games. Since then teams have formed, an arena has been built, and students have battled in digital battlegrounds as the program kicked into full swing. The program covers a variety of popular video games, including Overwatch 2, Rocket League, and Counter-Strike 2. And with many Esports programs popping up in nearby high schools, developing an Esports team became a clear opportunity for the university to boost recruitment. So how have students engaged with this new venture into virtual competition?

One student involved with the program, Wes Shaw, competes in iRacing, a realistic driving simulator that has been around since 2008. Shaw is a freshman at TAMUT but says he’s been practicing his game of choice for nearly a decade. While the simulation might not be as physical as other athletic departments he has experience in, Shaw has the same mindset. “The mental pressure and the pressure to do better and keep improving to win is there 1,000,000%,” he says. And in playing iRacing competitively, Shaw says his real life racing skills have improved. He says “iRacing is the best way to get some seat time and track experience without burning gas and tires and other resources visiting the actual tracks.”

Sykora Guy transferred to TAMUT to help develop the esports program, or as she puts it “retired from competing.” She shares Shaw’s sentiments on the pressure of competing and the skills that develop through playing. Guy emphasizes the program helps students in other ways. She points to the fact that since Esports are a part of the athletic department, students who wish to compete end up raising their GPA. Furthermore, she explains how the program is a safe space for students. “Esports provides a community for those who typically don’t attend school related functions. Many gamers tend to be shy and not very social, here they can open up and make friendships.” Guy explains.

Amaurie Strickland does not play for the team but says his job is “making sure that everything is okay and working.” He likes his position to that of a “committee chair” and has a positive outlook on the program. “I love it, I really enjoy being on the team.” Strickland also makes a valid point as to how the program began. He says, “Students [are] always playing video games, so why not have an Esports program?” Which is true, a recent report said 85% of teens surveyed said they play video games daily. The development of an Esports scene on campus gives these gamers the opportunity to do what they love and also benefit the university.

While the program already covers a wide variety of games, there is still room to grow. Strickland is a huge fan of music rhythm games, which are not yet represented by the university. Of course with so many genres of video games it is impossible for the program to cover everything, and the largest games like Overwatch 2 and Rocket League are already being supported. However more games could not hurt and would only engage student engagement. With so many gamers out there with their own favorite genres, the reach of the program could be limitless.

Overall, the program has done its job of finding competitive students to represent the university in the digital realm. While the obvious benefits are better recruitment and more student engagement, the program on campus has done much more than that. It has given students a reason to do what they already love, and created a friendly environment for its members. Every student interviewed recommended the program. And not just for the opportunity to play video games, but because the team and their coach, Rick Allen, are just fun to be around. Those interested in TAMUT’s Esports organization can check out the program’s Facebook page.