On December 5th there will be two Christmas events held in Texarkana. The KCS Holiday Express Train (KCS) and The Texarkana Christmas Parade (TCP). If interested in attending both events the time to plan is now. With Thanksgiving out the way the official countdown until Christmas has started.

  The KCS started in 2001 and has been coming to Texarkana for over 19 years. This will be the first time the train has run since the pandemic in 2020. Each year the train stops in 5 to 6 states and over 20 communities. With Ashdown, AR being the closes stop to Texarkana. Guests will have to be shuttled from Texas High Stadium to the train’s location. The event is from 5:30pm – 8:30pm. “I’m so excited to go to the KCS Train this year to meet Santa.” Said 7 year old Ashley Holliverse. The front of the train resembles Thomas The Train and is equipped with lights and Christmas decor.

The TCP is always held on the first Monday in December each year. Citizens will experience Live Camels, Custom Floats, High Schools Bands and more. A winner is chosen for the most creative float. The route will start at Broad Street at 7pm and will end at Stateline Avenue. There will also be bars and restaurants open downtown with more live entertainment.

Each year the KCS looks for volunteers within the communities to come out and help. For more information about this event check out kcsouthern.com. To become a sponsor for the TCP forms can be found on mainstreettexarkana.org. 

 “HER LOSS” Drake & 21 Savage Album

Nearly a week after releasing their highly anticipated album “Her Lost” Drake and 21 Savage are facing a potential lawsuit with Vogue. The two recreated a Vogue magazine cover to promote the album. However, this wasn’t approved by Vogue and the duo is now being sued for over 4 million dollars and punitive damages. The album consists of 16 Tracks with the duo going bar for bar with each other. The songs Circa Loco and Spin Bout U caught traction fast. lyrics in these songs have given fans mixed emotions towards Drake. Mixing both of their unique styles together this project is well on its way to a platinum plaque with songs already on the billboards. 

In the beginning of the song Circa Loco it feels like living in Miami during the Scarface era. The beat is like a mental vacation to the Bahamas. In the song Drake says “This b—th lie about getting shots but she still a stallion, She don’t even get the joke but she still smiling.” leaving fans to assume that line was about Megan Thee Stallion who was allegedly shot by Tory Lanez. Drake has yet to respond to the allegations. Rapper Little Yachty tried to speak up for the rapper claiming the lyrics were not about her. 

“Spin Bout U” , A  trap love song is very relatable. If you enjoy quoting lyrics on social media to express your feelings like myself you’ll find plenty in this song. Using a sample from the song “Give me your loving” by Oobie the duo was able to create a song that could be played at a wedding or inside a nightclub. This album shows both Drake and 21 Savage’s ability to colab and make great music with each other.

Overall, This album is a combination of remade songs and lyrics recreated in a new way. Throughout the songs you hear familiar sounds of old songs and flows. It’s right on time with hip hop being called one of the most dangerous businesses to be in. In the last 2 years over 20 major rappers have died from gun violence. 21 Savage, known for his violent lyrics is able to switch the motive and give fans more versatile lyrics about love and the other side of the street life. Similar to his hit single “A lot”.

Trevon Jamison

Trevon Jamison 

MCM310 

Sports Update 

Texas A&M – Texarkana (TAMUT) Eagles Women’s Soccer team is having a great season so far under the direction of Don Koontz and  Klarissa Hernandez the team has a 15-1 record. The Eagles recently beat their last opponent with a 5-0 victory. They also have qualified for the RRAC tournament and also clinched the RRAC regular season title. Alyssa Daily recently won the RRAC offensive player of the week award and Abigail McGuire won the defensive player of the week award in September. 

The women’s volleyball team with a hard fought 14-11 record will have their next game on Nov. 4th 2022 at 6pm. They will be facing the University of Southwest. Michael Galvan is the Athletic Director and Amber Galvan is the Athletic Academic Coordinator for TAMUT. If you are a student or fan that wants to support the Eagles you should “ Show up and cheer them on at all games and follow, like, and share all social media accounts. Each program will have their own accounts.” said Amber. 

Fall sports at TAMUT is always a great time of the year. Student athletes have the chance to show off their skills and fans get to enjoy the intense competition. Sports have grown tremendously over the years with the university now having over 5 sports. Both men and women are able to participate in most of the sports. Admission to all sporting events is free of charge. 

“So far so good, winter sports (Men and Womens) basketball are just getting started and spring sports kick off at the end of January.” said Amber. With so many games going on it is important that fans know how to get information regarding the teams. Fans of the TAMUT Eagle Sports can find all the information they need about games in the athletics tab on the university website. Here you will find knowledge about mental health, the eagle club, student handbook for athletes and more. All home events and practices will be held at either the Patterson Center, George Dobson field, Judy Kelley Morgan soccer field, and the Bramlet field. Come out and support the Eagles. 

Trevon Jamison
MCOM 310

Faculty Interview

Sheri Brady, Administrative Assistant 2 at Texas A&M Texarkana works in the student life lounge area of the UC building on campus. Her favorite thing about the college are the students who attend. One piece of advice she would give to students would be to “Check your ace email regularly.” She Said. Sheri has been in Higher Education for over 30 years. She doesn’t consider anything hard about her job, because she loves it so much. Making IDs for students is the easiest part of the day. She gets to meet and interact with students.
Before starting a career at TAMUT she was a hairstylist for 10 years and enjoys watching sports. One piece of advice she would give staff at TAMUT is to “Get out and meet students.” She Said. With sports starting around the campus that is a great time. If she could change one thing about sports. “It would be for the tennis team to have a court so they could gain more support.” she said. Taking everything one day at a time If you need help with anything on campus students don’t hesitate to come to student life and meet Sheri Brady.

Honors Program

Trevon Jamison MCOM310

Honors Program and Upcoming Events
“The Honors Colloquia are scholarly talks and presentations offered throughout the school year. They provide a venue for Honors students and faculty to present their research, but also for the Honors program to bring speakers to campus from outside the university community.” said Professor Craig Nakashian, the director of the academic honors program. Professor Nakashian became interested in the honors program as an undergrad at his old institution where he helped start an honors program. As a student he saw the value of the program and what it did for students and the college campus. In 2010 he served on the honors committe at TAMUT.
“The honors program gives students access to unique innovative courses. They also run team taught seminars and mentor projects in the students area of interest.” said Professor Nakashian. The program hosts 5-7 public events each semester that are academically focused. Usually taught by faculty or students.
Over the course of the next three weeks there will be two events held on campus in person with the option to zoom in for students and staff. On October 26th, 2021 Dr. Md. Nizam Uddin will cover Atmospheric Water through Nanotechnology. Location will be UC 217 from 12:15pm – 1:00pm. November 9th, 2021 will be the first student thesis project presented by Brooklyn Bailey and Professor Kevin Ells. The event will cover how big corporations utilize different social media sites to improve business techniques. Location will be UC 217 from 12:15pm – 1:00pm.
For students wanting to join the honors program they must have a 3.25 GPA or Higher and fill out the application located on the TAMUT website. All honors program events are open to the public