University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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Remembering every alumnus, graduates names are etched into the sidewalks at the UA. The Razorback Family: Generations celebrated both alumni and current students.

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10 STUDENT LIFE bridging the generations A NEW VIDEO UNITES ALUMNI AND STUDENTS AS FAMILY An enthusiastic crowd raised its arms in unison, fingers wiggling and bellowed out, “Woo Pig Sooie!” Everyone proudly displayed their cardinal and white, swapping stories of when they were Razorbacks on the Hill. In the group of alumni, people ranged from the recently graduated to those who had not seen the UA campus for over 40 years. For those who had been absent from Fayetteville, the Arkansas Alumni Association offered a special feature as part of its 2010 Pride of Arkansas Tour in February. The video The Razorback Family: Generations ; the third in a series, premiered on the whirlwind 47-city tour. Not only celebrating alumni of the UA, the film also served as a way for former Hogs to stay connected with their alma mater. The Razorback Family: Generations was the third in a trilogy, coming after Defining Moments in Time and Senior Walk. This film focused on past and future alumni, including current Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, an Emmy-nominated wife and husband and the woman who provided all of the McDonald’s east of the Rockies with hamburger buns. Elizabeth S. Underwood, associate director of the Arkansas Alumni Association, described how one family brought together the theme of generations’ and helped name the video. “We found Ashley Post and her family where everyone since her great- great grandfather has come to the UA. We shot the interviews down at their Altus winery and vineyard,” she said. “We can’t help but smile at that segment. It just feels good; it feels right.” Underwood said that the Alumni Association was like a family, and that this video bridged the gap between old and new, keeping everyone in connection with the campus and beyond. Commissioned by the Arkansas Alumni Association, the video was produced by UA Productions, which was predominantly student run. It was a purely UA creation from start to finish. Underwood and Scott Flanagin, director of Communications and Outreach within Student Affairs, were listed as the video’s producers, but they gave the credit to STORY: BOBBIE FOSTER IMAGE: NICK CARTER the student staff. “We just make sure everything is in line, the logistics. The rest is by the students,” Flanagin said. “The script, the shooting, interviews, the editing SCOTT flanagin: “[THE FILM IS] A NICE LOOK AT WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE A RAZORBACK FAMILY.” was by them. They are really good.” In particular, Flanagin credited Clint Fullen, senior broadcasting and creative writing major, with stepping up and serving as the force behind the video. “He was there for all the interviews, wrote the script, worked in editing and found the student to play the acoustic version of the Alma Mater, said Flanagin. Fullen, who had worked with UA Productions for three years, called the video a team effort. “Erin [Gilleece] provided beautiful fall photography for the video, and Joel [Eikenberry] has been working on the visual effects for it,” Fullen said. “[Joseph] Cane’s acoustic Alma Mater sends chills down the spine; it’s heart melting.” From outline to rough cut, the video took three months to complete and Fullen said that it was a smooth production. “I always wanted to be a filmmaker and UA Productions has given me the opportunity to learn the tools and have fun with it,” he said. “We are really proud of the work that we do here.” After the hectic tour, The Razorback Family: Generations was released onto YouTube for the world to experience, as Flanagin put it, “a nice look at what it is like to be a Razorback family.”

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1 2 I STUDENT LIFE The breeze ruffles the capes of the competitors, who stand tensely on opposite sides of the pitch. At the referee’s whistle they run, vying for a red and gold dodgeball and running toward the opposing goal posts. After one player successfully throws the ball through one of the three rings, a girl from the opposing team challenges the goal and says, “The point doesn’t count because his broom wasn’t between his legs.” Such a statement will only be heard in a game of Quidditch, a sport invented byJ.K. Rowling in her Harry Potter series. Now muggles, or non-magic folk, converted the high-flying game so that they could play on the ground. One of the newest Registered Student Organizations (RSO) on campus, Rcizorback Quidditch was bringing the pastime to the UA campus in 2009-10. The founders of Razorback Quidditch first saw videos of competitive Quidditch on the Web site mylifeisaverage.com. Upon further investigation, they discovered that other colleges, including Texas A M, Arkansas Tech and Hendrix, had Quidditch teams. Amanda O’Connor, junior biology pre-dental major, and Jennifer Newcome, sophomore dieteti cs pre-med major, decided that the UA needed a team as well. “We needed six members to start, and now we have 75 in our first semester,” O’Connor said. The plan met with student support, although some were unsure that the magical game would work in real life. Kaely Kantaris, a senior history pre-dental major, had no idea about other college Quidditch teams, but she thought that the idea of founding one at the UA was entertaining. “When I read the article in The Traveler about a UA Quidditch team, I was skeptical but highly amused,” she said. “The idea of college-aged people throwing balls around while riding broomsticks was hilarious.” In the books, Quidditch players can fly, but unfortunately, members of the Razorback Quidditch were limited to terrestrial pursuits. They had to keep their wooden brooms between their legs and maneuver as if they were on stick horses. The soaring goal posts were hula hoops attached to PVC pipe, and three stood on each end of the field. Each team had a Keeper who defended the goalposts. Three Chasers scored points for their teams by throwing the Quaffle (a deflated volleyball) into the hoops for 10 points each. Players called Beaters wield Bludgers (or dodgeballs) that they throw at the other team. If a Chaser were hit by a Bludger, he or she would have to drop the Quaffle, and a scramble for it would ensue. The biggest challenge was the Snitch, a flying golden ball that had to be caught to end game, a feat that earned the team 30 points. The Snitch was played by a long-distance runner dressed in gold, who evaded the each team’s Seeker. Ibe game ended either when the Snitch was caught or when the designated 20 minutes are up. On Apr. 10, 2010, Razorback Quidditch hosted a Quidditch Campus Cup between the residence halls. Shouts filled the Gardens as they teams raced over the grass, with the Snitch running in and out of the players’ paths. The Pomfret Ducks and the Futrall Flames played to the end of the Cup, and the Flames were victorious. The play was fierce, with many players struggling over the Quaffle: at one point two opposing players were locked in a wrestling match on the ground for the ball. Quidditch was not a sport for the light¬ hearted. “The game on the field utter chaos,” Kantaris said. “It reminded me rugby or football with people fighting and tackling each other for the ball. It got pretty violent.” The RSO planned to hold more competitive events like the Quidditch Campus Cup. Their overarching goal was to establish a traveling team and play other universities. Practices were in the works. “We have the IQA - the International Quidditch Association, O’Connor said. “There are standards and set rules. Collegequki- com lists most of the college teams.” In the meantime, the members were still working on a name for the team: Broomback, Razorbrooms and Broomhogs were among the options being tossed around. No matter the name they choose, Razorback Quidditch would beat the broom out from under the competition. KAELY KANTARIS: “THE IDEA OF COLLEGE- AGED PEOPLE THROWING BALLS AROUND WHILE RIDING BROOMSTICKS WAS HILARIOUS.”