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

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N’S FRIENDS place flowers ° the Sigma Nu hbuse to pay 1 HELMET SAFETY

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A LEGACY NOT FORGOTTEN STORY | JULIA TRUPP PHOTO ANDREA JOHNSON DESIGN MADISON LANDRY After a tragic scooter accident left the University of Arkansas with one less Razorback, students came together to not only raise scooter safety awareness, but to make a solid change. The legacy of late UA sophomore Cole Pangburn was not to be forgotten. Pangburn, a Sigma Nu, was riding his scooter up Razorback Road towards campus on Sept. 2 when he crashed and hit his head on a curb. He was taken by emergency responders to Washington Regional Medical Center that night in critical condition and died on the morning of Sept. 6. Junior and fraternity brother Andrew McLaughlin was with Pangburn the night of the crash, and he woke up the next morning to a swarm of texts in a group message saying Pangburn was in the hospital. “It was a shock to wake up to that,” McLaughlin said. “I had seen him in the hospital on Sunday and he passed on Tuesday. We were getting positive updates; he was responding to the (hospital) tests. We were all hopeful.” Associated Student Government President Connor Flocks found out about the accident from ASG Treasurer Shelby Cormack. He said in that moment, not having any other information aside from Pangburn being in the hospital, was “a freaky feeling.” “At 2 p.m. that day, I found out Sigma Nu was hosting a prayer at the house and all students were invited,” he said. “It was the most diverse group, Greek people, non-Greek people, girls, guys. I’m talking floods of people bawling, and some were laughing and telling stories because everyone has different forms of coping.” Although Flocks did not know Pangburn personally, it was not until a petition started with the hashtag HelmetsAreSexy that Flocks saw what kind of person Pangburn was. “His family and friends (created it), and I think it shows a lot about Cole, there’s humor in that,” Flocks said. A petition, which was a call to action for ASG to make helmet-wearing mandatory for any person owning a scooter, was sent to Flocks by ASG Secretary Jase Rapert. “The most important, best and hardest part of this job is the influence on students, so when a student passes away, we need to do something a little more tangible than talking about Senior Walk or picking Homecoming Queen,” Flocks said. McLaughlin’s friendship with Pangburn is a good reason to create something more tangible; Pangburn was a positive light in McLaughlin’s life. “I always admired his positivity,” McLaughlin said. “We went through pledgeship together, which is pretty known as a sucky time for freshmen. But he never complained, and if something was needing to get done, he was always the first person to volunteer. He was a very positive person in my life.” Unlike his other fraternity brothers, McLaughlin did not own a scooter, and after the death of his friend, was not about to rush out and buy one. Students held a candlelight vigil to honor Pangburn’s life on the evening of Sept. 12 at the Chi Omega Greek Theater. “It shouldn’t take a student death to make a change,” Flocks said. “You see this and see the tangible impact, a difference made. The big story is Cole’s legacy. Our top priority as an organization is, we have this platform. If 1,000 people are inconvenienced by having to wear a helmet and one less student died, we did our job.” 32 FALL

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STORY | TAYLER HUGHES CHRISTINA WILKERSON PHOTO I JAMIE NAPIER DESIGN | SARAH YOUNG WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE A PART OF AN ORGANIZATION WITH SUCH A RICH HISTORY? I’m a very nostalgic person, so the history means everything to me. I’ve wanted to be a part of this my whole life. Getting to watch so many Miss Arkansas’ before me makes me feel honored to follow in that legacy. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TALENT AND THE INTERVIEW PORTIONS OF THE COMPETITION? Talent is what got me in, but the interview is when the judges get to hear your story and more about who you are. WHAT WAS IT ABOUT YOUR STORY THAT WON OVER THE JUDGES? Authenticity. I try to be the same girl on stage. You have to be able to have fun with it and you have to be able to laugh at yourself. The reason that you’re doing the competition has to be to be a better you. HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN PAGEANTS? When I was 13 years old, I began competing and that’s when I saw Miss Arkansas Sarah Slocum do the job. WHAT WILL YOUR REIGN AS MISS AMERICA 2017 LOOK LIKE? Being Miss Arkansas and Miss America is a full time job. Every person that I meet is the most important person in the room. As Miss America, you are a light, a role model. To be emotionally ready for that is to have the emotional stamina that comes from knowing that this is not for yourself. My time as Miss America will look a lot like flying around the country and back, getting to as many states as I can promoting my platform. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR PLATFORM “EAT BETTER, LIVE BETTER?” it’s something I’m really passionate about. I grew up in a very healthy home, then I got to college, in a world of free pizza, and I needed to start thinking about my health. It’s all about realizing that food does matter. WHAT TYPE OF LEGACY DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE BOTH AT THE UofA AND AS PART OF THE MISS AMERICA ORGANIZATION? I need to thank the UofA first and foremost. Without the support, I would not be as confident or capable. Dreaming big, reaching high and large is scary, but there’s so much magic in that - to dare greatly. WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD THE MOMENT BEFORE YOUR NAME WAS SAID? it’s a moment that you dream about, but you don’t expect it in reality. That moment is just a blank space because you’re so focused on what Chris Erikson is going to say.