Monday, April 14, at approximately 9:30 a.m., a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket launched five women into space, including singer-songwriter Katy Perry, journalists Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe. The entire trip took only eleven minutes as the rocket reached the edge of the cosmos and returned to Earth. Gayle King, specifically, became overwhelmed with anxiety and emotion ahead

Though commonly referred to as the epitome of boredom, watching paint dry is more important than you may think. While the idiom signifies a lack of excitement, how paint dries determines how well a project turns out. Specifically, for a paint manufacturer, this job is of utmost importance. Taking note of texture, color changes, and how the paint layers are what makes for a good quality paint. Aside from what the naked eye can note, there is much more going on beneath the surf

Starting college is a big step in a student’s life. It’s normal to feel anxious and excited for this next chapter. The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith (UAFS) allows first-time students to be a part of a three-day social orientation. Future lions are able to meet their peers and make new relationships. They are also able to gain insight from upperclassmen about what it’s like and what it means to be a UAFS student. Meet Maggie Heppner, a junior majoring in Media Communicat

Summer vacation is right around the corner, which means an increase in balloon usage is amongst us. When throwing a party or a simple get-together, balloons tend to be a simple task that gets overlooked and procrastinated. However, when it comes to tying them, people realize how complicated balloons truly are. Fingers start to swell and change color due to the pressure that gets wrapped around them from the latex, but here is a new method for tying balloons without hurting an

Last Wednesday, April 2nd, the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith gathered staff, students, parents, and other members of the community to disclose an "ambitious announcement." The event began advertising in March, through mailed cards to parents, almost daily emails to students, and even a countdown on the university's public website, all leading up to a reveal that was marketed to have been 100 years in the making. That, along with its intended secrecy, there was much talk

On April 5th and 6th, the University of Arkansas held its Graduate Students in Interdisciplinary Conference, with the theme "Approaching Dystopia." The topic urged students to write an academic or creative paper tying the dystopian genre to the world we are living in today. At the end of the conference, awards were given out for Best Graduate Paper, Best Creative Work, and Best in Show. Saturday started as the most eventful day with both academic and creative presentations. T

The Arkansas Tulip Festival is an annual festival hosted by the Rivercrest Orchard in Fayetteville, Arkansas at the beginning of Spring. They celebrate the season of the tulips by growing a field filled with every color you can think of, as well as providing an environment for both adults and children with food stands and a market. While the weather permits, they have rounds of hot air balloons that give a view of the entire field, with a little glimpse of the city it is hous

UAFS Spring Break is March 23-29. Some students travel or visit family. If you are planning to stay here in Fort Smith, there is fun to be had close by! Things To Do Outside Janet Huckabee Nature Center is hosting Spring Break Tuesday-Saturday for free on March 25-29 from 9 am-3:30 pm. Paint duck decoys, feed the fish, practice archery, canoe, hike, and watch the snakes eat. Walk the downtown streets of Van Buren, AR. The downtown area is just five miles from Fort Smith. Ther

Last week marked the halfway point for the 2025 spring semester. Midterms are finished and spring break is just two weeks away. UAFS offers many resources for student success. The Writing Center is open Monday through Friday and online Sunday, located at 5004 Kinkead Ave, Fort Smith, AR. It offers a comfortable environment to work in. Many student tutors work to offer collaborative learning. Students can schedule appointments online. The tutors can provide feedback and help

Delta Gamma hosted its 16th annual Anchor Slam on March 13th. It was held in the RAWC on campus and raised close to $2,500 for the organization’s philanthropy Service for Sight. Each year Delta Gamma hosts events in order to raise money to give back to individuals who have vision impairments, and the programs that serve them. 100% of the proceeds from the event go to Service for Sight. Half of the funds go to Oklahoma School for the Blind, while the other half goes to the Del

Despite their failure to complete student enrollment, a flock of Canada Geese was spotted on campus near the Flanders building in December of 2024. This was a concern to many students, as geese are notorious for being aggressive, and the question of what to do was left unanswered. All that could be done was to make peace with the new members of the student body. The geese eventually lost the thrill of education and continued on their way, leaving the campus no worse for wear,

On February 28th, the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith (UAFS) welcomed an estimated number of 500 guests, including around 200 potential students, for Accepted Students Day. Faculty and staff members all banded together to make this day a success. Although the Admissions Office hosted this event, multiple other offices stepped in to make a difference for future lions. Accepted Students Day allowed potential students and their families learn more about academic programs,

On February 21st, the Filipino Student Association hosted a karaoke night in Baldor 101 for students to share in good food and music. Students began to gather at 5:30, and they were quick to form a list for the karaoke lineup. The décor was Valentine's Day themed, including rose petals, a photo backdrop, and heart-shaped sunglasses provided for attendees at the door. The singing began at 6, and the song genres varied wildly. From early 2000s pop hits to Broadway music, from K

For many 2024 actors and actresses, a lot was on the line this Sunday at the 97th annual Academy Awards show— the Oscars. The event was held in the heart of Hollywood at the Dolby Theater. In its typical fashion, the night consisted of a ‘wine and dine,’ eaten while superstars in formal wear “come together to celebrate the best films from the past twelve months” (BBC). In a time of big celebration and great anticipation, it’s inevitable that this excitement stood alongside so

Anthony Alfaro and Ashlynn Flute were announced as the 2025 UAFS Homecoming King and Queen during halftime of the men’s basketball game on February 15th. The game marked the end of a week-long bustle of events, contests, and activities promoting school spirit and unity. This year’s theme was “Saved by the Bell Tower.” Anthony represented Saved by the Gong, a combined team of the Filipino Student Association, Hmong Student Association, Japan Club, K-pop Dance and Appreciation

TikTok has been an endangered app for many years, beginning with President Donald Trump signing an executive order to ban the use of TikTok in the United States towards the end of his first term in 2020. This ban was unsuccessful and did not take action up until recent dates. On January 19, 2025, TikTok was officially removed from the app stores, banning anyone from downloading the app or using it. The lack of usage only lasted for a day, as the app ran like normal the day af

On Saturday, February 15th, Ashlynn Flute was crowned the 2025 University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Homecoming Queen. Being Homecoming Queen is much more than wearing a crown, and our new queen exemplifies that. Flute has a deep love for both Delta Gamma, who nominated her, as well as UAFS, and is excited to represent both this next year. When asked what she was feeling when she was crowned she shared, “I was very excited and beyond happy that people see something in me that

Since its latest episode was released in February of 2022, fans have been eagerly anticipating the third season of HBO Max’s Euphoria . The psychological drama stars Zendaya as narrator Rue Bennett, a seventeen-year-old high school student who battles an active drug addiction. Other leads of the show include Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demi, and Hunter Schafer. The second season of Euphoria ended on various cliffhangers, some of which involve Rue having to owe $13,000 to drug lord L

In early February, it was announced that the Bachelorette would not be returning this upcoming summer. While ABC has not officially announced when it will be returning nor why this decision was made, Bachelor Nation believes that it will more than likely make its comeback in the year 2026. The Bachelorette is an American reality television dating series based on The Bachelor. It offers the opportunity for one woman (who was previously rejected by the former bachelor) to choos

The Baha’i Club at UAFS hosted their weekly Meaningful Conversations discussion on Tuesday the 28th at 7 p.m. to discuss the topic for the week: “Finding Meaning in Life’s Difficulties.” The club’s faculty advisor, Dr. Mary Sobhani, opened by informing everyone of the upcoming “Stock the Pantry” event the club is hosting on behalf of the Dave Stevens Lions Pride Food Pantry on campus. Dry goods will be collected on Friday, February 28th, at the park across from the Stubblefie