“Coco” (November 22)

Although this is technically a kids movie, Disney seems to be able to make even children’s cartoons enjoyable for adults. While being cute and entertaining, the film is sure to still pull in some awards as Disney’s Pixar films usually do. The movie is centered on the Day of the Dead, a traditional Mexican holiday. The film follows a boy, Ernesto, who wishes to be a musician, but his family forbids it. Somehow Ernesto becomes invisible to the living, and skeletons become involved. Clearly you will have to watch it to understand what is happening. Coco has a 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and is the first film of its budget size to feature an all-Latino cast.

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (December 15)

I think it is a no-brainer why this film is so highly anticipated. “Star Wars” is a huge franchise loved by multiple generations. “The Last Jedi” is the second film in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy. The preceding film, “The Force Awakens,” was highly successful, grossing over $2 billion at the box office and receiving 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. This addition to the series will feature the first Asian-American actress, Kelly Marie Tran, to star in the franchise. This is a step in the right direction for the series, which previously featured mostly white actors.

“I, Tonya” (December 8)

“I, Tonya” follows the controversy surrounding two U.S. women figure skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. The movie mostly follows Harding, who in 1994 paid a man to break the leg of Kerrigan, one of her rivals in the sport. Based on the previews, it seems that the movie will also delve into Harding’s childhood and provide background for the decisions she made. The story is pretty wild. Margot Robbie plays the eponymous role and Allison Janney plays her mother, LaVona Golden. Only having seen clips of scenes of the two, their dynamic is already at the forefront. The movie is also described as being fairly comedic, so it will be interesting to see how that aspect and the film’s tragedy are balanced.

“Lady Bird” (November 3)

This is potentially one of the movies I am most excited to see. It stars Saoirse Ronan, who you may recognize from “Brooklyn” (2015), playing the titular character. “Lady Bird” is a high schooler who has a turbulent relationship with her mother (Laurie Metcalf). The film has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is the highest rated film of all time on the site. The movie is expected to be nominated for Best Film at the Oscars and has a strong chance of winning.

“The Post” (limited release December 22, wide release January 12)

The film follows the release of the Pentagon Papers by the Washington Post and the battle that ensued with the government. Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks star in the movie, so you already know it is great. Streep portrays the first female newspaper publisher in the U.S., while Hanks plays an editor, both of whom work for The Post. The movie presents the timely message of free journalism. Streep and Hanks characters came under attack by President Nixon, who demonized the press (sound familiar?). Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film will surely rake in multiple nominations, including Best Film. It would also not be shocking if Streep and Hanks received individual nominations for their roles.

You really cannot go wrong with any of these options. So cheers to the end of the semester and go see a rad movie.

Cover photo courtesy of Disney-Pixar.

Smith’s second album was released Nov. 3. The album is composed of 10 songs, with the special edition containing four bonus tracks. The album starts off strong with the all too familiar at this point, “Too Good at Goodbyes.” This was the first single, released Sept. 8. The song has already risen to popularity among the masses and created a great deal of hype around the album. The following tracks are all reminiscent of old school gospel and soul music. The standard album concludes with “Pray,” the second single released Oct. 6. I honestly had not heard this song, even though it was released prior to the album. Smith’s vocals are strong and moving on the track.

The four bonus tracks on the special edition mirror the style of the preceding tracks. Strangely, the eponymous track of the album is only included in the bonus edition, but in this age when everyone listens to music on streaming services, this probably does not make a difference. Access to the bonus tracks is readily available.

Smith’s soulful and powerful voice rings through in all of the tracks, but songs such as “The Thrill of it All,” “HIM” and “Midnight Train” really demonstrate Smith’s vocal ability. He is able to switch from powerful vocals to soft and haunting smoothly. I once called Smith the male version of Adele, and I stand by the statement.

Smith’s new album covers themes similar to as his previous album “In the Lonely Hour.” Both deal with relationships and heartbreak. This is a downfall of the album, as these themes may seem tired and worn out to listeners. The subject material is nothing new, but nevertheless the album is still enjoyable.

It is hard for me to choose which of Smith’s albums is better because, honestly, both are great. If I was forced to pick, I think “The Thrill of It All” comes ahead of “In the Lonely Hour,” but only by a slim margin. Smith had the hard task of outdoing himself, and I think he was able to pull it off. Smith’s voice and lyrics are equally powerful in both albums, but I prefer the background music of the new album. It seems to have more soul and body and fits less into the pop genre than Smith’s debut album. That being said, both are beautiful pieces of art.

Overall, Smith’s “The Thrill of It All” is worth the 49 minutes it takes to listen to the whole thing. The album is sure to be successful regardless of any shortcomings it may have.

I give this album 4 out of 5 stars

Cover photo courtesy of ThisisRnB.com

New student groups on campus are provided with $200 as a starting budget. If the group requires more funding, it must do its own fundraising. The starting budget is provided only for a group’s first year.

“Each organization is expected to be sustainable by your own fundraising efforts or dues. There are some organizations that collect dues from members. So we just like each person, each organization, to think about that as they’re going through the process [of organizing],” said Shelly King, Dean of Students.

However, groups can go to Student Life and request more funds. The groups must present a specific reason or event for which the extra money is needed.

“It’s not to say that you might come in and ask for funding for something. If you guys have a speaker that fits your student organization, you can go to Senate, you can come to Student Life or CUA and say, ‘Hey, let’s collaborate,’” said King.

CUA and Student Senate are fully funded by the Activities Fund. The Activities Fund comes out of student tuition. Senate and CUA are given set budgets from the College because they do programming for the student body as a whole, not only a specific group of students.

“The CUA budget is for everyone. Take full advantage of your activity fee by going to everything that’s programmed. Don’t leave college without [going],” said Kristin Wooldridge, Coordinator of Student Activities.

The budgets for CUA and Senate are usually the same every year. However, this year, Senate received a larger budget than in the past. The funds were specified to be given out to other groups on campus.

“This is the first year we dropped extra money in their budget, but typically Senate’s budget is the same every year. With the idea that they’re programming and they’re doing great, they know to come to Student Life and say, ‘Hey, we’re almost out of budget dollars, can we collaborate and can we kind of pair together and both sponsor this,’ and we’ve done that quite a bit,” said King.

Senate has always had money set aside to give out to student organizations that request it. Student groups that would like to receive more money can attend meetings and request more from cabinet members. The increase in this aspect of the budget came about because cabinet members from the previous school year requested it. The increase is also meant to go toward more Student Senate programming.

“Senate has always had that aspect [of giving funds to organizations]. They’re programming more because we like Senate to program. Not only give money away, but do more,” said Tracy Hart, administrative assistant.

This aspect of Senate may seem new, but in reality, it has always been in place. It has been a lesser known practice.

“I think they’re just telling people better about that,” said Wooldridge.

Senate often teams up with Student Life to provide more funds to student groups on campus who request it. It is often a collaborative effort.

“With other groups that will come, sometimes we’ll say, ‘You know what, if Senate gives money, we’ll match what Senate gives,’ up to a certain dollar amount,” said King.

While most organizations keep any surplus budget at the end of the fiscal year, Senate and CUA’s leftover dollar amounts are returned to the school. This is because the two groups do not fundraise independently of the College.

If student organizations are in need of more money, they can go to Senate or Student Life for assistance.

“Our student leaders, they’re very creative and when you’re trying to do some really good positive things, we don’t want the money to be a hindrance for you doing these great things for the student body. So let us step in and we’ll help fund some of it. Because we want students to enjoy and not be held back by their budget when they’re doing really great, quality things for our student body,” said King.

Hughes shared what winning homecoming queen meant to her.

“Initially it was trivial contest, a reason for me to get dressed up and change my hair, but it turned out to be something more than that. I was given the chance to represent an organization that is so crucial to me. It meant a lot. Winning homecoming queen came at a critical moment in my life. My world had just been turned upside down. Life was giving me a run for my money and I wasn’t winning. Along with the women in my sorority, enough people thought I was worthy of such a title and they voted for me. Hearing, seeing and feeling all the support from such a multitude of people warmed my heart. It reenergized my life and I appreciated it so very much.”

Hughes also spoke of her time at William Jewell College and what drives her to succeed.

“Time is crazy and it went by so fast. I can’t believe it’s almost over. My time here at Jewell has been full of laughter, love, tears and an abundance of knowledge. I’ve had the chance to learn new things about the world, about the way people work, about myself and what I can and can’t handle. Was it always easy? No. Was I always happy? No. No one ever told me it would be perfect, no one told me anything. Actually if somebody had told me exactly how these past four years at Jewell would’ve played out, moment by moment, I wouldn’t have believed them. I wouldn’t be able to fathom that this would become the place where I would be simultaneously disrespected and misused, while being motivated to succeed, to grow, to live. I have never loved to hate a place so much, but I owe this place so much. It is because of this place, these people and every tumultuous situation I faced here that I’m able to say with confidence, ‘I can do anything.’”

“My family is so imperfect, but they are beautiful and they are mine. They always will be. No matter what I do, who I become or where I go. My family will always be there for me, in my corner, rooting me on and praying for me. They mean the world to me. Everything I do, I do it for them. Ensuring that I gain the greatest amount of success is for more than just them to be proud. I want to secure a worry-free lifestyle for my mother and grandfather. I want to inspire and encourage my sisters to chase their wildest dreams and be happy. Each time I think about giving up, I remember that this isn’t just for me. It’s for them, my family. They need this more than me.”

“All I can offer is something one of my best friends used to say when we began this Jewell journey. She’d look at me, and say ‘Everything will be alright in the end and if everything’s not alright, it’s not the end.’ This can serve as a reminder to keep pushing, don’t give up because it could be worse, but it will get better. Keep your heads up, kiddos, and never stop shooting for the stars.”

Photos by Cassie Hayes.