23 STUDENT LIFE During summer 2022, the tree next to the Hammond Student Center split in two and collapsed. It was not uprooted and removed; instead, multiple metal supports were installed underneath the major branches to keep it upright. The cause of the collapse was disease. The connecting part of the tree rotted, but the two halves remained alive and intact. Joy Tittle, the associate director for the office of community connections, was one of the first people to discover the fallen tree. On May 19, 2022, she was walking with her husband and two daughters when she saw the downed tree. She called Public Safety to inform them. “We continued on our walk, and by the time we came back, Public Safety was there and was putting the yellow tape around it,” Tittle said. Senior Josie Holman was devastated when she saw on social media that the tree had fallen. “That was such a beautiful thing that has now been destroyed, and that just hurts my soul,” Holman said. Holman stayed in Searcy over the summer and went to the tree after she found out it collapsed in order to see it before it was removed. The tree was not removed, and she continued visiting it with friends. When Holman saw the drop lines for the metal posts, she immediately knew what they were for. “[We are] theatre people,” Holman said. “We’ve taken tech theatre, so I knew what that was for. I think they’re going to reinforce the tree and keep it here.” Holman was grateful that the tree would remain. Sophomore Natalie West discovered the fate of the tree on Aug. 15, 2022, when she arrived on campus. West was sad to see it had broken in half, but was grateful that it still looked alive. “I just love trees so much, and I was really glad they were like, ‘Okay, the tree is this way now,’” West said. Written by: Elizabeth Dillard The tree between the Student Center and Benson Auditorium splits in two during summer 2022. Don’t Leaf! STILL STANDING Senior Ashlyn Nutt passes under the tree. Joy Tittle was the first to report the fallen tree on May 19, 2022, while on a walk with her family. Photo by: Grace Hurt
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