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OPTIMIST A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
Volume CVIII, Issue IV Campus News The theatre department’s new dance major brings in talent, Balogh, and the clinic is offering free care through online program. The theatre department begins preparations for busy season............Page 2
Friday September 14, 2018 Sports Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams take the road for tournaments and football prepares to take on the HBU Huskies, who share the same record with the Wildcats...............................................................Page 6
RUSHING Week two of rushing begins Monday with Trojans, DT, Frats and Galaxy.
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Opinion Read why it’s still too soon for 9/11 jokes, as well as the importance of treasuring the years sharing a tight room with a stranger. The Editorial Board has hope in SGA if they address issues.......Page 4
REMEMBERING.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Dr. Royce Money addressed an oblivious student body about terrorist attacks that had occured just hours before. Money, president at the time, recalls the events of the day.
When he reached Hardin Simmons for an early-morning meeting, Dr. Royce Money, then ACU president, sat in his car digesting the news. At 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 struck floors 93-96 of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. “I don’t think we ever got out of the car,” Money said. “We decided the best thing would be for me to be on campus.” Gradually, news spread and Money was made aware of the second plane crash at 9:03 a.m.; United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into floors 75-85 of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. At 9:37, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the western facade of the Pentagon. Money prepared to address to the student body during chapel. Most students had not yet heard of the events. “I’ll never forget that day in chapel,” Money said. “You could hear gasps and oxygen leaving the room because a lot of it you could hardly believe.” Afterward, counseling was made available and the daily routine was cancelled to fill the fearful silence with prayer. “It was somber. Quieter. The number one topic of conversation,” Money said. Col. Jim Holmans, Dr. Money’s executive assistant at the time, worked at the Pentagon from 1995 until 1997 in one of the sections the plane crashed into four years later. Throughout the following days, Money did a lot of walking around campus. From office to office and building to building, he said if it was anything he learned about leadership, it was that visible presence is important, especially when the campus was still trying to understand the implications of what was going on. On the second or third day, Money said they began to get specific prayer requests. In an attempt to continue awareness, the chapel schedule was adjusted to allow speakers to deal with the types of issues that came up, and how individuals and communities could learn how to handle the emotions. In the beginning of October of 2001, the international office received an envelope with white powder in it. Because the nation was on edge, Money said the person opening the letter believed it to be anthrax. Out of fear and urgency, they called 911. “We had to wait more than 24 hours to tell if it was anthrax or not,” Money said. “The whole campus was suspended with all of these national reporters, it was pretty scary. Had that not come on the heels of SEE REMEMBERING PAGE 3
Photo and story by LAUREN FRANCO| EDITOR IN CHIEF
Special Edition Gallery| Page 4
Friday, September 14, 2018 SUMMIT
Carl Spain Center to combat racism ALLEN MARTIN COPY EDITOR
The Carl Spain Center on Race Studies and Spiritual Action was founded in 2018 by Dr. Jerry Taylor, Associate Professor of Bible. The Carl Spain Center is now open to use spiritual disciplines to combat racism. Associate professor of Bible, Dr. Jerry Taylor established the Carl Spain Center on Race Studies and Spiritual Action earlier this year to honor the legacy of Carl Spain and give students a place for conversation. Located in BSB room 111, the Carl Spain Center “heavily emphasizes spiritual formation by utilizing prayer, solitude, biblical meditation and silence as methods to address racism that is often ‘spiritualized’ in the hearts of Christians,” said Taylor. “The goal of the Center is to serve as a bridge in the conversation between racial groups on the ACU campus and beyond,” said Taylor. “The Center was created to honor the legacy of Carl Spain by conducting research on the historical and contemporary role of race and racism in the church and
its Christian institutions.” Dr. Taylor chose to name the new center after Carl Spain, a man who advocated for change and integrated schooling at ACU in the mid-1900s. “At the 1960 ACU Lectures, Carl Spain delivered a keynote address entitled ‘Modern Challenges to Christian Morals,’” said Taylor. “In this lecture, he called into question the whites-only admissions policies of Christian colleges and called for integration. The timing of his message came just weeks after an African-American student was denied admission to study preaching at ACC on the basis of his race. As a result of his lecture, Spain was ostracized by many in the church, and his preaching career was left permanently tarnished by those who opposed him.” The long-term vision of the Center is “to conduct and encourage academic research on the subject of race and racism and how we as Christian can respond to it through the use of the spiritual disciplines,” Taylor said. The official grand opening of the Carl Spain Center will occur at a luncheon on Sept. 18.
Dooley to speak during Summit ASHLEY ALFRED STAFF REPORTER
Internet-famous blogger and influencer, Jordan Lee Dooley will speak at ACU Summit on Sunday. Aside from being a social media influencer, Dooley travels across the country to speak to young women and girls while writing blogs and devotional journals. Dooley started the blog, SoulScripts, in hopes of sharing her faith with anyone who may come across it. The SoulScripts audience now has a following of over 215,000 while her Instagram following is now over 213,000. “She is such a motivating and authentic speaker and has been changing lives through her testimony on social media and speaking events,” said Sarah Ross, junior worship ministry major and organizer of the event from Sugar Land. “I am so excited for girls to take a study break and come out and feel loved on and inspired.” Dooley’s movement “Your Brokenness is Welcome Here” will be the focus of the event. Dooley said she will be speaking on giving yourself permission to pause and choose purpose over the pressure to
Photo Courtesy of JORDAN DOOLEY Jordan Dooley, an internet-famous blogger and mother poses for a photo. Dooley will speak at Summit in Moody. prove yourself. will introduce Dooley at er what she hopes will be a “I believe this is import- the event. Marcear said she strong, impactful message. ant because when we think feels inspired by the event “I want to give students we have to hold it all to- because it calls women out permission to pause, step gether to live up to some of isolation and shame and back and identify areas perceived expectation we into the church community. where they may be being believe is on us, we allow “I hope that the women untrue themselves, distractpressure to drive us,” said here at ACU hear life and ed from their God-given Dooley. “That’s when we truth spoken over them destiny right where they are miss out on the joy and about their lives and who the or even crumbling under freedom and wholeness of Lord is,” said Marcear. “Jor- the pressure to measure up life right where we are. I dan is a welcomer, which to some perceived expectathink that’s a place many of is something the Kingdom tion,” said Dooley. us get stuck in” desperately needs.” The event will take Mary-Claire Marcear, SeDooley said the enthusi- place Sunday at 8 p.m. in nior youth and family min- asm surrounding the event Cullen Auditorium. istry major from Amarillo, makes her excited to deliv-
CAMPUS NEWS
Library aquires new archives ALYSSA HIGH STAFF REPORTER
The Brown Library and Archives has recently acquired three high profile special item collections, which include the papers of Max Lucado, David Edwin Harrell Jr. and Hallum Aubrey. The university acquires items for two reasons: for university archives or for academic research or papers. Students from all over the world can access the archives online, where they will find books, photos and audio scans without logins or fees. For example, annual Summits dating back to the 60’s have been recorded and made available to watch online. In order to be considered a special item, the item must be a primary source and contain something unique or be unique itself, such as an autographed book. While part of the library’s budget is set aside yearly for obtaining special items, most of the items are obtained through donations. Max Lucado’s papers provide insight into the ACU alumni’s conversations about Christianity around the world, as well as his global network of people. “He is really one of the first superstar Christian authors of the 21st century,” said Dr. John Weaver, Dean of Library Services. David Edwin Harrell Jr. represents two important shifts. One is the sociology shift when humans began to understand that social circumstance - such as economics, location, government and religion - affects which religion we choose. He also represents the global expansion of Christianity. These two authors provide counterpoints to each other because Lucado writes to be understood by almost anyone, whereas David Edwin Harrell Jr. writes for scholars. Another recent addition is around 75 rolls from Hallum Aubrey, an architect who designed many Churches of Christ. His designs include heavy importance on the communion table and the ability to enhance the sound of a cappella through design and architecture, which appeals to several different departments at the university.
The Title IX office hosted an open house last week to celebrate their new office next to ACUPD off of Campus Court .
Title IX office move met with enthusiasm EVAN RODRIGUEZ OPINIONS EDITOR
The university’s Title IX office has moved from the basement of the campus center to a house owned by the university, located at 1626 Campus Court. This house is situated directly next to the university police department and will house Sherita Nickerson, the deputy anti-harassment coordinator, a case manager, Ryan Bowman and a graduate student intern, Hannah
“Scout” Harrell. Sherita Nickerson, deputy anti-harassment coordinator, applauded the new location. “We partner with ACUPD on 90% of our cases,” said Nickerson. “So for me to just call them over or walk over, it further solidifies our relationship with the police department, and it’s a win-win as far as we are concerned.” Previously, students wishing to file a complaint
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“We want people to know how serious we are about sexual assault, harassment and discrimination, so this is a really prominent location, SHERITA NICKERSON DEPUTY ANTI-HARASSMENT COORDINATOR
would have to go into the basement level student life offices in order to meet with a Title IX coordinator. Nickerson pointed out that this did not afford students much of a quiet space or
privacy when they wished to visit the office for more serious matters. Additionally, Nickerson is pleased the offices are now featured more prominently on campus. “We want people to know how serious we are about sexual assault, harassment and discrimination, so this is a really prominent location,” said Nickerson. “We’re front-facing the university now; we’re easily accessible to a whole lot more people.”
The Title IX office will host an open house for all students, faculty and staff on Sept. 24 from 3-6 p.m. to commemorate the change in location. Everyone is welcomed to stop by, said Nickerson Students wishing to partner with the Title IX office to promote awareness are always welcome to stop by the new office location.
Pearson glitch leads to textbook delays, shortages ALLAYNA FORD MANAGING EDITOR
Photos by ALLAYNA FORD | MANAGING EDITOR This summer, the bookstore had both physical and technical changes. Though some have attributed the failures to Barnes & Noble, Pearson has technical issues regarding textbooks.
Textbook delays and shortages experienced by students this year were caused by an update in the systems of textbook publisher Pearson, officials at the company said. Scott Overland, director of media relations and corporate affairs for Pearson, said the company recognized the glitch and worked with campuses, including the Campus Store, to fix the delays. “Our goal is to ensure that students have the materials they need,” Overland said. “We apologize for this inconvenience and have been working around the clock to correct this. Our sales teams have been working with instructors and the bookstore to keep them updated on the status of orders and assist them in obtaining digital versions of the materials.” Over the summer, Barnes and Noble officially took ownership of the Campus Store, and, said store manager Scott Harsh, being under the
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ownership of Barnes and Noble gave the store more leverage when figuring out solutions with Pearson to work through textbook shortages and delays. “As a corporate group, we can say, ‘Hey, guys. Start looking back at your orders; see what you are missing. We will get that list together and go to Pearson and tell them where they are slacking,’” Harsh said. The bookstore is now tied to a chain of additional regional stores from Louisiana to New Mexico, and Harsh said the ability to have meetings with other stores helps improve store operations and be more prepared for incidents of book delays. “A lot of times we feel like we have unique situations, but when you talk to a group of 15 stores, somebody usually has had that experience, so you can gain from their wisdom,” Harsh said. “Hopefully, we can continue to get better. There are reports we can look at and determine how we did. Did we order enough, or did we run out?” In addition to changes to
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We apologize for this inconvenience and have been working around the clock to correct this.”
SCOTT OVERLAND DIRECTOR OF MEDIA RELATIONS AND CORPOR AFFAIRS
store operations, Barnes and Noble sent an architect to the campus to work with Harsh’s team to update the layout of the store, resulting in the new look of the store. “The first thing we did last year was move buy-back and online orders downstairs,” Harsh said. “Opening up the store the way we have, traffic flows better. I really love having Apple and tech where they are, because we can service customers better. Those two changes have helped alleviate traffic upstairs.” Harsh said to avoid not receiving textbooks on time, students should order their textbooks over the summer and can return them for a full refund within in the first week of classes, or students should explore ebook options offered by publishers.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Lifestyle & People|Page 3
CAMPUS NEWS
Online Wildcat Care appointments offered for free ALLISON HARRELL STAFF REPORTER ACU is the first school in the nation to implement a comprehensive telehealth program, offering four free online medical and counseling appointments to enrolled undergraduate students per semester. Beginning in January 2018, ACU Medical and Counseling Center partnered with TimelyMD to launch a Telehealth program for students to receive virtual, on-demand medical care called Wildcat Care. In mid-September, Wildcat Care is expanding to offer on-demand virtual counseling as well. Luke Hejl, founder and CEO of TimelyMD, shared about the beginnings of the partnership with ACU. “The idea started with conversations through ACU administration,” Hejl said. “Our primary
object was to provide students at ACU with easier access to healthcare.” TimelyMD has played a major role in equipping ACU to reach the student population for needs of healthcare from a larger platform. Chris Clark, co-founder of TimelyMD, spoke of the company’s goals through Wildcat Care. “We are excited to see how we can improve the overall health of the students,” Clark said. “We love hearing the stories of students getting help faster or having the ability to access medical care in a more timely manner.” Undergraduate students attending ACU are eligible
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We are excited to see how we can improve the overall health of the students”
CHRIS CLARK CO-FOUNDER OF TIMELYMD
HISTORICAL FEATURE
9/11, that might not have been quite as sensational.” Though Money said he had received crisis training prior to the attacks that did benefit him, there is never a way to anticipate tragedy, nor how to handle it. “Looking back at it, the campus handled it in a very mature and balanced way,” Money said. “We all became more sensitive and more aware of the fragile nature of the world. All was forever changed.” One year later, Money addressed the student body again in remembrance of the attacks. In chapel on Sept. 11, 2001, Money said: “64 flags are posted behind me, representing the United States and 63 other nations that were home to the victims killed on September 11th. The terrorist attacks in America touched the world, and people from around the globe drew closer together. We drew comfort from one another, and millions drew strength from God our Father.” As we look back, we look up. We lean even more on God our Father, and we are comforted by His son, Jesus Christ. September 11, 2001, is a day we will not forget. But we are able to endure such events because of our faith in God and His sovereignty. Our God reigns.” As president of the university, Money said his experience was different from most. “I knew at the back of my mind that there was a pastoral dimension to my responsibilities,” Money said. “People
er at ACU Medical Clinic, was excited to speak about the new program and what it has to offer ACU. “The reason we added the option of Telehealth is because we didn’t have
Photo by ALLISON HARREL | STAFF REPORTER Cindy Gravitt, practice manager at ACU Medical Clinic showes the new system called TimelyMD
a good solution for nights and weekends,” Gravitt said. “Obviously, the clinic can’t stay open 24/7, and the only other option was for students to have to go to an expensive urgent care facility or an E.R. We wanted to provide more access to medical care in Abilene at a reasonable price, and our hope is that we will keep students from having to make any unnecessary urgent care or E.R. visits.” Within the first 90 days of implementation, Wildcat Care increased campus healthcare utilization by 30 percent and, of the total Wildcat Care visits, 26 percent occurred after-clinic hours or on weekends. The biggest benefit of Wildcat Care was shown during the 2017-18 flu season, when the virus reported at ACU went down by 15 percent as more students sought timely care and virtual visits. “We feel like it has in-
creased access to students for them to get care, especially during peak seasons of illness on campus,” Gravitt said. While all undergraduates have access to Wildcat Care medical and counseling visits at no cost, graduate students can opt into the Wildcat Care telehealth program for a fee of $95 per semester. ACU online students can also optin for a set rate per term. In-clinic visits are now only $10 for students. “Visits last year used to be $40, so for students it is a lot less expensive than it was before and it is by far less expensive than going to a provider in the community,” Gravitt said. “We only exist to serve students in the ACU community. So to do that best, we wanted to remove any barrier that would delay care and prevent students from coming in.”
FEATURE
Remembering: New traditions bring attention to tragedy
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
for four live, online video consultations with a certified medical provider without cost each semester. The service is convenient and available 24/7. Cindy Gravitt, Practice Manag-
needed consoling, not a rational explanation. They needed to be reassured of the positive outcomes in life.” This year, for the first time in campus history, 9/11 was tangibly honored. On Tuesday, Young Americas Foundation posted 2,977 flags covering the lawn outside of Moody Coliseum, one for each victim of the 9/11 attacks. “It is important that each victim is remembered,” said Davis Dilling, a junior political science major from Vero Beach, Florida, and president of ACU’s YAF chapter. “Each human life is important to God and should be to us.” Dilling said the 9/11: Never Forget Project is a project that the YAF national headquarters encourages the chapters to do, but is voluntary. “It was a very scary time, it will be with us from here on,” Money said.
Balogh dances into theatre department HOPE CORDES STAFF REPORTER After 20-plus years of hard work, the Theater Department has added a dance track to their BFA in theater. For the past five years, the department has hired guest artists to come in and teach dance classes. Lily Balogh was a guest artist last fall and again in the spring but was recently hired as the new theatre department guest artist in residence for the next two years. She is originally from Queens, NY, and lived in Belgium for two years. Balogh studied at The School of American Ballet as well as the Broadway Dance Center. “We are so excited to have someone of Lily’s caliber and grateful for our former Chair, Adam Hester, in moving the dance program conversation along,” said Dawne Swearingen-Meeks, Chair of the theater department. “Because of his vision and trust, God finally moved us to a place where the dream aligned for me to complete the final phase.” One day, while Balogh was living in Belgium, she got an email from Meeks, asking if she wanted to teach at ACU just for a semester. “It just felt like a perfect fit and such a God thing for me to be here, but then I went back to Belgium,” Balogh said. She then received another email about teaching for another semester due to the
Photo courtesy of: HOPE CORDES |COPY EDITOR Students dance in Balogh’s class in the WPAC. This is the first year a dance major has been offered.
generosity of a private donor, came, went back to Belgium, and has now landed back at ACU for what the department hopes will be a long time. In Belgium, she worked for a professional dance company and even opened her own ballet school. “I felt I wasn’t really at the right place in my life to be running my own institution and I really wanted to get a few more years of teaching under my belt before I tried to do that. So this just seems like a really great opportunity to do that,” Balogh said. “I don’t think I’ll be returning to Belgium; I think I would like to just stay here for a long time.” Balogh teaches five dance classes in the brand new studio, the funding for which was provided by a private donor. The department is looking to
invite more guest instructors to teach classes such as hiphop and ballroom, but for now, Balogh teaches them all. Balogh said her favorite style of dance is tied between ballet and tap. She was trained in ballet, but tap “just has her heart.” Last year, Balogh was the assistant choreographer for CATS, Sense and Sensibility and James and the Giant Peach. This year she is choreographing the homecoming musical Wonderful Town. Balogh has been attending auditions in Dallas and Amarillo, working on “planting seeds” in communities to help grow the program. She even taught a high school master class, which Meeks explained helped advertise the program as well as give students an opportunity to audition.
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It is an audition-based major. They currently have 10 students, including two freshmen. “Watching this expansion, we are nowhere where we need to be, but I am really excited about what this will mean for the future as God has blessed us.” said Meeks. “What we are doing here is missional, we feel like our students have been called here by name with a purpose.” Balogh said her best piece of advice for students comes from her mentor Peter Frame, a former New York City Ballet principal dancer: “In the words of my recently deceased and very beloved teacher and mentor, he said, ‘just show up. You will never know what happens, but if you just show up something great might.’”
Page 2 | Campus News Events
Friday 09/14 1. SGA Retreat Saturday 09/15 1. SGA Retreat 2. Football @ Houston Baptist 3. Jerremy Fender Senior Recital @ 7:30 Sunday 09/16 1. SGA Retreat 2. Summit Monday 09/17 1. Summit 2. Men’s and Women’s rushes Tuesday 09/18 1. Summit 2. Men’s and Women’s rushes Wednesday 09/19 1. Last day of Summit 2. Men’s and Women’s rushes
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days until fall break
Quest setback forces probation forgiveness ASHLEY ALFRED STAFF REPORTER
No student will be placed on Chapel probation this semester following the failure of the Quest app. During the spring semester, a number of technological setbacks arose, resulting in the inaccurate tracking of attendance in small group chapels and other spiritual formation opportunities. “A disproportionate number of people show up with too few credits,” said director of student life, Scott McDowell. “This was a significant difference from the trends of the last several years.” McDowell said student life was dissatisfied with the reliability of the Quest app to track attendance. In several instances, students would attend Spiritual Formation events to find that their presence had not been recorded. “We made the decision to not put anyone on probation because we didn’t feel like we had reliable data and if we made a mistake, we wanted to err in favor of the students,” said McDowell. For now, ACU has returned to sign-in sheets for Spiritual Formation opportunities taking place outside of the three facilities that have built-in card readers: Moody, Cullen, and Chapel on the Hill. Small group leaders are responsible for turning in sign-in sheets to the Chapel Office within 5 school days. “I want the future to be as simple and reliable as possible to track chapel attendance,” said McDowell. “We can and will do better.”
Friday, September 14, 2018 CAMPUS NEWS
TAKING THE STAGE
Students prepare for the upcoming busy semester
TESSA KENNEDY STAFF REPORTER
Beaming with pride while talking about the hard work of students, Dawne Swearingen Meeks, an ACU alumna and theatre department chair of four years, offered a peek into the upcoming theatre season. “We started rehearsals on the first day of school for Wonderful Town,” Meeks said. “This is our biggest mound of the season, and there is always great excitement encompassing the process.” Meeks said the students have already been working intensely to present a wonderful season of works which will satisfy the artistic senses of all audience members. Wonderful Town (book by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, music by Leonard Bernstein) is the homecoming musical for the season and will run Oct. 12-14 at the Abilene Civic Center. Adam Hester is directing the musical this year. The show features two sisters, Ruth and Eileen, who find themselves chasing their dreams in New York City after living in Ohio, one in pursuit of writing and the other of acting. “The show is smartly written, and I think it will be beautifully done,” Meeks said. “The music is quintessential, splashy, old school and filled with character.” ACU alumnus David Utley will be returning to campus to help design the show’s set. Utley has designed sets for various well-known projects, including TV shows like Glee, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and several Russell Crowe films. “When David was here two years ago he designed and guided the construction of Man of La Mancha, which was a three-tier set,” Meeks said. “I think this year our set is going to be just as impressive.” The department also welcomes Lily Balogh to ACU to serve as the guest choreographer for several productions this season. Balogh studied with the school of American ballet and danced with the New York City ballet. Last season, Balogh helped with choreography for ACU’s homecoming musical, CATS, and the spring musical, James and the Giant Peach. “Not only is she a beautiful ballerina and ballet technique teacher, but she really is a wonderful tap dancer as well,” Meeks said of Balogh. “And so there will be tap in this show.” Prior to the glorious homecoming spectacle, the
theatre department will host a theatrical cabaret, in which they bring back ACU alumni Eean Cochran, who is currently a swing/cover in the 2018 tour of Hamilton. Previously, Cochran performed with Newsies, Bring It On, Dreamgirls and Freaky Friday. The cabaret will be called Your Shot and take place on Saturday, Sept. 22nd at 7:30 pm at the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature (NCCIL) in downtown Abilene. This will be the fourth
year that the department has hosted a show revolving around returning alumni, as the showing is part of the annual Lights Up! fundraiser. Past guests have included Ben Jeffery, who played Pumba in Lion King, Jasmine Richardson, who is currently in her first broadway debut and who has toured with Dreamgirls and Laura Seibert who has appeared in Chicago and in Big Fish. “It’s such a statement of alums wanting to give back and the intentionality of that,” Meeks said. “I see that as the next generation comes, and the four-year cycle happens and a group graduates, it is our alumni that are right there to help one another and to be uplifters. I’m so grateful for our people.” After the homecoming musical in October, the next show to premiere will be the Cornerstone musical, entitled John and Jen. Each year, the department puts together a
content-heavy production for ACU’s freshmen Cornerstone classes to analyze and enjoy. However, all are welcome to attend. Dawne Meeks will be directing and Kari Hatfield will be in charge of musical direction. John and Jen is a two-character musical (music by Andrew Lippa, lyrics by Tom Greenwald, book by Lippa and Greenwald) that begins in 1952 and ends in 1990. The musical features a brother and sister (John and Jen) and highlights their copious struggles as they grow up during the time of the Vietnam War. Act two features Jen as a mother with her newborn baby, who she names John. “I think it is just going to be such a beautiful show,” Meeks said. “As we think about what Cornerstone is and what is taught through it, we think about history, identity, relationships, choice making and consequences all in the context of our greater world. This show has all of those things.” John will be played by Carl Kimbrough, and Jen will be played by Madison Massey, both of whom starred in James and the Giant Peach last spring. The show will premiere on Nov. 12 and will close Nov. 17. There will be a talkback following all performances. On Dec. 8 at 7:30 pm, the department will host One Night Only, a dance premiere tied to the launch of the new dance track, created this year. All of the featured choreography in the production will be Balogh’s original work. “We hope this really helps to uplift Lily and support this new track,” Meeks said. Immediately after returning from holiday break, the theatre students will begin work on their winter play, Steel Magnolias, written by Robert Harling. The play will be directed by Dawne Meeks. “This is something that was mounted over 20 years ago, and I just thought it was the right timing for it. I have been very excited about the response. People seem elated about this particular show,” Meeks said. “We have a lot of very strong women, so I wanted to find a vehicle that would help support that. And while it is listed as a comedy, it is so rich in terms of the honesty that many people can relate to, and the unique story in the characters that are each so beautifully defined.” Steel Magnolias highlights the strength and tenderness of six ravishing women who are, as the title insinuates, simultaneously delicate like magnolias and tough like steel.
Set in the 1980s in a Louisiana beauty parlor, the play follows these six characters through hardship and celebration, as it illuminates the power of bonds that run deeper than circumstance. The show will run from Feb. 14 to Feb. 23 and will be held in Fulks Theatre. This production will include one of the theatre department’s beloved traditions: dinner theatre. The dinner element will be provided on Feb. 23, and the cast talkback will occur on Feb. 22. In addition, due to the opening night falling on Valentine’s Day, the department will be providing free cheesecake to all audience members who attend the opening night showing. The season will be wrapping up with Bright Star (written and composed by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell), the department’s spring musical. It will run from April 11 to April 23 in Fulks Theatre and will be directed by Adam Hester. “This is such a beautiful, beautiful, intimate little musical,” Meeks said. “It is fairly new as far as musicals go, and it’s all bluegrass music. We will have a live band playing onstage, which is exciting.” Bright Star is a new musical, its score recently nominated for a Grammy. It features a young literary editor, who meets a soldier returning from World War II, and follows their stories as they mutually transform the lives of one another. Overall, the season has set itself up to be filled with promise, chalked full of diversity in character and content. “As we think about theatre, it’s about storytelling,” Meeks said. “There’s this history there as we are working to honor a story and a place of truth, and I love the passing down of it. I love that intentionality in our academic training; it’s so special.” When asked about reflections of Christ in this season of shows and the department holistically, Meeks grins. “We really do feel like our work is missional, dare I say. We work to be very intentional in our training so that our students will understand that this is not about the glitz and the glam and being under the lights, that it’s not about self. I think our students really do get it,” Meeks said. “I think it is such a beautiful statement toward the ACU difference and the calling that we each feel about our place in it all. We have amazing, wonderful students. I love my colleagues. We take our work very seriously. I’m really honored to be here.”
POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 09/05/2018 10:30 p.m. ACUPD responded to the Don Morris Center reference four Optimist newspaper racks missing/stolen. Case open. 09/06/2018 12:45 p.m. A student reported that someone entered his room without permission and removed prescription medication. Case Open. 09/09/2018 1:38 a.m. A student reported that someone struck their unoccupied vehicle during the night while parked off compus in the 600 block of EN 15 St. 09/10/2018 10:25 a.m. A student reported a suspicious white male approached her in the Bean and made concerning comments to her. ACUPD investigated and determined that the person was a non-student. He was issued a Criminal Trespass Warning, banned from campus. 911 CALL............................................................6 ACCIDENT......................................................0 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY........................................................30 ADVICE..............................................................1 ALARM..............................................................11 ANIMAL CALL.............................................2 ASSIST.................................................................1 ATTEMPT TO LOCATE..........................0 BARRICADES..............................................1 BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK.......................................12 BURGLARY......................................................1 CART PATROL.............................................3 CHECK BUILDING..........................257
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF...........................0 DIRECT TRAFFIC......................................0 DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE.............3 FOOT PATROL..........................................4 FOUND CHILD...........................................0 FOUND PROPERTY...............................4 HARASSMENT............................................0 HIT & RUN......................................................1 INFORMATION REPORT.................10 INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP...............................................12 LOST PROPERTY......................................0 MAINTENANCE: UNIV ASSETS................................................1 MEDICAL EMERGENCY.....................3
MONITOR FACILITY/ LOT........................................................................3 MOTORIST ASSIST: INFLATE TIRE................................................1 MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART.................................................12 MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK...........................................................9 OTHER...............................................................5 PARKING LOT PATROL....................37 PARKING VIOLATION.........................8 PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE........................................11 PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL............................................................9
PROWLER...................................................0 RANDOM PATROL............................7 REPORT WRITING.............................15 SOLICITING...............................................0 SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY....................1 SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE....................3 THEFT............................................................4 TRAFFIC HAZARD...............................2 TRAFFIC STOP......................................4 TRAINING..................................................0 TRESPASSER ........................................0 WELFARE CHECK..............................6 TOTAL.....................................................564
Chief Ellison’s Weekly Tip ACUPD encourages everyone to ALWAYS contact ACUPD anytime you see or hear suspicious activity. Your dilligence makes the difference.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Opinion | Page 5
SGA has potential, if they recognize negatives THE ISSUE
OUR TAKE
SGA has, in recent years, for better or for worse, been viewed as an irrelevent organization with too much money at its finger tips. Communication qualms have dogged administration to administration.
The jobs held by those in the executive cabinet and within congress, have vast potential to improve the student body as a whole. We are optimistic this administration can enact effective change with just a few improvements.
Optimist Editorial Board | editor@jmcnetwork.com With the SGA elections of students; trasnparency wrapping up and sessions regarding how these orgaof congress starting, the nizations use these funds editorial board is looking is not too much to ask for. forward to the 2018-2019 A common knock session of congress, but against SGA is the lack of we also have a few recom- diversity. Albeit congres mendations and concerns. can do little to force people Though the executive cab- to join congress, however, inet appears to be a co- setting the groundwork for hesive unit and congress more diverse congresses is full, SGA still needs to and executive cabinets in clean up a few things. years to come should be In years past, SGA has something this year’s SGA distinguished itself as an strives for. Just as diversiorganization with poor ty is a strength in national communication and a politics, it is also an imlack of vision. While this portant component of improved somewhat last campus politics. year, we encourage the Additionally, the diSGA executive cabinet to versity we are advocating clearly present quantifi- for isn’t exclusively racialably positive results to the ly based, though we urge student body. SGA funds a this to improve. We believe number of student organi- SGA should be filled with zations that serve a variety students who are under-
classmen, students who identify as LGBTQ+ and students on the margin of campus life. The policies of SGA impact all students, including these aforementioned groups who are generally underrepresented. Furthermore, we believe that SGA can capitalize on residence hall representatives to partner more closely with Residence Life. This could occur in a number of ways. SGA has the ability to host small town halls in each residence hall to directly ask what needs improvements within each dorm. For example, last semester, male freshman residences Mabee Hall and McKenzie Hall competed in a rivalry basketball game. If they were to do this
again, perhaps SGA could donate a sum of money to the winning dorm’s charity of choice. We are confident the representatives of SGA will work on ways to be inclusive to non-club students, primarily the freshman class. Most importantly, we wish SGA would be at the forefront of the tough conversations on campus. SGA is in a unique position, where it
can have any discussion with faculty, staff and administration. They should advocate tirelessly and effectively when campus conversation is dominated by university policy changes, but also when there is too much silence. SGA should take into consideration more minority groups to increase the unison of campus. There are large gaps between different groups, such as club
and non-club students, and it is the role of SGA to fill those spaces. Though SGA cannot take full blame for students who do or don’t participate, they are the number one organization to advocate for change. Ultimately, we look forward to this year and the effective changes the executive cabinet and congress have the potential to bring about.
STAFF COLUMNISTS
It is always too soon to joke about a tragedy QUITE FRANCO-LY LAUREN FRANCO EDITOR IN CHIEF
Senior convergance journalism major from Fort Worth, Texas The first time I ever heard a personal story from the day of 9/11 was in a book called New York, September 11 by Magnum Photographers. Steve McCurry and his coworkers emotionally explained the details of the day from seeing the explosion in the first tower from their apartment to crossing under caution tape blocking off the area and the 18-plus hours each spent documenting
the confused, sorrowful and painfully tired city. The images and stories made me emotional, but it never amounted to the emotions of visiting the memorial. Before going to New York, I had seen pictures of the new tower and the fountains next to it, but I expected much smaller. I knew the New World Trade Center stood 1776 feet high, and the two pools span across 16
acres, but it felt unreal. I didn’t cry much, but I was struck with silence. There were no words. Nothing came to mind. I felt empty. I felt queasy. To think that where I stood, workers, first-responders, travelers had lost their lives rocked my mental and emotional understanding of 9/11 up to that point. 2,983. Two thousand, nine hundred and eightythree people died. I vividly remember touching a name. Donna M. Bernaerts. She had a white rose. It was her birthday when I visited. When my cold fingers met the warm engraved metal, I felt my eyes well up in
sympathetic, overwhelming fear. This minute, three-second experience returns with every photo I see and every story I read. Because of this, I am in awe of the ability of family members and friends of 2,983 people to cope. Seventeen years later, relatives of any degree are left with the horrifying images from low-quality televisions and haunting voicemails saying goodbyes. They are left a dramatically emphasized three-second experience through old photographs and a carved out name neighboring 2,982 others. It is extremely inappropriate, insensitive and incon-
siderate to joke about the events of 9/11 regardless of circumstance or intent. Seventeen years have passed. We live in a time where high-school seniors were not yet born when the attacks happened. We live in a culture that is slowly forgetting the depth of emotions that relentlessly silenced the nation. As we grow older and time passes, we lose touch with the fear of September 11. Most current college students cannot recall where they were or what they were doing when it happened, and that’s OK. But it isn’t acceptable to disregard the emptiness others feel on a daily
basis, especially on 9/11. Making jokes and memes out of a tragic event that continues to impact our nation is an inability to comprehend sensitivity to emotion and grieving. I used to disregard the memes and conspiracies, and sometimes laugh at them, until three seconds changed everything. I urge everyone to seek their own three seconds. A trip to New York is a little extensive, sure. But the desire to understand the long-term grief starts with eliminating jokes, because it will always be too soon to joke.
Take advantage of your time in the dorms CHEF CROMWELL NICHOLAS CROMWELL CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior accounting major from Dallas, Texas Like many students at ACU, I grew up in a household where I was fortunate enough to have my own room. Naturally, in college, this changed. Freshman year, we are introduced to a completely new atmosphere, especially with regard to our living space. I moved into Mabee Hall in August of 2014. Back then, we didn’t have what all of the undergrads call Wildcat Week. We had Welcome Week, Walling Lecture Hall was attached to what was called the Foster Science Building and Aramark was running the Bean. Honestly, the Bean is such a blessing no matter who is catering. What was still the
same, however, was the size of the rooms in Mabee. For those of you who don’t know, the average size of the room is 16x12 feet. I, like many freshmen, was coming into a small, shared bedroom from an environment where I had a larger bedroom all to myself. There were things I had to learn really quick in order to adapt to this new living space with someone who was practically a stranger. I was fairly distant or aloof, avoiding the room for my entire first year. My roommate and I got along, but we more or less just lived in the same room rather than interacted as
brothers in Christ. For those of you who are still in the dorms, especially those who have roommates with whom you are not best friends, learn from my experience. Go beyond being livable and be the friend; be the best example you can be of Christ in your roommate’s life. Hopefully, by being present, you’ll see Christ in them. Sophomore year, I had a roommate who was in the ‘rival’ club to mine, yet we would go to church, small group and even camp together. I would say I was learning to be a better roommate and friend. I realized it is more than just living in the same space together but relying on one another and growing in knowledge, wisdom and faith together. As an upperclassman, and now as a grad student, I have lived in houses with more than
EDITORIAL AND LETTER POLICY Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Optimist and may not necessarily reflect the views of the university or its administration. Signed columns, cartoons and letters are the opinions of their creators and may not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Optimist or the university. The Optimist encourages reader response through letters to the editor but reserves the right to limit frequent contributors or to refuse to print letters containing
personal attacks, obscenity, defamation, erroneous information or invasion of privacy. Please limit letters to 350 words or fewer. A name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Phone numbers will not be published. Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79609 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu
just one other person. More people add more characteristics you have to learn to live with in more ways than one. Each roommate I have had, and even those I currently have for that matter, have different life backgrounds than I. Because of these roommates, our conflicts and our similarities have continued to be pushed to grow as a person. As a grad student, I now share a room smaller than my freshman dorm room. Only three weeks into the semester and I feel like I know him better than my first roommate. Take this to heart. If you currently have a roommate, realize that you can do more than just live with a person. Ask about their day, learn about the things that challenge them. And if they take the last little bit of your milk just before you eat breakfast, don’t yell at them. It’ll be OK.
THE
Cole Klayman @coleklayman15 At the Doctor’s office today: as they’re taking my blood pressure, my arm busts through the cuff. Never felt better about myself. #SwolePatrol #ThinkWeNeedABiggerBoat Taentedah @taenjohnson You’re an animal if you update your Facebook story Hales @_hailey_suzanne all i want is to be as happy as theater majors on praise friday topa chica @ErikaEmDubya last night at around 2:30am I dunked my hands in mustard as a last resort to save them from the fiery lakes of hell known as 300+ jalapeño poppers and it workeD nate @natekittley I’ve officially joined the Juul movement...what a time to be alive Frank @Lauren_Franco1 max: i had a dream last night that i forgot to lock a bird and next thing you know i had a $500 charge to my bank account Hunter Wood @HuntleyFPS I don’t understand how college students complain about being broke, but don’t think twice about spending $6 everyday on Starbucks.
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Sports | Page 6
Friday, September 14, 2018
FOOTBALL
Wildcats begin conference in Houston MAX PRESTON SPORTS DIRECTOR
The football team gets its first shot at a conference competitor this weekend with a road matchup against Houston Baptist. Last season, ACU also opened conference against HBU in Wildcat Stadium and won 24-3. They now turn around to face each other in Husky Stadium nearly an exact year later. Both the Wildcats and the Huskies will look to earn a better result in conference this season as ACU went 2-7 and HBU went 0-9 last season. Head coach Adam Dorrel said HBU will be a challenging start to Southland play. “They’re a good ball club, I think much improved from last year,” Dorrel said. “We don’t have a ton of film, they have a new offensive coordinator and a new defensive coordinator, so it’s been challenging to try and gameplan.” The Wildcats, 1-1 overall on the season, lost to Baylor 55-27 in the first week and won their home opener to Angelo State last Saturday. Junior wide receiver Josh Fink was the headline of the winning effort last week in the absence of redshirt senior wide receiver D.J. Fuller. Fink hauled in eight passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
Team
Ovrl. Div.
Team
Photo by LAUREN FRANCO | EDITOR IN CHIEF The Wildcats run onto the field before Saturday’s home game against Angelo State.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Anthony showed signs of struggle in the second quarter with two interceptions, one being for a touchdown by Rams’ sophomore linebacker Donavyn Jackson. He did, however, still post 370 yards with the two touchdowns to Fink and a sneak touchdown of his own. Defensively, junior linebacker Jeremiah Chambers has emerged as the leading tackler for the Wildcats with 16 on the season so far. He also leads his squad
in tackles for a loss totalling three and is in a three-way tie for sacks at one a piece. Chambers said he knows the defense has to remain focused the entire game in order to win. “We have to stop the run, go out fast and finish fast,” Chambers said. “We just have to play all four quarters and play at the top of our abilities.” HBU has started its season off comfortably as this will be the third home game in a row for them. The Huskies did manage a 51-34
loss, however, to their first Southland opponent last Saturday in McNeese. The team has totaled an impressive 971 yards in its first two games, 606 of it being passing and 365 rushing. Sophomore quarterback Bailey Zappe has received the majority of the reps under center so far. The Husky signal caller completed 39 of his 66 pass attempts for 552 yards and six touchdowns in the first two games. On the defensive side of the ball, sophomore linebacker Langston Tunson
has been a nuisance beyond the line of scrimmage for HBU. Tunson has made eight tackles for a loss and three sacks, leading his team in each category easily. He also leads his team with 35 tackles and is one of four players with an interception. ACU has been dominant in the two team’s past matchups winning four of the five total games. Their one loss was a 27-24 overtime heartbreaker in 2016. The game is set to begin at 6 p.m. this Saturday and can be viewed on ESPN3.
Tennis prepares for opening tournaments on the road The men and women’s tennis teams will be in action for the first time this season at the Midland Racquet Club Invitational and the New Mexico State Invitational. Both teams have most of their core players returning, as they look forward to improving in their second season of Div. I eligibility. The men’s team added freshman Riley Tran and Michael Benevides as well as junior transfer Akinori Wada.
Volleyball SFA 10-2 UCA 8-2 SHSU 5-4 HBU 6-5 UNO 6-5 NWSU 4-4 Lamar 3-6 ACU 3-7 Nicholls 2-8 TAMU-CC 1-9 SELU 1-9 UIW 0-8 McNeese 0-10
TENNIS
BRIAN SWEET SPORTS REPORTER
STANDINGS
Benevides said moving from high school tennis to Div. I tennis will be challenging. “It’s very different, you know, the level of tennis is much better,” Benivedes said. “The competition is better. Everything about the game is amplified; it’s a good change.” The men’s schedule starts this weekend with part of the team traveling to the Midland Invitational, and the rest to the New Mexico State Invitational. The rest of the team’s
away tournaments this fall will include the ITA Oracle Masters, the ITA All American Championship and the ITA Texas Regional Championship. Senior Josh Sheehy said the returning members of the men’s team are ready to show improvement in the second year of Div. I eligibility. “I think last year went really well for us,” Sheehy said. “It was the first year of playing in postseason eligibility, so all of us were really excited. Everyone
put in a lot of hard work to make the year the best we could, and everyone had a good mentality. I think we will be able to do that again this year.” The women’s tennis team also starts this weekend in Midland. They will travel west at the end of the month to play in the Colorado Invitational in Boulder, Colorado. They will play in Dallas at the SMU Invitational Oct. 5-7 and finish the fall season at the ITA Texas Regionals at
Texas A&M on Oct. 19-21. Junior Sarah Adams said the chemistry of the women’s team will carry them through both the fall and spring seasons. “We have three great additions to our team this year and returners who have worked hard this summer,” Adams said. “It is our goal this season to create a strong, united team that will support each other as we move into our spring season.”
PREDICTIONS
Soccer
Ovrl.
UCA McNeese NWSU ACU Lamar SELU TAMU-CC SFA HBU Nicholls SHSU UIW
5-2-1 5-3 5-2 5-2 4-3 3-2-1 3-2-1 2-3 2-5 2-5 1-5-1 0-4
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Div. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Football
Team
Ovrl.
McNeese SHSU ACU UCA Lamar Nicholls NWSU SFA UIW SELU HBU
2-0 1-0 1-1 1-1 1-1 1-1 1-1 0-1 0-2 0-2 0-2
Div. 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Football
Fink Junior wide receiver Josh Fink showed out against Angelo State last Saturday with 161 yards and two touchdowns. He seems to be the wideout that will step up while redshirt senior wide receiver D.J. Fuller is sidelined with a leg injury. Fink and the Wildcats head to Houston to face the Huskies for their opening conference matchup.
Volleyball
FOOTBALL MATCHUP PREVIEW 2018 WEEK 2 POINTS
41
34
147
RUSHING YARDS
185
370
PASSING YARDS
348
24
POINTS ALLOWED
51
ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (1–1)
MAX PRESTON SPORTS DIRECTOR
McNeil
HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY (1–1)
LEXI KIRGAN
SPORTS REPORTER
CARSON WRIGHT SPORTS REPORTER
The game last week against ASU spooked me a little bit. The energy the Rams built up in the second quarter was insane, but the Wildcats regathered and got the victory. With the absence of D.J. Fuller, I think ACU is still able to manage with what they have. Josh Fink was all over the field last Saturday with 161 yards and two touchdowns. The run game is also a factor with two worthy running backs in Tracy James and Billy McCrary. With Jeremiah Chambers on the charge for the defense, I can see them forming into a brick wall as the season goes on. For HBU, they will be playing their third home game in a row to start the season. The Huskies already had a taste of conference play last week against McNeese and lost in 51-34 shootout. This was credited to the Cowboys hot 21-0 start. HBU did rack up 493 total yards, however, thanks to 348 yards passing by Bailey Zappe. Going off this pattern, if the Wildcats can find holes in the HBU defense early and get a quick start on the scoreboard, ACU should have no problem getting a victory. I’ve got the Wildcats spoiling family weekend in H-Town Saturday.
This weekend the Wildcats will travel to Houston to take on the Houston Baptist Huskies. The Wildcats have played two games so far, Baylor and Angelo State and now have a record of 1-1. The team has given it their all in the past two games and I have no doubt that it will be the same for this game. Last year ACU swept HBU winning 24-3 and with how they are playing this year... I have a feeling it won’t be any different. ACU’s quarterback, Luke Anthony has shown out already this season. In the game against Angelo State, Anthony threw an amazing career high of 370 yards. I feel if he can do that in this upcoming game there isn’t anything to worry about. Another player that has stepped up for the Wildcats is Josh Fink. With one of ACU’s starting wide receivers D.J. Fuller being out for a few games, Fink has showed up for the Wildcats and has really been ready to play. In the game against Angelo State, Fink also had a career high with 161 yards in catches and 2 touchdowns. I for one am excited to see ACU beat the pants off of HBU. All they need is confidence and this will be a great game and another win for the Wildcats.
While the Wildcats were down at the half 24-21 against San Angelo last week, the Rams only scored in the second quarter and were dominated by the Wildcats in every other quarter. Given that it’s so early in the season, I’m going to chalk that rough second quarter into rust and hope that they’ve ironed out the kinks. Luke Anthony looks impressive to start the season, completing 64% of his passes and drawing 100+ yard games out of Josh Fink and DJ Fuller. The defense also looks good this year, getting 4 takeaways in the 2 games. One player on the Huskies that could shake things up is Dreshawn Minniweather, who has 258 yards on 28 carries. Minniweather doesn’t seem to be a factor in the passing game, so if the Wildcats can shut down the run and limit big plays, I believe they have a good chance to win this game.
FINAL SCORE: ACU 31 HBU 24
FINAL SCORE: ACU 38 HBU 10
FINAL SCORE: ACU 38 HBU 24
B.J. MAXWELL SPORTS REPORTER
The Wildcats are heading to Houston this weekend to take on HBU for their first taste of Southland Conference play this season. After coming back from being down 24-21 at half last weekend to win by a margin of 41-24 vs. Angelo St. Everyone has been talking about Luke Anthony since setting his career high in passing yards, and I see him carrying over that confidence hitting the likes of Josh Fink and Chase Cokley next game while the main weapon D.J. Fuller is out with an injury right now. I also see Running Backs Tracy James and Billy McCrary having a field day splitting carries between one another. On the other side of the ball I predict Bolu Onafide will have a big game for the defense, he was last season’s leading tackler and this game will get him in a groove. This game will be good for the wildcats since coming off a victory in the first home game and with a chance to tie their season win total from last year. HBU got their first taste of Southland Conference play vs McNeese losing 51-34. While I do see a slight improvement in HBU from Last season, I still see us taking this game and winning by at least two or three touchdowns on Saturday.
FINAL SCORE: ACU 28 HBU 14
Sophomore middle blocker Lorin McNeil had a productive weekend in Tulsa helping her team defeat Oral Roberts. McNeil was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts in the two games. She totalled 17 kills and 10 blocks in the tournament. Volleyball will travel once again on Friday to Dallas and participate in the SMU Doubletree Classic. The team will face LSU and SMU.
Golf
Clouse
Sophomore Alex Clouse turned heads this last weekend as he finished fifth individually out of 93 players at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational. He shot four under for the tournament totalling 212 strokes. The team finished ninth overall out of 16 schools. The Wildcats won’t play in another tournament until the weekend of Sept. 23 when they go to the Trinity Forest Invitational.
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