OPTIMIST
@acuoptimist The Optimist @acuoptimist
FOLLIES Nick Tatum and freshmen wrap up practices and prepare for shows next week.
A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
Friday September 21, 2018
Volume CVIII, Issue V Feature
Sports
After Nathan Reynolds graduated and left with his Mystery Machine van, Joey Patterson’s 1962 Ford Falcon became the new icon of campus. Patterson speaks on his car and passion......Page 4
Wildcat football is on the road for the second straight week, facing the SFA Lumberjacks in Nacogdoches. The tennis teams placed first and second in their tournament last weekend......................................Page 6
S S M
T W R
F
Opinion Are you still pondering which club to pledge? We broke down each social club by their stereotypes and created a flow chart to help your decision....................................................Page 5
Photo and story by RILEY FISHER| STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER CAMPUS NEWS
Abby Ware, a sophomore communication disorders major from Hurst talks to a member of Sigma Theta Chi during its“Siggie Cinema” rush last week. The last week of rushes begins on Monday, and Bid Night is on Friday night from 5 p.m. until 1 a.m.
Anthony proposes board changes “
LAUREN FRANCO EDITOR IN CHIEF
The Board of Trustees met in August to discuss the governance changes proposed at their retreat in May. Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, said the board questioned Schubert where to improve and used brainstorming to build an agenda for the August meeting. The new chair of the board, April Anthony, used ideas and recommendations to suggest changes to the structure, including committees. “The entire meeting was the board discussing the May retreat and some specific directions they were headed in terms of how
to structure the board for the most effective governance,” Schubert said. Though Anthony attended the retreat in May, the August meeting was her first business meeting as chair of the board. “We had an incredible meeting in August, and it was in large measure due to her effective leadership and the willingness of the board to allow her to lead,” Schubert said. “I felt like she did a phenomenal job, and I sensed a great excitement among the board not only for April’s leadership, but also for the work and the conversation that they were having about how to be more effective in leading the university.” Schubert said the board gives administration guidance on how to handle campus issues such as LGBTQ+ and race issues. For the past
We had an incredible meeting in August, and it was in large measure due to her effective leadership and the willingness of the board to allow her to lead.” PHIL SCHUBERT PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSTY
year, administration spent time interpreting the guidance and beginning conversation on campus. “We are now working on a new communication with faculty and staff, and adjusting based on feedback,” Schubert said. “We did have a chance to run through that with the board to make sure the direction we are headed was consistent with the guidance they provided.” Board meetings occur every quarter – one in
February over Sing Song weekend, May, August, coinciding with the start of school, and November before Thanksgiving break. Schubert said he next board meeting will focus on continuing the adoption of the new processes of governance, including new committees. “We’re beginning to work through how those committees engage in the life of the university, along with faculty and administration to help plan for the strategic plan for the university,” Schubert said. “My guess is that we will spend a significant amount of time focused on the academic identity of ACU in the November meeting and looking at the current landscape, as well as where we might want to see ourselves five years out.”
Freshman Follies, Bid Night face time conflict EVAN RODRIGUEZ OPINONS EDITOR
Friday, Sept. 27 will be a busy night, as family weekend and bid night converge. Bid Night will begin at 5 p.m., and the first Freshman Follies show will commence at 8 p.m., leading to a busier than usual level of activity. Nick Tatum, directer of student productions, said he doesn’t believe it will impact many students, even though the overlap is inconvenient. “This year, I can only think of four students who
would need to be in two places at once,” said Tatum. Tatum said that when he was a sophomore student productions intern, student Bid Night and Freshman Follies were on the same night. The source of the overlap specifically stems from a university planning committee, which sets the dates of major university events years in advance. “There’s a committee that meets with the leads of every department, and for five to six years out they have every event planned,” Tatum said.
As an example, Tatum noted that the schedule for university events, such as Sing Song and homecoming, have been set through the 2022-23 school year. Since the pledging schedule is more fluid and has varied in length during recent years, the timing of bid night and pledging was set much much more recently. Overall, Tatum said he understands why the overlap had to occur but is disappointed many non-freshmen would not be able to attend the Friday night show.
“I want every student to experience everything, and when you put two major things at the same time, that’s not good,” Tatum said. Because Follies occurs in Cullen Auditorium, where the girls clubs’ bid night devotional is, Chris Herrington, social club director, said that the devotional will be moved to Hart Auditorium. In the future, however, Tatum is concerned about the possibility of SingSong and spring pledging overlapping and all the headaches that might bring.
acuoptimist.com
ACU ranks high in U.S. News and World Report ALLAYNA FORD MANAGING EDITOR
Abilene Christian University was ranked No. 21 out of 95 universities across 15 states in the west by the U.S News and World Report released last week. Other rankings that the institution received from the U.S. News and World Report includes: No. 4 in most innovative schools No. 10 in best value schools No. 13 in best colleges for veterans No. 14 in best value college Dr. Phil Schubert, university president, said the reputation of the institution being cutting-edge has grown over the years and this recognition comes on the heels of the school’s success and established reputation. “For a long time we have, appropriately so, had a reputation in the higher education landscape of being an institution that was willing to think out of the box,” Schubert said. “We’ve tried a lot of new things. We have been able to help others with new ideas and new teaching methods and I think that is just a reputation that ACU has appropriately developed over the course of time and people recognize that.” The institution has worked to lower the costs of tuition and Schubert said affordable quality education for students is a high priority taken seriously by the school. “I think it always takes a tremendous amount of discipline to make decisions in a way that balances the needs of the institution to deliver a
very high-quality educational experience, as well as balancing that with the commitment to remain affordable to our students and their families,” Schubert said. “We spend a lot of time in our leadership team meetings talking about that balance and then being creative about how we can improve the educational experience for students and at the same time lower the cost.” While the school ranks highly, Schubert said the graduation rates of students is an area the institution can improve on. “For me it’s not enough if we have any student that is notable, if they have a desire to be here, to get through school,” Schubert said. “Students start out the journey to get to col-
“
For a long time we have, appropriately so, had a reputation in the higher education landscape of being an institution that was willing to think out of the box.” PHIL SCHUBERT PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSTY
lege for a reason so we need to be a place that does everything we can to make sure that they finish that process” According to the U.S. News and World reports schools are ranked according to their performance across indicators of excellence. ACU was also recognized in by the Princeton Review as one of the “Best in the West”, by Forbes as one of “America’s top colleges” and was recognized by the Wall Street Journal.
Page 2 | Campus News Events
Friday 09/21 1. Guy’s ranking Saturday 09/22 1. Football @ Stephen F. Austin Sunday 09/23 1. Men’s Coffees Monday 09/24 1. SGA Join Week 2. All Pledges Meeting Tuesday 09/25 1. All Pledges Meeting 2. Women’s Rank 3rd round Wednesday 09/26 1. Women’s Rank 3rd round 2. Women’s final vote Thursday 09/27 1. Bid Delivery 2. Call night
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days until fall break
Friday, September 21, 2018 CAMPUS NEWS
Beltway 4K for the cure to donut cravings
DILLION DANIEL STAFF REPORTER
An unusual 4K in which runners must scarf down donuts halfway through the race willtake place on Sunday. The Donut Dash is a 4k organized by ACU alumna Kelsey Holson, in partnership with Mustang Donuts and Beltway Church, in support for Abilene-local foster agency, New Horizons. Purpose of the event is to fundraise money for backpacks for kids adopted through New Horizons as well as additional donation money to the organization. It is a pay to participate event, costing adults 15 dollars to enter, 10 dollars for kids, and an additional 10 dollars for backpacks that will consist of necessities like school supplies, reusable water bottles, etc. Kelsey Holson, along with her husband, Cam Holson, are foster parents who have come together with Beltway to create the Donut Dash
Photo by DILLION DANIEL | STAFF REPORTER with the intention to purchase and fill 250 backpacks for kids. Gaining support with the likes of Pest Patrol and others to come, they are looking to gain additional donation money, seeing it as a definite possibility. Runners who participate in the event will make the 1.2-mile trek from University Church of Christ to Mustang Donuts where they
Halfway point of the 4k race for participants to receive their donuts then head back to their final destination.
will choose to eat either six glazed donut holes or three full glazed donuts and must make the same trip back. Erika Sabb, a graduate student in the Marriage and Family institute and participator in the event, said, “The Donut Dash is overall a fun way to get the community involved in New Horizons. Children will be blessed with backpacks! I think this event
is pretty creative…I am excited to both get a good run in and eat a few donuts.” Kelsey and Cam Holson are alumni of the school and men’s and women’s basketball teams, thus finding support from current teams as well. The women’s team will serve donuts to the runners while the men’s team will direct traffic away from the runners.
Mustang Donuts will not be the only food-provider as Nikki’s Swirl Shoppe will also be at UCC at 7 a.m. catering for anyone shows up before the race. For any additional information, visit the Donut Dash of Abilene Facebook page. To sign up for the race, visit the website.
CAMPUS NEWS
Record number of students apply to be Chapel leaders ALYSSA HIGH STAFF REPORTER
A record number of students have applied to lead Chapel the past two years. ACU has always been known for having Chapel every day at 11 a.m., but one thing that has changed is the music. For years, ACU has been strictly acapella, but several years ago, the university decided to branch out and
incorporate instruments into the praise and worship in chapel. David Moses, director of daily operations of chapel, said that the university understands that it is a Church of Christ school, but just because the school is, doesn’t mean all of the students are. “The university has understood over the last couple of years that we are Church of Christ tradition,” Moses said. “For years and
years, we have provided a Church of Christ style of worship. About 20%30% of our population is Church of Christ, but that means 70%-80% of our population is not.” Moses said that with the change, he feels that the reason there is a boost in applicants to lead chapel is because ACU took the step from making it just a capella to being able to incorporate instrumental worship.
“The decision was made to provide different venues for worship,” Moses said. “Since I’ve been here over the last three years, that venue has even opened up into Moody. I think that the exposure of instrumental worship has offered the opportunity for a lot of kids to get involved who want to be involved.” To be a chapel leader, you have to be willing to get together your own worship teams, get a set together, rehearse and
Students take care of elderly residents at University Place HANNAH JOHNSON STAFF REPORTER
The Adopt-A-Grandparent club has continued visiting the elderly residents of University Place. The club gives students and a group of University Place residents the opportunity to come together and participate in activities. Madeline Bow, president of Adopt-A-Grandparent from Boerne, said she started the program last year with Lauren Anderson. Anderson was president before she graduated, and Bow was vice president. “So I kind of took over,” Bow said. “And our vision for starting this program was basically when people are in college, they frequently are unable to see their grandparents as much. People who are in different living facilities also enjoy
having visitors.” Bow said students can visit the grandparent they are paired up with weekly or bi-weekly. If a student feels a connection with a resident, they can discuss the project with them and request their contact information. “At that point, it’s kind of up to [the student and their grandparent] as to when and how often and what their interactions will look like for the rest of the year,” Bow said. Monthly meetings consist of students spending time with the residents. The first monthly meeting will be at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 7 at University Place. Abbey Lewis, junior business management major and vice president of Adopt-A-Grandparent from Flower Mound, said the students and elders make craft projects and play games
provide the worship service. Moses said that two years ago he would have had 10 to 15 people at the interest meetings, and the last two years he’s had 30 to 40 people show up. “Most of it is in the instrumental arena,” Moses said. “I really just think the interest is there because the exposure has been broadened.” In order to sign up to be a chapel leader, go to your banner page where you see spiri-
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I really just think the interest is there because the exposure has been broadened.” DAVID MOSES DIRECTOR OF DAILY OPERATIONS OF CHAPEL
tual formation credits. Click on the exemptions tab and on the sidebar you will see chapel. Click chapel and click the participation in chapel link. There you will see a Google form to fill out.
ESports recruiting new gamers for tournament BREVEN CAMPBELL STAFF REPORTER
This is the University Place residency where the club students will visit the residents for Adopt-A-Grandparent
together. Craft projects include painting and decoupage with games including Scrabble and Rummikub. Another game called the Question Game allows students and residents to get to know each other. The questions are printed on small cards. Examples include: “What was the best job you had in your past,” “What was something specific you remember” and “Best vacation you had as a kid.” Lewis said some residents have a hard time conversing. “Having those conversa-
tions is really nice because it gets them to kind of open up,” Lewis said. To Lewis, being a part of Adopt-A-Grandparent is more than obtaining service hours. “That’s not the whole goal of serving,” Lewis said. “I think, as believers in Christ, we’re called to serve those in our community, especially the elders.” Lewis thinks elders are overlooked and forgotten in society. She said the solution is to reach out and see how to get involved with valuing the elders.
ESports is now a club at ACU competing in the gaming world. The club was founded less than two months ago. Following tryouts, the club has about 25 active players. ACU eSports will compete in their first competition, Tespa, against the University of Texas, Texas A&M, Stephen F. Austin, and more. “This club is not just for the elite of the elite; it is for anyone who wants to join at all,” said Hunter Wood, sophomore business management major and president of ACU eSports from Abilene. The club will have a main roster and a secondary roster. Wood said he wants the club to be not just a team, but a community. The Overwatch team practices three to four times a week on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. “I am willing to work
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This club is not just for the elite of the elite; it is for anyone who wants to join at all”
HUNTER WOOD SOPHOMORE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT MAJOR FROM
around their work schedules,” said Wood. “We are looking to have a room by the end of the semester, if not next semester.” There was a gaming club at ACU, but Wood said, “They were more focused on getting friends together and playing for fun, whereas I am more focused on playing competitively.” “Even if you know of a competitive game but have not really dove in, I am here to foster and teach people how to compete,” said Wood. Tryouts are open for everybody, and no certain skill level is required.
POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 09/12/2018 9:23 p.m. A parent contacted ACUPD about her daughter being unaccounted for and the parent not being able to reach her. The officers were later advised that the student had been found.
09/16/2018 8:45 p.m. ACUPD assisted APD with a hit and run report in the 1600 block of Campus Court. The driver that hit the vehicle reported the incident the next day.
09/14/2018 4:15 p.m. ACUPD was made aware of an alleged sexual assault which occured off-campus approximately two weeks ago between the victim and a known suspect. Case investigation open and Title IX referral.
09/17/2018 8:47 p.m. ACUPD and AFD responded to a fire alarm with smoke coming from the laundry room, filling the first floor east wing. Building was evacuated until AFD determined smoke was due to a faulty washing machine. Smoke was cleared, residents allowed back in and fire alarm reset.
911 CALL............................................................2 ACCIDENT........................................................1 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY.......................................................40 ADVICE..............................................................3 ALARM...............................................................4 ANIMAL CALL...............................................1 ASSIST................................................................4 ATTEMPT TO LOCATE..........................0 BARRICADES...............................................6 BICYCLE PARTROL..................................1 BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK........................................8 BURGLARY......................................................1 CART PATROL.............................................6
CHECK BUILDING.............................327 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF...........................4 DISTURBANCE..........................................2 DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE.............1 ESCORT............................................................2 FOOT PATROL............................................2 FOUND PROPERTY...............................4 HIT & RUN......................................................5 INFORMATION REPORT...................5 INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP................................................6 LOST PROPERTY......................................1 MAINTENANCE: UNIV ASSETS..............................................2 MEDICAL EMERGENCY.....................9
MONITOR FACILITY/ LOT.......................................................................8 MOTORIST ASSIST: INFLATE TIRE..............................................2 MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART.................................................4 MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK...........................................................3 OTHER...............................................................5 PARKING LOT PATROL....................37 PARKING VIOLATION.........................17 PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE.......................................14 PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL.......................................................10
PROWLER...................................................0 RANDOM PATROL............................19 REPORT WRITING.............................13 SEX OFFENSE............................................1 SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT....................1 SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY....................2 THEFT............................................................1 TRAFFIC STOP......................................5 VEHICLE COLLISION..........................4 WELFARE CHECK..............................3 TOTAL.....................................................626
Chief Ellison’s Weekly Tip Thanks for helping keep the number of car burglaries down. Always lock your car and always report suspicious activity immediately to ACUPD
Friday, September 21, 2018
Lifestyle & People|Page 3
CAMPUS NEWS
FEATURE
Laehn earns guitar scholarship
New program for first-gen students introduced ALLAYNA FORD MANAGING EDITOR Living learning communities, also known as LLCs, were created this year for first generation freshmen to live together in Nelson and McKinzie Halls, where they have access to academic and emotional support. Diarron Morrison, resident director of Mabee Hall, introduced the idea of forming the LLCs for first-generation students to Residence Life, and he said beneficial LLCs are for students to build community. “Living learning communities are a great opportunity for people to connect around some sort of similarity,” Morrison said. “I think we should structure relationships through our likenesses, not our differences.” Morrison has been a resident director for two years and said his interactions with first generation students prompted him create a program to help them. “I came in contact with a lot of first generation college students last year, people who absolutely amazed me with the things they could do, but they didn’t know they had resources here until later on,” Morrison said. “We know that some first generation students can have a different experience. Why don’t we let them experience it together?” Students in the LLCS now have their own cornerstone class, tutors and a resident assistant to help guide and support them. The cornerstone class is taught by Scott Self, assistant professor of core curriculum, and he said this program is a continuation of programs ACU has been creating since 1987 to help first-generation students transition into col-
lege life easier. “The cornerstone class has the same materials and the same objectives as other classes, we just contextualize information for first generation students,” Self said. “We as a faculty can help demystify the college experience for them.” Self said the group’s LLC is monitored to make sure students are not feeling isolated and are positively benefiting from the community, as they decide whether to implement LLCs for other groups in the future. Gracie Showers, resident assistant of Nelson Hall and junior nursing major from Argyle, said her experience with her residents so far has been positive. “I just never thought about a hall full of first generation girls, but this is awesome,” Showers said. “I think there is a need to have somebody step in and walk alongside girls who might not be as confident going to school.” Showers said she is forming a connection with her residents despite differing backgrounds. “They have really shown me what it’s like to step into brokenness and messy situations, and I turn around and think, ‘You guys are being my RA in a lot of ways,’” Showers said. “They have been really intentional and genuine about getting to know me, which is really nice.” Showers said one of her missions is for her residents to grow throughout this year. “As an RA, my goal for them is to form genuine relationships with people in their hall,” Showers said. “As someone who cares for them, my goal is for them to do well in their classes and to take advantage of all of the resources around campus.”
TESSA KENNEDY STAFF REPORTER Ronnie Laehn is a chemistry major from South Elgin, Illinois and currently holds the only guitar scholarship at ACU. Laehn has been playing guitar for ten and a half years and has loved every moment of his musical endeavors. He began taking private lessons for guitar when he was 8 years old and continued in lessons until his senior year of high school. He is able to play a six, seven, eight, and twelve string guitar with great precision and little difficulty.
ALLISON HARRELL STAFF REPORTER The Student Ambassador Program is increasing benefits for the help volunteers offer with Open Houses and Preview Weekends. The Student Ambassador Program is a service-centered group of volunteer students that offer advice and guidance to prospective students that are visiting ACU’s campus for the first time. The group is expected to be available for any task the directors of campus visits ask them to complete and to simply engage in conversation with the prospective students and their families. Darci Armstrong, Associate Director of Campus Visits, further explained the goal of the program. “We are trying to get students more involved in our campus visit experience,” Armstrong said. “Student ambassadors can volunteer to help us on our big visit days, such as Wildcat Preview day or Admitted Students day. Sometimes they might be greeting or escorting fam-
ALYSSA HIGH STAFF REPORTER
Photo by ALYSSA HIGH | STAFF REPORTER
The Ultimate team praying together before a game.
Oldham Lane Church of Christ Oldham Lane Lane Church of Christ Oldham Church of Christ
invites to our invites you you toyou our invites to our college group college group college group
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@ 9:00 AM GREAT CLASS, ACTIVITIES GREATSUNDAYS CLASS, ACTIVITIES BREAKFAST & COFFEE GREAT CLASS, ACTIVITIES BREAKFAST & COFFEE BREAKFAST & COFFEE
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WEDNESDAYS 7:00 PM WEDNESDAYS 7:00 PM (CHAPEL CREDIT) (CHAPEL CREDIT) WEDNESDAYS 7:00 PM
(CHAPEL CREDIT)
Laehn said his favorite aspect of playing guitar is the freedom it gives him to experiment with different genres of music. He plays classical, blues, jazz, rock, and heavy metal music with his instrument. Laehn is thankful that he attends a school that provides support for both his musical passion and his scientific career path. “It is enjoyable to attend a university that values my music capabilities while still pursuing a career in the chemical industry,” Laehn says. “There are many opportunities to perform.”
Admissions adds new student ambassadors
Ultimate added as club sport
well, the tournament showed them where they were as a team and that twelve members were not enough when going against teams like Texas Tech. In Jan. 2018, the ACU Ultimate team joined USA Ultimate, the NCAA of Ultimate Frisbee. Last fall, the group had their first tryouts, increasing the group’s numbers to over twenty. Then the group went on their first tournaments, three in the fall and three in the spring. The increase allowed there to be an officer team, with Winn as the president, handling the long-term goals, and the other officers to focus on broadening the groups’ skills and plays.
The scholarship he holds is through the music department here at ACU, and was obtained through a video audition when he applied to attend school. Laehn hopes to always continue to keep music and guitar in his life, and to not let his career consume him and deprive him of enjoying his hobby. “I hope to be able to perform in conjunction with my job after I receive my degree,” Laehn says. “It’s my passion. However, a career should not always follow a passion or talent. Passion doesn’t guarantee success.”
CAMPUS NEW
CAMPUS NEWS
What sport combines the athleticism of soccer, the gameplay of football and the discs of frisbee? Ultimate frisbee, and ACU has officially brought it on as a club sport. ACU’s ultimate frisbee history started with the Desert Monks, a team from the mid-2000s to 2015. After the team members graduated, however, the team ceased to exist, leaving ACU with no team for two years. Bao Catteau, a sophomore biochemistry major from Denison, TX, said, “We’re just trying to bring it back, getting it to be more than pickup games.” In the spring of 2017, Nicholas Winn, senior youth and family ministry major from Nashville, TN, started the ultimate frisbee club. Though Winn had no experience with club ultimate frisbee, he recruited a few students who did. The group hosted one Abilene tournament, to which three schools were invited to compete. Though the team did not do very
Laehn plays with various groups on and off campus, including jazz Laehn ensemble and jazz combo. Laehn has been a featured guitarist in ACU’s Sing Song and in various musicals through the theatre department. He can also often be found up on the Cullen stage during Immersed worship sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “I perform primarily with music ensembles rather than Chapel organizations.” Laehn states.
The group held tryouts for this year’s team on Saturday and Sunday. Fifteen students showed up to tryout, and about two-thirds will be chosen to be a part of the team. The goal is to have twenty-five members on the team, and they already have twenty-one confirmed members. This season, the team plans to have three tournaments in the fall and four in the spring, with one possibly in Abilene. “I’m super excited to compete because a lot of our team is returning from last year, so we will be able to really hone in on our skills and hopefully win a conference championship this year,” said Winn.
ilies around campus or just talking about their personal experiences, but it’s really just a great way to get more students involved in meeting prospective students.” The program consists of around 30 students. Directors hope to expand the number of student ambassadors to around 100 members in the near future. The Student Ambassador Program began a few years ago when Leslie Hayes, Director of Campus Visits, attended a conference about campus visits. “We realized that a lot of other schools were using volunteer programs to make college students available to high school students when they visited,” Hayes said. “We were trying to build a stronger student presence. So, we decided to start the ambassador program. It has been great.” The program has continued to progress through the past three years. Student ambassadors play a major role in giving new students a first-hand look into everyday life at ACU.
“The main thing we want the ambassadors to do is visit with prospective students,” Hayes said. “When high school students come to visit colleges, the No. 1 thing they request is that they get to interact with college students. They want to hear about their experiences, what they love and what the real story is. We give ambassadors jobs, but we really are wanting them to just be available to interact with students.” The directors of the Student Ambassador Program were excited to share about some of the new ideas to provide extra benefits for volunteers, besides the service hour credits each volunteer receives. “We are just trying to amp up the Student Ambassador Program by offering some incentives, whether that is parties or gifts,” Armstrong said. “We are also hoping more students will take ownership that this is the school that they love and will want to be a part of the recruiting process. We are trying to make it a more
exciting program to be a part of, so that, hopefully, we can get more ACU students to join our team.” Student ambassadors usually receive first priority in consideration for tour guide jobs when the admissions office begins the selection process. Starbucks coffee coupons, movie tickets, candy and ice cream parties are just a few fun ways that the ambassadors have been rewarded for the work they put into making visiting day experiences memorable for new students and their families. “We are always trying to think of fun, little ways to say thank you to ambassadors, because they are awesome,” Hayes said. “It can change the way a visit day feels when there are lots of students around that are energetic and having fun. It can make the difference for a high school student that they got to interact with someone that is here, living it and loving it. We want to be appreciative of our student ambassadors, so we are always thinking of new ways to do that.”
Features| Page 4
Friday, September 21, 2018
THE DRIVING FORCE Patterson brings passion for cars to college
LAUREN FRANCO EDITOR IN CHIEF
J
oey Patterson is a shy, 6’1 football player until he starts talking about his car, the 1962 Ford Falcon easily recognized around campus for its vintage, movie-like look. The freshman business management major from Coppell started building cars with his dad when he was 7. “It started out as something he wanted to do, then I took interest,” Joey said. “When he told me not to touch the Mustang, I touched it. I actually turned on the car, and he said, ‘OK, we’re actually going to do this now.’” Though he and his dad built cars together often, Joey said he taught himself most everything through car manuals, YouTube videos and working through the cars themselves. “Normally, the dynamic is the dad does it and the kid hands him the tools, but my dad would hand me my tools, and I would work. He’s better at making the car look nice, and I’m better at the inside work.” Before the Falcon, Joey and his dad built a 1966
Ford Mustang from the ground up. Upon completion, the duo found the car was worth around $40,000. Because he knew he couldn’t bring the car to Abilene, he started looking for cars on CraigsList and found his current car, a 1960s Ford Falcon Station Wagon prototype. The car had been sitting in a driveway and under a tree for 15 years without being driven. Now, it has only about 57,000 miles on it. “We met the guy, and he was super cool,” Joey said. “His dad worked for Ford; that’s how they got it.” For a month and a half, Joey worked on the car every day to get it running to come to school. He rebuilt the brakes, the entire electrical, the engine and major parts, of such as the solenoid, the fuel pump twice, the vacuum advance system, the distributor, a new braking system with a new master cylinder, modified the carburetor to be automatic so it is no longer a manual choke, used a custom - designed heat tube that makes the car run efficiently no matter what temperature the engine is and changed the fuel lines.
Photos by LAUREN FRANCO | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
“It’s definitely not like the Mustang or the other cars I’ve built,” Joey said. “It isn’t as fast, but it’s all original. It’s more of a cruiser.” Of the 15 cars he’s worked on with his dad, his favorite is the 1955 Chevrolet pickup truck. “Just hearing it turn on with my dad - him under the hood and me firing it up - completely changed my perspective. It really made me feel like we had a good father-son connection. It was something I had with my dad that changed my life for the better.” Joey said because of a “strict family dynamic,” he didn’t have many friends growing up, but the cars gave him a way to go and hang out with people. He knew as soon as he got the Mustang running he could leave to be with friends. “I’ve got a lot of memories, but since it’s still a project, there have been some moments I’ve been driving and it’s broken down on me,” Joey said. “It made it to Abilene, but once it got here - it kinda had some issues.” Though the goal of “completion” varies from car to car, perfection for the Falcon is running as ef-
ficiently as it can for its job. “There’s never an endall-be-all,” Joey said. “You can always upgrade something to get it running better. It depends on what you want from it. That’s the beautiful thing about it; you can customize them. It’s just so simple.”
T
oward the end of summer, Joey and some of his football teammates took a trip across town, and his car broke down as he was exiting. He quickly stuck a blinking, magnetic light on the top of his car because it doesn’t have emergency blinkers. “My friend Rowdy said, ‘We should have taken my car. This thing is a piece of junk,’ and I was like, ‘Don’t you ever call the Falcon a piece of junk,’ and I slammed on the gas pedal to reload the fuel system, turned it on and it fired up, and I said, ‘That’s why you don’t screw with the Falcon. We’re gonna make it.’” Joey said if he could turn his passion into a business, he would. In the future, he said he hopes to find a place he can take all of the cars he’s worked on, similar to an auto ranch,
but with new cars instead of broken down ones. Because newer cars drive differently than older ones, Joey wants to give people the opportunity to rent cars and appreciate them the way he does. “When I got into my friend’s brand new Audi, it said, ‘Hello,’ and I almost had a heart attack because the car was talking to me,” Joey said. “I’m not used to that. My car has four knobs and the radio, and that’s it. I just like the throwback. I love them so much because I grew up with two in my garage, and I saw them every day. If you ask me about a new car, I don’t understand it. If you go back before 1985, I probably know what you’re talking about.” Comparing older cars to newer cars, Joey referenced the Fast and Furious movies, and how feeling the cars is never the same every day. He said sometimes, he feels like he’s driving the fastest car in the world. If his business didn’t work, Joey said he would want to find a career in which he could thrive in his two favorite things: building old cars and
talking to people. “I see it as a hobby, but I would love to do it for a living.”
A
s a deep snapper for the Wildcats, Joey said working on cars gives him a break from long practices throughout the week, and sometimes football lets him take out his built-up car frustrations. Joey started playing football in high school with his younger brother, despite being told he would never find success on the field. In 2017, he was replaced by the no. 1 kicker in the nation, Caden Davis, and decided to try long snapping. “I turned out to be pretty good,” Joey said. “I didn’t think I would play in college, and then all of a sudden, I got 10 Div. I offers, one of them being ACU. Instead of picking schools that were bigger, I stuck with ACU because I really loved the environment.” “I’m just a normal guy. I want to bring smiles to people’s faces,” Joey said. “Every time I drive the car around, people always turn heads and look at it and give me a thumbs up.”
Photo Courtesy of JOEY PATTERSON Joey and his dad worked on the 1966 Ford Mustang and built it from the ground up. Above is the tranformation, making the car worth $40,000.
Friday, September 21, 2018
Opinion | Page 5
SO YOU WANT TO PLEDGE A SOCIAL CLUB... Here’s a flowchart to help guide your decision
NOT REALLY
Brooke @BrookersM girl rushing: omg I just wanna know your heart so I can see you the way God sees you!!! boys rushing: dude throw an egg at me. Emma Donaldson @OLDMCDONALDson8 they always ask whose mans is this but never whose man is I Shay Johnson @shaynjohnson how you love yourself is how you teach others to love you. accept yourself as you were designed
EMC @HeyItsEbbi The new IOS gets released tomorrow and my phone is glitching out.... YOU’RE NOT SLICK APPLE
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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
Sophie @sophiemckaye You get a chapel credit if you DTR at Jacob’s Dream Shaq Lauren @shaqlauren # too independent for my own good Ridg Terry @RRidg One day, I hope to win a J.D. Power award. lainey p @laina_jay QUIT TELLING PEOPLE TO GO TO COLLEGE THERE ISNT ENOUGH PARKING
alexis jewell @alexisjewell_ my car drove to taco bueno again...i hate it when it does that topa chica @ErikaEmDubya acu culture is people still having faith in me that I will get a ring by this spring
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Sports | Page 6
Friday, September 21, 2018
FOOTBALL
Football stays on the road for SFA MAX PRESTON SPORTS DIRECTOR
The Wildcats will face their second conference challenge with another road trip to face Stephen F. Austin this weekend. Last season, ACU welcomed SFA to Abilene for Wildcat Stadium’s second game ever. The Lumberjacks, however, escaped with a 20-10 victory. ACU has momentum going into this year’s matchup though, winning its home opener to Angelo State 4124 and its conference opener last week to HBU 38-13. SFA struggled in its first two games this season facing SEC opponent Mississippi State, losing 63-6, and Incarnate Word, losing 31-7. Head coach Adam Dorrel said he believes his team is stronger than last year. “I feel like our confidence level compared to last year at this time is much greater,” Dorrel said. “I think that comes through work ethic and guys being in the system for the second year.” The Wildcat defense has given up 489 rushing yards, and when excluding the 295 coming from Baylor, they gave up 194 against Angelo State and HBU combined. Junior linebacker Jeremiah Chambers has led the
Photo by LAUREN FRANCO | EDITOR IN CHIEF The Wildcats run onto the field before Saturday’s home game against Angelo State.
charge this season with 24 tackles, five tackles for a loss and two sacks. Last week, the Wildcats put on a 335-yard rushing performance to total 702 in three games so far. with 875 passing yards added, ACU has easily broken the 1,000yard mark with 1577. The offense has shown variety in playing time, especially in the backfield as three different running backs put up impressive numbers last week against HBU. Redshirt junior Tracy James and freshman Tyrese White both broke 100 yards
in the game, while junior Billy McCrary reached the end zone twice. James said he gives credit to the offensive line for the success in running the ball. “What’s really clicked is our offensive line, they finally have a good mentality, so that’s really helped out,” James said. “It’s very beneficial now, we can see more clear and they know where we need to run, so they help us out.” The Lumberjacks have had a hard time defensively so far allowing 94 points in two games. They’ve also given up 1071 total yards
(485 rushing and 586 passing). The safety duo of senior Lawrence Ghansah and sophomore Trenton Gordon lead the way in tackles for SFA. Ghansah has made 16, while Gordon has earned 12. Offensively, SFA has split time at every position and hasn’t established a starting quarterback. Senior Sawyer Foster has seen the most reps throwing 45 passes and completing 20 of them. Junior Jake Blumrick has also played significant time, attempting 31 passes of his own with 17 com-
pletions. The Lumberjacks have posted 586 passing yards this season. Much like the Wildcats, SFA has given three different running backs an even workload. Redshirt freshman Dominic Williams has 19 carries, while juniors Jae’lon Oglesby and Jamall Shaw have both rushed 17 times. The Wildcats will look to start 2-0 in conference for the first time since 2015. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday in Nacogdoches and can be viewed on ESPN+ or heard on 98.1 FM.
ACU tennis teams placed first and second in Midland The men’s and women’s tennis teams were in two tournaments this past weekend in Midland and New Mexico at the Aggie Invitational. In Midland, three of the four doubles teams made it to the doubles finals. Seniors Josh Sheehy and Niko Moceanu won the men’s doubles title over Sebastian Langdon and Jonathan Sheehy 8-6. Sarah Adams and Allison Stewart lost to Texas Tech’s Sydney Jones and Olivia Peet 8-6. ACU played teams from SMU, Texas Tech, Penn
Volleyball Team
Ovrl. Div.
SFA UCA SHSU HBU UNO NWSU Lamar ACU UIW Nicholls SELU TAMU-CC McNeese
13-2 10-3 8-4 7-7 6-8 4-6 3-8 3-9 2-8 2-11 1-10 1-12 1-13
Team
TENNIS
BRIAN SWEET SPORTS REPORTER
STANDINGS
State, Arizona University, and more. Senior Josh Sheehy and brother, junior Jonathan Sheehy faced off in the finals. Senior Josh Sheehy said when the two brothers face off against one another on the court either one of them could win. “My brother and I always bring out the best in each other since neither one of us wants to lose,” Sheehy said. “He’s been playing really well recently and either one of us could have ended up on top.” Sheehy said the team had some positives at the tournament, but also some technical stuff to work on
for future matches. “As a team, we did well on making first serves to keep them on defense then focusing on the net person taking the first ball if possible. On returns, we made them play every point and gave them nothing for free,” Sheehy said. “We need to work on cleaning up our footwork to bring our singles up to the next level and we show a lot of promise after the first tournament.” Senior Sarah Adams says that chemistry between doubles partners is key when it comes to playing in a doubles tournament. “I think one of the most important parts of
doubles is communication. It’s super important that you and your partner stay on the same page when it comes to calling plays before the point and staying on top of things during the point,” Adams said. “Allison and I have different games that, I think, complement each other which made it fun to put our heads together and find a way to win. Doubles is fast-paced and there isn’t much time to dwell on mistakes.” The teams that the Wildcats played out in New Mexico were: New Mexico State, Arizona, Mesa Community College,
Western New Mexico University and New Mexico Military Institute. In the doubles consolation championship, New Mexico State Aggies Nicolas Buitrago and Rosas Garcia defeated ACU’s Riley Tran and Michael Benavides 6-4. In the third place game, Aggies Louis Flores and Martin Semieck took down ACU’s Cole Lawson and Jackson Fine 6-4. Men’s Tennis will play again at the ITA All American Championships at Tulsa University Sep. 29-Oct. 8. Women’s Tennis will play again at the Colorado Invitational at Colorado University Sep. 28-30.
PREDICTIONS
FOOTBALL MATCHUP PREVIEW
Soccer
Ovrl.
UCA SELU SFA HBU McNeese NWSU ACU Lamar TAMU-CC Nicholls SHSU UIW
6-2-1 4-2-1 3-3 3-5 6-4 6-3 5-3 4-3 3-2-1 2-5 1-6-1 0-5
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. 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-0
Football
Team
Ovrl.
McNeese ACU UCA NWSU UIW SHSU Lamar Nicholls SFA SELU HBU
3-0 2-1 2-1 2-1 1-2 1-1 1-2 1-2 0-2 0-3 1-2
Div. 2-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 0-0 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-2
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Football
White Freshman running back Tyrese White showcase his skills last week against HBU with a 55-yard touchdown run. He ended with 118 total yards and tacked on an extra 15 receiving yards as well. White proved to be one of three running backs that could be productive for the Wildcats this season along with redshirt junior Tracy James and junior transfer Billy McCrary. ACU plays in its second conference game Saturday evening at 6 p.m.
Cross Country
2018 WEEK 3 38
POINTS
335
RUSHING YARDS
127
259
PASSING YARDS
238
13
POINTS ALLOWED
31
ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
7
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN UNIVERSITY (0–2)
(2–1)
MAX PRESTON SPORTS DIRECTOR
Kipkosgei
LEXI KIRGAN
SPORTS REPORTER
CARSON WRIGHT SPORTS REPORTER
ACU came out and dominated Houston Baptist last week. Despite the rough start to the game with an 80-yard touchdown by HBU, the Wildcats controlled the pace and had the Huskies completely figured out. Their offense has been unpredictable so far with many weapons being showcased in the first three games. D.J. Fuller has been sidelined with an injury, but that hasn’t stopped Josh Fink or Chase Cokley from stepping up in the passing game. The backfield is even more loaded as three different running backs contributed to most of a 335-yard rushing performance against HBU. ACU has established an offense with variety so far and can use it to their advantage moving forward. SFA has struggled so far this season losing 63-6 to Mississippi State and 31-7 to Incarnate Word. With only 13 points through two games, SFA doesn’t impress me and look like a team that can beat the Wildcats. ACU will look to avenge their 20-10 loss to the Lumberjacks from last year. I believe they take control of the game and cruise to a comfortable victory.
Saturday, the Wildcats will travel to Nacogdoches to take on the SFA Lumberjacks. The Wildcats and the Lumberjacks have had a rivalry for quite some time now. Last year, SFA beat the Wildcats 20-10. This year could be different though... The Wildcats are currently on a 2 game win streak which hasn’t happened in years and are currently 2-1 overall. ACU lost to Baylor but fought back and won the next two games against Angelo State and Houston Baptist by a landslide. SFA on the other hand is 0-2 and have lost both games pretty bad. The Lumberjacks played Mississippi State losing 6-63 and played UIW losing 7-31. Needless to say, SFA hasn’t been doing so hot lately. I think the key for the Wildcats is to attack on that. SFA is probably a little worried that they lost their first conference game so bad so if ACU comes out ready to play and to kick the pants off of them, I have a feeling the game will go in our favor. This is a big game for the Wildcats and if they play how they have played these past 3 games, I have no doubt in my mind that our boys will get the win.
The Wildcats are taking on the Lumberjacks in this weekend’s football matchup. ACU has continued to look good on both sides of the ball, rushing for 335 yards last week while holding the Huskies tot 353 total yards. Luke Anthony continues to impress, spreading the ball to many different receivers. On the other side of the f ield, The Lumberjacks have failed to impress this year, losing to Incarnate Word 31-7. As long as the Wildcats continue to play their game, they should pull out with a sizeable lead.
FINAL SCORE: ACU 35 SFA 21
FINAL SCORE: ACU 37 SFA 24
FINAL SCORE: ACU 31 SFA 03
B.J. MAXWELL SPORTS REPORTER
This weekend the Wildcats will be on the road to take on the SFA Lumberjacks. They recently went to Houston and won in convincing fashion at HBU to put them at a record of 2-1. For This week’s upcoming game, I am predicting that the Wildcats will pull out the win against the Lumberjacks by a margin of at least 2 touchdowns to spoil parents weekend down in Nacogdoches. The Lumberjacks are currently 0-3 on the season and I do not see them pulling the win out on Saturday night. SFA recently suffered a loss to Incarnate Word with the final score being 31-7, after seeing that I am confident in saying that the Wildcats will pull out the victory. I am expecting a big game from the Wildcats on Saturday night. I am looking forward to seeing the Defense having a huge game, smothering their quarterback and not allowing SFA’s offense to gain any momentum. On the offensive end I am expecting to see an exciting up-tempo playing style. We have multiple weapons on the offensive end and not to mention two running back threats splitting carries. The Wildcats last won at SFA in 2014 so this would be a great way to make a statement and establish dominance.
FINAL SCORE: ACU 34 SFA 14
Senior Kevin Kipkosgei put on another solid performance at the Texas Tech Open last weekend finishing in second place individually. Women’s teammate Carnley Graham also remained as her team’s leading runner with a third place finish. Overall, the men finished fourth and the women finished third. Both teams next go to College Station to compete in the Texas A&M Invitational.
Volleyball
Smith
Senior outside hitter Jacey Smith put together a strong performance last weekend in Dallas with 24 kills. She scored 10 against LSU and then added another 14 in the game against SMU. Her teammate Kennedy Shelstead also impressed up front with nine total blocks in the two games. The Volleyball team was scheduled to begin conference against Lamar Thursday evening and will face McNeese Saturday afternoon.
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