2005 09 09

Optimist the

FRIDAY

September 9, 2005

Cats to face first major test

Gardener calls to action

The football team plays its first conference opponent, Northeastern State, on Saturday in Oklahoma, page 10

Fernando Meirelles’ The Constant Gardener is a thriller, mystery and love story all in one, page 7

Vol. 94, No. 7 1 section, 10 pages www.acuoptimist.com

Freshman enrollment strong n Twelfth-day enrollment figures revealed the university received the third largest entering class in school history, although total enrollment dropped by 83 students.

By JONATHAN SMITH Editor in Chief

The university welcomed the third largest entering

class in school history this year with 1,182 new undergraduate students.

A year removed from receiving the largest class in university history and graduating a large senior class, total enrollment dropped 83 students to 4,703 when administrators announced Wednesday the 12th day en-

rollment figures—the figures considered as the official enrollment numbers that are released the third week of each semester.

Robert Heil, director of admissions, said the university forecasted the drop a year ago when it saw the large size of last year’s graduating class compared to this year’s

smaller senior class.

“We anticipated that; we budgeted for that,” Heil said.

“And our enrollment is right at where we expected.”

Heil said the large incoming class is a result of several programs that have attracted new students, such as the See

ENROLLMENT page 8

Students help the hurting

Bubble helps dry out Moody flooring n After collecting about 100 gallons of water from the hardwood floor, Moody Coliseum reopens for Chapel programming and sports teams’ practices.

By JACI SCHNEIDER Copy Editor

BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer

Casey Lewis, sophomore speech pathology major from Abilene, and Bonnie Coles, sophomore elementary education major from Abilene, talk with New Orleans evacuee Darion Youngblood, 12, on Thursday at the Cisco Christian Camp, where about 100 evacuees from the Hurricane Katrina disaster area have been taken.

Teams volunteer at Louisiana, Texas sites for evacuees from Hurricane Katrina Berres is one of a group of five students who decided late last week to go into the New Orleans area to do whatever they could to help. They served Students Ashley Berres and Robert Bishop are in Monroe, La., cleaning and playing with children only two of many who have decided that giving at the local civic center and organizing donated money and praying for clothing at a local Baptist hurricane victims is not church. enough. They are helping Berres said that the group to prove to others around received about $800 in donathe country that ACU is ‘no tions before they left Sept. 1 ordinary university.’ and used the money to buy In the wake of Hurricane bottled water and food and Katrina, several students supplies that the Red Cross feel called to go and serve in Monroe needed. in the places that need it Robert Bishop, senior most.

Christian ministry major “[Giving] money is such from Wichita Falls, said he Photo courtesy of Ashley Berres a great thing if you can wanted to go to the New Ordo it, but sometimes you Ashley Berres, sophomore psychology major from leans area but simply didn’t just don’t know where Lakeville, Minn., poses with children displaced by Hurhave time, so he decided your money is going,” ricane Katrina staying in the civic center in Monroe, La. to serve closer to Abilene. said Ashley Berres, sophBishop, with three other stuomore psychology major from Lakeville, Minn. dents, drove to Dallas and connected with Bishop’s “Jesus didn’t write checks and say ‘there you go, brother-in-law, Bret Wells, who was in charge of the take care of yourself,’ Jesus went out there and took care of people.”

See RELIEF page 8

By BRIAN SCHMIDT Chief Photographer

BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer

Jennifer Joiner, junior psychology major from Lavernia, vacuums the empty Wal-Mart building on Judge Ely in preparation for evacuees.

The Moody Bubble has burst, and Chapel is back on its regular schedule.

Before bursting, the bubble constructed of tarp helped collect 325 gallons of water, about 100 gallons of which came from the maple hardwood floor and sub-floor in Moody Coliseum, said Bob Nevill, director of Physical Resources.

N e v i l l said in an email that the problem was most likely the result of increased airflow in the coliseum Nevill from the airconditioning system and very humid outside air. Also, the return air system was not able to adequately remove the increased moisture.

While the bubble occupied Moody, Chapel took place in Cullen Auditorium, and athletic teams practiced in the double and single gyms in Gibson Health and P.E. Center and Bennett Gymnasium.

Chapel attendance was voluntary for students last week, and they received six credits, even if they did not attend. Shane Hughes, Chapel coordinator, said in an e-mail that the Chapel schedule was shifted back a week, and two speakers filled in.

“It took a little juggling,” Hughes said. “But everything See

MOODY page 8

Students elect class senators, building representatives n Students’ Association executive president Justin Scott called the freshman senator election “an anomaly” after only four ran in what normally is a highly contested race.

By TIFFANY TAYLOR Features Editor

The election process for congressional senators and representatives, which began last spring, ended Wednesday with a run-off election for Gardner and Mabee residence

hall representatives.

Three hundred seventythree students voted in the election, which included freshman senators, residence hall representatives and special elections, held to give students a chance to run for empty positions.

Results were typical, such as the run-offs in the larger residence halls, said Melanie Booker, vice president.

According to the Students’ Association’s by-laws, can-

Department of Journalism and Mass Communication

didates must receive 50 percent plus one vote to receive the majority and win the election. The top three candidates from each residence hall were entered into the run-off, Scott the winners being the candidates with the most total votes.

“When my election committee first met a couple of weeks ago—from that point, we planned on a run-off,” Booker said.

Booker, senior political science major from Sugarland, Booker said she was surprised when the freshman senate race did not require

one. In the past, eight or nine students have campaigned for the five open freshman senate positions, but this year only four campaigned, Booker said.

“The freshman senate race this year was an anomaly,” said Justin Scott, executive president and senior political science major from Whitehouse. “I don’t know if it was a contributing factor or not, but there were so many people who applied for FAC. I

Abilene Christian University

don’t know if that didn’t draw some away.”

Candidates involved in the run-off received a phone call after votes were counted at 3:30 p.m., informing them of their win or loss. With every race decided, congress held it’s first meeting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Freshmen members of congress were first subjected to the Students’ Association traSee

SA page 8

Serving the ACU community since 1912

Campus Friday, September 9, 2005

09

Day

Calendar & Events Friday

10

Saturday

ACU Fall Dinner Theatre’s A Grand Night for Singing, Fulks Theatre.

ACU Fall Dinner Theatre’s A Grand Night for Singing, Fulks Theatre.

Clad in Scarlet, Joie de Vivre and At Fever Pitch concert, Hilton Room, 7:30 p.m.

ISA Welcome Back Party, U.P. Clubhouse, 6 p.m.

Announcements As part of the Campus Court construction project, all vehicles parked on either curb of Campus Court from East North 16 Street to Ambler Avenue need to be removed immediately.

Effective Friday, there will be no curb parking along Campus Court for approximately two weeks.

Collegiate Cards are now available in the SA office in the Bean Sprout. Students can use the card to get discounts at Abilene businesses.

Overeaters Anonymous will meet Saturday at 10 p.m. and Monday at 6 p.m. at Shades of Hope on Buffalo Gap. For more information, contact Katie at 5725303.

A typist is needed for a hearing-impaired student.

Good listening and typing skills are necessary, but no tools are needed because the student has a computer. Help is needed on Mondays at noon, Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 3 p.m. and Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. For more information, contact Mattia Bray at Ext. 2554.

Freshman Follies tickets are now available online for students and members of the community at www. freshmanfollies.com.

International Rescue Com­ mittee needs volunteers to mentor refugee families who have recently moved to Abilene. For more information, contact Debi Wheeler at 6755643 Ext. 12.

About This Page The Optimist maintains this calendar for the ACU community to keep track of local social, academic and service opportunities.

Groups may send announcements directly to optimist@acu.edu or to the Page 2 Editor, ACU Box 27892, Abilene, TX 79699.

To ensure that an item will appear on time, the announcement should be sent at least 10 days before. The Optimist may edit items for space and style.

Corrections and clarifications of published news articles will be printed in this space in a timely manner.

11

Sunday

There are no events scheduled today.

12

Monday

Apply to lead Spring Break Campaigns, McKinzie 129.

Volunteer Opportunities The Center for Contemporary Arts needs volunteers to greet patrons, answer phone calls and help with gallery set-up and clean-up. For more information, contact the Volunteer ServiceLearning Center.

The Herald of Truth has urgent need for volunteers to help assemble 10,000 relief bundles and help to load a truck that will go to Louisiana to aid Hurricane Katrina victims Sept.

7-9 at 6-9 p.m. Volunteers will load the truck Sept. 9 and 10 from 9-10 p.m. For more information, contact the Volunteer ServiceLearning Center.

Volunteers are needed to help with the March of Dimes golf tournament fundraiser from Sept. 20-25 at Fairway Oaks Country Club.

Big Country Balloon Fest needs volunteers to man ticket booths, silent auction, and the children’s area September 2325 from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. in twohour shifts. For more information, contact Julie Young at 665-6307.

Parents of Children with Down Syndrome is seeking vol­unteers to help with child care during support group meetings. Meetings are 6:458:15 p.m. Wednesdays at the Women`s Center of Abilene Re­ gional Medical Center. For more information, contact the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout.

Healing Hands International needs volunteers to help local churches prepare, gather and sort clothing for impoverished children on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 2-4:30 p.m. For more information, contact David Catalina at 677-9991.

American Heart Associations needs help running a golf tournament on Sept. 20-25. For more information, contact Jennifer Woodard at 672-0566.

Christian Ministries of Abilene needs volunt­eers ­ to paint their waiting area on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday.

For more information, call Camila Becton at 673-1234.

Chapel Checkup Credited Chapels to date: Credited Chapels remaining:

13 57

CAMPUS NEWS

Friday, September 9, 2005

Page 3

Barret worth the hassle for new residents n Scheduled to be completed by Homecoming, the new residence hall waits for finishing touches such as artwork and larger projects such as landscaping.

By MALLORY SHERWOOD Managing Editor

More than two weeks have passed since the residents of Barret Hall moved into their newly constructed residence hall Aug. 20, as scheduled, despite beliefs that it would not be completed because of heavy rains in the weeks before.

Now the women are settled in rooms, which are set up into pods, have made friends with the six other girls they share it with and are used to the rumbling sound of dump trucks and the crack of concrete as it is destroyed, as construction crews continue to complete the landscape of Barret Hall.

Lauren Oglesby, sophomore biology major from Abilene and Barret Hall resident, said she is used to the noise and

doesn’t mind.

“This, among other things, are mere adjustments we have had to make considering how hard these men have worked to complete the hall on time,” Oglesby said.

Oglesby was prepared, like others, for the residence hall to be incomplete by the time school started. She said she wasn’t panicked that it might not be ready, but she had a back-up plan to live at home if she had to.

Since last spring, Oglesby said she had been looking forward to living in the new residence hall.

“It is an exciting thing to get to live in a new dorm,” Oglesby said. “It is a rare opportunity that almost no one gets to experience. Since this dorm is set up so different, we are the happy lab rats.”

Barret Hall, although livable, still has a few things to be completed.

Dr. Mimi Barnard, director of Residence Life Education

and Housing and assistant professor of English, said the common rooms still needed to be decorated with artwork, end tables, lamps and bulletin boards before the rooms feel like home.

As of now, the rooms include couches and oversized chairs in four different colors, a flat-screen TV and DVD player.

“As soon as it comes in, and I get a chance, I will be over there hanging up our artwork, so it will feel like a home,” Barnard said.

Other items on the to-do list are to landscape the perimeter, finish the coffee shop/classroom and to the complete resident director’s office.

Construction crews are working to complete everything and have said it will be done by Homecoming.

“I can just see alumni and students sipping on lattes and meeting old friends as they stand on Campus Court watching the Homecoming parade,” Barnard said.

EMERALD MCGOWAN/Staff Photographer

Roommates Jennifer Johnson, sophomore special education major from Littleton, Colo., and Julie Vazquez, sophomore management/marketing major from Abilene, read on Johnson’s bed in their room in Barret Hall.

Another factor affecting Barret Hall residents is the construction outside their doors.

With the city of Abilene resurfacing Campus Court and other construction companies working on the Centennial jogging track, the area has been left in disarray causing students to search for parking and

to avoid the cloud of dust.

Jimmy Ellison, ACU chief of police, said the resurfacing project should only take two weeks. He also said some parking differences will occur, with more restricted areas of parallel parking along Campus Court and an additional crosswalk for students.

“Any student crossing Campus Court, whether Barret Hall residents or not, as well as motorists, should pay attention to their surroundings to keep Campus Court as safe as possible until construction is complete,” Ellison said.

E-mail Sherwood at: mes02a@acu.edu

Abilene re-instates ‘blue bag’ recycling program this fall n Abilene’s recycling program will begin again this fall, reorganized to deal with the quantity of waste collected by various university departments.

By AARON BALLARD Student Reporter

After a brief hiatus in the spring, the “blue bag” recycling program went through modifications during the summer and has been restarted

this fall.

Wednesday, the city of Abilene once again began to pick up paper, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and cardboard boxes from campus. However, instead of having numerous pickup locations at each departmental office scattered across campus, as in the past, the process has now been reorganized with three central pickup locations at the Campus Center, Brown Library, and

the Administration Building.

“We wanted to make the program more efficient by streamlining the pickup process to a smaller number of more centralized locations on campus,” said Pam Percival, Information Coordinator for the city of Abilene.

These changes took place after the city halted the program March 7.

“By this time, the ‘blue bag’ campaign had grown so much

that neither the city nor ACU had the manpower to visit each office and pick up recycling bags,” said Nelda Gilbreth, recycling coordinator for the university. “When we found out about the cancellation of the program, we met with Mike Wagner, manager of the solid waste division, to work out a program that would help both ACU and the city.”

The new plan puts the responsibility of delivering recy-

cling bags to one of the three designated pickup locations on each individual department. Administrative Services sent out a memo Aug. 18 to all departments “looking for volunteer departments to help with this program.”

It also said that “the departments volunteering will see that the blue bags are taken to the pick up area of their choice between 8 a.m. and 8:30 am every Wednesday morning. They

will also need to return to that area and pick up an empty bag for the next week.”

Ultimately, the purpose of the recycling program is to “reduce the amount of solid waste put in our landfill and to reduce the amount of solid waste in our dumpsters, thus reducing our monthly charge,” Gilbreth said.

E-mail Ballard at: optimist@acu.edu

CAMPUS NEWS

Page 4

Friday, September 9, 2005

Interns build character

Leader of the pack

n Focus on the Family has accepted two ACU students for this semester to take part in college classes and specialized internships in a close community.

By LUKE HARRIS Staff Writer

ANNA CARROLL/Staff Photographer

Brandon Kinder, senior history major from Memphis, Tenn.; Daniel Kramer, senior Spanish major from San Diego, Calif.; and Aaron Bell, junior communications major from Van, ride unicycles at University Parks.

Minister moves to part-time n Dr. Jerry Taylor has resigned from his position as lead minister at N. 10th and Treadaway Church of Christ, while accepting a parttime preaching position.

By SARAH CARLSON Arts Editor

Highland Church of Christ will soon add another minister to its staff. Beginning Oct. 1, Dr. Jerry Taylor, assistant professor of Bible, missions and ministry, will serve as Highland’s associate minister, preaching when the head preacher, Mike Cope, is out of town.

Taylor will leave his post as head minister at N 10th and Treadaway Church of Christ and said the transition was hard but necessary in order to balance out his workload of teaching full time and preaching.

“Being on staff with Mike will relieve me from some of the responsibilities I had as a senior minister at a local church,” Taylor said.

Cope said when he heard that Taylor was resigning his position at N 10th and

Treadaway, he asked Taylor if he would visit with him about the possibility of him coming to Highland.

“He is one of the most gifted preachers I’ve ever heard in my life, and I’m gone quite a bit, so I thought this would be a perfect fit,” Cope said in an e-mail.

He said that aside from preaching in his absence, Taylor will do some teaching in the university class and perhaps speak at special gatherings, adding that he didn’t want to burden Taylor with too many responsibilities.

“He has a great teaching ministry at ACU, and he’s an influential leader in Churches of Christ across the country,” Cope said.

Taylor said he has talked with Cope a lot about breaking down racial and cultural barriers and making Highland a multiracial congregation. Highland recently added Joe Almanza as its outreach minister.

“Jerry is one of the best preachers I’ve ever heard— not just one of the best Af-

rican-American preachers,” Cope said. “He’s amazing: great theological depth and great ability to connect with people. But, yes, it’s important to us that we have recently added a Christian man who is Hispanic and another who is African-American to our staff. We want to participate in the mission of Christ to all people—not just people of one group.”

Taylor said the decision he and his family made to leave their congregation was difficult, but he said he feels he is doing what God requires of him. He said the family decided it was time to move and members of both N 10th and Treadaway and Highland have been encouraging.

“I feel as though I’m walking in the will of God, and I believe that this is a kingdom move, so to speak,” Taylor said. “I do believe that at this time, this is what he would have me to do.”

E-mail Carlson at: skc02a@acu.edu

Two students will learn how to focus in Colorado Springs, Colo. during a semester of studying and interning at the Focus on the Family Institute.

Jeremy Pond, sophomore journalism major from Wichita Falls, and Ann-Marie Cappadonna, senior elementary education major from Heltois, have begun their semester in Colorado.

Lea Watkins, assistant to the vice president, Dr. Gary McCaleb, said that every year the university sends between one and four students to Focus on the Family for a semester.

The students receive 15 hours of credit, with 12 hours in the classroom and three hours in

an internship. Watkins said Focus tries to make the internship go along with students’ majors, allowing them to be able to obtain experience in their chosen field.

Every year McCaleb’s office sends out an announcement to all qualified juniors and seniors notifying them of the program and giving instructions on how to apply. Watkins said McCaleb acts at the liaison between Focus and the university, communicating with the Focus campus, setting up all the interviews and helping students with all their responsibilities back on campus in Abilene.

Interested students fill out an application and go through a screening process by a faculty selection committee. The committee interviews the applicants, looks over their applications and then decides whom it will recommend to Focus, which makes the final decision.

Watkins said that the program can send four students, but it

usually sends two or three.

Tim Inwood, alumnus of ACU and guest relations representative for Focus on the Family, said when he went in the spring of 2004 it was one of the best things he had ever done.

“It was one of the most transitional semesters of my career, and not just the academics, but the spiritual community I found was remarkable,” Inwood said. “It equips today’s high caliber spiritual leaders for tomorrow.”

Inwood said he found great friends through this program and learned under some of the best professors he had ever known. He said that he also found friends it would normally take four years at a regular institution to find, but because of the strong spiritual community he made connections in no time and, “highly recommends it to all students.”

E-mail Harris at: dlh03a@acu.edu

Program encourages diversity n The multicultural program is planning this year’s events, which will include Sundaes on Mondays, while another tri-university bash has not been decided upon.

By NATHAN STRAUS Staff Writer

The ACU Multicultural Program is planning several events this semester. La Shae Grottis, director of Student Multicultural Enrichment, said everything is not yet set in stone, but the program’s director and officers have planned several events, such as the International Food Festival and a diversity workshop that will teach students about race and ethnicity.

The program’s director and officers have only met once so far this semester.

The more popular events, such Sundaes on Mondays, where students can eat ice cream while discussing various

topics and important issues, will take place. The first meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in the Campus Center.

The council has also planned an international food festival.

Grottis said the festival is an event where students can each bring a food of their choice and have a potluck meal. The festival will cost about $3, Grottis said. More information on these events will be available once specific times and dates have been set.

Grottis said a workshop will be this month that will teach students about the issues of race and ethnicity. The workshop will run from Sept. 19 through Sept. 22, beginning at 8:30 a.m. each day in the Hilton Room. Grottis said it will teach students that people can’t take a set of genes, put them together, and call them a certain race.

A tri-university bash with Hardin-Simmons and McMurry universities has not yet been

planned for this semester.

Noel Cothren, junior art major from Albuquerque, N.M. and a member of the council, said in an e-mail, the reason might be because the past triuniversity bashes didn’t turn out as they were planned.

Cothren said the purpose of the program is to encourage the students to become a diverse and accepting community of Christians who are well informed about other cultures, and to have fun and make friends. The program did well last year, and Cothren said she hopes it will get better as the program goes along.

The program began after La Shae Grottis became head of the Office of Student Multicultural Enrichment. Student workers were hired to help achieve the program’s goals, and the program started to become what it is today.

E-mail Straus at: nrs02a@acu.edu

Freshmen involved in ‘Mission’ n Freshman Follies has experienced good participation among freshmen, who have already begun trying out for solo acts and the large chorus.

By TAKISHA KNIGHT Page 2 Editor

This year’s Freshman Follies production will be like no other, said Kendall Massey, director of Student Productions.

Freshman Follies is an annual variety show in which freshman students perform in choruses, groups, residence hall and solo acts.

This year’s theme, The Mission, celebrates the university’s centennial school year.

“There’s so much more continuity in this show in comparison to previous years,” Massey said One of the unique features of The Mission is that it ties into an original film that Massey and a team of

about six members are producing.

“It’s kind of like a take off of National Treasure and The Da Vinci Code,” he said.

Massey said it will be as if the audience is watching a treasure hunt unfold.

Massey said that he is also pleased with the solo acts that have signed up.

As director, Massey listens to acts and matches their voices with certain musical pieces that he feels compliments their sound, he said.

Massey said, he finds this method to be successful according to the feedback he receives.

The production is having a great turnout for performances and freshman participation, he said.

Massey said about 70 members of the large chorus have already signed up, which is an estimation that will increase as sign-ups are still in progress.

“The [resident directors] have done a good job at getting the word out,” Massey said.

Reagan Dunagan, business marketing major from McAllen, said freshman moral is high.

Dunagan said he attended the last three freshman follies and thought it was fun.

Now as a freshman at Mabee Hall, he will perform with freshman peers on the second floor of Mabee’s west wing. Their theme is the 1990s.

“I think it’s a time for the freshmen to be able to know each other and have fun at the same time,” he said.

Dunagan said he thinks Mabee will put on a good show, after hearing some of the “hilarious ideas” that are already going around.

“We’re in it to have fun.

It would be nice to win, but that’s not what it’s about.”

E-mail Knight at: tnk03a@acu.edu

Friday, September 9, 2005

ADVERTISEMENT

Page 5

ViewsFriday Optimist

Page 6 The issue:

The Students’ Association will approve its fall semester budget Saturday, which will include tens of thousands of dollars to distribute among student groups and organizations.

Our view:

Congress leaders need to follow the precedent set by treasurer Tyler Cosgrove last year to fairly distribute the limited funds, and student groups need to appreciate what they are able to receive.

The Solution:

Cuts to student groups’ requested budgets are inevitable, so groups need to realize they likely will not be funded 100 percent by Congress. Groups should also realize all groups provide a service to the university in their own way and none deserve a bigger share of available funds than another group.

September 9, 2005

Groups should receive fair funding from SA The Students’ Association will vote this weekend on its fall semester budget that should allot tens of thousands of dollars to student groups.

But without fail, when all the money has been handed out, some groups will feel slighted or marginalized.

And it’s true. Not every group will receive all the money it wanted. However, for groups to think only about what they did or did not receive excludes dozens of other groups’ needs.

Executive treasurer Tyler Cosgrove allocated about $40,000 to student groups both semesters last year— even after he discovered SA’s budget would be respon-

Supreme Court hole shouldn’t scare Bush While the country’s atten- ing O’Connor’s importance on tion was focused on Hurricane the Supreme Court to her genKatrina, the Supreme Court lost der belittles the many deciding its chief justice and President votes she cast over the years on Bush made important social issues. quick changO’Connor has become more es to his Su- than just a tent pole for wompreme Court en’s rights activists, she reflects nomination. the ideal position of a judge Judge John who doesn’t use being ‘liberal’ G. Roberts Jr. or ‘conservative’ as a crutch. is no longer Her unique style as a moderate Bush’s pick has annoyed even those who I’m pretty to replace the supported her appointment sure . . . r e n o w n e d and has contributed to her leadm o d e r a t e ership position on the court.

Tiffany Taylor Sandra Day Independence from the apO’Connor. Instead, Bush has proval of political powers sitacted quickly after the death ting in the other two branches of former Chief Justice Wil­liam of the government is a sacred Rehn­quist, nominating Roberts privilege granted the Supreme to take Rehn­quist’s place.

Court, and O’Connor has taken Predicta­ full advantage. bly, Bush has It would be a nominated shame if, after all It would be a shame if a conservathis, O’Connor’s O’Connor’s replacement is r e p l a c e m e n t tive to replace just another the republiis just another can’s darling: cookie-cutter conservative. c o o k i e - c u t t e r Rehnquist. conservative, trumped up me­ However, after choosing Roberts as Rehn­ re­ly because he or she happens quist’s successor, Bush seems to be Hispanic or female. to have used up his white conBush should be certain that, servative male pass. when he chooses, he is not beThe New York Times para- ing influenced by the political phrased an anonymous source pressures of the day. He’s apin the Bush administration as pointing someone for life, to a having said the administration position that will grant him or is, “sensitive to the pressure to her the ability to make decisions nominate a woman or a mem- on high profile social issues. ber of a minority to replace The president of the FemiJustice O’Connor.” With liberal nist Majority, Eleanor Smeal, groups swarming around the encouraged the president to apissue, each hoping for either point a judge who will uphold a woman or a minority or, fin- the Roe v. Wade verdict. She gers crossed, perhaps someone said on her Web site that her ornot as conservative as Clarence ganization will, “call President Thomas, Bush risks looking like Bush to choose a moderate that ignorant, chauvinistic cow- woman jurist to fill Sandra Day boy his opponents paint him O’Connor’s historic seat.” as.

She, like many others, has an Sadly, the focus seems to agenda for Bush to follow. But have strayed from one of the Bush must set aside the varimost important requirements: ous organizations and replace competency.

O’Connor with someone who is Replacing O’Con­nor should more than a reaction to political not be about replacing a wom- fanfare. an; it should be about replacing a swing-vote and a decidedly E-mail Taylor at: tat04a@acu.edu, optimist@acu.edu open-minded justice. Attribut-

sible for No single group’s cause is that more worthy than another. and only about a $30,000 $46,000 was alAll groups contribute to the campus in some way. debt left by located toward the previous student groups. A year’s administration. gress would not fund like year ago, groups asked for With half of last year’s social club internal events or about $20,000 more than executive officers still in clothing. was allocated to them. office—Cosgrove and vice This set of uniform stanCuts will have to be made, president Melanie Booker— dards has helped make the and most groups will feel the this has been an administra- budgeting process seem less effects of those cuts. tion that has reached out and arbitrary, plus it lets groups And as groups see how helped student groups. The know at the front end what much money they received same should be expected funding they can expect to and how much was cut, they this year. have cut or reduced. should realize one truth: Last year, Cosgrove inBut even if those princi- No single group’s cause is stituted a set of budgetary ples are followed verbatim, more worthy than another. principles to uniformly limit more money will be request- All groups contribute to the the amount Congress would ed than is available. campus in some way, and spend on certain items for Last semester, student all groups deserve an equal groups such as airfare, travel groups requested about chance at funding. costs and registration fees. $111,000—near the amount Granted, each group’s botThe principles also clearly Congress had for its entire tom line will be different, but pointed out items that Con- spring-semester budget— so are their needs.

Some groups request thousands of dollars; others hundreds. But all will likely see a similar percentage of their request cut.

Whether the group provides a service to the community or the campus, to the needy or to business majors, all groups provide an invaluable service to the university, even if it is simply a way for students to be involved.

If Congress follows precedent set during the past few semesters, groups should receive a fair share of available money.

And groups need to appreciate what they do receive instead of passing judgment on the merit of another group’s contribution.

Cole Williams

Let Loose

Procrastination: a way of life for all Procrastination is such a simple thing really. Delaying the inevitable, drawing out the future, wasting time, doing everything but what you should be, do I need to go on? It becomes a sad thing, t h o u g h , when one realizes that Face the procrastinaFacts tion has already set in, Mallory and it is only Sherwood the third week of school. We’re talking about 59 more days of classes until Christmas break. I think this will be a long semester.

I see it all around me. Everywhere I look people are discussing what they should have done, or should be doing but instead they’re strolling around campus, hanging out with friends while browsing

Life is too short to delay everything. Think of what you could accomplish if you began today instead of tomorrow. the Internet and watching the back of their eyelids for a few moments. It is an addiction almost everyone has, and it is a vicious cycle that takes discipline to break. Ninety-five percent of college students procrastinate on academic tasks such as writing papers, reading for class and studying for exams, according to the National Procrastination Week Web site.

The psychological self-help Web site explains how the cycle begins. You know you have to write that paper by next Friday, so you tell yourself you need to start. Soon you’ve already begun delaying and you begin to make excuses. Then you delay enough that you become self-critical and have to get it done or else.

Once you quickly get it done, you berate yourself and swear

you’ll never do that again, except that you almost immediately begin the process again with the next important task at hand.

Life is too short to delay everything. Think of what you could accomplish if you began today instead of tomorrow.

Take some stress away and begin something right now.

Try one of these techniques and see if it helps at all. I’ve found them to be helpful in getting everything done I need to, so I can enjoy what is around me, when I want to.

First, try making a to-do list. This can be as organized as you want it to be. Include what you want to accomplish that day, when you have to have it accomplished by and begin working at it slowly.

Then begin with what you procrastinate the worst

on. If you’re always putting off reading your Chemistry chapters, then start with that.

Once you have it out of the way, the rest of the day will be a breeze.

If nothing else works, promise yourself you’ll work on something for at least five minutes. The time will pass quickly and you’ll see how much you can accomplish if you just sit down to do it.

Bobby Knight, head basketball coach of the Texas Tech Raiders and a man from my hometown in Ohio, once said, “Discipline – Do what has to be done, when it has to be done, as well as it can be done, and do it that way every time.”

Just think, you might have enough motivation to start on something today—or maybe tomorrow.

E-mail Sherwood at: mes02e@acu.edu, optimist@acu.edu

In Your Words What have you been doing to help victims of Hurricane Katrina?

“I donated money to my church, Southern Hills.”

Ryan Ivy

Sophomore business management major from Houston

Karie Schmidt

“Last weekend I went home and worked at a camp where refugees were staying, and my U-100 class cleaned out Wal-Mart.”

freshman journalism and mass communication major from Blue Ridge

“I helped put together packets of water bottles and toothpaste at Highland.”

Richard Keker

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 79699 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu

Maria del Pinal

junior accounting major from Sugarland

“I’ve donated money in Chapel and been praying for the victims, and hopefully I can volunteer on my sister’s team.”

“I haven’t been able to join a volunteer team yet, so right now I am doing nothing.”

Andrew Skinner

junior communication major from Fort Worth

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junior political science major from Dallas

“Nelson dorm made a donation box for clothing, and we have all been putting clothes in it.”

Veronica Smith

freshman psychology major from Plano

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ArtsFriday Optimist

September 9, 2005 Box Office Figures for the weekend of September 2-4, in millions. Total grosses in parenthesis.

1. The Transporter 2­­­—$16.5 (new) 2. The 40-Year-Old Virgin—$13.3 ($71.9) 3. The Constant Gardener—$8.7 ($12.7) 4. Red Eye—$7.6 ($45.5) 5. The Brothers Grimm—$7.2 ($28.7) 6. Four Brothers—$5 ($64.4) 7. Wedding Crashers— $4.8 ($195.8) 8. March of the Penguins—$4.1 ($63.6) 9. The Skeleton Key—$3.3 ($43.8) 10. The Cave—$2.9 ($11.8)

Today’s Movies An Unfinished Life (PG13)—starring Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Lopez; directed

by Lasse Hallstrom.

Einar Gilkyson (Redford) is a worn-down and bitter rancher still broken up over his son’s death a decade ago when, out of the blue, his daughter-in-law (Lopez), whom he blames for his son’s death, shows up at his ranch along with a young girl she claims is his granddaughter.

The Man (PG-13)—starring Samuel L. Jackson, Eugene Levy; directed by Les Mayfield.

Andy (Levy) is a salesman who is mistaken for a federal agent, Derrick Vann (Jackson). The two end up speeding around the streets of Detroit and trying to solve the murder of Vann’s former partner.

Who knows.

New York Times BestSeller List, Fiction Numbers indicate: current position, last week’s position and total weeks on the list.

1/-/1 Point Blank, by Catherine Coulter 2/2/128 The Da Vinci Code, bt Dan Brown 3/3/11 The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova 4/1/2 Chill Factor, by Sandra Brown 5/4/7 Lifeguard, by James Patterson 6/-/1 Tyrannosaur Canyon, by Douglas Preston 7/-/1 Vanish, by Tess Gerritsen 8/-/1 Without Mercy, by Jack Higgins 9/5/3 Sweetwater Creek,

by Anne Rivers 10/8/6 The Interruption of Everything, by Terry McMillan

Page 7

‘Gardener’ reaps intense, intriguing story The Constant Gardener PPPP n Starring Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Bill Nighy; directed by Fernando Meirelles Rated R (for language, some violent images and sexual content/nudity)

By SARAH CARLSON Arts Editor

“Some very nasty things live under rocks, especially in foreign gardens.”

Justin and Tessa meet at a lecture where Justin, a diplomat of the British High Commission, is relaying a boring and excusefilled response to who knows what. Tessa, a younger, hotheaded activist, blasts him with accusatory questions and ends up embarrassing herself. The lecture attendees eventually walk out, leaving a winded Tessa standing alone in the room with only Justin to hear her. She breaks down and apologizes as he comforts her despite her rudeness, and the two immediately become lovers and, soon, husband and wife.

This scene is told in flashback, one of many throughout The Constant Gardener, because Tessa is dead. She moved to Kenya with Justin and was killed while traveling down a dangerous road where vandals are prominent. How she died and for what purpose is the mystery Justin (Fiennes) must uncover, digging deeper and deeper into the life of a wife he barely knew.

Adapted from John Le Carré‘s novel, The Constant Gardener is filled with puzzle pieces: innocent Africans seeking medicine, cold and calculating British officials who place a

Ratings Key Excellent PPPP Good PPP Fair PP Poor P higher priority on money than humanity, and Tessa (Weisz), who learned too much about big pharmaceuticals and made too many enemies. One thing is for certain, however: Le Carré was angry when he wrote his novel, and this anger comes out in full force on the screen; an anger toward big government and the mistreatment of the helpless, an anger toward the West’s monopolization of the poor in third-world countries desperately in need of medicine.

The question of whether to help the few when so many suffer is echoed throughout the film, a blistering social commentary piece that focuses on Western aid in African nations.

Tessa befriended an African doctor, Arnold, and rumors circulated of an affair. Arnold was supposedly the driver of the car Tessa died in, but his body was never found. At first glance, her death appears to be a murder­—at least that’s what Justin’s fellow High Commission diplomats would like him to believe. Traditionally, Justin is patient, non-confrontational and does what he is told, but he cannot overlook the circumstances of Tessa’s death.

Gardening is Justin’s passion and he spends hours among his own plants and flowers, meticulously caring for them.

He fumbles his words at times and appears shy, but his main concern is Tessa. While driving home one afternoon from a hospital, Tessa sees three of her young African friends walk-

Photo courtesy of www.rottentomatoes.com

Justin (Ralph Fiennes), talks with his wife, Tessa (Rachel Weisz) in The Constant Gardener, now in theatres. ing down the road. She knows they have a long journey ahead of them and wants to take them along, but Justin pleads with her against it. He wants to get her home and besides, he says, millions of people suffer as they do­—it can’t be helped. But we can help these people now, she protests, to no avail. Justin drives on and Tessa watches the three children grow smaller in her rearview mirror.

After Tessa’s death, Justin continues to dig, researching through Tessa’s computer files and asking the questions no one wants him to ask. Tessa uncovered damaging information against pharmaceuticals testing drugs on Africans, drugs that are not always effective and can sometimes lead to sickness and even death. He has to finish what she started.

In doing so, he begins to understand her and exactly what she meant when she wanted him to

stop the car and help her three friends.

In Justin’s way is the family friend, Sandy (Huston, The Aviator), and Sir Bernard Pelligrin (Nighy, Love Actually), both of whom want Justin to leave matters to the High Commission and get on with his life.

The entire cast delivers outstanding performances, a requirement for such heady material. Fiennes (Schindler’s List, The English Patient) and Weisz (About a Boy, Runaway Jury) have excellent chemistry, and the flashbacks of their married life weave throughout the film and bring an even greater human aspect to the factual subject matter. Justin falls more in love with his wife with each dig he makes into the surface of the conspiracy, and we can tell what Justin is thinking and realizing about her because of the flicker in Fienne’s eyes, a true testament to his craft.

Director Fernando Meirelles (City of God) is masterful at setting the pace for the thriller and leading the audience through the various pieces of the puzzle. Scenes of Africa and its natives fill the screen, putting a location and a face to the statistics many in the West are easy to dismiss as hopeless cases not worth fighting for.

The Constant Gardener is more than a film: it’s a call to action among the ranks of Hotel Rwanda that cannot be pigeonholed into a certain genre. You care for not only the characters but for the all-too-real consequences of greed and its victims. The film is an intelligent and adult thriller, mystery and love story wrapped up in the social complexities of Africa, making it one of the best films of the year.

E-mail Carlson at: skc02a@acu.edu

Art and entertainment mix downtown at Artwalk n Students have opportunity to view art, watch the film ‘RabbitProof Fence’ at the Paramount and listen to live music at Abilene’s traditional art festival.

By LAUREN SUTTON Staff Writer

At 8 p.m. Thursday, Abilenians will meet downtown to enjoy a night of gazing at art, listening to live music and watching a film at the Paramount Theatre.

Artwalk, a major program of the Center for Contemporary Arts, will offer students

a piece of West Texas culture.

Several museums downtown will feature exhibits that are open to the public.

Building Books: the Art of David Macaulay will be featured at the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature; Following Brightness: the Vivacious Palette of Juanita Tittle Pollard will be exhibited at The Grace Museum; and Edward Ruiz’s Camera Obscura will be displayed at The Center for Contemporary Arts.

Other attractions of Art-

walk include the premiere of Rabbit-Proof Fence, a movie that will play at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Paramount Theatre. Rhythm Praise, an interactive drum circle, allows anyone to bring their drums and play with the group in Everman Park. The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum will have presentation of Bill Mauldin, the cartoon creator of Willie and Joe. Dan McGregor, assistant art professor and regular Artwalk attendee, said he believes Artwalk re-energizes and keeps people coming to

downtown Abilene. Though he estimates that only 15 percent of the student body attends Artwalk, McGregor said he wishes students were more involved, and he encourages them to participate in Art Walk. Bonnie Buchanan, senior art major from Lubbock, said she believes students don’t attend Artwalk because they are misinformed.

Buchanan and McGregor said they see Artwalk as a way for students to not only be involved in the ACU community, but in the Abilene

community as well.

“If you are a student from a big city, this is a great opportunity to be involved in small town, American culture,” McGregor said.

Many different components are part of Artwalk, which allow students to come and enjoy the experience.

Students can volunteer to paint faces, work at the National Center for Children’s Literature or simply enjoy the freshly popped popcorn.

E-mail Sutton at: les03c@acu.edu

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Page 8

Friday, September 9, 2005

Moody: Floor temporarily fixed Continued from page 1 is back to normal now.”

The volleyball team and men’s and women’s basketball team also had to do some juggling last week for practice space, said Jared Mosley, athletic director, in an e-mail.

“When these kinds of things happen, you just have to make the most of the situation and work with others on campus to get time in their facility,” Mosley said.

Mosley said the Exercise Science Department and Intramurals Office were very

gracious when working the teams’ practices into their schedule.

“One of the biggest problems is the fact that you don’t get to practice on your home floor,” Mosley said.

However, the teams now have their floor back, and Mosley said it appears to be in good condition.

“We will have to continue to monitor the floor throughout the year to try and prevent this from happening again” Mosley said.

Nevill said Physical Resources is monitoring humidity in the building and increasing the capacity of

From our family to yours

the return air system; it will also continue to search for other possible causes of the problem.

Although Nevill said he does not yet know how much it cost to fix the problem, the university will pay for it.

Jared Mosley said the dehumidification process was only a “band aid” fix.

“We will need to consider replacing the floor sometime in the very near future to address the problem,” he said.

E-mail Schneider at: jrs02a@acu.edu

SA: Congress addresses issues Continued from page 1

dition, when older members ordered them to stand at the front of the room while veteran members fired obscure questions at them about the constitution, by-laws and rules of order.

Amidst the confusion of about twenty members of Congress pretending to be angry at the new members’ lack of preparation, a rubber chicken was thrown at the row of freshman. Immediately, the older members began to chant, “kiss the chicken,” which every freshman took turns doing.

After this informal introduction to the Students’ Association, members listened to

issues brought forth by Jenny Fulkerson, assistant resident director at Gardner residence hall.

Fulkerson told Congress she was tired of trying to change the innappropriate dressing habits of some of the women she worked with, especially when she feels faculty offers no support. She has discussed with Van Reenan the possibilies of encouraging faculty to take a larger part in shaping this portion of campus life.

“It’s not in the job description of the faculty to support the university’s policy, except for cheating. It’s going to have to come from their heart,” Fulkerson said. Plans to make changes have begun, but Fulk-

erson does not yet have a tangible way the Students’ Association can help her cause, she said. She said she felt it was prudent to inform the “movers and shakers” of the university of the changes and hopes to gain their support.

Even after completing the first SA meeting, Scott will continue the work of filling vacancies in Congress.

Scott and others on his cabinet are already discussing and approaching possible candidates for the 29 positions left open in Congress.

Congress will vote to approve Scott’s choices during the first official business meeting Sept. 14.

E-mail Taylor at: tat04a@acu.edu

Enrollment: Numbers jump higher Continued from page 1 Body and Soul Program aimed at premed and predental students and College of Business Administration programs that have increased its entering class by about 60 students in two years.

“We’ve also been very intentional in involving alumni in the recruiting process,”

Heil said. “We’re expanded our presence in key markets.”

With the regular admissions staff and the volunteer alumni, Heil said this network of workers has been able to expand the university’s recruiting influence.

Heil said his office operated from several goals for this recruiting year. First,

Heil said they aimed for at least 1,000 new freshman, and they exceeded that by 32 students. Heil also said they looked for growth in graduate programs, and its enrollment—which now stands at 567 students—has jumped during the past two years.

E-mail Smith at: jvs02a@acu.edu

brian schmidt/Chief photographer

Dr. Wayne Barnard, dean of Campus Life, talks with New Orleans evacuee Renranioleda Slack while her son, Bernard Sutton, 2, sleeps on his shoulder at the Cisco Christian Camp on Thursday.

Relief: Students offer help Continued from page 1 children’s area at Reunion Arena. Bishop said they mainly worked with kids younger than 12 to give their parents a chance to rest or leave the arena, if they needed to.

“Mainly we just tried to keep them busy; tried to keep their minds off of what is going on,” Bishop said. “Kids are kind of the best at leaving that world and going to their own little world … but every once in a while you could tell they were thinking about it, you could see that look in their eyes.

“The atmosphere there was kind of one of shock, ‘I can’t believe this just happened to me,’ but these people were also really filled with hope, which kind of surprised me,” he said. “Even though we were working with the Red Cross and not a church organization, those kids were still wanting us to pray with them. It was just amazing to see their hope and their faith in that situation.”

The experiences the students had outside Abilene

changed them, causing them to be more reflective on their own lives as well as things that are going on closer to home they said.

“Its made me more willing to serve people in their everyday circumstances because there’s homeless people and hungry people all of the time, and you don’t really think about helping them as much because they haven’t been through what we call a crisis, but really, most of them have,” said Bishop.

Seeing the devastation and disruption in the people’s lives first-hand has led students to consider the everpresent question of ‘How can God do this?’ on a deeper level. Berres said she believes this questioning only shapes and strengthens one’s faith because you have to “think about who God is and why he does things like this.”

“If we believe in a God who can create a storm and create fury, then we need to believe in a God who can heal from that storm, heal from that fury,” Berres said. “Just having faith and knowing that

God knows what he’s doing, especially with those kids, that God knows his plans for those kids, where he’s going to take them and how this experience is going to shape them.”

Throughout the tragedy, students are showing their desire to serve, which Bishop said is a defining factor of ACU. “I think that is what ACU is and should be about, responding to needs,” he said.

“ACU is not just something that’s set apart, we’re a part of the community, too, and I think it’s important that we reach out to our community, especially in a time of crisis, even though these people are from New Orleans, Mississippi or Alabama, they’re a part of us, they’re a part of the human community, I’m just so glad to see that we’re doing something about it as a university, I think that says something about who we are, that we will respond to that.”

E-mail Schmidt at: bms02e@acu.edu

Hurry...I’m about to drop this

emerald mcgowan/Staff photographer

Eric Lemmons, junior youth and family ministry and human communications major from Tucson, Ariz., and Dallas May, senior physics major from Arlington, package bottles of water and the gospel of John to send to Katrina victims through Herald of Truth Ministries on Wednesday.

SPORTS JUMPS

Friday, September 9, 2005

Page 9

Volleyball: Team at home Continued from page 10 play has been raised.

“Now we know for sure the level that we can play,” Bernhardt said. “It raised the bar a little bit, and now we’ve got to work hard to keep raising it.”

After the Wildcats’ first tournament, coach Horn said she felt that her team’s confidence was down. After this weekend, however, Horn doesn’t doubt the level of confidence from the players on the court.

“After that first weekend they were down,” Horn said. “When they went into the Premier (Challenge) we ended up winning that first match, it was No. 6 in the nation, and our confidence went up just like that.”

E-mail Fields at: jrf03b@acu.edu

brian schmidt/Chief Photographer

Senior middle blocker Amanda Slate and freshman outside hitter Erin Curry go up to block freshman middle blocker Lauren Leone’s kill during practice Tuesday in Moody Coliseum.

Get down

Hood: ACU Open this weekend Continued from page 10 Cox finished sixth in the indoor mile in 2005 and third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase outdoors.

Hood said the trio returned from summer in shape, which set him at ease.

“That was my biggest fear prior to seeing the team – that people showed up and did the work they needed to over the summer,” Hood said. “The top returning runners did that.”

And that is bad news for Wildcat opponents, as Kryv’yak predicts the team could qualify for the national meet, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since 1996.

“We’re in better shape than we were last year in cross country,” Kryv’yak said. “We’re really going to

brian schmidt/Chief Photographer

Senior cornerback Doug Barnett tries to pull down Bronchos wide receiver Kenneth Shelton during the first quarter of ACU’s 49-37 loss to UCO.

work hard to qualify.”

Kryv’yak is looking for a breakout season individually, after suffering a severe case of heat stroke during practice in 2003 and being told by doctors that she “would never run fast again.” That experience, which sidelined her during the 2003 cross country season, as well as her comeback in 2004-05, impacted her outlook for this season.

“It proved to myself that even after a really, really bad condition, I can do well,” Kryv’yak said. “I really want to win nationals.”

After the top three runners, Hood said work will need to be done to “hammer out” the fourth and fifth spots on the women’s team. Hood sees several candidates to fill those spots, including freshman

Hayley Garner from Keller, and seniors Abbie Waters and Mollye Stanford.

Kryv’yak said the adjustment to a new coach also has gone smoothly thus far.

“It’s always hard in the beginning adjusting to a new coach,” she said, “but we really like the new coach. He’s really positive, he tries to spend time with us, and we’re trying to help him get adjusted to us and show him that we’re OK.” The ACU Cross Country Classic, which will be Friday at Sherrod Park (behind Adams and Smith residence halls), will mark Hood’s first opportunity to organize a collegiate meet.

He said the experience of bringing in other colleges and universities, as well as overseeing the running of the meet Friday, is prepar-

ing him for when ACU plays host to the men’s and women’s NCAA Division II South Central Regional meet on the same course Nov. 5.

Twelve or more colleges and universities will compete Friday, including Angelo State, Wayland Baptist, New Mexico Junior College, Incarnate Word, and Texas A&M-Kingsville.

The women’s three-mile race will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the men’s fourmile race at 6:30 p.m.

Hood said he has not set specific expectations for his teams’ performances Friday, as the meet falls early in the season amid a challenging training phase at practice.

“I want that gun to go off and see that competitive

E-mail Holt at: smh00a@acu.edu

SportsFriday Optimist

Page 10 Standings Football Team Angelo St. TAMU-K WTAMU Midwestern Tarleton St. ACU

Conf. Overall 0-0 2-0 0-0 2-0 0-0 2-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-1

September 9, 2005

Wildcats face first conference test n The Wildcats face Northeastern State for their second game of the year. NSU begins the year 0-2 after losing two close games to highly ranked opponents.

By JARED FIELDS

Volleyball

Sports Editor

Team Conf. Overall Tarleton St. 0-0 3-1 ACU

0-0 4-3 WTAMU 0-0 4-4 Angelo St. 0-0 2-6 TAMU-K 0-0 1-7 ENMU 0-0 0-2

If last week’s game against Central Oklahoma was a test for head coach Chris Thomsen and his team, then Saturday’s away game against Northeastern State will be like a major exam.

This week more pressure is on since the outcome of the game will count toward the team’s conference record. Even though Central Oklahoma is in the Lone Star Conference, the game counted as the Wildcats only non-conference game of the year.

Northeastern State comes off of two straight losses to begin the year, but coach Thomsen said the team’s record is misleading.

“They played two top-20 teams their first two games,” Thomsen said. “Arkansas State had to come from behind with an 80-yard drive just to win, and Kingsville last week was close until the fourth quarter.”

Northeastern has talent on

Scores Friday

volleyball ACU 3, Concordia-St. Paul 2 ACU 3, Regis 0

Saturday

volleyball ACU 3, Findlay 1 ACU 3, Cen. Missouri St. 2 football Central Oklahoma 49, ACU 37

Upcoming Schedule Friday

Tennis ACU Wal-Mart Open, 3:00 p.m.

Football the field. One wide receiver had two touchdown catches, one for 58 and another for 79 yards, and the team’s defense has allowed less than 100 yards a game rushing on average.

“Their defense is very sound, and offensively they have a couple of receivers and a running back that are really good,” Thomsen said. “It’s going to be a heck of a battle.”

Against Central Oklahoma, the Wildcat defense allowed five touchdowns and 455 total yards, but the defense had to play more than needed because of five offensive turnovers.

“I don’t think our defense played bad this weekend, but if we just put it all together, then we’ll be all right,” sophomore inside linebacker Cody Stutts said. “From a defensive standpoint, they say that most teams step up the most between week one and week two; I think that,” The Wildcats play Northeastern State on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Tahlequah, Okla. The next home game will be Saturday Sept. 17 against Texas A&M-Commerce at 6 p.m.

E-mail Fields at: jrf03b@acu.edu

Cross country ACU Classic, 6:00 p.m.

Saturday

football ACU at Northeastern St. 6:00 p.m. volleyball ACU vs. Wayland Baptist, 12:30 p.m.

ACU vs. Southwest Baptist, 5:30 p.m.

Tennis ACU Wal-Mart Open, Men: 10:00 a.m., Women: 11:00 a.m.

• Home games listed in italics

Brian Schmidt/Chief Photographer

Brian schmidt/Chief Photographer

Redshirt freshman quarterback Billy Malone throws a pass to junior running back Sneezy Beltran in Saturday’s home opener against Central Oklahoma. Junior right guard Cody Savage finds a man to block for his teammate.

Senior running back Rashon Myles battles with Bronchos linebacker Uriah Matthew during the Wildcats’ 49-37 loss to Central Oklahoma on Saturday.

Cross country team begins season with new coach n Men’s and women’s cross country begins this weekend with the ACU Open. Head coach Derek Hood leads the Wildcats in his first meet as the head coach.

By STEVE HOLT Sports Writer

After almost three weeks of witnessing the depth of the talent pool on his men’s and women’s teams, head cross country coach Derek Hood’s grin is as big as his expectations.

Who wouldn’t smile, however, when a combined six all-American men and women from a year ago are joined by a batch of talented newcomers, to form one of the deepest teams in recent history?

“I’m very impressed,” Hood said, smiling.

Hood, who has been at ACU for a month, is clear about his

Cross Country goals for the men’s and women’s distance runners, who will compete for the first time Friday at the ACU Classic.

“Our goals: For the women, qualifying for the national meet, and for the men, we’re going to try to win it,” said Hood, who knows a little about winning after leading two high school squads to district and state successes during his coaching career in the Dallas-Fort Worth MetroPlex.

Doing his part to achieve the team’s goal will be the top returning distance runner in Division II, sophomore Nicodemus Naimadu, who became only the second individual cross country national champion in 2004 and went on to win an indoor title and two outdoor titles

in track and field.

After briefly considering transferring to the University of Alabama to run with a few other Kenyans, Naimadu has recently settled in to stay at ACU. The arrival of a friend from Kenya and a former competitor from Africa aided Naimadu’s decision to stay, Hood said.

While Naimadu likely will run in an echelon all his own this fall, teammates Martin O’Kello and Lucky Hadebe won’t be far behind. O’Kello, a senior from Kampala, Uganda, claimed his first major victory in 2004 by winning the Lone Star Conference individual championship with a time of 24:14.27. Hadebe, an indoor national champion in the 800 meters in 2005, was an all-conference and all-region performer in cross country in 2004.

But the pool of talent doesn’t end there on the men’s side. Freshman Serge Gasore of Rwanda, Phillip Birgen of Kenya, and Alberic Nkurunziza of Burundi already have caught Hood’s attention with their performances at practice thus far.

“These are three guys who are 6-3 who have some wheels,” Hood said. “I’m really fired up about seeing them run with Nicodemus, Martin, and Lucky. It puts a smile on my face.”

Hood is also smiling about the possibility that his women’s team will qualify for the national meet for the first time in years, led by the “tremendous trio” of Adeh Mwamba, Olha Kryv’yak and Trina Cox. Mwamba, a senior, will be a contender for a national title after placing ninth at the 2004 NCAA Division II Cross Coun-

try Championships. Kryv’yak, a sophomore, placed third and fourth at the conference and regional cross country meets in 2004, respectively, after red-shirting her freshman season because of a heat-induced injury. Rounding out the trio is Santa Rosa, Calif., product Trina Cox, who finished fourth and third, respectively, at the 2004 conference and regional meets.

The trio’s talent, however, perhaps wasn’t fully recognized until the 2005 track and field season, in which Mwamba, Kryv’yak and Cox were at their best. Kryv’yak was the individual champion in the indoor mile and finished second in the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Abilene.

See

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Men’s and Women’s team championships Men

LSC-1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Regional-1987, 1988, 1989, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 National finishes since 1998fifth, tie-fourth, second, second, second, second, third

Women

LSC-1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Regional-1982 Regional places-1983-4th, 1984-2nd, 1988-2nd, 19912nd, 1992-2nd, 1993-3rd, 1994-3rd, 1995-4th, 19963rd, 1997-3rd, 1998-6th, 2000-9th, 2001-5th, 20023rd, 2003-3rd, 2004-4th

Volleyball nationally ranked n Wildcat volleyball is ranked 19th in the nation, the first time the team has been nationally ranked in ACU history, after winning the Premier Challenge.

By JARED FIELDS Sports Editor

brian schmidt/Chief Photographer

Senior outside hitter Michelle Bernhardt stretches for the ball during practice Tuesday in Moody Coliseum.

After two weekends on the road, head coach Brek Horn’s first chance to play in front of the home crowd this year will be Saturday against Wayland Baptist and Southwest Baptist.

The Wildcats host Wayland Baptist at 12:30 p.m. and Southwest Baptist at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Moody Coliseum.

“No one comes into our court and beats us,” Horn said. “That’s some of the things we’ll talk about prior

Volleyball to this weekend.”

Horn’s expectation to win is not unfounded. The Wildcats have won 20 straight matches at home going back to the 2003 season.

Last weekend in the Premier Challenge, the Wildcats beat two top-10 teams and earned their first national ranking in school history, No. 19, in the American Volleyball, Coaches’ Association top 25 poll.

The competition will not be as difficult this weekend for the Wildcats, but Horn said she still wants to keep the same level of play on the court.

“We have to maintain a level of intensity in practice that we have during a

match,” Horn said. “We can’t let it go down just because of the level of competition. This weekend I want to come out strong at home and win all the matches 3-0, that’s our goal.”

Senior outside hitter Michelle Bernhardt said she is excited about her team’s possibilities.

“There’s so many things we could get better at; that’s probably the most exciting thing,” Bernhardt said. “Yes, we did well this weekend, but there’s still that much more that we can do.”

The Wildcats said that after gaining a national ranking, their goals haven’t changed, but their level of See

VOLLEYBALL page 9