WEDNESDAY
September 14, 2005
Domination
Optimist the
The men and women cross country teams placed first overall this weekend, page 8
Vol. 94, No. 8 1 section, 8 pages www.acuoptimist.com
Thwarting thieves
Serving up wins
A bicycle identification program has begun to help reduce thefts on campus, page 3
The tennis team placed first or second in several matches, page 8
SA allocates $35,000 to groups n At Saturday’s annual fall retreat, Congress unanimously approved the Students’ Association budget, which set aside $7,500 to begin an SA endowment fund. By TIFFANY TAYLOR Features Editor
Student organizations have been allotted about $35,000 of the total students’ association budget for the fall 2005 semester, a drop when com-
Tulane students enroll in classes
pared to the $46,000 given to student organizations in spring 2005 and the $40,000 given in fall 2004. A tighter budget this semester, caused in part by the decision to use $7,500 of students’ association funds to create an endowment, the budget trimmed certain programs and nixed others. In addition, this semester’s
$99,755 budget does not include extra cushion from a rollover from last year, only money received from student fees. Justin Scott, president, explained his reasoning for spending money this semester on an endowment. “As more and more groups want to do more, how do we supplement, instead
of raising activity fees,” Scott said, “That’s going to take commitment, because I’m not going to see it come to fruition in my time here at ACU. The general expenses fund, used for unforeseeable programs, such as the Trevathan fund last year, was given less funds in the budget and the Congressional Budget was not included. The Congressional Budget, which was first included in the Spring 2005
budget, allowed Congress to have direct control over $3,000. Congress voted unanimously to approve the budget, presented to it by Tyler Cosgrove, treasurer, thus approving the students’ association budget for each student organization included and other areas the students’ association is involved. See
BUDGET page 4
Please feed the animals
n ACU opened enrollment from Sept. 1 through last week to students from universities that closed because of Hurricane Katrina and flooding. Copy Editor
Two students began classes Monday, only three weeks late. The students—a freshman exercise science major and a senior pre-med major— transferred from Tulane University in New Orleans after the university closed for the semester. After severe flooding shut down Tulane’s campus and the city of New Orleans, universities all over the country stepped in to receive displaced students. Dr. Wayne Barnard, dean of Campus Life, said Rice University in Houston first began accepting Tulane students because the two universities are sister schools, and soon other schools in Texas began taking students as well. “Of course, we were very willing to also accept those students,” Barnard said. “I think it’s great that we’re part of the universities that gave students a place to come.” ACU announced the enrollment option Sept. 1, and gave students until last Friday to apply. “We weren’t aware at the time how many would come,” Barnard said. The university worked with each student individually to figure out financial aid, Barnard said. But the state was also involved in the process. Robert Heil, director of enrollment operations; Dr. Tom Winter, professor of social work and assistant provost;
TULANE page 4
Total amount of funds available for Congress to distribute
$99,756
Amount set aside for endowment $7,500 Total allotted to student groups
$35,005
Total amount requested by student groups
$75,345
Avg. percentage cut from each group’s request
44 percent
Some decide pledging is not for them n Less than half the sophomore class has chosen to pledge a social club this year for reasons such as already busy schedules and the costs associated with pledging.
By JACI SCHNEIDER
See
SA Budget info
By EMERALD McGOWEN Staff Writer
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Jai’lon Ford, 5, feeds a goat a pellet of food at the Taylor County 4-H Club’s petting zoo at the West Texas Fair and Rodeo on Tuesday at the Taylor County Expo Center. The fair runs until Sunday. For more pictures from the fair, please see page 5.
Across campus students have posted signs, passed out flyers and roamed around in hula skirts or high heels— pledging time has arrived. But not all students participate in social clubs, and they have many reasons not to pledge, from busy schedules to the cost of participating in club. Mike Spell, advisor of social clubs, said about 310 women and 150 men plan to pledge this semester. Pledging students total less than half of the sophomore class and only about 10 percent of the student body. Raymond Jameson, sophomore history major from Austin, said he will not pledge this year because of time commitments. “Pledging would have been a nice experience,” Jameson said, “and I would have made some good friends from it, but I already have a hard enough time managing my school-work. Being in a social club is something that would get in the way of my life and my grades. Emily Smith, sophomore photojournalism major from Garland, said she will not pledge this year because of the cost of social clubs. “I’m kind of neutral on the subject of social clubs,” Smith said. “I think for some See
CLUBS page 4
Campus Court receives makeover n Construction from East North 16th Street to Ambler Avenue, expected to last through September, will give the street a new surface, lighting, curbs and gutters. By MITCH HOLT Opinion Editor
The City of Abilene is grinding up Campus Court’s old surface and replacing it from East North 16th Street to Ambler Avenue; these renovations will include new curbs, gutters,
street lights, asphalt and more, costing just less than half a million dollars, and estimated to be completed by the end of September. Jimmy Ellison, chief of the ACU Police, said that safety of students is the No.1 priority in this project. The addition of the new Barret Hall, sophomore women’s housing, has increased the number of students crossing the street on a daily basis. Many are concerned about
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
the safety of the street. “Student safety is always top priority,” Ellison said. “It’s important to note that there were five separate crosswalks on Campus Court before it was torn up. Ellison Regardless of how many walks are provided, people need to use them for
them to be effective.” Crosswalks will not be finished until the new pavement is laid down, but students must show extra care when they are walking to and from campus, Ellison said. Bontke Construction Company is the contracting company in charge of these renovations, and it is taking the safety of each student very seriously, Ellison said. See
STREET page 4
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
A Bontke Brothers construction crew paves a curb and sidewalk along Campus Court, which will remain under construction through September.
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