Vol. 94, No. 19 1 section, 8 pages
WEDNESDAY
October 26, 2005
www.acuoptimist.com
Successful sweep
Forum for credit
Getting defensive
ACU runners win team and individual conference cross country honors, page 8
At least two Chapel forums are planned for the rest of the semester, page 3
The Wildcats defeat 19thranked Tarleton State, page 8
Student charged with murders Pledge season n Freshman Brandon Woodruff remains in custody after his arrest Monday and faces two counts of capital murder in last week’s death of his parents. By JONATHAN SMITH Editor in Chief
Police charged student Brandon Woodruff, 19, with two counts of capital murder Monday in connection
with the death of his parents last week, a Hunt County Sheriff’s official confirmed. Woodruff, freshman agribusiness major from Rockwall, was arrested late Monday morning in Texarkana, Ark., where, according to other news reports, his parents’ funeral was held and where family relatives lived. He is being held in the Hunt County Criminal Jus-
tice Center as he awaits trial with bail set at $2 million. Because of the ongoing criminal investigation and privacy concerns, the university would confirm only that Woodruff was a firstyear student, said Dr. Michelle Morris, vice president for University Relations. At the time of his arrest, Woodruff was considered a part-time freshman, and he
had participated in university events such as Freshman Follies. In e-mails sent Monday afternoon, the university asked faculty, staff and students not to release any further information regarding Woodruff to internal or external sources, which includes the media. See
WOODRUFF page 7
The anatomy of a study session
teaches new perspectives n With pledging activities behind them, some new club members said they are thankful for their newfound time-management skills, friends and memories. By TAKISHA KNIGHT Page 2 Editor
Pledging is over. Having seen and conquered, the newest class of social club members comes aboard with something more than club membership. Ashlyn Cosgrove, sophomore nursing major from Coppell, said she had her moments when the challenges of pledging were pressing. Of all the life lessons learned in the weeks of pledging Ko Jo Kai, Cosgrove said she would never lose the time management skills she gained as a result of the activities. Pledge classes are challenged by club members to abide by rules and participate in activities. Sometimes, Cosgrove said, the situations
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Josie Shepard, sophomore exercise science major from Tucson, Ariz., and Jason Harley, sophomore exercise science major from Houston, study for their anatomy quiz on Monday in the campus mall area.
Frats to haunt Buffalo Gap village n The Frater Sodalis men’s social club will partner with a club from McMurry University to create a haunted village this weekend in Buffalo Gap Historic Village. By MALLORY SHERWOOD Managing Editor
Shrieks of terror will fill the night as students and members from the Abilene community roam the countryside at Buffalo Gap’s Historic Village “Haunted Village” beginning Friday. Frater Sodalis, a men’s social club, partnered with Buffalo Gap’s Historic Village and a social club from McMurry University this year to produce the Haunted Village, a 30-minute tour across the Historic Village’s four acres. Dustin Marshall, senior
Library Commons area Reconstruction in the main floor of Brown Library will include: • a new entrance by the Adams Center for Teaching Excellence • a coffee shop • a copy center, modeled closely to Copy Stop • a group study area where students can gather around tables with computers and work on group projects • an art gallery in the atrium area that will also have a stage to allow students to have concerts and poetry readings and display their artwork • track lighting, which will place small lights around the area to create a different atmosphere
accounting major from Abilene and Frat member, said at least 50 members plan to perform for guests traveling through the Haunted Village. Marshall said this is the first time the club is not doing everything considering the club has put on its own
“I think it’s great we’re partnering with the Historic Village this year because it means less work for us,” said Jace Gallagher, senior finance major from North Pole, Alaska and Frat fundraiser. “It will be a much better haunted house than in years past.”
“I think it’s great we’re partnering with the historic village this year ... . It will be a much better haunted house than in years past.” Jace Gallagher, senior finance major from North Pole, Alaska
haunted house in the past. He said members from the Historic Village contacted the club this fall to see if they would help run the Haunted Village this year.
Gallagher said the members didn’t know exactly what they would be doing this year because the Historic Village wrote the script and is providing all the mate-
rials needed. He said the men will have a dress rehearsal on Thursday to see how the night will work. Throughout the evening, members from Frater Sodalis and the social club from McMurry will act out various scenarios that could be scary for some, Gallagher said. “It’s rated PG-13 this year, so unless your family is 13 years and older, I wouldn’t come,” Gallagher said. The Haunted Village will take place four nights, from Friday through Monday. On Friday and Saturday, the village will be open from 6 p.m. to midnight and on Sunday and Monday it will be open from 6 -10 p.m. “We close at midnight, but See
HAUNTED page 7
became very difficult. “But, there are 53 other girls going through the same thing you’re going through, who will always be there,” she said. “It’s hard to explain this to girls who are not in club, but your pledge class knows.” Cosgrove said she chose to pledge Ko Jo Kai because the women of the social club won her over. “They have a love for one another and God,” she said. “That’s something I felt I wanted to be a part of. “In the end, it’s all worth it as long as God is glorified,” she said. Charismatic club members drew some students to pledge, but others like Maher Saab, junior political science major from Abilene, pledged out of faith. After spending time in prayer, Saab knew he should pledge men’s social club Pi See
PLEDGE page 7
Hurricane Wilma cuts across Florida n The 21st named storm of the season crossed the state at Category 2 strength and could leave some state residents without power for a month. By MITCH HOLT Opinion Editor
The third major hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast this year attacked Florida’s southern coast Monday, damaging homes throughout the state and leaving Floridians without basic necessities such as food, clothing, hot water and electricity. More than six million residents of the area in and around the Everglades were affected, while more than three million homes and businesses lost power as Wilma hit land at 6:30 a.m. The storm had 145 mph winds. After it hit land, the storm flew across Florida as a Category 2, damaging homes, businesses and roads as far south as Key West. The Miami airport, among 18 others, was closed
during the storm, said R. David Paulison, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in a CNN interview. According to reports, Florida Power and Light said it could be as long as a month before all in the state have power restored in their homes and businesses. Financially, Hurricane Wilma is the third most devastating hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast, trailing Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf Coast in September, and Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Although the damage isn’t as extensive as Hurricane Katrina’s, Wilma left more than five times the number of people without power. President Bush said in a press conference that Florida Power and Light is doing its best to recruit out of state help and pick up the mess in a timely fashion, but it is expected to take quite a while. To help with the effort, MiSee
HURRICANE page 7
Commons area brings new library concept n Although talking, eating and drinking in libraries has been discouraged in the past, the new Learning Commons is meant to encourage students to do so. By RACHEL LAU Student Reporter
Last month, senior Kenny McGowan paid a visit to the Brown Library to help a friend with homework. He wasn’t sure where the entrance was. “That was probably the fifth time I’ve been to the library,” said McGowan, a biochemistry major from Ontario, Ore. “All the resources I need can be found on the Internet, and if I need a qui-
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
et place to study, I have my room,” he said. Recently, some college libraries across the country have begun to steer away from the conventional concepts of a library to accommodate a new generation of college students. This Centennial year, the university is taking that step and creating a Learning Commons—a place designed to attract more students in this era by providing them excellent academic support.
Breaking all the rules What used to be a first floor that reflected a typical library—shelves of books, tables and computers—is now a
vast, empty space. This temporary change, however, is less drastic than changes the university will make. The renovated floor will entail ideas and resources many libraries have never seen before. “There are several sacred rules of a library, and we’ve broken those,” said George Saltsman, director of Educational Technology and parttime director of the Learning Commons. “We will have food and drinks and places where we encourage people to talk,” he said. “What’s the point of See
WORK page 7
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
The ground floor of Brown Library has already been cleared as the university prepares to remodel the space to create a new Learning Commons area.
Abilene Christian University
Serving the ACU community since 1912
Chapel Checkup Credited Chapels to date:
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
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Calendar & Events Wednesday
FilmFest tickets on sale, 11 a.m.2 p.m., Campus Center ticket window. Weekend Campaign sign-up, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Campus Center ticket window. Frat Haunted House sign-up, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Campus Center ticket window.
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Thursday
FilmFest tickets on sale, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Campus Center ticket window. Honors Program Masquerade sign-up, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Weekend Campaign sign-up, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Campus Center ticket window. Freshman Action Council sign-up, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Campus Center ticket window.
Alpha offers aid n Alpha Academic Services offers student aid for students who demonstrate certain need, but program directors say many qualifying students are unaware. By SHERRI SNYDER Student Reporter
Alpha Academic Services looks to increase student awareness of the services it offers and to recruit more student volunteers. Alpha Academic Services is an umbrella term for two programs: the Student Disability Services program and a federally funded Student Support Services program. “These are services federally funded under Title IX of the Higher Education Act to help level the playing field, so students can have equal opportunities for success,” said Dr. Gloria Bradshaw, director of Alpha. Alpha services are free of charge to students who qualify for the program in one of three ways. The Student Support Services program may fund students who are firstgeneration college students. Another way is if the student is economically qualified as decided by the U.S. Department of Education; which means students may qualify if their family’s taxable income is less than $28,275 for a family with one or two dependants. The third way falls under the Student Disability Services program. This service is for students who have a physical or learning disability that has been documented by a qualified professional. Students can even obtain this documentation from the Office of Careers and Leadership for a fee that would be less than a similar service performed elsewhere. Bradshaw said that Student
Support Services not only helps students with counseling and tutoring, but also assists students in attending cultural events. “Alpha provides the opportunity to go to concerts and plays that they might not have the opportunity to attend; it’s part of becoming an educated person,” she said. James Scudder, math and science coordinator for Alpha said that it is important to help the student recognize the choice to be successful. “We want students to be well rounded when they leave, also fitting the ACU goal of empowering students to be distinguished servants and leaders,” he said. With individualized assistance, Alpha offers an assessment of learning styles and preferences, personal and academic counseling, and tutoring that catered to fit individual needs. Jeffrey Edwards, sophomore biology major from Fort Worth, has been tutoring students in the Alpha center since August. Edwards said he likes to help people accomplish something they struggle with, and he likes to help them feel a sense of accomplishment. Although the Alpha Services’ budget may not currently allow for additional paid tutoring positions, Alpha always accepts student volunteers, who must meet the same requirements as paid tutors. Students can get volunteer credit for their time, but Edwards finds that helping other students to be rewarding. “It’s really cool when you tutor, and they’re not getting it, then they get it—you can tell they’re genuinely excited,” Edwards said. E-mail Snyder at: optimist@acu.edu
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Friday
Purple Day begins. Batman Begins, 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., Cullen Auditorium. FilmFest tickets on sale, 11 a.m.2 p.m., Campus Center ticket window. Honors Program Masquerade sign-up, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. ABN Concert, 7-10 p.m., Bean Sprout.
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Saturday
Home football game, 2 p.m., Shotwell Stadium. Philharmonic Concert, 8 p.m., Abilene Civic Center.
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Sunday
Encuentro Latino continental interest meeting, 7-9 p.m., Gary and Frances Green’s house.
Announcements Dr Pepper cans commemorating ACU’s Centennial are now available. Six packs may be purchased in the Campus Store for $1.99, or cases of 24 may be purchased from Central Stores for $8.48. Sing Song “THE 50TH SHOW” tickets are now on sale for the 50th annual ACU Sing Song. Visit http://www.acusingsong.com/ for more information. Pat Summerall tickets are on sale for the Pat Summerall Centennial Speaker Series luncheon on Tuesday, Nov. 8. For ACU faculty/staff, table sponsorships are $300, general admission tickets are $20, student tickets are $10, and student sponsorships are $10. Purchase tickets by calling 674-2622. Homecoming T-shirts are for sale in the Alumni Relations Office. The shirts are $7 for adults and $4 for children. Plan to attend the Fall 2005 ACU Graduate School Fair. Wednesday Nov. 2, 2005 from 14 p.m. in the Hilton Room of the McGlothlin Campus Center. Stop and visit with representatives from each of the ACU Graduate School Departments. Register to win one of two $300 ACU Graduate School Scholarships and other door prizes. For more information please call 674-2656. The Annual Campus Crime & Security Report for ACU is now available at http://www.acu. edu/campusoffices/acu_police/ crimestats.html and free copies can be obtained upon request at ACUPD, 1634 Campus Court during normal business hours. The
report includes crime statistics from the previous three years for reported crimes on campus, in certain off-campus locations and on public property immediately adjacent to and accessible from campus. The Intercollegiate Community Celebration is Nov. 12. Students from HardinSimmons and McMurry will join for a united day of fellowship and service with local agencies and neighborhoods. The day will begin at 8:30 a.m. with worship. Service projects are from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Dinner will be 7-8:30 p.m. at the homes of faculty and staff from the three universities. The Outdoor Club is recruiting members! Its mission is to promote outdoor knowledge, ethics and service. It is planning service activities, training sessions, discussions, presentations and outings throughout the year. Visit www.acu.edu/outdoorclub for more information. The Taylor County Historical Commission is hosting their annual Fall Historical Marker tour from 1-5 p.m. Nov. 5. Participants will enjoy a guided bus tour of 15 or more current or proposed historical marker locations throughout Abilene, Buffalo Gap, Merkel and the county. The bus leaves Lytle Land & Cattle Company, 1150 E. S. 11th at Judge Ely Boulevard, at 1 p.m. and returns at 5 p.m. Contact Commission President Jim Bucherie at 325-695-4250, Stowe, or Anita Lane at 325-5723269 for more information about the tour.
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.
Credited Chapels remaining:
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Police Log (edited for space) Oct. 17 9 a.m. Service check of vehicle 12:30 p.m. Unlocked vehicle at south Parking lot 2:42 p.m. Jumpstart vehicle at University Church lot 5 p.m. Criminal mischief at Smith/Adams lot 6:40 p.m. Fire alarm at McKinzie Hall, all OK 7:44 p.m. Unlocked vehicle at McDonald lot Oct. 18 1:55 a.m. Suspicious subject on Campus Center Road, identified subject 9:20 a.m. Unlocked vehicle at Edwards lot 1:44 p.m. Unlocked vehicle at Big Purple lot 1:50 p.m. Unlocked vehicle on Oliver Jackson Boulevard 2 p.m. Placed boot on vehicle on ACU Drive for unpaid citations & unknown owner. 3 p.m. Parking violations at Teague lot 4:05 p.m. Removed boot from vehicle on ACU Drive 6:50 p.m. Emergency death notification to Mabee Hall resident 7:30 p.m.. Attempted to locate student at Gardner Hall 11:40 p.m. Checked Elmer Gray Stadium and secured storage room Oct. 19 12 a.m. Unlocked Campus Center 12:50 a.m. Suspicious subject at University Park Apartment, identified subject 12:20 a.m. Escorted subject to hotel on Interstate 20 7:10 a.m. Service check of vehicle 9:00 a.m. Parking violations at Bible lot 9:43 a.m. Placed boot on vehicle at library lot for citations and unable to identify owner 11:41 a.m. Assisted student with lock on bicycle at Smith lot 12:30 p.m. Checked welfare of child at Sherrod Apartments, parents were home, all OK 3:20 p.m. Removed boot from vehicle at library lot 3:40 p.m. Unlocked vehicle at 12 Teakwood 3:50 p.m. Directed traffic at University Church lot reference to construction 4:10 p.m. Jumpstart vehicle at University Church lot
4:40 p.m. Theft report at Gardner Hall 4:50 p.m. Unlocked vehicle at University Park Apartment lot 5:50 p.m. Unlocked vehicle on EN 10th Street 6:15 p.m. Jumpstart vehicle at Nelson lot 8:30 p.m. Unlocked Teague Center 9:10 p.m. Medical Emergency at Smith/Adams Hall 10 p.m. Report of fight at old Walmart Mart, fight was dispersed Oct. 20 12:05 a.m. Report of lost or stolen cell phone at Mabee Hall 8:25 a.m. Placed boot on vehicle at Library lot for unpaid citations and unknown owner 11 a.m. Unlocked vehicle at Edwards lot 11:40 p.m. Removed boot from vehicle at library lot 2 p.m. Unlocked vehicle at Nelson lot 3:10 p.m. Jumpstart vehicle on ACU Drive 4:25 p.m. Unlocked vehicle at 1800 Morrow Drive 10:45 p.m. Gave access to Library to retrieve item Oct. 21 8:25 a.m. Jumpstart vehicle at 600 EN 15th St. 11:55 a.m. Jumpstart vehicle at Smith/Adams lot 4:05 p.m. Jumpstart vehicle at Gardner lot Oct. 22 6:42 a.m. Unlocked Campus Center 7:10 a.m. Unlocked business building 7:51 a.m. Unlocked Bible building 9:47 a.m. Unlocked Don Morris Center 10:25 p.m. Locked business building 10:35 p.m. Locked Bible building Oct. 23 8:10 a.m. Unlocked Campus Center 1:30 p.m. Unlocked vehicle at Administration lot 3:50 p.m. Hit and run accident at University Park Apartment lot 8:10 p.m. Unlocked vehicle at Barret Hall 9:45 p.m. Assisted student out of gas at Sikes lot
Volunteer Opportunities The Neighborhoods In Progress group needs volunteers to help with installing a sprinkler system in some neighborhood housing Saturday mornings. 8:30 a.m.-noon until the project is complete. No experience is necessary, and all equipment is provided. For more information, contact the Volunteer and SeviceLearning Center in the Bean Sprout. The GV Daniels Recreation Center Fall Festival needs volunteers to run game booths and help clean up from 6-10 p.m. Monday. For more information, contact Justin Whiteley at 6766443. Habitat for Humanity needs
volunteers to work at their Halloween Carnival held at the mall on Monday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information, contact Karen Mendoza at 325201-0250 March of Dimes needs volunteers to help decorate, monitor the silent auction and clean up after a black-tie fundraising dinner on Nov. 7 and 8. For more information, contact Jennifer Woodard at 672-0566. Weekend Campaigns are open on the following weekends: Oct. 28-30, Nov. 4-6, and Nov. 18-20. For more information, contact Jonathan Wood at 210-273-1466 or e-mail him at jrw02i@acu.edu.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Page 3
CAMPUS NEWS
Shades step show delayed
Playing “all that jazz”
n Shades’ annual fall show has been delayed until January, giving new members longer to prepare and giving the organization more time to inform students of the event. By KENNY McENTIRE Student Reporter
ANNA CARROLL/Staff Photographer
Jeff Tipps, junior instrumental music education major from Brackettville; Jenifer Arnel, junior biology major from Granbury; and Adam Dittemore, freshman psychology major from Seattle, play their saxophones during the Jazz Ensemble concert Oct. 18 in the Bean Sprout.
Forums added to Chapel lineup n Forums have been scheduled to aid students lacking the necessary number of Chapel credits, with hopes of reducing the number of students on probation. By MONICA SMITH Staff Writer
Mid semester has passed, and many students wonder if they will have enough Chapel credits for the term. Students are required to earn 55 Chapel credits by the end of the semester, and those who do not attain the required amount are subject to Chapel probation. As of Monday, 30 credits were still available for students simply by attending regular Chapel. Shane Hughes, Chapel coordinator, has at least two Chapel forums planned, “in the interest of giving students the opportunity to earn the necessary credits.” The first forum is sched-
uled for Nov. 5, a Saturday. The forum will feature David Leeson, a 1978 graduate and 2004 Pulitzer Prize winner. The forum is a presentation of his work and is in partnership with the Adams Center for Teaching Excellence. Students who attend this forum will earn three credits. The second forum is the annual online assessment of Chapel. Students are able to earn three credits by giving input and feedback to help improve Chapel. Students will receive the assessment Nov. 14, through a link e-mailed to their Web mail address. “A total of 12 credits could have been earned,” Hughes said. “And that’s about average. Students had the option of earning the other six credits earlier in the semester. The first came during the first
few weeks of school. The second forum was with Dr. Litfin, president of Wheaton College, and was not as well attended as expected.” Hughes said potential exists for another forum, however he is not certain if there will be one. Data will need to be processed to determine where students Hughes stand on their Chapel credits. “At this point, it’s about average,” Hughes said. “At this point the same number of students need forum credits to earn the credits needed and at this point, the same number of students won’t mathematically make it.” Last semester, the univer-
sity placed 460 students on Chapel probation. Though the number is typically the same as other semesters, the number of those on probation has increased in the last couple of years. Hughes said this is why the university began planning forums. During the previous four years, Hughes has offered 12-16 credits each; however, students still continue to fall behind. “If you fail to meet Chapel requirement, you may be suspended for a semester, which is why we do forums,” Hughes said. “We want to give students a second chance to earn their credits. I would love it if everyone made it, but it’s the student’s choice. It’s more important to give them the ability to choose than to take away their autonomy.” E-mail Smith at: mxs02e@acu.edu
The student organization Shades has cancelled its fall semester show. Shades has rescheduled the show for the third week in January and plans to make the show bigger and better with acts during intermission featuring individual students or groups. Shades is a step organization. Stepping is a form of dance movement that involves members stomping their feet, clapping their hands and using their voices to make one unified rhythm among the group. “We’re entertainment,” said Nichelle Walls, graduate student studying clinical psychology from Abilene and head captain of Shades. Many students remember the entertainment that Shades brought to Chapel last October, when the group performed at Chapel for the first time in two years. Shades moved the date of the show because the organization wants to make sure the new dancers and ACU are ready. Shades members said they would love to get
the news to the whole campus and have one amazing event in January and not rush it. Tryouts for the intermission acts have had the same fate as the first show, as they were delayed because of lack of public knowledge. The show in January will feature two themes, Walls said, one for the men and one for the women. For the men, the theme will be “the 80s” and for the women: “Not So Desperate Housewives.” The show will feature four separate acts from Shades including an opener and closer, which will sandwich performances by the men and women and the smaller intermission acts. Shades is an ACU organization, but its performances are not limited to campus. Organizations bid for Shades’ to perform at their events around Abilene. Shades’ first performance of the semester will be at a fashion show for design majors on Nov.3. Auditions for Shades were earlier in the semester, and more than 30 students tried out. Shades ended up taking seven of them, raising its total number of dancers to 22.
E-mail McEntire at: optimist@acu.edu
CAMPUS NEWS
Page 4
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
ACU to make spin off of ‘The Apprentice’ this summer n Students who attend the class in Oxford, England, will have the opportunity to compete in teams to perform challenges in selling, advertising and fundraising. By SHELBY COATES Student Reporter
The College of Business Administration will offer Global Apprentice as a new class for the Summer I term; students who take the course will spend one month in Oxford, England, competing in teams to complete several challenges. This is the first Global Apprentice Class, which will be based on the NBC hit TV show The Apprentice. Dr. Rick Lytle, dean of COBA
and associate professor of marketing, and Mike Winegeart, assistant professor of marketing, drew from their experiences in business, culture and their Christian walk to create this program, according to emailed inforLytle mation from Winegeart. Students participating in Global Apprentice will leave June 5. While in Oxford students will work in teams and compete in marketing research, selling, advertising, fundraising and developing marketing plans. Professors
Blooming where they’re planted
will assess students based on team task performance and working in a team environment, according to the class syllabus. Teams will be assigned tasks for each competition at weekly Monday evening Winegeart board meetings, where students must dress in business attire. Teams will have one week to complete their tasks. Local business partners, outside observers and Lytle will judge the teams. Lytle and Winegeart will be avail-
By TAKISHA KNIGHT Page 2 Editor
EMerald mcgowan/Staff Photographer
Organizational Behavior and Production and Process Management. According to the application, students should have at least 30 credit hours and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 as of the date of the application. The program fee is $3,100, which includes transportation to and from Oxford, housing and medical and travelers’ insurance. A $100 application fee is also needed. Standard ACU tuition and academic fees are required as well.
Global Apprentice Class ª Class offered in Summer I • Students leave June 5 • Requirements needed: 30 credit hours and a minimum grade point average of 2.5 • Cost: $3,100 for transportation, housing and insurance •Students will compete in teams to complete projects such as marketing research, selling, advertising, fundraising and developing marketing plans
E-mail Coates at: optimist@acu.edu
‘Prickly Pear’ will use ID photos for yearbook n The Depot will retake student ID photos for all students who wish to have a different picture than the one taken during Passport for the yearbook.
Ben Mitchel, freshman finance major from Alpharetta, Ga., and Tymon Bloomer, freshman evironmental science major from Houston, both physical resources student workers, help fertilize and plant flowers outside the Campus Center on Tuesday afternoon.
able for consultation for the teams, but they will not aid in teams’ tasks. Each team will be filmed during meetings and during every task performance, according to the class syllabus. The films will be viewed by Lytle and Winegeart, and the tapes could possibly be used in COBA and university promotional videos. Students interested in the course must be enrolled in the following classes: Global Apprentice, International Business or International Markets and Consumption. Also, students must have taken or currently be enrolled in Financial Management, Management and
The Depot is the “onestop shop” for meal plan changes, account information and now yearbook portraits. Beginning this year, The Prickly Pear office is using ID pictures as yearbook portraits. Using the pictures in the system eliminates the hassle of scheduling an appointment to take pictures. Also, students can have their pictures updated at The Depot free of charge. “In the past we have had a few days scheduled when students can get their portraits made, but this year we decided it’d be easier to do it this way and get everyone in the book,” said Elizabeth Newman, editor-in-chief of the Prickly Pear and junior integrated marketing and
communication major from Tyler. Instead of having a freshman picture in the system throughout students’ college years, their pictures can be updated every year, Newman said. If students do not wish to be included in the yearbook,
seen the number of students who went to get their pictures taken decline, and that is something we’d like to see change,” White said. “But we also know that the Centennial yearbook is a very special book that we want everyone to value and appreciate,” he said.
“We’ve seen the number of students who went to get their pictures taken decline, and that is something we’d like to see change.” Cade White, Prickly Pear adviser and instructor of journalism
they must fill out a withdrawal form and return it to The Depot before the cutoff date, March 31. Cade White, Prickly Pear adviser and instructor of journalism, said using ID pictures for yearbook portraits is an idea that has been in the works for about 15 years. “In recent years, we’ve
In the past couple of years, only 800-900 students have shown up for their portraits because of inconveniences, such as long lines and schedule conflicts, he said. Some students seem to embrace the idea of taking portraits at their own convenience. Hermiaya Harris, junior art major from Lubbock,
said she has never taken a yearbook portrait at the university. She said she likes the idea of not having to wait in line, and she will likely take her first portrait this year. “I think I like doing it on my time because I have a busy schedule,” said Shannon Morgan, freshman speech pathology major from Longview. However, some students are not as excited with the idea. Geraldine Cardenas, freshman bilingual early education major from Abilene, said she would rather take her picture with a professional. “I think it’s good to have that time availability to go whenever, but just the fact that they’re going to use a digital camera and one of the student workers is not very pleasing,” Cardenas said. The Prickly Pear will be shipped to students who ordered them in the fall of 2006. E-mail Knight at: tnk03a@acu.edu
Students can visit local pumpkin patch n Pumkpin bread, hot chocolate, apple cider, apple butter and pumpkins can be purchased at Cedar Creek Pumkpin Patch on Friday and Saturday.
By DANIELLE SPENCE-MARROW Student Reporter
Although the weather was still warm, the leaves from the trees were still green and the mosquitoes were still on the rampage, the smell of hot apple cider, pumpkin bread and the vision of pumpkins reassured visitors at the Cedar Creek Pumpkin Patch that fall was on its way. Gayne Johnson, wife of Stephen Johnson, professor of Bible, Mission and Ministry, said she wanted everyone who visited their pumpkin patch to feel at home. This October was the first year the Cedar Creek Pumpkin Patch, located a few blocks from campus, at 1399 Austin St., opened. “I decided to do this because
I haven’t seen a pumpkin patch around here in a while now, so I thought it would be fun,” Johnson said. “Hopefully this will get everyone ready for the fall season and put everyone in the holiday spirit.” The Cedar Creek Pumpkin Patch opened on Oct. 1 and will run every weekend in October, Friday 4-8 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Special weekday arrangements can be made for groups. About several hundred people have visited the pumpkin patch, Johnson said. “We can tell because the grass has begin to fade where people walked and it has sort of created a path into the pumpkin patch,” Johnson said. Many families come out on the weekends and pre-school students usually come during the week, Johnson said. There is no admission price; however pumpkin bread, hot apple cider, hot chocolate and apple butter can be purchased. The prices range from 50 cents
to $3. Many activities are available for family and friends, include yard games such as soccer, badminton, hula-hoops and bean toss. There are also areas where pictures can be taken, where parents can sit down, relax and let the kids play without any worries because the play area is fenced in. A pumpkin patch would not be complete without pumpkins. The Cedar Creek Pumpkin Patch has home grown pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. The pumpkins are also on sale and range from $2-$8. “We are a humble little pumpkin patch but we hope we can provide a family atmosphere where families can come together and spend time,” Johnson said. This weekend is the last weekend, and Johnson said she encourages everyone and their families to come out and participate in all the fun. E-mail Spence-Marrow at: optimist@acu.edu
CAMPUS NEWS
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Freshman receives journalism award n Eric Gentry, freshman Biblical text major from DeSoto, has been awarded for a controversial news story he wrote for his high school newspaper last year. By LAUREN HART Student Reporter
A freshman has been recognized for a national journalism award and scholarship for a news story he wrote for his high school newspaper, which stirred up controversy in the community of DeSoto and received national attention. Eric Gentry, freshman Biblical text major from DeSoto, won the national Courage in Student Journalism Award, not for the article itself, but for the determination to stand firm and exercise his First Amendment rights despite pressures and tensions from the community. During Gentry’s senior year and second year as editor in chief, he and his high school journalism staff writers on The Eagle Eye discovered a potential misuse of funds. He learned that Amon Rashidi had allegedly conned two other school boards for about $1 mil-
lion in the past four years through gang-intervention programs. The DeSoto School District paid Rashidi $65,000 to conduct a gang assessment, and the agreement stated DeSoto would pay him up to $1 million, which it never did because of Gentry’s findings, Gentry said. “It was a hostile time to be a student journalist at DeSoto High School,” Gentry said. The Eagle Eye was threatened with censorship, the forced resignation of its adviser and the removal of its funding. The newspaper was also accused of printing libelous news against Rashidi. “I held this guy’s livelihood in my hands,” Gentry said. “This was his job, and I was going to take it from him. “At first it was really hard,” Gentry said, but “that’s why you’re a journalist—you want to tell the truth.” Gentry said he still remembers his adviser’s encouraging words: “You have to stand for what is right.” Gentry said, “If you stand for what you know is right,
you can face consequences that come your way.” Carol Richtsmeier, DeSoto High School publication adviser and journalism teacher, has worked in Gentry’s high school for 15 years. “There is no one more deserving of the award,” Richtsmeier said. “It takes a lot of courage to stand up, and it is so easy to back off, but they didn’t flinch. They kept going. I’m very proud of them. “He’s very, very talented. Someone like Eric comes across once in a lifetime,” Richtsmeier said. “He’s so talented in so many ways. He is an excellent journalist, an excellent reporter and a wonderful young man.” The school board hired a new superintendent and principal. They made changes to censor the school’s newspaper, which caused Richtsmeier to resign. She now teaches journalism at Midlothian High School. “I knew that I couldn’t work for a place that didn’t hold the First Amendment as high as I did,” Richtsmeier said. The Newseum, the Stu-
dent Press Law Center and the National Scholastic Press Association jointly sponsor the national Courage in Student Journalism Awards. Only one student or group receives the award each year. Gentry chose to split the award four ways, to share with his staff writers. In addition, Richtsmeier also received a $5,000 award for her efforts. Eric Gentry has won numerous journalism awards and scholarships, including being named the first runner-up of the U.S. journalism finalists and winning a $25,000 Al Neuharth national scholarship. The Dallas Morning News has covered several of his stories in addition to a local news channel. Looking back on the situation, Gentry said that the story on Rashidi helped him win scholarships and opened the door for two staff members, he being one of them, to gain professional internships. “It’s been a pretty good deal. Not a lot of fun, but worth it,” he said.
E-mail Hart at: optimist@acu.edu
Page 5
Coloring outside of the lines
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Danielle Rhoades, junior art major from Overland Park, Kan., works on a children’s book illustration for her Intro to Illustration class Monday outside the Shore Art Gallery. As part of the assignment, Rhoades can only use one color at a time in her illustration. She has just put one color on the page and is now erasing what isn’t needed in order to use a new color.
Students work toward Capstone Project for Honors degree n In order to graduate with honors, students must complete an Honors Capstone Project, which is a thesis, creative work or product of an internship. By AARON BALLARD Staff Writer
For many juniors and seniors in the Honors Program, the final step towards graduation with honors is the Capstone Project. This year, Dr. Chris Willerton, director of the Honors Program, and Dr. Caron Gentry, assistant professor of political science and Honors, are making the rounds of all the departments Willerton to refine the junior and senior Honors requirements, including the Capstone Project. “We are trying to work out, department by department, the recommended form the Capstone ought to take,”
Willerton said. “We want to provide students and prospective committee members with ideas and to make them more pertinent to professional training.” Of the nearly 1,400 university honors programs in the United States, a senior capstone or a senior thesis is the one almost universal requirement, Willerton said. “A long, strenuous project in independent research has great intellectual value. It changes a person who does one,” Willerton said. “That’s why they’re so common in honors programs and honors colleges.” The Capstone Project at the university takes on many forms. These various forms tend to be dependent on the student’s department. “A senior thesis is a hard sell in non-elite institutions, where students and their parents are pragmatic and career-oriented. My feeling is that a thesis is perfect
for some disciplines but an awkward fit in others,” Willerton said. “Our own Capstone Project is flexible. It can be a thesis, a creative work, a collaborative scientific project, a product of an internship or practicum or something else that prepares a student for the future.”
frame really depends on the nature of the research.” All Capstone Projects have two things in common: a prospectus and a three-person committee. The prospectus is the outline that the project will follow. It must be turned in six weeks prior
“A long, strenuous project in independent research has great intellectual value. It changes a person who does one.” Dr. Chris Willerton, director of the Honors Program
The Capstone Project is typically done during a student’s final semester, and it usually takes twothirds of a semester to complete. However, once again, much depends on the department under which the Capstone is being completed, Willerton said. “It is possible to begin in January and end in April, but it is very hard,” Willerton said. “The time
to the start of the project, and it includes items such as tentative title, general topic, preparations in this area, materials and sources, methodology and time-frame, anticipated product, and anticipated benefit to the student’s professional growth. “The benefit of the prospectus to students is that it gives them an opportunity to lay out
plans in a professional manner,” Willerton said. “It also allows departments to practice quality control.” The student chooses the three-person committee, which usually consists of professors in the student’s department. However, off-campus community members or staff members can serve if their expertise is important, Willerton said. “The three-person com mittee functions like a thesis committee,” he said. “It signs off on the prospectus after inspecting methodology, sources, time frame, etc. Then its members advise the student during research. At the end, they sign off on the product.” Whether the projects are graded depends on whether the student is taking the Capstone as a guided study for credit or not. “The student’s department can set it up for one, two or three hours of credit,” Willerton said.
“However, many Capstones are done noncredit, either as part of a departmental seminar or just as an independent project.” The topic of a student’s Capstone Project is dependent on three factors. First is interest, second is opportunity and third are departmental strengths, Willerton said. The Honors Program has three different tracks to graduate with honors. The Capstone Project has been a requirement for University Honors and Departmental Honors since the Honors Program began in 1984. However, it isn’t required for General Honors, which is usually completed in the junior year. “The whole project is a learning experience, on a scale and methodology most students haven’t done before,” Willerton said.
E-mail Ballard at: agb04b@acu.edu
Page 6
October 26, 2005
Cigar smoking popular but cancerous
The issue:
Cigar smoking has become popular among college students and many regularly hang out at tobacco shops around Abilene.
Our view:
Smoking is bad. It can lead to fatality through cancer and heart disease. Many places offer a more healthful alternative to sucking on a cigar and sitting in a tobacco shop.
The solution:
Students should steer clear of these cancer-causing agents and treat their bodies nicely by not smoking. Sitting in a coffee shop is a much better option than going to a tobacco shop.
Each weekend, dozens of ACU students unwind at The Leaf, a downtown smoke shop specializing in cigars. They chat with friends, listen to music and soak up the atmosphere - filled with carbon monoxide, cyanide, ammonia and arsenic. Most students do not realize the danger they are exposing themselves to by smoking cigars and spending time in a smoky environment. Many students believe smoking cigars is less harmful than smoking cigarettes, because they do not inhale. However, research from the National Cancer Institute shows that cigar smokers
Halloween, in spite of around the neighborhood seemingly evil origins, al- with friends, eating candy ways seemed to draw me and staying up past our back in year after year— bedtime. Halloween is evbut not in ery normal youth’s heaven the same on earth. way it did And the fact that we my friends. were experiencing HalI always loween about two hours w a n t e d from Salem, Mass., where to wear the witch trials happened a scary made the holiday much c o s t u m e , more exciting. These fall evenings, Don’t Believe but Mom and Dad year after year, contained the Hype w o u l d n ’ t smells of wet foliage, punallow it. gent leaves and hickory log Mitch E v e r y fires, tastes of apple cider Holt O c t o b e r , and magnificent candy and my family ventured into doorstep encounters with Party City, costume store dozens of different kinds and supplier for hundreds of people—young, old and of children in our small ancient. Connecticut town. I deeply Upon our return to 32 desired a black cape and Marshall St. with our sweet vampire teeth or a red loot, my parents inspected cape and a pitchfork, only our candy for poison, alto realize lowed us we were a few piecHalloween instilled there to es of our buy plenchoice and in me glimpses of ty-pack a glass of what it truly means bags of milk and to be a kid—ones Smarties let us run I didn’t realize or Three around Muskethe house until recently. t e e r s until we candy to collapsed. hand out on the big night. These nights were marvelOur costumes were never ous. bought in a store. Halloween, or any holiYear after year, I was day for that matter, isn’t a pirate or a clown or about being scary or egga friendly ghost—I just ing houses or getting more didn’t understand why I candy than any other kid couldn’t embody an evil on the block, it’s about deity like the rest of my storing images, smells, friends. My parents mysti- tastes and memories in fied me. your mind for later acInstead, my costumes count on the opinion page were always hand-made. of the Optimist. From painted-on mustachJust kidding. es and eye patches to white These Halloweens, now sheets with cut-out holes vivid yet distant memories, for eyes, my costumes al- instilled in me glimpses of ways lacked that Hallow- what it truly means to be een-esque feel oh-so-im- a kid—ones I didn’t realize portant to the holiday. until recently. These realIn spite of the absence izations will help retain of real, factory-made cos- a youthfulness as I grow tumes, my brother and I older. never forgot the experiSo, this year, I think I’ll ences we had during Hal- be a pirate. loween each year. One night a year, we E-mail Holt at: were allowed to run mah02f@acu.edu, optimist@acu.edu
Cole Williams
Halloween offers healthy reminders It’s October. And that means I face the yearly question from students: “How should Christians respond to Halloween?” There’s an interesting conversation to be had about Halloween. A place to explore the Guest intersecColumn tion of faith Dr. Richard and culture. To add my Beck voice to that conversation I’d like to offer some psychological observations in defense of Halloween. Psychologically, I think Halloween performs two important functions. First, Halloween allows us to collectively process our eventual death and mortality. The graveyards, corpses, blood, skeletons and coffins of Halloween allow us on a yearly basis to confront our physicality and
I think Halloween’s motifs of death and the uncanny are not about the demonic. They are about our children and us collectively confronting the scary things in life. work through our largely repressed fear of death. In this, Halloween serves an important existential function. Second, Halloween allows us to work through our fears of the uncanny— the things that go bump in the night. This is the second major theme of Halloween, which manifests itself in Halloween’s evening and monster motifs, the bats, owls, ghosts and goblins. The world is a scary place at times, a strange and mysterious place, and we tend to fill its dark corners with “monsters.” Halloween, particularly for children, allows us to roam a night filled with ghosts and ghouls to find only friends and neighbors (and candy!). Again, vague fears are collectively confronted and processed.
“Last year I went to a haunted house with friends. I got so startled that I fell in the mud.”
In Your Words Jessica Clark
freshman history major from Spring Branch
Thus, two of the great themes of Halloween— death and the uncanny—are healthy confrontations with our collective anxieties concerning our frailness and mortality. In this, I believe Halloween is empowering to children, giving them a sense of control in a spooky and scary world. (I should also mention the third great theme of Halloween: Harvest.) What I think has happened in some Christian communities is that the Halloween motifs of death and the uncanny get linked to the occult and from the occult to demonic/Satanic influences. I think this link is a bit of a stretch (largely made by linking that symbol of the uncanny—witches—to spells and black magic and from there to occult and
“Dressing up as a clown and going to houses that were decked out with heavy Halloween attire.”
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
demonic forces). Death is not demonic. We should not associate the graveyards, blood, and skeletons of Halloween with Satan. Graveyards are about our bodies and their frailty, and most of Halloween is as well. Further, the uncanny is the unknown and the mysterious. The night isn’t demonic, it’s just mysterious and, as a consequence, spooky. And it is good at times to confront the spookiness to see that there really isn’t a monster in your closet. So I defend Halloween to my students. I think Halloween’s motifs of death and the uncanny are not about the demonic. They are about our children and us collectively confronting the scary things in life. And that, speaking as a psychologist, seems to me a good thing. Trick or Treat?
Dr. Richard Beck is a professor of psychology at the university and can be reached through e-mail at
“One year we dressed in all black and jumped out at kids as they came up for candy.”
Eric Johnson
Will Riggs
junior finance major from Boerne
“My cousin hid behind a grave while we were trick-or-treating and started talking to us. It was pretty scary.”
Brandi Walker
junior interior design major from Abilene
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
haust pipe in your mouth. Cigars contain nicotine, which means they are habitforming. Cigar-smoking can also lead to a more dangerous cigarette addiction. Cigar smokers are more than twice as likely to begin smoking cigarettes as nonsmokers. Smoking cigars with your buddies won’t be so fun in twenty years when you are missing five teeth and have had several facial reconstruction surgeries. Hang out in a coffee shop instead. You can enjoy a relaxed atmosphere without the dangerous cocktail of chemicals and carcinogens.
Let Loose
Holiday serves to create memories
What is your most memorable Halloween experience?
have a high experience Most students don’t realize the danger they and risk of develbone loss around are exposing themselves to by smoking and the jaw. oping cancer, spending time in a smoky environment. even if they Exposure to don’t inhale. second-hand cigar All cigar and cigarette smokers, they are twice as smoke also increases the smokers, whether or not likely as non-smokers to de- risk of cancer and heart disthey inhale, directly expose velop it. ease. Because cigars give off their lips, mouth, tongue, Cigar-smokers are also more second-hand smoke throat and larynx to smoke more likely to die of heart than cigarettes, the danger and its carcinogens. Swal- disease than non-smokers. from second-hand smoke is lowing saliva that contains A study by the American more significant than with these carcinogens also en- Cancer Society found that cigarettes. dangers the esophagus. cigar smokers have a 30 perA study performed by Because of this exposure, cent higher death rate from the National Cancer Insticigar smokers are just as heart disease before age 75 tute found that the concenlikely as cigarette smokers than non-smokers. tration of carbon monoxide to develop oral or esophaA 1999 study by the in a cigar bar was as much geal cancer. American Dental Associa- as on a crowded California Although cigar smokers tion found that cigar smok- freeway. Next time you’re are less likely to develop ers are just as likely as ciga- enjoying a cigar, imagine lung cancer than cigarette rette smokers to lose teeth yourself with your car’s ex-
freshman psychology major from Willis
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FROM THE FRONT PAGE
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Page 7
Work: Designing a different library Continued from page 1 having a rule if everybody is breaking it? Let’s embrace it and plan a place for it.” And that’s exactly what they did. The Learning Commons will be a space with the necessary resources that students need to complete their work just footsteps away. Among these resources includes the a copy center, the Writing Center, Team 55 and the much-desired coffee shop, all of which will surround clusters of spacious computer tables specifically designed for group projects. Students will no longer have to run to the Campus Center to grab a snack, only to sneak it back into the library. They won’t have to dash to Copy Stop to print out their final projects. Track lighting around the floor’s perimeter will replace its dull fluorescent lights. Talking will replace the infamous “shhh…” previously found in the library. “This floor was designed for social interaction,” Saltsman said. “We created these area to encourage people to work together.” Plans for turning the atrium into an art gallery are also underway. This will provide a place for students to perform, read poetry and display their talents to those around them. Saltsman said they are considering opening this area on Friday nights.
Saltsman said their goal was to make the area look completely different from the old library. “It needs to feel like a different place,” he said. “It needs to function like a different place.”
A New Era Decades ago, before the breakthrough of the Internet, students had a greater need to utilize library resources for research and homework. Today, the convenience of technology allows students like McGowan to obtain information at their fingertips in their own rooms. The need for a place to research has decreased. This, said Mark Tucker, affects the library’s gate count the number of people that enter the building every year. Tucker, dean of Library and Information Services, said surveys have shown that students today rely greatly on teamwork. Their goals then, are to create an atmosphere most conducive to this type of student learning. The Learning Commons is a growing trend across the country, as libraries seek to support students academically. When Trinity University in San Antonio integrated these ideas into its university, it saw a 40 percent gate count increase in the first year; in the second year, the gate count increased by an additional 60 percent, Tucker said. Other
schools in Texas that are following this similar trend include Texas Christian University and Texas Wesleyan University. Karen Hendrick, a familiar face in the library, has been a librarian since 1966 and is head of library public service. She said that the amount of resources available to students today causes an information overload. “As [information] expands, it’s harder to find the gems in the midst of the trash,” she said. However, she said that it is important for students to learn how
Program director and professor, said she liked the idea of the art gallery because it advocates an unconventional but important type of learning. “Readings, singing and displaying art are unique ways to share with each other; it’s not just through books,” she said. “It is preparing a much broader view of where knowledge comes from and how we experience learning.” Tucker said he wants students to succeed academically as they work together; just as importantly, however, he said, “At the same
“Reading, singing and displaying art are unique ways to share with each other; it’s not just through books.” Kitty Wasemiller, Interior Design Program director and professor
to successfully search for information because that is what employers seek. If the Learning Commons increases the library’s gate count, students could receive more help obtaining information. While trying to create an atmosphere for students to congregate, the Faculty Library Committee is keeping the library a versatile space for studying. Quiet areas will remain in the basement and second floors for students who like or need to study alone. On a different note, Kitty Wasemiller, Interior Design
time, we’re obviously meeting one of the goals of the university, which is being connected for life.”
A Collaborative Effort Plans for the Learning Commons did not derive from a single mind; the university formed the Faculty Library Committee to oversee reconstruction plans. The versatility of the Learning Commons was a result of the collaboration between a diverse group of faculty members from departments across campus ranging from the English
and Biology Departments to the Center for Teaching Excellence. The committee extensively researched the basis for the Learning Commons and visited university campuses to obtain ideas. The committee also utilized students for the project in several ways. A group of students from the College of Business Administration created surveys to receive input from the student body concerning their thoughts and opinions on the library’s current status. It also used the input from students in architecture and interior design classes taught by Ronnie Rama and Kitty Wasemiller respectively. Students in these classes designed floor and space plans for the library’s first floor for their class projects. Tyler King, senior interior design major from Abilene, said although she doesn’t know how much of her classes’ ideas the committee will use in the end, she thinks that they were convincing of some ideas, such as supporting and pushing the idea for a new library entrance at the current Adams Center. Josh Lankford, senior interior design major from also came up with the idea of having a bar at the café. When the renovations are completed, students will continue to play an important part by giving suggestions and input, Saltsman
said. For example, students will likely get to name the coffee shop when it opens. The construction will cost $700,000 to $1 million and is funded mostly though the provost office, as well as through the academic enrichment fee that students pay each semester.
Impending plans Saltsman said construction is set to take place right away and will hopefully finish by the end of Christmas break. Although students might spend the rest of the semester with hammers and nails, the benefits of the Learning Commons might just make up for it. “We want to be so appealing that it’s going to be the natural place where working and hanging out take place,” Tucker said. Like McGowan, Tyler King had hardly visited the library prior to her class project. “They’re doing this because they know of people like me,” she said. McGowan said that he would visit the library more often, especially if it had a café. “If they have a Starbucks all the way across town,” he said. “Why not have it here on campus as well?”
E-mail Lau at: rhl02a@acu.edu
Haunted: Halloween tradition supports service Continued from page 1 if you are in line by midnight, we’ll stay there until everyone gets through,” Gallagher said. Five hundred tickets are available for students to purchase in the Campus Center this week, although college students aren’t the only students the clubs want to come, Marshall said.
He said ads have been placed at the high schools in Abilene, and the club is working on a radio advertisement as well. He said that many of the people who attend are from the community. Marshall said although they advertised to only sell until Tuesday, they will continue selling until they run
out of tickets. The Frats want to sell 1,500 to 2,000 tickets this year, Gallagher said. He said this is about how many tickets sold last year, and the Village of Buffalo Gap made about $14,000. The money raised through the Haunted Village will help with service projects the Frats work on in the community and in keeping
club costs low, he said. “It provides something for people to do in Abilene,” Gallagher said. “It will be a unique experience that is not your typical haunted house.” Marshall also added that it provides students and Abilenians with the opportunity to do something safe and fun during the Hallow-
Woodruff: Freshman charged Continued from page 1 Woodruff’s roommate, Eric Gentry, freshman biblical text major from DeSoto, said he could not discuss the case at this time. According to reports, a family friend found Dennis,
43, and Norma Woodruff, 42, dead in their mobile home near Royse City, northeast of Dallas, on Oct. 18. Chief Deputy Robert White of the Hunt County Sheriff’s Department has told media the bodies were shot and stabbed several times. White said the doors to
the home had been locked and no signs of forced entry were found. He said evidence at the scene made
Woodruff a suspect early in the investigation. In Texas, capital murder, which includes situations in which multiple murders take place, is punishable by death or life in prison.
Woodruff
E-mail Smith at: jvs02a@acu.edu
Hurricane: City organizes relief efforts Continued from page 1 ami-Dade relief groups will open 11 distribution centers by Tuesday afternoon
to help supply people with the essentials during this time of need. “We’re getting water back up this morning,”
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle said in a city press release Tuesday morning. “The power restoration is our biggest concern, as we
get water and other services back up.”
E-mail Holt at: mah02f@acu.edu
een weekend. This year Frat members are excited to be able to participate in a haunted house because it they have not been able to do put on a haunted house for the past two years. The building that Frats usually used for the Haunted House no longer met Abilene fire regulation, which meant the club had to
find a new location. “We are excited to be able to bring back a tradition of our club,” Gallagher said. “It’s been a tradition for a long time and it means a lot to the old members to be able to continue in it and to have our new members help, too.” E-mail Sherwood at: mes02e@acu.edu
Pledge: Sharing old club memories Continued from page 1
Kappa, he said. “The most important thing about pledging is to remain yourself and let God use that to teach you new things,” he said. Saab said he learned about unity and brotherhood. He said among his most prominent pledging memories is the last night of pledging when his brothers washed his feet and the feet of the other pledges. Despite the time-consuming elements, Bonnie Coley, sophomore elementary edu-
cation major from Abilene, she had a great time pledging Sigma Theta Chi. “It was fun and exhausting all at the same time,” she said. Now that pledging is over, Coley said she intends to catch up on some much-needed sleep and with friends who are not involved in club. From the experience, Coley gained wisdom to share with future pledges, “Make the most of it,” she said. “It is the most fun you’ll never have again.” E-mail Knight at: tnk03a@acu.edu
Page 8
October 26, 2005 Standings Football
Team Conf. Overall 6-1 8-1 WTAMU Angelo St. 6-1 8-1 Tarleton St. 5-2 6-2 TAMU-K 5-2 6-2 ENMU 4-4 4-5 ACU 3-4 3-5
Roller hockey team looks for support n The roller hockey team’s season has begun, and after six games the team has a 3-1-2 record. Team expenses are covered by the players who are trying to raise money. By BRADY HILTON Student Reporter
Volleyball Team Div. ACU 7-0 WTAMU 5-1 TAMU-K 4-3 ENMU 2-4 Tarleton St. 1-6 Angelo St. 1-6
Overall 22-3 23-7 9-17 7-16 12-14 9-18
Scores Thursday
Volleyball ACU 3, Tarleton State 0
Saturday
FOOTball ACU 18, Tarleton State 7 Volleyball ACU 3, Texas A&M-Kingsville 0
Upcoming Schedule Friday
VOlleyball ACU at Incarnate Word, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Football ACU vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville, 2 p.m. VOlleyball ACU at St. Mary’s, 2 p.m.
• Home games listed in italics
Briefs Farrell named LSC South Division Defensive Player of the Week after Tarleton State win. Senior defensive end Clayton Farrell earned South Division player of the week after his performance in the Wildcats’ 18-7 win over the No. 19 Texans. Farrell made eight total tackles, seven solo, five for a loss and a career high four sacks. Farrell leads the conference with 9.5 sacks and is third on the ACU all-time sack list with 27 behind James Henderson (30) and Reuben Mason (34). Along with leading the LSC in sacks, Farrell also leads the league in tackles for loss with 18.5, and is fourteenth in the league in tackles with and average of 7.8 tackles per game. Farrell helped to lead the Wildcat defense, allowing the Texans to a mere 167 total yards and only 38 yards in the second half.
The ACU hockey team started its season this weekend with a record of 3-1-2, beating teams such as Stephen F. Austin, Austin College and Texas Christian University. Two weekends ago, the hockey team played Texas A&M Commerce (6-6), Stephen F. Austin (11-5) and the University of Houston (3-6), and last weekend won two of its three games and tied one. This weekend the team will travel to Denton to play Stephen F. Aus-
Roller Hockey tin, University of Texas at Dallas, TCU and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. “We are going to do all right,” said Caleb Dickison, physical therapy major from St. Louis. “We got a lot of potential we just have not got it all worked out yet, but when we do we could go a long way.” With four new freshmen this year, the team will have to work on preparing them to face the fast-paced type of game the team is used to playing. This is not the same game the freshmen are accustomed to, said Jon Andrews, senior marketing major from Midland and captain of the team. “The first two tournaments were not bad,” Andrews said.
“We need to work on our team game.” Since 2000, the hockey team has been competing and winning in Division II of the Southwest Collegiate Hockey League. In that time, the hockey team has not completed a season without finishing the playoffs in one of the top three spots. Also, the team has gone to nationals three times and been ranked in the top 10 in the past four out of five years. ACU has been doing rather well considering the criteria for Division II play is a university enrollment of fewer than 18,000 students. These players come from many different backgrounds, with most from Texas, but others are from Washington, California, Missouri, and even
Alaska. However, they all have one thing in common: their love for the game of hockey. Every season team shows its love of the game by paying the dues to play out of their own pockets. This team may wear and represent the ACU colors at the tournaments it attends, but receives minuscule help from the university financially. “In the last five years, I think that we might have got $1,000 from the school,” Andrews said. With the league dues set at $3,400 per team, per season, and equipment, travel, and other expenses having to come out of pocket, these players play for the love of the game. “It is hard to explain to new players and their parents that
we don’t get any support, and that they have to pay for it out of their own pocket,” Andrews said. The team will be selling Tshirts, hats, beanies, and bracelets in the Campus Center to help with some of the costs this year. The team is also working to schedule an exhibition match on its practice rink against Texas Tech’s Division I team to give the team an opportunity to show the ACU community what it has to offer. With no home rink to play on, this exhibition game would give the community a chance to come out and see what the team has to offer as the team hopes to gain more widespread student support. E-mail Hilton at: optimist@acu.edu
Wildcats upset Texans for 18-7 victory n The Wildcats beat the No. 19 ranked Tarleton State Texans 18-7 behind the efforts of the defense, allowing only 167 yards of total offense to the Texans. By JARED FIELDS Sports Editor
Defense was the name of the game Saturday in Stephenville, where the Wildcats dominated the Tarleton State offense and left with an 18-7 win. The Texans amounted only 167 total yards in the game and running back Derrick Ross, who ACU head coach Chris Thomsen said has NFL potential, was held to 79 yards on 24 carries. “The defense obviously stepped up big,” Thomsen said. “Holding Derrick Ross for 79 yards—that was a big factor in the game. Our defensive coaches did a real good job with the plan, and the players executed.” Leading the defense for the Wildcats was senior defensive end Clayton Farrell, with eight total tackles, four sacks and a safety. Farrell’s safety came in the second quarter after a Chase Fishback punt pinned the Texans down at the sixyard line. The game changed momentum on the Texans’ previous possession when Tarleton State threatened to take the lead. A facemask penalty against the Wildcats gave the Texans the ball with first-and-goal on the one-yard line. On first down, the Wildcats stopped Ross for no gain, and on the next play, sophomore linebacker Cody
Football Stutts intercepted a pass in the end zone to get the ball back for the Wildcats. “Stutts making that play— it was huge,” Thomsen said. For the Wildcats’ offense, freshman running back Taber Minner once again stepped up to fill in for the injured Rashon Myles. Minner out-performed his opponent with 31 carries for 158 yards and added 21 yards on three receptions. Minner scored the first touchdown for the Wildcats, a 16-yard run early in the second quarter, to take the lead, 10-7. After Farrell’s safety gave the Wildcats a 12-7 lead, freshman kicker Matt Adams made field goals of 41 and 27 yards, stretching the lead to 18-7, which became the final score of the game. The fourth quarter went scoreless for both teams, but an ACU punt attempt almost gave the Texans easy points. The Wildcats were forced to punt from their own end zone, and the snap to punter Chase Fishback went wide to his left. Fishback caught the ball and tried to kick it away, but a defender was coming to block the kick. Fishback dodged the defender and then took off to run instead of kicking the ball, gaining 24 yards and a first down on the play. “I was glad he ran it,” Thomsen said. “At first it was scary, but it opened up, and he saw it and took off. It was a great play.” On the ensuing Texans drive, sophomore cornerback Corey Jordan inter-
Brian schmidt/Chief Photographer
Senior defensive end Clayton Farrell fights through a double-team while scrimmaging in practice on Tuesday. cepted a pass near mid-field that gave the Wildcats the ball and allowed the team to run out the clock. While the ACU defense controlled the game, the offense performed just as well. The Wildcats ran Minner 78 offensive plays and totaled 422 yards, evenly distributed with passing and rushing yards. Redshirt freshman quarterback Billy Malone started the game but was replaced by another redshirt freshman, Nick Bird, in the be-
ginning of the second quarter, who played the rest of the game. Bird put up good numbers off the bench, completing 16 of 23 passes for 192 yards. Junior Mark Gaines continued to get rushing attempts for the Wildcats, gaining 33 yards on nine carries. Gaines began the year as a defensive back but has played offense in the past few games. “He plays a very unselfish role on the team,” Thomsen said. “He may continue to get more carries; he’s a quality back.” The Wildcats face Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday at Shotwell Stadium for the
team’s final home game. The Javelinas won 26-14 over Eastern New Mexico and are still in the hunt for a playoff berth. “They’re going to come up here with a lot of motivation,” Thomsen said. “After ACU beat them last year, they’ll be ready to play.” Kickoff for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2 p.m., and will be the last home game for 17 seniors. “Some of those guys have been around here and played a lot of football here,” Thomsen said. “Beating Kingsville would be a great deal for them.” E-mail Fields at: jrf03b@acu.edu
Cross country teams win individual, team championships n ACU men’s and women’s cross country teams swept the LSC team championships this weekend and the individual men’s and women’s championship. By STEVE HOLT Sports Writer
Not even a poorly marked course and an injured runner could stop the ACU men from picking up their 15th straight Lone Star Conference Cross Country Championship, which took place Saturday at the Prairie West Golf Course in Weatherford, Okla. Senior Lucky Hadebe, who has run as ACU’s fourth runner all season, dropped out of Saturday’s conference meet with Achilles tendon pain, and with less than a mile to go in the race, and a pack of three Wildcat runners leading the race took a wrong turn, adding about 1,000 meters to the 8,000meter race. “Everything went pretty much as planned, except in the men’s race, we had a few curve balls thrown at
Cross Country us,” said head coach Derek Hood, whose men’s team is ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Adams State College (Colo.). The leaders found the course again and held on for the win, however, as ACU placed all five runners in the top-20, for a team score of 28. The women’s team claimed its fifth conference title as well, scoring 43 team points. East Central placed second in the men’s race with 47 points, followed by Angelo State (68), Eastern New Mexico (90) and Texas A&MCommerce (101). On the women’s side, West Texas A&M was the runner up with 66 points, followed by Angelo State (88), Central Oklahoma (102) and East Central (171). Sophomore Nicodemus Naimadu and senior Trina Cox were the Lone Star Conference individual champions for the university, both earning all-conference hon-
ors in the process. Naimadu covered the 8,000-meter course in 26 minutes, 25.6 seconds, while Cox finished the 6,000-meter women’s race in 21:31.8. Wildcat freshmen standouts Serge Gasore and Philip Birgen were second and third, respectively, in the men’s race, Naimadu earning allconference honors for the first time. Defending men’s champion Martin O’Kello finished 7th in Saturday’s race with a time of 26:49.5, while freshman Alberic Nkunrunziza was 15th in 27:41.8. On the women’s side, Cox led a 1-2-3 finish for ACU. Sophomore Olha Kryv’yak placed second in the race with a time of 21:59.4, followed by senior Adeh Mwamba in third with a time of 22:14. All three runners earned all-conference honors. Rounding out
the top five for the Wildcat women were freshman Mary Mwangi, who placed 17th in 24:22.8, and senior Abbie Waters in 20th (24:36.8), who led a pack of ACU runners who finished 2021-22. “Obviously I was really pleased that ACU continued their winning streak Cox – the women winning their fifth in a row, and the men their 15th in a row,” Hood said. “To take first-through-third in both races was pretty exciting.” The Wildcat men won the 2004 Lone Star Conference meet with a perfect score of 15. The 2005 Wildcats have been hampered slightly by injuries and unrealistic expectations, specifically relating to the expected performance of freshman Burundian Alberic Nkurunziza. Nkurunziza has finished lower than expected
at nearly every meet this season, but Hood points to his previous experience as to why his start has been slow. “Alberic has never run cross country, so maybe the expectations were a little too high,” Hood said. “For having no cross country experience, he’s done all right.” With the South Central Region Championships taking place Nov. 5 in Abilene, Hood’s men and women will need to be injury-free and running their best. Despite being ranked No. 1 in the South Central Region, the men’s team’s chances for the title will suffer if Hadebe is out or hurting, and if O’Kello runs a subpar race. “It’s the national meet we’ve been pointing to since we began training, so if we squeak by at the regional meet, I’ll be OK with that,” Hood said. “We’re expecting to win the regional title. Martin will step it up for us, and Alberic will step it up.”
The women, ranked No. 1 in the region and No. 16 in the nation, will need strong races from Mwangi, Waters and Stanford at the region meet. Hood said Mwangi’s quality performances, as well as freshman Vanessa Whittle, have been a pleasant surprise, as both girls had never run cross country before this season. “Mary’s training is coming around better than expected,” Hood said. “Same thing with Vanessa. To have these two girls come into the program and make a contribution late in the season is a great bonus.” The South Central Region Meet will be Nov. 5 at Sherrod Park in Abilene. Two weeks after the region meet, Evansville, Ind., will play host to the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships.
E-mail Holt at: smh00a@acu.edu