Vol. 94, No. 24 1 section, 10 pages
FRIDAY
November 11, 2005
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Reefer
A jarring account
Home court advantage
Reefer, page X
The new film Jarhead examines life as a Marine during the first Gulf War, page 7
The Wildcats play in the Lone Star Conference tournament this weekend in Abilene, page 10
Texans vote to define marriage n About 77 percent of voters approved a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as being between one man and one woman during Tuesday’s election. By SARAH CARLSON Arts Editor
Texas became the 19th state to constitutionally ban samesex marriage Tuesday during
Cracker Barrel begins hiring
its off-year election, where 77 percent of voters voted in favor of the ban and 23 percent opposed it. Secretary of State Roger Williams said in a press release 18 percent of Texas’ 12.5 million registered voters participated, 2 percent higher than predicted and an increase from the 12.2 percent recorded in 2003. Taylor County also had an 18 per-
cent voter turnout. “I, and everybody else, expected it to pass by big margins,” said Dr. Neal Coates, assistant professor of political science. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist in Texas to know this is a done deal.” The ban did fail in one Texas county: Travis, home to Austin, where 60 percent of those voting opposed it.
House Joint Resolution 6, Proposition 2 on the ballot, states, “that marriage in this state consists only of the union of one man and one woman and prohibiting this state or a political subdivision of this state from creating or recognizing any legal status identical or similar to marriage.” See
ELECTION page 8
Proposition 2 election statistics State election statistics: • 18 percent of Texas’ 12.5 million registered voters participated • 77 percent approved • 23 percent opposed • Proposition 2 failed in one county (Travis) out of Texas’ 254 counties Taylor County results: • Approved: 12,138 • Disapproved: 1,787
Directing a tradition
n Congress also tabled until next week legislation requesting student athletes not be required to take physical education courses as the university reviews core classes. By TIFFANY TAYLOR Features Editor
n The restaurant is now looking to hire about 150 full-time and part-time employees for its new location on Interstate 20 and State Highway 351. By TAKISHA KNIGHT Page 2 Editor
The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store will open its doors Dec. 5, bringing homestyle meals and 150 new jobs to the community. Cracker Barrel is located next to the new Wal-mart Supercenter past Dairy Queen on State Highway 351. Kim Leedy, freshman missions major from The Woodlands, said she is a fan of Cracker Barrel. “It’s great food, and it’s not too expensive,” Leedy said. She compares the menu prices to restaurants like Chili’s. Cracker Barrel serves meals made from scratch for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menu items include traditional country meals such as grits, meat loaf, cobblers and more. It also features a country store. Paige Legan, freshman family studies major from Dallas, said she enjoys looking at the antiques at the store while waiting to be served. Jim Taylor, Cracker Barrel spokesperson, said Cracker Barrel is looking to hire 150 full-time and part-time employees by the end of next week. Students can visit the store and pick up applications to apply for any of the nine positions including servers, cashiers, retail and cooks. “Cracker Barrel has been a very good place for students because of flexibility with schedules,” he said. Employees receive weekly paychecks, paid vacations and 401 K savings plans. He said they also have the opportunity for three pay raises in their first year of employment. Cracker Barrel began hiring this week and will continue for the next two weeks, in order to allow time for a three to four-week training process. All positions are currently available, except for management. Taylor said the company brings in trained and experienced managers to train the new employees. Taylor said several levels of management run the stores. Cracker Barrel is not just a part-time job, he said. “We always believe that Cracker Barrel can be a career for everybody,” Taylor said. E-mail Knight at: tnk03a@acu.edu
SA votes against adding officer powers
Photo illustration by brian schmidt/Chief Photographer
Matt Maxwell, junior electronic media major from Abilene, helped begin the FilmFest tradition last year and will serve as its co-chair for three years.
Matt Maxwell has helped establish FilmFest in its first two years By TIFFANY TAYLOR Features Editor
Spotlighting the right person? Are the slides lasting too long? Who’s going on next? May I please have the card? While other students sat in the seats of the Paramount Theatre watching FilmFest on Nov. 4, one student was in charge of directing the event. Matt Maxwell, who has been a co-chair for FilmFest since its conception in 2004, took over directing responsibilities this year, despite having an already full plate. He didn’t sleep for 2 days before the event and was sneaking short naps in between appearances onstage. For a few months of the year, Maxwell eats, sleeps and breathes FilmFest, but Doug Darby, creative director for the Adams Center for Teaching Excellence and creator of the festival, said
Maxwell never stops thinking about it. “We were at a wedding together,” Darby said, “and I look over, and Matt’s telling some woman to talk to Doug Darby about FilmFest.”
Discovering his talent Failed attempts to organize a film festival had already taken place by the time Maxwell was a sophomore at the university. “I feel strongly that God brought Matt into the picture. He fit the role perfect,” Darby said. However, Darby said it was risky to choose a sophomore as a co-chair, especially because he only knew Maxwell from Apple Club. The task would have seemed daunting, Maxwell said, but his life had prepared him to be the creative half of FilmFest. Throughout his childhood, Maxwell said he had been expected to be artisti-
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Maxwell and Robyn King, senior marketing major from Newark, announce the People’s Choice Award on Nov. 4 at FilmFest. cally talented because it was “in the blood;” his father, Jack Maxwell, is chair of the Department of Art and Design at the university, and his mother chairs the art department at Abilene Christian Schools. However, he found in high school he was
talented at photography. During his sophomore year of high school, a member of his church wanted to create a presentation using pictures and film taken on a mission trip in Brazil. MaxSee
MAXWELL page 8
Efforts to improve a bill giving executive officers more power to control which legislation is placed on the docket were not enough to save the legislation, which failed to pass with a vote of four in support, 32 against and 11 abstaining. The bill, which was written by Smith Hall Rep. Matt Worthington, initially gave executive officers the power to keep legislation they deem useless off the docket. After many members of Congress said they were against the idea of a bill taking rights away from Congress last week, Worthington reworked the bill. The new bill called for a sentence to be added to the powers of the parliamentarian in SA’s Rules of Order. The addition would have affirmed the parliamentarian’s power to overrule a motion to suspend the rules during a meeting to allow a member to discuss legislation not on the docket. In effect, the parliamentarian could have kept legislation from being discussed in a meeting unless it was presented to him or her in time to be placed on the docket for that meeting. The parliamentarian already can exercise this power, but the bill would have specifically stated the power in the Rules of Order. However, changes to the bill were to change the minds of enough members who opposed last week’s version. Foster Science Building Rep. Christopher Smith wanted Congress to table the bill indefinitely because he said the bill merely restated powers already given to chief development officer Erin Dimas, who also serves as parliamentarian, making the legislation inconsequential. However, sophomore Sen. Brandon Smith said he thought Congress should vote on the bill, not table it indefinitely, even if they planned to vote against it. “Some people feel this is a stronger rejection,’ Brandon Smith said, “but we should still vote because we want students to see we have a view on this.” See
SA page 8
Coffee shop nears opening n University officials said they hope Barret Hall’s coffee shop, known as The Den, and the adjoining classroom will open by Thanksgiving break. By RACHEL LAU Student Reporter
Students will soon have a chance to walk out of a classroom through red French doors into a warm coffee shop with yellow walls, a fireplace
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
and a big screen television. The long-awaited coffee shop, called The Den, is in Barrett Hall, and the university hopes to have it open by Thanksgiving break. The Den will resemble the coffee shop Java City on Ambler Boulevard and will have food provided by ARAMARK food services. Students will be able to use their bean bucks and meal plans to buy food, according to the administra-
tive services office on campus. A mural depicting Daniel in the Lion’s Den painted by Jack Maxwell, chair of the Art and Design Department, will cover one of the walls in the coffee shop. One of the unique features of The Den will be the newly built classroom attached to it. Faculty members will be able See
COFFEE page 8
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
University officials said they are targeting Thanksgiving break as the time for Barret Hall’s coffee shop, known as The Den, to open.
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