The Vol. 95, No. 27
IN THIS ISSUE CAMPUS A Wildcat Christmas
Members of Wildcat Kids will enjoy a Christmas party with their matches complete with food and gifts on Thursday, page 3
Stopping AIDS
Awake 3:18 organized an AIDS awareness week last week with guest speakers and events students could attend, page 4
•
OPTIMIST
1 section, 8 pages
WEDNESDAY
December 6, 2006
•
www.acuoptimist.com
Quiznos Honor Roll standards change opening delayed until Fall ‘07 n Students who wish to be on the Dean’s Honor Roll beginning this semester must now achieve a grade point average of 3.6 or higher, instead of a 3.45. By BRANDON COOKS Student Reporter
Members of the faculty and staff have made changes to the requirements for students on Dean’s Honor Roll list. Instead of students being required to earn a 3.45 GPA or higher, students will
now have to make a 3.6 or higher to meet honor roll standards. Dr. Tom Winter, vice provost and professor of social work, said the university periodically bench marks its standards to become equivalent to other accredited schools. “We looked at our standards for the dean’s list compared to other competitive institutions and found out we were slightly lower than some schools,” Winter said.
Winter said the reason they came to the conclusion of upgrading standards was because there was an inconsistency in graduating with honors and the Dean’s Honor Roll. “We contact colleges and universities like us in terms of size and the Dean’s Honor Roll in order to make these changes,” he said. Associate registrar Bart Herridge was put in charge of implementing these changes. “The changes get us more
in line with institutions and on track with what they have done,” Herridge said. Herridge said a big list of cohort schools were looked at to make the decision for change and a decrease in the number of ACU students that make the honor roll is expected. “It’s just something that will more than likely happen,” Herridge said. However, Herridge said he believes it will elevate the See
ROLL page 5
Lamb of God
Students in the Honors Association will perform a play parodying the nativity scene Wednesday, page 4
n Construction for the on-campus Quiznos restaurant will not begin during Christmas break as expected; administrators project a summer start instead. By SHELBY COATES Video Editor
Students looking toward the day they can order hot and toasted Quiznos subs on campus will have to wait longer than expected. Plans for an on-campus Quiznos are on hold while upcoming Bean renovations take priority. Renovations to the “World Famous Bean” should be complete by fall 2007, said Anthony Williams, director of retail and purchasing. Then focus will return to bringing a Quiznos restaurant to campus. “We have plans to gut the whole cafeteria, but it may
SPORTS
See
Beginning a streak
The Wildcat men’s basketball team won its second-straight game Saturday against Dallas Baptist University 76-61, page 8
ONLINE
emily smith STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Madison Fisk, Kaylee Moreno and W Roberts from Mrs. Cook’s second grade class perform as penguins in Abilene Christian School’s “Snow Biz” musical, which they performed for students, faculty and parents during Chapel on Tuesday.
Visitors from the Arctic North n Children from Abilene Christian School dressed as various characters performed a Christmas musical program titled “Snow Biz” in Chapel on Tuesday. By DENTON JOSEY Page 2 Editor
Abilene’s ice streak
The city’s first outdoor ice rink had a second grand opening Friday after warm weather melted the rink, view skaters in action online at: www.acuoptimist.com
SPECIAL NEWS Friday will be the final edition of the Optimist for the fall semester. It will also be the last day an Optimist video will be posted until Jan. 19, when our first spring edition will be printed.
Chapel attendance was higher than usual on Tuesday. During a time when students have all of their Chapel credits and take the extra time to study, there were at least 60 more people than usual. Tuesday, Abilene Christian School brought children, second through fifth grade and preschoolers, to ACU Chapel for their annual Christmas presentation. This marked the 19th year ACS has brought classes over. The show is a preview of the longer version that will take place in Cullen Auditorium on Dec. 14. Carole Houston, an administrative staff worker for ACS and mother of a second-grader, has seen the
show for 10 years. “We have big ACU ties because we used to be a part of ACU. We have a lot of kids whose parents work at ACU,” Houston said. “I know the ACU students always love it.” Anne Allison, director of music at ACS, said this year’s show is called “Snow Biz” and it has songs from a collection called Music Rocks and High School Musical. “It’s a winter musical about a big storm,” Allison said. Though the show has been at ACU Chapel for a long time, this year marked the first year the preschool participated. Before the show, Allison was curious about how they would perform. “My preschoolers are going to come and sing one song which they’ve never ever done in ACU Chapel, so it should be very interesting,” she said. “We’ll see if they even sing.” Performing at ACU is beneficial See
KIDS page 5
QUIZNOS page 5
St. James, Littrell to perform Thursday n Two Christian recording artists will begin a Christmas tour in Abilene at the Abilene Civic Center and be supported by acoustic instruments. By JEREMY POND Student Reporter
EMILY SMITH STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Trey Jenkins performs as an arctic fisherman in Tuesday’s Chapel with other students from ACS.
Christian recording artists Rebecca St. James and Brian Littrell, former Backstreet Boys member, will present the first performance of an eightconcert Christmas tour at 7 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center on Thursday. The event, simply titled “The Christmas Tour,” is being billed as a night of acoustic Christmas music. Rather than using the rock band that typically supports St. James, the two performers will be backed by a simple acoustic arrangement of five or six musicians. Jackie Monaghan, senior media adviser at Morningstar PR and the press contact for See
CONCERT page 5
Half of Saturday’s Sing Song tickets sell early n Sing Song organizers attribute early ticket sales to an addition in the judging process, which allows the audience to vote on the best act online after the show. By SHARON RAPELJE Student Reporter
Sing Song ticket sales began two months early this year, and half have already been sold for Saturday night’s showing, which is
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
expected to be sold out by January. Kendall Massey, director of student productions, said the high ticket sales may be due to the new voting system. Those who attend either the Friday night or Saturday afternoon show can vote online for desired winners after the show. Winners will be announced Saturday night. Massey said this has prob-
ably affected the increase in ticket sales. “There has just been a high demand for it this year,” he said. For all three showings, there are approximately 3,500 tickets. Tom Craig, managing director of Sing Song, said 3,700 seats are technically available but the extra seats are in a less visible section that will only be opened if
absolutely necessary. He said the popular sections are c, d, e, g, h, and the most popular is section f. “The great thing is now instead of buying your tickets online and having to wait for them, you can print them out at home if you want to, which is a great change,” Massey said. Tickets for Thursday night’s preview show will be available at the door, but
Abilene Christian University
the price has not yet been decided. Lindsey Rodgers, sophomore graphic design major from Denton, participated in last year’s Sing Song. “I really liked it, it was entertaining and the singing was great,” Rodgers said. “Wherever you sit, you are going to hear and see.” See
TICKETS page 5
Serving the ACU community since 1912