The Vol. 95, No. 28
IN THIS ISSUE CAMPUS
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OPTIMIST
1 section, 8 pages
FRIDAY
December 8, 2006
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www.acuoptimist.com
Students opt to stay in Abilene during break
A fresh-faced coach
Books for cash
The Campus Store will buy back used textbooks beginning Monday for cash or credit to student accounts, page 3
n After finals end next Friday, some students will remain in town to work both on-campus and Abilene jobs during the month-long break.
Shining lights
The Abilene State School opened a Christmas lights display for the community at Christmas Lane on Thursday, page 3
By NATHAN STRAUS Staff Writer
Jacob Harbour, senior musical theatre major from Friendswood, works at KACU. He is also the technical director for the upcoming ACU play The Miracle Worker and spends time in the theatre shop. When December finals week is only a memory and students are on their way home, Harbour will
FEATURES
Senior Brandon Tatum was hired as Abilene Christian High School’s head basketball coach at 21 years old, jump on page 5
n The Study Abroad Office sent at least four students home from Oxford, England, after they breached a behavior contract earlier this semester.
ARTS
By DANIEL JOHNSON Sports Editor
At least four ACU students in the Study Abroad program in Oxford, England, were sent home after violating the behavior contract all participants sign before beginning the program. The students were dismissed from the program earlier in the semester af-
LACI ADKINS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Coach Brandon Tatum, senior Biblical text major from Austin, stands with members of his team from Abilene Christian High School during a practice on Wednesday afternoon in the school’s gymnasium.
Brandon Tatum landed a head coaching position at 21 By MALLORY SCHLABACH ‘The Fountain’ weaves three story lines that take place in different time periods to tell a love story, page 7
SPORTS
Winning streak
The Wildcat women’s basketball team will play the University of Central Oklahoma in Talequah, Okla., on Saturday. The team’s record is 7-0, page 8
SPECIALS Final edition
This is the last edition of the Optimist until Jan. 19.
ONLINE Playing fetch
ACU’s new Ultimate Frisbee Club competed last weekend against other universities, view it online at: www.acuoptimist.com
See
BREAK page 4
Study Abroad dismisses four Oxford students
First-time coach
Fountain of Love
be in Abilene. “This is the third Christmas away from my family,” Harbour said. “I spent Christmas my freshman year and stayed and worked in the shop every winter since.” Harbour said he spent Thanksgiving with his family and does not regret having to miss Christmas with them this year. Harbour operates KACU’s daytime music program from 1 to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He hopes to be given a second show to run, a three-hour classical music
Editor in Chief
Brandon Tatum walks around the gym, surveying his team warming up. His silver athletic pants swish as he swings his arms through the air, motioning the team to follow him. “We’re going to take it easy tonight since we have our first game tomorrow,” Brandon says to a group of teenaged boys shooting baskets in the grey and blue gym at Abilene Christian School. The sound of basketballs hitting the plastic tile floor echoes as the boys hurry to circle up in the middle of the court around Brandon. “Joe, Jason, David, Chris and Michael…” Brandon rattles off the names of the basketball players he wants on the gym floor. He stands tall above their heads, but chooses to kneel down in the middle of the circle as the players begin to move into position. The three players who weren’t called stand on the sideline.
A couple look disgruntled because it means they won’t start in tomorrow night’s big game against Hamlin. At first glance, Brandon could pass as a high school player himself, except that he sports a goatee. At 21, he’s only a few years older than most of the players on his team. But any of them will tell you that his age doesn’t matter. Brandon, senior Biblical text major from Austin, learned late in the summer that he had just landed the job as a head basketball coach. He wasn’t holding his breath. After all, he still had more than a year of college to finish. “OK. We’re going to go over pre-game stuff right now and get it out of the way,” he says. Brandon talks quietly, his deep voice echoes in the empty gym. “Each man needs to do four layups and then switch sides,” he yells as the players form a line underneath the basket and begin to take a warm-up
“No dunking in warm up tomorrow unless you can prove otherwise that you can dunk.”
See
OXFORD page 4
Midnight Breakfast offered in the Bean
Brandon Tatum, men’s basketball ACHS head coach
n The Wildcat Parents organization will sponsor a buffet breakfast in the Bean on Dead Day. Students can relax, win prizes and sing karaoke.
lap before running the drill. Jerron Packwood, a senior point guard, leads the team around the gym dribbling the basketball. Hunter Haught follows holding his ball, as the team saunters around the gym and lines up to shoot layups. “Guys,” Brandon yells before they begin shooting, “no dunking in warm up tomorrow unless you can prove othSee
ter a disciplinary committee—made up of the professors of the program and on-site director Ron Morgan—made a disciplinary recommendation to Kevin Kehl, executive director of the Center for International and Intercultural Communication, and other university officials. Kehl said he and the other officials decided the violation warranted dismissal from the program. “There were some students that failed to abide
By EMILY SMITH Student Reporter
IHOP won’t be the only place serving breakfast after hours next week. Monday, also known as Dead Day, Wildcat Parents will serve students Midnight Breakfast in the World Famous Bean from 10:30 p.m. to midnight. Students can enjoy themselves
TATUM page 5
and combat the stresses of finals week. “We just encourage everybody to have fun, relax, talk to their friends and eat breakfast,” said Samantha Adkins, coordinator for alumni programs and planner for the breakfast. “We provide music playing, but when anyone wants to come up and sing, we have about 400 songs they can flip through.” Students can borrow board games, card decks or sing karaoke with other See
BREAKFAST page 4
Woodruff murder case still awaits trial date n Brandon Woodruff, former ACU student, has been in jail since he was charged with murdering his parents last October; a trial date has yet to be set. By MALLORY SCHLABACH Editor in Chief
No trial date has been set for former ACU student Brandon Woodruff, who was charged with one count of capital murder in October 2005 for
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
the deaths of his parents at their home in Royse City. Assistant District Attorney Noble Walker said because of numerous murder cases filed at the Woodruff same time, the Woodruff case is still in the docket at the courthouse.
“The bad thing is for those types of cases—capital murder cases—it just takes a long time to gather all the evidence and for it to be processed,” Walker said. “Hunt County had a lot of murders pending in court at the time of the Woodruff murders, so it hasn’t reached the judge yet for a date to be set.” Walker said the DA’s office is still in the discovery process of going through evi-
dence and gathering evidence and talking to witnesses. Walker said he couldn’t estimate when a trial date could be set, but when the case does go to trial, it would take between two and three weeks for a verdict to be announced. He said Woodruff still remains in the Hunt County Criminal Justice Center, where he has been for the past 13 months.
Abilene Christian University
Woodruff’s bail was set at $1 million last October, and it hasn’t been lowered despite attempts by his defense lawyer, Jerry Spencer Davis, in January to have the bail lowered to $100,000. Woodruff’s parents—Dennis, 43, and Norma, 42—were found dead in their mobile home on Oct. 18, 2005, two days after they had been shot See
WOODRUFF page 4
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