ACUOPTIMIST.COM | Friday, September 27, 2019 | 1
Wildcats plan to take on the Cardinals
A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
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BY MEGAN HOLLEY | PHOTOGRAPHER
Freshmen girls from Nelson Hall perform in Freshmen Follies on Saturday.
Pre-pledging events force elimination of coffees BY DILLON DANIEL MANAGING EDITOR
Men’s social clubs will not be allowed to hold coffees for the first time. Before bid night, men’s clubs would hold one last r ush-type event called coffees that was intended for more intentional interactions between those who are r ushing and club members. Bar t Her ridge, dean of student engagement
and retention, said there is no need for the clubs to have coffees anymore. “There was a broad consensus from folks that were involved in the student life process and sponsors said that coffees were events that were no longer needed. It was originally intended as a last rush-type thing,” Herridge said, “but over the last few years, we’ve observed that the activities that had gone on at
those times were already turning into pre-bid night pledging activities. We want to keep the pledging activities in the confines of the pledging period.” The purpose of ACU’s elimination of coffees is so pledging can officially begin on bid night. “However, the other reason for this is so that bids become more of a surprise,” said Brenden Beck, senior kinesiology major from Abilene and Frater Sodalis Brat Dad.
Because coffees are eliminated, men’s r ushing is now modeled more closely to women’s clubs. After three r ushes, men’s clubs will now vote then release their bids on call night. There are no future plans to reinstate coffees again or have something else in its place. “Part of the reason for this is because ACU is still in the process of finding another director of social clubs. Until then, it’s bet-
“There was a broad consensus from folks that were involved in the student life process and sponsors said that coffees were events that were no longer needed.” BART HERRIDGE DEAN OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND RETENTION
ter to take away than to replace as we’re in the middle of pledging season.” Beck said he and other social club officers he knows are not hap-
Art showcase to be inaugurated in Leipzig villa BY ANDREW NORSWORTHY STAFF WRITER
A permanent showcase of student art pieces will be inaugurated at the Leipzig Study Abroad location, for the first time. ACU purchased a villa in Leipzig in 2017 and moved to it in spring 2018. At this point, the villa lacked artwork and decorating. Therefore, it was appropriate to outfit the villa with pieces produced by ACU art and design majors said Stephen Shewmaker, executive director of the center for international education. “They [ACU Art and Design] were interested
in offering a program to Leipzig and we decided together to tweak that a little bit where students would actually be creating pieces,” said Shewmaker. These pieces would then be left at the villa to permanently hang. In May of 2019, 16 ACU students partook in a program known as the Leipzig Studio Residency. These students were specially selected for this elite group based on their ability and temperament for the program. “I couldn’t have asked for better students,” Dan McGregor, professor of the department of art and
design, said. This program is the first ever summer art and design program that has visited Germany, whereas the others before have visited Italy and England. This course, like others, gave these study abroad students course credit for an outdoor course on site. However, this program is the first of its kind that required students to create a number of works, some of which would be for the direct purpose of permanent showings in the Leipzig villa. Each student had to produce 20 art works, five of which had to be black with
the other 15 being in color. These works to be showcased consists of paintings and drawings of various shapes, colors, types, and sizes. The pieces have been matted, framed and will be hung up when the current study abroad group is away on their program to Greece. The uniqueness of this program rests in that it allows students to have their works as permanent pieces of a collection, whereas normally this opportunity is only presented to those who are professionals, and who have their art pieces purchased by an institution. Dan McGregor select-
ed some of these pieces for the exhibition based upon best effort, the best showcase of student abilities, and what would represent a good mix of work for the exhibit. A selection of the remaining pieces of work were brought back to ACU and will be exhibited in an upcoming non-permanent gallery in late October of this year. In addition, Shewmaker expressed the possibility of similar programs being done in the future in locations such as Oxford and Montevideo, as well as a return to Leipzig.
py about the decision to take away coffees. He said he believes that pledge selection will now be too broad for men’s clubs. Although this has been taken away, he said clubs have to pick and choose their battles. “At the end of the day, I’m just happy we still have pledging, even if that means giving up a few things,” Beck said.
NEWS
Hispanos Unidos hosts Entra a La Plaza PAGE 2
SPORTS
Sophomore hosts Big Country pop-up market BY LEAH FIKES COPY EDITOR
The Big Country Pop-Up Market will take place from noon - 5 p.m. on Saturday at the T&P Event Center. Sophomore Lauren Gumm started her own T-shirt business, Wear It to Share It, when she was a freshman. She prints and designs the shirts she sells herself. “After Follies, I was like people really like T-shirts here,” Gumm said. “So, I was like I’m going to make a T-shirt. It built off of that. I had a Thanksgiving shirt and a Christmas shirt last year and I’ve kept going since then.” Gumm started going to events as a vendor as a freshman to sell her wares. She said she found herself the youngest person at these events. “Last year at my first event I showed up and I was the only vendor under the age
PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMANTHA VICK
Students show off their shirts from Lauren Gumm’s “Wear It to Share It” Business. of 40,” Gumm said. “I was like, ‘There’s got to be other students out there who don’t know how to get involved in these types of things.’ I knew there were other students who had businesses, but I didn’t know where they were.” That was what inspired her to create an event for students to sell their products. She
reached out to the new ACU Founders Club and other students she met who had businesses. From there she organized the event. Multiple student businesses plan to be involved with the Big Country Pop Up market including: Studio Joy, Pebble & Thread Co., Art by McKenna Judd, MB Boutique, Creations
by Karson, Dancing Banana Girl Design, Chronically Brave, Yarn&Thread, All Scrunched Up, Catch All, Ky’s Simple Buys and Sticker Theory Co. The businesses are run by students from both ACU and Hardin-Simmons University. Junior and President of the Founders Club Karson Tutt will be selling her handmade
jewelry at the Big Country PopUp Market. She said balancing time with her schoolwork and business is a struggle. “It is hard being a student,” Tutt said. “I have two other jobs along with my little business, so it is a constant state of going from one thing to the next.” Both Tutt and Gumm have worked hard to spread the word about the Big Country Pop-Up Market through social media and word of mouth. Gumm said over 500 people have responded to her Facebook add saying that they are coming to the event. Beyond student vendors, Gumm also reached out to the community. Over 20 other non-student vendors will also be selling products such as clothes, makeup, candles, and crafts at the market. “It is cool to show the rest of Abilene that college kids can do cool stuff,” Gumm said.
Study Abroad opens applications
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Hispanos Unidos presents Entra a La Plaza BY KAYLA MONTANO GUEST WRITER
Hispanos Unidos presents ‘Entra a La Plaza’ to celebrate the diversity of the Hispanic community. This past Friday, Hispanos Unidos organized an event ‘Entra a La Plaza.’ With it being Hispanic Heritage Month, it is one of their biggest events. ‘Entra a La Plaza’ took place outside the Hunter Welcome Center this year. It was on Family Weekend in hopes of not only bringing in students but their families and other people in the Abilene community. The purpose of ‘Entra a La Plaza’ is to celebrate the Hispanic communities diversity and culture while sharing it with others. It creates community and encourages love and support. The food served included traditional Hispanic meals like tacos, rice, beans and elote. For refreshments there
BY CLAIRE SHIPLEY | PHOTOGRAPHER
Kids perform at Hispanos Unidos Entra a La Plaza event celebrating Hispanic heritage. was aguas frescas, horchata, lemonade, sodas and waters. For dessert there were paletas, candies and pan dulce. They had a DJ and ballet folklorico. A traditional Mexican dance that
focuses on choreography, pointed toes, exaggerated movements and beautiful, colorful wardrobe. Princess Payan, junior english and political science major from Dallas and president
of Hispanos Unidos, said her freshman year was not the best and she constantly felt out of place until she became a part of Hispanos Unidos. “It wasn’t until I found Hispanos Unidos that I
had a reason to stay at ACU. My purpose then became to help others feel welcome and like they have a place,” Payan said. Payan said it was memorable having parents
come up to her and tell her how glad they are that ACU has something like this on campus. “Families from San Antonio said that they loved it because it reminded them of Fiesta at home and getting non-Hispanic students telling me that they learned a new dance or that they’ve never had agua de jamaica and they loved it,” Payan said. ACU has a Hispanic/Latino student base of 16.4 percent. Promoting diversity is important to the university. Hispanos Unidos wants to create a space where Hispanic students feel safe and at home. The goal is to get the students involved on campus. “College is already scary but it is scarier when you feel like you don’t belong. I want the Hispanos Unidos members to know that we should be proud of our roots and that we can succeed,” Payan said.
Financial counseling programs to assist student needs BY SYDNEY VARNER STAFF WRITER
Throughout the semester, Financial Counseling and Student Services conduct multiple events and seminars to help students, including a FAFSA filling, budgeting basics workshop and the start of a First Generation Student program. The FAFSA filing day, to take place on Oct. 1, is a come-and-go event during which students and families
can come to receive help in filling out the FAFSA for the next school year. Jordan Jones, associate director of financial counseling and student services, said a high percentage of students on campus fill out the FAFSA form each year. “Everybody needs money; The application is very important and the earlier you complete it the less stress you will have going into the later part of the year,” Jones said. “This
gives you the opportunity to complete it now, ask any questions you have about the FAFSA and be better prepared moving forward.” The budgeting workshop, to take place on Nov. 12, will provide one on one help with student’s personal budgeting needs. Jones said a lot of students do not learn ways to budget in school. “It’s an opportunity to really learn how you can use your money to your ad-
vantage,” Jones said. “This is to help you know where your money goes and be prepared to let that money work for you.” In addition to these workshops, Financial Counseling and Student Services is starting a First Generation Student Success program. They are currently holding meetings to discuss with students how they want the program to look and they will have an interest meeting on Nov. 8. During the
“This is to help you know where your money goes and be prepared to let that money work for you.” JORDAN JONES ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL AID AND COUNSELING
next couple of weeks, the program will have an information table out for students to ask questions. The program is projected to begin in the spring semester.
Jones said he felt there was a need for a program like this on campus. “It is a great benefit for students to be involved in this program.” Jones said, “This is not something every first generation student has to be a part of but we want this to be something they want to be a part of because this is all about getting connected on campus, finding the resources that are available for them and taking advantage of all the opportu-
Organization helps student entrepreneurs with start-ups BY SENIA OVERSTREET GUEST WRITER
The Founders Club, a new student-led organization, began this semester seeking to provide aid with student entrepreneurs. Early this semester, club president Karson Tutt, a senior business major, expanded The Founders Club in hopes of providing all students with the knowledge and skills of entrepreneurship. The organization has been opened to all stu-
dents who are interested in learning what it takes to start and manage their own businesses. Tutt said the group is focusing more on helping student entrepreneurs all around campus to tap into their hopes and dreams. “We’re working on helping people get the business knowledge that they need. They already have the skills and a lot of great ideas but not everyone has the business knowledge,” said Tutt. “That’s where the Founders Club comes in.”
The organization is open to all ACU students and has been in the works since the beginning of the 2019 fall semester. Many students have already taken advantage of the organization and its benefits. Anne Carroll, senior Psychology major, is one of the many students who started their own business with the help of The Founders Club. Carroll said The Founders Club has been a great help for her new entrepreneurship. “There’s a bunch of us
just doing our own thing and trying to excel by doing what we love,” Carroll said. “It’s not really about success, it’s just about doing what we love and sharing it with others.” Carroll created her business, The Yarn & Thread Shop, in late May. The brand caters to high school and college students who are looking for trendy wall decor. The creation of the wall decor she makes started as a hobby until one of her friends wanted to purchase
one from her. She began to make more of the items and sold them on Etsy as well as Instagram. “It was just something fun to do to keep myself busy while he was away.” Carroll said, “I did not expect people to actually want to buy my creations,” Just a few years ago, Tutt was in Carroll’s shoes in starting her own business. Tutt has also been running her own jewelry and photography business, Creations by Karson, since 2016. With the foundation of
The Founders Club, students with creative ideas are now able to expand upon and share their creations with those around them. “Don’t be afraid to share what you love with others,” said Tutt. “Everything starts off as a dream. Don’t let your dreams just be dreams.” For more information on The Founders Cub as well as Creations by Karson, contact kxt16a@acu.edu. For more information on The Yarn & Thread Shop, contact Anne Carroll on Instagram @yarn_n_thread.
FRI., OCT. 4
SAT., OCT. 5
WHAT’S HAPPENING? MON., SEPT. 30
TUES., OCT. 1
WED., OCT. 2
THURS., OCT. 3
7 p.m.- DT Rush 7 p.m.- Galaxy Rush 8 p.m.- EOX Rush 9 p.m.- GATA Rush 9 p.m.- Nu Kappa Psi Rush Sing Song Leadership Team Interviews Begin
4 p.m.- Faculty Publication Celebration 5 p.m.- AKO Rush 5 p.m.- GSP Rush 7 p.m.- KJK Rush 7 p.m.- Trojan Rush 9 p.m.- FRATS Rush 9 p.m.- KG Rush
Spikeball team captain Luke Mowry’s birthday
6:30 p.m.- Volleyball vs. McNeese 7 p.m.- Candlelight Vigil at Court House Bid night
7 p.m.-Soccer vs. Northwestern State 8 p.m.- Fall Stomp
POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK: •
A student reported she was scammed out of $2,800 through several on-line transactions. 09/18/2019 4:30 p.m.
•
A student reported her iPhone stolen from the bean where she had left it. The student left it on a table and upon returning, it was missing. 09/20/2019 3:20 p.m.
•
A student reported that an unknown vehicle had her vehicle in the Campus Center Lot, causing damage to the front area of her vehicle. 09/21/2019 5:58 p.m.
•
A student reported finding her car door and trunk opened. An unknown person had rummaged through the vehicle stealing insurance cards, registration papers and loose change. 09/23/2019 7:20 a.m.
911 Call Administrative activity Advice Alarm Alcohol incident Animal call Assault Assist Attempt to Locate Bicycles/skateboard call Building lock/unlock Cart patrol Check building Clery Direct Traffic Disturbance
1 44 2 1 1 0 1 3 2 1 24 10 266 9 1 2
Elevator rescue Drug activity/offense Escort Event support Fire Foot patrol Found property Harassment Hit & run Indecent exposure Information report Investigation followup Lost Property Maintenance: univ assets: cctv Maintenance: univ assets Medical emergency
MESSAGE FROM POLICE CHIEF ELLISON:
0 1 7 1 1 0 5 1 1 0 1 11 7 31 2 3
Mental health concern Missing person Monitor facility/lot Motorist assist: inflate tire. Motorist assist: jumpstart Motorist assist: other Motorist assist: unlock Noise violation Other Parking lot patrol Parking violation Patrol vehicle: maintenance Patrol vehicle: refuel Public service Random patrol Report writing
0 1 9 2 8 1 6 1 1 21 12 9 6 1 9 21
Report writing (follow up) Sex offense Stolen Vehicle Suspicious activity Theft Traffic stop Training Vehicle collision Wanted subject Welfare check
1 0 1 0 2 5 2 0 1 2
Total 565 *List of selected statistics of this week’s ACUPD activity report.
“Avoid being scammed when selling items online. Scammers will often agree to buy your item but then send a check in excess of the sales price. They claim it was an error, then ask you to simply deposit the full check into your account and transfer the remainder back to them Their check bounces as fraudulent, but you are then out whatever amount you wired back to them from your account.”
10 a.m.- Plazapalooza 11 a.m.- Fest of Fall 6 p.m.- Wizards of Abilene
FEATURES & NEWS | Friday, September 27, 2019 | 3
STUDENT COMBINES MULTIMEDIA AND MISSIONS How an experience in Kenya gave clarity for a future career path
BY ALLISON HARRELL EDITOR IN CHIEF
“When you think missions, you think medical missions, preaching, sports or youth ministry, but you don’t normally think of video,” Elle Greco said. “But it’s such a needed thing. ...Without people who are going to tell the stories, how are we going to learn what God is doing throughout the world?” About five years ago, Greco felt called to use her talents in multimedia to pursue missionary work. Being a part of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, she knew she would need an internship to satisfy her degree requirements. So, she went to the Halbert Center for Missions and Global Service and WorldWide Witness, more specifically, to talk about possibilities. A few emails later from the WorldWide Witness assistant coordinator, Anne Hocking, and Greco received an application within a couple of days. The application was from an organization based in Kamulu, Kenya called Made in the Streets (MITS). The application had a quick deadline due by the end of the week. She submitted her application quickly and within four weeks, Greco applied, interviewed and was given the internship. “It’s funny though because what [Elle] did is becoming more and more of a desire from ministries,” Hocking said. “So at this point, we actually have more requests for this kind of skill than we have students wanting to or knowing that that’s a possibility for them to do.” The internship Greco received would require her to shoot and edit videos capturing the ministry work of the
organization in Kenya. MITS’s main goal is to love and serve the street children of Nairobi. It provides a literacy program at the Learning Center to teach basic educational skills and Bible. Then once the students turn 16, they choose a career skill to train in at the Skills Center. MITS also offers a program called the Eastleigh Center, which is a community center in a slum area outside of Nairobi for street boys and young moms, where they can come to be fed and just hang out. A team from Made in the Street regularly goes out on “base walks,” which are quick trips to bases, essentially central locations for gangs that kids join at a young age. Team members hand out biscuits and milk while telling the kids about the programs MITS offers. The team members leave them with an encouraging word and tell them, “I hope to see you soon.” Greco was based in Kamulu and she was given many different tasks. For some “It’s funny though because what [Elle] did is becoming more and more of a desire from ministries.” ANNE HOCKING WORLDWIDE WITNESS ASSISTANT COORDINATOR
assignments, she filmed the stories of graduates that made it through the programs and what they went on to accomplish. Other times she might film an updated story of a donor’s support of a girl’s dorm and what life looks like there. “The videos that I really loved doing were just beautiful shots of the Skill Center,” Greco said. She noticed the MITS website didn’t provide a lot of information about the
skills offered. So she spent a lot of time at the Skill Center getting to know the older kids and making promotional videos about what they were doing and learning. At the center kids can choose different skills to train in areas such as salon or catering. Catering is a popular choice because the tourism industry in Kenya is large. However, not every student can learn catering. Greco said the purpose of her videos were two-fold. “One side was showing people in the States what they’re doing, but also when the students are done with the Learning Center they get to choose a skill,” Grecco said. “So I wanted them to say, ‘Whoa, that’s so cool. I want to do that!’” Her goal was to get the students excited about the schools and choosing a skill by creating beautiful videos. Some days she would be shooting videos and other days she would be teaching one of the staff members basic photography. “Photography is really my first love,” Greco said. Each day in Kamulu was different, but some things became normal. Each day, Greco would get up and walk half a mile, with the three other female interns she shared a living space with, down the rocky road to chapel at 8 a.m. They would attend chapel every day except for Saturdays and Sundays. Greco said she remembered church services on Sundays in Kamulu lasting three hours, sometimes with translators and sometimes without. The hour of worship and singing in Swahili she remembers to be a fun experience. With the simple Swahili pronunciation rules, she would try to read the song books, regardless of not understanding what she was singing.
After chapel, on a regular weekday, she would spend time planning a shoot or going out to interview people. “Every student’s story is unique and special and full of hardships,” Greco said. “What makes Made in the Streets so unique is that it’s not just a regular school. These students are choosing to go there. They are told, ‘You have the freedom to stay here. You have the freedom to leave. You don’t have to run away. We will take you back.’” Greco said giving students this freedom is important to show them respect. Each student that comes in knows what it’s like to be on their own and fend for themselves. “It’s not uncommon for female students to come to MITS pregnant, or already having a child,” Greco said. “You can’t really treat someone who has fended for themselves, raped probably multiple times, is a mother and has experienced so much more life, or hardships in life than you, like a normal 15-year-old. They are an adult. They’ve experienced more life than you ever will.” Greco shared the story of one of the graduates she met from her time at MITS that had been abandoned at the age of 1, adopted by a gang leader, and began doing drugs at the age of 4. His gang leader and guardian was killed when he was 9 years old and he came to MITS around that time. He graduated from MITS a couple of years ago and now doing well at a restaurant he is working at and ultimately plans to pursue computer science. He is currently working in catering to save money to attend university. “But those stories are not uncommon,” Greco said.
“Even within those stories of hardship you don’t want to focus on that but look at where they are now. You are not your past.”
ELLE GRECO ALIAS FOR WORLDWIDE WITNESS INTERN
“Even within those stories of hardship you don’t want to focus on that but look at where they are now. You are not your past.” The focus, Greco said, was telling the kids: “you can overcome.” “Part of my work as the storyteller is that we respect and tell the story of the past, but these kids are so much more,” Greco said. “They are children of God, made beautiful, wonderful and have a purpose.” Throughout the internship, Greco remained in contact with a mentor through Whatsapp Messenger. Her mentor, an alumnus and past connection through work, helped to coach her through the most challenging parts of the internship. She would send weekly journal reflections about what was going on in her life, what she was seeing, send raw video files, video drafts, and he would provide feedback. Once a week they would schedule a voice call and talk through her experiences. Greco explained that the mentorship became a great working relationship. “He was super affirming of a lot of things,” Greco said. Over the 12-week summer internship, Greco became sick four times and struggled with loneliness being in Kenya and away from home. She started questioning God, asking, “Why is this so hard?” “And through those questions and hardships my mentor just affirmed, ‘Yes,
it is hard,’” Greco said. “But that’s just part of living sent. It’s not going to be easy.” However, from the beginning, Greco saw God’s provision through the process of raising money for her trip and the additional video equipment needed. She even quit her job months before sending out donation letters and still exceeded her funding goals. “My experience this past summer was awesome and very clarifying as far as deciding what I want to do,” Greco said. “Where I was, Kenya was very open to the gospel but my mentor just recently moved to work with an unreached people group and I would love to work with him in the future.” Her mentor is now working in an area where missionaries are not allowed. She said she hopes to soon join in this field of undercover missionary work. Now she must consider the implications of having her name related to the work of missionaries, so we have chosen to use the alias of Elle Greco to conceal her identity and protect the path of her future work. Missionaries working in countries that are closed to the gospel must be cautious of their names being in connection to certain words. They must deter certain emails from their inbox. Greco has learned the security enforced for the safety of her mentor and his family, as they have created a blog for their supporters abroad that is password protected and only accessible through them granting specific access. “It is a lot to think about,” Greco said. “But this experience has helped me to narrow everything down and put things into perspective.”
Tea2Go set to open in October BY ALYSSIA ANUAT GUEST WRITER
BY RILEY FISHER | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior Kasey Birchfield animatedly recites her monologue from “Taming of the Shrew.”
Theatre season to include “Beauty,” “Pack of Lies,” “Friday” BY PAIGE CUDINI GUEST WRITER
“Beauty and the Beast”, “Pack of Lies” and “ Freaky Friday” are just a few of the shows the Department of Theatre announced for their upcoming 2019-2020 season. This year, the theatre department has chosen to both begin and end their 2019-20 season with Disney musicals “ Beauty and the Beast” and “ Freaky Friday.” The decision to do this came from Dawne Swearingen-Meeks, chair of the theatre department. “ I k i nd of loved…t he idea… of doi ng some fa m i ly-fr iend ly pieces,” Swea r i ngen-Meeks sa id. The Homecoming Musical, “ Beauty and the Beast”, will take place at 8 p.m. on Oct. 18 and 19 and at 2 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Abilene Convention Center. The musical will feature exciting aspects such as f lying characters, meticulously crafted sets and elegant costumes rented from a professional theatre house. “ We rea l ly t r y to do qua l it y work , whet her it ’s from t he aest het ic, t he cost u mes or a f u l l 35 -piece l ive orchest ra i n t he convent ion center,” Swea r i ngen-
Meeks sa id. A lt hou gh Swea r i ngen-Meeks loved t he idea of doi ng fa m ily-fr iend ly product ions, t hat was not t he on ly reason for picki ng t hem. Swea r i ngen-Meeks a lso wa nted to showcase t he t heme of t ra nsfor mat ion set t h rou ghout t he homecom i ng musica l. “As we watch t he beast go from t h is ugly heart where t h is enchant ress t urns h im into t he ver y t h ing t hat nobody saw on t he inside,” Swearingen-Meeks sa id. “A nd t hen on ly t hrough love t hat he is t ransformed… hu man it y has sh ifted.” T he t heat re depa r tment 2 019-2 0 season a lso feat u res non-Disney musica ls a nd d ramas such as “ The White R ose,” “ Pack of L ies” a nd “ One Night Only.” I n add it ion to t hese, t he T heat re Depa r tment w i l l a lso host t he Abi lene Sha kespea re Fest iva l. T h is is a free event for t he publ ic a nd its pat rons to at tend but donat ions ca n be made to help suppor t t he fest iva l. Season t icket subscr ibers w i l l have pr ior it y seat i ng at t he event . “A l l of ou r shows w i l l be done to t he best of
“We really try to do quality work, whether it’s from the aesthetic, the costumes or a full 35-piece live orchestra in the convention center.” DAWNE SWEARINGEN-MEEKS HEAD OF THE THEATRE DEPARTMENT
ou r abi l it ies a nd w i l l be i ncred ible,” sophomore Corba n Gi l i lla nd sa id. “ I t h i n k t h is season w i l l rea l ly be a crowd pleaser.” The Abilene Shakespeare Festival will take place at the Fulks Theatre and will feature two different plays: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Shakespeare in Love”. The Theatre Department encourages students to come and experience a night watching live actors perform right in front of their very eyes. “As a n aud ience member you’re respondi ng i n t i me to what you’re seei ng on st a ge,” Swea r i ngen-Meeks sa id. “…t here’s somet h i ng so beaut if u l about t hat l ive exper ience.” A l l i n for m at ion r e g a r d i n g show d at e s a n d t ic ke t pr ic e s c a n b e fou n d on t he of f i c i a l t he at r e 2 019 -2 0 2 0 se a son br o c hu r e .
Tea2Go has postponed its grand opening to the first week of October located on North 10th Street. Owner Valerie Burnett and her husband Harley Burnett have been stationed in Abilene for about 20 years. Harley said he and his wife came to Abilene because of business. The couple got involved with Tea2Go when things went south on a partnership and he and his wife ended up running it themselves. The last expected opening date, Sept. 23, recently fell through. Harley Burnett said the reasoning behind
the delays prior to the grand opening was due to unfortunate family matters which caused the business to no longer be the first priority. “My dad got really sick and he had a stroke,” Burnett said. “So I had to stop everything and take care of him for a little while and honestly kind of lost motivation.” Despite the unforeseen circumstances, Valerie and Harvey Burnett maintain their goal to open the new Tea2Go location. Tea2Go has called Catclaw Drive home since 2017, and the Burnett’s have been planning on expanding their business to another part of Abilene.
“We are looking at possibly another Abilene location and other locations like Snyder, Sweetwater, Brownwood, and possibly San Angelo,” Burnett said. The location will be conveniently available to nearby ACU. Senior Samantha Vestal said she believes the rest of the ACU population will benefit greatly with easier access to their favorite drinks. “I’m so happy I won’t have to drive all the way across town,” Vestal said. “We will all be able to go in between classes or in our free time. It will be very convenient and I think we will be seeing a lot more Tea2Go cups around our campus.”
Program introduces students from abroad to Abilene families BY LEAH FIKES COPY EDITOR
International students met their Abilene families for the school year in first host family program Home Away From Home on Sept. 14. Home Away From Home is not a homestay program but a way for international students to meet American families, experience mentoring and learn about American culture. Veronica Witt, assistant director of international student services, created the program after reading a study several years ago which said over 80 percent of international students never set foot in an American home their entire time in the U.S. International Student Service Intern Takuma Tsuneki said students had mentioned to him that the international student community has a great culture on campus but very little to do off campus. Tsuneki had never been in an American home until he developed a relationship with a local Abilene family, who invited him to their family’s ranch for Thanksgiving. Together Whitt and Tsuneki visited local churches over the summer to gather sup-
port for their idea that would become the Home Away From Home program. Whitt wanted to connect Abilene families with international students with the hopes the paired families would share “Christian hospitality” with their students. The families were paired with students based on common interests. “It’s a very minimal time commitment in the sense that it is not necessarily a homestay program where the students actually live with the family,” Whitt said. “It is more of connecting them to a family in the community that they can meet with once a month and just do anything from have dinner with them or taking them to the zoo.” The goals of the program are to teach students about American life and provide them with a life beyond ACU. Whitt wants the families to become involved in their students’ lives. “For the new students, the freshmen, they really don’t have the community set up just yet,” Tsuneki said. “They’re just creating that network right now, so to be able to step in and provide an opportunity to learn what western culture is like, to pro-
vide that opportunity is really thrilling.” The launch party on Sept. 14 was the first connection of the students and the families. They met at University Church of Christ. The party consisted of orientation for both the student and families where they matched up and were allowed to meet and greet over ice cream. The families and students will continually meet throughout the year. Witt expects through word of mouth the program will continue to add students and host families. She encouraged both students attending for a full four years and students attending for a semester to sign up. “We’ve had some students who apply who are exchange students who are only here for one semester. That is also something we take into consideration,” Whitt said. “We want them to still be able to experience it if their host families are okay with that arrangement.” For more information about the Home Away From Home Program visit acu. edu/hafh or contact them at acu.hafh@gmail.com.
4 | Friday, September 27, 2019 | OPINIONS
Mental health is something to care about EDITORIAL BOARD
Two recent students are gone too soon by their own hand. Both of these gentlemen were talented, driven, passionate and loved by so many. They left their imprint on ACU in many positive ways. However, they were also quietly suffering and felt that taking their life was the best way to end it. For those of you who are not aware, the month of September is known as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. In 1958, the first suicide prevention center opened in Los Angeles. Then many more quickly appeared because of the increase in deaths that were caused by suicide. So many in the world are affected when it comes to suicide, whether you know someone who took their own life or know someone who is exhibiting signs that they are thinking about taking their life. It is evident that over the years, suicide has become a
BY ERNIE GUAJARDO | CARTOONIST
large problem in our society, so much so we are seeing more celebrities partnering with projects to help aid suicide prevention. Actress Selena Gomez is one of the producers on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. In the
first season of the series, the audience follows the main character, a new girl who moved to a new town, but after being bullied and sexually assaulted, she takes her own life. The series is based on a novel written by Jay
Asher in 2007. Rapper Logic came out with his single 1-800-2738255 in 2017. He uses the number for the Suicide Prevention Hotline while his music video takes us through the life of a young
African-American male teen and his struggles with his sexuality and the repercussions he dealt with. One of the scenes in the video shows the teen dialing the number. Sadly, there are too many reasons that may bring youth and teens to suicide. One of the more common reasons is that they may be suffering from depression. According to Suicide Prevention Hotline, 75 percent of teens struggle with depression. This is such a heartbreaking percentage. However, depression can be helped with certain medications and the love and support of close love ones. Another cause that may lead people to suicide is due to bullying. Whether it is physical, verbal or cyberbullying, these occurrences have a strong negative impact on a person. Life is hard enough and then add getting talked down to, beat up on, being degraded and it makes things seem a thousand times worse.
Especially when no one is ever truly aware what a person’s personal struggles are. Whether we know someone directly who has decided to end their life, we can all help prevent suicide. First, be aware of what the signs are. Theses signs include isolation, sleeping a lot, risk-taking behavior, talking about ending their life, pursuing options to end their life, saying they feel hopeless and having no reason to live, behaving recklessly, feeling trapped or in unbearable pain, extreme mood swings and substance abuse. If someone tells you they are struggling and contemplating ending their life, don’t stay silent! Direct them to the prevention hotline number and talk to a trusted adult to help them. If they ask you not to say anything, please do say something. Their life is worth more than temporary feelings. Don’t be afraid to help save a life. Let’s put an end to suicide.
Borderless borders: Why America needs the wall
BY OWEN SIMPSON SPORTS DIRECTOR
Over the past three years, the debate over illegal immigration has become a hotly discussed topic, and it seems there’s no end in sight. There are currently 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The debate has even intensified more with President Donald Trump continuing to push for the funding of a border wall at
the U.S.-Mexico border. “I think really the success is going to be when the wall’s built, when the human traffickers can’t come through,” Trump said, speaking to reporters during the quick visit to the border after a day of fundraisers in California. “This is certainly a tremendous national emergency.” Trump’s key campaign promise was to build a barrier along the entire border. Before his presidency, 654 miles of the nearly 2000mile U.S. Mexico border had primary barriers. As of today, that has increased. “Since January 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and [CBP] have received funding to support construction of up to 201-205 miles of new border barriers,” CBP said in a “border wall status” update dated on June 14. The intended purpose
of a border wall is to limit illegal immigration, human trafficking and smuggling. And while we are having the discussion, the correct terminology is not “undocumented immigrant,” it is “illegal immigrant” or “illegal alien.” The Justice Department released an email in July of 2018 regarding the matter. “The word ‘undocumented’ is not based in U.S. code and should not be used to describe someone’s illegal presence in the country,” the department said in the email. Illegal immigration may not necessarily be under the definition of a national emergency according to Trump, but it is a serious issue. Building a steel fence along the remaining 1,637 miles of Mexican border not covered by pedestrian fencing would cost approx-
imately $59.8 billion according to the Office of Management and Budget. Meanwhile, the cost of illegal immigration costs $18.5 billion per year. That said, the wall realistically speaking would pay for itself in four years. Paying for the wall isn’t and shouldn’t be the problem. The controversy over a border wall is simply ridiculous given what positives it brings to the country. It gives America stronger border security, it saves the country money and limits illegal activity. Democrats, in particular, believe that building a wall at the border creates division and a bad impression of America. “President Trump has appealed to fear, not facts. Division, not unity,” said Democrat Senator, Chuck Schumer. The belief that a wall
creates division is simply ridiculous. The wall is simply a tool to prevent illegal activity such as illegal immigration. It doesn’t keep people from wanting to enter this country if they want to enter legally. According to the 2016 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, the United States admitted 1.18 million legal immigrants in 2016. So if anyone tells you, it’s too hard to enter America legally, it is simply not true. A strong argument used to justify the actions of crossing into this country illegally is that most of these illegal immigrants come from “poor and dangerous communities.” Despite any unfortunate or dangerous circumstance, breaking the law is never justifiable. Many people fleeing dangerous situations in Central
Can you be good without God?
BY ABBEY LEE VIDEO DIRECTOR
We should begin with how morals are different from religious practices and where they originate. Morals are the sense of right and wrong humans have by nature. We use them to make our decisions and know what we ought to do in a situation.
Religious practices based on what someone believes can be rooted in morals. However, spiritual practices are not necessary when it comes to deciding whether something is inherently good or bad. Christians and nonbelievers alike make good and bad decisions, so; this is not a matter of nonbelievers rejecting morals or Christians not being religious. Now, where do we get our morals? We live in a world created by a God who loves us and who put that same love into the hearts of the people he has created. Good acts and kindness are rooted in love. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.” We can sense right and
wrong and do acts in love because God gave us these abilities. What God says to be right and wrong is steadfast, and without his direction humans would not have a foundation. It is possible to be good without believing in God, but we could not have morals if God did not exist. C.S. Lewis in his book “Mere Christianity” says, “It is after you have realized that there is a real Moral Law, and a Power behind the law, and that you have broken that law and put yourself wrong with that Power - it is after all this, and not a moment sooner, that Christianity begins to talk.” Once someone understands that God is the power behind
morality, then they can begin to understand how we can only do good because of him. Ephesians 2:8-10 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” No one has earned their morals, grace or God’s love. It is available for everyone, not just those who have already accepted Christ. Christianity, however, give good actions their impact and meaning.
America will try to seek asylum in America, but there’s two problems with how they’re doing it. Firstly, when you are seeking asylum from your country, you travel to a neighboring country. What many illegal immigrants do is continue traveling up central Mexico and into America. Secondly, immigration law states that those seeking asylum into the United States must enter through the port of entry, but many of them simply try to climb a fence or run across the border. A border wall is something that America needs, and Trump has certainly pushed something that America truly needs. Immigrants are welcome in America, but we can’t continue to justify illegal and immoral actions of those entering this country unlawfully.
Tweets JBaby @Allhailjaelyn_ You know it’s a visit day when the food is better in the bean!! Jacob Swan @JacobSwan_ Sitting in a lecture hall with 150 other people and the A/C went out, so the guy in front of me pulls out his laptop and starts playing a YouTube video of an oscillating fan. That’s what this whole college thing is all about. Learning next-level skills like that. Optimist Prime @OptimistP1906 ADVISORY: New laws state that killing rushees in Minecraft is considered “hazing” Optimist Prime @OptimistP1906 STUDIES SHOW: Canvas is a more effective dating app for college students than Tinder Almost Christian University @ChristianAlmost Who needs Kanye when you got Dr. Moore. Kanye could never pull off “Highways Byways”
THE OPTIMIST STAFF ALLISON HARRELL
SARAH BLANKENSHIP
JALEN GARRETT
KENNETH PYBUS
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DEVON HILLARY
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EMILY SHAFER
LEAH FIKES
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AVERY JACKSON
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NEWS | Friday, September 27, 2019 | 5
Study Abroad hosts launch party for applicants BY PAIGE CUDINI GUEST WRITER
Study Abroad hosted a launch party from 5 - 7 pm at the GATA Fountain for students to begin their Study Abroad applications on Tuesday. The first 150 students to arrive at the launch party received food vouchers for the Toasted Traveler Food Truck and Shaved Ice Shack to use during the event. In order to receive this, students must check in and fill out a boarding pass provided by the Study Abroad Department. Applications for the summer and fall of 2020 and the spring 2021 programs opened on Tuesday and were announced by Study Abroad coordinator Bradye McQueen, sporadically throughout the event starting at 5:30 p.m. McQueen recommended students bring a laptop to the event to make applying easier, but a cell phone or tablet could be
BY DAVID MITCHELL | PHOTOGRAPHER
A group of students lines up to get food from the Toasted Traveler. used to apply as well. Due to the high demand of certain programs, applications are based on a fi rst come fi rst serve basis. “For those who are eligible, we rank them by the date of their application,” McQueen said. “That’s kind of why we’re doing it
all publicly.” To be considered eligible for study abroad, students must complete two semesters but can apply before completion. Freshman can apply for the summer of 2020 and all study abroad programs that follow.
Applications for study abroad cost $250 and are non-refundable unless a student gets waitlisted and is not accepted to study abroad. However, if a student applies between Sept. 24 to Oct. 24, they will receive $50 off their application fee.
There is no set deadline date to turn in applications but the study abroad department recommends applying 120 days before departure at the latest. Study abroad takes place during the fall and spring semesters and for 3-6 weeks during the
summer, depending on the classes being offered and which department the student is traveling and studying with. Students have the option of studying in Oxford, England, Leipzig, Germany, or Montevideo, Uruguay. Students studying in Leipzig, Germany, are required to take 6 hours of German on top of their general education courses and students who choose to study in Montevideo, Uruguay will participate in all immersion, Spanish speaking courses. Students who choose to study in Oxford, England will not have to take a language component. “I loved all of [study abroad],” sophomore Josephine Lee said. “It becomes your home so fast and you truly feel as if you are home.” For more information about study abroad or to start and application, go to acu.edu/studyabroad.
25th annual Big Country Balloon Festival comes to Abilene BY ANDREW TOOTHMAN STAFF WRITER
The Optimist Club Unlimited of Abilene will host the 25th Annual Big Country Balloon Fest beginning on Friday at Red Bud Park in Abilene. The Optimist Club Unlimited is based in Abilene and its mission is to bring joy and serve the city. Robin Hicks, who is in charge of volunteers and directing the
festival for The Optimist Club Unlimited said that they want to create hope and positive vision for kids that grow up in Abilene. “We are a community organization dedicated to service and bringing out the best in everyone we meet, Optimist Club is proud to serve Abilene and the surrounding areas,” Hicks said. The Big Country Balloon Festival has been
an event since 1994, and this year they are having not only balloon flights. There will also be nightly glows, light synchronized kites, inflatables for children, and pony and train rides. The event begins on Sept. 27 and will end with sunrise balloon rides at 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The Optimist Club Unlimited are striving for local organizations and people
“We are a community organization dedicated to service and bringing out the best in everyone we meet.” ROBIN HICKS DIRECTOR OF VOLUNTEERS AND FESTIVAL FOR THE OPTIMIST CLUB UNLIMITED
to sponsor this event. This event will also be hosting live music and food vendors for the whole Abilene
community. Live music will be provided from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The Balloon Fest will be going on from 7:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The Optimist Club has a set of pilots and what balloon they will be flying. The Balloon Fest is free, but the rides are not. The Optimist Club is having a sale for thirty tickets for twenty
dollars that is strictly for inflatables and pony rides. The tethered balloon rides are twenty dollars a person. There will also be a car show, with the top twenty cars winning an award. There will also be an ugly car contest and car audio contest. The Balloon Festival’s benefits will be going to the Optimist Club Unlimited and their children charities that they sponsor.
ACU Film Festival hosts interest meeting for students BY ANDREW TOOTHMAN STAFF WRITER
The ACU FilmFest will be hosting multiple interest meeting for students on Friday and Saturday and they encourage students that have any interest in making fi lms to attend these meetings. ACU’s FilmFest began in 2005 as a student run fi lm festival that is not only designed for students interest in watching fi lms,
but also for students who are interested in fi lm production and motion picture. FilmFest can be a creative outlet for students that are interested in this industry of fi lm, as many grow into professional fi lm producers. The fi rst interest meeting for students took place on Sept. 25 at noon and at 5 pm based on the students’ schedules. The next meetings are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
The interest meeting will be led by Melissa Henderson who is The Learning Studio Training and Support Manager. She said that they will be discussing important dates and being able to connect Film Production Teams together will be huge. This will be a great time to take that first step of getting plugged into FilmFest and to meet other student filmmakers. The FilmFest Gala will
be on April 3 this year. Judges across America will evaluate the fi lms and awards are given on the red carpet gala event at the historic Paramount Theatre in Downtown Abilene. The top fi lms in contention for best picture will be shown during the live event. Dr. Kyle Dickson, director of AT&T Learning Studio and professor of language and literature, said it is the perfect time
“The meeting is a chance for students to meet other students wanting to make a fim this year to help put together a production team.” KYLE DICKSON DIRECTOR OF AT&T LEARNING STUDIO AND PROFESSOR OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
to develop a team in the fall and to come up with a script and begin shooting and editing.
“The meeting is a chance for students to meet other students wanting to make a film this year to help put together a production team,” Dickson said. Students who are at all interested in FilmFest or in film making should attend this meeting. Last year there were nine student teams with the theme of ‘Ignite.’ This year, the theme has not been released.
Johnston Jungle searches for elementary school volunteers BY ETHAN EPPINETTE GUEST WRITER
Johnston Jungle, a children’s outreach program at Johnston Elementary school, is in search of student volunteers that will enjoy spending time with kids and helping to create a positive environment of fun and friends. Ann Yarbrough, the administrative coordinator for the Department of Psychology, started the search for student volunteers through her department. She has a
close connection to the program through her husband, Scot Yarbrough. She and her husband are hoping to find students that will love working with kids and that will try to develop a relationship with them. She is working on a way for students that help with the outreach program to receive chapel credit for their time. Scot Yarbrough is the Director of Finance and Administration at St. Paul United Methodist Church, and leader for Johnston Jungle. Along with his time with this
program, he also serves on the board of Connecting Caring Communities, and House of Faith. “We want to be there for the kids every week, whether we have a short lesson, long lesson, or no lesson at all, we just want to let the kids know that we care about them,” Scot Yarbrough said. Five years ago, St. Paul United Methodist Church adopted Johnston elementary and began their work with Johnston Jungle. It is a weekly program that takes place on
“We want to be there for the kids every week, whether we have a short lesson, long lesson, or no lesson at all, we just want to let the kids know that we care about them.”
SCOT YARBROUGH DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION AT ST. PAUL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Wednesdays when the children get out of class. The program’s main focus is not to get kids to church, but to let the children have fun while
learning about God. Johnston Jungle has an average of 60 -65 children involved in the program every year. The reason that they are in search of more volunteers, is so that they can put the children into small groups of 5-6. The purpose of this is to let the k ids develop a more personal relat ionship with their group leader, and so the group leader can connect well with the children. The program’s main goal is to give children the atten-
t ion and posit ive inf luence that they might not other wise receive. Johnston Jungle does a lot more than just provide the children with a fun and positive after school experience. It also helps to provide the children at Johnston Elementary with school supplies, coats and warm clothes for the winter, and sometimes things such as backpacks, socks and shoes. The program also helps to put on the fall festival every year at Johnston Elementary.
Pledging process soon to begin for 12 on-campus social clubs BY ALLISON HARRELL EDITOR IN CHIEF.
Social clubs will invite pledges and begin the fall 2019 pledging process on Call Night, Oct. 3. There are 12 social clubs on campus that will be accepting pledges. The six female social clubs are Alpha Kai Omega, Delta Theta, GATA, Ko Jo Kai, Sigma Theta Chi and Tri Kappa Gamma. The six male social clubs are Frater Sodalis, Galaxy, Gamma Sigma Phi, Nu Kappa Psi, Pi Kappa and Trojans. Greta Norris, sophomore marketing major from Trophy Club, said the rushing process is taking up a lot of her time. “I did not realize how
BY RILEY FISHER | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Groups of students get to know the members of Alpha Kai Omega. much money I would spend on rush outfits,” Norris said. “Overall, it has been such a fun process and I hope to continue going through it and continue gaining a community that I
have always wanted to be a part of.” All rushes will end Oct. 1. Bart Herridge, dean of student engagement and retention, said there are not many changes to the pledg-
ing process this year. “I think the biggest change so far has been the registration process,” Herridge said. Participants interested in rushing and pledging this
year were required to register online through the ACU Connect app. “There are some changes within the Texas hazing law that we’re going to have to comply with that are going to change some things about the way we communicate,” Herridge said. “All pledges and all club members will be made aware of that.” A l l part icipants were requ ired to attend an ant i-hazing meet ing Sept. 24 or 25. Herridge said he encourages students to walk into the rushing process with an open mind. “We have a long history of [social clubs] at ACU,” Herridge said. “A lot of people go into this process
thinking this is the club that they want and I just try to encourage students to be very open minded because there’s a lot of clubs that may, or may not, be on their radar at the beginning. And as they get to the end of the process they may find that they connect with the people in that group more than they did the one that they thought going in.” Once participants receive a bid from a social club the pledging process will take approximately three weeks. Herridge said they are in the process of hiring for the position of social club coordinator. Currently, they are operating under the system of a committee to coordinate social club events.
6 | Friday, September 27, 2019 | SPORTS
STANDINGS Football Team UCA HBU Nicholls SELU SHSU ACU Lamar McNeese UIW NWSU SFA
Ovrl. 3-1 3-1 2-1 2-1 2-2 2-2 2-2 2-2 1-2 0-4 0-4
Conf. 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1
Soccer BY CLAIRE SHIPLEY | PHOTOGRAPHER
Offensive linemen wait for the start of the play.
Wildcats, Cardinals set for showdown in San Antonio BY TYLER HENDERSON SPORTS WRITER
After a thrilling victory over McNeese State, ACU will look to continue its winning ways as they head to San Antonio to take on Incarnate Word. A Wildcat team that has momentum in their favor is looking to pounce on Incarnate Word, who are sitting at 1-2 and second-to-last in the Southland Conference. For the Wildcats, expect to see the running game come out in full force, as they have all year. Look for the senior running back tan-
dem of Tracy James and Billy McCrary to carry the offense, and senior captains Bolu Onifade and Jeremiah Chambers to control the defensive side of the ball. After breaking a 0-6 record against McNeese, the Wildcats have momentum swinging their way, and much of that success came from the running game. Seniors Tracy James and Billy McCrary split the workload against McNeese, with James getting 15 carries for 36 yards, and the game winning touchdown. McCrary had four carries for 30 yards, and showed off his
speed on the outside. Luke Anthony will look to continue a hot start to the 2019 season, after going 26-44 for 313 and one touchdown. Anthony continues to find Senior wide-out Josh Fink in big-play situations. Fink had 123 yards on nine catches against McNeese. Tracy James also had 80 yards through the air, and the young receiving core of Javorian Miller, Justus Lee, and Kobe Clark combined for 102 yards on nine receptions. The intense pass rush for the Wildcats will also play a role in slowing down Cardinal’s quarterback Jon Copeland
who went 23-47 for 257 passing yards, and rushed for 52 yards. Stopping a dual threat quarterback is crucial against an Incarnate Word offense that is strong, but has a few holes. Junior Kameron Hill recorded third 2.0 sack game of the year, matching his career high of 6.0 from 2018. Junior defensive end also brought pressure against McNeese with two sacks of his own. For Incarnate Word, look for Kelechi Anyalebechi who entered Saturday’s game ranked second in the FCS and Southland with 2.5 tackles for loss per game.
The Cardinal’s defense has forced turnovers in 15 straight games, and capitalize quickly after the turnover. Last year, UIW scored quickly against the Wildcats. Scoring four times in less than three minutes in the first half. The Cardinal’s also outscored ACU 24-0 late in the second half last year. The Wildcats lead the all-time series against the Cardinals, 7-3, with all three losses after the 2013 season. ACU is 3-2 in San Antonio. Kickoff begins at six at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium on Saturday.
ACU opens Southland Conference play with a 4-1 win over HBU BY RACHEL POE SPORTS WRITER
The Wildcats opened up their Southland Conference play against the Houston Baptist Huskies at Elmer Grey Stadium on Friday. The Wildcats were able to take down the Huskies, 4-1, despite their slow offensive start. The first goal of the night came from freshman Jordan Michie, in the 33rd minute, after junior captain Christina Arteaga passed it off to Michie, before she headed it in. In the 37th minute, senior Shay Johnson was able to
score her fourth goal of the season when freshman Natalie Jones fed her a ball and Johnson tapped it and scored 10 yards away. Senior Samantha Vestal scored her first goal of the season when Jones assisted another ball in at the 41st minute, and Vestal nailed it in the back of the net, closing the first half with a 3-0 lead over HBU. HBU was not able to score a goal in the past four games until tonight when freshman Xya Balderas was able to slip one in, past ACU goalkeeper Rachel Johnson for her third goal of
the season in the 58th minute. The final goal of the night came from Jones herself in the 69th minute when senior Peighton Starch passed her the ball for Jones’ fifth goal of the season. Jones is currently leading the team with the most scored goals. It was a night of many shots coming from ACU and HBU with a total of 55, ACU leading 36-19. The Wildcats had 19 attempts in the first half and 17 in the second half. Arteaga led shot attempts with six, Michie, Jones and Sophie Standifer with five each. Meanwhile, the Wildcats
led 8-4 in corner kicks. Abilene Christian has a 5-2 winning series over Houston Baptist. The Wildcats have won all the matches against the Huskies played in Abilene. The Huskies were hoping to put an end to a six-game losing streak, after winning their season-opener against Prairie View A&M. However, North Texas, Texas State, Buffalo, #17 TCU, UTSA and now ACU have given them a difficult time. ACU is 5-1-1 in Southland Conference and will get the rest of the weekend off.
Jones is feeling pretty confident in the Wildcats abilities moving forward into the Wildcats next upcoming conference matches. “Going into conference 1-0, we’ll just keep pushing because we want to win the conference, and it just shows a good message to the rest of the teams in our conference,” Jones said. “We look good, but we can always improve. We will keep bringing the pressure to the other teams” The Wildcats will return to the field next Friday, Sept. 27 in Thibodaux, LA to play the Nicholls Colonels at 4 p.m.
Freshmen Wildcats shine at debut tennis tournament BY AVERY JACKSON SPORTS WRITER
The Wildcats women’s tennis team faced off in the Corpus Christi Invitational Sept. 1314 with their games on Sept. 15 getting rained out. The men took on teams in the New Mexico State Invitational Sept. 13-Sept. 15. This was the debut of the
2019 fall tournament season for the ACU tennis team. On the women’s team, there were three freshmen who had their debut tournament on the team. “This time of year is great for the freshman and newcomer because the fall is about individuals and it helps them learn the expectations of a college team,” head ten-
nis coach John Walker said. “A tournament environment shows the true character of a player, while also showing how much determination they have.” This is a busy time of year for the ACU tennis team because it allows them to work individually and hone in on their strengths before having to work as a team later on in
the spring. Walker believes that it allows the team to also focus on building a relationship with newcomers as a family while still being able to enhance their skills one on one. “I was impressed,” Walker said, “by how the older players took them in as a family and really accepted them.” Walker also said it meant a lot to him as he was also
very impressed by how all four freshmen all had the willingness to learn, improve and work as a team with the older players mentoring them. The next ACU women’s tennis matches took place Sept. 20-Sept. 22 at the New Mexico State Aggie Invitational in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
FOOTBALL MATCHUP PREVIEW 2019 SEASON POINTS PER GAME
25.3
204.0
RUSH YPG
189.0
300.8
PASSING YPG
266.7
36.0
26.5
POINTS ALLOWED PG
SPORTS DIRECTOR
After going up against one of the best FCS defenses in the country last week, the Wildcats will have a golden opportunity to get back to its offensive dominance against Incarnate Word. Saturday, ACU was held to 17 points in their win over McNeese. It’s the first time they’ve scored under 30 points in a game. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are coming off an embarrassing loss to Sam Houston State, 45-6. UIW’s defense has been inconsistent at best, scoring seven points in the opener, 63 in the following week and then being shut down by the Bearkats. However their defense is a key weakness averaging 41.3 points allowed per game. Junior quarterback Luke Anthony and senior running back Tracy James should take full advantage of a subpar defense this week. This matchup will be a great gague of determining how much of a conference contender the Wildcats are this season. The Wildcats grab their second straight win and their first road win of the season. FINAL SCORE: ACU 35 UIW 24
Ovrl. 5-2-1 5-3 4-5 4-5 3-5 2-6 3-4-1 3-5 3-5 1-6-1 1-6-1 1-7
Conf. 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1
Volleyball Team TXAM-CC UNO SFA McNeese NWSU Nicholls HBU UCA SHSU UIW ACU Lamar SELU
Ovrl. 8-6 8-7 12-1 7-5 7-5 6-5 8-7 6-7 4-8 4-10 2-8 5-6 5-9
Conf. 1-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1
SCHEDULE Football Week 4 ACU SELU Texas So. Nicholls SFA SHSU
v v v v v v
UIW NWSU HBU Texas St. Lamar McNeese
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Football
FINK Senior wide receiver Josh Fink had himself a huge day against Mcneese State, racking up a career high nine receptions and 123 yards recieving. He also averaged almost 14 yards per catch. Fink leads the Wildcats in receptions. Up next, the Wildcats travel to San Antonio to play Incarnate Word Saturday.
Football
41.3 UNIVERSITY OF INCARNATE WORD (1-2)
ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSIT Y (2–2)
Owen Simpson
Team ACU McNeese Lamar NWSU SHSU UIW Nicholls TXAM-CC SFA UCA SELU HBU
Tavian Miles
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Last week the Wildcats were able to get back on track against one of the best defenses in the conference by taking down McNeese in the last few seconds of regulation. The passing game for the Wildcats still proved to be impressive as Luke Anthony threw for 313 yards and for 1 touchdown pass, but the running will need some work since running backs were only able to put up a little over 70 yards against McNeese. Even with only putting up less than their season averages of points the Wildcats look to belittle a UIW who’s coming off of a blowout loss to Sam Houston State. Expect the Wildcats to put up 30 plus points this week against a defense that gives up around 40 points per contest. Luke Anthony will throw for over 330 yards and expect Tracy James to put up major rushing yards this Saturday. The Wildcats will take this week’s game with ease on the road. FINAL SCORE: ACU 38 UIW 13
Lexi Kirgan
SPORTS REPORTER
I feel like the Wildcats are feeling better than ever right now after coming off their Saturday win against McNeese. That was the first time beating the McNeese Cowboys so I have a feeling the Wildcats are on a high right now. I think the game against UIW this weekend is going to be a huge blowout. The Cardinals are 0-1 in conference and it isn’t a pretty 0-1… they lost to Sam Houston 6-45 last week. So from the looks of it, it looks like there is really not going to be any competition this week. The Wildcats are starting to play like we all know they can and if they keep it up there is a good possibility they will continue to dominate the Southland Conference. I have a feeling the Wildcats will not disappoint this weekend.
FINAL SCORE: ACU 42 UIW 7
Jalen Garrett SPORTS REPORTER
Coming off a nail biting win against Mcneese, the Wildcats look to bounce back offensively as they travel to San Antonio to face Incarnate Word. Against Mcneese State on Saturday, ACU’s dominant running game was shut down as they were held to only 85 yards rushing as a team. However, junior quarterback Luke Anthony and senior wide receiver Josh Fink were in tune with each other all night, with Anthony throwing for over 300 yards and Fink grabbing nine receptions along with 123 receiving yards. UIW is coming into this game in the bottom three of the Southland Conference and allowing over 41 points per game from their opponents. They recently were humiliated by Sam Houston State, losing 45-6. I believe this game isn’t close and running back Tracy James will run all over UIW’s defense. ACU will win on the road and go above .500. FINAL SCORE: ACU 42 MCNEESE 6
ANTHONY Junior quarter Luke Anthony threw for over 300 passing yards for second consecutive game while completing 59% of his passes. Anthony ranks in the top five in categories such as pass effenciency, yards per game, and total offense. This past Saturday was the first time the Wildcats defeated McNeese in program history, 17-10.
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