ACUOPTIMIST.COM | Friday, November 8, 2019 | 1
A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
Meet the campus yo-yoer PAGE 3
BY DAVID MITCHELL | PHOTOGRAPHER
The Wildcat men’s basketball bench celebrates a score at first home game of the season on Tuesday.
99 West creates promotional campaign BY ALLISON HARRELL EDITOR IN CHIEF
Students at multimedia agency 99 West are working to create a promotional kickstarter campaign video for a client’s compact grill invention, scheduled for completion by Thanksgiving break. 99 West is a co-curricular activity for multimedia majors that was established in the Spring of 2013. 99 West gives students professional multimedia experience by providing them with re-
sources and projects to work on, sometimes from outside clients. Cade White, instructor in the department of journalism and mass communication and faculty adviser for 99 West, said like other clients, he received an email inquiry to their services and it seemed like a good fit for the team. “99 West tries to work with a professional client every semester, not only for the financial benefits to help keep our operation running
but definitely for the practical experience the students get,” White said. “Working for a real client is something that really doesn’t compare to a self-made project.” Their client is a local business man and entrepreneur who has designed and created a new product he wants to sell through a kick starter campaign. The campaign video will feature the product that is a uniquely designed portable grill that packs up into a compact size and expands out into a use-
“99 West tries to work with a professional client every semester, not only for the financial benefits to help keep our operation running but definitely for the pratiacal experience the students get.” CADE WHITE INSTRUCTOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION AND FACULTY ADVISER FOR 99 WEST
ful-sized grill. “Our client came up with
the idea when he was traveling extensively, he and his wife, in an RV and wishing he had the functionality of his big grill at home,” White said. The students create the shot list, set up locations, schedule times and find actors needed for the video campaign. Hannah McIntyre, co-director for the project at 99 West and junior multimedia major from Keller, said the biggest thing she has had to learn throughout the project is
Sing Song dance team tryouts on Sunday BY ALYSSIA ANUAT GUEST WRITER
The Sing Song dance team auditions will be held from 8-10 p.m. on Sunday at the Royce and Pam Money Recreation and Wellness Center. Any student is allowed to try out. Sing Song dance team directors ask students wanting to attend and participate to wear appropriate clothing, bring water and be willing to learn. T he Sing Song dance team is a par t of the show’s enter tainment in between acts. T he team accompanies the hosts and hostesses to
add a touch of fun and professionalism. “The dance team offers another unique way to be involved in Sing Song,” Katie Norris, sophomore marketing and management major and the Sing Song dance team captain, said. “It gives the people who just love to dance another reason to dance, but with some of the most fun people across campus. It builds a community of people who share a similar passion that you probably would have never met before.” Norris said this year’s team will differ from the previous years because it
will be completely student-led and there will also be two new segments added to the performance. The first segment will contain people who love to dance and have lots of energy. The second will focus on technique with a smaller group of people able to confidently do more advanced and technical dances. “We plan to not only be an excellent representation of ACU, but present ourselves as strong and talented team coming together as a Christ community and using the talents we have been given,” Norris said.
time management. “We took this client three weeks ago and we did our first film shoot last Tuesday,” McIntyre said. “It was intense, having to figure out how to get all these different things together and be able to do a shoot that Tuesday. There’s so many things that go into it that you don’t think about.” The entire video will feature five different locations. The scenarios will feature a picnic cookout, a football SEE 99 WEST ON PAGE 2
NEWS
Parking to develop in downtown Abilene PAGE 2
NEWS
OPTIMIST FILE PHOTO
Sing Song dance team directors search for new performers for Sing Song 2019.
Student produces original film ‘At the End of Eight’ BY KAYLA MONTANO GUEST WRITER
After several months of preparation the student produced film, “At the End of Eight,” comes to a wrap. The film is about three college students who sneak inside the home of complete strangers as a par t of a popular, yet illegal, game. The game requires the players to stay in the house for eight hours without being discovered. If they are successful, they win $10,000. However, the players soon find out they are not in an ordinar y house. The idea for this film all star ted when Rankin Bullard, senior theatre acting major from Col-
orado City and director, writer, cinematog rapher and editor of the film, was at a rehearsal a few ag o. “Our director g ave us an eight minute break and said ‘we’ll pick up where we left off at the end of eight’ and I “A few people backed out of crew positions due to scheduling conflicts and creative differences, so we were a small team. We never had more than five crew members on set.” RANKIN BULLARD SENIOR THEATRE ACTING MAJOR FROM COLORADO CITY
thought it sounded like a g reat title so I wrote it in my notes on my phone,” Bullard said.
“I have a strang e habit of thinking of titles for films before I even have the stor y thought out.” Bullard star ted writing the screenplay for the film in Febr uar y of 2018 and finished it that summer; it ended up being 87 pag es long. With most of the potential cast being out of town for the summer, filming was postponed until October 2018. “A few people backed out of crew positions due to scheduling conflicts and creative differences, so we were a ver y small team...we never had more than five crew members on set,” Bullard said. Filming was hard with
“If someone were to ask me how this all came together, I would probably laugh at first because I still don’t know how we managed to do it.” RANKIN BULLARD SENIOR THEATRE ACTING MAJOR FROM COLORADO CITY
all of the cast and crew being full time students, but they still managed to make it work by scheduling filming around ever yones classes, rehearsals and jobs. After six months of writing the screenplay, four months of filming, and about seven months of editing, all of the hard work from Febr uar y 2018 to October 2019 came to a close, with the film standing at one hour
and sixteen minutes. “If someone were to ask me how this all came together, I would probably laugh at first because I still don’t know how we managed to do it,” Bullard said. “There were so many things we were willing to give up or spend less time on in order to get the entire movie done. We were ver y confident in our stor ytelling capabilities and we knew that at the hear t of the film was the stor y and the authenticity of characters and plot.” Along with other film projects, the trailer for “At the End of Eight” can be seen on the Beyond Star Films website which was founded by Bullard.
Leipzig artwork on display in Gallery
PAGE 5
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2 | Friday, November 8, 2019 | NEWS
ASA sponsors traditional African food festival BY KAYLA MONTANO GUEST WRITER
The African food festival called CHOMA was put together by the Aftrican Student Association (ASA) to celebrate traditional food, dancing and fun last Saturday in the downstairs of McGlothlin Campus Center. Students of the ASA brought a dish from their country and to share at the event. This allows CHOMA to be one of the easiest events they plan. The only preparation required is decorations and volunteers to help serve.
“What I like about ASA is that we treat each other like family. Most of us are from different African countries so we bond easily.”
JOELLE OPELE JUNIOR BIOCHEMISTRY MAJOR FROM IRVING
In addition to the food, there was also dancing, games and competitions. The ASA has put together the CHOMA celebration every fall semester since its establishment in 2014. The next event the ASA will host is Field Day, where they will be partnering up with Craig Middle
BY DAVID MITCHELL | PHOTOGRAPHER
ASA serves traditional African foods to attendees. School to play, dance, tutor and make bracelets and necklaces with the refugee
children. Joelle Opele, junior biochemistry major, is origi-
nally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, but has called Irving her home for
the past seven years. She also serves as vice president of the African Student Association and has been a part of the association since her freshman year in 2017. “What I like about ASA is that we treat each other like family,” Opele said. “Most of us are from different African countries so we bond easily.” Opele said the African Student Association’s theme is ubuntu, meaning a quality that includes the essential human virtues of compassion and humanity, which is why everyone is welcome to CHOMA.
Interest meeting to kickstart 1GEN Success program BY SYDNEY VARNER STAFF WRITER
The office of Financial Counseling and Student Services has been in the process of creating the First Generation Student Success Program and is holding an interest meeting from 2-3 p.m. on Nov. 8 in COBA 217. The First Generation Student Success Program is focused primarily around professional development and overall mentorship of first generation students. The Financial Counseling and Student Services office has been advertising this
event through emails and tabling in the campus center. Rebekah Reyes, associate director of financial counseling and student services, said she is excited about spreading information about the usefulness and wide reach of this program. “Overall, I think the students are becoming a lot more educated about the resources that are available to them which is kind of the whole purpose. It’s one of those things you shouldn’t be ashamed of; there shouldn’t be a stigma. Everyone starts somewhere right?,” Reyes
said. “Hopefully that is one of the things that is happening is people realizing this is a great thing, it’s a great thing to be a first generation college student.” Stephanie Tran, freshman biochemistry major from Keller, is a first generation student who heard of the new program and interest meeting. “I’ve gotten a couple of emails about it and I think it’s a super helpful thing especially because some first generation students don’t know what they’re doing sometimes,” Tran said. “College stuff is real and I feel like this is a
More parking to develop in downtown Abilene BY MADI MILLER GUEST WRITER
Plans to increase parking in downtown Abilene are under review by the city council and business managers. Donna Albus, city council member, and Robert Hanna, city manager, said parking downtown has been an issue for a while now. “Parking has long been a problem in downtown Abilene and the recent increase in property redevelopment has made it more acute,” Albus said. There is no set date on when these changes will occur. Although there
should be a lot of positives with increased parking. City managers said they want to make sure nothing negative will happen for business in that area. “The changes are under review and will be discussed with the business community before any final decision is made,” Albus said. Overall they do not see how there could be any negatives with increasing the parking. It allows more opportunities for customers to access businesses in the area. Anna McLeod, junior communication science and disorders major, said
good resource for people to use.” Jared Beltran, freshman engineering major from El Paso, is also a fi rst generation and plans on attending the interest meeting. Beltran said he agrees that this resource is extremely helpful especially in its focus on mentorship. “I’d say that with figuring out what to do and how to do it, mentorship would be a great help especially since my parents nor anyone in my family have gone through college, there was really no one to guide me so I was really asking ‘What do I do? Help,’” Beltran said.
“We’re here for you all, everybody should feel like this is a place you can come to.” REBEKAH REYES ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL COUNSELING AND STUDENT SERVICES
Though this program is starting to ramp up now with meetings and advertising, Tran said that the program may aid in students decision making on choosing a college. “Personally, I didn’t really look at this program, I looked more for my department. However, in the future, I think this
will be good because if two schools have the same department programs but ACU offers this also then it would probably be an extra factor that would help,” Tran said. Reyes said she encourages Students with questions to attend the interest meeting or contact the Wildcat Central office. “We’re here for you all, everybody should feel like this is a place you can come to, “ Reyes said. “There is no such thing as a dumb question because we hear something new everyday and we’ll figure it out for you.”
99 WEST: Students create video for professional entrepeneur
one common problem for most ACU students is lack of parking when attending The Well Church on Sundays or for Midnight Worship. “It is difficult to fi nd parking if there are not any open in the road near Cypress Street,” McLeod said. Along with Mcleod, downtown businesses and employees will benefit from added parking areas. “I did not know that they were planning on expanding,” McLeod said. “I think that will help [The Well Church] grow as well as take off some stress for the church members.”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
tailgate party and an R.V. campground cookout. White said the team is a little more than halfway through the productions. “The production has been pretty intense with several different production scenarios being shot in different locations,” White said. “Overall it’s been a great experience for the students. They’ve done a great job working with the client and the skills that they are learning are immensely valuable to their professional development.” There are 8-10 students on the 99 West team
working on the project, all responsible for different roles. “It’s been really fun,” McIntyre said. “We’ve had a lot of good experiences working with our client, just kind of figuring out what it takes to actually do this. I’ve never really been a part of a client video before or done anything like this. So, being a part of pre-production and figuring out what it takes to do this is really fun and an exciting opportunity. But also I feel like our team has really thrived.” White said the project has been a little more
compressed and intense than he’d like but after good conversations about whether or not to tackle the project, they decided they could do it. “We felt like we could meet his deadline and we knew that it was going to be a formidable challenge, but I am confident that my students can rise to that challenge,” White said. Once completed, the promotional video will be uploaded to the client’s kickstarter campaign page where people can pre-order the product and help fund the campaign for the product.
SAT., NOV. 16
WHAT’S HAPPENING? MON., NOV. 11 Presidential Scholars Visit 7:30 p.m.- Percussion Ens concert
TUES., NOV. 12 4 p.m.- Budgeting Basics Workshop 7 p.m.- Hansel & Gretel by Humperdink
WED., NOV. 13
THURS., NOV. 14
FRI., NOV. 15
11:45 a.m.- School Psychology Awareness Lunch 7 p.m.- Gun Law Panel
4 p.m.- A Fresh Look at Jesus The Jewish Storyteller 7:30 p.m.- Trains, Jesus and Murder Book Launch
6:30 p.m.- Abilene StrEATs: Winter Lightfest Edition
police log SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK: •
ACUPD issued a MIC citation to an underage student at the Freshman Dance who had consumed alcohol. 10/31/2019 10:25 p.m.
•
ACUPD responded to a reported off-campus burglary of a habitation where Social Club related memorabilia was stolen. Burglary investigation underway. 11/01/2019 11:55 a.m.
•
ACUPD encountered a female student vomiting in the roadway, found to have consumed alcohol. MIC citation issued. 11/02/2019 11:53 p.m.
•
ACUPD and Abilene PD responded to several incidents of Criminal Mischief with damaged vehicles/broken car windows in the area of Cedar Crest and Lincoln Drive. 11/05/2019 8:00 a.m.
911 Call Administrative activity Advice Alarm Animal call Armed subject Assault Assist Barricades Bicycles/skateboard call Building lock/unlock Burglary (vehicle) Burglary (residence) Cart patrol Check building Citation issuance
4 52 3 5 2 0 1 0 4 1 16 0 0 8 263 0
Clery compliance admin. Criminal tresspass Disorderly conduct Disturbance Domestic disturbance Escort Event support Foot patrol Found property Information report Investigation followup Lost Property Maintenance: univ assets: cctv Maintenance: univ assets Medical emergency Mental health concern
MESSAGE FROM POLICE CHIEF ELLISON:
11 0 0 4 0 2 0 6 2 3 18 2 23 2 3 0
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 Reckless driving Refuel gasoline cans
0 21 3 8 3 4 3 3 21 0 9 9 1 12 0 0
Report writing Report writing (follow up) Sex offense Suspicious activity Susicious person Suspicious vehicle Theft Traffic stop Training Welfare check Total
14 1 0 0 4 3 0 1 0 2 555
*List of selected statistics of this week’s ACUPD activity report.
“Set boundaries early in your dating relationships and don’t be afraid to discuss and understand what consent is. Remember; the absence of a ‘No’ does not equate to a ‘Yes.’ ”
6 p.m.- Football vs. Southeastern Louisiana
FEATURES | Friday, November 8, 2019 | 3
BY RILEY FISHER | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Quentin Rohl uses his yo-yo skills to cheer up his patients in pediatric clinics as a nursing student.
A HOBBY WITH UPS AND DOWNS Nursing major’s passion for yo-yoing leads to joy in personal and professional life BY TYLER HENDERSON SPORTS WRITER
The busyness of college affects everyone differently, and students choose several outlets to relieve that stress such as reading, hammocking, or working out. Senior nursing major Quentin Rohl however, finds his relief in a unique outlet: yo-yoing. Rohl began his pursuit of yo-yoing as a young kid when a professional yo-yo thrower came to his elementary school and began to teach basic tricks. Rohl said that he gave up throwing for several years, only picking his yoyo back up every now and then, until his sophomore year of high school. “I was bored one summer and bought a yoyo online,” Rohl said. “At first I thought it was broken because it was
more complex than I was used to, so I had to Google how the yo-yo worked.” Rohl said that after looking up the basics of the yo-yo, he was introduced to more advanced forms of throwing. He began to dig into the five different divisions of yo-yoing, beginning with the simplest form, 1A string tricks. “I was bored one summer and bought a yo-yo online. At first I thought it was broken because it was more complex than I was used to, so I had to Google how the yo-yo worked.”
QUENTIN ROHL SENIOR NURSING MAJOR FROM PINEHURST
“I played around with [string tricks] for a little bit and I let go of it,” Rohl said. “College is where I picked it up again and
learned about all of the different divisions. 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, and 5A.” He learned each of the divisions, but the one that stuck with him the most was 4A off-string throwing, Rohl said. That is the style that most ACU students who have seen him practice are familiar with. Rohl said he would practice almost every day, whether that was in school or in church. Through his practice, he met his good friend and fellow thrower, Ben Hewatt. “As I was throwing in church, I had some people ask if I knew this other guy that yo-yo’s,” Rohl said. “They had introduced me to him and now we try to meet every Sunday.” Hewatt has also helped Rohl pursue yo-yo competitions. Rohl said that Hewatt is helping or-
ganize the competition in Houston in February 2020, one in which he would like to compete in. Currently, it is unknown whether the 2020 competition is a state or regional competition, which will determine if Rohl can compete. Rohl has also been to see several throwing competitions across America, including the world competition in Cleveland, Ohio. Rohl said that the excitement around the competitions and the yoyo community is unlike anything he’s ever seen. “This competition has me a little worried,” Rohl said. “I’m very excited, though. The yo-yo community will always support you whether you bomb your performance or not. They really support each other, and everyone is so nice.”
Outside of yo-yoing, Rohl is a well-traveled individual as well as “I carry it for fun but also it’s so fun to show other people. Often times it blows their mind because they don’t know what modern yo-yoing is.” QUENTIN ROHL SENIOR NURSING MAJOR FROM PINEHURST
a full-time nursing student. Growing up in an oil and gas family, Rohl was born in Indiana and moved worldwide. He has lived in Houston, Australia, Singapore and finally Abilene. Rohl said that he has stayed busy with school and clinical’s at the hospital, but that it has not kept him from pursuing yo-yoing. He also said he performs his tricks at the hospital for kids and other
patients who need something to brighten their day. “We are focused on pediatrics this year and a fellow nurse asked a young patient if he wanted to see some tricks,” Rohl said. “So, I went in there and showed him and his family and it blew their minds.” Rohl said he plans to continue to pursue nursing and yo-yoing, as well as trying to incorporate it more into his professional work. By competing this upcoming February in Houston, he hopes to fulfill his dream of reaching and winning the world competition. “I carry it for fun but also it’s so fun to show other people,” Rohl said. “Often times it blows their mind because they don’t know what modern yo-yoing is.”
TINY HOUSE, BIG DREAMS How a student built his own house to bring to college
BY DILLON DANIEL MANAGING EDITOR
Ti ny houses a re a t rend a mong people i n t hei r 2 0 s a nd ea rly 30 s but few bu i ld t hei r own pr ior to mov i ng off to col lege. Set h Chapma n, a sophomore biochemist r y major from For t Wor t h, completed bu i ld i ng h is t i ny house i n M a rch 2 017 for t he Ta r ra nt Cou nt y Ju n ior L ivestock Show w it h pla ns to use it for housi ng du r i ng h is tenu re i n col lege. A lt hou gh Chapma n had bu i lt t he house for h i mself to l ive i n, he is not cu r rent ly l iv i ng i n it due to ca mpus requ i rements for on- ca mpus housi ng. Chapma n is cu r rent ly keepi ng t he t i ny house i n town wh i le he resides at Sm it h-Ada ms Ha l l. He sa id it wa s h is d iscover y of t i ny houses a s a k id t h at i nspi red h i m to t a ke on t he projec t . “ I ca me across a compa ny t hat a l ready had a set-up pla n [for t i ny
PHOTO COURTESY OF SETH CHAPMAN
Seth Chapman and his tiny house built for the Tarrant County Junior Livestock Show. houses] a nd t hat ’s what got me i nterested,” Chapma n sa id. “A f ter t hat , it beca me a sor t of a d rea m.” One reason he sa id he wa nted to create a t i ny house was to save money com i ng i nto school , so he cou ld have a sust a i nable home goi ng
i nto g raduate school. “ I’l l be usi ng it t hese next fou r yea rs goi ng i nto med ica l school. If I have to move to a place for residenc y I may use it t hen, but my pla n is to ret i re it by t hen,” Chapma n sa id. After complet ing t he t iny house, Chapman
sa id to have it is “a sense of accompl ishment.” “ It ’s rea l ly n ice to k now t hat I st a r ted somet h i ng a nd now I have a f i n ished product , especia l ly one t hat I ca n l ive i n,” Chapma n sa id. He cont i nued to work on t he t i ny house over
t he su m mer wh i le he was i n town for su m mer cou rses. He sa id it was n ice to have h is own space where he cou ld work w it hout hav i ng to go to t he l ibra r y. “ It was a bit of a n adjust ment being away from home a nd h av i n g to t a ke ca re of
ever y t h ing m y s e l f ,” Chapman said. Aside from occasiona l ma i ntena nce issues, Chapma n sa id it has been f i ne l iv i ng on h is own overa l l. Because Chapma n’s house is mobi le, he const r ucted it to move a nd f u nct ion l i ke a n RV or ca mper. T he t i ny house cont a i ns basic ut i l it ies l i ke ever y ot her house: washer a nd d r yer, a i r cond it ion i ng , toi let , etc. He sa id t hat t he easiest opt ion to have it next yea r wou ld be i n a n RV pa rk , “...but event ua l ly, it wou ld be n ice to have it i n a lot or proper t y.” He sa id he wou ld feel i n t he way if he were to pa rk it at someone’s house. A lt hou gh he has enjoyed hav i ng h is roommate t he past t wo yea rs, Chapma n sa id he is go i ng to l i ke hav i ng h is own place. Chapman said h is fr iends l ike t he house he bu i lt, but he w ishes t hey had t he oppor t u n it y to do t he same.
4 | Friday, November 8, 2019 | OPINIONS
Hong Kong protests continue on college campuses Chinese policies create unrest abroad and why American students should care
EDITORIAL BOARD
In recent world news, Hong Kong protests regarding the extradition bill, beginning in April 2019, have spread to U.S. college campuses. The extradition bill, also known as the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill, would have allowed suspected criminals to be detained and extradited to areas like mainland China and Taiwan, with which Hong Kong does not have current extradition agreements with. Those against the bill argued that it would grant China greater power over Hong Kong and raised concerns for the freedom of activists and journalists. The bill was suspended by Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, in June and officially withdrawn in September.
BY ERNIE GUAJARDO | CARTOONIST
Protesters considered this action to be too little, too late. Protesters now are calling for the
passage of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. The reason the bill is a
concern for Hong is because Hong was controlled by Britain until 1997.
Kong Kong Great Since
returning to Chinese rule, it still claims democratic ideas and the people claim more rights.
Hong Kong protesters still fear the bill could be revived, so the demonstrations continue and have even spread to U.S. college campuses. In the New York Times article, Hong Kong Protests Spread to U.S. Colleges and a Rift Grows, students protesting for Hong Kong have received threats and push back from mainland Chinese students and others across the globe. With these campus protests and division between Hong Kong student protesters and inter national students from mainland China, what stance should university officials take? Should they continue to allow the protests to proceed on the side of freedom of expression or should they war n ag ainst protests for fear of the escalation of violence?
Pro: Stand on the side of free expression Con: Many foreign students feel the heat Regardless of this push-back, colleges are having to face the challenge of supporting free expression without alienating a large demographic of international students on American campuses. According to the Institute of International Education, of the 1.1 million international students in the United States, one-third come from China. Free expression on col-
lege campuses should be welcomed and encouraged. These protests are a way for students to feel connected to a cause, possibly close to home. Although, there have not been any physical attacks on protesters on U.S. college campuses yet, the harsh verbal backlash is present and is something to be weary of but not back down from. We
believe in these instances of harassment and threats directed toward student protesters, the university should be in the position to protect these students for freedom of expression. The university does not have to make a public political statement on the subject, but the university should not stand on the side of defending hate and harassment.
At the University of California, some students asked university officials to cancel an organized rally by Hong Kong protesters. At Emerson College, a student protester requested a public statement from the school condemning the threats made against her and the college did not comply to the request.
The university should not be held responsible for the protection of the students in protest. If the students decide to create and organize a protest, it should be in their hands. They should recognize the potential consequences and reactions that may come from a direct display of protest. If the backlash comes
to physical violence, at that point the university should step in to protect the individuals victimized. However, until that point, the university should assume a hands off standpoint. Universities cannot suffer the consequences of deterring the main source of international students from their university.
The college football playoffs need to be expanded
BY TAVIAN MILES ASSISTANT SPORTS DIRECTOR
As of right now the college football playoffs only allow for four teams to compete in this post-season showdown,
which means there are about two to four teams that find themselves left out in the competition for the National Championship. So far this year the top eight teams in the country are LSU, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Penn State, Florida, Oregon and Georgia. If the season ended today this would be the biggest talk in all of sports because Penn State, a team that hasn’t lost yet, would be snubbed out of a spot to compete in the playoffs. Whereas Clemson, a team that struggled against a bad North Carolina
team, would get the fourth and final spot. The NCAA needs to make the change from the four team format and allow for the eight best teams to compete to show who is the best team in all of college football. In 2014 the playoff format was inserted into the post-season mix and right off the bat we were already able to see some of the wins with the change, as well as many of the flaws that it had to offer. I remember the 2017 sea-
son like it was yesterday. During the 2017 season, Ohio State was ranked fifth when the season was over, after they had just won the Big Ten Championship, while ahead of them was the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama was ranked in the fourth spot, despite not participating in a conference championship game. Don’t get me wrong, Alabama deserved to be in the playoffs, but the system makes it seem like winning a conference championship doesn’t matter at all when a
team who didn’t play for one is put in the mix. Just recently in the 20182019 season we saw more teams, specifically UCF, get robbed out of a spot in the playoffs when they had a decent resume to get themselves in. UCF had spent the past two seasons with undefeated records, but were ultimately left outside the top four. Now I’m not saying UCF played a hard schedule at all, but if you make it eight teams instead of four you could see them maybe pull off a few upsets and perhaps
they can prove their worth to the college football playoff committee. The committee has a hard job, having to choose the four best teams in college football to put into the playoffs, but by making it eight teams maybe there wouldn’t be as much controversy from fans and critics complaining about which teams did or didn’t deserve to be included. It might take a couple more years to finally see this format change, but with plenty of people talking it might happen soon.
Freshmen deserve just as much attention, if not more, as your friends do
BY RILEY FISHER CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
From time to time, I hear people complaining about their freshman year, whether it is about their classes, professors, friends or housing.
Accidentally listening in on these conversations makes me remember a lot of things about my own freshman year. People might think I have nothing to say or no place to speak up because I’m only a sophomore, but I think other underclassmen can still have things to say that freshmen want to hear. Upon first instinct, I often want to tell freshmen how great they have it because of how much busier and harder things get the further they advance in their college careers. However, this usu-
ally isn’t the best way to start a conversation. I’ve found it better to swap stories. Nobody likes to be talked down to, but adults who are newly living on their own are especially resistant to those kinds of words. I know I certainly was, and still am. Freshmen are often looking for new friends as they reinvent themselves during their first months in a new place. The best way to get to know someone is to sit down and have a conversation with them. Instead of looking
down on freshmen, other students should take the time to have conversations and share experiences with them. After all, what do we have to lose? Even the five minutes you are willing to give could forever change someone’s opinion about life at ACU. A simple smile or greeting can make an enormous difference. I know without the leadership, but also acknowledgement, of some upperclassmen I would not have decided to get involved in many of the activities on campus I now treasure.
Because of the influence of the upperclassmen who chose to invest in me, I have made it an intentional goal to pay attention to the freshmen I encounter and pour into them in the same way. It can be easy for a busy student to lose sight of what does not immediately need his or her attention. This goal has not only increased my awareness of those around me on campus, but also has led me to some pretty stellar friendships in the last semester. Deep conversations and peer-to-peer inter-
actions may not be for everyone, but simple acknowledgement of the humanity within the people around you is an easy first step to take. I encourage people to step a little outside of their comfort zones and seek out a relationship with someone who could use something as quick as a smile to brighten their day. Specifically, look out for the freshmen who could use an older student’s guidance. By doing so, you might end up with a friendship you’ll treasure for a long time.
THE OPTIMIST STAFF ALLISON HARRELL
SARAH BLANKENSHIP
HENRY ERICKSON
KENNETH PYBUS
DILLON DANIEL
ASHLEY LANG
AVERY JACKSON
CADE WHITE
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DEVON HILLARY
JALEN GARRETT
CELESTE KINKADE
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BRYCE LURKENS
DAVID MITCHELL
LEAH FIKES
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ALLIE JONES
KAUY OSTLIEN
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NEWS | Friday, November 8, 2019 | 5
Leipzig artwork on display in Shore BY HENRY ERICKSON STAFF WRITER
The start of this November was greeted with the numerous works of art from some of ACU’s students, put on display in the Shore Art Gallery on campus. In May, 16 students from the depar tment were hand-selected to accompany Dr. Dan McGreg or, associate professor of ar t and design, for two and a half weeks abroad in Leipzig, Ger many. The purpose of the trip was to encourage g rowth and lear ning in the stu-
BY ADELIN BLACKMON | PHOTOGRAPHER
Sixteen students, who spent two and a half weeks in Leipzig, Germany focusing on art, displayed 50 of their best pieces in a gallery on campus. dents’ ar twork through highly concentrated experience, obser vation,
and application. “[We told the students,] ‘You will be ex-
pected to live the life of an artist abroad. You’re expected to be painting
for most of the day,’” McGregor said. “In that regard, it was completely unlike anything else we do here.” Fifty pieces were put on display on Friday, only representing roughly half of the total works the students shared at the end of the trip. Many of them were available for purchase to continue to support the potential future artists. Despite being nervous of having her art displayed for the public, junior Bianca PierreJacques, agreed to show her artwork from the trip.
“Usually once I get done with something, I like to put it off, away,” Pierre-Jacques said. “But I am really honored to have it there, it’s really exciting to share my experience, my little piece of Germany, with other people.” The short trip produced a variety pieces from the students, reflecting their experiences and knowledge they learned in Leipzig. “I hope [this trip] primes the pump of them seeing what’s possible in terms of having a work ethic,” McGregor said.
Pickleball club prepares for upcoming tournament BY SENIA OVERSTREET GUEST WRITER
ACU’s Pickleball club is set to host a tournament to help raise funds for the organization at 3 p.m. on Nov. 10 at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. The pickleball tournament is an event which provides the group with exposure to the game and development of the organization. Co-President Emily Sherrill, a senior nursing major
from Jonesboro, AR, said she is excited for the future of the organization. “I hope that we have a lot of people to come out and play,” Sherrill said. “We just want to create a community that likes to get together and have fun.” Co-President Chloe Delgado, a senior nursing major from Frisco, said the organization is trying to break the stereotypes that come with the sport in hopes of spreading exposure of the game to younger generations.
“Pickleball has this stamp of being a sport for older generations,” Delgado said. “It has a stereotype attached to it that we want to break.” Pickleball is a sport comprised of elements from table tennis, outdoor tennis and badminton. The game was created in 1965 by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum. While the sport was created almost 54 years ago, Delgado and Sherrill are seeking to share the sport with a younger
audience. Delgado and Sherrill partnered in spring of 2018 to create the team after enrolling in a pickleball class taught by Deonna Shake, instructor in the department of kinesiology and nutrition. Shake has taught pickleball at ACU for 20 years and said it has been a dream of hers to see a pickleball team here at ACU. “It has been a dream of mine to get one going, but it takes students who take the
“Pickleball has this stamp of being a sport for older generations. It has a stereotype attached to it that we want to break.” CHLOE DELGADO SENIOR NURSING MAJOR FROM FRISCO AND CO-PRESIDENT OF ACU’S PICKLEBALL CLUB
initiative to do most of the legwork and try to promote the club,” Shake said. “Emily and Chloe were such fun stu-
dents to have in my pickleball class and I could tell they really fell in love with the game. I commend them in being the ones to make a difference in putting a pickleball club on the ACU campus, despite being busy nursing majors.” The club welcomes all students to come out and participate in the tournament for only 5 dollars. To register for the pickleball tournament, visit the Student Activities page on the ACU website.
ACU Democrats to host gun control and law panel on Nov. 13 BY ANDREW NORSWORTHY STAFF WRITER
The ACU Democrats will host a gun control and law panel at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13 in BSB 114. This panel will include police chief Jimmy Ellison, Dr. Daniel Morrison, assistant professor of sociology, Mollie Spaulding, founder of Moms Demand Action
in Abilene, and Shane McClung-Hunter, second amendment advocate. “I’m excited to be part of the panel,” Ell ison said. “I hope I can provide resource and perspect ive from pol ice, law and safety perspect ive to such a valuable conversat ion.” This panel will offer students the chance to discuss both sides of the
issue of gun regulation and control and decide whose argument is the most interesting, worthwhile, appropriate and persuasive. The role of the panel is to collect and present a broad range of evidence, ideas and values for students to discern and understand. “We are bringing together people who are in support of gun control
legislation and those who have reservations about it in order to have a dialogue and share views,” Morrison said. Morrison said the purpose of this panel is to inform the ACU community about the number of viewpoints surrounding the issue of gun control and foster a culture of civil and inclusive dialogue on campus.
“We are bringing together people who are in support of gun control legislation and those who have reservations about it in order to have a diaglogue and share views.” DR. DANIEL MORRISON ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY
In addition, this panel has the objective of
g n i t a e “Here’s you, kid.” with
answering questions for those who are on both sides of the issue of gun control. The dialogue will generally focus on the role of guns in violent crime, violence in terms of the United States, efforts to restrict the sale of firearms to certain parties and existing as well as potential policies of gun laws and how appropriate they are.
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6 | Friday, November 8, 2019 | SPORTS
Kohl leads men over ABU in season opener
BY DAVID MITCHELL | PHOTOGRAPHER
Redshirt junior center Kolton Kohl dunks the ball over his opponent. 36-75 (48%) while posing a solid defensive performance, forcing 28 turnovers. That helped translate over to offense, scoring 33 points off turnovers. Head coach Joe Golding said Kohl’s performance was something he was expecting going into Tuesday night. “We’ve seen it,” Golding said. “It happened all
BY JALEN GARRETT SPORTS WRITER
summer, and it’s happening in the fall. He should dominate a team like that and it was a game where he should have done exactly what he did.” The Wildcats dominated inside throughout the game. The final totals gave ACU 58 points in the paint compared to the Patriots’ 10. Despite outplaying Arlington Baptist in nearly
every category, the Wildcats shooting was down outside the perimeter. Compared to a year ago, ACU shot 38.1% as a team. In this game, they finished 6-27 (22.2%). Junior guard Jordan Williams struggled throughout the game for the Patriots. He finished the night with just five points on 2-14 shooting. He also had four re-
bounds and commit three turnovers. Up next, the Patriots head to play another Southland Conference opponent, Lamar, Friday at 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Wildcats hit the road for the first time of the season Sunday. ACU will travel east to Philadelphia to face the Drexel Dragons at 1 p.m.
“The flow of this game was to the advantage of our guards and possibly Thursday it’ll be a post game.” JULIE GOODENOUGH WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH
side as well forcing 28 turnovers and 17 steals. “I feel like we ran the ball transition, and we were
always making that extra pass,” senior guard Breanna Wright said. “We also had 15 made three’s and that was good thing.” Everyone on the court got to eat as five Wildcats scored in double figures. Junior guard Anna McLeod and Wright were the leading scorers with 19 and 17 points, shooting a 13-of-16 from the field. Last season, ACU was top three in the
Southland Conference in field goal percentage, scoring margin, and 3-point percentage. Defensive pressure was key in this matchup, holding McMurry to 12.5 percent from three point range. “Our players were shot ready and we preach that everyday in practice,” coach Julie Goodenough said. “The flow of this game was to the advantage of our guards and
possibly Thursday it’ll be a post game.” The Wildcats were also back in action Thursday morning, taking down the Southwest Mustangs, 10452. Wright said following the game that they just need to keep improving. “We have a great family team,” she said. “And we just need to continue to work with each other.”
Wildcats’ soccer season ends in the conference quarterfinals BY RACHEL POE SPORTS WRITER
The Wildcats season came to an end with a tough ending on Wednesday afternoon as they fell 2-1 to the McNeese Cowgirls in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Southland Conference. ACU was able to get a lead in the second half, but McNeese managed to score twice in 11 minutes to take the lead. It was a scoreless first half and it was not until
Ovrl. 7-2 5-3 5-4 5-4 6-4 5-4 5-4 2-3 4-5 1-8 1-8
Conf. 5-1 4-2 4-2 4-2 4-3 4-3 4-3 1-2 1-4 1-5 1-5
Men’s Basketball
McLeod shines in ACU debut over McMurry, 111-43 In the first game of a brand new season, the Wildcats came out blazing against the McMurry Warhawks, 111 to 43. The Wildcats were efficient from the floor as a team, shooting 67.8% from the field and 60% from threepoint range. They were also dominate on the defensive
Football Team UCA SELU Nicholls SHSU McNeese ACU UIW Lamar HBU NWSU SFA
BY OWEN SIMPSON SPORTS DIRECTOR
The Wildcats returned to action for a new season Tuesday night with a resounding, 90-39, victory over Arlington Baptist. Redshirt junior center Kolton Kohl set a career high in points, leading ACU with 21 points on 10-13 shooting and five rebounds. Kohl said it was great to get back on the court for the first time this season. “It’s just setting the tone for the rest of the season. We set up dominance early and just took it one step at a time.” The Wildcats jumped out to an 18-0 lead with 10:22 left in the first half, while the Patriots missed its first 12 shots in regulation. Arlington Baptist closed the first half shooting a dismal 5-26 (19.2%) from the field. 13 different Wildcats scored in the winning effort Tuesday. Sophomore forward Clay Gayman scored 14 points off the bench for a new career high. As a team, ACU shot
STANDINGS
the 58th minute when the first goal of the game came from freshman Caylen Wright received an assist, her sixth, from junior captain Christina Arteaga giving ACU a 1-0 lead over the Cowgirls and Wright her eight goal. The next goal came from McNeese’s Rachel Young in the 63rd minute, tying the game 1-1. McNeese’s Mariah Rueles managed to score the last goal of the game, in the 73rd minute, putting
McNeese up 2-1 over ACU. ACU and Mcneese both had four shot attempts in the first half of the game, while ACU led 3-0 in shots on goal. ACU led in shots, 10-7 in the game, including 6-2 on frame. The Cowgirls keeper had five strong saves. Sophie Standifer, Rachel Johnson, Shay Johnson, Brooke Lenz, Samantha Vestal, Peighton Starch and Micheele Mulrooney all played their final game
as Wildcats. All of these girls had a combined 43 wins and a 2018 Southland Conference Tournament Championship. Next year the Wildcats will bring back 28 players including nine juniors, seven sophomores and 12 freshmen. The Wildcats finished the number 3 in the league at 8-2-1 and 12-5-2 overall. Head Coach Casey Wilson shared insight on Wednesday’s semifinal match.
“It was our third straight year playing McNeese in the first round of the tournament. We had our opportunities today and were not able to take care of our chances. We had a couple of breakdowns and mistakes that hurt us in the second half,” Wilson said. “This has been one of the best teams we had at ACU in 13 years. We had two key players out due to injury, Megan Paul and Shay Johnson-we definitely missed them out there today.”
FOOTBALL MATCHUP PREVIEW 2019 SEASON POINTS PER GAME
32.7
205.6
RUSH YPG
157.4
251.7
PASSING YPG
270.4
26.6
POINTS ALLOWED PG
33.9
SPORTS DIRECTOR
Ovrl. 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1
Conf. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Women’s Basketball Team ACU TXAM-CC HBU NWSU SFA UIW UCA Lamar SHSU SELU McNeese UNO Nicholls
Ovrl. 2-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1 0-1
Conf. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Volleyball Team SFA NWSU TXAM-CC SHSU HBU UCA SELA UNO Nicholls McNeese ACU Lamar UIW
Ovrl. 24-1 18-8 16-9 13-11 15-12 12-13 12-14 12-15 10-13 10-14 5-17 8-15 6-20
Conf. 12-0 10-2 9-3 9-3 7-5 6-6 6-6 5-8 4-8 3-9 3-9 3-10 2-10
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Men’s Basketball
KOHL Redshirt junior center Kolton Kohl had a careerhigh 21 points against Arlington Baptist to open the season. He ended the night with five rebounds and an assist. He led the team in field goals by going 10-13. The men’s next game is at Drexel Nov. 10.
Women’s Basketball
17.6 SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY
ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSIT Y (5-4)
Owen Simpson
Team ACU Lamar UNO SHSU SFA NWSU TXAM-CC UCA HBU McNeese Nicholls UIW
(5-4)
Tavian Miles
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Lexi Kirgan
SPORTS REPORTER
It can always be challenging to come out swinging after a bye week. But for the Wildcats, the bye week couldn’t have been timed better. After riding a three-game winning streak, it helped ACU rest a banged up core, with playoff implications on the line. If the Wildcats were to win its next two games, the FCS playoffs are a high probability. Their success is going to start with its offense. The Bearkats are just giving up 17.6 points per game defensively. Meanwhile, the Wildcats have scored 31 or more points in the past three games. Last season against Sam Houston State, the Wildcats came out on top, 17-10. A large part in that victory was ACU winning the turnover margin. Coach Dorrel has emphasized from the beginning of the season how important that is to him. With sophomore quarterback Sema’J Davis and senior running back Tracy James both carrying the team on the ground, I expect ACU to remain undefeated at home.
The Wildcats are all rested and are looking to continue its winning streak as they take on the Bearkats of Sam Houston State. In order to keep its FCS Playoff hopes alive, this is a must win game Saturday at Anthony Field. ACU is currently 4-3 in conference play and Sam Houston is 4-2 in conference play. Earlier in the year, I would’ve said that ACU had no shot, but now there’s a sudden burst of life for the Wildcats. Sam Houston comes in averaging 32.7 points per game and giving up only 17.6 compared to the Wildcats giving up 26.6 points per game. The Wildcats are going to need impact player senior running back Tracy James to come alive on offense and senior linebacker Jeremiah Chambers to anchor the defense. James will need to rush for over 100 yards if the Wildcats are wanting to win this one. Chambers will also need a big along with the defensive backs to shutdown Sam Houston’s offense. Wildcats will win this one.
The Wildcats play Sam Houston on Saturday, and it’s going to be a game to see. The Wildcats are 4-3 in conference, while the Bearkats are 4-2. I’m not going to lie, last year I would probably have said that Sam Houston would get the win. This year is completely different. The Wildcats have been playing so well on both sides of the ball, so I feel like this will be an evenly matched game. From looking at all the scores of our games and looking at all the scores of Sam Houston, for the most part, they are pretty even. The Wildcats had their bye week, so I feel like they are going to come out even stronger after a well needed break. The Bearkats are 4th in conference right now and the Wildcats are 6th. I feel like if we can come out and play with the same energy we’ve had for the last two games, there will be no doubt that the Wildcats will get their 5th win of conference play.
FINAL SCORE: ACU 27 SHSU 23
FINAL SCORE: ACU 34 SHSU 27
FINAL SCORE: ACU 45 SHSU 38
Jalen Garrett SPORTS REPORTER
ACU is currently in fifth place in the Southland Conference and have been on a three game winning streak. Senior running back Tracy James has been the driving force for the Wildcats in its winning streak rushing for 298 yards and five touchdowns and averaging over five yards per carry. The Wildcats are also averaging 33.9 points a game this season, which is third in the Southland Conference. The Bearkats’ season has been backed by its dominant defense, which ranks first in total defense, rushing defense, and scoring defense. They’ve held its opponents to 17.6 points per game and also rank first in sacks by a team. I believe this will be a dog fight between the two teams and we should expect a lot of excitement. The key factor will be ACU’s offense figuring out the Bearkats’ defense and take advantage of its schemes. This will be the most interesting home game this year, and the Wildcats will extend its win streak to four. Wildcats come out on top. FINAL SCORE: ACU 35 SHSU 28
MCLEOD Junior guard Anna McLeod led the women’s team in points against McMurry in the season opener with 19 points. She went 4-5 for three three-pointers and 3-4 from the free throw line. She had two steals defensively for the night. The women’s next game is at Wright State on Nov. 15.
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