Features Page 5
Halfway Home vol. 102, no. 48
wednesday, april 02, 2014
1 SECTION, 6 PAGES
A grad student makes a house his ministry
INSIDE NEWS ACU students apply for the university’s two-year-old nursing program Page 3
OPINION The Editorial Board considers the treatment of the the lost Malaysian flight and those affected by it
Page 4
NEWS Summer courses will soon be dropped that don’t meet enrollment requirements Page 3 jarred Schuetze staff Photographer
Student bikers from multiple universities participate in the Tour of Abilene on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, bikers raced around ACU’s campus and around Lake Fort Phantom on Sunday. Men and women were able to compete in different races ranging in length.
SPORTS ACU baseball goes 2-1 in its first Southland Conference
Festival exhibits undergrad research Students present speeches, posters from every field at university research festival logan sartain Page 6
SPORTS ACU softball defeats A&M Corpus Christi in a three-game series Page 6
OPINION Madeline Orr addresses the validity of Buzzfeed personality quizzes Page 4
ONLINE
student reporter The university hosted its largest undergraduate research festival to date yesterday. About 125 presentations were given throughout the day, said Dr. Autumn Sutherlin, director of undergraduate research. This was about 30 more presentations than last year’s festival, Sutherlin said. The purpose of the festival is to give students the opportunity to present the work the put into research-
emily seidel
ACU’s men club soccer team expands and prepares for upcoming games acuoptimist.com
NEWS Upward Bound looks for ACU students to fill summer adivser positions acuoptimist.com
VIDEO In honor of April Fool’s Day, watch the JMC Network’s newscast – Pessimist style.
Read more at acuoptimist.com
jarred schuetze staff Photographer
Students display their research on posters and answer questions in the Hunter Welcome Center on Tuesday. Being recognized was both fulfilling and surprising, Gwini said. “I spent 10 weeks working on this presentation. So, it was fulfilling to be recognized, but I did not expect it.” Gwini said.
“There were some really good posters.” Sutherlin said this year marked the festival’s sixth year of operation and exhibited steady growth in see research page 3
ACU faculty to retire at end of semester student reporter
NEWS
ries of presentations, three oral and two poster: • Oral o Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) o Social Science ing. o Arts and Humani“Research in and of it- ties self is good, but unless you • Poster communicate it to someo STEM one else it loses some of its o Social Science/ value,” Sutherlin said. Arts and Humanities Provost Dr. Robert There were 14 total preRhodes echoed Sutherlin sentations recognized as in his speech before the outstanding. Three were awards were announced. from each category, except “The reason the Dead for Social Science/Arts and Sea is dead is because wa- Humanities poster, which ter flows in, but nothing had only two. ever flows out,” Rhodes Nigel Gwini’s poster said. “The same is true for presentation End Group education.” Functionalization of DiEach presentation rec- block Polymers Used in ognized as an outstanding Making pH-Activatable piece received a prize of Nanoprobes was recog$100. nized as outstanding in the There were five catego- STEM category.
With the spring semester quickly coming to a close, it’s time for ACU to prepare to say goodbye to a few of its most contributive and influential faculty members. At the end of the school year, several staff transitions will take place. Professors Dr. Carley Dodd and Harland Rall will take a multi-year phased retirement. In addition to teaching several classes, they will remain involved on campus
while having the ability to explore other areas of interest. Rall will pursue an extendmiller ed mission field experience, while Dodd will continue to work on research projects. Three faculty members will be retiring at the end of the spring semester: Dr. Chris Willerton, Dr. Emmett Miller and Dr. Paul Varner. Willerton came to ACU in 1970, fresh from earning his M.A. in English at the
College. He became the first director of the program in 1985, but he said most of the credit for founding the program goes to Dr. Dwain Hart’s committee, which had been designing the varner willerton program two years before Willerton was offered the University of North Caro- job as director. He said he lina. He has spent 41 of the jumped on the opportunity last 44 years on the faculty, because his time in the TCU taking three years in be- Honors Program was an intween to complete his doc- credible experience and he toral work at UNC. wanted to help bring the Besides being an out- same thing to ACU. standing teacher loved by “The main thing I his students, Willerton’s brought to the job was stubgreatest contribution to the bornness,” Willerton said. school has been the Honors “It took 25 years to grow it
into the program I’d wanted in the first place. The best proof that I did OK was that the program outgrew me. It became good enough that it needed leaders with more energy and a wider skill set than I had. It was very satisfying to ask the provost to replace me. My successors have been splendid, and so has the administration’s support.” Willerton to spend his retirement continuing to writing his detective fiction, travel to England more often with his wife Sharon see retire page 3
Fifty seniors honored as University Scholars kara stutesman student reporter Last week ACU announced the 50 graduating seniors who received the honor of being a University Scholar. This award is special because the faculty chooses the recipients; it is not something the students sign up for. It’s recognition for the hard work the seniors have put
in throughout their time at ACU, said Parker Gordon, senior music major from Lipan and recipient of the award for the Political Science Department. “It’s not just a matter of checking off the right boxes,” Gordon said. “I took advantage of many opportunities within my departments to be involved. I participated in ensembles like the band and orchestra and worked to start a wind quintet, I
conducted research for the undergrad festival and other conferences, and I took advantage of the honor societies on campus such as alpha chi and phi eta sigma.” Dr. Brenda Bender, chair of the Communications Department and head of the Faculty Senate said this year 72 seniors were nominated. Then the University Scholar sub-committee was able to narrow those down to
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the 50 who received the honor. “26 awards were designated as department awards; the remaining 44 nominations were considered for the 24 at-large awards,” Bender said. “The at-large awards are distributed across colleges based on enrollment.” In order to be nominated for the University Scholar Award, seniors must have maintained a 3.5 GPA or higher, have
participated in research at a scholarly level and have earned 90 hours toward their degree by the end of the preceding fall semester. The University Scholars will be recognized at a special Chapel April 15, during which they will receive their medal to be worn during graduation. Caroline Nikolaus, senior psychology major see scholars page 3
Wednesday 04.02.14
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Wednesday 11 a.m. Meek Blood
03 Thursday
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Friday
7 p.m. SpringFest
Center on campus 3 p.m. Fall 2014 registration: freshmen and sophomore honors
Chapel checkup To date:
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6 p.m. Men’s Baseball vs. Lamar University
Saturday
8 a.m. Project 341 garage sale 2 p.m. Men’s Baseball vs. Lamar University
7:30 p.m. Omega Dance Company Spring Show
7:30 p.m. Omega Dance Company Spring Show
Around Abilene
Remaining:
71 29 @acuoptimist
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
6:33 p.m. Beltway College Park at the Paramount Theatre.
7:30 p.m. HSU Theatre will perform Sweeny Todd in Van Ellis Theatre. Admission is $7.
8 p.m. Blues rockstar Joe Bonamassa will perform at the Abilene Civic Center.
6 p.m. The Abilene Civic Center will host the Sunday’s Best Gospel Fest. Tickets cost $25 and include a meal at Golden Corral. To purchase tickets, visit www.abileneblackchamber.com.
7 p.m. Ignite Student Ministry Campus Bash in Hart Auditorium.
7:30 p.m. Aldersgate United Methodist Church will host the Chorus Abilene Masterworks Spring Concert. Cost is $8.
The Optimist optimist@acu.edu Police Log Announcements The ACU Kinesiology Club will have a pickle ball tournament. Teams of two may enter for $10 and first and second place winners will receive a prize. The tournament will be from 5-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. For more information, email nas08a@acu.edu or ggh11a@acu.edu.
Registration for the Kirk Goodwin Run is open. Applicants can register for the Run the West half marathon for $80 or the classic 5k for $20. The race will be on April 26. To register, visit www.kirkgoodwinrun.com.
The ACU A Capella Chorus and University Chorale will perform with the Abilene Philharmonic at 7:30 p.m. on April 12 at the Abilene Civic Center. Tickets are available online at abilenephilharmonic.org or at the door for SpringFest 2014 will be from 7-11 p.m. $5. tomorrow in the Student Recreation and Wellness Center outdoor basketball court. Farmer’s Insurance Group is seeking There will be a live concert and Cajun students graduating in May to apply for Upward Bound Summer Academy is Cones will be selling snowcones. full-time jobs in Abilene or the Wichita seeking students to work as student Falls area. To apply, visit www.acu.edu/ advisors this summer. For more infor- The ACU Jazz Ensemble Concert will be campusoffices/careercenter/careermation, contact D’Angelo Sands at 324- at 7:30 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium on April link/ and fill out an appication by April 674-2514. 8. 9.
ACU Theatre will perform the Glass Menagerie at 7:30 p.m. on April 10-12 and 24-26 in Fulks Theatre. Tickets cost $15. To purchase tickets, visit acu.edu/theatre or call 325-674-2787. SHADES Step Squad will perform in their spring show at 7 p.m. on April 11-12 in Cullen Auditorium. Tickets are on sale in the Campus Center. Two students will lead Remember Life, a short ceremony dedicated to prayer and rememberance from 6:30 p.m. on April 7 at the amphitheatre.
Volunteer Opp0rtunities Beltway Park Baptist Church is seeking volunteers to help with special needs children in their program Kingdon Kids. Volunteers would be needed on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. For more information, contact Sharla Sanders at 325-692-6540 or sharlasanders@beltway.org. Grace Point Church is looking for creative students with craftsmanship skills to volunteer for Vacation Bible School. Volunteers will be creating props, sets and decorations in preparation for the program. For more information, call Ruth Gregory at 325-675-5060. New Life Alliance is searching for tutors, Khan Academy coaches, junior acheivement teachers and volunteers for their upcoming Easter program. For more information, contact Ashley Parker at 325-672-1636 or aparker@ newlife-alliance.org. The International Rescue Committee in Abilene needs your help in welcoming refugees to our community. We are seeking the following donations: hygiene and cleaning supplies, bed linen, towels and kitchen items (dishware, silverware, pots/pans etc). Donations are accepted Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2-4pm or by appointment. Theirr office is located at 3303 North Third Street Suite D in Abilene, Texas. For more information contact MariePascale Manishimwe at 325-675-5643. Treadaway Kids is looking for more students and volunteers to join the group. For more information, contact Carly Henderson at cah10a@acu.edu. JUMP @ Abilene North Apartments is seeking students to asssist in teaching the Gospel to at-risk low-income children. Students must be avaliable to volunteer from 4-5:30 p.m. on Mondays. Service opportunity begins Jan. 27 and lasts until April 28. For more information, contact Caroline Thompson at 281-782-2956 or crt12a@acu.edu. Friends for Life is seeking volunteers to help with both elderly residents and independent living elderly. Nursing home service opportunities include visiting, playing games, reading to the blind and assisting in arts and crafts. Independent living service opportunities include mowing lawns, grocery shopping and changing light bulbs. To volunteer contact Cecilia Barahona at 325-672-2635 or cecilia@ friendsforlife.org. The Noah Project is seeking volunteers to help with tasks such as answering phone calls, providing child care and doing maintenance and housekeeping. To volunteer call 325-676-7107. Love and Care Ministries is looking for volunteers to help with sorting clothing, stocking their food pantry, assisting in prayers in their prayer room and serving food to the homeless. For more information call 325-670-0246. Volunteers are needed at the BCFS Abilene Transition Center for event planning and setup, assisting in teaching life skills classes, accompanying transport, visiting homes and/or assisting in construction of facilities for assisting in the betterment of male and female youth ages 15-25. This opportunity is open each morning Mondays through Fridays. Students interested must contact Johnny Nguyen at 325-692-0033 or jnguyen@bcfs.net.
Meals on Wheels Plus needs volunteer drivers to deliver afternoon meals to seniors and adults with disabilities Monday-Friday between 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Drivers must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. Training is provided. For more information contact Samantha Barker at 352-672-5050 or visit http://mealsonwheelsplus.com. University Place is seeking volunteers to help with resident birthday parties for residents on the third Wednesday of each month at 2:30 p.m. For more information contact Linda Tijerina at 325-676-9946. House of Faith is an organization that seeks to take Jesus to neighborhood children. Volunteers are needed to help with the various programs they do throughout the week. Backyard Bible studies are hosted Mondays and Wednesdays and a youth program takes place on Thursday evenings. The organization is seeking volunteers who can commit to a specific day a week. House of Faith lasts from 3-5:30 p.m. To volunteer or gain more information contact Amy Jeffers at abj09a@acu.edu or call 832-331-5324. Rescue the Animals is seeking volunteers to work at the adoption center performing a variety of tasks, from playing with the animals to working in the office. For more information visit their website at http://www.rescuetheanimals.org/volunteer. The Abilene Zoo is looking for volunteers to help with general labor such as grounds cleanup and painting any weekday at any time between 12-4 p.m. The Zoo is located at 2070 Zoo Ln. Contact Joy Harsh at 325676-6487 for more information. Breakfast on Beech Street is seeking volunteers to help set up, prepare and serve breakfast to homeless/lower income folks any Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday at 5:30 a.m. or Tuesdays at 5 a.m. B.O.B.S. is located at First Christian Church on 3rd St. and Beech St. Service times must be scheduled in advance. To serve on Mondays contact Jody Depriest at 325-669-3312 or jody.depriest@gmail.com. To serve on Tuesdays contact Allen Daugherty at 325-660-6949 or ale.al@suddenlink.net. To serve on Wednesdays contact Jane Harvey at 325-695-0092 or jharvread@aol.com. To serve on Thursdays contact Margaret Beasley at 325-692-4149 or mbeasley5@ suddenlink.net. To serve on Fridays contact Terry Stremmel at terry.stremmel@acu.edu. Big Brothers/Big Sisters offers two volunteer programs. Lunch Buddies pairs volunteers with a little brother or sister to have lunch with once a week for 30 minutes. Lunch Buddies has a preferred time of 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The Community Based program pairs volunteers with a little brother or sister that they will hang out with two to four times a month. Both programs require committment to the program for 12-18 months. To sign up stop by the Big Brothers/Big Sisters office at 547 Chestnut St. or contact Randy Woods at 325-674-3102.
The National Center For Children’s Illustrated Literature is looking for volunteers to greet patrons, assist with art activities, sell books and make visitors feel welcome. Help is also needed for special events like Artwalk and exhibit openings. The NCCIL is located at 102 Cedar St. For more information on times and dates contact Debby Lillick at 325-673-4586 or visit http://www.nccil.org/index.htm. The International Rescue Committee is asking for Digital TV Converter Boxes to accompany several older televisions for refugees within Abilene. Drop offs are requested at the office located on 3303 N. 3rd Street, Suite D from 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesday. This is a helpful way to make a difference in the lives of refugees who recently resettled into the local community. For more information, contact Marie-Pascale Manishimwe at 325-675-5643. The Food Bank of West Central Texas needs volunteers to help sort and stock food and other items any weekday Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. The Food Bank is located at 5505 N. 1st St. For more information contact Janice Serrault at 325-695-6311 or abfoodbk@camalott.com. The Salvation Army is looking for volunteers for a variety of needs such as sorting and pricing items in the thrift store, helping in the kitchen and/or doing yard work. Times are flexible and volunteers are needed Monday-Saturday. The Salvation Army is located at 1726 Butternut St. For more information contact J.D. Alonzo at 325-677-1408 or visit www. satruck.com. The Christian Service Center is seeking volunteers to help with filling requests for items such as clothing and bedding from the donation center, sort and organize donations and occasionally pick up donated items. Volunteers are needed every weekday and the first Saturday of each month between 9-12 p.m. and 1-4 p.m. For more information contact Roberta Brown at 325-673-7561 orrobertabrown51@hotmail. com. Visit http://www.uccabilene.org/ministries/csc. htm. Christian Ministries Food Pantry needs volunteers to help with tasks such as cleaning up, stocking shelves and bagging flour. It is looking for students who can make a commitment of 1-3 hours a week. For more information contact Becky Almanza at 325-673-5295 or balmanza7@sbcglobal.net. The Center for Contemporary Arts needs a gallery assistant to greet partons, answer phones and answer basic questions about the Center and its programs. Volunteer opportunities are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesdays-Fridays. For more information contact Jennifer Parks at 325-677-8389 or jennifer@center-arts.com.
For additional volunteer opportunities visit: www. acu.edu/campusoffices/ccsl/ministry-service/volunteer-opportunities/
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news
wednesday 04.02.14
ACU nursing school receives applications Two-year-old program accepts students for fall dystanie douglas student reporter The School of Nursing will admit new students into the program for the 2014-2015 school year. Sixty-four prospective students applied for the School of Nursing this year, six more than last year’s in-
augural class. This is the second year the School of Nursing has been a part of the University. The application process includes a basic contact information form, immunization records, Health Education Systems Inc. (HESI) test scores, proof of negative outcome on a tuberculosis skin test or chest x-ray, proof
of health insurance, CNA certification, CPR certification, official transcript, background check and drug test. “Prospective students are chosen by GPA, both overall and then specifically the nursing core or supplement classes,” said Becky Hammack, dean of the School of Nursing. “Also, students must take an entrance exam.” According to Hammack, about 50 students will be admitted into the program this year. Hammack said this year’s
applicants into the nursing program reveal a bright future for the nursing program. “It looks like we have a very good applicant pool and the number of students keeps increasing,” Hammack said. Being in its second year, the nursing program is still ineligible for accreditation, but is working swiftly toward it. Hammack recently returned from a conference in Washington about the future of the School of Nursing and
its accreditation. “I went to a conference to learn more about writing the study for accreditation,” Hammack said. “After a program has had students for a year, it can apply for accreditation with a national accrediting body. We are in the process of seeking accreditation. This will take about another year before it is final.” Stacy Campos, sophomore nursing major from Garland is eager to learn if she has been admitted into the program.
“I am very anxious to see if all my hard work has paid off,” Campos said. “I have stayed an extra year at ACU to fully prepare myself for this moment. This is where it all begins, and I am ready to see what my future holds.” Applicants will find out whether or not they have been admitted into the program this week.
contact the optimist at optimist@acu.edu
Deadline looms for summer registration scheduling more efficient. As of now, more than 1,200 people have registered for classes this summer in the The deadline to sign up for College of Arts and Scisummer classes is April 17. ences. If not enough students Cole Bennett, chair of register for a course to the Department of Lanmeet enrollment stan- guage and Literature, said dards, the course is can- the department will offer celed, say university courses British Literature, administrators. Dr. Greg Business and ProfesStraughn, dean of the Col- sional Writing, Elemenlege of Arts and Sciences, tary Spanish as an online said the policy makes class course and English 112
price bahcall
student reporter
this summer. Online courses allow students to balance school and other activities. “Summer courses are great options for students to have focused course experiences, mostly during longer days, which lead to intense learning experiences,” Bennett said. “The online courses offer supreme flexibility, with ever-improving technology and pedagogy to fit
both faculty and student preferences.” Joe Cardot, chair of the Department of Communication and Sociology, said that department will offer seven sections of the COMS 211 course, which that is required of all students. He said the courses are all full at the moment, but students who want to take speech online over the summer should keep checking their Banner
pages because students sometimes drop out before the courses start. The department of communication will also offer upper-level courses. These classes include Nonverbal Communication, Intercultural Communication, Conflict Management and Small Group Communication. Summer classes allow students and teachers to stay focused and focus on
one class. “You are more focused by meeting them every day and aren’t as distracted by being in or teaching more than two at a time,” Cardot said. “Most people are enrolled in only one, so all their energies can be put into just that one course.” contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
SA accepts bill to improve election process Benac, senior political science major from Bourne, as election chair. Benac is responsible The Students’ Association for selecting election copassed a bill in regards to chairs. The co-chairs are the upcoming Executive to observe the rules of the Officer elections April 9th. election and make sure Traditionally, the vice the chair has followed the president would serve as rules approved by Conelection chair. However, gress. He said he chose the this year’s vice president, members he believed were Rodney Johnson, junior best fit for the job. management major from This years election Odessa, is seeking elec- co-chairs include Bryson tion for SA president. This Shake, senior commuleaves SA president Dylan nication major from
jc peeples
student reporter
Abilene, Dylan Brugman, senior political science major from Trophy Club, Stewart McGregor, senior bible major from Arlington, Allen Taylor, senior information technology major from Pflugerville and Laura Music, senior psychology major from Abilene. “These co-chairs have no weight or bias when it comes to the election,” Benac said. “They’re to help me follow the rules.” During the meeting
Congress reviewed the rules for elections and procedure campaigners have to follow. Benac repeatedly told Congress that campaigning time should change the campus. “Students need to clearly know a campaign is going on when it is,” Benac said. Benac raised the campaign-spending limit from $250 to $300 allowing candidates more money to spend during their cam-
Research: Undergraduates present at festival from page 1 the quantity and quality of the presentations. She said an undergraduate research festival such as this is common among larger universities, but is unique to ACU in comparison to similarly sized universities. For the third year, McMurry University students also participated in the festival. Sutherlin said the Office of Undergraduate Research looks to continue to expand the festival into a regional event. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
UNDERGRAD RESEARCH FESTIVAL STEM Oral Presentation Winners: Andrew Miller Maxwell Moore Audrey Fikes Social Sciences Oral Presentation Winners: Caleb Orr and Alex Gabriele Levi Ritchie Brandy Rains
Arts and Humanities Oral Presentation Winners: Toni Maisano Erik Ringle Darren Hughes Social Sciences/ Arts and Humanities: Kaitlin Pegoda Caitlyn Spain
STEM Poster Winners: Christina Lee Nigel Gwini Erin Fry
Scholars: Graduating seniors recognized by teachers from page 1
received the email, I had to re-read it to make sure from O’Fallon, Ill. and it was accurate. I can’t University Scholar said wait to see who else is a she was excited and sur- University Scholar.” prised to have received Gordon echoes Nikothis honor. laus’ sentiment because “I wasn’t expecting this after graduation everyone at all,” she said. “When I is heading separate ways.
“I was very excited to learn that I had won the award, but so thrilled to learn that two of my other close friends had also won,” Gordon said. “It’s great to get to share this experience with your friends, especially as we
Retire: University honors three ACU retirees from page 1 and spend hours a day reading through his 11 bookcases. Miller has been serving at ACU since 1988. He earned his Bachelor’s degree here in 1970 in Animal Science as well as his Master’s in Wildlife Biology in 1979. His 26 years as a professor have included an NACTA Teacher Fellow Award (2006), ACU Honors Program Mentor of the Year Award (1999) and ACU Agriculture Department Aggie of the Year Award (1980). His work and effective teaching are well-recognized by his peers and colleagues. “It is clear from the many nominations for the Career Achievement Award the high esteem Emmett’s colleagues have for him, and how he is universally loved by his students,” said Dr. Greg Straughn, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “His leadership and
example have cultivated a department that raises up servant leaders. This was done by consistently placing colleagues and students above himself.” Varner has been at ACU since 2009 as a professor and Scholar-In-Residence for the Department of Language and Literature. Varner said his role, besides devoting most of his time to writing and research, has been to lead classes that teach research methods or cover topics directly related to the subject matter about which he is researching and writing at the time. Before coming to ACU, Varner spent 20 years at Oklahoma Christian University. Before that, he taught at Rochester College, Texas Lutheran University, Oklahoma State University at Oklahoma City, the University of Texas and the University of Tennessee. He is married to Dr. Jeanine Varner, former provost of ACU
and currently a professor of English in the Department of Language and Literature. His retirement is starting right before his first two grandchildren arrive this summer. In addition to the retiring professors, Jason Missal, Associate Director of Bands and Director of the Big Purple Marching Band, will be leaving to pursue doctoral conducting studies. After four years of service, he will now be part of one of the premiere schools for wind conducting at the University of Texas. All retirees were honored last week at the CAS Appreciation Dinner. Dean Straughn said the university is searching for replacements for some of the positions, but no candidates have yet been identified. contact the optimist at optimist@acu.edu
all start moving to grad school and different cities. I’m glad to share this with them.”
contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
paign. He said it will help aid the cost of material that can become expensive during a campaign. “Everything that a candidate spends has to be recorded during the campaign,” Benac said. “This includes the cost for the ingredients that a friend uses to make cookies for the campaign.” Another change was made to the campaign
rules. This year candidates can inform people of their motives while they sign the petition. The campaign guideline bill was approved by Congress with a 27-member approval.
contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
Opinion
4
Wednesday 04.02.14
editorial
MH370: Passengers lost but not forgotten the issue Though Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is still missing the passengers were declared dead, leaving families and friends with questions.
our take Those searching need to organize themselves in order to find the plane and bring peace to the grieving families.
On March 8, 227 passengers and 12 crew members of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, bound for Beijing on its six-hour flight. But none of the 239 aboard the flight arrived on schedule. An hour into the flight, contact was lost and the aircraft disappeared. And 25 days later, the whereabouts of
the 239 are still unknown. Malaysian government, authorities and airlines have been defined by their disorganization and detachment in handling the aftermath. Reports have been contradicting and updates have been publicized at a snail’s-pace, resulting in a crisis-management situation gone terribly wrong to say the least. The needle-in-the-hay-
stack analogy doesn’t grasp the magnitude of missing Flight 370. The newest search area in the Southern Indian Ocean measures at 123,000 square miles, the size of New Mexico. Each day, reporters have raced in their updates on shifting searchzones and object-sightings proved futile. What can be confirmed about Flight 370 is that absolutely nothing can be confirmed. And theories are as plentiful as answers are lacking. Some sense of confidentiality is essential for diffusing misleading information and dealing with chaos in a responsible manner. However, the muzzle on any
news and lack of empathy has exposed deep fault lines in the system. For example, Malaysian Airlines sent out a text message to the family members before briefing those few on the phone and in person in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur. “Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived,” it read. “We must now accept all evidence suggests the plane went down in the Southern Indian Ocean.” The text-reveal was just an added reminder of what the families already face: absence of human touch.
“On one hand, critics argue, texts sacrifice humanity on behalf of practicality,” said Caitlin Dewey of the Washington Post. “On the other, supporters parry, this is 2014: 22 percent of young Americans end relationships by text. Wouldn’t you rather get bad news electronically? Do you want a stranger to witness your grief?” Sending a robotic messenger is consistent with the impersonal actions taken in communicating with the public. Families have been photographed wailing, protesting and begging for answers, with little cooperation given to their grieving.
The Malaysian government and Airlines need to organize and delegate their next steps, be unified in their broadcasts, verify incoming information and most importantly, remember they are dealing with people with faces and stories and families who haven’t lost hope. Accuracy and sensitivity should be the compass of the Malaysian organizations navigating through the tragedy. If no answers can be given, we pray God’s peace to families of the missing 239. contact The Optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
DAILY doodle dosage
Column
Ben Todd
What that Buzzfeed quiz actually says about you THE ORRACLE MADELINE ORR MANAGING EDITOR
Are you left or right brained? Which Frozen character are you? ISTJ? Myers-Briggs? Wait, who is Carl Jung? Are you just a Hagrid in a Hermione world? If you haven’t noticed the Buzzfeed quizzes plaguing your Facebook timeline as of late, you’ve at least had your share of personality tests doled out by past middle school teachers or camp counselors. I was given my first career aptitude test in the seventh grade. It said I would really thrive in masonry. Yes, a bricklayer (I won’t even try to make a joke here about the 12 percent decline in journalism jobs every year). I don’t want to diminish the accuracy of these tests. There are decades of studies and psychologists backing them (excluding Buzzfeed). My friends and I love taking them, then pretending to be psychologists ourselves. No matter how farfetched or too-close-tohome the results of these quizzes and tests are, we keep taking them – but why? In hopes that some computer algorithm can use our likes and dislikes to tell us something we didn’t know about ourselves? I think it’s about more than just seeking some introspection. We like
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And it’s easier for someone to tell me I should be a bricklayer than to chase a crazy, impossible dream job.”
them because they slice a complicated world into tiny parts. It’s more comfortable to face our faults when they’re chalked up to our God-given personality traits. Reducing complicated relationships to six movie characters makes them easier to swallow. And it’s easier for someone to tell me I should be a bricklayer than to chase a crazy, improbable dream job. Ideally, you could match yourself to the right job and the right people, all from the comfort of your own computer screen. Why should you have to wade through all the bad ones first? Alas, life is harder than a personality test. It’s also a lot more accurate. contact ORR at MCO10B@acu.edu
Column
Busyness does not equal happiness
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KNOCK ON WOOD ALIKAY WOOD ARTS EDITOR
When I walk across campus and ask people how they are, the overwhelming answer is a sigh followed by one word – busy. We’re college students. We have to be constantly busy, otherwise we’re not doing something right. We fill our days and our lives with intramurals, clubs, jobs and homework. We take pride in not getting enough sleep and
not being home. We make college a competition for who can fill their days with the most activities. Who are we trying to impress with our incessant busyness? Somehow we’ve made an equation where busyness equals happiness and importance. Somewhere along the line we started thinking of our lives in terms of lines on a
So we shouldn’t strive to be busy. We should strive to live.”
resume and hourly blocks of the day. Because obviously if our lives are filled with things, they must be meaningful. The reality is that one way or another this is all going to burn. None of it really matters. If we place the value for our existence in the mindless busyness
of our days then what are we really accomplishing? A false sense of achievement and little else. Busy days do not equal a significant life. Refusing to stay still does not make your life important. The way we fill our day becomes the way we fill our lives. So we shouldn’t strive to be busy. We should strive to live. The next time someone asks you how you are doing I hope you have the courage to be something other than busy. contact Wood at AKW10a@acu.edu
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Water from the GATA fountain splashed on me as I walked by. Ew. I feel like I should walk around campus yelling Unclean!!! #contaminated
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props to the @acuoptimist on today’s paper... ya had me goin’ for a sec. but can Schub still run for prez?..or naw?
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The @acuoptimist totally nailed it today.
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If you’re wondering who dropped a glass and spilled Dr. Pepper ALL over The Bean....it was me
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5
featureS
Wednesday 04.02.14
Taking a creative and new way to ministry, Kyle Yarborough, a graduate student from San Angelo, is living among residents at Grand Works halfway house. | deanna romero stafF Photographer
K
yle Yarbrough gets questiongrilled and sideway-glances when giving out his current home address.
“Many don’t understand why I would choose to live there when there are other viable options,” he said. “Most people laugh then become interested and want to hear about my experience.” After six months spent at Crescimento Limpo Recovery Ministry in Itu, Brazil, Yarborough returned to campus as a grad student in MACC Program, Accounting and Finance. Opting for unconventional housing housing and an unthinkable ministry, Yarborough is now living among the residents of Grand Works halfway house. The need for a transitional home in Abilene stemmed from several people and the reality of a dead-end solution for struggling addicts and newly released convicts. “One inspiration was the preaching of Jonathon Storment at Highland and the Highland vision to restore Abilene,” said Dr. Jack Griggs(’64), Grand House executive director. “Part of that vision includes eliminating homelessness.” Grand Works halfway house was established two years ago, transformed from what used to be The Noah Project house for battered women. The number of residents fluctuates, based on Grand Works’ function as a transitional home. Currently, its occupancy is 35 to 40 men, former convicts, battling addiction-recovery and homelessness. “Some residents stay for weeks, and some for months,” Yarborough said. “Some of the rooms in the Grape St. complex are shared, and some are individual apartments.” Yarborough made Grand Works his home at the beginning of the year after meeting with the board of directors to request living there as an opportunity for ministry. “I was interested in this work before Brazil, because it involves the restoration of dignity to unfortunate and downtrodden people,” Yarborough said. “I saw it as my duty to contribute. For me, that involved putting myself in direct interaction and immersion into that culture.” And I’ve been pushed way out of my comfort zone, he said. Currently, Yarborough lives in a room with three others, but each has been respectful of the others in the room. “Personal space and privacy is not part of the culture in a halfway house,” he said. “It can be a little inconvenient at times.” Yarborough said recreational time is spent watching television together, tuning into basketball or a movie in the upstairs living room. Every Thursday, Kyle
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plays house chef, cooking dinner for any resident paying a dollar donation. “I love cooking and eating with them Thursday nights, as well as sitting outside on the patio and talking,” he said. As the “missionary in residence”, Yarborough facilitates a small group meeting every week eating together and find ways to support each other. “I have gained confidence in this type
of
ally like to have a couple of missionaries in residence, but Kyle will be irreplaceable.
“H
e has set the benchmark so high that’ll be difficult to find someone with the temperament and the spirituality that he has,” Griggs said. “His understanding to what’s going on is so much better than most people at that age,” Batten said. The experience has rocked Yarborough’s perspec-
facili-
is where the restart is Gabi Powell FEATURES EDITOR
tation,” Yarborough said. “It’s expanded my vocabulary and understanding of the culture and situations involved in transitional living and halfway house management.” Ultimately, Kyle’s uppermost role is being attentive and present in the home. “When I am there, I try to be available and open for conversation or prayer,” he said.
W
ith everything on his plate, time management has been the biggest burden. “As school progresses, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to manage all my work for school, my job, time with friends and being at the house,” he said. But his efforts do not go unnoticed. “Kyle’s a real hero,” Griggs said. “He wraps his arm around them and coaches and encourages them.” Griggs and Batten said they’d eventu-
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LINSEY THUT FEATURES WRITER
tive, having never realized the challenge in basic elements of living post-prison, such as getting around town, groceryshopping or simply getting a full night’s rest. “It’s almost impossible,” Yarborough said. “But these guys figure it out, get jobs and get back up on their feet faster than I ever could.” The recovery and second chance is what aids in this process of rehabilitation and restoration, he said. “I love having good conversation with a resident and see how deep he is thinking and what motivates him in life,” Yarborough said. “One of the biggest unexpected joys has been seeing that same man succeed at his job and move out of the house.” But not all residents are success stories. “I’ve had a few of my roommates relapse and end up having to leave the
house,” he said. “Although I know it has nothing to do with me, it is still hard to see them go.” Ultimately, Grand Works strives to provide a clean slate, no matter their past. “We want to give them a little grace,” Batten said. “If they can pay, the rent is 12 dollars a month,” Griggs said. “But if they can’t, they’ve still got a bed, but they’re expected to get up in the morning and get a job.” Even though Yarborough is an a-typical resident, he is still held to the same house rules, which include random drug testing, ban on drugs and alcohol and women prohibited within a certain distance of the house. Strict rules are necessary if Grand Works is to operate on the premise of residents being only temporary guests. Every Tuesday, a group of men predominantly from Highland Church of Christ visit for one-on-one counseling sessions. “We hold them accountable by making them attend 12-step meetings,” Batten said. “They aren’t capable to make good decisions on their own.” For an hour and a half, they meet in the common room and have snacks and drinks. “Any of the men who want to join are invited,” said Dr. Beck, chair of the Department of Psychology and Grand Works mentor. ”A lot of the men have been in AA so a gathering or support group is not strange to them.”
T
he high rate of men ending back on the streets makes mentorship critical to recovery. “Without mentorship they aren’t going to make it,” Batten said. But Kyle has been equally served. Over his college career, he noticed ‘helping my neighbor’ was rarely put into action. “I was making friends and being social,” he said. “But I was not connecting much with my community or society. This has given me the opportunity to try to ‘help my neighbor’ in a creative and new way. It’s pushed me way out of my ‘comfort zone’ into an area that allows me to think and consider areas of spiritual discipline that I need to improve.” “It’s made me practice empathetic, not sympathetic, listening,” Yarborough said. Yarborough’s residency does more than keep the men accountable, it gives them someone stable, consistently present, someone investing in their beginning stage of restart and redemption. His a-typical residency has allowed those at Grand Works to think of him less as a “missionary in residence,” and more like a “brother.”
sports
wednesday 4.02.14
‘Cats dominate TAMU-CC Islanders Hannah Little student reporter The ACU softball team put up a good fight this past weekend against Texas A&M Corpus Christi as they defeated the Islanders in a three-game series. Game one went into seven innings as the Wildcats won 5-0. Sophomore Paige Stevens had two runs as Taylor Brown, Madison Buckley and Kyla Simmons each had one run. In the third inning Brown hit a triple, sending Stevens and Simmons to score. Soon after, Lyndi Smith hit a single as Brown came in to score and Simmons hit a single up to the middle sending home Buckley to score. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Courtney Flanary hit a double to right field sending Stevens to score her second run for the game. The Wildcats won the second game 9-1 as it went into five innings. ACU was
able to get a head start as they scored three runs in the first inning and four in the second. The Islanders couldn’t keep up as they made their only run in the fifth inning. To end the game, Cara Hoover homered to right center as Jacquelyn Perez scored. The final game on Sunday lasted eight innings as the Islanders pulled through and scored four runs in the sixth and one in the seventh, leaving them tied with the Wildcats going into the top of the eighth. Corpus Christi’s J. Jackson hit a single to the left side causing V. Perez to score. This put pressure on ACU, as the Wildcats were up to earn their chance to score. Flanary reached on a fielding error and sent Taylor Brown home to score. Shortly after, Madison Buckley reached on a throwing error and sent Courtney Flanary home to score, causing the Wildcats to take the lead and win
6
standings Baseball Standings
Team
Div.
Ovrl
Nicholls St. MSU NSU TAMU-CC ACU UCA SELA HBU SHSU SFA ORU UIW Lamar NO
7-2 6-3 6-3 6-3 2-1 5-4 5-4 5-4 4-5 4-5 3-6 1-2 2-7 1-8
15-14 16-10 14-12 15-15 12-13 15-10 16-11 14-10 19-10 12-14 12-14 7-17 15-14 8-17
Team
Div.
Ovrl
MSU ACU Lamar UCA SHSU HBU NSU SFA UIW Nicholls St. SELA TAMU-CC
8-3 4-2 7-4 7-4 7-5 7-5 6-5 6-5 3-3 3-8 3-9 2-10
22-10 15-18 12-14 17-21 18-17 11-17 15-15 15-17 14-18 12-25 9-15 7-27
Softball Standings
austin Kilcullen Staff Photographer
Senior Lyndi Smith slides home to score for the Wildcats against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi over the weekend. ACU finished off their sweep of TAM-CC with a 7-6 win in extra innings on Sunday. the game 7-6. The victory leaves the Wildcats 15-18 overall and 4-2 in conference play as the Islanders fell and continued their losing streak
at ten straight games. State University in NacogACU will continue their doches. four-game winning streak this weekend, as they are contact little at back on the road to play hll12a@acu.edu against Stephen F. Austin
Who’s Hot Freshman Brandon Grudzielanek has swung an extremly hot bat lately. Over the past Grudzielanek two series against Texas College and Incarnate Word, he went 8-15 (.533) and drove in a staggering nine runs and drew three walks. The Wildcats have gone 4-1 over those last five games.
briefings Sophomore guard Parker Wentz was selected Tuesday to the Southland Conference’s All-Academic First Team. Jarred schuetze Staff Photographer
Freshman outfielder Chris Altimont slides into second base to avoid the out in the Wildcats’ series against the Incarnate Word Cardinals. The Wildcats lost game one, but took games two and three, 4-2 and 4-1. ACU is now 12-13.
Wildcats open Southland play strong Collin WIeder assistant Sports Editor The first Southland Conference weekend proved to be a good one for the ACU baseball team as they went 2-1 in a three-game series against Incarnate Word. The series win is their first against a Southland Conference opponent. ACU started off the weekend with a rough pitching outing in their first game, giving up 11 runs to the Cardinals. Sophomore pitcher Nate Cole started the first two innings, allowing seven earned runs. Geno Encina picked up the
win for the Cardinals going eight innings and only allowing three earned runs. The inconsistency in the first game seemed like it would plague the ‘Cats all weekend. The offense failed to pick up the slack as they only scored three runs on eight hits, and the pitching staff did not have a great outing. The second game for the Wildcats shifted the momentum of the weekend with a 4-2 win. Sophomore pitcher Garrett Demeyere had a solid outing only allowing two runs in 6.1 innings of work. Demeyere did a great job of holding off Incarnate Word’s of-
fense that recorded 11 hits, but only added up to two runs. ACU was able to produce just enough on offense to pull out a tight win. ACU’s final game of the weekend was another close one. The Wildcats and the Cardinals scored a run in the first inning, but that would be the last time the Cardinals would bring a man in to home plate. The Wildcats offense scored three more runs in the third and that proved to the difference-maker in a 4-1 ACU win. Freshman pitcher Mack Morgan incurred no earned runs in six innings
and took his first win of the season. Senior southpaw Brady Rodriguez pitched three shutout innings to finish the game and pick up the save. The offense received a lot of help from freshman Brandon Grudzielanek. Grudzielanek went 4-for-9 over the weekend including four RBIs and is second in the conference in batting average with .390. Senior Seth Spivey continues to carry his batting average over .400 for the 25th straight game as he still leads the conference in batting average with .404. Head coach Britt Bonneau said he is excited
about the effort that his team put into the weekend. “With the exception of the first two innings of the whole series, we pitched pretty good,” Bonneau said. “We had two great starts by two quality pitchers from Demeyere and Morgan.” ACU now stands at 1213 overall with a 2-1 Southland record. The Wildcats return to action this weekend for a series at Crutcher Scott Field against Lamar University (15-14, 2-7). contact Wieder at cpw11a@acu.edu
Seniors Madison Buckley, Emily Conrad, Ian Evans and junior Tyler Eager were selected as ACU’s student athletes of the month for March. Men’s tennis shutout Temple College on Sunday, but had their three-match winning streak snapped by Baylor, 0-7. Track and Field collected eight personal best during the final day of the Bobcat Invitational. Follow @OptimistSports on Twitter for more stories and the latest ACU sports news.
Upcoming
Baseball continues their Southland Conference schedule with a weekend series against Lamar. First championship three years cause of their slow start. two SEC teams are on a pitch will be 6 p.m. at ago, and Napier is followHowever, talent has collision course for the Crutcher Scott Field.
Final Four should be a great finish SLOAN RANGER MATTHEW SLOAN SPORTS DIRECTOR
After an incredible two weeks of March Madness, the Final Four is shaping up to be a perfect ending to the tournament. Friday night, only a couple of hours from ACU, two great college basketball games will take center stage in Jerryworld. Florida is the only one seed that survived their region, but this final four does not have a Cinderella or a cupcake in the bunch. The Gators have won every game they have played so far in 2014 and have showed complete dominance defensively. Florida’s team features four seniors that have been through plenty of huge games, participating in four consecutive Elite
Eights. The last team to beat the Gators was the University of Connecticut Huskies. Florida will have a chance to get revenge Friday when they take on the Huskies again. Shabazz Napier knocked down a buzzerbeater in the last meeting between the Gators and Huskies, and will look to have another big game this weekend. Napier has been nothing short of outstanding in his senior campaign, averaging more than 18 points to go along with six boards and five assists per game. Kemba Walker capped his career as point guard of UCONN with an unbelievable run to the national
ing in Walker’s footsteps. Napier has scored at least 19 points in all of his tournament games, including a 25-point performance against Michigan State in the Elite Eight. Florida v. UCONN could come down to Napier vs. Scottie Wilbekin in a battle of fantastic point guards. The second half of the Final Four puts the best freshman starting five since Michigan’s 1992 Fab Five in Kentucky against a veteran Wisconsin team. The Wildcats will look to keep the championship in Kentucky for the third straight year, with Louisville winning last year and the Wildcats cutting the nets the year before. Coach John Calipari has his team peaking at the right time despite a disappointing regular season. The Wildcats were the preseason number one team, but were an eight seed be-
reigned supreme, as Kentucky took down an undefeated Wichita State team and the defending national champions in consecutive rounds. They also knocked down a buzzerbeater against the Michigan Wolverines to earn their Final Four bid. The Badgers needed overtime to take out the number one seed in their region in the Elite Eight, but were able to knock out Aaron Gordon and Arizona. Wisconsin also dismantled a talented Baylor team in the Sweet Sixteen by basically shoving the Bears around for 40 minutes. They also scored 85 points against Oregon in the third round, showing the Badgers can play several different styles. Despite the common belief that the Southeastern Conference had a “down year,” it looks like
national championship game. Florida should be able to get past UCONN, although the Gators will get all they can handle, and Kentucky has too much talent for the Badgers. Monday night’s national championship game will be one for the ages, when rivals meet in the title game. Florida has beaten Kentucky all three times they have played this season, but Kentucky is clearly playing the best basketball they have played all year. One thing is for certain, the Final Four is going to give basketball fans the drama we have all become accustomed to and the weekend should be a perfect finale to a wonderful month of March Madness. contact sloan at mes10b@ACU.EDU
Men’s Tennis has a doubleheader this Thursday in Houston. They will face Prairie View A&M at 10 a.m. and Rice University at 5 p.m. Track continues their season by traveling to Lubbock this Saturday to play against Texas Tech. Women’s Tennis plays a doubleheader against Nicholls State this Saturday at 10 a.m. Softball will travel to Nacogdoches on Saturday to play Stephen F. Austin at 3 p.m.