Sports Page 7
Wall of Honor vol. 102, no. 19
Wednesday, october 30, 2013
1 SECTION, 8 PAGES
Top moments of ACU sports are showcased in Moody
INSIDE NEWS The new dance policy is being w this semester Page 3
NEWS The chemistry lab has an unofficial mascot, Titus the lab
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NEWS Wishing Well adds followers and awareness after Chapel talk Page 4
OPINION The editorial board talks about the frustrations of WiFi
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Deanna romero staff Photographer
The men of Frater Sodalis keep up with tradition by hosting their annual Haunted Island. Portions of their proceeds will be donated to charity. The Haunted Island will be open Wednesday and Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.
OPINION Gabi Powell explains why Halloween is not a holiday for college students Page 6
Fraters Sodalis scares with 31-year tradition Haunted Island fundraiser
nual event began at the beginning of September, and members went to work on the Jon Churchill features editor Senior psychology major haunted house property in September. from abilene This year, Jon Churchill, a senior psyFrater Sodalis’ Haunted House is back for chology major from Abilene, was appointed Halloween...and back from the dead. The the event fundraiser, putting him in charge due to the recent surge in popularity of zom31-year club tradition takes a turn for the of the theme, delegating and participation bie-related TV shows, movies and books. zombiepocalypse, a theme sure to scare you in the after-life attraction. half to death. The haunted house theme changes each As the longest-running haunted house in year, but this year, Churchill said he desee Frats or fright page 5 Abilene, planning for the club’s creepy an- signed the event to be very “zombie-heav y”
Gabi powell
SPORTS Matt Sloan breaks down the obstruction call that decided a World Series game Page 8
NEWS Students have the opportunity to dress up and dance at the Zumba Halloween party Page 4
SPORTS
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That doesn’t explain why it’s better, but it does show that year after year, people believe it to be superior and keep coming back.”
Students create ACU version of eBay jesse harper student reporter Three ACU students started a social commerce website exclusively for ACU students, staff, and faculty after two and a half years of preparation. The website thingstrend.com is a new web-
site where people of the ACU community can sell textbooks and clothes, as well as other miscellaneous items such as furniture, movies, videogames, and artwork. The site is a new, safe way to buy and sell things locally, but also a great way to meet new people within the ACU commu-
nity. Seniors Weston Schulte, communications major from College Station, Allen Taylor, informational technology major from Pf lugerville, and Junior Tyler Eidson, marketing and finance major from College Station collaborated on the project which opened up at the begin-
ning of this semester. “It was actually from an intro to business course I took my sophomore year. They were implementing something called Venture Out 2.0,” said Schulte. Every student in the introduction to business class must complete the Venture Out project, where they are required
to create and sell a product to the ACU community, usually consisting of custom t-shirts, sunglasses, or other little items. “With Venture Out 2.0, they wanted something you could spread to other universities and communities,” said Schulte. see website page 4
Week dedicated to Grad School Awareness ACU football nearly completes a miracle comeback in Las Cruces N.M. last week Page 8
NEWS An event planned by the ACU Republicans has been cancelled Page 3
ONLINE VIDEO Watch a recap of ACU’s Homecoming weekend
acuoptimist.com
marissa jones editor in chief This week, ACU’s Graduate School program is offering information and advice to students during Graduate School Awareness Week. Brandon Lemley, director of graduate admissions and marketing, said the event started three years ago with the goal of raising awareness about graduate programs and graduate culture on campus. “But we’re not just interested in getting folks to come to ACU,” Lemley said. “We really want students to think about furthering their education and understanding what program is right for them.” Along with the many events representing ACU’s graduate programs, the school is hosting a Graduate and Professional School Fair with 25 representatives from other university coming to showcase what their univer-
sities offer on Thursday. Bree Craig, graduate marketing coordinator, said ACU’s Graduate School is expanding. “We added four new programs this summer,” Craig said. “We want to open it up so people are aware of our graduate school, not just that we have one but what our programs are and what we offer.” During Graduate School Awareness Week, students will be given the chance to interact with current graduate students at events, Craig said. “I think it’s a good time for undergraduate students to see that there are still graduate students on campus. I know we don’t have a lot of interaction between undergrad and grad, so there will be some times they can meet graduate faculty, staff and students,” Craig said. “It’s a good opportunity to ask questions candidly about graduate school, about certain programs.”
Turquoise Pipes, a second year clinical psychology graduate student from Sacramento, Calif., and Courtney Terry, a first year general psychology graduate student from Los Angeles, Calif., attended the Graduate School’s Coffee House event to mingle with undergraduate students. “It gives undergrads an opportunity to get a feel for what they can expect,” Pipes said. “Having the opportunity to talk to someone who’s already been in a program and can really give them a birds eye view of what they need to do for grad school is important.” A schedule of events can be found on the ACU Graduate School page on acu.edu. “Start early,” Lemley said. “Really think about what is your end goal and find the program that prepares you best for that goal.” Marissa Jones editor contact jones at mnj10a@acu.edu
Abilene Christian University
Courtney Terry, general psychology graduate, mingles during the Coffee House event on Monday.
Wednesday 10.30.13
30 Wednesday
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11 a.m. Blood Drive
Thursday
3 p.m. Seniors 2014 Registration
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7 p.m. ACU Volleyball vs. Northwestern State University
To date:
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10 a.m. Grad Awareness Week Resume Reviews
Saturday
8 p.m. Forward Lene Light the Night 5K
7:30 p.m. Frater Sodalis Haunted Island
Chapel checkup
Friday
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9 a.m. Beautiful. Professional. You: A Presentation on Networking 2 p.m. ACU Volleyball vs. Stephen F. Austin State
Around Abilene
Remaining:
65 35 @acuoptimist The Optimist
Oct. 30
Oct. 31
Nov. 1
Nov. 2
5:30 p.m. Hamlin Church of Christ is hosting its annual “Fall Feast and Treats.” There will be dinner and a trunk-oftreats for the children.
6 p.m. An annual Family Fall Festival will be conducted at Southwest Park Baptist Church, 2901 S. 20th St. Activities, candy and a cake walk will be available. Admission is free.
7:30 p.m. A dance featuring Muddy Creek will be hosted at the Oplin Community Center. Admission is $5. Information: www.grandoleoplin.com.
10 a.m. Frontier Day will be at Abilene State Park. Booths on buffalo hunters, archery, flint knives and more will be present. Admission is $3.
6 p.m. The “A-maze-ing Haunted Maze” will be open from at 128 S. Main St. in Winters. Admission is $5 and proceeds go to R.E.A.S.O.N. Animal Rescue.
7 p.m. Destination Imagination is conducting Runway of Terror. The haunted house will be located at 4886 Newman Rd.
optimist@acu.edu Police Log Announcements The Career Center is hosting a Linked-In Headshot Photo Booth 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Nov. 5 in the Campus Center. Students can recieve help setting up Linked-In profiles at the booth. Camp Olympia is hosting information sessions from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Nov. 6 - 7 in the Campus Center. Camp Ozark is hosting information sessions from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Nov. 11 - 13 in the Campus Center.
T Bar M Camps is hosting informations sessions from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Nov. 11 - 12 in the Campus Center.
The ACU Printing and Leafwood Press are having a contest for students to design the cover of two books being released in Fall 2014. The winner will recieve $500 and A Distance for Diabetes Walk will be con- their cover on the book. Contest entries ducted at 6 p.m. on Nov. 8 on the Lunds- will be accepted until Dec. 13. For more ford Trail. Registration is in the Campus information, go to acupressbookclub. Center. For more information, contact com/blog/judgeabookbyitscover. aac10a@acu.edu or jrd10c@acu.edu. Forward LENE ACU Women’s Track The James Project, a suicide outreach Club is hosting a Light the NIght 5K program, is holding an interest meet- Fundraiser at 8 p.m. on Nov. 1st. All ing at 1 p.m. on Nov. 9 at Jacob’s Dream. participants will recieve a T-shirt and a For more information, contact Mallory glow stick. Snowden at mas13a@acu.edu.
ACU will begin offering a Spanish for Healthcare Professionals course in the spring 2014 semester. The Summit Student Committee is holding an interest meeting from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. on Nov. 8 in room 250 of the OnsteadPacker Biblical Studies Building. Chapel credit will be offered and there will be refreshements. Phi Alpha Theta is conducting a Graduate School Application Workshop at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 in room 324 of the Hardin Administration Building.
Volunteer Opp0rtunities Volunteers are needed to help with the Fall Carnival from 5 - 8 p.m. on Nov. 1 at Ortiz Elementary. Volunteers will help set up, run and break down the carnival booths. For more information contact Shelia Ashford at shelia.ashford@abileneisd.org.
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.
G.V. Daniels Recreation Center needs volunteers to help work games and hand out candy at the annual fall festival from 5:30 - 9 p.m. on Oct. 31 at 541 N. 8th St. Volunteers may wear costumes that are kid-friendly and not scary. For more information, contact Justin Whitely at 325-676-6443 or Daniels. Sr.CitizensCenter@abilenetx.com.
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 325-676-6487 for more information.
Friends for Life is seeking volunteers to help with both elderly residents and independent living elderly. Nursing home service opportunities include vistitations, 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 325670-0246. Volunteers are needed at the BCFS Abilene Transition Center for event planning and setup, assisting 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. The Betty Hardwick Center is seeking volunteers for the Human Resources Center to help with filing and organizing. This job requires someone with attention to detail who wishes to learn more about Human Resources. The job is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. If you are interested, please contact Martin Walker at 325-690-5235 or mwalker@ bhcmhmr.org by Aug. 31. 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.
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 Rachel Brown at rdb08a@acu.edu. 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 Center for International Education is looking for English speaking students to be paired with international students for English practice, conversation and cultural learning. Partners meet for one hour each week at a time and place determined by their partners. To volunteer contact Laura McGregor at laura. mcgregor@acu.edu. Volunteers are needed to help with daily activities organized by the staff at Chisholm House. This could involve playing board games, arts and crafts and helping with a walking club. For some of these tasks, volunteers may be asked to lead a group or work along side a staff coordinator. Volunteer opportunities are from 2 - 4 p.m. or 6 - 8 p.m. daily. Contact Larissa Blankenship at 817-578-9296. The International Rescue Committee is seeking volunteers to work with refugees who recently moved to the U.S., teaching English, helping with homework and mentoring. Contact Susanna Lubango to make an appointment at 325-675-5643.
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. For more information on the program visit http://www.uccabilene.org/ ministries/csc.htm. 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. 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. 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. 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. Ogra Negra Chapter of American Business Women’s Association needs volunteers to work the concession stand at the Abilene Civic Center on Nov. 8 - 10. Each shift will be 3-4 hours. To volunteer, contact Debbie Hunt at debhunt1@suddenlink.net or 325701-4356. For additional volunteer opportunities visit: www. acu.edu/campusoffices/ccsl/ministry-service/volunteer-opportunities/
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news
wednesday 10.30.13
Gun event shot down eric terrazas student reporter The College Republicans have been looking to shoot off some steam at a local indoor gun range, but have run into issues with Student Life. Parker Gordon, president of ACU College Republicans and senior political science and music major from Stephenville, said the event has been placed on hold while they work on safety procedures and policies with Student Life. “Our officers agreed that having a gun range event was something that we wanted to try for this semester,” Gordon said. The event would have been taking place at a local indoor gun range and not on campus. Gordon said that members would be required to attend a gun safety course that the College Republicans could either provide through the National Rifle Association university program or a program that the gun range would provide, which would also be ap-
proved by the NRA. The club went to Student Life to find out whether or not they needed to work on a waiver form for participants to sign, as well as to work out any other details. “We received an email from Student Life that said we could not host the event due to ‘many risk management issues that are of great concern to the university,’” Gordon said. Gordon then contacted the manager of the gun range to see if they had any other options and was surprised to find out that the manager had seen other ACU groups going in to shoot, and that other College Republican chapters in Texas had hosted similar events with great success. “I also met with SA President Dylan Benac to see how we could proceed to work with the university,” Gordon said. “Within a few days, we received another email from Student Life that cited the Student Handbook as saying that firearms were prohibited on university property and ‘any university activity off campus.”
Gordon said that the event is now on hold until the club can come up with an alternative event or reach some type of compromise. “As an organization, we’ve worked very hard to establish ourselves on campus and reach out in a way that encourages involvement and interest in the current political environment,” Gordon said. Gordon said he doesn’t want to jeopardize the club’s status as an ACU student organization by breaking or trying to go around any rules or policies. The event would be open to all students interested, however, funding, received from the SA budget, would be reserved to offset the cost for members first. “To the best of my knowledge, ACU College Republicans has not had an event like this before, but like the manager at the indoor gun range said he had seen other ACU groups in the past,” Gordon said. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
mandy lambright Staff Photographer
Gaston Bukasa, freshman engineering major from Abilene, teams up with his partner to shoot off their handmade catapult. The exercise was a part of their Intro to Engineering Physics course.
Revision to university dance policy holds strong rachel fritz staff reporter Two agricultural and environmental science clubs will be hosting the second annual ACU Barn Dance on Nov. 9. The Agricultural and Environmental Science Club and Block and Bridle Club will be having a dance at Rhoden Farm to raise money for their clubs. Riley Morrow, sophomore animal science major from Bellvue, Colo., is the secretary and treasurer of Block
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Reflecting on the past and reporting on the current, it was about time something like that happend.” Dylan Benac Senior Political science major from Boerne
and Bridle. “It’s a good fundraiser for the clubs and a good way to be involved with the ACU community,” Morrow said. He said that while the policy change was a
beneficial to planning the event, that is not the club’s reason for having a dance. They will be selling tickets in the campus center until Nov. 8. In previous years, dancing was prohibited at any ACU sponsored event. Two years ago, the policy was revised and now allows student organizations to request dance events approved by Student Life. The policy changed in April 2012. Dylan Benac, senior political science major form Boerne and presi-
dent of Students’ Association, had positive feedback on the policy revision. He said it is good for students to have that kind of freedom. “It was an exciting change,” Benac said. “Ref lecting on the past and reporting on the current, it was about time something like that happened.” There are a few dances that are being planned throughout the year, including the ACU Barn Dance. “For the fall semester, there is nothing on our end as far as planning
dances,” Benac said. “In the spring, we may do something like the Lindsey Lee Red Boot Roundup to remember the accident that happened last year.” Student Life is now in charge of approving events that involve dancing and manage the process of ensuring they are ACU appropriate. Mark Jackson, director of student organizations and programs, is a member of the committee. The old policy mandated that nothing could be sponsored by ACU as a dance, Jackson said.
“Students were going to Oplin and other places to dance. So we thought that since students are already having dances off-campus, why not have a dance on campus?” Jackson said. In the two years that the policy has been in effect, the Campus Activity Board has hosted 4-5 dances. The first oncampus dance was held in the Hunter Welcome Center in August 2012.
contact fritz at ref11a@acu.edu
Faculty soccer team plays in championship eric terrazas student reporter
Deanna romero Staff Photographer
Peter Zeller, sophomore business major from Abilene and Galaxy pledge, dresses as Gandalf and guards the small bridge outside of Moody Coliseum against “intruders” on their way to Chapel.
Green group plans to install campus bike pump jesse harper student reporter Wildcats for Sustainability is fighting for studentbikers to have a place to service bikes and more convenient places to park bikes on campus. Krista Cukrowski, president of Wildcats for Sustainability, and Sean Branchaw, vice president of Wildcats for Sustainability and senior class president, are teaming up with facilities management to create a more beneficial campus for students that use bikes. Branchaw said they hope to have the bike pump location planned by the end of this semester with the actual structure being installed next semester. Cukrowski said she wants the pump to be visible and easily accessible on campus. She also said if
the bike tire pump is widely used among students the Wildcats for Sustainability have more plans in store for the campus. “We hope to upgrade within the next year to a ‘fix-it’ station, which is a nearly full, self-service bike station that is an innovative service for students that some college campuses already have,” Cukrowski said. The bike fix-it station would include a QR code that can be used for stepby-step video instructions on how to repair certain bike problems. Cukrowski said they already have funds for the community bike tire pump and will most likely be doing fundraising and requesting financial support in order to complete the fix-it station sometime next year. “We want to encourage more students to bike on campus,” said Cukrowski. “It is inherently sustain-
able in multiple ways, since it will be a shared item, saving everyone from having to own one, but most importantly it promotes good habits, especially for healthy sustainable living.” In addition to the bike tire pump, Branchaw said he has reached out to ACU building representatives to encourage the placement of more bike racks on campus. Branchaw said the estimated cost for the bike racks would be $1,000 and is writing a bill to Congress for funding. Branchaw said, “Overall, these changes encourage safety, sustainability, and entirely green practices on ACU campus.” If any students wish to reach out or give feedback they could email wildcatsforsustainability@gmail. com. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
Sunflowers of Death, a team consisting of ACU’s very own professors, has taken men’s indoor intramural soccer by storm. From a first impression, one can’t help but notice the gray hair, baldness in full effect and the bellies that have grown after many years of adulthood. Dr. Ryan Jessup, assistant professor of marketing, is the leading goal scorer and captain of the team. He has led the team to great success. “The team got its start after Dr. McCracken started the professor’s dodgeball team, at which point we noticed quite a few of us actually played soccer and figured we should start a team,” Jessup said. With a name like Sunflowers of Death, it’s difficult to not instill fear in the opponent. “The name of the team
was the result of choosing a team color and Dr. Little’s imagination,” Jessup said. The team color was decided upon after the professors realized they couldn’t use any colors of social clubs and a life long dream of Jessup’s, a dream that included the desire to wear an all yellow kit as a uniform. However, the Sunflowers of Death are no laughing matter, the team reached the Men’s Indoor Soccer Championship in an undefeated feat. The team came up short of only four goals in the final. The final really consisted of two games, as the tournament had been double elimination, having lost the first match with the score of 8-4, the Sunflowers of Death faced their fate in the second game. At first, the game seemed to be an all-out shootout, with the two teams exchanging goal after goal. Then, suddenly, the goals dried up for the professors, resulting in an end score of 6-3.
Tortugas F.C., the team that has been winning men’s soccer championships left and right, was the only team that was able to rain on the Sunflowers’ parade. The success of the Sunflowers has come in many different facets, whether it be the number of players in the squad, its shear talent or its ability to get in opponent’s heads. “The opportunity to pay all those students back for all those hours of anguish they cause us and all of our pent up rage, that has been why we’ve been successful,” Jessup said. The Sunflowers of Death have not only been successful in indoor soccer, but outdoor soccer as well. “I think we do well because everyone underestimates us, they see Dr. Reeves’ bald head and think ‘Oh we’ve got this!’” Jessup said. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
news
wednesday 10.30.13
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Foster Science family adopts chemistry lab james eldred staff reporter Titus the Chemistry Lab lab has swiftly become the Department of Chemistry’s unofficial mascot during his stay in the Foster Science Building. Titus’ owner, laboratory manager Amber Brokaw, brought the nine-year-old chocolate labrador retriever to work to watch over him while he battles an autoimmune disease. “His own immune system is attacking his blood,” Brokaw said. “The side-effects from the drugs he’s on demand a little attention. We have to keep an eye on him for certain things, and we can’t do that if he’s at home all day.” The lab has had no shortage of attention since his arrival to the science building around Labor Day. In fact, Brokaw said Titus gets a large number of visitors every day. “The students just love him,” she said. “I think a lot of them miss their pets back home, so they get a kick out of seeing him.” Faculty in the Foster Science Building also seem to enjoy having the dog around. Dr. Eric Hardegree, pro-
fessor of chemistry, said he visits the lab everyday. “Titus and I are good friends,” Hardegree said. “I can scratch his ears, and he can lick my beard.” Titus participated in the Homecoming Parade this year alongside the Chemistry Club float, wearing a customized lab coat. It was his second Homecoming appearance. the first being in 2010. “He’s kind of the department mascot,” Hardegree said. “We all really love him - he’s a real treat for us.” As for his recovery, Titus received a blood transfusion at an emergency veterinary clinic in September because his blood cell count was too low. “He’s on steroids that will hopefully kick his body back into gear,” Brokaw said. “We’ll start weaning him off the medication in a couple weeks and see if his body can maintain the blood count he’s got right now.” “He’s really getting better,” Hardegree said. “He’s almost back to his old self. I’ve even heard he’s getting a little frisky, wandering around a bit.” Titus himself declined to comment on his situation, Paige Otway Staff Photographer contact eldred at jfe11a@acu.edu
Amber Brokaw cuddles up to her prized pooch, Titus. Titus is a regular sight inside Foster science building.
Zumba makes working out a Halloween celebration dystanie douglas student reporter The Student Recreation Wellness Center is hosting a Zumba Halloween party. This is the second year the Rec Center has hosted a Zumba Halloween party, with this year’s actually being on Halloween. “The party is this Thursday, Oct. 31. I’m ver y excited and expecting it to be just as much
fun, if not more, than last year’s,” said Ruthie Swedlund, group zumba instructor. Swedlund said that she hopes these parties will continue for years to come and continue to become better. “I can’t wait to see the turn out at the Halloween party,” said Taylor McDaniel, sophomore art major from Fort Worth. “I went to the zumba party last year, so this year my expecta-
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I think the party is a good way to work out and have while doing it. “ Stacy Campos sophomore nursing major from Garland
tions for this years are even higher.” To spice things up a bit, the zumba party will not only include a calorie burning workout, but
also fun and exciting contests with prizes. “We’re going to have a costume contest if you come to the party dressed up, and we will be giving out prizes,” said Swedlund. “I think the party is a good way to work out and still have fun while doing it,” said Stacy Campos, sophomore nursing major from Garland. Swedlund said there will be various Halloween songs played, such
as “Thriller” and other halloween favorites. “Last year the songs were great, they really put me in the Halloween spirit and I had a awesome time dancing to them,” McDaniel said. Swedlund said that because the party is on Halloween this year, she hopes the turn out will be just as big as it was last year. “It’s a hour long and going to be at 2 p.m. this year, so I’m hoping that
it is early enough in the day that people will still come and be able to get wired up for Halloween,” said Swedlund. The Zumba Halloween party is open to all members of the Rec Center classes. It will be held on the second f loor of the Rec Center in studio one.
contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
Wishing Well club increases followers, awareness marci hoxworth student reporter ACU’s Wishing Well chapter is continuing to raise awareness and raise money for their cause after making a statement in Chapel. On Oct. 14, Mitchell East and the rest of the Wishing Well club hoped to get students involved in a cause they may have not previously known about. Brandy Rains is the president of ACU’s Wishing Well chapter, which con-
sists of about 15 members. “Our goal for Chapel was to give students a tangible representation of something they don’t know about or see every day,” Rains said. “We hear the term ‘water crisis’ loosely on a list of issues, but it just isn’t a concept we can grasp because we don’t see the issue itself in our personal living conditions.” During the Monday Chapel, East described what would happen in a typical ACU student’s day if there was no water to be
found and illustrated conditions that many underdeveloped countries are faced with every day. While East was speaking, students sitting on the floor got up two-by-two and walked out of Moody, giving a visual approximation of how many people die from water-related complications within the Chapel time limit. “My leaders and I were having a meeting in my apartment when I stated that every 20 seconds a child dies from water-
related diseases like diarrhea,” Rains said. “We kind of accidentally came up with making it into a demonstration and took it from there.” After the demonstration, Wishing Well asked the student body to follow them on Twitter. They said an anonymous donor promised to pay $100 for every 100 followers gained. The donor contacted Rains as an experiment to see what kind of positive change social media can make.
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It just isn’t a concept we “We have over 1,300 followers and we only had can grasp because we about 130, not all of them don’t see the issue itself students,” Rains said. Thanks to hundreds of in our personal living new followers, Wishing conditions.” Well raised about $1,200 in a matter of 8 hours, Rains Brandy Rains president of wishing well said. The Wishing Well Twitter is still gaining followers and the club hopes to con- Wishing Well club by going tinue to raise awareness for to Bible 120 during Thurstheir cause. day Chapel. For more information, follow @ACUWishingWell contact the optimist at on Twitter. Students can jmcnetwork@acu.edu also get involved in the
Website: Students kick-off site after two years from page 1 “We did really well on the project and it went onto the community springboard elevator pitch, and we got $750.00,” said Schulte. While Schulte and Eidson had the business
aspect of the idea covered, Taylor brought the technological skill. “Weston and I had this idea and Allen had the programming talent to implement our idea,” said Eidson. Taylor has spent the last two and a half years immersing himself in the coding, programming, and technological process for the site. “I began with taking their idea and turning it into a design and spent the last two and a half years building it,” said Taylor. “We drive what goes on the website, how it looks, and how it functions, but Allen makes it happen,”
said Schulte. Several adults at ACU were happy to help the guys turn this idea into a real, successful business plan. “We received a lot of one on one mentorship from different professors and entrepreneurs who helped us at the start,” said Eidson. While the website is starting to find its success, the process did not come without challenges. “Throughout this whole process there have been a lot of barriers to get over and I think that’s part of our story and still is,” Eidson said, “I’ve spoken with a law yer for multiple hours.” Eidson also said the
website has a fully legal 12 page terms of use and privacy policy agreement, as well as a company bank account. “Each time there is a sale we take a small percentage from both the buyer and the seller,” said Eidson, “2.5 percent goes to the buyer, and 2.5 percent to the seller.” The guys rely on word of mouth to market the site for the most part, so far, and the website is now up and running with almost 150 accounts already.
contact The optimist at optimist@acu.edu
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featureS
Wednesday 10.30.13
The men of Frater Sodalis and volunteers reenact a scene from their haunted house opening on Wednesday night and running through the weekend. | deanna romero stafF Photographer
from page 1 date will get in for five dollars each.” A portion of the money collected during the Frater Sodalis’ fright nights will go to a charity. This year’s recipient has yet to be chosen, Churchill said. The rest will be set aside to fund club events throughout the year. This year, Frater Sodalis sought to make the event even more collaborative, by involving many different students of the ACU community. “You’re coming to see your friends put on a show for you,” Churchill said. “We have students of all different classifications, in all different social clubs and involved in a range of different groups on campus helping act in our haunted house this year.” Guests are assisted by a guide through the actual woods and made to walk across bridges to access the haunted island. “The moonlit island in a secluded location
is scary enough by itself,” Churchill said. Mathew Solomon, a junior information technology major from Austin, said this spooky location is key for the Frater Sodalis’ fear factor. “It fits really well with the Haunted Island theme due to how the different rooms are on varying islands,” he said. “Overall this place is just really creepy.” Churchill agreed, saying the location makes it a haunt to remember. “How scared can you really be in a haunted house that you can see the grocery store from if you peek your head over the fence?” he said. “Our haunted house is literally on an island in the middle of nowhere. And the zombies are really just icing on the cake.”
gabi Powell Features Editor
|
contact powell gmp10b@acu.edu
Above: Zombies pose outside the front of the property they have transformed into a haunted island. Left: Katherine Blakemore, freshman journalism major from Park City, Utah, and Kaitlyn Tuiasosopo, sophomore international studies major from District of Columbia, act out a scene of their petrifying performance in the Frater Sodalis haunted attraction.
[
[
hat doesn’t explain why it’s better, but it does show that year after year, people believe it to be superior and keep coming back,” Churchill said. Josh Walters, a senior exercise science major from Allen and member of Frater Sodalis, has been in charge of promoting the event and running the ticket sales and concessions. “The night before Halloween and Halloween night is when we have our big turnouts,” he said. “This year we have had bigger turnouts each night which has been awesome.” The attraction opened over the Fall Break weekend and will reopen its haunted doors Wednesday night. “Wednesday night will be our ACU Club Night,” Walters said. “Club members wearing some club attire and bringing a
401 N. LOOP 322 OCT. 25-31 7:30 P.M. $10
Opinion
6
Wednesday 10.30.13
editorial
Campus Wi-Fi means ‘Will I Find Internet?’ Fi” is in some unknown, transcendent realm. The bandwidth on campus can’t keep up with the increasing What actually is Winumber of Wi-Fi users. Fi? Wi-Fi is made up of a stream of invisible strands that gives people the power our take The university should work to increase the amount of band- to connect wirelessly in a pixelated world. According width available for the student body. to howstuffworks.com, WiFi is a two-way connection, Wi-Fi is the key to turning in less about that midterm much like a walkie-talkie or a paper on time. The term paper due in five minutes. a cell phone connection. “Wi-Fi” obviously stands Wi-Fi doesn’t care about The Wi-Fi we use daily uses for, “Will I Find Internet” the classes students need to radio waves. Thanks to gadbecause that’s always a take to graduate. Wi-Fi has gets called wireless adaptmystery on campus. single-handedly sent stu- ers, multiple people can acSomedays you may find dents into an apocalyptic cess one Wi-Fi hotspot, or a the odds are in your favor meltdown every year dur- zone of God-given internet, and this eluded Wi-Fi will ing class registration and is at the same time. grace you with its presence. possibly the root of all evil. So why is it such a probBut Wi-Fi could not care This thing called “Wi- lem for everyone on campus
the issue
to use the same Wi-Fi? It all has to do with “bandwidth” and, no, it has nothing to do with a band. It has to do with, “a measurement of the ability of an electronic communications device or system (such as a computer network) to send and receive information,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Imagine bandwidth is like a funnel through which you pour all of the water, or internet use. If too many students try to use more bandwidth than the funnel can handle, the Internet is inevitably going to lag. Which often results in mass hysteria. So the obvious solution is
to get a bigger funnel. More students are funneling into the ACU community each semester with one of the largest freshman classes this year that ACU has seen in the past few years. This means more students are registering for classes and even more students are using the campus Wi-Fi every day. Sure you can blame the large freshman and sophomore classes, or the kid sitting next to you watching Netflix in the library. Even though your mother probably taught you that it’s not nice to point fingers, let’s all look in the same general direction at what is really causing the problem.
The recent growth of the ACU community calls for a growth in the resources provided. Even though Wi-Fi has some major commitment issues, ACU cares that you get into your classes and that you get your midterm paper turned in on time. It’s time for ACU to match the overflow of information coming from an increasing student body and simply make the funnel bigger, that way we can experience fewer meltdowns and mute the migraines. contact The Optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
DAILY doodle dosage
Column
Ben Todd
Parents need to learn failure can be good for kids THE SLOAN RANGER
MATT SLOAN SPORTS DIRECTOR
Two weeks ago, Texas football powerhouse Aledo beat Western Hills 91-0, spawning a complaint from a Western Hills father who considered the loss to be bullying his son and the rest of the team. The idea that a kid’s failure is somehow unfair or wrong is much more significant that the loss itself. Aledo played their starters a grand total of 21 plays and Aledo’s head coach Tim Buchanan asked the officials to keep the clock running in the third and fourth quarter, significantly shortening the game. Aledo’s starting running back only had four carries before he was pulled. All four rushes went for touchdowns. Aledo was simply a better team than Western Hills and they should not be punished for being more talented. Everybody that has played competitive sports has been hammered at some point in their career. It does not ruin their entire life, it is just part of being an athlete. Sometimes you are the hammer and sometimes you are the nail. Until recently, that was an accepted premise for high school athletes. There is a trend sweeping the United States in which parents try to protect their kids from failures of any kind. Ironically, that shelter can handicap their children later on in life. Losing a football game,
failing a test or not getting accepted into a certain club or program is wonderful training for life. In fact, youth sports are valuable because they teach children to deal with success and failure in a healthy way. In life there are few certainties, but one of them is failure. Every person in the world has dealt with disappointment, and knowing how to respond to that disappointment is crucial in determining the way our lives will go. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team as a freshman. Donald Trump has filed for bankruptcy twice. Steven Spielberg dropped out of theater school. Even the people who eventually would master their professions were once failures. When parents run to the aid of their children the first time they fail, kids will naturally begin to think that someone will always fix their problems and they will not know how to fix their own issues. Dealing with difficult situations is one of the most important things that a kid can learn before starting adulthood, so hopefully parents will allow their kids to fail so that later on in life they will be prepared to succeed.
contact Sloan at mes10b@acu.edu
Column
Halloween is not a student’s holiday PASS THE PUNS, PLEASE
GABI POWELL FEATURES EDITOR
Twerk or treat. Miley Cyrus costumes are f lying off Halloween stores’ hangers. The entertainer came in at No. 5 on the 10 mostsearched Halloween costumes to date, according to last week’s data by Google Shopping. Other top searches are characters from “Breaking Bad,” “Duck Dynasty,” “Game of Thrones’” Daenerys and “Despicable Me’s” Minions. If this is what the Halloween has become, our generation must answer for celebrating this hocus pocus of a “holiday.” For college students Halloween has become a middle-of-the-week inconvenience, an unnecessary expense and
an obligated chore to act as a billboard of the latest fad, and in this case, foam finger. Bona fide holidays call for turkeys, trees, chocolates and cards-pre-set traditions that are not to be tampered with. But Halloween varies in its observance and conditional upon the day it falls on. For students, once we’ve outgrown the appropriate age of door-todoor candy solicitation, defending the celebrating of Halloween becomes a difficult task. But if America’s spending is any indication, attitudes towards the holiday may be changing like the fall season. According to the 2013
Oct. 22 7:57 a.m.
Oct. 22 7:45 a.m.
National Retail Federation’s Halloween Spending Survey, total spending on costumes, treats, and festivities will reach $6.9 billion, compared to the $8 billion spent last year. What’s more, 158 million Americans will celebrate the holiday, compared to last year’s high of 170 million people. Like Christmas, Halloween is celebrated as a secular holiday by some and banned from the calendars of others. However, unlike the Santa celebration, Halloween is not a federal-recognized holiday, therefore not coming with the perks of a day off, the mark of a true holiday. This is especially relevant to students, giving no incentive to celebrate on a Thursday evening-the Hallow’s Eve before a Friday exam. “I don’t have time to celebrate a holiday this close to finals,” said Brandy Rains, senior art education major from
Fort Worth. “Besides, no one knocks on my dorm door. And the last thing college students need is another excuse for more junk food.“ Rains said it is at this point of the semester students’ stress levels soar and academic workload piles up, with finals in the foreseeable future. There’s no room in our schedules and no room in our wallets, either. The average American will spend $75.03 on decorations, costumes and candy for Halloween, reported the NRF. This is an expense a college student cannot justify on an Easy Mac allotted budget. We are too old to trickor-treat, yet old enough to know the consequences of a 30-Twix binge. Refrain from your Miley costume-buying, students, and save your pigging out for turkey plates.
Oct. 23 9:22 a.m.
Oct. 18 8:18 p.m.
contact POWELL at GMP10B@acu.edu
hashtagACU Oct. 21 2:20 p.m. Oct. 18 9:56 a.m.
Tights are NOT pants. #putsomepantson #ACUProbs
@tru07a
Oct. 23 1:51 p.m.
Can you hear the freshmen sing? singing the song of angry men. #annbibprobs @ACUProbs
@rissamericaa
And the 69th time you drop your lunchbox is just as rough. #thankgoodnessforslitsinthisskirt
@squigshanpaije
Oct. 23 1:43 p.m.
Thank you annotated bibliography for using all my printing money for the semester. #coreisdumb
@tannerbuxton_
ACU wifi isn’t feeling it today. So let’s cancel class and all go be lazy today. It’s perfect couch and TV weather. @overheardACU
@ColtonWillis2
@ndixonm
@Kailebuh
Oct. 21 8:01 p.m.
Oct. 24 8:39 a.m.
Oct. 25 8:11 a.m.
S/O to ACU for making the entire freshman class write an annotated bib for absolutely no reason then to laugh at our pain. @ACUProbs
@ShutUpSavanah
editorial and Letter Policy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Optimist and may not necessarily reflect the views of the university or its administration. Signed columns, cartoons and letters are the opinions of their creators and may not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Optimist or the university. The Optimist encourages reader response through letters to the editor but reserves the right to limit frequent contributors or to refuse to print letters containing
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E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu
That awkward moment when the ACU wildcat sign gets mistaken for a gang sign by a producer at the New York Stock Exchange Lolol #acuprobs
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@lindsay_vandy
Oct. 24 12:01 p.m.
Zeta Rho: making every other pledge class jealous since before fall break. #congratsladies
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It’s Fall Break and there is practically no one on campus. Meanwhile I’m just walking to work stepping on as many acorns as possible.
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Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79609
I have officially seen to many thrift shop sweaters, ankle boots, thick rim glasses and dreads. #ACUhipsters #coldweather #alsoguilty
Watching this NuNu quiz herself via powerpoint on Kojie names, hometowns, and majors. Definitely more interesting than calculus. #Creep
@overheardACU I’m pretty sure ACU’s tuition goes up at a faster rate than the time it takes for ACU Wireless to load anything
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sports
Wednesday 10.30.13
Umpires are not obstructing the series SLOAN RANGER MATTHEW SLOAN SPORTS DIRECTOR The sports world was in pandemonium Saturday night when Allen Craig scored on a walk-off obstruction call to give the Cardinals a 2-1 series lead. However, the umpires made the correct and necessary call. From the time Craig was in grade school, his coaches taught him that if he was interfered with on the base paths, he was to run to the next base regardless of the outcome. Any time a fielder
gets in the way of a runner without the ball, it is obstruction and the runner is awarded the next base. Intention does not matter. Of course. Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks could not get out of the way because he was sprawled out on the ground. Middlebrooks attempted to move by flailing his legs in the air, but Craig tripped over him anyway. The ruling may not be exactly fair to Middle-
brooks, who was put in a terrible position. But I don’t think we want umpires judging the intent of a player. College football’s targeting rule is a perfect example of the need for a hard and fast rule, instead of a grey area for officials and umpires to guess on the fly. Many people argue that a hobbled Craig would have been thrown out at home plate even if he were not interfered with. Obviously that is a possibility, but it is impossible to know how the rest of the play would have ended up with Craig barreling down the line without hesitation. Obstruction is a fairly rare occurrence anyway,
“
A lot of people feel like the Red Sox got hosed, and to those people I would say Jarrod Saltalamacchia made a bad throw and Middlebrooks failed to get off the bag and catch the ball.”
say Jarrod Saltalamacchia made a bad throw and Middlebrooks failed to get off the bag and catch the ball. A good throw and/or a good catch would have solved the problem and not put the game in the hands of the umpires. The fact is that umpires and officials are routinely roasted for blowing the game with a bad call or a misinterpretation of a rule. and with 162 games to play percentage of the fans knew But these guys got it right. for each team, no play can the exact rule. Suddenly, In the clutch moment on be dissected with too much obstruction is trending on the biggest stage, umpire vigor because every fan, twitter and the umpires are Jim Joyce and his crew did player and reporter would being hammered before their job, and the Red Sox be emotionally exhausted the Cardinals are done cel- did not. by the middle of May. ebrating. But this was the fall clasA lot of people feel like contact sloan at sic. Millions of eyes were the Red Sox got hosed, and mes10b@acu.edu watching and only a small to those people I would
Athletics honors historic plays and players daniel zepeda sports editor The new Wildcat Wall of Honor debuted inside Moody Coliseum a week before the Homecoming weekend and allows anyone to view great players, inductees to the ACU Sports Hall of Fame, seasons and moments from past years. The Department of Athletics created the wall in an effort to allow all members of the ACU community to observe and enjoy the history of ACU athletics. “It allows us to publicly recognize some of the great historic achievements and contributions that individuals and teams have made in our rich, athletic history,” said Jared Mosley, director of athletics. “The display includes recognition of all of our hall of fame inductees, All-Americans and Olympians, as well as the top sports moments in our history.” The wall displays the 10 greatest moments in ACU athletics history, ranging from sprinter Bobby Morrow being crowned the “world’s fastest man” in 1956 to basketball star John Ray Godfrey scoring 41 points in the Wildcats’ first game in Moody Coliseum. Each moment has its own section on the wall with a large picture and a brief summary of the historic scene. Instead of having each athlete represented by a plaque, as they were in the past, they are now electronically displayed. With the number of talented athletes growing and more real estate being required, the athletics department knew that a solution was needed.
Mary Melissa keil Staff Photographer
The Wildcat Hall of Honor shows the top ten moments in ACU sports history across the wall in Moody Coliseum. The interactive screen in the middle allows fans to relive some of their favorite ACU moments and learn more about the history of ACU athletics. “ACU has a tremendous number of studentathletes and coaches who have received national honors but, frankly, we were running out of space to display all of them,” said Ron Hadfield, assistant vice president for university communication who served on the implementation team. “The interactive display was the best solution to the problem.” The display in the cen-
ter of the wall uses touchscreen technology to allow viewers to look up legendary moments, view information about members of the ACU Sports Hall of Fame, All-Americans and those who competed in the Olympics. “The touchscreen allows us to continually update this display without needing more wall space. It is also going to be more cost efficient in the future, as we will
not have the expense to build elaborate wooden and cast metal displays and now can upload new information to the display any time,” Mosley said. “We also wanted to have the f lexibility to change the static images and top sports moments throughout the year as we celebrate athletics in the future.” Although the wall honors many athletes from the past, there are a few
represented from recent seasons. Former quarterback Mitchell Gale, along with the golfer Alex Carpenter, can be seen on the wall. Current coaches Britt Bonneau and Hutton Jones can also be viewed alongside the great student-athletes in ACU history. “It makes a great first impression and I love the opportunity to include the Top 10 moments,” Hadfield said. “The in-
teractive display includes our Top 100 sports moments, but the environmental graphics allow us to bring the best of the best to life with text and photography. I hope our alumni and other fans, and visitors, enjoy it.”
contact zepeda at djz11a@acu.edu
Mavericks hoping Nowitizki is ridirkulous WIED ‘EM AND WEEP
COLLIN WIEDER SPORTS REPORTER
The Dallas Mavericks are coming off their worst season in over a decade. At a mediocre 41-41, the Mavs missed the playoffs for the first time since 2000. Changes needed to be made again, causing the revolving door of players to continue this offseason. Important pickups like OJ Mayo, Chris Kaman, Elton Brand and Darren Collison are gone, along with all but six players. The six returning players include Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Brandan Wright, Vince Carter and both draft picks from 2012 Bernard James and Jae Crowder. Nowitzki and Marion will be centerpieces this season as long as they can both stay healthy. Brandan Wright returns to the Mavs after playing great down the stretch and starts at center by the end of the year. Vince Carter will continue to be a spark off the bench for the Mavs. Jae Crowder looks to build on his rookie season where he started strong but finished very weak. Bernard James will be a rotational
player at center. The Mavericks were unable to pick up the most important pieces to the rebuilding puzzle in Dwight Howard or Chris Paul. Free agency hasn’t been kind to the Mavs. They haven’t been able to land a legitimate superstar in years and continue to settle for second tier players. This offseason was no different as they signed shooting guard Monta Ellis who is coming off a terrible season in Milwaukee. They also signed Jose Calderon to replace Darren Collison. Unfortunately, Calderon is 32 and not a long-term fix. Similar to Calderon, Samuel Dalembert at age 32 was signed to fix the center problem, which hasn’t been fixed since Tyson Chandler. A number of other role players were also signed to fill in the holes on the roster. Although free agency failed to land a star, the 2013 draft went great for the Mavs as they drafted two guards in Shane Larkin and Ricky Ledo. Head coach Rick Car-
lisle told reporters he believes that Shane Larkin has similar play to JJ Barea, and could be a spark plug off the bench. The year could be rough, seeing as they improved little and the Southwest Division improved a lot. The division might be the toughest in the NBA as they return three solid playoff teams. The Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs will be returning with the majority of the roster and will look to make another trip to the finals. The Memphis Grizzlies and their incredible frontcourt duo of Zach Randolph
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and Marc Gasol will look to return to the playoffs. The Houston Rockets added Dwight Howard to go along with star shooting guard James Harden. The New Orleans Pelicans are a young and solid team that added guards Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday to their backcourt this offseason. The season might not be much better than last year seeing as even the last place team in the division could be better than the Mavs. Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion are the only two remaining players from the championship team. They are both older
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and will soon be retiring but still have a few years left. The team will look to improve on the defensive where last season they ranked towards the bottom of the league. Chris Kaman failed to stop anyone at the basket last season and Samuel Dalembert will hopefully be much better than Kaman. The offense hopes to keep up their solid play from last season and that should happen with the additions in free agency and the draft. Mark Cuban might be looking at the worst season since he took over the Mavs.
A rough year on the horizon could spell a quick retirement for Dirk and a team that is far removed from the glory years in the 2000’s. Overall, the Mavs may only have one last chance this season to make the playoffs before Dirk starts to fade into retirement. Their chances maybe bleak, but nonetheless, they did make the 2011 Finals with a team no one thought would make it that far.
contact wieder at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
sports
wednesday 10.30.13
ACU drowns Pirateers in straight sets Collin wieder sports reporter
mandy lambright chief Photographer
Lexi Mercer goes up for a block in Moody Coliseum.
ACU pulled out a close win on Saturday in New Orleans, giving the lady Wildcats their second conference win of the season. The record for the Wildcats improved to 6-13 and 2-9 in Southland conference play. ACU managed to win in straight sets but with little room to breath. The Wildcats won each set by three points or less, 25-23, 28-26 and 25-22. “It was good to get a chance to put a game away and have that good solid feeling that we finished,” head coach Kellen Mock said. “I feel good we were able to close out and finish strong even with each set being so close.” ACU gained a boost on offense from freshman outside hitter Dorothy
Swanson. Swanson dominated at the net scoring 17.5 points and also adding five block assists. Mock believes that Swanson can make a huge impact on the team even as a freshman. “She’s a solid player and a spark plug for us, she’s got a live arm and got the opportunity this weekend to shine,” Mock said. The Wildcats also received help from blockers Lexi Mercier, who had four blocks and Neely Borger, who had six blocks. The recent success at the net has led to ACU being first in the Southland in blocks per set at 2.45. “Our middles are so good and so consistent and a really big factor in our game,” freshman Dorothy Swanson said. “A lot of our success so far can be attributed to
that.” Sophomore Sarah Siemens continues to lead the Wildcats in assists by adding 27 more in Saturday’s game. Sophomore Madison Hoover also continued adding to her great season by digging out 15 attacks as well. The Wildcats have five games remaining with only three more Southland opponents. They also return home to play their final two home games of the season this week. Thursday they will play Northwestern State at 7 p.m. and Saturday they will play Stephen F. Austin at 2 p.m.
contact wieder at cpw11a@acu.edu
‘Cats nearly pull off miracle finish sports director
sports reporter This past weekend, the women’s soccer team experienced a heart-breaking end to their season. The Wildcats traveled to Beaumont to take on the Lamar Cardinals in the second to last game of the season. After giving its all, the team was unable to overcome the deficit, as they lost 2-1. Going into the final games of the season, the team was down three players due to injuries that occurred within hours of game time. While having to make constant adjustments to the rotation, the battle
Soccer
Team
Div.
Ovrl.
SFA ORU SELU ACU Nicholls St. SHSU Lamar NSU UCA HBU UIW MSU TAMU-CC
9-1-0 9-2-0 8-2-0 7-5-0 5-5-0 5-5-0 4-5-2 4-5-1 4-6-0 4-6-0 3-5-2 1-8-1 1-9-0
14-3-1 14-4-0 13-3-1 13-5-1 11-5-1 7-9-1 7-9-2 6-10-1 7-9-2 5-11-1 9-6-2 6-10-2 2-14-0
Team
Div.
Ovrl.
UCA SHSU ORU NSU TAMU-CC MSU Lamar SFA UIW HBU SELU ACU NSU NO
11-0 11-1 9-2 9-2 9-4 6-6 6-6 5-6 5-6 5-7 3-10 2-9 2-11 0-13
19-3 14-7 17-14 13-10 14-10 14-12 8-16 13-11 10-10 10-14 9-16 6-13 5-18 3-23
Team
Div.
Ovrl.
ACU MSU SELU SHSU UCA Nicholls St. SFA Lamar NSU
0-0 3-0 3-0 2-1 2-1 1-2 1-2 0-3 0-3
5-4 7-1 6-2 6-2 5-3 4-4 3-5 3-5 3-5
Volleyball
ex- factor Clyde Gates is out for the season after injuring his shoulder in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Danieal Manning injured his knee in a game against the St. Louis Rams. He is currently on the injured reserve. Daryl Richardson had eight carries for 39 yards and a catch for eight yards Monday night when the Rams lost to the Seahawks, 14-9. Bernard Scott was signed by the Ravens on Monday. Scott will be coached by former ACU great Wilbert Montgomery. mandy lambright chief Photographer
Darrell Cantu-Harkless prepares to make a move on an Incarnate Word defender during the Homecoming game two weeks ago. Cantu-Harkless caught a touchdown pass against FBS opponent New Mexico State on the road last week to get the Wildcats within five points in the last minute of the game. ACU is currently 5-4 this season.
briefings
Student-Athletes of the the ball and got some ball back with less than body else, but their guy head to San Antonio to month: stops. I thought we were sitting really well at half time. We kept them from scoring in the third quarter, which was good. But there were just missed opportunities, which is ultimately what cost us the game.” With less than a minute left and the Wildcats behind by two scores, Baker found Darrell-Cantu Harkless for a touchdown on fourth down to narrow the Lobo lead to five. Then, linebacker Thor Woerner successfully executed an onside kick, giving the Wildcats the
20 seconds. After a couple of penalties, the Wildcats were left with nine seconds and 79 yards to the end zone. Baker threw a Hail Mary that was tipped by Darian Hogg before Monte Green-Avery made the reception and pitched the ball to Gabriel, who nearly scored before being knocked out of bounds just yards away from the end zone. “Of all people, you want the ball in Taylor’s hands in the open field,” Collums said. “When we made the pitch, I thought it was over just like every-
made a great play.” Defensively, several Wildcats rose to the occasion and played excellent football. Justin Stephens was in on 12 tackles, including one tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Stephens also intercepted a pass in the game. Jesse Harper also picked off a pass to give the Wildcat offense the ball back. Safety Justin Stewart made 14 total tackles to lead the game. Will Harlos also had double-digit tackles with 11. The Wildcats have a bye week before they
take on Incarnate Word for the second time this season. “I want to say we are ready to play another game as fast as we can, but we are not,” Collums said. “We are kind of beat up, so we will have to live with the bye week, which is good because we need to get healthy.”
only continued for the ‘Cats. The Lamar Cardinals proved they would put up a fight. Fighting back, senior forward Andrea Carpenter scored her 13th goal of the season at 16:32 in the first quarter, with an assist from senior midfielder Ashley Craig. Lamar returned with a vengeance in the second half, scoring twice before the clock ran out. ACU remained determined as freshman goalie Kelsey Dombrowski made two saves within the remaining minutes of the game. Dombrowski had a total of six for the match. Carpenter is among
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My highlight for this season has been all the memories that I have had the privilege to make with all of these wonderful girls.”
John David Baker: 65.7 pass completion, 2,612 yards and 29 touchdowns this season for the football team. Caley Johnson: 2.38 digs and 21 assists for the volleyball team this year. Whitley Lindholm: a defensive specialist for the soccer team, has appeared in every game this season.
contact sloan at mes10b@acu.edu
Soccer ends season with OT loss brittney johnson
standings
football
matthew sloan
The ACU football team travelled to New Mexico State looking for their first win against a BCS team since 1980. The Wildcats completed a Hail Mary pass as time expired, but wide receiver Taylor Gabriel was knocked out of bounds at the six-yard line and the Wildcats lost 34-29. “I am not suspired that we went down there and played a really competitive game and had a chance to win,” head coach Ken Collums said. “Our guys played hard and our guys fought. I am proud of our guys and I think we are sitting in a really good spot as far as our growth goes. To people that don’t know who we are and what we do, that put a stamp on it and said, ‘Hey, we belong in the Southland Conference.’” Gabriel’s near touchdown was one of 15 catches he recorded on the night, totaling 188 yards. “We have enough playmakers to where we can create some matchups that are hard for people,” Collums said. “We got Taylor the ball 15 times and we were able to run it pretty well, too.” Running back Charkandrick West had 90 receiving yards and 102 rushing yards in the loss and also ran for a touchdown. Quarterback John David Baker threw for 428 yards and three scores and added 32 yards on the ground against the Lobos. After two quarters of play, the Wildcats were clinging to a 22-21 lead. In the third quarter, both offenses were unable to score, giving ACU a narrow lead heading into the fourth quarter, when the Lobos would kick a field goal on the first play and take a two-point lead. “The first half went really well,” Collums said. “I was very pleased with the first half, we moved
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shots were attempted from ACU and 14 from McNeese. It wasn’t until overtime that MSU scored a goal against the ACU deAndrea Carpenter fense. forward The Cowgirls ended ACU SOCCEr the ‘Cats’ season on the note of 1-0. the league’s leaders in traveled to Lake Charles, Overall this season, goals and points this sea- La., where they would the Wildcats finished 13son. face off with McNeese 5-1 and No. 4 in confer“My highlight for this State University in their ence with 7-5-0. season has been all the final game of the season. “We competed well memories that I have Tension was high as and rose to the occasion,” had the privilege to make both teams played hard head coach Casey Wilson with all of these wonder- without entertaining the said. “To know that we ful girls,” Carpenter said. thought of ever backing can compete at this high “Each practice, bus ride down. of a level was a good exand game is another opThe whistle blew, perience.” portunity for me to create marking the end of regumemories that I will have lation as neither team contact johnson at for the rest of my life.” had yet to reach the back baj12a@acu.edu The Wildcats then of the goal, though 12
Thor Woerner: a defensive captain for the football team, 65 tackles, two interceptions and a sack.
Upcoming Volleyball host Northwestern State on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Moody. Cross Country will compete in the Southland Conference Championships on Friday. Women’s tennis will play in the the Memphis Fall Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Football has a bye week and will not play this weekend.