Three-in-a-row Women’s basketball team wins third straight vol. 101, no. 28
friday, december 7, 2012
Sports Page 6
1 SECTION, 6 PAGES
food services INSIDE OPINION How to prepare for those preparing for the end of the world
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ARTS
Coffee shop to close its doors gabi powell student reporter Hold on to your mugs. Students will have one fewer on-campus source for coffee and scones as early as the beginning of next semester. Anthony Williams, chief business services officer, said official plans have not been announced, but in fact, The Den coffee shop
will close soon. “Traffic counts have dropped significantly over the last few years,” he said. “It has lost a lot of student demand.” As far as what will become of The Den’s space, Williams said he did not know. “I imagine since it’s part of a hall, ResLife will repurpose it.” Williams said The Den’s future was uncertain in Oc-
tober because the university is constantly evaluating and discussing the dining program. Within the past month, new discussions have led to the final decision to close the doors of this campus coffee shop. “When we recognize a location losing student demand, we want to find how to better serve our students and reinvest those resources,” Williams said. The Starbucks located in
the Commons of the library, not lacking in student traffic, has plans of its own. In merrier news, Williams said designs are being redrawn to update this always-popular student site. “Since the Starbucks opened in the Commons, we have not updated it and we are wanting to revamp it,” he said. Catering to the study masses, Williams said renovations to this location
Country star Aaron Watson entertains at ‘Mingle and Jingle’
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administration
Search committee submits one finalist
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SPORTS Men’s basketball team loses on last second layup again
staff report Another interim dean may be appointed to the permanent position soon. The search committee for the dean of the College of Education and Human Resources has recommended Dr. Donnie Snider as the only finalist for the permanent position. Snider has filled it in an interim capacity since this summer. Dr. Nancy Shankle, chair of the search committee, said the committee saw Snider as a clear favorite for the position based on the job description criteria. “We thought he was well qualified with having 10 years of experience in higher education and 30 years in secondary school experience,” Shankle said. “He was a good match for the criteria in the job description and a good fit for the university.” Shankle said the committee evaluated candidates by rankings that didn’t incorporate a set number of required finalists. “Anytime a search committee reviews applicants, they usually decide where a break in the ranking is and then bring those candidates in,” she said. “There was a clear break in the ranking, which led us to invite one candidate.” Ultimately, Dr. Robert Rhodes, provost, will make the final decision whether
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SPORTS Alum describes experience of voting for the Heisman Trophy Page 6
NEWS Athletics changes ticketing for events with ID sticker Page 3
NEWS Freshmen enjoy #RidculouslyChristmas Page 3
ONLINE NEWS SA wraps up semester with devotion to recycling acuoptimist.com
could happen as early as next spring or summertime, but fixed details will be in place within the next few weeks. Students still have time to go in for a last latte and pay their respects to the sixyear coffee and study spot staple.
mandy lambright chief photographer Team Big Air, a national dunk team, performs during halftime of the men’s basketball game Tuesday night during Christmas Slam.
see search page 5
University
NEWS Students run in Zombie 5K in Buffalo Gap over the weekend acuoptimist.com
NEWS Student Life Leadership Team honors outstanding seniors acuoptimist.com
NEWS 3-on-3 basketball tourney in Rec Center to benefit non-profit acuoptimist.com
VIDEO
Numbers rise after realignment dip 13 faculty members offset departure of 15 after cuts news to the university in his year-and-a-half as presieditor in chief dent. Hundreds of faculty and staff members listened Dr. Phil Schubert, president intently to his outline of a of the university, stood be- new budget plan that would fore a packed Hart Auditori- cut nearly $10 million from um last October, preparing the university’s budget, into give some of the worst cluding the elimination of
mark smith
acuoptimist.com
left the university in May, and nine more retired. But 13 new faculty members were hired before this semester. Dr. Robert Rhodes, provost, said some of the changes were planned, and some of the positions became open and needed to be filled. “Partly it is hiring individuals in critical areas,
and partly it is hiring in an area that wasn’t part of the budgetary adjustment and that was always a planned hire,” Rhodes said. “If there are areas where a position is opening up that we know we have other resources, we may leave that as a closed position. But if we know a position is opening that is a see faculty page 5
student life
Class project spurs Chapel petition McKinney, started “ACU Voluntary Chapel Elecstaff photographer tronic Petition,” a Facebook group, on Nov. 28. As of One student’s assignment Wednesday, the group has has turned into a petition 108 members. to change one of ACU’s lonThe Facebook group was gest lasting policies. created as a “next step” after Kelcei Young, sopho- meeting with “board memmore nursing major from bers” made up of fellow
brittany williams
Christmas Slam extends its hands to the community
10 faculty and 25 staff positions. “We don’t ever want to be in a situation where we have to eliminate someone’s job,” Schubert said in the meeting. “But it’s impossible to avoid eliminating positions in a budget realignment plan on a $10 million scale.” Only seven of those 10 faculty members actually
classmates. “It would be great if it became a reality,” Young said, “but I was doing it for an assignment.” Presented with an assignment to address a community issue, Young selected the Chapel attendance policy, pushing for various
changes in Chapel, including making attendance voluntary. Young has also approached Mark Lewis, assistant dean of Spiritual Life and Chapel Programs, about her proposed changes to the Chapel curriculum.
Lewis said that in the 14 years that he has been involved with Chapel, the idea of a voluntary Chapel has come up two or three times. According to the current Chapel policy, “The see petition page 5
This is the final edition of the Optimist of the fall semester. We wish each of you a peaceful and safe winter break, and we’ll be back with the first week of the spring semester. Merry Christmas!
Abilene Christian University