OPTIMIST THE
FRIDAY October 22, 2004
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
Abilene Christian University
Vol. 93, No. 19 2 section, 28 pages www.acuoptimist.com
Serving the ACU community since 1912
On the issues:
Cartoons through the years:
Going great lengths:
See where President George Bush and Sen. John Kerry stand on political issues. Page 7A
A special opinion page looks at Optimist cartoons from the past few decades during Homecoming and election times. Page 11A
Cross country star Adeh Mwamba has come a long way from Zambia. Page 15A
Leaders plan second floor of Campus Center Congress creates committee to study options for addition By EMILY CHASTAIN STUDENT REPORTER
The Students’ Association has created a committee of four students to work on the idea of adding a Center for Student Involvement on to the Campus Center as part of the
Centennial package. The group of students, referred to as the CSI committee, will be responsible for gathering ideas, research, getting students involved and interested, and focusing and presenting their ideas to the administration. SA president Layne Rouse, senior communications major from Midland, will work with the committee members to come up with ideas for the
expansion. Rouse said he envisions the Campus Center as the one single place where students can come to do everything. “The Campus Center already attracts student Rouse life anyway, and I think the opportunity to
just explode the campus center into a student life haven is awesome,” Rouse said. “The administration wants to put in more meeting space; that’s a legitimate need on campus. I feel Rich that we’re missing a huge opportunity if
that’s all we do.” According to the Development office, renovation and expansion to the Campus Center is a proposed part of the Centennial Campaign. Early estimates for the project are roughly $3.3 million. Dr. Jack Rich, executive vice president of the university, said no planning for the building has been completed yet and probably won’t happen for at least another six
months. “We have concepts more than plans,” Rich said. “We realize that at some point, an expansion would be an appropriate step to meet some of the needs we currently have.” Rich said the Campus Center lacks sufficient meeting space for students and other special interest groups. The Campus Center, conSee CENTER Page 12A
Committee selects Sing Song hosts Six upperclassmen chosen to be featured in annual performance By DEE TRAVIS ARTS EDITOR
EMILY CHASTAIN/Staff Photographer
Gary Varner, associate professor of theatre, prepares the stage at the Abilene Civic Center on Thursday afternoon before the opening of the Homecoming Musical, “Kiss Me, Kate,” on Friday. Varner says he wears “several hats” in the Theatre Department, and he is involved with the show’s technical aspects.
The show will go on Gary Varner juggles many jobs as professor in Theatre Department By SARAH CARLSON COPY EDITOR
Gary Varner sits in an old chair backstage of the Abilene Civic Center, patting his foot and checking his cell phone for the time every few minutes. He takes his baseball cap off every now and then to scratch his head and smooth down his short, graying hair.
Pausing for a moment from working on the lighting for Kiss Me Kate, this year’s Homecoming Musical, he tries to explain his actual job description. “I wear several hats,” Gary said, to explain the many roles he has in ACU’s Theatre Department. “I wear the hat of TD, which is technical director, which means that I am responsible to help arrange all the technical aspects of the show, except for costumes. I’ll make sure that the lighting’s there, that the sound is there, that the set is designed. All those things I put together, I may not do
them, but I have to supervise it.” Other hats Gary, associate professor of theatre, has trained himself to wear are that of director and professor, working with improvisation, storytelling and stage combat in most productions, areas in which he specializes. In his ninth year at ACU, his problem isn’t only that he wears too many hats and works too many jobs; it’s that he doesn’t know how to stop. “I think I’ve trained myself to take on all those jobs, and I don’t know how to stop it, so that’s something that’s been hard,” Gary said.
Production of the Homecoming Musical begins as early as the spring semester, and the closer opening night gets, the busier he gets. He works 70 to 80 hours a week in the home stretch before the first curtain is raised Homecoming weekend, seeing his family for about an hour a day. Luckily, he said, Travis Eason was hired as a full-time technical assistant to help with the workload. Because he doesn’t know how to step back and not put all his See VARNER Page 12A
Centennial fund raising continues About $62 million of $150 million campaign goal has been collected By CHRISTY GOWER FEATURES EDITOR
Fund raising for the Centennial Campaign is still underway, and about $62 million of the $150 million goal has been met. “It seems that in many sectors, the economy is improving,” said Dr. John Tyson, vice president for Development and Alumni Relations. “Excitement is building as we get closer to the Centennial year, so people are becoming more interested in talking about gifts to the university.” An anonymous donor chal-
lenged ACU last year to raise $250,000 for the Centennial Annual Fund by the end of the fiscal year, and the goal for the annual fund was surpassed by about $250,000, Tyson said. Because the university met the goal, the donor matched it. The donor has issued the same challenge this year with the same incentive; if the university can raise another $250,000 by May 31, the end of this fiscal year, he will match the amount, dollar for dollar, and donate another $250,000. Brent Magner, director of the Centennial Campaign, said incentives like this challenge increase the donations others make. “Any time you can make a gift and know that you can make a bigger impact, it’s a very
encouraging thing,” he said. Magner said the Centennial Annual Fund is one component of the Centennial Campaign. Money from the Annual Fund will finance projects to be completed the same year the money was given. Another component funds various endowments in each college. The money collected for the third component of the Centennial Campaign will be used to fund many projects, like renovations on the Burford Music Center for courses in the Department of Education and the converged media newsroom for the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. Another project the campaign will fund is the construction for a new Welcome Center.
Three hosts and three hostesses were selected for Sing Song 2005 after auditions Oct. 1112, and they will soon begin preparation for the February event. Students chosen are Darren Curry, senior marketing major from Sugar Land; Nathan Lollar, junior Bible major from Tucson, Ariz.; Ben Jeffrey, junior theatre major from Kansas City, Mo.; Lara Seibert, junior theatre major from Grapevine; Holly Whited, junior vocal performance major from Dallas; and Kelci Young, junior integrated marketing and communication major from Springhill, Tenn. “It was a very tough competition this year,” said Kendall Massey, director of student productions. “There were several who gave great auditions and didn’t make it.” The audition required students to perform a three-minute solo piece as well as show their dance capabilities in a choreography portion of the tryout. “It was pretty intimidating because every person there had incredible talent,” Lara Seibert said in an e-mail. “It was also one of the most enjoyable auditions for that very same reason.” Massey said he hopes to expand the boundaries of Sing Song, and one new feature this year will be an album recording of the hosts and hostesses. The recording will have about seven songs and will go on sale a few weeks before to Sing Song. Holly Whited said in an e-mail that she’s excited about the recording. “Getting into the recording studio with the other hosts and hostesses is going to be amazing,” Whited said. “They’re so talented; I can’t wait to work with them.” Massey said he believes in the importance of fellowship and relationship between the hosts. “The chemistry of the group is just as important as the talent on stage,” Massey said. Massey said relationships are the key to getting everything else right. “I know that God will take care of the show; we just need to take care of each other.”
The building will also house classrooms for the College of Arts and Sciences. Renovation plans are still in the preliminary stages, Tyson said. “We’re actively seeking some lead donors right now,” he said. “We’re wanting to have it open as soon as we can get the funds secured and can get the building built.” Tyson said he does not know when the renovations or the other projects will be completed. “Fund raising is more of an art than a science,” he said. “Sometimes projects captivate people, other projects take a longer time to really develop. Timing is very important.” E-mail Gower at: cng02a@acu.edu
E-mail Travis at: dxt02a@acu.edu
Special Homecoming section Look inside this issue for a speHOMECOMING cial Homecoming section with FRIDAY
October 22, 2004
Department of
news about the weekend. It features:
Journalism and
ACU
Mass Communication
Abilene Christia
n University
Friday
‘Go wild with the
Weekend ActivCaitits’es
Saturday
• In-depth coverage of Saturday’s football game against the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions
• A sports feature story on the football team’s Danieal Manning • News and information about many of the events and preparations for Homecoming
THE
ist.co
community sinc
• Fall Preview Weeke • Chapel and Openin nd for prospective students, 8 a.m., Hilton g Ceremonies, Room of the Campu • Homecoming Golf Classic, noon, 11 a.m., Moody Coliseum s Center • Queens Tea, 3 p.m., 1209 Saddle Diamondback Golf Course • Friends of ACU Lakes Drive. By invitation only Library, Friend of the Year Recept • Homecoming Carniv ion, 3:30 p.m., Brown Library • Chemistry, Biolog al, 5 p.m., mall area near the GATA fountain y, Physics, Math • 18th annual and Computer Chemistry Circus Science recepti on, 5:30 p.m., , 6:30 p.m., Foster • JamFest, 7 p.m., front foyer of the Science Buildin behind Zona Luce Foster Science g, Walling Lectur • Physics Depart Building e Hall ment open house, • Musical, Kiss 8 p.m., Foster Scienc Me, Kate, 8 p.m., Abilene Civic Center e Building , 1100 N. 6th St. • Club breakfasts, 6-8 a.m. • Frater Sodalis ribbon-cutting ceremony, 8 a.m., • Fall Preview Weeke Larry “Satch” Sander • Alumni and Friend nd for prospective students, s Intramural Field 8 a.m., Living s of Family and Room of the Campu Consumer Scienc Campus Court s Center es reunion coffee, • W Club coffee, 8 a.m., WACU 8:30 a.m., Mabee Museum, 1602 • Homecoming Library Audito rium Parade, 9:30 a.m., around campu Street by Gardn s beginn er Hall and ending • Homecoming on Campus Court ing on E.N. 16th Chapel, 10:45 by Edwar a.m., Moody Colise ds Hall • ACU Letterm en/Wildcat Club um barbecue party, of Shotwell Stadiu 11:30 a.m., south end • A Cappella Choru m s concert, 11:45 a.m., Williams Center, Recital Performing Arts Hall • COBA reunio n reception, 11:45 a.m., Mabee Busine • Communicat ion and OHRD ss Building, Room alumni recepti 134 Center, Room on, 11:45 a.m., 134 Don H. Morris • Department of Exercise Scienc e and Health alumn Health and P.E. i reception, 11:45 Center, Room 233-34 • Gerontology a.m., Gibson alumni barbec ue, 11:45 a.m., • Journalism and Christian Village Mass , 633 E.N. 19th a.m., Don H. Morris Communication and studen St. t media alumn Center, Room i reception, 11:45 • Speech-Langu 108 age Pathology and Audiology Morris Center, majors reception, Room 117 11:45 a.m., Don • Students’ Associ H. ation reunion, 11:45 a.m., Campu • Young Alumn us of the Year s Center, Bean reception, 11:45 Sprout Performing Arts a.m., atrium of Center the Williams • Pre-game party, noon, north end • Football game of Shotwell Stadiu vs. Texas A&MCommerce, 2 p.m., m • Agriculture and Shotwell Stadiu Environmental m Sciences Aggie • Class Reunio Barbeque and ns receptions, Awards Banquet, 5:30 p.m. Golden Annive 5 p.m., Hillcre rsary (classes of st Church of Christ 1954 and previo Class of 1959, us), Living Room of the Campus Center Hilton Room of the Campu Class of 1964, s Center Williams Perform ing Class of 1969, East Dining Room Arts Center of the Bean Class of 1974, Hall of Servants, Biblical Studie Class of 1979, s Building Teague Special Events Center Class of 1984, Atrium of the Mabee Business Class of 1989, Building 774 E.N. 13th St. Class of 1994, T&P Event Center , 901 N. 1st St. Class of 1999, Bean Sprout • Frater Sodalis Alumni vs. 2004 Brat Class , 7 p.m., • Musical, Kiss Me, Kate, 8 p.m., Larry “Satch” Sander • Reunion worshi Abilene Civic Center p services, 8 a.m., s Field , 11 N. 6th St. • Musical, Kiss various locations Me, Kate, 2 p.m., Abilene Civic Center, 11 N. 6th St.
• A Homecoming schedule with a listing of the weekend’s events
• Pictures and information about this year’s musical, Kiss Me, Kate
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