WEDNESDAY November 3, 2004
OPTIMIST THE
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
Abilene Christian University
Vol. 93, No. 21 1 section, 8 pages www.acuoptimist.com
Serving the ACU community since 1912
Cats clinch LSC title:
Local church begins $4 million renovation:
Wildcats win on road:
The volleyball team swept Angelo State to officially win the conference title. Page 8
Work began Oct. 24 on an addition to the University Church of Christ that will include a kitchen, athletic area and an all-purpose room. Page 4
The football team traveled to A&M-Kingsville this weekend and won 17-10. Page 8
Victory leans toward Bush Stenholm concedes defeat to Neugebauer in District 19
Bush leads Electoral votes, key battleground states By JONATHAN SMITH
By LORI BREDEMEYER
EDITOR IN CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
With several key battleground states still up for grabs, President George W. Bush led in projected Electoral College votes 249 to Sen. John Kerry’s, D-Mass., 242. Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico remained undetermined at 2 a.m. Wednesday. The election could come down to which way Ohio votes and which candidate receives its 20 electoral votes. To win the presidency, a candidate must garner at least 270 of the nation’s 538 electoral votes. Should Ohio’s votes go to Bush, as several networks predicted around midnight, he would guarantee at least a tie in the Electoral College. In case of an Electoral tie, the House of Representatives, the majority of which is Republican, would choose the president. Even if pollsters predict a winner in Ohio, it is possible lawyers from either campaign could become involved, delaying the final results from being known and creating a situation similar to the litigation and recounts in Florida during the 2000 election.
In a race that pitted two incumbents against each other in a newly redrawn congressional district, Rep. Randy Neugebauer, RLubbock, defeated Rep. Charlie Stenholm, DAbilene, by almost 20 percentage points on Tuesday. At press time, the results showed Neugebauer maintained the lead 58 percent to 40 percent over Stenholm. Libertarian candidate Richard Peterson had 2 percent of the votes. Stenholm led the race in five of the 27 counties in the district: Castro, Fisher, Kent, Nolan and Taylor. In Taylor County, he won by 3 percentage points and only 990 votes, and voter turnout was at an all-time high with 48,479 people voting, compared to the previous record of 45,880. Stenholm, who served District 17 for more than 25 years, gave a speech at 10 p.m. at the Elks Art Center in Abilene, thanking his family and supporters for their years of encouragement. “As we said, it’s been a great 26 years — no regrets,” Stenholm said. “My congratulations to my opponent, Randy, in this race; he ran a good, hard race, and we congratulate him on his win. See CONGRESS Page 5
See RESULTS Page 5
Students, faculty discuss issues
Saying goodbye with ‘no regrets’
Chapel forum, debate begin discussion about election, voting By SARAH CARLSON COPY EDITOR
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Rep. Charlie Stenholm, D-Abilene, concedes defeat to Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Lubbock, in the 19th District for the U.S. House of Representatives. Neugebauer garnered 58 percent of the vote while Stenholm brought in 40 percent.
Thursday marks beginning of Sadies Women encouraged to ask men to activities planned for weekend By LAURA STORK STAFF WRITER
Sadies Week is Thursday through Tuesday and will include free entertainment from Mr. Gatti's, Shakes Frozen Custard, Starbucks and the Town and Country Drive-In. Couples can also enter the create-a-date contest to win prizes. Campus Activity Board intern Candace Williams, sophomore social work major from Garland, said that although everything is free, students must pick up tickets for each evening’s activity to enjoy the
free food or drink. Around 250 tickets will be given away every day after Chapel in the Campus Center except the day of the drive-in, which won't require a ticket for admission. Sadies week will begin Thursday with a free buffet at Mr. Gatti's from 5-9 p.m.; each student will also receive four free tokens. On Friday, Shakes will give out small ice creams or sundaes with one choice topping from noon-11 p.m. Couples can create a date and document it through pictures, video or a story Saturday. Documentation should be turned in by 5 p.m. on Nov. 11 in the CAB office, See WEEK Page 5
About two-thirds of the students at the Chapel forum Monday night in Cullen Auditorium raised their hands indicating they had already voted or were planning to vote in the presidential election. Later they heard different viewpoints on politics and why Christians should be involved, as well as philosophical stances on why Christians should abstain from the process. A panel of four professors and a representative of the Abilene community discussed issues relating to Christianity and the electoral process. Following the forum, members of the College Democrats and College Republicans debated partisan issues and the presidential candidates. Dr. Wendell Willis, associ-
ate professor of Bible, ministry and missions, outlined David Lipscomb’s philosophy of a Christian not taking part in the political process; Anthony Williams, Campus Store manager, explained his views on a Christian’s role in society and politics; Dr. Joseph Cardot, chair of the Department of Communication, explained his Republican philosophy as a Christian; Dr. David Dillman, professor of political science, explained his Democratic philosophy as a Christian; and Dr. Randy Harris, instructor of Bible, ministry and missions, talked about how to make ethical decisions in politics. Dr. Cheryl Bacon, chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, moderated the forum and relayed questions from the audience to the panel. Williams and Cardot advocated a Christian’s responsibility to participate in government. See POLITICS Page 5
Sadies schedule
Runners set for Saturday
Thursday, Mr. Gatti’s: Free buffet tickets and four tokens, 5-9 p.m. Pick up tickets in the Campus Center after Chapel.
Money raised from race will benefit family of Tiffany Hamilton
Friday, Shakes: Free small concrete or sundae, noon-11 p.m. Pick up tickets in the Campus Center after Chapel.
By CHRISTY GOWER
Saturday, Create a date: Document (pictures, video, story, etc.) a creative date and turn it in to the Campus Activities Board office by Nov. 11. Monday, Drive-In: Free showing of The Terminal, 8 p.m. Gate opens at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Starbucks: Free tall latte or frappuccino of any kind. Pick up tickets in the Campus Center after Chapel.
FEATURES EDITOR
Sign-ups for the Tiffany Hamilton Memorial Run continue through Friday in the Campus Center ticket windows from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the run Saturday at 9 a.m. at Elmer Gray Stadium. The run is sponsored by Students in Free Enterprise, a group of about 20 students. The organization began for the run last year to help Hamilton’s family pay medical bills after her death in September. The money will again go to her family for bills, said Jessica Sjolander, project co-leader and senior marketing major from Mt. Vernon, Wash. “From the size [of the bills]
from last year, that is kind of the assumption; it was a huge amount,” Sjolander said. The run is set up like a race, with a $12 sign-up fee and gift certificates to area stores and restaurants as prizes for the top three male and female runners. Sjolander said she hoped to have about the same number of participants as last year, which was 200. “If every [SIFE member] can get 10, at least, of their friends or just by word of mouth, I think it’s very doable,” she said. “And enough people knew Tiffany Hamilton from last year and want to support her and her family that I think it would not be too much to ask.” Each runner will receive a free T-shirt for participating. Last year, Sjolander said SIFE earned about $2,000 from the run to help Hamilton’s. “We want to make sure that we’re still supporting them,”
she said. “We probably won’t do this every year, but we wanted to make sure we did it at least one more year.” She said students should sign up to show support for a fellow student and her family. “You can come, you can run if you want, or you can just make a donation just to help out,” she said. “It’s a really great cause. It’ll just show the support to the family. All those people who knew her, I’m sure they’re still hoping to help out in some way, and this is a great way to do that.” Though Julio Alvarado, project co-leader and freshman marketing major from San Diego, never met Hamilton, he agreed that it is a good cause. “I would want somebody to help my family out,” he said. E-mail Gower at: cng02a@acu.edu