WEDNESDAY February 2, 2005
OPTIMIST THE
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
Abilene Christian University
Vol. 93, No. 33 1 section, 10 pages www.acuoptimist.com
Serving the ACU community since 1912
Wildcats preparing:
Big response for Big Brothers Big Sisters:
Against all odds:
The softball team will play its first game of the season Thursday. Page 10
Hoping for at least 60 students, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Abilene had more than 200 students apply to serve after its Chapel presentation. Page 5
La Shae Sloan works to incorporate multiculturalism on campus. Page 8
Only six participate in spring pledging Two clubs accept new members; participation down by 80 percent By TIFFANY WILLIAMS COPY EDITOR
Spring pledging might not be as popular as it was in the past. Only nine students showed an interest in pledging this
semester, and even fewer actually did pledge social clubs, said Mike Spell, director of social clubs. “I’m not sure what the reason is for all the low numbers this year,” Spell said. “I don’t know if spring pledging no longer serves the purpose it was initially created for.” Only two men’s clubs were available for spring pledging after Trojans dropped out.
Last spring, about 30 students registered to pledge. Tri Kappa Gamma took eight pledges, Pi Kappa took 10 and Trojans took two. This semester, leaders of the two participating clubs—Delta Chi Rho, which took one pledge, and Frater Sodalis, which took five pledges—are staying positive about the low numbers. “The university sets up our guidelines for pledging,” said
Delta Chi Rho president Chris Smith, senior physics major from College Station. He said the club was not discouraged by the low student interest. Delta Chi Rho, which rechartered last fall, gives pledges an opportunity to participate in activities with the entire club in order to promote unity. Similarly, members of Frater Sodalis said they are optimistic
about the results. “We didn’t expect to get as many pledges in the spring as in the fall,” said Frat member Brock Rutherford, senior marketing major from Amarillo. “Everyone who wanted to pledge already has,” he said, adding that, like most clubs, Frater Sodalis places emphasis on fall pledging. “We were
Spring pledging comparison Spring 2004: Three participating clubs Tri Kappa Gamma - 8 pledges Pi Kappa - 10 pledges Trojans - 2 pledges Spring 2005: Two participating clubs Delta Chi Rho - 1 pledge Frater Sodalis - 5 pledges
See PLEDGING Page 7
Put your right foot in
Opsitch waiting to leave France Missions coordinator finalizing green card before he can return By MONICA SMITH STAFF WRITER
In the blockbuster The Terminal, Tom Hanks’ character was stuck in an airport because his country underwent a coup and, thus, ceased to be recognized as a country. Yann Opsitch, one of five mission coordinators, is stuck in France because of a similar visa difficulty. Opsitch is a native Frenchman and is married to Rita, an American. Opsitch and his wife spent Christmas break with family in France and Switzerland and planned to return by the Opsitch first week in January; however, they encountered trouble on the return flight home. “When they got to Atlanta, immigration authorities would not let him in the country,” said Dr. Sonny Guild, director of the Institute for Missions and Evangelism. “He needed to apply for a new green card, which would allow him to work,” Guild said. Even though Opsitch has been married to Rita for two years, after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, spouses do not receive automatic rights. The Opsitches were sent back to Paris to work out the problem with the United States Embassy. However, the requirement for See OPSITCH Page 7
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
(From left) Audrey Bales, freshman management major from Harker Heights; Gabby Dedmon, freshman management major from West Columbia; Julie Piwiec, junior integrated marketing and communication major from Mesquite; Becca Schumacher, freshman youth and family ministry major from Abilene; and Portia Andrews, senior communication major from Desoto, perform a step routine during Saturday’s Shades Step Squad performance in Cullen Auditorium.
Deans back to work following sabbaticals Research, writing occupy their time away from university By SARAH CARLSON ARTS EDITOR
Two colleges on campus have a welcome addition back
into their staff: the deans. Dr. Jack Reese, dean of the college of Biblical Studies, and Dr. Rick Lytle, dean of the college of Business Administration, have returned from sabbaticals they took last semester. After spending the fall writing his latest book, Reese
is back at work as dean, editing his manuscript and preparing for Lectureship. Reese requested and was granted an Administrative Development Leave, or a sabbatical, in the fall by Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, and Dr. Dwayne VanRheenen, provost.
He began writing his book, A Body Broken: A People of Peace for a Fragmented Church, in September, finishing at the beginning of the year. It will be released during the first week of May in time for Pepperdine University’s Lectureship, where he will speak on the topic of his book.
Reese will also speak on the topic of his book at ACU’s Lectureship Feb. 20-23. Despite his absence from his job as dean, Reese said his time away was no vacation. The term sabbatical assumes rest, but in order for an ACU See SABBATICALS Page 7
Athletic Department gains three new stars AD, two coaches’ wives all have babies during January By JACI SCHNEIDER OPINION EDITOR
Babies keep bouncing into the athletic department, and
the boys are up, 2-1. Jared Mosley, athletic director, Klint Pleasant, men’s basketball coach, and Jon Murray, track coach, all welcomed new babies into their homes in the past month. Abbey Rae Pleasant arrived first to Klint and Rachel Pleasant on Jan. 1.
“It’s really just turned my life upside down,” Pleasant said of the birth of his first child. Because Abbey was born during the holiday, Pleasant was able to spend a few days with his family before returning to work. Rachel worked as a personal trainer at
Hendrick Medical Center, but now she is staying home with the baby. Pleasant said it has been hard to be away from his wife and child while traveling with the team. “It’s been very difficult,” he said. I’m wanting to spend time with the baby and bond
with the baby.” Although he is still dedicated to his basketball team, Pleasant said some of his focus has shifted since Jan. 1. “Every decision that I make is funneled through the fact that we have a child now,” he See BABIES Page 7
Week focuses on building relationships Annual event to include Chapel speakers, forums, Campus Center booths By MALLORY SHERWOOD FEATURES EDITOR
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Chris Seidman, senior minister at the Farmer’s Branch Church of Christ, speaks in Chapel on Tuesday during Healthy Relationships Week.
“A ring by spring” is often the joke heard on campus each year. Some women take it to heart. But not this year. Healthy Relationships Week, presented by Residence Life Education and Housing and the University Counseling Center,
introduced students to “The Lord before the Ring,” a play on words both with ACU’s marriage tradition and the movie Lord of the Rings, in M o n d a y ’s Chapel. Students can attend Chapel and Chapel f o r u m s throughout the Booth week and pick up information at the booths in the Campus Center on Wednesday to learn more about
how to develop and grow in relationships. “It is going to be a week in which there are all kinds of special activities in order to help people develop and grow in their relationships,” said Bob Booth, McDonald Hall residence director and counseling center intern. “What relationship doesn’t need that? It includes friends, family, siblings, married people, brothers and sisters in Christ and people you work with.” Each year the counseling center works with Residence
Life to present students with a week of information regarding relationships and how to deal with difficult situations. Activities included daily Chapel on Monday and Tuesday in Moody Coliseum, two evening Chapel forums, and an information fair in the Campus Center with booths reinforcing God’s presence in relationships. A marriage retreat for married students will also take place Friday. On Wednesday the Peer See WEEK Page 7
CAMPUS
DAY
Chapel Check-Up Credited Chapels to date: Credited Chapels remaining:
17 54
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
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Calendar&Events Wednesday
Relationship booths, 11:30 a.m.1:30 p.m., Campus Center. Buy saris for women in India, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Campus Center. Women’s social clubs, 8-10:45 p.m., Living Room.
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Thursday
Buy saris for women in India, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Campus Center. Mac User’s Group, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Living Room. “The Gift of Forgiveness,” 6:30-7:30 p.m., Cullen Auditorium. Harlem Globetrotters, 7 p.m., Moody Coliseum. Siggies Sing Song rehearsal, 810:30 p.m., Hilton Room. FCA meeting, 9-10:45 p.m., Living Room. Softball game, 1 p.m., Wells Field.
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Announcements
Friday
Last day official ACU ring on sale, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Campus Store. Purple Friday, 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Living Room. The Terminal, 6:30 and 9 p.m., Cullen Auditorium. Fair Trade informational meeting, 11:45 a.m., Mabee library.
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Saturday
Scott Carrell piano recital, 8 p.m., Williams Performing Arts Center.
Sunday
Luncheon honoring president of Madagascar, 12:30 p.m., Teague Special Events Center. Spring Break Campaigns leader meeting, 7-9 p.m., Living Room. Senior Class Sing Song rehearsal, 9-10:45 p.m., Hilton Room.
About This Page The Optimist maintains this calendar for the ACU community to keep track of local social, academic and service opportunities. Groups may send announcements directly to optimist@jmc.acu.edu or to the Page 2 Editor, ACU Box 27892, Abilene, TX 79699.
To ensure that an item will appear on time, the announcement should be sent at least 10 days before. The Optimist may edit items for space and style. Corrections and clarifications of published news articles will be printed in this space in a timely manner.
The ACU Writing Center is now open Saturdays from 12-4 p.m. to serve students who want to improve their writing. The services are always free. The Writing Center is located in the basement of Brown Library. Hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Saturday, 12-4 p.m. ACU faculty, staff and students will have the opportunity to help support the women of India, especially victims of the tsunami. This week in the Campus Center for only $2.75 you can provide a sari with a blouse for an
Volunteer Opportunities Chisholm House Assisted Living has requested volunteers Monday - Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Chisholm House is located on East North 10th. For more information, contact the Volunteer and ServiceLearning Center. Urgent need for reading buddies. Encourage and build a love of reading among elementary students Thursdays 4-5 p.m. at G.V. Daniels Recreation Center. For more information, contact the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center. SALT needs volunteers during February to help with children, write a grant proposal, call bingo for senior citizens, lead exercises for senior citizens and tutor. For more information, email jls02d@acu.edu.
Indian woman. Many village women have only one sari, which means when they clean it, they have nothing else to wear. Your contribution will double their wardrobe. Stop by the table in the Campus Center Feb. 2 and 3, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. For more information, visit www.eternal threads.com. The Department of Music will present a piano recital by Dr. Scott Carrell Saturday, at 8 p.m. in the Williams Performing Arts Center Recital Hall. Carrell, a Harding University professor, will perform works by Beethoven, Liszt, Debussy and Bernstein. The concert is free and open to the public.
Police Log (edited for space) Monday 1/17/2005 Midnight Alcohol incident at Mabee Hall, 05-007. 2 a.m. Alarm at WPAC, all okay; false alarm. Tuesday 1/18/2005 6:25 p.m. Medical emergency at Campus Center, Case #05-008. 8:15 p.m. Traffic stop at Teague Boulevard; vehicle driving wrong way on one-way street. Wednesday 1/19/2005 11:45 a.m. Assisted motorist at Christian Village. 10:42 p.m. Traffic stop at Teague Boulevard; vehicle driving wrong way on one-way street. Thursday 1/20/2005 4:10 p.m. Vehicle accident at EN 16th and Avenue D. 5:10 p.m. Fire alarm at Morris Hall, all okay; burned food. 10:50 p.m. Fire alarm at McDonald
Hall, all okay: supervisory alarm. Friday 1/21/2005 1:45 a.m. Suspicious vehicle in Bible Lot, all okay. 4 a.m. Escort to Sikes Hall, vehicle broke down. 6:30 p.m. Skateboarders at Moody Coliseum, asked to leave, one subject placed on criminal trespass list, 05-009. 10 p.m. Vehicle accident at Ambler Avenue and Judge Ely Boulevard. 11:28 p.m. Noise violation at 800 Harwell. Saturday 1/22/2005 12:25 a.m. Incomplete 911 at Uni versity Park Apartments, misdial all okay. 1:15 a.m. Noise violation at East North 10th Street and Griffith. Subject contacted about complaint. 1:40 a.m. Escort from Mabee Hall. 4:50 a.m. Suspicious subject at University Park Apartments, all okay.
CAMPUS NEWS
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Officers elected in honor society Phi Eta Sigma prepares for spring induction ceremony By LAUREN WARE STAFF WRITER
The freshman honor society Phi Eta Sigma began a new year with the election of officers and preparations for this spring’s induction ceremony. To be eligible for the honor society, freshmen must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 during their fall or spring semesters. Those who qualify during the fall semester will be inducted later this spring, and freshmen who qualify this spring will be inducted next fall. “I hope that being involved with Phi Eta Sigma will give me a chance to make some great new friends and help foster a learning environment here at ACU,” said Brooke
Dowell, junior biology predental major from Abilene and vice president of Phi Eta Sigma. “I believe an honor society is very important because it gives students something to strive for and achieve. It also creates a social sphere in which students can interact with each other.” Once students are inducted into the honor society, they become members for life and will have the opportunity to receive scholarships for undergraduate and graduate work. One student on both the undergraduate and graduate level are recommended each year. “Basically, the purpose is just to encourage, to identify and honor in a public way freshmen who have done well,” said Dr. David Dillman, professor of political science and Phi Eta Sigma adviser. “Hopefully, that will be an encouragement to keep up the good work.”
Dillman said he expects around 100 new inductees this spring and traditionally, the spring inductions are larger than the fall. He said 80 to 90 students were inducted last spring, and 20 were inducted in the fall. In 2006, the new officers will have a chance to go to the Phi Eta Sigma National Convention, which is conducted every two years. Two delegates attended the 2004 convention in Savanna, Ga., and Dillman said it was an opportunity for them to help create policy. Phi Eta Sigma chapters on other college campuses sponsor tutoring programs and have community service days. “We have not pushed that because there are so many other outlets here to do that sort of thing,” Dillman said. E-mail Ware at: lew03d@acu.edu
Students attend music festival Wind Ensemble, A Cappella Chorus students to perform By MITCH HOLT STAFF WRITER
February 9-12 marks the date of this year’s Texas Music Educators Association music festival in San Antonio, in which ACU’s Wind Ensemble and A Cappella Chorus were chosen to perform. The Wind Ensemble will perform in the Lila Cockerell Theatre in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center at 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 10 among other wind ensembles from Baylor University and the University of North Texas. “This event is the largest musical convention in the world,” said Dr. Eric Wilson, professor of music and director of ACU’s wind ensemble. “This is ACU’s sixth appearance at the annual convention
since 1974.” Last year, the ACU Wind Ensemble received the highest state honor offered by TMEA, an organization of nearly 9,000 school music educators, earning them a performance spot at this year’s TMEA convention, Wilson said. Students auditioned for the ensemble in November, and the group began rehearsing immediately after football season. Members of the ensemble returned to Abilene five days before spring classes began to continue preparations, and they rehearse every day of the school week. One of the highlights of the ensemble’s repertoire is Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble, in which Donald Sinta, professor of saxophone at the University of Michigan, will perform with the ensemble, said Chris Pillsbury, sophomore music major and ensemble pianist from Amarillo.
ACU’s A Cappella Chorus will participate with the Hardin-Simmons University Concert Choir and the McMurry University Chanters in a performance with the Abilene Collegiate Orchestra Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. “The choral concert is billed as an evening of opera choruses,” said Dr. Mike Scarbrough, director of the A Cappella Chorus. “Of course, because it’s opera, the music is very dramatic and moves from the romantic to victorious fervor.” TMEA will feature several Texas universities, and the allstate choirs, bands and orchestras will conclude the convention with a performance. “The main focus of our performance is to glorify God with our talents and skills and demonstrate our unique sense of community that we foster here at ACU,” Wilson said. E-mail Holt at: mah02f@acu.edu
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A decorator’s delight
EMILY CHASTAIN/Staff Photographer
Adam Kirkland, a theology graduate student from Fort Worth, flips through posters in the Campus Center on Thursday while Liz Baiocchi, a communication graduate student from Detroit, looks on.
Summer hours spent serving ACU Leadership Camps applications now available By DANIELLE LINTHICUM STAFF WRITER
Three summers ago, KidQuest Day Camp counselor Kat Burns met MuMu, an open-hearted first-grader who adopted Burns as a twin sister, saying they were sisters because they both “have eyes and a nose and a mouth …” “I really do love her as a twin sister,” said Burns, senior human communication major from Amarillo. “She has been changed through camp and has impacted my life too.” Students who are interested in working for KidQuest or other ACU Leadership Camps can turn in applications and interview this week to be counselors. Around 2,000 children from first grade to high school come through Leadership Camp programs every sum-
mer, said Chelsie Sargent, the year-round assistant for Leadership Camps. “Every one of these kids need love,” Sargent said. “This is an awesome ministry jumping-off point.” ACU has four Leadership Camps on campus: Kadesh for high school students, MPulse for middle school students, Learning to Lead for fourth through sixth graders, and KidQuest for first through third graders. In addition, ACU offers Cross Training, a weeklong, outdoor camp in New Mexico. Burns has worked as a counselor and assistant director with KidQuest and Learning to Lead. “We do everything from preparing daily devotions for campers to comforting them at night when they are homesick, from assisting volunteers in the learning classroom to volunteering to have our teeth brushed by a camper while we are blindfolded, from swimming daily in the ACU pool to answering their
very deep questions about the Lord.” Burns said. Mainly the staff is there to supervise and provide campers with a safe, fun environment to learn about Christ, Burns said. Camps are a wonderful experience for both campers and counselors, Sargent said. “You will be challenged in ways you can’t even imagine,” she said. Students who are interested in working for Leadership Camps can apply at the office, McKinzie Hall Room 129, or call Ext. 2033 for more information. “I've been working for camps for four years,” said Burns, “and I can't say that I've memorized the camp mission statement, except for one line: ‘We're changing the lives of campers, one camper at a time.’”
E-mail Linthicum at: del01a@acu.edu
CAMPUS NEWS
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Wednesday, February 2, 2005
CAB offers variety of films Students can watch ‘The Terminal’ in Cullen on Friday By CIANA HARDWICK STAFF WRITER
College students understand how to appreciate the value of something free. Thanks to the Campus Activities Board, students can appreciate free events throughout the semester. Friday, CAB will sponsor two showings of the romantic comedy The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks and Catherine ZetaJones, in Cullen Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Cost is free for students and faculty and $1 for everyone else. Candy, popcorn and drinks will be on sale for 25 cents. The last event CAB sponsored was the computer-ani-
mated comedy Shark Tale. CAB intern Kayla Anderson, sophomore English major from Waco, said the event went well. Usually the second showing is much fuller than the first, but with Shark Tale, more people came to the event than usual, she said. CAB sent mail to the faculty encouraging them to bring their kids to the movie so, “there were a lot of kids, especially at the first one,” Anderson said. Ashleigh Findley, sophomore psychology major from Bakersfield, Calif., said she enjoyed Shark Tale and plans to see The Terminal. “I loved The Terminal; I’m definitely going to see that. I’m looking forward to it,” Findley said. After The Terminal, other movies CAB is tentatively considering bringing to Cullen this
Hitting the right note
semester are National Treasure and Oceans 12. CAB also sponsors other activities. The most forthcoming is a free night out Feb.10 for a free dessert at Spano’s Italian Restaurant. CAB will sponsor a concert Feb. 25 in the Bean Sprout featuring ACU alumnus and recording artist TJ McCloud at 9 p.m. Poor Rich Folk will open the show at 7:30 p.m. An event that will probably be a favorite among students is the showing of Napoleon Dynamite at the Paramount Theatre March 17. The night will include a character dress-a-like contest. For more information about upcoming activities, contact CAB at Ext. 2772. E-mail Hardwick at: cmh03e@acu.edu
RACHEL DORAZIO/Contributing Photographer
Orchestra members play their instruments while University Chorale members sing in the background during their combined concert Thursday in Cullen Auditorium.
Students ready for Super Bowl Robots scheduled to infiltrate campus Game-night party offered in COBA, open to all By LAURA STORK STAFF WRITER
A Super Bowl party will take place Sunday in the College of Business Administration building Room 201. The party, which will begin at 4:30 p.m. for the pre-game show and end around 10:15 p.m., is open to all interested students. Ben Lazcano, senior youth and family ministry major from The Colony and cultur-
al student advisor, said there wasn’t an on-campus Super Bowl party last year. He said he had the idea to organize the event because Super Bowl parties are usually big hits in youth groups. “I’m very excited about the party and can’t wait to enjoy food and fellowship with ACU students,” he said. Lazcano assumes party attendance will be mainly multicultural, but said it will not be called a multicultural Super Bowl party. Derrick Wilson, cultural student advisor, said he expects at least 100 people to attend the free party.
“We want to give students a fun, yet safe environment to watch the game,” said Wilson, freshman political science and Christian ministry major from Houston. “Food and drinks will be provided; everything is free.” Lazcano said he hopes the party will serve as a fun way to watch the game for as many people as possible. “COBA 201 holds over 100 people, and I hope we can fill the seats,” Lazcano said. E-mail Stork at: las00f@acu.edu
Exposition to feature machines built by students By JESSICA HASELTINE STAFF WRITER
With the theatrical release of movies like I, Robot and the growing presence of robots in modern science, the field of robotics is finding itself at the center of technological advancement. ACU’s chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Society of Physics Students are joining forces this semester to ensure ACU students are on the front lines of this expanding area by sponsoring a Robotics Exposition. "The goal is to have five teams building $300 robots each," said Chris Lemmons, senior computer science major from Tuscon, Ariz., and chairman of ACM.
After deciding to do it, Lemmons said ACM researched how much they expected to spend on each robot and how many teams they thought would participate. Teams can include students outside of ACU. "I was looking for something that would appeal to both our college students and possibly some high school students, as well," said SPS president, Larry Isenhower, senior physics major from Abilene. "I was inspired by shows I've seen on TLC like Junkyard Wars and Robot Wars." The semester-long project is just beginning. Five teams will be selected from the proposals received. Each team will work the rest of the semester to collect supplies and build and program their robots. "A week or two before the semester ends and things get hairy, we will hold an exhibi-
tion where teams will show off their robots," said Lemmons. "I personally would like to be able to generate interest in science, and physics in particular, with some of the local high school students,” Isenhower said. “I would like to see somebody come up with something truly useful or innovative that could be used in everyday life. I also hope that this is something that can be continued and get a little bigger and better each year.” Even if students would rather watch Robot Wars than build one themselves, Lemmons would remind them keep an eye out as the exposition nears, promising it will be quite a show.
E-mail Haseltine at: jdh03c@acu.edu
CAMPUS NEWS
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Students react to service group’s plea Big Brothers Big Sisters recruits more than 200 after Chapel program By MALLORY SHERWOOD FEATURES EDITOR
When Angie Hernandez was a child, someone made a difference in her life. Now it is her turn to give back to the community she grew up in. A recent graduate of ACU, Hernandez, now the matching enrollment specialist for Abilene’s Big Brother Big Sisters, is part of a team of individuals reaching out to Abilene’s children and finding them mentors. Their first stop this spring: ACU. More than 200 students from ACU responded to the organization’s request to be mentors to a child after Janet Ardoyno, executive director of Abilene’s Big Brothers Big Sisters, spoke in Chapel on Jan. 25. “ACU students are always good to step up when they know the need,” Ardoyno said. “We had an opportunity to share our need, and they definitely responded.” Ardoyno said the group’s goal was to have 60 students sign up that week. More than 175 signed up immediately after Chapel in the Campus Center. The group plans to have students matched by the middle of February so the students can spend at least three months this semester with the child, Ardoyno said. Parents, school counselors and teachers refer the children, ages 5 to 15, to Big
Brothers Big Sisters. They come from low-income homes that usually have only one parent, Ardoyno said. Some also come from abusive homes, homes where one parent is in prison, where they are raised by grandparents, or some have learning disabilities. “We are able to put wonderful … Christians who have great stories to share with these kids,” Ardoyno said. “This also gives these children a chance to see college life,
graduate; you can see that she is going somewhere. I want to inspire her to pursue a higher education.” Hernandez has been Cruz’s Big Sister for three years now, and they have both seen the changes their relationship has made. “She is better mannered; she often reminds me of my manners, and we keep each other accountable,” Hernandez said. “She is really patient with me, and I’ve learned to be more responsible in making
“I think that it is a great opportunity to get to know a kid, to make a difference in their life and to have fun.” Karla Howerton, Big Sister and sophomore English education major from Dennison
talk to college students and let them see that they, too, can go to college.” Hernandez was once one of these children. “When I was younger, my Big Sister went to ACU,” Hernandez said. “It was the first time I stepped foot on a university campus, and even though I don’t remember her name, I do remember ACU, and that is when I realized I really wanted to go. “And now, I have just graduated from ACU, so that dream was fulfilled without her even knowing it.” She said this dream makes her an influence to her own Little Sister, Amanda Cruz, a seventh-grader from Mann Middle School. “I, too, want to instill some values and principles, and especially education in her,” Hernandez said. “She’ll be the first one that will hopefully
sure I call her and being more of a friend instead of seeing this as an obligation. “Amanda is inspired to go to college and has made future plans. She has more confidence in herself.” Through the years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has grown from having no matches in 1998 to matching more than 700 pairs a year just five years later, and the city has seen dramatic results. “It is amazing what just having a friend that they can call their own will do,” Ardoyno said. “It does great things for their self-confidence. “In the lunch buddies program, we see their grades go up, school attendance and classroom behaviors increase, simply because they have someone there for them. We see them changing from the wrong way to the right way,
making better decisions, making career decisions, seeing the importance of staying in school.” Karla Howerton is one of the students who has been a match. “I am really excited to be a Big [Sister] again,” said Howerton, sophomore English education major from Dennison. “Freshman year I had an eighth grader named Ashley as a buddy. She was quiet and sweet, liked to laugh, but it really took awhile for her to open up. I remember one day she wore an ACU shirt someone in her family had and was so excited for me to see her wearing it.” Howerton’s buddy moved to the high school and was unable to continue meeting this year. Howerton now is one of the hundreds of ACU students who signed up after Chapel last week. “I think that it is a great opportunity to get to know a kid, to make a difference in their life and to have fun,” Howerton said. “[The volunteers] should be good with kids and enjoy being around them. They need to be a positive role model, an encourager and someone who is excited to be involved.” Ardoyno said taking a chance to be a role model in a child’s life makes the difference. “It really does make a measurable difference,” Ardoyno said. “We have outcomes that prove what all can be done through just mentoring.”
E-mail Sherwood at: mes02e@acu.edu
Big Brothers Big Sisters programs and opportunities • Lunch buddies meet 30 minutes a week during the student’s lunch period. • Community-based match is six to eight hours a month, and the volunteer does activities with the child or just hangs out with their friends.
• Club buddies is through the Boys and Girls Club, and students meet there once a week. • Art buddies allows matches to take art lessons and work on projects together at the Center for
Contemporary Arts. • Golf buddies is a new program for volunteers to take their buddy to the driving range or to the golf course and get to know them better. The goal is to draw more men volunteers.
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Focus on the phone
RACHEL LAU/Staff Photographer
Diana Gutierrez (left), senior management major from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Kanako Ishimanru, senior marketing major from Ibaraki, Japan, look at pictures on Gutierrez’s cell phone during the Chai Cafe at the University Park Apartments Clubhouse on Thursday.
VIEWSWEDNESDAY OPTIMIST
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Students need to show responsibility
The issue: The format of Thursday Chapel has changed again, this time to provide more student interaction.
Our view: This format can work well if leaders address serious topics and if students respond maturely to those topics.
The solution: Students need to take advantage of the opportunity for Chapel participation, and leaders need to go forward with the format.
February 2, 2005
Chapel coordinators again have changed the Thursday Chapel format while still keeping an emphasis on small groups and providing Chapel diversity. The new format calls for four students to share differing viewpoints on a new topic each week. They discuss these for half the time, then students in the audience are given the opportunity to ask questions and respond for the remaining time. With one Thursday Chapel now behind us, some faults with the well-intentioned plan have become apparent.
Daniel Barcroft
In My Words
‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’ goes mild Yes, Alex, I’ll take pointless has apparently been trashed, too. So, seemingly out of ideas, dribble for 200. The answer is: Four people the powers that be turned to the playing a gender-specific stereo- only other applicable avenue— typical role for entertainment. The bit was confusing at first. the amusement The fact that the four on the of an audience. What is last floor were acting wasn’t clearly Thursday’s Cha- stated at the beginning. Apparently, it was mentioned a pel in Moody? week earlier, but with Thursday Correct. For all in- Chapels containing a different tents and pur- audience each week, many didn’t Gray poses, Chapel know what was going on. I found some of the views in Moody ColMatters extreme to begin with. When the iseum on ThurWarren Gray sday felt like a moderator reminded us that the game show. The moderator, or four were given a role to play, “host,” even made a point to say that they were merely actors, any that the whole thing was “un- slim chance of getting even a smidgen of somescripted.” It thing out of Chareeked of Whose The powers that be pel was lost. Line Is It AnyThe views exway? gone mild. turned pressed weren’t If you missed the debacle, and to the only other even genuine; how are we supeven if you did I’m sure you’ve at applicable avenue— posed to take them seriously? least heard about entertainment. They simply the infamous spouted out sterslang reference to eotypes, which we have seen in a woman’s breast, let me recap. Four stools were placed corny sitcoms for years. Then came the ill-fated around a tall table on the NCAA logo on the baseline of the bas- escapade through the audience ketball court. Four students, two when microphones were passed guys and two girls, hopped up from person to person, and comon their stools and pedestals. ments were met with cheers and Asked to play a role in this “cof- jeers. After countless particifee shop” setup, they began to pants said “you have to respect banter about the communication yourself before anyone else can breakdown that occurs between respect you” in as many ways members of opposite sexes. possible, one brave soul stood up This conglomeration is suit- and dismissed Chapel with a able for a cheap video series on bang with a thoughtless remark. People complain about what dating, or maybe an ill-conceived reality/game show on Chapel should and should not be. For as many times as we hear FOX. But in Chapel? It seems Thursday Chapels about the reverence of Chapel, have been somewhat of a strug- for as many times as we are told gle for those in charge of such to keep the noise level down, it’s things. After changing formats surprising that for one day Chaeach of the last two years, the pel was transformed into an unformat has changed almost planned, unscripted, mindless weekly this school year. and noise-filled event. Remember when administraChapel should be a time for tion wanted to discontinue worship and fellowship not a Thursday Chapel in Moody alto- forum for tasteless comments. gether? That didn’t really work. But that’s what you get when you Then they wanted to have facul- send a microphone around ty and students come share their Moody; that’s what you get with testimonies. That didn’t last “reality Chapel.” long. They even had ministry leaders from various churches Respond to Gray at: come lead the ordeal. That idea weg02a@acu.edu or optimist@acu.edu
Just say ‘no’ to crumbs in the library It didn’t seem like much when I took the online poll about the Brown Library last week. But then I read the story assignment, and the words commanded a second thought: “The library is planning for re n o v a t i o n s , including the No Pun for addition of a coffee shop.” Barcroft Why the Daniel s u d d e n Barcroft change? Why would any place go directly from “No food or drink” to having food and drink right in the middle of everything? I think it’s unnecessary and crass. Now, I’ll admit up front that part of the reason I don’t like the idea is that ARAMARK appears to be a socialist food regime. It started innocently enough, but now
Part of the reason I don’t like the idea is that ARAMARK appears to be a socialist food regime. with the Administration, Bible and Business buildings, and fully half of the Campus Center, we’re kind of crowded with eateries. Have you noticed we’ve even run out of Bean-related names for them? I don’t think you can make a case for demand. Upperclassmen rejoice that they have the privilege to go off campus and break free from on-campus eating, and that’s precisely what they do. You’d have to work pretty hard to convince me that students are looking for more of the same old food. I know each place has a specialty, but one company can only give so much variety. We can only consume so many refrigerated sandwiches. But the second reason is by far the more important.
The “No Food” rule, whether in the library or the classroom, is there for a reason. There’s a book I pick up and carefully browse — not flip through — whenever I’m in the library. It’s a book of old Pogo comic strips from the ’50s. The book is so old the yellowed pages are likely to fall apart in your hand. It’s neat to look at something that has been saved for half a century or more. I shudder to think what would happen to Pogo, or the collection of one-panel teenager-related Charles Schulz cartoons, or any of the other countless treasure troves of knowledge and culture on any topic with one coffee accident. I hate to think about opening the book to a shower of year-old bagel crumbs.
Sure, I can hear the pleas. “We’ll be careful.” “Nobody’s gonna spill.” “That never happens.” Add the word “Mom” to those, and you can’t be more than 8 years old. And you know what your mom says. Food belongs in certain places, and you can eat it there. Whether or not a mishap is likely, it’s just good manners. Let’s grow up as a campus and just leave food where it belongs. You can walk across to the Campus Center to get something to eat and have a nice break from your studies, too. You can eat what and when you’re supposed to and be healthier anyway. Let’s leave some places untouched by the subtle-butgrowing noise of chewing. I’m trying to read.
Respond to Barcroft at: dwb99a@acu.edu or optimist@acu.edu
Movie reviews show good taste I love movies but don’t like wasting my time and money on bad ones. Since the Abilene Reporter-News lost its local movie reviewer, I have wished for one. I’ve learned that Hollywood and New York reviewers’ opinions aren’t a good guide to enjoyment. For example, they panned or ignored My Big Fat Greek Wedding, yet it was funny, warm and left viewers with a good feeling. Word of mouth, not reviews, made it a surprise
hit. Then they touted, even nominated for an Academy Award, the profane, plotless and unpleasant Magnolia (Not to be confused with the excellent Steel Magnolias). Your reviews have been informative, well-written, and I suspect are a better reflection of the attitudes and tastes of our part of the nation. At least, your reviews have
In Your Words
YOUR VOICE
What are you going to do if it snows?
matched my experience with those movies. I only wish the general public had the benefit of your evaluations. Thanks for your effort and talent, and thanks to the Optimist for making a place for them to be displayed.
Editorial and letter policy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Optimist Editorial Board 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, its Editorial Board or the university. The Optimist encourages reader response through letters to the editor but reserves the right to limit frequent contributors
dents. Students must use discretion to avoid unnecessarily offensive remarks. Whenever students are asked to give feedback on Chapel, it never fails that some respond that they do not feel like they have the opportunity to participate in the Chapel program. The opportunity is now available. Thursday brings another chance for Chapel coordinators and students to embrace the opportunity to involve everyone in the Chapel program. Future format changes can be avoided if all involved take this latest attempt seriously and show proper discretion.
ThursWe do appFor leaders to be able to bring up serious issues, day,Last students — laud Chapel costudents must prove they can handle them. at least the most ordinators for vocal one — continuing to could barely find ways to dipass that test. versify Chapel. The frequently dents and coordinators alike. Whether through almost atCoordinators must keep the changing formats during the past few semesters are a testa- topics real and relevant. Stu- tacking others because of their ment that Chapel leaders will dents won’t take Chapel serious- viewpoints or inappropriately not stick with a format simply ly if the topics discussed aren’t expressing theirs, students serious. Leaders shouldn’t be proved they could hardly handle for the sake of continuity. They have continued to look afraid to discuss difficult is- even the subject of dating — a for ways to engage students with sues — issues many students talk topic they should be used to formats that might or might not about on their own but rarely hearing by now. Students were encouraged to hear discussed from the Chapel work. be real about their feelings durThis newest format might stage. But for leaders to be able to ing Chapel on Thursday, and have the greatest potential to involve and engage students yet. bring up those more serious most were. Some things, howevHowever, it also comes with the issues, students must prove they er, simply should not be said in the company of hundreds of stugreatest responsibility from stu- can handle them.
or to refuse to print letters containing personal attacks, obscenity, defamation, erroneous information or invasion of privacy. Please limit letters to 350 words or less. A name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Phone numbers will not be published. Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79699 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu
Margaret Davis University Counseling Center
“I don’t know. I’m kind of pessimistic about the snow. I always tell myself it’s not going to snow, so I’m not disappointed.”
“Probably see if I can go sledding down the hill. We did that freshman year.”
“I want to sleep in, then study for put-off work and watch TV. There’s a lot I want to do.”
Blake Earnhart
Shelby Coats
Kyle Jankowski
sophomore youth and family ministry major from St. Louis
freshman integrated marketing major from Clarksville, Tenn.
junior youth and family ministry major from New Braunfels
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FROM THE FRONT PAGE
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Page 7
Week: Counseling center to educate about healthy relationships Continued from Page 1 Health and Education Office is providing information on healthy dating and relationship aspects, said Heidi Morris, a therapist at the counseling center and coordinator of the Peer Health Education program. She said brochures are provided for students who are involved in bad relationships and for those looking Rowlands for friendship advice, as well as self-tests and information on a variety of other topics. Those involved in planning the week believe in several reasons to participate in the week’s activities. “The highlight of the week is dependent on what your need is at that time,” Booth said. “Jeanne Reese’s chapel forum on forgiveness on Thursday is going to be
incredibly powerful for someone. “Somebody that is looking for guidance for what it means to live in a very sexual, secular world, yet be a Christian may be impacted deeply by Monday. It is going to hit different people in different ways.” This year, the theme was carefully chosen after the planning committee realized they wanted to focus on relationships from a Christian perspective, Booth said. “We want to focus on Godly models for relationships,” said Steve Rowlands, director of the counseling center. “It is a desire for us to have relationships, so we wanted to provide healthy, hopeful [and] helpful info on relationships.” Students can participate this week in different ways. Besides attending Chapel and the two Chapel forums, seven peer health educators are also available through the Peer Health Education program, in case anyone has a
question or problem they want to talk about. “They can come to all of these deals, but they can also interact with them in a way that they will continue to pursue the things they hear in their own personal relationships,” Booth said. The speakers this year were chosen for “their abilities, their heart and the message they bring,” Rowlands said. They were also chosen because they fulfill the counseling center’s goal for the week. “The speakers are based upon people we thought would be relevant [and] engaging, people who could meet students’ needs with information and teaching to help them,” Booth said. “We all have one consistent goal: to meet students’ needs in the area of relationships.” BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
E-mail Sherwood at: mes02e@acu.edu
Randy Harris, instructor of Bible, ministry and missions, speaks in Chapel on Monday during Healthy Relationships Week. The University Counseling Center sponsors the week, which will conclude Friday.
Sabbaticals: Deans Babies: Additions present new challenges return this semester Continued from Page 1
Continued from Page 1 faculty member to take an administrative leave, they must have a project to work on. “I probably worked as hard at my sabbatical as I normally do as dean, but it was different work,” Reese said. “I love my work and so I’ve been anxious to get back.” During the editing process, Reese Reese said he has sent copies of the manuscripts to various administrative and faculty members, as well as members of his church Lytle and family, and is receiving positive feedback. He is not required to send the manuscript to members in the administration, such as Dr. Money, but he chooses to, wanting feedback. “When I speak, I speak for myself,” Reese said, “but I also recognize as dean I have a responsibility to the church, and so I look for feedback.” He called his first sabbatical productive and said the time away was spiritually renewing for him. “I was able to think through who I am and what I want to do and who I am in relation to God and my family,” Reese said, adding he could not have managed the time away without the help of his staff. Dean Lytle moved his wife and three daughters with him to Ann Arbor, Mich., last fall while he took a leadership course at the University of
Michigan and worked on a manuscript and research. Lytle said the company STATPROBE Inc. loaned him office space, and he was able to finish the manuscript titled “Distinctive Leadership: Empowered by the Purpose and Presence of God.” His research was in the area of service leadership, which was the focus of his dissertation and his area of focus in business. Lytle said he did not get as far in his research as he had hoped, but the completion of the manuscript and university course made the sabbatical productive. “I feel like I very much met my objectives,” Lytle said. He is currently in the process of shopping the manuscript with publishers and would eventually like to use it with students and at the leadership summit short course in Colorado. “The big dream is to service Christian leaders in the marketplace,” Lytle said. “I hope to be able to use it however God will allow me to.” The time spent in Michigan was a learning experience for his family, especially his three daughters, Lytle said, but they adjusted well. He said it was a different culture for the girls to grow accustomed to, mainly not being around as many people of faith as in the south. “They had a wonderful time,” Lytle said. “They had struggles, but part of the reason for us taking them with us is I’m a huge believer in getting outside of your comfort zone. It was a great spiritual learning experience for them.” E-mail Carlson at: skc02a@acu.edu
said. “It’s definitely sidetracked me, and it’s taken some of my focus away [from the team], and I don’t apologize for that.” Pleasant said the baby hasn’t been introduced to the team yet, but she probably will before the end of the season. “I look forward to her being in that environment,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to include her in my job.” Track coach Jon Murray and his wife Samantha Murray, assistant professor of management sciences, welcomed their third child, Nathan Joel Murray on
Jan. 18. “It’s slightly crazy,” Murray said; his team’s first meet was Friday. Nathan joined Jonah and Gracie in the family, and Murray said his wife took the semester off to be with the kids. “With No. 3 it’s not quite as crazy,” Murray said. From every weekend until March, Murray said he will be out of town for indoor track meets. He said he misses spending time with his new son, but he looks forward to the days when his kids will be old enough to hang out with the team.
Most recently, athletic director Jared Mosley and his wife Trish celebrated the birth of their second son, Jaxon Reid Mosley, Friday. “It has been a little hectic,” Mosley said. His wife took six weeks off from her job as an elementary school physical education teacher, and he plans to take some time off work after the grandparents go home next week, Mosley said “I don’t have to travel quite as much as the coaches,” Mosley said. “And if I do, I try to plan it so they can go with me. “It’s tough, though,” he said
of having to be away from his family at times. “It’s probably the hardest thing about having a job in athletics.” However, he said he is grateful that his children will grow up in the environment of ACU athletics. He said his son Jaden, who is 3 years old, comes to all the events on campus. “He gets to know all the teams and players pretty well,” Mosley said. “I think it’ll always be neat for them to grow up around it all.”
E-mail Schneider at: jrs02a@acu.edu
Opsitch: Approval process could take weeks Continued from Page 1 documents that they had in the U.S. complicated the problem and forced Rita to return home to retrieve the documents. She then returned to Paris. Even though the documents were delivered to the embassy, the couple still must wait out the six to eight week finalization process in Paris. Without Opsitch at ACU, programs were adjusted and modified. The missions coordi-
nators represent various continents, and Opsitch represented Europe. He assisted in raising awareness of missions needs in Europe and gathered students to be a part of mission teams, Guild said. Opsitch prepared students for summer internships in Europe. Typically, Opsitch would train all the interns and apprentices, said Gary Green, mission coordinator and assistant director of World Wide
Witness. “We’ve had to cope with teaching cultures that are not similar, and for specific questions like logistics, we have to rely on the phone rather than enjoying the privilege of having him on campus,” Green said. The Opsitches were also actively involved with a French chapel, and Rita taught French to students who were going to Europe. A monthly continental interest meeting has also been suspended in Opsitch’s ab-
sence, said Green. Guild and Green said the couple has many friends in France. Opsitch spent 30 years in France, and Rita spent time in France before their marriage. “The embassy is trying to facilitate the process, and we hope before too many more weeks they can get back,” Guild said. E-mail Smith at: mxs02a@acu.edu
Pledging: Fewer students commit to clubs Continued from Page 1 happy to get five.” Rutherford said the Frats decided to participate in spring pledging after taking a vote, and they set a limit for the minimum number of pledges the club would take. “We had a formal vote to determine the right percentage of guys to add and decided to go ahead with pledging,” he said. Smith and Rutherford said Bid Night, which took place
Friday, was a success. Spell agreed that spring pledging is a positive experience for students who participate, and he said he believes in its benefits for students who can’t pledge in the fall. “Athletes who play fall sports, specifically football players, kind of get knocked out of the pledging process in the fall. This gives them the opportunity to do that,” Spell said. However, because of the low numbers, Spell said he will
have to revisit the idea of spring pledging after he speaks to social clubs to find out their interest level. “The bottom line is once you get to some lower numbers, there are some clubs that it isn’t worth going through the process,” he said. “Basically, the man power that it takes to put together the pledging process for so few numbers isn’t practical. Those are some conversations I will have with advisers and officers of the clubs.”
He said spring pledging is a challenge because it involves many steps like organizing Bid Night and encouraging advisers to become involved because they are required at any activity. “We have the same expectations that we’ve had all along,” he said. “Aside from that, all we can do is gear up for fall pledging.”
E-mail Williams at: tnt00b@acu.edu
FOCUSWEDNESDAY OPTIMIST
Page 8
February 2, 2005
Against all odds Story by Tiffany Williams
Photography by Emily Chastain Design by Mallory Sherwood
T
en years ago students would have had difficulty finding a woman of color in a student leadership position on campus. Today, La Shae Sloan is helping to change that, one organization at a time. She admits, though, that wasn’t her original plan—it was God’s. Before Sloan, director of the Office of Student Multicultural Enrichment, arrived at ACU four years ago, the campus was experiencing many changes culturally. On Nov. 21, 2000, ACU president Dr. Royce Money issued a formal apology for past racial discrimination. One result was an addition of faculty and staff of color on campus, including Sloan. Relocation seems to be a theme in Sloan’s life, but today she feels confident that she is where she can make the most difference in the lives of others. “I came to campus during a time that we were recruiting a lot of students of color,” Sloan said. “We were beginning to see more diversity on campus and all of the student organizations were very young. As time has gone on they have grown to become really strong, recognized groups.” Sloan helped organize Hispanos Unidos, Essence of Ebony, Shades Step Squad, and the International Students Association, whose combined numbers encompass hundreds of student participants of nearly every ethnicity on campus. She believes the most important part of her job is hiring people and organizing events to encourage relationships between students of different races and ethnic backgrounds. Budget cuts last year left Sloan without the rest of her team, David Merrill, former coordinator of OSME and Volunteer Services, and Bob Gomez, former coordinator of OSME and Spiritual Life but Sloan, never one to back down from a challenge, used her ingenuity to collect a group of capable student interns who took on some of the responsibilities of her former colleagues. “When the reorganization happened it left just me, and there was no way I could get all of that work done all alone, so I tried to be creative and at the same time, economical.” Each intern focuses on a specific task, but all of them work toward the same goal—expanding cultural diversity at ACU. “I organize a mentorship program called My PEEP’s,” said for-
mer intern Aracely Velasquez. “La Shae and I work together to encourage freshman to become involved in the ACU experience with some of the mentors that we have,” said Velasquez, class of 2004. loan credits her resourcefulness in tough situations and her extensive personal knowledge of cultural diversity to her past, which she admits unabashedly, wasn’t easy. Sloan, who was born in Los Angeles, was the first of two children of an unwed mother. She has never met her father. She spent most of her early life living in San Diego with her mother and younger sister and says she felt very close to her small family through the challenges they endured together. “We were on welfare, and sometimes we would have to go stay with other families for a while because we didn’t have enough money to survive,” Sloan said. Despite the poverty that pervaded their lives, Sloan grew up with many opportunities for personal growth. Her family attended a Baptist church every Sunday, and Sloan was given unique educational advantages. “I always knew when I was young, things were going to be different for me; I just didn’t know how. So I held on to that hope. I did well in school.” Sloan crossed the first portal into a new life in seventh grade, when she transferred into the O’Farrell School of Creative and Performing Arts where she focused on ballet and art. O’Farrell, which was a haven to students of every ethnicity, offered her the chance to see the world through different eyes. “It opened up the world for me in a way that I never would have experienced had I not gone there,” Sloan said. She recognized the opportunity to learn about culture through field trips in her art, theater and dance classes, but the most advantageous part of her education was the chance she had to learn about other cultures through the friends she made. Through hard work and an undeniable passion for education, Sloan graduated valedictorian of her class and began to pursue a degree in sociology from Dartmouth College the following semester. s her education progressed through college, and later
S
A
Above: Sloan stands in her office in McKinzie Hall, where she serves as the executive director of the Office of Multicultural Student Enrichment. Right: Multicultural objects adorn Sloan's bookshelves. Her favorite things to display are elephants, which she acquires from different places she visits. graduate school at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, her spiritual life took an abrupt detour. She stopped going to church and found it difficult to ask questions about God and spiritual life. “I believed in God. I tried to live a good life, but I wasn’t anchored.” It took Sloan months to gather the courage to admit she needed to make changes in her life before she finally asked a friend in graduate school who attended Southside Church of Christ in Durham, N.C. if she could tag along to church with her. After church, Sloan bombarded her friend with questions, and the following Sunday, she decided to be baptized. “The messages were clear and I could read them for myself in the Bible. I realized the life I had been living wasn’t in Christ and it was up to me to change that.” After receiving a master’s degree in health administration, Sloan spent several years traveling for her job at Clarian Health Partners, based in Indianapolis, doing statewide networking. She said that although she likes to travel, she found the job exhausting and soon realized she needed a break. The realization brought her to ACU, when she came to visit friend Sonja Barcus, former associate professor of psychology in February 2000. Sloan and Barcus met and developed a friendship in Indianapolis three years before Barcus moved to Abilene and introduced Sloan to ACU. “I had never heard of ACU before Sonja began
Sloan talks with her student worker, Ben Lazcano, senior youth and family ministry major and cultural student adviser from The Colony, on Tuesday afternoon.
talking about it,” Sloan admits. However, she was quickly enamored by the life on campus and, again, she felt most drawn to the unique educational opportunities ACU offered. Through inquiring about the possibility of pursuing a master’s in sociology, Sloan learned that a position in OSME was open, and applied for it. She has been here happily ever since. Sloan said although she began some programs that have been successful, she has been the most impressed with groups of students who take the initiative to start programs that support cultural awareness. For example, she said, last year students from several social clubs came to Sloan and asked how to deepen the ties between minorities on campus and social clubs. She advised them to build trust between the groups by joining in multicultural activities, or, as she says, “Go to the mountain rather than asking the mountain to come to you.” The result was the Multicultural Council, a combination of student leaders from social clubs and ethnic groups whose main purpose is to learn about each other through participation in group activities. “We wanted to break down the barriers between the organizations and really integrate and network their strengths,” said Pi Kappa member Darren Curry, senior marketing major from Oklahoma City. Last spring, pledges from Pi Kappa men’s social club participated in the Essence of Ebony Black History Production. They wore zombie make-up and donned ragged clothes and danced to
Michael Jackson’s 1980s hit, Thriller. Sloan said the quality of other shows, such as Ethnos Culture Show and Shades productions, also has grown tremendously due to increased participation. The university’s enhanced diversity is also evident in ethnic organizations’ small group chapels. She believes the most rewarding part of her job is seeing all students come together to make these changes happen. Sloan also teaches a series of workshops to students in University 100 classes about ethnic diversity. ff campus, she influences the lives of others through Bible study. At her church home, Minda Street Church of Christ, she began GRACE, Girls Reaching to Achieve Excellence, which teaches young women values such as accountability, prayer, modest dress, etiquette and confidence as well as cooking and sewing skills. “There were so many things that I wish I had known as a young woman,” Sloan said. “I had to rethink my childhood and ask myself, ‘If I could do this again, how would it look?’” Sloan sees it as her personal goal to further ACU’s mission to “Change the World” through understanding God’s place in ethnic diversity, a topic that has interested her since grade school. “I just want to see people have atonement in their relationships and not allow a barrier of color to divide them. This is my corner of the world; this is the one area I can tackle.”
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“I believed in God. I tried to live a good life, but I wasn’t anchored.” La Shae Sloan, director of the Office of Student Multicultural Enrichment
SPORTS JUMPS
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Page 9
Softball: Women have winning spirits Track: Team Continued from Page 10 Wildcats have several key players ready to start the new season. Senior first baseman Katie Bryan returns after earning 3rd team All-America honors. Bryan hit close to .400 last season and looks to continue her success this year. “I treat each practice as a game,” Bryan said. “Even though I am a senior, I am looking to become a better hitter and fielder each day.” Bryan said she also sees the determination to win in her teammates. “This team has taken winning to a whole other level,” she said. “The mentality is where it should be, and it’s filled with attitudes of champions.”
Bryan is not the only player returning who had individual success last year. Senior third baseman Valerie Malkinson also looks to return to her .400 batting average from last season. “She is one of the best third basemen I have seen in the region,” Wilson said. Senior Kristin Alvarado will play second base this year. “She covers a lot of ground, has great range,” Wilson said of Alvarado. Catching for the Wildcats will be senior Ashley Whittenburg. “She has so much heart and does a great job behind the plate,” Wilson said. After missing the entire year because of an ACL tear in
the first game of last season, J.D. Williams-Doty will be back for her final season with the Wildcats. Wilson said Williams-Doty has a desire to recover and be in the lineup. Wildcat pitchers had a tough time last year. Injuries and a lack of depth kept the team from doing their best. During the offseason, Wilson set out to fix that problem. “Not only did we improve talent, but depth also,” Wilson said. “We have four or five really good pitchers this year.” ACU was picked by conference coaches to finish fourth in the Lone Star Conference South Division this year, and coach Wilson said she doesn’t mind the pre-season pick. “I think fourth place is a
great motivation,” Wilson said. “A lot of these girls aren’t used to finishing anything less that first, so less than that is unacceptable to them.” Bryan also said she thinks the team will do better than people expect. “We have a strong team this year,” she said. “I think we are going to have a great year, and we’re going to surprise a lot of teams.” The season opener is at 1 p.m. Thursday against Colorado State-Pueblo at Wells Field, followed by another home double-header against Midwestern State Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. E-mail Fields at: jrf03b@acu.edu
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Kristen Alvarado, senior second baseman, fields a grounder during fielding drills in practice Tuesday in Scruggs Gym. The softball team was forced to practice inside because of recent wet weather.
Finding the true meaning of your game Dr. Charlie Marler, my sports journalism professor, gave me a sheet of paper to describe the essence of basketball. I didn’t put much thought into it — I simply wrote that the essence of basketball was keeping the other team from scoring Kyle’s more points Column than yours. It was a Kyle Robarts smart-aleck answer and a cop-out for what he was really looking for. Then Dr. Marler took our class on a small trip to the Abilene Municipal Cemetery on North 10th Street, where we visited the grave of “Tonto” Coleman, a former ACU head football coach and commissioner of the Southeastern Conference. There coach Wally Bullington eloquently read a speech Coleman had written on what football was to him, and after hearing it, I was disappointed in my shallow effort to explain what the essence of bas-
ketball is to me. So with apologies to Dr. Marler — I hope this second attempt will be a little bit more of what he was looking for. Basketball is the player who allows an opponent to barrel over him, drawing a charge that energizes the entire arena. It is the denial of a soft jump shot that a post player sends into the sixth row, and the intensity of team members on defense playing as if their shorts were on fire. Basketball is the fast-break alley-oop; it is the dunk that silences a rowdy crowd on the road. It is the player who instinctively dives for the ball on the floor, quickly calling a timeout in a moment of vulnerability. It is the leading scorer in the post unselfishly kicking it out to the open 3-point specialist, even though he’s been scoring at will all night. It’s the excitement of players on the bench when the kid who rarely sees minutes on the floor gets a bucket in the closing minutes of a blowout. Basketball is the stone-faced coach who quietly raises one fist and stares at the scoreboard after a much-needed basket.
It is the students who look like they’ve won the lottery after a win and look like they’ve lost their grandmother after a loss. It is the eruption of the crowd after a deep three, the face paint, signs, the distraction of the opposing free-throw shooter and the chants to enhance the atmosphere. Basketball is driveway free throws in the middle of a downpour, the pick-up game after midnight, playing with a right ankle that is twice as big as the left, and the joy of beating dad or big brother for the first time in one-on-one. It is Jimmy V running across the floor in ’83, Christian Laettner’s turn-around shot that sunk Kentucky in ’92, Jordan’s “final” game-winning shot over Utah’s Byron Russell in ’98, and watching in awe as LeBron James, not Kobe Bryant, takes the torch to become the 21st century’s MJ. It is the Cinderella Santa Clara defeating the No. 1 team in the nation from North Carolina on Nov. 19; it is Kansas beating Georgia Tech on New Year’s Day without its leading scorer; it is the struggling
Maryland up-ending the undefeated Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in only its sixth loss since 1997. At ACU, basketball is David Baxter hitting it from 25-feet deep, Hakim Rasul rebounding a jump shot in midair and throwing down the dunk simultaneously, and Joe Carr walking through the Campus Center more than six hours before game time, telling me he was focusing. It is Meredith Doyle drawing a charge, Alex Guiton taking it coast to coast, Laura Smith as the ultimate cheerleader, and Ashley King finding Jamie Boles or Stephanie Riles instinctively after a great post seal. Though keeping the other team from outscoring yours might be the goal of basketball, it doesn’t hold a candle to harnessing the essence of it. And to Mr. Coleman who expressed the passion for the game he loved and to Dr. Marler for challenging my classmates and I to find ours – I’d like to say thank you. E-mail Robarts at: kdr00c@acu.edu
presses forward Continued from Page 10 up 13 new or better qualifying times or marks for the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships, to be run March 11-12 in Boston. “I think we started in a great place,” said head coach Jon Murray. “If we keep building on that foundation, we’ll just keep getting better and better.” Junior Yevgen Pashchenko continued to compete well in the triple jump, improving his provisional mark to a nearautomatic 51-2. Senior All-American polevaulters Val Gorter and Katie Eckley finished in a tie for fifth place in their event, clearing a provisional qualifying height of 11-6. In the men’s pole vault, junior Cory Aguilar improved his provisional qualifying mark to 16-7, tying for second in the event. Freshman Shauna-Kaye Thompson just missed an automatic qualifying mark in the 55-meter hurdles, running 8.11 seconds in the preliminaries and then winning the final in 8.12. Sophomore Brooklyn Hunt qualified provisionally in the 400-meter dash with a fourthplace time of 56.67. In the men’s 400-meter dash, Marvin Essor improved his qualifying time to 48.06, winning the event. Newcomer Lucky Hadebe
won his first 800-meter race with a provisional qualifying time of 1:51.58, while Jessica Hunt improved her time in the 200 meters to 25.19. The women’s 4x400-meter relay team improved its provisional time, winning its event with a top time of 3:49.62. In the only non-nationals event of the day, the 3,000meter run, ACU distance runners dominated, with freshman Nicodemus Naimadu winning in 8:18.09 and teammate Laurent Ngirakamaro placing second in 8:40,43. Both Naimadu and Ngirakamaro look to be contenders in the 5,000 meters, an event that will be run at nationals. Through three indoor meets, ACU has qualified 21 individuals or relays for nationals. The Wildcat track and field teams will compete in Lubbock again this Saturday at the Wes Kittley Invitational, and Murray said both teams will continue to work hard at practice and the early meets to be ready for indoor nationals and the outdoor season. “These are all opportunities to compete in a good environment,” he said. “We’re just doing the work we need to do [at practice], just like everyone is.”
E-mail Holt at: smh00a@acu.edu
Wildcats: Seven games left to go Continued from Page 10 “We don’t need to worry about the whole schedule. Don’t worry about everybody else in the conference, their standings, their records; just worry about us,” Porterfield Baxter said. “At this point, we can still control what happens to us,” Bissett said. “The morale is pretty good. Kreig We just got through playing some very good teams on the road, but they understand
that there’s still time.” ACU takes its 1-7 road record to Portales, N.M., and Canyon this weekend with a game against Eastern New Mexico on Thursday, followed by a match-up with West Texas A&M on Saturday. “Both places are extremely tough places to play because of the environment,” Bissett said. “Both teams could be winless, and it would still be tough to beat them because of the way they play at home.” The Greyhounds of Eastern are currently struggling in the South with an 04 record, while the Buffaloes from West Texas have an even 2-2 mark.
E-mail Robarts at: kdr00c@acu.edu
SPORTSWEDNESDAY OPTIMIST
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February 2, 2005
Softball team starts season Wildcats to host first game of season on Thursday By JARED FIELDS SPORTS WRITER
ACU softball is set to begin the 2005 season Thursday when it hosts Colorado State-Pueblo. The Wildcats look to improve on last year and bring a winning attitude to the new season. Head coach Chantiel Wilson is in her second year after leading the Wildcats to a 20-30 record in her debut season. Wilson said she expects better results this year after a busy offseason spent recruiting and hard work on the field. “We have 12 new girls, and they bring a sense of being on championship teams,” Wilson said. “I think it’s still really competitive. We have 20 girls, and it’s going to be hard to find a starting lineup.” Freshman pitcher Melanie
Smith is one of the new team members anxious for the upcoming season. “We have a great season ahead of us,” Smith said. “I think all of the freshmen are excited about contributing to this team, and we’re ready to do our part.” Wilson said Smith has a good demeanor, real calm, especially for a freshman playing at ACU. She said she feels the newcomers will be able to contribute a winning attitude, and players are competitive during practices, which has helped increase intensity during winter workouts. “I don’t believe in starting a senior just because they’re a senior,” said Wilson. “Our freshmen know they’re up for any position out there, and they work hard every day.” Along with the incoming freshmen and transfers, the See SOFTBALL page 9
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Senior first baseman Katie Bryan uses a tennis ball in place of a softball in fielding drills during practice Tuesday in Scruggs Gym. The softball team will open its season hosting Colorado State-Pueblo in a double header on Thursday, weather permitting.
First conference loss puts Wildcats at 4-1
LSC South Standings current through 01-31-05
Men’s Basketball Team A&M-Kingsville A&M-Commerce Midwestern State West Texas A&M ACU Angelo State E. New Mexico
Div. 4-0 4-1 4-1 2-2 1-4 1-4 0-4
Women win one, lose one, falling to 13-5 for season
Tot. 13-6 17-3 12-8 8-11 8-12 8-12 7-12
By WARREN GRAY SPORTS WRITER
Women’s Basketball Team West Texas A&M Angelo State ACU E. New Mexico A&M-Commerce Texas Woman’s Midwestern State A&M-Kingsville
Div. 5-1 4-1 4-1 3-3 3-3 2-4 2-4 0-6
Tot. 14-5 16-2 13-5 9-10 8-11 9-9 7-12 4-15
Upcoming events in Wildcat sports... (home events in italics) Wednesday, February 2 MTN: Bellarmine (Ky.) , 9 a.m. MTN: Kentucky, 6 p.m. Thursday, February 3 WBB: Eastern New Mexico, 6:30 p.m. MBB: Eastern New Mexico, 8:30 p.m. MTN: Northern Kentucky, 9 a.m. SB: Colo. St. Pueblo, 1 p.m. Friday, February 4 MTN: Eastern Kentucky, 10 a.m. MTN: Tenn. Chattanooga, 3 p.m. BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Saturday, February 5 WBB: West Texas A&M, 6 p.m. MBB: West Texas A&M, 8 p.m.
Haley Hammond, junior forward, drives past junior center Jamie Boles in the paint during practice on Monday. Hammond had four points in 12 minutes in the game lost to Midwestern State Saturday. Wildcats will continue the road trip Thursday at Eastern New Mexico and Saturday at West Texas A&M.
The ACU women’s basketball team took to the road last weekend, and after defeating Texas A&MCommerce, suffered its first Lone Star Conference South Division loss of the season. On Saturday, the Wildcats allowed a 7-11 Midwestern State University team to shoot 52 percent from the field in an 84-76 ACU loss. “Midwestern just outplayed us,” head women’s basketball coach Shawna Lavender said. “I don’t think we were ready to play; it was just one of those nights.” The Wildcats managed to shoot almost 47 percent in the game but struggled at the defensive end, committing 28 fouls while watching MSU make many big shots. The sloppy play did carry over to the offensive side somewhat, as the Wildcats once again were plagued by turnovers. “When you have 22 turnovers against a team that’s not pressing, it means you’re making bad decisions offensively,” Lavender said. Meredith Doyle led ACU with 18 points in the game, but she was one of three players to end the night with four fouls. Stephanie Riles pitched in 13 points and eight rebounds
before fouling out. MSU got a strong allaround effort from Adrian Fincher. Fincher, one of five Indians to score in double figures, had 21 points, five assists and five rebounds. The Wildcats fared better in their first game of the weekend trip as they topped Texas A&M-Commerce 7364. ACU again had trouble with turnovers, 24 of them to be exact, and shot just 39 percent for the game. “It was just a brutal game; I was really glad when the game was over,” Lavender said. “ W h e n Doyle you’re playing on the road, you know those things can happen, and you’re just happy to come away with a win.” Lavender said the game was marred by fouls. The teams combined for 53 personals, and three players fouled out, a feat ACU’s Kierstan Barbee needed just five minutes of playing time to accomplish. “It didn’t help that she got a technical,” Lavender said of Barbee’s night. “She just never really got in rhythm.” The same could be said for most of the Wildcat reserve players. The ACU bench scored just six points in the game, and Lavender relied heavily on her starters to pull it out.
By KYLE ROBARTS SPORTS WRITER
Lone Star Conference play has been a humbling experience for the men’s basketball team. A three-game week started out well for the Wildcats on Jan. 24 with their first conference win over Angelo State, but the road trips to Commerce and Wichita Falls weren’t as kind to the team as the Wildcats dropped to 1-4 in the LSC South. ACU fell to the No. 9 Texas A&MCommerce Lions in a 99-55 defeat Thursday, only to be pounded by Midwestern State on Saturday, 104-71. Hakim Rasul and David Baxter continued to do what they do best, combining for 72 percent of ACU’s 126 points during the weekend.
Rasul had 23 points, and Baxter added 20 against Commerce, followed Saturday with 30 and 18 respectively, but it wasn’t enough for Midwestern, which moved to 4-1 in conference play. The Wildcats’ defense was lacking as both Commerce and Midwestern had countless open looks from the outside, and ACU wasn’t able to close out or fight through the screens to contest the jumpers. “Obviously, [that’s] one of the things we need to defend a little bit better than what we’re doing right now,” assistant coach Clayton Bisset said. “If we get better in some key areas, we’re going to be fine.” Commerce wore out the Wildcats in rebounding 6029, including 19 secondchance points on 17 offensive boards. Although the Lions shot 50.7 percent from the field, they held the Wildcats to just 29.7 percent on a 19 of
64 shooting effort. The Wildcats seemed to only have two players who could score, but every player on Commerce’s active roster scored, and six players had double figures. The Lions’ bench outscored the Wildcat bench 42-8 in the contest. Similarly, on Saturday Midwestern had all players on its roster score and had five players in double-digit scoring, while Baxter, Rasul, and Matthias Kreig—who added 13—were the only three Wildcats in double figures. However, after trailing 5325 in the first half, ACU’s second-half effort was improved as the team was outscored just 51-46. With seven games left to play, sophomore guard A.J. Porterfield said there is still time to rebound on the recent losses and start a turnaround with over half of the conference games to play. See WILDCATS Page 9
E-mail Gray at: weg02a@acu.edu
21 make NCAA II nationals
Cats unsuccessful on road Men lose two games on road, dropping to 1-4 in LSC South
“Those were the girls that stepped up that night,” Lavender said. “I really thought they did a great job of taking the ball at Commerce.” They also did a good job of taking the ball from Commerce, forcing the Lions into 25 turnovers. At the offensive end, it was Riles who provided the spark. The senior forward scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds while playing aggressive down low. “Steph just did a great job of being strong with the ball, taking it to the basket,” Lavender said. “They had a hard time stopping her.” In the end, ACU found a way to win without playing its best basketball against Commerce but couldn’t repeat the feat Saturday in the Midwestern game. The Wildcats will lace them up again Thursday, this time in Portales, N.M., against Eastern New Mexico. Lavender said she hopes the team learned something from its last road trip that will carry over to that game and Saturday’s match-up against West Texas-A&M. “Every time we’ve lost a game this year the girls have responded well the next game,” Lavender said. “Thursday night against Eastern, I think they’ll be ready for that.”
Track individuals, relays qualify through three weekend meets By STEVE HOLT SPORTS WRITER
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Junior forward Hakim Rasul hits a jump shot over Angelo State’s Marlow Rockwell during the game on Jan. 24.
The men’s 4x400-meter relay team posted an automatic qualifying time for nationals Saturday, crossing the line less than two seconds after the squad from Texas Tech at the Wes Kittley Classic in Lubbock. ACU’s relay team, which included Delt Cockrell, Ricardo Johnson, Marvin Bien-Aime and Marvin Essor, posted the nation’s top time, 3:10.17, on its way to the second-place finish. In total, the Wildcats racked See TRACK Page 9