OPTIMIST THE
FRIDAY February 11, 2005
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
Abilene Christian University
Vol. 93, No. 36 1 section, 8 pages www.acuoptimist.com
Serving the ACU community since 1912
Trapped like mice:
‘Life is like a box of chocolates’:
Winning ways:
The Theatre Department’s production The Mousetrap opened Thursday. Page 5
Candies by Vletas has hand dipped chocolate at its Abilene location since 1912, and students can also visit McKay’s and Russell Stover for candy needs. Page 5
The softball team split its first doubleheader this season and swept the second. Page 8
Congress votes not to impeach members
For love of the game South Africans relocate to ACU to pursue college education and tennis By JACI SCHNEIDER OPINION EDITOR
Through the slats in the window blinds, the tall, strawberryblond head of George Carstens can be seen bobbing with laughter as he leads a female friend in a South African dance. Behind him, barely visible through the thin streams of light drifting out into the dark night, sits Casper Steenkamp, his tan face and green eyes intent on the friend he is talking with. This is an unusual weekend for Casper and George, who spend most of their free time on the tennis courts, practicing, giving lessons or playing in tournaments. But in their time off the court, as intensity of the game disappears, the two laid-back roommates like nothing more than to spend time with their friends and
share something of their home with them. Dancing is one of those things. Since home is more than 2,000 miles away, they do what they can. Of course it helps that they live 20 feet down the hall from each other and know each other as well as family. George, tall and lanky with reddish hair and a ruddy complexion, looks nothing like Casper, who’s more compact with dark, curly hair and chiseled features; however, something about them makes it obvious that they’re more than just teammates. George, sophomore business major from Stellenbosch, South Africa, grew up in a mountain valley town outside of Capetown, the home of Casper Steenkamp, junior business major. The two tennis players first thought of each other as rivals when they met about 10 years ago, but after
About 75 percent of SA could have been eligible for removal from office EMILY CHASTAIN/Staff Photographer
Casper Steenkamp, junior business major from Capetown, South Africa, and George Carstens, sophomore business major from Stellenbosch, South Africa, grew up knowing each other and ended up at ACU together. attending the same high school for five years and playing on the same tennis team, they became best friends.
Getting here Now they’re all each other has
from home. If George yells something in Afrikaans while playing tennis, Casper understands. And no one else quite feels the thrill of watching a close Saturday afternoon rugby match as the two See TENNIS Page 4
By JONATHAN SMITH EDITOR IN CHIEF
A week after no member of Congress protested proceeding with impeachment procedures against Williams Performing Arts Center Rep. Zach Tabers, the Students’ Association backed off its position Wednesday. More than half the members present voted against continuing with the proceedings to impeach Tabers for excessive absences. Tabers, who missed seven of 11 meetings last semester and all four official meetings this semester, offered a written statement explaining his absences. He mainly pointed to his participation in the A Cappella Choir, which practices at the same time as SA meetings, as the reason for his absences. He also wrote that he would make a more concerted effort to attend meetings and vote absentee for those he could not attend. SA’s Constitution says a member may be impeached if they do not attend 80 percent of See SA Page 7
Sing Song preparation weekend shortened EMILY CHASTAIN/Staff Photographer
Casper Steenkamp, junior business major from Capetown, South Africa, and George Carstens, sophomore business major from Stellenbosch, South Africa, decided to come to America to pursue a college education and tennis, something they said they could not have done in South Africa.
By MARY TAN STUDENT REPORTER
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but for many students, finding a date isn’t the point. “It’s not just for couples,” said
Adriana Clonts, freshman vocal performance major from Temple. “It should be a celebration of love and friendship, not just romantic love.” She said she plans to spend her weekend shopping with “other single friends.” Kaela Latimer, senior elementary education major from Amarillo, agreed with Clonts. “My idea of Valentine’s Day is celebrating it with people you care
about,” she said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be a guy-girl thing.” Many students said they do not feel pressured to go out on a date and do not have anything specific scheduled. Some plan to relax in their residence hall rooms or hang out with a group of friends, treating the weekend before the holiday like any other weekend. On the other hand, Daniel Sharp, senior physics major from
By CIANA HARDWICK STUDENT REPORTER
San Antonio, said he plans to cook dinner for his date this weekend. He said he is cooking because he wanted to, not necessarily out of obligation. “I’d rather do something because I decide to, not because there’s some impending holiday,” he said. For students like Joshua Lai, freshman communication major
Moody Weekend participants might actually be able to sleep some this year as a result of the schedule changes being planned. The event, which is a chance for club and class acts to practice their Sing Song performances, will begin Friday at 5 p.m. and end Saturday at 1:15 a.m. In an attempt to ensure the Friday night practice does not go long, two clubs will perform Wednesday night, and each act will have tighter time restraints. Each act will have a 40minute time allotment to practice, and there will be a five-minute break between the acts. Sing Song organizers made the changes largely because last year’s Moody Weekend, which went late into Saturday morning, said Jeffrey Rasco, Sing Song co-chair in charge of
See PLANS Page 7
See MOODY Page 7
Students split on Valentine’s Day plans Some plan special events for holiday, others continue as normal
Two clubs will practice early; groups will have five minutes less
Black History show coming to Cullen Cast, crew have worked on production since November By LORI BREDEMEYER MANAGING EDITOR
This year’s Black History production, Alae: The Roots are Deeper Still, will be Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium. The play was written last summer by Takisha Knight, sophomore English major from Lake Charles, La. The story fol-
lows a girl who realizes around the time of her high school graduation that she doesn’t really know her father and would like to get to know him better, said La Shae Sloan, director of Student Multicultural Enrichment and Student Services. The girl, Alae, decides to travel from New Jersey to Louisiana to live with her father for a while and learn more about him and his family. Sloan said the play will include dances and music native to Louisiana, and it will be “fun, entertaining and edu-
cational — that’s what we always strive for with the Black History production.” The cast and crew have been working since November, and three former directors, all alumni of ACU, have come back to lead the show: Courtney Jackson and Casaundra Johnson, both class of 2002, and Kim Roach, class of 2003. Roach said she had directed the production for three years before this year, and it’s different now because she gets to share Knight’s story through the play instead of
writing it herself. Sloan said more than 30 people are involved, and the directors have been instrumental in making sure everything runs smoothly. “They just know how to make this happen,” she said, “and they have the kind of spirit and energy where they motivate people in a loving way. It’s very much a gift.” Camile Jackson, senior family studies major from Abilene, has been involved in the Black See HISTORY Page 7
EMILY CHASTAIN/Staff Photographer
Students from the Black History production act out an airport scene in Cullen Auditorium on Wednesday night during rehearsal. The production will be Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Cullen, and tickets can be purchased in the ticket windows of the Campus Center.
CAMPUS
DAY
Chapel Check-Up Credited Chapels to date: Credited Chapels remaining:
24 47
Friday, February 11, 2005
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Calendar&Events
Friday
Mac User’s Group meeting, 11a.m.2 p.m., Living Room. Big Brother Big Sister enrollment, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Hilton Room. Welcome Week Steering Committee applications deadline, Administration Building Room 309. The Mousetrap, 6:45 p.m. and 8 p.m., Williams Performing Arts Center. Black History production, 7 p.m., Cullen Auditorium. “The Magnificent Marriage” retreat for married students, 5-8:30 p.m., Oakwood Trails Retreat Center. Last day to sign up to send a Val-OGram, Campus Center ticket windows.
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Saturday
13 14
Announcements
Sunday
Sophomore class rehearsal, 2-5 p.m.
Sing
Song
Monday
Senior class Sing Song rehearsal, 9-10:45 p.m.,Hilton Room. Peer Leader interviews, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Faculty/Staff Dining Room. Freshman Ushers practice, 9-10:45 p.m., Faculty/Staff Dining Room.
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Tuesday
Sophomore class Sing Song rehearsal, 9-10:45 p.m., Hilton Room. MyPEEPS interest meeting, 7 p.m., Living Room. Peer Leader interviews, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Faculty/Staff Dining Room.
The Mousetrap, 6:45 p.m. and 8 p.m., Williams Performing Arts Center.
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Black History production, 7 p.m., Cullen Auditorium.
TGSLC Regional Training, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Hilton Room.
Young Life Luncheon, 1-3 p.m., Faculty/Staff Dining Room.
Siggies meeting, 8-10:45 p.m., Hilton Room.
Wednesday
Camp Shiloh is now taking applications for summer staff. Interviews will be held Feb. 25 and 26. For more information, contact Sallie Chase at campdirector@shiloh nyc.org. The Office of Career and Academic Development reminds students of the upcoming Employment Expo at the Abilene Civic Center on Feb. 17. This Career Fair will shorten weeks of sending resumes and interviewing into a single day. Graduating seniors who are interested in urban ministry should consider the Micah Project. The Micah Project is a new year-long internship program in Portland, Ore., designed to give graduates an opportunity to serve in urban missions. For mor information, go to www.MicahProject.info or contact Amanda Peterson at Amanda@Micah Project.info. MyPEEPS interest meeting will be held Tuesday at 7p.m. in the Living Room. MyPEEPS is a minority peer mentor program. Applications are in the Office of
Student Multicultural Enrichment located in McKenzie Hall Room 123 or call La Shae Sloan at Ext. 6562. Sign up to send a singing message, a Val-O-Gram, to your sweatheart Friday in the ticket windows. Messages will be delivered Feb. 14. Singers are Shannon Bailey, Thurmond Metters and Remel Derrick. Each Val-O-Gram costs $4. For more information, call Camille Jackson at 864-3926. Tickets for the ACU Winter Dinner Theatre, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap are $25 for dinner, dessert and show, and $12 dollars for just the show. For tickets, call 674-2787. The box office, located in the WPAC, is open Monday-Friday 1-5 p.m. The production will run Feb. 11 and 12, 1819 and 25-26 at Fulks Theatre in the Williams Preforming Arts Center. Rush seats after 6 p.m. on the day of the performance for show-only tickets are half price. Deadline for the Maude King Undergraduate Scholarship application, $750 for woman returning to education at ACU, is March 15.
Correction In Wednesday’s men’s basketball article, the headline read: “Wildcats lose 11 games in a row.” The headline should
have reflected that the Wildcats had lost 10 of 11 games. At the time, the team was only in a four-game losing streak.
Shinnery still accepting art entries Editor in chief impressed with poetry submissions accepted By DANIÈLE NTAHONKIRIYE STUDENT REPORTER
ACU’s annual literary magazine, the Shinnery Review, hit deadline last week. “We have got a lot of poetry and fiction submissions; we had fewer arts submitted than we would have liked,” said Kayla Anderson, editor in chief of the Shinnery Review and sophomore English major from Waco. Between 125 and 150 photos, fiction and poetry were submitted. “We are still encouraging people who have art to go
ahead and submit it. There is no theme or anything. We are looking at the quality of the work and also the topic,” Anderson said. She said interesting topics have a better chance to be published than something more common. “We don’t want all the poems to be about love, or breakups; we want to have different themes, but we have no set rules,” she said. The members of the Shinnery Review haven’t looked at all the submissions, but the ones they have looked at are great, she said. “The poetry that we have started to review has been really good, and I’ve been really impressed with just how many we have been able to say ‘yes’ to so far,”
Anderson said. The Shinnery Review is trying to receive more funding so readers can enjoy the entries in color. “Last year we published black and white except the cover, and we would like to add color on the inside, so some of the art would look better than black and white,” she said. Many student group budgets were cut this year, Anderson said. Without outside funds, the members of the Shinnery Review are having difficulty finding the money necessary to produce a literary magazine in color, which will add to the cost of printing. “We are trying to work with SA, and I think we’ll be able to find the funds to pub-
lish,” she said. Dr. Albert Haley, adviser for the Shinnery Review and associate professor of English, said their primary problem is funding. “A lot of student organizations on campus have the same problem: most of the funds come from SA. They change the way they give out their money from year to year,” Haley said. “Initially we were told that that we couldn’t ask for it until the spring.” “We are hoping we can get the university to recognize that this needs separate funding from the university itself, not from the students.”
E-mail Ntahonkiriye at: optimist@acu.edu
Volunteer Opportunities Treadaway Kids needs volunteers to spend time with children in its program. Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Zack Robinson at ztr02@acu.edu or call (573) 7765215. ACU Lectureship needs volunteers to help usher at the
evening lectures in Moody Coliseum Feb. 20, 21 and 23, 6:308:30 p.m. Chisholm House Assisted Living has requested volunteers Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, contact the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center.
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.
CAMPUS NEWS
Friday, February 11, 2005
Formal season about to begin Officers begin to sort through locations, budgets, other details
Page 3
Chocolate lover’s delight
“It’s usually about a hundred dollars a couple, but we’re going to try to cut that down a bit.” Hillary Mudroch, senior criminal justice major from Angleton
By TIFFANY TAYLOR PAGE 2 EDITOR
Frater Sodalis will host the first of the social club spring formals Saturday, while other social clubs are waiting until after Sing Song to plan their events. The annual string of socials will begin with Frat’s upcoming formal, themed “Military Dining Out.” “I just try to plan something where I’ll know everyone will have a good time,” said Dustin Marshall, junior accounting major from Abilene and vice president of Frater Sodalis. “Military Dining Out” is not original this year. The club adopted a plan in 1993 to use the theme every odd year, Marshall said. While at the formal, attendees must follow rules, such as not laughing unless the club president laughs and the mandatory “meeting and greeting” time. “There’s a script that goes with it, and I have to finish doing the script,” said Marshall, who added he is also finishing decorations. Marshall said participating
Frats and their dates will change out of their formal wear and travel to the First Baptist Church Family Life Center to play games. “We have a little game room that has pool tables and pingpong tables set up,” Marshall said, adding that the center also includes a skating rink. Other clubs on campus are at different stages of the preparation process. Jenni Kripner, senior elementary education major from San Antonio and GATA president, said officers in her club have chosen April for their formal. “We just have a few ideas, and we’re checking into them,” Kripner said. She also said GATA officers like to wait to reveal the theme of the social as a surprise for the women in the club. Those who organize their club's social face the challenge of making a formal fun and appealing to club members and their dates. “I want to make sure that we don’t just eat dinner, and that
we also do something fun the girls will enjoy,” Kripner said. She said her club usually tries to use the theme to lead to a fun activity after the formal. One aspect that affects club officers’ decisions is the budget. Officers must consider the cost of renting a location, catering, entertainment, decorations, Tshirts and pictures when preparing a formal. Choices like whether to rent a location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area or simply to attend a movie at the Paramount Theatre will affect how much couples pay to attend. “It’s usually about a hundred dollars a couple, but we’re going to try to cut that down a bit,’ said Hillary Mudroch, senior criminal justice major from Angleton. Mudroch, president of Delta Theta, said her club is waiting to plan a social until after its March fund-raiser, which she said will bring down the cost for couples. E-mail Taylor at: tat04a@acu.edu
Fund-raisers sing sweet tunes Val-O-Grams available for $4; group halfway to goal of 100 By MITCH HOLT STAFF WRITER
Several students are selling Val-O-Grams, singing telegrams, this week for Valentine’s Day to raise money for Essence of Ebony’s Spring Break Campaign. Shannon Bailey, senior management major from Corsicana, Remel Derrick, senior music major from Dallas, and Thurmond Metters, senior psychology major from Houston, members of the student singing troupe called The Group, will be the singers delivering the Val-OGrams. Students can make orders through Friday at the Campus Center ticket win-
dows, and the actual deliveries will be made throughout the day Monday. Students who order a ValO-Gram not only are sending a love song to a friend. Patrons are also furthering Essence of Ebony’s spring break mission effort, said Camile Jackson senior family studies major from Abilene and the leader of the fundraiser. “The money raised will sponsor Essence of Ebony’s Spring Break Campaign to Oklahoma City,” Jackson said. Jackson said the effort is important because the money is going toward a mission trip to the inner city of Oklahoma City. If enough money is raised for the trip, the members of Essence of Ebony will be working with the youth of the city and taking part in a large effort to build a sports
complex for the area. The main targets of the desired mission effort are single mothers, troubled youth and rough areas of town, Jackson said. “We are about halfway to our goal, and we would probably need about 100 students to participate for us to reach our goal,” Jackson said. It costs $4 to send a Valentine’s Day card in the form of song. Students can choose from a list of songs or request a special song if Bailey, Derrick or Metters know it. Approximately twelve other students are involved in the fund-raiser. “This is a great chance to express love to your special someone and help students go on a Spring Break Campaign,” Jackson said. E-mail Holt at: mah02f@acu.edu
Marriage mentoring available Local churches offer classes for young couples in Abilene By NATHAN STRAUS STUDENT REPORTER
Local churches are running mentor programs for dating or married couples. Hillcrest Church of Christ and University Church of Christ began mentor programs this semester for young couples seeking guidance. These programs assign couples with questions about relationships to older couples who might have answers. Common Grounds, a program run by Hillcrest for couples 20 to 30 years of age, is led by Jack Hardcastle,
Hillcrest’s family minister. Common Grounds members work with Love and Care Ministries to do service projects from time to time. Their latest project involves sorting donated clothes from a Christmas clothing drive. Common Grounds plans to run a Murder Mystery Party, an event open to the public where an audience member is chosen to be a murderer. The whole activity is a game, and the case is solved over dinner. The actual date for the party has not been set yet, but Hardcastle said he would likely conduct it within the next two weeks. Keith Clark, class facilitator at University Church of Christ, runs a similar mentor program called Becoming One. “We were shooting for
eight couples,” Clark said. The couples participate in weekly presentations by resource speakers like Dr. Carl Brecheen, professor of Bible, missions and ministry, Clark said. The program sign-up list is full, and “there is a limit to how many couples can be in it,” Clark said. The program, which is aimed at college couples and lasts nine weeks began Wednesday. The classes are from 7-8 p.m. Although Clark is not accepting any more couples this semester, he said he would like to conduct another program with other couples in the fall. E-mail Straus at: optimist@acu.edu
ROBIN WALLER/Contributing Photographer
Carolyn Zabbia, who has worked at Candies by Vletas on North First Street for six-and-a-half years, dips a strawberry in chocolate in preparation for Valentine’s Day. The shop will make between 10,000 and 13,000 chocolate-dipped strawberries by the end of the day Monday.
‘Love’ might not be ‘on the air’ NBS broadcast to focus on weddings, but could be postponed
“If we can’t get the people we need to help us film it, it might get pushed away.” Sarah Reid, senior electronic media major from Abilene
By MARY TAN STAFF WRITER
An annual student-produced television broadcast that previously provided dating advice will instead focus on marriage this year. The show will detail the wedding process and include advice from marriage counselors. Originally called Love is on the Air, the title has been changed to Love is on the Air: Weddings. “It’ll be about what to look for and what to be aware of when planning a wedding … from engagement to down the aisle,” said Sarah Reid, senior electronic media major from Abilene and president of the National Broadcasting Society. The organization is mostly made up of broadcast journalism and electronic media majors. Love is on the Air began airing two years ago. Reid said she felt changing the theme to marriage would be appropri-
ate, especially at ACU where many students, including herself, are engaged at a relatively young age. “It was easy enough for me to pick it out,” she said. Reid is engaged to Paul Gibson (class of 2004), a member of NBS. The couple will host the show and document their experiences. Love is on the Air is produced as part of the society’s fund-raising efforts. In its first year, students were charged $5 to send a message to their loved ones on television, but the show was not well received because people were too embarrassed to go on air, Reid said. Since then, NBS has targeted businesses, producing commercial spots for every company that donates at least $200. With the funds, NBS sends its members to national conventions, giving participants a
chance to meet professionals in their field. This year, the convention will be in Los Angeles during spring break. NBS members are not paid to produce shows like Love is on the Air. They do it on their spare time, Reid said. Sometimes production difficulties result. The show was initially scheduled to air during the week of Valentine’s Day, but because most of the NBS members are involved in other productions such as Sing Song, Love is on the Air might be postponed. “If we can’t get the people we need to help us film it, it might get pushed away,” said Reid. “It takes a lot more work that most people think.”
E-mail Tan at: mtt04a@acu.edu
CAMPUS NEWS
Page 4
Friday, February 11, 2005
2-1-1 celebrates first anniversary Friday afternoon Statewide assistance telephone number helps Texans By TIFFANY TAYLOR PAGE 2 EDITOR
Call for Help will celebrate the first anniversary of 2-1-1, a statewide telephone number people can dial for assistance and information, on Friday with an open house at Taylor Country Plaza beginning at 2:11 p.m. The open house will display some of the uses of 2-1-1. Public leaders, those who have been helped by the 211 program and those interested in learning more about the benefits of the program are welcome to attend. “If you dial 2-1-1 on a land line anywhere in Texas you would get a real person 24/7,” said Mary Cooksey, director of
the Community Resource Center, which is a part of Call for Help. Cooksey, who has been with the program since its beginning one year ago, said, “The hope and dream is that you can be anywhere in the nation and call 2-1-1 and get help.” Cooksey uses the word “help” to mean the advice Call for Help can give callers about how to receive tax refunds, where to find cheaper dental help, how to use public transportation and much more. The program’s job is to be the place to call when, “somebody has a problem or need, and they don’t even know where to begin,” Cooksey said. The local Call for Help services 19 counties, including Taylor County, and has answered 26,542 calls in the past year. Operators must know minute details concerning the city and surrounding counties.
“The thing that has been the most frustrating and gratifying is that we have to know about services in the 19 county area because we have to know what services are before we make referrals to them,” Cooksey said. If a person in Abilene calls 2-1-1, the call will be routed through an electronic filtering system in Austin and back to Abilene based on the caller’s area code, said Nancy Coburn, director of the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center. The caller will then be greeted by a “good afternoon,” asked what his or her problem is, given a possible solution, given possible alternatives and told to call 2-1-1 again if the problem was not solved. Cooksey said an example of someone who might call 2-1-1 is someone who needs dental care, but can’t afford a dentist. If the person is in Abilene, he
or she would probably be told to visit Medical Care Mission. Other options would be to ask a church or an aid organization in town for monetary assistance and possibly visit the emergency room if the tooth is infected. “You go to start your car one day and it doesn’t work. Does Abilene have a bus service? A cab service?” Cooksey said. 2-1-1 operators are trained to be able to answer those kinds of questions for people specifically in Abilene and surrounding counties. Some people haven’t ever been in a tight spot before and resort to haphazardly looking through the yellow pages, said Cooksey. Students have not been able to work for Call for Help because the program does not offer short-term volunteer opportunities and requires
telephone operators to complete 60 hours of training before they answer a call. However, Cooksey said students could definitely benefit from the program. Students’ salaries are usually small enough to warrant a tax return, and Call for Help can make the necessary forms available to students and answer any questions. 2-1-1 operators are informed of money offered to students in specific circumstances and their job is to help student callers obtain money to help them live. The developing 2-1-1 program has improved Call for Help’s effectiveness over the past year. “Now through the Internet and the 2-1-1 system, we’re allowed to provide a lot more help to more people a lot more cost effectively,” Cooksey said. Because she has been
involved in service programs before, Cooksey said she hasn’t had problems over the past year with callers trying to take advantage of the assistance. “I’ve got a policy and a procedure for just about any call you can imagine.” One new possibility for the future is ACU students’ involvement with Call for Help. “Nancy Coburn has been working with me to see if we can get some student workers into the program,” Cooksey said. Coburn said she would love to send volunteers. She said the two talked about social work majors working at Call for Help for class or for internship because, “That’s a really great experience for them before going into the field.” E-mail Taylor at: tat04a@acu.edu
Tennis: South Africans arrive at ACU by fate Continued from Page 1 roommates. But the friends came close to spending their college years apart. Although both George and Casper played tennis at a prestigious South African high school in Stellenbosch, one Casper lived at in dorms for five years; they knew they had a difficult decision to make after graduation. “In South Africa you can’t play and study,” George said in his proper-sounding South African accent. “It’s just too much.” You either dedicate your time to school, or you dedicate your time to tennis; balancing the two isn’t possible. So they had to choose: Stay in South Africa and decide between college and tennis or move to America and do both. They both decided to apply for scholarships at schools in the United States, and Casper received a scholarship to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where he began school and tennis in January 2003. George, however, decided to wait until the fall semester to begin school in America. George chose to attend ACU without even seeing campus, but his consolation at the time was that he might get to spend time with his friend Casper on weekends. Meanwhile, after a semester at Tech, several factors weren’t working out for Casper, so he looked into transferring to a smaller school where he would play more tennis; also, the Christian atmosphere of ACU was attractive to him. “I knew that George […] was going to come to ACU in August, so I was also having the option open,” Casper said. After a conversation with tennis coach Hutton Jones and a visit to campus, Casper decided to make the switch. So George and Casper began school at ACU togeth-
er in the fall of 2003, George as a freshman, and Casper as a transfer. “It actually worked out perfectly,” George said. “It’s almost like I was forced to come because it was like God worked out the plan.” Casper agrees. “I believe that is something that was above our control,” he said.
Settling in After a full year at ACU, both George and Casper said life at college and in America has exceeded their expectations. “The first two months were pretty hard,” George said, “just getting used to the training schedule and new places and new friends. But afterwards it was almost like a dream come true. We had a great tennis team, and I made great friends, and I learned a lot, so much, spiritually, emotionally about myself.” Although the transition wasn’t easy, George said it helped to have Casper here with him. “We know almost everything about each other,” George said. “We can talk about everything.” And they do talk — in Afrikaans, their native language, which is related to Dutch and English and sounds strangely foreign and familiar all at once to English ears. Speaking together in their own language is one thing, along with dancing, that’s helped them keep some of the South African culture alive in America. The tennis players will often clear a space in their living room or move out to the back porch to teach their friends the simple dances they learned in South Africa. George especially enjoys twirling, two-stepping and waltzing with a partner to any kind of music that happens to be playing. They also like to cook South African dishes to enjoy together and to share with their friends. Their roommate
A.J. Smith, junior political science major from Pampa, said he never knows what he’ll find on the stove or in the refrigerator, whether it’s some variation of pasta or pancakes for dinner. Another South African custom the roommates keep is watching rugby together. They used to have to depend on friends to tape the matches for them, but now they have cable at home. “Every Saturday we make time to watch a rugby game,” Casper said. “While we were in America the World Cup of rugby took place, so that was a really big thing for us, so we made time late in the evenings just to watch the rugby games.” Smith said he tries to get into rugby with the South Africans, but he can’t find the excitement they do. “When they watch rugby they jump up and down on the couch and scream,” Smith said. “They’re crazy and keep things interesting.” The South Africans’ tennis coach, Hutton Jones, has also noticed their dedication to rugby. “My biggest thing is trying to convince them that rugby isn’t a sport,” he said with a laugh.
The “real” sport When not dancing around their living room or jumping on the couch about a rugby match, George and Casper dance and jump around their opponents in tennis. Last year Casper played in the No.1 position for the Wildcats as a sophomore and was a regional and Lone Star Conference Champion. Casper and his doubles partner, Jason Ray, ranked No. 13 in doubles in the nation. As a freshman, George usually played in the No.3 or No.4 position and was a dominant and steady player on the team, Jones said; he won more than 80 percent of his matches. Although George recently
had surgery on his shoulder, which he didn’t tell anyone about until showing up at home in Abilene with a blue sling on his arm, he’s back on the courts for the season, which began this month. “They’re both good under pressure,” Jones said, “and I really feel like neither one of them has reached his complete game. “George is very solid,” Jones added. “His temperament on the court doesn’t go up and down. Casper is little fierier - a little more gritty. He’s like a linebacker on the tennis court.” Although the friends don’t usually play on the same doubles team, they still spend a lot of time on the court together. “We know each other’s games so well that we can help each other in tennis,” Casper said. “We enjoy playing against each other because it brings out the best of each other’s games.” Even though George and Casper are best friends off the court, they say they still like to beat each other. “We get serious on the court and want to beat each other really bad.” George said. But when they play, they make it a point to treat each other with respect, something their coach has noticed. Jones said he sometimes has trouble finding good tennis players who are selfless and team players, but in George and Casper, he said he found what he was looking for. “We do respect each other a lot on the court; we show a lot of respect,” Casper said. “It’s a sport — it stays the same. It doesn’t matter who you play.” The respect and friendship keep George and Casper close, and allow them to watch rugby matches together and dance with their friends late into the night.
E-mail Schneider at: jrs02a@acu.edu
EMILY CHASTAIN/Staff Photographer
Casper Steenkamp returns the tennis balls to a high school student during a Tuesday afternoon tennis lesson.
Students attend two-day conference in California Pepperdine Law School conducts conference on social justice BY LAURA STORK STAFF WRITER
Five ACU students traveled to Malibu, Calif., last weekend for a two-day conference on faith and social justice. The students visited Pepperdine University’s Law School, attended panel discussions and talked with panel speakers. Tyler Cosgrove, junior finance major from Amarillo, said he was the only business major from ACU to attend the conference, but he was able to learn a lot about corporate law, which he said he eventually wants to practice. “[The speakers] gave a perspective for someone who hasn’t even entered into law school yet,” Cosgrove said. “They helped us to see that we should fulfill the role God has created for us and gave us a prospective of where we could be lead.” Justin Scott, junior political science major from Whitehouse, was awarded the Jack Pope Fellows Scholarship last spring, which requires the completion of a public service minor and also attending seminars and workshops to learn how to be a more effective leader. Scott said although he went
on the trip to meet Fellows requirements, the trip was a lot of fun, and the people who spoke were inspiring. “A lot of what was talked about was giving legal aid to people who can’t afford it,” Scott said. “Too often our society can be perverted by people who have money and oppress those who don’t.” Scott said while law can make lives better, many people use it to tyrannize others. “Jesus talked about not oppressing people. Lawyers can be a part of that in our society,” Scott said. “A lot of times lawyers get a bad rap about things.” Scott, who wants to go to law school after graduation, said the conference reaffirmed his interest in law. “Law can be used for something noble and the heart of God,” said Scott, who hopes to work with international human rights or even represent the poor and homeless. Cosgrove said even though a good portion of the trip was spent in the lecture hall, it was a blast. “There were many fabulous and impressive speakers, including Kenneth Starr,” Cosgrove said. “The speakers had a lot to say and contributed greatly to the conference.” E-mail Stork at: las00f@acu.edu
ARTSFRIDAY OPTIMIST
February 11, 2005
The Box Office Figures are for the weekend of February 4-6 and are in millions. Total grosses in parenthesis. 1 Boogeyman—$19 (new) 2 The Wedding Date—$11.1 (new) 3 Are We There Yet?—$10.6 ($51.3) 4 Hide and Seek—$8.9 ($35.7) 5 Million Dollar Baby—$8.5 ($34.4) 6 The Aviator—$5.4 ($75.9) 7 Meet the Fockers—$4.8 ($265.2) 8 Sideways—$4.7 ($46.7) 9 Racing Stripes—$4.3 ($40.4) 10 Coach Carter—$4.2 ($59.3)
Today’s Movies Hitch (PG-13)—starring Will Smith, Kevin James, Amber Valletta, Eva Mendes; directed by Andy Tennant. Smith stars as Alex “Hitch” Hitchens, New York City’s “date doctor.” While Hitch coaches Albert (James), a shy accountant smitten with Allegra, an attractive celebrity (Valletta), he meets his match when he meets Sara (Mendes), a gossip columnist writing about Allegra.
Page 5
‘The Mousetrap’ opens for three-weekend run By SARAH CARLSON ARTS EDITOR
Editor’s Note: The Mousetrap opened Thursday night, and because of time constraints with this paper’s Thursday night deadline, I was unable to review the show for this issue. Theatre Department policy prefers that dress rehearsals not be reviewed, so the review of the show will run next Friday. Last-minute touches are in place for The Mousetrap, ACU’s Winter Dinner Theatre. The Agatha Christie play revolves around a group of people who come to stay at Monkswell Manor, a guesthouse, and are eventually snowed in. During this time a murder takes place, and an inspector is brought in, with the rest of the show playing out in a whodunit fashion. Originally a radio play first performed in 1952, Christie quickly penned the play for the stage after enthusiastic reactions from audiences. The show is still running with more than 20,000 performances, making it the longest-running stage play in theatre history. Director Mike Fernandez, assistant professor of theatre,
Ticket Info Tickets for The Mousetrap can be purchased by calling Ext. 2787 and the WPAC box office is open 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Dinner, dessert and show tickets are $25, show-only tickets are $12. Half-price rush seats are available after 6 p.m. performance day with a show-only ticket.
described the play as a melodrama, combining both comedy and drama with a happy ending. He said the cast has been working “like busy little bees,” finalizing their performances, refining the show and seeing what works best. “We’re ready for an audience,” Fernandez said. The cast includes junior Juliette Miller, freshman Matt Worthington, freshman Jay Reese, senior Amanda McGee, sophomore Josh Martin, sophomore Meredith Brown, sophomore Ryan Massie and senior Ryan Fonville. This is Fernandez’s first year teaching at ACU, and he said it is wonderful. A ’99 graduate, he spent the past five years teaching theatre at a private Christian high school where he ran the
EMILY CHASTAIN/Staff Photographer
Juliette Miller and Matt Worthington embrace during a scene of Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap,’ ACU’s Winter Dinner Theatre production. The show runs Friday and Saturday, then Feb. 18-19 and 25-26. show, a contrast to his job now where he works with dedicated staff and students who offer plenty of help. This summer, Fernandez will direct Julius Caesar in the annual Abilene Shakespeare Festival. Auditions are Feb. 21
and are open to the public. Auditions for the other play in the festival, Twelfth Night, directed by Gary Varner, associate professor of theatre, are Feb. 22, and both plays will run in July. For now, Fernandez said he is excited about The Mousetrap
and that all the elements of costumes, lighting and the set have combined to form a memorable show. E-mail Carlson at: skc02a@acu.edu
Paramount airs Valentine’s Day meets the chocolate factory film for holiday ‘It Happened One Night’ shown for Valentine’s Day By EMERALD McGOWAN STUDENT REPORTER
The Paramount Theatre will show the Academy Award-winning It Happened One Night on Friday and Saturday in honor of Valentine’s Day. Showings will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $4 for students, military, senior citizens and children, and $5 for adults. Students who are members of ACU’s Honors Program are welcome to watch the movie together at the 2 p.m. Saturday showing. Students will meet and sit in the balcony of the Paramount. After the show, students can walk to McKay’s Bakery for dessert and discussion. In accordance with the Paramount’s 75th anniversary celebration, It Happened One Night, starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, begins a series of six Academy Award-winning films. “We chose this movie because it is historically significant,” says Barry Smoot, artistic director at the Paramount. “It Happened One Night is not only a classic romance, but also the first film to win all five top Academy Awards. [Gable and Colbert] are cultural icons — students may not know who they are, but they will defi-
Vletas, McKay’s, Russell Stover offer tasty holiday treats
nitely recognize their star power.” According to Tim Dirks of www.filmsite.org, It Happened One Night is the story of the “unlikely romantic pairing of an economically mismatched couple ... a reversal of the Cinderella story, with lighthearted sex appeal in which courtship and love triumph over class conflicts, socio-economic differences and verbal battles of wit.” Kalyn Pierce, sophomore art education major from Menard, said she will probably attend the film this weekend. “It’s cheaper than going to another theatre, and I already know it’s a good movie,” Pierce said. “Anyway, the Paramount has a romantic atmosphere — the kind of romantic place you go with a bunch of girls and think about how romantic it would be to go there with a guy, but if you went with a guy he’d just ruin it.” The Paramount has been showing a film for Valentine’s Day since its restoration in 1986. Typically, the film is shown on Valentine’s Day, but the theatre will be privately booked Monday by the Abilene Opera Association, forcing the film to be moved to Friday and Saturday. The next movie scheduled at the Paramount will be Napoleon Dynamite, free to ACU students Feb. 24 as part of CAB’s Free Night Out. E-mail McGowan at: optimist@acu.edu
By TIFFANY WILLIAMS COPY EDITOR
With Valentine’s Day only days away, some students might have overlooked a love potion too sweet to pass up: chocolate. The delectable, rich-but-fattening dessert is perfect for occasions like Valentine’s Day, a time to enjoy pleasure to the fullest, said Carolyn Zabbia, who works at Candies by Vletas. “Chocolate really is the ultimate for Valentine’s,” Zabbia said. Vletas has been proving that candy really is dandy for Valentine’s Day and other special occasions since 1912. The store, located on North First Street, boasts “hand dipped chocolate with no preservatives,” but it is the aroma of cocoa beans customers notice
first. If patrons think they are visiting a chocolate factory when they walk through the doors of Vletas, it is because they are. The treats are made and sold in the same location. Walking through the store is an “exhilarating” experience, said Cassey O’Connor, senior English major from San Francisco. Wooden shelves display bags of fudge, chocolatedipped nuts, chocolate-covered Oreos and sugar-free confections. Sometimes Zabbia stands behind the counter to hand out samples of large, green grapes dipped in white chocolate. Vletas specializes in truffles and chocolate-covered fruit. Students who preorder a gift receive a free chocolate covered strawberry, which is about the size of the palm of a hand. Other Valentine’s options for students who are looking for a custom-made gift for their sweetheart can be found at McKay’s Bakery. The restaurant offers a large selection of baked goodies like cakes, cupcakes and cookies, which can be tai-
lored to fit almost any request, said Dianne Green, owner of McKay’s Bakery. “We bake everything here,” she said. “We don’t order in big boxes or repackage, and we don’t do preservatives. We use a lot of recipes that are handed down.” Green said Valentine’s Day is a busy holiday for the store— bigger than Fourth of July and Father’s Day—and customers pay anywhere from $5 to $30 for Valentine’s Day sweets from McKay’s. “It rivals a holiday like Mother’s Day,” she said. “The reason is that when you think of those you love, you think of pleasing them. We please people in a lot of ways, and taste is one of them.” Russell Stover Candies, located on Interstate 20, is also an option for the holiday. The store sells plastic hearts filled with candy, gift baskets, boxes and assorted chocolates, manager Malinda Jarrell said. “We do a really good business for Valentine’s,” Jarrell
said. “Chocolate is a favorite to everyone at this time of year.” She said the assorted chocolates and the Millionaire, a creamy dessert made with honey, are the most popular candies the store has to offer. Prices for the chocolate treasures range from about $5 to $50, and sugar-free items are also available. For shoppers who are watching their wallet and waist size, Russell Stover also sells fresh roses, Mylar balloons and Valentine’s Day greeting cards. Jarrell said she is accustomed to seeing male customers come to the store to buy chocolate for women. “We have guys all the time who need out of the dog house or want to stay out of the dog house,” she said. Jarrell knows the best reason to buy chocolate for Valentine’s Day is, “well, it just tastes really good.” E-mail Williams at: tat00b@acu.edu
VIEWSFRIDAY OPTIMIST
Page 6
Victims need help, not empty promises
The issue: According to CNN.com, only a third of the money pledged to help tsunami relief has actually been donated.
Our view: The countries that promised money need to follow through on their pledges and not forget the tragedy simply because time has passed.
The solution: Promises should not be made unless they can be kept.
February 11, 2005
A month and a half after the devastating Dec. 26 tsunami in South Asia killed more than 160,000 people, nations have pledged $977 million. But the affected countries have only seen a little more than a third of this money, according to CNN.com. Nations around the world were quick to promise money immediately after the disaster in the rush to give quick assistance to the victims. But so far, only $360 million of that has actually been given to the relief. The leaders of these nations
Poor does not equal unromantic Only three days until one honest, a few just forgot and of the most important days already spent the money on of the year: Next Monday. special-edition DVDs, but On that day, depending on for the most part we (ages r e l i g i o u s 18-24) are just broke. This seemed to come as a views, the campus will surprise to the television be celebrating newscasters — a sad surprise. either Val- They did, however, offer a entine’s Day bit of hope: Older Americans or Single (age 45-54) are spending a A w a r e n e s s bit more at $118.11. Older Day. People Americans (age 45-54) are No Pun for have the op- all apparently buying the portunity to exact same item to have such Barcroft show either a specific estimate. Daniel It comes as no surprise to their signifiBarcroft cant other or me that Americans who are their single friends how spe- fabled to make enough cial they are and what an money to support themimportant role they play in selves and perhaps a family their life. And if you fit into are spending more than Americans the “significant who are reguother” category, larly calling a you had better The notion that residence they make that opmuch correlation do not live at portunity a most of the mandate — A exists between high for year in order sparkly mandate with some gas prices and low to ask for money. (Extra chocolate. Valentine’s/Single points if it’s I was watchnot even your ing a news proAwareness Day parents’ resigram on televispending is cause dence.) sion Monday I imagine night, and the for laughing so the older Amestory was about (ages Valentine’s Day. hard you fall over. ricans 45-54) were It reported that saddened by young people the news, (ages 18-24) will be spending less this thinking that we younger year on Valentine’s Day than Americans (ages 18-24) have the average. They said the lost our romantic edge. They reason for this was that high- might even have made a er gas prices hit people of comment prefaced by “In my day.” that age harder. Let me assure these older This news story was clearly written by someone who Americans (ages 45-54) that was not a young person (age by no means have we (ages 18-24). High gas prices cer- 18-24) lost the romance. We tainly affect us all. But the just have to work a little notion that much correlation harder at it, and it looks less exists between high gas impressive to outsiders. But prices and low Valen- if it would make you feel bettine’s/Single Awareness Day ter, a raise would get us back spending is cause for laugh- up to par on the Valentine’s ing so hard you fall over if spending. And let me assure the sigyou happen to be a young nificant others (ages 18-24) person (age 18-24). The reason we (ages 18- that it’s not our fault. We’re 24) will not be spending just biding our time ‘til you much is that we are working can have a real present when a variety of jobs at Abilene we turn 45. Or 54. student wages. Many of us are doing well to “almost” make rent and bills. Many of us are calling home with Respond to Barcroft at: financial requests. Let’s be dwb99a@acu.edu or optimist@acu.edu
Valentine’s Day isn’t all about Cupid The most oxymoronic day of the year approaches quickly. It is the holiday people around the world both hate and love with passion. It is a day when lovers stroll hand in hand batting eyes at each other, when men race to WalUnveiling Mart to pick up the last lonely the Mask rose, when woMallory men fondly Sherwood think back to the first time they met their special someone. It is also a day when the single men and women around the world are reminded most of their single status, when all couples become instantly hated, and when it seems that there will never be anyone to be your valentine. Snap out of it. Valentine’s Day may be known as the lover’s holiday today, but there is so much more that makes the holiday interesting. As one legend goes, according to historychannel.com, Val-
Valentine’s Day wasn’t begun because Cupid shoots arrows at people’s hearts to make them fall in love. entine’s Day began during the rule of Emperor Claudius II in Rome. Claudius the Cruel, as he was known, couldn’t convince men to join the military during this time of bloody wars because they didn’t want to leave their family. To try to remedy this, Claudius decided to cancel all marriages and engagements in Rome. Valentine, a Christian priest, defended love in the Roman Empire and secretly married couples despite the Emperor’s orders not to. When Claudius found out, he sent Valentine to prison where he remained until his death on Feb. 14. Who knew Valentine’s Day wasn’t begun because Cupid shoots arrows at people’s hearts to make them fall in love? Who knew he doesn’t even exist? Besides tales of cruel emperors and romantic priests, here are some interesting facts about Valentine’s Day. • More than eight billion of the tiny, conversation hearts that
Americans especially love to buy around Valentine’s Day, with sayings like “U-R GR8,” and “Be mine,” are produced each year in Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Louisiana. These fat-free, sodium-free candies only contain three calories per small heart and six per big heart. • In 2004, an estimated 175 million roses were produced for Valentine’s Day. It is also the florist ’s No. 1 holiday. • Eighty percent of the men buying roses on Valentine’s Day will give them to their wife or significant others, while the majority of women who buy roses on Valentine’s Day will give them to themselves. • According to the Society of American Florists, 61 percent of men of all ages would like to receive flowers from a woman on Valentine’s Day. • Fifty-three percent of women in American would dump their boyfriend if they didn’t get them anything for Valentine’s Day, according to
amusingfacts.com. • Americans spend about $1.2 million on Valentine’s Day candy each year. • More than one billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year in America, and the most popular recipients, in order, are: teachers, children and mothers. If you are happily married, dating someone, happily single or otherwise, look at Feb. 14 with a new perspective. It is a day to celebrate romance and love, for everyone. It is not just a day for lovers and swooning couples. It is a day to show you care. Show yourself, your family, friends, and yes, even your peers how grateful you are for the relationships around you. Get a shoebox out of your closet, decorate it, see how many Valentine’s Day cards you collect, and if you are really feeling the spirit of your childhood, send your best SpongeBob SquarePants one to that 8:00 Monday morning professor.
Respond to Sherwood at: mes02e@acu.edu or optimist@acu.edu
“I got stood up last year. I had this whole date planned, and it cost a lot of money, and she sure did stand me up.”
“I’ve never really had a Valentine, so I guess I don’t know.”
“I don’t have one.”
“When my friend filled my room up with red balloons while I was in school.”
Hermiaya Harris
Donny Lasko
Jennifer Dury
Jordan Steger
sophomore art major from Lubbock
sophomore business management major from Dallas
freshman undeclared major from Abilene.
freshman political science major from Dallas
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
Daniel Barcroft
In My Words
In Your Words What’s your most memorable Valentine’s Day moment?
donors also need to remember that although their help in these first few months is invaluable, the pain and suffering of the victims won’t quickly end. The effects of this tragedy could take years to overcome, and restructuring and rebuilding communities and lives takes time. The countries will continue to need monetary assistance for months to come. In order to truly help the victims of the tsunami, individuals, corporations and nations should refrain from making empty promises and donate the money they pledge to make a difference in these people’s lives.
need to follow The White But the affected countries have only seen a little House through on their said the more than a third of this money. promises, espemoney will help cially because with reconthis money will struction in the for International affected countries, institute an determine whether some of the Agency victims live or die or are able to Development, in an article on early-warning system to alert start their lives over again. people of future tsunamis and CNN.com. President Bush this week As one of the richest and help prevent another tragedy said he will ask Congress to give most powerful countries in the like this, and help people move an additional $600 million to world, the United States should back to their homes, among the relief effort, bringing the help other countries, especially other things. Now that Bush has total pledged by the U.S. gov- in a critical time of need like said he wants to give this ernment to $950 million. If this. However, the U.S. govern- money, if Congress approves the approved, the money would be ment is falling behind in its proposal, the government needs the largest, most generous gift promise to give $350 million, as to follow through and quickly the United States has ever only $119 million has been donate the money to the relief given, said Andrew Natsios, given to the countries — 34 per- effort. administrator of the U.S. cent of the money promised. The governments and private
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
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JUMPS
Friday, February 11, 2005
Page 7
SA: Executive officers, Congress decide against impeachment Continued from Page 1 official meetings or committee meetings or put in the required number of office hours. Upon reading his statement, most members of Congress leaned toward extending him grace. “To be an effective member, you have to be a part of the building you represent,” junior Sen. Andrew Greenberg said. “If you’re associating with people of your constituency, I think we should give him a little grace.” Some members, although in favor of extending Tabers’ grace this time, warned Congress to monitor his future attendance. “I don’t think we need to question what happened in the past,” senior Sen. Jeffrey Rasco said. “If he’s going to continue
to choose to miss SA meetings, he’s not choosing to serve.” Much of the discussion centered on where the real work of SA occurs. “Anyone who thinks the real work of SA takes place at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays in this room has it all wrong,” sophomore Sen. Jake Roseberry said. Members never officially voted on Tabers’ impeachment. The executive officers interpreted SA’s Constitution to mean that one of the officers must make the motion for impeachment. When asked if it would like to continue with the impeachment, Congress voted 14-18. Speaking for the executive cabinet, Sarah Woodroof, executive secretary, announced they would not continue with the proceedings at this time. “We only will go through
with the impeachment if it is the will of Congress as a whole,” Woodroof said. “Most of the comments I’ve gotten today have been against the impeachment.” Congress also showed con-
A few members supported the idea of passing a resolution asking Tabers to stick to his renewed commitment for participation or resign, or face the impeachment process again in the future. However, that reso-
“Most of the comments I’ve gotten today have been against impeachment.” Sarah Woodroof, executive secretary of the Students’ Association
cern for impeaching one member of Congress when it was announced that more than 40 percent of members could have been impeached for missing too many meetings, and 75 percent of Congress were in violation of the attendance policy for meetings and working office hours.
lution failed 4-26 with two abstentions. In other business, freshman Sen. Brandon Smith asked SA for ideas and its opinion on rewriting congressional bylaws. He said a committee of members has been formed to look into the bylaws, which were written for a Congress
meant for a different purpose. “The bylaws were not written for a Congress based on advocacy,” Smith said. “The bylaws were not meant to change.” When Congress votes to change its bylaws, it simply writes a new rule on top of the existing laws. Bylaws still exist regarding the election of class officers, which were done away with two years ago when classes began electing five senators instead of a president and vice president. Congress also pledged support for an electronic voting system to replace the usual paper balloting for this spring’s elections. Keith Robinson, chief financial officer, said this system, which was integrated to work with my.ACU by Dr. James Langford, director of Web Inte-
gration and Programming, and others in Information Technology, could improve voter turnout among students as well as provide other benefits. “We feel that this system is better suited for assuring that elections are secure,” Robinson said. Last spring, Congress had given the Association for Computing Machinery $3,400 to develop an electronic voting system for this spring’s elections, but Robinson said the executive cabinet talked with Langford, and he said the university already had a system capable of fulfilling SA’s needs. Congress will not have to maintain the system, and it will cost SA nothing to implement. E-mail Smith at: jvs02a@acu.edu
Moody: Final plans being made Plans: Day not just for romance Continued from Page 1
are going well. Hosts and hostesses practice 7 to 11 p.m. Monday through the upstage division. Friday, and now they are pracStaying awake until “5 a.m. ticing on weekends as well for a the week before the show is just total of about 25 hours a week. not healthy for anyone,” said But Curry said all the long Rasco, senior business managehours are ment major from worth it, and Abilene. “it’s a blast.” Last year, all “A lot of people spend a lot of time Curry the acts went on and put a lot of energy into Sing Song.” said he was one night, plus glad about each act had 45 minutes to prac- Darren Curry, senior marketing major from Oklahoma City and host of Sing Song this year’s t i m e tice, and there changes after was a 15-minute break in between acts. Rasco ects involve much planning and “last year went all night long said some club presidents were many hours, said Darren Curry, with no break.” He said the clubs will still worried about the time cut- production assistant for the have time to run through as backs in effect this year, but he Office of Student Productions. “A lot of people spend a lot many times as they want during does not think losing five minutes will handicap the clubs of time and put a lot of energy the 40 minutes. They can also and effort into Sing Song, and it check their light cues, and much. The acts must finish by 1 would just not be possible with- Kendall Massey, Sing Song a.m. Saturday because a new out all the people,” said Curry, director, will be on hand to give black curtain will be installed in senior marketing major from tips and cut out anything inappropriate, Curry said. the practice area. This is the Oklahoma City. Besides his job as production only available time for it to be installed because of basketball assistant, Curry is also a Sing E-mail Hardwick at: games in Moody on Saturday, Song host, and he said practices optimist@acu.edu and then the Sing Song stage will be moved in Saturday night, which means a long night for the production staff. On Sunday at 8 a.m., the light and sound equipment will be set up. All of these Sing Song proj-
Dodgeball: Students part of teams Continued from Page 8 and take people out.” Jeff McDuff, freshman computer science major from Indianapolis, played in a communitywide dodgeball tournament in January. The team he was a part of was called “Four J’s and a Dork.” “It sounded like fun, and it was for a good cause,” said McDuff. “The only thing against
it was the single elimination part.” Chad Carnes and David Hatfield also played in the tournament on a team called “The Ruswood Rumblers.” “[Dodgeball] is one of the greatest sports I’ve ever done,” said Carnes, junior accounting finance major from Tracy, Calif. Hatfield, junior accounting major from North Richland Hills, is an experienced dodge-
ball player. Having played in a tournament in Grapevine, Hatfield said he is excited to play again. He encourages students to become involved in dodgeball. “There’s nothing better than getting together with some friends and playing dodgeball.” E-mail Smith at: mxs02a@acu.edu
Softball: Next game in San Antonio Continued from Page 8 ACU hosted Midwestern State on February 8 for two games. In the first game, senior Valerie Malkinson put the Cats up with a solo home run in the 2nd inning. In the 6th, MSU responded with a run of their own to tie the game. The Whittenburg score remained tied until the 10th, when Ashley Whittenburg hit the game win-
ning run in, scoring Daisy Barcena. Jennifer Leal received the win as she pitched a 10inning complete game. Leal allowed one run, unearned, on 9 hits to lead the Wildcats to the win. The second game saw a little more scoring from both teams. Sophomore Allison Crouse received the win. Crouse threw a complete game, allowing four runs, two earned. The Wildcats showed some power in the game as they hit 3 home runs in the game. In the 4th, Ashley Whittenburg hit a 2-run HR for the
Cats first points in the game. Then in the 5th, Valerie Malkinson hit a 3-run HR, and Katie Bryan also hit a 3-run HR in the sixth to lead a big scoring attack in the 9-4 victory. The Wildcats are now 3-1 for the year with their next game scheduled for Friday against St. Mary’s in San Antonio. The Cats’ next home game will be Wednesday against Panhandle State at 1 p.m.
E-mail Fields at: jrf03b@acu.edu
Continued from Page 1 from Malaysia, Valentine’s Day takes a backseat to other commitments like Sing Song next weekend. He has been rehearsing for eight hours a week for the freshman class act, and he will be at Moody Coliseum on Friday for Moody Weekend. “It’s just a challenge in itself
to balance God, homework, friends and Sing Song practice,” he said. “But I think [the experience is] worth it.” He said he plans to spend the weekend in his residence hall with friends and feels that Valentine’s Day “doesn’t concern” him. Shannon Williamson, freshman biology major from New
Orleans, La., said Valentine’s Day is “upsetting for those who are single,” and she believes people might have missed the real meaning of Valentine’s Day. “It’s not about lovers,” she said. “It’s about love.” E-mail Tan at: mtt04b@acu.edu
History: Other events planned Continued from Page 1 History productions for four years, this year as an actress and part of the production staff. She said she’s ready for Alae’s debut this weekend. “We’ve been rehearsing every night in Cullen,” she said, “and we’ve had some kind of late practices, but everyone’s had a good time, a good attitude and energy, and it’s going to be a wonderful show.” The Office of Multicultural Enrichment is also working on other Black History events this month, Sloan said, including a
soul food and movie night on Feb. 26 when the group will probably show Crooklyn. She said she and members of Essence work hard to help students understand black culture during this month. “We want to share different cultures and expose the campus to things that they may not know about particular cultures of people,” she said. “… I think every person should have the opportunity and the ability to celebrate those and share it with other people so that we learn more about one another. “That’s the importance of
doing activities during Black History Month, so that we can do a better job of sharing who we are, and then maybe through that sharing, there’s better understanding and a willingness to get to know one another.” Tickets for Alae are $5 for adults, $3 for students and $1 for those 12 and under and can be purchased in the Campus Center ticket windows or at the door.
E-mail Bredemeyer at: lmb00g@acu.edu
Football: Training begins soon Continued from Page 8 top passing team in 2001, averaging 373 yards per game. The Bears have finished in the top 10 in total offense in four of the last five seasons. In 2002 — Collums' first year as offensive coordinator— the Bears were No. 8 nationally in points per game (37.5), No. 3 in passing yards per game (310.5) and No. 9 in total of-
fense (446 ypg). Last season the Bears featured a balanced attack that racked up 38 points per game (No. 14), 477.7 ypg (No. 6), 269 passing ypg (No. 19) and 208.5 rushing ypg (No. 26). It's that type of diversity that Thomsen said he wants to see from the Wildcats. “It's a proven offensive system, one that gets a lot of people involved and uses their abi-
lities,” Thomsen said. “We just have to find the right personnel to run it and make it effective. That's why our spring training will be so important this year.” The Wildcats will begin spring training on March 15, and go through early April. ACU will open the 2005 season on Sept. 3, when it hosts Central Oklahoma at Shotwell Stadium.
Baseball: Team beginning to jell Continued from Page 8 But late in the game, the Wildcats got away from their game plan. They committed three errors, which led to four unearned runs, and scored zero runs in the sixth and seventh innings, the first time they’d posted consecutive scoreless innings in the game. “We’ve got to do a better job of playing with a lead,” Bonneau said. “We have to put to-
gether a complete game one through nine.” The Wildcats’ bullpen did its part to help put together one of those complete outings. Brandon Moore, Adam Jones and Jason Kennedy combined to give up just one hit and one earned run in three innings of work. But the story of the day was the Wildcats’ big bang offense. They pounded out five extrabase hits with Walsh leading
the charge, recording four RBI on the day. With a lopsided win and 2-1 record, Wells said he likes the way the team is coming together. “We’re jelling real well, coming together as a team,” Wells said. “Everyone’s got confidence in everyone else.”
E-mail Gray at: weg02a@acu.edu
SPORTSFRIDAY OPTIMIST
Page 8
February 11, 2005
Softball team starts season at 3-1
LSC South Standings
Cats win three of four in season opening doubleheaders
current through 02-09-05
Men’s Basketball Team A&M-Commerce Midwestern State A&M-Kingsville West Texas A&M Angelo State E. New Mexico ACU
Div. 6-1 5-2 4-2 4-2 2-5 1-5 1-6
Tot. 19-3 13-9 13-8 10-11 9-13 8-13 8-14
By JARED FIELDS SPORTS WRITER
Women’s Basketball Team Angelo State West Texas A&M ACU A&M-Commerce Midwestern State E. New Mexico Texas Woman’s A&M-Kingsville
Div. 6-1 6-2 5-2 5-3 4-4 3-5 2-6 0-8
Tot. 18-2 15-6 14-6 10-11 9-12 9-12 9-11 4-17
Scores Tuesday Baseball ACU 12, St. Mary’s 4 Softball Game 1: ACU 2, Midwestern St. 1 Game 2: ACU 9, Midwestern St. 4
Upcoming events in Wildcat sports...
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Softball teammates cheer on Katie Bryan, senior first baseman, as she makes her way to the plate after hitting a homerun during the game Tuesday. The softball team played its second doubleheader of the season against Midwestern State University, winning both games at 2-1 and 9-4, bringing the overall record to 3-1.
(home events in italics) Friday, February 11 MTK: Arkansas Invitational, 10 a.m. WTK: Arkansas Invitational, 10 a.m. MTN: ACU Men's Indoor, 1 p.m. BSB: at Incarnate Word, 3 p.m. SB: at St. Mary's, 4 p.m. Saturday, February 12 MTK: Arkansas Invitational, 10 a.m BSB: Incarnate Word, 12 p.m. WBB: West Texas A&M, 2 p.m. MBB: West Texas A&M, 4 p.m. SB: Incarnate Word, 1 p.m.
Intramural dodgeball to begin Friday Teams to compete in Bennett Gym; $75 per group By MONICA SMITH STAFF WRITER
The Intramural Office will sponsor a dodgeball tournament for ACU students this weekend. Beginning Friday evening, teams will compete in Bennett Gymnasium. The tournament is planned to extend to Saturday and perhaps even Sunday if needed, said Susan Hardcastle, administrative coordinator for intramural sports. “The tournament was only OK’d in January, so we weren’t able to do it before,” Hardcastle said. Teams compete for five minutes and play three sets. The winners of two of the sets go to the next round. Six team members play on the court at a time, even if more players are on the roster. Thursday was the deadline to sign up, and the price was $75 per team. Josh Pringle, freshman business management major from Abilene, plays soccer but said he also enjoys playing dodgeball. “This is a game I played when I was growing up,” he said. “It’s a fun, fast-paced game, and you get to try See DODGEBALL Page 7
The softball season started this past week with a doubleheader on Feb. 3 against Colorado State-Pueblo. ACU split the games winning 7-1 and dropped the last one 10-5. On Tuesday, the Cats hosted Midwestern State University for another doubleheader. The Wildcats swept the games, winning 2-1 and 9-4. In the season opener against CSU-Pueblo, the Wildcats shined as the home team put up seven runs on 10 hits behind a complete game by junior pitcher Jennifer Leal. Leal allowed only one run on two hits as she led the Cats to an opening day win. Junior Jade Wilson added the run support with a threerun homerun in the fifth inning, followed by junior Daisy Barcena’s solo home run. The second game didn’t go as well for the Wildcats. The Cats gave up a fourth-inning grand slam that put the visiting team up 9-3 at that point. The grand slam came after an error that could have ended the inning. After that, the Cats couldn’t mount a strong comeback and lost 10-5. After the split doubleheader, See SOFTBALL Page 7
Coach names offensive coordinator Central Arkansas’ Ken Collums to return to Wildcat football staff From ACU SPORTS INFORMATION New head football coach Chris Thomsen filled out his coaching staff Tuesday after hiring of former ACU assistant coach Ken Collums to be the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator. Collums — who was the quarterback/wide receiver coach and passing coordinator
Tyson Foods Indoor Invitational participants Men • Cory Aguilar—PV • Marvin Bien-Aime—200m, 60m • Delt Cockrell—200m • Marvin Essor—400m • Tarrant Fuller—LJ • Elton Garus-Oab—200m, 60m • Vladyslav Gorbenko—TJ, LJ • Lucky Hadebe—Mile • Ricardo Johnson— 400m • Bernard Manirakiza—Mile, 800m • Nicodemus Naimadu— 5,000m • Laurant Ngirakamaro— 5,000m • Martin Okello—800m • Yevgen Pashchenko—TJ, LJ • Ben Washington—TJ
Women • Angie Aguilar—PV • Trina Cox—Invitational Mile • Katie Eckley—PV • Val Gorter—PV • Brooklyn Hunt—400m, 200m • Jessica Hunt—200m, 60m • Olha Kryv'yak—Invitational Mile • Denise Morgan—800m • Adeh Mwamba—800m • Shawna-Kaye Thompson— 200m, 60m hurdles • Keva Wilkins—200m • Tashia Wooldridge—400m • Women 4x400 Meter Relay • Women Distance Medley
at ACU from 1998-99 — has been the offensive coordinator the past three years at Central Arkansas and has led the Bears to some of the greatest offensive seasons in school history. “Ken has been an integral part of the success that Central Arkansas has enjoyed the last several years, and that’s what makes getting him back here so big for us,” said Thomsen, who was hired Jan. 21 after serving the past two seasons as the offensive line coach at Central Arkansas. “It’s obviously going to take some time to get the same kind of system in place
here that we had at Central Arkansas, but having him here will pay big dividends in the long run.” Collums, a former starting quarterback at UCA who led the Bears to the 1991 NAIA national championship, has directed an offensive attack that has averaged 300 yards passing per game in three of the past five seasons. The Bears have finished in the top five in passing in NCAA Division II football three of the past five seasons and were the nation's See FOOTBALL page 7
Track to compete against nation’s best Team to travel to Arkansas for Tyson Foods Invitational By STEVE HOLT SPORTS WRITER
Wildcat track and field athletes will see the season’s best competition Friday and Saturday at the Tyson Foods Indoor Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. The nation’s top elite athletes will be on showcase Friday night for the invitational portion of the meet, and a who’s who of colleges and universities will compete Saturday. Head track and field coach Jon Murray said his top athletes will travel to Arkansas with the goal of qualifying for nationals or improving previous qualifying marks. “I anticipate some good performances this weekend,” Murray said. Four Division II national champions will be competing for ACU Saturday: senior Bernard Manirakiza in the 800 meters and mile; junior Yevgen Pashchenko in the long jump and triple jump; senior Ben Washington in the triple jump; and senior Katie Eckley in the pole vault. Three women’s middle distance runners will compete in Friday night’s invitational mile. Adeh Mwamba, Trina Cox and Olha Kryv’yak will race against some of the country’s best milers in
hopes of bettering the automatic qualifying standard of 4:51.60. The women’s 4x400-meter relay team will have a shot at qualifying automatically for nationals Saturday, as will the distance medley relay team. Neither men’s relay will compete. In total, 27 ACU athletes will compete in 11 events. The team competition will certainly help Wildcat athletes in qualification goals. Playing host to and participating in the meet will be the nation’s No. 1 team, the University of Arkansas, which has unmatched depth in most events. No. 2 Indiana also will be present, as will No. 4 Texas, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 7 Florida, No. 8 Arizona, and No. 9 Florida State. Texas Tech, Tennessee, Colorado State, Auburn, UCLA, Baylor, Nebraska and Stanford round out top-25 teams that are slated to compete in Fayetteville. But Murray said he couldn’t be more pleased with his team’s preparation for the meet after a full week of intense training and a weekend off from competition. “We had a great week of training,” he said. “Having good weather here has helped us tremendously.”
E-mail Holt at: smh00a@acu.edu
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Wildcat starting pitcher Ben Maynard throws a strike to a St. Mary's batter during the fourth inning of the 12-4 ACU victory. Maynard pitched six innings, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out four Rattler hitters.
Cats claim victory in first home game Baseball team defeats St. Mary’s 12-4, has 2-1 record overall By WARREN GRAY SPORTS WRITER
The Wildcats’ bats didn’t need long to heat up on a cold day at Crutcher Scott Field on Tuesday. The baseball team got going early as Joel Wells’ homerun gave the Wildcats a three-run lead in the first inning on their way to a 12-4 win over St. Mary’s. “It gave us a little spark,” Wells said of his early offense. “Our goal was to start the game with a punch.” Wells’ first-inning blast was the first of two three-run shots on the day as Chris Walsh accomplished the feat in the sixth inning to cap the ACU scoring. The blasts were the second of the year for both players. “Joel’s shown a lot of
power already this year,” coach Britt Bonneau said. The long balls book-ended a game that saw the Wildcats jump out to a 9-1 lead after four innings. Cody Cure doubled twice in the stretch as the team began the game on track. “St. Mary’s has got a solid team, but we just stuck with our game plan,” Bonneau said. The game plan included waiting on pitches at the plate and getting solid pitching from starter Ben Maynard. The Wildcats forced the Rattlers’ starter Brandon Lippe out of the game after just two innings after he walked three and gave up six earned runs. His counterpart, Maynard, gave up just one earned run in six innings. “Ben has been real consistent for us and knows how to keep hitters off-balance,” Bonneau said. See BASEBALL Page 7