OPTIMIST THE
FRIDAY March 4, 2005
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
Abilene Christian University
Vol. 93, No. 42 1 section, 8 pages www.acuoptimist.com
Serving the ACU community since 1912
Keanu not constant:
Staff looks for occupancy to go UP:
Seniors carry Cats:
Constantine falls somewhere in the middle of comic book movie franchises. Page 5
University Park Apartments managers are trying to reach out to their target audience of sophomores to increase the number of tenants. Page 3
The women’s basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the LSC tourney. Page 8
Changes made to housing Barret, McDonald halls will house women; Morris to be men’s hall By LORI BREDEMEYER MANAGING EDITOR
Students living on campus next fall will have different halls to choose from depending on their classification and gender.
Morris Hall, currently housing sophomore women, will house sophomore and freshman men; McDonald Hall, a freshman men’s hall, will become a freshman women’s hall; and Barret Hall, which is still under construction, will house sophomore women. Dr. Mimi Barnard, director of Residence Life Education and Housing, said Morris and Mc-
Donald have housed men and women at different times since they were built, and switching the demographics of a hall is not uncommon. She said she and other campus officials, met to discuss the enrollment projections for next year to decide how to use the residence halls. See CHANGE Page 4
Residence hall changes The addition of Barret Hall will prompt changes for two other halls. McDonald Hall: freshman women, Bible and business majors Morris Hall: freshman and sophomore men, Bible and business majors Barret Hall: sophomore women
Campus cuts deal for KRBC to air on cable Station now available; Cox cable, local NBC affiliate still feuding STAFF REPORT Officials completed negotiations that have allowed them to add the NBC network back to campus cable, which took effect March 1. NBC and its local affiliate, KRBC-TV, have not been broadcast on Cox cable, which the campus receives, since Jan. 1 because of a disagreement between the two companies. Those who subscribe to Cox cable have only been able to access KRBC by unhooking the cable and using “rabbit ear” antenna. Jim Trietsch, associate chief information officer for the university, said ACU made an agreement with Mission
Broadcasting, which owns KRBC, to be able to broadcast the channel on campus. “We have an antenna similar to what you can do at home — you can put an antenna on an existing TV at home and get KRBC just off the air — and we’re mixing it into our on-campus cable system,” he said. Trietsch also said ACU was able to broadcast KRBC, which is Channel 5 on campus, because the university controls its own programming, and Information Services is paying a fee “to provide NBC as a service to our students.” “ACU’s cable system is independent of Cox cable,” he said. “We receive channels from Cox, but we don’t rebroadcast all of them, so we’re free to mix in other channels as we want to.”
Former Congress members to visit EMILY CHASTAIN/Staff Photographer
Judy Chant, nurse practioner for the medical clinic, moved from Victoria, British Columbia, in 1994 to Abilene—a town she had never heard of. She began working part time for Dr. Tony Rector, medical director for clinical services, in 2003.
Finding the cure Nurse practitioner found her way to ACU from Canada By JONATHAN SMITH EDITOR IN CHIEF
Judy Chant’s Friday did not begin with an 8 o’clock, but she had work to do before her 9 o’clock. At least she would be done after Chapel. Chant began her third stint in college last semester. This time around, she will not put
herself through 8 a.m. classes after sleepless nights or long days on little nutrition. Her job is to take care of the students who put themselves through that and the hundreds of others who go through the medical clinic each week. Chant began as a part-time nurse practitioner in the medical clinic in February 2003. Her journey to ACU and Abilene itself brought her several thousand miles and into a different medical specialty. She was born in Victoria, British Col-
umbia, where she spent much of her life on the water and around national parks. She opted to go back to nursing school in her mid-20s and began working in the cardiac unit of the hospital. “I was the first nursing student they let into the cardiac unit at that hospital,” Chant said. She continued working in the cardiac unit with her husband, a cardiologist, who went to school at Emory University
Congress approves Rec Center funding Bill provides free pool, Xbox for students until end of semester By JONATHAN SMITH EDITOR IN CHIEF
The Students’ Association unanimously approved funds on Wednesday to provide free use of the pool tables and Xbox video game systems in the Recreation Center of the Campus Center for students for the remainder of the school year. The bill, which was brought before Congress by freshman senators Brandon Smith and Jordan Williams, will cost the Students’ Association $100 each week for the remaining seven weeks of the semester. See SA Page 4
See CHANT Page 4
Men to speak to classes, student groups as part of two-day campus tour By LORI BREDEMEYER MANAGING EDITOR
Two former members of the House of Representatives will visit campus March 14 and 15 as part of the Congress to Campus Program. Harry Volkmer, D-Missouri, and Robert W. Daniel Jr., R-Virginia, will speak to several classes and student groups and to two Abilene Kiwanis Clubs during their stay. The Congress to Campus Program coordinates with schools to send ex-Congress members to colleges and uni-
versities for two-and-a-half days to share their experiences and promote careers in public service. The university participated in the program once before when Rep. David R. Minge, D-Minnesota, and Rep. George Wortley, RDillman New York, visited in the spring of 2003. Dr. David Dillman, professor of political science, said the students and faculty can all learn something from the men. “We need to have some better understanding of ConSee CONGRESSMEN Page 4
Sikes parking lot renovated SA rep worked since last semester to help traffic flow By JACI SCHNEIDER OPINION EDITOR
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Bobby Reed of Bontke Brothers Construction Company digs up a section of the Sikes Hall parking lot Wednesday in order to connect it with the Williams Performing Arts Center lot.
Students who park near Sikes Residence Hall or the Williams Performing Arts Center will notice something missing on their return from spring break. The small strip of land and concrete between the Sikes parking lot and WPAC parking lot will be removed during
spring break, and the two parking lots will be connected. Lauren Hart, sophomore integrated marketing communication major from Austin and Students’ Association representative for Sikes Hall, worked with SA officers and university administrators to have the $7,000 project completed. Last fall, Hart spoke with women in her residence hall about the parking lot issue; she thought the fact that the two parking lots weren’t connected was a problem. “Pretty much everyone I
talked to said it was a problem,” Hart said. As SA representative, Hart made the parking lot her semester project. She began the process of trying to have the parking lots connected by sending petitions to students living in Sikes Hall, students who attended class in the Mabee Business Building and in WPAC. “Then I wrote up legislation and presented it to congress,” Hart said. “It was unanimously passed.” See SIKES Page 4
Students spring forward to trips, campaigns Some plan to spend break at home, others look to minister By EVAN BLACK STUDENT REPORTER
Students are packing suit; spring break is in sight. Although many students are preparing to depart to 35 Spring
Break Campaign locations, an even greater number of students are not. Approximately 515 students will go on campaigns this year, said Clay Rich, senior accounting and finance major from Abilene and chair of the SBC committee. Students have many reasons not to sign up for a campaign, Rich said.
“Many people need to use the week just to rest,” Rich said. “But I would encourage students to go on at least one during their time at ACU.” Some students like Cara Cunningham, junior speech pathology major from San Antonio, said money is a decisive factor. “I think [Spring Break Campaigns] are a good cause,”
Cunningham said. “But they come with a big cost.” Spring Break Campaigns this year range in price from $220 to $1,200. Cunningham said she will spend her break at home with her family and boyfriend, who attends Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. Cunningham is not the only one who plans to spend spring
break with family. “I just want to be with my family because I never see them,” said Jon-Daniel Todd, sophomore marketing major from Blue Ridge. Todd, who has never participated in mission work, said he has not put much thought into Spring Break Campaigns. See BREAK Page 4