OPTIMIST THE
FRIDAY March 18, 2005
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
Abilene Christian University
www.acuoptimist.com
Serving the ACU community since 1912
Season’s end:
Going into all the world:
Sweetwater’s snakes:
The Wildcats’ season ended in the first round of the regional tournament. Page 10
Project Abilene, which will be a service program to the neighborhoods near the university, will officially begin next semester. Page 3
The 47th annual Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round-up was last weekend. Page 8
School upgrades e-mail system Webmail still does not operate correctly with some Internet browsers By JACI SCHNEIDER OPINION EDITOR
While students and faculty were away from campus for spring break last week, my.ACU administrators used the opportunity to upgrade Webmail, cal-
endars and address books. “We try to do these things at a time when it will be least inconvenient,” said James Langford, director of Web Integration and Programming. “The timing turned out pretty well.” Langford said they updated the e-mail, calendars and address books to the latest version, which was necessary to keep up with support services.
The upgrade offers a unified client for the three functions and will work better with other e-mail clients, such as Outlook or Eudora, Langford said. The upgrade changed the spam filters on the e-mail system that sorts the mail as it comes in based on the sender and subject, and the sorting will occur before users access their e-mail, Langford said. “I don’t know if students will
see the difference as much as faculty and staff,” he said. “Those filters are pretty handy.” Instead of costing the university money, the recent upgrade has saved the university the cost of buying a new server—about $30,000 to $40,000, Langford said. The new filters in the email block spam from coming into the server, so it was possible
E-mail system upgrade issues Students and faculty still having difficulties with Webmail on my.ACU should update their Internet browsers, like Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Safari, said Josh Tooley, manager of Team 55. Students also should frequently check my.ACU for technology updates and announcements.
See UPGRADE Page 9
Chili cook-off planned to honor teacher
By SARAH CARLSON ARTS EDITOR
By MALLORY SHERWOOD FEATURES EDITOR
Eating chili and listening to jazz music were two of the late Dr. Charles Trevathan’s favorite things, and the two will come together Saturday at a chili cook-off to honor the instructor of sociology and social work who died Oct. 12. The men’s social club Pi Kappa will sponsor the event in the mall area near the GATA fountain. Members of social clubs, churches in Abilene and those who knew and loved Trevathan are entering chili recipes, which will be judged and tasted from 5 to 7 p.m., said Matt Hurley, Pi Kappa president, director of the chili cook-off and social work graduate student from Abilene. Each group that participates is asked to submit a chili recipe and supply enough chili for guests to eat. Spectators who want to taste various recipes are asked to pay $3, which will benefit the Charles Trevathan scholarship fund. “One thing I can say about my precious husband is he loved chili,” said Phyllis Trevathan, Charles’ widow. “For 46 years, everywhere he went, even in Oxford, he would try to find chili. I had to cook chili for him for many, many years. He was a chili-addicted man.” Phyllis Trevathan will judge the chili, which will be divided into categories like vegetable chili, meaty chili, spicy chili and others. Hurley said the evening will be fun and entertaining because jazz music and entertainers will be present. “We want people to come and have a good time and to recognize what he stood for,” Hurley said. He said he expects all social clubs to participate along with several churches in Abilene, including the Trevathan family’s church. Members of Pi Kappa brought the idea of the chili cook-off to Hurley as a way to remember Trevathan and what he stood for, Hurley said. Trevathan was the first advisor of Pi Kappa. He remained actively involved with the club and its leaders for many years and became a mentor to the men.
Review team looking at core classes Rewritten proposal may not come in time for original deadline
Proceeds of event will go toward scholarship fund
See CHILI Page 9
Vol. 93, No. 43 1 section, 10 pages
EMILY CHASTAIN/Staff Photographer
Robert Daniel, R-Virginia, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1972 to 1982, holds up a credit card to demonstrate the size of his congressional voting card he used while in Congress as he and Harold Volkmer, D-Missouri, who served in Congress from 1976 to 1998, talk to students Monday. Daniel and Volkmer were in Abilene with the Congress to Campus program.
Congressmen meet with students Former representatives visit campus as part of national tour By LORI BREDEMEYER MANAGING EDITOR
Two former congressmen visited campus Monday and Tuesday to speak to classes and meet with students about careers in public service. They came to the university as part of the Congress to Campus program, which sends former congressmen to colleges and universities across the nation to educate young people about Congress and what it means to serve the public. Robert Daniel, R-Virginia, served in the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1982, and Harold Volkmer, D-Missouri, served from
1976 to 1998. Daniel said he was invited to participate in the program and has visited schools such as the University of Mississippi, University of North Carolina and University of Texas for the past eight years. “I found it interesting to
past six years he has visited the University of West Virginia, University of California and University of Indiana, among others. He said he thinks higher education benefits the entire nation, and that’s one reason he enjoys meeting with col-
“I think it’s desirable that our young people know the nature of the job of congressmen.” Robert Daniel, U.S. congressman from Virginia from 1972 to 1982
meet with students and not only talk to them but see what they have to say on different things, and it keeps me in touch,” he said. “I think it’s desirable that our young people know the nature of the job of congressmen.” Volkmer also was invited to participate, and for the
lege students. “Without it, a lot of our high school graduates would be relegated to that [high school]—that’s it, they go no further,” he said. “So it’s a waste of a lot of talent and is injurious to the country as a whole. We all benefit from it — from people being able
to continue their education.” The congressmen attended several political science, journalism and agriculture classes, visited with Lynay, Pope Fellows and other student leaders, and met with students individually to discuss careers in public service. Volkmer said many students and people across the nation do not care about Congress or the government, but through the Congress to Campus program, he wants to try to educate young people about the nation’s leaders. “Government has a lot to do with your life,” he said, “and if you don’t like the way the government is or you think the government should change, you better get in there and do something E-mail Bredemeyer at: lmb00g@acu.edu
Faculty discussions about the General Education Review will continue throughout the semester with no clear sign of a rewritten proposal being ready, said Dr. Jeff Arrington, associate dean of Campus Life and cochair of the General Education Review Committee. The original suggested goal for the rewritten curriculum proposal was April 1. The committee presented faculty members with three proposals before the beginning of the semester. The committee, which is reviewing the u n i v e r s i t y ’s core courses— classes all students are required to take, such as exercise science, math and English. “I think that Arrington there is enough interest and diversity in thought that we will not have a proposal at that time,” Arrington said. He said the committee is dealing with large, new ideas presented by faculty members and needs time for the faculty to come together on an agreement. “I think that we’re going to be into the next year before we can get everything done,” he said. Pat Simpson, professor of education and co-chair of the committee, agreed and said faculty members need plenty of time to discuss the proposals and send a clear signal of what they want. “Until the faculty really finishes discussions, we’re not going to be ready to rewrite the proposal,” Simpson said, adding that more discussions will take place after a new proposal is written. Faculty members have expressed three sentiments to the three proposed curriculum changes, Arrington said; some are excited, some unhappy and others are mainly concerned See REVIEW Page 9
Students return from missions Spring Break Campaigns experience ‘very smooth year’ By TIFFANY TAYLOR PAGE 2 EDITOR
Spring Break Campaigners have returned from what Clay Rich, chair of Spring Break Campaigns, described as “a very smooth year for campaigns.” A total of 35 groups, 515 campaigners, participated this year, and at the last minute the Scotland campaign received five offers to join after an
announcement was made March 4 in Chapel that the campaign needed one more person to be able to make the trip. Feedback from group leaders, campaigners, host churches and contacts has been positive so far, said Rich, senior finance major from Abilene. One congregation in Salem, Ore., “said their congregation had been truly blessed and was thankful for the campaigners,” Rich said. Many students also felt blessed by the experience. “Just seeing God work through these people was really
amazing,” said Katy Galloway, freshman social work major from Coppell. Galloway took part in the Seek and Follow campaign. Seek and Follow participants traveled through Murphreysboro, Tenn. Little Rock and El Dorado, Ark., and then to Shreveport, La. In Shreveport, the students ministered on the street, talking and praying with people they met and shared their food with the homeless. Galloway said she found the spontaneity of Seek and Follow See SBC Page 9
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Clay Rich, senior finance major from Abilene and chair of Spring Break Campaigns, watches a slide show presentation in Chapel on Wednesday after he spoke about campaigners’ experiences. More than 500 students participated in campaigns this year.
CAMPUS Friday, March 18, 2005
18
DAY
Calendar&Events Friday
Sikes Hall and Edwards Hall registration deadline, 1 p.m. Honors Students Association Murder Mystery dinner ticket sales, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Campus Center ticket windows.
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Saturday
Dr. Charles Trevathan chili cook-off, 5 p.m., mall area. Taylor County Spelling Bee, 7 a.m.5 p.m., Hilton Room. Service Saturday
Students in Free Enterprise Etiquette Dinner, 7:30 p.m., Hilton Room. Shane & Shane ticket sales, 11:50 a.m.-1 p.m., Campus Center ticket windows.
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Sunday
teers to help with decorations for Easter on March 21. For more information, contact the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout. Healing Hands International is in need of volunteers to help repair donated bicycles before they are shipped to Zambia. Tools and parts are furnished. For more information, please contact the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout.
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.
Monday
Honors Students Association Murder Mystery dinner ticket sales, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Campus Center ticket windows.
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Tuesday
Honors Students Association Murder Mystery dinner ticket sales, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m., Campus Center ticket windows.
Shane & Shane ticket sales, 11:50 a.m.-1 p.m., Campus Center ticket windows.
Shane & Shane ticket sales, 11:50 a.m.-1 p.m., Campus Center ticket windows.
Society of African American Brotherhood meeting, 9-10:30 p.m., Hilton Room and Living Room.
Leadership Camps staff training, 47:30 p.m., Hilton Room and Living Room.
Adams Hall and Smith Hall registration begins, 10 p.m.
Adams Hall and Smith Hall registration deadline, 1 p.m.
No events scheduled.
Volunteer Opportunities The next Service Saturday is this Saturday. Over 100 volunteers are needed to help ACU’s neighbors in need with yard and other outdoor clean up. Other service opportunities on Saturday are Bowl for Kids Sake, Big Brothers Big Sisters; City of Abilene Easter Egg Hunt; and helping to set up and serve a Mexican dinner/fund-raising effort for Day Nursery of Abilene. University Place Retirement Center would like volun-
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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.
Announcements A West Africa mission team in the southern Togo is looking for someone to spend six months to one year as a school teacher for the team’s children. You do not have to be an education major. For more information, visit www.watchiharvest.com/video/2005MKSchoolVideoQuickTime.mov or contact Dan McVey at mcvey@bible.acu.edu. Students in Free Enterprise Etiquette Dinner will be March 18 at 7 p.m. in the Hilton Room. Seating is limited. The five-course meal, lessons in etiquette, takehome brochure and entertainment will cost $10 or 2 meal plans and $15 for community. Dress will be semi-formal to formal. The spring dinner theatre is Pride’s Crossing, a memory play written by Tina Howe and directed by Adam Hester. The play is wrapped around 90-year-old Mabel
Tidings Bigelow who, in 1928, swam the English Channel from Dover, England to Calais, France. Shows are April 7-9, 15-16 and 2223 in Fulks Theatre. Shane & Shane is coming to ACU April 7 in Cullen Auditorium with Amy Stroup opening. Tickets are $10 each and are sold in the Campus Center ticket window from 11:30 a.m.- 1p.m. week days or in the Campus Activity Board office, located in the Bean Sprout. For more information call Ext. 2772. The Ministry presents the Give My All Concert Part Two Sunday, April 17 at 8 p.m. The concert will take place in Chapel on the Hill. Tickets will be $3 presale and $4 at the door. Proceeds from the concert will go to The Ministry and Young Lives Teen Parent Club, which gives teenage mothers the opportunity to go to Young Life Camp this summer.
Chapel Check-Up Credited Chapels to date: Credited Chapels remaining:
40 31
CAMPUS NEWS
Friday, March 18, 2005
Page 3
Red Cross fund-raiser to benefit local causes and military families Best-selling author to speak at dinner, auction event By MITCH HOLT STAFF WRITER
The Chisholm Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross is hosting its largest fund-raiser of the year, a dinner and silent auction, in Abilene’s Civic Center on Friday evening, featuring Stedman Graham, best-selling author of motivational litera-
ture and CEO of S. Graham and Associates. “The money raised by the event will stay in our twelve county area to serve those that have been affected by disasters like tornados, floods and house fires,” said Aaron Vannoy, regional director of the Chisholm Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross. The proceeds from the evening will also aid the large military community in the area by helping families with deployed family members communicate with their loved ones
overseas, Vannoy said. Donors of the local Red Cross, community figures and business owners will be the main attendees, but anyone could purchase tickets to the dinner and silence auction until Thursday at 5 p.m. “Red Cross has been one of the most important leaders in our world today, and my message will reveal to people how important a good foundation is,” Graham said. Graham was chosen because of his local connection to the Abilene community and
Once upon a time ...
his long history of helping non-profit organizations and disadvantaged youth, said Vannoy. Graham, graduate of Hardin-Simmons University and longtime boyfriend of Oprah Winfrey, arrived in Abilene on Thursday evening and is holding a questions and answer session on Friday afternoon for the press in the area. Graham said he will enjoy being back in the city that gave him a solid foundation at a crucial point in his life and he plans to stop by the Hardin Simmons University campus
while he’s in the area. Although he has no direct affiliation with the American Red Cross, Graham is a person who believes in preparedness, which is one of the main focuses of the Red Cross movement and mission statement, Vannoy said. Graham is also an acclaimed speaker and lecturer, writing many best-selling books about self-improvement including Move Without the Ball, his most recent book encouraging youth to stay in school and focus on their futures.
Vannoy said he thinks Graham is an exceptional speaker choice for this year’s largest area Red Cross fundraiser. “I’ve dedicated my life to education,” said Graham. “I have a number of programs that I’ve developed over the years, so by speaking at the Red Cross event in Abilene, I will be trying to reinforce what I’ve always believed in.” E-mail Holt at: mah02f@acu.edu
Dinner to help with business etiquette Event will teach attendees to act, dress professionally
“This could help ... a guy whose girlfriend has a really scary father.” Kendra Blade, sophomore English major from Bonhan
By EMERALD MCGOWAN STUDENT REPORTER
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Poet Paul Willis, professor of English at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif., reads one of his poems during the poetry reading Tuesday in the Williams Performing Arts Center, sponsored by the English Department and the Shinnery Review.
Students soon to be better neighbors New campus service opportunity to address community needs By TIFFANY TAYLOR PAGE 2 EDITOR
When Layne Rouse jogs only a few blocks away from campus, he notices some houses resemble those he signs up to fix when on a Spring Break Campaign. Rouse, senior communication major from Midland and executive president of the Students’ Association, said such evident need near campus caused him to brainstorm about how ACU could have a more effective, measurable influence on surrounding neighborhoods. The plan to change how the university serves the community is called Project Abilene. Project Abilene, which is in early stages of development, will officially begin next semester. The focus of the project is to create a long-term service program and strengthen bonds between service programs that students and church leaders have already led, Rouse said. “It is a systematic plan to address the needs in surrounding neighborhoods,” Rouse said. Major attention will be given to the streets surrounding Judge Ely Boulevard, Treadaway Boulevard, North 10th Street and Ambler Avenue. “It’s not something we’re doing all over town; we’re just trying to be better neighbors,”
said Nancy Coburn, director of the Volunteer and ServiceLearning Center. Coburn said she doesn’t see the project as a focus on ACU’s resources and more as a project for neighbors. “A lot of times we’ll drive by our neighbors and go to different parts of town,” said Coburn, who emphasized she does not want students to stop serving in other parts of town. Rouse said he believes ACU students need to have an influence on nearby communities. “There is nothing that exists institutionally that represents the core of the university,” Rouse said. Being a Christian at ACU means a lifestyle of service, he said, which can be fostered with Project Abilene. “It’s like having a Spring Break Campaign all the time,” he said. Groundwork for the program began during Service Saturday in February, with students going door to door handing out flyers, asking residents to call if they needed any outdoor help. Seven households have responded, mostly asking for students to help with yard work, Coburn said. In cooperation with Don’t Mess With Texas’ March campus clean-up campaign, many students who work during Saturday’s Service Saturday will do jobs for those who called the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center to ask for help. Rouse said he noticed that, despite programs like Wildcat Kids and Treadaway Kids, ACU
service consisted of special days or weeks and not yearlong programs. Rouse has been discussing Project Abilene with university leaders for the past year. Some faculty members have already planned to involve incoming freshmen in their University Seminar groups. Instead of taking part in a canned food drive like past freshmen, four groups of students will walk door to door in an effort to begin relationships with people in the neighborhood, Rouse said. Rouse has prepared for Project Abilene for many years ahead, although he is nearing the end of his term as SA president. Next semester, a few groups will participate in the pilot program, but Rouse said he sees a time when Project Abilene is an integral part of ACU. Project Abilene could become a recruiting factor and a reason for parents to send their students to ACU Rouse said. Rouse has explained Project Abilene to the SALT and the Students’ Association and said, the general reaction has been excitement. Coburn said she hopes Project Abilene makes students more aware of their community, especially those who rent houses in the targeted area. “I hope that they begin to understand that we’re not in isolation on this campus,” she said. E-mail Taylor at: tat04a@acu.edu
Students and members of the community can improve their etiquette and learn how to dress to impress. The Etiquette Dinner, sponsored by Students in Free Enterprise, will be Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Hilton Room. Dinner activities will include a threecourse meal, lessons in etiquette, a take-home brochure and dinner entertainment. Student tickets will be $10 or two meal plans; community tickets cost $15. Tickets are on sale in the Campus Center from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tickets can also be reserved online at http://groups.msn.com/SIFEACU. SIFE is a global, non-profit organization that offers students the opportunity to develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills through learning, practicing and teaching the principles of free enterprise, according to the SIFE Web site. One-hundred fifty seats will be available for the event, said Maela Ramos,
senior finance management major from Abilene and head of the Etiquette Dinner committee. Ramos said she hopes professionals in the Abilene area, ACU students and students from other universities will attend. She said she is confident the remainder of the seats will be filled. “In planning the Etiquette Dinner, we took a previous project and elaborated on it,” Ramos said. “This dinner was held last year, but we felt the need was still out there for proper etiquette in a business setting.” Appropriate attire for the event will be business-professional, Ramos said. Ladies should wear a semi-formal dress or suit and men could wear slacks and a sports coat, but a suit is preferred. “When trying to go out and get a job, proper dining etiquette and appropriate business attire is expected from future employees,” Ramos said. “We’re hoping to attract and inform all majors.” Ramos plans to have a fashion show, providing
examples of what to wear at a business event. Volunteers who would enjoy participating in this part of the Etiquette Dinner can e-mail Manuel Chavarria, junior management major from Abilene and Etiquette Dinner committee member, at jmc00a@acu.edu, with the word “models” in the subject line. Proper etiquette is useful in situations other than the business world, said Kendra Blade, sophomore English major from Bonhan. She hopes those who attend will apply what is learned at the Etiquette Dinner to other areas of their lives. “This dinner could help a girl meeting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time or a guy whose girlfriend has a really scary father,” Blade said. “It’s just good to know how to act, how to show people you have a little bit of class.”
E-mail McGowan at: optimist@acu.edu
CAMPUS NEWS
Page 4
SA-TV receives student makeover Student implements new program, revamps station By MITCH HOLT STAFF WRITER
Michael Breeden, the new student worker at SA-TV, has made several changes to the station, including the computer program the station uses and the content of the student-run television channel. Breeden, sophomore electronic media major from Memphis, Tenn., was hired to be the main worker of SA-TV,
which airs on Channel 55. Breeden revived the channel in early February after it was taken off the air last spring. ACU purchased a computer program called Infocaster, which is used mainly for advertising, to broadcast campus information, prayers, praise and sports schedules. Doug Darby, multimedia coordinator, hired Breeden after the channel’s lengthy down time. “The channel shut down last year after they realized that no one really watched it,” Breeden said. Organizers of SA-TV realized they needed a change and bought the
new computer program. Then they changed the focus of the station, he said. Infocaster is more versatile than programs used in the past, he said. It is completely information-based and there will be no television shows on SATV, which is purely an informational means for students, Breeden said. He said he is working to develop a niche for SA-TV. “When I do, there will be a uniform format for the content put out by the channel,” he said. While SA-TV is being constructed, the format that will
Friday, March 18, 2005
Blowing winter away
be used is the one that can be seen on Channel 55. The channel has received permission to broadcast music from KGNZ-FM, a Christian music radio station. “This campus is trying hard to provide ACU students with the latest in technology, and this is just one of many technological endeavors,” Breeden said. “Stay tuned to SA-TV for the latest information.”
E-mail Holt at: mah02f@acu.edu
ACU camps hire new summer counselors Forty-seven students, 350 adult volunteers make up staff By MITCH HOLT STAFF WRITER
The office of Student Leadership Development is preparing for this summer’s Leadership Camps and has selected 47 student staff members to lead the campers. “Leadership Camps are ACU-sponsored summer camps designed to challenge and develop spiritual growth in youth ages 6 to 18,” said Jan Meyer, director of Student Leadership Development and associate director of leadership camps. Leadership Camps bring more than 2,000 campers and 350 adult volunteers to campus each summer and
offer five different camps for youth of various age levels: Kadesh for high school students, MPulse Camp for junior high students, Learning to Lead Camp for fourth to sixth graders, KidQuest Day Camp for first to third graders and Cross Training, which takes place in Sipapu, N.M., for students entering 10th, 11th and 12th grades. The camps will take place June 5 through Aug. 6, and each camp session will last a week. Meyer said the selection process was completed Feb. 25, and the chosen students had until the following Monday to decide. A large student staff is needed each summer to host students of all ages during Leadership Camps. The staff selection process included an application, reference check, interviews and
group interviews. Jordan Swim, second-year counselor and sophomore Bible major from Richardson, said this job is a chance to serve “Christ is the focus, and he works through these camps at ACU,” Swim said. Meyer said training to be part of the camp staff is a hard process. “Our camp staff training is rigorous,” Meyer said. “We want each person who represents ACU and Leadership Camps to have a clear understanding of the responsibility they have in their job.” Now that the student leaders have been selected, every staff member will attend a Tuesday meeting, participate in a retreat and arrive on campus a week prior to the arrival of the campers for Prep Week, Meyer said.
Before Leadership Camps begin, each staff member will have completed more than 60 hours of training. Along with the 47 students who will serve as camp counselors, students will fill than 10 other more Leadership Camp positions. Students will be assistant directors, team-building facilitators and medical care and office staff. “This year our staff selection was difficult,” Meyer said. “We had an overwhelming number of qualified applicants and had to turn down many capable and talented students, but we are confident that those we hired will do an exceptional job.” BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
E-mail Holt at: mah02f@acu.edu
Physical Resources student worker Nicholas Schmidt, junior biology major from Amarillo, uses a leaf blower to clean up the sidewalk between the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building and the Campus Center on Monday.
Fund-raiser uses chocolate by Vletas and Chocolate by Godiva. Celia Danforth, executive director of the Abilene Philarmonic Association, said the association chose a chocolate festival because By DANIÈLE NTAHONKIRIYE STUDENT REPORTER they were looking for something unique in Abilene. A chocolate festival, a “We wanted something fund-raiser to benefit the that had universal appeal so Abilene Philharmonic Assothat everyone will enjoy it, ciation, will be Saturday from with an inexpensive entry 11 a.m. to 3 fee,” she said. p.m. at the “Something “Everyone loves chocolate, and we expect Mall of we can grow Abilene. year after to see a lot of people out there eating a lot of it.” Tickets year.” are $10 if Danforth Celia Danforth, executive director of the Abilene Philharmonic Association purchased in said it’s a advance and perfect thing $12.50 at the to do because door. festival is sponsored by it has been done in many “This is a fund-raiser that Dillard’s and FastSigns. other cities successfully. is actually fun,” said Tim “They are covering all of “Everyone loves chocoGraham, development and our pocket expenses; every late, and we expect to see a marketing director of the dollar from the ticket sales lot of people out there eating Abilene Philharmonic goes directly to the Abilene a lot of it,” Danforth said. Association. “We have a Philharmonic to support its number of vendors who are operation,” Graham said going to be handing out before adding there will be a chocolates at the Mall of chocolate fountain and a Abilene on Saturday.” variety of fruits and candies E-mail Ntahonkiriye at: Graham said people who from companies well known optimist@acu.edu are interested in the festival for their candies like Candies
Festival proceeds will benefit Abilene Philharmonic
can purchase a ticket and then go to each of the vendors who give chocolate samples. “This is the first time we have done this and the Mall of Abilene is offering a place with no charges as a kindness to us,” he said. “It’s a good way to let other people know about the Philharmonic in the community.” Graham said the chocolate
ARTSFRIDAY OPTIMIST
March 18, 2005
Mitch’s rating system 80-100: Exceptional. The album kept my attention from beginning to end. Musically and lyrically a strong album—must-have. This also means that this given album is better than 80-100 percent of the albums I've reviewed or heard. 60-79: Very good. Several things were lacking, but overall it’s still an album to write home about. It’s undoubtedly worth buying, depending on your musical tastes, and better than 60-79 percent of the albums I've reviewed or heard. 40-59: Below average to average. Some of it’s good, but not worth buying. Borrow it if you must. 0-39: If an album receives a score in this range, I was probably handsomely paid to review the album. It’s not worth even considering a listen.
The Box Office Figures are for the weekend of March 11-13 and are in millions. Total grosses in parenthesis. 1 Robots—$36 (new) 2 The Pacifier—$18.2 ($54.5) 3 Be Cool—$10.3 ($38.4) 4 Hostage—$10.2 (new) 5 Hitch: The Cure for the Comman Man—$8.8 ($149.8) 6 Million Dollar Baby—$5.2 ($84.1) 7 Diary of a Mad Black Woman—$4.9 ($44) 8 Constantine—$3.8 ($66.5) 9 Man of the House—$1.8 ($16.5) 10 Cursed—$1.6 ($17.8)
‘Room Noises’ avoids sophomore slump By MITCH HOLT STAFF WRITER
Eisley Room Noises Warner Bros. 70/100 Eisley’s Room Noises is a solid album. A follow up to their debut EP, the album is a relaxing cacophony of darkly bright music laced with the beautifully eerie voices and melodies of Sherrie and Stacey DuPree. Eisley toured with Coldplay last year and gained a large fan base along with a record deal with Warner Bros. in February 2003. The have been touring frequently since they were signed and have finally released a good fulllength album to follow up their first EP release. Hailing from Tyler, Eisley is a toned-down, female fronted version of Coldplay, with vocals that hint of Sixpence None the Richer. Stacey, 16, and Sherrie, 21, are sisters and other than the parts with vocal harmonization, it’s hard to tell that this band has two singers. Sherrie and Stacie have extremely similar vocal tones; however, if a melody is sung in the higher vocal register, it’s probably Sherrie, and the deeper vocal parts are left to Stacey. Despite being similar to other bands, Eisley is not without originality. In fact, Eisley is one of the most original bands since Radiohead or The Paper Chase. Twangy guitars that almost release a country feel, steel guitars that reinforce that feel, sliding vocal melodies and angelic harmonies brought to you courtesy of Sherrie and Stacey, intricate but tasteful percussion parts from their brother Weston and varying song styles prove this band original. The other sibling in Eisley, Chauntelle, adds to the
vocal harmonies as well, while the only non-related band member, Jonathan Wilson, plays bass. Eisley effortlessly pull off soft piano/acoustic guitar ballads and faster, more rock-oriented ditties on the album. One Day I Slowly Floated Away, track 11, musically and lyrically serve the listener the most adequately. It begins with a soft piano and Sherrie’s flawless voice and builds into a full-band song, while a distant organ-like, depth-enhancing sound in the background engrosses the subconscious of every listener. At times, it seems as if the vocals on every song are sung in the same frequency range, becoming somewhat repetitive after six or seven songs. Some dynamic changes might do the trick, but voices this soothing and high-pitched often become hard to listen to after an extended dose of the album. This shouldn’t prevent anyone from buying the album because even if you find what I’ve said true, Room Noises is still a magnificent album. It has its shortcomings like any other album would, but the voices of the DuPree girls are still fabulous. In Eisley’s case, the vocal melodies and frequencies become repetitive after several songs. Credit should be given to Warner Bros. for picking up such an impressive band. Major labels have a hard time, for some reason, finding good talent these days, even though it’s often right in front of their noses. Eisley is a prize for any label. Room Noises proves the true talent of this family of musicians and is only a preliminary steppingstone to bigger and better things.
E-mail Holt at: mah02f@acu.edu
Page 5
Room Noises You can now pick up a copy of Eisley’s latest album in The Campus Store.
Eisley Tour Dates Eisley will be back in Texas on tour in May. You can catch their show in the following cities: May 14 Dallas, Gyspy Tea Room Ballroom May 15 San Antonio, Sunset Station Lonestar Pavillion Stage May 19 Houston, Numbers
Photo courtesy of WWW.VH1.COM
Front row, left to right: Sherrie, Stacy, Chauntelle and Weston DuPree, and Jonathan Wilson, back center, make up the band Eisley. Their latest album, ‘Room Noises,’ is available now.
VIEWSFRIDAY OPTIMIST
Page 6 The issue: Media outlets across the nation will give information regarding the nation’s Freedom of Information laws this week.
Our view: Citizens must have access to information if they are to take part in democracy.
The solution: Citizens should not be afraid to make use of the FOI laws that exist to become informed about the government.
March 18, 2005
Media outlets shed light on sunshine laws American media outlets across the nation this week have joined together to raise awareness of the freedom of information and the necessity for an open government. The week has been named “Sunshine Week: Your Right to Know” in honor of the laws in practice in the United States that require the government to bring to light most of its records that do not threaten national security or violate a handful of other exemptions. This effort could be quickly written off as journalists’ attempt to defend one of their own most
Shout it out: please don’t yell so loud I’m going to level with there,” the woman asked, conyou: I don’t make much of a cerned. “Um, I think they are just bad girl. Oh, I’ve tried. My pen- really happy,” was my pathetic chant for response. The truth is, I don’t know trouble began in third why you yell. Maybe you were grade, when raised by a family of yellers. my mom Maybe you spend a lot of time wouldn’t let volunteering at a retirement me stay up home. Maybe you just returned past my bed- from a monster-truck rally. time. I would Whatever the case may be, hide under could you turn it down a few Tiffany’s the covers decibels? Perhaps, next time Litany with a flash- instead of screaming Very Tiffany light and Extremely Too Loud, you Williams read the Box- could turn it down to Very Moderately Too Loud. I don’t car Children books. My next big act of insubor- ask for much. Other things that are not dination happened before my junior prom. I wanted a golden appropriate for the Campus glow for the big day, so I decid- Center: 1. Soccer and basketball. In ed to use a tanning bed for the first time. I turned the tanning case you haven’t noticed, we bed up to 20 minutes, instead don’t have any hoops or goals. Make David of the recomB e c k h a m mended five, and felt freePerhaps, next time proud. Play in the grass. dom from the 2. Concerts. tyrannous tan- instead of screaming I’m sure you ning bed attenVery Extremely have a very dant. When I emerged from Too Loud, you could lovely voice, but if I hear you the tanning bed turn it down to singing while I realized I was I’m at work, I a scowling Very Moderately just might rebel — with a Too Loud. decide to return painful sunthe favor and burn. serenade you. One time, I drove without my seatbelt. I And you don’t want that. Really. They don’t call me know, I know. Color me bad. I make a sorry bad girl Tonedeaf McGee for nothin’. 3. Swimsuits. Just because because I really don’t like to make a fuss. One thing I would you had a really great swim in never have the courage to do is Gibson Health and P.E. Center, shout in public. But after work- doesn’t mean you have to let ing at the Campus Center the world know by stopping by Information Desk for almost a the Campus Center in a swimyear, I’ve noticed that most of suit. Put on a T-shirt and a pair you don’t share my delicate of shorts, and it can be your litsensibilities. You don’t only tle secret. 4. Cussing. Show up to the shout, you hoop and holler. You giggle and guffaw. You let Campus Center reciting every loose in a way that would wake four-letter word in your vocabBob Hope, rest his soul, and ulary, and I might just recite Ephesians 4:29 to you. You just make him proud. And I’m happy to say that never know with me. 5. PDA. I know it is difficult I’m happy you’re happy. I just have one request. Could you, finding privacy in the dorm maybe turn it down a little? lobbies, but don’t play tongue This may surprise some of wars in the Campus Center. you, but people actually do How would you like it if my work in the Campus Center. husband and I showed up at Some of us sell things. Some your job in a few years to make of us try to feed you. Others of out in your cubicle? Look at it us give you mail and answer this way: At least we’re maryour questions. We can’t very ried. 6. Cleavage. Maybe you well do our jobs if we can’t hear you, and we can’t hear mistook the Campus Center you if you are screaming at for a Hugh Heffner party. But I’m here to tell you, this is each other. You may not know this, but ACU, where dress code is sometimes you make people enforced. Relent. Maybe it sounds lame, but worry when you yell, mostly because yelling is primarily sometimes being good is about reserved for emergencies. being conscious of the people Recently, a woman called the around you. But if you have to Information Desk to ask for a yell, play basketball, cuss or phone number, but the re- kiss, try and do it on someone sponse she got was a lot of gar- else’s watch. bled screaming in the background of our conversation. Respond to Williams at: tnt00b@acu.edu or optimist@acu.edu “Is someone dying over
Daniel Barcroft
In My Words
Gospel message not only for poor It would be hard for me to picture Jesus in the present day, monitoring the parking lot of a church congregation on a Sunday morning and allowing only used or economical cars in the lot. It would be hard for me to picture him runKyle’s ning up to the driver’s side Column Kyle Robarts window of a Hummer and tell the driver to turn the car around, go home, and come back in a car that doesn’t cost so much. I can see the signs now, posted at the entryways of the parking lots, “Only used cars priced less than $40,000 here.” If driving a Hummer goes against everything Christians stand for — which our Tuesday Chapel speaker,
Use the blessings and your place in society and reach out to your wealthy neighbors. Damon Parker, so eloquently put it — I’m confused. I was under the impression that the Gospel was for everyone. The Bible clearly states that Christians are to look after the poor and needy (Matthew 25:31-46), but it also states in Matthew 19:24 that it is harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. This says to me that ultimately it would be harder for the wealthy to see the gates of heaven than the poor, so are we really to turn away from those who have wealth? Taking a look around the faculty parking lot here at ACU, I found several Lincoln Towncars, three Ford Excursions, a couple of fully
loaded Chevrolet Suburbans, a BMW Z3, and a four door Ford F250 Super Duty FX; the list goes on, but I’ll spare you the details. All of these vehicles — some owned by our administrators — are worth well more than $40,000 and a few of them push $50,000. Because the cost of a brand new Hummer H2 starts at $50,245, does that mean these 20 or so ACU faculty and staff members who own cars with comparable prices aren’t allowed to drive their vehicles to church? Parker had some good things to say, and wealthy Christians should think about how they use their finances. It is our Christian duty to continue looking after the poor, so let’s keep doing our
part, or in some cases begin doing our part. Show up at soup kitchens, give to the guy at the corner — as Parker said — and be willing to welcome the homeless into our homes. But just as much as the poor need looking after in the financial and spiritual sense, the wealthy need to be looked after in the spiritual sense. So, for those of you who do live in gated communities and drive H2s, don’t flee from those neighborhoods or sell your cars, unless like Parker said, it consumes your ability to serve the poor. However, use the blessings and your place in society and reach out to your wealthy neighbors, friends and colleagues, because the Gospel is for them too.
Respond to Robarts at: kdr00c@acu.edu or optimist@acu.edu
In Your Words What do you think of the changes being made in housing for next year? “Honestly, they can sleep wherever they want for all I’m concerned.”
“I can’t see boys cooking, but if that’s what works.”
“Honestly, it’s a bit chaotic, but I guess since I have the roommate I want and no particular preference, it doesn’t bother me much.”
“I was kind of disappointed because I had two friends I was planning on living with, but I want to live off campus (Adams Hall) anyways.”
Bryan Brokaw
Ashley Fincher
Pharren Crawford
Valerie Goode
senior marketing major from Abilene
freshman psychology major from San Antonio
freshman political science major from Odessa
sophomore marketing major from Farmers Branch
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
Texas, has supported some of the strongest FOI laws among the states, and he is co-sponsoring national legislation in the Senate that will strengthen FOIA. If nothing else, state residents should contact Cornyn and thank him for supporting an open government and informed public. However, his legislation—if passed—will mean little if citizens do not make use of the freedoms it affords. As journalists, we will continue to use FOI laws to bring the public news about the government. But citizens do not have to wait on us. The same freedoms are available to you, too.
important tools If citizens are expected to take part in democracy, dent reports as for gathering ina means for they must have access to information. formation. But gathering inforfree access to inmation, and formation from they typically the government and authorities is citizens must be able to take part. receive a report within minutes of more than a journalist’s tool; it is If citizens are expected to take the request without any hassle. key to a successful democracy for part, they must have access to Further investigation revealed the information so they can become official did not even have the all citizens. The Freedom of Information informed. report but was just putting up a Act of 1966 can hardly be considOptimist reporters know too roadblock, preferring legal action ered only a journalist’s tool. well the necessity of these laws. to discussing a public document. According to the Society of When reporting on the wreck Even though FOIA applies Professional Journalists’ Web site, involving youth from Highland only to the national government journalists make up a small per- Church of Christ, an official of and its agencies, most states have centage of FOI requests among Callahan County told the reporter similarly worded laws in place groups like lawyers and corpora- the newspaper would have to protecting the freedom of infortions. That freedom can be avail- send a lawyer and subpoena to mation for entities such as state able to any citizen. agencies and school districts. receive the accident report. For our democracy to work, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, RNewspapers regularly use acci-
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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CAMPUS NEWS
Friday, March 18, 2005
Page 7
Student’s work animated Ragland uses voice to give cartoons life for animation group
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Bonnie Shrout, freshman elementary education major from Los Angeles, and Cason Dickson, freshman Christian ministry major from Normal, Ill., use the wireless Internet in Brown Library on Thursday.
Campus becoming wireless Some locations no longer require wires for Internet access
“More students come every year with laptops and want to take them to class ... it’s an important service.” Kay Reeves, director of technology support services and information services
By LAUREN WARE STUDENT REPORTER
New wireless Internet environments will add to renovations being made to campus buildings, progressing toward a wireless campus. Barret Hall, currently under construction, will have wireless Internet capabilities but will also employ wired ports in each room. Other new wireless environments will be in all major academic areas, said Dr. K. B. Massingill, chief information ofMassingill ficer. “More and more students are walking around with PDAs or bringing their laptops to campus, so we feel like if we prioritize things, we will prioritize for the congregational areas first,” Massingill said. In the past year, new wire-
less environments have been set up in the Campus Center and the Hilton Room. “We will not attempt to provide access to every square foot of campus,” he said. Nationwide 30 percent of all university classrooms have wireless coverage, Massingill said. “If we didn’t have exceptional access in the residence halls, then that would be a high priority, but because we have such good access already in the residence halls, our emphasis is going to be toward bringing access to the academic spaces,” Massingill said. When deciding where to put wireless environments, Kay Reeves, director of technology support services and information services, said she takes into account the number of people it will serve. “More students come every year with laptops and want to
take them to class with them and want to sit wherever they want to and be able to use the network, so it’s an important service,” Reeves said. New wireless areas are planned for academic centers rather than residence halls, but some students are taking it upon themselves to ensure they have wireless access, Reeves said. “In the residence halls last fall, people would set up these wireless connections and not realize that they were affecting everyone else,” Reeves said. Wireless connections students set up in residence hall rooms slow down other Internet connections on the hall, Massingill said. “Unsecure access points have the potential to cause others on the network to have problems,” he said. E-mail Ware at: optimist@acu.edu
Study Abroad taking applications Program almost full; students can apply until end of month By SHAVONNE HERNDON STUDENT REPORTER
The summer Study Abroad Program is almost full, but students still have until March 31 to complete the application process. “I think Study Abroad is a wonderful way for ACU students to globalize their perspectives,” said Annie Nichols, Study Abroad coordinator. The interest in the Study
Abroad Program is continually increasing each year, which makes it an ongoing success, Nichols said. “I studied in Oxford during the fall semester of my sophomore year and the summer after my junior year and had an incredible time,” Nichols said. “I would have to say that my Study Abroad experiences were the highlights of my time at ACU, and every single ACU student should have an equally incredible and life-changing semester abroad if they choose to go.” Students who are leaving to go abroad in the fall will begin
preparing for their trip in April when they will meet together as a group for the first time. Nichols explained students will attend three small-group Chapels followed by predeparture meetings. The students then will meet back on campus in August for two days of orientation before leaving. ACU in Oxford and in Latin America are year-round programs. Applications are still being accepted to spend fall 2005 in Oxford and spring 2006 in Latin America. E-mail Herndon at: optimist@acu.edu
past two years, at least once a month, I have contacted and harassed this guy about an audition. After a year, he finally gave me his office number.” Her persistence finally paid off. One Thursday night in January, a man called to tell Ragland to come to Dallas the next day for an audition. “It felt so good to finally get an audition,” she said. “When he finally called, it validated the two-year obsession I had with stalking him.” After Ragland spent two years trying to get an audition, she realized her only obstacle was that she didn’t have a car. “I started calling all of my friends asking if I could borrow
She said her first step in training is to learn how to sync her voice with the lips of the character, she said. She said it is hard work, but she loves it. By MALLORY SHERWOOD “I get to make money off of FEATURES EDITOR sounding stupid,” Ragland said. “It is irregular work; it’s really Donna Ragland doesn’t have hard to get your foot in the a typical college student’s job. door, and you can’t rely on it to Instead of working on camfeed you, but it is definitely pus, at McDonald’s or at United worth it.” Supermarket, she waits by the Ragland had never thought phone until someone calls to about acting before because she tell her to go to Dallas. said she has no legitimate actRagland, junior art illustraing abilities. She has always tion major from Fort Worth, been a cartoon lover though. works as the voice for a cartoon “My dad used to do the character with FUNimation Muppet voices all the time, and Productions Ltd., an animation I remember growing up it was distributing company that has cool to just listen to him do worked since 1994 to redub those voicpopular Japaes,” Ragland nese cartoons “I don’t want to be someone normal—that takes said. “I can and comics impersonate into English. acting skills. I want to be the oddball.” some things, FUNimation but really I targets chilDonna Ragland, junior art illustration major from Fort Worth just really dren and like to be young adults silly and am with popular cartoons such as Dragon Ball Z, their car for the next day,” not afraid to look stupid.” Ragland said the majority of Cabbage Patch Kids, Teenage Ragland said, and she was sucpeople who work with her are Mutant Ninja Turtles and Lupin cessful. By 8:30 the next morning, professional actors and a few the Third on Cartoon Network, local professors. She said she said Jeff Dronen, public relation she was headed to Dallas. Ragland said once she was knows her persistence is what director for FUNimation, in an in the studio, she went into a landed her the audition. e-mail. “It’s really whoever shows The shows that air on tiny, sound-proof box, put on Cartoon Network compete headphones and was handed ambition and the drive for it with animated shows and other scripts to three characters. Of who ends up working here,” shows that are aimed at the the three voices, her favorite she said. “That’s why they are same demographic, Dronen character was the hyperactive all actors. They want to make a living out of this.” said. He said despite the com- child, she said. She doesn’t see herself read“I started freaking out into petition, popular shows like Lupin the Third and Dragon Ball the microphone,” Ragland said. ing for characters the rest of her Z have pulled in greater ratings “I would get really excited life, but she said she is setting than most of the late night talk while reading, and then whis- goals for how far she wants to per really quiet and then get go. shows. “I want to be a minor charRagland said she developed excited again.” It was what the company acter in a series before I graduan interest in becoming a carate college,” Ragland said. “I toon voice her freshman year was looking for. “I walked out of the booth, don’t want to be someone norwhen a friend mentioned her cousin worked at FUNimation and they told me they were mal—that takes acting skills. I in Dallas. After searching looking for people to do chil- want to be the oddball who through many of the company’s dren’s voices in their next proj- contrasts the main character. I Web sites, she found an admin- ect,” Ragland said. “I was going want to be Phoebe off of Friends to start training as child No. 2 in the cartoons.” istrative telephone number. “The lady who answered the in Lupin the Third, their next phone accidentally gave me the movie project.” e-mail address for the voice The movie has not begun director at FUNimation in production yet, and Ragland is E-mail Sherwood at: mes02e@acu.edu Dallas,” Ragland said. “For the still in training.
Students decry absence of program Customers still paying late fees at Abilene Blockbuster stores By JEREMY L. POND STUDENT REPORTER
Students have mixed responses and many are disappointed that Abilene Blockbuster stores are not offering the no-late-fees program found elsewhere in the nation. Tyler Cosgrove, junior management and accounting major from Amarillo, said he wishes the program could have been implemented in Abilene. “It’s difficult to return a movie by 6 p.m. sometimes,” he said. “It’d be especially nice during finals week when exams mess up your schedule.” Sarah Mullen, freshman music education major from Fort Worth, agrees. She said if such
a program were in place she would be more inclined to rent from Blockbuster. “It would be nice to not have to worry about forgetting to return a movie,” she said. Adam Bailey, junior theatre major from Longview, said his rental habits would not change if the local Blockbuster stores adopted the new program. “If I were down by Blockbuster, and they had no late fees, I might stop and pick up a movie, but there are so many hidden charges that I’d still be careful to return it on time,” he said. Hidden charges is a controversy that has surrounded the new program. If a movie or game is late by more than a week, Blockbuster will convert the rental to a sale, according to its Web site. The customer’s account will be charged for the sale price of the movie or game
minus the rental charge. If the customer wishes to return the movie or game, he may do so up to 30 days from the original rental in exchange for store credit. Joel Harris, president of Box Office Video, said he is not worried about Blockbuster’s new move. “They’re a corporation,” he said. “They have to have gimmicks like this. I haven’t changed a thing since I started Box Office, and I just opened my third store.” He said the gimmicks tend to last for short periods of time. “They start a new program, and before you know it they’ve moved on to something else,” he said. “I’ll be surprised if they’re even still doing this in six months.” E-mail Pond at: optimist@acu.edu
FOCUSFRIDAY OPTIMIST
Page 8
March 18, 2005
S WEET WATE R ’ S
Snake s Ali ve Photographs by Emily Chastain Written and designed by Mallory Sherwood Lions and tigers and snakes, oh my. Perhaps not the lions and tigers, but snakes slithering across the West Texas landscape soon met their match as the 47th annual world’s largest rattlesnake round-up began in Sweetwater, 39 miles west of Abilene on March 10 The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round-up, always conducted the second weekend of March, included a variety of activities for the more than 30,000 visitors who arrived, according to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round-up Web site. The town of only 11,500 people more than triples in population each March, with visitors from all 50 states, Europe and Australia; Sweetwater receives national media attention from ESPN and National Geographic Explorer during the event. The visitors could participate in the rattlesnake preview parade, Miss Snake Charmer pageant, rattlesnake round-up and the cookoff. Vendors set up booths for a flea market; children played games and participated in activities at the carnival, and adults enjoyed a gun, knife and coin show. Visitors could also choose from a variety of foods cooked during the cook-off such as brisket, chicken, beans and pork ribs. Deep-fried west diamondback rattlesnake bites also were available for purchase. March 11 marked the beginning of the main events as 200 Jaycees, city residents who want to be involved in the community activities, began weighing snakes at 7 a.m. The Jaycees are trained in the proper techniques of weighing, measuring and determining the sex of the snakes, and they led visitors on guided snake hunts to help bring in more than 18,000 snakes during the four-day weekend. The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round-up originally began in 1958, when farmers and ranchers in the area tried to rid the community of the rattlesnakes plaguing their livestock. Since then, more than 123 tons of west diamondback rattlesnakes have been turned in. Adults were charged $6 and students $4 to enjoy the activities, but all proceeds will benefit one or more of these organizations: Boy and Girl Scouts, Special Olympics, Red Cross and youth activities. According to the National Geographic Web site, snake round-ups also take place in Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Alabama and Georgia during January through July. Much to the chagrin of animal rights activists, none of the snakes turned in during the round-ups are ever returned to the wild. Instead, vendors buy them and use every part of them in products. According the Abilene Reporter-News Web site, the bones are dried and bleached and used for jewelry, the hides are sold and used as belts, the meat not used in the cook-offs is sold to vendors; the rattlesnakes are also milked, and their venom is used to aid cancer and AIDS research and to treat rattlesnake bites.
Top left: Piles of rattlesnakes are placed in a large pit, waiting to be milked or skinned in the Nolan County Coliseum in Sweetwater. Top right: Preserved heads of rattlesnakes are stored in jars and sold by many of the vendors at the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round-up. Center: Chris Soles, a worker at the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round-Up, holds up a large rattlesnake for display before milking it Sunday in the Nolan County Coliseum in Sweetwater. Right: Ethan Bledsoe of Sweetwater holds a still-squirming rattlesnake body he skinned with the help of a round-up volunteer. The rattlesnakes continue to move and squirm even after they are killed. Below: Rattlesnake skins still dripping blood are draped on a table for measuring.
JUMPS
Friday, March 18, 2005
Page 9
Track: Mwamba, women’s distance medley relay break records Continued from Page 10 a second-place finish from senior Val Gorter (12-9), a fifthplace finish from Angie Aguilar (12-5), and a seventhplace finish from senior Katie Eckley (12-1). Junior transfer Addeh Mwamba was disqualified in
the mile for stepping out of her lane but redeemed herself in the 800-meter run, placing second with a school record time of 2:08.24. Trina Cox finished sixth in the mile with a time of 4:54.4. The women’s relay teams might have run the hardest of anyone, however. On Friday,
the women’s distance medley relay team finished second with a school record of 11:33.35. On Saturday, the 4x400-meter relay team took the track with ACU leading the meet by a few points. Going into the last lap, the Wildcat squad was leading the race, but a St. Augustine’s
runner passed ACU’s anchor runner with less than a lap to go to seal the meet. The relay team’s time of 3:43.53, however, was the fourth-best performance in school history. “We had some what-ifs there,” Murray admitted. “But it was close; it was exciting.” This weekend Murray will
Ball: Team plays SE Okla. this weekend Continued from Page 10 ACU’s bats stayed hot in the second game, and Brockman shut down East Central for a 131 win. The Wildcats came away with 16 hits, with Brenan Herrera and Ruben Rivera pitching in three apiece. • March 5 ACU 5, East Central 4 (11 innings) After a day of offensive fireworks, ACU needed 11 innings to beat East Central 5-4. Herrera’s double scored Barker in the 11th to win the game. Ken Bice pitched one shutout inning for the win. The second game was canceled because of rain. • March 9 ACU 15, Arkansas Tech 11 Arkansas Tech 10, ACU 9 ACU played two more highscoring games, winning 15-11 and losing 10-9 to Arkansas Tech as the pitching staff continued to give up runs. • March 11 Northeastern State 4, ACU 3 ACU 2, Northeastern State 0 After Whitlock pitched six strong innings in his first start of the year, Rivera gave up two
Continued from Page 10 “Maybe we were too excited, I don’t know, but we didn’t play to our full potential.” Still, Riles said she is proud of what the Wildcats accomplished this season. “Everybody gave us every excuse to end the season before it even started,” Riles said. “But we proved a lot of people wrong, opened a lot of eyes.” Lavender said the team had an opportunity to pack it in early against Drury as well, but the Wildcats stuck it out. After a rough start, Lavender said the Wildcats played well during the final 30 minutes of the game. “It would have been easy to kind of fold up their clothes, put them in the bag and head out the door, but they came out and played well in the second half,” Lavender said. The second-half effort wasn’t
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Junior second baseman CJ Goularte leaps for a ball during infield fielding drills Thursday at Crutcher Scott Field.
Upgrade: Some problems still being fixed Continued from Page 1 to move the e-mail system to a smaller server, freeing up a larger server for Banner Web. Because the power was turned off temporarily in Zellner Hall to improve the air conditioning system, the upgrade took longer to complete. Most of it was finished by the end of the weekend that students left, Langford said, but a little bug caused problems in the transferring of address books. Everything has been upgraded, but some small bugs need to be worked out, he said. “You try to get in and fix everything, but when more
people get on it, you find more problems,” he said. “We still have some wrinkles to iron out.” Langford said some Internet browsers work better with the new system than others. He said for now, FireFox by Mozilla seems to work the best. Microsoft Internet Explorer and Safari aren’t updated quite enough to work as well. One of the wrinkles being ironed out now is a problem that occurs when trying to reply to an e-mail in Safari and FireFox, Langford said. He said the e-mail vendor has been alerted to help solve the problem.
“This coming week, we’ll probably take it a little easy,” he said. “The last half of the week, we’ll start working hard again.”
E-mail Holt at: smh00a@acu.edu
Women: Slow start costs team victory
runs in the seventh, and ACU lost 4-3. Catcher J-Bob Thomas was the only Wildcat to garner more than one hit as he had two. Brockman made sure there would be no comeback in the second game and pitched a complete-game, five-hit shutout in a 2-0 ACU victory. For the second straight game, the Wildcats managed just six hits, with Chris Walsh and Barker getting two each. • March 12 Northeastern State 11, ACU 5 ACU 12, Northeastern State 8 In another doubleheader split, ACU lost 11-5 and beat Northeastern State 12-8. Jones had another rough outing while picking up his third loss of the season, but the ACU offense came back to life with 15 hits. Walsh and C.J. Goularte had three hits each. The Wildcats scored in every inning except the first in the second game while picking up 13 more hits. Maynard picked up the win and Andrew Dillman registered his second save of the season. E-mail Gray at: weg02a@acu.edu
take a small group of distance runners to the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., while most of the team travels to Waco for the Baylor Invitational. Murray said he will give his athletes a break from practicing hard the first part of the week.
“We’re completely at their mercy,” he said. Another problem is the logout process. Instead of logging users out of all the myACU programs, it is only signing out of one at a time. Langford said that students using the e-mail kiosks in the Campus Center need to follow the directions of the sign posted, or just quit the browser after checking their email. Josh Tooley, manager of Team 55, said although students have had a few problems with the upgrade, most students seem to be pleased with the new features. “Overall response has been
very, very good,” Tooley said. He said the biggest problem students have encountered is from not having the most recently updated version of their Web browser. If students regularly update their computers, they should have the most recent versions, but they can check to make sure by visiting the browser’s Web site. He also said students should regularly check the announcements on myACU for updates and notification of possible problems. “It’s usually a quick fix,” Tooley said. E-mail Schneider at: jrs02a@acu.edu
enough to erase the deficit though. ACU was again plagued by turnovers as the team gave up the ball 27 times against only nine assists. Riles led the team with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Ashley King added 15 points. Riles, who led the Wildcats in scoring with 14.9 points a game, was named to the LSC allconference first team for efforts this season. King and Jamie Boles were named to the second team, and Meredith Doyle and Alex Guiton received honorable mentions as all five ACU starters were recognized. “All those girls during conference play … stepped up for us,” Lavender said. “We only had 10 girls anyway, so I think it’s a reflection on our team effort this year.” E-mail Gray at: weg02a@acu.edu
Review: Committee to process feedback Continued from Page 1 with practical issues at stake, such as how the plans will be implemented, what they will look like in practice and whether they will be more effective than current curriculum. “The complexity of that response is why we are going to have to wait before we have a final plan,” Arrington said. The next faculty meeting will be Monday, and general education discussions are on the agenda, among other items, Simpson said. “We hope the faculty feel free to voice all of their concerns, as well as what they like,” Simpson said. More discussions amongst faculty and the committee will
take place during the remainder of the semester. Because of the varying opinions at hand, he said it is important for more discussions to take place in order to reach a more representative consensus. The General Education Steering Committee meets every Friday, and Simpson said this week’s meeting will focus on processing the feedback from the faculty and trying to find a majority opinion, Simpson said. “What we finally propose should represent what we as a faculty feel will be best for General Education,” Arrington said. E-mail Carlson at: skc02a@acu.edu
SBC: Leaders to receive feedback Chili: Event to honor Trevathan Continued from Page 1 and the street campaign worked well with her personality. “As the day went on, it got easier and easier,” Galloway said. “God gave me the confidence to do it, because I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do it myself.” She found herself in new situations in Louisiana, and the Mansfield, Mass., campaign was miles away also experiencing something new: a blizzard. The group was caught in a blizzard while traveling from Harvard University to Fenway Park, and they later enjoyed the
snow by sledding. “It’s not something any of us have ever experienced,” said Jeff McCain, junior integrated marketing and communication major from Liberty. McCain, leader of the Mansfield campaign, complimented his host church. “They’re exactly the kind of church you’re looking for on a Spring Break Campaign,” he said. The campaigners focused on the church family’s needs because that was their purpose for being there, McCain said. The church had plans for the group to help with the food bank,
Habitat for Humanity and the youth group. However, when the campaigners discovered that a woman in the church who had multiple sclerosis was moving, they helped paint her new house during the move. Organizers will have a better idea of how the campaigns went when they receive the evaluation forms from the host churches, Rich said. Rich will be able to see if churches would like a campaign every year and if the campaign leaders were, in the church’s opinion, helpful. E-mail Taylor at: tat04a@acu.edu
Continued from Page 1 “I took all of Dr. Trevathan’s classes and saw the kind of person he was,” Hurley said. “I saw how his work influenced people’s lives through the way he taught and the way he lived.” Some members of University Church of Christ said they want to participate because they, too, were influenced by Trevathan. “Charles Trevathan was really respected by the congregation,” said Derrick Bam, family minister at University Church of Christ. ”We thought a lot of
him.” The church made announcements about the event in the weekly bulletin to encourage members to participate, said Joy Gotcher, bookkeeper for the church. Trevathan mentored Gotcher’s husband, David, assistant professor of sociology and social work, and the families were very close, she said. Members of University Church of Christ also want to support Hurley, who is a member of the congregation, Bam said. The men of Pi Kappa haven’t said how many people they
hope will come to the event. “We don’t have a clue as to how many people will attend,” Hurley said. “With every new idea there is a certain amount of risk involved. We’re just hoping to eat some good chili and honor Dr. Trevathan.” If the chili cook-off goes well, Hurley said he anticipates it becoming an annual event. “I think it is going to be something really fun and in Charles Trevathan’s style,” Bam said. E-mail Sherwood at: mes02e@acu.edu
SPORTSFRIDAY OPTIMIST
Page 10
March 18, 2005
Men win D-II title, women place second
LSC South Standings current through 03-16-05
Baseball Team A&M-Kingsville ACU Angelo State Tarleton State E. New Mexico West Texas A&M
Div. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Tot. 13-7 15-10 10-11 11-13 8-12 6-18
Softball Team Angelo State Texas Woman’s A&M-Kingsville ACU Tarleton State E. New Mexico
Div. 4-0 2-2 2-2 2-2 2-2 0-4
Tot. 22-6 14-8 21-13 16-11 12-13 13-14
Scores
Men dominate NCAA D-II championship in Boston during break By STEVE HOLT SPORTS WRITER
The men’s track and field team picked up its fourth straight indoor national championship with ease Saturday at the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships in Boston. ACU placed first overall with 84 points behind 12 topeight individual finishes. Adams State finished second with 46 points, followed by Lincoln, California StateBakersfield, and St. Augustine’s. The ACU women were barely edged out by St. Augustine’s, which scored 53 points to the Wildcats’ 48.5.
“It was an exciting meet,” head coach Jon Murray said of the performance of his men. “We had a few bad things, but then the guys stepped up and kept it going. All the way through I felt pretty confident.” Junior Yevgen Pashchenko got the ball rolling Friday with a win in the men’s long jump. The winning jump of 24-11 gave Pashchenko his third individual collegiate title. Also picking up points for the Wildcats Friday was the distance medley relay team, which placed first with a time of 9:48.04. This season marked the first time the distance medley relay has been included in the indoor nationals events. Pashchenko also led a group of athletes who scored big points in the men’s triple jump Friday. Pashchenko was second
in the event with a jump of 515, followed by Ben Washington in third (51-3) and Vladyslav Gorbenko in fourth (50-11). Junior Cory Aguilar also picked up points with a sixthplace performance in the pole vault (16-1). Murray said he didn’t expect to have such a great start to the meet with his field event performers. “I knew we’d get big points from our running events,” he said. And big points he got. Newcomers Lucky Hadebe and Nicodemus Naimadu picked up national championships Saturday in the 800 meters and 5,000-meter run, respectively. Naimadu won his race with relative ease, coasting to the 5,000meter victory in 13:59.64. Hadebe fought off competitors
Friday, March 4
to place first in the 800 meters in 1:50.18. The other national champion was sophomore Marvin Essor in the 400-meter run, who finished with a time of 47.47. In his last track and field race in an ACU uniform, senior Bernard Manirakiza finished sixth in the mile with a time of 4:10.05. Manirakiza has been named all-America seven times in track and field since 2001. Sophomore Marvin BienAime, who finished a surprising second in the 200-meter dash at the 2004 outdoor meet, placed second in the same event Saturday (21.57). One of the more disappointing races of Saturday’s action was the 4x400-meter relay, in which a St. Augustine’s runner knocked over ACU’s Ricardo Johnson. Johnson was slow to
Saturday, March 5 Baseball ACU 5, East Central 4 Softball Regis 8, ACU 0
Wildcats went 5-4 to continue ‘average’ performance last week
Wednesday, March 9
By WARREN GRAY SPORTS WRITER
Baseball ACU 15, Arkansas Tech 11 Arkansas Tech 10, ACU 9
Friday, March 11 Baseball Northeastern State 4, ACU 3 ACU 2, Northeastern State 2 Softball Tarleton State 5, ACU 2 Tarleton State 4, ACU 3
Saturday, March 12 Baseball Northeastern State 11, ACU 5 ACU 12, Northeastern State 8 Softball ACU 7,Tarleton State 6 ACU 8,Tarleton State 6 Women’s basketball NCAA II Central Regional: Drury 112, ACU 75
Upcoming events in Wildcat sports... (home events in italics) Friday, March 18 BSB: Southeastern Oklahoma State, 4 p.m. SB: Texas A&M Kingsville, 5 p.m. MTN: Incarnate Word, 2 p.m. WTN: Incarnate Word, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, March 22 SB: Incarnate Word 3 p.m. Thursday, March 24 BSB: St. Edwards, 2 p.m. Southeastern Oklahoma State, 6 p.m.
Briefs Hakim Rasul, Stephanie Riles named first team in LSC South; five others honored ACU senior forward Stephanie Riles and junior forward Hakim Rasul were named first team all-Lone Star Conference South Division on Monday. Riles, a senior from Lockhart, was named first team on the women's squad, while Rasul, a junior from Tucson, Ariz., was named first team on the men's squad. Other ACU women honored were junior center Jamie Boles and junior guard Ashley King (second team for each) and senior forward Meredith Doyle and freshman guard Alex Guiton (honorable mention for both). ACU senior guard David Baxter was named to the men's second team, and was the only other Wildcat men's player honored. —ACU Sports Information
See TRACK Page 9
Baseball team kept busy during break
Baseball East Central 12, ACU 11 ACU 13, East Central 1 Softball St. Mary 6, ACU 0 Women’s basketball LSC Semifinals: Angelo State 74, ACU 61
Saturday, March 19 BSB: Southeastern Oklahoma State 1 p.m. WTN: Eastern New Mexico, 9 a.m. Ouachita Baptist, 2 p.m.
get up, and the Wildcat relay team managed to place eighth in the race. St. Augustine’s was disqualified from the race because of the incident. Other men’s finishers for the Wildcats included Hadebe in the mile (10th place, 4:32.61) and freshman Laurent Ngirakamaro in the 5,000-meter run (11th place, 14:30.15). On the women’s side, sophomore Olha Kryv’yak was the lone individual champion, winning the mile in the secondfastest time in school history, 4:49.96. “Olha’s victory in the mile was great,” Murray said. “We haven’t had a champion in [the mile] in a long time.” As expected, ACU earned points in the pole vault, behind
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Senior first baseman Ryan Barker fields a grounder during kamikaze, an infield fielding drill, during practice on Thursday. Barker leads the team with a .404 batting average to go along with his 19 RBI, giving him 158 career RBI and breaking the school record of 154 by Jarod Hyde in 1995-97.
Murray named coach of the year
Here’s a game-by-game look at ACU’s past nine games: • March 4 East Central 12, ACU 11 ACU 13, East Central 1 The Wildcats scored four runs in both the sixth and seven innings but couldn’t get over the hump for the win in a 21-11 loss. ACU starter Adam Jones lasted just one inning and gave up four earned runs. The Wildcats pounded out 14 hits, including three from Barker. See BALL Page 9
Wildcats’ basketball season comes to end Women lose in first round of regionals against Drury By WARREN GRAY SPORTS WRITER
Freshman distance runner receives athlete of the year award FROM ACU SPORTS INFORMATION Head track and field coach Jon Murray was recently named the national men’s Coach of the Year for NCAA Division II track and field. The award was announced at last weekend’s NCAA Division II indoor track and field championship meet. Freshman Nicodemus Naimadu, who cruised to a 12-second victory in the 5000 meters at the indoor championship meet — was named the South Central Region Male Athlete of the Year.
Spring break offered no time off for the ACU baseball team as the Wildcats played nine games in nine days. It didn’t offer a change to a recent trend of upand-down play either, as ACU went 5-4 during the stretch. “What you see is an ACU baseball team playing average baseball,” ACU coach Britt Bonneau said. He said the program has become synonymous with more than that, but at this point the Wildcats aren’t living up to those expectations. At the beginning of the season, it appeared that the Wildcats had rebounded from an average season in 2004. ACU got off to an 8-2 start, including a six-game winning streak, and climbed to No. 8 in the national Division II poll. But now, after going 7-8 over their last 15 games, the Wildcats find themselves unranked and dabbling in mediocrity. “We’ve settled into a comfort zone, and I’m not comfortable in that zone,” Bonneau said. One player who has found a nice comfort zone is pitcher Ben Brockman. Brockman won two games over the break to push his record to 6-0 to go with a .97 ERA. Bonneau said Brockman is the only consistent starter ACU has had; Brockman claims he’s just doing his job. “I’ve just been doing the
same thing I’ve always done,” Brockman said. “I’m just trying to give us a chance to win games.” Senior first baseman Ryan Barker has been getting his job done for four seasons and continues to do so this season. Barker, who has played in all 25 games this season, leads the team with a .404 batting average and now has 158 career RBI, breaking ACU’s career record of 154 set by Jerod Hyde in 1997. Bonneau credits Barker’s success to his consistency over his career. “I think it’s awesome,” Bonneau said. “It’s guys like that we’ve been able to build a program around.” The Wildcats play four games this weekend against Southeastern Oklahoma State, beginning on Friday with a doubleheader at 4 p.m. and continuing with two more games Saturday at 1 p.m. Brockman, Justin Whitlock and Ben Maynard are scheduled to pitch the first three games with the fourth starter undecided.
Photo courtesy of DON RICHHART
Senior guard Stephanie Riles hits a jump shot over Angelo State defenders during the 74-61 loss to Angelo State in the LSC semifinals.
The ACU women’s basketball season came to a sudden end Friday with a 112-75 loss to Drury University, the No. 1 team in the nation. The loss in the first round of the regional tournament was the final valley of what senior post Stephanie Riles described as an up-and-down season for the Wildcats. But with a 20-10 record and win over Tarleton State in the first round of the Lone Star Conference tournament, there were plenty of ups, which Riles contributed to the teams’ perseverance. “We persevered through people leaving the team, through injuries,” Riles said. “This team has a lot of fight in it.” It was that fight that ACU coach Shawna Lavender saw in a Dec. 13 overtime win at Northeastern State. The win was the first of five victories in a row
for ACU in a stretch when it won nine out of 10 games. Lavender credits that stretch and the momentum it gave the team headed into conference play with much of the team’s success. “I knew that was a pivotal point for our team,” Lavender said of the win in Tahlequah, Okla. “It’s a tough place to play. For this young team to go in and get that win, I knew we had a pretty good shot at being very successful.” Northeastern finished the regular season in first place in the LSC North while the Wildcats finished third in the South Division. The third place finish got them into the conference tournament, where they lost to Angelo State in the semifinals, 74-61. But getting that far earned the Wildcats a shot at Drury in the first round of the regional tournament, a shot that Riles wishes they could take again. “I was disappointed in the way we came out,” Riles said. See WOMEN Page 9