The Optimist 8.26.16

WHAT'S INSIDE

NEWS

Political Science professor advised speakers at the Democratic National Convention.

Page 2

FEATURE

OPINION

A student dedicates music to Hudson Wade and a look at a new musical from ACU Theatre Page 5

Should upperclassmen try to be involved in student government?

Read our thoughts.

Page 4

SPORTS

Construction on Wildcat Stadium is on schedule so far. Don’t miss our soccer preview.

Pages 6

v

Friday, August 26, 2016 Vol. 105, Issue 02

A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912

FUN WITH FLAGS

SA pushes back election to third week of class

BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

Students’ Association elections will take place September 7 and 8, giving candidates more time to petition and campaign.

The SA executive cabinet decided to move the election from Aug. 31 to Sep. 7 so candidates have two weeks from Wednesday night’s interest meeting to voting day. Abbey Moses, executive president of SA, said this will give the candidates more time to decide what position they would like to run for.

“I just think that will mean that we have stronger congress members and more people who are involved,” Moses said.

Students will have until August 31 to turn in signatures from students. Candidates running for class officer positions will have to obtain more signatures than other representatives. Students who obtain the signatures and fulfill the requirements to run will have one week to campaign for their desired office.

Elections will open Wednesday Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. and close Sept. 8 at 5 p.m. Runoffs will take place

LYDIA LAWSON, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Andrea Saenz proudly carries a flag in the Opening Ceremonies Parade of Flags. Students from across the globe and the United States present flags representing the ACU student body. The flag collection was donated to the university by O.P. Leonard and the ceremony was started by Bob Hunter.

SEE ELECTIONS PAGE 2

New men’s social club looks to bring diversity “

BY EMILY GUAJARDO VISUALS MANAGING EDITOR

Nu Kappa Psi will take pledges this year as the newest men’s social club.

Shakur Smith, a junior marketing and finance major from Indianapolis, IN, will serve as the president for the Nu Kappa Psi, or Noble Kings, and said that he is excited for the club’s future and its potential pledges.

“At first we were shooting high and wanted 40 to 50 men to join,” said Smith, “but after talking with our sponsors, we decided to shoot for 20 to 30 potential pledgees.”

Thinking of the idea since the summer of 2015, Smith and other students believed a more diverse social club was needed on campus alongside the other men’s social clubs.

Smith acknowledges that other clubs do equally try

We want to be open to all types of backgrounds and minorities and if our club becomes all black, then I’m fine with that. ” SHAKUR SMITH JUNIOR MARKETING AND FINANCE MAJOR INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

to reach out to minorities within the student body, but perhaps do not exemplify that as clearly as they could. By trying to attract minority students, the Noble Kings have acquired a

stigma of being an exclusive, “black-men-only” club which Smith said discourages several men outside the black community. However, Smith said the club is not exclusive and he hopes

for it to become a club in which men of all backgrounds can feel welcomed.

“We are not an exclusive all black club” said Smith.

“We want to be open to all types of backgrounds and minorities and if our club becomes all black, then I am fine with that. We just want men who want to be part of our club and who want brotherhood.”

Brotherhood; one of the main focuses of Nu Kappa Psi mission. Smith said

that he hopes to make Nu Kappa Psi less exclusive to members, but available to the community, allowing non-club members to participate in their events and activities.

“You see other fraternities at other schools that have barbeques and invite the whole student body and in turn, that makes the school look good,” said Smith. “And I hope that the SEE NOBLE PAGE 2

New web design drops ‘exceptional, innovative, real’

BY ALLISON BROWN EDITOR IN CHIEF

The university launched an overhauled acu.edu on Wednesday, marking the beginning of a new brand and creative strategy – one that doesn’t include the words “exceptional,” “innovative” or “real.”

After working with an outside firm, Salt Lake City-based Helix Educa-

tion, the university debuted a new campaign – “Many and One.” Jason Groves, chief marketing officer, said the campaign is based on the verse 1 Corinthians 12:12, which reads “just as the body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”

The new website is a product of focus groups

and research conducted by Helix Education, he said.

“The purpose was to surface what makes ACU truly unique and how can this be communicated to various audiences,” Groves said.

The result: a site focused on drawing in prospective students in three primary areas: undergraduate, residential graduate or online graduate. The site gives

“

The purpose was to surface what makes ACU truly unique.”

JASON GROVES CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

preference to information important to recruiting, but all other content still

exists online at the same URLs. Clicking around, one finds polished web pages for a majority of the content, but every now and then, a link will take a visitor to old versions of the internal content that still bear the old website look – for example, student life, campus offices and department information.

“Until this point, the

website has been a place where all content resides, and we have tens of thousands of pages that have been created over decades,” Groves said. “Having everything in one place makes it difficult for users to navigate effectively; it’s very cumbersome to manage, and it impacts our marketing efforts.”

SEE WEBSITE PAGE 3

Council considers Allen Ridge rezone ACU’s plans for upscale mixed-use development slowly move forward

BY ALLISON BROWN EDITOR IN CHIEF

The Abilene City Council sent the university’s request to rezone 87 acres north of Ambler on to the next stage of planning and zoning.

This marks another step forward in what continues to be a long process for development on the Allen

Ridge land.

In May 2015, ACU’s endowment management company ACIMCO announced plans to develop land across from campus into an upscale, mixeduse area as a “gateway to Abilene.”

The ACU-owned parcel is zoned as “College University/Corridor Overlay”

and must be rezoned for a greater mix of uses before progress can continue on the Village at Allen Ridge.

The city’s planning and zoning commission approved the change in early August and sent it on to the city council.

The Village – which will include shops, restaurants and high-end residences

– is another project in the queue of giving the north side of campus a facelift, with construction on the new Wildcat Stadium fully underway.

Kelly Young, vice president for real estate development for ACIMCO, said he expects the council to SEE VILLAGE PAGE 2

W W W. A C U O P T I M I S T. C O M

IMAGE COURTESY OF ACIMCO

2

NEW S

Faculty approves new criminal justice major

BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

The Department of Political Science added a criminal justice major and minor to its academic selection.

Both a bachelor of science and a bachelor of arts will be offered in this standalone major which used to be a political science major with an emphasis in criminal justice. Three years ago criminal justice was offered as an emphasis in the sociology degree.

Dr. Neal Coates, chair of the department, said criminal justice majors will take three new courses including criminal procedure, criminal law and corrections along with other criminal justice courses already offered. The department has 41 new students studying both political science and criminal justice.

The university academic counsel started working with the department on the stand-alone major last year and it was approved in the spring.

The bachelor of arts degree requires a language and will work for students who want to learn Spanish.

Coates said criminal justice students will still have to do a summer internship and many may choose to work for a local game warden or police department.

"We need Christian law enforcement personnel more than ever," Coates said.

Although some criminal justice students may choose to study law to become prosecutors, Coates said most will pursue law-enforcement careers. He said many police departments want officers with college degrees because it prepares them to handle complex situations.

"Employers want to hire people who have those values, who have those morals, and who have those instincts that come about from being in a religious setting," Coates said.

Jeffrey Wendling, a 1971 criminal justice graduate, set the pace for criminal justice students through his lifelong service in law enforcement.

According to a newsletter in 2013 from the Department of Political Science, Wendling won the International Award of Honor by the International Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association in 1999 for work with the Philippine counter-drug initiative.

"It's that lifelong dedication to your job, to your family and to your God that makes a big difference," Coates said.

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

FRIDAY | AUGUST 26, 2016

Poli Sci prof steers speakers at DNC Dr. David Dillman interacted with various speakers at his ninth Democratic Convention

BY ERIKA BOLADO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Dr. David Dillman worked at the Democratic National Convention this summer for the ninth time since 1980.

Dillman, professor in the political science department and director of the Jack Pope Fellows Program, worked as a “speaker tracker” for four days.

Before the convention started, Dillman was familiarized with the event schedule, the arena and the speakers he had been assigned to, called his contacts. Once he made contact with the speakers, he arranged a time to get them into the arena a couple days before their speech so he could show them around the arena and they could practice their speech.

“We are kind of responsible for trying to make that speech a success,” said Dillman. “There are speech coaches, makeup artists and speech writers.”

On the day of the

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID DILLMAN

speeches, Dillman said he met with the speakers and took them backstage.

Backstage, he said they would “go through a process of rehearsal, but usually it’s going into a holding room, then to makeup room and then going into a green room, which is supposedly a quiet room so they can think and be calm.”

Dillman helped the speakers to the podium

to deliver the speech and then guided them to their next destination.

“The tension is making sure you do your job, and it can be quite stressful,” said Dillman.

The first person Dillman tracked was Jeffrey Merkley, U.S. Senator from Oregon, who mailed Dillman a handwritten card just this week. He also tracked congresswoman Joyce Beatty, from Ohio; Steve

Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina and Gabriel Salguero, a reverend from Florida.

On Dillman’s office walls and bookshelves, located on the third floor of Hardin Administration building, he has many photos, some signed, of various politicians he has met over the course of his life.

At past Democratic National Conventions, Dill-

man has met politicians such as U.S. Representative of Georgia, Congressman John Lewis, Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, President Bill Clinton and many others.

“You get see people that you see on TV, and sometimes you might have the chance to talk to them,” said Dillman. “The biggest joy for me was chatting briefly and shaking John Lewis’s hand. That was a lot of fun.”

On whether conventions are important to the political process or not, Dillman said, "Many political scientists do not see them as important to the political process, but whether one agrees with it or not, conventions provide a place for corporate interests to interact with people who will make decisions that impact them, and it energizes political activists to get out to work for the party's nominee."

EXB14A@ACU.EDU

Noble: Men's social club aims to be inclusive CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Noble Kings can also exemplify that same outlook and make the school and student life look good.”

Some of the goals of Nu Kappa Psi are community both on campus and off

campus, such as the Big Brother, Big Sister organizations.

Prentice Ashford, sponsor of Noble Kings and director for the office of multicultural affairs, said he is excited for the club to finally launch and be equally

represented among the other social clubs on campus.

Ashford closely worked with the Noble King founders and believes that the club meets a need the ACU community should have.

“It meets a need that has not been addressed” said

Ashford. “I understand the perception that people may have considering it was founded by four black men, but no, it is definitely for everybody.”

Ashford said the club is not as worried about the quantity so much as the

quality of the men who choose to pledge the club.

The Noble Kings will have rushes and coffee’s for men interested in joining.

EAG13A@ACU.EDU

Village: rezoning vote goes to Council Sept. 8 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

approve the proposal at the second vote on Sept. 8.

“We have talked to city leaders quite a bit and we are all excited to have something off of I-20 to be really inviting,” Young said.

Progress on the project has been slow, but little by

little, it keeps moving forward. The full implementation of the project will take years, but Young said the slow roll out will be best for Abilene’s economy.

“What we’ve realized is we won’t be able to put in the whole development all at once,” Young said.

“Abilene’s market can’t

absorb that many new things that quickly.”

Last weekend, the Board of Trustees approved a preliminary first phase of development, which Young said would likely include high-end apartments, three-to-four restaurants and three-tofour retail groups. Young was unable to disclose

any names of businesses planning to open at The Village.

Slowing down development also means minimizing ACU’s financial risk.

“Our next big hurdle will be getting the financing we want,” Young said.

ACU will finance some pieces of the develop-

ment, but over the course of the project the money will come together in different ways, like investor partnerships or loans.

Once approved for mixed use, construction on the land could begin later this year.

AKB12B@ACU.EDU

Elections: SA bumps fall voting to third week CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Sept. 9 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Last fall, the website broke the night before voting and students had to submit paper ballots in person. The SA cabinet worked with information technology students during the summer to make sure the website can handle the influx of votes this election. Last spring, SA executive cabinet elections had its highest voter

turnout with 1,441 votes.

Moses said the newly elected Congress will have to quickly learn the rules of order because the first budget meeting will take place before officers go on a Congress retreat.

The executive cabinet plans to make two amendments to the SA Constitution which includes adding and removing offices.

The first measure will cut two athletics representative office and add two offices for science, tech-

nology, engineering and math students. The measure will combine the four current athletic representative offices. There will be two offices for students in athletics, two for athletics and two for varsity athletics. Moses said the cabinet worked with Lee de Leon to decide on the best option for athletes who often couldn’t participate in Congress in the past.

“Student athletes also live in dorms and are in academic colleges they

can represent, so it’s not limiting to them,” Moses said.

The positions for students in STEM fields will help diversify Student Congress, Moses said.

While political science or english majors often participate in SA, students from STEM fields have been underrepresented.

Student Congress will vote on this measure at the first meeting after elections. If it is ratified, the executive cabinet will appoint offi-

cers through an application process.

“That one’s a little bit more open and we’re going to be shaping that a little bit more,” Moses said.

The second measure will allow student activities offices to be added if necessary. The SA constitution can be read online.

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 08/19/2016 8:00 p.m.

ACU investigated the report of a laptop theft at SRWC. Investigation determined no theft had occurred; laptop was recovered.

08/20/2016 10 p.m.

ACUPD Officer Mills drove up on a traffic accident in which a bicyclist had been struck and killed.

08/23/2016 9:10 p.m.

Officers observed a suspicious vehicle driving through the Dillard Hall alley with no license plate. The driver was stopped and subsequently arrested for outstanding traffic warrants.

911 CALL 3 ACCIDENT 2 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY 29 ADVICE 1 AGGRAVATED ASSAULT 1 ALARM 3 ALCOHOL INCIDENT 2 ARRESTED SUBJECT 1 ASSIST 1 BARRICADES 9 BICYCLE PATROL 2 BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK 21 CART PATROL 1 CHECK BUILDING

322 CITATION ISSUANCE 1 CIVIL DISTURBANCE 1 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 1 DIRECT TRAFFIC 2 DISABLED VEHICLE 1 DISCHARGE OF AIR GUN 2 DISTURBANCE 2 DRUG ACTIVITY/OFFENSE 1 ESCORT 6 FOOT PATROL 29 FOUND PROPERTY 2 HARASSMENT 1 INFORMATION REPORT 2 INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP

5 LOST PROPERTY 1 MAINTENANCE UNIV ASSETS: CCTV 8 MAINTENANCE: UNIV ASSETS 2 MEDICAL EMERGENCY 2 MONITOR FACILITY/LOT 2 MOTORIST ASSIST INFLATE TIRE 3 MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART 9 MOTORIST ASSIST: OTHER 1 MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK 6

NOISE VIOLATION 1 OTHER 1 PARKING LOT PATROL 42 PARKING VIOLATION 7 PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE 4 PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL 12 PUBLIC SERVICE 2 RANDOM PATROL 30 REPORT WRITING 9 SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT 2 STAND BY 1 SUICIDE (ATT & ACTUAL) 1 SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 1 SUSPICIOUS PERSON 3

THEFT 1 THEFT (MOTOR VEHICLE) 1 TRAFFIC HAZARD 3 TRAFFIC STOP 6 WELFARE CHECK 1

POLICE CHIEF TIP OF THE WEEK:

Welcome back to campus.

Remember that ACUPD is here 24/7 for your needs. Report ALL suspicious activity!

N E WS

FRIDAY | AUGUST 26, 2016

3

Worldwide Witness sends 64 students across globe

BY MERCEDEZ HERNANDEZ PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

Worldwide Witness sent 64 students to do mission work in 25 different countries in the summer.

A few countries students worked in include: Ghana, Cambodia, Brazil, Croatia and Haiti. Domestically, students worked in Orlando, Dallas, Abilene and Conroe.

Jack Oduro, junior accounting major from Ateiku, Ghana, has been in Worldwide Witness for one year but is no stranger to the mission field.

Oduro’s parents operate Rural Evangelism Development Projects where he returned to do mission work this summer. Oduro mainly worked in the mission’s hospital office, but his group assisted in constructing three water wells for the village.

One well, Oduro said, was

built by Dallas Christian Schools in honor of Hudson Wade, an 11-year-old Abilene native that lost his battle with leukemia earlier this year.

For Oduro, the trip solidified his belief that Christians are meant to spread the gospel through kinship and good deeds.

“There’s a reason why Jesus said, ‘Go all into the world,’” Oduro said. “Being in the middle of the action is unlike any other thing you have experienced. You get to be the hands and feet of Jesus.”

Kara Ory, junior social work major from Walnut Creek, California, went to El Salvador to intern with Project Red, an organization that assists the families of orphans. She said the trip impacted her so much that she changed her major.

“I got to see what social

workers do and how they helped all those families and I decided I wanted to help people that way, too” Ory said.

Director of Worldwide Witness, Larry Henderson, said although the program has many locations across the globe, if a student has a mission or location they would like to visit, he would try and connect that student with their desired location.

“We have locations on every continent except Antarctica and we’re happy to work with students to put them in a place they would like to go,” Henderson said.

“We have our locations already but if students know of missionaries working in new places they would like to go, we’re happy to work with them to make it happen.”

MMH13A@ACU.EDU

PHOTO COURTESY OF KARA ORY Kara Ory spent part of her summer in El Salvador interning at Project Red, a program that counsels and aids the families of orphans.

Website: New design emphasizes material for prospective students CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

To combat this problem, online marketing is splitting the site into acu. edu and a more internally-focused Community at ACU site, which will launch later in the fall.

Community at ACU will feature responsive mobile design and will be modeled after Pepperdine University’s website.

Pepperdine’s main web page has a tab for site visitors to access the internal content.

“Creating the public facing site for marketing purposes and an internal ‘Community at ACU’ site will improve the user experiences,” Groves said.

“By separating external and internal content, we will create distinct spac-

es for audiences, based on their unique informational needs.”

Groves said The Office of University Marketing will reach out to colleges, schools, departments and offices to update their information as the content migration process continues.

“The transition has been fairly smooth and we’ve been able to address important issues quickly throughout the migration process,” Groves said. “There are elements that we plan on improving over the weeks ahead, but we felt it was most important to launch the site.”

THE NEW ACU.EDU

AKB12B@ACU.EDU

Class donates $50k to nonprofits

BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

Students in a philanthropy class will distribute $50,000 donated anonymously to various local nonprofits as part of their coursework.

Jim Orr, vice president for advancement, teaches the management class on Mondays from 3-5:50 in the Mabee Business Building. The class was designed by Jack Griggs and Jim Litton in the Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy in cooperation with the Once Upon a Time Foundation, which does the Philanthropy Lab at universities.

“The Griggs Center was set up to advance philanthropy,” Orr said. “This was sort of a way in which we could live into the philanthropy piece of the Griggs Center.”

As a prerequisite for the course, students took a onehour Honors colloquium in the spring and distributed

$10,000. Students with any major, who have junior or senior hours and a 3.0 GPA can take the course.

“Most of us think a lot about how we’re going to get money, but probably very few of us think very seriously about how we’re going to give our money away,” Orr said.

“This is a class to ignite the joy of giving.”

Sarah Yarbrough, senior marketing major from Farmer’s Branch, chose to take the course because she plans to pursue a career working for a nonprofit theatre. She said Orr incorporates faith and finance in his lectures.

“The greatest thing is knowing we are going to have an impact on the people we are giving the money to,” Yarbrough said.

At the beginning of each class, Orr will teach about philanthropy and its role in faith, society and the world.

Starting in September, students will spend the last part

of the class reviewing applications from local nonprofits provided through the Abilene Communities Foundation. In October, students will evaluate the requests and in November they will determine how much and which organizations will receive funding.

“They’re giving away $50,000 and that is going to have an impact,” Orr said.

“That’s going to change some people’s lives.”

Because the donation was anonymous, the students are protected from bias. Orr said the students won’t feel like they have to please the donor with their choice of funding.

At the end of the course, students can apply to the Once Upon a Time Foundation’s Philanthropy Lab to attend a philanthropy course with students from other universities.

AKB12B@ACU.EDU

4

O PI N I ON

&

ED IT O R IA L

FRIDAY | AUGUST 26, 2016

Calling all seniors: You can still make a difference THE ISSUE

Students’ Association has almost no representation from the students on campus who’ve been around the longest.

OUR TAKE

Even with more on their plate, older students should run for SA Congress and leave their mark on the student body.

Upperclassmen roll their eyes as freshmen with bright eyes and excited faces enter the plethora of student organizations.

They just seem so happy.

They haven’t seen anything yet.

While freshmen eagerly attend Students’ Association interest meetings and run fierce campaigns, upperclassmen participation

in SA elections dwindles each year. But Student Congress needs experienced upperclassmen to run for office.

Yes, freshmen have more time and energy to run for office. Yes, you have club events, research projects and grad school to apply for. But SA is handling your money, making decisions about your campus,

so you need to step up.

Here’s four reasons why you, juniors and seniors, need to run for office in this year’s election.

1. SA handles a budget upwards of $100,000 to fund student organizations and campus entertainment. They use your money to fund projects like tailgates, hammock hotels and concerts. While other university staff members handle much more of your money than SA does, SA is the only governing body you actually have a choice about.

But what if your only options are freshmen and a few sophomores who don’t understand your world?

2. You can make a difference. As an upperclassman in SA, you can make bold decisions underclassmen wouldn’t be experienced enough to undertake. You can vote for ideas and events which you know your fellow upperclassmen would appreciate. Think Abilene is boring? You can help plan fun events.

Think you’re too stressed to function? Plan a relaxing puppy event. Think the university needs more recycling opportunities?

Vote on a green initiative.

There are so many ways

CONGRESS MEMBERS 2015-16, BY CLASSIFICATION

9.6%

5 SEATS

FRESHMEN SOPHOMORES

38.5%

20 SEATS

26.9%

JUNIORS

14 SEATS

SENIORS

25%

13 SEATS

This chart looked at data of the 2015-16 Congress. Last year’s group of students was made up mostly of members of the class of 2019. SA executive president Abbey Moses expects another large freshmen interest in positions.

Congress members can affect campus life in an immediate way.

3. SA funds your student organizations. After the executive treasurer and chief financial officer make a budget, Congress votes on the distribution of funds.

Maybe last year your small club received little funding for an important trip. As a member of Congress, you have the opportunity to fight for your organiza-

tion and try to change that funding.

4. If no one runs for an office, the executive cabinet will appoint officers.

You may be thinking, “If I don’t do it, someone else will.” But what if that’s not the case? What if no one runs to represent your class or college and the executive cabinet chooses someone you don’t like very much?

Upperclassmen, this

campus needs your voice and participation. To be a member of Congress you must commit to a weekly meeting and involvement in several events like concerts and tailgates. If you agree with our four reasons and you think you can handle that time commitment, then please run for office.

OPINION@JMCNETWORK.COM

SA Congress is place for campus visionaries GUEST COLUMN

BY ABBEY MOSES SA EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT AND ABRAHAM ENRIQUEZ SA EXECUTIVE VP

BY BEN TODD CARTOONIST

hashtagACU @acuoptimist @MORGAN_45 AUG. 23, 2:47 P.M.

Dear ACU, You changed my academic adviser and I’m highly upset.

Sincerely, betrayed student @ALLENTMARTIN AUG. 23, 9:30 P.M.

first night of visitation multiple guys have had girls over just for the girls to teach them how to work the washing machines lol

As Students’ Association Executive Cabinet members, it is our mission to be good stewards of our God-given gifts; to represent the diverse needs of the student body through both activity and advocacy; and in so doing to hold ourselves, the student body, the faculty, staff and administration accountable to each other and God. Each year, cabinet to cabinet, this looks different as new ideas take hold and shape the work of our 93 year-old organization.

In deciding what the 2016-2017 school year will look like for our organiza-

EMILLION HERE, EMILLION THERE

“And what is your student ID number?” *begrudgingly lifts sleeve revealing numerical tattoo* @EDWARDS_SARAHH AUG. 23 9:36 P.M.

EMILY GUAJARDO VISUALS MANAGING EDITOR

9:30AM–9 PM nonstop classes today & i’m still alive ppl all is well!! yay Tuesdays @ALLIEEGARRISON AUG. 23 1:13 P.M.

Goodbye to all my friends. My life is nursing now and I officially have 0 hours of free time. College was fun while it lasted. @JBC30 AUG. 23 4:16 P.M.

In this town nobody believes you’re a senior unless you have at least four parking stickers on your rear windshield. #ACU @DENVERXVI AUG. 23 6:14 P.M.

I always eat my chips first at Sharkys bc when I finish them and get sad I remember I still have a whole burrito to eat and get happy again @ELLIOTCLONE AUG. 23 9:55 A.M.

Best addition to campus over summer: automatic slidey doors on the campus center

Junior convergence journalism major San Antonio, Texas

Growing up, girls were told ‘you go, girl’ or ‘you can do anything you want’ and were expected to break the girly stereotypes and crash through the glass ceilings of male supremacy.

While this may sound great, an alarming societal shift has begun to take its course. With this semester starting, I’ve noticed the overwhelming and alarming amount of girl to boy ratio.

In almost every one of my classes, there are approximately six girls per boy, a number that is rising as each semester progresses.

In 1975, just under six million men and 3.8 million

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79609 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu

women attended a university according to Forbes magazine. However, in 1982, a sudden spike in women admissions rose to the equivalency of men peaking at just over six million. Today, more than ten million women attend a university as opposed to eight million men.

Have men fallen off the face of the higher education world? Have they decided that perhaps college isn’t necessarily for them?

In 2016, ACU announced that 57% of the general student population are women compared to the 43% of men; a 14% difference.

T H E

EDITORIAL AND LETTER POLICY personal attacks, obscenity, defamation, erroneous information or invasion of privacy. Please limit letters to 350 words or fewer. A name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Phone numbers will not be published.

out the mission of ACU through service and spiritual opportunities. Members also have the opportunity to specify their interests and gain leadership experience through committees within Students’ Association. In the past, our Congress has been made up of first generation college students, international students, social club officers, and student athletes, just to name a few.

The expectations that the Executives have of Congress is not that it is full of a single-minded body, but rather that it is a place that celebrates the diversity of each student and their story. The prerequisites to be a candidate for a Congress position are only an enthusiastic mindset and an aptness for the specific position chosen.

We are looking for Con-

gress members, we are looking for you. In order to become a candidate for Student Congress, you must contact our office at acustudents@acu.edu before Wednesday, August 31st. All information is available online to view prior to making the commitment at acustudents.org/about.

Students’ Association Congress is what we have found to be one of the most rewarding leadership experiences that an individual can have on campus. We want you to leave Abilene Christian University ready to embody the call to bring servanthood and leadership to a world that needs it. So, join us.

Abbey is a senior political science major from Abilene.

Abraham is a junior political science major from Lubbock.

Where my boys at? Get hustling

@JOSHALEXANDUR AUG. 24, 5:24 P.M.

Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Optimist 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 or the university.

The Optimist encourages reader response through letters to the editor but reserves the right to limit frequent contributors or to refuse to print letters containing

tion, one thing that has been prayed over continually by each of us is a strong desire to connect students to communities that will empower them, encourage them, and truly become an overflowing well of positive relationships and unique skills that will last a lifetime. In order to achieve this desire for community, the Student Congress that we, as Executives, preside over is where our intent and ideas are brought to life. Student Congress is the place that holds the visionaries, the doers, the servant leaders, the politicians, and everything in between on our campus.

Congress members vote on both bills and resolutions that affect the ins and outs of our university, organize amazing events such as the ACU Tailgates, and engage the student body in living

As the fourth wave of feminism slowly takes its toll, more and more women are taking up the books.

From the early 80’s, women have been told ‘go get it’, ‘do what you love’ and ‘get an education’, but what about the men? Are they expected to follow in the footsteps of their grandfathers and other brave, educated and successful men like John F. Kennedy, Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg?

The appearances of Oprah, Hillary Clinton and Melinda Gates continue to inspire young women to chase after big dreams, big issues, and more importantly, the big bucks. Sponsors such as Under Armor, Microsoft and Secret deodorant are pursuing women through advertisements with the same message: girl power.

And now it has come to a

flip-sided dilemma. Women are becoming faster, stronger, and perhaps, further prepared for the workforce.

Women no longer feel the need to have a cheerleader on the sidelines because they have exceeded the expectation.

Fewer men are attending school and this is a problem.

The lack of motivation and confidence boys are receiving today is causing an epidemic. Men are perhaps no longer motivated to succeed, but simply hope for it to land on their laps.

Where are the men and when will they begin to get to work? Do they need someone to cheer and tell them ‘You. Can. Do. Anything, sweetheart’ or can they just do it themselves?

Where you at, boys? Get hustling.

EAG13A@ACU.EDU

O P T I M IST

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ARTS

FRIDAY | AUGUST 26, 2016

&

F E ATUR E S

5

Releasing ‘Nerves’ Freshman Will Herridge released new album on Spotify and iTunes earlier this month

BY ABBEY BOWLING ARTS & FEATURES EDITOR

Not everyone can say they’ve released an album, but Will Herridge can.

The freshman advertising and public relations major from Abilene published his album to Spotify and iTunes earlier this month, complete with seven original songs, after using a website that distributes music files to popular music-streaming sites. His style is, in his own words, “singer-songwriter stuff, like what you’d typically hear in a coffee house.”

According to Herridge, musical talent runs in his family. His mother was a vocal performance major at ACU, his dad was in bands in high school – including a cover band for the iconic 80’s rock band Van Halen, which might be surprising to people now – and his sister can sing even better than he, he said. So it’s no surprise that he also picked up on the musical genes.

One of his songs is particularly special to both the ACU and Abilene communities – Herridge penned “Nerves (For Hudson Wade)” about 11-yearold Hudson Wade after he died from leukemia in February. Hudson’s father, Kirk, is the president of Abilene Christian Schools, and his mother, Laura, is a nursing instructor in the School of Nursing.

The Wade family are close friends with the Herridges, so Hudson’s death hit close to home and prompted Herridge to write about it. “’Nerves’ specifically came about with me needing to be blunt about what happened,” he said. “I needed to say exactly what was on my heart. I was at [Abilene Christian School] at the time and kind of the message they were giving off was, ‘Everything’s fine, everything’s OK, he’s happy, he’s out of pain,’ and I

“

This is the only thing that makes me feel alive... it makes me feel like I could do something with myself.”

WILL HERRIDGE FRESHMAN ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS MAJOR FROM ABILENE

AUSTIN BROWNING STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

was just like, it’s OK to feel like crap about this. We just lie to ourselves with this plastic sense of secu-

rity. Life’s sucks, there’s no getting around that, and that song came about for me needing to just say,

‘Newsflash: this sucks and that’s OK.’” He was originally going to have Hudson’s siblings, Grant and Halle, sing on the track with him but schedule conflicts made it too difficult for the three to meet up and record the song, but it still turned out as a beautiful tribute.

Though he just got into the advertising and public relations field this week when classes began on Monday, Herridge plans to eventually merge his major and his passion for music to make a career because half the music business is public relations, like connecting with listeners through social media and

promoting your own work.

But really, all he wants to do is make music, and he wants people to know that.

“This is the only thing I know how to do,” he said.

“I have no other gifts or talents whatsoever, I just know music. I was pretty crap in school all throughout, and this is the only thing that makes me feel alive. I’ve been playing in hardcore bands for several years and that just – I don’t know, it makes me feel like I could do something with myself.”

In addition to Spotify and iTunes, he’s also going to have physical copies available soon, once the shipment comes in. But in the meantime, if you want to check out his sound, you can listen to his whole album online.

“If you have listened to the EP, thank you, and if you have not, please go listen to it.”

AKB12A@ACU.EDU

After Zoey musical takes the stage with alumni

BY EMILY GUAJARDO VISUALS MANAGING EDITOR

The ACU theatre department continues to perform After Zoey, a musical written and directed by Professor Adam Hester.

Hester, professor in the theatre department, wrote and directed the musical alongside his children Jenavene and Conrad Hester. The musical was inspired by Hester’s sister-in-law Martha, who suffers from a blood disease.

“She really has had quite a difficult life,” said Hester, “and she has a very triumph spirit full of faith and hope and I have just been inspired by

her and have often thought of some sort of tribute to her.”

Taking place in the mid 1970’s, Hester said the story is universal enough for anyone to be able to relate to what is happening to Zoey and the trails she faces.

“Everyone has someone that they really care about, who is probably going through something very difficult whether that’s an illness or some other kind of personal crisis in their life,” said Hester, “and this play deals with the question of ‘why is this happening to me’ and that perhaps something bigger is going on the universe

and how does faith interact with that.”

Although the department has announced the removal of color-blind casting, the process of which a cast member is not selected by their skin color, Hester said the issue was not as vital to this particular play because of the preselection of the cast members who originally were part of the project.

The musical will perform on August 26 and 27 in Fulks theatre. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office.

EAG13A@ACU.EDU

6

S P O RT S

VOLLEYBALL

Bibler hopes high-tempo practices transition to game

BY DEREK MARCELAIN SPORTS WRITER

The Wildcats travel to Albuquerque on Friday to start the 2016 season.

ACU will take part in the New Mexico Tournament, and open up against the tournament-host Lobos.

UNM finished 17-14 last year, but is better equipped this year with a deep and talented depth chart. This tournament season will show the Wildcats how

they stack up against some of the bigger schools in Div. 1. Head coach Jason Bibler is ready for his team to compete against talented competition and to see all his team’s work pay off.

“Really we are going to be looking at what from our training is carrying over to full-speed matches versus opponents and what we need to change or do different from there,” Bibler said.

In the second match of

the tournament the Wildcats take on the University of Idaho, who finished 1416 last season. The Vandals have had several injuries this summer and are also a very young team as they welcome eight newcomers this year. Make no mistake this will be a good test for the Wildcats as their conditioning is with only a few hours of recovery.

The Wildcats go up against Fairfield University Saturday. The stags are

coming off an impressive 2015 season in which they won the MAAC Championship and have the majority of the team returning.

The last and final game of the round-robin format tournament is against the Sun Devils from Arizona State University. The Sun Devils have a new head coach, but bring back several key players and will be another tough team.

“We want to see every-

thing transfer over, and if we can do those things we feel like we can be successful this weekend,” Bibler said.

The New Mexico tournament is the first of four straight weekends during which the Wildcats will hit the road against difficult Div. 1 competition.

DJM14B@ACU.EDU

Stadium construction on schedule

BY MIKAELA CLINTON SPORTS WRITER

Fall 2017 will not only bring the much anticipated year of eligibility for postseason competition at the Div. 1 level, but the department of athletics has confirmed the Wildcat stadium is on pace to open on time.

The new and improved Wildcat Stadium is being constructed by HKS architecture firm, the same firm in Dallas, Texas that built the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium, the Indianapolis Colts’ stadium, and the new Minnesota Vikings’ stadium that celebrated its grand opening this July.

With beams already visible and standing three stories high, which is just half of its expected height, the upcoming campus landmark is scheduled for completion by the first home game of the 2017 season against Houston Baptist University.

“I feel really good about where we stand right now,” said director of athletics Lee De Leon.

With a 12-month construction timeline, Wildcat fans and students can begin to get excited as we move closer to the days of a field that is on campus and as the days of making a trip off campus to Shotwell come to a close.

“It is 100% fact that it has an impact on literally everything that we do,” head football coach Ken Collums said, “Everybody’s fired up about it.”

Collums expects the new

Team

Soccer

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Div.

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SCHEDULE Volleyball

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UNM EIU Prairie View Weber St. Belmont UTA SMU La Tech NC St. Southern Tulsa EWU Samford

EX-FACTOR Charcandrick West returned practice of Tuesday after missing the Chiefs’ second preseason game against the Rams.

Since being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 10th round of 2014 MLB draft, former baseball standout, Seth Spivey, has recorded a .264 batting average, 121 RBI and 12 home runs.

AUSTIN BROWNING STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The groundbreaking ceremony was held back in February, but significant progress has been made since then and everything is said to be on time. Above is the first three levels of a five level press box.

stadium to change the face of campus from the outside looking in and have a significant impact on recruiting new Wildcats both athletically and academically.

De Leon said he knows the stadium will offer a luxury most Southland Conference members might not have.

“I don’t think our stadium will be the biggest in the conference, but it will be the nicest in the conference by far, and I think people want to be

around nice things, and be able to play and participate in nice things” said De Leon Students can expect their own designated side of the stadium and tailgating events that will contribute to the exciting and uniting environment of college football on our own campus. De Leon and Collums each expressed visions to change the way people think about athletics and how they view football games as a key part of the

ACU experience. The grand opening of the new field next fall is sure to help bring those visions to reality.

Now, the Wildcats are preparing for the upcoming season opener in Colorado against the Air Force Academy Sept. 3. The players and coaches intend to focus on each game at a time while also anticipating the new venue and era of ACU football that will come this next fall.

“When it counts in 2017, when we’re able to fill that stadium every home game and the atmosphere will just be electric, it’s gonna be awesome,” said Collums.

But don’t be surprised, if when the concrete slabs and pillars are getting hauled from their offsite home the stadium buzz picks up.

MBC15A@ACU.EDU

SOCCER

Experienced defense anchored by senior playmakers

BY MAX PRESTON ASSITANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Wildcats begin the 2016 season with an experienced roster, especially along the back lines and in the midfield.

ACU returns four key starters from last year’s stout defense in goal keeper Sydney Newton, defenders Kelsie Roberts and Allie Gerner and defensive middle fielder Danielle Otto.

“These seniors are a pretty tight group who have gotten to see a lot of change during their time here,” head coach Casey Wilson said. “I will remember them for being open and willing to take on some extremely tough challenges in terms of dealing with adversity and continuing to keep moving forward.”

Newton has been named to the Southland Conference commissioner’s honor roll in all three seasons, and will be looking to make it a fourth consecutive this year. She ranked sixth in the conference her freshman year with a 0.84 goals-against average. During her junior year, she finished fifth in the conference in saves with 85. She also ranked fourth in the conference with two shutouts.

“I first played goalie when I was 11 or 12 and at first I hated it because I wanted to be a forward and score goals,” said Newton. “However, when I got to middle school, that be-

STANDINGS

ELIJAH EVANS CONTRIBUTOR In its final season of the Div . 1 transition, ACU will rely heavily on its senior-heavy defense to capitalize on another opportunity to win the Southland.

came my set position. As I’ve grown up, I’ve realized that even when being in the goal you can make a big impact on the field.”

During conference a season ago, the Wildcats posted the second largest goal differential at plus-14, right behind eventual Southland champion Stephen F. Austin. They also finished third with a 118 saves on the year.

This season Roberts and sophomore Sophie Standifer were named to the the preseason all-Southland Conference first team. As a freshman, Roberts earned all-conference honorable mention and was part of a defense that only allowed 12.5 shots, 0.89 goals a match, and

had seven shutouts.

In her sophomore year she was first team Southland Conference all-academic, second team coSIDA academic All-District, and contributed to a Wildcat defense that posted four shut outs.

As a junior, she made second team all-Southland Conference, first team coSIDA academic All-District, and third team coSIDA academic All-America.

Since coming to ACU in 2007, Wilson’s teams have emphasized possession, and Otto’s transition to the Wildcats as a Juco transfer her junior year, was crucial in that style. In 2015 she played a key role in connecting the back line of the ACU defense to

the attacking position. Otto made the Southland Conference commissioner’s honor roll, while totaling 1,133 minutes of playing time and scoring the game winning goal with a penalty kick against Houston Baptist.

Finally, Gerner totaled 1,383 minutes of playing time her freshman year and along with Roberts, helped anchor a defense that allowed 12.5 shots and allowed 0.89 goals a game. As a sophomore, she was a Southland Conference honorable mention and was named Southland defensive player of the week one time. During her junior year, she started 18 of 19 matches, totaled 1,261 minutes of playing time, and helped the

defense record three shutouts.

“My favorite memory from ACU has been all the friendships I’ve made through this team over these four years.” said Gerner. “A great amount of my good friends have come from playing on the soccer team.”

Over the four years, and with the added help of Otto last season, this group of seniors have helped contribute 29 wins to the program.

However, beyond the win total, the stout defense of the Wildcats over the last three years has propelled the transition into Div. 1.

“Though they did not get a chance to go to the postseason, they got a great education and played an important role building the foundation for our Div. 1 future,” said Wilson.

However, these women know this season is going to take perseverance and focus, in order to continue to move forward “I’ve also learned to really push myself. I’ve been in situations where I’ve been tired but being on the team taught me to dig deeper and keep going,” Gerner said.

Deeper is exactly where they’ll have to dig if the Wildcats want to be Southland champs in 2016.

MJP14B@ACU.EDU

Daryl Richardson is in a position battle with Fitzgerald Toussaint, for the third-string running back spot. Richardson was resigned by the Steelers toward the end of Jan. 2016.

BRIEFINGS Football opens up against Air Force on Saturday, while three Southland teams take on Big 12 opponents.

Freshman forward Shay Johnson and senior goalkeeper Sydney Newton, each received honorable mentions as Southland Conference players of the week.

UPCOMING Soccer plays its first road game of the season against North Texas on Sunday.

The Wildcats played UNT a year ago in the team’s first game in Elmer Gray Stadium.

Volleyball opens its season against tough nonconference comptetition this weekend, the Wildcats take on New Mexico, Idaho, Fairfield University and Arizona State.

Cross Country begins their season two weeks from today, as the women will be looking for their second consecutive Southland Conference title.

The golf team heads to Colorado Springs in two weeks to play their first of four tournaments this fall.