The Optimist 9.25.15

THE OPTIMIST VOL. 104 NO. 6

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

1 SECTION, 12 PAGES

COBA DEAN LEAVES FOR NEW POSITION PAGE 4

FACULTY VOTES TO DROP CORE 210 Entra a la Plaza, a celebration of Hispanic Heritage, featured Bachata dancers and authentic Mexican food at the Hunter Welcome Center last week.

LYDIA LAWSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

PAGE 3

25

• • • •

26

FRIDAY • • •

Bid Night David Ramirez’s Album Release party is at the Neon Parrot Lounge at 8 p.m.

Big Country Balloon Fest begins at Rose Bud Park The King and I production will show at the Historic Paramount Theatre at 7:30 p.m.

Tailgating for the football game will begin at Shotwell Stadium at 9:30 a.m.

Football vs. Stephen F. Austin at Shotwell Stadium at 11 a.m.

Second Annual Heels & Wheels Duathon at Nelson Park at 8 a.m.

SATURDAY

27

•

The Temptations in Concert at the Abilene Civic Center will begin at 7:30 p.m.

S P I R I T U A L F O R M AT I O N CREDITS *Number is based on days Chapel is offered in Moody

from www.acuoptimist.com Seekers of the Word add new material

As Seekers of the Word begins a new semester, it will be performing new skits.

The drama ministry is looking to make up for lost time.

The ministry does skits about many themes such as Christian community, grace and sacrifice. Sacrifice includes both self-sacrifice and Christ’s sacrificial death.

By Allison Barksdale

28

COBA creates ‘People of ACU’ Facebook page

SUNDAY •

Cultural Awareness Week begins on campus.

MONDAY

29

• •

The King and I production will show at the Historic Paramount Theatre at 7:30 p.m.

Author-illustrator David Shannon will be at the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

30

•

DIY Fall Wreaths at The Mill Winery from 6-8 p.m.

THURSDAY

Brittany Jackson Editor-in-Chief Opinion Page Editor Allison Brown Online Managing Editor Page 2 Editor

•

Hardin-Simmons University Orchestra will perform a free show at First Baptist Church at 7:30 p.m.

Pro-life club resumes, welcomes opposing view

Wildcats for Life, a pro-life club on campus, will resume meetings this fall on Thursdays at 5 p.m. in the Campus Center.

The goal of the club is to inform students of the facts pertaining to abortion so that they can make their own opinions in an educated manner. The club intends to educate students and to hold discussions.

However, the club is not just for pro-life members, they also encourage pro-choice students to come join the discussion.

By Megan Abel

DeLeon issues challenge after first home game

About 1,200 students turned out for Students’ Association’s first tailgate Saturday afternoon before the football team kicked off their first home game of the season.

Lee DeLeon, athletic director, said he would “paint up” and join Wildcat Reign at Saturday’s game against Stepen F. Austin University. The game will begin at 11 a.m. with a tailgate at 9:30 a.m.

By Michaela Kasselman

published by the department of journalism and mass communication

WEDNESDAY

01

COBA students started a Facebook and Instagram project titled People of ACU modeled after the famous Humans of New York movement.

People of ACU is designed to tell students’ stories and dig deeper than surface level interactions.

The page was designed after the Humans of New York movement, created by Brandon Stanton, which has flourished through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr and a published book.

THE OPTIMIST

TUESDAY

41

By Mary Kate Rotenberry

Ben Todd Cartoonist

Savanah Silva Sports Broadcast Producer

Shera Niemirowski Sports Multimedia Director

Kenneth Pybus Faculty Adviser

Hannah Null Sports Broadcast Producer

Cade White Visuals Adviser

Abby Runnels Copy Editor

Cara Lee Cranford Advertising Manager

Cassandra Cox Copy Editor

FOLLOW US ONLINE

Rachel Fritz Print Managing Editor

Abbey Bowling Sports Copy Editor

Elijah Evans Visuals Managing Editor

Daniel Zepeda Online Sports Editor

Mercedez Hernandez Arts & Features Editor

Collin Wieder Print Sports Editor

Web: www.acuoptimist.com Twitter: @acuoptimist Instagram: @acuoptimist Snapchat: acu.optimist Facebook: www.facebook. com/acuoptimist

NEWSROOM SPORTS DESK PHOTO ADVERTISING MULTIMEDIA SUBSCRIBE ($40) (325) 674-2439 (325) 674-2684 (325) 674-2499 (325) 674-2463 (325) 674-2463 (325) 674-2296

09.25.15

NEWS

3

Faculty votes to alter CORE curriculum

BY BRITTANY JACKSON Several years after its creation, CORE 210’s place in the university’s general education requirements is under evaluation.

A proposal to remove CORE 210 from the list of required courses passed the University Undergraduate Academic Council and University General Education Council panels in the past two weeks. The full faculty is set to vote on the proposal within the next month.

“The main change is being proposed to take the CORE 210 class and move it into the cultural awareness menu, and to take those three hours that are ‘freed up,’ as it were, by doing that, and have a historical literacy requirement be included,” said Greg Straughn, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Straughn, who presented the proposal to the faculty on Sept. 1, said the Department of History and Global Studies would potentially help design what one of the historical literacy classes would look like.

The proposal also moved to make the College of Bible Studies entirely responsible for the BCOR 310 class, because it is already part of the 15 required hours of Bible courses.

“It would be up to the Department of Bible, Missions and Ministry to imagine how they would either keep that class or change it,” Straughn said. “One of the parts of the proposal is to move away from the team-teaching aspect of CORE 210 or BCOR 310 into a more traditionally single taught course.”

The team teaching, created as a way to highlight interdisciplinary nature

of the courses, became too expensive for the university to maintain, Straughn said.

In fact, Joe Cardot said the restructuring is because the CORE hires were never fully and properly funded.

“It’s an issue that the university has to trim faculty,” said Cardot, former

“It’s an issue that the university has to trim faculty. ” Joe Cardot chair of the Faculty Senate and dean of the Department of Communication Sciences.

The CORE curriculum, created several years ago as a group of innovative, team-taught courses purposed to provide students interdisciplinary courses despite their diverse educational experiences, was not created in a rigid fashion. Instead, Cardot said it was always considered to be fluid and meant to be improved with each general education revision every three to five years.

In creating the curriculum, Cardot said a progression of classes in history was neglected. With the proposed change, the historical literacy requirement will bring that discipline back, something Cardot said he always regretted getting rid of.

Despite these structural changes, more things are staying the same than are changing. The general education requirements will remain at 56 hours,

and a bachelor’s degree will require 128 hours.

Revisions to the number of hours were evaluated by a faculty review committee last spring and during the summer, but Straughn said it reversed the notion because faculty valued the education students receive in the hours they take here.

“We want a broad exposure that is a liberal arts model,” he said. “A broad exposure to all the different humanities, sciences and fine arts, and also what it means to be theologically formed and shaped with text courses, missional courses and courses that connect you and your vocation with theology. That’s part of who we are as an institution.”

Cardot said he expects the full faculty to vote on the proposal around Oct. 15, and the votes may take up to a week to be processed. Faculty Senate representatives will then take a look at the results, compile votes and inform the provost of the vote.

If the proposal is accepted, degree plans and general education requirements will then be reevaluated to address the change, with the removal of CORE 210 in effect starting fall 2016.

However, if it doesn’t pass, Cardot said CORE curriculum would remain as is, and the university would have to make adjustments in accordance with the funding.

Cardot and Straughn said they’ve already heard opposition to the CORE 210 removal.

“I think the people that are most opposed to any kind of change with that CORE 210 are the people that have invested the most in it, and I think that would be a very natural understanding,” Straughn said.

Cardot said many faculty members are afraid the proposal will alter the interdisciplinary basis of the curriculum and rob students of that learning and application experience. bkj12a@acu.edu

4

NEWS

09.25.15

Lytle to transition out as dean of COBA

BY ALLISON BROWN Dr. Rick Lytle will soon leave his office as dean of the College of Business Administration over the next year.

Lytle, who has served as COBA’s dean for the last 16 years, will take over leadership of the Colorado-based organization CEO Forum Inc. CEO Forum is a marketplace ministry dedicated to developing spiritual executives across the country. The group is made up of 225 Christian CEOs representing big names like Exxon, Walmart, Tyson Foods and Proctor & Gamble.

“These are people from around the country who really are sold out to try and use their positions for the Lord,” Lytle said. “And I’m going to lead these efforts.”

In addition to the CEO Forum, he will run the Lytle Center for Leadership Development at ACU. The center was endowed last year as part of the $7 million gift to COBA from Mark and April Anthony. This new center

will be in charge of COBA’s annual Leadership Summit conference in Colorado, the Distinguished Speaker series throughout the year and Impact conferences in Dallas.

The Lytle Center’s new focus will be on alumni outreach and next-generation leadership development. Lytle said he has plans to overlap the Forum and the Center for Leadership Development by having leaders and CEOs speak to the younger generation of business professionals.

“This is a pulling together of generations, centered on the notion of trying to be everything God wants you to be in the marketplace,” Lytle said.

In his 25 years at ACU, Lytle has worked on numerous leadership development initiatives with students but said he felt called to these new opportunities.

“It’s almost like my mission and my focuses haven’t changed, but my playground is going to change,” Lytle

“It’s bittersweet to leave. It’s my 25th year to be at ACU; I love this place, and I’ve given my life to this place.”

Dr. Rick Lytle

said. “I’ll be working with executives from all of these corporate giants in the country instead of the 18- to 22-year-olds in the classroom. And I’m going to miss it; trust me.”

Dr. Robert Rhodes, provost, said though he is sad to lose Lytle as a dean, he is excited for the new opportunities ahead for Lytle.

“This is an incredible honor for

Rick, and it speaks to his Christlike character and reputation among the influential business leaders he has befriended through the years,” Rhodes said.

As Lytle begins to transition out of his role as dean, he will also be making preparations to relocate. The CEO Forum is headquartered in Colorado Springs, and Lytle said he and his family could end up there by the end of next summer.

“It’s bittersweet to leave,” Lyle said. “It’s my 25th year to be at ACU; I love this place and I’ve given my life to this place. It’s going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

But sometimes you have to make hard decisions, so we are stepping out in faith.”

The national search for a new dean for COBA will begin later this fall.

akb12b@acu.edu

Nerf club ready for war

BY COOPER JOHNSON Students in the Nerf club, Aim, Tag, Repeat (ATR) are pulling out their guns, darts and everything Nerf in preparation for the first Nerf war of the year.

The first war of the school year is expected to take place in the next month on campus. Over the past couple of years, the club has held games in places such as the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building, the Onstead Science Building and various churches around Abilene.

Connor Britt, one of the leaders of the club, said he hopes many new and old students participate in the upcoming battle.

“The idea behind it is to blow off some steam, whether it be from taking tests or writing research papers,” said Britt, sophomore actuarial science major from Cedar Park. “The original name of the club was ‘We Like To Have Fun Here’ and that’s what we want to do. We want people to have fun whenever we have games.”

Some of the game types that the club plays are Capture the Flag, Team Death-

match and Zombies. Britt said they are always looking for new objective-based games to try out in their quest to have fun.

Aaron Pokluda, sophomore multimedia major from El Paso, joined ATR because of its similarities to paintball and airsoft.

“The Nerf club is a mix of all kinds of people from different majors, beliefs and personalities,” Pokluda said. “I think it’s a good way for people to come unwind and look at the silly side of life.”

While ATR has not officially been recognized as a club, it plans to take the steps needed to become official. It also plans to change up the way games are played. In the past the members have been more focused on long-ranged combat, but this year they want to try to add in some close-range combat as well.

ATR plans to have wars every Friday night at 7 p.m. Anyone interested in being a part of this club can find out more information on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/ weliketohavefunhere. jmcnetwork@acu.edu

09.25.15

5

NEWS

GST degree offers international courses

BY EMILY MUHLBERG Two international locations allow students in the Graduate School of Theology’s online master’s program the chance to complete their degree without having to travel to Abilene.

Students in Accra, Ghana and Zagreb, Croatia now have the opportunity to complete a master’s degree through the Graduate School of Theology thanks to a combination of online courses and international residency courses.

The three options for master’s degrees being offered are the masters in global service, the masters in Christian ministry and the masters of divinity. Every degree requires the student to take four residential classes in Accra, Zagreb or Abilene, while the rest of the degree can be finished online.

Although the GST has offered online courses since 1999 and courses abroad for decades, the international residency sites are something that will allow more students access to high-quality theological education.

Students who want to complete the online courses previously had to

travel to Abilene to fulfill coursework requirements, which could be costly and inconvenient. Dr. Tim Sensing, professor of homiletics and associate dean of the Graduate School of Theology, said these are benefits for some students to the international residency option that will eliminate or help reduce the travel costs and hassles.

“Most GST students are already working in ministerial contexts,” said Sensing. “The ability to stay close to home and continue their employment makes it more affordable and increases the efficacy of contextual learning.”

Students also get the benefit of increased intercultural experiences relating to the field of work they want to transition into. Caroline Nikolaus, a graduate student who is completing her masters in global service, says the program is a needed option.

“I am taking classes that are not only pertinent to where I am but also to what I am already doing for work,” says Nikolaus.

Partnerships with two educational institutions, Heritage Christian College in Accra and the Bible Institute

“They have spent a lot of hours figuring out how to make this program work and are being extremely intentional with their distance-learning students.”

Caroline Nikolaus

of Zagreb, have made the international option available. There are 20 students in the Accra location and 10 in the Zagreb residency. The degrees earned by these students are fully accredited, and Sensing says the courses are up to the same standard as any other offered by the GST.

“The only difference is the delivery mechanism,” Sensing says. “It is the same faculty, syllabi, textbooks, assignments and student learning outcomes. The GST is committed to quality assurance.”

Nikolaus agrees.

“I know the GST is serious about the level of education and growth they want to provide students,” Nikolaus says. “They have spent a lot of hours figuring out how to make this program work and are being extremely intentional with their distance-learning students.”

Sensing said he hopes to expand the number of international locations available to students in the program, as well as further the growth of the program’s online presence. No matter where students end up, they will experience the same fostering of ministerial formation a student in Abilene would.

“The curriculum is designed to fulfill the mission statement of the GST,” Sensing says. jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Friends memorialize McDaniel’s death

BY HALEY REMENAR A group of students is planning a memorial for the late Colby McDaniel.

McDaniel was a freshman when she passed away unexpectedly on December 21, 2014. She was found unresponsive in her home, and her cause of death was determined to be cardiac arrest. Students and faculty remembered her at a Chapel memorial in January.

Stephen Yang and Kayla Gilbert, were friends of McDaniel.

Yang met McDaniel in their freshman Cornerstone class and said she offered him rides to different activities. Yang, a sophomore English prePHOTO BY HALEY REMENAR law major from Thailand, was spend- Steven Yang and Kayla Gilbert were friends ing winter break in Connecticut of Colby McDaniel and plan to help make a when he heard of McDaniel’s death memorial to remember McDaniel. on Facebook.

“I never thought it would occur to Around March, Yang said he felt a one of my friends,” Yang said. desire to make a physical memorial

for McDaniel on campus. He told his dad, who suggested he email the university’s president, Dr. Phil Schubert.

Schubert supported the idea and put Yang in contact with Allison Garret, executive vice president of the university. Yang also came in contact with McDaniel’s friend, Kayla Gilbert, and McDaniel’s older sister Taylor.

Yang said the vision for the memorial is a bench near Faubus Fountain Lake. It will feature a plaque with McDaniel’s name and tree with purple leaves to represent her favorite color.

“People will sit at the bench and enjoy the view,” Yang said.

The estimated cost of the project is $5,000. Yang said he hopes to get some funding from SA as well as McDaniel’s church, Altamesa Church of Christ. At this time he doesn’t have any other plans for fundraising. He

wants the project to be completed before McDaniel’s sister graduates from ACU in May. He said the memorial would be beneficial even to students who didn’t know McDaniel.

“It changes how we perceive college,” Yang said. “We feel invincible, but time is so precious.”

Gilbert, a sophomore elementary education major from Fort Worth, said McDaniel was majoring in music therapy before switching over to psychology.

“She was into musicals, theatre and singing,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert said she wants other students to honor McDaniel’s legacy and be impacted as she was.

“It taught me to cherish my friends,” Gilbert said. “Now I hug them all the time.” jmcnetwork@acu.edu

The Netflix Fix

You know you’re going to watch Netflix instead of studying so here are some movies worth streaming.

Chef R, 1 HR., 55 MINS.

J

on Favreau who is known for box office hits like Elf and the Iron Man franchise, directs and stars in Chef, a movie that at its heart is about rediscovering one’s passion.

Favreau appears alongside a star-studded cast that includes Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Dustin Hoffman.

After a viral meltdown at a popular food critic, Carl Casper (Favreau) loses his job as a chef in a high-end Los Angeles restaurant. An unemployed Casper then accompanies his ex-wife, Inez (Vergara) and young son Percy to their

Beyond the Lights PG-13, 1 HR., 56 MINS.

F

rom Gina Prince-Bythewood, director of Love and Basketball, comes Beyond the Lights, the emotional rollercoaster of pop star Noni played by actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Noni has been working her entire life to have the life she has now, she wears designer clothes, has a rock star boyfriend and a promising music career, but under the surface is a young woman who is plagued by feelings of doubt and loneliness.

After being rescued from a suicide attempt by police officer Kaz, played by Nate Parker, Noni has to decide whether she likes the person she is

becoming and if she is willing to sacrifice her happiness for a sky-rocketing career.

Noni and Kaz begin a whirlwind love affair that is both admired and scrutinized by the public. Both Noni’s and Kaz’s families are wary of the two’s relationship but the couple looks to each other to find a safe place away from the peering eyes of the paparazzi.

Watching the rise, fall and rise again of Noni is an emotional and heartfelt journey.

The drama has elements of fun but shows how grueling it can be to climb your way back from rock bottom.

hometown of Miami.

After years of suppressing his culinary creativity, Inez suggests Casper open a food truck and make dishes he can finally be proud of. With help from his best friend and former co-worker, Martin (Leguizamo) Casper embarks on a road trip from Miami back to California selling Cuban sandwiches along the way.

The independent comedy has parallels to its director’s career, but the parallels give an elevated element of compassion to the story of a man rediscovering his thirst for life.

JAKE ROSSER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Merge Abilene seeks to unite universities Former Abilene students seek to bring the young adults and students of Abilene together.

BY MERCEDEZ HERNANDEZ

M

erge Abilene is a new ministry that seeks to unite young adults and students from all over Abilene through worship.

The ministry was founded

by Hardin Simmons graduates who saw that even though a great deal of young people have church homes, a rift exists between students from the three universities.

“Our goal is one united city,” Ryan Hughes a founder of Merge Abilene and worship leader said. “To have three private universities in one town is pretty unique and we want to bring these three universities that are seemingly disjointed under one roof to unify for Jesus.”

The ministry has been traveling to different locations

around town to reach out to students about its worship service for the young adults of Abilene.

“We began visiting places for Merge in about mid-August and have been going to different events, playing in chapels just getting our names out as much as we could around the campuses,” Conner Baker a founder and media person for Merge Abilene said.

Merge Abilene is also a new volunteer opportunity for students to become involved with while in school or for young adults living in Abilene.

“If anybody feels lead to be in our worship band or if somebody wants to help with our announcements we are always looking for help,” Kasey Hughes a founder, vol-

T

JAKE ROSSER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

unteer and over-all manager for Merge Abilene said. “These are just some different opportunities for people to come help us and also serve others.”

A new point of focus for the ministry is assisting in the aid for Syrian refugees.

“We have partnered with Highland Church of Christ to give to the refugees that are fleeing from Syria right now and are taking up donations after services and online through our website,” Kasey said.

he ministry is still new to Abilene but offers a fun environment with a strong media element that is built for students by former students.

“It’s just a different kind of environment that we didn’t see in Abilene when we were in college,” Baker said. “We would go to different college groups or churches and they were great but ours has a different kind of feel.”

To receive updates on where Merge Abilene will be meeting next, follow them on Twitter and Instagram at MergeAbilene, like them on Facebook or check out their website mergeabilene.org. mmh13a@acu.edu

The Netflix Fix

You know you’re going to watch Netflix instead of studying so here are some movies worth streaming.

Chef R, 1 HR., 55 MINS.

J

on Favreau who is known for box office hits like Elf and the Iron Man franchise, directs and stars in Chef, a movie that at its heart is about rediscovering one’s passion.

Favreau appears alongside a star-studded cast that includes Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Dustin Hoffman.

After a viral meltdown at a popular food critic, Carl Casper (Favreau) loses his job as a chef in a high-end Los Angeles restaurant. An unemployed Casper then accompanies his ex-wife, Inez (Vergara) and young son Percy to their

Beyond the Lights PG-13, 1 HR., 56 MINS.

F

rom Gina Prince-Bythewood, director of Love and Basketball, comes Beyond the Lights, the emotional rollercoaster of pop star Noni played by actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Noni has been working her entire life to have the life she has now, she wears designer clothes, has a rock star boyfriend and a promising music career, but under the surface is a young woman who is plagued by feelings of doubt and loneliness.

After being rescued from a suicide attempt by police officer Kaz, played by Nate Parker, Noni has to decide whether she likes the person she is

becoming and if she is willing to sacrifice her happiness for a sky-rocketing career.

Noni and Kaz begin a whirlwind love affair that is both admired and scrutinized by the public. Both Noni’s and Kaz’s families are wary of the two’s relationship but the couple looks to each other to find a safe place away from the peering eyes of the paparazzi.

Watching the rise, fall and rise again of Noni is an emotional and heartfelt journey.

The drama has elements of fun but shows how grueling it can be to climb your way back from rock bottom.

hometown of Miami.

After years of suppressing his culinary creativity, Inez suggests Casper open a food truck and make dishes he can finally be proud of. With help from his best friend and former co-worker, Martin (Leguizamo) Casper embarks on a road trip from Miami back to California selling Cuban sandwiches along the way.

The independent comedy has parallels to its director’s career, but the parallels give an elevated element of compassion to the story of a man rediscovering his thirst for life.

JAKE ROSSER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Merge Abilene seeks to unite universities Former Abilene students seek to bring the young adults and students of Abilene together.

BY MERCEDEZ HERNANDEZ

M

erge Abilene is a new ministry that seeks to unite young adults and students from all over Abilene through worship.

The ministry was founded

by Hardin Simmons graduates who saw that even though a great deal of young people have church homes, a rift exists between students from the three universities.

“Our goal is one united city,” Ryan Hughes a founder of Merge Abilene and worship leader said. “To have three private universities in one town is pretty unique and we want to bring these three universities that are seemingly disjointed under one roof to unify for Jesus.”

The ministry has been traveling to different locations

around town to reach out to students about its worship service for the young adults of Abilene.

“We began visiting places for Merge in about mid-August and have been going to different events, playing in chapels just getting our names out as much as we could around the campuses,” Conner Baker a founder and media person for Merge Abilene said.

Merge Abilene is also a new volunteer opportunity for students to become involved with while in school or for young adults living in Abilene.

“If anybody feels lead to be in our worship band or if somebody wants to help with our announcements we are always looking for help,” Kasey Hughes a founder, vol-

T

JAKE ROSSER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

unteer and over-all manager for Merge Abilene said. “These are just some different opportunities for people to come help us and also serve others.”

A new point of focus for the ministry is assisting in the aid for Syrian refugees.

“We have partnered with Highland Church of Christ to give to the refugees that are fleeing from Syria right now and are taking up donations after services and online through our website,” Kasey said.

he ministry is still new to Abilene but offers a fun environment with a strong media element that is built for students by former students.

“It’s just a different kind of environment that we didn’t see in Abilene when we were in college,” Baker said. “We would go to different college groups or churches and they were great but ours has a different kind of feel.”

To receive updates on where Merge Abilene will be meeting next, follow them on Twitter and Instagram at MergeAbilene, like them on Facebook or check out their website mergeabilene.org. mmh13a@acu.edu

09.25.15

OPINION

Emmy Awards shine light on race in film, TV Earlier this month, Vox published an article about how color film was created for white people and distorted darker skin.

Lorna Roth, a professor at Concordia University, researched the topic and concluded that older technology distorted the features of African-Americans.

Some of these problems included the reproduction of facial images without details, lighting challenges and ashen-looking facial skin colors contrasted strikingly with the whites of eyes and teeth.

These issues weren’t limited to African-Americans, though.

Latinos and multiracial people were susceptible to these results as well. But as time has passed and issues like this are recognized, the film and TV industry are taking steps to remedy this.

During the annual Emmy Awards show on Sunday, wellknown African-American actress Viola Davis won an Emmy for her performance in How to Get Away with Murder. She is the first African-American woman to win an Emmy Award, and the accomplishment has taken social media by storm, adding to the stir

of race-related conversation.

In her speech, Davis said, “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity,” and toasted the writers and actors who are breaking down that door. We discussed this issue and decided we agree with Davis and that there should be more opportunities for nonwhite actors in the industry.

Yes, there are roles that only a certain race can be cast to play, but these types of movies tend to tell the story of something that has already happened, and this brings up the point of deciding what stories are worth being retold.

Look at movies like Straight Outta Compton. Someone decided that story was worth telling, and in doing so, created a number of roles for black men and women in the film industry. There’s no way you could cast that movie without black men and women without losing the iconic story.

The only problem we can see with this is that some shows and movies cater more to the stereotype of race rather than the message of promoting diversity.

Shows such as Black-ish and

Fresh Off the Boat, though they have provided roles for non-white actors, have helped fuel the stereotypes that African-Americans and Asians carry already.

The sitcoms take a comedic approach in trying to break those stereotypes, but it can sometimes be taken the wrong way. That being said, we wonder if creating such roles sometimes comes with a cost.

On the other end of the spectrum, though, there are shows that promote diversity and create more opportunities for actors of color. Shows such as New Girl, The Mindy Project and Community have taken a step in the right direction by telling audiences it’s possible for TV to feature an actor with darker skin in the same roles as their white counterparts.

We realize there’s a tricky balance when determining what kind of message or story a producer wants to get across or tell when forming a cast list, but we think race shouldn’t be as prominent a concern when creating shows and movies moving forward, and Davis is just one of many African-Americans who have broken

through that barrier.

“So here’s to all the writers, the awesome people that are Ben Sherwood, Paul Lee, Peter Nowalk, Shonda Rhimes, people who have redefined what it means to be beautiful, to be sexy, to be a leading woman, to

be black,” she said in her speech.

“And to the Taraji P. Hensons, the Kerry Washingtons, the Halle Berrys, the Nicole Beharies, the Meagan Goods, to Gabrielle Union: Thank you for taking us over that line. Thank you to the Television Academy. Thank you.”

EDITORIAL AND LETTER POLICY 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 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.

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

9

OPINION

09.25.15

Letters to the Editor There is no war on police

BY TAYLOR CRUMPTON Last week, The Optimist’s Edito­ rial Board released an editorial piece entitled “War on Police Will Not Solve Anything”.

The author did an excellent job of combining the nationalistic feelings inspired by Septem­ ber 11 with the recent loss of an Abilene Police Department of­ ficer, crafting an editorial piece that displayed the way white Americans think about the innocent black lives lost and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Black Lives Matter move­ ment is about police account­ ability and the removal of the systemic barriers that enable and condone its racial practices.

The main issue is a lack of ac­ countability for various actions against the African American community. Oscar Grant, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tray­ von Martin are just a few of the innocent black lives that were taken because of the lack of accountability that exists with­ in our current police system,

leaving the black community to mourn over the injustices committed in the deaths of our brothers and sisters nationwide.

The loss of innocent lives is the exigence behind the Black Lives Matter movement, not the murders of police officers.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Mal­ com X were brothers in the fight for racial equality, a right that is still being fought for in our nation today.

I agree with you that Martin Lu­ ther King Jr. is more prominent and well known in the American culture today due to his peaceful and non­v iolent campaign for racial equality. His philosophies align more with the watered down history the American education system provides about the civil rights movement, while Malcolm X is not discussed in school due to his “radicalism”.

Malcolm X is one of the most influential leaders in African American history due to his intelligence, activism, and his “pro­black” agenda. After his separation from the Nation of

hashtagACU Follow @acuoptimist on Twitter

Islam and pilgrimage to Mec­ ca, Malcolm X returned with a different philosophy, one of in­ tegration and working with non­ African Americans to achieve mutual goals.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are not that different when you look at their philos­ ophies and their goals for the African American community.

Optimist, I do agree with you that violence will not solve any of these problems. Violence should never be the solution be­ tween children of God, and it’s disappointing that violence was used to draw attention to these injustices.

Racial discrimination, police brutality, and the struggles our nation faces today will only be solved through unity, mutual understanding, respect, and communication between the two communities. If these goals are not reached, we are doomed to fail.

Sept. 24 2:48 p.m.

Taylor Crumpton is a junior psychology major from Coppell.

@briclose

The monarchy is so outdated. I mean, what can the queen even do anymore?

[Cut to the queen water skiing but on minions instead of skis]

@the_gramble Sept. 24 5:03 p.m.

I’m not even pledging and bid night has ruined my plans for this evening.

@SoyTophu Sept. 24 9:47 p.m.

Comm law causes @ madelynbane to start singing church hymns

Sept. 24 3:50 p.m.

Editorial inaccurate in implications

BY ADIA JOHNSON 2. There was an unfair com­ There was an anonymously writ­ parison between the African ten article published on police Americans being killed by brutality on September 11, 2015. police and the number of I, along with many other Afri­ police officers being killed. can American students, found Statistically, police officers the article offensive. In order have been safer in recent to touch on why we thought the times than they have been article was offensive, I will list a in the past. The numbers are few problems here: not parallel and should not 1. The article implied that be compared to each other. it was African American 3. Your comparison of Mal­ people who were killing the colm X and Martin Luther police officers. Your use of King was offensive in and of famous African American itself. It seemed that we had names was what made this to choose the safer person. implication.

Please look up Malcolm

X and look at what he has done for African Americans instead of focusing on his dislike for Caucasian people.

4. This is personal preference, but the next time you use African American people to make a point, please use slightly lesser known figures such as Madame C.J Walker, Frederick Douglas and Ben Carson in order to establish more credibility.

Adia Johnson is a student at ACU.

But really just want to nap and not move from this comfy couch.

@abisandoval Sept. 24 3:37 p.m.

When you find out Argentina has a Starbucks..PSL here I come

@forever_to_be

Sept. 24 1:38 p.m.

*brings animal crackers to class because I’m 5 years old*

@kelseygoin Sept. 24 11:55 a.m.

Realized I was walking around with an untied shoelace and I felt like a rebellious second grader. #Hardcore

@lukeaschumann Sept. 24 10:55 a.m.

#thatmomentwhen

you get every ques@k_winz tion you want on a

biomedical ethics test.

@alyssa_shaffner Sept 24 12:53 p.m.

Tonight is Call Night but it’s also the season 12 premiere of Grey’s sooooooo

@kaylalikescats Sept. 24 5:21 p.m.

Played a YouTube playlist at work. Ended up on an hour loop of Bieber’s What Do You Mean...Didn’t realize it until I was 9 min in.

@IAmDaCoop

10

SPORTS

Soccer travels to Louisiana The Wildcats play back-toback Southland games

BY DANIEL ZEPEDA The Wildcats head out of state this weekend to continue conference play.

ACU (1-6-2) faces off against Nicholls State (2-4-1) on Friday at 4 p.m. in Thibodaux, Louisiana and will then turn around to play Southeastern Louisiana (6-1-1) in Hammond at 1 p.m.

“We go about our routine each week about the same to focus on our game and watch film on the other teams to prepare for tendencies we see,” head coach Casey Wilson said. “Each week we try to clean up our game and try to be as efficient as we can with the ball.”

ACU won 3-0 last year against Nicholls State with goals coming steadily in the 27th, 60th and 82nd minutes. Junior goalkeepers Kelsey Dombrowski and Sydney Newton combined for the shutout. The Wildcats also defeated SELU 2-1 at Showtwell Stadium last season. ACU gave up an early goal in the 12th minute, but fought back with scores in the 34th and 70th minute.

Soccer is coming off a 1-1 draw against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last Friday at Elmer Gray Stadium.

After trailing by a goal for most of the game, senior Lindsey Jones forced the equalizer in the 87th minute of play to send the game to extra time. Neither the Wildcats or the Islanders could find the back of the goal and would end in a tie.

“I credited them after the game with keeping their composure at the end of the game as they kept building the ball up the field giving themselves chances to score, “Wilson said. “That was a good experience for them to come back like that after some disappointing events earlier in the game.”

The Colonels dropped its conference opener last weekend to Lamar in a 1-0 loss. Much like the Wildcats game against the Islanders, the game saw late theatrics, with a goal from Lamar coming in the 89th minute. Nicholls State has lost three of their last four matches.

09.25.15

STANDINGS FOOTBALL STANDINGS

Team

Div.

MSU Lamar SELU ACU

2-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-1 0-0 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1

UIW UCA

HBU Nicholls St. SHSU NSU SFA

Ovrl 2-0 2-1 2-1 1-1 2-1 0-2 1-2 0-2 0-2 0-3 0-3

SOCCER STANDINGS

Team

SELU HBU SHSU Lamar NSU ACU SFA TAMU-CC MSU Nicholls St. UCA UIW

Div. 1-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-1 0-0-1 0-0-1 0-0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1

Ovrl 6-1-1 3-2-1 4-3-1 5-5 3-4-2 1-6-2 1-6-1 0-5-2 3-4 2-4-1 3-6 2-7

VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS

Team

TAMU-CC Lamar NO HBU SFA SELU SHSU Nicholls St. MSU UIW NSU ACU UCA

Div. 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1

Ovrl 12-4 10-4 8-5 7-7 7-8 6-7 6-8 5-7 3-10 2-7 2-11 0-13 4-9

BRIEFINGS Stories available at acuoptimist.com Golf finishes 11th in Colorado State Tournament

by Collin Thompson

Tennis records over 50 victories to start season

by Max Preston Be sure to follow @OptimistSports on Twitter for more stories and the latest ACU sports news Read more at acuoptimist.com djz11a@acu.edu coverage.

09.25.15

SPORTS

11

Football to face struggling ‘Jacks

BY COLLIN WIEDER The Wildcats (1-1 overall, 1-0 conference) host 2014 playoff squad and Southland Conference opponent Stephen F. Austin (0-3 overall, 0-1 conference) Saturday at 11 a.m.

ACU’s 2014 team took down the Lumberjacks in upset fashion 37-35, endangering the ‘Jacks playoff hopes.

However, the ‘Jacks finished 8-4 with good enough record to make the playoffs. The ‘Jacks will look for revenge to get back on track in a rough early 2015.

ACU comes off a decisive 49-21 victory over Houston Baptist, while the Lumberjacks enter on a 3-game skid. The ‘Jacks lost a heartbreaking opener to Northern Arizona 34-28 followed by a tough blowout loss to FBS #3 TCU 70-7. Last week, the ‘Jacks opened conference play with a 28-14 loss to conference leader McNeese State. The losses proved to be worse, than just win-loss as junior quarterback Zach Conque has struggled to stay healthy with a knee injury.

Despite a difficult opening to the season, the ‘Jacks should not be overlooked as they feature solid players at multiple positions. Conque has not put up the numbers he did in 2014, but he has completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 366 yards and one touchdown, while scoring two on the ground this season. The running back by committee approach has worked so far in replacing former all-time leading SFA rusher and current Dallas Cowboys’ running back Gus Johnson. Senior Fred Ford, junior Joshawa West and freshman Loren Easly have combined to rush 53 times for 368 yards and three touchdowns.

ACU Head coach Ken Collums said the team should improve its run defense this week, especially after two embarrassing showings. The Wildcat defense gave up a combined 443 yards at a 5.9 yards per carry clip against Fresno State and Houston Baptist.

“On defense, we have to help our guys up front,” Collums said. “Our D-line played well, but out linebackers have play a little more aggressive and our safeties have to be a little more involved.”

The defense will need senior line-

ELIJAH EVANS VISUALS EDITOR

Highly-touted freshman corner Jabari Butler enters Saturday’s game with two interceptions. Butler recorded both last week against the Houston Baptist Huskies.

backer Lynn Grady and sophomores Sam Denmark and Bryson Gates to step up to the challenge this week.

Denmark leads the defense in tackles with 20, while Gates leads in tackles for loss with 2.0. On the defensive line, senior William Moore and sophomore Dylan Douglass are players to watch for as they have a sack each.

The ‘Cats have recorded only three

sacks so far this season struggling to replace Nick Richardson’s production from last year.

Quarterback Parker McKenzie and the offense will need to build on their performance against the Huskies last week. McKenzie threw for 225 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the win. Senior wide outs Cedric Gilbert and Jonathan Epps

combined for 145 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

The highly touted one-two punch from De’Andre Brown and Herschel Sims proved prolific last week rushing for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

Expect to see continued wildcat running as well from freshman quarterbacks Dallas Sealey or Cody Ennis.

cpw11s@acu.edu

SPORTS

THE OPTIMIST FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 PAGE 12

SOCCER HITS ROAD FOR LOUISIANA GAME PAGE 10

FOOTBALL HOSTS 2014 PLAYOFF PARTICIPANT PAGE 11