The Optimist 3.24.16

THE OPTIMIST VOL. 104 NO. 25 THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016

1 SECTION, 12 PAGES

FOOD TRUCK PARK OPENS IN SOUTH ABILENE PAGE 5

SAAC HONORS PROMISE TO WADE FAMILY AT BASEBALL GAME The Food Truck Park, inspired by a food truck park in Austin, opened for the first time Tuesday on the corner of South First Street and Sycamore Street.

LYDIA LAWSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

PAGE 3

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12

Good Friday (Campus Closed)

FRIDAY

*Number is based on days Chapel is offered in Moody

Baseball at McNeese State

Honors College to set Art students install stage for murder mystery surprise pieces

Easter

The Honors College will host a Murder Mystery Dinner April 2 for the first time since 2012.

Organized and cast by Honors students, the Murder Mystery Dinner allows for audience participation because attendees will vote on who they think the murderer is. The dinner will be served by Aramark under the illusion that they are in “Café Murder.”

The Murder Mystery Dinner will take place in the WPAC North Lobby at 6 p.m.

April 2. Admission is free for Honors students and $5 for all guests.

SATURDAY

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SUNDAY

14

By Ashley Alfred

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15

Wildcat Preview Day Fall registration: juniors at 3:00 p.m.

MONDAY • •

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20

from www.acuoptimist.com •

13

S P I R I T U A L F O R M AT I O N CREDITS

Social Club Interest Meeting at 4 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium Baseball vs. Dallas Baptist at 6:30 p.m. at Crutcher Scott Field

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Track and Field at Texas Relays Fall 2016 Registration: Freshman & sophomore Study Abroad students, freshman & sophomore Student Athletes, freshman & sophomore Honors College students Softball vs. Texas Tech at 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY • • •

THURSDAY

The Maker Lab will host a camp for middle school and high school students this June.

The camp is designed to teach campers the principles of science, engineering, technology and creativity. Campers will have a chance to learn how to use advanced tools such as laser-cutting and 3D printing.

By Leah Korte

THE OPTIMIST

TUESDAY

17

Maker Lab to welcome local students for camp

Maker Fest Life Skills: Managing Finances at 6 p.m.

Choirs Concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall

Several students placed different pieces and types of art around campus as part of a new art project. The art presents itself in new forms and requires some thought as well as creativity form the art students themselves.

Unlike other projects, the students were required to create a piece that would value the audience member to not see it as art initially, but overtime understand its value and, therefore, its artwork. Part of the criteria was to place the artwork surreptitiously or overnight. The objective of this was to surprise students and workers with a piece of unknown art displayed in their hindsight.

With different forms and presentations of art, the students have amplified this project by incorporating mixed media, paintings and other various pieces in specific parts of buildings. Robert Green, professor of art and design, said this is his second attempt at this type of project. Green said he based the project what other artists have done in the past and how overnight art affected audiences.

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03.24.16

NEWS

3

Students, community honor Hudson Wade at Scott Field

BY EMILY GUAJARDO The Student Athlete Advisory Committee will dedicate a baseball game April 2 to honor Hudson Wade’s life and death.

Hudson Wade, the 11-year-old son of ACU alumni Kirk and Laura Wade, was diagnosed with leukemia and battled the disease for the last four months of his life. During Hudson’s treatment, he was given a Wildcat baseball jersey as well as several other pieces of athletic gear because baseball was his favorite sport.

Hudson died Feb. 4 and left a lega-

“Just because Hudson passed, it makes us want to honor and fight for him even more.”

Kyle Karnei cy and memory in the lives he impacted, including the Abilene community, students and faculty.

Kyle Karnei, junior accounting major from Waco, helped organize the event after meeting Hudson at HW5K Run For Hudson earlier this year. Karnei, president of SAAC, said Hudson was a boy who lived life to the fullest and is a constant reminder of the health we have.

“We created wanted Hudson’s memory to live on through and through,” Karnei said. “His family’s greatest wish is that people tell his story. We thought that it would be a great honor to dedicate a baseball game to him and his family, as well as be able to tell his story during this time.”

Contributors to the dedication include the ACU baseball team and Abilene Christian Schools, where his father, Kirk Wade, resides as president.

Hollie Baldridge, marketing coordinator for ACS, said the event was originally supposed to have Hudson throw the first pitch at the game.

However, after Hudson’s death, SAAC decided to follow through with the plans and allow Hudson’s best friend to throw the first pitch in his honor.

Baldridge and Karnei said they see the value in keeping their promise to the Wade family, especially during this time of mourning and remembrance.

The event will include a carnival and is open to the public. It will begin at 12:30 p.m. at Crutcher Scott Field. During the event, the public can choose to sign up for the bone marrow registry system. Free rally towels with the slogan “Faith over Fear,” the phrase his family used during Hudson’s fight, will be given out to carnival goers.

“Just because Hudson passed, it makes us want to honor and fight for him even more,” Karnei said. eag13a@acu.edu

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY WADE FAMILY

Community members raised money in various ways to support the Wade family and will continue to support them in remembering Hudson Wade.

4

NEWS

03.24.16

Food truck park opens on South First, Sycamore St.

BY ERIKA BOLADO Food trucks around Abilene parked together Tuesday to launch The Food Park, a new centralized location for the public to eat a variety of foods.

Nine food trucks – including Rock’n Roller’z, 1881 Food Truck, Beastro Food Truck, The London Express, Beffers Food Truck & Catering, Kona Ice of Abilene, The Crabb Shack, Crosseyed Jackalope and The Grub Bus – gathered to serve the community on the corner of South First and Sycamore streets.

Alumni Forrest and Jen Harmel, founders and creators of A People Party Productions, an Abilene business specializing in promoting and marketing local businesses, musicians and organizations, came up with the idea after they were inspired by Austin’s food truck parks. Forrest also works for a non-profit neighborhood mentoring program and developing his own business called Forrest Woodworks.

With a desire to have a centralized location for food trucks, Jen and Forrest, originally from Austin, drove around Abilene and set their eyes on the corner

of South First and Sycamore.

When the Harmels found the empty lot downtown close to many other attractions, they thought it was perfect in every way.

Cade Browning, a local personal injury attorney, was the owner of the space who Jen said expressed he always had a vision for the property to be used as a business and was open to helping the Harmels achieve their dream.

But finding the location was just half the battle.

“Food trucks are very apprehensive about setting up when there would be more than three trucks there,” Jen said.

“But we always believe that if you have a hub, you will have better success.”

To gauge its potential success, the Harmels sent out a survey to gather opinions from the Abilene community.

The results showed that about 75 percent of the community are excited to have a centralized location providing a variety of menu options. In the occasion of rain or bad weather, more than half of the people who took the survey said they would still stop and get a to-go order.

LYDIA LAWSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Food Truck Park is open Monday-Friday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on the corner of South First and Sycamore streets.

“We have over about 700 people attending” Jen said. “We hope people understand that if there is not enough seating, it’s because it’s an out-of-ordinary type of day, and we’re going to try to do our best to accommodate everybody there.”

The Food Park is accepting contribu-

tors to sponsor a table or local businesses interested in marketing.

Current sponsors of the development of the new business include 23 Junk Street, La Voz, Simply Suell, David N. Defoore, Kaufmann Custom Homes and Construction and Browning Law Firm.

“This is the first time I’ve seen food trucks stick around, and we believe that it’s because they have had a lot of support from the community, local businesses and Abilene’s constant public events that contribute to their business,” Jen said.

The long-term vision for The Food Park is to become a fully-furnished venue with live music, bar catering, a children’s play area, community garden, market days and other special events.

The Harmels said they are excited to be part of developing the culture and beautification on the south side of downtown.

For more information about The Food Park, visit http://www.abi-foodpark.com. jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Art, design students place in local ADDY competition

BY JESSICA CLARK Several Art and Design students earned top spots at the 2016 ADDY Awards.

The ADDYs is a graphic design and advertising competition which takes place at a local level. First place winners receive automatic entrance into regional competi-

tion while second place may choose to pay to compete at the regional level.

Every year the American Advertising Federation (AAF) has a banquet hosted by each of its local clubs to announce the winner of the ADDYs. During the formal event, entrants gather to hear the announcement.

Participants range from student artists to professionals in the local area. Chera Chaney, senior graphic design major from Merkel who won gold in the poster category attended the banquet hosted by Abilene AAF. “To win a gold and silver award at the local ADDYS was such a great experience,” she said. “I went to the Gala and was honored to stand up and accept my award in front of many locals who had participated in the competition as well. It was such a great experience and honor to be able to enter such a prestigious graphic design competition and receive an award from it.”

ACU Art and Design students faired well in the competition, taking home several awards for the department. Multiple students won gold, advancing to regional competition.

Alex Carruth, senior graphic design

2016 ADDY Award Winners Chera Chaney • Fine Print Poster - Gold • Avoca Coffee Poster - Gold Taylor McDaniel • Ligeia - Gold & Judges Choice Hayden Walker • Dry the River Poster - Silver Paige Sosebee • Abilene BBQ Sauce - Silver Caroline Taylor • Andrew Belle - Gold

Lauren Payne • Perks of Being a Wallflower Book Cover Design - Bronze • Avoca Coffee - Bronze Chandler Taylor • Taco Bell Radio Jingle - Gold & Judges Award for Best Conceptual Effort • Bandaid Poster - Gold & Best in Show Cierra Fitzgerald • Kev In Sepia - Silver • Kev-In-A-Box - Silver • NASA Poster - Bronze

Joseph Rodriguez Lord of the Flies Book Cover

major from Natal, Brazil, won silver in the ting feedback from the same people. It is poster category. also an honor being judged along with ac“ It was great being recognized for your tual professionals in the community.” work outside of campus,” he said. “You stay in the ACU bubble, and you get used to getjmcnetwork@acu.edu

NEWS

03.24.16

5

Hammocking hotels create place to hang on campus

BY MARY KATE ROTENBERRY Hammocking hotels were installed around campus during spring break to encourage students to engage in outdoor life.

Located between the Williams Performing Arts Center and the College of Business Administration and in front of McKinzie Hall, the hammock hotels consist of wooden poles with hooks for hammocks.

Abbey Moses, Students’ Association executive vice president, submitted the plan for the project earlier this year.

“As SA vice president, part of my position involves equipping the students to have an impactful, enjoyable time at ACU,” Moses said. “I am always excited to have an idea, or more often, to hear the ideas of students and bring them to life.”

Each hammock hotel costs about $3,000. The entire project was about $6,000. One of the hotels was funded by two donations. Congress contributed $1,500, and $1,500 came from the Campus Initiative Fund. Funds for the other hotel was donated by the administration on campus.

PHOTO BY MARY KATE ROTENBERRY

Two hammocking hotels were installed on campus during spring break in hopes of providing students a place to hang out and enjoy the outdoors.

One structural element the hotels highlight is the ability to hang with a number of friends at one time. Moses said she hopes to see groups of five to seven people hammocking together and sharing in community.

“I think there is a great opportunity to be able to hammock not only by myself, but also surrounded by my friends that also have hammocks,” said Rachel Dillon, junior kinesiology major from Waco.

Students on campus have begun ex-

ploring the hammock hotels, but are unsure of what they think of them.

“I like the opportunity that is presented with having the poles,” Dillon said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to get more people outside and be able to enjoy hammocking.”

On the other hand, some students view the poles as unnecessary.

“The trees around campus are great for hammocking; there is no need for these poles,” said Anna Beasley, senior kinesiology major from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“Hammocking is all about getting outside and enjoying nature, so it seems counterintuitive to set up poles in order to hammock.”

Depending on how students react to the poles will determine the future of the hotels.

“If it is not a popular location on campus, we will analyze that and move forward in finding new ways to engage students in nature,” Moses said. “It is all about how to serve students.” mkr12a@acu.edu

POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 03/21/2016 8:30 a.m.

An area resident notified ACUPD that at least two automobiles had been burglarized Sunday morning (3:30 a.m.) by at least two male suspects.

03/22/2016 3:42 a.m.

ACUPD investigated a resident’s concern about a possible prowler or intruder at their residence. Officers found no one, and the residence showed no signs of intrusion attempts.

03/22/2016 1:00 p.m.

A student reported a probable mail scam involving overpayment for services rendered.

Weekly Stats For Week of Mar 16-23, 2016 - Total Events: 447

911 CALL 4 ACCIDENT 2 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY 24 ADVICE 1 ALARM 6 BARRICADES 1 BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK 23 BURGLARY (MOTOR VEHICLE) 1 CHECK BUILDING 255 DISTURBANCE 1 ESCORT 1 FOOT PATROL 14 FORGERY 1

FOUND PROPERTY 3 INFORMATION REPORT 2 INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP 2 LOST PROPERTY 1 MAINTENANCE UNIV ASSESTS 1 MEDIAL EMERGENCY 2 MONITOR FACILITY/LOT 1 MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART 8 MOTORIST ASSIST: OTHER 1 MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK 7 NOISE VIOLATION 1 OTHER 5 PARKING LOT PATROL 41

PARKING VIOLATION 1 PATROL VEHICLE MAINTENANCE 4 PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL 9 PROWLER 1 PUBLIC SERVICE 1 RANDOM PATROL 12 REPORT WRITING 4 STAND BY 1 TRAFFIC HAZARD 2 TRAFFIC STOP 2 TRESPASSER 1

POLICE CHIEF TIP OF THE WEEK: Accidental 911 calls have increased significantly, wasting valuable time/ resources. Please be careful when dialing long-distance on campus phones. Users are hitting “9” for an outside line, then “1” for long distance, then accidentally hitting “1” again, thus the call goes out immediately as a 911 call, generating a police response.

03.24.16

7

F E AT U R E S

PHOTO COURTESY OF HALEY REMENAR

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGAN KRIGER

Wildcats explore worldwide

BY MERCEDEZ HERNANDEZ

I

PHOTO COURTESY OF MORGAN HARE

PHOTO COURTESY OF RACHEL MURPHY

PHOTO BY DAVID JOHNSON

n a flash spring break has come and gone. While everyone gets back to hitting the books and biding their time until the end of the semester, we can’t help but reminisce about our past weeklong adventures. Wildcats spread out far and wide during last week’s break and this is just a short glimpse into who went where.

Christen Scaggs, senior biology major from Frisco, spent her break on a medical mission trip to Thomazeau, Haiti. Scaggs served at LiveBeyond, a faith-based organization that specializes in medical and maternal care, while also providing education and clean water. Alumnus Dr. David Vanderpool and his wife Laurie founded the organization.

While on her trip, Scaggs spent her time assisting medical patients at LiveBeyond’s clinic and interacting

with children at the mission’s childrens programs Kè Pou Timoun and Johnny’s Kids, a program for special needs children.

This was Scaggs’s first time traveling to Haiti, but the trip made a lasting impression on her.

“Before the trip, I had a feeling that I wanted to do mission work later in life and this trip kind of sealed the deal. I really got a taste for helping others,” Scaggs said.

Bailey Cate, senior communications major from Nebraska, spent her spring break in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Cate participated in the annual mission trip Angkor of Faith, which has served Siem Reap for 10 years. Cate says the group she worked with was made up of team members from 10 countries. The diverse makeup of the group was something Cate says was a touching thing to witness and be a part of.

“It was spiritually impactful to serve on such a diverse

team and to see God at work in our hearts and the heart of those we were serving,” Cate said.

Megan Kriger, senior kinesiology major from College Station, traveled to San Cristobal, Guatemala, with her home church. The group Kriger was with was made up of 47 people, including several doctors, dentists, physical therapists and nurses. The group would travel daily to the surrounding areas of San Cristobal to assist people with their different ailments or injuries. A case Kriger recalls was that of a 97-year-old man who could not move his arms because the muscles in his shoulder blades were atrophied. The patients helped were extremely grateful, Kriger said, with nearly every patient holding the hands of those who gave them medicine and praying over it with them. The experience of serving others was especially meaningful to Kriger, as it took place close to Easter.

“I had to wash a lot of feet and trim a lot of toenails, which really hit home because it sounds really biblical,” Kriger said. “It really reminded me to just be humble and to just love people.”

Rachel Murphy, junior nursing major from New Jersey, kicked back in sunny Costa Rica where she was visiting alumna Katie Cranfill.

Murphy and friends stayed in a small house on a coffee farm with their host Hermida.

“My favorite part was just chilling in this little tiny house with Hermida and her showing us how to cook different things,” Murphy said. “It was amazing getting to spend time with her in this little house in the rainforest.”

A staple activity for those visiting the rainforest is doing an adrenaline boosting zip line, an activity Murphy tried.

Murphy and her friends also went for a night walk through the rainforest where they encountered many spiders. After getting away from the eight-

legged friends, Murphy spent much of the remainder of her break sat by the beach.

Jace Pimentel, sophomore accounting major from Abilene, traveled with Beltway’s college ministry on a mission trip to inner-city Dallas. On the trip, the group of about 120 college students sought to bring the gospel to the low income and impoverished people of the city.

The group did a few service projects on the trip as well as outreaches at apartment complexes all around the city. Pimentel said an amazing thing to witness was the spreading of the gospel by word of mouth in the “rough” neighborhoods.

“It doesn’t make sense to take word of mouth good news to these rough neighborhoods, but we definitely saw a lot of people come to the Lord and saw people’s hearts who were touched by Jesus in a powerful way,” Pimentel said. mmh13a@acu.edu

03.24.16

7

F E AT U R E S

PHOTO COURTESY OF HALEY REMENAR

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGAN KRIGER

Wildcats explore worldwide

BY MERCEDEZ HERNANDEZ

I

PHOTO COURTESY OF MORGAN HARE

PHOTO COURTESY OF RACHEL MURPHY

PHOTO BY DAVID JOHNSON

n a flash spring break has come and gone. While everyone gets back to hitting the books and biding their time until the end of the semester, we can’t help but reminisce about our past weeklong adventures. Wildcats spread out far and wide during last week’s break and this is just a short glimpse into who went where.

Christen Scaggs, senior biology major from Frisco, spent her break on a medical mission trip to Thomazeau, Haiti. Scaggs served at LiveBeyond, a faith-based organization that specializes in medical and maternal care, while also providing education and clean water. Alumnus Dr. David Vanderpool and his wife Laurie founded the organization.

While on her trip, Scaggs spent her time assisting medical patients at LiveBeyond’s clinic and interacting

with children at the mission’s childrens programs Kè Pou Timoun and Johnny’s Kids, a program for special needs children.

This was Scaggs’s first time traveling to Haiti, but the trip made a lasting impression on her.

“Before the trip, I had a feeling that I wanted to do mission work later in life and this trip kind of sealed the deal. I really got a taste for helping others,” Scaggs said.

Bailey Cate, senior communications major from Nebraska, spent her spring break in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Cate participated in the annual mission trip Angkor of Faith, which has served Siem Reap for 10 years. Cate says the group she worked with was made up of team members from 10 countries. The diverse makeup of the group was something Cate says was a touching thing to witness and be a part of.

“It was spiritually impactful to serve on such a diverse

team and to see God at work in our hearts and the heart of those we were serving,” Cate said.

Megan Kriger, senior kinesiology major from College Station, traveled to San Cristobal, Guatemala, with her home church. The group Kriger was with was made up of 47 people, including several doctors, dentists, physical therapists and nurses. The group would travel daily to the surrounding areas of San Cristobal to assist people with their different ailments or injuries. A case Kriger recalls was that of a 97-year-old man who could not move his arms because the muscles in his shoulder blades were atrophied. The patients helped were extremely grateful, Kriger said, with nearly every patient holding the hands of those who gave them medicine and praying over it with them. The experience of serving others was especially meaningful to Kriger, as it took place close to Easter.

“I had to wash a lot of feet and trim a lot of toenails, which really hit home because it sounds really biblical,” Kriger said. “It really reminded me to just be humble and to just love people.”

Rachel Murphy, junior nursing major from New Jersey, kicked back in sunny Costa Rica where she was visiting alumna Katie Cranfill.

Murphy and friends stayed in a small house on a coffee farm with their host Hermida.

“My favorite part was just chilling in this little tiny house with Hermida and her showing us how to cook different things,” Murphy said. “It was amazing getting to spend time with her in this little house in the rainforest.”

A staple activity for those visiting the rainforest is doing an adrenaline boosting zip line, an activity Murphy tried.

Murphy and her friends also went for a night walk through the rainforest where they encountered many spiders. After getting away from the eight-

legged friends, Murphy spent much of the remainder of her break sat by the beach.

Jace Pimentel, sophomore accounting major from Abilene, traveled with Beltway’s college ministry on a mission trip to inner-city Dallas. On the trip, the group of about 120 college students sought to bring the gospel to the low income and impoverished people of the city.

The group did a few service projects on the trip as well as outreaches at apartment complexes all around the city. Pimentel said an amazing thing to witness was the spreading of the gospel by word of mouth in the “rough” neighborhoods.

“It doesn’t make sense to take word of mouth good news to these rough neighborhoods, but we definitely saw a lot of people come to the Lord and saw people’s hearts who were touched by Jesus in a powerful way,” Pimentel said. mmh13a@acu.edu

03.24.16

OPINION

Media, consumers to blame for spotty coverage On Tuesday, the 22 of March 2016, three coordinated bombings struck Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 were killed and 300 injured.

On Sunday, the 13 of March 2016, a car full of explosives exploded at a local bus stop in Ankara, Turkey, killing at least 37 people and injured 125.

It’s most likely you only heard about the first event. Or, if you heard about the second, it was only in light of how the mainstream media lacked coverage of the latter event.

But before anyone goes and tries to kill the messenger, it’s important to realize that media coverage is a two-way street. If media consumers are not seeking or expressing substantial interest in certain topics, such as largescale attacks in countries outside the West, the media will not delegate as much time and as many resources to cover them.

Several issues play into the lack of coverage in attacks in countries like Lebanon, Turkey and the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire.

To put it plainly, mainstream media doesn’t write the same number of stories about bombings in Beirut, Ankara or Istanbul. The 24-hour streaming news

stations don’t bring in as many terrorist experts or concerned foreign relations experts to analyze the root of violence.

This is not to say the events are not covered. If someone wanted to read about the events all it takes is a Google search to find a fitting story. The problem is that many people hear about the terror attacks in non-Western countries by word of mouth rather than through news organizations on their Twitter feed or by flipping through news channels.

Additionally, when the stories are reported they are not as detail-oriented as those about Paris or Charlie Hebdo. As U.S. Uncut reporter Amanda Girard wrote in “Days Before Brussels, There Were 2 Devastating Terror Attacks the Media Ignored,” the stories on non-Western countries under attack do not humanize the situation. The leads usually do not start with an anecdotal look into life at a café or in a soccer stadium moments before bombs and shrapnel rip that enjoyable reality from the local’s hands.

Instead, the leads get straight to the point­– what happened, how many were killed or injured and what is known about who was behind the attack.

For this, media should take full responsibility. This is biased reporting that should not be tolerated. By painting a picture of rich civilization and culture in one country and neglecting to do so in another, media perpetuates the perception that the people of Western countries are more relatable and easier to empathize with than those of non-Western countries.

The stories are there, but the consumers must express an interest in them in order for mainstream media sites to dedicate the time, money and resources to more fully and thoroughly cover them.

People simply do not invest as much time reading, watching and sharing news about attacks in non-Western countries. As we have said before, the stories are there. The links have been tweeted, any simple Google search will yield at least several stories or videos pertaining to any terror attack around the world. But this news does not trend.

During the Paris bombings, Facebook allowed the option to layer a French flag over profile pictures. Where is the same for Turkey? Or Belgium?

Brussels is at least trending

on Facebook as of Wednesday afternoon. But what about Ankara, where everyday people were massacred while catching a bus to work?

Ultimately, the blame in spotty coverage lies with each side– media and consumer alike.

Girard wrote in her piece that it’s a duty of American people to take their role as global citizens seriously and offer the same sympathy for victims of violence

in Middle East as well as Western countries. We affirm her call and challenge each reader to apply ACU’s vision of thinking critically, globally and missionally to events outside of the classroom, such as the news they consume and what they decide is important enough to share. It’s then and only then that a shift will be created and wholeness will be achieved throughout media coverage.

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

03.24.16

Embracing the good in the midst of the bad Abbey Road Abbey Bowling I always struggle to digest the news of terrorism, like most people probably do – from Paris to California, and now Brussels.

As a compassionate person, I have a hard time understanding how some people can have such disregard for human life. I don’t understand how people can be so purposefully cruel, and I don’t understand how someone could be capable of taking so many innocent lives so quickly – it all just reinforces the idea that this world is dark and bad and broken.

And yes, this world is scary. Yes, there are plenty of things to be afraid of every single day – even down to the simplest things, like starting your car every morning. But when I read story after story reporting the casualties, describing the explosions, perpetuating the fear, I have to stop and remind myself that good things still exist.

The reason why the media always report bad things is because bad things are always newsworthy – there’s actually a list of seven different factors to help determine if something is newsworthy, but that’s a lesson for another time – and the bad things almost always hit all seven of those factors, or at least the majority of them. So that’s why the front page is full of headlines about terrorist attacks, political scandals, shootings, financial crises, natural disasters, you name it. If you spend your whole life watching the world through the eyes of news reporters, you’ll spend your whole life thinking the world is a pretty bad place, and you’ll miss all the good stuff that happens around you.

And there are plenty of good things. There are still people who help, love and comfort. I read several stories about Parisians sacrificing time, money and security to help others in the middle of the attack, and the same thing happened in Brussels Tuesday morning. In the midst of something as horrible as a terrorist attack, people still do good

things because it’s human nature to see suffering and to offer help. Even the littlest things in day-to-day life, like paying for a stranger’s Starbucks drink, praying for someone, giving change to a homeless person; those are good things, and I think all of that collectively outweighs the bad.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t be afraid. It’s OK to be afraid, or anxious, or apprehensive. But you shouldn’t let that fear rule your life.

In one of my favorite articles from Condé Nast Traveler about why we should continue to visit places like Paris and Brussels, the writer says, “It’s glib to say we won’t fear.

We will, a little bit. In Paris. In New York. In Berlin and London, Madrid and Amsterdam, Beirut and Tehran.

We’ll second-guess ourselves, sense the prick of anxiety, even on gentle evenings in the most obscure and insignificant neighborhoods, even when we’re doing no more than meeting a friend for a drink. But if we do it – when we do it – we’ll be making life. And that, after all, is why we’re here.”

Business: It’s not all rainbows and unicorns On the Fritz Rachel Fritz Unicorns are mythical creatures we all wish were real, but they are also the representation of the rare and wildly successful startup business.

Businesses such as Airbnb, Snapchat and Uber are a few of just over 200 startup unicorns – defined as startup company valued for at least one billion dollars. Success like this is desirable, but shouldn’t be the goal of young entrepreneurs.

Millennial views of entrepreneurship can seem a little shallow, which doesn’t help our reputation for having a low work ethic and possessing an overinflated self esteem.

Plenty of 20- and 30-somethings have proven the stereotypes wrong, but we’re struggling to prove our tolerance for risk and failure isn’t low.

Many young businessmen get an

idea they are convinced is brilliant, and when they pursue the idea and find out it’s not going to make billions off the bat, they give up and move on to the next thing, proving we aren’t ready to put in the work over time.

With this mentality, it’s easy to become discouraged when success doesn’t come quickly.

Steve Blank, Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur, said a startup is defined as a “temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. A scalable startup founder doesn’t just want to be her own boss; she wants to take over the universe.”

This mindset can be detrimental to our already wavering confidence as entrepreneurs and to our creative process. If we fail enough times, we’re likely going to give up completely and settle for a job we’re not happy with.

It’s sad to think our resilience can be worn down, but there is a way

to combat this downfall, and that is to switch our mindset to creating a small business, not a mystical startup unicorn.

A small business mindset focuses more on hard work and progress over time unlike the startup mentality.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, the definition of a small business is something independently owned and operated, organized for profit and not dominant in its field. Small business starters aren’t aiming to take over the universe.

By focusing more on long-term value, you are putting less pressure on yourself to create something completely unique and completely successful. Failure is a part of any process, but there is little room for failure when you’re trying to create a billion-dollar business in the course of a few months. After all, good things take time.

hashtagACU Follow @acuoptimist on Twitter March 20 11:56 p.m.

Currently worried for myself bc I’ve cried 5 times today about graduation being 47 days away & I’m pretty sure it only gets worse from here

@amyyynicole March 22 1:55 a.m.

Everynight around 2 am all the dogs in our neighborhood bark at the same time and I wake up.

March 21 5:09 p.m.

My stepdad literally just texted me: “New phone who dis?” I didn’t text him.

@hopeadel March 21 6:07 p.m.

I met a Canadian who could name every US Presidential candidate but couldn’t tell me the name of Canda’s Prime Minister #Merica

How do I fix this?

@coltonpowell97 @ellenjohnson13 March 21 10:05 a.m.

I always question why couples think the library is a hot spot to make out?

@ShelbyFair6

March 22 9:29 p.m.

If you want to know what SA is like on a Tuesday, in the past 10 min, our toilet overflowed for no reason & there is a bat in the hallway

@katehegi

March 21 4:34 p.m.

That lab somehow managed to make my legs feel more dead after 30 seconds than they felt after running a marathon.

@SoyTophu March 21 5:15 p.m.

My puppy hates boys.

BUT, he went up to a cute guy on the lundsford.

It’s an ACU sign I guess...

I’ll keep ya posted on the wed date.

@tamzil5

March 21 10:27 p.m.

hannah just walked in on my practicing my whip and nae nae in the bathroom mirror :~)

@madelynbane March 23 1:43 p.m.

thought I had makeup under my eyes and tried to wash it off but @k_winz it turns out it’s just dark bags and I’m like ah yes I see why now

@emjmuhl

10

SPORTS

Softball improves Southland record to 5-1

03.24.16

STANDINGS BASEBALL STANDINGS

Div. Ovrl Team 6-0 14-6 SELU 4-2 15-5 NO 4-2 13-7 Lamar 2-1 10-9 HBU 2-1 9-9 TAMU-CC 3-3 10-9 MSU 3-3 9-10 UCA 3-3 9-10 NSU 3-3 8-12 SHSU 2-4 10-11 Nicholls St.

BY ABBEY BOWLING 2-4 9-10 ACU The softball team won two and lost one 1-5 11-10 SFA during this weekend’s series against La1-5 5-15 UIW mar University, bringing its overall record to 11-12 and its Southland Confer- SOFTBALL STANDINGS ence record to 5-1.

Team Div. Ovrl The Wildcats fell in the first game, MSU 6-0 19-6 8-3, after sophomore Hannah Null ACU 5-1 11-12 pitched 2.1-innings and gave up six runs, UCA 4-2 18-10 five walks and two strikeouts. FreshNicholls St. 3-2 16-11 man Allison Turner relieved Null in the NSU 3-3 18-9 third inning and went on to give up two SELU 3-3 17-12 more runs in 4.2 innings of work.

Lamar 3-3 15-11 ACU didn’t score until the fifth inSFA 2-3 12-15 ning, when sophomore Peyton Hedrick HBU 2-4 10-12 hit a single and senior Demi McNulty UIW 2-4 10-17 came around to score. Sophomore HolTAMU-CC 1-5 11-16 ly Neese also scored an RBI single in the SHSU 1-5 6-17 fifth and Hedrick hit a home run in the seventh, marking her fifth home run of the season. She now ties for first on the team with Neese and fourth in the More stories at acuoptimist.com Southland.

ACU came back in the second game Track sets multiple new personal to win 7-1 as junior Alli Spivey, Neese bests over break and sophomore Brianna Barnhill all reby Savanah Silva corded RBIs. Turner pitched 4.2-innings Follow Online and gave up two runs, one walk,and one Twitter: @OptimistSports strikeout before Null came in to fin- Facebook: facebook.com/ ish the game and earn the save after optimistsports pitching out of a bases loaded jam in the Instagram: optimistsports sixth. She ended with two strikouts in 1.1-innings.

Barnhill went on to be named an honorable mention for the Southland Redshirt sophomore Conference’s Hitter of the Week. She pitcher Hannah Null has went 4-for-9 over the three-game series knotted up her record and collected three RBIs, two runs, a at 6-6 after her win solo home run and a double. over Lamar Saturday.

The third game ended in a 6-4 win for She started off 1-5 the Wildcats. Spivey started off the first this season, but has inning by scoring an RBI single, though NULL rebounded with a 5-1 Lamar came back in the second to take record since the team moved past the lead with a two-run double. ACU tied the game in the bottom of the sec- their tough, non-conference portion ond with a home run by Barnhill, and of the schedule. Null dropped her earned run average from 4.71 to they took the lead 3-2.

3.93 during that span. She’s been a Read more at acuoptimist.com major reason for the Wildcats early akb12a@acu.edu conference success.

BRIEFINGS

WHO’S HOT

03.24.16

SPORTS

11

Wildcats fall to UTEP in first round of WNIT

BY JONATHAN RAITZ The women’s basketball team finished its season Thursday night in El Paso after falling in the first round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, 66-62 against University of Texas El-Paso.

“A big difference in the game at UTEP was the incredible crowd and home court advantage,” head coach Julie Goodenough said. “They are a very talented team anyway but the awesome pep band and engaged crowd was a big key to their undefeated home record.”

Despite shooting just 17.2 percent in the first half, the Wildcats only trailed by two points heading into the fourth quarter after junior guard Alexis Mason drilled a three with nine seconds left in the third.

In the fourth quarter, each team found momentum, but neither team could pull away. UTEP started the final quarter with a 6-0 run, building a 49-41 lead with 8:57 remaining. But the Wildcats responded with an 11-0 scoring to take the lead by three with just over five minutes to play in the game.

UTEP had one last push left in the next three minutes as the Miners outscored ACU 9-2 and regained the lead at 58-53 once and for all.

Senior guard Paris Webb was able to cut the lead to 64-62 with six seconds remaining, but the Miners calmly knocked down two free throws to seal the deal at 66-62.

“In spite of the crowd distraction, our team played with great poise and toughness,” Goodenough said. “We missed big free throws in critical times of the game, but give their fans credit for the deafening roar at every free throw attempt.”

As the regular season Conference-USA champion, UTEP entered the game as the highest seed left out of the women’s NCAA tournament, and brought one of their better defensive performances. The Miners forced a school-record 18 turnovers and outscored ACU 16-0 in fast break points.

The Wildcats were led on both sides of the ball by junior Suzzy Dimba, who recorded 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in 36 minutes. ACU also received 12 points from senior Whit-

ELIJAH EVANS VISUALS EDITOR

Whitney West Swinford (above) finishes her career second all-time in three pointers made (234). Swinford was second on the team this season in made three point

ney West Swinford in her last game as a Wildcat. West finished with 234 career three-pointers, just five behind the all-time leader Ashley King.

“This was an amazing season from start to finish,” Goodenough said. ”This team responded so well to adversity and learned valuable lessons along the way. The chemistry and unity of this group of ladies was amazing and a huge factor in the tremendous success we enjoyed.”

At 26-4 the Wildcats secured the third most wins in program history and will have a unique chance to best that next season, as they will lose just two seniors in Webb and West. Goodenough and her team hope this year’s run will be the beginning of something special within the program. jmr13b@acu.edu

SPORTS

THE OPTIMIST THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016 PAGE 12

SOFTBALL IS HITTING ITS STRIDE IN SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE PLAY PAGE 10

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL LOSES IN WNIT DEBUT The ACU softball team won eight of its last nine games after starting off the season 3-11. The streak includes a hot start in conference play.

ELIJAH EVANS VISUALS EDITOR

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