Consignment store founded by alums donates to Hurricane Harvey relief Page 2
NEWS
A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
Friday, November 17, 2017 Vol. 106, Issue 13
POWELL DISCUSSES MED SCHOOL APPLICATIONS Page 2
‘TIS THE SEASON
LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR Sara Williamson, junior shooting guard from Rowlett, and Kayla Galindo, a freshman point guard from El Paso, celebrate a play at a women’s basketball game.
CALENDAR 11/17 • •
Cornerstone production of “Wit” at 7:30 p.m. Love and Care Ministries Mission Thanksgiving
11/18 •
African Culture History Event at 3 p.m.
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Cornerstone production at 7:30 p.m.
11/20 •
Percussion Ensemble Concert at 7:30 p.m.
11/22 •
Thanksgiving Holiday (Campus Closed)
11/28 •
Christmas Lights parade downtown at 5 p.m.
BOX OFFICE NOVEMBER 10-12 1. Thor: Ragnarok $57,078,306 2. Daddy’s Home 2 $29,651,193 3. Murder on the Orient Express (2017) $28,681,472 4. A Bad Moms Christmas $11,468,964 5. Jigsaw $3,424,319
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DAYS UNTIL
THANKSGIVING BREAK
FEATURE
LARRY HENDERSON FLIES HIGH Page 5
Budget deficit leads to cuts, layoffs Board of BY HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF
The university leadership will begin reducing expenses by $7-8 million in the next fiscal year by reducing some faculty and staff positions and consolidating some departments. University president Dr. Phil Schubert said the board of trustees approved a plan that will cut costs to prevent a potential budget deficit of 5-7 percent or $7-8 million. He said there is not a set number of jobs that will be cut and the university will focus on cutting by dollars rather than number of jobs. “We will be reducing positions over the next year,” Schubert said, “combining
departments and offices, looking at outsourcing opportunities.” Schubert said the administration will try to prevent a budget deficit by focusing on cutting costs rather than raising tuition, which is one option for universities. But Schubert said the board and the senior leadership team want to continue decreasing student debt. The average student debt decreased by 12 percent for the most recent graduating class, according to a news release from the university. “That does not mean tuition is not going to go up,” Schubert said. “We’re just wanting to ensure that is not the primary avenue.” The university faces a potential budget deficit de-
spite having recorded some of its largest enrollments in university history in the last seven years. Block tuition has allowed students to graduate quicker with less debt, but that means less revenue for the university. Another reason for the deficit includes increases in dual-credit which means less credit hours sold to students. “Achieving three major objectives – lowering student debt and the cost of delivering a quality higher education, while increasing affordability – creates unavoidable tension, especially in our budget,” Schubert said. “We owe it to our students to excel at all three.” Reducing positions will lower costs because employee
salaries and benefits account for more than 55 percent of the overall budget and the cost of health benefits for employees is growing at a 10-15 percent annual rate. Schubert said faculty and staff cuts will be evaluated this semester and employees will be offered a voluntary retirement incentive if they meet certain eligibility criteria. Some positions may be cut especially in departments that have higher faculty to student ratios, but Schubert said other departments may need to hire more faculty. Schubert shared the results of the board decision with faculty and staff in meetings Wednesday.
“Those are to raise people out of poverty by providing them with clean, inexpensive, safe power, pure abundant water and also medical isotopes that are necessary to treat, diagnose and cure cancer.” In a non-nuclear environment with no nuclear reactor, students and faculty studying in the lab are question how to advance the Liquid-Fueled Molten Salt Reactors (LFMSR) and get a license for an advanced reactor. Currently, their main focus is instrumentation development. About a year ago, the NEXT Lab shipped from being an idea to a funded project. Over the summer, equip-
ment was put in place with the help of 8-10 students and 8-10 faculty and staff. Students from majors across four departments, engineering and physics, chemistry and computer science assisted in putting the lab together. There are three phases of the NEXT Lab. First, to initiate an on-campus research program demonstrating the understanding and abilities to safely prepare, heat, flow and study salt mixtures. Second, to build a basic molten salt test loop for advanced testing. Lastly, to build a full-sized, non-nuclear molten salt loop. Not only does the NEXT Lab work toward global
goals, Towell said it is also training the next generation of scientists and engineers. “I think what really engages students and what helps train and shape students in a powerful way is when you can give them real world problems and you can work with them in the lab in sort of a mentoring relationship,” Towell said. The NEXT Lab hosted their first open house last Saturday, but currently does not have more planned for the future.
ing different African countries to display different aspects of their country, history and culture. “We’re trying to be more intentional,” said Banda, sophomore architect and interior design major from Cedar Park, “[by] really educating people about the beauty and the differences and beauty of Africa and
how it is represented differently from country to country and people to people.” The event will include a panel made up of students from the different African regions who will answer questions from the public as well as performances from Rwanda, folk stories, a museum display, spoken word and African poetry.
HRR13B@ACU.EDU
NEXT Lab explores alternative energy BY LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR
The Nuclear Energy Experimental Testing Lab (NEXT) hosted its first open house, showcasing the near-completion of the first phase of their three-phased mission. Professor of Engineering and Physics, and Director of the NEXT Lab, Rusty Towell, said the NEXT Lab focuses on hands on practical testing to develop advanced nuclear reactors. “The big picture goals, the motivation behind the whole project is the ability to solve some of the world’s most critical needs,” Towell said.
LMF14A@ACU.EDU
ASA to tell stories of African history BY CYNTHIA RANGEL STAFF REPORTER
The African Students Association is hosting the university’s first African culture show on Saturday Nov. 18. ASA advertising and public relations officer Kalindizga Banda, said “The Source of My African Identity” culture show will feature people represent-
W W W. A C U O P T I M I S T. C O M
“Africa is a continent not a country,” Banda said. “Having people come and see their peers talk about their experience in Africa or their perspective on what it’s like to be an African here in America or an African in general will be good for people to hear.” President of ASA
SEE ASA PAGE 2
trustees elects first female chair
BY HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF
T h e Board of Tr u s t e e s elected April Anthony as ANTHONY its first female board chair during its quarterly meeting last weekend. Named the 2018 Outstanding Alumna of the Year, Anthony works as the CEO of Encompass Home Health & Hospice and Homecare Homebase. She and her husband, Mark, donated one of the largest gifts in university history, $30 million, $15 million of which went to Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium. She will take the role of board chair in February, succeeding Dr. Barry Packer. Anthony said her company often has to create solutions for handling rate cuts and reimbursement challenges because most of the company’s funding comes from Medicare. “I think a lot of the things I’ve had to do in my career are going to have a lot of alignment with the the things ACU has to do,” Anthony said. Anthony graduated in 1989 with an accounting degree, and in 1998 she founded Encompass, the fourth largest provider of Medicare-certified home health care services in the nation, according to a news release from the university. Anthony received several awards for her work, including the Innovator Award from the Healthcare Leaders Conference in 2015, and the Dallas Business JourSEE ANTHONY PAGE 3