Opinion Page 4
Pledge Perplexities vol. 103, no. 5
1 SECTION, 6 PAGES
friday, september 5, 2014
Our flowchart makes the choice simple
INSIDE SPORTS New faces help Wildcats in first Southland Season.
Page 6
NEWS The Bean makes changes to menu and food preparation.
Page 3
ARTS Check out this month’s new movies, books and music.
RUSH HOUR
Emily teel staff photographer
Mabree Moore, sophomore education major from Brownwood, and Mikayla Beebe, sophomore accounting major from Vernon, enjoy sparklers and conversation at GATA’s rush on Tuesday night.
Universities discuss Yik Yak issues Tommy Evans Online Editor Page 5
SPORTS Football hosts FCS opponent Northern Arizona in the first home game.
The advent of the anonymous social media app Yik Yak has not just been a hot topic in the ACU community. Many universities and schools across the nation are having to address some of the problems the app causes. “It is impossible to think that we are the only ones having this discus-
sion,” said Scott Kilmer, director of online marketing for ACU. “Schools like SMU and University of Miami are having huge issues in dealing with this app.” Last spring, the SMU Student Senate was voting on adding a seat for an LGBT representative. The measure was passed among the senate members at a vote of 43 to 3, but the student body failed to pass the two-thirds ma-
jority needed to ratify the position according to the Lone Star Q. A case was made among the student body that Yik Yak was used to both rally support for those opposed to the measure, and to also stage homophobic attacks and cyber-bullying against the LGBT community at SMU. “Yik Yak also deals with more serious things other than hate speech, such as bomb threats,”
Kilmer said. “There is that level of seriousness that is out there.” Kilmer said unlike in the past when Twitter and Facebook accounts have falsely represented the university, he believes Yik Yak represents more of the community voice, and, while it does not represent ACU as a whole, it represents the community and student body. “We do not have a specific way of policing Yik
Yak because we don’t have access to everyone’s personal info, but what we see is that the conversation has definitely changed since the first week of school,” Kilmer said. Phillip Lamborn, a senior political science major from San Diego, California believes that Yik Yak has gotten worse see app page 3
PepsiCo truck gets MakerLab overhaul elijah evans staff reporter Page 6
SPORTS Cross country travels to Snyder for its first meet of the year Page 6
NEWS CEO kicked off entrepreneur speaker series for the semester Page 3
VIDEO Hannah Little gives the weekly update on ACU Athletics in the JMC Sportscast
Read more at acuoptimist.com
A multidisciplinary food truck initiative headed by Dr. Stephen Johnson, the dean of the graduate school, and designed by Nil Santana, director of the MakerLab, recently partnered with PepsiCo Inc. to eliminate a food desert in south Dallas. Johnson and Santana desire to create a graphically-robust vehicle for educating the south Dallas community on healthy eating habits and the importance of healthconscious food choices. PepsiCo Inc. donated the food truck to ACU students and the PepsiCo Foundation provided a grant to fund the project. Johnson highlighted the collaboration between PepsiCo Inc., ACU CitySquare and the Mak-
erLab to tackle a problem in south Dallas, as an example of the school’s mission to impact the world. Hayden Walker, junior graphic design major from Bridgeport, Texas, said, “I’m excited about the project, it’s really cool to be able to impact kids in this way. It’s fun, it’s creative, and hopefully it makes a splash in the lives of these kids.” Walker expects his duties will pertain to the design of the truck’s exterior. He said, “As far as I know, the main designing that will need to be done, will be wrapping the truck with some type of image and signage.” Nil Santana invited Walker to assist with the design. Santana is facilitating the design of the Itzel Garcia De Alba staff photographer truck through the MakerDr. Stephen Johnson and Nil Santana, make plans for a food truck that was donated to Lab. ACU students by PepsiCo Inc. see truck page 3
ACU applies for $4M grant from USDE Department of Education’s website, the grants will fund the development and testing of innovation The university has ap- approaches and strategies plied for the U.S. Depart- at colleges and universiment of Education’s First ties that improve college in the World grant which attainment and make would provide almost $4 higher education more afmillion over four years to- fordable for students and ward expanding existing families. student programs at ACU Mark Billingsley, direcCitySquare Dallas. tor of research and sponAccording to the U.S. sored programs, said the
madeline orr
editor in chief
program at CitySquare is helping students from the Dallas Independent School District make college affordable in an outof-the-box way. “The reason it’s so creative is because they are looking at things like portfolios, work already done in other capacities and credit that could be given,” he said. “We’re going to have to look at different
Abilene Christian University
ways to train students instead of just having bodies in a classroom.” Dr. Robert Rhodes, provost of university, said the grant would be used for applying a competencybased approach to our work with students both at CitySquare and the Abilene campus. “It’s very competitive but it’s worth pursuing,” Rhodes said.
The application was due by June 30 but the U.S. Department of Education has not announced when winners of the grant will be awarded. “I hope we get it because I’m excited about the vision for the future,” Billingsley said. contact orr at mco10b@acu.edu
Wednesday 09.03.14
3
4
wednesday
5
thursday 7 p.m. Frater Sodalis Kickball and Quesadillas Rush
6 p.m. Football versus Northern Arizona
8:30 p.m. Movies on the Hill: Rudy
7 p.m. Galaxy Hotdogs and Bomb Pops Rush
8:30 p.m. Student Organizations Training
9 p.m. Trojans Badminton and Burgers Rush
9 p.m. Sub T-16 Festa’s Fiesta Rush
To date:
saturday
5 p.m. Pi Kappa Fajita Rush
7 p.m. Sigma Theta Chi Cinema Rush
Chapel checkup
6
friday 11 a.m. SA chapel
2
Around Abilene Remaining:
9 86 @acuoptimist The Optimist
Sept. 3
Sept. 4
Sept. 5
Sept. 6
6:30 p.m. The Wagon Wheel Squares will sponsor a square dancing workshop at the Wagon Wheel. Beginning lessons will be 7-9 p.m.
5-11 p.m. The West Texas Fair & Rodeo will begin with a Sneek-A-Peek at the Taylor County Expo Center. Free gate admission. For more information, visit www.taylorcountyexpocenter.com.
5 p.m. A new exhibit at ACU’s Shore Art Gallery will open, featuring artist Ginna Sadler’s jewelry pieces, fabric and basket work. The exhibit will be on display until Oct. 3.
10 a.m.-3 p.m. A car show, bake sale and barbecue fundraiser benefiting Brock Bilberry, who is being treated for Leukemia, will be open in the parking area north of Kmart at 4565 S. First St. Admission is free; car show registration is $10.
7-10 p.m. A concert featuring Mitch & Betty and the Country Classic Band will take place at the Rose Park Activity Center.
optimist@acu.edu Police Log Announcements Movies on the Hill will show Rudy at 8:30 p.m. Sep. 5. The movie is free, but each family is asked to bring an item to donate. The requested items are: travel size hygiene items, such as toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, lotion, soap and toilet paper. All donations will benefit the Christian Service Center.
you on a journey across the 50 states. For Ethnos will hold an interest meeting Sept. more information about getting involved 8 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center Living with Freshman Follies or purchasing tick- Room. ets, go to acu.edu/follies. BSA will host a 90s themed skate night Are you interested in storytelling, script- Friday Sept. 12 at the Skatin’ Place from 11 writing, filmmaking, or film appreciation? p.m.- 1 a.m. Cost is $5. Come dressed in Then check out ACU Filmmakers, a group your best 90s attire. Want to work for Summit 2014? Visit the of storytellers and film enthusiasts. This There will be a Part Time Job and ad on my.acu.edu to apply to work at the semester we will be exploring the film- Need to practice interviewing? ACU CaInternship Fair from 10:00 a.m.-2 p.m. 108th Annual Summit Sept. 21-24. making process through a series of work- reer Center is hosting mock interviews Sept. 9 in the Campus Center. Students shops and movie nights! Come to the in- Sept. 10 and 16. Meet with ACU alumni who are looking for part time employment Freshman Follies is a musical variety show terest meeting at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 4 in the and HR professionals to network and reor internships while attending school at performed entirely by ACU freshmen each Screening Room of the Learning Studio. ceive feedback on your interviewing skills. ACU will have the opportunity to visit with fall. This year’s theme is “Freshman Follies: For more information, contact smm11a@ Login to College Central Network to seemployers. Road Trip,” and will take place on Sept. 19- acu.edu lect a time. 20. Join us as the Freshman Class takes If you are a fan of hockey or want to learn how to play, then you should join the ACU Hockey Club! We play at the DII college level of Inline Roller Hockey. Email our club president, Ryan Podany, at rap10c@ acu.edu or our team captain, Tim Holt, at tdh10b@acu.edu for more information.
Volunteer Opp0rtunities The Alliance for Women and Children is seeking volunteers for after-school child care for Pre-K-5th grade children, 6th-8th grade children and A-Teens Middle School Girls Program. For more information about times and location, contact Toni Brown at 325-677-5321 or info@afwconline.org. Beltway Park Baptist Church is seeking volunteers to help with special needs children in their program Kingdom Kids. Volunteers will be needed on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. For more information, contact Sharla Sanders at 325-6926540 or sharlasanders@beltway.org. The International Rescue Committee in Abilene needs your help in welcoming refugees to our community. We are seeking the following donations: hygiene and cleaning supplies, bed linen, towels and kitchen items (dishware, silverware, pots/pans etc). Donations are accepted Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2-4 p.m. or by appointment. Their office is located at 3303 N. 3rd St. Suite D. For more information contact Marie-Pascale Manishimwe at 325-675-5643. Treadaway Kids is looking for more students and volunteers to join the group. For more information, contact Carly Henderson at cah10a@acu.edu.
Friends for Life is seeking volunteers to help with both elderly residents and independent living elderly. Nursing home service opportunities include visiting, playing games, reading to the blind and assisting in arts and crafts. Independent living service opportunities include mowing lawns, grocery shopping and changing light bulbs. To volunteer contact Cecilia Barahona at 325-672-2635 or cecilia@friendsforlife.org.
Love and Care Ministries is looking for volunteers to help with sorting clothing, stocking their food pantry, assisting in prayers in their prayer room and serving food to the homeless. For more information call 325-670-0246. Volunteers are needed to help with daily activities organized by the staff at Chisholm House. This could involve playing board games, helping with arts and crafts and helping with a walking club. For some of these tasks volunteers may be asked to lead a group or work alongside a staff coordinator. Volunteer opportunities are from 2-4 p.m. or 6-8 p.m. daily. Contact Larissa Blankenship at 817-578-9296. The Noah Project is seeking volunteers to help with tasks such as answering phone calls, providing child care and doing maintenance and housekeeping. To
volunteer call 325-676-7107. The Betty Hardwick Center is seeking volunteers for the Human Resources Center to help with filing and organizing. This job requires someone with attention to detail who wishes to learn more about Human Resources. The job is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. To volunteer, please contact Martin Walker at 325-690-5235 or mwalker@bhcmhmr.org. House of Faith is an organization that seeks to take Jesus to neighborhood children. Volunteers are needed to help with the various programs they do throughout the week. Backyard Bible studies are hosted Mondays and Wednesdays and a youth program takes place on Thursday evenings. The organization is seeking volunteers who can commit to a specific day a week. House of Faith lasts from 3-5:30 p.m. To volunteer or for more information contact Amy Jeffers at abj09a@acu.edu or call 832-331-5324. Breakfast on Beech Street is seeking volunteers to help set up, prepare and serve breakfast to homeless/lower income folks any Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday at 5:30 a.m. or Tuesdays at 5 a.m. B.O.B.S. is located at First Christian Church on 3rd Street and Beech Street Service times must be scheduled in advance. To serve on Mondays contact Jody Depriest at 325-669-3312 or jody.depriest@gmail. com. To serve on Tuesdays contact Allen Daugherty at 325-660-6949 or ale.al@ suddenlink.net. To serve on Wednesdays, contact Jane Harvey at 325-695-0092 or jharvread@aol.com. To serve on Thursdays, contact Margaret Beasley at 325-692-4149 or mbeasley5@suddenlink.net. To serve on Fridays contact Terry Stremmel at terry. stremmel@acu.edu. University Place is seeking volunteers to help with resident birthday parties for residents on the third Wednesday of each month at 2:30 p.m. For more information, contact Linda Tijerina at 325-676-9946. The Food Bank of West Central Texas needs volunteers to help sort and stock food and other items Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. The Food Bank is located at 5505 N. 1st St. For more information contact Janice Serrault at 325-695-6311 or abfoodbk@camalott.com.
The Christian Service Center is seeking volunteers to help with filing requests for items such as clothing and bedding from the donation center, sort and organize donations and occasionally pick up donated items. Volunteers are needed every weekday and the first Saturday of each month between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. and 1-4 p.m. For more information, contact Roberta Brown at 325-673-7561 orrobertabrown51@hotmail.com. For more information on the program visit http://www.uccabilene.org/ministries/csc. htm. Big Brothers/Big Sisters offers two volunteer programs. Lunch Buddies pairs volunteers with a little brother or little sister to have lunch with once a week for 30 minutes. Lunch Buddies has a preferred time of 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The community based program pairs volunteers with a little brother or little sister that they will hang out with two to four times a month. Both programs require commitment to the program for 12-18 months. To sign up, stop by the Big Brothers/Big Sisters office at 547 Chestnut St. or contact Randy Woods at 325-674-3102.
The Salvation Army is looking for volunteers for a variety of needs such as sorting and pricing items in the thrift store, helping in the kitchen and/or doing yard work. Times are flexible and volunteers are needed Monday-Saturday. The Salvation Army is located at 1726 Butternut St. For more information, contact J.D. Alonzo at 325-677-1408 or visit www.satruck.com. Meals on Wheels Plus needs volunteer drivers to deliver afternoon meals to seniors and adults with disabilities Monday-Friday between 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Drivers must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. Training is provided. For more information contact Samantha Barker at 352-672-5050 or visit http://mealsonwheelsplus.com. Christian Ministries Food Pantry needs volunteers to help with tasks such as cleaning up, stocking shelves and bagging flour. They are seeking students
3
news
friday 09.05.14
Bean offers healthy homemade choices haley remenar staff reporter The Bean has made changes to its menu, focusing more on healthier, homemade choices. Darren Grace, executive director of the World Famous Bean, said he wants to provide students with healthy food. Grace has years of culinary training, experience in restaurant management and a willing staff to support him in this venture. He saw a need for healthier options in the Bean, so he made some drastic changes. “When you look at processed food, it’s one of big problems that we have in the country today,” Grace said. He decided to “clamp down” on all processed food in the Bean, even if that meant more work to make food from scratch. As an example of the difference between Bean food and processed food, he compared his inhouse granola bar, which has five ingredients, to a similar Adkins Advantage bar containing 57 ingredients. Though homemade food costs more time and money to produce, Grace knows that’s what
“
My favorite part was watching Mark kiss the first baby pig that was squealing incessantly” michelle nix senior interior design major from dallas
students want to get the most out of their meal plan. He said he wants to make a product so good that students eating lunch will be excited to return for dinner. It takes many more hours to prepare homemade meals, but the staff at the Bean is willing to do it. “Making the students happy is more important to us than having to work a little harder to get stuff done,” Grace said. Abby Needham, freshman nursing major from Midland, was pleasantly surprised by the number of options offered in the Bean. “The Bean has a lot more variety and options each day than I was expecting,” Needham said. “So far I have not found one thing that I have not liked.” Needham also said she felt like there were plenty
mandy lambright Staff Photographer
The sandwich station at the Bean now includes in-house roast beef, ham and turkey, as well as grilled chicken. of healthy choices available to students. While some students may not have the desire to eat healthy, most will agree that homemade food tastes better. Allnatural cheese, freshly-baked desserts, and house-recipe hamburger
buns are just a few of the homemade options now available to students. Most of the ice cream is Blue Bell, but at least two f lavors are made from scratch daily. Grace said students can look forward to more new foods as the semester
continues. There will be a weekly Chef’s Station, in which Grace takes over a station for a day, an upcoming sushi night and freshly mixed ice cream flavors prepared on a cold stone. Chef Grace wants to hear feedback from stu-
dents about the Bean’s changes, as well as other suggestions for the future. Grace can be reached at g race-da r ren @a ra ma rk. com. contact remenar at hrr13b@acu.edu
CEO kicks off Entrepreneur Speaker Series jonathan ward staff reporter The Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO) began its Entrepreneur Speaker Series on Wednesday with speaker Tom Love, founder of Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores. Love founded his company in 1964 after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and attending St. Johns University and the University of Oklahoma. Love’s company ranked number
nine in Forbes Magazine’s 2012 list of America’s largest private corporations. Notable speakers included in this year’s series are Jeff and Ally Davidson, founders of Camp Gladiator, Luke Hejl, co-founder of Social Factor, and Clay Selby, founder of SocialRest. The Griggs Center’s Entrepreneur Speaker Series is a product of CEO, a student-led organization that connects students with entrepreneurs and provides networking opportunities to its members.
“
Christi. “Thinking like an entrepreneur can be vital to success in any field, and our speaker series and projects are designed to engage and strengthen Rudy garza that thought process.” junior marketing major from chorpus christ While CEO has averaged roughly 25 to 30 The series will take of CEO, is excited to begin members in years past, place during CEO’s week- working with new mem- Garza says 85 students ly Wednesday meetings. bers and help foster the have already signed up The series features en- development of members’ for membership this trepreneurs sharing their entrepreneurial skills. year. journeys, discussing their “This year I’m hoping Dr. Jim Litton, director struggles and providing for more involvement from of the Griggs Center for insight into the life of an students across campus,” Entrepreneurship & Phientrepreneur. said Garza, junior mar- lanthropy, is also excited Rudy Garza, president keting major from Corpus about the high member-
Thinking like an entrepreneur can be vital to success in any field.”
ship numbers because of the organization’s new activities. “We have worked to add a number of projects and events with CEO this year,” Litton said. “These new events include raising money for Mission Lazarus, an ACU entrepreneur alumni dinner, and a spring break service trip.”
contact ward at jtw12a@acu.edu
PepsiCo Inc. donates food truck to CitySquare initiatve from page 1 “We will facilitate the design thinking methodology, where students will be able to come up with solutions, learn to prototype quickly, test them,
and, if needed, continue to iterate them,” said Santana. Dr. Stephen Johnson, the visionary, emphasized the food truck’s purpose would not be food delivery, but in-
jarred schuetze Staff Photographer
The foodtruck will be remodeled as an Honors Project.
stead, education. He envisions an eye-catching mobile learning truck that will allow the community of south Dallas to learn through touch and experimentation. Johnson said the ACU CitySquare students, while exploring urban poverty, came across the problem of food access. “In certain neighborhoods there’s no grocery stores, there’s no healthy food options. There are only corner markets, where you can get the stuff you get at 7-Eleven,” he said. The lack of public transportation coupled with the lack of healthy food options, created a food desert in south Dallas that stared Johnson and the ACU CitySquare students right in the face. As instances of diabetes and hyper ten-
App: Discussion continues over social media from page 1 since its first arrival on campus last semester. “Yik Yak has always been crude, but it used to be clever remarks toward ACU and other people. Now its essentially freshman complaining about 8 a.m.’s and Chapel every day,” Lamborn said. Lamborn also mentioned that while the posts are unpleasant, he doesn’t believe that ACU should take any action. “I don’t thing its ACU’s business what people talk about on an anonymous social media site if it doesn’t directly affect ACU,” Lamborn said Although for the most part Yik Yak has received negative attention, Kilmer said he sees a trend in the community starting to build a positive platform. “I’m not thrilled that there is essentially a peek page into our conversations
“
We have a lot of work to do as a community in how we are going to exist in person as well as over social network.” Scott Kilmer director of online marketing
where someone from outside could peek in and potentially throw darts, but it is showing self-correction,” Kilmer said. “On any social platform we have had to work with, all the way back to Myspace, at some point people start to choose that they don’t want to be a part of that, and that’s what we are starting to see here.” Kilmer said he thinks it is always worth remembering there is always a digital trace to everything posted on the internet. From the Snapchat picture database a year ago to the iCloud scandal this
week, Kilmer encouraged students to remember there is always a signature when posting online. “We have a lot of work to do as a community in how we are going to coexist in person as well as over social networks, but that’s the purpose when you come to college. It’s part of our mission statement as a university,” Kilmer said. “It’s a good discussion to have. If Yik Yak is what starts this discussion, so be it. The technology doesn’t matter, what matters is, someone is feeling this way. Someone is having these thoughts. If you have those thoughts and they are positive, why are you not sharing them? And if you have a thought on the less positive side, why are you waiting until Yik Yak to talk to someone about this?” contact evans at tbe09a@acu.edu
sion mounted, students discovered that access to healthy food options was not enough. The students realized the community must be educated on the importance of healthy food choices and, more importantly, how to utilize them. Stephanie Fink, senior 2D art major from Fayetteville, Georgia, said, “We are looking to use the food truck to interact with the children and adults in the neighborhood, bring in fresh vegetables and fruits from farmers markets, and teach the community how to prepare them.” Santana said the goal for this fall is design, ideation, and prototyping, capped by the implementation of their designs. The spring semester will be devoted “to immersive contact with the commu-
nity,” he said. They are still in need of more students to assist in the initiative. Johnson said the project will be a team honors contract in the fall,
though they hope to explore the colloquia path for the spring. contact evans at ece12a@acu.edu
Opinion
Friday 09.05.14
4
editorial
Are you rushed out? Perplexed by pledging? Use our rushing flowchart to make ranking easy E
very fall a portion of our student body undergoes an overnight overhaul. The campus wakes up to waves of starched uniforms, packs of students chanting at inanimate objects and a new color-coated Chapel seating chart. This is what we call pledging. This Sunday’s teas kicked off rushing season—the warning sign that pledging is around the corner. And this week clubs hosted rushes to help those who plan on pledging decide on what club they are
going to rank as their number one. But the editorial board thought that sometimes rushes just aren’t enough to help the rushees decide what they are getting themselves into. While rushes do a great job of introducing you to the current members, they don’t necessarily advertise some of the traditions various clubs are notorious for. So we’ve developed the f lowchart below for your enlightnement, but mostly your entertainment.
START
Are you male or female?
HERE
Fe m al e
ale M
How often do you wear Polo hats and/or New Balances?
The more the merrier! Not especially
Never
How fast can you bake up some cookies?
You could say daily
Got some in the oven
Do you like to drink milk? How well do you pull off red lipstick?
Gross
Are sports important to you?
No...why?
h uc m so ot ,n Eh
Ca n’ tg et en ou gh !
Galaxy
Have you ever wanted to destroy a car?
re fe r
al lt hi ng s
gi ra ffe
care less
Is respecting public parks a priority?
I cou ldn’t
Does turke y bowling count?
Sin gS on g on
Ip
pr in t
gata
S. YE
I’d ra th er fo cu s
Si gn
I love to rock it!
is! ndy
sub-t 16
zeta rho
ca but No,
in w
son rea
o tt n a Iw
em th
or a te f thle nt a ude a st not I’m
m eu p!
Frater sodalis
l! al
Do you enjoy large groups of people?
alpha chi omega
? gamma sigma phi
trojans
pi kappa
sigma theta chi
maybe next year
ko jo kai cartoons by BEN TODD
hashtagACU Sept. 3 3:05 p.m. Sept. 3 11:17 a.m. Sept. 3 1:05 p.m.
“Unlimited” meal plan.
@Og_tom_
Mark Jackson is all about that bass, no treble. #chapel
@Audrey_Brooke
Sept. 1 5:05 p.m.
I hate reading PDF’s on the computer for class, but I also hate selling my soul for textbooks. It’s a lose-lose all around.
@juliaaprior
Sept. 4 8:54 a.m.
“longbaord so long my haters can’t touch me” - lyke every1 @ ACU
@Laynie_H
Whataburger caught on fire but they are still serving us. Now that’s commitment.
@Jessiandersen13
Sept. 2 6:00 p.m.
“If you just answered B... Congratualtions, you just killed your patient.” #nursingschoolproblems
How bad is chapel probation REALLY... #acu #senioritis
@JayDub314
@the_thundersonn
Sept. 1 8:14 a.m. Sept. 4 3:23 p.m.
t minus 120 days til oxford departure
@madelynbane
To the person who thought my bike looked kind of neat and decided to take it, jokes on you, it’s jank. #stillpissed #somejerkstolemybike
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.
published by the department of journalism and mass communication editorial and management board
newsroom (325) 674-2439
sports desk (325) 674-2684
Adam and Eve “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
Lunsford date, it’s a thing.
YikYak
YikYak
Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79609 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu
That awkward time after chapel and before your 12 o’clock class cause you don’t have enough time to eat
@reilz_cox
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
Sept. 4 12:06 a.m.
YikYak
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5
arts
Friday 09.05.14
ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES Movies
THIS WEEKEND Friday, Sept. 5
West Texas Fair and Rodeo at the Taylor County Expo Center begins, and offers carnival rides, vendors and exhibits from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Free only on Friday for college students. ACU Movies on the Hill: Rudy starts at 8:30 p.m. on the Front Lawn of the University. Admission is free to the public. Starring Tom Hardy (Inception), James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Noomi Rapace (Prometheus), The Drop is a crime drama of a “covert scheme of funneling cash to local gangsters” centered in Brooklyn, New York. The drama will be released Sept. 12.
Starring Ed Harris (The Truman Show) and Michael Peña (American Hustle), the Michael Berry film is a Western drama centered around the aftermath of an Arizona sheriff’s wife being killed by a Mexican man crossing the border illegally. The film will be released on Sept. 5.
Starring André Benjamin (The Shield), Imogen Poots (That Awkward Moment), the drama is focused on the pre-fame years of early Jimi Hendrix and his rise in the industry. The drama will be released in theaters Sept. 26.
TV Shows
Starring Brad Pitt (World War Z), Logan Lerman (Perks of Being a Wallflower), and Shia LaBeouf (Transformers), the World War II Saturday, Sept. 6 based movie follows Wardaddy and other soldiers in their atWest Texas Fair and tempts to strike at the heart of Rodeo Parade starts Nazi Germany. The film will be at 10 a.m. in Downreleased in theaters Oct. 17. town Abilene. Free to the public.
West Texas Fair and Rodeo at the Taylor County Expo Center offers carnival rides, vendors and exhibits. Admission varies.
Sunday, Sept. 7
Following the six-season rollercoaster of crime, love and deadly misunderstandings, Sons of Anarchy is back for its final season on Sept. 9. The trailer is tipping viewers off to some serious revenge in place coming from main star Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam).
The hilarious sitcom following Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and her three roommates, Nick, Schmidt, and Winston, will be coming back on Sept. 16 for another season of laughs, weddings, nicknames and the return of a high school nemesis.
The TV drama following Olivia Pope and her office of crisis management in Washington DC left off with the cliff hanger of all cliff hangers. Viewers can catch up on previous seasons on Netf lix before the season 4 premiere on Sept. 25.
The seemingly unending series following Meredith Grey and company at formerly Seattle Grace Hospital and now the GreySloan Memorial Hospital is back for another season on Sept. 25. Hopefully, viewers will see Meredith and Derek make up and solve the Maggie mystery.
Books
West Texas Fair and Rodeo at the Taylor County Expo Center offers carnival rides, vendors and exhibits. Admission varies.
EDITOR FAVORITES Coffee Drink Can’t resist the mint and rooibos hot tea at the new Starbucks Restaurant Local favorite is Sunday brunch at Abi Haus downtown on Cypress street
The famed book and movie Into the Wild chronicles the story of Chris McCandless leaving home and forsaking all his possessions on his way to Alaska. Now his sister comes forward with her own take on the reasons why Chris left and the details that have long been forgotten about. Available Nov. 11.
Marcus attempts to explain the entire history of Rock ‘n’ Roll in ten songs from 1956 to 2008, matching them with movements in Rock ‘n’ Roll history and disregarding the icons that music lovers from all around can recognize. Available Sept. 2.
Popular comedian on Saturday Night Live, Amy Poehler creates her first book detailing the anecdotes and stories of her friendships, loves, and real life advice her familiar tone that makes even your Republican grandpa laugh. Available Oct. 28.
Albums
Have you ever wondered if fire Song tornadoes are possible? What My roommate and I about if a giant earthquake hits can’t stop listening New York City? Now you can know with accompanied comics to Bad Intentions by the clever and informative anNiykee Heaton swers to these important questions and more that you didn’t know you’ve wanted answers to. Netflix Show Available Sept. 2. For someone who normally doesn’t like comedies, Baby Daddy is changing my mind Netflix Movie Like mountains, surfing, or Patagonia, the brand or the place? 180 Degrees South is for you. iPhone App Not a game player, but Folt has been the best timewaster.
Blake Shelton, the Voice coach, the heartthrob, the popular singer is back for his eleventh album Bringing Back the Sunshine. Shrouded in mystery, not a single track has been released off of the album so fans have to wait until the release of the full album. Available Sept. 30.
British artist Banks, releases her debut album this month after a 2013 tour with The Weeknd, matching him both in style and in vocal talent. The 14-track album will include some former releases like “Goddess” and “Waiting Game”. Available Sept. 9.
The country star famous for “A Woman Like You” and “I Drive Your Truck”, produced his own third album, I Don’t Dance. The album is filled with 13 tracks, with only two songs previously released. Available Sept. 9.
contact the arts editor at crb13a@acu.edu
Australian singer-songwriter is coming out strong with a record deal with Atlantic Records and his debut album with 13 tracks like “Winds of Change” and “Riptide.” Available Sept. 9.
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sports
friday 9.05.14
Wildcats face national power at Shotwell
6
standings football Standings
collin wieder sports editor ACU football opens up its home schedule with the nationally-ranked Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at 6 pm Saturday. The ‘Cats hope to build upon their first game offensively led by Southland Conference offensive player of the week, quarterback Parker McKenzie. McKenzie broke the ACU record for most passing yards in a first start with 403 yards. He spread the ball to nine different receivers last week. “The receiving corp did a phenomenal job,” McKenzie said. “We have been training for this, everybody’s been wondering what the receivers were going to be like and they really stepped up, I’m proud of them.” The running game however couldn’t find it’s stride with starting running back Herschel Sims who carried the ball 14 times for 37 yards, and the offense as a michael wade whole carried the ball 36 Sophomore quarterback Parker McKenzie was dominant times for only 95 yards. Head coach Ken Collums in his first start last week. McKenzie threw for 403 yards thought the offense could’ve and four touchdowns in the Wildcats loss.
done a better job of getting the running game going. “We didn’t get Herschel and De’Andre plugged into the game enough,” Collums said. “You have to get them the ball, you can’t just let them take away some of your best weapons.” McKenzie entered the game as a question mark but left as a record breaker. Coach Collums thought McKenzie had a solid game but did make some dangerous throws and errors that could’ve cost them. “Offensively we played well,” Collums said. “Parker was a little careless at times with the ball but it only cost him once.” ACU’s defense looks to rebound as they won the turnover battle 3-to-1 but were gashed for 567 yards. They will have to do that without senior and threeyear starter safety Angel Lopez. Lopez suffered a concussion last week after he tackled a Georgia State receiver head on. “Angel won’t play this week, that’s part of the protocol,” Collums said. The defense will be led by senior defensive end Nick Richardson, who
moved up the all-time sack leader board with two sacks last week. Richardson’s 25.5 sacks put him at nine away from the ACU sack record. The defense will need to stop run if it hopes to win Saturday. “Defensively we have to stop the run,” Collums said. “These guys are a little bit different from Georgia State; they are not quite as up tempo. They rely a little bit more execution and more pro style, which we match up pretty good against that.” Northern Arizona enters this matchup as a highly touted program from the prestigious Big Sky Conference. The conference has four of 13 schools inside the top 25 including number 25 Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks had a 9-3 record last year while making the Div. I FCS playoffs. “For the most part we have to give them some issues in what they do well is running the ball,” Collums said. “If we can’t stop the run it will be a long afternoon.”
contact wieder at cpw11a@acu.edu
Big, Strong ‘Cats New faces provide big lift for team
Team
Div.
Lamar SELU SHSU HBU MSU ACU UCA Nicholls St. NSU SFA UIW
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Ovrl 1-0 1-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1
soccer Standings
Team SELU UCA TAMU-CC ACU Nicholls St SFA HBU Lamar MSU NSU SHSU UIW
Div. 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
Ovrl 4-0-0 3-0-1 1-1-1 2-2-0 2-2-0 2-2-0 1-3-0 1-3-0 1-3-0 1-3-0 1-3-0 0-4-0
volleyball Standings
Team
Div.
SHSU TAMU-CC MSU Nicholls St. NSU NO SELU UIW HBU SFA UCA Lamar ACU
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Ovrl 4-0 2-1 2-1 2-1 2-1 2-2 2-2 1-2 1-3 1-3 0-3 0-3 0-4
Who’s Hot Junior voleyball athlete Jennie Loerch has had a hot start to the loerch team’s season so far. Loerch leads the team with 44 kills and registered a season-high 17 kills against the University of Texas-Arlington on Tuesday night.
briefings Volleyball fell to the University of TexasArlington on Tuesday night in the team’s home opener. The 3-0 loss pushes the team to a winless 0-4 start to the season. Find out more at acuoptimst. com.
paige otway Staff Photographer
With a lot of turnover this season, the Wildcats are looking for new faces to step in and fill voids. Senior transfer from the University of Oklahoma Damon Wiliams (left), and freshmen Colton King (center) and A.J. Tolbert (right) are planning on making a difference for both the offense and defense.
hannah little Sports Producer/Anchor A few things can be ref lected upon for ACU football’s offense and defense as the team wrapped up summer workouts. For this season, on the offensive side of the ball, there is a need for many new faces to step up and fill positions that previous team members left behind. That means more reps for the younger players to have and better experience for them to develop. Entering the first year
of college ball as a freshman isn’t always an easy transition. Adjusting to size, mobility and knowledge of the game are a few major components with which players have to quickly familiarize themselves. Freshman offensive lineman Colton King, shares his experience of picking up college ball. At 6-feet-6-inches, 280-pounds, King will back up sophomore Codey Funk, a Heartland Community College transfer. “So far it has been fun, but you have to learn a whole new system,” said
King. “We have a giant playbook, so we have to constantly think. It’s been a little rough. There’s an adjustment period, but it’s all coming along. We are all getting better every day.” As for defense, ACU will return a more experienced lineup of players who are expected to lead the Wildcats. Among the numerous starters returning from last season is senior Damon Williams, the 6-foot-3-inch tackle who transferred in from the University of Oklahoma prior to last season. Williams had to sit out
the first four games of the season but played the final seven games, totaling 22 tackles, a forced fumble and sack and a blocked kick. “As a whole we are looking pretty good,” Williams said. “We have a lot of returners back, so we are looking very strong on the defense side of the ball, but at the end of the day it starts up front. So as long as we are up front handling our business, the back end will handle their business and we will have faith in our defense.” Another player who stood out this summer
is freshman A.J. Tolbert. Tolbert has earned a starting spot along side senior Nick Richardson. Altogether, the hard work through summer workouts and two-a-days has paid off. As for Tolbert and the rest of the team, playing against Georgia State in the Georgia Dome will be a memory they won’t forget. “Being the new guy, it’s been a grind at some moments, but I say we are pushing through day by day,” Tolbert said. contact little at hll12a@acu.edu
Cross Country opens season in Snyder hannah null sports reporter The men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete in their first meet of the season at the West Texas College Open in Snyder on Saturday. Athletes have been training for more than three weeks, as expectations for the teams are high. “Our coach has us on a training program that I believe will pay off when it counts,” said Daniel Block, senior cross coun-
try runner from Dalmeny, Saskatchewan. “It’s early in the season so we’ll be training straight through this week, and keep our sights on the bigger meets down the road.” Block is the only senior on the roster for the men’s team. He was the Wildcats lead runner at the Southland Conference Championships last season, and is looking to improve his personal times. As in every sport, cross country requires a full mental and physical effort. Stephanie Melo,
sophomore pre-veterinarian major from Keller, has the same preparation techniques for every meet. “My mindset is to take the race each mile at a time,” Melo said. “I start the race and just try to focus on the mile that I’m currently running. Positivity is key in a long race. I try to just get in the zone, never give up, and remember what I’m running for.” The men’s team is welcoming six freshmen to the team, along with three
sophomores. Inexperience will be an obstacle the coaching staff will have to overcome and eventually use as an advantage. “A lot of these new recruits are students I have personally gotten to recruit so I know these guys and I know what they are all about,” assistant coach Drew Graham said. On the women’s side, five sophomores on the team come from out of state, and one from out of the country. “This will be my first
competition in America, so I have no idea of the level of the others runners here,” Marina Guerrero, a junior bio-technology major from Bayoles, Spain said. “For this reason my principle goal in this competition to do my best for the team outcome.We are all very excited for this first meeting because it will be the start of a great season.”
contact null at hln12a@acu.edu
Junior running back Herschel Sims suffered an ankle injury in last week’s game, but is expected to play on Saturday. Senior safety Angel Lopez is out this week with concussion symptoms. ACU soccer is tied for first in the Southland Conference in saves this season with 23. Sophomore Sydney Newton has accounted for 22 of them. Be sure to follow @OptimistSports on Twitter for more stories and the latest ACU
Upcoming Women’s soccer will travel to Denton to face the University of North Texas. Kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday night. Cross country competes in its first meet of the year this Saturday. The Wildcats will participate in the West Texas College Open in Snyder on Saturday. Volleyball will take on the University of North Texas in San Marcos at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and Texas State at 2 p.m. Football is scheduled to play its first home game of the year against Northern Arizona at Shotwell Stadium this Saturday at 6 p.m.