OPTIMIST
The Vol. 95, No. 41
IN THIS ISSUE CAMPUS Break the chains
The International Justice Mission is sponsoring a Justice Fair on Friday afternoon to raise awareness for Invisible Children, page 3
Creating art
Students from Dr. Al Haley’s English class are creating pieces of art for the Grace Museum, page 3
Harmonizing tunes
The touring Vienna Boys’ Choir sang in Abilene on Monday night at the Civic Center, page 3
ARTS
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1 sections, 8 pages
FRIDAY
March 2, 2007
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www.acuoptimist.com
Week highlights impact of choices n Students can discuss topics such as drunk driving, sex before marriage and the benefits of sleep next week during the Counseling Center’s Making Choices Week. By BLESSED MATAI Student Reporter
Making Choices Week is a week dedicated to students’ health and safety during spring break. The ACU Counseling Center and the Peer Health Education are the two
offices in charge of the events that will take place next week. On Monday, the two offices will be spreading awareness of drinking and driving, sleeping before long trips, sexual activities before marriage and more said Steve Rowlands, director of Counseling Center. But the primary focus will be in drinking and driving. On Monday a DUI simulator will be placed in front of the GATA fountain from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The DUI sim-
ulator program features a 24foot trailer that has a driving simulator where students can operate the driving simulator wearing ‘‘fatal vision” glasses. The simulator is programmed to operate in an “impaired” manner where the student quickly recognizes their inability to drive safely while impaired. Making Choices Week will also feature guest speakers Tuesday in Chapel and a Chapel forum from 7-8 p.m.
in Cullen Auditorium. At the forum, students will have the opportunity to ask all kinds of questions from sexuality to drug use. On Wednesday booths will be set up in the Campus Center to teach students about alcohol, sleep deprivation awareness and crime victim issues. Students will also have a chance to participate in events such as DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) and See
CHOICES page 7
MAKING CHOICES n Monday: A DUI simulator will be in front of GATA fountain from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for students to simulate driving while intoxicated. n Tuesday: Dr. Richard Beck, associate professor of psychology, will speak in Chapel; at 7 p.m., a Chapel forum will begin in Moody with a question/answer format to a panel of faculty, alumni. n Wednesday: Booths will be set up in the Campus Center with information on making healthy choices.
Study Abroad cancels two trips n Because of lack of interest, a British History Maymester and Communication Summer II course in Oxford were canceled; the Communication course will now take place in Honduras. By JOHNNY BAUTISTA
Buzzing at the beehive
Abilene’s newest steak house lives up to the awards its first branch in Albany received from Texas Monthly for best small-town steak house in Texas, page 5
SPORTS
Staff Writer
Students who were looking forward to taking courses this summer in Oxford for Maymester and Summer II will have to plan on taking their Oxford trip another time. The British history class has been canceled because not enough students signed up. The communications classes will now be offered in Honduras and will be partnering with Dr. Jack Walker and his medical missions team. Dr. Joe Cardot, chair of the Communication Department, said one of the reasons he thinks the Oxford trip didn’t work out was because the department didn’t push the opportunity early enough for students See
Laying it on the line
The baseball team will put its undefeated streak at home on the line this weekend during a four-game series against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Friday, page 8
OXFORD page 7
SA learns art of grant writing n Members of SA recently attended a conference in Boston and learned to write grants. SA is working on a grant to receive money to open the south entrance of the Brown Library. By KELSI PEACE Features Editor
Representing ACU
Audrey Maxwell and Alex Guiton were named to the first team all-Lone Star Conference South Division, page 8
ONLINE Basking in the sun
With the warm weather breezing through Abilene last week, students skipped classes to enjoy the warmth, view it online at www.acuoptimist.com
On the edge of Tyler Cosgrove’s desk a thick handbook rests, a jargon-filled souvenir from his recent trip to Boston for a grant-writing convention on behalf of the Students’ Association. Cosgrove, SA executive treasurer, plans to write two of his own and tailor them to suit the needs of student organizations and the SA finance committee before the changing of the guard this spring. This way, said Cosgrove, senior finance major from Amarillo, SA won’t have to fund another conference any time soon—they can refer to the handbooks instead. Kevan Kirksey, chief financial officer, and Ryan Stephen, chief advancement officer, also attended the convention. The SA budget includes two conferences per semester; the grantwriting conference was allotted about $3,600, Cosgrove said and any extra expenses will come from See
LACI ADKINS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Jackie Hughes, a computer programmer in Computing Services Department, stands with her son Jchon Bahl, a freshman graphic design major from Abilene in her office on Thursday afternoon.
A juggling act for 7 n Jackie and Frank Hughes balance working full time, raising five children and both taking classes for journalism and mass communication degrees — and still have time for fun. By MALLORY SCHLABACH Editor in Chief
Inside the living room three little boys, stair-stepped in height, run around the suede couches playing football. The smallest two double team Isaac, the oldest of the three, and soon the game turns into a pileup of giggling boys. Jackie Hughes just shakes her head as she walks past them in the hallway and shuts the door to the den. The French door only muffles their gleeful sounds. “The problem is Noah and Langston had naps today, so they’re wired right now,” Jackie says laughing. No one would guess as she sits on the plaid sofa in her sweats,
that she’s a mother of five who’s working on her second college degree. She also works full time at ACU in the Computing Services Department. For her, juggling is a class act. For the Hughes and their five children: Jchon, Samantha, Isaac, Langston and Noah, the madness begins at 6 a.m. each day, when Frank, Jackie’s husband of 10 years, gets off work at Dyess Air Force Base as a security guard. As Frank sits next to Jackie on the couch flipping channels, he says days go by fast. “Yeah, they’re fast-paced,” Jackie says. “There’s a lot to get done around here,” he says, finishing her sentence. “But it’s fairly routine. Every Monday is the same, and every Tuesday is the same. Frank works third shift, so he’s the first one up each day. “So he gets home at 6 a.m. I get up at 7 a.m. What time does every
one else get up?” Jackie asks. “Noah gets up at 6:30 a.m.; he wakes up by himself. The rest of the boys are up at 7 a.m.,” Frank says quietly, as Jackie jumps in again. “He gets everybody ready, which gives me a great day. Usually you can get irritable in the morning trying to get everyone ready. But since he’ s already up and not in a hurry, he can get everyone ready without getting irritable,” she says smiling at him. Jackie’s a computer programmer, which means she mostly works on ACU’s Banner or perfecting the Police Department’s parking ticket computer system when she gets to work. “But don’t call me if you get a parking ticket to get you out,” she says laughing. “Frank got one the other day, and I thought it was hilarious.” She takes a break around 3 See
HUGHES page 4
SA page 7
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
Abilene Christian University
Serving the ACU community since 1912
Chapel Checkup Credited Chapels to date:
Wednesday, March 29, 2006 Friday, March 2, 2007 Correction: The International Justice Mission forum was Thursday. It was not held Friday as stated on the Calendar in Wednesday’s issue. We are sorry for the misprint.
02
Credited Chapels remaining:
33 39
Calendar & Events
Friday
Weekend Campaign leaves to serve with the Christian Hope Resource Center in San Antonio until Saturday. Students may still sign up for this activity until 1:30 p.m. Friday in the Campus Center ticket windows. 10 a.m. Broom Colloquium in the Learning Commons. 8 p.m. ‘The Miracle Worker’ is performed in Fulks Theatre.
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Saturday
Service Saturday 8 a.m. GATA Garage Sale at 4072 N. 10th. Earnings will go towards a formal. 7 p.m. Live music at Monk’s, including Streets of Simon Lee, Dylan Sneed, Kirk Thurman and Takisha Knight. 7:30 p.m. ‘The Complete Word of God (Abridged)’ presented by the Fletcher Players in Cullen Auditorium.
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Monday
Midterm grades due 11:30 a.m. A virtual reality alcohol awareness program will be available on campus until 5:30 p.m. This is a national touring High Impact Alcohol Awareness Program designed to heighten awareness of the dangers of intoxication. It involves a motion-based simulator that will allow riders to experience the sensation of being at a party where drinking is taking place and of driving drunk afterward.
8 p.m. ‘The Miracle Worker’ is performed in Fulks Theatre.
Announcements The Abilene March ArtWalk is Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in downtown. For a schedule of
events or more information, contact the Center for Contemporary Arts at (325) 677-1171.
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Tuesday
7 p.m. Chapel Forum in Cullen Auditorium: MC 07 ‘Know Boundaries.’ The goal of the panel is to promote candid discussion about making godly choices when faced with peer pressure or our own desires, particularly in the areas of alcohol use and sex. Jeff Arrington will facilitate the panel, whose members are Dr. Richard Beck, Dr. Stephen Johnson, Cari Bonneau, Jared Mosley, Steven Moore, Marie Thomas and Dr. Traci Shilcutt. There will be additional panelists from the student body. Students who attend the panel discussion can receive two Chapel credits.
Volunteer Opportunities Big A Club of City Light Community Ministries needs volunteers on Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. to ride buses and vans with elementary-age children and to help with Bible Study. Contact the Volunteer Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout for more information.
Freedom Fellowship Church needs help with after-school activities for at-risk youth on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. and Fridays from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Contact the Volunteer Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout for more information.
About This Page The Optimist maintains this calendar for the ACU community to keep track of local social, academic and service opportunities. Groups may send announcements directly to optimist@acu.edu or to the Page 2 Editor at mxe06a@acu.edu.
To ensure that an item will appear on time, the announcement should be sent at least 10 days before. The Optimist may edit items for space and style. Corrections and clarifications of published news articles will be printed in this space in a timely manner.
CAMPUS NEWS
Friday, March 2, 2007
Page 3
World-famous Austrian choir fascinates large audience n The Vienna Boys Choir performed at the Abilene Civic Center 25 years after their last visit. The group interacted with the audience by teaching them how to yodel. By MALLORY EDENS Page 2 Editor
The Vienna Boys Choir from Vienna, Austria, performed at the Abilene Civic Center as a part of its current tour across the United States on Monday. The Vienna Boys Choir is a group of boys ages 10 to 14. It was founded in 1498 and is composed of four touring choirs of approximately 25 boys each who were chosen out of their entire school. The group’s artistic director, Gerald
Wirth, does not travel with the boys, but each choir does have a conductor, tour manager and two chaperones who accompany them on the tours. Each group tours for three months out of the year, singing in a different city every night. The group, conducted by Keren Sezen, came to Abilene after touring the east coast and Florida. Gwynn Haseltine, Classical Chorus’ executive director who arranged for the Vienna Boys Choir to come to Abilene, said this performance was a rare opportunity. “It has been 25 years since they have been in Abilene,” Haseltine said. “They are do-
ing a big West Texas tour this year. I received a call from an agent in New York looking for someone to host the boys. This is not something we normally do. One reason we did this was they are a world-famous group who hasn’t been here in a long time. Also the timing was perfect. Kids from our choir here will be singing in Austria, including Vienna, this summer, and the timing was just too good to pass up.” She said the Vienna Boys Choir probably will not be back to Abilene soon. The rarity of performances in this area is one on the reasons the choir has a large audience turn out. “There was a nice audience
[Monday],” Haseltine said. “People were very interested to hear a well-known group who may or may not be back in Abilene in their lifetime.” The Choir’s performance varied widely. During the first half, they sang songs from a variety of composers like Mozart and Strauss. The second half was much lighter, composed of Broadway music and Austrian folk songs. The show ended with “Blue Danube,” followed by a few encores. Audience members had the opportunity to participate in the concert during the second half. “They tried to teach us how to yodel,” Haseltine said.
By TAKISHA KNIGHT Student Reporter
Thirteen ACU students and professors tried to enjoy their kosher meals but were interrupted by a flash from a nearby booth at Katz’s Jewish Deli in Austin. A man in braces pretended to have nothing to do with the camera flash, but as the group looked to him for answers, he explained he couldn’t resist taking a picture. He was a volunteer at the Barack Obama Rally in Austin, and he remembered seeing the unlikely group together just hours ago. He didn’t expect to see them again, he said, but at one table, the Socialist, Democrats, the lone Green party voter, two African Americans, an Asian American and a Messianic Jew complete with suspenders and a yarmulke (pronounced yamaka) broke bread together. A Kodak moment, he thought. The group caravanned to Austin Friday morning to participate in the largest political rally in the country for the 2008 elections. According to Texansforobama.com, approximately 21,841 people attended the rally hosted by University
Democrats and the African American Culture Committee at UT-Austin. Howard Dean drew 3,000 to Austin’s last Democratic rally in 2004. News anchors dubbed the Illinois Senator “rock star” in recent headlines since he hit the national scene with his 2004 speech at the Democratic Convention. Now, Obama is stirring up conversation on campus. Courtney Cagel, junior math major from Arlington, didn’t go to the rally but was eager to learn more about Obama at Sundaes on Mondays, an open forum sponsored by the Office of Student Multicultural Enrichment. Monday’s topic was “Is America Ready for a Black President?” “I think it’s a lot more interesting than a bunch of middle-aged white guys,” Cagel said. “You get them confused so easily.” With culturally uniform presidential candidates, the platforms are often similar, she said. Sometimes hair color is the only way to distinguish between them. “With more diversity we can really see differences, embrace differences,” she said. “I feel like we have more of a choice.” Some voters are skeptical about his chances, however. Chandra Lewis-Qualls, instructor of English who attended the rally said, “I want to be an optimist and say he has good chances, but I don’t know
if he does in Texas.” At “Sundaes on Mondays,” students, teachers and staff discussed Obama’s chances, potential smear campaigns, voter turnout, but most of all, how big of a role race and gender will play in the upcoming elections. Jennifer Nissen Gross, English major from Macomb, Ill. said smear campaigns are inevitable. “That’s what the other side does,” she said. Scott Gross, integrated English and philosophy major from Atlanta, who also attended the rally and the discussion said his views are not a form of reverse discrimination. “Being a Socialist, I think it is imperative that America embraces diversity, and the great first step in that is having the first black American president.” Gross said. “Diversity counteracts racism.” Byron Martin, psychology major from Mesquite, said he doesn’t know if race is a big of problem nationally as it is locally. “I don’t think it’s if America is ready for a black president. The question is if ACU is ready for a black president?” While the group of students, faculty and staff members at the meeting agreed on the question, the answer was elusive.
E-mail Knight at: optimist@acu.edu
Justice fair to raise awareness n About 10 organizations will set up booths as a part of a Justice Fair, hosted by International ustice Missions, in the Campus Center on Thursday and Friday after chapel.
By CAMILLE VANDENDRIESSCHE Student Reporter
International Justice Mission will host a Justice Fair in the Campus Center on Thursday and Friday from 11.30 am to 2.30 p.m. Brandon Smith, president of IJM, said IJM will not be the only association represented at the fair but also about 10 other
associations like the Service Action Leadership Team, Invisible Children, Homelessness in America, Child Soldiers, Modern Day Slaves, Global Samaritans and Poverty Link. Students are encouraged to stop by both days. A Chapel forum also took place Thursday at 7 p.m. with a video about the Amazing Change campaigns. Smith, junior international relations major from Keller, said the main goal of the fair is to present actions to students, explain how to get in-
volved and encourage potential volunteers. “Usually students are pretty receptive,” Smith said. “We are expecting a good turnout out of this event.” Donny Tapie, junior Biblical text major from Orlando and IJM officer, said he hopes more people will be aware of IJM actions. “IJM is already pretty popular; we try to make it even more,” Tapie said.
E-mail Vandendriessche at: optimist@acu.edu
common, they have a common language.”
remaining tour schedule n March 2: El Paso n March 3: Alto, N.M. n March 4: Albuquerque, N.M. n March 5: Winslow, Ariz. n March 8-9: Prescott, Ariz. n March 10: Wickenburg, Ariz. n March 11: Mesa, Ariz. n March 13: Santa Fe, N.M. n March 15: Gallup, N.M. n March 16: Sedona, Ariz. n March 17: Houston n March18: Cerritos, Calif. Schedule information from the Boy Choir & Solist directory Web site, http://www.boysoloist.com. E-mail Edens at: mxe06a@acu.edu
Impressed by talent
Election arouses student interest n Students and professors attended the Barack Obama Rally in Austin. Attendees and other students discussed Obama’s chance to become the first black president.
“[Sezen] said it was probably our one and only chance to sing with the Vienna Boys Choir.” This rare opportunity was one highlight of the show, but Haseltine said the performance is one that can be valued on many levels. “It is beautiful music, and you don’t get a chance to hear singers like that often,” Haseltine said. “There is something about [their voices] that is very unique. It is something special. I also think interaction between children from around the world educates our young people and helps them grow. I think that leads to a better world. When they find that they have music in
EMILY SMITH CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Blythe Smith, senior broadcast journalism major from Longview, admires the work of Brandon Craddock, senior art major from Lilbum Georgia.
Student project exhibited online n Students made films, music, poems or cartoons as a creative project for an English course. Their projects will be displayed on The Grace Museum Web site. By CHRIS HANSEN Student Reporter
“Christians and Creativity” is an English class that doesn’t follow your typical read-and-write formula. In a usual English class, the expectation is to read books and write essays, but there are no essays in the class. Instead, the class learns about creativity by being creative. Students create their own projects such as films, music, poems, cartoons and more. Starting this month, the student creative works will be displayed on The Grace Museum Web site along with the artwork that inspired the works. Dr. Albert Haley, associ-
ate professor of English and professor of “Christians and Creativity,” said The Grace Museum opened its artwork vault so the class could view the museum’s permanent works and respond in their own creative way. He then gave his students time to think about the art and let them explore their own creativity. The painting “Twisted Oak” inspired Danny Gambero to make a short film. Gambero, senior broadcast journalism major from Southlake, said because he had plenty of time, he was able to develop his creative response. He changed the storyline and perspective of his film from being all about an oak tree to being about something else. “The imagery to me wasn’t just the tree,” Gambero said. “It was what was going on around the tree.”
Haley said he wanted students to walk away with not just an appreciation of what creativity is but more creativity. Creativity among the student varies between writing with lipstick on mirrors and sewing a dress that represents the dark and weeping oak tree. “The project pushes creativity to another level,” Gambero said. Haley said the class also will discuss the history of art and the Church and how Christian’s should use their creativity. “The Church used to be known for its art,” Haley said. Visitors to the museum Web site can view the original artwork and the students’ response works later this month at www.thegracemuseum.org. E-mail Hansen at: optimist@acu.edu
FOCUS
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Friday, March 2, 2007
Hughes: Balancing hectic days of school, work, family Continued from page 1 p.m. when her three youngest boys get out of school down the road at Taylor Elementary. On days when she can’t take a break, Jchon Bahl, her oldest and a freshman graphic design major, picks them up and drops them off at home near Riatta Ranch, two miles away. From there, Samantha, a sophomore at Abilene High, takes over baby-sitting after school until Frank wakes up for the evening before going back to work at 8:30 p.m. To those outside the Hughes family, they seem like superheroes to be able to accomplish everything. “I really think God gives us more minutes in our day to get everything done,” Jackie says earnestly. “Because there’s no way we should be able to get everything done. But our family works as a team.” She explains she and Frank take a night class together at ACU on Tuesdays, and that Samantha makes sure she comes home early to watch the boys. If Samantha has to work at Target, then Jchon watches them. “That’s an example of how we manage everything,” she says. “But having a routine helps. After church on Sundays when everyone gets home, everyone cleans up like an automatic thing. I don’t have to tell them because they know we’ll have company at noon.” Jackie says she’s learned the most important thing about teamwork is the team leaders have to be strong, which is why she dedicates so much time to keeping her marriage strong with Frank. She says she’s heard most couples fight about finances first, then kids. Other than a few disagreements, she’s says it has never happened to her and Frank. She asks herself out loud why that hasn’t happened and Frank answers. “We have the same goals for them to be respectful and disciplined,” he says. “The husband and wife come first before the children because they were there first before the children,” she adds. “It takes a husband and wife to have children. I think him and I, [and] our relationship together is very important. We’ll try to honor each other’s ideas and thoughts. It really doesn’t matter if they’re grounded for a week or not. Our unity matters more,” she adds. “As they are yelling and screaming in the background,” Frank says as he looks behind the couch to the door. “Yeah, they’re playing football. You hear all that yelling in there? Usually dad is involved in that too,” she says, giving Frank a look daring him to question what she’s said. He just smiles back.
“We had to get a bigger house, so we’d all have our space. And I’m glad we did cause I couldn’t tolerate that in the same room as me all the time,” she says, grimacing as the yelling gets louder.
Spending time together Although it’s a weekend, the Hughes family is at home, except Samantha. Jackie and Frank aren’t sure where’s she’s off to right now. “That reminds me,” Jackie exclaims, “I need to call her cell phone and see why she’s not home yet.” Frank laughs at Jackie and tries to recall where Samantha’s supposed to be today. Between five kids and the oldest two both working at Target, he says he can’t remember where everyone’s supposed to be. With both Jackie and Frank working at opposite times, Jackie says they don’t see each other much during the week. So they try to spend time together taking classes at ACU. Jackie’s been taking classes since 2003. In December 2007 she’ll finish her second bachelor’s degree, this one for digital electronic media. In 1993 she graduated from Farris State in Michigan, with a degree in office automation. She originally wanted to get a master’s degree in electronic media, but said the department dropped the program before she could begin. “At that point, I had already looked through all the classes and they were fascinating. I decided the bachelor’s degree was similar, so I went ahead and did it,” she said. “I actually think it’s a blessing because bachelor level classes are easier than the master’s level classes.” Just a semester after Jackie began taking classes, she encouraged Frank to join her. “He needs to get a degree and wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. I had been taking classes for a semester, and I would come home and tell him how exciting everything was. So he started taking them too,” she says laughing at herself. Both take two classes a semester, but because of Frank’s work schedule, he can only take 8 a.m. classes. He says he wants to graduate in the next four or five years. “By 2011, hopefully, but we’ll see. Hopefully you’ll graduate before Samantha does,” Jackie teases. Frank will already graduate behind Jchon, which Jchon finds funny. Jchon wants to design board and card games, an interest he’s developed after spending many years playing games, he says. He also thinks his mom’s creative side has helped him. Jchon’s features favor
Jackie, with his light brown skin and black head of ringlets. He visits her every other day at her office, but talks to her more than that, he says. She says if he doesn’t stop by, he’s usually text messaging her just to say hi. Frank interrupts her to say he saw Jchon for the first time on campus Wednesday. “Really? Oh yeah, he told me about that,” she says. “It’s amazing that you actually saw him.” “He was leaving to go to his class and was late,” Frank said laughing. “He was walking and looking around. I thought he saw me, but he was half asleep and walking along groggily,” Frank says, imitating Jchon with halfopened eyes. “So I bumped into him before he realized it was me.” Jackie laughs at his imitation, and then begins talking about going to school with Frank again. Frank just shakes his head at how she jumps around in conversation. “I enjoy taking classes with him. I just enjoy being with him,” she says suddenly. “It doesn’t matter what we do. We’ve been fortunate to take about four classes together so far: history, art, golf and health. “We had fun golfing together. Whatever we’re doing together is fun. We’re not even watching anything right now,” she says, as she points the remote at the big-screen TV. “We’ve been flipping channels for an hour, haven’t we? I enjoy that mostly because all week long we’re busy, and we don’t see each other. When we are home, we enjoy each other’s company.”
Going all the time Frank rubs the top of his head; his hair is cut close to his scalp. He says he’s used to her going all the time. She’s involved at work, at church and with the kids in whatever they do. “She’s just always going,” he says laughing. “I’m used to it now. I just tune it out. “At first it made you tired watching her do stuff and not sit still. Now, I just ignore her and let her run around and do what she does,” he says as she gently slaps his arm. “Now he just looks at me with this blank stare and I never know what he’s thinking,” she says. “I’ve had to learn to try to sit down and do nothing for a little bit. He needs me to sit down. He won’t admit it, but he does.” Jchon, too, was surprised with how much Jackie accomplishes in a day. “I don’t know how she doesn’t have a brain trauma from all she does,” he says laughing. “I really don’t know. She’s really spontaneous, but she gets everything done. She must have a planner built in-
laci adkins STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Jackie Hughes balances night classes, working in the Computing Services Department and caring for her children. Her goal is to have a job that not everyone can do.
“She’s really spontaneous, but she gets everything done. She must have a planner built inside her head.” Jchon Bahl, freshman graphic design major from Abilene
side her head.” Joking aside, he says one of his favorite characteristics about his mom, is to see how much respect others have of her because of what she does. “It’s cool to have so many people talking to me about her, how good of a person and lady she is. Everyone likes her. She’s loving and caring and would do anything for anyone, even if she doesn’t have the time. She’ll make time.” Frank and Jackie don’t necessarily want their kids to grow up to be just like them, they just want them to learn a few things from them. “I want them to work hard and be dedicated in what they do,” Frank says. “[I want them] to find something they like to do and give every effort to do it. If you’re not doing what you like to do, it makes life more difficult.” Jackie agrees. “That was good,” she says. “I want them to learn to make good choices and be responsible for their choices. Not to be a whiner, not to make excuses, and to keep trying,” she says. “I think most of all between those two things, we want them to put on the Lord and to have a strong faith because without that, everything else falls apart. Frank nods his head in approval. Jchon says if he’s learned one thing from his mom, it’s to rely on the Lord for everything. “She brings up God in every situation,” he says. “She’s told us if we’re in need of something, to go to God first. To pray to God first, to trust in him first. It’s true. His love never fails.”
Jackie’s lesson is something, she too, takes to heart. She has big dreams of what she wants to do one day, but that is not what’s important. “I really believe God has a plan for our lives and whatever that ends up being, it will make us happy,” she says.
One day at a time She just wants to do something in life that not everyone can do. “I worked at a gas station one summer, and I remember one weekend doing the cashier and all these people came in with their boats and jet skis and all that stuff,” she recalls. “All I’m thinking is, they could do this job. Anyone could do this job. But they’re out having a good time. I like having a job that not anyone can do.” She says it doesn’t hurt to dream though, so it would be cool if she could work for an NFL team one day. Frank agrees, and wants to be on the sideline during a Super Bowl game doing anything. For now, they’ll settle on watching their three youngest play football in the living room, or watching football on TV on Sunday afternoons. Jackie says to do so much in life, they’ve had to realize there is always a way to balance things. “A lot of times I am not afraid to say no, but I try not to take on more than I can handle. During midterms, I’ll start freaking out, like ‘I don’t know why I told someone I would to this because it’s too much,’ but what I’ll end up thinking about is that it isn’t too much. I’ve been doing fine all this time except for this
week. I can handle it.” Frank jumps in. “If you think about it, it becomes overwhelming. But if you just do it, one thing at a time, it all happens. If you schedule your whole semester and see everything you have to do, you’d always say you couldn’t get it done.” “Frank’s right,” Jackie says. “We just look at it one day at a time.” Jackie enters the living room and checks on the three boys. They surround her laughing, panting and peppering her with questions. “Mom, they got me good today,” Langston, who’s 7, says panting as he surveys his brothers smirking on the fireplace. “Mom! I need a cough drop,” yells 10-year-old Isaac from the couch. In an instant, they’re running around with the ball again. “Boys, slow down! One of these days they’re gonna hurt themselves on the fireplace.” She opens the front door and in a second all three are outside in the 40-degree weather without coats setting up in formation to hike the ball. “Oh, boy. They’re really putting on a show now!” Dressed in athletic pants and a white long-sleeved shirt, she shivers and jumps in the air, shifting her bare feet off the concrete sidewalk. “OK. Enough football tonight. Everyone in now. Bedtime. One, two, three go,” she says. In a line, they file in. The day is almost over.
E-mail Schlabach at: mes02e@acu.edu
March 2, 2006
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Student art on display n Design and Art majors show off their artwork in the Shore Art Gallery as a part of five different art shows required before they graduate. This is the third show. By KRISTA MEYER Student Reporter
Seven art and design students participated in the art show entitled “One of these is not like the other” on Friday in the Shore Art Gallery on campus. “All art and design students participate in this show, it’s a requirement for graduation,” said Beverly Rama, administrative coordinator in the Art and Design Department. “We have a lot of students graduating this year. This is our third show out of five scheduled for this semester.” All art and design majors are given a date when they have to participate in a show, and those who are all grouped together figure out what they want to do with the show; it’s completely up to them. Jeremiah Willis, senior art major from Fort Worth, said this particular group was told last semester when they would be showing their work; everything else was up to them from then on. “Professors would help answer questions about the show. They would open up the gallery for us to set up, but we were in charge of the whole project,” Willis said. “We all chose our own
pieces, but we did decide on the theme together,” said Mark Walker, senior art major from Abilene. “I chose to show the variety of mediums we use in art from photography to illustrations and painting,” Willis said. The theme “One of these is not like the other” came from the realization that most of the students who were part of this particular show were art and design majors with one having a concentration in illustration. “I wasn’t there when the group picked the slogan, but I think we later found out that there were about two to three others who weren’t art and design majors,” Willis said. For some of the students, such as Willis and Walker, this was the first show in which they have ever participated. “I had never displayed my art anywhere before, so I was excited to see everyone’s reactions,” Willis said. “I did get a comment from a professor on one of my paintings; she said she really liked the colors I used.” The pieces displayed from this group of students will be on display until Friday for those who were not able to attend the show on Feb. 27 or for those who want to see the chosen works again. E-mail Meyer at: optimist@acu.edu
Art models wanted n The Art and Design Department is seeking students to pose as models for the figure drawing classes, a paid position for about six hours a week. By CAMILLE VANDENDRIESSCHE Student Reporter
Models are needed in Dan McGregor and Robert Green’s figure drawing classes. McGregor, assistant professor of art and design, said it usually takes six hours a week, and the salary is the same as other student jobs. “It is very important to learn how to draw from a live model instead of photographs,” McGregor said. “It helps to translate from three dimensions to one dimension.” McGregor said models have to be able to hold still for a while, 25 to 30 minutes being the longest. They can be asked to pose in standing, seating or lying position. “It is harder than it sounds,” McGregor said. Sarah Box, junior art major from Tahoka, has been modeling for one month in McGregor’s class. She said before she applied for the job, art students used to model for each other. “I first thought it would be awkward and uncom-
fortable [to be a model], but it was not,” she said. “I used to be uncomfortable with people looking at me on campus; I realized it’s not that of a big deal.” Box said posing in front of a whole class actually increased her self-confidence outside of the class. Amanda Buchanan, freshman psychology major from Lubbock, started as a model last week in Robert Green’s class. She said she found out about the job after her older sister Shannon, who was a model for art classes last year, told her about it. “It is very difficult to stay still,” Buchanan said. She said it is also fun because she gets to meet the students, see how they draw and see their progress. Models can also be asked to pose in swimsuits or boxers but not naked because of ACU policy. “Anybody can be a model; all shapes and sizes are good,” McGregor said. “I’ve never turned down someone. I prefer models who are not perfectly built.” McGregor said he has one model now and would appreciate to have two more so they can rotate. He said models usually have fun and often come back. E-mail Vandendriessche at: optimist@acu.edu
Beehive: dining with style
Box Office Stats Newly released movies and gross rates for Feb. 23-25. Total gross in parenthesis. n Ghost Rider: $20,067,443 ($79,027,540) n The Number 23: $14,602,867 ($14,602,867) n Bridge to Terabithia: $14,357,726 ($47,005,760) n Reno 911!: Miami: $10,273,477 ($10,273,477)
In Theatres To see a complete list of movies playing in Abilene visit movies.yahoo. com. n The Astronaut Farmer Todd Piersall ARTS EDITOR
Beehive Restaurant and Saloon is located in downtown Abilene on 442 Cedar St. Beehive Restaurant specializes in steak but also offers burgers, chicken and seafood.
n The Breach n The Number 23 n Ghost Rider
n The newly opened Beehive Restaurant and Saloon offers fantastic food as well as a unique and sophisticated country atmosphere downtown. By TODD PIERSALL Arts Editor
When someone talks about a frontier-style restaurant that has sophistication and class, it is hard not to laugh. From creaky floors to musty air, comes a perception of where “country cooking” should take place. Who hasn’t seen the restaurant with walls completely covered with random items ranging anywhere from crocodile heads with cowboy hats to sleds with no blades. However, the Abilene Beehive Restaurant and Saloon which opened nearly three weeks ago in downtown Abilene, breaks through that misconception. From the outside, Beehives looks ordinary. Yet inside lies a classy, modern interior that still maintains an old-time feel from an Abilene long ago. Instead of creaky floors and dusty walkways, elegant furniture and unique paintings can be found. The restaurant is separated into three dining sections, all dimly lit with comfortable dark-colored walls and ceilings. Helping provide the unique country-theme were the menus. Designed to look like old Abilene ReporterNews, the menu is covered with articles covering the history of Abilene. One article told a story of a young man being horsewhipped by his girlfriend on the sidewalk. Another article explained how an ice warehouse was converted into a
school, starting the Abilene school system. However, time spent reading the articles is time taken away from browsing the food on the menu (It took the waitress about three trips to finally get my order). The owners of the downtown restaurant also own a similar restaurant in Albany. That particular restaurant was named, at one time, Texas Monthly’s “Best smalltown steakhouse in Texas.” Needless to say, there steaks are pretty good. I must admit I didn’t have a steak (I know, I’m sorry). The burgers, however, are fantastic. For most people, burgers are always a safe bet and are often relied on as a safety item. If the first choice doesn’t work out, here is always the burger. In Beehive’s case, the burger should be one of the first choices. The bacon cheeseburger has the perfect blend of seasoning and spice. Instead of slapping meat on the bun, the burger is presented in a creative way. The freshly cut fries were also delicious (each burger and sandwich comes with fresh cut fries). Aside from burgers and sandwiches, Beehive offers seafood, chicken, steaks and a variety of vegetables. Also, the second weekend of every month Beehive offers rack of lamb. While the burgers are moderately priced, the seafood, chicken and steaks can get pretty expensive, though steak restaurants are known to be pricey. Steaks are all in the mid $20 range but the burgers are only about $7 (similar to Chili’s). The chicken and seafood options range anywhere from $11-18.
For the quality of Beehive, the prices are reasonable. Adding to the over-all enjoyment of the restaurant was the owner’s interaction with the guests. As he brought out food he warmly made his way to different tables, shaking hands and even hugging the guests. After one guest received their beverage in a unique looking glass, the owner walked over and said the glass was a mason jar. (Who wouldn’t want to drink out of a mason jar?) Also, the service was firstrate and the food didn’t take long to prepare. Though, the menu does point out the filet mignon needs 35 to 45 minutes to cook (Hey, look on the bright-side, the menu is great reading material). Overall, Beehive Restaurant is a friendly place to have a nice dinner with a date or with friends and family. Abilene Beehive Restaurant and Saloon is open Tuesday through Friday. Lunch hours are from 11a.m. to 2 p.m., dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. It is located downtown on 442 Cedar St.
Beehive hours n Open Tuesday-Friday n Lunch: 11a.m -2 p.m. n Dinner: 5 p.m.-10 p.m. n Saturday: 5 p.m.-10 p.m. n Friday and Saturday: Prime Rib and Chef Specials n contact info: 325-675-0600.
E-mail Piersall at: tdp04a@acu.edu
n Bridge to Terabithia n Amazing Grace n Music and Lyrics
Coming Soon Movies opening Friday: n Black Snake Moan, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Chistina Riccia, Justin Timberlake, John Cothran Jr., Michael Raymond-James. A former blues player, Lazarus, lives in afflicted desperation after his wife cheated on him. It wasn’t until he discovered Rae, the town tramp, when she was left half-dead on the side of the road. After nursing her back to health, Lazarus and Rae find their way to redemption. (DRAMA) n Full of It, starring Ryan Pinkston, Teri Polo, Craig Kilborn, Carmen Electra and Kate Mara. A 17-year-old habitual liar desperately tries to fit in to his new school by composing elaborate stories to impress the popular kids of the school. However, his lies soon come back to haunt him when he becomes the big man on campus. (COMEDY) n Wild Hogs, starring John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy and Tichina Arnold. A group of middle-aged men decide to break the pattern their suburban life by taking a motorcycle trip. Putting their problems behind them, the group sets our on a freewheeling motorcycle trip ends up with an encounter with the Del Fuegos, a rowdy gang of motorcyclists. (COMEDY) n Zodiac, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards and Brian Cox. A serial killer taunts San Francisco police with letters and clues. Four men search for the killer through an endless trail of clues. (SUSPENSE/THRILLER)
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March 2, 2007
Stop violence, change attitude toward homeless Killing the homeless for sport is an increasing problem, according to CNN. com, which cited a study by National Coalition for the Homeless reporting that the most attacks on record in a decade occurred in 2006. According to the report, 122 attacks and 20 murders occurred. In most cases, teenagers attack the homeless with objects like paintball guns, baseball bats and rocks, a crime now being referred to as “sport killing,” CNN reported. Looking back, attackers appear bemused by their actions, telling reporters they didn’t mean to kill the victim. In an interview with CNN, attacker Nathan Moore, who participated in killing a 49-year-old homeless man, told the reporter the crime reminded him of a violent video game. While some may point ac-
The issue:
CNN reports that violence has increased this year toward the homeless community in the U.S.
Our view:
Because society has dehumanized homeless individuals, it is easier to harm them and not feel remorse.
The solution:
Keep in mind that regardless of where you are in life, every human is the same and every life counts.
cusing fintected to a deHewitt estimated the homeless population gers and gree because in Abilene is about 300-400 people, and said blame vioLove and lent media Care visits many Abilenians are unaware the for these their camps number is so high. crimes, they to offer food, should quesclothing and tion what prevents a 15-year- Abilene, said he hasn’t no- medical supplies, Hewitt said, old from distinguishing be- ticed an increasing trend of which may be one reason for tween fiction and real life. violence in Abilene; how- fewer crimes against them. Some sport killings may ever, he said violent crimes Andrew Stevens, Love and be pre-meditated, which is have occurred, mostly when Care intern, said he’s nogreater cause for concern. kids are “goofing off” or ticed many Abilenians avoid The Corpus Christi Caller when homeless people at- the homeless, when getting Times reported in Febru- tack one another. involved with them could ary that attackers filmed “I think a lot of people bring some understanding. themselves beating a home- think homeless people are This is where the problem less man, going so far as to nothing. They’re feeble; lies — we have dehumanturn him around to face the they’re not all there. I think ized our homeless, which in camera to display his inju- [people] take that opportu- turn makes committing viories. While this is an isolat- nity to take what they have lent acts against them seem ed case, this disturbing act or beat them,” Hewitt said. trivial. When did it become clearly shows the attackers Hewitt estimated the acceptable to act out gruefelt their crime was worth homeless population in some scenes reminiscent of documenting (and getting Abilene is about 300-400 Lord of the Flies? caught could not have been people, and said many AbilePerhaps society has an untoo concerning). nians are unaware the num- spoken attitude toward the Mark Hewitt, director of ber is so high. homeless that is passed on Love and Care Ministries in Abilene’s homeless are pro- to children, who retain this
Alex York
Lebensgefhar
Don’t waste your time on Discovery A great TV day is when I can watch A&E Biographies, the History and Discovery channels and maybe a few episodes of “Law & Order.” What I love about the previous three channels are the shows of the unknown, mysterious Fields of and even the Dreams grotesque. The best exJared ample of a Fields show I used to schedule my life around is anything dealing with Atlantis. The show has so much mystery and intrigue with enough evidence to support a possibility of its existence. These characteristics make it my perfect kind of show. My freshman year, ABC ran a two-hour special on UFOs. I don’t know if I believe in them
You see a commercial or the introduction for the show and you think, “Wow, they’ve found Atlantis! I’ll watch to see where it is.” or not, but the show drew me in nonetheless because I wanted to see proof in its existence. Sunday, the Discovery Channel is showing a documentary by Titanic producer James Cameron entitled, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.” But with the similarities in the promises of the titles, I will not watch this show, even though it is in my genre of shows I would enjoy because I know the ending Basically, in the tomb ossuaries were found with some inscriptions of biblical names surrounding Jesus such as his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene and a possible son. I bet the show doesn’t get much farther than experts arguing about this. Controversy surrounds
In Your Words What do you see Abilene’s response being to its homeless community?
this documentary because of the legitimacy of the claims. Some say the names were common at that time and the location of the tomb is wrong. What these shows have in common is the end. Anyone who has seen one of these shows knows how they end. You see a commercial or the introduction for the show and you think, “Wow, they’ve found Atlantis! I’ll watch to see where it is!” Then the show comes to the conclusion and you see they know no more than at the beginning of the show and you just wasted an hour of your time to learn nothing. I have seen a large amount of coverage about the Discovery Channel documentary on
the news. Religion leaders and experts are refuting it, a small number are defending the show. I don’t care. I have seen enough of these shows to know they know no more about the subject than me. The filmmakers are just good at drawing out the information they have for a long time. Thank you Discovery Channel for wasting my time when I thought I was going to learn something. Some people will be pulled to their sets on Sunday night to see if the tomb of Jesus has been found. All I see is another ploy to draw Christians en masse to a show for a ratings hike. I’ve been duped enough times by TV shows to waste my time, but it won’t work this time.
E-mail Fields at: jrf03b@acu.edu or optimist@acu.edu
E-mail the Optimist at: optimist@acu.edu
Believing in the power of prayer The glory of God was joined together in prayer felt in incredible force understood exactly how it Wednesday night as two happened. ACU students and one miliAfter realizing my prayer tary airman for the young woman was first class heard and answered, I was w i t n e s s e d left speechless and in awe. the power Never have I experienced of prayer. the power of God as I did E a r l i e r then, and never will I forthat day, get it. God has once again at around proven faithful. 1 p.m. in The power of prayer can Come C o n n e c t i - be witnessed in the great Undone cut, a preg- and in the small — from life nant wom- being restored to morning Michelle an and her doubts being cleared by Jimenez h u s b a n d nighttime. God hears and got into a he answers. serious car accident when Rosalind Rinker, author a semi-truck crashed into of “Prayer: Conversing with their Corvette. They weren’t God,” describes prayer as supposed to live through it. “the expression of a huThe woman’s man heart in brain began conversation to hemorwith God,” rhage. She and as “a diaPeople get the had a 3 perlogue between impression they cent chance two persons of living. who love each can ask for any F o u r ridiculous thing, and other.” and a half But often it will automatically times, prayer hours later, be give to them. a knock was is misjudged heard on the and likened to front door a magic wand. of a small People get the A b i l e n e impression apartment. The airman en- they can ask for any ritered the apartment of the diculous thing, and it will two ACU students and sat automatically be given to down. He talked about what them. Prayer doesn’t work happened to his friend’s that way. Yes, God hears, best friend. The three de- but he isn’t a pushover or cided to join hands and pray a fool. for a miracle. Prayer is meant to build One hour later, the air- a relationship with him — man received a phone not to command him. It’s call. He found out that an essential tool in getjust an hour earlier, as ting to know our Heavenly the doctors where do- Father and him getting to ing their best to stop the know us. Be raw and unhemorrhaging within the censored before Christ. woman’s brain, the bleed- Bare your soul. You just ing stopped instantly. The might witness a miracle. doctors witnessed it with their eyes. They can’t explain it, they said. They didn’t understand how it could happen. E-mail Jimenez at: But the three who mmj04b@acu.edu or optimist@acu.edu
I don’t see them responding; I see them in the park, and people just driving by.
I see a lot of homeless people but not a lot of response.
Unless it is some organized thing, I don’t see much being done outside of random acts of kindness.
I see Abilene reaching out to the homeless community through organizations like Love and Care Ministries.
Darren Ross
Andrea Shivers
Dylan Wann
Shannon Lair
freshman physics major from Fort Worth
junior environmental science major from Torrington, Wyom.
junior biology major from Keller
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
attitude into their teenage and adult years. Because this violent trend is only against the homeless, there must be an attitude toward them that sets them apart. The solution is obvious — attitudes need to change. Realistically, one cannot expect every member of society to spill into the streets to learn more about the homeless. But it is reasonable to expect people to make a little effort to understand — not to judge — and to remember that whether sitting on a street corner with a sign or sipping Starbucks on a college campus, we’re all the same. Maybe then someone will stand up and offer a voice for the voiceless.
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 79699 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu
junior elementary education major from Apple Valley, Minn.
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Friday, March 2, 2007
Streak: ACU faces Savage Storm Continued from page 8 .388 batting average and .975 fielding percentage. Southeastern is 5-7 after two straight losses to Ouachita Baptist on Tuesday and split both of its four-game series against other LSC South teams Texas A&M-Kingsville and Eastern New Mexico. No. 20 Ouachita routed Southeastern 12-4, 17-4 and swung for 32 hits in the two games.
Despite Southeastern’s recent slump, starting pitcher Ben Maynard said Southeastern is his first challenge this season. “To me this is the first real test of the season,” Maynard said. “Inter-conference competition is a lot different than those early games.” The 2005 LSC Pitcher of the Year is 2-0 this season and holds a team best .60 ERA. Maynard, who has never been a power pitcher, said he
expects Southeastern’s lineup to be scrappy and to fight to get on base and around the diamond, but he will adjust to fit their hitting style. “I’m a junk pitcher,” Maynard said. “I’m not gonna blow anybody away [at] 84 [mph]; I’ve got to adjust.” Bonneau said pitchers Brian Kennedy, Matt Davis and Trey Watten will start on the mound against Southeastern. E-mail Johnson at: djj04a@acu.edu
Matchup: Cats travel to Denton Continued from page 8 weekend in its first inter-conference game of the season. The Wildcats will play a four-game series against TWU in Denton on Friday and Saturday. “Four games is always a grind, especially against the same team,” said head coach Chantiel Wilson. “But we have four fresh pitchers who have all been throwing well. So, hopefully, that will be to our advantage.” Wilson said TWU was going to be tough because they are a team with good players at every position. A four-game series is tough,
said second baseman Tayler Wilson. “It’s hard to play four games in a weekend, but it’s also nice because we get each opponent out of the way,” said Tayler. Last weekend, the team did not play the final two games of the ACU-CBS Round Robin Classic because of the dust storm that blew through town. However, the women made up for those lost games this week in practice with some inter-squad games, Coach Wilson said. Wilson said there was no specific way to prepare for the weekend’s games, but the team knew every game was important.
“We had two inter-squad games this week in order to get some real games in as well as get our pitchers the work they need to be consistent and for the batters to continue to see live pitching,” Wilson said. “Our focus has been to keep up our level of play and carry it onto this weekend.” Tayler said the team has had some weaknesses so far, but she thinks they are still playing well. “We have a big team and depth in all of the positions, which is a great advantage for us,” Tayler said.
E-mail Davis at: optimist@acu.edu
SA: New representative added Continued from page 1 the discretionary fund. At the convention last week, attendees learned how to research foundations, evaluate usefulness and network with perspective grantors. They briefly discussed establishing a non-profit and were expected to complete “homework,” applying for a mock grant with a non-profit of their choice. Cosgrove said he used the Noah Project. Attendees heard from both parties — experienced grant writers and grantors attended the conference and offered insight. Cosgrove said SA has applied for a few grants and has not received any yet; however, he said he felt the process became clearer after attending the conference. Sometimes, SA approaches the same foundations as the university, which makes finding grants difficult, Cosgrove said. “You go and you find out that ACU is applying to the same foundation for $1.5 million, and we back off really quick — both of us will have the ACU stationary,” Cosgrove said. This semester, SA is seeking grants for Treadaway Kids, Wildcat Kids and an initiative to open the south doors of the Brown Library. “There are a ton of foundations that are required to give money, with lots to give,” said Kirksey, sopho-
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FROM THE FRONT PAGE/SPORTS JUMPS
more financial management major from Tyler. He said SA cannot fund every project on campus, but it can apply for grants for established programs like Wildcat Kids and Treadaway Kids that have very limited resources. Ryan Stephen, sophomore financial management major from Spring, said SA applied for a grant from the Community Foundation of Abilene to fund opening the library doors and making them handicap-accessible. The process has stagnated because SA still is waiting to hear from the foundation and the changes to the library’s infrastructure have made some unhappy. “We ran into some major brick walls,” Stephen said. Stephen’s position as chief advancement officer is a trial position, and he said one responsibility is to work with organizations to find grants. “My biggest thing with the chief advancement officer position, I’ve been saying, is to fund a dream,” Stephen said. “And that’s just so hard to do if you don’t know that dream is there.” Stephen called the responsibility two-fold, and said SA needs to be informed and organizations need to be willing to put in the extra work. Organizations also need to consider the future and remember the slow nature of grants, Stephen said. “These student groups are going to outlast any person’s
stay here at ACU. I can be an officer in the Students’ Association, but when I leave, the Students’ Association is still going to be here,” Stephen said. “While I’m here, I’m supposed to do everything that I can to make sure SA is better when I leave. And I feel like that’s something we really need to instill in our student groups.”
SA updates n After it was determined that leaders of NESLA, a speech pathology organization, did not receive e-mails telling them requirements to submit a budget, the appropriations committee voted via e-mail to allot $2,400 to the organization; an additional $600 was given from the discretionary fund. (The organization submitted a budget request but did not receive an e-mail with the requirements; they did not attend Invision and were not granted any money.) n Maher Saab, SA executive president, estimated that about 500 cards have been signed asking for tax-free textbooks. SA had 1,000 printed, and they plan to deliver the cards to the state senator’s Abilene office on Monday. Voters registered in Texas and Texas residents can sign the cards, which are available in the SA office. n Congress approved Caroline Hare, sophomore youth and family ministry major from Nashville, as the new Morris Hall representative.
E-mail Peace at: knp04a@acu.edu
Tennis: Men lose to ranked Texas Tech
Choices: Center sponsors week
Continued from page 8
“On spring break some students use time to really escape and go have fun. We allow them to have fun but do it responsibly; we want them to come back from spring break,” Rowlands said. This year’s theme will be “Know Boundaries.” Rowlands said he expects to impact a number of students who participate and help them think before they do something that can harm someone else. “We don’t want to take away peoples fun. We want them to have fun but be responsible,” he said.
Nunez and Kevin Beedy fell to Texas Tech’s Bojan Szumanski and Christian Rojmar 8-4. ACU then went on to lose every singles match without winning a set. The closest singles match was Beedy’s 7-6 (3), 6-3 loss to Sinisa Markovic. On Saturday at 9 a.m., both ACU teams will play the Tyler Junior College teams. Then, at 2 p.m., the men will play New Mexico Military, and the women will play Tarleton State.
E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu
Continued from page 1
“I just want to remind the students about the danger of driving long distances without enough sleep, and [the danger of] drug use during the break,” said Cara Flanders, therapist for the Counseling Center and coordinator for the Peer Health Education. “I am little nervous about planning this event,” Flanders said. “But I am excited, and I want students to have a chance to hear some of this stuff and ask questions that they might not always feel comfortable asking on a Christian campus.” E-mail Blessed at: optimist@acu.edu
Oxford: Class moves south Continued from page 1 to plan ahead. “I think this will be a better experience for the students because of the tie-in with missions,” Cardot said of the trip to Honduras. “Since it’s a different language, it becomes a different experience and it is more of a third-world environment so the students will be able to see and experience living experiences that are dramatically different than in Oxford.” The deadline to turn in an application for the communications courses is March 9 and a $100 deposit is required. The courses offered will be: COMS 345/545: “Intercultural Communication,” COMS 383/583: “Communication in Multinational Organizations” and
COMS 440/683: “Cultural Case Studies.” Kevin Kehl, executive director of the Center for International and Intercultural Education, said classes being canceled in Oxford do not happen very often. The decision to cancel the history class was made in early February. “Oxford is a popular destination and a wonderful learning experience for both faculty and students and teachers were obviously disappointed with the classes being canceled,” Kehl said. “I think there are a lot of competing activities that students have to choose from and I think that’s an issue when it comes to deciding whether or not to go,” Kehl said. Students who had paid
their fee for the application have been refunded their money. Dr. Tracy Shilcutt, assistant professor of history, said she has talked to students who signed up for the class and can see the sadness in them from not being able to go on the trip to Oxford. “I’m very sad for the students because there is not a better place to learn about British history than in England,” Shilcutt said. “I’m hopeful that the next time it’s offered that they will be able to go.” The British history class will not be offered this summer at ACU and is only offered every other Maymester.
E-mail Bautista at: jjb02b@acu.edu
SportsFriday
Page 8
ScoreBoard Standings Scoreboard as of Thursday
Team
BASEBALL Div. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
ACU Angelo St. ENMU TAMK-U Tarleton WTAM
Team
Overall 11-3 10-5 10-6 8-5 9-7 2-9
SOFTBALL
Div. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 TX Woman’s 0-0 WTAM 0-0 Angelo St. Tarleton TAMK-U ACU ENMU
Overall 19-5 10-4 10-5 10-6 11-10 8-14 5-9
Scores
March 2, 2007
Tennis teams to play two weekend matches n The ACU’s men’s and women’s tennis teams will play two matches each this Saturday at the Eager Tennis Center. Both teams are nationally ranked. By MICHAEL FREEMAN Online Editor
The ACU men’s tennis team fell 7-0 to Texas Tech, the No. 34 team in the Division I national poll, Tuesday in Lubbock. The loss drops the Wildcats, who are ranked No. 22 in Division II tennis, to an overall record of 10-3. The ACU men will play again Saturday when they host Tyler Junior College and New Mexico Military Institute
Tennis at the Eager Tennis Center. The Wildcat women, No. 5 nationally, will also be in action Saturday. The women will play two matches, one against Tyler Junior College and one against conference rival, Tarleton State. The Tarleton State match will be ACU’s first conference match-up of the season. “I don’t think they’re going to be quite as good as last year,” head coach Hutton Jones said of Tarleton State. “But, I think they’re going to be pretty good.” ACU will also play Tyler
Junior College, one of the top junior college tennis teams in the nation. The Tyler men are No. 2 and the women are No. 4 nationally. “I think Tyler is going to be a tough match,” Jones said. “The points won’t be easy, so that’s going to be good. I think that’s on the girls’ and guys’ side.” On Tuesday, the ACU men gave Texas Tech a scare in doubles. In two of the three doubles matches, the Wildcats were within a few points of winning the match. The duo of Luke Hawk and Ryan Hudson were up on Texas Tech’s Teddy DiBlasi and Greg Jones 7-6, but ended
brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Lana Pavlin practices her forehand in preparation for the Wildcats’ two matches Saturday. up losing in a tiebreaker 9-8 (5). Also, the doubles team of George Carstens and Bryce Hicks were on serve down 56 and had a chance to tie the
match but let the opportunity slip away as they lost 8-5. In the other doubles match, Juan See
TENNIS page 7
Guiton, Maxwell net all-LSC honors
Tuesday WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Central Oklahoma 76, ACU 57
MEN’S TENNIS Texas Tech 7, ACU 0
Upcoming Friday BASEBALL ACU vs. SE Oklahoma State, 4 p.m. (DH)
SOFTBALL
ACU at Texas Woman’s 5 p.m. (DH)
Saturday BASEBALL ACU vs. SE Oklahoma State, 1 p.m. (DH)
SOFTBALL
ACU at Texas Woman’s 1 p.m. (DH)
MEN’S TENNIS ACU vs. Tyler Junior College, 9 a.m. ACU vs. New Mexico Military, 2 p.m.
WOMEN’S TENNIS ACU vs. Tyler Junior College, 9 a.m. brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER ACU vs. Tarleton State, 2 p.m.
Monday GOLF ACU at Southern California Intercollegiate, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Tuesday
Left: Guard Alex Guiton drives down the court. Right: Forward Audrey Maxwell goes to the basket. Both Guiton and Maxwell were named to the first team all-Lone Star Conference South Division team after their performances in the Wildcats’ 2007 season. Guiton averaged 15.1 points-per-game and 3.8 assists-per-game, while Maxwell recorded 12 double-doubles in 2007.
n Guard Alex Guiton and forward Audrey Maxwell made the all-Lone Star Conference first team after a successful 2007 season. The honor was a first for both Wildcats. By MICHAEL FREEMAN Online Editor
GOLF ACU at Southern California Intercollegiate, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
n Home games listed in italics
Intramural Round-up Upcoming n The intramural schedule and points seen on the Optimist sports page are not final and subject to change. Any lastminute changes can be viewed on the intramural bulletin board in Moody Coliseum. VOLLEYBALL Intramural volleyball will begin Tuesday. View the schedule on the intramural bulletin board in Moody Coleseum.
Monday BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS Men’s champ league Semifinals: Bennett gym, 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Finals: Bennett gym, 10 p.m. *Men’s and women’s Intramural basketball tournament results will be in Wednesday’s issue of The Optimist
ACU junior point guard Alex Guiton and sophomore center Audrey Maxwell were both named to the first team all-Lone Star Conference South Division, according to the vote of division coaches. “I think both of them are really well-deserving of the honors,” said head coach Shawna Lavender. Guiton finished the sea-
Women’s basketball son averaging 15.1 points per game, the seventh best average in the Lone Star Conference. She also ranked sixth in the conference in assists (3.8 per game), fourth in 3-point field goals made (2.2 per game), seventh in free-throw percentage (79 percent) and first in minutes played (36.4 per game). This year was the first year Guiton was named to the first team all-conference. In her sophomore year, she was named to the second team all-conference, and in her freshman year, she received an honorable mention.
“It was actually a surprise to me,” Guiton said. “I know I couldn’t have done it without the help of my teammates.” Maxwell ended the season with 12 double-doubles. She averaged 13.5 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game. Maxwell’s rebound average was the second-best in the Lone Star Conference; only Elizabeth Richards of Eastern New Mexico had a better average of 10.4 rebounds. Among all conference players, Maxwell also ranked third in field goal percentage (54 percent), sixth in blocked shots (one per game) and first in
Texas Woman’s first LSC matchup
n The ACU baseball team will defend its undefeated home streak against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Friday in the first of four games this weekend. By DANIEL JOHNSON Sports Editor
By RACHEL DAVIS Sports Writer
See
MATCHUP page 7
tributed with 10 points. ACU finished the season 17-12, a definite improvement from last season’s 12-15 record. “You look at the end of the year and you’re never happy when it ends before you really think it should,” Lavender said. “But the good thing is that we definitely have a very bright future with those two coming back and all of our freshmen getting good experience this year. So, I think the future is definitely bright for us.”
E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu
Home-field streak on the line
n The ACU softball team will kick off Lone Star Conference play against Texas Woman’s in Denton this weekend. ACU is 10-6 so far this season.
Preseason play is over for the ACU softball team, and they will take on Texas Woman’s University this
offensive rebounds (3.3 per game). This year marks Maxwell’s first year to receive all-conference honors. “I’m really excited about it,” Maxwell said. “I think it’s definitely a team thing. Especially at my position as post, it depends on everyone else too. I think whenever I do really well, that means that the whole team has done really well.” The Wildcats’ season ended Tuesday with a 76-57 loss to Central Oklahoma in the quarterfinal round of the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament. In the game, Guiton led ACU with 16 points, and Maxwell con-
brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Utility player Willy Uechi hits a ball during practice Wednesday. Uechi will start at second base for the injured J.J. Pacheco on Friday.
The ACU baseball team has not lost a game at home; the Wildcats have downed every challenger to play at Crutcher Scott Field in 2007 and now holds a No. 9 national ranking because of it. But this weekend against Southeastern Oklahoma State, ACU will defend its undefeated home record without lead-off hitter, leading-base stealer and starting second baseman J.J. Pacheco.
Baseball “Not having Pacheco in the lineup changes things,” said head coach Britt Bonneau. “We’ve got to ask a guy to step up and play. And whoever that is we will need him to be able to produce.” Pacheco injured his shoulder during ACU’s series against Northeastern State on Feb. 23 and Bonneau said he will most likely be out of the lineup for 3-4 weeks. Pacheco, who is in his first year with the Wildcats after transferring from Chabot Community College, has a .396 batting average, leads the team with seven steals and six doubles and has committed no errors in 14 starts for a perfect 1.0 field-
ing percentage. Bonneau said utility player Willy Uechi will start in Pacheco’s spot at second while outfielder Matt Spotanski will be lead-off hitter. Uechi has a .973 fielding percentage and Spotanski has a .412 batting average. Beyond the loss of Pacheco, Bonneau said he is concerned with Southeastern’s starting pitchers. “We got our hands full with Southeastern,” Bonneau said. Southeastern’s bullpen holds a 6.37 ERA and has only five wins, compared to ACU’s conference leading 3.23 ERA and 11 wins. ACU is also first in the LSC with a See
STREAK page 7