WEDNESDAY September 26, 2007 Vol. 96, No. 9 1 section, 8 pages www.acuoptimist.com
OPTIMIST THE
Bringing down the house, and bringing home the parents
This year’s theme, “UTube,” more than just entertainment, about developing friendships, page 3
Triple video play
Bid Night and Entra a la Plaza highlight three new videos online this issue at, www.acuoptimist.com
Racket it up
Four tennis players earned trips to nationals in October, page 8
Students use peace to protest war By Mallory Edens Page 2 Editor
As Chapel attendees filed out of Moody Coliseum Friday morning, the students lined up across the lawn gathered many curious glances. Donning red paint to represent blood and holding signs promoting peace, students silently urged others to make a difference in global violence. “We are doing this as a genuine way to seek peace,
and see how we can truly love our brothers and see what God’s hand in it is,” said Elena Stephenson, junior theatre major from Kansas City, Kan. “What can we do in Abilene, Texas, to make a difference?” Stephenson stood Friday holding a sign that said, “All war is deceit.” She said she chose to hold the sign because she believes Americans use war as a manipulative tool all too often. “To me, I don’t think there
is such a thing as a just war,” Stephenson said. “It’s such a tragic thing, and we don’t think of the consequences.” While she is against war, Stephenson said the protest was in no way against those who are for war. Rather, the protest was intended to promote dialogue. “We don’t want it to be us against them,” she said. “I think as young people, we need to be aware of other people and what is going on
in other countries. I think it’s a good to raise awareness about peace.” This arousal of awareness was the original intent of the protest, for which planning was begun last semester by Paul Goncalves, senior Biblical text and philosophy major from Itu, Brazil, Seth Adcock, senior English and youth ministry major from Ruidoso,
See
PROTEST page 7
adrian cruz STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Brooke Kucinsky, senior missions major from Fort Worth; Seth Adcock, sophomore youth and family ministry major from Nogal, NM; Bryn Oliver, senior art major from Abilene; and Tara Elzey, sophomore undeclared major from Powell, Wyo., hold signs at the peace protest Friday outside Moody Coliseum.
Watered-down pledging By Rachel Davis Opinion Editor
By Kelsi Peace
Changes in Bid Night rules forced some clubs to alter their activities and gave pledges a 5 a.m. curfew. Most clubs didn’t have problems adhering to the new rules, but several had to alter their activities. “Our activities on Bid Night were altered most significantly by the change in return time for the Siblings,” said Gamma Sigma Phi president Robert McCall, senior youth and family ministry major from Austin. “All of our activities had to be shortened. Other than that, activities were generally the same with slight changes in ideology.” Sub T-16 had its first Bid Night in two years after a suspension, and president Jacob Smith, accounting graduate student from Tyler, said they did not have a hard time adhering to the new rules. “I think after everything we’ve been through, we were a lot more prepared for it than most clubs were,” Smith said. “I think we were a lot more receptive to the changes. We’ve all been so excited about getting back on track and taking new pledges.” Smith said some administrators came by at the end of the night to check on the activities, but there were no problems with them. “Overall, Bid Night went just right — everything fell into place perfectly,” Smith said. “We still pledged those guys hard, and we’ll make them earn it like we always do.” Delta Theta president Christie Thomas, graphic design major from Austin, said DT didn’t have any issues with following the new rules. “We’ve been abiding by the rules for a while, so it didn’t really cramp our style,” Thomas said. Thomas said by the end of the night, all the pledges had learned to work together and got rid of the cliques that had formed. “Seeing all of the Biddies work together as one unit was definitely the highlight of Bid Night,” Thomas said. GATA’s Bid Night went well, said president Laci Lawrence, senior criminal justice major from Andrews.
Managing Editor
The 85th Students’ Association Congress approved the Fall 2007 Budget and all officer and representative appointments in its inaugural meeting Wednesday. Sophomore senator David Vanderpool debated the appointment of officers with no previous Congress experience. According to the bylaws, all undergraduates who pay a student activity fee are members of the Students’ Association and eligible to be appointed. Neither Isaac Vasquez, chief communications officer, nor Sarah Newton, executive secretary, has previous Congress experience. SA executive president Matt Worthington said he would vouch for both appointments. “They’ve worked very, very hard and are very, very qualified,” he said. With many of the representatives appointed and ineligible to vote until approved, Congress voted to approve all appointments with 19 approving and one vote abstaining. Congress approved the Fall 2007 budget with 39 votes approving and one abstaining, acknowledging its ability to review and amend the budget later. With an $11,560 rollover from last year and See
BID NIGHT page 7
By Laura Touchette Student Reporter
Sibling Chris King, sophomore undeclared major from Houston, holds a watermelon for more than an hour Friday during Bid Night in Beauchamp Amphitheatre.
Entra a la Plaza celebrates heritage By Lauren Sutton Copy Editor
ACU students, staff and members of the Abilene community gathered around the GATA Fountain Friday night to enjoy an evening full of Latin culture in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Members of Hispanos Unidos, an organization for Hispanic students, organized the third annual Entra a la Plaza, an event showcasing Hispanic culture through music, dance and food. “We had a lot of volunteers, even non-Hispanics. That made me happy,” said Hispanos Unidos president Dulce Vidana, senior market-
SA page 7
‘Burn Room’ demonstrates dorm fire hazard
brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
See
SA Cabinet cuts spending
ing and management double major from Mexico. Restaurants like Ta Molly’s and Enrique’s Restaurant & Cantina donated food for the event, and the father of Hispanos Unidos member Carino Cortez donated money for decorations. The organization hired Ballet Fonklorico dancers and a Mariachi band from Mexico to entertain the crowd throughout the evening. “We want to attract more Hispanics to ACU and tell ACU what Latin American culture is really about,” Vidana said. In contrast to past years, officers of Hispanos Unidos wanted to expose attendees to a variety of Latin cultures and not just Mexico. Columbia, Ni-
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
caragua and Puerto Rico were all countries that were represented Friday evening. KRBC news covered the event, which helped Hispanos Unidos achieve their goal to attract and inform people from the Abilene community about Hispanic culture. “I think a lot more people came this year,” said Jeremy Cox, senior family studies major from Houston. “They did a lot more to bring in the community.” Vidana said her favorite part of the night was seeing all the international students at the event, and Cox, a nonHispanic who served as emcee, See
PLAZA page 7
matt newhouser STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Amanda McLemore, senior English major from Aledo, and Minda Hyde, junior pre-occupational therapy major from Hampdem, Maine, try some pan dulce at Hispanos Unidos’ 3rd annual Entra a la Plaza on Friday night.
Abilene Christian University
Within three minutes, everything a student owns could be destroyed. Within five, the fire in a dorm room could take someone’s life. That is the idea organizers of the Burn Room want ACU students living both in residence halls and off campus to understand. “I used to light five candles a day in my dorm room freshman year,” said Allie Waters, junior integrated marketing communications major from St. Louis. “Now, I live in University Park, and after really watching the burn room, I know why they enforce the no-candle rule.” ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison said that the Burn Room has been around for about five years and makes an impact on him even after seeing it year after year. “I am equally amazed at how fast the burn room goes,” Ellison said. “I think the room has a huge visual impact on students and helps the students understand why the university takes fire precaution so seriously. The fire can really happen, and it can happen really, really fast” When Dr. Mimi Barnard, director of faculty enrichment, attended a Crisis Response Team meeting in 2003, she suggested a real Burn Room would have more visual impact than a video, which was initially suggested. When Barnard was the director of Residence Life, she joined efforts with the Physical Resources Department and together they made the Burn Room a reality. The Burn Room is constructed by Physical Resources and looks basically the same every year. With the help of the Abilene Fire Department, the Burn Room is a fall semester demonstration for ACU. “The Burn Room is around to educate students See
BURN ROOM page 7
Serving the ACU community since 1912
About This Page Wednesday, March 29, 2006 Wednesday, September 26, 2007
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Calendar & Events Wednesday
7 p.m. The Call will take place in Chapel on the Hill. Attendees will study the second series on the book of James.
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Thursday
7 p.m. Homer Hiccolm and the Rocketboys CD release show will take place at University Baptist Church, located at Ambler and Grape. The show is free of charge.
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Friday
Parents Weekend 8 p.m. Freshman Follies will be performed by freshman students in Cullen Auditorium.
8 p.m. The ACU Music Department will present the first concert of its Faculty Artist Series for the 2007-08 school year in the WPAC Recital Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.
Announcements Nominate up to five senior women for homecoming queen. Vote online Wednesday-Friday at www.acu.edu/queen. Tickets for Freshman Follies will be on sale for $10 until Friday in the Campus Center from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. All shows are general admission and will be performed in Cullen Auditorium Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 1, 3 and 7 p.m. Sing Song 2008 host and hostess auditions will take place Oct. 8 and Oct. 9. Any student who is interested but was unable to attend the interest meeting Tuesday should e-mail singsong@ acu.edu as soon as possible. Flu season is near. Now is the time to get a flu shot. The Medical Clinic will host a flu vaccination clinic for students, faculty and staff Oct. 15 and Nov. 1 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Campus Center Living Room. The shot costs $25, and it can be charged to a
student account or paid in cash or check. The Medical Clinic also takes flu shot patients daily on a walk-in basis. For more information, contact Kathy Stokes at (325) 674-2625. Male students seeking help from struggles with pornography or lust are invited to gatherings two blocks from campus every Thursday at 11 a.m. For more information, contact Kurt Boyland at (325) 674-2878 or at boylandk@acu.edu. The medical clinic will be closed Wednesday and Thursday for electronic medical records system installation and staff training. Should any student need health care services, they can go to the Walk-In Clinic on Judge Ely Boulevard next to Jack ‘n’ Jill Donuts. In the case of a medical emergency, students can go to Hendrick Medical Center on N. 19th or Abilene Regional Medical Center on Hwy 83/84. The Medical Clinic will re-open Friday.
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Saturday
Parents Weekend 8:30 a.m. Issues Facing Women in the Medical Professions, a symposium for women in pre-health, will take place until noon in the Campus Center Living Room. 1, 3 and 7 p.m. Freshman Follies will be performed by freshman students in Cullen Auditorium.
Chapel Checkup Credited Chapels to date: Credited Chapels remaining:
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Volunteer Opportunities Big Country Balloon Fest needs volunteers Friday and Saturday to help at the annual hot air balloon festival at Redbud Park. Shifts are available from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Key City Kiwanis needs volunteers for its annual Fish Fry at the Abilene Civic Center on Oct. 6 from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Help is needed to serve food, clean tables and serve drinks. All proceeds are distributed to needy children and adults.
Volunteers are needed for the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk on Oct. 6 from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. at Nelson Park to help with set up, banners and keeping drinks stocked for participants. The Abilene elementary schools need volunteers to read with kids on a weekly basis. Time slots are available for a variety of days. For more information, go to the Volunteer Center located in the Bean Sprout.
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.
ACU Police Tip of the Week National statistics show the odds of date rape occurring increase drastically when alcohol is present. Keep alcohol out of your date or social setting. Report all suspicious activity to the ACU Police Department at (325) 674-2305.
Police Log Edited for space
Mon., Sept. 17, 2007 6 p.m. Directed traffic for Abilene PD reference to vehicle accident at Ambler and Judge Ely Boulevard Tues., Sept. 18, 2007 10:30 a.m. Contacted student reference to damage to vehicle, did not want a report filed 11:12 a.m. Fire alarm at Adams Hall, burned popcorn, alarm reset 11:48 a.m. Assisted Abilene PD with vehicle accident at 1700 Campus Court 2:40 p.m. Assisted two female students with flat tire at Nelson Lot Wed., Sept. 19, 2007 2 a.m. Attempt to locate missing student from Barret Hall. Student had gone jogging, not returned. Student returned later. 9:36 a.m. Medical emergency at Aramark office 9:45 a.m. Medical emergency at Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies building room 117, subject transported to Hendrick Medical Center 4:15 p.m. Assisted motorist, ran out of gas at 2000 N. Judge Ely Blvd. 7:40 p.m. Visitor reporting lost child at Moody Coliseum, was located upon arrival 9:15 p.m. Recovered stolen bike at Brown Library 9:21 p.m. Fire alarm at University Park Apartments building 10, false alarm 9:26 p.m. Burglary of motor vehicle at Oliver Jackson Boulevard Thurs., Sept. 20, 2007 1:15 a.m. Report of tree limbs
blocking College Drive, limbs removed, Street Department notified. 1:28 a.m. Found cell phone in Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies building, returned to owner 11:15 a.m. Found backpack at Brown Library, returned to student 9:01 p.m. Report of subjects standing in the street at Campus Court and Garfield, contacted social club activity, all OK 10:35 p.m. Attempt to locate subjects attempting to sell narcotics near Campus, unable to locate vehicle Fri., Sept. 21, 2007 10:10 p.m. Recovered stolen WFF Custodial Services golf cart at 600 EN 19th 11:47 a.m. Monitored Campus Center reference to protest 4 p.m. Report of stolen bicycle 6:53 p.m. Incomplete 911 at Elmer Gray Stadium, contacted juveniles playing on the phone Sat., Sept. 22, 2007 1:30 a.m. Report of disturbance at EN 21st and Lincoln, unable to locate 7:52 a.m. Shut off broken sprinkler head at Crutcher Scott Field Sun., Sept. 23, 2007 1:38 a.m. Noise complaint at 500 EN 16th, contacted subjects, agreed to quiet down 6:50 a.m. Attempt to locate student at Mabee Hall, contacted, he will contact his family 7:40 p.m. Burglary of vending machine at Gibson Gym
CAMPUS NEWS
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
SBC campaigns solicit students for leadership By Pete Koehn Student Reporter
The Spring Break Campaigns committee is accepting applications for students looking to lead this year’s campaigns. Jessica Sneed, senior marketing and management major from Keller, serves as the SBC committee secretary. In March 2006, Sneed had her first experience with SBC. She traveled to Trujillo, Honduras, to work with Mark and Brenda Young, directors of the Little Hands, Big Hearts program. Sneed and her team spent the week helping out around the local church, assisting in children’s classes and rebuilding a house. They also participated in a program called Neighborhood Kids, spending time with children, making crafts, and teaching Bible lessons. Sneed described the trip as fulfilling. “My life was changed, and I wanted to re-invest in that,” she said. As an SBC committee member, Sneed stressed the importance of and need for good leaders. “We want our leaders to be spiritual leaders who lead by example with high morals and encouragement,” she said. Committee leaders will be carrying applications with them and encouraging students to participate. “Some people don’t think of themselves as leaders until somebody encourages them to be,” Sneed said. Mark Lewis, director of Spiritual Life and Student Ministries, serves as advisor for the SBC program.
“Some people don’t think of themselves as leaders until somebody encourages them to be.” Jessica Sneed, senior marketing and management major from Keller
Lewis began working with the group in the fall of 1998 and became its adviser in the fall of 1999. Lewis also emphasized the importance of student leadership. In general, faculty and staff rarely attend campaigns, let alone lead them. As advisor for the SBC program, Lewis tries to “seek out opportunities for our students to be leaders.” “Taking in part in the SBC gets you out of your comfort zone in the name of Jesus,” Lewis said. From his position as adviser, Lewis has been amazed by the effort put forth by the leaders. “It’s amazing to see our students take things they’ve learned in the classroom environment and apply them. I’m in awe to see what students do in the name of the Lord, and I’m in awe to see what the Lord is doing in the lives of our students.” He encourages students to make a point of going on at least one short-term mission experience while they are at ACU. Applications for student leaders are due Wednesday and will be available at the office of Spiritual Life and Student Ministries on the first floor of McKinzie Hall, Room 129.
E-mail Koehn at: optimist@acu.edu
Page 3
Follies fosters friends, talent By Grant Abston Student Reporter
“UTube,” this year’s theme for Freshman Follies, intends to provide audiences a lens through which to view freshman life at ACU and offers new twists such as live music with a chorus and student-produced videos. Freshman Follies, a student-based show, is produced to offer students and family of freshmen quality entertainment. However, entertainment is not the only goal in mind. “There is a deeper purpose than pure entertainment,” said Tom Craig, director of student productions. “Freshman Follies is designed to help freshmen get to know their class and develop relationships.” With many different acts
incorporated, Craig said this year’s show promises to entertain everyone. “The acts look really good,” Craig said. “There is an amazing amount of talent with this freshman class. There are amazing vocals, but also song writing talent, with original songs that they wrote themselves.” Each year, Freshman Follies offers similar entertainment. However, besides the traditional hall acts and individual performances, this year, they have added new twists. “We have an open large chorus singing to live music as well as student-produced video slots as opposed to staff produced,” Craig said. With the production date approaching, students have been practicing diligently to
offer the best show possible. Michael Reynolds, freshman political science and pre-law major from Electra, is a director for Mabee Hall 2nd and 3rd North. “Practices started rough,” Reynolds said. “A lot of guys dropped out after finding out what it was about. We stumbled at the beginning but have progressed a lot the last few days. We will be ready by Follies.” However, amidst the pressure of finishing the acts on time, students have figured out what Follies is all about. Kate Huggins, freshman biochemistry and pre-med major from Abilene, is a director for Gardner Hall 2nd West. “I think the excitement is really high, and the girls have lots of ideas that they are trying to blend togeth-
er,” Huggins said. “The girls are accomplishing what Freshman Follies is about — getting to know your hall.” Craig encourages everyone to come out and see the talent on display for this year’s production. “It is looking very good, and we are putting the finishing touches on it,” he said. ”We have 12 different hall acts, and we are in great shape to put on a good show.” Freshman Follies will start Friday at 8 p.m. and conclude Saturday with three shows at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m. Tickets will be sold in the Campus Center for $10.
E-mail Abston at: optimist@acu.edu
Ethnos show embraces cultural mesh By Chandler Harris Student Reporter
With new leadership and a lighter plot, this year’s Ethnos, a cultural awareness production, is approaching and organizers are looking for participants. This year’s theme is “IM Ethnos,” Laza Razafimanjato, senior interior design and pre-architecture major from Madagascar, said. Razafimanjato, one of this year’s co-directors, expects the show, which is performed in Cullen Auditorium, to display 15-17 acts. “Ethnos is about sharing different cultures with the Abilene community and most importantly to raise awareness of them here at ACU,” said Ana Pruteanu, sopho-
more nutrition major from Moldova. Pruteanu said the show integrates many different cultures from around the world. In addition to the many international acts, some acts are from cultures right here in the United States, Pruteanu said. This year, Ethnos is under the leadership of Tom Craig, director of student productions. He said so far they have had two interest meetings in order to get things going in the right direction. “This year, we will display a very wide range of acts,” Craig said. Tryouts for the acts will take place October 4, although the location has yet to be decided upon. In regards to the new di-
rector, Razafimanjato said, “This year, Ethnos will be different in that we are striving to make it more of a comedy. It will be funny and more refreshing than in previous years. We have four main actresses that will perform throughout the show instead of one or two as has been the case in the past.” Brenda Daniels, junior biochemistry and pre-med major, from Colombia, is a co-director and the backstage manager. She said she enjoys building the props for the show and learning about the details of each item used. In this way, she learns about the different cultures and the importance of each prop to its respective culture.
“I see so many things from backstage that the audience would never catch,” said Daniels. “My favorite part about Ethnos is the rehearsal week leading up to the shows. Even though it’s crazy, it’s amazing to watch everyone come together to see the cooperation of the many different cultures.” The Ethnos staff welcomes anyone that would like to be a part of the production staff in such areas as backstage, ushers and advertising. Contact Ana Pruteanu at axp05c@acu.edu for more information.
E-mail Harris at: optimist@acu.edu
BID NIGHT
Page 4
BID NIGHT
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
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MEGAN LOWE SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
KATIE GAGER CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
MATt NEWHOUSER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Bid Night ‘07: Pledge Drive
MATT NEWHOUSER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Top left: Frater Sodalis member Dustin Wilson, junior music major from Houston, walks past nervous pledges at Bid Night Friday. Top center: Marshall Thompson, junior youth and family ministry major from Council Bluffs, Iowa, tackles Eric Emerson, sophomore accounting major from Sweetwater, under the watchful eye of Galaxy members on Bid Night. Top right: Candace Swarb, sophomore exercise science major from Monahans, gets dressed up by Ko Jo Kai members Jenna Barnett, senior nursing major from Stephenville and Erin Knight, senior nursing major from Sugarland.
todd piersall STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Above right: Megan Fauer, sophomore English major from Lufkin, and Stormy Davis, junior early childhood education major from Leander, rest from skating and dancing at the Galaxy/ Siggies mixer on Bid Night at the Skatin’ Place. Right: Ben DuBose, junior business management major from Fort Worth, tends to GSP’s pledges during Bid Night activities on the Larry “Satch” Sanders Intramural fields. Center: Amy Fagala, sophomore education major from Boerne, and Ashley Luttrell, sophomore integrated marketing communication major from Boerne, stuff marshmallows in the their mouths during Bid Night Friday.
KATIE GAGER CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Bottom center: Several clubs meet during Bid Night Friday at the Larry “Satch” Sanders Intramural fields to do some multi-club activities.
todd piersall STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Far left: Koby Andrews, sophomore undeclared major from Graham, helps launch a balloon with Sub T member Ricky Smith, senior business management major from Abilene.
MATT NEWHOUSER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Page 7
SPORTS JUMPS / FROM THE FRONT
Protest: Students pursue discussion through protest Continued from page 1 N.M., and Brooke Kucinsky, senior missions major from Fort Worth. The three students began discussing the possibility of having a protest on Sept. 21 because it is the International Day of Peace. The protest originated with a Facebook group that now has 100 members. The group featured discussions about war and how to deal with it. Many ideas expressed in this group transferred to ideas seen at the protest Friday. “We are so apathetic about everything,” Adcock said. “People don’t vote; they don’t know about anything beyond
pop culture.” Goncalves said the protest was not about debate, but rather about finding avenues of discussion to solve all issues of justice that affect the world today. “My question for ACU is this: Why can we talk about all these overtly political issues like abortion, and we can’t talk about war?” Goncalves said. “You say you want to change things. OK, let’s talk about something. We just want to see conversation sprung up. No one is protesting the troops or the Republican Party for that matter. It wasn’t meant to be political. Nobody was saying forsake the troops.” Despite their intentions, some onlookers saw the protest
as an attack against the war, and protester Thomas Robinson, senior English major from New York City, said he was afraid a fight might break out. “A lot of people got in our faces and said we weren’t behind the troops,” he said. “It was in no way about hate. I’m not there to yell at anyone. That’s not what this was about. I’m just as guilty as everyone else. We’re all part of the same system. That’s why we put blood on our hands.” Robinson said the protest was not about pointing fingers or challenging other people but urging people to follow the peaceful paths of Jesus. “What the world needs is a lot more love and a lot
more forgiveness,” Robinson said. “That’s what Jesus calls us to do. I’m sad about the whole situation; everywhere there is violence in the world. As a Christian, I think Jesus showed us forgiveness is better than revenge.” Josh Love, senior art and Biblical text double major from Portland, also supports the idea that peace comes through love, and he said Jesus’ love has already released the world from needing to fight for freedom. “There’s no point in pursuing peace if it calls us to hate people,” Love said. “It comes down to an argument about where freedom comes from. We seem to have this view that our
freedom wasn’t fought for, that we need to fight. The world was ransomed already. The world was freed when Jesus died.” Both Robinson and Love agree war in general is unnecessary. “I’m from New York. I watched the second tower fall,” Robinson said. “Genuinely, I feel like I’ve seen enough death for my life, and I don’t wish to see any more.” Robinson said he believes the answer to ending violence is seeking God for help. “The world is full of violence, and I’d like to believe God has the power to change that,” he said. “Jesus was all about peace. Jesus let himself get killed without raising a fin-
ger. Someone said, ‘Violence isn’t the answer, but it’s an answer.’ Sometimes the way of God is to not get an answer, and it’s hard to live that way, but it’s what he calls us to do.” Many protesters wish to continue the discussion of where to find this alternative answer to violence. While no plans have been made to do any further protests, Goncalves said he hopes too see more demonstrations happen in the future. Those interested in finding out more can contact Goncalves at pxg04e@ acu.edu or visit the Facebook group “Peace is the Way. (ACU anti-war protest).” E-mail Edens at: mxe06a@acu.edu
SA: Record number of organizations submit requests Continued from page 1 $35 per undergraduate student from the student activity, SA’s total revenue is about $146,000. Executive treasurer Kevan Kirksey said an executive officer student initiative fund was created this year to allow the Cabinet to fund projects for its constituents. SA used money from the fund to sponsor Welcome to Abilene in August. The fund has $2,750; class senators are allotted $250 and Congress is allotted $4,000 for its Con-
gressional project budget. In an effort to cut expenses, Cabinet members opted to stay in Abilene for the Cabinet retreat, cutting expenses to about $250 this year compared with about $2,200 spent on the retreat last fall, Worthington said. “We’re choosing to spend our money differently,” he said. The extra funds could be used in part to purchase a Macintosh computer for the chief communications officer to use for graphic and Web design, Worthington said. Currently, design is outsourced. The office also
Overtime: HSU game postponed Continued from page 8 ACU out-shot ASU 17-14 at the end of regulation and in the overtime period, the Wildcats out-shot the Rambelles 3-2. ACU is now third in the LSC, while Angelo is last in the conference. Despite it being the first conference match of the season, head coach Casey Wilson said he and assistant coach Thomas Pertuit treated this game like any other. “If we play our game, we can play with anybody,” Wilson said. Even though ACU came out with a win, the team acknowledges they still have corrections to make.
“I think, for the most part, we played well. We battled hard,” Wilson said. “I think the girls still know there’s still room for improvements and room to play better.” The Wildcats’ strength not only lied in their strong defense and their middle dominating the ball but also their overwhelming passion to win. The Wildcats were scheduled to play a non-conference game against Division III opponent Hardin-Simmons University on Tuesday, but the game was postponed because of weather. ACU’s next conference matchup will be against West Texas A&M on Saturday. E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu
Nationals: Women’s team heads to Waco Continued from page 8 “That would be the goal.” Squillaci and Rafolomanatsiatosika beat out two top 5 teams last season and achieved All-American status. “I’m pretty excited about nationals because we’re going to play good players,” Rafolomanatsiatosika said. “When you play good players and win, it proves you’re good, too.”
Freshman Jaclyn Walker made it to the semifinals before losing to Northeastern State’s Zuzanna Osinka, the ultimate champion of the tournament. The women’s team plays next weekend at Baylor, while the men have the weekend off.
E-mail Davis at: red04a@acu.edu
purchased a new computer, equipping each Cabinet member with a computer. In further effort to cut expenses, Worthington said SA has made a commitment to stay in homes rather than hotels for retreats in the future. Other SA expenses include executive officer scholarships, appointed officer scholarships, about $8,700 for internal operations expenses and student organization funds. Kirksey said this year about 42 organizations requested more than $130,000, which he said is the highest number in SA history.
Congress appropriated about $60,500 to student organizations, about 47 percent of requested funds. When appropriating funds to student organizations, Kirksey and chief financial officer Spencer Hemphill applied the budgetary principles and met with organization leaders to review requests. Organizations can also petition the appropriations committee for funding or meet with chief advancement officer Ryan Stephen to plan fundraising and explore grant options. According to the budgetary principles, SA will fund $150
per airline ticket, 41.5 cents per mile for gasoline, $65 per night for hotels and 50 percent of registration, conference and charter fees, among other guidelines. SA does not fund clothing or internal social club functions. Requests are viewed line by line, Kirksey said, and once approved, organizations do not receive a lump sum, but instead obtain a P-Card from the SA office, which acts as a credit card during the time the organization needs the funds. Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB) received
the largest sum with about $4,700, 30 percent of funds requested. The National Broadcasting Society received about $3,900, in part to fund new cameras, and Hispanos Unidos received about $3,700, including the cost of the Mariachi band for Entra a la Plaza on Friday. Ryan Stephen, chief advancement officer, said he will work with organizations to find outside sources of funding to supplement the funds, with the hope of freeing up more SA money for students. E-mail Peace at: knp04a@acu.edu
Bid Night: Pledges press on toward goal Continued from page 1 “The new rules actually fit our traditional Bid Night pretty easily,” Lawrence said. “We only had to tweak the times
a little bit to make sure the pledges were back for the 5 a.m. curfew.” Like Thomas, Lawrence said the best part of Bid Night was watching all of the pledg-
es work together. “The highlight of my night was watching the Flames work together to get their pledging necklaces,” Lawrence said. “It’s fun to see girls who are
just getting to know each other work together as a team to achieve their goal.”
E-mail Davis at: red04a@acu.edu
Burn room: Demonstration torches mock dorm Continued from page 1 about what can and can’t be brought into a dorm room,” said Kevin Claypool, residence director of Edwards Hall. “It shows how quick a
room can go up in flames. I have a decent amount of issues with candles, but I think the Burn Room helps justify to students why we say not to do things.” Tyler Lewis, sophomore business finance major from
Houston, said he wondered if a dorm room could really burn that fast. “It’s a scary thought to think that all I own is that flammable and can burn so quickly and easily,” Lewis said. Ellison puts the issue in a broader perspective.
“I think about how this is only one room,” Ellison said. “But imagine a long hallway full of oxygen and breeze. This could be much worse in a hall.”
E-mail Touchette at: optimist@acu.edu
Plaza: Cultural event draws international students Continued from page 1 echoed her sentiments. “I think it’s a great event because anything that ex-
emplifies culture and gives people a chance to be a part that culture is awesome.” Vidana said she thought the night was a success and
looks forward to Entra a la Plaza becoming an anticipated event on campus. “I hope this becomes a tradition year by year, and that
the event brings more people into the organization.”
E-mail Sutton at: les03c@acu.edu
Streak: Wildcats face struggling ENMU squad Continued from page 8 Moronu contributed with 41 assists and 13 digs, while senior libero Liz Snoddy had 17 digs and sophomore defensive specialist Amy Wilson had 14 digs. “We had a chance to play really well as a team,” Mock said. “We had a lot of fun. The girls had a great attitude throughout the
entire match.” The victory put ACU on a four-game winning streak, which ended two days later. The Wildcats will try to add to the win column on Thursday as they face Eastern New Mexico in Portales, N.M. The Eastern New Mexico Zias own a dismal overall record of 3-14 with a 0-3 conference record. But, Coach Mock is not planning to cruise over the Zias.
“It really doesn’t matter what any other team’s record is or how they’ve been playing against other teams,” Mock said. “For example, we watched film on Kingsville, and they did not play as well on film as they did when came and played us.” Eastern New Mexico is on a seven-game losing streak, and the Wildcats will try to keep the streak going as they
attempt to rebound from their own loss against Texas A&M-Kingsville. “This whole week we’re working on boosting our spirits again,” Lowry said. “We can’t let one game affect the rest of our season because we have really good teams that we still have to play.”
E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b.edu
ViewsWednesday Optimist
Page 6
September 26, 2007
New lottery undermines social club goals
The problem:
The new pledging changes for the most part are good, but the new lottery system has raised questions and debate.
Many of the changes dealing with Social Club policy were necessary, but the university took things too far with the new lottery system. ACU has changed pledging guidelines, and frankly, it is about time. Did anybody consider that maybe some changes should have taken place two years ago, when a story about ACU hazing hit The Associated Press? The Social Club Advisory Committee divided the pledging process into two parts: the initiation phase and the provisional member phase.
Our view:
The lottery system caused too many problems and will inevitably cause women to feel differently about their clubs.
The solution:
While the new pledging changes have helped, we think a revision of the lottery system is necessary.
The initia- The lottery system has potential to have a negative club voted on tion phase will rushees to ofimpact on the womens’ clubs. last two weeks fer bids to. and will look Women not like pledgclubs and organizations, will voted into the ing during years past, with be called the “provisional club of their choice were enpledges walking around in member phase” and will con- tered into a pool and a lottery club colors, planning grubs sist of club members and system was used to decide and participating in secret provisional members. who was put into which club. club traditions. But the new lottery system has “During pledging there are Student Life will strictly caused the most controversy. days that you need to know monitor pledging activiAccording to the Social that ‘they wanted me’ and ties; pledges must obey the Club Handbook, “There will you rely on that information dreaded curfew; and morn- be a partial lottery system for to get you through pledging activities are banned. the women’s clubs.” All wom- ing activities,” said Katy EnThe second phase of en wishing to pledge ranked calade, ACU and Ko Jo Kai pledging, said Mauri West- all seven clubs in order from alumna. “Now, because of brook, director of student favorite to least. Then each the lottery system no one can
Alex York
Lebensgefahr
Abilene undeservedly called ‘A-town’ I stopped listening to the radio when I moved to Abilene. E v e r y time I listen, I just get annoyed. This is not just because the music selection is horrible, but Work In also because Progress they keep doing one Rachel thing over Davis and over again that drives me insane. The DJs keep calling this place “A-town.” I’m sorry, but Abilene is not A-town, nor will it ever be. You may be thinking, if Abilene isn’t A-town, what is? Well, that’s why I’m writing this column — to enlight-
Last time I checked, there weren’t any rap songs claiming people throw it down over on Cypress Street. en you on where the true Atown is. Ladies and gents, the real Atown happens to be Atlanta. Don’t get all in a tizzy about my hometown pride — Texans have enough state pride to fill the world. Twice. You might think I’m alone in claiming that Atlanta is the true A-town, but that’s not the case. Many agree and urbandictionary.com agrees as well. Search for A-town and see what comes up. There are a few posers out there, but they just don’t know. I’d also like to point out that Abilene is not even offered as a possible definition for A-town on the Web site. Many reputable songwrit-
ers such as Ludacris, Usher and Young Jeezy, point out in their songs that Atlanta is Atown. No one can argue that “Peace up, A-town down” isn’t referring to Atlanta. Abilene doesn’t exactly exude the amount of crunkness that kind of song requires. Or how about the great work “Snap Yo’ Fingers” that claims that’s “how we do it in the A-town?” I don’t think Lil’ Jon, E-40 and Sean Paul were talking about Abilene when they wrote that song, especially since they all live in Atlanta. The city of crunk is home to Def Jam and So So Def Records, and many other rappers like T.I., Outkast and Dem Franchize Boyz pro-
claim Atlanta as their place of residence. I’m sorry, but the last time I checked, there weren’t any rap songs about Abilene claiming people throw it down over on Cypress Street, or any rappers that have a mansion down by the Abilene Country Club. It’s a pretty small town in West Texas and about as far from “ghetto fabulous” as one can get, unless you’re kickin’ it with the cattle over in Baird. So next time you hear the radio DJs trying to call this place A-town, remember this lesson — the true holder of the coveted A-town title is, and will forever be, Atlanta.
E-mail Davis at: red04a@acu.edu, optimist@acu.edu
Lectureship illustrates generation gaps Your Voice Letter to the editor regarding topics at Lectureship. Lectureship this year served to epitomize the differences between our generation and the generation of our parents. Issues of social justice are exciting, but they are not new concepts for most ACU students. I could not help but notice comments by the visitors on campus this week, who were surprised and shocked at what was happening in the world unbeknownst to them.
Nonetheless, there was a noticeable absence of social justice groups this fall. It would seem that a theme like Micah would inspire the Lectureship planners to invite groups like Invisible Children, Save Darfur, Restore International and others to visit campus. The entire series was well put together, though there was one story in particular that forced me to come face to face with the generation gap. I was attending a class about the theology of seeking justice. The speaker explained that all Christians have an obligation not just to be by-
standers during oppression, but to actively seek justice and rescue for the hungry, the oppressed and the down trodden. This was too much for some of the older crowd. I witnessed as my elder brothers and sisters in faith scoffed and walked out on the speakers, exclaiming, “I’ve had enough of this.” My response is that the victims of oppression and poverty have had enough of the Christian church failing to answer the cries of desperation. Justice seems to be a popular topic lately, though it is not one readily heard on Sun-
day mornings. Issues of poverty, cultural elitism, classism, how we treat immigrants and people with different political views — these topics pop up for Lectureship and are shoved to the floor once the dust settles and visitors go home. “He has told you what is good O’ man, and what does the Lord ask of you but to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.
Brandon Smith Senior political science major from Olathe, Kan. bjs03a@acu.edu
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
E-mail the Optimist at: optimist@acu.edu
New service trend changes tourism Thanks to my post-high means time spent watching school summer spent selling Kenya’s wildlife in action, chocolate and charming tour- visiting a school for disists in my abled children and sleeping hometown’s in bed and breakfasts. MontanaI scoured the Web site made choco- for the cost of this 10-day late shop, I excursion and couldn’t find can distin- one — but a 10-day Kenyan guish a tour- safari through Good Earth ist from a na- Tours and Safaris bears a tive just about staggering $1,890 price tag Soar anywhere. per person, excluding the S c r a m - cost of a plane ticket. Subjects bling for Initially, philanthropy Kelsi maps, wear- tourism seemed to involve Peace ing outdated questionable motives and T-shirts and results at a staggering price slightly horrifying shorts — until I remembered my and spending money as if Spring Break Campaign to their credit card bill will Kaua’i, Hawaii, which also never arrive, tourists are cost more than $1,000 and the people we love to mock included enough time on and long to join. the beach for me to step But this fascinating demo- off the plane bronzed and graphic may be found more happy 10 days later. in desolate countries and Philanthropic tourism is less at Disneyland, thanks to merely another facet of our the latest travel trend: phil- insatiable desire for enteranthropic tourism. tainment — it may sound a According to the African little self-serving, but it rePro-Poor Tourism Develop- flects a common attitude. ment CenC o n d i tre, www. tioned from propoortourthe time we Sometimes we ism-kenya. first serve to forget service and org, a boost expect free in tourism days, cookenjoyment don’t have can mean to be separate elements outs and more jobs, nights off, of our experience. more reform sometimes and more we forget that potential for service and the impoverenjoyment ished citizens of develop- don’t have to be separate ing countries. elements of our experiThe International Insti- ence. The motive may not tute for Peace, www.iipt. be purely selfless, but the org, has a similar goal, em- end result could be pivphasizing cultural under- otal for poor communities standing and environmen- — and one more educated tal awareness while looking tourist could be one more to the tourism industry to passionate advocate when combat poverty. the traveler returns home. The underlying idea be- The motive behind the trip hind both is the often-quoted becomes insignificant if the philosophy that you can feed result is worthwhile. a man for life by teaching And just as we managed him to fish rather than sim- to paint two halfway housply handing him his dinner. es and the local Church of Tourism generates jobs, and Christ in Hawaii, I am conjobs help end poverty. fident this new breed of The institute coordinates tourist will leave his or her conferences as opposed mark on the community. to actual trips, unlike the Ecotourists may particiTourism Development Cen- pate for the trendy travel, tre in Kenya, which orga- the exotic destinations or a nizes ready-made safaris. desire to impact the world, The safaris blend the in- but regardless of the mocreasingly popular eco-tour- tive, this innovate way to ism (all environmentally- entertain, educate and affriendly) with a Fair-Trade fect promises to spread somentality — the organiza- cial justice awareness. tion pours its profits back I just hope they leave into the community. the bad shorts and tacky T“Pro-Poor” tourists can se- shirts at home. lect one of four ready-made safaris: an eco-safari, missionary safari, cultural safari or an educational safari. E-mail Peace at: A vacation like this knp04a@acu.edu, optimist@acu.edu
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
say that for sure. Girls will always have to wonder, was I wanted, or was my name drawn out of a hat?” We think the women who were voted into club and the women picked by lottery may be treated differently, and the women who were drawn by lottery could end up finding out. The lottery system has potential to have a negative impact on the womens’ clubs.
Editorial Board and News Staff Jared Fields
Published by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Newsroom: (325) 674-2439
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Online: www.acuoptimist.com
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Page 7
SPORTS JUMPS / FROM THE FRONT
Protest: Students pursue discussion through protest Continued from page 1 N.M., and Brooke Kucinsky, senior missions major from Fort Worth. The three students began discussing the possibility of having a protest on Sept. 21 because it is the International Day of Peace. The protest originated with a Facebook group that now has 100 members. The group featured discussions about war and how to deal with it. Many ideas expressed in this group transferred to ideas seen at the protest Friday. “We are so apathetic about everything,” Adcock said. “People don’t vote; they don’t know about anything beyond
pop culture.” Goncalves said the protest was not about debate, but rather about finding avenues of discussion to solve all issues of justice that affect the world today. “My question for ACU is this: Why can we talk about all these overtly political issues like abortion, and we can’t talk about war?” Goncalves said. “You say you want to change things. OK, let’s talk about something. We just want to see conversation sprung up. No one is protesting the troops or the Republican Party for that matter. It wasn’t meant to be political. Nobody was saying forsake the troops.” Despite their intentions, some onlookers saw the protest
as an attack against the war, and protester Thomas Robinson, senior English major from New York City, said he was afraid a fight might break out. “A lot of people got in our faces and said we weren’t behind the troops,” he said. “It was in no way about hate. I’m not there to yell at anyone. That’s not what this was about. I’m just as guilty as everyone else. We’re all part of the same system. That’s why we put blood on our hands.” Robinson said the protest was not about pointing fingers or challenging other people but urging people to follow the peaceful paths of Jesus. “What the world needs is a lot more love and a lot
more forgiveness,” Robinson said. “That’s what Jesus calls us to do. I’m sad about the whole situation; everywhere there is violence in the world. As a Christian, I think Jesus showed us forgiveness is better than revenge.” Josh Love, senior art and Biblical text double major from Portland, also supports the idea that peace comes through love, and he said Jesus’ love has already released the world from needing to fight for freedom. “There’s no point in pursuing peace if it calls us to hate people,” Love said. “It comes down to an argument about where freedom comes from. We seem to have this view that our
freedom wasn’t fought for, that we need to fight. The world was ransomed already. The world was freed when Jesus died.” Both Robinson and Love agree war in general is unnecessary. “I’m from New York. I watched the second tower fall,” Robinson said. “Genuinely, I feel like I’ve seen enough death for my life, and I don’t wish to see any more.” Robinson said he believes the answer to ending violence is seeking God for help. “The world is full of violence, and I’d like to believe God has the power to change that,” he said. “Jesus was all about peace. Jesus let himself get killed without raising a fin-
ger. Someone said, ‘Violence isn’t the answer, but it’s an answer.’ Sometimes the way of God is to not get an answer, and it’s hard to live that way, but it’s what he calls us to do.” Many protesters wish to continue the discussion of where to find this alternative answer to violence. While no plans have been made to do any further protests, Goncalves said he hopes too see more demonstrations happen in the future. Those interested in finding out more can contact Goncalves at pxg04e@ acu.edu or visit the Facebook group “Peace is the Way. (ACU anti-war protest).” E-mail Edens at: mxe06a@acu.edu
SA: Record number of organizations submit requests Continued from page 1 $35 per undergraduate student from the student activity, SA’s total revenue is about $146,000. Executive treasurer Kevan Kirksey said an executive officer student initiative fund was created this year to allow the Cabinet to fund projects for its constituents. SA used money from the fund to sponsor Welcome to Abilene in August. The fund has $2,750; class senators are allotted $250 and Congress is allotted $4,000 for its Con-
gressional project budget. In an effort to cut expenses, Cabinet members opted to stay in Abilene for the Cabinet retreat, cutting expenses to about $250 this year compared with about $2,200 spent on the retreat last fall, Worthington said. “We’re choosing to spend our money differently,” he said. The extra funds could be used in part to purchase a Macintosh computer for the chief communications officer to use for graphic and Web design, Worthington said. Currently, design is outsourced. The office also
Overtime: HSU game postponed Continued from page 8 ACU out-shot ASU 17-14 at the end of regulation and in the overtime period, the Wildcats out-shot the Rambelles 3-2. ACU is now third in the LSC, while Angelo is last in the conference. Despite it being the first conference match of the season, head coach Casey Wilson said he and assistant coach Thomas Pertuit treated this game like any other. “If we play our game, we can play with anybody,” Wilson said. Even though ACU came out with a win, the team acknowledges they still have corrections to make.
“I think, for the most part, we played well. We battled hard,” Wilson said. “I think the girls still know there’s still room for improvements and room to play better.” The Wildcats’ strength not only lied in their strong defense and their middle dominating the ball but also their overwhelming passion to win. The Wildcats were scheduled to play a non-conference game against Division III opponent Hardin-Simmons University on Tuesday, but the game was postponed because of weather. ACU’s next conference matchup will be against West Texas A&M on Saturday. E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu
Nationals: Women’s team heads to Waco Continued from page 8 “That would be the goal.” Squillaci and Rafolomanatsiatosika beat out two top 5 teams last season and achieved All-American status. “I’m pretty excited about nationals because we’re going to play good players,” Rafolomanatsiatosika said. “When you play good players and win, it proves you’re good, too.”
Freshman Jaclyn Walker made it to the semifinals before losing to Northeastern State’s Zuzanna Osinka, the ultimate champion of the tournament. The women’s team plays next weekend at Baylor, while the men have the weekend off.
E-mail Davis at: red04a@acu.edu
purchased a new computer, equipping each Cabinet member with a computer. In further effort to cut expenses, Worthington said SA has made a commitment to stay in homes rather than hotels for retreats in the future. Other SA expenses include executive officer scholarships, appointed officer scholarships, about $8,700 for internal operations expenses and student organization funds. Kirksey said this year about 42 organizations requested more than $130,000, which he said is the highest number in SA history.
Congress appropriated about $60,500 to student organizations, about 47 percent of requested funds. When appropriating funds to student organizations, Kirksey and chief financial officer Spencer Hemphill applied the budgetary principles and met with organization leaders to review requests. Organizations can also petition the appropriations committee for funding or meet with chief advancement officer Ryan Stephen to plan fundraising and explore grant options. According to the budgetary principles, SA will fund $150
per airline ticket, 41.5 cents per mile for gasoline, $65 per night for hotels and 50 percent of registration, conference and charter fees, among other guidelines. SA does not fund clothing or internal social club functions. Requests are viewed line by line, Kirksey said, and once approved, organizations do not receive a lump sum, but instead obtain a P-Card from the SA office, which acts as a credit card during the time the organization needs the funds. Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB) received
the largest sum with about $4,700, 30 percent of funds requested. The National Broadcasting Society received about $3,900, in part to fund new cameras, and Hispanos Unidos received about $3,700, including the cost of the Mariachi band for Entra a la Plaza on Friday. Ryan Stephen, chief advancement officer, said he will work with organizations to find outside sources of funding to supplement the funds, with the hope of freeing up more SA money for students. E-mail Peace at: knp04a@acu.edu
Bid Night: Pledges press on toward goal Continued from page 1 “The new rules actually fit our traditional Bid Night pretty easily,” Lawrence said. “We only had to tweak the times
a little bit to make sure the pledges were back for the 5 a.m. curfew.” Like Thomas, Lawrence said the best part of Bid Night was watching all of the pledg-
es work together. “The highlight of my night was watching the Flames work together to get their pledging necklaces,” Lawrence said. “It’s fun to see girls who are
just getting to know each other work together as a team to achieve their goal.”
E-mail Davis at: red04a@acu.edu
Burn room: Demonstration torches mock dorm Continued from page 1 about what can and can’t be brought into a dorm room,” said Kevin Claypool, residence director of Edwards Hall. “It shows how quick a
room can go up in flames. I have a decent amount of issues with candles, but I think the Burn Room helps justify to students why we say not to do things.” Tyler Lewis, sophomore business finance major from
Houston, said he wondered if a dorm room could really burn that fast. “It’s a scary thought to think that all I own is that flammable and can burn so quickly and easily,” Lewis said. Ellison puts the issue in a broader perspective.
“I think about how this is only one room,” Ellison said. “But imagine a long hallway full of oxygen and breeze. This could be much worse in a hall.”
E-mail Touchette at: optimist@acu.edu
Plaza: Cultural event draws international students Continued from page 1 echoed her sentiments. “I think it’s a great event because anything that ex-
emplifies culture and gives people a chance to be a part that culture is awesome.” Vidana said she thought the night was a success and
looks forward to Entra a la Plaza becoming an anticipated event on campus. “I hope this becomes a tradition year by year, and that
the event brings more people into the organization.”
E-mail Sutton at: les03c@acu.edu
Streak: Wildcats face struggling ENMU squad Continued from page 8 Moronu contributed with 41 assists and 13 digs, while senior libero Liz Snoddy had 17 digs and sophomore defensive specialist Amy Wilson had 14 digs. “We had a chance to play really well as a team,” Mock said. “We had a lot of fun. The girls had a great attitude throughout the
entire match.” The victory put ACU on a four-game winning streak, which ended two days later. The Wildcats will try to add to the win column on Thursday as they face Eastern New Mexico in Portales, N.M. The Eastern New Mexico Zias own a dismal overall record of 3-14 with a 0-3 conference record. But, Coach Mock is not planning to cruise over the Zias.
“It really doesn’t matter what any other team’s record is or how they’ve been playing against other teams,” Mock said. “For example, we watched film on Kingsville, and they did not play as well on film as they did when came and played us.” Eastern New Mexico is on a seven-game losing streak, and the Wildcats will try to keep the streak going as they
attempt to rebound from their own loss against Texas A&M-Kingsville. “This whole week we’re working on boosting our spirits again,” Lowry said. “We can’t let one game affect the rest of our season because we have really good teams that we still have to play.”
E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b.edu
SportsWednesday Optimist
Page 8
ScoreBoard Standings
September 26, 2007
Home split halts Wildcats’ winning streak
Scoreboard as of Tuesday
Football
Team
ENMU MSU Tarleton St. WTAMU ACU Angelo St. TAMU-K
Div. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Volleyball
Team
WTAMU Angelo St. Central Okla. MSU TX Woman’s ACU TAMU-K Cameron TAMU-C Tarleton SW Okla.
Div. 3-0 3-0 2-0 3-1 2-1 2-1 2-2 2-2 1-2 0-0 0-0
Overall 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 3-1 1-2 1-3 Overall 13-5 5-9 13-4 15-3 9-6 6-7 7-5 7-9 5-9 6-10 4-10
Women’s Soccer
Team
Div. 2-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-1 East Central 1-1 TAMU-C 0-0 WTAM 0-1 TX Woman’s 0-1 SW Okla. 0-1 Angelo St. 0-2 UCO ENMU ACU NE Okla. MSU
Overall 7-2-1 7-2 6-4 5-2 4-1-2 4-4-2 4-5 6-2 3-6-1 0-10 2-6-1
Assistant Sports Editor
By Michael Freeman
Volleyball
After extending their winning streak to four games on Thursday against Tarleton State, the Wildcat volleyball team’s run came to a halt Saturday as they fell to Texas A&M-Kingsville. The loss was the Wildcats’ first in conference play, and ACU now holds a 6-7 overall record with a 2-1 conference record. “Kingsville came in very fired up for the match,” head coach Kellen Mock said. “They played very good volleyball. And it was a different style of volleyball than what they had done in the past. We struggled to adjust our game.” Texas A&M-Kingsville, under new head coach Shannon Alvarado, entered Saturday’s match in Moody Coliseum with a tenacious game plan of keeping the ball
in play. The plan worked as the Javelinas took the match 30-26, 30-25, 30-32, 30-28. During the match, the Wildcats were unable to get comfortable as they faulted 13 times while on serve. “We missed a lot of serves,” Mock said. “And when we got the serve in-bounds, it was an easy serve to pass. So we were pretty much always on defense, and that’s a really hard way to play a match.” The win propelled Texas A&MKingsville to 7-6 overall and 2-2 in the conference. Senior outside hitter Abbie Lowry led the Wildcats with 19 kills and 13 digs in the loss. “I don’t think our team played the best we’ve played before,” Lowry said. “I think we’re all frus-
Texas A&M-Kingsville 3, ACU 1
trated with that loss because we all know we could’ve done a lot better, but it’s just something we’re going to have to put behind us and move on.” The Wildcats will attempt to get back to the form they were in during the Tarleton State match on Thursday in Moody Coliseum. “We were extremely confident and very aggressive in that match,” Mock said. “We were very successful in throwing Tarleton off their game.” ACU blanketed the TexAnns 30-22, 30-24, 30-24 as three Wildcats finished with double-digit kill totals. Lowry ended with 13 kills, while junior middle blocker Lauren Leone finished with 12 kills and sophomore outside hitter Erin Curry had 11 kills to go along with 10 digs. Freshman setter Ijeoma See
STREAK page 7
brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Freshman middleblocker Shawna Hines and senior outside hitter Abbie Lowry block a Lady Javelina spike on Saturday.
Reaching Nationals
Wildcats start LSC play with overtime victory By Christina Johnson Sports Writer
Scores Thursday VOLLEYBALL ACU 3, Tarleton State 0
Friday WOMEN’S SOCCER ACU 1, Angelo State 0 (OT)
Saturday FOOTBALL ACU 50, Southwestern Oklahoma State 14
VOLLEYBALL Texas A&M-Kingsville 3, ACU 1
Upcoming Thursday VOLLEYBALL ACU at Eastern New Mexico, 7 p.m.
Friday WOMEN’S SOCCER ACU at West Texas A&M, 3 p.m.
WOMEN’S TENNIS ACU at Baylor Invitational, TBA
Saturday FOOTBALL ACU vs. Eastern New Mexico, 7 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL ACU at West Texas A&M, 2 p.m. n Home games listed in italics
brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior Juan Nunez stretches for a shot against Cameron University opponent Nicholas Mascheroni during the ITA Regional tournament at Rose Park Tennis Center on Saturday. Nunez and his doubles partner junior Ryan Hudson advanced to the ITA National Championships in Mobile, Ala.
Doubles teams qualify for national tourney By Rachel Davis Opinion Editor
Tennis
Four ACU tennis players moved on to the national tournament this weekend after winning their respective ITA Central Region doubles titles at Eager Tennis Center on Sunday. Juniors Ryan Hudson and Juan Nunez will represent the men’s team, and junior Irene Squillaci and senior Aina Rafolomanatsiatosika will represent the women’s team at the ITA Small College National Championships in Mobile, Ala., on Oct. 10-13.
“Since the beginning of the year, Ryan and I knew we had big expectations for winning regionals,” Nunez said. “We were just focusing on trying to do that, and it happened.” Nunez also made it to the singles final before losing 6-2, 6-2 to Incarnate Word’s Henry Estrella. “I felt like Juan and Ryan could be our best shot to win,” head coach Hutton Jones said. “To see them get that win was pretty satisfying.” ACU had a monopoly in the women’s final as
n The intramural schedule in the Optimist is subject to change and is not permanent. Any changes can be viewed on the intramural bulletin board in Moody Coliseum.
Thursday MEN’S CHAMP FLAG FOOTBALL 2nd Stringers vs. Team U-NITE, Larry Sanders Field 1, 9 p.m. GSP vs. Starlight Bandits, Larry Sanders Field 1, 10 p.m.
WOMEN’S CHAMP FLAG FOOTBALL Alpha Kai vs. Siggies, Larry Sanders Field 2, 9 p.m.
For complete intramural scores and schedules visit: w w w. a c u o p t i m i s t . c o m
ter what happened,” Rafolomanatsiatosika said. “But in the semifinals I knew Irene and I would get into the finals.” Players from each region go on to the national tournament. There are eight regions overall, and the tennis team has had many players advance to the national tournament but only had one individual champion in 1992, Jones said. “I think Aina and Irene have as good a chance as any to bring home our first doubles title,” Jones said. See
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Offensive outburst pushes ACU to easy victory By Daniel Johnson Sports Editor
Intramural Round-up
Squillaci and Rafolomanatsiatosika beat junior Sarah Drummond and senior Meagan Brown. “The greatest position for a coach is when your teams face each other in the finals,” Jones said. “I wasn’t rooting for either team, just for a good match.” Rafolomanatsiatosika said it wasn’t too bad playing her fellow teammates because she’s played them in practice, but it was a little weird playing against them for real competition. “I wasn’t really in the zone for that game, but I was willing to win no mat-
The ACU women’s soccer team won its first Lone Star Conference game after beating Angelo State in overtime 1-0 Friday. ACU improved to 6-4 and 1-0 in LSC play after freshman forward Lyndsey Womack scored an Soccer unassisted goal in ACU 1, ASU 0 the 104th minute to win the game. Womack’s scored in the second overtime of the match, after both teams failed to score in regulation. The goal came from a 10 second attack that started with sophomore defender Alyson Thomas passing the ball to freshman midfielder Sadie Barton, who then advanced it to Womack. “The overall strength of the game for us was that we didn’t give up,” Wilson said. “We controlled the game.” Womack’s season total of seven goals is second in the LSC for total goals, and Womack is also second in the conference for goals per game. Goalie sophomore Allison Egan held her ground in the midst of the game. Egan gained four clutch saves, improving her record to 2-2, while ASU goalie Natalie Shannon had a total of 10 saves in the game.
The nationally ranked ACU football team rolled through Weatherford, Okla., on Saturday, amassing 601 total offense yards and six touchdowns in the 50-14 rout of Southwestern Oklahoma State University. ACU blew out the Bulldogs — the Lone Star Conference North Division’s best defense before the loss — for its second straight win on the road to put the No. 17 Wildcats at 3-1 on the season. “It’s crazy,” said junior quarterback Billy Malone. “We’ve got the full package. I’d hate to be the defensive coordinator against us.” Senior wide receiver Jerale Badon was the star of the blowout after his 98-yard, twotouchdown performance was enough to make him ACU’s alltime leader in receiving yards. Badon’s performance upped his career total to 180 catches for 2,554 yards and 15 touch-
Football ACU 50, SWOSU 14 downs, as the Abilene native passed the late Johnny Perkins on a 33-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter against the Bulldogs. The alltime receiving yards record is the second Badon has broken this season, Badon broke the alltime receptions record in ACU’s 27-17 loss to the University of Central Oklahoma on September 2. Badon is also one catch away from breaking the LSC career catches record, which is held by former East Texas State receiver Gary Compton. “It just felt good to get it off my back, so I can continue to play football and stop thinking about it,” Badon said. “I’ve never been the person to just think about records playingwise, but it felt good to know that I’m part of history.” The win was ACU’s third straight in which the Wildcats have scored more than 40 points and their second-
straight over an LSC opponent. It also propelled them up one spot from No. 18 to No. 17 in the American Football Coaches’ Association Division II Poll. “Our offense really stepped up and set the tone,” said head coach Chris Thomsen. Junior running back Bernard Scott recorded his third straight game in which he has run for more than 100 yards and scored at least one touchdown. Scott’s 132-yard performance in Weatherford, Okla., puts his three-week total at 432 yards and seven touchdowns. Scott is ranked No. 13 in the nation for rushing yards per game and total rushing yards. Scott and the rest of ACU’s ground attack tallied 281 yards and three touchdowns against the Bulldogs. “The running game is something we really wanted to improve on, and so far we have been able to perform on that,” Thomsen said. Malone threw one of his best outings of the season.
brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior wide receiver Jerale Badon runs past Texas State defenders on Sept. 8. After his 98-yard performance against Southwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday, Badon is the new ACU all-time leader in receiving yards. Malone was 22 of 27 for 302 yards and threw four touchdowns in the rout. Four games into the season, ACU’s offense is No. 13 in the NCAA Division II football, with the Wildcats’ passing and rushing offense in the top 30 of the nation.
“I just hope we can keep scoring like this,” Malone said. ACU’s next game will be at home against an undefeated Eastern New Mexico squad in Portales, N.M.
E-mail Johnson at: optimist@acu.edu