Noble Kings won’t take pledges for fall semester Page 2
FEATURE
FIRST FEMALE STUDENT GOES TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA Page 4
A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
Friday, September 29, 2017 Vol. 106, Issue 06
SPLASH TO CLASS
CHRISTI LIM GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Grace-Kelly Muvunyi, junior nutrition major from Rwanda, enters the Campus Center on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. She and other students try to stay dry in wet weather.
CALENDAR 9/29 •
Bid Night
•
ISA Volleyball Night 8:30 p.m. Gym D
9/30 •
Volleyball v. New Orleans at 1 p.m.
10/3 •
National Night Out hosted by ACU PD at 6 p.m. in the Mall Area
•
Shinnery Review Poetry Slam at 7:30 p.m.
10/6 •
Cabinet cooking class
BOX OFFICE SEPTEMBER 22-24 1. Kingsman: The Golden Circle $39,023,010 2. It
$29,757,494 3. The LEGO Ninjango Movie $20,433,071 4. American Assassin $6,255,617 5. mother!
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23
DAYS UNTIL
HOMECOMING NEWS
MABEE WEST WINS FRESHMAN FOLLIES Page 2
Endowment fund exceeds yearly expectations BY EVAN RODRIGUEZ WEB EDITOR
In 1991, when Jack Rich joined the university as chief financial officer, the endowment was valued at $50 million. Fast forward to today, and the endowment currently sits between $395$400 million with Jack Rich serving as the chief investment officer for the endowment. The investment strategy for the endowment has gone through many iterations since the 1940s. In the ‘40s,
Endowment Returns
the endowment consisted mainly of royalties interests in oil and gas, with some still providing value to this day. In the 90’s, investment were made into primarily fixed income assets, such as stock and bonds. Nowadays, the endowment is invested in a plethora of asset classes ranging from public equities in domestic and emerging markets, hedge funds, private equity, real estate and fixed income assets. Notably, the endowment also manages a 25,000-acre
ranch in West Texas and has been working for the last three years on ways to monetize the property. “We are actively working on a wind farm on that facility” Rich said. “We are opti-
mistic that it will actually be started in spring to summer of next year.” Rich said that the most worriesome economic factor going forward, which might impact the endow-
In July 2016, Wholly Cow received a commercial loan of $30,000 from Western Bank with a 6.75% interest rate. According to court documents, Western Bank sent a notice of default letter to the Wholly Cow holding company on Jan. 20, 2017, claiming the monthly payment had not been made. The company owed to Western bank $725.00 per month to be paid over 47 months, according to the lawsuit. Western Bank filed a commercial debt lawsuit in Texas’ 42nd District Court against Wholly Cow on Feb. 20, 2017, claiming to have received no response to the notice of default letter, according to the lawsuit. A
month later, on March 22, a sign was posted on the doors of Wholly Cow stating that the store would be closed “until further notice.” Wholly Cow owner Andy Nuncio, who was also named in the suit, could not be reached for comment, and the Taylor County Court records did not list an attorney for Nuncio or the Wholly Cow corporation. Michael Rodriguez, former manager of the restaurant, would not comment on the record. Wholly Cow employed many ACU students during its five years of operation. Tabitha Culpepper, an employee for a year and half and a 2015 graduate, said that she started to experience shorter shifts and
was not being scheduled as much. She finally made the decision to quit because she was not making enough money. Lauryn Westbrook, another employee who experienced shorter shifts and reduced hours in the final months of the restaurant’s operation, said she understood tips from the cash register tip jar were intended to be used for monthly meetings and employee-of-themonth honors. “In the seven months I worked there,” Westbrook, “we never had an employee of the month or monthly meetings.” A Lubbock attorney representing Western Bank, John Shanklin, said the restaurant owners to
*Benchmark calculated using the performance of the All Country World Index and Barclays Global Aggregate. With 70% of the benchmark calculated from the ACWI and 30% from the BGA.
one-year annualized return
three-year annualized return ACU Endowment
five-year annualized return
ten-year annualized return
Benchmark*
ment, is the potential over valuation of the U.S. stock market. “The conversation in the endowment world is that things look like they are over valued, especially in the united states,” Rich said “We have a pretty diversified portfolio, we have wide spread investments so hopefully we could weather that slow down.”
EMR16C@ACU.EDU
Wholly Cow faces lawsuit over $30,000 loan BY EVAN RODRIGUEZ AND MADISON FICHTNER
The owners of Wholly Cow, which closed its doors in the Radford Hills Shopping Center last fall, are facing a lawsuit filed by its financiers. Western Bank of Lubbock sued Wholly Cow Burgers Abilene South LLC over an unpaid debt of $29,315.12. Wholly Cow closed in late March after not opening some days and early closings throughout the beginning of the year, said former employees. At the same time, the company’s south Abilene location, which has been converted from a Wholly Cow restaurant to a Wing Machine restaurant, closed about the same time.
date have not responded to the lawsuit. In general, if a defendant fails to respond to a court citation in a consumer debt lawsuit, the plaintiff will ask the court to enter a default judgement against the defendant, though Western Bank’s lawyers have not done so. “As to why they closed, if you can’t pay your debts, you’re going to be closed,” said Shanklin of Lubbock’s McCleskey, Harriger, Brazill & Graf LLP. According to the Taylor County Appraisal District, the south location owed $2,513.48 to Taylor County in unpaid property taxes. OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
SA passes budget, funds memorial for Schuetz
BY HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF
The Students’ Association Congress passed bills at its weekly Wednesday meeting to fund a memorial and tithe 10 percent of the fall budget. Rachel Jones, junior class president, wrote a bill to give $750 to help build a memorial for Celina Schuetz. Schuetz died in a car accident on the way to
Abilene in August. “I know that she holds a very near and dear place in many hearts at ACU,” said Jones, junior communication major from San Antonio. “I also think that it’s really important to recognize students who have passed away, because ACU is such a family that there really is something missing.” SA will choose the type
of monument to build later, but Jones said it will probably be similar to the plaques made for Katie Kirby and Casey Ellis, two students who died last year. Kevin Shurtz, College of Arts and Sciences representative, wrote the bill to tithe a percentage of the total budget with the SEE CONGRESS PAGE 2
W W W. A C U O P T I M I S T. C O M
PHOTO BY HOLLY DORN
SA executive cabinet is Ruhika Roy (right), Danny Burke (middle), Julia Kennedy (left).
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Congress: SA starts tithe fund CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
SA will choose the type of monument to build later, but Jones said it will probably be similar to the plaques made for Katie Kirby and Casey Ellis, two students who died last year. Kevin Shurtz, College of Arts and Sciences representative, wrote the bill to tithe a percentage of the total budget with the support of executive president Danny Burke. Burke first presented the idea to Congress during the congressional retreat earlier in September. “We’re a Christian body, and he wanted to do something in accordance with what he thought would be the best way to serve God and also serve the student body,” Shurtz said. Congress voted to give the money to the International Rescue Mission during the first Congress meeting, but no bill was written or passed. Shurtz said he and some other representatives appreciated Burke’s idea but didn’t think it would serve the purpose of SA allocations. “Some of us felt that taking up money and spending it off campus exceeded the scope of Student Congress,” Shurtz said. Shurtz worked with Burke to write a new bill that will use the tithe “for the advancement of God’s kingdom throughout the world,” according to the bill. The new bill requires the funds to be given to organizations that further the Gospel and are affiliated with the university. The bill also allows the executive cabinet to choose the organization based on the bill guidelines, within the next two weeks. Shurtz said he didn’t want to require Congress to choose because that would require another bill and could take even more time to make a decision. The tithe, which totals $8,382, will likely be given to World Wide Witness, Shurtz said. The budget totaled $167,645 for both the fall and spring semesters. According to the SA bylaws, only 45 percent of the funds can be allocated to student groups, so SA distributed $37,720 to student groups for the fall semester. The rest of the money will go to tailgates, congressional projects and cabinet projects. Although 80 student groups fall under SA’s purview, only 64 groups will be funded because some groups failed to meet with the executive cabinet in time to get funding. HRR13B@ACU.EDU
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
Freshmen acts celebrate follies wins
BY HANNAH JOHNSON STAFF REPORTER
Freshman Follies closed its curtains on the Challenge Accepted performances and announced the winners last Saturday. Each act competed in four categories: entertainment, appearance, originality and preparation. With their rendition of “Sound of Music,” Gardner 2nd East hall won one of the top two women’s performances. Their take on the classic musical, named “Sound of Gardner,” showed the transitions of college life from freshman year to senior year. Maggie Dye, freshman ad/PR major from Carrolton, participated in the winning act. “We worked really hard for this,” said Dye. “So it’s nice to see that we won.” The girls of Gardner 3rd West and Center halls won the other top spot with their Olympic-themed “Family Games” act. The performance consisted of a competition with both halls competing against each other. “We had a bunch of relay
HOLLY DORN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
races and we were like competing, but then in the end come together as a family which was the real challenge,” said Olivia Sula, freshman biology major from Salado who participated in the act. “It was good to have it pay off.” Freshmen Christian Oliver, biology major from Atlanta; LJ Brodie, theatre major from Mesquite; and Brendan Burl, computer science major from Cedar
Park celebrate their victory. The Mabee 3rd West gentlemen won the top guys performance for their funky song-and-dance act. Christian Oliver, freshman biology major from Atlanta, said he felt his group was in sync with the whole dance. “It’s just a real blessing to be around guys that can dance and sing as good as they do,” said Oliver. The Mabee 1st West
group was awarded an honorable mention with their performance tied to the “Wheel of Misfortune.” The group portrayed a television show that had the guys, most in colorful onesies, go through a series of challenges. Three group acts drew attention to the saying “ring by spring,” a common phrase describing a college girl getting engaged by the
spring of their senior year. Nick Tatum, director of Freshman Follies, gave his thoughts on this year’s performances and said they have done well for the time the freshman halls were given. “They only had four weeks,” said Tatum. “And I’m proud of what they did in four weeks.” OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
Springboard adds more contests for startup teams BY ASHLAN SMITH STAFF REPORTER
The Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy is hosting the annal Springboard contest which will run from Sep. 2017 to May 2018. The goal is to give students the opportunity to win a certain amount of money that will help them start up their business idea. Over the past years many aspiring entrepreneurs got the chance to submit their business ideas, and to see their creations come to life. On the website it states: “Over the past decade Springboard has awarded over a half a million dollars to aspiring entrepreneurs and served as a way to connect, train and encourage regional startups.” The Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy was launched in 2011 and has given several students the opportunities to show off their ideas. On the Springboard website there is a track named ACU Campus for undergraduate students to get involved with the contest, with a prize
amount of $10,000. “ Te a m s will participate in elevator pitch competition in the fall semester and compete for $10,000 in seed funding through a 3-credit course in the spring semester.” Springboard has a track called ‘BE in Abilene’, that will help young companies grow in Abilene, with a prize amount of $250,000. The deadline to enter this track is Oct. 31. Two students won two weeks ago from their idea of making a more durable pocket case for cellphones. Seth Stone, a sophomore accounting and finance major from San Angelo, and Josh Hargett, a junior marketing and management major from San Angelo. The prize amount for their busi-
ART IN ABILENE
Mental health art gala BY PHOEBE VOSS STAFF REPORTER
ness pitch was $100 that was split between Hargett and Stone. Hargett and Stone are looking in to selling their product at the ACU campus store. Haggert said they are in the process of making prototypes using the 3-D printer. Students interested in the competition can find more information on the ACU Springboard website, springboard@acu.edu or Karen Heflin, Springboard program coordinator, at karen. heflin@acu.edu.
Mental Health America of Abilene will be hosting their first annual art gala from 6-9 p.m. this Sunday, Oct. 1. at Vagabond Pizza. Curated by mixed media artist, T.M. Grand, the show will feature works from many local artists of Abilene. Each piece has some connection with mental health struggles and healing and 20 percent of proceeds from the art will go to Mental Health America of Abilene. The mission of MHAA is to provide leadership and support for hope, recovery, and mental wellness for all. Vagabond, a trendy and popular pizza restaurant downtown, is expecting a big turnout and hopes the event gets them more involved with the community. After selling $50 tickets for about one month, MHAA has nearly reached full capacity for the event. For more information search @abilenemha on Facebook.
OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
ARTS@JMCNETWORK.COM
Seth Stone and Josh Hargett
Noble Kings to wait until spring semester to take pledges BY HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF
The men’s social club Nu Kappa Psi, also called Noble Kings, will not take pledges in the fall and will wait until the spring to accept new members. Noble Kings president Shakur Smith said the club will focus on laying foundations for traditions and values while fundraising for
club expenses. “We don’t have alumni to pull from like other clubs have,” Smith said. The club is looking for another sponsor to join its current sponsor Dr. Jerry Taylor, associate professor of Bible, missions and ministry. Changes to pledging also affected the club’s choice not to take pledges this fall, Smith said.
“We want to take time to observe the climate and see what’s going on,” Smith said. “We don’t want to run into something that’s starting to change.” The club officially rechartered last year with 27 members. Although some members graduated, this year the club has a total of 18 members. The club did not have traditional formals
and socials, but Smith said the club did bonfires or whatever members wanted to do. The club did not participate in Sing Song, but some members helped women’s social club Tri Kappa Gamma with its act. When Noble Kings first started in 2015, the founding members’ goal was to bring a more diverse club to campus. With predomi-
nantly black members, the club developed a reputation of being a “black club.” “Being a black club has no negative connotations to us,” Smith said. “We’re not exclusive. Anyone who can embrace our culture and our values can be a part of what we’re doing.” HRR13B@ACU.EDU
POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 09/20/2017 9:30 p.m. Students who live off-campus reported that a fellow-student from a rival social club burglarized their house, stole club items, then fled. The victims chased them, calling police, who eventually detained them at Grape and Ambler. Victims refused to file charges, case referred to Student Life for conduct review. 09/22/2017 8:42 p.m. ACUPD investigated a report of a student stealing a shopping cart from Wal-Mart on Highway 351. ACUPD located the students with the cart in Mabee Hall, recovered the cart and identified the offenders. 09/23/2017 11:53 pm. APD dispatched ACUPD to the 400 block of College Drive on a report of underage alcohol consumption. Officers contacted two ACU student residents who denied making alcohol available to minors and said they were checking ID’s at the door. They were advised of the complaint and applicable Texas laws regarding making alcohol available to minors. 911 CALL ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY ALARM ALCOHOL INCIDENT ASSAULT ASSIST BARRICADES BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK BURGLARY (MOTOR VEHICLE) BURGLARY (RESIDENCE) BURGLARY
3 15 2 2 1 2 5 12 1 4
(STORAGE SHED) 1 CHECK BUILDING 333 CITATION ISSUANCE 2 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 1 ELEVATOR RESCUE 1 ESCORT 3 EVENT SUPPORT 1 FIGHT 1 FINGERPRINTING SERVICE 1 FOOT PATROL 29 FOUND PROPERTY 5 HIT & RUN 1 INFORMATION REPORT 1
INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP LOST PROPERTY MEDICAL EMERGENCY MONITOR FACILITY/LOT MOTORIST ASSIST: INFLATE TIRE MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART MOTORIST ASSIST: OTHER MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK NOISE VIOLATION
8 4 3 7 2 5 1 2 1
OTHER PARKING LOT PATROL PARKING VIOLATION PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL RANDOM PATROL REPORT WRITING SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY SUSPICIOUS PERSON SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE TERRORISTIC THREAT THEFT
4 32 10 2 11 17 29 2 4 1 1 3
TRAFFIC STOP TRAINING VEHICLE COLLISION WELFARE CHECK TOTAL
11 5 1 8 601
POLICE CHIEF TIP OF THE WEEK: Avoid $20 Parking Citations: Get your 2017-18 Parking permit & Remember that parking in any nonstriped area is a violation.
N E WS
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
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Midnight Worship becomes official student organization BY ERICA ROBBINS STAFF REPORTER
Midnight Worship has changed locations from North Beltway Church to The Well Church. Although the weekly event switched buildings, it is still at midnight every Friday and is available for Spiritual Formation Event credits. Former Midnight Worship member Chistow Langston, who is now The Well’s worship minister, offered for Midnight Worship to use their building. Jax Pimentel, sophomore engineering major from Abilene and student administrator for Midnight Worship said, “The Well was just extremely gracious and reached out to us first this year. They believe in what is happening here at Midnight Worship.” Gabi Ramirez, marketing director of Midnight Worship, said they desire to have more McMurry Univer-
PHOTO BY ALLISON BROWN
sity and Hardin Simmons University students become involved to unify a larger Abilene college community. “Midnight Worship should not just be an ACU thing,” said Gabi Ramirez, the junior ad/PR major from San Antonio, said. “We are actively working on ways to do this, but
no inspiration has struck yet; but we will get there.” “We do not want to be someone’s church, but be an outlet for college students,” said Shane Sargeant, sophomore engineering major from Castroville, and student administrator for Midnight Worship.
Keely Smith, the volunteer coordinator, said every week is musically different. “I think it’s just really cool just to see what maybe one song this week or maybe next week might speak to the same person both weeks or might speak to different people that are going through different situations,” said Smith, junior music major from Fort Worth. A weekly volunteer for Midnight Worship, Nick Gonzales, said he regularly gets caught up in school and extracurricular activities, losing Jesus as his center. “I feel like Midnight is such a blessing for me because it is just a time that all my friends come and worship,” said Gonzales,
sophomore worship minister major from Odessa. “By the time I leave I feel reset and refocused.” Midnight Worship is now considered an official club under Students Association this year.
Students who want to get involved with Midnight Worship can follow the team on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
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FE ATU RE
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
The Future
M is s Medi ca l Miss io n ary Kristen Brehm becomes the first woman to travel to Papua New Guinea through World Wide Witness
PHOTO BY EMILY GUAJARDO
BY EMILY GUAJARDO ARTS AND FEATURES EDITOR
A
midst potential danger, social disorder and a lack of empathic love for one another, a group of World Wide Witness medical students decided to embark on the journey to Papua New Guinea. While this trip has been taken for a number of years through the program, this time was a tad different – they took a woman. For the first time, a blond-haired, blue-eyed, freckled-face girl was about to join the realms of a strict patriarchal society where men are the dominate – and only – leaders of society. With only a few key pointers and essentials on the native culture, Kristen Brehm, a senior biochemistry major from Flower Mound, pushed herself out of her western comfort and dived headfirst into a country where she is seen as inferior, worthless and even disposable. For the first time in her life where being an American was valued and being white would elevate her status among the people, being a woman was something to be ashamed of. “Women there are seen as the lowest bar of society and as a woman in that culture, I would have to humble myself and follow the cultural guidelines expected of females,” said Brehm, as her eyes looked up in remembrance. “And that was a very overwhelming task, and they didn’t really know what having a woman on the team would really entail.” Brehm explained how life in Papua New Guinea was difficult, to say the least. Women are expected to cover up their bodies from neck to toe, keep their eyes glued to the dungy floor, and are constantly surrounded by men at all times for protection from other men. With one man behind, in front of and beside her, Brehm found
that life in Papua New Guinea for a woman is vastly a 180-degree flip compared to everyday life in the states. Brehm said how she was fortunate enough to have male colleagues around her whom she considered friends. However, simply by her womanly presence, this made the men more susceptible to threats. “When I was on the missionary compound, it was a pretty safe place because of all the different types of people that were there,” said Brehm. “But when we would go into town, it was very different. We were immediately in PNG world. One time we went to the marketplace and this truck pulled up and all of men guys piled out and they came up to me. They were catcalling me, reaching out to touch me, licking their lips at me, whistling and one even tried to step on the edge of my skirt when I was walking away. The guys instantly came to either side of me and just took me away. We didn’t look back and simply kept walking forward. I had to pretend like I didn’t hear what they were saying. People there have nothing to lose and no social boundaries and rules.”
F
ellow missionary colleagues like Cameron Ludwig, a senior biology major from New Guinea, said the people of PNG are used to their own way of life. They still practice animism, which is the belief that objects carry spirits and so the believers live their lives accordingly. For this reason, they live in underdeveloped areas and jungles where the nature of the beast roams free – no rules, boundaries or ordinances. “The people of PNG are just different. I lived there with my family for my whole life and am used to walking with my sisters everywhere and knowing what some remarks mean and what others don’t,” said Ludwig. “The people there are just stuck in
their own world and that’s just how it is.” Even by having a female on the team, Ludwig said Brehm didn’t necessarily bring anything new to the table nor did she put them in any immediate danger. She was able to accept the social contracts of the town, humble herself without protest and remain silent when asked to. “She really was able to roll with the guys and act accordingly when we were around town, so we didn’t have any problems that occurred on our part because of her lack of submission,” Ludwig said. Brehm explains how she had to change for the guys. Whether that was jumping off waterfalls, going into town or simply attending an event, wherever the guys wanted to go or do, Brehm had to tag along or remain at the base. “They didn’t look or treat me differently and say things like ‘we’re going to go jump off a waterfall’ and my answer was ‘OK, let’s go’,” said Brehm. “I think me being that type of adventurous person really helped out a lot because not just any woman can do this. And maybe that’s why they were so hesitant on allowing me come on the trip. I would have to agree that not showering for a couple of days was okay and not having any personal girl time. I was constantly surrounded by guys, but that’s just what it was and that’s what I signed up for.” While on the trip, the students packed up for medical trips across the span of the country. The team packed multiple vaccines, quick pain remedies and hodgepodge medicines for maximum relief. They then piled into tiny airplanes. Tyler Cepica, a sophomore biochemistry major from Lubbock, said the team was focused on curing or alleviating pain that could be easily prevented.
When arriving at the scene, Cepica said the team assisted physicians with boils, scrapes, backaches and some procedures like ultrasounds. Brehm remembers how eager mothers where to give their child to the “white doctor” poking their babies with needles as their child cries aloud – their screams echoing in her ears and yet unheard by the community. “It was amazing to see how these women allowed their children to be handled by the doctors,” said Brehm. “They didn’t mind that their child was screaming because of the vaccination because they knew that whatever the ‘white doctor’ was giving them was good.”
H
er voice cracked as she recalled stories of women explaining details of their lives such as period huts, or small tents where menstruating women were summoned until their bodies became clean once again. These women would bleed for days on a small cloth until she was allowed to emerge and join society once more. Brehm’s face began to fall with heartache as she later described one young woman who could not stand to be unclean during her period and would roll wet moss from the ground into a tampon for the sole purpose of reclaiming the essence of purity. “That night, I just laid in bed and I silently cried,” said Brehm. “Because this woman is putting bacteria, infested things inside of her body in an attempt to try to have some type of pride. And I have pride in knowing I am a daughter of the King and that I am a woman, and they have no pride. That just made me really sad.” Brehm’s voice cracked as she forced herself from allowing a tear to run down her face. Then she took a couple long breaths. “We have so much privilege in
“Women there are seen as the lowest bar of society and as a woman in that culture, I would have to humble myself and follow the cultural guidelines expected of females,” said Kristen America and it saddens me that the people of New Guinea don’t know the God that I know,” said Kristen as her tired eyes look across the room. Her face softened, causing her intense blue eyes to sparkle amidst her recollection of the faint memories. Like many World Wide Witness students, Brehm and Ludwig wanted to experience life without Christ, without the preconceived notion that protection, societal status and basic human rights are granted. “I don’t know if ‘enjoyed’ is the right word because I gained a lot of perspective than anything else,” said Brehm. “I wouldn’t use the word ‘enjoyed’ because seeing the extreme poverty and lack of Christ love in those people wasn’t enjoyable – it was heartbreaking. I got to see what a world is like when Jesus is unknown.” Brehm explains how the whole point of going to New Guinea was not to be the first female to embark on the trip nor was it to achieve a once in a lifetime medical mission trip. Rather, it was to make a difference in the community at whatever the cost. “Having a female on the team is a great asset to have since some patients prefer a female to look at them instead of male,” said Cepica. “By being a woman, Kristen was able to see things differently and challenge us in different ways.” EAG13A@ACU.EDU
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
OP IN ION
You’re not meant to be stuck in a bubble THE ISSUE
Students tend to be in a bubble, more focused on our immediate problems than the problems in the world.
OUR TAKE
The Editorial Board believes that we should pop our “bubble” and take part in world issues. Y’all, the ‘ACU Bubble’ is real. We know that most don’t want to believe that it does, but we have a responsibility to recognize it and overcome it. Basically, if an issue doesn’t affect us, we tend to not pay much attention to it, if any. We think that this needs to change. According to current science, our world is our only viable option for living. So if this is our only shot, why do we separate ourselves into categories? And why do these categories dictate how involved we are with others in our world?
Categorizing our life helps us to keep from getting overwhelmed. We worry if we start to care about one thing outside of the bubble, we’ll be inundated with pleas for help. There’s just too many GoFundMe’s and charities to keep track of. College is already stressing us out enough, right? So this is our challenge to you; let go of your bubble, whether it’s the one around ACU or your own. What happens here in Abilene is important because this is our home. But those natural disasters happening overseas are also really im-
portant; they affect people just like you even if you don’t know them. Start reading the news. Even though you may not see the correlation, you do have an impact on almost everything. Donating a little of your time to familiarizing yourself with what’s going on in the world can truly be rewarding. You begin to be able to keep up in a political or issue based conversation. More than that, you’ll start feeling more connected to the world around you, and your bubble will begin to shrink without so much as a conscious effort. Find a way that you can help or make an impact. So maybe you think that even if you pay attention to these issues, you probably won’t be able to make
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CARTOON BY ERNESTO GUAJARDO an impact. You couldn’t be more wrong. An impact doesn’t have to be large, it just needs to exist. It may be small, but it’s so much more than nothing. Pop your bubble. You’ll
be surprised at how far you step out of your bubble simply by becoming aware of your surroundings, whether they be near or far. Start believing that these issues that seem so irrelevant are truly
important. Even if your impact is small, it still matters.
OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
Have we effectively excercised our right to protest? I’M JESS SAYIN’ JESSICA CLARK VIDEO DIRECTOR Senior Multimedia Major Wylie, Texas
A year ago, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose to sit during the national anthem before the start of each NFL game. Kaepernick went unnoticed for the first few games of preseason, but once he started catching flack his motivation was clear. Through much controversy, Kaepernick made it clear that his choice to sit was in protest of police brutality against African Americans. My question is, was it the demonstration or the
explanation that made Kaepernick’s point clear? Last week, the entirety of the NFL stood in solidarity during the national anthem. That solidarity took several forms. Some players took a knee, some stood and locked arms, some didn’t even appear on the field for the national anthem. In short, these demonstrations began after President Trump tweeted, “If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the
NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect.... ...our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU’RE FIRED. Find something else to do!” NFL players were not the only people wondering the necessity of these words, but they collectively decided to take a stand against it. Now, before I can answer whether it is demonstration or explanation that makes an impact, we have to look at the question - what was the NFL standing against last week? Trump’s accusation that began the reaction suggested people who choose to follow in the footsteps of Colin Kaepernick and sit during the anthem are pro-
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What made Colin Kaepernick’s demonstration so poignant was his explanation. He was taking an action to back something he believed in.”
testing against the anthem, or the flag, and consequently the country, itself. Perhaps those who know the history of this type of demonstration believe NFL players were standing against a history of racial division in America. The simplest explanation is perhaps the players were standing against the words of Trump’s initial tweet. So, back to the initial question - is it demonstration or explanation that tends to be more effective? What made Colin Kaeper-
nick’s demonstration so poignant was his explanation. He was taking an action to back something he believed in. In the case of what took place with the NFL last week, there seemed to be a plethora of reasons one could participate in these demonstrations, but there was not one clear message. Is it appropriate to lawfully exercise a Constitutional right to call into question a leader who suggests an infringement on that right? Yes. Is it proper for a person of influence to use their platform to suggest a change in something they see as wrong? Yes. Does bringing people together for these purposes bring about more of a chance for change to
Response to Buller’s letter: Social clubs do foster deep community Letter to the Editor
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BY ASHLEY STIRMAN As a senior club member, I took issue with some of the comments made in the “Pledging procedures should change” letter to the editor published on August 28. I agreed with the title and I don’t have to be a fan of the changes to recognize the need for constant evaluation and accountability in such a large system. The issue came when the author reduced club relationships to merely “seeking approval” while claiming that, “social clubs at ACU often fall short of what Christian community should really look like”. Because being involved in a social club does not make me an expert, I cannot speak on behalf of all social clubs and members. I can’t even speak on behalf of my own social club, because to generalize an entire population of the ACU student body based on a single
commonality is absurd. I can only speak for me and my experience in club. To be blunt: I did not join a social club to seek approval. I joined a social club because I sought belonging. I understand that from an outside perspective these two ideas appear similar in nature, but they are fundamentally different. I did not join a social club to feel popular, worthy or adored. I joined where I felt like I belonged, where I was loved and accepted for who I am. Is that not what the body of Christ is designed to do? Club relationships go beyond the shallow, attention-seeking type the author seems to think social club members are only capable of. Relationships in club, specifically during pledging, are built with time together, encouragement, and vulnerability. We may have unconventional methods to providing
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Optimist and may not necessarily reflect the views of the university or its administration. Signed columns, cartoons and letters are the opinions of their creators and may not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Optimist or the university. The Optimist encourages reader response through letters to the editor but reserves the right to limit frequent contributors or to refuse to print letters containing personal attacks, obscenity, defamation, erroneous information or
invasion of privacy. Please limit letters to 350 words or fewer. A name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Phone numbers will not be published. Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79609 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu
@SAVETHEDARBEES 9/28/17 1:16 P.M. Friendly reminder that your worth is not determined by which clubs you do or do not get a bid from @NATEKITTLEY 9/28/17 1:56 P.M. the worst feeling is changing an answer on an exam and finding out you had it right the fist time
ASHLEY STIRMAN SENIOR CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES MAJOR FROM MCKINNEY
the rushing and pledging processes are flawed. But a broken system does not mean broken community. So yes, change the pledging procedures to better protect ACU students, but don’t assume that means community will disappear from clubs. I am confident that even in the event pledging vanishes completely, social clubs on the ACU campus will remain pockets of Christian community that point members toward Christ because that has always been, and always will be, the superlative goal.
EDITOR@JMCNETWORK.COM
T H E
EDITORIAL AND LETTER POLICY
JMC13D@ACU.EDU
#aroundcampus
It is time to end the stereotype that social clubs and “authentic Christian community” are mutually exclusive.”
opportunities for members to engage in community, but that should not discount the legitimacy of it. Being in a social club means fierce intramural games and trivial pledging traditions in addition to weekly community centered on Christ and fellowship. Why does doing both have to mean the community isn’t genuine? It is time to end the stereotype that social clubs and “authentic Christian community” are mutually exclusive. As I enter my third year of being in club I am weary of defending my choice of on campus community to outsiders. I concede that
take place? Yes. But all of that starts with the premise of the demonstration. We may be standing together, but what are we standing for or against? No matter where we fall on the spectrum of agreement, we know what Colin Kaepernick and those who chose to join him stood for a year ago. Why? Because he told us. I’m not sure the same could be said for what occurred last week. Was it several people taking one stance? Was it an array of reaction coming from multiple frustrations against one person? I simply don’t know. Actions speak louder when backing up words.
@KATYANNHERRING 9/27/17 10:57 P.M. Who ever prayed for rain in Abilene, can you also pray for my student debt to go away?!? @TOMMYGUNZ07 9/28/17 5:15 A.M. Hugh Hefner lived so long that his first wife’s name was Mildred and his last wife’s name was Crystal. @BAILEYMARSHALLL 9/28/17 3:28 P.M. Hey guys. Don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but I found this great new restaurant. It’s called Chick-fil-A! If you go, get the nuggets! Lmk @iCameronNeal 9/29/15 9:22 A.M. Whenever you park at the Welcome Center and then as soon as you get out of your car you see cars pulling out of the rec parking... #acuprobs
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6
SPORTS
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
Soccer looks to bounce back at home BY RACHEL POE SPORTS REPORTER
The soccer team is 2-1 after a road trip to Southeastern Louisiana Friday and Nicholls State on Sunday and will look to stay in conference title contention with wins this weekend. On Friday night, freshman Christina Arteaga’s scored the only and eventually game-winning goal in the 38th minute, as ACU defeated SELU 1-0. Arteaga’s goal just made it past, skimming off the Lady Lion’s keeper’s fingertips before hitting the back of the net. It was her second of the season, but she wasn’t done on the weekend. Arteaga also leads the team with 36 shots. ACU’s defense kept the Southeastern’s shot total in single digits, and freshman goalkeeper Erin Smith caught all three shots on goal to preserve the victory. The Wildcats two-game winning streak came to an abrupt end when they lost 2-1 against Nicholls. The game was delayed for 90 minutes in the first half, something senior Megan Baer said she hoped would
JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS DIRECTOR The soccer team takes on Central Arkansas and North Western this weekend.
help the team regroup. “I felt the lightning delay enabled us to reset, and get back into the swing of things and just get settled,” Baer said. “I felt like we didn’t start the game well. I personally thought the break was a good thing coming out
the first couple of minutes, and just their two shots from way out, you know we waited to long to fight back.” Both teams were scoreless in the first half, but Nicholls took a 2-0 lead 10 minutes into the second half, scoring goals on
the 55th and 68th minute. Arteaga would answer with her third goal of the season in the 85th minute. Baer found her in the crowded box and Arteaga kicked it past the keeper, but it would ultimately not be enough. ACU is now 2-1 in
Southland Conference play heading into the weekend against Central Arkansas and Northwestern State. Freshman defender Gabrielle Symmank said the upcoming home games are critical. “We definitely want to overcome the weekend, because we were supposed to win against [Nicholls] and we wanted to be 3-0, so just getting the two wins weekend so we can get back on track,” Symmank said. Weather could play a factor this weekend, as rain continues pound the Abilene area, but Symmank said if the games are played, the Wildcats have no excuses. “It might make it a little rough, but we have to overcome it and just forget about it, because we’re both playing in the same weather conditions, so just playing soccer,” she said. Central Arkansas enters the weekend at 2-1, while Northwestern State is winless at 0-3.
RKP15A@ACU.EDU
Football continues conference at UIW BY MAX PRESTON ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The football team will leave Wildcat Stadium this week and compete in San Antonio against the University of Incarnate Word for its first Southland road game. Going into the weekend, the Wildcats have not won a game on the road since 2014, which means the team will be looking to end that streak against the Cardinals. “It’s a real battle cry for us right now to be road dogs and go out and get a [win],” said Head Football Coach Adam Dorrel. “Our guys are excited about that; it’s something where we can check a box this year and say we got a road win.” The Wildcats will look to avoid falling below .500 in conference as they go into the game with a 1–1 Southland record after a win against Houston Baptist and a loss against Stephen F. Austin. They will also look to improve their overall record of 1–3. After four total games, the team has mustered up 1329 yards of offense and given up 1629 defensively. Junior quarterback Dallas Sealey has accounted for well over half of the yards offensively, throwing for 872 and rush-
STANDINGS Football
Team
SFA SHSU UCA NWSU McNeese Nicholls ACU SELU UIW HBU Lamar
Ovrl. SLC. 2–2 3–0 2–1 1–2 3–1 2–2 1–3 1–3 0–3 1–3 1–3
Volleyball
Team
TAMU-CC SFA SHSU UCA HBU McNeese NOU NWSU UIW ACU Lamar SELU Nicholls
Team
2–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 0–2 0–2
Ovrl. SLC. 6–8 14–4 5–9 13–2 10–5 10–7 7–7 6–11 2–8 4–10 2–10 2–13 2–14
Soccer
3–0 2–0 2–0 2–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 1–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–3
Ovrl. SLC.
McNeese 7–2–1 ACU 4–6 UCA 5–6 Lamar 7–3–1 SFA 5–5 HBU 3–4–1 TAMU-CC 4–4–1 UIW 2–6 SHSU 4–5 Nicholls 4–6 SELU 3–6–1 NWSU 4–6
3–0 2–1 2–1 2–1 2–1 2–1 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 0–3
DORREL DAILY
“It’s a real battle cry for us right now to be road dogs and go out and get a [win]. Our Dorrel guys are excited about that, it’s something where we can check a box this year and say we got a road win.”
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Tennis
LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR
CHRISTI LIM the STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Sophmore running back, Tracy James, carries ball through the SFA defense. ing for 64. Sealey struggled last week, however, throwing two interceptions, which gives him six on the season. He also fumbled once. Sophomore wide receiver Josh Fink has been productive on offense for the Wildcats and enters the game with 130 yards and two touchdowns on the season. Defensively, sophomore safety Bolu Onifade has emerged as a leader and has the most tackles on the team
with 36, including three for a loss. Incarnate Word faces the Wildcats coming off of a bye week. The Cardinals’ last game was the 37-31 heartbreaker against SFA when the Lumberjacks returned a picksix to win as time expired. The Cardinals come into the game with a 0-3 record overall and a 0-1 conference record. Sophomore quarterback Sean Brophy leads UIW of-
fensively, having thrown for 513 yards and five touchdowns. Supporting Brophy, junior wide receiver Zaire Andre leads the team with 136 yards, while junior tight end Malik Harris has caught three touchdowns. Dorrel said the team has a strong mindset going into the game. “It’s really easy for us to be motivated right now, because of our poor performance on Saturday,” Dorrel said. “We
want to get back to playing good football, regardless of the outcome, so that everyone can feels good about their performance and how they did.” The game is scheduled to kickoff at 6 p.m. Saturday. The game can be seen on ESPN3 or heard on 98.1 FM.
MJP14B@ACU.EDU
FOOTBALL MATCHUP PREVIEW 2017 SEASON
ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (1–3)
JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS DIRECTOR
14.5
POINTS PER GAME
17.7
84.3
RUSH YPG
83.3
248
PASSING YPG
201
24.8
POINTS ALLOWED
53
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
DAVIS DENTON SPORTS REPORTER
A win against Austin Peay in the consolation round of 32 at the ITA Oracle Pothier Masters helped junior Lucile Pothier find her way to the tournament’s quarterfinal round. Pothier defeated Lidia Yanes Garcia handily 6-2, 6-0, but eventually lost to Julia O’Loughlin in a rematch of last year’s ITA Masters.
Volleyball
UNIVERSITY OF THE INCARNATE WORD (0–3)
MAX PRESTON
Junior Josh Sheehy traveled to the ITA Oracle Masters in Pepperdine last week, Sheehy and clinched the program’s first-ever win against the University of Southern California. Sheehy defeated Tanner Smith 6-3 and 7-6 to make it to the consolation quarterfinals of the tournament.
TREVOR WYATT SPORTS REPORTER
Although ACU’s record can be a little discouraging at just 1-3, the Wildcats can really only look at last week as somewhat of a letdown. But the team has a favorable matchup this week against Incarnate Word, a team ACU has beaten six times in the last seven years. This matchup should provide the Wildcat offense the jumpstart it needs, facing a defense that is giving up 53 points per game. And defensively, if ACU can do anything close to what it did in its two-game home stand, the Wildcats should avoid dropping below .500 in the Southland Conference.
It’s hard to predict what you’ll get out of ACU week to week. It goes on the road to face UIW this week, an 0-3 team, having not won an away game since 2014. I’m believing in the Wildcats again this week, because I think UIW is not the most talented team and ACU has a strong mindset going into this game that will make them outlast the Cardinals. It will need to focus on keeping its offense on the field longer, because last week SFA caused numerous three-andouts forcing the defense to be on the field almost 35 minutes of the game. If they minimize the mistakes on offense, I believe the Cats take this game.
The Wildcats are recovering after being shut down last weekend vs SFA. A battle vs Incarnate Word in San Antonio will test the Wildcats’ mettle. The Wildcats have amassed 1329 yards and are averaging 14.5 a game while the Cardinals are only putting up a lethargic 17.6 per game. Coach Dorrel has brought life to the ACU defense who if you take away two FBS losses are only giving up 11.5 points in Southland play. The Cardinals are surrendering a soul shaking 53 points per game and being torched for 358 yards through the air. I believe if the Wildcats utilize their athletic receivers, it will be a smokeshow.
If you can’t tell already, ACU’s play has been very sporadic, but they haven’t really had a high offensive output in a game yet. They might get that against UIW, who is 0-3 and also struggling to get going offensively. It is worth noting that a Dallas Sealey-commanded offense hung 52 points on the Cardinals just a season ago. However, expect a low scoring affairand I’m leaning towards the ‘Cats on this one.
FINAL SCORE: ACU 27 UIW 13
FINAL SCORE: ACU 24 UIW 21
FINAL SCORE: ACU 28 UIW 7
FINAL SCORE: ACU 20 UIW 17
In Tuesday’s matchup against McNeese State, junior Jacey Smith fell just one Smith kill shy of her first 20-kill effort of the season. Smith recorded 19 kills to add to her team-leading 136 kills. As the Wildcats look to solidify a stronger offensive attack, look for Smith to play a great role in that.
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