Voters speak up Abilenians face the rain to make it to the polls Features Page 5 vol. 103, no. 21
wednesday november 5, 2014
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what’s INSIDE NEWS Bible professors prepare for Carmichael Walling lectures Page 3
SPORTS Kade Munden, ‘Cats upset UCA in Plano on Saturday
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FO’DRIZZLE
OPINION Jumping in on the comments section online too fast or too furious reminds us of a literary classic Page 4
jarred schuetze chief Photographer
Students dodge puddles and huddle under umbrellas during the consistent all-day downpour on Tuesday.
NEWS Students share art work from their summer travels abroac Page 3
ACU moves to new insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shied fails to renew with Hendrick allison brown managing editor
OPINION How would other departments react if they were to face a “restructure” proposal?
ACU will switch to a new insurance provider beginning Jan. 1. Blue Cross Blue Shield has been the university’s provider in the past, but because Blue Cross’s contract expired with Hendrick Medical Center, ACU made the decision to move to a new provider, Cigna. Hendrick and Blue
Cross began negotiations to renew their contract about one year ago. Over the course of negotiations, Hendrick sent letters to clients telling them an agreement might not be reached between the hospital and Blue Cross. Blue Cross is known for getting the best deal for their clients, but hadn’t increased its reimbursement rates to Hendrick since 2010. During the negotiations, Hendrick asked that
Blue Cross pay the same rates it pays hospitals comparable to Hendrick in size and services. “The cost to provide care and run our hospital continues to increase every year,” said Tim Lancaster, president and CEO of Hendrick Health System, in a letter to clients on May 21. “Years of below-market payments have created an unsustainable gap that has widened considerably each year.” This “unsustainable gap” continued to shadow over the negotiations between the two parties.
“They are at complete polar opposites and can’t find any common ground over what the rate should be,” said Wendy Jones, ACU’s chief human resources officer. “Both have really painted the other side as the bad guy, a ‘he said, she said’ kind of thing.” Blue Cross felt strongly about offering the best rates for clients and Hendrick felt strongly about being paid fairly, but the two parties were unable to reach an agreement before the contract expired on June 30. Hendrick sent a
letter to all clients covered by Blue Cross, stating Hendrick Health System would be out of network as of July 1. Hendrick and Blue Cross continued meetings throughout the summer and into the fall, and as of Oct. 17, the two decided no agreement could be reached for the remainder of 2014 and most likely all of 2015. “If we were in the Metroplex, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal because there’s four or five hospitals in a
“Way before the conference, we submitted a video to compete for Chapter of the Year,” said Rudy Garza, president of ACU CEO. “We came to find out a few weeks later that we had been selected as one of the three finalists.” Garza, junior marketing major from Corpus Christi, made an additional presentation at the actual conference to determine the eventual winner. Bryant University in Rhode Island took first place, but the Wildcats beat in-state opponent Texas A&M University for second place. “Rudy did a great job of getting our name out there
and making this program something to really be proud of,” said Shane Birchfield, member of ACU CEO. “Rudy works on a weekly basis to make this program worth our while.” This is the fourth year ACU has had a CEO chapter, but it was their first time to attend the conference. More than 40 schools and 1,000 students from across the country participated in the conference. The format of the event was not unlike the average ACU CEO small group Chapel. Entrepreneurs spoke to students about their climb
to success in business, something Garza offers his members on a weekly basis. “Every week, we bring in a guest entrepreneur, and I just interview them about how to get from where we are as students to where they are as business owners,” Garza said. “Its all about letting students see what being an entrepreneur in their space is like.” Since Garza took over as president, he has dramatically increased the size of the program. The organization went to more than 200 members from 30 members. Nearly 10 percent of the ACU student body has at-
tended an ACU CEO event, Garza said. Still, Birchfield believes the success of the organization rests not in its size but in the quality of the material presented to students. “I am in it because I really like how it lets students see the thought processes of these entrepreneurs,” said Birchfield, junior management major from Lubbock. “It gets me in the right mindset for what I want to do in the future.”
ate about. The idea would be the product the student would perform at the TEDxACU event. “It didn’t have to be academic, but it could be,” said Lauren Lemley, organizer for TEDxACU. “A lot of people speak about just life experiences and understanding people. It doesn’t necessarily all have to be research-based. The talk can’t be a sermon, it can’t advocate for a political candidate and it can’t sell anything. There are limits around those things.” The process of choosing the finalists was set from selecting the candidates who followed the direct set of guidelines for TED talks. “It was a panel decision,” Lemley said. “Partially, it was ‘did they inherit all of the rules of the contest,’
and as long as they fulfilled the requirements of the contest. We went through them and looked at a combination of who’s a good presenter, who has good presentation skills and also someone who has a really interesting and captivating idea.” Carstens, junior biochemistry and biblical text major from College Station, is eager and passionate about expressing his idea. “The title of the talk is ‘Art is Not Entertainment,’”
Carstens said. “So it’s about exploring the idea of art and how we view it as entertainment and as a way to pass the time and something to do. Really, it’s more of a way of communication and a way to be educated in culture and about the world.” TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to reaching out to a mass audience and spreading worthy ideas. TED started as a conference in California in 1984 and has grown to support and suggest world-changing
ideas. At TED conferences, the world’s leading thinkers and doers present a live talk of their lives in less than 20 minutes. At ACU, one student will get the chance to be the first ever speaker for the event. “Whoever gets chosen will be our actual first speaker for the contest,” Lemley said.
see insurance page 3
Entrepreneurs take 2nd place nationally
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reese gwin staff reporter
SPORTS Volleyball falls in five sets against rival Incarnate Word
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INTRAMURALS Intramurals is moving to the Rec Center. Daniel Block talks pool and gym this week. Page 2
ACU’s Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization came in second place for the nation’s top CEO chapter at the organization’s national conference in Orlando, Florida, last weekend. Fourteen students and Dr. Jim Litton, faculty sponsor of ACU Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization, traveled to the annual event after learning they had been recognized as one of the top three chapters in the nation and a finalist for an award.
Students compete for chance to speak hannah little sports producer
what’s online VIDEO Library remodels and rearranges adding new automatic shelving downstairs
Read more at acuoptimist.com
contact gwin at erg12ab@acu.edu
The finalists for ACU’s first annual TEDxACU event will be chosen through a student speaking competition. Finalists have been announced and will compete Nov. 6. The winner of the competition will speak at the TEDxACU event April 17 in Cullen Auditorium. The theme is “(re)think.” Student speaker finalists are Alex Carstens, Victoria Sun and Courtney Tee. The final competition will take place in COBA 301 at 7 p.m. and will be open to students. Students who competed in the running to be finalists were asked to submit a video speaking about a topic or idea they feel passion-
Abilene Christian University
contact little at hll12a@acu.edu
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wednesday
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thursday Spring/summer 2014 registration: freshman and sophomore honors, study abroad and athletes
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friday 7 p.m. Volleyball game versus McNeese State University
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saturday 11 a.m. Volleyball game versus Nicholls State University
7 p.m. AES Club barn dance 7 p.m. Ethnos Culture Show
2 p.m. Football game versus Northwestern State 9 p.m. Ethnos Culture Show
Chapel checkup To date:
Around Abilene Nov. 10
Remaining:
53 19 @acuoptimist
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10 a.m. Eternal Threads Fair Trade Global Market. Featuring Fair Trade items from around the world including home goods, jewelry, clothing, accessories, gifts and more. Shop until 6 p.m. at Highland Church of Christ.
10 a.m. Abilene State Park will host its annual Frontier Day. Through a variety of displays and activities, participants will get a chance to see what life was like on the Texas frontier 150 years ago. Food and refreshments will be available. Entrance fees are $3 for adults and free for all kids 12 and under. For more information on the event, visit http://www.tpwd.state. tx.us/calendar/frontier-day.
3 p.m. Join the USAF Band of the West Concert Band with Conductor and Commander Captain Rafael Toro-Quiñones as they perform in honor of Veteran’s Day. This family friendly concert will be held at Hardin-Simmons University in the Behrens Auditorium. For more information, please see https://www.hsutx.edu/ academics/cofa/music/ or www.bandofthewest.af.mil.
The Optimist optimist@acu.edu
7:30 p.m. ACU Percussion Ensemble concert in Cullen Auditorium
Announcements Seekers of the Word Drama Ministry meets for Chapel on Thursdays in the Bible building, Room 104. Our Chapel is open to everyone. Come study the Bible, pray, worship, talk and laugh with us, and get a Chapel credit in the process! Don’t get sick and miss out on any fun (or classes) this season! Flu shots are now available in the ACU Medical Care Center for $20. We accept cash, check, credit, debit or you may bill it to your ACU Banner account. Office hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Watch for announcements of special clinic hours.
The ACU Graduate School’s academic journal, Conversations, needs peer reviewers for its upcoming submissions. Engage in the most modern academic dialogues while expanding your resume! Email snw12a@acu.edu by Nov. 7th. Looking for a Summer 2015 internship? Come visit with Arms of Hope recruiters in the Campus Center on Nov. 4 and learn about the great opportunities at the Medina Children’s Home campus. Come to Chapel on the Hill Thursdays for Drenched a cappella chapel. See you there for a time of fellowship and reflection!
SSWA is collecting donations for the Community youth outreach in Conroe, TX until Nov. 24. You can place your donations in the box in the Campus Center. Items such as toiletries, small notebooks, pens, sunscreen, repellent, bandages, hand sanitizer, Tylenol and clothes for 16 to 24-year-olds are welcomed! Looking for a summer job? Visit the various camp booths in the Campus Center Nov. 12-13 to learn more. ACU Winterguard will hold an interest meeting this Thursday at 6 p.m. in the WPAC. Come get your questions answered about the program over pizza!
Please join us for the 28th annual Carmichael-Walling Lectures. Dr. Beverly Gaventa, Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Baylor University, will present two lectures on “God’s Outsized Faithfulness: Rethinking Romans” Thursday at 4 and 7 p.m. in Biblical Studies Building room 114. Come hear our 2015 TEDxACU Student Speaker Competition finalists, Alex Carstens, Victoria Sun and Coutney Tee, speak in the live final round of our competition this Thursday at 7 p.m. in COBA 301.
Intramurals
Volleyball and waterball underway in the Rec THE VAGABONDAGE REC-COVERING SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND ADDICT
DANIEL BLOCK
Football is finally over, which means it’s time for Texas’ favorite fall sport to begin. Volleyball! Okay, so perhaps my first volleyball column should focus on simply setting forth the rules and clarifying terminology for all you Texas high school football has-beens, but I’m going to bump that
idea. The season is barely underway and already intrigue has filled the gymnasiums as teams battle for supremacy in the most misunderstood sport in the South. Oh, there’s also a waterball preview! Women’s Champ Volleyball
Ten teams have stepped
onto the court to fight for the title, including four social club squads. Sigma Theta Chi is looking to continue its year of dominance, having won indoor soccer and f lag football so far. Last season the Siggies entered the playoffs ranked No. 1 but lost to the lowest seed in the first round, resulting in the head coach being fired and a complete shakeup of front office staff. They’re back with a chip on their shoulders this year. Don’t worry, it’s a veggie chip with 30 percent less fat, so it’ll probably just get eaten. After being dipped in Sharky’s spicy ranch sauce. Ko Jo Kai is the defending champion, having defeated Alpha Kai Omega in last year’s final. Both teams will face a great deal of adversity trying to simply make it back to the big dance this year. The Kojies were 2-0 before last night’s championship rematch against 0-1 Alpha Kai. GATA looks to be strong this season (see, Emily? I can say good things), and so do the Ancient Aces. The Aces roster includes a couple former Wildcat soccer players, which would be a logical decision if volleyball wasn’t a sport played primarily with the two upper limbs. However, the Aces have impressed already, knocking off Alpha Kai in three sets, and losing a close contest to the Siggies in three as well. Eight of the ten teams
will be in action Thursday night at 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. in the Rec. Men’s Champ Volleyball
Four of the seven teams in the men’s league are from social clubs. Galaxy, Sub T-16, GSP and Trojans are all looking to dethrone last year’s returning champions, She Set Yes. What kind of name is She Set Yes anyway? Could someone really not come up with a better volleyball pun? Last year the team was known as the Kaneko Brothers, but only Hiroshi Kaneko remains this year to guide his team back to glory. Rumor has it She Set Yes has a secret weapon from the Great White North, but I’ve also heard this unknown Canadian is highly overrated and should stick to sideline reporting rather than playing. She Set Yes moved to 3-0 on Monday, defeating Trojans in an intense three-set affair. The match marked the return of Trey Arnett, a star last year for Trojans, now facing off against his former team as a key addition to She Set Yes’s lineup. GSP was runner-up last year, ending a five-year run of volleyball championships. The Kinsmen don’t have much experience losing, and have added three players from She Set Yes’s championship team last season. GSP has jumped out to a 2-0 record this year, and aren’t scheduled to face rival Trojans at all. She
Set Yes and GSP meet on November 17 in the final game of the regular season, which will likely decide first place heading into the playoffs. Women’s Waterball
pool, because the paper will just become soggy and good for nothing. If GATA gets too complacent, the other teams will be more than ready to strangle the title away. Men’s Waterball
Marissa Mueller and her Eta Pi legacy has dived straight into the pool. Mueller might believe she’s actually part of her own social club based on the amount of teams she’s entering in intramural sports. Her Eta Pi team played f lag football, and is currently registered in both volleyball and waterball. Props to Mueller for challenging the hierarchy of female social club intramural order. Let’s be real though. The other four teams in the league are social club teams, but GATA is head and shoulders above the rest. As three-time defending champions, GATA has no intent to lose the title. The other teams might have to find another pool to drown their second-place sorrows. On paper, this is GATA’s championship to lose. But as we all know, you can’t play a game on paper, especially in a
Seven teams compete in this year’s waterball league. All are social club teams. Wait, what? How is that even possible? There are only six clubs, and there’s no way Pi Kappa is entering a team. GSP and Galaxy have both entered two teams, while we finally see Frater Sodalis enter the champ’s league circuit. No longer are the Frats just Super Smash Bros. champs. Actually, there’s only one league, so the Frats had no choice. Galaxy, like GATA, is three-time defending champion of the pool. The Moonies are heavy favorites, but heavy things tend to sink in water, so no one is jumping to conclusions just yet. I’m thinking we might see an upset this year. contact block at djb13a@acu.edu
Got Announcements? Need Volunteers? Send an E-mail to:
Optimist@ACU.edu
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wednesday 11.05.14
Bible lectures to feature Baylor professor hannah null student reporter The 28th Annual Carmichael Walling Lectures will take place at Chapel on the Hill on Thursday with Dr. Beverly Roberts Gaventa, a Baylor professor, as the featured speaker. The event is themed “God’s Outsized Faithfulness: Rethinking Romans” for Romans chapter 9-11. It will be at 4 and 7:30 p.m. on Thursday in room 114 in the Onstead Packer Building. In the past, world-class scholars have come from across the world, as far as Europe, to speak at this lecture. Contrary to previous
years, these lectures will be given by someone from close by and well-known around Texas. Gaventa,is a professor of New Testament in the Department of Religion, at Baylor and has lectured widely in the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa and Australia. “Dr. Gaventa has published a number of books and articles, and she is currently working on a commentary on Romans,” said Jeff Childers, professor of Bible and church history in the Graduate School of Theology. “She will be sharing some of her fresh research on Romans in these lectures. I can’t give away the content, but I can tell you that it will be
current and very carefully argued material on one of the most important books in the Bible.” Childers has been a part of these lectures since he was a student at ACU, and his enthusiasm toward this lecture seems promising. The topic of the lecture is so personal, and because of that there are two different meetings available to the public, free of charge. “She is presenting two different lectures, though they both deal with related topics, focused on Paul’s teaching in Romans 9-11,” Childers said. “One deals with the size of the salvation that God accomplishes in Jesus Christ. The other deals more with the human response to that,
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I can tell you that it will be current and very carefully argued material on one of the most important books in the Bible.” Jeff Childers professor of bible and church history
and also the place of the Law (Torah) in God’s continuing plan for his people.” The lectures last from 45-50 minutes and end with questions from the audience that can fall into deeper discussions about the subject manner. With the specialty that Gaventa has in the New Testament, she has a lot of
knowledge to offer about Romans. In the past, people all the way from Oklahoma City have visited to watch the lectures. Since there is a local speaker, the turnout may be more than usual. “When I found out it was over Romans 9-11, I was interested in attending,” said Holly Neese, a freshman kinesiology major from Plano. “Those scriptures basically give us three ways to live, and after moving to college and being in a new place, I think it is interesting to learn about the methods that other people choose.” This lecture may also offer a different crowd than previous years. The content that Gaventa is
discussing is “new” and relevant to today’s lifestyle, which interests those of younger ages as well as adults. Romans will be expressed in a way that most people are not used to seeing it and will offer another point of view to audience members. “Dr. Gaventa wants to put a fresh light on them (God’s promises to Israel) and help us see that for Paul, God’s salvation is very big - it’s cosmic, not just about an individual’s status before God,” Childers said.
contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
Students share art from summer abroad catherine blakemore arts editor Artwork from the Department of Art and Design Study Abroad trip is on display at the ACU Downtown Gallery with works of watercolor, acrylic paintings and photographs. In the show, titled “Postcards from Abroad,” students lsuch Crysta Cook, sophomore history education major from Abilene, and Madelyn Wischmeyer, sophomore graphic design and advertising major from Keller, displayed some of their work from classes they took in Oxford and Italy. “Every one of those people that went are so insanely talented,” Cook said. “Most of them are art majors and it was just really cool to see all of their work and see how good they are. By the end of the trip, you could see everyone’s style. Through the process, I saw all of these paintings in their individual steps and it’s been a few months since I’ve seen them finished. It was cool to just to see the finished product.” In their time spent in Oxford and various places in Italy, the students took courses like art history,
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That artwork meant a lot to us, it was embodying our whole trip. Going back and reviewing that had a lot of sentimental value.”
madelyn wischmeyer sophomore graphic design/advertising major from keller
painting and photography. “It was just a really cool experience and it’s crazy how close you get to people just because you have to live with them,” said Cook. “It was just cool to get to know all the girls and see everyone’s perspectives of art and nature through their own eyes.” The challenge of the trip was producing all the art that is now on display at the gallery. “Our professor said that we probably did more work in those seven weeks abroad than we would typically do in a semester,” said Wischmeyer. Cook’s pieces in the show are a picture of a Paris man on the street and another photograph of a man in Italy taken while he and his friends were cliff jumping. Wischmeyer also has two pieces in the show, a photograph of two people entering a church doorway
and an abstract painting, meant to represent our transition from Oxford to Italy. “Everyone of us sees it differently; different shades differently, interpretations differently,” said Cook. “Some people will naturally paint darker or some people will paint lighter, it’s just really interesting.” The show itself served more than the purpose of displaying the art that the students worked on this summer and provided an incomparable value. “It was really fun and we hadn’t seen each other in a big group for a long time,” said Wischmeyer. “That artwork meant a lot to us, it was embodying our whole trip. Going back and reviewing that had a lot of sentimental value.” mariana cedillo Staff Photographer contact blakemore at crb13a@acu.edu
Al Haley, professor of language and literature speaks to students at Saturday’s Shinnery Review workshop (Above). Matt Varner, Lexi French, Emily Eastman, and Maggie Marshall attended the workshop (Below).
Insurance: ACU to move to new provider from page 1 20-mile radius,” Jones said. “But in Abilene, you’ve got Hendrick and Abilene Regional Hospital. All of a sudden, this major section of doctors are no longer in network for several big employers in town.” ACU, First Financial Bank, the city of Abilene and surrounding towns without hospitals were faced with a decision. They could stay with Blue Cross and no longer have the option of care at Hendrick or move to a new provider and keep both Abilene hospitals in net-
work. “No matter who we go with, we all expect to pay more next year,” Jones said. “The loser is always the customer.” ACU made the decision to go with Cigna, and the city of Abilene decided to go with Aenta. Coverage under these new providers will begin in January, Jones said. Officials at Hendrick said they are no longer answering questions about the dispute. During the time between providers, some ACU employees were concerned about the situation with Hendrick. Jones said the Hu-
man Resources office heard from families expecting babies that were planning to deliver at Hendrick. Amy Willis, graphic designer at ACU, is pregnant and was expecting to deliver her baby at Hendrick. “We had my first child at Hendrick, and I was hoping we would have our second one there,” she said. “Once you’ve done it once and know where to go and where everything is, it’s pretty fantastic. But my doctor ended up switching to Abilene Regional because too many of her patients are Blue Cross Blue Shield.”
Campus running club hosts second 5k race sarah stephens student reporter ACU’s running club, Forward LENE, hosted its second annual Light the Night 5k race Thursday evening. The Halloween-themed event began at 8:30 p.m. as Elmer Gray Stadium lit up with festivity and different colored glow sticks. University Park Apartments joined in to promote the event by offering 10 free registrations to residents. The first 10 participants to sign up were given a free Tshirt to wear to the event. An entry fee of $10 paid for participants’ registration, a drawstring backpack, glow sticks and a chance to win gift cards in a drawing. The gift cards were awarded to the two fastest male and female runners. About 35 runners came out to run around the Lunsford Trail and pro-
ceeds from the event will pay for future race entries for Forward LENE’s club members. Forward LENE participates in several races as a group each semester. When Forward LENE was started, its purpose was to create a team of women that share a passion of running for fun. “We made one big announcement at the race,” said Sarah Matthews, Forward LENE team captain and senior biochemistry major from Abilene. “Last year, Forward LENE was only for women but this year we opened up membership to men as well.” Forward LENE opens its annual Light the Night event up for all students and faculty and encourages them to show their support to the club as it is starting to grow. The current and previous club members and officers are excited about the opportunity that has been given to
them for expansion and look forward to an even bigger turn out at Light the Night 5K next year. “I’m glad the girls kept the team up and running,” said Kelti Rippenhagan, former team captain and founder of Forward LENE. “It was a lot of work getting it started, so it is exciting to see how far the team has come. I know they will appreciate the support.” Rippenhagan, who graduated in May, founded the club last year while training for a half marathon and felt that it helped to have other women do it with her. She knew there needed to be a club like this for woman to get involved in so she made it happen. Membership dues are $10 per semester, which includes a club T-shirt. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
For Willis and other patients with similar situations, normal doctor visits were changed because lab work could no longer be sent to Hendrick. “The hard part for me was with Hendrick no longer accepting Blue Cross Blue Shield in June, all the blood work and everything had to be sent somewhere else,” Willis said. “I had to make the switch much sooner.” Hendrick and Blue Cross tried to work with clients who are in situations were more attentive medical care is required, Jones said. Terri Aldriedge, Body and
Soul director, visits Hendrick every four weeks to have blood work done because she had open-heart surgery when she was 30. “I had to decide, do I keep the cardiologist I’ve had for 10 years, one who knows my body very well, or get a brand new one, knowing that in January, ACU would do all that they could to get us back to Hendrick,” she said. Aldriedge’s doctor worked to negotiate a price for her visits during the time not covered by Blue Cross. “This is a big investment for me to stay with my cardiologist; I’m not going to pay
$400 to come in for a visit,” Aldriedge said. “But Hendrick came up really quick and said it’d be $75-$100 a visit, so we’ve been paying extra for me to go.” Aldriedge said all of her health professionals will now accept Cigna in January so she will be able to remain at Hendrick. “I think ACU has tried to do as much as they can do,” Aldriedge said. “The bottom line is, the patients lose.”
contact brown at akb12b@acu.edu
Opinion Column
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WEdnesday 11.05.14
DAILY doodle dosage
Ben Todd
What George Orwell knew about Facebook VAGABONDAGE THE ORRACLE
SAMANTHAMADELINE SUTHERLAND ORR
In George Orwell’s book, 1984, the citizens of Oceania participate in a daily scheduled period known as the “Two Minutes Hate.” During the hate, party members are required to stand in front of a television yelling obscenities and violently raging against ideological enemies f lashed on the screen. Even though the book’s protagonist, Winston, is skeptical about the society he lives in, he remains powerless to resist the crowd’s statemandated screams. “The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to take part. On the contrary, that it was impossible to avoid joining in. Within thirty seconds, any pretense was always unnecessary.”
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Boycotts are established. Hashtags are declared. And Kardashian memes commence.”
No, this is not a regurgitation of that English paper you wrote in high school about the novel or a cliche comparison about the future of “society.’ And no, this isn’t a warning about Big Brother. But recently, I’ve witnessed a modern version of the Two Minutes Hate among my peers and on this campus. Here’s how it works: An enemy is identified, a crime is announced and the contempt is unleashed. Sound familiar to any of your Facebook timelines? In a recently published book, The Seven Deadly Virtues, Sonny Bunch writes that our Two Minutes Hate is actually worse than Orwell’s because, “(1) it’s not directed at constructs like “Eurasia” and (2) the government doesn’t orchestrate it. No, the modern Two Minutes Hate is directed at living, breathing people.” Instead of being told
who to hate, like in 1984, the targets are spontaneously decided by the mob — a social media-empowered mob that can’t be called off. What’s worse is the “crime” committed by those targets doesn’t really matter either. It could be someone saying his or her opinion, something rude or even something suspiciously nice. “All that matters is that we are presented with a face to hate,” Bunch says. Then, just like in Orwell’s fictional society, it becomes difficult for others passing by, or scrolling through their newsfeed, to join the mob or chime in on the hate. The screen, bright and entertaining (especially GIFs), draws them in like a bugzapper. Whether the mob is rallying against Chick-filA, or Yik Yak or the Pope, the hate is focused onto the target for a set period of time, and then we go about our business until the alarm is sounded for the next two-minute routine. This anger spews forth into comment sections across the Internet, annihilating the decided target and then moving on until a new target is decided the next day. Boycotts are declared. Hashtags are established. And Kardashian memes commence. It is still important that thought-provoking ideas and opinions be shared, even via social media when appropriate. Using platforms like Facebook is a simple way to quickly curate thoughts or stories for actual friends and even “Facebook friends.” But be cautious not to viciously jump into hating whatever target the mob f lashes across your screen. Use discourse to think critically about the issue at hand, but don’t abuse likes and shares to murder the puppet the people have selected. The difference may only be in taking a second to do some research on the subject at hand, or pausing to consider the human being on the other side of the screen. But that one second has the power to change the Two Minutes.
Column
Is your department getting shut down? Probably not, but what if you were next DAILY DOODLE VAGABONDAGE DOSAGE SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND BEN TODD
In the recent events of a certain department being restructured, I had a table talk with some of my friends thinking about what sort of revenge plans the oncewas department would implement. What if other departments were shut down? What would their plots for revenge be now that they are no longer a part of campus? Here’s what I could think of… Math Department: Make Wi-Fi passwords for the campus that have to be solved using complicated math formulas and algorithms. Engineering Department: Create catapults aimed at buildings on campus throwing angry bird plushies as well as the occasional bean food scraps. Language Department: Create typos and errors on all signs on campus causing newcomers to become lost. In addition, they would
change the language of the University’s main page every day. Educational Department: Continue to work on their coloring books, except they don’t have to color inside the lines anymore. The ultimate rebels, we have here. Kinesiology and Nutrition Department:
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Bible Department: They may have to get rid of the “C” in ACU. Art Department: graffiti all over campus. They redesign every logo and layout on campus to break every single design rule. Comic Sans… Comic Sans every where… Theatre Department: Four words: Hamlet, nude, GATA fountain. In all seriousness though, eccentric people have lost their department to express their craziness. This doesn’t bode well. Chemistry Department: Potassium bombs
Thanks to classical conditioning, hypnotism and other manipulations of the unconcious, the Psychology Department will never be shut down.”
Change the Ph of the swimming pool to cause rashes as well as sabotage all of the gym equipment. Nutrition will replace butter with lard in all foods on campus. Although, we can’t be too sure that this is not already the case
contact Orr at mco10b@acu.edu
in the toilets. It’s happened before, it will happen again. Nursing Department: They can and will create a strep throat epidemic on campus. Psychology Department: Thanks to classical conditioning,
Nov. 3 3:02 p.m.
Just registered with no flaws or glitches so surely the system is glitched and it’s all a joke
ANYBODY IN MABEE GOT AN IPHONE CHARGER I CAN BORROW TONIGHT
@SoyTophu
@DenveXVI
Nov. 3 2:02 p.m.
Nov. 4 10:13 a.m.
Nov.4 2:12 p.m.
@concuevas
If you are having a bad day, just remember in the midst of the flood in Abilene, my rain boots have a hole in them. #wetsocks #theworst
@samihenson_4
You know you go to ACU when you accidentally pronounce “fraternity” frAHternity.
personal attacks, obscenity, defamation, erroneous information or invasion of privacy. Please limit letters to 350 words or fewer. A name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Phone numbers will not be published.
published by the department of journalism and mass communication editorial and management board
Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79609 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu
BCORE: a test to see how long I can entertain myself on social media.
@laurpay
Nov. 4 12:45 p.m.
Must (not) get out of bed
@marynevans
I swear Ancient Rome had a better drainage system than ACU
@emilystemen
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
Nov. 4 2:53 p.m.
Nov. 3 9:46 a.m.
Nov. 4 1:18 a.m.
@rudymgarza It’s that time of the semester where I go back & look at attendance emails just so I can calculate how many more skips I have.
contact todd at bat12a@acu.edu
hashtagACU
Nov. 4 2:47 p.m.
I used to want to swim in the English Channel, but I realized I can accomplish the same thing by walking across campus when it floods
hypnotism, and other manipulations of the unconscious, they are the only department that will never be shut down. Just say the phrase, “The cellar door has drumsticks,” in front of faculty and you’ll see. Jouralism and Mass Communication: I’ll just quote Mark Twain here and say, “Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel.” Business Department: Still selling Tshirts but they start printing gigantic portraits of our professors onto them. It ends up being their best product too. I couldn’t get to all of the departments, but you can still add onto the list. Tell us how you would respond by tweeting @acuoptimist. I’m looking forward to the “suggestions” that Agricultural and Enviromental Science students include in their response to the University Academic Council.
“On your wedding day you will look back and say ‘I owe it all to Dr. Weathers’ “ tbh he’s probably right #thingsStevesays #profweathers
@alikaywould
Sorry 8am this weather says stay inside and watch Netflix
Making up low grades with high calories
YikYak
YikYak
YikYak
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5
Features
wednesday 11.5.14
VOTING
VOICES
jarred schuetze chief Photographer Madeline Orr
keyi zhou
editor in chief
student reporter
A red flag flaps in the rain with the letters V-O-T-E tapering down it on the corner of Walnut and N 5th street. Unbeknownst to campaigners or journalists like myself, this flag is also the 100 ft. marker outside of Abilene City Hall for how far away one must be to legally loiter, or have a conversation with voters. Three women in their late fifties, wearing turtleneck sweaters and quilted down jackets sit behind the foldout table in the City Hall lobby, signing voters in and graciously volunteering hours out of their day to work the polls. They begin to whisper about the presence of people who aren’t there to vote, but standing in their lobby. One of the women quietly suggests to the other to send an email. The one with mousy brown hair clicks across the tiled floor to ask us to move to the other end of the lobby. “You’re going to need to move over behind those couches for now,” she said with a glare from her icy blue eyes. “We’re waiting to hear from the precinct but we actually think you might need to move further.” OK, no problem we tell her. I’m interviewing a woman outside, just a few feet from the doors, protected from the rain by the building’s awning. Suzie Foster, 66, is bundled up in a striped scarf and her gray hair is slipped under a knit hat. She had just been asked to move outside with her clipboard collecting signatures. “I’m sorry, the 100 ft. flag is over there,” said the pale blond woman with the quilted navy jacket. She points to the street corner. “Oh, okay. Is this going to be at all the locations?” Suzie asked, her eyes still bright behind her raindrop-covered glasses. “I think so, I wouldn’t just make this up,” the blond retorts. “Oh no, no, no,” Suzie apologizes. “Bravo for you and what you’re doing. Voting is important.” The woman stands outside; arms crossed, watching Suzie and me until we are a satisfying distance. We are now huddling close together on the sidewalk in front of city hall, consciously in line with the red flag. Ink in my notebook is bleeding as rain continues to shower above us. She is telling me about her plans to watch the results tonight when we seeing the brown haired woman clicking after us again, the blond a trailing a few steps behind. “I’m sorry ma’am. The hundred foot is where those signs are,” she said, pointing to the flag once again. “See where the sign is on the pole—that’s 100 feet,” the second woman chimes in. Suzie sounding genuinely surprised, “Oh! Okay thanks!” She smiles, tucks her scotchtaped “Ben Carson ‘16” yard sign under her arm and invites me to walk with her to her car before she visits her next polling location. Unfazed, she continues to casually chat about the future of the country and her belief in the constitution. “Tonight I’m going to be praying,” she laughs. “I’ve been praying for weeks.”
Tomi Agbesanwa is a second-generation American with a dual citizenship from Nigeria. His rounded glasses with black frames, champagne collared shirt and dark olive drab pants fit in harmony. Tomi, from Houston, has been voting since he was 18. Now 25 years old, he is pursuing his doctorate degree at the School of Pharmacy of Texas Tech University. “If I can vote, I am gonna vote,” said Agbesanwa. Agbesanwa voted the first time in the Obama election. A large crowd gathered. It took a long time for him to have his turn. But this time at one of the voting sites in Abilene, Hill Crest Church of Christ where Agbesanwa lives close to, it took longer to vote than to wait. Agbesanwa’s siblings are not old enough to practice their right to choose the country’s leader yet, but his family has a history of voting. “When I was growing up, it’s a big deal to vote,” said him. The middle school mock elections taught Agbesanwa the importance of voting, and his family also has an inf luence on him. “Some of my family members are not able to vote,” said him. “And being able to vote, you should definitely exercise it.” Agbesanwa remembers as a child when he lived in Nigeria for a few years. In Nigeria, people own the right to elect their leaders, although the politics is not as democratic as the United States since a lot of frauds happen in elections and ballots get lost.
tommy evans online managing editor Howard Collier has lived in Abilene 29 years, and has voted in every election since he moved here from Lubbock. But to him, voting is not the most important thing in life. “Voting comes number two; number one is prayer,” Collier said. “It’s my own personal conviction, but my beliefs are to pray, vote and buy ammunition.” Collier believes each vote cast is important and can change the political scene in Washington. He expressed his opinion that the leaders of this country have not done what is in the best interest of the people, and as a citizen, he knows it is his duty to try and change that. “I believe the politicians in Washington have tried to run the Constitution for the almighty dollar,” Collier said. “To me, that’s not right.” Collier’s political opinions are deeply tied to his personal and religious beliefs, and he sees them serving as a moral compass that helps guide him in making decisions. He uses prayer and his trust in God to lead his voting habits. Collier encourages the younger generations to get out and vote, to be involved and active and not accept things how they are. His wish is that young people would make their own informed decisions based on the facts instead of blindly following the media. “Use your conscience, listen to the Lord, read the Bible and lead your family,” Collier said. “Be devoted to Jesus Christ and lead this country.”
Rachel fritz copy editor Get out and vote, they say. Exercise your freedom, they tell you. The election process has come around again, and Abilineans trekked out in the cold, windy, rainy weather to cast their ballots. Among them was Jeff Haseltine dressed in his raincoat and umbrella in hand. Jeff said his vote may not be popular, but voting does make a difference. “I’m not likely to see my candidates win, but I think I should vote. These elections will be decided by a very small percentage of Americans and that’s kind of disappointing.” Jeff works for a math curriculum education program that supports Abilene Independent School District by offering a method of teaching that better suits students. “We designed an online program that connects them with self-paced independent learning as opposed to teacher learning,” he said. “We know that American students fall way behind in math, and this is one approach that is designed to help them catch up and learn to like math and to learn to like learning math.” The program is designed to help second through sixth grade students and provide them the opportunity to learn math in a way that may be more effective. Not only is Jeff passionate about helping children learn but he is keen of using his right to vote to represent them. “What I’m trying to do with my work is in support with a lot of kids that are going to lose out on opportunities if they don’t learn math,” he said. “Those are the kind of kids I’m voting for.”
Design by Catherine Blakemore
sports
wednesday 11.05.14
Volleyball falls in five to rival UIW Cards Tori valdivia sports reporter The ACU volleyball team fought hard through five sets against the University of the Incarnate Word Saturday, but were defeated 3-2. This dropped the Wildcats’ conference record to 2-10 and their overall record to 4-22. “We really wanted to beat Incarnate Word because we came so close to beating them the last time we matched up with them,” said Rachel Riley, junior right side hitter from Flower Mound. “We really showed how much we wanted to win in sets three and four. We just Paige OTway Staff Photographer needed to be ready to go Junior Sarah Siemens and Senior Neely Borger have from the start of the first been great at the net this year. Borger ranks second on set.” the team in blocks (66) while Siemens is third with 41.
Sets three and four ended with small leads of two and three point victories for ACU. Jennifer Loerch, outside hitter from Georgetown, outperformed her opponents with 14 kills in game three which was enough to take the win. The set ended in a Wildcat victory of 23-25. “We have four games left, and luckily, they are all at home,” Riley said. “This will be a great opportunity for us to showcase how hard we have worked and really pull out a couple big wins to leave our program in a good place to start off spring and even into next season.” The Wildcats had 55 kills, 63 points and zero in the match, while the Cardinals totaled 72 kills, 84 points and seven aces.
ACU will take the court again Thursday in Moody Coliseum to face McNeese state. McNeese is currently 4-8 in conference and 0-4 in away games. Their overall record for the season is at an even 14-14. “For these last couple of games, my motivation is to end our season on the best note possible,” said Brooke Ray, sophomore defensive specialist from Lucas. “I want to look back and see we gave it all we had, and if we try our hardest and that doesn’t equal a win, then I would be okay with that. Of course winning would be ideal, but I think we would all be OK with hard work.”
contact valdivia at vmv12b@acu.edu
6
standings football Standings
Team
Div.
MSU SELU SHSU UCA Lamar SFA ACU NSU UIW HBU Nicholls St.
4-1 4-1 4-1 4-2 3-2 3-2 3-3 2-3 2-4 1-5 0-6
Ovrl 6-2 6-3 5-4 5-5 6-3 6-3 5-5 4-5 2-7 2-7 0-10
volleyball Standings
Team
Div.
SFA UCA TAMU-CC SHSU HBU NSU SELU Nicholls St. Lamar UIW MSU ACU NO
12-0 10-2 8-3 8-4 8-4 7-4 6-6 5-7 4-8 4-8 3-8 2-10 0-13
Ovrl 18-7 15-7 14-13 13-9 12-12 10-14 8-14 8-15 3-18 7-17 12-14 4-21 6-19
Who’s Hot Redshirt freshman quarterback Kade Munden helped lead ACU to it’s Munden biggest win of the season against conference opponent Central Arkansas. Munden had three passing touchdowns, 100 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns in his career debut.
briefings Junior cornerback Jonathan Epps was named Southland Conference defensive player of the week after he recorded two interceptions against UCA. Epps took one of those picks 68-yards for a touchdown. He also had four tackles and one pass break-up.
Shera Niemirowski Sports Multimedia director
The ACU football team climbed back up to .500 overall and in conference after last Saturday’s win. The Wildcat defense became first in turnover differential in the Southland with plus-13. The offense has turned it over only 10 times while the defense has forced 23 turnovers.
Soccer defender Kelsie Roberts was named to the Capital One Academic All-District 7 Second Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Sophomore cross country runner Diana Garcia-Munoz finished fifth overall at the Southland Conference Championships. She half to make it a 38-28 game, “I wanted this one, it’s just work with these guys be- quarter. but that would be as close great to win, you got to win,” cause if weren’t for them, I’d The defense flew around recorded her personal as it got. The defense would Collums said. “This game be zero.” the ball all night as they best with a 20:59.2 time.
Defense bruises Bears in big win collin wieder sports editor Dual-threat freshman quarterback Kade Munden gave ACU its biggest win of the season as the team compiled 286 yards on the ground to upset the Central Arkansas Bears, 52-35. ACU improved to 5-5 overall on the season and 3-3 in conference, while the Bears dropped to 5-5 and 4-2 in conference. The Wildcats held off one of the Southland’s highestscoring offenses to win the shootout. ACU took a strong 31-14 lead into halftime after jumping out to a 21-7 lead early on. UCA quarterback Ryan Howard delivered two touchdown passes in the second
dominate the rest of the game to give the Wildcats the win in their annual DFW game in John Clark Stadium.
was a little different. The closer it got, I thought it would get easier, but in this one, it didn’t.” Munden made the most I just wanted to come out of his first career start as he here and do my one-eleven was responsible for five Wildcat touchdowns. He didn’t do and just work with these much in the passing game, as guys.” he went 6-for-8 for 49 yards, but he did throw three touchkade munden downs. freshman quarterback Munden did his damacu football age on the ground, rushing 20 times for 100 yards and a Head coach Ken Collums touchdown. broke the hearts of his alma “I can’t even explain it,” mater Saturday afternoon. Munden said. “I am so proud Collums started at quarter- of all the guys. They came back all four years for the out and worked hard and we Bears in 1991-1994. He also had a great week of practice. I won the 1991 national title just wanted to come out here for UCA. and do my one-eleventh and
“
Running back De’Andre Brown recorded his best game of the season as he rushed for 171 yards and even threw a touchdown pass to tight end Jamie Walker. ACU’s receivers were used sparingly as the running game rushed 54 times. Each starting tight end for the Wildcats caught a touchdown, including two from Walker. The defense was the story of the game as they forced a season high of seven turnovers against the Bears. The secondary recorded four interceptions. Utility player Jonathan Epps had two interceptions on the night taking one 68 yards for a Wildcat touchdown in the fourth
sacked UCA’s quarterbacks five times. Nick Richardson recorded his eighth sack of the year. Rishaad Wimbley also recorded two sacks in the game as well. “Our guys got after it,” Collums said. “We got heat on the passer. When receivers and running backs weren’t protecting the ball we went after it. Our guys played hard and we took advantage of their mistakes.” The Wildcats will continue conference play at 2 p.m. Saturday at home against the Northwestern State Demons.
contact WIEDER at CPW11A@acu.edu
Munoz has top five championship finish victoria rodriguez sports reporter The cross country team competed early Monday morning at the Southland Conference Championships in Natchitoches, Louisiana, hosted by Northwestern University. The women’s team placed fifth overall with 122 points, falling just below McNeese State who also finished with 122 points but had more runners place higher than ACU. The team was led by
Be sure to follow @OptimistSports on Twitter for more stories and the latest ACU sports news coverage.
Upcoming Women’s volleyball will host McNeese State Thursday in Moody Coliseum. The match begins at 7 p.m. Men’s and women’s tennis will travel to Phoenix, Arizona to play in the Grand Canyon Invitational.
Women’s volleyball will play another home game on Saturday sophomore standout from Keith Barnier, head track from Saskatchewan, Cana- with 97 points. The Wild- against Nicholls State. Phoenix Diana Garcia- and field and cross country da, ran a personal best and cats’ young team completed The match will begin at Munoz, who recorded a coach, said the women’s record-breaking 8K time of the Conference Champion- 11 a.m. personal best 6K time of 20:59.2. Garcia-Munoz placed ahead of Stephen F. Austin freshman Courtney High and behind Lamar’s Jannika John and Verity Ockenden. Victoria Gutierrez, freshman from Abilene, placed alongside Alexandria Hackett, sophomore from Cranston, Rhode Island, among the top 20 runners. The final five runners for the women’s team finished in less than 25 minutes.
team worked hard in the race and called Garcia-Munoz’s run “simply inspiring.” He also praised Gutierrez for a great run with a “tremendous kick at the end.” All runners who placed for the women’s team will return for the indoor track and field season as well as for next year’s outdoor season. The men’s team competed against 13 teams and placed ninth overall. Daniel Block, senior
25:17.8 to take 31st overall. Block improved almost two minutes from his time last year. Sophomore transfer Sterlen Paul placed 55th with a time of 26:25.4. Ryan Cleary, Joshua Mills, Taylor Ochs, Ryan Woelfel, Reid Rivers and John Baker rounded out the men’s’ team and completed the race in less than 30 minutes. Lamar won overall with 26 points, followed by SFA with 48 points and McNeese
ship race with 274 points. The men’s team will stay intact after this season except for senior Daniel Block. The completion of the Southland Conference Championship race puts ACU’s distance teams into their offseason before indoor track and field season begins Jan. 16.
contact rodriguez at vjr10a@acu.edu
Football finishes up its home game schedule with a conference game against Northwestern State. The game will begin at 2 p.m.