To Tokyo and back Exchange student returns
vol. 103, no. 38
Wednesday, February, 25, 2015
1 SECTION, 6 PAGES
Feature Page 5
what’s INSIDE NEWS Students organize music festival in Abilene Page 3
SPORTS Women’s basketball secures fourth straight win
Page 6
NEWS Maker Lab opens registration to second annual Maker Academy Page 3
SPORTS Softball takes on nationally-ranked Oregon and Baylor Page 6
OPINION
paige otway staff photographer
Students took advantage of their day off Monday. Kirk Farrell, junior youth and family ministry major from Richardson, and Molly Clemans, junior interdisciplinary major from Melissa, play in the snow with Summer Cotton, golden retriever from Keller.
Icy weather closes and delays classes emily studer
Technology in the classroom is contested between marketing and professors
Page 4
SPORTS Men’s basketball suffers 10th straight loss, 55-54 Page 6
student reporter Monday classes were canceled and Tuesday classes were delayed until 1:30 p.m. because of ice and snow around campus, leaving students to play and study on a day off. Driving became difficult on Monday morning as a result of icy weather and frosty temperatures. Although the university decided Sunday evening to delay opening the next day until 10 a.m., re-evaluation of the weather conditions resulted in a snow day for ACU. “No one person makes that decision, but a campus weather advisory board gath-
Construction completed in basement of Campus Center Page 3
what’s online VIDEO Students take a break from school to play on an icy campus
Read more at www.acuoptimist.com
Motz stressed that it is not snow which triggers a late opening or closure but icy conditions that pose a serious safety risk to the ACU community. “The police department monitors the roads around campus and the campus itself,” Motz said. “They also listen to the Abilene Police Department radio traffic, how many wrecks are there, what are the traffic conditions and, of course, looking at the weather.” Motz also said they take into consideration what Abilene Independent School District, Wylie Independent School District and Dyess Air Force Base are doing. By observing different key establishments around the
city, ACU’s weather advisory board can determine what actions should be taken in delaying classes or closing campus altogether. The snow day wasn’t all fun and games, though. The library opened at 11 a.m., and many students made the trek to study. Macie Liptoi, junior worship ministry major from Plano, was one of those students. “I’m going to use this time to be productive, because when do we ever have a day that we don’t have anything to do as a college student?” Liptoi said. “Not very often, so I’m going to have fun and study.” ACU personnel arrived early in the morning to make campus function as smoothly
as possible despite weather conditions. Marina Durrett, senior nursing major from Houston, said she was appreciative.IMG_2120 “I’m really thankful that we got the day off,” she said. “I’m also really appreciative of all the people doing their jobs; all the grounds crew who salted the sidewalks, the police officers who continually keep us safe and all the dining service employees who kept everyone fed. I know they’re also concerned about the weather, but they still showed up to do their job, so I’m very thankful for them today.” contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
Bryce leaves Summit post for teaching bailey werderich student reporter
NEWS
ers information from various sources and makes a collective decision either late the night before or very early in the morning,” said Lt. Randy Motz of the ACU Police Department. “Some items of consideration are current road conditions, police reports of vehicles colliding or running off the road, the potential for conditions to worsen or remain severe for an extended period of time and what local school districts have decided in regards to late openings or closure.” The ACU weather advisory board does not give out snow days lightly, said assistant ACU police chief Randy Motz. Much consideration is given to determine what conditions are suitable, he said.
Brady Bryce has handed over the reins of Summit after more than seven years as the director of ministry events. During his time in leadership, Bryce has been credited with revolutionizing Summit, the university’s annual fall lectureship event. He refocused the event on students by using social media to start conversations with presenters, brought in diverse speakers and changed the event schedule to fit with class schedules.
Bryce has served double duty as the director of ministry events and the director of contextual education in the Graduate School of Theology, with reassigned time dedicated to events such as Summit. He requested to make the transition to a fulltime faculty position with a full class load. Bryce said he is proud of how he and his team expanded Summit conversations outside of one tradition and even beyond the Christian tradition. “If I had to tag what I’m most proud of, it would be that women were given a
voice during my time,” Bryce said. “That is no comparison to what it was before.” Bryce said bryce he hopes Summit will continue to be a face-to-face experience and stresses the importance of people coming together. Dr. Ken Cukrowski, dean of the College of Biblical Studies, supports Bryce in his decision. “Brady teaches first-time graduate students and is the first face they see from the
department,” Cukrowski said. “He plays a vital role in the health of the program.” David Wray, professor emeritus of Bible, missions and ministry, former chair of the College of Biblical Studies and an elder at Highland Church of Christ, will serve as interim director of Summit this year. Cukrowski said he has full confidence in Wray’s capabilities. “His greatest gifts are organizing and bringing people together in community,” Cukrowski said. Students, faculty and staff input on the direction of Summit is welcomed. Car-
son Reed, assistant professor of practical theology and director of ministry program, is leading campus conversations about the future of Summit. “Summit 2015, once again, is inviting some outstanding spiritual leaders from across the world to be on campus and present principles from the book of Philippians,” Wray said. The conversations begin at the end of February and run through May. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
BSA presents ‘Unchained’ at Paramount mercedez hernandez student reporter The Black Students’ Association will tackle the hardships of black history in its upcoming production, Unchained: A Black History Program. Unchained will be performed at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Paramount Theatre. Tickets can be purchased from cast members or a BSA officer. Tickets cost
$5 for the general public, $3 for BSA members and $6 if purchased online. To purchase tickets online, visit acu.edu/ome and follow the “Black History Production” link. The program, which was written and arranged by Khamisie Green, junior music education major from Odessa and president of BSA, touches on issues from slavery to the recent incidents in Ferguson, Missouri, and
New York. “The goal is to educate ACU and the community on black history,” said Ryan Randolph, BSA adviser. The play also draws inspiration from slave narratives and the works of respected black authors such as Maya Angelou, something Randolph said is important for people in the community to see. “It’s one thing to hear what happened, but to
Abilene Christian University
see it progress from then to now, it’s kind of a way for us to feel pushed to keep going,” she said. The play features members of BSA, many of which have never acted before. Zar’Rian Parker, sophomore animal science major from Dallas, has never acted but said this production was almost like a calling to him. “Unchained is really like the love of God in
one play, speaking on our pains from the past and our ancestries pushing to be unchained,” he said. One particular scene has been the hardest for Parker to do, but he said the best way to give an honest portrayal is to become the character. “Khamisie sat me down one day during lunch and was like, ‘Actually become the charsee bsa page 3
Wednesday 2.25.15
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wednesday
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thursday 5:30 p.m. Guest artist recital: Brock McGuire Band
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friday 7:30 p.m. A capella concert in the Williams Performing Arts Center recital hall
saturday
Men’s and women’s tennis at Air Force Invitational
2 p.m. Softball game at Savannah State University
6 p.m. Baseball game at University of Texas Arlington
6 p.m. Baseball game versus University of Northern Colorado
7 p.m. Tim Hawkins concert with Bob Smiley in Moody Coliseum
7 p.m. Women’s basketball game versus Houston Baptist University
7 p.m. Unchained: A Black History Production at the Historic Paramount Theatre
Chapel checkup To date:
2
7:30 p.m. Band concert in Cullen Auditorium
Around Abilene
Remaining:
31 42 @acuoptimist The Optimist
Feb. 26
Feb. 28
Feb. 28
March 5
10 a.m. Beili Liu: “Stratus” at the Grace Museum. Stratus cloud is the visual and conceptual inspiration for the site-specific installation by artist Beili Liu. Stratus consists of a vast field of clear acrylic sheets, each carefully dipped in graphite infused wax, and suspended a few feet below the ceiling. Admission is $6.
11 a.m. Greater Kiwanis Chili Day at the Abilene Civic Center. Come for allyou-can-eat chili, with tacos, cobbler and ice cream at an extra cost. Tickets are $7 at the door.
7 p.m. Gregory Popovich Comedy Pet Theater at the Historic Paramount. Gregory leads a cast of jugglers, clowns and more than 30 trained animals. Gregory and his pets-all of whom have been rescued from shelters-have been featured on numerous national TV shows and voted the best family show in Las Vegas. Visit http://www. abilenecac.org/cparts/ index.html for tickets.
6 p.m. Artist Tamberley Thomas will teach beautiful watercolor flower painting techniques at the Grace Museum. Go to http://thegracemuseum. org/category/classes/ to register.
optimist@acu.edu
Announcements The Shinnery Review is now accepting submissions of original works through March 1. Email all submissions to shinnery@acu.edu.
Are you free this summer and in need of a job? Are you energetic, love being around children, and have a passion for Jesus? Then ACU Leadership Camps may be for you. If you have any quesSamaritan’s Purse is hiring for numerous tions, we are located downstairs in the paid internships. Apply by Saturday at Campus Center, Room 29. Apply online intern.samaritanspurse.org. at acucamps.com/apply. A limited number of $20 student tickets to TEDxACU will be awarded in early March. Applications are due March 1. You can apply today at acu.edu/tedxacu/ studentapp. The ACU Undergraduate Research Festival is almost here! Come to Hunter Welcome Center March 31, to support undergraduate researchers during our seventh annual festival.
Need to practice interviews? ACU Career Center is offering mock interviews through Feb. 27. Meet with ACU alumni and human resources professionals to network and receive feedback on your skills. Visit acu.edu/careercenter for more information and to select a time.
Spoken Word Chapel will meet Tuesdays V is for Violin will run Thursday through in the Onstead Packer Biblical Studies Saturday in Culp Theatre. Written by Building, Room 250. If you enjoy poetry, Brittany Taylor, an ACU alumna, the play come listen, share and be ministered to captures a close-up view of a couple by Christ-centered poetry. struggling to make sense of love, choice and personal responsibility as citizens Missionary Tech Team will overview inof the world. Go to acu.edu/theatre for ternship opportunities 5 p.m. March 4 in ticket prices and show times. the Shore Art Gallery. Refreshments will be served. Internships are possible for several majors.
Have an idea for a business? Register for the Springboard Ideas Challenge by March 5. Registration fee is $10. The college division grand prize is $10,000. Email greggscenter@acu.edu for questions or more information. Submit your photo for the Images of Aging Photo Contest by Friday. The photo must include at least one person who is at least 60 years old. See the complete rules and information at http://blogs. acu.edu/imagesofaging/. The Black Students Association presents it’s annual Black History production titled Unchained. Celebrate Black History Month with us on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Historic Paramount Theatre downtown.
Intramurals
Social clubs fall behind in intramural basketball THE VAGABONDAGE REC-COVERING SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND ADDICT
DANIEL BLOCK
After a one-week hiatus to the annual Sing Song extravaganza (nice job on the predictions, Optimist), intramurals returned with a vengeance to the gyms of the Rec. The glitter littering the f loor was replaced with sweat, and ‘bows were once again thrown rather than worn. Costumes were traded for headbands, wristbands and the occasional shooting sleeve, except for the men of Galaxy, who just kept their costumes from Sing Song week and used them for intramurals. Women’s Champ League The clock is winding down on the regular season, but it looks like we may be heading for overtime. LEGIT and The HasBeens have put the social clubs in their places so far this season, as both teams defeated each club squad and now boast equivalent 4-0 records. The two leaders were scheduled to play each other Tuesday night for the No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs. LEGIT ran away with most of its victories this
season. Only the Siggies managed to keep its game against LEGIT within arms’ reach, losing by six points. The Has-Beens have matched LEGIT on the offensive side of the court and boast the No. 1 scoring offense through four games. The defense, though, has been suspect at times. Three of its four victories were within single-digit margins, with Sigma Theta Chi again coming the closest in a two-point loss. Despite the Siggies’ ability to compete with the powerhouses of the league, they somehow put up their worst effort of the season in Thursday’s game against GATA, losing their third straight, 33-21. If you didn’t catch that, allow me to repeat it. GATA. Beat. Siggies. The final two games of the regular season will take place Thursday night, both at 8 p.m. GATA and Alpha Kai Omega will duke it out for playoff positions in Gym B, while the always-exciting Siggie-Kojie rivalry game will take place at Starbu– I mean, in Gym C.
All four positions from third to sixth remain up for grabs heading into Thursday’s matches. Men’s Champ League As the temperature outside dropped last week, the intensity in the gyms heated up. Unfortunately, a few teams’ shooting remained just as cold. As many as four players received ejections from intramural games last week and the contests will only get feistier from here on out as the regular season wraps up. The gym was full for the Sub T-16 versus Gamma Sigma Phi matchup on Thursday. Sub T, as defending champions, seemed to be the favorite and got off to a quick start. By halftime, GSP edged ahead with a slim lead. The second half was unkind to the men of Sub T, as their shooting went colder than the look you get from a Siggie if you talk to her boyfriend. The Kinsmen escaped with a convincing 12-point win, 57-45, but not before one of GSP’s players was ejected for throwing a punch. I could give him the benefit of the doubt, that he was trying to punch the ball out of the opposing player’s hands in frustration, but then I’d have to make a joke about his poor aim. Either way, GSP
WOMEN’S CHAMP BASKETBALL STANDINGS AS OF 6 P.M. FEB. 24 LEGIT, 4-0
GATA, 1-3
The Has-Beens, 4-0
Sigma Theta Chi, 1-3
Ko Jo Kai, 2-2
Alpha Kai Omega, 0-4
MEN’S CHAMP BASKETBALL STANDINGS AS OF 6 P.M. FEB. 24 Skillz that Killz, 3-0
300, 1-2-1
Galaxy, 3-1
Men of BSA, 1-3
Drain’n 3’s & Drinkin’ DPs, 2-1
Trojans, 0-3
GSP, 2-1
Purple Reign, 0-2
Sub T-16, 2-1-1 jumped ahead of Sub T in the standings ahead of its Thursday showdown with second-place Galaxy. Skillz that Killz have been arguably the most impressive team so far this season, as the team made up primarily of freshmen remains undefeated. Thursday the Skillz will play Drain’n 3s & Drink’n DP’s, another non-club team with first-
place aspirations. Skillz that Killz have the top offense in the league. The team makes more baskets than the women at a Church of Christ ladies’ night. On Thursday, Skillz will have to deal with the league’s No. 1 defense in Drain’n 3s. Defense might win championships, but scoring baskets usually wins the ladies.
All told, five teams have one loss or fewer on the season. Heading into the playoffs, the standings are as open as Whataburger on a late night. Don’t miss the entertainment Thursday evening. contact block at djb13a@acu.edu
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news
Wednesday 2.25.15
Young Adult Cult brings dream to life with festival johanna fleming student reporter
heather johnston Sppecial ccontributer
Heather Johnston practices aerial dancing with the instructor, Jackie Beth Shilcutt.
Two ACU students are bringing their vision for Abilene to life by starting a new music festival called Key City Block Party happening downtown this April. MaryCarol Fox, senior business major from Waco, and Jordan Fox, senior communications major from Spring, said they want it to be like nothing Abilene has seen before. “We want people to be able to come downtown and say this is different,” said Jordan. “We want Christmas lights strung up everywhere and we’re talking about projecting old Bruce Lee fight scenes and 1967 Spiderman cartoons onto some of the buildings. We’ll have DJ’s and local pop or rap or jazz artists, we just basically want you to come down and be like this is weird but at the same time I can dig this.” Key City Block Party is the brainchild of Young Adult Cult, an organization formed by Fox and Fox as a way to connect college students to local culture. “ACU has gotten really good over the past few years as far as creating school spirit and providing things you can do on campus,” said MaryCarol. “What they’re lacking is, you know, students want
more than just what’s on campus to make a real college experience, you want to be able to go off campus and really be in love with the city that you’re in.” The two decided to start Young Adult Cult in July after both working at summer internships that tuned them onto all the arts and culture Abilene has to offer. Although Key City Block Party is their main project, Young Adult Cult has also started a slew of social media accounts and a website that lets visitors discover what’s happening in Abilene for the month so they can go out and experience new things. “The website is a place you can go to find weekly specials and events that businesses and different groups are putting on,”MaryCarol said. In the future Young Adult Cult plans on holding events such as Crawfish Bashes and events that give back to the community like lunches for the homeless in the park. Young Adult Cult is looking for volunteers and is searching for talent for the upcoming festival. To learn more about the organization or to get in contact is through their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ youngadultcult. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
Renovations finished in Campus Center basement savanah silva student reporter The basement of the Campus Center is finally finished. For the past few months, construction workers have been drilling, tearing apart the basement f loors and painting, among other things. An elevator was installed in early Decem-
ber, and so far, the Office of Student Life and Students’ Association have moved into their spaces. The construction was small part of the Vision In Action campaign, which includes renovations to Bennett Gymnasium and construction of the Halbert-Walling Research Center, the Onstead Science Center, the planned on-campus football stadium and a new track and
soccer complex. Many of the students on campus are pleased to hear that the basement is now open. “Even though I never went downstairs regularly, I feel like now that construction is over you’ll see more people down there,” said Colleen Weeks, sophomore nursing major from Fort Collins, Colorado. Kevin Roberts, vice
president of operations, could not be reached for comment but in previous press releases Roberts stated that all construction was scheduled to be done by December. As of right now, all construction in the campus center is on track. The only thing left to do is for the remaining occupants to move into their finished offices. Taylor Crumpton,
sophomore psychology major from Coppell and Morris Hall representative for Students’ Association, says now that SA is all moved in, it is anticipating an increase in student traffic. “We have officially moved into our new location.” Crumpton said, “We hope that by having our offices in the basement of the campus center students will begin to
take notice and interact with SA on campus.” Although construction in the basement is now complete and people are moving into their new offices, work on the Campus Center roof is still unfinished.
contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
Presidential Scholars advise incoming candidates their academic profile which consists of high school transcripts and test scores. Students must Each year, a handful of have an ACT score of 27 or incoming freshmen re- higher and a grade point ceive the Presidential average of 3.5 or better to Scholars Award. Students receive the scholarship. that exhibit exceptional The Presidential academic and leadership Scholars Award offers skills are given the op- special opportunities for portunity to become a re- the recipients. cipient of this award. “Being a presidential Changes have been scholar has given me the made to the award each ability to gain a foothold year as more students be- in many opportunities come eligible. that I might not have had These scholars will otherwise,” said Graybe named based on their son Young, a recipient of application to ACU and the award. “I have more
betsy smith
student reporter
time to study due to the fact that I don’t have to have a job. The scholarship has inf luenced my college career greatly. It has encouraged me to never settle in my studies, and it has also been a great foot-in-the-door for many internships, jobs and programs.” Young, junior nursing major from Lubbock, said he thinks the scholarship looked great on his application to the School of Nursing and helped bolster his application for an internship he applied for at a hospital this sum-
mer. Emma Mack, freshman undeclared major from Idalou, is another recipient of the award. “Being a presidential scholar affects how I pay for ACU,” she said. “Because of the scholarship, I don’t have to worry as much about my finances or a lot of student loans in the future.” Recipients are required to complete 15 hours of community service each semester, maintain a 3.5 GPA and complete the required amount of Chapel cred-
its. Current scholars offer advice to incoming freshmen that may receive the award. “If I had any advice for incoming presidential scholarship recipients, it would be to not underestimate the opportunity that has been presented to them,” Young said. “Understand that the scholarship offers them so many opportunities and that their hard work during high school earned them this prestigious award.” While there are many
benefits of being a presidential scholar, Young said it requires discipline to maintain. “I would encourage them to realize that sometimes their friends will go out without them and that they will have to stay in and study,” Young said. “I would remind them that the hard work will pay off in college just like it did in high school.”
contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
Maker Academy opens summer camp registration activities combined with technology and contemporary maker movement. Students will have a The Maker Lab is con- hands-on experience and ducting its second an- will learn design thinknual Maker Academy this ing, the basics of rapid summer. prototyping and digital Maker Academy is a fabrication, and how to summer day camp that collaborate with peers. utilizes the state-of-the“We’re gearing up for art Maker Lab equipment our second edition of the to teach younger genera- Maker Academy,” said Nil tions different processes Santana, instructor of art of making and creating. and design. “I love seeing The classes include the youngsters engage various problem-solving in making activities and
josh levinson student reporter
BSA: Production premieres from page 1
something to say it.” Randolph has similar acter,’” Parker said. “It is hopes for the play and the most difficult thing said she wants it to ento do.” courage others to work Parker also has a spe- toward a better future. cific goal in mind when “We need to keep he is performing. speaking because some“I want it to open eyes, one did that for us, and and I also want it to im- we need to keep it up pact others’ lives to speak for the next generation,” out on how they feel,” Randolph said. Parker said. “Not only the black community, I want contact the optimist at any community that jmcnetwork@acu.edu feels like they need to say
challenges we present to them. They just spark their creativity and enthusiasm working with their peers, testing and building things. That’s a great example of how making must be an essential aspect of learning.” The Maker Academy is open to the public and is divided into three different camps: Camp One, Camp Two and Camp Three.
Camp One is for 4th6th graders and will be June 1 and 2 with a $60 registration fee. In this creativity camp, students will learn how to make and build prototypes by hand using simple tools such as paper, glue and tape. Camp Two is for 6th8th graders and will be June 3-5 with a $90 registration fee. Students in this camp will learn about digital
fabrication. They will use the laser-cutter and software to build prototypes made of cardboard and card stock as well as learn to work on teams. Camp Three is for 8th12th graders and will be June 15-18 with a $120 registration fee. This camp will emphasize advanced making skills, and students will learn how to cut materials with the laser-cutter and CNC router.
Each camp has 20 available spots, and classes will be from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on the camp’s designated days. For more information, or to register, visit http:// blogs.acu .edu / makerlab and click on “Maker Academy ’15.”
contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
Opinion
Wednesday 2.25.15
4
editorial
Professors ban technology, marketing exploits it the issue Many professors have banned technology and devices in their classrooms saying students learn better without it.
our take Administration needs to be consistent across the board. Don’t use the “innovative” marketing ploy if it’s not true.
You’re sitting in class and you observe the students surrounding you—trying their best to ignore the professors. There is the guy in front of you watching the golf tournament, the girl on your right scrolling through Pinterest and the students next to you iMessaging each other while simultaneously plan-
ning their spring break trip on their laptops. Technology in the classroom is nothing new to us, especially here at ACU, where you practically trip over the iMacs randomly sitting all over campus and iPads are thrown at you during Welcome Week. But recently some professors are banning
student use of devices in class. While we aren’t sure that technology really enhances our learning exponentially, the sans technology classrooms are conf licting with the messages that ACU administration and marketing uses to recruit students here. Many professors who ban technology in class say they are not at odds with the university Mobile Learning Initiative, but rather believe their students are better suited without it in class. Some professors argue that the art of note-taking facilitates the learn-
You can’t walk around ACU with tripping on an iMac or someone throwing an iPad at you.
ing process better, while others cite several bad experiences they’ve had with students on their devices in class. Then again, some professors don’t care either way. There is one attitude f loating around that says students are responsible for their own learning, and if that means paying all their attention to Facebook then that’s their own demise.
DAILY doodle dosage
Ben Todd
The problem herein lies in the miscommunication between classes and the administration. While ACU is requiring students to purchase iPads and providing training for faculty on ways to incorporate technology-based projects in their syllabuses, many faculty members are asking that students unplug from their devices all together.
It’s not a black-andwhite issue, but has a huge gray area encompassing the Internet and Microsoft Word, which are essential in nearly every class. All we are asking for is some consistency, or that ACU marketing would at least do us a favor and resist using the “innovation” and “mobile-learning” as a ploy to lure students here when that isn’t necessarily the best way to learn.
contact The Optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu
hashtagACU Feb. 22 10:24 p.m.
If I could just hang out with Julie Andrews and Meryl Streep that would be it. Lord take me now I’m ready.
Feb. 21 2:09 p.m.
locked out of my house but at least the wifi reaches to the front porch
@gbrookec
@nataliegoin Feb. 24 12:58 p.m.
Feb. 23 11:30 a.m.
These ice days really aren’t helping my senioritis...
Snow days are such a good excuse to be lazy.
Anywhere I can order a big helping of motivation??
Feb. 24 12:07 p.m.
@addiefs Feb. 23 11:36 a.m.
Column
The Senioritis is strong with this one VIEWS VAGABONDAGE FROM GOODY SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND TWO-SHOES
LINSEY THUT
It’s the one thing every college student thinks they’ll be prepared for when the time comes. Throughout college, they hear horror stories of the syndrome that affects seniors, making them slack in all areas of life, longing for the day of freedom from academia: Senioritis. Sophomores lie to themselves, thinking, “Maybe it won’t happen to me, maybe I’ll stay truly driven to the end.” Juniors get just a taste of the slovenly senioritis fashion and procrastination during finals week and think they’ve seen the worst of it. But more is to come. Senioritis is impending
and overpowering. You see, I barely had the motivation to write this column. Once a straight-A student and frequent teacher’s pet, my zeal is draining. I reluctantly pulled myself away from the couch covered in junk-food wrappers and peeled my eyes away from the second season of The OC, scarcely long enough to attempt some kind of productivity. And that lack of motivation seems to be a reoccurring theme that has now applied to all aspects of myself and my fellow seniors’ lives. That’s right, still 73 days away from graduation (of
course I’m counting!) and senioritis, combined with a lethal amount of caffeine, is now running strong in my veins. Once a wide-eyed freshman, equipped to take on every homework assignment thrown at me, it now takes at least one cup of coffee, two chocolates and maybe one episode of Gossip Girl to accumulate just an ounce of the energy I had back then. I used to prioritize my todo’s on a list and take pride in crossing off each task I completed. Now, the only list I’m checking off regularly is the episode guide of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix. That and the amount of absences I am using up weekly in each class. And as of right now, the amount of Chapel credits I still need is probably larger than the amount of money
@gabbysymone13
Apparently there’s ice and snow out there and abilene is covered in it but I wouldn’t know because I refuse to get out of bed
I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve wacthed at least 22 hours in Netflix shows...in the last 2 days
@jacibonneau Feb. 23 5:51 p.m.
in my bank account. @t_money754 But as I crawl out of bed with 15 minutes until class – Feb. 24 1:54 p.m. the remnants of last night’s makeup smeared on my Thought it was raining. face – and rush to class at Nope. The ice on my record-breaking speed, I no- roof is just melting in tice the rest of my frazzled, a torrential downpour sweatshirt-dawning, weary- #AbileneArcticisOver eyed senior class, and I’m reminded I’m not alone. Sure, as the semester @Macie_Liptoi goes by, we might drink far too much coffee than is healthy, and we’ll definitely Only oscars I care about have more than enough se- serves Mexican food. nioritis meltdowns, but we can’t forget that all this craziness will be worth it. If we can just push on unYikYak til May 9, we’ll find ourselves walking across that stage and into a new world that is Monday, February 23, 2015. National Netflix ours for the taking. Day.
sometimes you wake up from hours of napping & you have no idea what time or day it is & sometimes it’s okay bc snow daze.
@kissmy_cass89 A snowflake just hit me in the face. I repeat, this is not a drill.
YikYak If a college girl didn’t post pictures of herself playing on the ice, did she really go outside?
YikYak
contacT THUt at LCT10A@acu.edu
YikYak
Column
Athletes should be held to a higher standard FUNNY HOW VAGABONDAGE THAT WORKS SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND EMILY SEIDEL
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley down in a little area of Southern California known as Los Angeles County. I also attended the University of Nevada, Reno, for a year, which happens to be the alma mater of a certain California NFL team’s quarterback. Basically, this all adds up to me being a huge fan of the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick. I have his jersey
and everything. You may have heard of his latest moment in the spotlight after last week’s Twitter incident. After Kap tweeted about an intense “recovery-day” workout, an online troller took the opportunity to make fun of his accuracy issues. “Ab workout won’t help find open receiver #study,” @battman_returns said.
Kap responded with three insulting tweets, each more degrading than the last. The last one was, “You got 8 followers bruh your own family don’t even want to know what you doin! Get better at life!” It’s not surprising to see this kind of retaliation from a pro athlete. What surprises me is how OK everyone seems with it. In fact, many of Kap’s fans have tweeted about the incident in his support saying different variations of “Don’t start a fight if you can’t finish it.” So, as one of Kap’s biggest fans, why am I so disappointed in this situ-
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ods on the field, but because he made it his job to mentor the boys on his team and make sure they became men of character - through football. Anytime any of his boys got too cocky, he’d knock them down a peg to teach them humility. Kaepernick didn’t necessarily do anything wrong by defending himself, but there is definitely a much classier way he could have done it. Or he could have just not taken the bait and continued to work on his game. His future stats could have done a better job of defending his skills than those tweets did.
And yes, I know that it’s low on the totem pole of athlete scandals – he didn’t have an affair, assault anyone or get into dogfighting – but it’s my firm belief that it’s the little things that define a person’s integrity. And if you don’t do the little things right, you won’t do the big things right either. So instead of praising his quick wit, I’m going to encourage Kap and athletes like him to get better at the little things. They make a difference.
contact Seidel at EKS13B@acu.edu
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ation? Because I believe athletes should be held to a higher standard. Not just because they’re public figures or because they represent a team like the 49ers, but because I believe athletes who have been part of a sport long enough should have built as much character as they did muscle. Sports, especially team sports, are known to encourage strength, perseverance, teamwork and discipline. If you’ve ever watched Friday Night Lights, you know Eric Taylor was a great coach not just because of his win/loss record or meth-
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Features
Wednesday 2.25.15
ACU IN
EAST ASIA First ACU exchange student to study in Japan returns
emily seidel copy editor
T
has published several award-winning books in English. “It was wonderful getting to live with him for a year, since I hadn’t lived with him much after graduating high school,” Katagiri said. “I was able to make unforgettable memories which I will cherish for the rest of my life, and I was also able to see first-hand what an awesome teacher he is.” Though students who do the program through ACU only sign up for one semester which goes from April to the end of August, Katagiri’s love of family and country led to her decision to stay in Japan for an extra semester before returning to Abilene. Since she had the advantage of growing up in Japan, her transition to a Japanese university was fairly smooth. She already knew the language, but she had never attended school in Japan when she was young. Instead, she was homeschooled in English and attended KUMON, a private after-school program, with her twin sister and older brother. “It was really cool attending school and seeing the differences between universities. Because if you go to one university you think that’s what all universities are like because that’s how you do it,” Katagiri said. “So it’s so cool seeing even the smallest differences. The people are different, the culture is different, everyone is so nice.” She said one of the best parts of the college program was the hospitality
extended to her by everyone involved while she was in Japan. She also got to meet exchange students from other countries such as Korea, China, Peru and France. “If you’re a foreign exchange student, they treat you, well not like royalty, but like you’re so important,” she said. “I was able to meet the President, and they hosted this whole welcome ceremony and an ending ceremony at the end of the semester.” Off-campus, however, she said she had to make some cultural adjustments in order to be polite. “Some of the big cultural differences are the respectful culture and customs, bowing, customer service, and the subtle way in which people communicate. There is also no tipping in Japan, since it can be insulting, as though it’s an affront on the employee’s salary. People mostly use trains or the subway to commute to work and school or simply walk if close enough. Japan has a lot of people, so it isn’t rare to find yourself squished into a train and feel like a sardine. The food is delicious, something that I miss dearly, even now.” Katagiri’s year abroad has made her passionate about wanting other students to participate in the program and follow in her footsteps – not only to enrich their college experience, but to raise awareness as well and better represent ACU in future KSU semesters. “I believe international exchange
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“It wasn’t difficult to quickly fall back in love with the country I grew up calling home.”
hough born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Ann Rachel Katagiri was mostly a stranger to the United States until ann rachel katagiri the age of 14. Senior international studies major from Arlington At 6 months old, she moved to Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. She had family in Texas, her mother’s home, whom she visited every two programs are so vital for a university years. But it wouldn’t prepare her for to have and I think it’s kind of a disher unexpected move to the South to appointment that no one has really attend high school after 13 years on the realized that there is an exchange proother side of the globe. gram with Japan, so when I tell people, “At first, it was very difficult since I they’re like, ‘We have that?’” Katagiri could speak English perfectly fine but said. had never lived in the U.S.,” Katagiri While Japan would probably appeal said. “Living in Texas and simply visitto more students as a Study Abroad proing was very different.” gram, Katagiri says she doesn’t see that Years later, when a seemingly fated happening because it would mean ACU opportunity presented itself at ACU, would no longer accept Japanese stushe would again experience the same dents from KSU for a semester. major transition by journeying to Fu“They like having the students come kuoka, Japan, for a year to study at Kyhere, they’ve had them coming here for ushu Sangyo University. past I don’t know how many years,” she Katagiri experienced no culture said. “So I don’t really see them changshock this time. She simply had the ing it, but either way I would love peotask of trying to recreate the connecple to take advantage of the program tion to her home country she once had. they have.” “Going back to Japan, now Fukuoka, was a bit different from Tokyo, but it page design was still a place comfortable for me,” madeline orr Katagiri said. “It wasn’t difficult to quickly fall back in love with the country I grew up calling home.” Her trip was part of a foreign exchange program that, while run through the Study Abroad office, is different from a regular Study Abroad program. Katagiri was the first ACU student to study abroad in the country. Each semester, ACU accepts two or three students from KSU, but had yet to send one of its own to Japan until Katagiri signed up. She departed in late March of last year and returned Jan. 6, just before the spring 2015 semester began. While abroad, she completed a list of classes including Chinese Language and Conversation, Japanese Language and Culture and International Business. She also took Survey in American Culture – a class taught by her own father, Dr. Yasuhiro Katagiri, who has been the professor of American History and Studies in the Department of International Studies of Culture at KSU since April 2013. “He was and has always been very supportive of me in any endeavor I have attempted, whether it be a little crazysounding or not.” Katagiri said. “He is someone whom I respect and look up to the most and whom I am very proud to call my father.” Getting to live with her father added an element of comfort for Katagiri while she lived so far away from her new home, and it was also an enriching experience for her academically ann Rachel katagiri contributed photo to study with him. She said on top of Top: Ann Rachel Katagiri wears a Kimono, a traditional Japanese garment. Bottom: Katagiri got to travel with other exhcange students being an excellent professor, he is f luent in both Japanese and English and from Korea, China and Peru.
sports
Wildcats drop lead in final minutes Daniel Zepeda sports Director The men’s basketball program could not find a way to pull out the win Saturday night, as the Wildcats fell in the final minutes in Hammond, Louisiana, 55-54. The Southeastern Louisiana Lions scored on a jumper to go up by three with a minute remaining. ACU would then be sent to the line and sink both free throws, making it just a one-point game. With seven seconds to go, the Wildcats recovered possession on a missed SELU shot, and senior LaDarrien Williams drove the lane, but could not get a shot up over the collapsing defense as time expired. The Wildcats led 33-28 at the half, after the Lions scored in the final seconds on a floater to end the first half. SELU would start the second half on a 14-5 run to make it 42-37 with 11 minutes left in the game. The Wildcats would retake the lead on a Williams jump
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wednesday 2.25.15
throw with 1:30 left, keeping the score 53-52 Lions. Both teams would tack on final points, but it wouldn’t be enough for the Wildcats to overcome. Wentz led ACU in scoring with 22 points, including 4-7 three-point shooting and two steals. Junior forward Austin Cooke recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Seniors Harrison Hawkins and Williams combined for just nine points on 3-14 shooting. The Wildcats as a team shot over 50 percent in the paige otway Staff Photographer first half, but only 35 percent The Wildcats’ loss to SELU is the team’s 10th straight loss. in the second half. They were 6-15 from three and held the shot, making it 48-46 ACU it 51-46 with 4:15 to go. Lions to 2-9 from downtown. with 6:15 left. The Lions would respond The Lions outmatched Sophomore forward Ri- with a score in the paint to the Wildcats inside, scoring ley Payne would make two tie the game, and then take 30 points in the paint and clutch plays down the stretch the lead with an ACU turn- added 20 points off of ACU for ACU, drawing two offen- over and fast-break layup on turnovers. sive fouls on the Lions to the following possession to With the loss, ACU moves void scores by SELU. make it 53-51 Lions with 2:20 to 9-17 and 3-10 in conferACU pushed its lead to left in the game. ence. It is now the Wildcats’ five after junior guard Parker The Wildcats missed a 10th consecutive loss, who Wentz sank one of his four key opportunity with Wentz have not won a game since three-point baskets to make missing an important free their 95-81 win over North-
western State in Natchitoches, Louisiana. After starting out the conference portion of their schedule 3-0, they have fallen to 12th place in a conference of 13 teams. Unlike most of their losses, the Wildcats battled to stay in the game in the second half, no moment more evident than when Wentz dove for a loose ball with under an minute to go, but just missed his grip, resulting in a SELU basket. The Wildcats have five games left on the this year’s schedule, two at home and three on three away. Their next game will be against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; who sit fourth in the conference at 14-12, 9-5. Last week, the Islanders ended the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks’ 33-game conference winning streak with a 71-63 win in Corpus Christi. Tip-off is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Moody Coliseum.
contact zepeda at djz11a@acu.edu
standings men’s basketball Standings
Team
Div.
SFA 13-1 SHSU 13-1 NSU 11-4 UIW 9-5 TAMU-CC 9-5 Lamar 8-7 HBU 6-8 SELU 6-8 MSU 4-10 NO 4-10 Nicholls St.4-10 ACU 3-10 UCA 1-12
Ovrl 23-4 22-5 16-10 17-7 14-12 14-13 11-13 9-18 10-15 8-15 9-16 9-17 1-23
women’s basketball Standings
Team
Div.
SFA 12-2 Lamar 12-3 Nicholls St.10-4 MSU 9-6 NSU 9-6 TAMU-CC 9-6 UCA 8-6 ACU 7-7 HBU 5-9 SHSU 5-9 SELU 3-11 UIW 2-12 NO 2-12
Ovrl 19-6 15-11 14-11 15-11 14-12 13-13 15-11 15-10 11-14 6-18 7-18 5-20 4-19
Who’s Hot Sophomore forward Suzzy Dimba recorded her ninth double Dimba double this season in a win against Southeastern Louisiana. Dimba scored 23 points and pulled down 15 boards to push the Wildcats win streak to four.
briefings ACU is inducting five track athletes in the ACU Hall of Fame. Waymond Griggs, Ann (Foster) Faulknor, Brian Amos, Ian Morris and Dennis Richardson will be inducted into the hall of fame Friday April 10.
yam saowatarnpong Staff Photographer
Sophomore Suzzy Dimba was named the Southland Conference women’s basketball player of the week. She had 23 points and 15 rebounds last weekend.
Women win fourth straight Collin thompson sports reporter The ACU women’s basketball team defeated the Southeastern Louisiana University Lions Saturday afternoon in Hammond, Louisiana, 83-65, increasing its record to 15-10 overall. The team’s now 7-7 Southland record maintains the Wildcats’ place at eighth in the conference but puts the ‘Cats at .500 in the conference for the first time this season. “It’s been really exciting here of late and it’s exactly where you want to be,” head coach Julie Goodenough said. “We’re playing our best basketball of the season right now and the results have shown that. Our team has embraced a mindset of teamwork and that’s really what has led us to be successful on the court.” The Wildcats gained the lead with 16:49 left in the first half and never let go, but the Lions managed to keep the
The 3-11 SELU team is a familiar foe to the Wildcats. The two teams battled just a few weeks ago on Feb. 7 in Moody Coliseum, and the Wildcats beat the Lions, 7574, in their closest margin of victory this season. The Wildcats’ success was largely due to their limiting Lions’ best players: senior guard Elizabeth Styles, who leads the conference in assists, and junior Nanna Pool, who is one of the conference’s best scorers, rebounders and shot-blockers. The ‘Cats had multiple players that played well and had a significant impact on the game, but the Wildcats’ best overall player was sophomore Suzzy Dimba. Dimba earned her 10th doubleaustin kilcullen Staff Photographer double of the season on Saturday while leading the WildThe Wildcats won 83-65 against SELU on the road. cats with 15 rebounds, 12 of contest close for most of the Wildcats in the driver’s seat. which were on defense, 23 game, pushing the deficit The Wildcats, who strug- total points, four blocks and to as little as two with 15:08 gled on the road when the five steals. left in the second half before season started, going 0-4, are “Suzzy is just so athletic sophomore Alexis Mason now 4-1 in road Southland and it makes her a real force buried a three to keep the conference match-ups since. on the court,” Goodenough
said. “She is able to get to loose balls and grab rebounds that most aren’t able to. She really helps us out down low and in my mind has been one of the best low post players in the conference.” Her effort moved her to fourth in the conference in rebounds, with 8.7 per game, fourth in blocks, with 1.6 per game, and first overall in steals with 2.5 per game. Dimba’s efforts against SELU, combining with her performance in the Wildcats’ 76-41 win over Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Feb. 18, helped Dimba earn her second Southland Conference women’s basketball player of the week award of her collegiate career. The Wildcats will play again Wednesday, Feb. 25, against Houston Baptist University, whom they defeated on the road 53-50 in their last faceoff, at 7 p.m. in Moody Coliseum. contact thompson at cnt13c@acu.edu
Softball tested vs. top-knotch teams savanah silva sports reporter The ACU softball team traveled to Waco last weekend to compete at the Baylor Invitational where, once again, their score did not reflect their performance. The Wildcats played the University of North Texas to start off the tournament. Pitcher Emily Seidel, senior from Burbank, California, pitched a strong game, giving up only three earned runs through seven complete innings. However, the Wildcat offense could not quite catch up, scoring only two runs on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth and a home run by
Cara Hoover in the seventh. After the late-inning rally against UNT, the Wildcats entered their next game against Oregon, nationally ranked at No. 2. However, strong pitching and hitting from Oregon quickly shut down ACU’s momentum, ending the game after 4 1/2 innings with an 8-0 score. Strong winds affected ACU’s outfielders’ read on fly balls, allowing several miscues with Oregon runners on base in addition to a two-run home run by Danica Mercado. Seidel was tagged with both losses Friday, throwing all 11 innings on the day. Junior transfer pitcher Julia Montoya started Saturday’s first game against Tulsa
and also earned the loss. The 9-5 Hurricane would settle in quickly, scoring once in the third inning and five more times in the fourth. Seidel then entered the game, throwing three scoreless innings before allowing four more runs in the seventh. Emily Watson, Tulsa’s starting pitcher, allowed four hits and struck out seven Wildcats in the game. The ‘Cats would look to bounce back against No. 7 Baylor. They played one of their strongest defensive games of the season, but it wouldn’t be enough. In their loss to the Bears, ACU started off with a 1-0 lead as Peyton Hedrick, freshman shortstop from Forney,
hit an RBI double which allowed teammate Taylor Brown, sophomore outfielder form Richland Hills, to score in the top of the first inning. The Bears quickly responded in the bottom of the second with a three-run home run. Baylor would then increase their lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the third when outfielder Kaitlyn Thumann led off with a single, stole second and scored on a throwing error by Hedrick. Alyson Bishoff, freshman infielder from Belton, wouldn’t let the game end without a fight. She would hit a one-out, 0-2 count, solo home run to make the final score 4-2. Seidel added another
Track and field’s indoor season came to a close last Friday. The team finished with 13 personal records. Assistant coach Drew Graham, who has been recovering from a life-altering accident, was in attendance. The ACU baseball team’s game against the no. 5 Texas Tech Red Raiders was canceled Tuesday due to the icy conditions. Head coach Britt Bonneau says that he and Tech coach Tim Tadlock are looking to reschedule the game on April 21 at 6:30 p.m. Be sure to follow @OptimistSports on Twitter and like the Optimist Sports Facebook page for more ACU sports news and updates.
Upcoming Women’s basketball plays at home Wednesday against Houston Baptist. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. Softball travels to Jacksonville, Florida this weekend for a doubleheader Friday and a fivegame series trip.
Baseball hosts a three-game series close loss to her record, giving this weekend against up nine hits and three earned Northern Colorado. The runs to the Bears over six in- first game is Friday at 6 nings. p.m. ACU began its last scheduled game Sunday morning in a rematch against UNT but heavy rains forced the game to be canceled in the third inning. However, Hedrick would earn all-tournament honors after she hit .500 with three doubles, one second run and one RBI. ACU will travel to Jacksonville, Florida, this weekend to compete in the Jacksonville tournament. contact silva at sns12b@acu.edu
Tennis teams head to Colorado Springs, Colorado Friday to play in the Air Force Invitational. Men’s and Women’s basketball travel to New Orleans Saturday for a double-header. The Womens team plays at 4 p.m. and the mens team plays at 6:15 p.m.