The Optimist 9.11.15

THE OPTIMIST VOL. 104 NO. 4

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

1 SECTION, 12 PAGES

WEST TEX AS FAIR OPENS FOR 117 TH YEAR PAGE 10

SUMMIT BEGINS UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP PAGE 3 Intramurals kick off with football on the Larry C. “Satch” Sanders Intramural Field.

ELIJAH EVANS VISUALS EDITOR

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Wear any jersey and join BSA at Skate Night from 11 p.m.-1 a.m. at the Skatin Place.

Free entrance to West Texas Fair and Rodeo with a college ID

FRIDAY

*Number is based on days Chapel is offered in Moody

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5th Annual Big Country “Mudslinger” Fun Run at 8:30 a.m. in Seabee Park.

Women’s Soccer will play University of Texas at Austin at 1 p.m.

SUNDAY • • • •

Pi Kappa Rush from 5-7 p.m.

Sub T-16 from 7-9 p.m.

Galaxy Rush from 9-11 p.m.

Trojans Rush from 9-11 p.m.

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Hispanic Heritage Banquet featuring Gabe Salazar at 7 p.m. in Hunter Welcome Center Alpha Kai Omega Hawaii Kaio Rush from 5-7 p.m.

Frater Sodalis Rush from 7-9 p.m.

Tri Kappa Gamma Rush from 7-9 p.m.

GATA Belles and Boots Rush from 9-11 p.m.

MONDAY •

TUESDAY

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Ko Jo Kai 80’s Pageant Rush from 7-9 p.m.

Sigma Theta Chi Sweet Shoppe Rush from 7-9 p.m.

Gamma Sigma Phi Man Cave Rush from 9-11 p.m.

Sub T-16 Rush from 9-11 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

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from www.acuoptimist.com

SATURDAY

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S P I R I T U A L F O R M AT I O N CREDITS

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Pi Kappa and Zeta Rho Dodgeball Rush from 7-9 p.m.

Galaxy Rush from 9-11 p.m.

Gamma Sigma Phi Golf Rush from 9-11 p.m.

Class of 2019 second largest in ACU history

Record numbers attend Midnight Worship

The class of 2019 is the largest freshman class in three decades, and with the number of enrolled freshmen totaling 1,070, the university has had to make changes to accommodate the large number of new students.

Kevin Campbell, chief enrollment officer, said the university had begun preparing for a large number of freshmen last year.

“We started to see how large the application pool was last fall, and then we started to experience it with our visit days,” Campbell said. “We started to feel like this may be a big class, and as the spring rolled around we grew more excited for them to be here.”

This year’s freshmen class is the biggest since 1984, something Eric Gumm, registrar and director of the First-Year Program, said has made numerous offices on campus think creatively about how to accommodate the freshmen.

Midnight Worship has seen a growth in attendance for the start of the school year.

A record 545 students attended the first event on August 28. Brittany Coons, a senior advertising and public relations major from Cedar Park, says this was a large number compared to last year’s average attendance of 150-200 students.

Last week, a spiritual formation event credit was offered, but the outreach team is unsure whether or not credits will be given in the future.

By Haley Remenar

Purple Fridays mean return of old tradition This year’s first Wildcat Week brought the return of purple shirt Fridays. Purple shirt Fridays began in the mid-1990s when faculty and staff wore purple on the Fridays before football games.

The goal with restarting this tradition was to help build school spirit and pride, especially within the incoming freshman class.

By Mercedez Hernandez

THE OPTIMIST published by the department of journalism and mass communication Brittany Jackson Editor-in-Chief Opinion Page Editor Allison Brown Online Managing Editor Page 2 Editor

By Abigail Runnels

Ben Todd Cartoonist

Savanah Silva Sports Broadcast Producer

Shera Niemirowski Sports Multimedia Director

Kenneth Pybus Faculty Adviser

Hannah Null Sports Broadcast Producer

Cade White Visuals Adviser

Abby Runnels Copy Editor

Cara Lee Cranford Advertising Manager

Cassandra Cox Copy Editor

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09.11.15

NEWS

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New leaders usher in 109th Summit

BY RACHEL FRITZ Summit will return for its 109th year in just more than a week under a team of firsttime leaders.

Summit is an annual lectureship series sponsored by the university that draws in hundreds of religious leaders and people to share ideas. This year’s Summit will take place Sept. 20-23 with the theme, “Same Mind, United in Imitating Jesus,” which comes from the book of Philippians.

In March, Dr. David Wray agreed to serve as interim director after Dr. Brady Bryce, assistant professor of practical theology and director of contextual education, stepped down from the position.

Wray, professor emeritus of Bible, missions and ministry, formed a group of five others to lead Summit this year – Roland Orr, an alumnus and retired Abilene businessman, Judy Siburt, wife of the late Dr. Charles Siburt, former vice president for church relations, Mandy Scudder, administrative coordinator, Anna Jane Perrey, ministry events coordinator, and Lauren Ward, biblical studies graduate student from Benbrook.

The group picked up where Bryce left off and organized the conference in seven months. Usually, planning starts a year in advance. This was the first time for all members to take part in organizing Summit.

“We’ve said all along that it takes a village to host a Summit,” Wray said. “It was the first time for all of us, so we had almost no corporate memory on our planning team. These are volunteers that really just believe in ACU.” Scudder, who worked for the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Science, was asked to be the administrative coordinator of Summit and said she willingly agreed to take the position.

“One f the blessings I’ve had is the opportunity to work on a team,” she said. “It’s taken multiple offices to help us get ready; we couldn’t have done it on our own.”

The team of six was responsible for scheduling seven theme speakers and about 130 classes. Because of the quick shift in leadership, Wray said the group didn’t have enough time to negotiate speakers outside Churches of Christ. However, he

“It was the first time for all of us, so we had almost no corporate memory on our planning team.

These are volunteers that really just believe in ACU.” David Wray

GARON GOODSPEED

was able to use his university connections and relationships with Highland Church of Christ, where he worked for 15 years, to bring in theme speakers.

Evening speakers will include Bryce, who will open Summit at 7 p.m. Sunday in Moody Coliseum, Chris Smith from Nashville, Raymond Carr from California and Mike Cope, former Highland minister and now preacher in Midland. Dr. Richard Beck, chair of the Department of Psychology, will be among the Chapel speakers.

Other events include late-night music performances in Cullen Auditorium, extended sessions and exhibits promoting missions and churches around campus.

Summit is free for students and attendees, and students will have the opportunity to earn seven spiritual formation credits for attending sessions in Moody during and outside of Chapel.

Orr said he hopes students feel a part of Summit as the campus become crowded with guests.

“It literally touches every facet of the ACU campus,” he said. “It’s a great event, and it’s a great opportunity for people to come in and fellowship and dialogue and listen to really good speakers talk about really pertinent things.”

For more information and a full schedule of events and classes, visit http://www. acu.edu/summit. ref11a@acu.edu

Jonathan Storment, minister at Highland Church of Christ, speaks as he opens Summit 2013.

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NEWS

09.11.15

Clowder sees decrease since initiative start

LYDIA LAWSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Feral Cat Initiative has shifted its focus from getting rid of campus cats to making campus their home.

BY BRITTANY JACKSON Now in its third year, the university’s Feral Cat Initiative has trapped, neutered and released 100 cats.

Started in spring 2013, the initiative is part of the Department of Facilities and Campus Management’s goal to create a more sustainable cat population on campus. At present, 63 known cats live on campus, with two new litters born during the summer.

Corey Ruff, executive director of facilities and campus management, said ACU has a “vacuum effect” on the surrounding feline population.

“We have a food source, we have folks who are feeding them, too; but they’re just naturally going to be drawn to areas like this,” he said.

Facilities and Campus Management teamed up with Dr. Dale Hembree, local veterinarian and adjunct professor in the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Studies, on the TNR part of the initiative.

Hembree and his pre-vet students are responsible for spaying/neutering, vaccinating and marking the cats once they are brought to the clinic. Females get a mark on their right ear, whereas males are marked on their left.

They did not, however, work over the summer, which resulted in a small growth in the number of cats that have yet to go through the TNR program.

Gayenell Rainwater, landscape designer, is in charge of the second phase of the initiative. Dubbed the “cat lady” by her coworkers, Rainwater takes on the daily task of feeding each cat about two ounces of food.

“There are very specific feeding requirements to go and encourage the cats to go and do what they were meant to do,” she said. “It’s enough to keep them healthy, but enough to keep them motivated to hunt.”

Four feeding stations are dispersed on campus, in the facilities central plant between the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building and College of Business Administration Building, behind McDonald Hall, in the alley behind the Don Morris Building and outside the Zona Luce Building.

Although the cat population might appear to have increased, the number has decreased by about 4o individuals, Ruff said.

Rainwater said the location of the facilities central plant feeding station could be to blame, with the area specifically sculpted for the cats in one of the busiest areas on campus. She said about 15 or 20 cats can be seen in the morning waiting for their meal.

Ruff asks students to refrain from feeding the cats or taking them into the dorm, regardless of how friendly a cat might be.

“I think sometimes students think it’s a health issue if a cat looks a little leaner. They’re not house cats, I guess is what I’m trying to say; they need to be a little leaner,” he said. “They’re here to keep the rat and vermin population down.”

As for the future of the cats, it looks like they’re here to stay. Ruff said the university once considered getting rid of them, but soon brought the felines back.

“At one point they tried to completely eradicate all the cats from campus, and we had a huge mouse infestation on campus, so they do serve a purpose,” he said. “That’s why we’re trying to establish a healthy, sustainable population on campus.”

Of course, some cats and kittens cannot survive the feral cat lifestyle.

Rainwater said she’s adopted two herself, one abandoned by its mother and another born without a foot, but the initiative workers have someone to call for assistance to rehab the sickly kittens.

Additionally, some cats are sent out to become barn cats and hunt vermin for farmers in the area.

Ruff said the Feral Cat Initiative usually sets up a booth in the Campus Center for national feral cat day, Oct. 16 this year, where students can learn more and get involved.

In the meantime, students can check out the cats on Twitter at @ACUFeralCats, which tweets pictures of the cats and some of their stories daily. bkj12a@acu.edu

09.11.15

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NEWS

Canvas commitment brushes away confusion

BY ELIJAH EVANS When Dr. Marisa Beard began working at ACU last June, she was shocked that the current learning technology environment created so much confusion for faculty and students.

“OpenClass was being used, the free version of Canvas, the free version of Blackboard, Moodle and then even Wordpress,” said Dr. Marisa Beard, director of instructional technology. “You could have to access your files from six different places. The comment I’ve gotten from students this semester is they are thrilled that there’s fewer places.”

Canvas is now the university’s chief learning management system, after pilots in the fall and spring semesters of last year. Faculty have widely embraced and adopted Canvas, and students have welcomed the new system as well, Beard said. The selection of Canvas as ACU’s official learning management system was the product of a rigorous research and survey process spearheaded by an instructional design team led by Berlin Fang, director of instructional design, and a faculty committee organized by the Adams Center.

“OpenClass is a platform that is still in development,” said Berlin Fang. “So there are lots of functions and features that faculty desire but are not present.

The faculty really wanted a more stable platform.”

Fang’s instructional design team conducted in-depth research on different learning management systems and researched which features were desired most by faculty. The team created several surveys to learn what the faculty wanted and then demoed several different learning systems with faculty. Fang’s research showed five main criteria for a new LMS. Those were: • the ability to post content • a grade management function • robust quiz features • in-depth student statistics and • plagiarism detection.

These criteria, the research process and faculty testing resulted in the faculty committee selecting Canvas as the university’s new learning management system.

“Canvas was developed by teachers for teachers,” Beard said. “Not that

business people can’t develop things for teachers, but when teachers develop something for teachers then they know what’s important. And I think that is evident in the ease of use of Canvas. It’s not only intuitive for faculty, but it’s also intuitive for students.”

Cliff Barbarick, assistant professor of Bible, missions and ministry, participated in the spring pilot of Canvas, utilizing it for his BIBL 102 class.

“It’s a very stable platform,” Barbarick said. “With OpenClass, it seemed like there were regular interruptions when we could not access the tool online. That has not happened so far with Canvas. Also, it seems very intuitive for students to use.”

As many students and faculty may remember, previous learning management systems regularly crashed or were taken offline. However, Canvas is a cloud-based system, Fang said.

“One good thing about Canvas is that it is cloud-based, so that when there are changes, the changes are implemented incrementally in the background, without us having to schedule some kind of downtime to upgrade.”

Beard called the spring pilot a success and said half of the student body enrolled in Canvas by the end of the semester. Fang’s team wants to continue to build on that success through the fall and is now tasked with helping faculty and students migrate from other systems to Canvas. The migration and training is a substantial undertaking, Fang said.

The Adams Center has already taken steps to train faculty and students.

Fang’s team designed a self-directed Canvas course to teach faculty many of its features. Other steps include oneon-one sessions with faculty, day-long Canvas intensives, in-class demonstrations and an online Canvas support system.

“ACU purchased a 24/7 support for faculty and staff, so that if people are stuck using the system they can just call them at any time or chat with them,” Fang said.

Barbarick expressed some frustrations with the system, including a lack of design flexibility, but he also was pleased with the university commitment to an LMS.

% of Courses Using Canvas 78%

Current %

50%

Spring 2015 Goal

As of Sept. 8. 2015, there are...

4276

771

282

students enrolled in at least one Canvas course

courses in Canvas

faculty using Canvas

“We’ve committed for five years, which means I won’t have to recreate my course materials every year when we change to a new LMS,” Barbarick said. “This makes it much easier for me to invest my time in developing tools to

use in Canvas. It’s been a helpful tool, and I expect to learn more about it each semester. As that happens, it will become an even more important teaching tool.” ece12a@acu.edu

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F E AT U R E S

Freshman class hits campus The second-largest class in ACU history has arrived and is changing life on campus.

BY MERCEDEZ HERNANDEZ

T

he class of 2019 is the largest freshman class in three decades, and with 1,070 enrolled freshmen, the university has had to make changes to accommodate the large number of new students.

Kevin Campbell, chief enrollment officer, said the university had begun preparing for a large number of freshmen last year.

“We started to see how large the application pool was last fall, and then we started to experience it with our visit days,” Campbell said. “We started to feel like this may be a big class, and as the spring rolled around we grew more excited for them to be here.”

This year’s freshmen class is the biggest since 1984, something Eric Gumm, registrar and director of the First-Year Program, said has made numerous offices on campus think creatively about how to accommodate the freshmen.

“We’ve had to move a few pieces around,” Gumm said.

“Adding an additional section or two of Cornerstone, an extra section of English 111 and several other courses after looking at enrollment numbers.”

JAKE ROSSER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Adapting to the influx of students has challenged Gumm and his office, but he said the challenge is not unwanted.

“These are the kinds of things we like to do; we like to have full classes,” Gumm said.

Gumm also said the number of freshmen is likely to continue impacting the university over the course of the next few years.

“I think we’re going to see the continued effects of the increased number of students in classes,” Gumm said. “It won’t just be one semester; we’ll see that next semester and the following semester. It provides us with the opportunity to make sure that our classes can have all the students that they can in them, or be able to look at ways to offer additional sections to meet the needs of the students as they go through their four years here.”

T

he freshman class is also the most diverse in recent years. 40 percent of the class is ethnically diverse, contributing to the university’s diversity which includes students from 47 states and territories and 51 nations, something Gumm

said will benefit the university’s culture.

“It allows people to find connecting points quicker when they’re here on campus,” Gumm said. “To have a better understanding of the broad range of places, experiences and backgrounds the Gospel is relevant to.”

T

he diversity among this year’s freshman class, Campbell said, is more reflective of the state in which the university resides.

“As the state becomes more diverse, we think it’s very important that our student body represents more of what’s happening around us,” Campbell said. “But one of the main goals of the enrollment process is to find students that will be successful at ACU.” Campbell also said the increase in students will help the university make the most use of its facilities.

“We don’t want to leave a bunch of resident rooms empty; we don’t want to leave classrooms empty. We truly are blessed with some incredible facilities here at ACU, and we really want to maximize those facilities,” Campbell said.

Gumm said it is also great

to see freshmen coming to campus that had no past ties to campus.

“It is really exciting to see the number of student that are coming to ACU that don’t have a prior connection to the university,” Gumm said.

“That allows our students after they graduate to go back to places where there may be people who are familiar with ACU, and that builds that community.”

A

fter the new and improved Wildcat Week, the construction going on around campus and the arrival of the second-largest freshman class in ACU history, Campbell says there are many things to be excited about.

“There’s an excitement on campus right now,” Campbell said. “Some of that comes from the size of the incoming freshman class. Some of it comes from the transition to Division 1. It’s just a fun time to be at ACU right now; it seems like every time you turn around there’s just pure excitement.”

mmh13a@acu.edu

“As the state becomes more diverse, we think it’s very important that our student body represents more of what’s happening around us.”

Kevin Campbell

Ethnic Makeup of Freshman Class Wildcats by the Numbers

American Indian/ Alaska Native .33% Non-resident Asian 3.92% .95% Unknown 1.69%

Black 9.51%

Multi-Racial 4.6%

Hispanic 14.94% White 64.02%

2015

Native HI/Other Pacific Isl. .04%

The total number of enrolled students at ACU, both undergraduate and graduate, is 4,544. The freshman class has the highest amount of students currently enrolled at 1,070 students, the sophomore class has 848 students, juniors come in at 791 students and seniors have 930 students enrolled.

There are more women on campus than men, there being 1,969 women and 1,448 men.

Many religions are represented on campus.

Church of Christ accounts for a majority of the student body at 33.8 percent. 17.9 percent of students are Baptist, 14.2 percent of students are Christian Church, 4.4 percent of students are Catholic, 4 percent of students are Methodist, 14.4 percent are “Community” Church and 11.3 percent of students are of other religions.

ACU students come from all over the nation and globe, but the top ten states of origin are; Texas, California, Colorado, Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma, Washington, Illinois, Georgia and Arizona.

09.11.15

OPINION

War on police will not bring resolution “It is time that you guys know that we are no longer playing around with the police departments. Aurora and Denver, we are about to start striking fear, shooting down all cops that we see by theirselves (sic).”

This call, released by the Aurora Police Department over the weekend, is just the tip of the iceberg in what is called the war on police.

As we’ve seen, in the past four weeks, three cops have been killed in the state of Texas alone.

This is not OK. No matter what the argument is, we will not find resolve with more death.

With that being said, the

argument against police is substantial.

Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, the list goes on of civilians dying under suspicious circumstances at the hands of police.

But the community will not, and cannot, be reconciled through targeting police officers in shootings.

Look at Martin Luther King Jr. versus Malcom X. Whose approach in the Civil Rights Movement led people in the March on Washington, whose name has gone down in history as the one of the most influential people in civil rights? The one against violence. Both worked to stop segregation, both went

to jail, both were assassinated at age 39, and yet Martin Luther King Jr. is the most widely recognized of the two.

Similar to racial discrimination, police brutality will not be solved with more violence. It will be solved with communication, transparency and restructuring.

So, on Sept. 11, arguably the most memorable date in United States history, let’s not only remember all service people that died saving the country on that day, but those who continue to do so today.

EDITORIAL AND LETTER POLICY Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Optimist and may not necessarily reflect the views of the university or its administration.

Signed columns, cartoons and letters are the opinions of their creators and may not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Optimist or the university.

The Optimist encourages reader response through letters to the editor but reserves the right to limit frequent contributors or to refuse to print letters

containing personal attacks, obscenity, defamation, erroneous information or invasion of privacy. Please limit letters to 350 words or fewer. A name and phone number must be included for verification purposes.

Phone numbers will not be published.

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79609 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu

9

OPINION

09.11.15

Disagreement can introduce new perspectives N-I-E-M-I-R-O-WS-K-I

Shera Niemirowski

Since when are we not allowed to disagree?

I consider myself a pretty opinionated human, but here lately, we try to make everyone happy. I’m asking why.

Most of us fall on one side of the fence (or either side depending on the day.)

One, you shut up and keep your opinions to yourself so as to not upset the other

person; or two, you shove your opinions down the other persons throat, completely disregarding their outlook.

Recent news and events have made us both afraid of expressing our views and also more aggressive toward those who disagree with us. Not to go all hippie on you guys, but maybe we should start listening to and acknowledging other peoples ideas.

To clarify: there is a difference between acknowledging and accepting; respecting and agreeing.

Now I’ll be honest, in most ACU classes, we have the unique opportunity to say or ask just about anything and other

students (and professors) will discuss whatever topic, albeit minimal interaction. I challenge those of you to speak up more, question your classmates, and don’t be afraid to doubt your views sometimes.

Then there are the other kinds of ACU classes. The ones where if you go out on the tiniest limb, there are what seem like masses ready to attack your beliefs and throw news articles and Bible verses at you. While yes, we need to be grounded in our faith, this is also college where newsflash: people don’t always have the same idea and image of faith. I challenge you to try to understand the other side (whatever it may be).

As someone who relies on God’s word for guidance, there’s not always a clear-cut answer for the things we’re facing in today’s society other than “love your neighbor as yourself.” Questioning our outlook will either make us stop and rethink it or cause us to really dig into what we believe and come out of it more knowledgeable than before.

The truth is, there will always be someone who disagrees with something you say or believe, no matter how small or insignificant. We need to start realizing, even embracing, these issues and allow them to challenge us.

“Nightcrawler” questions journalism boundaries, ethics Daily Doodle Ben Todd Dan Gilroy’s “Nightcrawler” is a compelling suspense rollercoaster, but it is not for the lighthearted moviegoer. The film combines car chases and crime scenes with moral questions like, “Where does the media cross the line in crime journalism?” With these two factors in mind, “Nightcrawler” will keep you thinking after you leave the theater.

The story follows Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a low-profile thief who turns toward capturing footage of crime scenes to sell to news networks in Los Angeles.

As he improves his craft in the crime journalism world, the time between the police’s arrival and his arrival to the crime scene shrinks until he becomes the first person at the crime scene, which is where several ethical and moral questions are overlooked by our protagonist.

“Nightcrawler” is well paced and has action-packed moments but the best parts are found on the opposite spectrum. The quiet, dialogue-driven moments of the film may be dull for anyone who walks in

hashtagACU Follow @acuoptimist on Twitter Sept. 9 11:37 a.m.

Schubes, if you’re gonna send out an email with “exciting news” as the subject, it better be about free tuition. Otherwise, I don’t care.

@Macie_Liptoi

Sept. 7 3:18 p.m.

We can get @kendricklamar to come to ACU for the low one time cost of only $125,000. #GetItDone

Sept. 7 5:01 p.m.

So can I just get a degree in making bomb Spotify playlists for a living or nah?

@maddie_thannum Sept. 9 12:54 p.m.

I take full responsibility for today’s rain.

I started mowing the lawn and I left the windows open on my car.

on the middle of the film, but for audiences who have invested time in the movie, the suspense is pleasingly stressful. Those moments are filled with the audience’s questions screaming in their own heads, thanks to the amazing editing, cinematography and music.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays the crime journalist with a flawless performance. From how he talks to people directly without sugarcoating, to his pale, bony face, Lou was a convincing character both mentally and physically. Jake is supported by a solid cast with different reactions to the protagonist’s questionable methods. The audience will not identify much with the Sept. 9 11:53 a .m.

Aaron Watson in chapel today is the real #ACUdifference

@thejenks28

Sept. 10 8:57 a.m.

I don’t think I’m going to need a costume for Halloween because by then the dark circles under my eyes will be terrifying.

If you want to wear white after Labor Day then I say go for it.

DON’T CONFORM TO THE PATTERNS AND TRENDS OF THIS WORLD, PEOPLE!

@sarahbateman421 Sept. 9 12:17 p.m.

Just ate lunch with

@k_winz Aaron Watson NBD! @mmkeil5

@juliaaprior

Sept. 9 10:48 a.m.

I just made a quesadilla at 10:45am.

So, welcome to my Wednesday.

@SamanthaSharp12

Sept. 8 11:42 p.m.

@Awe_SOME @eric_schumann

main character, but will understand the perspective of several of the supporting characters.

“Nightcrawler” is an original concept strongly told through the eyes of a crime journalist perfectly played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Most of the movie is saturated with suspense to keep the audience at the edge of their seats and the movie is so immersive that they will start to question the protagonist’s motives as if his were their own. This is a compelling movie to watch, just don’t expect to leave the theater light-hearted.

Sept. 10 9:02 a.m.

But in all honesty I have no idea what we are talking about in class rn

@Em_ily_95

10

NEWS

09.11.15

West Texas Fair ropes in 117th year

BY ABBEY BOWLING The 117th annual West Texas Fair and Rodeo returns to the Taylor County Expo Center Thursday through Sept.

19.

The fair includes several carnival rides, a beauty pageant, a petting zoo, concession stands, concerts and exhibits for events including everything from livestock shows to calligraphy.

Locals can submit their own artwork and food to be judged in contests in which the winner receives a blue ribbon and bragging rights. The fair is set to close Sept. 19 with a concert by Texas country artist Jack Ingram at 9:30 p.m. at the HEB Entertainment Pavilion.

“My favorite part is the live music at night,” said Ashlyn Stewart, junior graphic design major from Abilene. “I think it does bring the community together in a fun way because it’s something that only happens once a year, and so lots of people have made it an

annual tradition to attend.”

8:30 p.m. , plus access to Gates will be open daily from all the carnival rides and 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Weekday admisfair food. sion is $8 for adults and $4 for Crysta Cook, junior students, while weekend admishistory education major sion is $11 for adults and $4 for and Abilene native, went students. Prices for the rides to the fair several times as range from $1 for single tickets a kid and said her favorite to $30 for a daily carnival part is the food, especially armband. the funnel cakes and “I’ll probably attend on one lemonade. of the nights it’s cheaper to Other notable events get in, even if it’s just to walk include the parade around and get dinner for a couthrough downtown ple of hours,” Stewart said.

Abilene at 10:30 a.m. SatFree admission into the fairurday and the rodeo at grounds will be available for 7:30 p.m. from Tuesday to students Friday. The Sneak-ASept. 19.

ELIJAH EVANS VISUALS EDITOR Peak preview was set to take The West Texas Fair and Rodeo has come to Abilene for more than a For a complete list of place Thursday, though no ex- decade and will be open until Sept. 19 at the Abilene Civic Center. times and events, visit hibit buildings were scheduled to the Expo Center’s website at be open. College student day takes place rent college ID. Events for this day in- http://www.taylorcountyexpocenter.com.

Friday and allows college students free clude the Queen’s Horsemanship Conakb12a@acu.edu admission as long as they show a cur- test at 6 p.m. and a Freeride concert at

Honors College to begin D.C. intership program

BY ALLISON BROWN The Honors College will begin a new immersive internship experience in Washington, D.C. , in the summer of 2016.

ACU Honors in D.C. will have spots for eight honors students to live together, earn colloquium credit and intern with various organizations throughout the Capital.

Dr. Jason Morris, dean of the Honors College, said he noticed ACU didn’t have many opportunities for students of all majors to intern in D.C. “I felt like that was a void and a niche the Honors College could fill,” Morris said.

Morris and his Honors staff have worked to create an experience for students to engage in the culture of D.C. but stay connected to the ACU community.

“What we tried to do there is put an ACU touch behind an experience,” Morris said. Honors will assist accepted students with securing internships around D.C. for the coming summer. Before

their internships begin, the group will take a one-hour honors colloquium in D.C. taught by Dr. Tracy Shilcutt, titled “DC: Chronicles, Character and Culture.”

Rachael Shudde, sophomore math and political science major from Ovalo, is serving as the student coordinator for ACU Honors in D.C. Shudde interned in D.C. after her freshman year and said she hopes the new program will help more students be prepared for life in the city.

Shudde will now function as an advisor to students in their quest for internships.

“Anyone can have one of these internships; anyone can find a spot in D.C. ,” Shudde said. “It was such an experience working in the most powerful square mile in the world, but the hardest thing to do is get your foot in the door.”

Morris and Shudde said they hope to see students from different majors apply to the program. akb12b@acu.edu

09.11.15

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SPORTS

Soccer looks solid in tough stretch

BY DANIEL ZEPEDA Last week, the Wildcats soccer program took on the no. 3 nationally ranked Texas A&M Aggies. In College Station, where the Aggies have gone 50-6-3 dating back to the 2011 season, ACU not only kept the game tied at one goal a piece heading into halftime, but also struck first against the powerhouse.

In front of a crowd of more than 2,700 fans, the visiting ‘Cats made it clear early on that the game would not be a walk-through for the Aggies.

In the end, the Wildcats gave up three goals in the second half and went home with nothing more than a moral victory.

But there is a lot more to this story than what the box score indicates.

ACU soccer owns a 1-4-1 record, which in comparison to the rest of conference, is sub-par to say the least. But at the level of competition this program has faced, the schedule of non-conference opponents the Wildcats have taken on is similar to those of top teams in the top conferences around the country. Some of their competitors have been Baylor in Waco, Arizona in Tuscon, North Texas at home, and A&M in College Station, with still more tough games approaching before conference season begins. The final two games the Wildcats will play before Southland competition begins will be against TCU in Fort Worth and the Texas Longhorns in our state capital.

But for head coach Casey Wilson, that’s just what the doctor ordered.

The plan from the beginning of the season for women’s soccer has been to play these tough programs to prepare for the Southland season. So although the Wildcats have gotten the short end of the stick in most of these contests, the benefits of these games go beyond the win-loss tally, which is something ACU is hoping for after last season.

The Wildcats finished 2014 with a 5-4-2 conference record, ranking fifth in the Southland. Against the four teams that finished better than ACU, the team went 1-3 in the match ups, with all three losing matches ending in 1-0 shutouts of the Wildcats. If the Wildcats had found their

ELIJAH EVANS VISUALS EDITOR

ACU soccer has seen its share of tough opponents this season. The Wildcats have traveled to major Div. I programs all across the state and into Arizona and California.

offense in those games, they easily could have won.

But this year, the Wildcats have a unique mix of experience and youth that should get ACU soccer fans excited. Already, underclassmen like sophomores Baylee Mitchell and Chantal Kinsey -who scored ACU’s lone goal against TAMU- and freshman Sophie Standifer and redshirt-sophomore Kate Seay have made huge impacts for the Wildcats.

When you add that to an already established core of experienced upperclassmen such as senior Lindsey Jones and juniors Natalie Throneberry, Maria Gomez and Kelsie Roberts,

there are a lot of options.

Looking at the goal keeper position, the team becomes even more grounded. Junior Kelsey Dombrowski has been solid in the box for ACU so far this season, given the level of competition she’s gone up against. She owns a .750 save percentage and saved eight shots in her outing against UC- Irvine, in which her shutout helped lead ACU to a tie on Aug. 30.

Her backup, junior Sydney Newton, has been just as good. When Dombrowski sustained a head injury against North Texas last weekend, Newton became the starter and set the ACU soccer record with 14 saves in a

game. Last season, the two split time in the box, with Dombrowski getting 12 starts and holding an .839 save percentage and Newton starting in six games with .797 save percentage.

The program is on the right track.

After being a dominate force in the Lone Star Conference, it’s time for the team to begin down the road that ends with becoming a powerhouse in the Southland. They have the tools and the future looks bright with young talent and Wilson at the lead. Luckily for the rest of the conference, ACU is still in the probation period.

djz11a@acu.edu

SPORTS

THE OPTIMIST FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015 PAGE 12

SOCCER UNFAZED BY DIFFICULT SCHEDULE PAGE 11