The Optimist Print Edition 10.14.16

WHAT'S INSIDE

NEWS

OMA invites all for multicultural discussions... and oh, did we mention lunch?

Page 3

OPINION

FEATURE

Are you too cool for grad school?

Maybe you are. But maybe a few more years is what you need.

Page 4

Psychology professor Rachel Riley has spent the last several years learning that less is more.

Page 5

SPORTS

Double or nothing: the Sheehy brothers find new spark as they reunite in doubles.

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v

Friday, October 14, 2016 Vol. 105, Issue 09

A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912

SWINGIN’

INTO FALL

LYDIA LAWSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Last week, ACU Swing Cats danced the night away in the historic Elks Ballroom downtown at the annual Fall Stomp. Students spent the evening dancing and enjoying music from the ACU Jazz Ensemble. Swing Cats meets each Tuesday night for swing dancing lessons and practice in the Rec Center.

Beach volleyball, facilities on Athletics agenda

BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS EDITOR

On Tuesday morning, director of athletics Lee De Leon announced plans for an exterior renovation of the Teague Special Event Center and the construction of a two-story tennis facility. On Thursday afternoon, De Leon followed that up with news of the addition of women’s beach volleyball as a 17th varsity sport.

FACILITIES De Leon said while most

SA funds D.C. trip, freshens Campus Center

BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

The Students’ Association passed bills to fund air fresheners in the Campus Center bathrooms and a scholarship for students traveling to Washington, D.C., for the presidential inauguration.

Student Congress voted to take $150 from the congressional project fund to buy air freshener dispensers for the Campus Center bathrooms. Madeline Dayton, sophomore class treasurer, wrote and presented the bill after working with sophomore class president Julia Kennedy to find ways to improve the SEE CONGRESS PAGE 3

people are aware of the newly constructed Elmer Gray Stadium, the renovations to the softball and baseball fields and the ongoing construction on Wildcat Stadium, which is expected to be finished in time for the football team’s 2017 home opener against Houston Baptist, athletics has been quietly raising funds for these projects.

The two projects will total close to $3 million, as the renovation of Teague is budgeted at $1.25 million and $1.6 million for the new tennis facility.

Teague has been the administrative home of athletics since 1997, but with the renovations, De Leon said it will be able to better accommodate administrative staff, coaches, student-athletes and visitors.

Through the renovations, athletics plans to make Teague more closely resemble the eventual exterior of Wildcat Stadium and expand the lobby area.

The two-story tennis facility will be built on the east side of the three main SEE ATHLETICS PAGE 2

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPARTMENT OF ATHLETICS The above rendering shows where the beach volleyball courts will be built. As pictured, the courts will replace the SRWC’s outdoor basketball court and grass area to house three competition-sized sand courts.

Hosts emerge after tough auditions

BY MERCEDEZ HERNANDEZ PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

After multiple rounds of auditions and callbacks, Student Productions has selected the hosts and hostesses for Sing Song 2017.

The hosts are: • Teonna Murphy, junior vocal performance major from Houston • Courtney Eubank, junior vocal performance major from Phoenix, AZ. • Shelby Werderich, junior marketing major from Spring • Ross Spears, junior psychology major from Abilene • Christian Fugar, senior kinesiology major from Cypress • David Martinez, senior kinesiology major from Clear Lake.

Tom Craig, director of student organizations and productions, said the group made the final cut because of their vocal talent and synergy as an ensemble.

“As individuals and as a group, they sound amazing and have great personality on stage. The audience will love them,” Craig said.

Craig said the cast will take the audience through series of emotions that will bring to life this year’s Sing Song theme, Fire and Ice. Martinez said he has wanted to be a Sing Song host since his freshman year.

“I remember watching a friend, who was a senior hostess at the time perform on the downstage. Watching her perform and seeing how joyful the experience made her, I said to myself “I need to do this.” I knew I was going to audition the first chance I got, and thankfully it worked out,”

Martinez said.

Murphy said she did not suffer from jitters after her audition because she left everything she on the stage.

“I was very comfortable on stage because at that point it didn’t matter what the results were. I knew that I went on stage and gave it my best and

had a lot of fun,” Murphy said.

Murphy also said she is thankful for the opportunity to perform as a hostess and encourages others to audition in the future if they feel led to do so.

“When God has something for you, you just have

to be confident and go for it.

Pray about it a lot, too, I’ve prayed throughout my journey and I feel like without my relationship with God it wouldn’t have happened,” Murphy said.

MMH13B@ACU.EDU

PHOTO COURTESY OF STUDENT PRODUCTIONS From left to right: Teonna Murphy, Christian Fugar, Courtney Eubank, David Martinez, Shelby Werderich, Ross Spears

W W W. A C U O P T I M I S T. C O M

2

NEW S

Clown craze reaches campus

BY DEREK MARCELAIN STUDENT REPORTER

The clown craze came to campus last week as one Gardner resident donned a wig and makeup to frighten her fellow residents.

Social media has been bursting with images of "creepy" clowns from coast to coast, but the phenomenon finally came to campus just after midnight on Oct. 4 in Gardner Hall.

Roommates Cailin McDaniel and Mati Bonneau say they were horrified when clown burst into their room.

“Since it was past curfew, I knew that it had to be a girl," said Bonneau, a freshman DET major from Abilene. "So I wasn’t too scared when she busted into our room. I still screamed bloody murder when it happened, but regardless I thought it was hilarious once I calmed down.”

The women recognized the woman underneath the wig but are declining to identify their tormentor.

McDaniel, a worship ministry major from Austin, said she laughed after the attacker left.

“I actually thought it was kind of funny because the clown was obviously a girl and she wasn’t going to hurt anyone, so I was more humored than scared.”

The incident came not long before another incident clown incident was reported in South Abilene by the Abilene Reporter News.

So while some clown incidents reported around the country have left people shaken, at least on campus they're just clowning around..

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 14, 2016

Students look toward future at graduate fair

BY MAX PRESTON STUDENT REPORTER

Graduate Awareness Week helped students prepare for graduate school Monday through Thursday.

Events throughout the week prepared students to start considering their options after graduation, said admissions and student services advisor Jamie Bearden.

Bearden said the Office of Graduate Programs is hoping students will start asking questions, gathering information, visiting with faculty, and visiting with the graduate staff so that they can find the best path after graduation.

“I think the students are beginning to realize the benefits of pursuing a graduate education and they are starting to see that it opens up so many doors in their future and in their careers,” Bearden said.

Events started Monday with the graduate office serving donuts by the GATA fountain. Other events include the Grad fest Monday night, information sessions for certain departments, and a GRE prep course on Thursday.

“What we are trying to do is raise awareness for all the graduate programs that we offer here,” said Jacque Alexander, director of grad-

MAGGIE FARIAS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Kevin Caroll, senior markerting major from Abilene attends Monday's graduate fair.

uate marketing. “I think a lot of students don’t even know that we have grad programs,

so it is a really good way to bring awareness to it and let them know what their op-

tions are.”

At information sessions, students can get to know the program director and meet graduate students in the program.

“Students may think that grad school is a ways off, but it comes a lot faster than you would expect it," Alexander said. "College flies by. It’s really good to start gaining information as soon as you can, and even if you don’t know if you are interested in grad school, it can’t hurt you to come and learn.”

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Athletics: Teague to get facelift CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

cility will be built on the east side of the three main courts, between the courts and ACU Drive. De Leon said the first floor will consist of public restrooms, a small game-day training room, locker rooms for each team and assistant coaches’ offices. On the second floor there will be a team room, player’s lounge, head coach’s and a covered balcony that will allow coaches and staff to watch the matches.

Athletics also plans to name the facility after head coach Hutton Jones’ father.

De Leon said construction on the projects will begin soon, but no official timetable has been set.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL To accommodate the addition of beach volleyball, De Leon said the plan is to

convert the outdoor basketball court on the east side of the rec and the grass area to the south of the courts into a facility complete with three competition courts.

ACU joins Houston Baptist, Central Arkansas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and New Orleans as the fifth team within the Southland Conference to add beach volleyball.

De Leon said the beach volleyball program will begin competition in the spring of 2018, and the team will be fielded from members of the indoor team and coached by assistant volleyball coach Breann Nesselhuf. At this point the Southland needs just one more team to support a conference tournament and send its champion to the NCAA tournament.

JMR13B@ACU.EDU

WITH COACH KEN COLLUMS, GRANT BOONE AND HANNAH NULL

SATURDAYS AT 11 AM on KTAB-TV

POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 10/05/2016 7:00 p.m.

A student reported the theft of his iPad from The Bean.

10/07/2016 12:48 a.m.

ACUPD responded to an alcohol violation call at Gardner; 2 students were issued municipal citations for Consumption By Minor.

10/09/2016 3:47 a.m.

ACUPD investigated a citizen complaint of a suspicious car being driven slowly through the area. Officers located the vehicle and determined that it was a newspaper delivery person.

ACCIDENT ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY ALARM ALCOHOL INCIDENT ANIMAL CALL ASSAULT ATTEMPT TO LOCATE BARRICADES BOOT/UNBOOT VEHICLE BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK BURGLARY (RESIDENCE) CHECK BUILDING CITATION ISSUANCE DIRECT TRAFFIC

2 21 4 1 1 1 2 3 1 10 1 335 1 1

DISCHARGE OF FIREARM DISTURBANCE ESCORT EVENT SUPPORT FOOT PATROL FOUND PROPERTY FRAUDULENT USE/POSSESSION OF ID INFO HIT & RUN INFORMATION REPORT INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP LOST PROPERTY MAINTENANCE UNIVERSI-

1 3 1 2 44 5 1

TY ASSETS: CCTV MONITOR FACILITY/LOT MOTORIST ASSIST INFLATE TIRE MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART MOTORIST ASSIST: OTHER MOTORIST ASSIST: UN3 LOCK 3 NOISE VIOLATION 12 OTHER PARKING LOT PATROL 2 PARKING VIOLATION 1 PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTE-

2 3 8 1 8

NANCE PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL RANDOM PATROL REPORT WRITING SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY SUSPICIOUS PERSON THEFT TRAFFIC STOP

2 3 TOTAL: 604 46 2 2

10 28 16 1 2 3 3 1

POLICE CHIEF TIP OF THE WEEK:

Bystander intervention is an essential component in preventing incidents of sexual violence. Step up if you see someone being targeted sexually.

N E WS

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 14, 2016

FilmFest calls for rising film makers

BY VANESSA ELLIS STUDENT REPORTER

The theme for this year’s FilmFest will be “Rise.”

An interest meeting took place Wednesday to explain what FilmFest is and the different roles in the filmmaking process. Interested students of all majors were encouraged to sign-up to receive more information as well as help develop teams.

Student director Forrest Lorenzen said FilmFest offers benefits from gaining experience to creating connections for potential employers.

“There are so many benefits, for a lot of people who want to do film it’s hard to get started,”said Lorenzen, junior multimedia major from Amarillo. “Having an organization that helps them and takes them through the process and gives them a venue to show their finished work is just a huge motivation.”

Connections are often made through the FilmFest judges, are industry professionals in charge of selecting winners for the separate categories, such as best actress, best picture and more.

Certified judges in past years like Randy Brewer (‘91), owner of Revolution Pictures, have been known to help provide internships to those who have participated in FilmFest.

Lorenzen said he hopes to have Nelson Coates, award-nominated art director, and Brittany Huckabee, editor of Hot Girls Wanted documentary.

The rough deadline for applicants to enter FilmFest is Nov. 30, which is subject to change. The FilmFest gala will be Feb. 3 at Paramount Theatre in downtown Abilene.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

French professor writes book on love

BY LAUREN FRANCO STUDENT REPORTER

Yann Opsitch, professor of French, has published a book to teach French people a deeper spiritual meaning of love.

“Le Coeur et l’Invisible: Souvenirs et Réflexions personnelles,” which translates to “The Heart and The Invisible: Memoirs and Personal Reflections,” consists of 128 pages divided into 12 chapters.

“I’ve been wanting to write this book for most of my life,” Opsitch said. “I’ve written several books. This one I’ve worked on for the past three years, and I finally got to do it.”

Opsitch said the book was written using his experiences from his childhood memories up until the time he was saved and adopted Christianity into his beliefs.

“I have a variety of experience. I talk a little bit about

what I was thinking when I was a child, how I was impacted by people. Also school, how school impacted me,” Opsitch said. “I go a lot into the culture, into the history of France, into the philosophy, what are the religious beliefs of the French. I discuss these things from the perspective of when I was younger and how I look at it now.”

The book differs from Opsitch’s other publications because it isn’t about theology or worship; it’s about personal experience and love, he said.

“The purpose of everything is love, but I try to explain what Jesus means by that,” he said. “And that’s where we find our happiness, our fulfillment. I’m trying to bring back hope to people because they are desperate.”

Opsitch said he focuses on love because some French people only understand it materialistically.

“When you talk about love in France, the only thing they think about is romantic or sexual, so I really debunk that in the book. That’s part of love, but there’s much more to it,” Opsitch said.

The book, released on Amazon.com in late September, is rated five stars and has reviews in both French and English.

“Yann has captured the essence of France, starting with his childhood memories of living in Paris. I can relate to this since I lived in Paris as a teen,” said Amazon user B. White. “This book is vivid, personal and charming, supplying both cultural and spiritual insights most readers will genuinely appreciate. I was thinking of LE Petit Prince the whole time I was reading it! Read it with joy!”

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Yann Opstitch, professor of French, published a book in french about love and spirituality.

Seekers of the Word prep performances

BY TAYLOR BUSH STUDENT REPORTER

Seekers of the Word began practice for multiple performances, including one at the Brownwood Juvenile Detention Center.

Seekers of the Word, a drama-based ministry, writes, practices and performs biblically-based skits. Seekers has been around since the ‘80s, said Sierra Reed, senior kinesiology major from Dripping Springs and president of Seekers of the Word.

Reed became involved her freshman year when she saw a performance “chalked about” on the sidewalks during Welcome Week, now Wildcat Week.

She had always loved acting, but had never been involved in theatre.

“[Seekers] is a conglomeration of people that are not actors or actresses,”

Reed said. “But we like it, and we love ministry.”

Lindsay Stivers, a senior youth and family ministry and psychology major from Coppell, became involved her sophomore year after missing auditions her freshman year.

“I like that we can express ourselves and our faith through a different medium, because that’s not something you get to do everyday,” said Stivers, Seekers of the Word public relations officer.

Both Reed and Stivers talked about how they enjoy seeing different reactions to the skits they perform. Reed and Stivers said performing provides

the Seekers a shift in perspective; it allows them to hear other opinions.

This year, the Seekers will be performing at the Brownwood Juvenile Detention Center. They have scheduled a performance at a church in Austin, and hope to perform at ACU social club Chapels and with REACH. If you have any questions or wish to become a Seeker, feel free to contact Sierra Reed at ssr12b@ acu.edu or Lindsay Stivers at lns13d@acu.edu.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Congress: passes $4K bill for trip CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Campus Center.

“That’s one of the main places that students congregate as well as a lot of visitors go,” said Dayton, sophomore global studies major from Katy. “One of the first things we talked about was how disgusting the bathrooms are. They always smell really bad, and we tried to think of a small way we could improve that.”

The bill provides for four dispensers to be purchased at $35-$40 each and installed in the bathrooms on the main floor and downstairs in the Campus Center. Dayton said she hopes university facilities management will refill the air fresheners later and that the initiative will set a precedent for cleaner bathrooms.

Several Congress members suggested a Twitter poll to see what scents students prefer. The bill passed 31 to one with four abstaining.

Congress also voted on a bill to give $4,000 to students going to Washington, D.C., for the presidential inauguration January short course sponsored by the Department of Communication and Sociology. Hope Stanphill, junior class president, wrote and presented the bill because she heard several students were signed up for the trip but could not pay the full amount. The trip costs $2,900 per student, including fees for airfare, hotel and the convention. The bill allowed for $1,500 from the congressional project fund, $1,500 from the cabinet fund and $1,000 from class allocations for a total of $4,000 to be split evenly among the 20 students going on the trip. Stanphill said only 18 students are signed up so far but the department is planning for 20 students to attend.

“Any amount that you

3

don’t have to pay is going to be helpful,” Stanphill said.

Stanphill said she asked for such a large amount of money because the semester is halfway completed and Congress has not yet spent any unallocated money. She also said last year Congress had leftover funds in the fall that carried over to the spring semester.

Abbey Moses, SA executive president, said the executive cabinet believes the scholarships will be helpful to pay for conference fees.

Dayton argued against the bill saying although Congress hasn’t used funds yet, those funds may be needed more in the spring.

She also said SA should not fund departmental trips.

Stanphill responded saying students from different majors are going on the trip, not just one department.

She also said juniors and seniors don’t always use all of their class allocations so the money could be better used to fund the bill. The bill passed 29-10 with one abstaining.

Stanphill signed up for the trip the day she presented the bill, but said she wrote the bill before she decided to go.

SA also passed a resolution to request that campus facilities management take better care of lights on the Lunsford Trail. Lauren Franco, representative for the College of Arts and Sciences and sophomore convergence journalism from Euless, wrote the resolution to advocate for student safety. Franco said she noticed low lighting especially near Morris Hall made it difficult to see pedestrians while driving at night. The resolution passed unanimously.

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

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O PI N I ON

&

ED IT O R IA L

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 14, 2016

Is a master’s worth my money? Perhaps, yes During this week’s Graduate Awareness Week, the university’s graduate schools invited students to learn about post-graduation options.

Because we all want more school, right?

At this point of the semester, any more school after a bachelor’s degree may seem overwhelming, but for some students, graduate school could be a practical next step before entering the “real world.”

You might be wondering if attending grad school has any real benefit to you, but to answer that question, you must consider your own professional ambitions. How far up the ladder are you trying to go?

For those in fields like accounting, engineering, premed, there’s no question graduate school is important. Accounting, finance, business, engineering or any hard science major knows these majors require at least a master’s degree in order to get a good job after graduation.

But don’t exclude yourself if you’re not one of those majors. If you’re an English major and want to become a

Daily Doodle Dosage professor, you need a graduate degree. If you’re a journalism major and want to work at the New York Times, you need a graduate degree.

If you’re an art major and want to illustrate bestselling book covers, you need a graduate degree.

There are those who say attending a graduate school is basically throwing away your money, a waste of time or just another way to buy time if you’re unsure about

your next move. However, the benefits to attending a graduate school greatly outnumber the reasons to not attend. The possibility of having a better job, a higher salary and more educational opportunities can make it worthwhile.

Some people view graduate school as avoiding the “adult world” by staying in school longer. But we aren’t saying you should study forever. Carol B. Lynch, direc-

tor of professional master’s programs at the Council of Graduate Schools, said “At some point you need to get out of the library and out into the real world. If you are not giving people the skills to do that, we are not doing our job.”

If this sounds like a big step for you, ACU has programs like the McNair Scholars Program which helps students get into graduate school even if it’s not

expected of them. Through tutorials, guidance, classes and undergraduate research opportunities, McNair helps students of all majors and classifications meet graduate school qualifications.

So do you want to go through with it? Are you willing to pay a higher tuition rate, possible moving expenses and spend three or more years in school? If so, we suggest that you go through with it. However, if

COLUMN

MERCEDEZ HERNANDEZ PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

Senior convergence journalism major Anson The shot heard around the world last week was when the Washington Post released a video from a 2005 Access Hollywood taping in which a hot mic captured Donald Trump objectifying actress Arianne Zucker and disclosing that he may have committed sexual assault.

The second shot heard around the world was when he dismissed his comments as “locker room banter” at the second Presidential debate on Sunday night.

Locker room talk doesn’t usually include,“I use my high social position to force women into non-consen-

sual romantic situations.”

The video highlighted rather unflattering parts of how Trump says he interacts with women, notably his poor taste in picking them up. C’mon Donald? “I’ll show you where they have some nice furniture,” really?

Despite the glaring blemish his comments have made on his campaign, I must express my gratitude to Donald Trump. Not because I liked what he said, but because he’s started a national conversation about rape culture, which is the normalization of sexual

violence.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center estimates that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men are sexually assaulted while in college. Sexual assault is a very real possibility for college students and to equate implications, jokes or actual assault as having the same weight as small talk about the weather with an elderly stranger at the YMCA is wrong.

We know sexual assault is wrong. We know stripping women of their autonomy is wrong. We must acknowledge that making light of sexual assault undermines the severity of the crime and that those in public office, even the presidency, do not have a free pass to joke about or participate in harassment or assault.

Yes, Trump’s comments were made when he was

in private, but just as your mother likes to remind you, you are in public who you are in private. So listen to your mother for once and learn from the Don’s mistakes.

Here’s a brief list of things you can do to reduce your role in enabling rape culture: 1. Do not joke casually about sexual violence or committing sexual violence in public or private.

2. Do not objectify another human being.

3. Never think you’re entitled to someone’s attention or body.

4. If you’re going to say something really scummy, turn your mic off first.

@MEGANFRIDGE OCT. 10 3:30 P.M.

If u had told me a month ago that I would be yelling at benches, respecting clocks, and moonwalking in heels I would’ve lol-ed but here I am

@CAROLINEEKATE OCT. 10 4:34 P.M.

SOS just filled in my planner for the week and there legit are not gonna be enough hours in the day

@ATOWNBMAN OCT. 11 11:00 A.M.

The Chick-fil-A workers in the campus center are playing LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem..

@LEAHJMONT OCT. 10 8:34 P.M.

friend: hey what’s up?? me: oh nothin much! narrator: she was internally screaming

@CORYNNMARTIN OCT. 12 3:41 P.M.

I went to a grad school meeting today & I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m just never gonna grow up

MMH13A@ACU.EDU

@JOHANNAABAKER OCT. 12 6:32 P.M.

There may be crying in baseball ABBEY BOWLING ARTS & FEATURES EDITOR

Senior convergence journalism major Keller I want to start by saying that I had actually planned to write an entirely different column this week talking about real problems – but then game three of the ALDS happened and, as a Rangers fan, I had a lot of feelings about it so I wrote this instead.

I also want to establish that I’m a Rangers fan, but in general, I’m just a baseball fan. I have spent all 21 years of my life surrounded by the game – watching it on TV, collecting baseball cards, going to games, taking family vacations to see spring training in Arizona,

the legendary Green Monster of Fenway, or the ivy covered walls of Wrigley Field. I know the difference between a two seam fastball and a four seam fastball, I know Mariano Rivera is the greatest baseball player of all time (yes, that’s a fact), and I know they used the wrong bullpen in “The Rookie” and it bothers me every time I watch that movie.

I spent my Sunday night watching game three of the ALDS just to see Toronto sweep the Rangers and steal our chance at postseason glory yet again.

It made me think: why do I keep coming back to baseball, season after season, when the Rangers just can’t catch a break? Let’s be honest, being a Rangers fan is not all fun. They’re the oldest MLB team to have never won the World Series – despite being one strike away twice during that famed game 6 of the 2011 Series – and I know Tom Hanks said there’s no crying in baseball but I think that’s reason enough to cry. Or at least, it’s reason enough to feel upset, or frustrated, or maybe even mad. But I stick around after every loss, because it somehow still makes me happy and I don’t know why. Maybe because I was raised with it, maybe because it comforts me, maybe because it’s been the only consistent thing in my entire life. But I have never invest-

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

ed so much of myself into anything as much as I have invested myself into baseball, and I don’t even play the sport. I’m just a fan. I don’t even know what point I’m trying to make with this column – maybe I’m just trying to turn some of y’all into baseball fans.

But what keeps pulling me back is the beauty of the sport – a beauty that’s best explained in “Field of Dreams” when Shoeless Joe Jackson simply describes the game by saying, “This must be heaven.”

And if heaven looks anything like the Rangers ballpark on a sunny opening day, when the promise of a new season still holds endless potential – well, that’s fine by me.

AKB12A@ACU.EDU

T H E

EDITORIAL AND LETTER POLICY

OPINION@JMCNETWORK.COM

@acuoptimist

COLUMN

DOWNTON ABBEY

you do not feel the need to climb up the corporate ladder by spending thousands of dollars on classes, then please do not waste your time.

It comes down to your goals. Are you willing to submerge yourself under piles of work and research all in the name of a master’s degree? If so, good luck.

hashtagACU

Well at least he gets us talking LAMBORGHINI MERCY

BEN TODD CARTOONIST

Im literally laying on the couch in my formals, while watching Gilmore Girls and eating a corn dog... yes this is how my life is playing out

@BRICLOSE OCT. 13 5:24 P.M.

Professor @ 8 am: “We’re going to watch a Ted talk” My mind: “oh I can take a nap” My dream went full circle.

@ITSMEMITCHEAST OCT. 11 512:59 P.M.

Imagine lots of opinionated college students in a small room registering to vote on the last day possible. I was there. I was not comfortable.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR To my many students and friends, I want to thank Ms. Remenar for her kind article about my medical/disability retirement. I also want to thank my students – current and former – for all your emails and notes of encouragement. You are amazing.

I do plan to continue living

in Abilene, attending as many ACU sports events as possible and coming up to the library from time to time as I continue to do research and write. I hope to see you there!

With many blessings, Dr. Glenn Pemberton

O P T I M IST

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F E ATUR E S

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 14, 2016

5

LYDIA LAWSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Rachel Riley shows off her tattoo, “Enough,” which she got to commemorate her year of not spending any money.

The Notion of Enough

Rachel Riley learned to have enough by going one year without spending money

BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

S

mall black letters on her wrist spell the word “Enough.”

Enough.

A reminder that she has enough, that God is enough.

Rachel Riley had the word tattooed on her wrist as a reminder to remain content.

Five years ago, she chose to live one year without buying anything she didn’t need. Her fast from spending led her to a new understanding of “enough,” not only in her possessions but also in her home and relationships.

Rachel, instructor of psychology, grew up one of four sisters, wearing handme-downs and thrift store clothes. In high school, she wanted her own money so she worked at a mall in Beaumont, and in college she wanted to go to a private college so she attended ACU. As a student, she felt unsatisfied with what she had, seeing a clear difference between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” While in college, she met her husband, Chris Riley, now vice president of Student Life, and graduated in 1998.

Chris began practicing law at a firm in Lubbock, and Rachel said she had financial situation she always wanted. But that wasn’t enough.

Chris worked long hours, which drained the family’s

relationships, Rachel said.

Ten years ago, the Rileys chose to move to Abilene for a slower pace with Chris’ job as a lawyer for ACU. Their son, Jackson, was 5 years old when they moved into a house on Sayles Blvd, “old and beautiful,” just the way Rachel liked it. But it wasn’t enough.

“I’ve wanted, and I’ve chased probably my whole life, a white farmhouse,” Rachel said. “I probably was trying to chase this dream of owning a house like my grandparent’s.”

Rachel said she likes to have things other people don’t have, often buying at estate sales and thrift stores.

In 2011, the Rileys started searching for the “perfect” house. Meanwhile, after going on a spring break mission trip, the couple decided to try adopting a baby from Honduras.

“These people have nothing, and you feel very convicted about that,” Rachel said. he Rileys set aside the dream of the perfect house as they planned to save money for adoption. Rachel decided to stop spending money on things she didn’t need for one year. She said she was influenced by “7: An experimental mutiny against success” by Jen Hatmaker, which discusses the idea of decluttering life and living enough. The decision and later, her tattoo, were in-

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LYDIA LAWSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Rachel Riley, instructor of psychology.

spired by 1 Timothy 6:6-8.

“If I have bread on my table and shoes on my feet that’s enough,” Rachel said.

“The general context is, you can’t take it with you.”

She sold her dishwasher, turned the space where it had been into a recycling center, and stopped using an electric dryer. Dr. Janine Morgan, instructor of Bible, who has taught Core 210 with Rachel, also doesn’t use a dryer. Instead of consuming energy to dry their clothes, Morgan and Rachel hang their clothes outside and use the West Texas dry heat and winds, or during the winter they lay the clothes on drying racks indoors.

“I remember thinking, ‘Oh, there’s somebody else like me in the world,’” Morgan said.

Changing how they did

laundry was just one effect her fast had on her family.

Her 11-year-old son, Jackson, calls the “no-spending” time “The Great Depression” for their family. While Rachel didn’t purchase any new clothes or toys for the children, Jackson and Alice Ann remembered one exciting tradition started during that year: playdate coupons.

Rachel’s spending fast extended to birthday gifts for friends of the children, so they had to come up with new gift ideas. They decided to give their friends homemade coupons offering a day of play at the Riley house. Jackson was less concerned with gifts and more worried about who he played with.

“It just depends on which person it is,” Jackson said.

“If it’s one of Alice Ann’s friends, I either play with

them or try to stay away from them.”

Some of Rachel’s girlfriends felt sorry for her, especially when she had to eat at home before joining them for dinner. She would still go to dinner to spend time with her friends, but she wouldn’t purchase any food.

She would still go shopping with them for “girls’ trips” but often felt bored at the store because she couldn’t buy anything. Despite the challenges, Rachel said she learned the value of relationships.

“Stuff is not important,” Rachel said. “It’s not a lesson that I have kept well, I still have to be reminded.

Your investment should be in people with which you have community.” hen the year ended, Rachel still wasn’t satisfied.

She said she desperately wanted to adopt a child from Honduras, and after trying for four and a half years, she decided to fast from spending again until her prayer was answered.

She hoped the discipline would provide a safe place in the middle of the struggle, but fasting indefinitely felt more hopeless and she slipped up several times. An older couple who mentored the Riley’s told them it was time to be content with the adopted children they already had: ACU students.

“That was not something that I wanted to acknowl-

W

edge because I wanted to have it my way,” Rachel said. “But now I get to walk alongside people that are struggling and impact their lives.” ince the Rileys started keeping a guest book, more than 2,000 students have come to the Riley’s home. Three years ago they moved to a big white farmhouse, which they don’t consider their own, sharing their address – 1725 Austin St – with all students, and turning their yard into a wedding venue. Rachel often has lunch with students, especially young women who have lost their mothers. Every year the Rileys host “Crocktoberfest,” an event created by Chris when friends bring crockpots of food and spend the night.

Rachel finally has enough.

Jackson and Alice Ann sat at the country-style dining room table, drinking water out of old peanut butter jars. They say their mother uses the tattoo as a command to her kids, snapping her wrist forward as she says the word.

“Sometimes I need an ‘Enough,’” Jackson said, snapping his wrist forward in imitation of his mother.

“It works for discipline sometimes,” Rachel said, laughing. “For back-talk.”

Alice Ann had a tiny smiley face drawn on her wrist.

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HRR13B@ACU.EDU

ARTS

Netflix’s Luke Cage raises questions of racial stereotypes EMILLION HERE, EMILLION THERE

EMILY GUAJARDO VISUALS MANAGING EDITOR Junior convergence journalism major San Antonio

Netflix released an original new series on Sep. 30 based on the superhero comic series Luke Cage – a black man with super strength and super skin. The premise of the TV show follows the life of Cage as an unfortunate experiment occurs and causes him to become a fugitive after a failed relationship with fellow superhero Jessica Jones. In the midst of everything, Cage is forced to protect the city of Harlem, where he lives, all while try-

ing to rebuild his preferred quiet life. Cage is the third Defender superhero on Netflix, along with Jessica Jones and Daredevil. Since the release of the show, critics have been on opposite sides of a debate: either the show is “too black” or the show breaks black stereotypes.

Because Marvel has produced only nineteen black superheros and more than 700 superheroes since 1939, the question of “why Luke Cage” is raised? Within the

show, several stereotypes can be considered broken, such as a black man wanting to fight for his city and trying to build his life.

However, it does seem as though Netflix decided to add some subconscious stereotypes – like having him live in Harlem and being a fugitive. Others consider the show “too black” because the character portrays a sense of “black power” and “black supremacy” against the other villains.

Let us know what you think using the hashtag #acuoptimistlukecage.

Is Luke Cage advancing black stereotypes or is it reducing them?

EAG13A@ACU.EDU

6

S P O RT S

MEN’S BASKETBALL

OU headlines Wildcats’ preseason schedule

BY TREVOR WYATT SPORTS WRITER

After head coach Joe Golding released the ACU Men’s basketball schedule in September, it was clear that one game stuck out more than the rest.

The Wildcats head to Norman, Oklahoma, to play Oklahoma University, Nov. 25. A season ago OU made it to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament, and was ranked No. 4 in the country at the start of the tournament.

“That game especially is going to be a challenge, but is something we’re looking forward to,” Golding said. “The schedule is a lot more fair this season than past seasons, so we’ll have to step it up.”

Jovan Crnic, a returning player and assumed starter on the wing for the Wildcats, says that they’re up to the challenge, and that they’ve been working out since the summer.

“We’ve been pretty much working out the whole summer,” Crnic

said. “The whole basketball team was here for both summer courses, so six weeks, and we were working out basically the whole time.”

Isaiah Tripp says that Jeff Bourque, ACU’s new strength and conditioning coach, has made a huge difference in the way the team works out.

“We’re working out a lot more on the turf, a lot more conditioning rather than strength training,” Tripp said. “It increases our stamina so that we can

work out more.”

Crnic and Golding are also quick to agree with the work of Bourque, and cite him as a huge resource for the team.

“You can clearly see the change that is going through these players,” Golding said. “There’s a clear difference. We’re getting stronger, we’re getting more muscular, and we’re clearly more athletic. We wouldn’t be able to be the way we are without Coach Bourque.”

Golding also says to ex-

pect more from this team in the final year of the transition to D-1, especially from returning Southland Conference Freshman of the Year Jaylen Franklin.

“He’s coming back, and he not only had an amazing season last year, but had one of the best summers of anyone on the team,” Golding said. “It’s also crazy because Jaren Lewis is a returning freshman, and probably would have won Freshman of the Year if Franklin had it. This team has a very bright future.”

TENNIS

STANDINGS Soccer Team

Div. Ovrl.

5-0-1 UCA 5-1 SFA 5-1 NWSU 4-1-1 ACU 3-2-1 HBU 2-3-1 SELU 2-3-1 SHSU McNeese 2-4 2-4 UIW Nicholls 1-4-1 TAMU-CC 1-5 0-4-2 Lamar

10-3-1 8-3 8-5 5-7-2 5-7-1 5-7-2 2-11-1 6-7 3-8-1 4-6-1 1-12 1-11-2

Volleyball Team

TAMU-CC HBU SFA NWSU Lamar ACU SHSU SELU McNeese UCA UNO UIW Nicholls

Div. Ovrl.

6-0 11-7 5-1 14-8 5-1 12-7 5-2 10-12 3-2 3-14 4-3 5-17 3-3 9-10 2-3 3-15 2-4 6-15 2-5 8-11 1-4 4-14 1-5 5-13 0-6 5-17

Football Team

SHSU UCA Lamar Nicholls SELU McNeese SFA HBU UIW NWSU ACU

Div. Ovrl.

4-0 3-0 2-1 2-1 2-1 2-2 2-2 1-2 1-3 0-3 0-4

5-0 4-1 2-3 2-3 2-3 3-3 3-3 2-3 1-5 1-4 0-6

BRIEFINGS ACU announced this week they have secured funds to begin renovating Teague Special Events Center and constructing a twostory tennis facility.

LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Sophomore Josh Sheehy (left) and his brother, freshman Jonathan Sheehy (right) played on the same doubles team in high school when they won a state title. Now the two have reunited and are giving doubles another go, as they hope to conquer Southland Conference competition by each other’s side.

Double or Nothing

Sheehy brothers find new spark as they reunite in doubles

BY LAUREN FRANCO SPORTS WRITER

After playing together in high school, brothers Jonathan and Josh Sheehy look for more success playing as doubles partners now at ACU. The brothers, who won state together during their high school years and went 1-1 in their last tournament hosted by the University of Tulsa, look forward to using the family aspect to their advantage.

“With your brother, it’s a lot different because you’ve known them your entire life,” said Josh, a sophomore finance major from Arlington. “You know everything that makes them happy or mad, and sometimes that can come into play on the tennis court.”

Jonathan said that originally, playing as doubles

partners hadn’t really worked out. But over the summer, the duo tried again and found success.

“Just from this past summer, I can tell our relationship has grown more than ever both on and off the court,” said Jonathan, a freshman finance major.

“We know each other’s games inside and out so if one of us is having trouble, we can help the other out.”

Josh, who was named Southland Conference freshman of the year last season, agreed that their reattempt was successful.

“The biggest factor in our success I think has been the increased communication, Josh said.

“We’ve learned to talk to each other more on the court instead of getting mad about the little things and letting it make us play worse.”

Known by the team as “Taco,” Josh also said that he thinks he’s had a significant impact on Jonathan in his tennis career.

“Being older, I get to play in many tournaments before he does and it sets a standard that he sets out to beat when he gets a chance,” Josh said.

Halfway through his first semester in college, Jonathan said that his brother has influenced him both on and off the court.

“We would play tennis together almost every single day until college and he helped me not just as a better tennis player, but as a person as well,” Jonathan said. “He’s made me keep running, since I hate doing fitness. He’s made sure I keep up with all of my schoolwork, and don’t get behind on that. He always told me to show up to

practice on time and not be late, because I learned the hard way on that one last week.”

On the other hand, Josh said that he recognizes Jonathan’s influence in his tennis career as well.

“He has definitely influenced me for sure,” Josh said. “It’s great to have someone like him push me in practice every day and keep me from slacking off.

Since we know each other so well, we can coach each other when needed on the court.”

In addition, the team recognizes their chemistry and looks forward to watching the duo grow together throughout the fall and spring seasons.

“Since they have grown up playing together, they have great chemistry together and they’re always on the same page so that

should be great for their play together,” said Paul Domanski a junior teammate from New Braunfels.

“For Jonathan, it’s great to have an older role model to look out for you and help you learn the ropes. For Josh it’s great to have a sibling on the team and another high level player to push him get better.”

Sophomore Cole Lawson has also noticed the connection between them on the court.

“There’s always an extra something special when siblings are unified on the court, and I really think their chemistry will bring a lot to the team.”

Jonathan and Josh will play together at the ITA Regional Tournament hosted by TCU next weekend.

LMF14A@ACU.EDU

COLUMN

Miracle worker or not, Tebow means more EXAGGERAITZ JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS EDITOR Junior convergence journalism major Bandera, Texas

If you’ve followed the minor league baseball world recently, you might have come to a similar conclusion as I, like football, baseball probably won’t work out in the long run for Tim Tebow. In his fall league debut, Tebow went 0-for-3 and ran into the out-

field wall chasing a pop fly.

However, it pains me sometimes how often people forget that there is more to an athlete than their stat line, especially with the case of Tebow.

In a sports world today, where people are wowed almost daily by a Giancarlo

Stanton 450-foot home run or a Lamar Jackson eight-touchdown performance, it’s easy to overlook the fact that athletes go beyond the numbers in a column by their name.

And in light of recent reports of Tebow performing a miracle at a fall league game I think it’s important this be recognized.

The ABC affiliate in Glendale, Arizona, ABC 13, reported Tebow laid his hands on a man who had been unconscious for 30 seconds and the man regained conscious-

ness shortly after.

Personally I think a miracle happened, but either way Tebow is one of the few that he isn’t just in it for the fame.

Tebow inspires people to live for something bigger than themselves.

At a time in sports where arrests and suspensions seem to be the next most relevant thing to the stat line it’s encouraging to see Tebow compose himself the way he has. Although Tebow was never an NFL pro bowler and most likely will never be

an MLB starter. Tim Tebow has proven and will continue to prove sports goes beyond the numbers.

Tebow will always remind sports fans the opportunity professional athletes have to make an impact that lasts longer than a season.

The bottom line is Tebow arguably saved a man’s life signing autographs, and no matter how many times he strikes out that won’t change.

JMR13B@ACU.EDU

Athletics plans to add women’s beach volleyball as its 17th varsity sport in the spring of 2018.

A week after being recognized as the honorable mention, senior goalkeeper Sydney Newton earned her second Southland Conference Keeper of the Week award after shutting out Houston Baptist last Friday.

Freshman Amanda Chapa earned Southland Conference honorable mention defensive player of the week as she leads the team in digs.

Be sure to follow @OptimistSports on Twittter for more stories and the latest ACU sports news coverage.

UPCOMING Volleyball returns home this weekend as it hosted Stephen F. Austin Thursday night and takes on Sam Houston State Saturday.

Soccer continues its quest for a conference title when it hosts Lamar and McNeese State in its final home games of the season.

After back-toback home games, football heads to Southland Conference leading Sam Houston State.