The Optimist Print Edition 10.21.16

NEWS

HOMECOMING

SPECIAL

Art major Audie Pope is hired

by KRBC to sketch the trial of a murdered Abilene police officer.

Page 2A

ISSUE

FEATURE

WHAT’S

Checking in on the construction projects around campus: Halbert-Walling and the stadium Page 1B

INSIDE

FEATURE

BUSINESS

SPORTS

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

Abilene businesses open and close, plus a special look at the local farmer’s market Page 6A

Homecoming Musical Man of La Mancha transports viewers to land of Don Quixote.

Page 4A–5A

Study Abroad prepares for a trip in honor of ‘95 Theses’ 500th anniversary Page 3B

Trump and Hillary and opinion columns, oh my. Nov. 8 is coming quickly, so hurry up and decide.

Page 4B – 5B

Double the trouble: These identical Wildcats push each other to be better in their sport.

Pages 7A

Athletics unloads plans for facilities additions for tennis and renovations for Teague.

Pages 7B

v

A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912

Friday, October 21, 2016 Vol. 105, Issue 10

H O M E T O W N R I VA L S

EMILY GUAJARDO VISUALS MANAGING EDITOR Squigs, Scrappies and NuNus cheer on their pledge flag football team at Thursday night’s rivalry games. Pledges played early in the evening and club champ teams played late Thursday night. Rivalry Week returned to Intramurals this year

Jamfest canceled, replaced with devo

BY TAYLOR BUSH STUDENT REPORTER

Jamfest has been canceled this year, but Homecoming will feature the first annual Homecoming Candlelight Devo.

In previous years, the Alumni Association hosted Jamfest as apart of the Friday night Homecoming activities. Student musicians and bands auditioned to perform in the event.

“We decided this year to take a break from Jamfest.

And so, in lieu of Jamfest, we decided to do the Candlelight Devo,” said Jama Cadle, assistant director of alumni relations.

Cadle said Jamfest was canceled because of a lack in student interest and the Candlelight Devo was created to share the tradition with current students, prospective students, alumni and their families. The devo will take

place Friday at 8:15 p.m. in the Beauchamp Amphitheatre.

Other Friday night events will include the carnival, the Science Circus, the Homecoming Musical, Man of La Mancha, and the night will finish with the Candlelight Devo.

Saturday begins with club breakfasts, followed by the parade. This year’s Homecoming theme is “Celebrate Your Story” and floats will

be themed accordingly.

The Homecoming Chapel speaker is John Siburt, president and chief operating officer of CitySquare, a non-profit dedicated to fighting poverty in Dallas.

Various departments will host luncheons before the Homecoming football game against Incarnate Word.

Man of La Mancha will run again and the night will end with the annual fireworks display.

On Sunday, some alumni returning for class reunions can look forward to reunion worship services and festivities will end with a matinee showing of Man of La Mancha.

Next year homecoming will look different, said Craig Fisher, director of alumni relations and annual projects, because of the addition of the on-campus stadium.

Thirty women are pledging women’s social club Zeta Rho in a process of revamping the club.

Zeta Rho, founded in 1944, had 11 members when the fall rush process started. With more than 388 women in the pledging

process, Tom Craig, director of student activities and productions, said this years pledging numbers are the largest in the university’s

recent history.

Dr. Kristina Davis, Zeta Rho sponsor, said in previous years the club offered bids to everyone who didn’t get a bid from the club they wanted to get a bid from.

“We saw the need in that there are 5 clubs right now and are full to the max,” Davis said. “We can provide something where girls

feel welcomed, loved and accepted and still get all the advantages of being part of a social club.”

Zeta Rho president Luthien McCurdy said on call night many girls expected to get a bid from the club of their choice but with the number of girls rushing, it was not an option for every girl.

BY ALLISON BROWN EDITOR IN CHIEF

“It sucks, to be honest, it does because you have this vision in your mind of what you want and what your going to get and your dreams are crushed right there,” said McCurdy, senior kinesiology major from Graham, Texas.

Hannah Vance, _ ma-

The university has officially recognized an LGBT peer-support group for students. The group, Voice, has existed since 2012 without any formal recognition from the Office of Student Life.

Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, said the decision by the Senior Leadership Team and recognition of the group at the beginning of the semester came as a result of a Board of Trustees’ evaluation of university Sexual Stewardship policies that took place over the last two years. Despite the recognition, no changes have been made to the sexual conduct language in the Student Handbook, which

SEE ZETA RHO PAGE 2A

SEE VOICE PAGE 3A

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Zeta Rho revamps with 30 pledges

BY ERIKA BOLADO STAFF WRITER

University recognizes LGBT support group

Beach volleyball lands in NCAA momentum

BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS EDITOR

In response to an NCAA self study conducted at the end of last year, the Department of Athletics has decided to add a 17th varsity sport - beach volleyball.

“We really had to analyze our department from top to bottom and one of the key takeaways is that we are not as compliant

with Title IX as we need to be,” said director of athletics Lee De Leon.

ACU is required by the NCAA to meet at least one prong of a three-part test which analyzes proportionality, accommodation of interest and expansion of opportunity. De Leon said in compliance with the NCAA, athletics plans to hit the expansion of opportunity prong by

adding beach volleyball.

This prong is satisfied by demonstrating a continual expansion of athletic opportunities for the underrepresented sex.

“We haven’t added a sport since 2007, when we added women’s soccer, so it has been almost 10 years,” De Leon said. “And so that’s the prong we’re going to hit to comply with Title IX, is the expansion

of opportunity.”

De Leon said athletics has explored the idea to add beach volleyball and women’s golf, but volleyball makes more sense based on expenses and popularity around the NCAA. “Beach volleyball makes a lot more sense right because we can take the same student-athletes and the same coaching staff and have them play and coach

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

beach volleyball without having to add scholarships or add salaries,” De Leon said.

Beach volleyball also will not require a new building, because the Student Recreation and Wellness Center has partnered with athletics to demolish the outdoor basketball court and replace it with sand and nets. De Leon said once the court is fin-

ished it will be open to all of campus, with athletics having priority for games and practices.

With the addition of beach volleyball in 2018, ACU will become the fifth team in the Southland Conference to field a team and joins over 50 Div. 1 programs across the NCAA. Assistant volleySEE BEACH PAGE 8A

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ACUPD preps for Homecoming traffic, parade

BY VANESSA ELLIS STUDENT REPORTER

ACUPD is preparing for the Homecoming parade and increased traffic as alumni, friends and family come to campus this weekend.

“Homecoming is one of the top two parking pressure events on campus, second only to Sing Song,” said ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison.

Ellison said the biggest difficulty for parking and crowd control happens Saturday morning during the Homecoming parade. The main concern for ACUPD is an accidental breach of the parade route, compromising the safety of all the parade participants.

“

We want a safe and enjoyable parade for everyone,” ACU POLICE CHIEF JIMMY ELLISON

ACUPD will be sending out emails describing the parade route, where people can and can’t park during the parade as well as clearly marking the streets for the event. Fliers will be placed on all cars that line the parade route along with the vehicles that are in the lot of where the parade staging area will be.

About 15 police officers as well as 8-10 student employees will be along the parade route making sure no cars attempt to go around the parade boundaries.

All vehicles must be moved off ACU Drive South, Teague Circle to East North 16th Street, by midnight Friday night. If any vehicles still remain the owner will be located and asked to move it or the car will be towed and moved to a different lot.

The Homecoming Parade officially starts at 9:30 am on Saturday. The parade route begins on East North 16th Street at ACU Drive, then goes west along 16th to Campus Court, then turns north on Campus Court to the Elmer Gray Track Stadium entrance.

Each of the listed locations will be closed at 9:15 am and remain closed until 30 minutes after the parade ends.

“As always, everyone should drive slowly and carefully in these areas and watch for directions from uniformed ACUPD officers controlling the route and traffic flow," Ellison said.

"We want a safe and enjoyable parade for everyone."

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

Art major sketches murder trial for KRBC

BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

Art major Audie Pope sketched images of a murder trial for KRBC last week because cameras were prohibited in the courtroom.

Pope, junior art major from Bedford, was hired by the television station to sketch key witnesses and the judge during the trial for the murder of Abilene police Officer Don Allen.

KRBC emailed Pope the week before the trial after Jack Maxwell, professor of art and design, recommended her. Pope said she was surprised, especially because the first word she read in the email was “murder.”

“It was the most random thing,” Pope said. “I didn’t know that they did that.”

Because cameras were

LYDIA LAWSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Pope was hired by television station KRBC to sketch witnesses at a murder trial in which both defendants were convicted.

not permitted in the courtroom, Pope attended the trial Tuesday night, sketched images of the scene and sent photos of the sketches to

KRBC. She said she thinks criminal justice and the detective process is interesting and thought it would be cool to sketch the trial. Al-

though she said she would do it again if asked, she doesn't see the job as a future career.

“It's not as appealing now

that I've done it,” Pope said.

“It’s like jury duty, but just drawing instead.”

Pope participated in onsite drawing competitions called through the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) in high school and got second place in a regional competition. In Maxwell's figure drawing class, she practiced sketching scenes in just ten minutes. In the courtroom she said she starts her drawings with the position of the person, including whether they are leaning forward or sitting still, then draws the background of the scene last.

Pope said the experience will be good for her resume and after graduation she plans to do freelance or studio work.

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

Graduate student falls victim to IRS scam

BY CHELSEA TWOHY STUDENT REPORTER

It started out as a typical Friday afternoon for second year graduate student Heather Helm as she finished up case notes in her office at the clinic at around 3:30 p.m. Sept. 30.

Then Helm received a phone call from an Abilene phone number and a man with a heavy foreign accent on the other line who claimed to be an IRS/ FBI agent (using them interchangeably Helm said).

The man began to demand Helm to pay an “education tax” of $3,465. He threatened her that she needed to comply without getting off the phone or they would send local police to arrest her for tax evasion and freeze all of her assets.

Helm, marriage and family therapy graduate student from Stillwater, Oklahoma, Googled the number and it matched the Abilene Federal Bureau of Investigation. Helm said

“

It sounds more stupid every time I tell this story but...it is something I need to make aware so (the scammers) don’t do this,”

HEATHER HELM MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY GRADUATE STUDENT

the large amount the man asked for was close to what she paid for summer tuition. The so-called agent also kept mentioning different bits of personal information, so she believed that he was “legit”–Helm said.

Helm was told by the ‘agent’ to put the sum of money on Target gift cards.

Although she said she felt borderline harassed by the "agent," Helm complied because she had a clean record and wanted to keep it that way.

Realizing that she was being scammed, Helm tried to get the money refunded from the gift cards the next morning, but she was too late. The scammers had redeemed the entire amount and there was nothing that

Target, the IRS or Helm’s bank could do to retrieve it.

“It sounds more stupid every time I tell this story,” Helm said, “but I’m not the only poor college student here. It is something I need to make aware so (the scammers) don’t do this.”

Chief of ACU Police Jimmy Ellison said he believes it is a highly unreported crime because the victim is “too embarrassed to talk about it.”

Ellison said, “It really aggravates me how mind controlling some of these scam artists can become. They play on your fear, and they play on your emotion, and your good name. You have a good clean record and you wanna keep it that way.

Unfortunately, you would

be surprised how many people say “What can I do right now to get this handled?”

Ellison said they receive one or two reports a year on a random basis regarding this kind of scam and these crimes have a low solvability rate. The police department still encourages students to report these crimes, however, because the students can be given proper resources and it also helps the police department know these scams are occurring and they can make correlations and send out an advisory.

According to the Internal Revenue Service’s official website, irs.gov, the peak season for scammers is during filing season. However, students returning to school (and their parents) are being targeted by scammers demanding they pay a fake “student-tax.”

The IRS posted a list of what they would not do so taxpayers, and in this case students and their parents,

can be aware of in detecting an imposter. The four points are as follows: • The IRS will not call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail you a bill if you owe taxes.

• The IRS will not threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

• The IRS will not demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.

• The IRS will not ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Zeta Rho: Club rethinks, revamps for future CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

jor from _, and Macy Carter, sophomore communications major from San Antonio, received bids from Zeta Rho and decided to join the club along with other girls who didn’t get their first-choice club. Carter said within 12 hours after call night they found 20 girls wanted to join Zeta Rho and revamp the club.

Davis said the club did an anonymous vote to let the girls revamp the club. McCurdy said it was not hard to make the revamping decision because

they knew the club had to change to attract more people.

“We just didn’t have the people or the numbers or the personalities to make that happen,” McCurdy said. “That’s where Macy and Hannah come in because they are so driven to do this.”

Carter, Vance, McCurdy, and Davis said they are not changing the club name, they are not coming back as a different club, and they are not re-chartering. Davis also said Zeta Rho had two bid nights and they still have pledging with the same required

pledging hours every club has.

Other girls who didn’t go through the rushing process, but knew about the changes in Zeta Rho, also decided to pledge. While the club will do a Homecoming alumni breakfast, the club will not participate in the homecoming parade. Vance said they are taking that time to focus on the club and they hope to have a “public relations year” to get Zeta Rho recognized on campus.

“Another goal from all of us that we want to see is to people be accepting of this because it has been

a little rough but awesome and amazing,” Carter said.

Craig said the club system functions better when all clubs are equal in size.

“So when that happens it creates more synergy on campus and that’s what everyone is excited about,” Craig said. “It will give the club new life, it will change the dynamics of the club and it will give them a great presence on campus.”

Davis said after Homecoming the club will get jerseys and drops about the same time as other clubs, with plans to keep the club’s navy and white colors but potentially add

some more colors.

“I think there is another mentality that the girls have been coming in without anything but in fact they have had two bid nights,” Davis said. “They had a bid night then we had the original bid night.

We are still pledging and everything like normal.”

The club officers will stay in the same positions although a few open positions will be filled. The club will have regular officer elections in march.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 10/12/2016 7:50 p.m.

ACUPD responded to a report of an intoxicated student inside The Bean. Officers were unable to locate anyone who could take custody of the person and subsequently arrested him for Public Intoxication.

10/12/2016 10:05 p.m.

ACUPD investigated a report of a student in possession of alcohol in a dorm room. Officers issued a municipal citation for Minor In Possession of Alcohol 10/16/2016 1:25 a.m.

ACUPD officers observed a large party with loud noise and large crowd in the yard/street with alcohol present in public. Hardin Simmons students were contacted and closed the party. Warning issued.

911 CALL ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY ALARM ALCOHOL INCIDENT BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK CHECK BUILDING CITATION ISSUANCE DISTURBANCE DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE ELEVATOR RESCUE ESCORT FINGERPRINTING SERVICE

1 11 2 1 10 346 6 1 2 2 4 1

FOOT PATROL FOUND PROPERTY HIT & RUN INFORMATION REPORT INTOXICATED PERSON INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP LOST PROPERTY MAINTENANCE UNIVERSITY ASSETS: CCTV MAINTENANCE UNIVERSITY ASSETS

37 1 1 5 2 12 2 8 1

MEDICAL EMERGENCY MONITOR FACILITY/LOT MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK NOISE VIOLATION OTHER PARKING LOT PATROL PARKING VIOLATION PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE

2 2 3 8 1 3 34 3 5

PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL PUBLIC SERVICE RANDOM PATROL REPORT WRITING SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE THEFT TRAFFIC STOP WELFARE CHECK TOTAL: 588

10 2 26 16 2 4 5 4

POLICE CHIEF TIP OF THE WEEK:

Remember that ACU DriveSouth from Teague Circle to EN16th will be CLSOED starting Friday night at midnight for Homecoming Parade staging area. All vehicles need to be moved by midnight Friday night.

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FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

HOMECOMING HIGHLIGHTS FRIDAY, OCT. 21 • • • •

Homecoming Carnival, 5-8 p.m. at the Beauchamp Bell Tower (between Campus Center and SWRC) Science Circus, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Bennett Gymnasium Musical “Man of La Mancha,” 8 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center Homecoming Candlelight Devotional, 8:158:45 p.m. at Beauchamp Amphitheater

SATURDAY, OCT. 22

SUNDAY, OCT. 23

•

•

• • • •

Homecoming Parade, 9:30 a.m. beginning at E.N. 16th Street, Campus Court Chapel, 11 a.m. in Moody Coliseum Homecoming Football game vs. Incarnate Word, 2:30 p.m. at Shotwell Stadium Musical, Man of La Mancha, 8 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center Homecoming Fireworks, 8:45 p.m. at Hunter Welcome Center

• • •

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Class of ‘81 Reunion Worship Service, 9 a.m.10 a.m., Chapel on the Hill Class of ‘76 Reunion Worship Service. 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m., Hunter Welcome Center, Lynay Classroom Class of ‘86 Reunion Worship Service, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m., Chapel on the Hill Musical, Man of La Mancha, 2 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center

Voice: University recognizes LGBT peer-support group CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

proscribes “sexual immorality, including pre-marital sex (heterosexual and homosexual activity.”

In Spring 2016, the board established broad values to guide the university as it continues to make decisions related to students and others who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

Dr. Barry Packer, chairman of the board, said the board developed the framework for administration to make decisions based on three factors: • We affirm the dignity and worth of all human beings, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and we strive to love and welcome all individuals.

• We believe Scripture teaches that God intends for sexual relations to be reserved for marriage between a man and woman.

• We encourage everyone in the ACU community to engage this issue with civility and respect.

With the board’s stance as a starting point, administration began to evaluate how to best move forward with LGBT issues on campus, Schubert said.

“We began to think about if that is the guidance given by the Board, how does that play itself out in our everyday policies, procedures, the way we talk about and do things on this campus?” he said.

“We need to check what we are doing against those three principles because those are pretty big and pretty important.”

As Schubert and other leaders in administration approached the idea of recognizing Voice as a group, he said they kept one principle front and center: affirming the traditional view of marriage between one man and one woman.

“We had some conversations with the leadership of Voice and we talked about if we were to officially recognize them, would they be comfortable in respecting the policies and values of the university,” Schubert said.

“And they told us ‘we are.’”

HISTORY Voice was created in 2012 to be a group for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender to feel safe and able to talk through issues regarding faith and sexuality. Since its inception, the group has not functioned as an advocacy group or as a typical student organization or club. Designated as a “peer education and support group,” Voice caters to both LGBT and straight students, providing opportunities for conversation.

Dr. Kristina Campos Davis, assistant professor of communication, along with Mark Lewis, dean of students, and a leadership team sponsor Voice. Voice meets every other Monday night, and on the off weeks, the group conducts a Thursday small group Chapel called Faith and Sexuality Chapel, which any student is welcome to attend.

Dr. Chris Riley, vice president of Student Life, has worked with Davis and other leaders of Voice both before and after the group was recognized by the university.

“Voice is working through existing channels of support and they’ve been very cogni-

zant of the fact that not everyone will agree with what they do and who they are,” Riley said. “But they are working through personal relationships instead of a big announcement.”

When SLT told the Board of Trustees of its plans to recognize Voice, the board’s response was positive, Packer said.

“I can think of no better place for students who identify as LGBT or who experience same-sex attraction to be than on the campus of a Christian university that loves and welcomes them and gives them a safe place to discuss their ultimate identity in Jesus Christ,” Packer said in an email. “These are difficult issues, yet regardless of one’s perspective, we encourage all of those in the ACU community to engage this issue with Christian care and compassion.”

Since working through the Board’s statement and receiving the university’s recognition, Davis said she has seen positive results for the group thus far.

“It has helped enormously to know the university backs us and made it easier for faculty,” Davis said. “The most important thing to know is that ACU is supportive of our students in the sense that they are providing a place where LGBTQ students can feel safe.”

Some use Q in the acronym to describe individuals who describe themselves as queer or sexually questioning.

However, Davis did admit she was a little worried people’s responses to news of Voice’s recognition.

“I think it is a really hard balance for the university because yes, I’m worried our constituents off campus are going to be upset, whereas most on campus will probably accept it,” Davis said.

“I feel like we are kind of in a situation where we are having to balance [the university’s] desires with what’s best for our students. But the problem is, we have gay students on our campus. Our options are ignore them, treat them hatefully, or, or what? That just doesn’t seem like an option.”

On one hand, Davis said some try to see the group as an advocacy group while others try to pin it down as conversion therapy.

“This is not a student organization in a way that a social club would be,” Davis said. “We are not an advocacy organization, but by the same token, we are also not a reparative therapy group, which i think is the other side of what people are worried about. We simply want to love and help our students wherever they are in the spectrum.”

This spectrum even includes friends or allies of LGBT students who are interested in learning how to engage in conversations surrounding LGBT issues.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE Junior biochemistry major Hailey Burden said being a part of Voice has transformed her time at ACU. Burden, who grew up in Abilene, has been navigating her LGBT journey since coming out her freshman year of high school.

“Coming to ACU, I knew it would be a challenge,”

Burden said. “I didn’t think there would be anything like Voice, and I didn’t really think anybody would care.

I told myself to just stay under the radar. I came in thinking that I don’t have to talk about it, but it was a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

Burden’s first year on campus was challenging, starting all the way back at Wildcat Week, during which she said she got lots of stares because of her appearance – short hair, tattoos and gauges. After a difficult year of looking for a place to belong, she heard of Voice through word of mouth and started to get involved.

“Finding this community, even though it’s small, I was able to build relationships with people that made me feel more comfortable here,” Burden said. “Now that it is recognized, students could see that there actually is something that applies to who I am.”

Burden said she now feels like she has a place on campus and hopes others will begin to have healthy conversations surrounding the issues.

“Now that they recognize Voice, we’re going to have to wrestle with the question of

‘OK it’s recognized, but do we really want to talk about it?’,” Burden said. “I hope it becomes more normal to have this organization.”

FACULTY RESPONSE Dr. Schubert planned to notify faculty and staff of the decision Thursday afternoon, but prior to the formal announcement of Voice’s recognition, responses from faculty have been varied.

Dr. Tom Lee, chair of the Faculty Senate, said the topic has only recently come up to the Faculty Senate, but he anticipates more conversations in the future.

“I would like to know a little bit more, and I know President Schubert wanted the faculty to know more,” Lee said. “He wanted the word out, but somehow it didn’t get out. Speaking only for myself, I am in favor of a support group, but we definitely need more discussion moving forward.”

Dr. Neal Coates, chair of the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice, said raised issues with the lack of communication from upper administration about Voice’s recognition.

“Not communicating on issues that go perhaps to the

core of the university’s purpose makes people pull their hair out,” Coates said.

Coates said the goal for this group hasn’t been clearly explained to the faculty at large.

“We need to know if Voice is actively encouraging our students and when they are alumni to be chaste and aim for godly marriage,” Coates said. “We need confirmation that is the purpose of this group and whether the group will be in line with the Board’s statement regarding spiritual marriage.

We need confirmation that faculty sponsorship will not be advocating for a lifestyle of LGBTQ.” The Voice mission statement clearly states that “Voice will not antagonize institutions or organizations because of their stances on LGBT issues, and Voice will not advocate behavior that violates the ACU Student Handbook.”

From administration’s perspective, Voice is not an instrument for advocacy.

“It seems to us to be a very healthy way to engage members of our community in good, productive and fulfilling conversation while still being clear about what we

believe,” Chris Riley said.

As this conversation has developed over the last several years, Dr. Kristina Davis said she remembered the moment in a faculty meeting where Schubert said ACU would be an institution that loves all students.

“It doesn’t mean we advocate for and, that doesn’t mean we are going to change our values,” Davis said. “But we are not going to hurt these students.”

For now, administration will continue to work through what it means to recognize Voice and how it could affect the future of policies in the Student Handbook. Still no major changes will be made until more discussions take place, Schubert said.

“If we look at the precedent, we are not expecting any major shifts about how we’ll handle things in the future,” Schubert said.

“I hope we move forward in a way that is more understandable and clear, but there is no major shift in how university will handle things.”

AKB12B@ACU.EDU

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FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

Reachable

Stars

Department of Theatre takes on the 17th century story of Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha

T

he Department of Theatre has spent several months in preparation of this year’s Homecoming musical, Man of la Mancha. The musical – which is based off a portion on the 17th-century novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes – is set during the Spanish Inquisition and much of the story takes place in a prison as a ‘play-within-a-play.’ The main character Miguel Cervantes finds himself in prison after being accused of crimes against the church, and he must convince his fellow inmates not to burn his prized manuscript by acting out the play. Each of the prisoners then takes on a role in Cervantes’ play, with Cervant-

es taking the role of Don Quixote. The story portrays a theme of hope, even when things seem hopeless.

Alumni Jesse Galvan is directing the musical, even though he’s been in New York working as a wardrobe supervisor for the Broadway play On Your Feet. Galvan has managed to Skype in for rehearsals to work with the cast and crew as they worked to bring the characters to life.

The show opens at 8 p.m.

Friday at the Abilene Civic Center. There will also be shows at 8 p.m. on Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets range from $14-25 at acu.edu/theatre or 325-674ARTS.

F E ATUR E S

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

LYDIA LAWSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Students run through a dress rehearsal of ‘Man of La Mancha’ before performing in front of an audience on Friday.

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FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

Farmer’s market keeps things fresh while other businesses open, close across town

BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

Peppers, squash and onions line the tables between North First and North Second Streets across from Frontier Texas. Every Thursday through Saturday, the Abilene Farmer’s Market opens from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. as local farmers and gardeners sell fresh produce to the community.

Juan Nunez, transfer admissions counselor and volunteer tennis coach, comes to the market every other weekend for fresh meat from the Chrane Ranch. He said he loves their steaks, brisket and buttermilk pie.

“My wife, she’s more eating right, I just love their steaks,” Nunez

said. “I like the unhealthy stuff, meat and pies.”

Glenda Broyles lives on Chrane Ranch, which has been family-owned since 1905, with her husband, an Abilene police officer who graduated from ACU about eight years ago. At the farmers market, the family sells naturally-raised pork and beef, baked goods, and all-natural goat’s milk soap and candles.

The market has been providing produce to Abilene from mid-May to the end of November for about 45 years, said John Steele, market manager for the last 10 years. About 1,500 to 2,000 customers come to the market in a single day. Sellers must pay an annual membership of

$35 a year plus $6 to set up for a day at the market.

“If you don’t grow it, you don’t sell it here,” Steele said.

Besides fresh, all-natural produce, shoppers can sometimes find weird vegetables not sold at grocery stores. Steele said “weird” products include black radishes, sweet banana peppers and sunburst yellow squashes.

David Bordovsky has been selling tomatoes and other vegetables for 11 years. Growing tomatoes in his greenhouse allows him a slightly longer growing period from late May to early August. This late in the year he sells vegetables.

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

PHOTO BY HALEY REMENAR John Steele sells peppers at the Abilene Farmer’s Market.

Hastings and Kmart to close, Neighborhood Walmart and Tea2Go open by end of year

BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

Several businesses are also opening and closing across town – Hastings and Kmart will close in Abilene by the end of the year, while Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts store and a neighborhood Walmart opened in October.

The Hastings chain declared bankruptcy this summer and the Abilene store located at South 14th street will close officially Oct. 31. The store has sales up to 90 percent off items including DVDs, CDs, books, t-shirts and more.

Kmart, located at Pioneer Drive and South 1st, will close by mid-December as one of 64 stores

closing nationwide, according to USA Today.

The store began liquidation sales Sept. 22, and the pharmacy will close Oct. 20.

Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafs store opened on Oct. 13 in the former location of Hancock Fabrics on Clack Street. The store sells fabric and other craft supplies 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. A Walmart Neighborhood Market opened on Ambler Avenue on Oct. 12. Located on the old University Baptist Church property.

This new store features a pharmacy, groceries and a fuel station.

Tea2Go will open a new north side location

on East North 10th Street next to Papa Murphy’s.

Valerie Burnett, owner of Tea2Go, said the store will be in the front of the building with Hashi, a Japanese steakhouse, opening in the back. She said the store will have a drive through and will be open by the end of the year or beginning of next year. The south side location on Catclaw Drive currently serves many north side clients, Burnett said, so she wanted to open a location on the north side of town.

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

EMILY GUAJARDO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The new Neighborhood Walmart open on Ambler Ave.

SP E CIAL

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

F E ATUR E

7A

TRIPLE-DOUBLE PLAY Identical twin phenomenon influences athletics in more ways than appearance

BY MARY KATE ROTENBERRY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

wasn’t for her, I don’t think we would be here.”

Identical twins can be opposite. Brandon is a right-handed pitcher, while Austin pitches with his left hand.

“We are mirror twins,” Austin said. “We never want to be on different teams.”

T

he millennial generation grew up fascinated by what it would be like to have a twin. The Parent Trap, a 1998, two-hour hit and TV shows like “Full House” and “The Suite Life of Zach and Cody” also caused today’s younger generations to wonder what it would be like to have an identical best friend.

But what if the twins were athletes? How does a twin compete against someone who looks identical to them? What if one twin’s talent surpasses the other?

ACU athletics has nearly 350 student athletes. Six of them are identical twins.

Allie and Michaela Hackett are red-shirt seniors on the women’s cross-country team, Austin and Brandon Lambright pitch for ACU baseball, and seniors Lizzy and Suzzy Dimba are starting forwards for the women’s basketball program. Allie and Michaela grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island. Every spring break, the family would travel to San Angelo to visit the girls’ aunt and uncle. When the Hackett twins were contacted by the head coach at ACU via email, they quickly realized ACU was less than two hours from their family spring break vacation spot.

T

A

llie and Michaela grew up playing sports and both have a competitive nature.

Allie, however, has received more public attention than Michaela.

The Hackett twins love competition but they love each other more.

“The weird thing is, I don’t compete with her that much,” Allie said. “If it was a cross country race and I finish and someone is right behind me and it’s one of our rivals, I will try so hard to beat them. But, if I find out it’s Michaela, I’m gonna go, ‘Oh thank God, let her pass me.’”

What made Allie and Michaela feel that way towards one another? Was it science or was it the environment the girls grew up in?

Sherry S. Vinson, a developmental pediatrician at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, said it seems to be more environmental than genes.

“In families that nurture supporting each other, a twin or even a nontwin sibling is more likely to accept losing to a twin or non-twin sibling than to a person not in his/ her family,” Vinson said.

“Genes probably do play a role because it’s easier for someone to understand someone (else) and bond with them if the other person has the same strengths/weaknesses as (another person).”

Jim Hackett, Michaela and Allie’s father, said he and his wife have always marveled at how Allie and Michaela have always been so considerate of each other.

“As small children, if there was one cookie or one of anything left they would insist the other have it,” Jim said. “This was particularly odd for me, the dad, for whom, as one of seven children, there would always be a rumble for that last cookie. In much the same they have always been each other’s greatest defender.”

TOP PHOTO: ELIJAH EVANS, BOTTOM PHOTOS: LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Top: Allie and Michaela Hackett were crucial in the Wildcat’s cross country title run in 2015, finishing first and seventh respectively at the Southland Conference Cross Country Championships. Each of the girls are redshirting this season in anticipation of next year, when ACU becomes eligible for the post season. Middle: Austin and Brandon Lambright prepare for their final season as Wildcat baseball players after coming to ACU in a package deal in 2013. The brothers cover both sides of the mound on the field as Austin throws from the left and Brandon throws from the right. Bottom: Lizzy and Suzzy Dimba helped lead the basketball team to its first ever Southland Conference Championship and ACU’s first Women’s NIT appearance last season.

If Michaela or Allie would be spoken to sternly and the other heard it from another room, Jim said Allie or Michaela would f ly into the room to defend the other sister.

“We’ve always tried to inculcate the value of consideration for one another and they’ve embraced that,” Jim said.

At the end of the course for Michaela and Allie, it doesn’t matter which one wins, as long as it’s one of them.

Two is better than one, if two work together.

B

randon and Austin Lambright grew up in Friday Harbor, Washington. When visiting ACU, the twins talked to the head baseball coach, Britt Bonneau, who watched the two throw during their visit.

Growing up, the twins played football, but after not playing a “fun position,” Austin and Brandon realized baseball was their true passion.

“Why would you want to play offensive line when you are 12 years old?”

Brandon said. “You wanna be the guy who scores all the touchdowns and who gets all the girls.”

Growing up on an “island” made baseball opportunities scarce. In high school, Brandon would always receive MVP awards, while Austin came in second.

Austin said coming in second place to his brother was okay since Brandon was pitching and he was playing third base.

“If I was only pitching and he was only pitching and he got it (the award),

then I would be like, ‘I’m getting it next year.’”

The competition between the Lambright twins helped get them to ACU. “We use competition to our advantage,” Austin said. “We use competition to get better at things. If he throws harder than me, I’ll use that to work harder and throw harder than him.”

One individual who pushed Brandon and Austin was their mom.

“My mom would say, ‘You guys got to be different if you want to be somebody,’” Brandon said. “If it

wo is better than one, if two work together. The Dimba sisters grew up in Lubbock, attending a high school where they were not the only twins on the basketball team their freshman year. The girls favorite sport growing up was soccer, but they chose to pursue basketball because it guaranteed more opportunities to get scholarships.

Recruiting twins seems an obvious choice for university coaches who want talent in more than one form, but some did not realize the Dimba sisters were twins.

“There was a school that was looking at me, but wasn’t looking at her they didn’t know we were twins,” Lizzy said. “Some people think we are one player.”

Not only did coaches think the Dimba twins were one player growing up, but some fans who had followed them all four years at Lubbock Coronado thought they were just one girl too.

A co-worker of Lizzie’s and Suzzy’s mom supported the twins their entire high school career but did not realize Helen Dimba had twins until the girls were featured on a cover of a magazine or local newspaper. She realized they were twins after they had graduated.

But, who can blame the co-worker? Not only did Lizzy and Suzzy look identical, but they wore numbers 32 and 33 in high school. Now, the twins keep the tradition of confusing spectators, coaches, and competition by wearing 23 and 32 for ACU. For ACU women’s head basketball coach, Julie Goodenough, having twins is not confusing, but makes coaching seem repetitive.

“It is double the trouble; what happens once, happens twice,” Goodenough said.

Basketball, like baseball, is full of competition among team members, but for the Dimba twins the competition factor does not creep into sibling rivalry.

“We want the best for each other,” Suzzy said. “If she scores 20 points and I score zero points, I’m like, ‘Good job, Lizzy.’ We get gratification out of each other’s success.”

The Dimba twins do not care who gets what award, as long as one of them gets it. They grew up playing one-on-one, but neither wanted the other to fail.

Part of that comes from their parents.

“They taught us,” Lizzy said. “We are best friends.

It’s just how we are as people. I never want her to fail.”

Dr. Vinson said identical twins occur in only three of every 1,000 deliveries worldwide. As rare as identical twins are it’s even more rare to have three sets in an athletic department comprised of 350 student athletes.

Two is better than one, if two work together.

JMR13B@ACU.EDU

8A

S P O RT S

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

STANDINGS

Nesselhuf: Ready to take beach volleyball reins CONTINUED FROM A1

ACU will become the fifth team in the Southland Conference to field a team and there are over 50 Div. 1 programs across the NCAA. Assistant volleyball coach Breann Nesselhuf will handle the head coaching duties for beach volleyball, joining head women’s basketball coach Julie Goodenough as the only womn head coaches.

“Beach volleyball is where my heart is pulled, and it is such an exciting opportunity to be able to build this program,” Nesselhuf said. “I am excited for the challenge and looking forward to the personal and program growth the lies ahead.”

Because the team will be made up of the indoor team, Nesselhuf said recruiting could look a little different, but the hope is to have each team compete the best it can.

“Beach requires a different skill set, but we are still focused on recruited talented athletes to compete

at the highest level for both beach and indoor,” Nesselhuf said. “We have already started contacting beach players and clubs in Texas that have beach training as well. Word travels fast in the volleyball world, and we are already starting that recruiting process.”

Nesselhuf said she initially wants the focus to remain on the indoor team as the beach program is being built up and while a sixth beach volleyball another team is added in the Southland Conference. Once a sixth team is added, the Southland would be eligible to send a participant to the NCAA tournament.

“My current and short, term expectations for our beach program is to help our indoor players become better volleyball players, which will help us consistently win the Southland Conference and compete at the national level for indoor,” Nesselhuf said.

Aside from patiently waiting for a sixth team, Nesselhuf said the two

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.

sports are different and will take some time to transition to a beach volleyball environment.

“Beach is a lot more about control and accuracy whereas indoor is about speed and power,” Nesselhuf said. “It is not an easy transition for most players from indoor to beach but the benefits exceed the initial frustrations and learning curve of the game.”

Freshman libero Amanda Chapa is fourth in the

conference with 4.93 digs per set and has helped the Wildcats to a 6-4 conference record so far this season, which has them in fifth place as of Tuesday.

Chapa said she played beach volleyball for two years in high school, which she thinks made her a better all-around volleyball player.

“Learning to take more ownership for every ball we touch in the gym from here on out will be crucial

BY HANNAH NULL SPORTS MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR

because on the sand especially, every ball has to have a purpose,” Chapa said. “I think we also have to start weening off as seeing ourselves as only an ‘outside hitter’ or a ‘setter’ or ‘defensive specialist’ because beach volleyball will combine all positions into one real quick.”

LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Junior defensive end Dylan Douglass forces the incompletion and gets credited for the quarterback hurry. Douglass has recorded 32 tackles this season.

yards.

Dating back to last season, the Wildcats are on an eight-game losing streak.

Taking this win against Incarnate Word is the team’s best chance at taking back momentum.

In six of the Wildcat’s seven games this season, the offense has produced more points in the second half than in the first, three of which resulted in score-

less first quarters.

In order to secure a win this weekend, the offense will have to be more consistent and the defense will have to take control of the field. Collums believes the good practices his team has been having is promising of a good game.

“The biggest positive for us right now is that we are having good practices,” Collums said. “We are

JMR13B@ACU.EDU

having positive practices.

Nobody is moping around because we’ve lost games and that’s what we need for them to approach it as if the game is right around the corner and they’re going to get after it.”

The Wildcats are a perfect 3-0 against the Cardinals at home having outscored them 122-22 in those three games, but last season’s injury prone Wildcats fell 24-21 against UIW in San Antonio.

With a healthier team and the ideal situation, the Wildcats are prepared and confident going into the game against the Cardinals.

“The goal is to start out fast,” said Collums. “And we’re going to do everything we can to do just that.”

Each team will enter Saturday’s match up with its last game resulting in losses against SHSU. UIW fell 63-48 the week before its bye.

HLN12A@ACU.EDU

Seven added to sports hall of fame

The ACU Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2016-17 will be inducted during festivities at 6 p.m on Friday, Oct. 21, in the McCaleb Conference Center of Hunter Welcome Center.

Seven former athletes and coaches will be added to the Hall of Fame, making the number of Hall of Famers 185. Three women are being added to the Hall of Fame on Friday, bringing the number of women athletes and coaches to 30.

Ryan Boozer was a football standout during his tiem at ACU. Boozer was selected to the First Team NCAA Division II All-Region team in 1999, and was selected as Second Team All-Region in 2000 and 2001. He was also selected as a First-Team all-Lone Star Conference in 2000 and 2001, is ACU’s all-time leading tackler with 388 tackles, and was selected to ACU’s all-Decade Team for the 90’s, and is a second-team selection for the all-Century team.

Amanda (Slate) Farrell is

2016 Hall of Fame Inductees Ryan Boozer Football Amanda Farrell Volleyball Peter Kiganya Basketball Brad Massey Baseball the most decorated ACU Volleyball player of all-time.

She holds a school record with 12 service aces in a single match, and was selected as a 2005 AVCA Second Team all-America. Slate was also two-time First Team All-Region, two-time Lone Star Conference MVP, and three-time First-Team AllLone Star Conference and ACU Most Valuable Player.

She also ranks third all-time at ACU in blocks and kills.

Peter Kiganya was named “Kenya’s Most Accomplished Player” in basketball by kenyapage.net, Kiganya was also named a part of the

Shelley Owen Softball Carol Tabor Tennis/Basketball Ron Willingham Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Wildcat Starting 5, one of 5 players chosen by fans as the top players during their tenure in the Lose Star Conference. First team all-Region in 1999-2000, and three-time all-Lone Star Conference.

Played professionally for the Kenyan National Team until retiring in 2012 and becoming a college assistant coach.

Brad Massey was named the offensive MVP for the ACU Baseball all-Century Team, and was called by coach Britt Bonneau “The best player to ever step foot on the field at Crutcher Scott Field.” When he finished in 2003, he was the program’s

all-time leader in home runs and total bases, and is still in the top-10 in most every other offensive category. Massey was a three-time all-Lone Star Conference post-season tournament selection, three time first-team all-Lone Star Conference, and carried the wildcats to the 2003 NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championship, and ACU’s only appearance in the College World Series.

Shelley Owen was one of the first greats for ACU’s softball program. Thirdteam NFCA all-America, two-time First Team NFCA All-Region, and two-time first-team all-Lone Star Conference. Owen holds many ACU softball records, including innings pitched, strikeouts, ERA, wins and complete games. She is also an ACU season record holder in six categories, and threw 5 no-hitters, including two in one day at a double-header.

Carol Tabor was a twotime LCS doubles champ with Donna Sykes in both 1986 and 1987. Was also NCAA D-II all-America, and later served as the inaugural softball coach with

Team

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

12-3-1 7-7-2 9-4 9-6 6-6-1 6-8-2 5-9-1 7-8 3-9-2 2-13-1 2-13 1-12-1

a 7-year record of 172-166 and two LSC south division titles.

Ron Willingham is receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from ACU Athletics Friday. Willingham drove from Amarillo to Abilene every Monday for nine years, delivering leadership training lessons to the ACU Football team. He also made a significant donation to ACU Athletics toward the purchase of new weight room equipment at the Powell Fitness Center.

As well as these seven formr athletes , Dr. Joel Wells, M.D., M.P.H. (2006) will receive the Jim Womack Award, which honors former ACU student-athletes who excelled not only on the field or court, but also in the classroom. Wells played baseball for ACU and was the 2006 LSC MVP, and is now the assistant professor of Orthopedic Surgery at UT-Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, after graduating near the top of his class at Tulane.

TMW13A@ACU.EDU

Div. Ovrl.

8-0 13-7 5-2 12-8 6-3 11-13 5-3 14-10 6-4 7-18 4-4 5-16 4-4 4-16 4-5 10-11 3-4 9-11 3-5 7-13 3-5 7-16 1-7 6-18 1-7 4-17

Football Team

HALL OF FAME

BY TREVOR WYATT SPORTS WRITER

Div. Ovrl.

Volleyball

Collums expects fast start against UIW

up better with them and really whenever you’re running the ball better, everything just works out better.”

Sitting last in the conference, the Wildcats are still ranked eighth in the Southland Conference standings for scoring offense with 23 touchdowns and averaging over 26 points per game.

They are also fifth for total offense with 2,841 total

Team

7-0-1 UCA 6-1-1 ACU 6-2 SFA 6-2 NWSU Nicholls 3-4-1 3-4-1 SELU 3-4-1 HBU McNeese 3-5 2-5-1 UIW 2-5-1 SHSU TAMU-CC 2-6 0-5-3 Lamar

FOOTBALL

After a 48-21 loss against Sam Houston State, the Wildcats will return to Shotwell for Homecoming to take on the Incarnate Word. ACU is still in search of its first win, while UIW is coming off a bye and has a 1-3 conference record with a win over Northwestern State 21-18.

In the spirit of Homecoming, this game will most likely have a different feel than most home games with hundreds of alumni coming back to support their alma mater.

On paper these two teams are evenly matched, with UIW at 1-3 in conference play and the Wildcats at 0-5.

Head coach Ken Collums thinks this is the team’s chance to secure a win in hopes of turning the season around.

“We should be able to move and run the ball against Incarnate Word,” Collums said. “We match

Soccer

SHSU UCA Nicholls SELU Lamar SFA McNeese HBU UIW NWSU ACU

Div. Ovrl.

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

6-0 5-1 3-3 3-3 3-3 3-4 3-4 2-4 1-5 1-5 0-7

WHO’S HOT Leading the team in points with 314 and kills with 265, sophSmith omore Jacey Smith has helped the Wildcats to a 6-4 record this conference season.

In last weekend’s action Smith had 17 and 18 kills respectively in five-set victories over SFA and SHSU, which earned her honorable mention Southland Conference Offense Player of the Week.

BRIEFINGS After scoring her team-leading fourth goal against McNeese State Sunday, Senior Kelsie Roberts was named as Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

The final beam of the press box at Wildcat Stadium was placed Tuesday afternoon, as projected finish date is still set for September 2017.

UPCOMING With three games remaining soccer hits the road against SFA, SHSU and UIW. Competing in the ITA regionals this weekend, men’s tennis heads to Fort Worth, while the women travel to Waco.

Cross Country travels to Nacogdoches next weekend for the Southland Conference Championships.

Volleyball takes on NWSU Thursday and UCA Saturday.

SE CTION B HOMECOMING 2016

F E ATUR E S SPORTS FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

v

1B

EMILY GUAJARDO VISUALS MANAGING EDITOR Construction continues on the Halbert-Walling Research Center. The center will be where the former home of the English department, Chambers Hall, once stood.

Vision in Action construction ongoing, on time “

BY EMILY GUAJARDO VISUALS MANAGING EDITOR

With the constant construction taking place across different sites of campus, both Halbert Walling and the new football stadium are scheduled to open in 2017 as part of the Vision In Action initiative.

Scot Colley, director of risk management, said both projects have made progress within the past couple of months, including the installation of the final press box stadium beam last Monday and Walling furniture arriving in November.

“The stadium is moving along great. As with any construction project there are challenges along the way. We have not had any recurring challenges,” Colley said.

We are on schedule to be completed for the first home game in 2017.”

SCOT COLLEY DIRECTOR OF RISK MANAGMENT

“Halbert Walling is doing very well, and we are anticipating having classes in the building January of 2017. We are currently in the process of completing the interior finishes, and will install begin furniture and equipment install in November.”

Director of athletics Lee De Leon tweeted an announcement on Oct. 17 for any student, faculty or staff member to sign the last beam after Chapel. Several students left names, momentos and

notes of encouragements leaving their mark on the forward pursuit for athletic excellence.

Colley said the stadium has had its share of challenges but is continuing to aim for the opening of the first home next fall against Houston Baptist University won Sept. 16, 2017.

“We are on schedule to be completed for the first home game in 2017,” said Colley. “It is an aggressive construction schedule but we have a great group of contractors that are working together well and are keeping on schedule. It is exciting to go by the site each day and see the progress. As you can see, it is coming up quickly.”

EAG13B@ACU.EDU

CYNTHIA RANGEL STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Students, alumni and faculty leave their mark on the new football stadium by signing the final steel beam of the press box.

EMILY GUAJARDO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

2B

NEW S

Galaxy hosts 3rd annual KGR benefit dinner

BY VANESSA ELLIS STUDENT REPORTER

Galaxy’s third annual Kirk Goodwin Run benefit dinner will take place 7:30 p.m.

Friday at the Grace Museum.

The funds raised at the dinner will be used toward the next KGR. Kirk Goodwin was a Galaxy pledge in 1984 when he was killed in a car accident while traveling home for the weekend. The men of Galaxy put the run together to honor Goodwin and help relieve the medical finances for his family.

KGR is a 5K and a half marathon conducted every spring. The money raised each year is donated to a family that is struggling with medical expenses.

“

Whenever we do the KGR, it’s not about Galaxy, it’s about the recipient family, Kirk and the legacy Kirk left behind.”

CALEB O’NEAL SENIOR AD/PR MAJOR BURLESON

Caleb O’ Neal, senior advertising and public relations major from Burleson, explained how the idea of a benefit dinner came to be. A senior Galaxy member, Chase Beakley (‘14), came up with the dinner.

“There should be an outlet, other than people giving us money. There should be something they get to attend, besides the race, that they are paying for to learn more about it,” said O’Neal.

Mitch Wilburn (‘90), preaching minister at Park Plaza Church of Christ in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will be the keynote speaker at this year's event. The details of the upcoming KGR will be announced along with the recipient of the KGR donation.

Last year’s dinner raised $2,500-$3,000 for the KGR. To donate, Caleb O’ Neal can be contacted at eco13a@ acu.edu or (817) 994-3869.

The 34th annual KGR 5k and half marathon will be held in April this coming spring.

“Whenever we do the KGR, it's not about Galaxy, it's about the recipient family, Kirk and the legacy Kirk left behind,” said O’ Neal.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

Study Abroad plans ‘95 Theses’ trip

BY EMILY GUAJARDO VISUALS MANAGING EDITOR

Students will visit and witness the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Thesis with David Kneip as part of a study abroad opportunity this upcoming summer.

Dr. David Kneip, assistant professor of church history and worship in biblical studies, will accompany the prospective students to Leipzig, Germany, as they witness one of the world’s most memorable services in the Christian faith The course offered will be BIBL 440: Reformation History and will include visiting the towns where Luther taught, his monastery and where he was born and died. Kneip said the trip was organized by both the Study Abroad Office and him because of how important Martin Luther’s reforms impacted both the Protestant and

FILE PHOTO Martin Luther knailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany 500 years ago.

Catholic churches in multiple ways.

“Martin Luther’s movement and the other reforming impulses ended up shaping Christianity worldwide for both Protes-

eral hats, including professor, priest and monk during the mid-16th century. After several disputes with the Roman Catholic Church, Luther nailed the Ninety-five Theses unto

EAG13A@ACU.EDU

JMC honors three outstanding alumni

BY BRIANNA CLOSE

The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication will host the 24th annual Gutenberg Celebration Thursday night honoring three outstanding alumni of the department in the Hunter Welcome Center.

“It starts with a networking reception and then we do the award presentation and follow up with a dessert reception,” said Dr. Cheryl Bacon, chair of the department.

The award presentation will honor three outstanding JMC alums in their field. Jennifer England Allen, a 1985 graduate, founded Asperger’s 101, based in San Antonio, to provide families with support and resources. Luke Hejl, a 2001 graduate, works as the principle and general manager of Social Factor in Fort Worth. Alicia Phillips Pierce, a 2002 graduate, serves as the director of communications for the Texas Secretary of State’s office in Austin.

“The first year we did Gutenberg was 1993,” Bacon said. “Prior to that, back in the 80s, we had a JMC alumnus of the year for several years and then we quit doing that. Then five years later in 1993 we started Gutenberg.”

The department named this award after the inventor

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Luke Hejl ('01), Jennifer England Allen ('85), Alicia Phillips Pierce ('02)

of the printing press, Johannes Gutenberg. Each honoree is given a miniature replica of the Gutenberg Press handmade by Dr. Charlie Marler, professor emeritus.

Gutenberg Celebration helps students build connections with alumni and allows students to gain experience in

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

public relations and event planning.

“Meeting alumni that have been through this department and shaking their hand at Gutenberg gives you an automatically reason to vemail them later for maybe an internship or job connection," said Madelyn Bane, senior advertis-

T H E

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

tants and Catholics,” said Kneip, “And so it's a highly relevant trip for ACU, as an institution that's part of the Protestant stream of Christianity.”

Martin Luther wore sev-

the doors of the Catholic Church in Wittenburg and translated the bible from the Latin language into German in order for the common man to read it.

Kneip said the course will include reading original writings, hiking castles and witnessing this once in a lifetime opportunity for the students. Students will also be able to visit the surrounding cities such as Berlin, Prague and many more.

“Luther and the Reformation have been incredibly important for the history of the church and its worship,” said Kneip. “This is literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity -- a 500th anniversary! -- and we get to go be a part of it.”

The course will be offered in the summer of 2017.

Interested students are expected to leave on May 16.

ing and public relations major from Houston.

Bane serves as the lead account director for the Gutenberg Celebration and is responsible for organizing the event along with a team of students.

“I’m excited to honor these three alums that have done great things in areas of so-

cial media, government and Asperger’s awareness,” said Bane.

Gutenberg is free for JMC majors and minors due to donations from faculty and alumni.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

O P T IM IST

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FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

Study abroad art gallery open soon

BY MAX PRESTON STUDENT REPORTER

The Department of Art and Design will host an art show beginning Friday to showcase work art students created while studying abroad.

The show will include work the students produced in a painting class and a photography class overseas. The art will be shown in the Shore Art Gallery Friday-Nov. 11.

The department took students to England and Italy this summer, spending three weeks in Oxford, one week in Rome and three weeks in Florence, said department chair and assistant professor Mike Wiggins.

Wiggins was one of the faculty members who went on the trip along with associate professor Brandon Young.

When the students were in England, they used Oxford as a base, then traveled around to other parts of Great Britain. Students were also able to take several trips in to London while being there.

“Students took a painting class, photography class, and an art history course,” said Wiggins. “They got nine hours of course credit while being there.”

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Chemistry circus showcases science

BY BRYCE LURKENS STUDENT REPORTER

Students will put on the Science Circus, previously known as the Chemistry Circus Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Bennett Gymnasium.

About 25 students in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Department of Engineering and Physics will perform demonstrations of scientific experiments. Dr. Autumn Sutherlin, director of undergraduate research, said the event will last about one hour. This is the second year the circus will be in Bennett, having previously been in Walling Lecture Hall.

“About half of the acts are students in chemistry and biochemistry seminar, a quarter are members of the Chemistry Club and a quarter are from the Society of Physics Students, so about half of the students are volunteers,” Sutherlin said.

The Circus will be free of charge and open to adults and children of all ages.

“These demonstrations will involve all sorts of fun things from explosions to brightly colored flames, fluorescent chemicals and even a fire-breathing jack-o-lantern,” said Sutherlin.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

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SA reps assist in bell-ringing tradition

BY ADRIENNE BARRICK STUDENT REPORTER

It looks like freshman noses will be safe this year.

Upperclassmen are planning to help freshmen with a time-honored tradition of ringing the Homecoming bell.

After the construction of the Beauchamp Bell Tower in 1980, a tradition developed in which freshman would ring the Goetz-Beauchamp Bell throughout Homecoming while upperclassmen tried to stop them. According to the ACU AnswerBook, upperclassmen, especially sophomores, tried to stop the freshmen from ringing the bell each year through tricks and friendly confrontation and sometimes as pledge dares. This ended in 2001 when one freshman ended up with a broken nose, others with concussions and abrasions during a physical encounter among freshmen and upperclassmen.

DEANNA TUTTLE OPTIMIST FILE PHOTO Bobbie-Jean West, senior social work major from Austin, rings in Homecoming 2012 as a freshman in the decades-old tradition.

The bell was taken down in 2001 after the escalation of class and club rivalries.

It was found in storage in 2012, put back up inside the tower outside the Money Student Wellness Center soon after, and freshmen

continued the bell-ringing tradition.

This year though, after the dissolution of the Freshmen Action Council, the Student Association is aiding them in continuing the bell ringing. Freshmen

representatives are also helping create an SA float because an FAC float will not be in the parade.

Shelby Short, president of the freshman class, met with Caddie Coupe, director of student and parent

activities, earlier this week to finalize details to continue this tradition safely.

Short sent an email to freshmen on Tuesday afternoon, letting them sign up for 15-minute intervals to ring the bell and spots filled up Wednesday afternoon. Coupe said “there will be an SA freshmen representative overseeing the bell ringing for the duration of the tradition.”

Short, a freshman engineering major from Caddo Mills, said that “this week is going to be a big week for the freshmen educating them on the tradition.”

As for the danger of upperclassmen going on the offense again, ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison said, “ACUPD has not been consulted or involved in any aspects of the planning. But since it has come back into an annual tradition, we haven’t had any incidents.”

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Freshman class to have two Sing Song acts

BY MERCEDEZ HERNANDEZ PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

This year’s freshman class will face off at Sing Song as the class will be divided into two acts for the third year in a row.

The directors of the dueling acts have already been selected. The Freshman Purple Group’s directors are Sloan Polvado, freshman marketing major from Houston, and Weston Weast, freshman music major from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The Freshman White Group’s directors are Audrey McKillip, freshman digital entertainment technology major from Houston, Ethan Bailey, freshman communications major from Abilene

“

The selection team looks for capable leaders who or talented and creative,”

COURTNEY TEE PRODUCTION MANAGER OF STUDENT PRODUCTIONS

and Mikaela Clinton, freshman advertising and public relations major from Bulverde.

Polvado said she and Weast auditioned for the leadership positions together.

“I really wanted to do this, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do this on my own,” Polvado said. “I’ve always loved planning and organizing events and [Weast] is so good at writing songs, so I thought we’d be a really good team and should do this together.”

McKillip said she was ecstatic when she learned she earned a position as a director, as it would give her experience in the field she wants to pursue after graduation.

“What I want to do is direct film and theatre, and this is getting to do something that is a really cool and big thing at ACU, I thought it was a great opportunity,” McKillip said.

The selection process for the junior and senior class directors is ongoing

and should be finished by Nov. 10. Courtney Tee, production manager student productions, said the production team is looking for students that will be able to take on the serious task that is producing an audience-worthy act.

“The selection team looks for capable leaders who or talented and creative, what above all they look for people who have the character to lead their class with humility, grace, and confidence, and to provide a positive sing song experience for all participants,” Tee said.

Tee said the freshman class directors will receive guidance from seasoned Sing Song participants in the production of their acts.

“We recognize that freshmen don’t have the advantage of having been through Sing Song before, so we do our best to surround the freshman directors with people who can help them succeed,” Tee said. “There is an entire freshman experience team dedicated to answering questions that they have about logistics, helping them make the vision of their act come to life and providing support when needed.”

Sing Song 2017 is Feb. 17-18. For more information visit http://www. acu.edu/legacy/events/ singsong/index.html.

MMH13A@ACU.EDU

OMA to highlight ‘Misunderstood Populations’

BY MADI FITCHNER STUDENT REPORTER

The Office of Multicultural Affairs will host the second annual Cultural Awareness ASHFORD Week Oct. 31-Nov. 4. in a campus wide event featuring four forums at 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Monday through Wednesday, the forums will be in Chapel on the Hill, while the last forum on Thursday will be in Hart Auditorium. This

year’s theme is “Misunderstood Populations.”

During the week there will be interactive activities after Chapel in the campus center.

Prentice Ashford, the director of OMA, said, “I want people to come out and hear what we have to say. Hear about what the people presenting have to say because we can all learn about a topic we aren’t quite sure about.”

The week will feature discussions about Middle Eastern Culture, with a presentation from Middle Eastern students, immigrants and refugees, with International Rescue Committee representa-

WITH COACH KEN COLLUMS, GRANT BOONE AND HANNAH NULL

SATURDAYS AT 11 AM on KTAB-TV

“

All these topics we are talking about have the potential to be polarizing”

PRENTICE ASHFORD DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MULTICULTURAL AWARENESS

tives, Black Lives Matter, Feminism and “I’m from a country not a continent.”

“All these topics we are talking about have the potential to be polarizing,” Ashford said. “You can look at them and say, ‘I already know what I want to believe and know what I am going to dismiss.’”

OMA’s vision is to equip each student with knowl-

edge and experience to be active, productive and vocal leaders with their diverse communities.

OMA’s purpose is to enrich the holistic development of each student by encouraging them to recognize and embrace the uniqueness of their personal culture while valuing the culture of others. Their mission

statement is to support the overall success and persistence of ethnic and historically underrepresented students at ACU. OMA is home to five different Student Organizations on campus.

African Students’ Association Black Students Association Chinese Students’ and Scholars’ Association Hispanos Unidos Third Culture Kids For more information visit OMA’s website at www.acu.edu/legacy/campusoffices/multicultural.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

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OP I N I ON

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FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

The Optimist Editorial Board members voice their choice HILLARY CLINTON: 4

DONALD TRUMP: 3 UNDECIDED: 1

An endorsement we could all get behind THE ISSUE

With the election just around the corner, we debated whether or not we’d endorse a candidate this year.

OUR TAKE

We didn’t reach a consensus on one candidate, but we do endorse the necessity of the press in society.

The Optimist’s Editorial Board has spent a lot of time considering exactly how we should address the upcoming presidential election. Members of the board have taken on more direct issues in personal columns over the last several weeks.

As a group, we have wres tled with whether we could offer our support and endorsement of a candidate.

Though the editorial board did not reach a consensus on an endorsement of a particular candidate, we can and do fully endorse the right and necessity of the press in a democratic nation.

If we had decided to endorse one of the major party candidates, some readers might have said we shouldn’t be allowed to express such a controversial opinion, or that we don’t know enough to make an informed decision. We’d be called too liberal or too conservative. People might even ask us what Bible we were reading.

Yet, these potential criticisms were not what deterred us from backing

one of the major party candidates. Rather lack of consensus, which we, as an Editorial Board value, led us to share our views individually.

This election cycle – wrought with accusations of sexual assault, lying, harmful rhetoric toward women, people of different races and religious backgrounds – is a breeding ground for hot button issues to ignite a new Facebook argument.

Our chief concern lies with the attempts to disqualify the media and its critical function in our society.

The most recent noise being made in Trumpland is talk of a media-rigged election – you’ve heard it all before, the “liberal media” with their “leftist agenda” for “Crooked Hillary.”

Trump’s whole campaign carries with it ultimate distrust of anything or anyone that has ever set foot in a newsroom.

And before you run off and throw The Optimist on the pile of liberal publications biased against Donald Trump, you need to understand a few things when

thinking about the media.

1. Everyone brings their own biases to the table.

2. The press is necessary for the maintenance of democracy. It exists to help us sort through the messes we’d otherwise be navigating on our own.

First, Everyone has biases. Yep, even journalists.

Even students who work at the ACU newspaper.

Even you. We are all approaching the information handed to us by filtering it through our own personal narratives, and often these things are not even realized or spoken out loud. We are influenced deeply by our upbringings, our geographical surroundings, our communities, religious systems of belief and the cultures in which we are embedded.

We read things a certain way because of these factors. We write things a certain way because of it.

There is a difference between news content where objectivity ought to be the goal and editorial content where acknowledgement of bias and individual expression of ideas is not only welcome but encouraged.

When biases are acknowledged, it becomes easier to see from another’s perspective, appreciate a good argument, and gain something from a piece of writing even if you do not

Daily Doodle Dosage agree with the author.

Second, the press will never be the end of America as we know it. They will just be the ones to tell you about it when it happens.

Many Americans vocally distrust the media and decry journalism as dead, but it isn’t and if it were to be eliminated, that reality is far more dangerous. Even when those in the media do their job badly, they are still entitled to do it. If we don’t protect the worst performances, we risk losing the best performances. We cannot simply stop pursuing truth, quit seeking out new knowledge, or abandon the hard conversations surrounding the future of our country.

More than commentary on the state of politics in America, the press has existed to tell stories of the people and world around us - for - the people and world around us. It hasn’t been perfectly executed over the centuries, but without it, we are left to our own devices.

Over time, chaos ensues.

In a recent Washington Post column, writer Chris Cizzilla said, “I have no illusion that people are going to suddenly like the media any time soon. But, there’s a big difference between liking the media (or agreeing with the media) and believing they are a necessary part of a healthy and functioning democracy… A country without

BEN TODD CARTOONIST

any independent arbiters of facts and truth is a place in which the possibility of civil discourse is impossible.”

As a group of students committed to learning our craft, we are entering into a long line of people trying to figure stuff out and tell people what’s going on. We read, we argue, we don’t agree on who we are voting for on Nov. 8, but we will leave you with one thought.

To put a person in the White House who dismisses the media would violate the very principle on which our country is built: the belief that words have power.

OPINION@JMCNETWORK.COM

Hillary is the cool grandma I want to be president ALLISON OFTEN ALLISON BROWN EDITOR IN CHIEF Senior convergence journalism major Midland

From the beginning of this election cycle, I have known one thing: that I would not be voting for Donald Trump. Early on in the race, I did not think I would have to still be ex-

plaining this to anyone.

But as Nov. 8 looms in the distance, I am left dealing with the characters in front of me.

It’s my first time to vote, and, yes, I am voting for

Hillary Clinton.

Long story short: Trump would be disastrous as the leader of our nation. Our country’s problems, as numerous as they are, would not evaporate if he were to step into the Oval Office.

Perhaps America’s problems might actually, I dunno, get worse with Trump at the helm.

I can’t pledge my allegiance to him, his character, his words or his actions. He goes too far. He is vicious to his enemies.

He’s racist and has sexually assaulted women. Even his policy remarks that resonate with me cannot be trusted: he is so deceptive I cannot tell what he actually thinks.

With that in mind, I have spent the last several weeks reading articles, endorsements and pieces in an attempt to feel more settled about voting for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Despite Hillary’s obvious flaws and not-so-per-

fect track record, I would trust her to run a country.

See, I think there comes a point – a threshold – that we have to define for ourselves: what is too much, what words cross a line, what actions cannot be overlooked?

And examining the two characters standing in the national spotlight, one has crossed the threshold and cannot return to garner my vote. The other has raked up a few grievances, yet remains in my eyes the most

fit option left standing.

Hillary Clinton may cause some damage in office. She might implement policies or appoint Supreme Court justices I disagree with. Some of her actions rub me the wrong way. Yet I still believe this woman – who has dedicated her life to civil service – will do a mighty fine job on Pennsylvania Avenue.

AKB12B@ACU.EDU

Will Trump actually make America great again?

EXAGGERAITZ

JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS EDITOR Junior convergence journalism major Bandera

I’ve never voted in an election. Until a few weeks ago, I wasn’t sure I’d vote in this one. In fact, I received my voter’s registration card only a few months ago, so you could say this political landscape is somewhat new for me.

However, through research and civil discussion I have come to the decision

to support presidential candidate Donald Trump, and I’ve simplified my reasoning to three things.

The first is that I don’t think Trump has anything to hide.

It’s no secret this election is one-of-a-kind. For the first time in our nation’s history, we have a strong possibility for the first woman

president to be elected, with not one but two women on the final ballot. The 2016 presidential race has also displayed a wide array of ideas with three third party candidates, even though, in my opinion, this is clearly a two-horse race.

But with the amount of media coverage that this election has garnered, everything from Trump’s time in college to what he had for breakfast the other day has been brought to the light. On the other hand, there are still so many speculations on what happened with Hillary Clinton and the ongoing investigation

of her integrity. I find it hard to support something I know so little about amidst all the secrecy already surrounding the government.

Secondly, the policies of Clinton on abortion, gun control and creating jobs does not sit well with me.

In my opinion, Trump has proven himself as a businessman, and his implementation of Reaganomics will create more jobs and revenue for a country in desperate need of both.

I also do not see putting more limitations on guns as a way to limit the hate and injustice in this world.

Bad people are going to

continue to find ways to do bad things, because that is the corrupt nature of this world.

Finally, despite arguments that Trump is more of a celebrity than a politician, I think he is the change in thinking Capitol Hill needs.

The media coverage has hurt the candidates across the board, as ideas of policy and procedure are being gobbled up by hearsay from BuzzFeed and other anonymous blogs. I think when you are able to sift through the false accusations and allegations, Trump is more fit for office than people think.

He is confident, knows what he stands for and will unlikely be swayed by the political corruption that has infested Capitol Hill.

With that being said I think it is extremely important for people to vote in this election. Do I think either candidate is going to resurrect America to what it has been in the past? No. Do I think Trump is the better candidate? Yes. However, you are entitled to you’re own opinion, and I encourage you to act on that on Nov. 8.

JMR13B@ACU.EDU

I’m going to play the race card and here’s why LAMBORGHINI MERCY MERCEDEZ HERNANDEZ PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

Senior convergence journalism major I will be voting for Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8 because I believe that a vote for Donald Trump would be a vote for a less safe and tolerant America.

For the entirety of his campaign, he’s attacked subgroup after subgroup of Americans.

As an American of Mexican

heritage, I have felt the sting of his remarks and fear his comments will harbor more intolerance for people like me. I can shrug off a random racist calling me a foreigner, but I cannot shrug off a potential POTUS telling millions of Americans that I am untrustworthy or incapable

because of my heritage.

To me, Trump’s comments come from a lack of understanding of the racial, religious and economic problems in our country and just how out of touch his solutions to many of those problems are. While Clinton admitted in a 2013 speech that she feels out of touch with the American middle class, I at least think that she is offering rational solutions to America’s biggest problems. Trump’s solution to solving “the flood of illegal immigrants into America”

is to build a wall, while Clinton’s is to build a speedier system to make those immigrants into taxpaying Americans. His solution to solving tensions between minorities and police is to implement stop-and-frisk laws, while Clinton’s is to end racial discrimination among law enforcement officers. His solution to fighting ISIS is to ban Muslims from entering the country, while Clinton has pushed for offering support to rebels fighting the terrorist group on the ground.

His solution to ending mass

shootings in America is to arm more citizens, while Clinton’s is to instead make it harder for those that should not have guns from purchasing them. Trump’s solutions are snappy, but dig deeper the divisions of the American people and disregard fundamental constitutional rights.

I almost completely agree with all of Clinton’s policies and am glad that I have a candidate that supports what I want to see in my country.

What I am not happy about is that so many people have put

their faith in a racist, misogynist and xenophobic bully to unify our country. We are supposed to support one another and Donald Trump has built an entire platform off dividing us.

Although I am far from trusting her completely, I admire that Clinton says she will be a champion for minorities, women and middle class families and will use my vote to support her in that mission.

MMH13A@ACU.EDU

O P INION

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

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Latinos for Hillary: don’t send my parents away EMILLION HERE, EMILLION THERE EMILY GUAJARDO VISUALS MANAGING EDITOR Junior convergence journalism major San Antonio

I am the first in my family to vote, and during this election, I am not voting on my behalf but on my family’s behalf.

As a first generation American student, I have a great decision resting on my shoulders during this presidential election. For the first time in my life, I have to think about someone else’s future rather than my own.

Immigration is a big deal in the United States. It’s probably one of the most controversial topics within this presidential election.

The fiasco and challenge of this year’s theme, ‘to build a wall or not to build a wall,’ as if a wall will weaken the wetbacks.

I am voting for and only supporting Hillary Clinton. Yes, you heard right. I am supporting the former

Secretary of State, wife of President Bill Clinton and activist for human rights within the United States - the only person fit for office.

Under Clinton’s immigration proposal, my parents have the chance to remain in the states and to receive citizenship at a much faster rate - something they have been denied for far too long. It’s not only my parents who will receive benefits from her appointment, but millions of hardworking Latinos who pay their taxes, own homes and raise families within the United States.

Within my own nuclear circle, I can count four or

more sets of families that will be harmed severely if Mr. Trump becomes president. The fact that Trump has threatened, harassed and neglected the entire Latino community during this campaign is completely wrong. The fact that Trump has called Latinos wetbacks, rapists, drug lords and murders is an abomination. The fact that Trump has promised to send all immigrants back to their homelands during the Republican National Convention makes him ignorant and unqualified to be president.

I do not support a wall nor do I support the deportation of millions of fa-

thers and mothers, including my own. Immigration is an issue but it needs to be dealt with by someone who accepts the Latino population and wants to help rather than hinder. I can’t expect non-Latinos to understand why I am voting on behalf of my parents. However, what I do expect people to understand is that we are facing the issue of deciding on either a candidate who will fight for Latinos or a candidate who will fight against them, whether we choose the devil we know or the devil we don’t know.

Latinos are not the problem.

The problem is the lack

of understanding as to why they are coming here.

It’s the ignorance and selfishness of some Americans that is causing nominees like Trump to actually stand a chance of kicking my parents out.

That’s why I am voting for Hillary. If you have a love for people regardless of their skin color, want to see change for the good of our diverse and multicultural country and actually care about people’s lives, I suggest you do the same.

EAG13A@ACU.EDU

I can’t vote for Hamilton, so I’m voting...Trump RATED R

HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Junior convergence journalism major

Let me start with my biases: I’m part-Hispanic, part-white, homeschooled, raised by two parents in a middle-class home. My dad is passionately proNRA; my mom is passionately pro-life. Although he didn’t go to college, my dad works alongside people with Ph.D.s, so I subconsciously believe if you work hard enough and know the right people, you can get anywhere you want. I have a lot of student debt and

work three jobs.

All this affects my vote for Donald Trump. I did not make this decision thoughtlessly, but I’ve been conflicted throughout this entire election. Last week, for the first time in this election process, someone asked me for my opinion, so here it is.

My top two issues in this election include education and the economy. While I do not believe Donald Trump is going to save our

country, I agree with his America-first trade policies and plan to lower taxes for businesses. I’m concerned about the economy because it affects our jobs and our future as college students, and it affects how we view minorities. Lowering taxes for all Americans won’t solve all our problems, but if our businesses grow, so do our chances for more jobs, racial equality, reduction of college debt and private funding of science and environmental programs.

I believe education will affect the next generation’s character, treatment of minorities, understanding of law, and work ethic as future members of our country. Trump will focus

on localizing education and providing more scholarships for students to attend charter and private schools. Because I was homeschooled, I believe our public education system is flawed and can’t be helped with the national programs Hillary Clinton promotes.

These two issues come first to me, although being pro-life and the future of our Supreme Court also follow closely. I will address just a few other arguments, which I’m sure you’ve had while reading this.

Immigration – Trump’s issue is not with immigration; it’s with illegal immigration. If someone is not a legal citizen in this country, how can we apply our laws to them, including

taxes, criminal justice, or education? Just because it’s hard to get into this country, does not make it okay to enter illegally. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but as you can tell from my listed biases, I’m a pretty black-and-white person.

Gun control – I agree with Trump’s position to defend the 2nd amendment. Take away our right to bear arms, and what other freedoms will they take?

Saturday Night Live and Sexual Assault – Some say Trump defied the right to free speech when he spoke out against SNL’s portrayal of him. However, according to NBC, Trump will be on SNL Nov. 7.

His tweet says “Time to

retire the boring and unfunny show.” It does not say the show “should be cancelled” at all. I found the 2005 tape in which Trump states “rape” words about a woman completely disgusting. However, Trump has not been unapologetic, just as Clinton has repeatedly apologized for the email situation.

Trump said in the last debate, “I’m not proud of it, I apologized to my family, I apologized to the American people.”

I’m not afraid of what will happen Nov. 8, but I kind of wish I could vote for Hamilton. #HamiltonForPres HRR13B@ACU.EDU

George Washington is probably rolling in his grave DOWNTON ABBEY ABBEY BOWLING ARTS & FEATURES EDITOR

Senior convergence journalism major I’m not going to pretend I know everything about politics. I’m not going to pretend I have all the answers.

I’m not going to pretend this election isn’t a messy one, because honestly, this is the messiest election this nation has ever seen. In full disclosure, I hate politics

and the divisive nature of politics and would rather do pretty much anything besides write this column explaining my political views – but as an American citizen who has the right and responsibility to vote, I’m not going to ignore the very real issues facing my

country.

This is the first presidential election I’ll be able to vote in, so this is the first election cycle I’ve actually paid attention to – and for the past year and a half, I have watched Donald Trump absolutely tear this country apart. I have watched him spit out racial insults against blacks, Hispanics and other minorities, mock people with disabilities, threaten to ban Muslims from the United States, revoke the constitutional First Amendment rights of journalists, claim

he could commit murder and still gain voters, impulsively lie and, most recently, brag about sexually assaulting women – and that’s only a handful of the most alarming things he’s done.

While a candidate’s political policies are very important and central to the election process, I think a candidate’s character is also equally important. In the simplest terms, Donald Trump’s character is not admirable and I cannot, in good conscience, support someone who so vehemently disgusts me and

goes against so many of my morals and values.

That being said, I don’t think Hillary Clinton is the perfect answer to America’s problems. Her character isn’t squeaky clean, either, but I do think she has more experience and has offered more practical solutions in her political agenda than her Republican counterpart. But besides gun control, immigration and foreign policy, I don’t agree with her on much – thankfully, I’ve still got a few more weeks left to decide who’s going to get my vote.

But regardless, every four years when a new presidential election cycle kicks off and the Democrats and Republicans take their arguments to a whole new level, I remember that in his farewell address, George Washington warned our nation against the dangers of political parties – and did we listen to our Founding Father? Nope. George must either be laughing, embarrassed or rolling in his grave.

AKB12A@ACU.EDU

Plenty of reasons why I’m not voting for Hillary NOTHING NEW WITH NULL HANNAH NULL SPORTS PRODUCER/ANCHOR Senior convergence journalism major

I believe that Hillary Clinton’s power is just as fraudulent as her husband’s. While the U.S. had the lowest unemployment and inflation rates, low crime rates, and a budget surplus under his presidency, Bill was impeached and charged with lying under oath to a federal

grand jury and obstructing justice.

While Bill lied about Monica Lewinsky, the 21-year-old unpaid intern that he was having an affair with, Hillary stood by his side. However, recently, Hillary declared every woman who suffers sexual violence

should be heard, but where was she when Carolyn Moffet, Paula Corbin, Kathleen Willey and Juanita Broaddrick were being violated by her own husband?

Her choice to stand next to a deceitful man makes me believe she is not a good candidate for presidency. Hillary wasn’t strong enough to demand respect from her husband, so why should we believe she has the strength to run the country?

She’s also physically fragile. With seizures and

fainting, Hillary’s 2008 campaign manager admitted to media that she was physically weak. If she lacks the stamina to make it through a press conference, why should we believe that she can physically lead the country?

Hillary cannot own her opinions, but feels the need to address her gender every time she steps onto a podium. In every speech she mentions that she is a woman, as if we couldn’t see that for ourselves. As a woman myself, I think a

woman president would be a great change for our country, but Hillary isn’t the lady for the job.

Hillary was not a believer of same-sex marriage. She stood by her husband’s side while he signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriage.

Instead of actually having her own views, she is basing it off of what will get her votes. If she can’t decide where she stands on issues, why should we believe that she can actu-

ally achieve solutions and create systematic plans in government?

I could talk about the e-mail scandals, the mass importation of Syrian refugees or the corrupt Clinton Foundation, but those aren’t the reasons I will not be voting for Hillary Clinton.

The reason I will not be voting for Hillary Clinton is because despite her religion, viewpoints or the power she received from HLN12A@ACU.EDU

A few honest thoughts from an undecided voter KRAZY KASSIE KASSIE KIM VIDEO NEWS DIRECTOR Junior multimedia major San Antonio

This Presidential Election has been the rockiest and honestly most stomach-churning one I’ve ever seen. From Hillary Clinton’s emails to Donald Trump’s big “Build a Wall” idea, nothing has made choosing a candidate to vote for easy. Both are terrible choices to run our country, and quite honestly I question how Trump got so

much support behind him in the first place.

My choice is honestly split between Clinton and a third-party candidate simply because I know for a fact I don’t want Trump as president. Since the beginning of the election, I have been against Trump mainly because I know that he’s not a respectable person and I

could not take seriously the fact that he is running for president.

Trump holding onto the whole wall idea for months until he actually visited Mexico, and in general who he is as a person, makes the thought of voting for him as my president send shivers down my spine. I disapprove of his character, his obsession with power and money, treating women as prizes that he can do whatever he wants to with them whenever he wants to. The fact that he wrote off what he said in the leaked tape from 2005 as just “Locker Room Talk” makes me sick to my stomach. The fact

that he can talk about what is basically sexual assault and think nothing of it, even now, makes me not want to vote for him that much more.

I know many people will try to defend him, but let’s be real. What he’s saying is no better than the act of sexual assault. Where are all the people who wanted Brock Turner to spend more time in jail for raping a woman who was unconscious? Some of them are supporting Trump and defending his “Locker Room Talk” defense.

I cannot back someone who would talk like that and not think it was wrong. While some say he can help our

country as a businessman, he has had many business ventures fail miserably. Trump will know nothing of how to run a nation if he’s elected. Our relations with other countries will tank even more than if Clinton is elected. I honestly think Trump running is a big joke and many countries will just laugh at the U.S. for choosing Trump to run our country.

I know Clinton is not much better, but I’d rather go with the lesser of two evils. For me, I see either Clinton or a third-party candidate being the lesser of evils compared to Trump. I just can’t bring myself to vote for someone

who makes me sick just thinking about them.

For me, education, immigration and equality among genders and race are very important and are key factors in my decision for voting for either Clinton or Jill Stein. I would be willing to vote for either of these candidates. As of now, I am on the fence, but I am hoping that before I go vote I’ll be able to decide on the candidate I will be voting for. As long as Trump does not win, I’ll be content with whoever wins the presidency.

KMK13D@ACU.EDU

SP ORTS

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

6B

RUGBY

LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Alex Soto has experienced her fair share of setbacks since starting to play rugby earlier this year. However, Soto now plays a crucial role on the otherwise men’s rugby team as she has worked her way into the starting lineup and continues to play alongside the brotherhood she is not a part of.

RUGBY REBEL

Soto shatters more than social norms as member of men’s club team

BY LAUREN FRANCO SPORTS STAFF

Alexandria Soto is defying gender roles by earning a starting position as the left wing on the men’s rugby team.

Soto, a freshman kinesiology and sports management major from San Antonio, discovered the rugby team at ACU Fest and was persuaded by the coach to try it out at practice.

Although Soto ran track for eight years and has some soccer experience she said nothing could have prepared her for the physical intensity of rugby.

“It’s really physically challenging, considering how hard I’m working and how strong I’m getting, the guys are always going to be ahead of me anatomically, that’s just how its going to be,” Soto said. “It just makes me have to work twice as hard. There’s just limitations that are set up because I am a girl and there’s just some things I can’t do physically because I am a girl. There’s lots of setbacks and things I have to deal with everyday, even at practice.”

Despite the setbacks and challenges, Soto said that her teammates are more than willing to assist her with her struggles.

“They know I need the extra help, so all of the guys are willing to stay after and help me or get

“

“They don’t mind that I’m a girl at all. They just think as long as I’m out here ready to work and hold up my end of the team and do what they’re doing, it doesn’t matter.”

ALEX SOTO FRESHMAN KINIESIOLOGY MAJOR

there early and talk me through practice, so it’s a really good support system that they give,” Soto said.

In the first game of the season, Soto was given the opportunity to start and did not disappoint.

“Alex brought something to the team that no one else could in the fact that she showed that, one,

she is able to do the job of a guy and, two, she’s able to take the place of someone else who was supposed to start,” said Aaron Pokluda, vice president of the rugby club.

Adrian Escobedo, freshman nutrition major from Round Rock, said he recognizes Soto’s contributions and dedication to the team not because

she’s a girl, but because she puts her heart into the team.

“She works hard like all of us and she fits right in,” Escobedo said. “We push her to be better just like everybody else. We always get excited when she tackles someone because we know she’s putting her body on the line for the team.”

Off the field, Brian Switzenberg, freshman kinesiology major from Plainview, recognized the impact Soto has on her teammates.

“If I have learned anything from Alex, it is to break out of social norms and our comfort zones to tread a new path and set a new standard for what it means to be a champion,” Switzenberg said.

The biggest feat that the team has had to overcome isn’t playing with a woman, but rather playing with so much inexperience. With only two players having previous rugby experience, Soto is not alone.

“Alex has laid out a lot of hits and taken a lot of hits and I think anyone who has seen a game knows that she’s in the thick of it just like everyone else,” Pokluda said. “I think the fact that we’ve had issues lately has not been due so much to the fact that we’re coed, its been due to the fact that we have a lot of people who simply never played the game before and they’re still learning.”

Soto said her favorite part of the team is the brotherhood. The team prides itself on family, and they’ve made it clear that anyone is welcome as long as they’re willing to work hard and learn.

“They don’t mind that I’m a girl at all. They just think as long as I’m out here ready to work and

hold up my end of the team and do what they’re doing, it doesn’t matter if I’m a boy or I’m a girl, tall or short, as long as I’m out there doing what I need to do for my team they’re happy to have me.”

Soto’s teammates look forward to playing the rest of the semester with her and witnessing her growth with each passing game.

“Alex is a talented and hardworking individual and an inspiration to everyone,” Escobedo said. “She is an example that nothing can hold you back from what you really want in life. Her story should give encouragement to girl athletes around campus to pursue something and to give full effort into it and not give up no matter what.”

Pokluda said it will be interesting to see how she grows due to her prior experience in soccer. This background has given her a better understanding of endurance and tactical awareness.

“It’ll be fun to see how she exploits that against teams like Prairie View and Southern Methodist,” Pokluda said.

The rugby team will travel to Dallas on Saturday to play SMU, but will be back on Oct. 29 playing Prairie View A&M at home.

LMF14A@ACU.EDU

BASEBALL

Schedule topped by Big Ten, Big East games

BY TREVOR WYATT SPORTS WRITER

Baseball released what may be its toughest schedule in school history, as it prepares to play 56 games against 21 opponents who finished a combined 163 games over .500 last season.

Of the 21 opponents on ACU’s schedule, 14 teams won at least 30 games and four won at least 40: fellow Southland Conference

teams Sam Houston State with 42 wins, Southeastersn Louisiana with 40 wins, and TCU and Texas A&M each won 49.

Head coach Britt Bonneau says this is all in preparation for the 2018 season, during which Athletics becomes eligible for postseason play as a D-1 school.

“We’re really looking forward to 2018 in this situation,” Bonneau said.

“We’ve been putting the

team in tough situations all summer, and we’re going to continue to put the team in tough situations to prepare for playoffs next year.”

Along with playing teams that have won many games, the Wildcats are also playing teams from the Big-10 and the Big East for the first time in school history, with Michigan State coming to Abilene for a four-game series in February and Creighton coming

to Abilene in March for a three-game set.

Senior infielder Aaron Draper said Bonneau has been working them out all summer for this season.

“It’s business as usual, to an extent, but every year you hope to make an improvement,” Draper said.

“That being said, it’s a little different this year, because our goal is always to get better every day, but now we want to get better to beat some of those

tough teams.”

Braxton Wilkins, a Junior College transfer that picked up the starting left field role last year, said the team is more excited than nervous to play these teams.

“I don’t know if we’ve ever played Pac-10, Big10 and Big-12 teams in the same year,” Wilkins said.

“It’s kind of surreal, to be honest. But coach has been preparing us a lot this offseason, we’re playing

a bunch of games together rather than just doing drills, to better prepare ourselves.”

In fact, since the summer, ACU Baseball has played 27 inter-squad games.

With this new philosophy, as well as preparing for the transition next season, fans will have to anxiously wait and see what happens this season.

TMW13B@ACU.EDU

7B

SPORTS

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2016

FACILITIES

Athletics unveils plans for more expansion “ When you see a school’s commitment to having these type of facilities, I think they know that tennis is a big part fo the school.”

THIS DOCUMENT IS RELEASE ON THE DATE NOTED FOR THE PURPOSE OF INTERIM REVIEW UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF BRANDON YOUNG LICENSE #20633. IT IS NOT TO BE USED FOR REGULATORY APPROVAL, CONSTRUCTION, BIDDING OR PERMIT PURPOSES. ©2016 PARKHILL, SMITH & COOPER, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS EDITOR

With the final beam of the press box in place at Wildcat Stadium and the Halbert-Walling Research Center nearing completion, the construction projects around campus are in full swing. However, the drum of jackhammers and the beeping of machinery will not leave campus once those projects are finished as the Department of Athletics is moving forward with two new projects.

As of last week, funds have been raised to move forward with a $1.6 million tennis clubhouse, and a $1.25 renovation of Teague Special Events Center that will make it more closely resemble the outside of Wildcat Stadium.

Director of athletics Lee De Leon said the two-story, 4,000-square-foot facility will give the team an opportunity to have lockers, coaches’ offices, meeting rooms and a training room, which are currently spread out around campus.

“We’ve been talking

NEW LOBBY / DISPLAY SPACE LOOKING NORTHEAST - SCHEME C

HUTTON JONES HEAD TENNIS COACH

about this tennis clubhouse type of concept for awhile, and we just needed to raise the money and we were finally able to secure the $1.6 million that we needed to move forward with the construction of the project,” De Leon said.

NEW LOBBY / DISPLAY SPACE LOOKING SOUTHEAST - SCHEME C

football is about to have an A2 excellent place to meet. It has just been needed.”

Senior tennis player Erin Walker, who has played a key role in the women’s success over the last four years, said the facility will give the program a complete and official look.

“From a player perspective, the facility will help by having a place where the team can consistently meet,” Walker said. “It will just be nice to have everything in one place, I think it will feel like a home to the players.”

Jones said recruiting relies heavily on the team, the coach and school itself, but a facility like this could

TEAGUE SPECIAL EVENTS CENTER

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN

ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY, ABILENE, TEXAS

23 SEPTEMBER 2016

With offices and meeting rooms scattered across campus, head tennis coach Hutton Jones said the facility will give the teams a consistent place to meet other than outside on the tennis courts.

“We had a great thing before, but the missing thing was a place here on campus,” Jones said. “Soccer has a place to meet, track has a place to meet,

7553.16

potentially be a big part of potential athletes decision.

“When you see a school’s commitment to having these type of facilities, I think they know that tennis is a big part of the school,” Jones said.

The majority of the funding for the project, De Leon said, was given to recognize and honor head tennis coach Hutton Jones’ father.

“We started the process and had the vision many many years ago it’s just quite a bit of money to raise for a tennis coach, but I wanted to do this in honor of my family,” Jones said.

The building is set to be named in honor of Jones’ father and ACU golf letterman John T.L. Jones Jr. (‘57), who De Leon said

played a large part in tennis’ program’s from a walkon program to scholarship program.

Similar to the the plan to build the tennis facility, the renovation of Teague has been in the making for some time. De Leon said the $1.25 million required for the project was set aside in 1998 by the anonymous donor for future renovations.

“We’re using the funds that are already here in that Teague renovation fund to pull this off,” De Leon said.

The motivation behind the renovation was encouraged by the donor, who wanted the exterior look and feel of Teague to match the eventual Wildcat Stadium. With that in mind, De Leon said athlet-

ics began working on a concept to freshen up Teague.

This includes moving the entrance of the athletics offices to Teague’s main lobby and enclosing the overhang with glass.

“We’re going to basically transform the current Teague lobby and this new glass front and this is going to be kind of a showcase for ACU athletics,” De Leon said.

De Leon said each of these projects, as well as most of athletics expansion is privately funded and only possible because of donors.

“Everything will be privately funded, no money is going to come from the students or the school, it’s money that’s coming from donors,” De Leon said.

“While the facilities are growing and expanding, that’s only possible because people are giving to that.”

No official timetable has been set for the completion of these facilities but the hope is that they will be operational early next fall.

JMR13B@ACU.EDU

COLUMN

Dak or Romo? Don’t mess this up Jerry Jones HOT OFF THE PRESTON MAX PRESTON ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Sophomore convergence journalism major Amarillo, Texas

After Sunday’s win against the Packers, rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has the Cowboys at 5-1 and has launched NFL fans into a great debate over whether Tony Romo or Prescott should start once Romo is healthy.

I know good football when I see it. News flash: Cowboys, you have to start Prescott.

Prescott has come into the league, and despite the opening loss against the Giants, has taken a team who was 4-12 and in an unstable position last year to a 5-1 start and the top of the NFC North.

If you need more specific stats to be convinced, well here you go. First of all, Prescott broke Tom Brady’s record of pass attempts without an interception to begin a career in Sunday’s game against the Packers.

Anytime your name is beside Brady’s, especially after only playing six games in the NFL, you’re definitely doing something right.

Prescott not only broke Brady’s record, but he and fellow rookie, running back Ezekiel Elliot, became the first rookie QB and RB duo

to have 1,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards through five games of the season. Prescott had 1,239 yards while Elliot had 546 yards.

After their game this Sunday, Prescott added another 247 yards, giving him 1,486 on the year. He also acquired a 117.4 passer rating in the game, giving him his fifth game in a row with a rating of over 100.

With his individual stats aside, Prescott has also made everyone that knows how to catch a ball and run forward relevant. Twelve different receivers/running backs hauled in a reception from Prescott this year, with four of them having triple-digit yardage and ten of them double-digit yardage.

Cowboys wide receiver Brice Butler had scored only two touchdowns in three seasons coming into this year. This season, he has already scored two touchdowns and is just under the 100-yard mark 97 - with none other than rookie Mr. Prescott in the driver’s seat.

That being said, it’s not that Romo never spreads the ball around, but

Prescott has shown as much effectiveness in such a short amount of time working with his receiving corp.

The man looks like he has been playing with this team for years when he has only played and practiced with them for five months.

If Prescott keeps playing the way he has been playing and the Cowboys

decide to go with him as their starter, the possibilities could be endless. He is a young talent that could have many years ahead of him with Elliot by his side.

Romo’s situation is almost a no-brainer to me.

He needs to either quit playing due to all of his injuries, or sit out until he truly thinks he can play

without risking another injury.

Hall-of-Fame QB Brett Favre simply put it like this for the Cowboys situation, “Romo needs to let Dak be the starter until he starts struggling and is needed.”

Favre also said that currently the Cowboys are firing on all cylinders with Prescott on the field and

should let it stay that way instead of Romo coming in to possibly interrupt something great.

The Cowboys will have plenty of time to decide the situation as they have their bye week this week and take on the Eagles in two weeks.

JMR13B@ACU.EDU

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8B

HOMECOMING

FRIDAY | OCT. 21, 2016

The Queens’ Court

TEN SENIOR WOMEN NOMINATED TO 2016 HOMECOMING COURT

ELLEY ARRINGTON

AMMIE BROOKS

Hometown: Midland Major: Interdisciplinary Studies Extra Curriculars: Ko Jo Kai NuNu Mom, World’s Backyard

Hometown: McKinney Major: Social Work Extra Curriculars: BSA, Tri Kappa Gamma, Intern at Noah Project, Volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club of Abilene

KELSEE MCGEE

KELSEY ODOM

Hometown: Aledo Major: Marketing Extra Curriculars: GATA President, World’s Backyard, Wildcat Week Steering Committee

Hometown: Lubbock Major: Nursing Extra Curriculars: Sigma Theta Chi President, World’s Backyard, LYNAY

TAYLOR CATO

CRYSTA COOK

Hometown: Amarillo Major: Child and family services Extra Curriculars: GATA Historian, Alpha Chi National Honor Society, Phi Eta Sigma

Hometown: Abilene Major: History Education Extra Curriculars: GATA

KENNEDI ROSS

INDIA WILSON

Hometown: Lubbock Major: Interior Design Extra Curriculars: Ko Jo Kai President

Hometown: Plano Major: Marketing Extra Curriculars: Office of Multicultural Affairs, Tri Kappa Gamma Social Club, Ignite Student Ministries

All are welcome! Join us for this event!

TAMSIN DAY Hometown: Boerne Major: Speech Pathology Extra Curriculars: GATA Vice President

MADELYN WISCHMEYER Hometown: Keller Major: Graphic Design / Advertising Extra Curriculars: GATA Pledge Mom, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, AIGA

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