WHAT'S INSIDE
NEWS
FEATURE
OPINION
The university was named a Bee Campus by a national preservation group. Page 2
Are you even a millennial if you didn't try a unicorn frappahcino? Page 4
Theatre Dept. hits the stage with spring production: Peter and teh Starcatcher. Page 5
SPORTS
Softball clinches fifth straight victory at last weekend's home game. Page 6
v
Friday, April 21, 2017 Vol. 105, Issue 29
A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
ZIP-A-DEE DOO-DAH
ALLISON BROWN EDITOR IN CHIEF Mariah Escatel, junior nursing major from San Antonio, zipped across campus on Thursday afternoon outside the Hunter Welcome Center. The Cabinet brought the zipline to campus for a free activity for students.
Student vote approves recycling fee BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
A Students' Association-backed resolution calling for a campus-wide sustainability fund passed Thursday with about 10 percent of the student body voting. The fund would cost students $25 per year and would establish a campus-wide recycling program. A total of 480 students voted, with 324 voting for, 148 voting against and eight abstaining. Because the proposal passed, the Students' Association will petition the university administration to implement the proposal, called the Genesis Fund. The fund would have about $100,000 paid by a mandatory $25 fee charged to all students, according to an SA
document prepared by Dr. Joshua Brokaw, assistant professor of biology. The fund would provide for a recycling program maintained by Facilitates and Campus Management. A sustainability council comprised of three students, three staff members, three faculty members and one facilities representative would allocate the funds to any other sustainability measures supported by the Genesis Fund. Other initiatives could include supplies for sustainability related service activities by student organizations such as recycling or clean-up outreach
NO 30.8%
ABSTAIN 1.7%
YES 67.5%
480 TOTAL VOTES ON THE GENESIS FUND PROPOSAL
campaigns, solar panels or sustainability enhancement projects by campus offices to engage students such as water stations that encourage reusable bottles.
"I have been encouraged by the wide scope of involvement that we have had in preparing for the Genesis Fund," said Abbey Moses, SA president. "The demand for sustainability at ACU is coming from a diverse group of people, and I think that the unity showed is telling of the need for the fund." SA gathered student opinions about sustainability through a survey sent to the student body last semester, and 399 students participated. Eighty-one percent of the surveyed students agreed or strongly agreed that recycling should be available in every building on campus,
and 61.1 percent said they would be comfortable with a $25 fee for sustainability. Students who don't support the fee said the university doesn't need $100,000 to pay for recycling. Matthew Tidmore, junior management major from Amarillo, said $25 may not seem like much but for some students that money could help pay for rent or food. Recipients of Pell Grants could appeal the fee, but Tidmore said many students who don't have Pell Grants struggle with finances. “Recycling in itself is a good thing, but there are bigger problems at hand," Tidmore said. “It doesn’t really make sense that they need that much money to do that.” SEE RECYCLING PAGE 2
Nature trail to open on Earth Day BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
The Wildlife Society will host the grand opening of the Parker Hill Nature Trail Saturday at noon. Located across Judge Ely Boulevard from University Park, the trail features native plants, each tagged with the plant's scientific and common name. Guests can scan QR codes on the tags to learn more about the plants, said Eric Dolezalik, president of the Wildlife Society. "We wanted an educational feature that we could come to," said Dolezalik,
senior environmental science major. The trail started when an Abilene-area Boy Scout, Ethan Lewis, offered to pick up debris from the area for his Eagle Scout project. James Parker, former off-campus groundskeeper, maintained the area and used it as a prayer space for devotionals with other facilities managers, said Scott Warren, director of landscape and grounds. During the summer, the Wildlife Society decided to build the nature trail on the hill. The trail is accessible by the tunnel under Judge Ely near Faubus Fountain
HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
Lake and features a prayer garden and a horseshoe shape of wildflowers, including bluebonnets. The
Wildlife Society hosted a birdhouse-building contest this week so students could build a birdhouse in the
W W W. A C U O P T I M I S T. C O M
Maker Lab which would be hung in the trees at the trail. Along with birds, bees and plants and other animals have been spotted on the trail including foxes, skunks, turkeys, bobcats and sometimes deer, Warren said. The trail will be maintained by the Wildlife Society and landscape and grounds management. Warren said it may not safe at night as there will be no lighting on the trail. HRR13B@ACU.EDU
Career Center to transition to new job database BY ERIKA BOLADO STAFF WRITER
The ACU Career Center is replacing College Central Network with a new database called Handshake, which will go live for students June 30. College Central Network was a site for students to look for jobs and internships but most students found it not so user-friendly. Jill Fortson, director of the ACU Career Center, said although the College Central Network was a good system, “I just think we need to take the next step to provide a lot more opportunities for our students than we are now and this is the way to do that.” College Central Network was used for about three years and will be active until July 1. There are 1,882 students out of about 4,500 who have completed the registration and are using College Central Network, said Fortson. Fortson said there was nothing wrong with the old site but once the threeyear contract with College Central Network was up, “a lot of times you will look out to see some other things that can do more, so it was just a natural cycle.” The ACU Career Center wasn’t thinking of changing to a new system until Handshake was brought up to Fortson’s attention by faculty and other people SEE CAREER PAGE 2
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
NE W S
OMA to host backyard bash BY TORI ALDANA COPY EDITOR
The Office of Multicultural Affairs’ Backyard Bash will be a stage for nine musicians and groups to perform. Headlining is Christian rapper Ki’Shon Furlow. This will be the first time for Furlow to perform on campus since 2011, said Prentice Ashford, director of OMA. Furlow is an ACU graduate and area coordinator for Smith-Adams and Edwards Hall, according to the ACU website. Other performers include Darren Hagood, Mistarafiki, Uba, Noble Spark, VCR, Manny Lundy, Haley Remenar and Clarissa Lavaki. Furlow was able to perform “by the grace of God,” said Ashford. “His schedule opened up and he was able to do it.” Ashford, who attended ACU with Furlow, asked if he would like to be a part of the bash. The other artists were chosen through an audition process. “We’re really reaching a wide diversity of music and I think that’s going to reach a wide diversity of people, said Sidney Stubbs, OMA student worker. “We say to just come and learn more about OMA, to have fun. It’s the end of the semester event for people to have a good time because I know people are stressed with projects,” said student worker Briana Guerrero. In addition to music, there will be games, food and free Cajun cones. The event is from 5-9 p.m. Friday at the intramural fields. VJA14A@ACU.EDU
WEDNESDAY | APRIL 21, 2017
Career: university says hello to Handshake CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
on campus. “One of the main reasons that we were interested in looking at it is because it would automatically bring over 180 thousand employers to be able to be viewed by our students and also to encourage them to starting hiring our students,” said Fortson. Maddock May, senior accounting and finance major from Carrollton, works at the career center and on top of using the College Central Network every day, he has also gotten two internships through the site. May, who has received some online training for Handshake, compared the system to Facebook and LinkedIn because you can create a profile for employers to look at. “I think one thing, it will look at more opportunities for people who don’t have the specific employer they are looking for in College Central Network but in Handshake you can look up
specific employers. Even if the job isn’t posted specific on ACU, you can still - if it’s a public job - apply to it, which is kind of nice.” Many students have mixed feelings about the College Central Network not being user-friendly or not helpful enough to find the right job or internship. Kaylan Johnson, a recent ACU graduate, said as a student for two-and-a-half years, she only used College Central Network about one to three times per semester. After graduation, she's used it about three times. "I don't like how nonuser-friendly it is, how limited it felt and how it seemed like it was just one more thing to keep up with," said Johnson. If Handshake were more userfriendly, Johnson said that might help students and herself to use it. However, she did like that it was specific to companies that were seeking ACU students because it narrowed down the pool of candidates and competition from the student's perspective.
“
“I think that this is going to give us the opportunity to reach out to some of those who have never heard of Abilene Christian University,
JILL FORTSON DIRECTOR OF THE ACU CAREER CENTER
"Also, if it could take the place, at least in some ways, of LinkedIn, maybe it wouldn't feel so stressful to keep up with," Johnson said. "Or maybe they just need to develop the strategy and presentation of how they encourage students to use a database like this." Unlike College Central Network, Handshake will be more flexible, customizable and userfriendly for all users. Fortson said they expect to have more student engagement with Handshake because it’s easier for students to engage with the site, “and also you can now log in using your single sign-on, it’s going to be integrated with banner, it’s gonna be great and it’s going to be a really easy
implementation in the process as well.” “I really like how innovative they are and I really like how quick they are, if I ask a question, bam they are on it, that will help us a lot,” Fortson said about Handshake. Handshake was created in 2014 by a couple of students from Michigan Tech who wanted to reach out to employers outside of the Midwest and since then it's been growing and helping small college campuses get equal access to opportunities. “I think that this is going to give us the opportunity to reach out to some of those who have never heard of Abilene Christian University, little known Abilene, Texas, and now
once they engage, even if it’s through Handshake, I’m excited to see what the possibilities are and how much doors it’s going to open for our students in places they haven’t been able to go before,” said Fortson. In addition to the employers the ACU Career Center currently has, there is already an apparent interest that Fortson has seen from several employers, many of them are ACU alumni that work for corporations and are using the system because they want to recruit at ACU already. “So I think this really aligns with what we are wanting to go for in the future, to really bring more opportunities for students, not just the typical way it’s always been done,” said Fortson. “We want to really try to think ahead and this system is taking career centers in that direction." EXB14A@ACU.EDU
Sanctify preps college-themed performance BY MAX PRESTON STUDENT REPORTER
The Sanctify hip hop dance company will present a college themed performance Friday and Saturday. Sanctify will take the audience through the life of a typical college student and will include things ranging from spiritual growth to waking up at eight in the morning and freshman 15 to relationship status. Sanctify dance crew
member, sophomore Alex Hill said that the performance will be very unique. “It will include some of everything,” Hill said. “Some of the dances are funny and others are fast paced or slow and cool, so it will be a great dynamic of the different styles of hip hop along with contemporary dances, so we’re really excited.” This will be the third and final performance for Sanctify this year as they
“
Some of the dances are funny and others are fast paced or slow and cool.” ALEX HILL SANCTIFY DANCE CREW MEMBER
performed during homecoming in the fall, Ethnos earlier this spring, and will finish up this weekend. The performance will in-
clude music from many different artists including Hillsong United, Beyoncé, T.I., Ciara, Rick Ross, Starley, and Chance the Rapper. Each single performance will include a group of the Sanctify members as well as one who instructed and produced the choreography. There will not be any dances done by a single member. Sanctify dance crew member, senior Mari-Bree Lowe says that all the work
is done by the students themselves and there is no specific instructor. “We basically coach ourselves,” Lowe said. “We have two sponsors, but mainly we instruct ourselves and make up dances that we like.” The performance will begin at 7 p.m. both nights in Cullen auditorium and tickets will be $5. OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 04/12/2017 10:30 a.m. A caller reported a person acting suspiciously on the Lunsford Trail; officers found the person engaged in a spirited conversation with himself as he walked to Walmart. 04/17/2017 3:41 p.m. ACUPD & APD responded to an emergency welfare check in the 1300 block of Cedar. The victim had left Hendrick MC prior to receiving treatment, but officers convince them to return to the hospital. 04/17/2017 8:38 p.m. Officers responded to neighbors’ complaints of a loud party near Rountree & Campus Court. Two ternants –both ACU students- were given a warning to quieten down; many revelers left while officers were on scene; tenants otherwise complied. 911 CALL ACCIDENT ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY ADVICE ALARM ANIMAL CALL ASSIST BARRICADES BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK CHECK BUILDING DATING VIOLENCE DIRECT TRAFFIC ESCORT
1 2 16 1 5 2 1 4 6 360 1 1 1
FOOT PATROL FOUND PROPERTY HIT & RUN INFORMATION REPORT INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP LOST PROPERTY MAINTENANCE UNIV ASSETS: CCTV MAINTENANCE: UNIVERSITY ASSETS MEDICAL EMERGENCY MONITOR FACILITY/LOT
23 2 1 1 7 3 3 2 1 1
MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART MOTORIST ASSIST: OTHER MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK NOISE VIOLATION PARKING LOT PATROL PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL PROWLER PUBLIC SERVICE RANDOM PATROL
1
REPORT WRITING SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT 1 SUSPICIOUS PERSON 8 SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE TRAFFIC STOP 2 TRAINING 39 WELFARE CHECK 2 10 1 TOTAL: 558 2 24
12 1 3 1 3 1 2
POLICE CHIEF TIP OF THE WEEK:
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Everyone needs to understand consent. Yes means yes, No means NO PERIOD.
N E WS
FRIDAY | APRIL 21, 2017
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University named by group as bee-friendly campus BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
BeeCampus USA, a national bee preservation group, designated the university as a certified Bee Campus last month. Gayenell Rainwater, landscape and grounds manager, said the university qualifies for the BeeCampus USA program because the campus has many plants that attract bees and other pollinators. The university also participates in tree preservation and has been a “Tree Campus” through TreeCampus USA for several years, she said. “We are the third university in Texas to be a
Bee Campus,” Gayenell said. “We’re going to educate our students, we’re going to educate the community about what it takes to preserve pollinator areas.” Facilities management created a monarch way station outside the Brown Library two years ago by planting blue mist shrubs. After many of the rose bushes on campus got a disease called rose rosette, Rainwater said new plants had to be added and she wanted pollinator plants to help preserve bee populations. Bee populations are declining by about 44 percent each year, according to the BeeCampus USA
website. Rainwater said her team preserves bees by limiting pesticides or designating pesticide-free zones on campus. Areas with pollinator plants include the trailhead near the baseball field, the porch of the Hunter Welcome Center, the campus front entrance and the Nelson Hall trailhead. The new Parker Hill Wildlife Trail, which will open April 22, also features pollinator plants and wildflowers. Sage, lavender and other plants attract bees. ERIKA BOLADO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
HRR13B@ACU.EDU
BeeCampus USA is a national bee preservation group and named the university ad a certified Bee Campus last month.
The Cabinet hosts zip line event outside Hunter Welcome Center BY B.J. MAXWELL STUDENT REPORTER
Leasing for
2017–2018
The Cabinet hosted a zip line event outside the Hunter Welcome Center Thursday with Xtreme Zipline. About 150 students participated in the free event. After signing a waiver, students could put on a harness, climb a set of stairs and ride to the ground on the mobile zipline. “We are not targeting just social clubs, freshmen, or just seniors,” said Yam Saowatarnpong, Cabinet intern and senior advertising and public relations major from Thailand. “It’s an event for everybody.” The Cabinet will host a neon dance for the end of the school year called “Light Up The Night” on May 5. OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
Red Thread Movement to host fundraising fashion showcase BY LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
eXTerior aMeniTies • Computer Lab • Tavern-Style Game Room • Basketball Court • 24-Hour Fitness Center • Indoor Tanning • Coffee Bistro • Outdoor Grills and Fire Pits • Sand Volleyball Court • Resort-Style Pool • On-Site Parking • Controlled Access Gate
inTerior aMeniTies • Private, Lockable Bedroom • Private Bathroom • Walk-In Closet • Modern Furniture Package • Individual Leases • Full-Size Washer & Dryer • In-Unit Dishwasher • High-Speed Internet • Premium Cable Package
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2702 n Judge eLy BLVd, aBiLene, TeXas 79601 ThearchaBiLene.coM
On April 25 at 6 p.m., The Red Thread movement will be hosting the $5 event on the rooftop of The Grace museum. It will feature clothing from Eternal Threads and Betty & June, both locally owned stores. Jessica Jackson, the owner of Betty & June, said they have participated in the fashion show for five years, and are excited to continue this year. “Anytime we can involve the local community and something as big as the Red Thread Movement, we love to,” Jackson said. The Red Thread Movement was started by Brittany Partridge to raise awareness for human trafficking, specifically in Nepal, where the red bracelets are made by women. The group also meets for small-group chapels to write
U R G R A D UAT E W I T H A H O N O R YO
SENIOR AD
letters to women who have come out of human trafficking, watch informative films, discuss issues and thread the bracelets through paper to sell. “Its kind of a way to, whenever you see the red bracelets, to know and be aware of the issue, but also allowing students to serve in any capacity that they can,” said Gabi Ramirez, the vice president of the Red Thread Movement. “Obviously we are just students and we can’t go and take women out of trafficking, but just inform the campus and the city of Abilene that this is a problem that is present not only internationally, but even in Texas.” The fashion show offers students a way to get informed and hear about what Eternal Threads and the Red Thread Movement are all about. All of the proceeds from the event will go toward Eternal Threads, and each ticket comes with a red
PURCHASE ONLINE AT: acu.edu/optimist-ad
bracelet. Kathyrn Hamilton, the event coordinator through the Advertising and Public Relations Association, said this is for attendees to wear what they are supporting. The event will feature booths from both Betty & June and Eternal Threads for students to purchase merchandise. In addition, there will be live music by Manny Lundy and Savannah Pybus as well as finger-foods and drinks from Beltway Coffee. Overall, Ramirez said both the Red Thread Movement and the Ad/PR Association are a cool way to show the community how students are empowered on campus with a Christ-minded mentality of serving. Through the organizations and the fashion show, students are able to make a small difference without leaving Abilene.
OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
Recycling: students pass fee CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Tidmore said most students he talked to were indifferent or against the fund. He said he also voted against the Student Activity fee, which students
IN ACU’S CAMPUS NEWSPAPER The Optimist - Commencement Edition 2017
DEADLINE APRIL 27
ALLISON BROWN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Amber Stewart, sophomore accounting major from Abilene, zips on the zip line brought by The Cabinet.
voted on two years ago and charges students $25 per semester to pay for concerts and on-campus activities OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
Cost varies. Color or Black & White options. Small, Medium or Large ad sizes available.
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FRIDAY | APRIL 21, 2017
Unicorn magic does not actually taste good THE ISSUE
The people in the test kitchens at Starbucks are evil geniuses. They have brewed up a concotion that demands to be Instagrammed, even if it tastes terrible.
OUR TAKE
Unicorn-themed food appeals to the inner child in all of us. We want to buy into this whole rainbow magic trend, but it's a scam not worth your money. Save your tastebuds and your wallet.
I
n a welcome break from Donald Trump’s term as president and North Korea’s mysterious nuclear tests, Starbucks has turned our attention to their newest lab creation: the creamy, fluffy, rainbow, sour blended beverage of your childhood dreams. None other than Unicorn Frappachino. Thought to possess magical flavor changing powers, the Unicorn frappachino is pink, purple, blue and a terrible waste of money. Yes, we tried it ourselves. We offered students on campus a taste. And all who dared take a sip were left with confused looks on their faces. What flavor is this? Why do we want another sip, but simultaneously want to throw it on the ground?
What is the blue gel the barista squirted in this cup? How did Starbucks yet again get us to spend ridiculous amounts of money on a drink they just made up? Is Starbucks actually a coffee company anymore? With this latest attempt at Instagrammable beverages only rolled out because of marketable qualities, does Starbucks still deserve our unwavering devotion? The Unicorn Frappachino is a shining example of the company's floundering identity as a whole yet it also showcasing the evil genius of the marketing office of the coffee captains of the world. We don't care what it is, we will drink anything now, apparently. It can taste like mysterious, magical pseudo-fruit,
but call it a unicorn and we'll drop $5 on it in a hot second. With a little imagination, you can almost believe it tastes like sherbet or sour candy, but after a few sips, your confused tastebuds will beg for a break. The worst part is the blue drizzle, which includes white chocolate mocha sauce mixed with sour blue powder, according to Starbucks’ website. Never mix sours with cream flavors, hasn't that been said before... This drink just goes to show how much power Starbucks has over us. Even those of us who prefer local brews and baristas just had to try the Unicorn. By naming it after a fairy tale creature and making it available for just five days, Starbucks got us all to spend money on this cup of cholesterol. They didn’t have to make a good drink, which makes us wonder how many other tasteless things they could offer that we’d buy without a second thought. Starbucks tried to provide OPINION@JMCNETWORK.COM
something magical, but the only magical thing about it is the amount of calories they packed into a 16 oz drink. You might buy it, believing the drink might taste just like you believe unicorns might exist. Well, take this from people who tried it: magic doesn’t actually taste good.
̒I think mine needs to be run through the blender one more time.ʼ
Daily Doodle Dosage
BEN TODD CARTOONIST
COLUMN
hashtagACU @acuoptimist
What to do when you don't know what to do
@IDKAITLYND
DOWNTON ABBEY
update: the unicorn frappachino is all hype. it isn't magical at all.
ABBEY BOWLING ARTS & FEATURES EDITOR
@REESEGWIN
ACU Students, Vote in opposition to the Genesis Fund because recycling bins shouldn't cost $94,000 a semester. #GoCats
Senior convergence journalism major Keller
@HAYWELCOME
ACU Students, When voting today, please actually read the information surrounding the Genesis Fund and don't go off what your friend said.
@ANDREWBOONEDOG
Wildcats for Sustainability printed out paper flyers and covered both sides with color ink. Is that environmentally friendly?
@BRICLOSE
50% coffee, 50% dry shampoo
@SYDNEYCGREER
Very excited and proud to announce that I got a flat tire on the way to an interview! Can't wait to see where this Cisco Auto Shop will take me.
Time is cruel. It feels like four years have gone by faster than I could say “Convergence Journalism Major” and now I don't know what comes next. How do I cope with the realization that after years of going to school, I’ll be leaving the only life I can remember? In kindergarten – learning colors, words, and how to make friends. In high school – learning economics, Shakespeare, and algebraic equations I’ll never use in real life. In college – learning journalism, psychology, and how to design a really good resume. I can’t remember a life before
school. I only know multiple-choice scantron tests, small metal desks, and returning to school every August like clockwork. It has been my life for so long. It is comfortable, it is safe, and now it is slipping through my fingers faster than I can get a grip. I graduate in about three weeks and no, I don't know what I'm doing after that. This is the end of the longest chapter of my life so far and I don’t know what’s going to come next or even how to handle it when it gets here – I only know that it’s coming. It’s coming, it’s coming, it’s coming, and the more I ask
God to slow down the days, the faster they go. If you're anything like me, then the idea of not knowing what to do probably gives you anxiety and keeps you up at night. But I do know that in Ephesians, it says that God “is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even
“
opportunity to make my dreams a reality. So, what do you do when you don't know what to do? You take it one day at a time. There are still three weeks of homework, research papers, projects, and final exams separating me from post-grad life. Though senioritis is real and moti-
So, what do you do when you don't know what to do? You take it one day at a time.
dream of – infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” In this overwhelming season of life, I take comfort in that. If I have big dreams for myself, how much bigger are God’s plans for me? God would not give me the ability to dream without the
vation is hard to find, I still have to make it through the final stretch of this marathon – but I also just need a quick water break. And maybe a nap. OPINION@JMCNETWORK.COM
COLUMN
A Generic Senior Goodbye Column “ LAMBORGHINI MERCY MERCEDEZ HERNANDEZ PRINT MANAGING EDITOR Senior convergence journalism major Anson
23 days. That’s how many days I have left as a college student. You might be thinking, “oh great, I bet this is another one of those sappy goodbye columns that all graduating Optimist members write,” and you, my friend are correct and should prepare yourself because this is going to be the sappiest letter you’ve ever read.
I’ll be honest, when I first came to ACU I wanted to transfer out after my first semester. I had a difficult time adjusting to college life, especially so to the quirks of our beloved campus. (Chapel? Every day? Really?) Come the start of the spring semester, I was looking forward to March, not because of spring break, but because that’s when I would find
out whether I had been accepted to the University of Texas at Austin and would be 5 long hours away from the A-B-I in the fall time. Well, March came and I got my admission letter. It was the small one. That meant I was stuck in Abilene, stuck at ACU and stuck in what I thought would be the worst 4 years of my life. Dramatic I know, but cut me some slack I was only 18. The spring passed by quickly and so did the summer, leading me to my sophomore year which was just as mundane as my freshman year; that is, until I met with my advisor one fine spring day. While discussing my
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
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
schedule for the next semester, I found out that in order to graduate, I had to earn credit by working for two semesters in one of the student-media organizations in my department, with one of those semesters having to be spent at The Optimist. I applied to the paper and was made the Arts and Features Editor with only having minimal writing and design experience. (I was terribly under qualified, but thank you so much for hiring me, Brittany Jackson.) I started my job, and over the course of my junior year I started to think that maybe this was how college was supposed to be. I was
I grow more excited to enter the “real” world, but also sad at the thought of leaving the one I'd only just come to love.
having fun and I finally felt happy. Tired, because balancing schoolwork and a job is never easy, but happy nevertheless. Finding my niche at the paper gave me the confidence to branch out and become more involved in my department, leading me to make some amazing friendships that I hope to have for a very long time,
so thank you to The Optimist for being the starting point for the best last year I could have hoped to have. It took me two years to start calling ACU my home, and now as the days climb from April 23 to May 13, I grow more excited to enter the “real” world, but also sad at the thought of leaving the one I'd only just come to love. This was sappy, cliche and barely a column, but deal with it because I’m only graduating once. Boy, I really hope I pass my finals or else this column will be really embarrassing to read come May 14. OPINION@JMCNETWORK.COM
O P T I M IST
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ARTS
FRIDAY | APRIL 21, 2017
MAGGIE FARIAS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Students perform in the Theatre Department’s final show of the semester, “Peter and the Starcatcher.” The show opens on Friday night.
Before Peter Pan
Starcatcher explains how Peter Pan became the Boy Who Would Not Grow Up BY ABBEY BOWLING ARTS & FEATURES EDITOR
The Department of Theatre will open its last show of the semester this weekend with Peter and the Starcatcher. The show is a theatrical adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s best-selling book of the same name. The show is a prequel to Peter Pan, telling the story of how the orphan became the Boy Who Would Not Grow Up – including pirates and tyrants and unlikely heroes, Peter and the Starcatcher explores the depths of greed and despair as well as the bonds of friendship, duty and love.
Because the show is performed in the style of “story theatre,” which involves a strong ensemble cast who rely heavily on their own imaginations and the imagination of the audience, director Kari Hatfield had to figure out different ways to create magical scenes. “This has been a wonderfully exhausting challenge for me as a director,” Hatfield said. “It has been one of the hardest productions I have directed ... the show itself is deceptively simple. I have had to figure out how many different ways we can use a few crates, some rope, and the actor’s bodies to create fantastical magical scenes
and to denote multiple locations from two different ships to several island locales.” Hatfield said rehearsals began at the end of February, and the production team has been building the costumes, sets and props since then. She also said she read Peter and the Starcatchers with her daughter over the summer in preparation for this production. “This show is very special to me,” Hatfield said. “I love the fact that it is a show with a strong female lead. One of the things that has mattered the most to me during this process is a quote from Ridley Pear-
son to Rick Elice when he was giving his advice on writing the play script. He said, ‘Make sure Molly stays strong. We wrote this book for our daughters.’” Though the show is wildly imaginative and very silly, Hatfield said all Peter Pan stories are bittersweet because they explore the tension between longing for childhood and realizing we have to grow up. She also said the show explores some elements of faith, even though it’s not specifically a Christian show. “Although I know it was not the original intent of the authors or the playwright to make this a
show about the Christian faith in particular, there are very strong themes running through it,” Hatfield said. “The idea of someone lost and alone in the dark who meets a ‘bringer of light,’ learns to live for something bigger than himself, and finds his name and his home in the light is overtly Christian.” The production is family-friendly and includes something for every age group to enjoy – children, college students, parents and grandparents, Hatfield said. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. April 21, 22, 28 and 29, and at 2 p.m.
April 23 and 30 in Fulks Theatre. A dinner option is available April 22. Students can get half-price tickets during the Sunday matinees and at the door for any performance. Tickets can be purchased at the box office between 1-5 p.m., online at www. acu.edu/theatre, or at the door. “Most of all, I am very much looking forward to coming together in a community and laughing with others in a live audience,” Hatfield said. “There is nothing that can beat that kind of experience.” AKB12A@ACU.EDU
6
S P O RT S
Wildcats gear up for season’s final stretch TRACK
BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS EDITOR
After four straight weekends of meets, track and field took Easter weekend off before gearing up for the final stretch, which starts with a second consecutive Baylor meet this weekend. While in Waco two weeks ago at the Baylor Invitational, the Wildcats made it to the medal stand twice, with two bronze medals each coming in the 1500-meter race. Despite the windy conditions which head coach Lance Bingham said did play a small role, sophomore Carnley Graham took third in the women’s 1500 with a time of 4:47.37, while Rivers finished just one second shy of the runner-up’s pace of 3:57.97,
with his time of 3:58.23. Among a competitive 15-team field, which consisted of the likes of teams from the Big-12, SEC, Conference USA and Northwestern State and Lamar from the Southland Conference, juniors Ryan Cleary and Kyle Mann also posted fifth-place performances. Cleary finished just onetenth of a second ahead of senior teammate Sterlen Paul at 1:51.52 in the 800-meter run, and Mann posted a lifetime-best pole vault of 16 feet. “I felt like that the intensity of the competition was there, but I felt like the guys and girls stepped it up,” Bingham said. Redshirts Kai Schmidt
“
Well ultimately track is so different than anything because everybody plays conference teams throughout and we are constantly working toward the conference meet at the end of the year.” LANCE BINGHAM HEAD TRACK COACH
and Morgan Knight competed unattached in the meet and would have placed first and third for ACU had they been eligible to compete. Wildcat throwers also took victories in seven of the eight events in a short meet at McMurry before the break. “Across the board we have to continue to get sharper but overall it was quality meet,” Bingham said. “For our team I feel like we are in a good
place and as we continue I think we’ll get sharper.” As stiff as the competition was at the Baylor Invitational, Bingham said he expects this weekend’s Michael Johnson Invitational to be similar, but stronger in certain areas. “It will be a little bit better across the board, but still similar in terms of quality of competition overall,” Bingham said. After heading to Baylor this weekend ACU will host back-to-back meets
at Elmer Gray Stadium, before traveling to Louisiana May 12-14 for the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships. Bingham said he has seen improvement from the team at each meet so far and look to peak at the conference championships. “Well ultimately track is so different than anything because everybody plays conference teams throughout and we are constantly working toward the conference meet at the end of the year.” The Michael Johnson Invitational will take place all day Saturday and run similar to the Baylor Invitational. JMR13B@ACU.EDU
SOFTBALL
STANDINGS Softball Team
Ovrl. Div.
McNeese 30-15 27-16 ACU Nicholls 29-15 22-21 Lamar 22-22 SELU 18-21 SHSU 15-26 SFA 18-26-1 NWSU 16-30 UCA 13-21 HBU 8-34 UIW TAMU-CC 8-28
16-2 15-3 13-5 12-6 9-9 9-9 7-8 8-10 7-11 4-14 3-15 2-13
Baseball Team
McNeese SHSU SFA HBU SELU Lamar UCA Nicholls UNO UIW TAMU-CC NWSU ACU
Ovrl. Div. 26-10 26-11 22-17 17-15 22-14 23-16 19-18 20-19 19-18 16-21 13-24 12-23 10-23
16-2 13-2 11-4 9-6 10-8 9-9 7-8 7-8 8-10 5-10 5-10 4-11 1-17
WHO’S HOT Sophomore Josh Sheehy was awarded his fourth Southland Conference Sheehy Player of the Week award this spring and the seventh of his career after leading ACU to a sweep of Midwestern State and UIW last week. Sheehy also helped the men knock off conference leader Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Wednedsay.
LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Left: Junior Peyton Hedrick guns down the runner; Top Right: Junior Hannah Null sets before delivering her pitch to the plate; Bottom Right: Junior Brianna Barnhill looks toward home, ready to make a play.
Null pitches ‘Cats to fifth straight BY DAVIS DENTON SPORTS WRITER
After a sweep of Incarnate Word this past weekend, softball earned its fifthstraight victory with a 6-2 win vs the University of North Texas Wednesday. It was the Wildcat’s second win over an established Div. 1 program in the last three weeks after beating Texas Tech 5-1 two weeks prior. Behind solid defense and a barrage of hits from juniors Peyton Hedrick and Holly Neese ACU came away with its 27th win of the year. “UNT had a good team. They are currently 2nd in Conference USA,” Head
Coach Bobby Reeves said. Neese slapped a ball over the left field wall and scoreboard after back-toback singles from senior Taylor Brown and Hedrick, to put the ‘Cats up 3-0 in the first. Hedrick kept the Mean Green at bay with a triple in the second that scored senior Kaleigh Singleton, and that was all the support junior Hannah Null needed. Null picked up her 10th win of the year and her fourth in a row after pitching five innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. Freshman Sidney Holman served in clean up duty and pitched two scoreless innings.
“It was great to get a mid-week win before we go to play Sam Houston,” Holman said. “Our offense started producing really early so I was pretty confident at the very start. Sam Houston is aggressive so we will just have to make sure we get outs that they give us and get ahead early.” Singleton said the early run support really gave the team some confidence. “I had a great feeling about the game after Holly hit a three-run homer in the first inning,” Singleton said. “It calmed us as a team and took the pressure off offense and defense. I think we are going to have to bring the
same mentality against Sam Houston and push through all three games to get that much closer to our goal of winning conference.” The Wildcats are 27-16 and 15-3 in conference, one game out of first place in Southland play. McNeese State leads at 30-15 and 16-2, but will not play ACU this season. Sam Houston State is ranked No. 6 in the conference with a 9-9 record and 18-21 overall. Sophomore pitcher Lindsey Mcleod leads the Bearkats pitching staff with a 10-12 record and 124 strikeouts. “Sam Houston State has a good team, they
have a pitcher that is right at the top in categories in the conference and Coach Brock always has his team ready to play,” Reeves said. “At this point in the season you just try to keep your team consistent. We are playing well right now and hopefully they will continue to be relaxed and focused on what we need to do.” This weekend’s match up begins with a double header Friday and a 3 p.m. start on Saturday. Each of the games will also air on ESPN3. DMD14A@ACU.EDU
Is it time for baseball fans to be concerned? WYATT RIOT TREVOR WYATT SPORTS WRITER Junior convergence journalism major White Settlement, Texas
Baseball won on Monday with a strong outing from its starting pitcher and a nice offensive effort from star-hitter Russell Crippen. Although this is usually good news, the win is the team’s first since March 15, and ends a 16-game losing streak. The streak is by far the longest for ACU since joining the Southland Conference in its transition to Div. 1, but some notable
things happened during the losing streak. During the streak, senior Russell Crippen was in the middle of a career-long hit streak that went 25 games, just two short of the record. He’s also reached base in every single game this season, and has a batting average of .377. The crazy thing about this though is ACU’s offense has been doing much better than they have been the
COLUMN past few years: four people including Crippen have an average over .300, and the two best hitters on the team in Crippen and junior Luis Trevino have more RBI halfway through the season than the team leader last season. This offensive output is not being seen as a positive however, due to the atrocity of ACU’s pitching staff. I mentioned that the starter for the win on Monday pitched well and he did. Sophomore and Abilene-native Derek Scott pitched a solid 7 innings of scoreless ball and threw just 88 pitches, lowering
his season ERA to 2.76. This is the lowest on the team, but the thing is Scott isn’t a pitcher- ACU opted not to use a DH and have Scott hit, as he usually plays centerfield. Every other pitcher for ACU has an ERA of at least three, and only two pitchers have an ERA lower than four. The relief pitchers are by far the most concerning part of this team, with the highest ERA’s on the team being over 15. Even in the win on Monday the two relievers almost blew the game by giving up a run in each of the innings pitched. ACU has struggled with pitching for a while, but
actually brought its team ERA to sub-five by the end of last season. However, its team ERA right now is 6.68, which is astronomically high. ACU is 1-17 in conference and still hasn’t won a conference game in over a month, which was in the first conference series of the season. I’m not saying I or anyone has a clear-cut solution to the problem, but something has to flip a switch on this squad or they will get their second second straight bottom-two finish, and their third in the last four years. TMW13A@ACU.EDU
Junior Lucile Pothier also earned Southland Conference Player of the Pothier Week for the third time in her career. Despite being injured at the beginning of spring, Pothier has managed to record 14 singles wins this season.
MATCHUPS Baseball 4/17 ACU
3
UTPB 2 4/21-23 ACU
(10-23, 1-17)
Lamar
(23-16, 9-9)
4/25 ACU
(10-23, 1-17)
DBU
(21-15, 3-3)
Softball 4/19 ACU
6
UNT
2
4/21-22 ACU
(27-16, 15-3)
SHSU
(18-21, 9-9)
Tennis 4/19 Men’s ACU 4 TAMU-CC
3
4/19 Women’s ACU 3 TAMU-CC
4
4/22 Women’s ACU (16-6, 7-3) SFA
(8-12, 4-6)
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