WHAT'S INSIDE
NEWS
FEATURE
Dead Day is packed with events for students to join in. Wondering what to pick? See what all is going on. Page 2
OPINION
A lot has happened since August. Look back at the past year of campus life. Page 4-5
College is dying for Optimist editor Allison Brown. Read her farewell column. Page 6
SPORTS
Athletic trainers open up about concussion treatment for student athletes. Pages 8
v
FINALS COUNTDOWN Friday, May 5, 2017 Vol. 105, Issue 31
A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Macy Goodenough, freshman English major from Abilene, and Chase Rogers, sophomore English major from Arlington, work on final assignments as the last week of classes comes to a close.
Delta Theta receives recharter approval BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
The women of Lucky 13 have received approval from the Office of Student Life to recharter the women’s social club Delta Theta. The group of 24 women completed all the steps to recharter the club, but still needs to get more sponsors before it can take pledges in the fall. Alyssa Ellison, student organizations and productions coordinator, said in order to start a social club, the group had to find on-campus sponsors,
start with a minimum of 10 members, and had to function as a student organization. The club already has one sponsor, Emerald Cassidy, associate director of enrollment marketing, and Ellison said Student Life wants the club to get at three more sponsors. “That’s something that we’re not worried about,” Ellison said. “We’re very confident that they’ll be able to find three more sponsors.” Delta Theta started in 1926, according to the 1990 Prickly Pear. The club went
inactive in 2011 after both of its sponsors resigned. The club’s colors are black and white, with green as an accent color, Ellison said. She said Student Life will help the club plan pledging because the members haven’t done it before. “The girls are going to kind of use the whole ‘come pledge with us’ pitch, because they’re all going to be kind of going through it together,” Ellison said. “It’s going to be a group effort.” Leksi Vasquez, vice president of Lucky 13, and Shelby Short, president of
“
If somebody has a passion for something, then we want them to be open in sharing what that is so that we can act on it.ˮ
LEKSI VASQUEZ VICE PRESIDENT OF LUCKY 13
Lucky 13, said they hope Lucky 13 will continue as a student organization for women to do service projects even with Delta Theta
rechartered. “If somebody has a passion for something, then we want them to be open in sharing what that is so that we can act on it,” said Vasquez, sophomore biology major from Wichita Falls. Lucky 13 hosted several service events on campus, helped with the Suicide Prevention walk and served residents at Chisholm Place, a senior living center. OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
Res Life restructures, changes positions BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
The Office of Residence Life is restructuring to provide a director of sophomore residence halls and to have one resident director in each hall next year. Jenny Butler will be the director of the first year residential experience; Jessica Nguyen will be the director of the second year residential experience. Bart Herridge, dean of student
engagement and retention, said this will allow the directors to structure residential programs that reflect what students are experiencing at different times of the year. "It's going to give us opportunities to be much more intentional about what's happening in the life of students," Herridge said. "There's no way we could have done that under the old AC [area coordinator] model."
“
It's going to give us opportunities to be much more intentional about what's happening in the life of students.ˮ
BART HERRIDGE DEAN OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND RETENTION
A full-time staff member called the resident director will live in each hall, rather than some resident directors, also called area coordinators, overseeing two halls. Resident directors oversee facilities, check-in,
discipline and community building. This year, Javan Furlow had more than 350 students to oversee as the area coordinator for both Edwards and Smith-Adams halls. Herridge said many students didn't have easy
access to their resident director. "From the students' perspective, it was frustrating because of access to a staff member," Herridge said. "From the staff members' perspective, by going to one building, your staff is smaller so you can spend less time working with the staff and more time working directly with students." Each hall is different, SEE RES LIFE PAGE 2
Professor opens home to sell g ̒ ood junk ̓ BY LAUREN FRANCO STAFF WRITER
Students, alumni and local Abilene vendors will open their shops Saturday afternoon at a professor's home. Rachel Riley, instructor of psychology, is hosting her Front Porch Market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 1725 Austin Street. This event provides an opportunity for the purchase of vintage furniture, hand-lettered pieces, handmade items, baked
tising. Riley’s husband Chris, vice president of student life, referred to it as, “an open house where people buy my good junk.” One of LYDIA LAWSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER the vendors, Savannah goods and other services, Pybus, a senior art edusuch as photography adver- cation major from North
Richland Hills, is selling original prints and paintings. She said she is most excited to meet the kind of people who care about art in the way that she does. “I wanted to participate in FPM because I wanted to be a part of a movement in Abilene that celebrates local talent and hard work,” Pybus said. “It's also an amazing way to meet other like-minded creatives.” Free drinks will be provided, and treats will be for
W W W. A C U O P T I M I S T. C O M
sale. Music will be provided by Lane Luttrell, Weston Weast and Pybus. Riley suggested that because the weather will be so great, attendees should bring a picnic and blanket. Next year, if students or Abilene residents would like to participate, they can contact Rachel Riley and pay a $5 fee. OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
Library schedules Reading Commons construction date BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
The Brown Library plans to complete construction on the Hansen Reading Commons in summer 2018. Located in the southeast corner of the Learning Commons across from Starbucks, the Reading Commons will have new and recommended books and periodicals. According to the Brown Library blog, the area will have lighting and seating appropriate for reading and a presentation space for poetry readings and other events. The construction was funded by alumnus Ray Hansen, in honor of his wife, Nancy. The Friends of ACU Library donated $10,000 for new books in the space, said Dr. Mark McCallon, associate dean for library information services. He said the books will be non-academic, so students can find books to read beyond reading required for courses. He said he doesn't want students come to the university and spend four years only reading textbooks. "Many students said they had difficulties locating new books to read for enjoyment," McCallon said. "We haven't done a great job displaying our new books." The Reading Commons will also feature an exhibition case to display rare books from the ACU Special Collections, according to the library blog.
OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
2
NE W S
Winter Guard to have spring show BY MAX PRESTON STUDENT REPORTER
Local winter guard teams will have a spring performance 7 p.m. Friday in Moody Coliseum to end the academic year. Winter guard is similar to color guard performances during football season, however, winter guard is an intensive indoor version of color guard.
“
In Abilene, Winter Guard is not that big of deal yet, so it's cool that ACU does it." AUSTIN PARSONS, SOPHOMORE BIOCHEMISTRY MAJOR FROM ABILENE
Winter guard Co-Captain Austin Parsons, sophomore biochemistry major from Abilene, said that a lot goes into the making of a performance. “It combines concepts of modern dance, contemporary dance and ballet technique,” Parsons said. “The show usually runs anywhere from four to seven minutes, depending on the difficulty level of your group. Our show will be about five minutes long.” In addition to ACU, Wylie, Cooper, and Abilene high schools will perform. Friday’s show will consist of the high schools performing first, then smaller ensembles from each school that performed in competition in Dallas and finally ACU’s winter guard will conclude the evening. Parsons said that Friday will be a good chance for the high schoolers to preview ACU. “In Abilene, winter guard is not that big of deal yet, so it’s cool that ACU does it,” Parsons said. “The better we perform, the more students we can recruit to come to ACU.” Winter guard member Laurel Drain, sophomore multimedia major from Fort Worth, said that the styles of music played will vary. “For everyone performing, it will be mixed,” Drain said. “This year we are using up beat music, but all of the shows will be different from each other.” This performance will close out a semester in which the winter guard performed in four different competitions. OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU
FRIDAY | MAY 5, 2017
Res life: halls see supervisor changes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
rectly with students." Each hall is different, Herridge said, and the new system will allow resident directors to focus on the needs of each individual hall. ACUPD Chief Jimmy Ellison said he supports the change because it will be more efficient for security. “We seemed to notice with the director model, there seems to be more structure in terms of building security and response to incidents," Ellison said. The smallest halls, Morris and McDonald, will still have one resident director overseeing both halls. One tower of Barrett Hall will become a men's residence to make room for a larger sophomore class, Herridge said. Resident assistants will now be called resident community leaders and assistant directors will now be called senior community leaders. HRR13B@ACU.EDU
COMMUNITY LEADERS BY HALL MABEE HALL
GARDNER HALL
Walker Logan Nick Gonzales Weston Weast Aaron Jones Harold Randolph Tyler Cepica Matthew Johnston Shane Sargeant Ryker Ratliff Mark Salazar Logan Owens Khamisie Green -Senior community leader Regan Hardeman -Senior community leader
Cerina Riley Gabriella Wasser Kyndal Merritt Madison McAdams Olive Tuyishimire Sara Chaney Tsion Amare Addie Lutz Hannah Webb Taylor Castleberry Abigail Alford Bradley Weast Brittany Taylor -Senior community leader Brie Hawkins -Senior community leader
SIKES HALL
NELSON HALL
Andrea Morlett Annelise Rubert Caitlin Wade Jalaiyah Chisholm Sarah Fagala Bethani Culpepper Nicole Kass -Senior community leader
BARRET HALL Adam Chambers Melissa Gant Shannon Roewe Jacqueline Cassell Shae Campbell Cole Drew Alex Warren Dillard Hall
Audrey Linder Chelsea Derbyshire Gracie Showers Hailey Perez Kelley Walker Madeleine Sangerhausen Mariesha Shaw Lexi Koon Morgan Anderson-Senior leader
MCDONALD HALL
Alexandria Buller Emily White Ruhika Roy Alexandria Hill Audrey Skogg Liliana Quiroz Bianca Tahuahua -Senior community leader
SMITH-ADAMS HALL
Clarissa Anne Lavaki Rachel Scott Brynn Barton -Senior community leader
MORRIS HALL Catherine Boyoma Rachel Best Samantha Michaels Lindsie Lawson -Senior community leader Rachel Perry -Senior community leader
MCKINZIE HALL
Donte Payne Aliyah Joy Ogletree Kendall Wermine Kole Peoples Micah Beaman Vanessa Ellis Madi Moody Ivana Munoz Senior community leader Seth Rungdit Senior community leader
community
EDWARDS HALL
Noah Monteiro Brazos Fitch Darryl Branch Chase Utley Jonathan Ellison Steven Carroll Austin Brown -Senior community leader
Darius Davis Jackson Monroe Joshua Winn Luke Fox Ryan Derrick Jarren Longoria Andrew Thompkins Ross Spears Tyler Ziemann -Senior community leader Coleton Spruill -Senior community leader
Finals week to bring lively Dead Day events BY ERIKA BOLADO STAFF REPORTER
Finals week is creeping upon us but, before your stress levels start to escalate, just remember that Monday is Dead Day – a day filled with fun activities to de-stress between studying. Dead Day was introduced in the 1992-93 school year, Director of Student Activities and Productions Tom Craig said. He said it “was a revitalization of an older tradition called Dead Week, which disappeared when changes occurred with the academic calendar that actually shortened the semester.” On-campus activities
include the Service Action Leadership Team hosting a recycling project at the University Church of Christ parking lot from 1–4 p.m., students can give and swap anything from furniture, clothes or household items. Students also receive a free cajun cone when they donate. A Dead Day Dance hosted by the Swing Cats called “Come Dance for an Hour and Then Go Study!” will take place 8–9 p.m. at Cullen Auditorium. There will be dancing, refreshments and recognition for graduating Swing Cats. Fun outfits are encouraged, but not necessary. The Honors College is giving out Chick-Fil-A
“
We gauge success based on how students are enjoying the day - and I think it's been well-received.” REBECCA BRIDGES THE GRACE MUSEUM
and Kona Ice snow cones to Honors students from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There will be a movie available in the Honors Commons and students will get a finals goody bag. There will be free Group Exercise classes in the Student Recreation & Wellness Center all week of finals. Students can also go to Midnight Breakfast from 10:30 p.m. to mid-
night and can recharge with games, karaoke and breakfast. The theme is beach/luau. You use your meal plan or pay $5. If you want to get off-campus on Dead Day, The Grace Museum will hosts the College DeStress Day for all college students from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students get free coffee, hot chocolate and breakfast. There are also art galleries you can take a look at or find a comfortable area to sit and study or relax. There will be movies playing, fire pits, live music and food trucks during lunch hours. Local therapy dogs also are part of the de-stress day event. Rebecca Bridges is in charge of programming
and interpretation at The Grace Museum. “We have always wanted to provide fun and interesting opportunities for our local students and at that time we were not getting much visitorship from college/university students so we started seeking a way to engage students without adding a huge commitment to their busy schedules,” she said. Bridges said they have had a good turnout on every event. “We gauge success based on how students are enjoying the day – and I think it’s been well-received.” EXB14A@ACU.EDU
POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 04/25/2017 5:00 p.m. Officers received a call of a person soliciting for money in the UCC parking lot. Officers found a longtime area resident selling raffle tickets; she agreed to leave. 04/28/2017 09:50 a.m. An area resident reported a suspicious male walking in an alley, 600 College; officers learned that the pedestrian lives in the 600 block of EN 18th and was simply out walking. 05/01/2017 08:15 a.m. ACUPD officers responded to a domestic violence call in the 2400 block of Campus Ct; the victim reported being assaulted by a relative. 911 CALL ACCIDENT ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY ADVICE ANIMAL CALL ASSIST BARRICADES BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK CHECK BUILDING CRIMINAL TRESPASS DISTURBANCE DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE ESCORT
1 4 23 2 1 5 6 11 263 1 1 2 6
FIRE FOOT PATROL FORGERY FOUND PROPERTY HIT & RUN INFORMATION REPORT INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP LOST PROPERTY MAINTENANCE UNIV ASSETS: CCTV MAINTENANCE: UNIV ASSETS
1 13 1 8 1 6 12 1 6 5
MEDICAL EMERGENCY MONITOR FACILITY/LOT MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART MOTORIST ASSIST: OTHER MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK NOISE VIOLATION OTHER PARKING LOT PATROL PARKING VIOLATION PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE
2 6 4
PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL PUBLIC SERVICE RANDOM PATROL REPORT WRITING 2 STAND BY 4 SUSPICIOUS PERSON SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE 1 TRAFFIC HAZARD 4 TRAFFIC STOP 29 TRAINING 2 WELFARE CHECK 5 TOTAL: 494
11 1 11 22 1 4 1 1 1 1 1
POLICE CHIEF TIP OF THE WEEK:
ACUPD thanks everyone for a safe school year. Good luck with finals!
N E WS
FRIDAY | MAY 5, 2017
3
Students win $10,000 at 10th Springboard
BY TORI ALDANA COPY EDITOR
The 10th annual Springboard Ideas Challenge, sponsored by ACU’s Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy, began in January. The competition had three divisions, one was open to Big Country community members, one was open to area high school students and another was solely for ACU students. “It’s our tenth year to host a Springboard competition of some kind, but they’ve morphed throughout the years,” said Karen Heflin, Springboard Program Coordinator. “The college competition was done in a semester long class because in the past students were kind of able to get together with their buddies over a weekend and just dream up an idea, write a business plan and submit it. There wasn’t a lot of work or preparation that really prepared them for starting a business, so we make them go through the Business Model Canvas.” This year, student participants had to enroll in a new class called Launch the Venture, taught by Dr. Litton, Assistant Professor in the Department of Management Sciences and Director of the Griggs Center. Also new this year is the High School division in partnership with Junior Achievement. Teams from Abilene, Cooper, Abilene Christian and ATEMS high schools participated. Sharaie and Rees Heizelman were announced the winners of the ACU competition after the presentations last Thursday. The community competition will end on May 16th with an awards luncheon. The top 13 teams that made it to the second
round, out of over 30 who participated, will be recognized. The top three teams will present to a group of 25-30 entrepreneurs, bankers, investors and community members to decide who will be awarded the $15,000 prize to fund their business or product. The ACU competitors’ incentive was $10,000 for their business and the high school division winning group was awarded at $10,000 scholarship to be divided between team members. Initially, six ACU teams participated in the competition, this is a lower number than previous years, Heflin said, but this is most likely because it is the transition year. Students in the class started thinking of an idea and a business plan back in January and took the semester to strengthen the idea. “It was a really good experience and I definitely want to be able to sell my product to other business to use because I think it’s important,” Alenia Robinson, junior advertising/public relations major from Liberty Hill, said. Robinson said the course incorporated all of the different elements of how to start a business, including finance as well as manufacturing and of the design of the product. Robinson and her business partner, Kara Ory, designed a lamp for kids to be able to reach their parents. Parents who are divorced, or deployed or even away on business trips would be able to leave a voice message on the child’s bedside table lamp through an app. It would also be touch screen where they could play games or write messages back and forth. Ory, junior social work
EMILY GUAJARDO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
This was the 10th year for the Springboard entrepeneur competition. major from Walnut Creek, California, is not a business major and had never taken a business class, but because Robinson was enrolled in the class she was able to help. Once they thought of a product together, Ory was on board to try and bring the idea to life. “I think once we started coming up with all these ideas, our, at least my, incentive was being able to give this product to kids and parents. If we win this could become a real product and see how it actually works,” Ory said. For the pair, the most fun aspect was designing the product. Two of the
hardest things were doing interviews, each team had to complete 100 interviews with their target consumers, and cost structure, Robinson said. The winners, Sharaie and Rees Heizelman, owe a lot of their success to Launch the Venture. “We definitely wouldn’t have won if we didn’t have the class because it prepared us a lot for what we need to do,” Sharaie Heizelman said. The winning idea was Paws, a security and social media integration to provide pet owners peace of mind. The product is a combination of a GPS
tracker, which goes on the dog’s collar and tracks them via GPS location, and an app Sharaie described as “kind of a Facebook for pets.” The goal of Paws is to help pet owners know where their pet is, and help them socialize with other pet owners. The app and tracker could also be used to set boundaries for the pet so the owner would be notified if the pet leaves where it is supposed to be. Rees Heizelman said the prize amount helped a lot of groups stay in the class, as an incentive, because it is a challenging course. In the future, the couple is hoping to enter competitions so they can earn more money to fund their project. They will be eligible to enter many of these once they are can create a prototype and do more research. “We definitely encourage those who are thinking about entrepreneurship to take this class,” said Rees Heizelman. “It’s really
helpful,” Sharaie added, “even if you don’t win you can really start to understand what you would need to make the business work.” Springboard is not the only event the Griggs Center sponsors throughout the year. Heflin said the Center tries to foster a gathering of entrepreneurs throughout the year, and provides free resources to aspiring entrepreneurs, both students and community members. “We just want to encourage people that have an idea to jump on it, and sometimes if they have some seed funding to do that then their more likely to try that,” Heflin said. “In addition, we want to train them on how to set up a business model, mentoring, talking with people about what has and hasn’t worked, communicate and interview about product in order to be successful.” VJA14A@ACU.EDU
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F E ATUR E S
FRIDAY | MAY 5, 2017
FRIDAY | MAY 5, 2017
5
ANOTHER
YEAR
AUGUST
The school year kicked off with a slew of fun events during Wildcat Week for freshmen, new students, and transfers – the week ended with a neon 80s dance party that lasted well into the night.
IN THE BOOKS From Wildcat Week to Homecoming to Sing Song, here’s a look back at the 2016-2017 school year.
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
Pledging capped off with Homecoming Weekend in October – including events like the parade, football game, and the Homecoming musical, Man of La Mancha.
Annual Fall pledging began in September and lasted for three weeks. The women of Zeta Rho also revamped their club with 30 pledges.
NOVEMBER In November, we remembered Katie Kirby – the sophomore member of GATA who passed away – with a memorial around the GATA fountain. We also watched the election of Donald Trump.
DECEMBER
JANUARY
In January, we marched to remember the life and activism of Martin Luther King, Jr.
FEBRUARY Sing Song ruled the month of February. The men of GSP, the women of GATA and the senior class came away with overalls wins in their respective categories.
MARCH
The 13th Annual FilmFest took place on March 31with the theme “rise,” debuting and celebrating eight films made entirely by students.
Finals week and Christmas celebrations took place in December, inclding the Parade of Lights downtown.
APRIL Senior Send-off happened at the end of the month with the traditional Candlelight Devo – sending graduating students off the same way they arrived.
MAY
Dead Day will take place on Monday before finals get into full swing, and 559 students will graduate May 13.
4
F E ATUR E S
FRIDAY | MAY 5, 2017
FRIDAY | MAY 5, 2017
5
ANOTHER
YEAR
AUGUST
The school year kicked off with a slew of fun events during Wildcat Week for freshmen, new students, and transfers – the week ended with a neon 80s dance party that lasted well into the night.
IN THE BOOKS From Wildcat Week to Homecoming to Sing Song, here’s a look back at the 2016-2017 school year.
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
Pledging capped off with Homecoming Weekend in October – including events like the parade, football game, and the Homecoming musical, Man of La Mancha.
Annual Fall pledging began in September and lasted for three weeks. The women of Zeta Rho also revamped their club with 30 pledges.
NOVEMBER In November, we remembered Katie Kirby – the sophomore member of GATA who passed away – with a memorial around the GATA fountain. We also watched the election of Donald Trump.
DECEMBER
JANUARY
In January, we marched to remember the life and activism of Martin Luther King, Jr.
FEBRUARY Sing Song ruled the month of February. The men of GSP, the women of GATA and the senior class came away with overalls wins in their respective categories.
MARCH
The 13th Annual FilmFest took place on March 31with the theme “rise,” debuting and celebrating eight films made entirely by students.
Finals week and Christmas celebrations took place in December, inclding the Parade of Lights downtown.
APRIL Senior Send-off happened at the end of the month with the traditional Candlelight Devo – sending graduating students off the same way they arrived.
MAY
Dead Day will take place on Monday before finals get into full swing, and 559 students will graduate May 13.
6
O PI N I ON
&
ED IT O R IA L
FRIDAY | MAY 5, 2017
College: A Eulogy, An Obituary, A Farewell ALLISON OFTEN ALLISON BROWN EDITOR IN CHIEF Senior convergence journalism major Midland, Texas
College has gone home to college heaven, where it will live on in old Instagram posts, Snapchat clips, Facebook albums and homecoming reunions twenty years from now when everyone we know will have three kids. College lived a long and prosperous four years, from August 18, 2013 – May 13, 2017. We gather here today to celebrate College, to remember what it did for us all, and to pass on the legacy of College to those who will come after us. Please join me as I indulge in a bout of nostalgia. College, for me, was born in Abilene, Texas long before I was. For most of my life, College was distant on the horizon, and I dreamed of what it’d be like to be on the Sing Song stage, live in a dorm or eat in the World Famous Bean. My life was flecked with purple and white: I had the onesie, the cheer uniform, the pillow case and the ACU Camp
keychains. I won’t forget when College came into my life that fateful August when I was 18 and into Hobby Lobby dorm decor, when the drive down the interstate meant I had a new place to call home. College began with lofted dorm beds, flickering candles and awkward conversations about our high school selves. As a freshman, I began to find who I wanted to be through Core annotated bibliographies, Chapel forums, late night trips to the Bean for cereal (or probably some peanut butter mixed with granola, yogurt, and chocolate chips), bonfires at Lake Fort Phantom, playing games in the West Lobby of Gardner, and talking with friends upstairs in the library when Starbucks was just a “We Proudly Brew” and there were still books on shelves and I had to search for the perfect table hidden away but close enough to a plug to keep my laptop
charged. College became my own when the freshman class won Sing Song, when I became friends with the two girls I sat by in Dr. Steven Moore’s English class and when I started writing news stories for the Optimist, which I’m sure were terrible. I was obsessed with College and I think College was pretty into me too. I knew I had found something special when I cried as I moved out of Gardner Room 107. In the second year of my relationship with College, we both entered a season of adolescent confusion as responsibilities piled up. The classes got a little harder and the friend groups shuffled around and most everyone’s identity seemed to suddenly be defined by a social club. There were a few hard months for my relationship with College marked by minimal amounts of sleep and yellow skirts, but despite my constant distress, College stayed with me through my messiest and most tired days. Across oceans and all-nighters, we grew closer. College brought moments that I look back on with longing nostalgia. College has made me question the
nature of time and left me wondering how I could possibly love a boring town like Abilene so much it makes my heart ache. College gave me this newspaper – this weekly list of tasks and stories and pieces of paper that mean more to me than most will ever know. But College is on its deathbed, about to breathe its last. This will be the last column I ever write in this dumb and wonderful publication. And I will leave a part of my heart printed on these pages. It is slowly sinking in – the reality that in August I won’t return down the flat stretch of I-20 to Exit 288. I will not have to produce a newspaper once a week or swipe into chapel. I won’t sit by the windows upstairs in the library or walk by the GATA fountain and trip over the pavement. I won’t ever be crazy enough to volunteer to be a Sing Song director. I won’t live a block away from my best friends or drive to Whataburger at 11:45 p.m. just because it sounds good. I won’t have to speed walk across campus to make it to my class on the third floor of COBA in time. There will be no more sneaking in
to Chapel on the Hill or late nights in the JMC building, no more bid nights or angry emails awaiting me after I publish something controversial. I won’t pop in my professor’s office in the middle of the afternoon to talk about whether I should move to a different country or discern if I should maybe endorse Hillary Clinton for president. I don’t know if you’ve felt it, or if you’re brave enough to – to feel the changing of the seasons, to notice the shifting winds, to tearfully look your professor in the eye and tell them, “Thank you for helping me become me who I am.” But I’m feeling it all today. I’m terribly excited and terribly sad, but I am ready for whatever’s coming because College really did prepare me for the world. College is survived by a new incoming class of freshmen who have no idea what they are in for, by another round of sophomores anxious to join a social club, by a new crop of juniors who are really into living off campus, and by upcoming seniors who will someday soon realize how much they actually love this town in the
middle of West Texas. It is also survived by a host of faculty and staff who love the students they teach, by mediocre food in the Bean, by everyone in Chapel still not knowing the words to Blessed Be Your Name, by Gardner still smelling like Gardner and the area outside the Bean that always smells like either grilled chicken or garbage, by an ever-growing population of feral cats, by a student government that will really try to make ACU an even better place, by Sing Song that will nearly kill us all with the black plague, by never ending construction on science buildings, by the highlighters that some of us got from the Christian Village during a Homecoming Parade when we were children, by Sharky’s ranch, by another year of The Optimist angering a very acute percentage of the student body, by the Lord Bless You and Keep You reverberating through the rafters of Moody Coliseum. In lieu of flowers, please bring a box of Kleenex to my graduation. AKB12B@ACU.EDU
COLUMN
Nothing has hit ‘til it actually happened DAILY DOODLE DOSAGE BEN TODD RESIDENT CARTOONIST Senior graphic design major Chang Mai, Thailand
Daily Doodle Dosage
I really did wake up on Thursday finding out that my last class I would ever take at ACU was yesterday. Well poop. I figured I was going to make a big deal about it or something. Maybe give a hooray, come to class in a suit, I don’t know. On the other hand, it did sum up my remaining weeks at ACU: nothing has really hit me until it already happened. Only after my last class did I realize it was the last one. Only after I left the rec did it really hit me that it was the last time
BEN TODD CARTOONIST
I would swing dance as a student. With this trend, I’m guessing that I’ll get the cold sweats of responsibility only once graduation day is a week behind me. Even though I may feel somewhat apathetic about the whole graduation process right now, I do enjoy thinking about all the opportunities a formal education has gotten me. Mind, I went to a college to major in a profession I did not particularly want to be a part of, but I hear that’s no different than a handful of students out there.
COLUMN
HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Junior convergence journalism major Alburquerque
Baylor University suspended a fraternity this week for racist behaviors at a Mexican-themed party. According to the Dallas Morning News, students dressed in sombreros and serapes and some reported that students painted their faces brown and dressed as construction workers and maids. The fraternity was suspended Monday after hundreds of students protested on campus. Whether you plan to celebrate the Mexican holiday, you will probably face is-
sues of cultural appropriation and you need to know where you stand. Cultural appropriation includes taking a cultural symbol and using it out of context or without respecting the meaning of the symbol. But how do we avoid cultural appropriation when our generation makes fun of everything? Our campus tries to avoid situations like the Baylor frat “Cinco de Drinko” party. As a member of GATA, I was told not to wear any type of Mexican costume to the
annual “Taco ’Bout GATA” rush. Last year, a rushee was asked to leave for wearing a mustache. A sombrero or mustache might seem like a joke, but it could be offensive to some people. With so many cultures represented on campus, it’s hard to know the difference between making a joke and cultural appropriation. We can debate the little things and get offended over mustaches, but it would be better to start respecting the origin of different symbols. You can celebrate Cinco de Mayo in a respectful way, if you appreciate the meaning of the holiday, which is a celebration of the Mexican victory over the French in the Franco-Mexican War. You can also remember what it feels like to have
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
HRR13B@ACU.EDU
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
your own cultural or religious symbols disrespected. I have always been disturbed by Kanye West’s use of “Yeezus” on his sixth album. No matter his motives, Kanye’s twisting of the name of Jesus is offensive because Jesus is so sacred to me. I have had to learn not to be offended because Jesus is big enough to handle Himself. Our generation may have forgotten how to honor sacred things, from Jesus to cultures and races, but we have to stand against that disrespect. We must learn to honor cultural symbols and forgive when others offend us, on May 5 and every other day of the year.
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‘Cinco de Drinko’ and cultural appropriation RATED R
To those who have been reading my comics for the last four years, thank you. I hope I was able to give you a smile or two when you picked up the paper after chapel. To the staff and students at The Optimist who had to keep me in the loop of news and editorial topics through constant texting and last minute emails, thank you for your patience. To the people who find themselves reading this article years from now (including myself), I hope I made a mark of some kind on this tiny blue planet that you would want to find an article like this and show it to me in my older age, I hope it cracks me up. Cheers, and thanks for the ride.
@acuoptimist @MADELYNBANE
graduation hadn’t set in until I just sat down to open InDesign only to learn that my adobe student discount expired. All is not ok. @SIMS_CARD
@madelynbane just wait until spotify charges you the full $9.99 for your premium account.
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SP ORTS
FRIDAY | MAY 5, 2017
7
Jones named Southland Coach of the Year BY MAX PRESTON SPORTS WRITER
The men and women’s tennis teams wrapped up their season on Sunday in Ojai, California with taking the doubles and singles championships, just days after head coach Hutton Jones was named Southland Conference Coach of the Year. The men concluded their season successfully as they captured a share of the Southland Conference title in a three way tie with Lamar and Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The men’s season started out with three tough non-conference matches as they got swept 7-0 against the University of Texas, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Oklahoma. However, the men went on a tear as they won seven straight non-conference matches, including a win over the University of Dayton and Air Force, before they lost to Northern Kentucky University. The men then went 5-4 in the rest of their non-conference matches to give them a 12-8 record. Two easy victories were chalked up for the men as they started conference with a 7-0 win over Nicholls State and a 6-1 victory against New Orleans. Lamar tested the men, however, and gave them their first lost in conference with a 5-2 score. The men then picked up a 7-0 sweep in a non-conference match against Midwestern State University before heading into their final two conference matches. With a 5-2 win over Incarnate Word and a match clinching win by
TENNIS sophomore Sebastian Langdon against Corpus Christi, the men earned their three way title with the help of the Islanders win over Lamar. For the women, their season began with ten non-conference matches. While they lost three of the first five, they turned around and won the next five in a row. The women also played two more non-conference matches against New Mexico State University and Midwestern State in between conference play and won both giving them a 9-3 record in that category. Central Arkansas handed the women a tough first loss in conference with a 4-3 score. However, the women bounced back with an impressive six straight conference wins before losing 4-3 to Northwestern State. The women closed conference with with two wins and a loss and grabbed a share for second in the Southland with Lamar and Central Arkansas. At the conclusion of the season, Head Coach Hutton Jones was named men’s and women’s tennis Southland Coach of the Year. This was the first time for him to win the award in his coaching career, although he was named Lonestar Conference Coach of the year multiple times. Jones said he was very pleased with his team’s performance this year. “We have put ourselves in the position we had envisioned when we started this DI extravaganza four
years ago, to win the conference in our 4 year waiting period and be ready to win a title in our 1st year, next year and go to the NCAA tournament.” Jones said. Freshman Jonathan Sheehy was honored as the Southland Conference freshman of the year, following in his older brother’s footsteps, who won it last season. Sheehy had 12 wins in singles including a 7-4 record at the No. 2 spot. He also had 14 wins as an individual in doubles matches. Sheehy was also named to the the second Southland Conference team for singles at the No. 2 spot, along with senior Nico Agritelley at the No. 3 spot and Langdon at the No. 6 spot. Sheehy said that he was proud of his team for working hard. “I feel like we really stepped up our game in conference this year,” Sheehy said. “Everyone pushed through the last matches of the year, although we were pretty worn out towards the end.” For the women, junior Lucile Pothier and freshman Sarah Adams were singles honorable mentions with Pothier at the No. 2 spot and Adams at the No. 4 spot. Pothier and junior Whitney Williams were given a huge honor by being named to the first doubles team at the No. 1 spot. Sophomore Jordan Henry and freshman Autumn Crossnoe were doubles honorable mentions at the No. 3 spot. Adams said that she enjoyed the experience of this season.
JOHN GREER III STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Top Left: Freshman Elizabeth Ryan puts the ball in play with a serve. Top Right: Freshman Sarah Adams tracks down the ball for the return. Bottom: Senior Nico Agritelley prepares to return the ball with a forehand.
“I am extremely blessed to have gotten an honorable mention. It makes the end of season taste a little sweeter,” Adams said. “I think this season
was such a learning experience, being on this team made me focus on bigger things than winning.” The men finished the season at 17-9 and had a
4-1 record in conference while the women finished at 17-6 and 8-3. MJP14B@ACU.EDU
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S P O RT S
Throwers, distance runners post seven wins BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS EDITOR
In the teams final tune-up before conference and its final home meet of the season, ACU came away with seven gold medal performances. All seven victories were contributed by the Wildcats’ distance competitors and throwers, but as a team they posted 11 lifetime bests. Sophomores Reagan Mabery and McKennon Cecil took home the gold in the women’s and men’s javelin respectively. Mabery recorded a throw of 134 feet 11 inches, which pushes her to fifth in the conference and Cecil won the men’s competition with a 177 foot four inch throw. Junior Ryan Simmons rounded out the impressive throwing performances with a winning hammer throw of 160 feet seven inches. In the distance events, ACU pulled a clean sweep of the 1500-meter and 5K runs on both the men’s and women’s side. For the women, sophomore Carnley Graham finished the 1500m race with a time of 4:46.86 and senior Sierra Bennett claimed
Softball Team
Ovrl. Div.
McNeese 36-16 21-3 Nicholls 33-17 17-7 29-20 17-7 ACU 26-24 16-8 Lamar 26-26 12-12 SELU 21-31 12-12 UCA 20-25 11-13 SHSU 21-29-1 11-13 NWSU 17-30 9-12 SFA 17-23 8-16 HBU 11-39 4-20 UIW TAMU-CC 9-34 3-18
Baseball Team
LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Left: Sophomore McKennon Cecil launches his first-place javelin throw. Top Right: Senior Taylor Yantis-Woods takes on the 100m hurldes in as part of the heptathlon. Bottom Right: Freshman Riley Ellis fires out of the blocks in the men’s 100m dash.
the 5K crown as she clocked a time of 19:05.65. Juniors Ryan Cleary and John Baker were victorious in the 1500m and 5K respectively. The win for Cleary is his second of the outdoor season and Baker’s first. Of the 11 lifetime bests posted on Wednesday, junior Kenzie Mascorro’s was one of the more impressive as she
tied the school record in the pole vault. Her career-best vault of 13 feet, 3.5 inches matched Angie Aguilar, who cleared the height in May of 2006. But despite tying the program record, Mascorro came up just short to UT-Arlington’s Helen Falda, who cleared 14 feet, 4.5 inches. The Wildcats will be off as a team until May 12 when
they travel to New Orleans for the Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. However, the throwers will stay busy this weekend when they compete at Texas Tech on Saturday. Head coach Lance Bingham said he expects the team to put together some good performances at the conference championships.
“There are a lot of really bright spots even as we just go forward and we’re excited to see where everything ends up here in a few weeks at conference,” Bingham said. “We’ve got some people that are going to be battling for some conference championships.”
Crash Course
JMR13B@ACU.EDU
Athletics weighs in on the topic fueling the sports safety iniative BY LAUREN FRANCO STAFF WRITER
After the 2015 hit movie Concussion was released, football and other contact sports were put under an infamous spotlight for their neglect of concussions. The movie was an argument targeting the NFL based off of the well-known case of football star, Mike Webster, a center for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. Webster played in the NFL for 16 years, and was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after his passing in 2002. CTE is a degenerative brain disease that can occur with repetitive concussions that have not been treated properly nor given the correct amount of time to be resolved. It causes symptoms parallel to dementia including severe memory loss, erratic behavioral changes and poor judgment. Because Webster’s case was so severe but ignored by the NFL, a microscope has been placed on NCAA student athletes, coaches and athletic directors. With ACU football coming out of their final year of probation, opening in a new stadium and performing under a new head coach, it is important to discuss the dangers that players face, and how ACU’s athletics program says they plan to go above NCAA requirements to keep players safe. to understand how concussions are a priority for ACU sports. David Chandler, a sophomore graphic design major from Dallas, plays for ACU as a linebacker. During his freshman year, he experienced a concussion that caused by a helmet to helmet collision that gave him a concussion lasting two weeks. Chandler says the hit was nothing out of the ordinary, but he suffered temporary memory loss and sensitivity to light and sound. According to an NCAA fact sheet for coaches, Chandler’s symptoms are few of the many warning signs of a potential concussion. Reported symptoms are headaches, nausea, balance problems, dizziness, and concentration problems. In addition, signs that coaches and trainers look for are behavioral changes, confusion, clumsy movement, and slow response time. Adam Ybarra, director of sports medicine and athlet-
STANDINGS
DANIEL TAPIA GRAPHIC DESIGNER Concussion - a brain injury that may be caused by a blow tot he head, face, neck or elsewhere on the body with an “impulsive” force transmitted to the head.
ic training, said the NCAA fact sheets assist in his main concern – educating staff and players. It isn’t just about recognition and accountability, but also about “making sure the guys know how to tackle, what they can and can’t do, keeping their head up, keeping safe,” Ybarra said. “Most importantly not hurting our own players from friendly fire.” When a player is suspected of having a concussion, there is a cycle of steps that they must go through to be cleared for play. First, the player is evaluated through an interview done by an athletic trainer. After asking what happened and how the impact occurred, the player sits out for 15 minutes of rest. They are then reassessed to differentiate between a headache and a true concussion. If the player is diagnosed with a concussion, they are required to fully rest until their symptoms subside. Ybarra said some of the frustration from players comes from the undefined length of the rest period. This time can last from 24 hours to months, but is a crucial time in preventing further injury. “The studies show that the more concussions you get, and if you don’t come back from it correctly, you’re at higher risk,” Ybarra said. In addition to the rest period, players are required to go through a six-day protocol. After the symptoms have subsided, players begin to workout again starting
with a 20-minute bike ride to increase the heart rate. Each day, a full evaluation is done. If at any point symptoms resurface, the rest period is restarted. Return to Learn is also an initiative at ACU in which professors work with the athletic department to help student athletes to make a full recovery in the classroom. Because the brain is a muscle, it has to be treated similar to any other physical injury. Ybarra explained that if a player had a sprained ankle, they wouldn’t immediately go run on it. In the same way, the brain cannot fully go back into a class’ workload right after a concussion. Although Ybarra discussed the Return to Learn program as if it was common knowledge, not many professors have heard of it. Dr. Stephen Austin, a parttime professor in the Bible, Missions and Ministry department said he is unaware of the program and hasn’t had any experiences with helping concussed athletes. “I don’t have any experience as far as I know,” Austin said. “I would think the hard part would be for them to be honest with themselves and others about how long they could stand. It would be easy to skip out on class and say you felt terrible unless you’re a motivated student.” Lastly, Ybarra emphasized that these evaluations aren’t just pass or fail. Alongside the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT 3) and impact tests, it is ultimately
up to the trainers, acting as the main screen, to decide when a player is ready to return to play. According to the National Athletic Trainer’s Association, trainers are qualified to make these decisions because they must have a degree from an accredited professional athletic training education program in addition to passing a comprehensive test given by the Board of Certification. After these steps, they must continue working on their education under a physician. The main risk of concussions isn’t how hard the hits or how big the players, but rather the skill and talent. Because ACU will be playing teams such as Baylor and Air Force, skill has become an increasing issue. While direct hard contact is dangerous, hits on the side are more of a concern due to the potential rotational velocity. Positions most susceptible to this are in the middle of the field and include linebackers, defensive and offensive lines because they collide, through blocking and tackling, at a short distance in the middle of the field. Head Football Coach, Adam Dorrel agreed that the biggest part of safety is informing and staying up to date with safety. Because the sport is under attack, he has become more conscious of his efforts to increase health and decrease risk of injury. Weekly, each player has their helmet fitted properly. Also, Dorrel uses the film from drill work to point out
when a player is blocking or tackling properly. Before the season begins, players are shown educational videos. Lastly, players must wear mouth guards that fit correctly. Despite these precautions, Dorrel said the main problem isn’t when players don’t abide by them, it’s when they act in negligence and don’t report their symptoms in fear that they will lose playing time. “The problem with a concussion is that the kid hides it,” Dorrel said. “So the biggest problems I’ve seen, is if the kid takes a hit, and he doesn’t tell you about it, and he lets it fester for 72 hours, that’s when you have problems. So what I’ve tried to do in educating our staff on is if I see a collision in practice that didn’t look right, I’ll go get that kid and pull him out.” Dorrel also emphasized that personal relationships with players increases trust, making them feel comfortable about being open and honest about their health. Lee De Leon, director of athletics, said he is confident in the athletic training staff to keep the players healthy, even with the hype of the new stadium and coaching staff. “There’s a very strict protocol that Adam and his staff follow every time someone shows concussion-like symptoms,” De Leon said. “We were doing it already, but now it’s mandated by the NCAA to have a concussion protocol. Adam and his staff do a great job of making sure that all of our athletes are healthy and taken care of and adequately tested and assessed when they suffer any kind of head injury.” Chandler also said he is excited for the upcoming season and working with the new coaching staff. “Honestly the amount that the new coaching staff has disciplined our unit and made sure we do things the right way has greatly impacted safety,” Chandler said. “We move and put ourselves in position to make better quality plays without injury. The excitement can come from that. We will be such a crisp and precise team that it will be fun to watch us have fun and win with minimal injuries.” LMF14A@ACU.EDU
Ovrl. Div.
McNeese 30-13 SHSU 30-15 HBU 22-18 SELU 29-15 SFA 25-21 UCA 24-20 Lamar 26-20 UNO 22-22-1 Nicholls 23-23 TAMU-CC 15-30 UIW 18-26 NWSU 16-27 ACU 12-30
19-5 15-6 14-7 15-9 13-8 12-9 12-12 10-11 10-11 7-14 6-15 6-15 1-11
WHO’S HOT After posting his best throw of the season and his career, junior Hunter Josh Hunter earned Southland Conference Athlete of the Week. His throw of 178-08 earned him third place at the Wildcat Open last week, but catapulted him to the top of the Southland Conference rankings ahead of the conference championships.
BREAKING ACU tennis swept the Ojai Invitational last weekend, earning the women’s doubles and singles titles, as well as the men’s doubles and singles titles. In fact all four finals consisted of only Wildcat athletes. Next year when the team resumes play it will officially be Div. 1.
MATCHUPS Baseball 4/28 ACU 5 K-State
6
5/2 ACU
0
TCU
3
5/5-5/7 ACU (12-30, 1-11) UCA
(24-20, 12-9)
5/12-5/4 ACU (12-30, 1-11) NWSU
(16-27, 6-15)
Softball 4/29 ACU
3
UCA
7
5/5-5/6 ACU
(29-20, 17-7)
SFA
(17-30, 9-12)
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