Optimist the

a product of the JMC

network

Friday, January 30, 2009 :: Vol. 97, No. 32 :: 1 section, 8 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com

Inside This Issue:

Pg 2

Pg 4

ResLife Resident Assistant application deadline nears

Pg. 8: Surprise Snap: ACU upsets Tarleton, breaks losing streak Pg 5

Peculiar Pupils: Student enrolled in same class as her grandmother

Student band competes in Dallas Battle of the Bands

SA divvies up more than $30K

Clinic hires new staff, hopeful for arrival By Katie Gager Student Reporter

The university plans to renovate the campus medical clinic, and in doing so, has hired a new physician and nurse practitioner. Dr. Ellen Little (’92), daughter of the late Dr. John Little, professor emeritus of biology at ACU, was hired as a permanent physician and Michelle Drew, as a permanent nurse practitioner. “We couldn’t have asked for a more incredible staff,” said Jean Noel-Thompson, dean of student life. “They are a star cast and a quality team.” Little and Drew are passionate about missions, Thompson said. Little is presently working in Uganda on a medical mission and will begin her work at ACU in the summer. Drew also served in Africa on several medical mission trips and will move from Vanderbilt School of Nursing in Tennessee to begin work on campus around March 1. Due to experience in the mission field, the new staff hopes to become more serviceoriented by implementing and providing students with possible long-term mission trips during the summer. In the meantime, starting Sunday, Dr. Sarah Trammel will work part-time on-campus. Trammel recently moved

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer Students’ Association Parliamentarian Caleb Archer, senior political science major from Southlake, and SA President Daniel Paul Watkins, senior political science major from Fredericksburg Va., discuss the spring semester budget during Wednesday’s SA Meeting in Hart Auditorium. The SA Congress voted to allocate more than $34,000 among 30 student organizations.

Provost Hunters Nine members of the ACU faculty and staff were selected by the Faculty Senate to be members of the Provost Search Committee:

By Daniel Johnson-Kim Editor in Chief

After examining several applications from across the nation, the Provost Search Committee is one step closer to finding ACU’s new chief academic officer. The committee, which is comprised of a team of nine ACU faculty or staff chosen by the Faculty Senate, selected at least 10 submitted applications to follow up on and is interviewing the handful of hopeful applicants. Those applicants were chosen from the pile of people who applied or were nominated after the open position was advertised on ACU’s Web site and in the Christian Chronicle. The committee plans to narrow the pool to three or five candidates who will be See

Search page 7

n *Dr. MeLesa Breeding, dean of the College of Education and Human Services n Dr. Cheryl Bacon, chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication n Dr. Patricia Hernàndez, professor of biology n Dr. Foy Mills, chair of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences n Dr. Eric Gumm, assistant director of Academic Advising and the First-Year Program n Dr. Rick Lytle, chair of the College of Business Administration n Dr. Gary McCaleb, vice president of the University n Dr. Mark Hamilton, associate professor of Old Testament n Dr. Brent Reeves, assistant professor of management sciences *Search Committee Chair

ACu WeAtHer

MOST

q

Committee narrowing search for new Provost

q

The 86th Students’ Association Congress approved the Spring 2009 Budget, 350-1, allocating $34,412.96 among 30 student organizations. This compares to the $37,366.99 granted to 46 student groups in fall 2008. With a $25,000 roll-over from last semester and $35 per undergraduate student from the student activity fee, Congress’ total revenue

T h e was $100,000. Students’ Association Spring 2009 Budget congresIn addition sional budto the student Requested Granted get, comorganization prised of allocations, Alpha Epsilon Sigma ACU Swing Cats the project the appropria$6,750 requested $12,453 requested fund and tions commit$4,625 granted $1,878 granted student retee received quest fund, $10,000, as Model U.N. Mu Phi Epsilon obtained well as an ad$100 requested $231.36 requested a total ditional $205 $65 granted $29 granted $18,975.84. that Congress cut from the student groups’ organizations that need ad- Congress members use the funds before the budget’s ditional resources for spe- project fund to finance various final approval. This commit- cific events can request fi- ventures; some past examples include free coffee during fitee is set up where student nances from it.

q

Chief Copy Editor

LEAST

q

By Kelline Linton

Saturday

Sunday

High: 65 Low: 31

High: 68 Low: 42

High: 63 Low: 31

See

Budget page 4

See

Clinic page 7

Cancellations cause minimal effect acuoptimist.com See videos and a slideshow profiling life on campus during Tuesday’s wintry and icy weather

By Michael Freeman Managing Editor

Icy conditions around the Abilene area caused ACU officials to cancel classes for a day and a half; however, Tuesday and Wednesday’s closures should not drastically alter class schedules. “We’re early enough in the semester that professors can adapt their syllabuses,” said Jim Holmans, executive assistant to the president. “It’s not a big deal at this point in the semester. If we were at the end of the semester, it would be a big deal.” An Arctic cold front rolled into the Big Country Monday, bringing with it sleet and freezing rain that caused hazardous conditions. Low temperatures Tuesday and Wednesday kept the roads

More from the

Friday

nals week, free bowling on Tuesdays and the support of the new disc golf course. The student request fund permits student organizations to request money for trips. Last semester, Alpha Psi Omega, ACU’s nationally recognized honorary theatre society, received the largest allocated finances from this fund when Congress gave it more than $3,000 to help subsidize two trips.

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer Neal Tivis, sophomore undeclared major from Denton, reaches out and grabs Brandon King, sophomore political science major from Denver City, for support as the two slide on ice next to the Brown Library on Tuesday.

slippery and forced university officials to cancel classes Tuesday and delay classes until noon Wednesday. Wednesday’s afternoon classes resumed as scheduled. “The difference between Tuesday and Wednesday was

on Tuesday we knew the temperatures were not going to warm up at all,” said Jimmy Ellison, chief of the ACU Police Department. “And on Wednesday, while it was icy and it was well below freezing, we had reports that as soon as the sun

got up above the horizon, it would quickly warm up into the 50s, so we knew that everything would be thawed, and the streets would be melted and safe for travel.” See

Online Poll : Log onto www.acuoptimist.com or www.youtube. com/acuvideo to see weekly News casts and Sports casts from the JMC Network News Team and videos profiling various events and stories around campus and Abilene.

Effect page 4

What do you feel about the SA Congress spring budget?

a. It was unfair. b. They are very good stewards. c. My organization needs more cash. d. They did what with my money?

acuoptimist.com Department of Journalism and Mass Communication ::

Abilene Christian University

::

Serving the ACU community since 1912

2

Campus Day Friday, January 30, 2009

Calendar and Events

30

31

6:30 p.m. A Black History Month opening service will take place at King Solomon Baptist Church.

11 a.m. A Black History parade will begin at the Woodson Community Center.

Friday

1

Saturday

8 p.m. The Abilene Philharmonic will 7:30 p.m. perform a classical concert at the Cooper High School will present High School Musical in the school’s Civic Center. auditorium.

acuoptimist.com

2

Sunday

5:20 p.m. Super Bowl XLIII, featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals, will be played in Tampa Bay, Fla.

Watch videos of the men and women’s basketball from the LSC South Division contest.

Monday

7:40 a.m.- 4 p.m. A Community Scholastic Book Fair will take place in the Comanche Middle School library.

Students who attended Monday’s Chapel will be rewarded a “Dean’s Credit” for good behavior, and all students will receive two credits for Tuesday and Wednesday’s Chapels that were

missed because of bad weather. These credits may take a few days to appear on student records.

Log on to www.youtube.com/acuvideo to see videos of the snow day, pre-season baseball and a personality profile of mail desk clerk, Nita King.

School of Nursing applications are due in the Registrar’s Office by Sunday. Summer 2009 registration dates have been changed to Feb. 25. All classifications will begin registering for classes at 3 p.m. The advising release codes will be the same ones used for spring registration. Talk to your adviser for more information or go to the Registrar’s Web site: http://www.

acu.edu/campusoffices/registrar/ schedulebulletin/index.html. Residence Director/Residence Assistant applications are due at the front desk of McDonald Hall by Friday at 5 p.m. Mayor Norm Archibald will deliver the 2009 State of the City Address Feb. 5 in the Civic Center. A Wii Super Bowl party will be in the Abilene Public Library’s main auditorium on Saturday from 3-5 p.m. It will include a Wii, Madden Football, snacks and table-top

finger football. The event is free. Monday is the last day to withdrawal from a class for a 60 percent refund. The second Wildcat Preview Day of the semester will be Friday. Prospective students and their parents will have the opportunity to experience student life, sit in classes and explore campus.

Reslife job deadline fast approaching By Katie Hoffman Student Reporter

The deadline to become a lifeline is fast approaching. Jan. 30 at 5 p.m. marks the final date to submit resident assistant applications to the front desk of McDonald Hall. Along with the application, two letters of reference, a thoughtful and well-written cover letter responding to listed questions and a résumé are required for consideration. Applicants must meet certain guidelines for acceptance,

including a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher, good standing with the university and a fulltime student (12 hours or more) designation. They also must have lived in an ACU residence hall and completed 24 semester hours at the university. Applicants must be “familiar with hall emergency procedures and protocols” and willing to “limit outside activities during the period of employment to a maximum of 20 hours per week and attend all training sessions and orientation meetings.” An RA’s work-life balance is

only one of the many perks that prompted Alaina Love, freshman nursing major from Overland Park, Kan., to apply. For Love, the job just made sense: she gets along well with younger people and was a peer mentor in the past. The compensation also was appealing — the job’s benefits are a free, private room and a $1,280 stipend. As Love can testify, RAs are important because they ensure all residents a stable friendmentor relationship among the sometimes-tumultuous college experience. By planning bonding activities like gamenights, bonfires, movie nights and pancake nights, RAs bring residents together in a fun and safe environment where forming meaningful relationships is easy. They also do a lot behind the scenes, such as praying for residents, resolving disputes, directing residents to appropriate resources and even initiating tough conversations or disciplinary actions. Lindsey Sobolik, senior art major from Dallas and RA, stressed the importance of forming community in the sometimes impersonal residence halls.

To ensure that an item will appear on time, the announcement should To ensure that an itembe sent least 10 will at appear ondays time,before. the The Optimist may edit items for announcement should be sent space at least 10 and daysstyle. before. The andfor OptimistCorrections may edit items clarifications space and style. of published news articlesand will be printed in Corrections this space of in published a timely manner. clarifications news articles will be printed in

Credited Chapels to date:

14

Credited Chapels remaining:

59

Volunteer Opportunities

Announcements The Abilene Public Relations Organization will sponsor a business etiquette workshop at Hendrick Medical Center on Friday from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The workshop will feature business etiquette expert from Dallas, Colleen Rickenbacher. The workshop costs $75 at the door and includes breakfast and lunch.

The Optimist maintains thisOptimist calendarmaintains for the ACU The tothe keep track of thiscommunity calendar for ACU local social, academic community to keep track ofand localservice social,opportunities. academic and may send service Groups opportunities. announcements Groups may senddirectly to jmcnetwork@acu.edu or to the announcements directly to Page 2 Editor at or to the jmcnetwork@acu.edu Pagesar06g@acu.edu. 2 Editor at sar06g@acu.edu.

Chapel Checkup

Webcast

Online News Cast

AboutThis ThisPage Page About

“It’s been good to learn a whole lot about how to lead, how to create community and what community looks like,” she said. “Not just community like of family or friends, but community among a group of people.” Through the experience, Sobolik said she has acquired all of the sought-after skills advertised in the RA job description: “Christ-centered leadership, communication (written and verbal), honesty and integrity, teamwork skills, a strong work ethic, flexibility and adaptability, interpersonal skills, organizational skills and creativity.” Although Sobolik initially had doubts about her ability to handle the job, she said continuous prayer confirmed the calling. She said to aspiring RAs, “If you really want to and have a heart for it, then you’ll have an awesome time and enjoy every minute of it.” For a detailed RA job description and application, visit http:// www.acu.edu/campusoffices/ residencelife/employment.html.

E-mail Hoffman at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Communities in Schools at Fannin Elementary School needs volunteers for one to two hours at 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Volunteers will give extra help to students in an after-school tutoring class. Come by the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center downstairs in the Campus Center for more information.

seum relies on capable and trained volunteers. For more information about volunteer opportunities at The Grace Museum, call 673-4587.

Abilene Hope Haven needs volunteers to provide childcare while parents are in a class. Volunteers are needed Monday through Thursday from 6:45- 8:15 p.m. For more information, contact Christine Spillers at 437-0611.

Love and Care Ministries needs volunteers to help with the clothing ministry in the facility’s dining room and at street feeds. Volunteers also will help maintain and clean the facility from either 9 a.m. or 1-5 p.m. For more information, contact Terry Davis at 670-0246.

Meals on Wheels is always looking for volunteers to deliver meals to some of the homebound members of the community. The commitment is once a week. Volunteers will pick up the meals from the Meals on Wheels building and deliver them to people around Abilene. It takes one hour each week. Call Mitzi McAndrew at 672-5050 to volunteer. Remember this project is approved as a Faith in Action Chapel exemption. Pregnancy Counseling Services of Abilene needs volunteers to counsel women in crisis pregnancy. In addition to mandatory training, volunteers will help keep a donation room clean, enter data from client intake sheets, market the center and help with mailouts. Noah Project, a center for victims of family violence, needs volunteers to answer its hotline from 6-10 p.m. Training will be provided, and after completing training, volunteers can sign up for time slots. Volunteers can sign up as often as needed. Hendrick Equine Rehabilitation Opportunities is looking for volunteers to assist riders with his or her tasks. Volunteers are needed Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:30 - 5 p.m., and must volunteer for at least an hour. Volunteers must attend a training session on March 3 at 4:30 p.m., or March 5, at 2:30 p.m. The International Rescue Committee is looking for volunteers to help refugees, who recently moved to the U.S., with learning English, homework and mentoring. The Grace Museum is always in need of volunteers. Volunteers play a vital role in the daily operation of the museum. The minute visitors walk through the door, the experience in the mu-

Interested Citizens of Abilene North needs volunteers on Saturday to help clean up a house that will be refurbished soon. Volunteers are needed from 9 a.m.-noon.

Big Brothers Big Sisters always is looking for college students to be matched with a “little brother” or “little sister.” “Bigs” can eat lunch with “littles” once a week for 30 minutes at the child’s school for the Lunch Buddies program, or arrange activities with the child through Wildcat Kids or the Community-Based program. For more information, contact Jamie Bearden from Big Brothers Big Sisters at 677-7839. The Center for Contemporary Arts needs volunteers to greet patrons, answer phones and help with gallery shows. Volunteers are needed Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., or 5-8 p.m. For more information, call Saybra Giles at 677-8389. The Access Learning Center needs volunteers to help elementary school kids with homework, reading, computers and games. Call Bret Hines at 670-9727 to make an appointment and begin scheduling times to volunteer. The Abilene Boys and Girls Club is looking for volunteers to help children of all ages with games, art, gym time, reading and computer skills. Volunteers are needed Monday through Friday from 3:30- 6 p.m. For more information, contact Mark Denman at 674-1712. Find out volunteer opportuni ties by visiting the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center’s Web site at www.acu.edu/vslc and clicking on Volunteer Opportunities. For more information or to sign up to help, contact the Vunteer and Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout.

CAMPUS NEWS

Friday, January 30, 2009

Page 3

ACU employees begin move into new Center New foreign language to be offered at ACU By Laura Acuff

Opinion Page Editor

Offices should complete the move into the Bob and Shirley Hunter Welcome Center by Monday at the latest in preparation for its Feb. 21 dedication. “I would say, it’s probably pushing 30-40 percent moved in today,” said Kevin Roberts, associate vice president of operations, on Thursday. “It’s just been a success all the way around.” Offices began the move into the Welcome Center earlier this week, scheduled for specific days for maximum efficiency. “A lot of credit goes to Scott Colley, Kay Reeves and Yvonne Akens, all three worked really hard with the offices just kind of interviewing them,” Roberts said. “They were really diligent with each office to make an order that made a lot of sense, and it’s actually gone better than we’d hoped for. We’re actually way ahead of schedule.” Although ice kept the university closed Tuesday and Wednesday morning, Roberts said weather failed to delay the Welcome Center’s progress. Most of the remaining work involved small details inside. “Anytime you’re building a building of this size, there are always a thousand last-minute details,” Roberts said. Although the new office spaces sport new furniture, moving offices still needed to pack up personal items and computers along with files and documents, Roberts said. Despite any current in-

convenience from moving, Roberts said the center will provide benefits unique to its location. “It’s just an exciting place to be, I think, given the offices that are over here are given high visibility for our campus guests,” Roberts said. “It’s exciting to have such a beautiful location to welcome our guests to campus. It’s a great message to our campus visitors on how much we value them and welcome them to our campus.” Bruce Evans, executive vice president for ACU Foundation, also said the new location should benefit his office, which works primarily with the university’s endowment and gifts to the university. “I think we’ll have much better access for visitors on the campus, particularly people being able to find a place to park near our facilities,” Evans said. “It’s going to be a wonderful change for us; we’ve had cramped space both for personnel and for files and documents that we maintain and no real meeting place for guests who come to the campus.” Additionally, Evans said he looks forward to the conglomeration of offices, previously spread across campus, moving into the center and sharing closer quarters. The ACU Foundation, Evans said, began packing its offices before Christmas break, when officials still anticipated moving in prior to students’ return for the spring semester. “It’s been interesting,” Evans said. “We’ve been able to accommodate that, but of course, when you pack anticipating a move, and then it’s delayed, there are always things you

By Linda Bailey Student Reporter

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer Hayley Webb, director of admissions, unloads boxes into her new office at the Hunter Welcome Center on Thursday.

need that are packed, so we find ourselves frequently sorting through boxes.” Regardless, Evans said his experience with the move has been positive without any major setbacks. “It’s gone well,” Roberts said. “It’s just a testimony to the community here at ACU and how they’ve worked together. It’s not fun to move, but people were prepared. It’s gone pretty smoothly.”

E-mail Acuff at: lka06a@acu.edu

UP, Grove to target football fans with Super Bowl extravaganzas By Scott Adrian Student Reporter

The Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for the 43rd Super Bowl game Sunday night. The kickoff is scheduled for 5:20 p.m., and students can find several places around campus where they can watch every second of the big game’s action. The Grove apartment complex has an event that begins at 10 a.m. “The event is open for all the community,” said Jenna Boruff, the Assistant General Manager of The Grove apartments. The open invitation should allow all ACU students to feel welcome in coming to The Grove, and will encourage them to bring any friends that wish to enjoy a great time, Boruff said. “The game room that we have will be split in half for the two teams and have

elaborate decorations for both sides — the Cardinals and the Steelers,” Boruff said. “There will be food, drinks and prizes for those involved in cheering on their teams and also all the amenities in the game room.” Some of the amenities students will be able to use include a pool table and poker table. For students looking for an event closer to campus, one should head to the University Park clubhouse. “The event starts at 5 p.m. and lasts the whole game long. There will be tons of food and drinks, and it’s open to everybody,” said Stephanie Stryhal, a resident assistant at the University Park apartments. “There will be plenty of rooting for the teams during the game, but during halftime, games will be played. You can find the festivities in the University

Park clubhouse.” As for residence halls, many students have reserved the lobbies in preparation for the event. Two lobbies reserved for the Super Bowl include Edwards Hall and Gardner Hall. The game will be broadcast on NBC, which is Channel 5 on the ACU cable system. Whether you are cheering for the Cardinals or the Steelers or just wanting to watch the commercials, there should be no trouble finding a place to eat, play games and watch the big event.

E-mail Adrian at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

A Warm Welcome The new offices that will relocate into the new Bob and Shirley Hunter Welcome Center: n The ACU Foundation n Admissions and Recruiting n Alumni Relations n Campus Recruiting n Career Center n Development n Enrollment n Graduate Recruiting n Investment Services n Multi-Cultural Recruiting n Scout Recruiting n University Relations n Vice Chancelor office n Vice President of the University

The Department of Foreign Languages will offer two yet undecided language classes for the Fall 2009 semester based on student input. Harland Rall, associate chair of the Department of Foreign Language, said the new classes are part of a special language program called, “Dialektos.” This two-year program is used in other universities throughout the country, and now the department is adapting the program to ACU. Rall said it works with a supervising professor who creates learning objectives, but the bulk of the learning process is based on native speakers interacting with the students. “We don’t have to hire a professor for every language,” Rall said. “It changes how we can do language.” Paul Roggendorff, adjunct professor of Spanish, said the classes would be different from the traditional foreign language class. “It’s not the teacher up front directing everybody,” Roggendorff said. “It is much more; the students are in charge of learning and mastering, but with the student[s] in charge, they are also empowered to be able to learn what they want to a little bit more.” Beginning last semester, the department offered a Mandarin Chinese class to act as a pilot course for the program. The class had five students and two faculty

members, including Rall. The supervising professor was in Beijing, and two native speakers directed classroom practice sessions. After recognizing the success of this class, Rall said the department was ready to add two more languages to the available curriculum. The department currently provides two years of French, German and Latin, as well as Spanish as a major. “We think we can expand, keep Mandarin and add two more languages next fall,” Rall said. “We would like for the ACU student body to be a part of helping us decide what language it would be.” Rall said the courses only would allow five students per class, making an application process necessary. “In this application process, we would try to group five students with a similar major because as the class developed, early on they could bring vocabulary into it that is more specific to their major,” Rall said. Because of the untraditional format for the classes, Rall said the department was looking for highly motivated students. “It requires a special kind of student,” he said. “You are developing an ability to go abroad and, minimally at least, converse in a language. It takes a lot of study and preparation before you come to the practice sessions to do well.”

E-mail Bailey at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

FROM THE FRONT / CAMPUS NEWS

Page 4

Friday, January 30, 2009

Budget: SA Congress debates, votes on budget amendments Continued from page 1 The executive officer student initiative fund received $3,000; this fund was created last year to allow the Cabinet to finance projects for its constituents. Each class obtained $500 to be handled by the class senators. Spencer Hemphill, treasurer of SA Congress, said the money could be used by the class Sing Song directors. Hemphill said Congress “should not pay for one specific Sing Song act,” but participants in group acts should pay a fee like social club members already do. Keeping to this viewpoint, neither Hispanos Unidos nor the International Students Association received requested funds for Sing Song. The student group that obtained the most funds was Alpha Epsilon Sigma, an organization geared toward agriculture and environmental science majors. Congress granted it $4,625

out of its requested $6,750. The student group that received the least funds was Mu Phi Epsilon, an international music fraternity; Congress allocated it $29 out of its requested $231.36.

Debates and Amendments The most heated budget dispute among SA Congress members was whether to approve allocations for food or drinks. “We need to look at the big picture; what is its purpose?” Hemphill said. “Clubs that are around a long time do not need food at interest meetings, but a new club might. It really just depends on the situation.” Some members said groups should not receive money for food and drinks at meetings. Kyle Moore, off-campus rep., said, “I don’t agree on feeding people at their own meetings. If they need dinner, they should find their own dinner. I don’t think weekly meetings are SA’s business.”

Congress discussed the distinction between interest meetings and weekly meetings, and Jordan Hancock, Hardin Administration Building rep., said they could not make exceptions for certain groups, or everyone would want free food. But Hemphill said, “If you start making general rules across the board without seeing the whole picture, it does not make it fair.” After discussion, debate and the passing of one amendment, two student groups — Chinese Christian Fellowship and Fellowship of Christian Athletes — were given funds for refreshments at their meetings. Hemphill said FCA reaches a specific niche of people who do not always participate in other groups. He said because athletics are a big deal at ACU and the athletes practice a lot, they usually do not have the time to connect to other people on campus. Besides a retreat, the

refreshments at FCA’s weekly meetings were the only evidence the athletes would see of their student activity fees. “Look at the whole picture,” Hemphill cautioned. “Who participates in these groups? Is this the only return they see on their fees?” Congress gave the allocations to Chinese Christian Fellowship under similar circumstances. “You might say they can write to the Christians in China and ask for funds,” Byron Martin, senior senator, said. “They can’t, and for us to be stingy about this is ridiculous.” The amendment to give CCF $250 for food and drinks at its weekly meetings passed 21-4-2. The last amendment to the budget, which passed 17-6-4, reduced the amount of money given to ACU Swing Cats. Originally, the budget allocated $250 for the group to

purchase an iPod to use as a backup system for all its music files. Congress voted to reduce the $250 to $75. Aaron Escobedo, Education Building rep., argued the group did not need an iPod. “They can get a lower cost mp3 player that gets the job done just as well.” Hemphill said he was impressed with the smoothness of the SA meeting and felt the budget process went well. “I’m happy with how Congress feels that it’s important to hash out details,” he said. “I think it is good that Congress is calling student groups to be frugal.”

Amendments Revisited Besides approving the budget, Congress also revoted on two amendments to the By-Laws. The Elections Committee amendment, which Congress passed last week, technically was unconstitutional.

An amendment about office hours, which passed in 2006-07, also was unconstitutional. Both rewrote sections of the By-Laws. Article VIII, Section 2 of SA Congress’ Constitution states amendments to the By-Laws must be listed at the end of the By-Laws as an addition. The actual text of the By-Laws cannot be changed, similar to the U.S. Constitution where amendments can contradict each other, but instead of completely removing a previous amendment from the document, officials just refer to the latest approved amendment. To rectify the situation, SA Congress passed the amendments again with a 34-0-0 vote and added them to the end of the By-Laws. The next SA Congress meeting is Wednesday at 5:10 p.m. in Hart Auditorium. E-mail Linton at: krl04b@acu.edu

Grandmother learns alongside granddaughter Effect: Classes resume By Tanner Anderson Page Designer

Lucy Fullerton is a senior applied studies major from Irving. She has one more class to pass before walking across the stage to receive her diploma in May, and she is taking that class with her granddaughter. After finishing two on-line courses last semester, Lucy needed one more credit in order to receive her applied studies degree; it was by coincidence that her granddaughter Cara Fullerton, junior marketing major from Abilene, was enrolled in the same Nutrition and Wellness class. “I went to class and saw her there. I had no idea that she was enrolled in that class. After our names were called,

the teacher stopped taking attendance and asked, ‘Are y’all related?’” Cara said. The family was fully aware of Lucy’s plans, and so were her three grandchildren, who currently are ACU students. They just did not know which class she was taking, and it was a surprise to both Cara and her grandmother to see each other once class began. The 74-year-old student wanted to complete her degree for some time and decided this year was her chance to achieve her goal. “I’ve always had the thought that it would be fun to go back to ACU and receive my degree; and all of our family has degrees from ACU,” Lucy said. Now every Tuesday, Lucy and her husband Tom make

the two-and-a-half hour journey from Irving to Abilene. While Tom drives, Lucy studies and reads her curriculum to her husband, preparing for her class. “I think it’s great what she’s doing, and after all this time, I still enjoy carrying her books and walking her to class,” Tom said. After the completion of this course, Lucy will fulfill a goal that began 55 years ago: graduating with a college degree. Lucy was three years old when she was placed in the care of Boles Children’s Home, a facility that provides care for children and single parent families. After high school Lucy received a scholarship to attend ACC. During that time, she studied to become a teacher and met

Tom, her husband of 54 years. She now is the first woman on the board of directors for Boles Children’s Home and wants to use her future degree to benefit the nonprofit cooperation. “With a degree, my word will have more validity and value. I’ll be able to be more involved at Boles, so we can make important differences,” Lucy said. On May 19, Lucy’s family and friends will add their cheers to the crowds attending the graduation ceremonies. “It’s really fun to see how people react when I tell them I’m finishing my degree,” Lucy said. “My husband Tom and family are supportive 100 percent.” E-mail Anderson at: tsa04a@acu.edu

Continued from page 1 Wednesday’s high temperature reached 50 degrees, while the low temperature was 11 degrees — one degree higher than record for that day, which was set in 1895, according to The Weather Channel. University officials had originally decided to resume classes at 10 a.m. Wednesday, but pushed the start time to 12 p.m. after low temperatures did not melt the icy roads Wednesday morning. “It took about an hour and a half longer to really get to the point where it was safe for students to travel, so we went ahead and bumped it up until noon just to err on the side of caution,” Ellison said.

The police department sent 3,300 text messages on the ACU ALERT system Wednesday morning — 400 more than Tuesday. Chief Ellison said he was encouraged that students had signed up for the emergency message system since Tuesday’s closure. He said he was also glad that the only incidents reported during the two days were minor traffic accidents and nothing serious. Tuesday and Wednesday’s closures marked the first time the university has canceled classes because of weather since the beginning of the spring semester in 2007.

E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu

ArtsFriday

January 30, 2008

Page 5

A

CU’s own favorite punk rock band, Swing The Lead, battled it out last Saturday night with eight other Texas bands to see which could muster the most fans and win the grand prize. Although Swing The Lead did not go home with the grand prize, the band played superbly and took full advantage of the opportunity to show off its stuff. Even amid set-up chaos and pre-performance nerves, Stephen Munoz, junior business major from Escondido, Calif., said he and the other band members were “totally excited and ready to perform” and had practiced every day for the last few weeks. “Now it just depends on how many of our fans show, but I think it’s gonna be a decent turnout,” Munoz said. Decent turnout it was. The members of Swing The Lead, who began performing around Abilene only last fall, were expecting about 30 people to show, which for a new band performing out of town is a pretty OK number. However, at least 45 friends and fans made the drive to Dallas to support the band. Four days later, Munoz still is riding the highs of a good time and a great performance. “I thought we played really well, and we all had a lot of fun,” Munoz said. “There were a lot of people there, and I thought it went great. There were a lot of other good bands playing, and we really had a good time, so yeah, it was fun.” The eight bands that competed had already performed in a preliminary round. The majority of the bands were heavy-metal inspired and tended to scream and roar incoherently a good deal,

Clockwise from top left: Swing The Lead performs at The Door in Dallas. Swing The Lead is comprised of four ACU students: Zak Zeinert on lead guitar, Matt Tate on bass, Stephen Munoz on vocals and rhythm guitar and Andy Munoz on drums.

Swing the Lead battles in Dallas By Lydia Melby Arts Editor

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer

though one, Altair, sounded less amateur than the rest. Coincidentally, this is the band that brought the most fans and also received the grand prize. Despite the prevalence of metal bands, The Door com-

petition also offered some diverse genre picks. The opening band, Because I Love You, was a pop/punk-styled band that featured wildly energetic music paired with bright, bouncy lyrics, and got the crowd energized and

ready for a deafening night of driving beats. Two others that stuck out from the metal crowd was a high school-aged reggae band, The Regs, which mixed alternative rock rhythms with fun reggae-style lyrics, beats and

an incongruous Jamaican accent from the lead singer. The band that played seventh was a bit too much like a Red Hot Chili Peppers’ cover band, in sound and name. Although its lead guitarist played remarkably well, it was not enough

to cover for the weak vocals of its lead singer. Swing The Lead played fourth, after the fun but unremarkable reggae band, and quickly energized the crowd with its opening song, Kids from the Underground. The band members followed with the smug anthem I Won’t Be There and Connie and Gee. After a terrific performance of the rousing Welcome to the World We Live In, Swing The Lead finished with what is arguably its best song, the cocky, driving Your Boat Shoes Got Nothing on Me, even getting the fans in the audience to sing along. Munoz said he felt the night was a success, despite the fact Altair was pronounced the winner. “I talked to a lot of people in the audience afterwards; a lot of people said they really liked us, and we got a lot of new MySpace friends, and the next few days after, we’ve gotten over a hundred or so plays,” Munoz said. “We sold five T-shirts for 10 bucks each and a few of our three song EPs.” An opportunity like this, to play in what Munoz called “a pretty legit venue,” is a great chance, especially for a student band. Swing The Lead played, in my opinion, its best performance yet, made a slew of new fans and probably converted a few metal-heads.

E-mail Melby at: lgm05e@acu.edu

ViewsFriday

Page 6

January 30, 2009

New presidency should not minimize concern for troops

P

resident Barack Obama was sworn into office Tuesday, but we know this. Parties were thrown, T-shirts were made, classes were released early and some students even made the trip to Washington, D.C., to witness history, but we know this, too. What most of us do not know is that only five days before the parties began and history was made, 295 Dyess airmen were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. These men will bring the number of Dyess servicemen deployed to 745, said Tech. Sgt. A.C. Eggman, public affairs for Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene. Two hundred more men are expected to leave within the next couple months,

“

We see them at church, we stand behind them in line at Wal-Mart and we even take classes with them. Their deployment inevitably hits close to home...

bringing the total close to 1,000 from Dyess. Many students have a personal reason to care about the troops. If not, consider the fact that Dyess Air Force base is 13.9 miles from our campus, meaning the men and women who are sent overseas are part of our community. We see them at church, we stand behind them in line at Wal-Mart and we even take classes with them. Their deployment inevitably hits close to home

”

for the ACU community. We need to remember this. We need to remember this while we’re living our lives in the “Abilene bubble” and our main concern is rehearsing for Sing Song. We need to add the deployments to the list of prayer requests in Chapel and put as much energy, passion and support toward them as we did the election. These men and women should be on our lips as much as President Obama

and his plan to end the war in Iraq and bring troops home within 16 months. Both Obama and military personnel are eagerly and voluntarily facing international controversy from a nation divided in its political views. Both Obama and military personnel have pledged allegiance to a term of service and are undoubtedly wrestling with fear, anticipation and anxiety, but Obama has been the one receiving the entire nation’s attention. It is our obligation as a student body to remember those from Abilene who were deployed less than a week ago — facing dangers most of us declined in favor of college. It is our obligation as citizens to humble ourselves, accept our dif-

The issue:

While President Barack Obama’s administration promises change, troops cannot be summoned home overnight.

Our view:

Although the era ushered in by our newly elected president offers excitement, we must not forget our troops overseas.

The solution:

While Americans should observe Obama’s historical election with appropriate interest, we should take care not to neglect or reduce our concern for troops overseas, especially when those soon-to-be deployed may be our neighbors at Dyess AFB.

fering political stances and respect the fact that Barack Obama is the president. It is our obligation to be mindful that we may have a new president, but that does not mean those troops can come home now, or that we can stop praying for them. A new plan

does not change the situation for those hundreds of people leaving Abilene this month. The election hype is over, and it is time for us to look around and notice the faces missing from Abilene. E-mail the Optimist at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

University Park lacks satisfactory Internet When I moved into University Park Apartments two years ago, I enjoyed the free Internet access but not its limited availability. One Ethernet port, a short Ethernet cord and lack of wireless Internet frustrated me. Several days into this predicament, Got Your I powered up Grammar Talk my laptop and sniffed By Kelline the air for Linton Wi-Fi signals. Against all hope, I found them — delectable data ready for plucking. As I connected to an unsecure network, I became more than a nuisance for one of my neighbors. I became a criminal, forced into an illegal action by a backwater, technologically crippled system. Mooching another person’s Wi-Fi does constitute a criminal act; it violates Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 47 of the United States Code, which covers anybody who “intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access.” Of course, this law was passed in 1986, the same year I was born, but it actually still applies. Last year a man in Cedar Springs, Mich., was fined $400 after a police officer spotted him stealing someone’s Wi-Fi from inside his car, according to Time magazine. But the threat of fines could not stop me. Throughout the school year, I curled up on my living room couch and got online via the unsecured wireless networks of my neighbors. Although leaving networks open can put the owners’ personal data at risk, I only wanted their bandwidth. And while my browsing periodically may have slowed down my neighbors’ connection, I was desperate for the Net’s sweet nectar. UP policy states residents cannot use routers, but my apartment building was chock-full of wireless networks with names like WiiFi, Belkin54g and linksys. And I took full advantage of the home networks from people who did not bother to password-protect them. While stealing bandwidth did not give me the best Internet, my connection to the World Wide Web was just as reliable as UP’s land lines.

All settings benefit from timeliness of individuals I love the feeling of being on time. It means my day is going according to plan with no surprises. It feels good. However, this feeling shatters into a million little pieces the moment I discover that my flight has been delayed. Even worse, when I book Please Be it to my 8 a.m. On Time class when, God knows, By Sondra I’d rather Rodriguez be at home drinking unhealthy amounts of coffee and watching The X-files, and discover that my professor is running a tad late. The first and the worst are airports — breeding ground for delayed activity worldwide. Everyone has a dreadful airport story to make listeners cringe.

I recently sat in a Greek airport for 10 hours, waiting for a flight that was delayed for “technical reasons.” Once the plane arrived and all the passengers were lined up like sleepy, furious cattle, I looked out the window to see an engine dangling out the side of the plane. A few maintenance men were shining flashlights on it and looking at each other with blank stares. A delayed flight is something I cannot control. I can, however, control the time I arrive to catch that flight. I will then accept the consequences resulting from my timeliness or tardiness. One of the few times a flight of mine has left on time was the only time I’ve ever been late for one. It was probably my fault for buying a ticket for a 7 a.m. flight to visit a friend in New Jersey, but I wanted to get the most time out of my visit, so I

Letter to the Editor Chapel obligations minimal This editorial reminds me a lot of the one written last semester about the attendance policy and how it should be removed. Except I agree with this editorial. I have worked as a desk worker in freshman dorms for two years now, and my shifts have always been around the time curfew hap-

pened, either before or after, and invariably there is someone who tries to convince me that curfew is stupid, and should be removed. My response to them is always: “you knew this was a rule. It’s not going to change this year. Deal with it.” I’ll admit to doing my share of Chapel whining.

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 79699 E-mail letters to: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

booked it. My alarm clock and I suffered some sort of miscommunication, and I woke up at 6 a.m. I live about 55 miles from the airport, and once the math and airport regulations were factored in, it was clear that I would not make this flight; I was late. As a result, I hung out in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport for six hours on stand-by. I finally got on a flight to Chicago, hung out in that airport for another three hours, then finally made it to LaGuardia a whopping 12 hours late. This traumatized me and taught me a valuable life lesson: be on time. There is lateness that comes from something we can’t control, like a flight. Not that a delayed flight annoys me any less; I just get a little peace in the fact that there’s nothing I can do about it. But if there is something I can do about it, wouldn’t I?

But, like the author of this editorial, most of my whining is about the content of Chapel, rather than the enforced nature of it. We’re adults, and we make decisions and have to accept the consequences thereof. It boils down to this: you, the student, chose ACU for a reason. It was probably a reason important enough to make you choose ACU over other, cheaper, less restrictive schools. Maybe it was the strength of the program, maybe it was your financial

For example, why not do my part to ensure that class will start and end on time? We are in college, which means that we’re known for dragging our sleepy selves into class five minutes late. In reality, being in college means every day we’re coming closer to entering the real world, where being late can affect more than an attendance record. Until my peers can get their acts together and quit being late, consider something a teacher told me in high school: if you’re 10 minutes early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re already late. If you’re late, don’t even bother. Unfortunately this motto won’t stop flights from being delayed, but maybe it will keep you from hanging out in airports across the nation for 12 hours because you were late. E-mail Rodriguez at: sar06g@acu.edu

aid packages, maybe it was your family’s history at ACU. Whatever the reason, you chose it with full knowledge that Chapel is a requirement. If not going to Chapel is more important to you than getting an excellent education in business, biology, music, or what have you, then go to another school.

Eric Wyatt junior music education major Stamford In response to the column, ‘Optional attendance may check Chapel chatter’

Optimist the

Published by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication

Newsroom: (325) 674-2439

Sports desk: (325) 674-2499

acuoptimist.com Log online to hear Linton podcast her column.

Both would vanish and reappear without much notice, causing me to throw on my shoes and drive to Sharky’s Burrito Co. or Arby’s for their free Wi-Fi (unfortunately, neither one is open 24 hours). The periodic loss of Wi-Fi connectivity was understandable because it operates on an unlicensed frequency that deals with interference like microwave ovens and cordless phones; its signals also had to pass through several concrete walls before reach-

“

...I was desperate for the Net’s sweet nectar.

”

ing my laptop. UP’s land Internet had no such excuses. UP provides its residents Internet through an out-ofdate structure. The cabling is old, inefficient, unreliable and too expensive to replace, according to several Team 55 employees in response to my numerous phone complaints over the last two years. While UP and ACU share the same Internet services, the two have different systems — one includes Wi-Fi and relatively strong signals; the other does not. I happen to deal with the former on a daily basis. So while I recently joined the straight world and stopped my Wi-Fi pilfering, I understand the allure of free wireless Internet and cannot blame the other criminals who inhabit my apartment building. I hope UP will one day emerge from the Dark Ages to provide its residents the Wi-Fi they crave. For if UP can build a new barbecue area complete with fire pit, grill and seating, surely it can afford to broadcast its Internet signals to its tenants through its own wireless network.

E-mail Linton at: krl04b@acu.edu

Editorial and Management Board Laura Acuff

Grant Abston

Editor in Chief

Opinion Page Editor

Sports Editor

Michael Freeman

Zak Zeinert

Lydia Melby

Chief Photographer

Arts Editor

Broadcast Manager

Sommerly Simser

Colter Hettich Features Editor

Kelline Linton

Sondra Rodriguez

Mult. Managing Editor

Daniel Johnson-Kim

Managing Editor

Photo department: (325) 674-2499

Advertising office: (325) 674-2463

Chief Copy Editor

Multimedia desk: (325) 674-2463

Cody Veteto

Kenneth Pybus

Chief Videographer

Adviser

DeLaina Parker

Cade White

Page 2 Editor

Subscriptions ($40/academic year): (325) 674-2296

Adviser

Christi Stark Advertising Manager

E-mail: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

FROM THE FRONT / SPORT JUMPS

Friday, January 30, 2009

Page 7

Baseball: New pitchers hold key to success in 2009 Continued from page 8 year,” Bonneau said. “Jordan Schmitt is going to be a huge impact for us this year, and Uechi has started the last two years at shortstop, and Thomas Bumpass is in centerfield and has been with me for four years.” Bumpass took over centerfield in 2008 after an injury and will return fulltime in 2009, joining transfers Ruben Perez and Travis Latz in the outfield. Threeyear starter Uechi finished third on the team with a .373 batting average and second on the team in hits (87) in 2008 and will join Watten as the only returning start-

ers in the infield. Former Cooper High School player Chris Hall will join Watten and Uechi in the infield at second base after transferring from Texas Tech. Hall started all 55 games his sophomore year at Tech in 2008 and was third on the team with a .318 batting average while adding 38 RBI. “A big transfer, Chris Hall, came in at semester and to have the opportunity to coach this kid is exciting,” Bonneau said. “[Chris] makes the middle of infield one of the best in the nation.” One of the biggest question marks entering this season will be the pitching staff. In 2008, ACU lost three of

its top pitchers in Wildcat history. Pitcher Trey Watten earned first team all-America honors as a designated hitter and was named LSC Pitcher of the Year before being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh round of the Major League Baseball draft. Watten finished his junior season with a 10-3 record and posted a team-high 2.56 ERA and 113 strikeouts. The Wildcats also lost senior pitchers Ben Maynard and Chris Wiman, two of the winningest pitchers in school history. Wiman set the single-season record for wins (13) and ended his ACU career with 32 victories, one behind Maynard who fin-

ished his career as the ACU and LSC all-time leader in wins with 33. Vancil (6-2, 5.40 ERA) is ACU’s only returning starter and will be joined by returning relievers Matt Sullivan (2-0, 9.15 ERA) and Kevin Justice (0-1, 6.75 ERA). Two transfers, Cameron Aspass from Palomar College and Cooper Page from Tyler Junior College, will look to provide depth to the rotation and will be key to the Wildcats’ success. “Most of the guys lack experience, but overall most of the guys coming in are from ‘Juco’ and have come college experience,” Schmitt said. “We need consistency

from three to four starting pitchers. We have one to two solid starters but we’re looking for the third or fourth guy to step up.” With a majority of their home games at the beginning of the season, the Wildcats will use the first part of the season to solidify the starting lineup and find different roles for a team loaded with depth. Despite the losses, the Wildcats know what it takes and are ready to put themselves in a position to win a LSC championship and make a postseason run. “We want to get off on the right foot and coach Bonneau has been harping on us that we have a bunch

of home games during the first half, and during the second half we have some road games against some hard teams,” Uechi said. “It’s important to get off to good start and win at home, and we know from experience how one or two games can affect a bid to regionals, so we don’t want to take any for granted.” The Wildcats’ first game will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. against Incarnate Word in San Antonio before coming back home for their next eight games, beginning with New Mexico Highlands on Feb. 6 at 4 p.m. E-mail Abston at: gda04b@acu.edu

Basketball: Cats now 7-2 in Moody Search: Committee Clinic: Dr. seeks new Provost Thompson Continued from page 8

career double-double along the wasy. Forward Kristee Davidson came off the bench early in the first half and provided the intensity the Wildcats needed to penetrate the TexAnns’ fullcourt press. Davidson scored 15 points off the bench, more than the entire Tarleton bench combined. Coach Lavender described Davidson as having played one of her best games of the season and played a vital role in the victory. “Kristee was just great,” Lavender said. “She hit big shots, played great defense and ran the floor very well.” With 3:17 left in the first half, Audrey Maxwell-Lively grabbed a rebound off a missed free throw by Jody Meyer and put it back in giving ACU a lead that it

would never lose. Towards the end of the half, the Wildcats seemed to pick up their intensity, while Tarleton State seemed to tire after having pressed for the entire half, which led to the Wildcats taking a slim 35-32 lead to the halftime. In the second half, Kristee Davidson continued her tremendous play, making a layup with 7:31 remaining and nailing a mid-range jumper a minute later to give ACU a 10-point lead. In the game’s final minute, point guard Kat Kundmueller took the game over. With just 58 seconds remaining Kundmueller grabbed an offensive rebound and nailed a long-jump shot from just inside the left three-point line. Kundmueller would score five points in the final minute, helping the Wildcats edge the TexAnns 77-71.

Coach Lavender praised the clutch play of her point guard as she quarterbacked her team to another victory. “Kat hit some big shots for us in the second half,” Lavender said. “She really did a great job for us near the end.” The Wildcats are now 7-2 this season within the friendly confines of Moody Coliseum, where students cheered on their team to victory. Students helped with loud cheers, chants and even one Wookie call during the game. Students’ next opportunity to see the women’s basketball team at Moody will be Feb. 7 against Texas Permian-Basin. ACU’s next game will be on the road in Wichita Falls against Midwestern State Saturday at 6 p.m. E-mail Craig at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Wildcats: Mustangs await ACU men Continued from page 8 and 3.1 rebounds per game. “They have a high-powered offense led by Nolan Richardson,” Copeland said. “We are really going to have to get back in transition and play good defense.”

The Wildcats will face a tough road situation as the Mustangs have only lost one game at home and remain unbeaten at home during conference play. Midwestern will be looking to improve its 9-1 home record and continue to battle for the top seed in the conference.

This will be the last of the Wildcats’ conference opponents before they turn around and play every one of them again. ACU is looking for a win to improve to .500 at the halfway mark of conference play. E-mail Cantrell at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Softball: All four infielders return Continued from page 8 same this spring.” Last season, Gregoire went 7-5 with a 3.46 ERA, while White posted a 10-6 record and a 4.36 ERA. The team returns all four infielders from last year, including its two middle infielders, seniors Jackie Gentile and Melissa Rodriguez. They turned 11 double plays together in 2008. Gentile earned second team allLSC South Division honors, and Rodriguez was named to both the LSC and NCAA regional alltournament teams.

“As far as expectations, we are like every other team that wants to win its conference and region and get to nationals,” Wilson said. “But we just want to play our best every day and put together a strong seven innings every day.” The Wildcats will begin this season playing in three consecutive weekend tournaments. Following the St. Mary’s Tournament, the team returns home to host the CBS Insurance Classic at Wells Field Feb. 12-14. The following weekend, the team travels to Durant, Okla., for the South Central Shootout.

“Compared to these tournaments, conference series are a lot more emotionally draining,” Wilson said. “The tournaments get them prepared where they have to win every inning instead of looking at the next game. We get to play five games in a weekend and see what is working and what is not before conference starts.” The Wildcats will begin conference play on Feb. 27 against West Texas A&M.

E-mail Harris at: tch05f@acu.edu

Continued from page 1 invited to visit the campus by March. Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, will then interview the applicants, and the applicants will make a presentation and answer questions from the faculty and other groups across campus. “We are looking for that person who is going to rise up in the crowd,” said committee member Dr. Foy Mills, chair of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. “The candidates that are coming in all have great credentials, are fine professors and are academic leaders in their own right. But we are looking for a person who fits the ACU environment.” The Provost is the chief academic officer of the university; he reports to the president and serves as a vice president. In addition to serving as leader of the faculty and academic support staff, the Provost is responsible for the scholarship, education and service sections of the university, according to the position’s description in the job posting on ACU’s Web site. The committee formed and began searching for a Provost after the current Provost, Dr. Dwayne VanRheenen, announced in October his plans to retire from his position at ACU, move to the Northwest and spend more time with family. “Dwayne VanRheenen was a tremendous Provost, probably one of the best Provosts in the history of the school,” said Search Committee member Dr. Rick Lytle, chair of the College of Business Administration. Lytle said the committee is carefully analyzing

each application and is not taking its role lightly. “To me, the Provost is the CEO of the academic unit of Abilene Christian University,” Lytle said. “That is where our product is, and that is where our product is developed. People don’t come to ACU because we have a great operations group, even though it is very important.” Mills said the committee is searching for a person who must have vision and must adjust that vision to the context of the University’s 21st Century Vision to transform ACU into a premier university for the education of Christ-centered, global leaders by 2020. “Whoever the person is, they will have to be able to make good decisions,” Mills said. “The next Provost must be someone who is willing to listen to input from other people not only in leadership circles, but also from the faculty.” The chair of the Search Committee is MeLesa Breeding, dean of the College of Education and Human Services. In addition to Mills and Lytle, the committee members are Dr. Cheryl Bacon, chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication; Dr. Patricia Hernandez, professor of biology; Dr. Eric Gumm, assistant director of Academic Advising and the First-Year Program; Dr. Gary McCaleb, vice president of the University; Dr. Mark Hamilton, associate professor of Old Testament, and Dr. Brent Reeves, assistant professor of management sciences.

E-mail Johnson-Kim at: djj04a@acu.edu

confident in medical staff Continued from page 1 to Abilene from Dallas and wants to work as a contracted physician before she begins her own private practice, said Kathy Stokes, ACU Health Services office manager. After Dr. Tony Rector, ACU medical clinic physician, left to continue his medical work in Guatemala, the university contracted Dr. Jeff Jackson of Dr. J’s Express Care for the fall semester. “Dr. Jackson was not able to renew his contract with us for the spring semester because of other commitments,” said Stokes. “It was wonderful to have him and his group with us for the fall. They were used to the environment of lots of people with lots of different illnesses.” The Health Clinic will also experience a partial “facelift” during spring break. The clinic will have some retiling and re-carpeting work done. In addition, renovation will be done on the clinic during the summer break, creating a more accessible entrance and a cleaner and more professional environment, said Thompson. Thompson said hiring a new staff was a lengthy and sometimes difficult process. “We realized that we were under-staffed and it was difficult to be proactive on wellness and education when you are under-staffed. Part of our frustration was not being able to get the right person at the right time. However, I am fully confident in the staff we have chosen.”

E-mail Gager at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

SportsFriday

Page 8

January 30, 2009

SCOREBOARD

Wildcats win third-straight, remain second in LSC

Standings

By Jeff Craig

Men’s Basketball Team Angelo St. MSU TAMU-K WTAMU ACU Tarleton St. ENMU

Div. 3-1 3-1 3-1 3-1 2-3 1-4 0-4

Overall 15-4 14-5 13-6 13-6 8-10 13-7 4-15

Women’s Basketball Team WTAMU ACU TAMU-K MSU Angelo St. Tarleton St. ENMU

Div. 4-0 4-1 3-1 2-2 1-3 1-4 0-4

Overall 16-3 12-7 13-6 7-11 10-9 10-10 9-13

Basketball

Sports Writer

The tandem of Audrey Maxwell-Lively and Jody Meyer combined for 38 points and 32 rebounds, as the Wildcats held off an upset-minded Tarleton State 77-71 at Moody Coliseum Wednesday night. The Wildcats have now won four of their last five games and have a record of 12-7 overall after starting the season winning only two of their first five games. The win over the TexAnns also improved the team’s conference record to 4-1, which ranks second in the Lone Star Conference South Division behind only West Texas A&M.

Head coach Shawna Lavender was pleased with her squad’s overall performance against Tarleton, particularly in the area of rebounding. “I think one of the keys to tonight’s game was on the boards,” Lavender said. “We held them to only four Lavender offensive rebounds, which allowed us to eliminate their second chances.” The Wildcats are the LSC South Division’s top-rebound-

ing team and they proved it by dominating the TexAnns on the glass. ACU outrebounded TSU 49-24, with 16 of those 49 rebounds coming on the offensive end. The TexAnns came out of the gate in a full-court press and grabbed an early lead on a D’Anna Dingler three-point shot. ACU Maxwell-Lively responded 20 seconds later with the first of her teamhigh 20 points, coming via an interior layup. Lively would spend the remainder of the first half fighting through intense contact from the TexAnns and collecting her 35th See

High Expectations

Scores

Cats snap three-game ACU begins season ranked losing skid No. 11 in Division II

Wednesday Women’s Basketball

2009 schedule

ACU 77, Tarleton State 71

Men’s Basketball ACU 73, Tarleton State 70

Upcoming Friday Track and Field Houston Indoor Invitational & Multis, 9 a.m.

Saturday Women’s Basketball ACU at Midwestern State, 6 p.m.

Men’s Basketball ACU at Midwestern State, 8 p.m.

Sunday Men’s Tennis ACU vs. Northern Arizona, 9 a.m. ACU vs. New Mexico State, 2 p.m.

Basketball page 7

By Ryan Cantrell Sports Writer

The first 30 games of the Wildcat baseball team’s 2009 season

By Grant Abston Sports Editor

n Incarnate Word- Feb. 3 @ 2 p.m. n NM Highland- Feb. 6 @ 4 p.m. n NM Highland- Feb. 7 @ 2 p.m. n NM Highland- Feb. 8 @ noon n SW Okla. St.- Feb. 12 @ 6 p.m. n SW Okla. St.- Feb. 13 @ 4 p.m. n SW Okla. St.- Feb. 14 @ noon n Central Okla.- Feb. 20 @ 2 p.m. n Central Okla.- Feb. 21 @ noon n Central Okla.- Feb. 22 @ 1 p.m. n St. Mary’s- Feb. 24 @ 4 p.m. n Texas A&M-K- Feb. 27 @ 4 p.m. n Texas A&M-K- Feb. 28 @ 1 p.m. n Texas Wes.- March 4 @ 3 p.m. n WTAMU- March 6 @ 4 p.m. n WTAMU- March 7 @ 1 p.m. n Marietta C- March 10 @ 1 p.m. n USW- March 10 @ 7 p.m. n USW- March 11 @ 1 p.m. n East Central- March 13 @ 1 p.m. n East Central- March 14 @ 1 p.m. :: Home games listed in bold :: Doubleheaders listed in italics

Women’s Tennis ACU vs. Lee College, noon ACU vs. Sam Houston State, 4 p.m.

Monday Women’s Tennis ACU vs. SE Oklahoma St., 10 a.m.

Men’s Tennis ACU vs. SMU, 6 p.m. :: Home games listed in italics

Todd Piersall :: file photo

Shortstop Willie Uechi batted .372 with 44 RBI and 57 R in 2008.

2009 Key Returning Players

Briefs

n .373 AVG (3) n 233 AB (2) n 87 H (2) n 57 R (4) n 44 RBI (6) n .447 OBP (5) n 106 TB (4)

acuoptimist.com Go online to see highlights from the ACU men and women’s basketball teams’ wins Wednesday night.

Willie Uechi Third-year starter, shortstop Uechi, was one of two players in 2008 who started all 61 games.

n .350 AVG (6) n 200 AB (6) n 70 H (5) n 59 R (3) n 48 RBI (3) n .455 OBP (T2) n 119 TB (2)

Jordan Schmitt Senior catcher Schmitt was second on team in HR (8) in 2008 and had a .990 fielding percentage.

n .340 AVG (7) n 215 AB (3) n 73 H (4) n 54 R (5) n 52 RBI (2) n 6 3B (T1) n 97 TB (5)

Thomas Bumpass Senior Bumpass will return full-time to centerfield in 2009, joining two transfers, Perez and Latz.

:: 2008 statistics and team ranking in parenthesis

Baseball page 7

The Wildcats broke a 15game losing streak against Tarleton State with a 7370 victory over the Texans Wednesday night. The last time they were able to beat the Texans goes all the way back to Feb. 7, 1999. The win brings the Wildcats’ record to 8-10 overall and 2-3 in conference. The Wildcats were led by center Kendrick Johnson who scored a seasonhigh 14 points and added six rebounds. ACU shot 8-13 beyond the arc and had 13 steals that allowed the Cats to hold on to a three-point victory. “We came out and played good,” said head coach Jason Copeland. “We got into a rhythm, and Kendrick played his best game of the season and was able to make a difference in the game.” ACU led by 12 with just under 12 minutes to play. The Texans slowly came back and got within two points with 1:25 left. The Wildcats were able to score on the next possession to give them a fourpoint lead. The Wildcats would play strong defense and made enough of their free throws to pull out the victory. Sencanski led the team with 17 points, followed by Johnson and Adams who scored 14 apiece. The Wildcats will continue on to play Midwestern State in Wichita Falls Saturday at 8 p.m. The Mustangs are exceeding expectations with a 14-5 overall record and 3-1 in conference play. Nolan Richardson leads the Mustangs, averaging 19.5 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game. Craig Green is second on the team with 12.3 points See

Wildcats page 7

Softball team looks to return to regionals By Chandler Harris

Softball

Assistant Sports Editor

Intramurals n The following are the current club intramural point standings: Men’s Division:

n Gamma Sigma Phi- 540 n Galaxy- 345 n Frater Sodalis- 70 n Pi Kappa- 60 n Trojans- 50 n Sub T-16- 40 Women’s Division n Ko Jo Kai- 405 n Sigma Theta Chi-265 n Delta Theta- 265 n Alpha Kai Omega- 215 n GATA- 20

Despite losing two allAmerica players and perhaps one of the best pitching staffs in ACU’s history in 2008, the Wildcat baseball team will look to build off last year’s success, which saw ACU win the Lone Star Conference regular-season championship as well as earn a bid back to the South Central Regional Tournament. After adding a number of freshmen and transfers for the 2009 season, the Wildcats, ranked No. 11 in Collegiate Baseball magazine’s Division II pre-season poll, will rely on a powerful offense to help an inexperienced pitching staff that returns only one starter from last season. But with added depth, the Wildcats will have a good shot to reach the World Series as well as win their first LSC postseason championship since 2002. “The thing we need to work on is getting out there and playing together and going through a season and developing our roles as a player and accepting those roles,” said head coach Britt Bonneau. “The sooner we accept those roles, we will be able to achieve a lot more.” The Wildcats finished 44-17 last season, falling one game short of a LSC postseason championship after losing to sixth-seeded Texas A&M-Kingsville. However, ACU is favored to repeat as LSC regular-season champion after receiving 19 of the 28 first-place votes in the LSC preseason poll. Catcher Jordan Schmitt, shortstop Willie Uechi, centerfielder Thomas Bumpass and third baseman Cameron Watten will join pitcher Preston Vancil as the only returning starters from the 2008 season. “We have good senior leadership and have some guys coming back from last See

n Seven more Wildcats were honored as d2football.com selected Bernard Scott, Sam Collins, Tony Washington, Billy Malone, Johnny Knox, Joseph Thompson and Matt Adams as NCAA Division II All-America. Scott, Collins and Washington were all first-team selections, while Malone, Knox and Thompson earned second-team honors and Adams received honorable mention.

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer Forward Kristee Davidson drives to the basket Wednesday in ACU’s 77-71 win over Tarleton State. The Wildcats remain in second place in the LSC.

Heather Leiphart :: staff photographer

Jackie Gentile makes a throw during practice Wednesday. The softball team will begin its season Thursday at the St. Mary’s Tournament in San Antonio.

The Wildcat softball season will begin Thursday at the St. Mary’s Tournament in San Antonio. The team will play five games in three days against Rollins, Texas A&M-International, Washburn, Cameron and Midwestern State. The team looks to build on a solid 2008 season in which it finished 34-17 and advanced to the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament. “Last season, we went through some ups and downs but ended with three come-from-behind wins in the conference tournament, before the regional tournament,” said head coach Chantiel Wilson. “The returnees have really stressed

about how important it is to stay level all season and not get too down or too up. We want to maintain that same level all season.” The Wildcats are returning multiple starters, including the 2008 NCAA Division II Catcher of the Year, senior Jessica Shiery. Shiery also was named to the NCAA Division II first team all-America. Shiery hit .440 with 12 home runs and a team-high 44 RBI. “Jessica was really key for us in the No. 3 spot of our lineup,” Wilson said. “We are returning two pitchers who were freshmen last year, Jacque Gregoire and Kim White. They both have had a solid fall and look to do the See

Softball page 7

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer Guard Dante Adams shoots a jump shot in ACU’s 73-70 win over Tarleton State on Wednesday.