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Pg. 8 ACU Baseball team launches season with road win

Friday, February 6, 2009 :: Vol. 97, No. 34 :: 1 section, 8 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com

Inside This Issue:

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Summit contest seeks student art to advertise fall event

Students strut stuff in honor of Black History Month

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Cheap tunes: Guitar trio to offer cost-free concert on campus

Power dispute shakes Malagasy students’ home island By Daniel Johnson-Kim Editor in Chief

Hasina Raharinomenjanahary’s first heard about conflict in her hometown of Antananarivo, Madagascar, on Jan. 26, and immediately did two things: called her family members to make sure they were safe and searched the World Wide Web for the latest update on the state of things back home. More than 100 people have died on the world’s fourthlargest island after anti-government protests led by Andry Rajoelina, the former mayor of the country’s capital city, began in January.

A fellow Malagasy student interrupted Raharinomenjanahary’s work morning, after sending her an instant message with a link to an online story about the trouble. When she could step away from the office, she grabbed a calling card, picked up a phone and dialed her mother and father more than 10,000 miles away that afternoon. Her worries subsided when her parents assured her they were safe. “The first time I heard about it, I really wanted to talk to them, and when I got to talk to them, they said they were fine,” said the graduate student from.

Raharinomenjanahary said her parents were desperate for news about the situation because several television stations were not broadcasting. “They were really surprised that I knew more things about what was happening there than they did,” she said. The unrest began when Rajoelina challenged the power of President Marc Ravalomanana and accused him of being a dictator, according to the New York Times. President Ravalomanana ordered the closing of a television station owned by the mayor, who responded by holding rallies to scold the government, the Times reported.

On Jan. 26, a rally organized by Rajoelina turned dangerous when rioters destroyed stores, factories and a television station belonging to the president, news services reported. The Madgascar armed forces reported 76 people had died during the riot and at least 86 others were injured. The U.S envoy reported that more than 100 people have died since the conflict began, according to Reuters. Rajoelina declared himself the new leader of Madagascar and will establish an interim government by Saturday if the president does not vacate his See

Madagascar page 4

No Parking Pass Required Professors trade steering wheels for outdoor rides By Liz Spano Student Reporter

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

Mike Wiggins, assistant professor of art and design, rides his skateboard across campus on Wednesday. Weather permitting, Wiggins rides his skateboard to class nearly every day.

Professors are finding new means of transportation to get to class, and if the trend continues, the faculty parking lots may start to look emptier. By walking, acuoptimist.com skateboarding and riding bikes and See why a handful of motorcycles, ACU professors choose ACU faculty fresh air over a car for are learning the campus commute to enjoy the benefits, like exercise, entertainment and less of an environmental impact, that come with leaving their vehicles at home. Jim Nichols, chair of the Department of Biology, said has ridden his bike to class for 37 years. The convenience of living close to campus makes it easy for Nichols to commute to class, and he said he bought a second car only when it came time for his daughter to drive. “It’s fun, it’s easy and it’s good for me,” said Nichols, who normally uses his car just once a week to deliver Meals on Wheels. “I have saved over my lifetime thousands of dollars.” Mike Wiggins, assistant professor of art design, also does not drive to work, but Wiggins prefers a skateboard over a bicycle. “I think being outdoors is good for me psychologically,” Wiggins said. “I found that when I’m driving my car everywhere, I spend very little time outside.” Wiggins, who lives about a half mile from campus, walked to class before realizing the time he could save on four wheels. “I’ve been riding a skateboard since I was three,” he said. “It’s a nice form of transportation, and I’m surprised how breathless I am when I get to school.” See

Rides page 4

Emily Smith :: File Photo Madagascar President Marc Ravalomanana stands at the podium during the 2008 Commencement in May. The leader of the island nation whose authority is being challenged by Andry Rajoelina, the former mayor of Antananarivo, Madagascar, has visited ACU’s campus twice.

SA appoints new election co-chair By Kelline Linton Chief Copy Editor

An inexperienced appointee and “fluff” legislation did not stop the Students’ Association Congress from approving the co-chair for the Elections Committee and passing one resolution. Congress approved Blake Penfield, senior political science major from San Antonio, as the elections co-chair with a unanimous voice vote. As co-chair for this year’s Executive Officer Elections, Penfield will work with fellow co-chair Sarah Pulis, vice president of SA Congress, in running the elections. Both will oversee the voting process and enforce the election rules and procedures. Pulis asked Penfield to fill the co-chair role, although

he had no previous experience on the SA Congress. “Blake was my first choice because I had been impressed with his comments in my political science classes,” she said. “[While studying abroad in Oxford together], I noticed Blake had the opposite opinion and would approach things from a different angle than I would.” Penfield said he has worked with the Elections Committee since his freshman year, but not in a leadership capacity. “I mainly manned the booths,” he said. “In my role of the previous elections, I didn’t get to see behind the curtain too much.” Although he said he never had an interest in being a Congress member, he wanted to fill the co-chair role because it intrigued him and sounded See

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Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer Blake Penfield, senior political science major from San Antonio, answers questions from Congress members about his qualifications and policies as the new co-chair for the Elections Commitee.

STAR students invest $200K of university endowment By Liz Spano Student Reporter

Despite what the Wall Street Journal said is the stock market’s worst January on record, ACU’s student-

managed investment group, STAR, said it still is ahead of its benchmark. The Student Training and Research Group is a student organization that handles the university’s money by buying

ACU WEATHER Breez

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and selling stocks. It invested $200,000 of ACU’s endowment money this year to buy stocks in companies. Students in the College of Business Administration or those who have taken one fi-