The Optimist - March 4, 2009

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Pg. 8 Jumping up: Wildcats move to No. 3 in the nation

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 :: Vol. 97, No. 41 :: 1 section, 8 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com

Inside This Issue:

Pg. 3

Pg. 5

ACU professors collaborate on commentary of Bible

Pg. 8

Theologian’s journey: professor moves from fishing village to fishing souls

Tourney time: women’s basketball team begins postseason play

Former student on trial for murder

Connected Collaboration

By Michael Freeman Managing Editor

The capital murder trial of a former ACU student will begin this week in the 354th District Court north of Dallas.

Brandon Dale Woodruff, 22, has been in the Hunt County Jail ever since October 2005, following his arrest six days after a Woodruff family friend discovered Woodruff’s parents, Dennis and Norma, dead in their home near Royse City.

Woodruff, who attended ACU in 2005, pleaded not guilty to the murders. He will See

University hires new Alumni Relations director

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer John Regan, vice president of Government and Education group for AT&T, gives his thoughts on mobile learning as a keynote speaker at ACU’s ConnectED Summit on Friday.

Schools, corporations discuss mobile learning acuoptimist.com

By Daniel Johnson-Kim Editor in Chief

Koen Daeren’s journey from Belgium to ACU for the ConnectED Summit was anything but short.

The senior research engineer for the global communications company Alcatel Lucent traveled by train from Brussels, Belgium, to Paris, hopped on a more than 10-hour flight from the City of Light to Dallas and finished with a less than 40-minute flight to Abilene.

But Daeren said the transatlantic trek was worth the

jet lag; the attendees ConnectED — faculty, Summit was IT profesthe perfect ensionals, devironment to velopers and See a myriad of pictures, stories and show off his administravideos on the JMC Network blog covering company’s lattors from a ACU’s ConnectED Summit est software myriad of projects and universities find possible for the ConnectED Summit, a and schools partners in the higher educa- two-day conference built for — listened to speeches, partion arena. collaboration between corpo- ticipated in workshops and “It was the smallest plane I rations and educational rep- attended sessions all focused ever took,” Daeren said about resentatives and organized on using mobile devices in an the jet he sat on to Abilene. for ACU to share its experi- educational environment.

More than 400 people ence in establishing a mobile ACU faculty, staff, adminfrom four continents, eight learning initiative. istrators and students also countries and more than 30 While on campus Thurs- shared and fielded quesU.S. states convened at ACU day and Friday, conference tions about how ACU’s Mo-

bile Learning Initiative took shape and the logistics of implementing and maintaining the initiative.

“The one thing we heard over and over was that it’s so great that ACU has been willing to be so open and share this,” said George Saltsman, director of the Adams Center for Teaching and Learning.

Saltsman said the ConnectEd Summit would not have been possible without the effort of several ACU staff members and the people who worked under them. He said See

Trial page 4

By Lezlee Gutierrez Student Reporter

ACU welcomed Larry Musick (’84) as its new director of Alumni Relations on Monday. Musick recently moved with his family from Tennessee, where he was the senior director of marketing at Lipscomb University, a Christian university in Nashville.

“We are very excited to be working with Mr. Musick,” said Samantha Adkins, coordinator

ConnectED page 3

See

New Hire page 4

ACU alumnus takes part in ‘Extreme’ project Two chosen as final

By Chelsea Hackney Student Reporter

One ACU alumnus recently had the opportunity to demonstrate her artistic talent on the reality television show Extreme Home Makeover, an Emmy Award winning series that provides home renovations to deserving families.

Rebecca Hull (’05) landed a position on the show partly because her cousin is on the crew of Makeover.

“About a year ago, I mentioned to my cousin that I would love to work on the show if it ever came to Dallas,” Hull said.

When the design team

headed to Keller in December, he told her he would pass along her information. He did; she heard nothing.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday went by. Hull waited on a phone call that never came. Finally, she said she gave up worrying.

“If God wants me to do this, they’ll call,” Hull said.

While sitting in a Taco Bell drive-thru, Hull received a call on her cell phone from Ann Cummings, the show’s producer.

“She just asked, ‘How soon can you get here?’” Hull said.

She rushed home, grabbed her paint and some clothes and drove straight to Keller, just outside of Fort Worth.

“

I wanted the opportunity and the experience of working with this caliber of designers…I would love to do it again. :: Rebecca Hull, ACU alumnus (’05)

“I blew in and got right to work,” Hull said.

She was responsible for completing a faux finish, which involves using paint to create the illusion of another material such as marble or plaster. She also helped another muralist with some stenciling work.

What seemed like an easy task turned out to be more than she expected.

options for Provost

”

“I didn’t finish until 1 a.m.,” Hull said. “I had to be there early the next day, so I just slept in my truck.”

But in spite of the cold and the stress, Hull was glad she chose to go.

“I wanted the opportunity and the experience of working with this caliber of designers,” See

Makeover page 4

By Michael Freeman Managing Editor

The Provost Search Committee narrowed the search for a new university Provost down to two, according to an e-mail Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, sent Monday.

Dr. Rob Stewart, Interim Vice Provost at Texas Tech University, and Dr. Jeanine Varner, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, are the two finalists the Provost Search Committee recommended after several weeks of interviews and deliberations.

ACU WEATHER

Both candidates will meet with faculty and various groups on campus during the week after spring break.

“As we move toward a decision, I ask for your prayers that God will bless the candidates, the discernment of the search committee and the future of ACU,” Money said in the e-mail.

The hunt for a new Provost began after the current provost, Dr. Dwayne VanRheenan, announced his plans to retire in October.

E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu

Online Poll :

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

High: 85 Low: 57

High: 87 Low: 57

High: 78 Low: 58

a. I hope I live through them.. b. I don’t have any hard exams. c. I’m stuck in the Brown Library. d. I’m just ready for spring break.

Videos :: Podcasts :: Slideshows Department of Journalism and Mass Communication ::

Abilene Christian University

How are your midterm exams coming along?

acuoptimist.com ::

Serving the ACU community since 1912

2

Campus Day Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Calendar and Events

4

Wednesday

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Sleep and stress management day, sponsored by Making Choices Week, will take place in the Campus Center. The event will feature Popcorn and Possibilities from the University Counseling Center.

5

6

Thursday

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Making Choices Week will provide nutritional information in the Campus Center.

7-9 p.m.

A Food, Fat and Fear forum, sponsored by Making Choices Week, will take place in Hart Auditorium.

acuoptimist.com

Online News Cast

The Center for Contemporary Arts needs volunteers to give free art lessons to kids, while providing the

opportunity to learn about art through the ArtReach program. Volunteers do not have to be artists and are needed Monday through Friday from 1-5 p.m.

For more information, call Katherine Trotter at 677-8389 or e-mail katherine@center-arts.com.

Find out volunteer opportunities by visiting the Volunteer and ServiceLearning 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 Volunteer and Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout.

Saturday

10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The Big Country Home and Garden Expo will take place at the Civic Center. The event costs $2. For more information or to buy tickets, call Brenda Moore at 698-4232.

7-11:55 p.m.

The Rocketboys will perform at Monks Coffee Shop.

Webcast

Watch vidoes Thursday about students’ spring break plans, the Brandon Woodruff trial and students who serve as volunteer firefighters.

Volunteer Opportunities Meals on Wheels is 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 that this project is approved as a Faith in Action Chapel exemption project.

11-11:30 a.m.

Chapel will be a Praise Day with George Pendergrass in Moody Coliseum.

Log on to www.youtube.com/acuvideo to see videos of the wind ensemble concert, the new Alumni Relations director, open mic night in Barret Hall and the events of Making Choices Week.

Announcements The Master’s in Global IT Leadership interest meeting has changed to March 30 in the Campus Center after Chapel. Free lunch will be provided.

The Women for ACU are accepting scholarship applications for the 2009-10 school year through March 20.

The scholarship is up to $2,000 a semester. Applicants must be a sophomore or junior, have a GPA of at least 3.0, be a male or female major in Biblical studies or a female in any major and an active student in the university. For more information, e-mail wacu@acu.edu.

Daylight savings time begins on Saturday. Turn all clocks ahead one hour and lose an hour of sleep, but gain 238 hours of additional daylight during the summer.

The Hardin-Simmons University Concert Band and the World Famous Cowboy Band will perform a free concert at the Civic Center on Thursday at 8 p.m.

The Optimist maintains this calendar for the ACU community to keep track of local social, academic and service opportunities.

Groups may send announcements directly to jmcnetwork@acu.edu or to the Page 2 Editor at sar06g@acu.edu.

To ensure that an item will appear on time, the announcement should be sent at least 10 days before. The Optimist may edit items for space and style.

Corrections and clarifications of published news articles will be printed in this space in a timely manner.

ACU Police Tip of the Week

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Friday

About This Page

For more information, call Wayne Dorothy at 670-1419.

International Women’s Day will take place Sunday. The international holiday was created in 1911 to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women in history.

Spring break will begin Friday, and classes will resume at 8 a.m. on March 16.

The documentary, A Powerful Noise, will be shown in honor of International Women’s Day at the Century 12 Abilene Theater on Sunday at 7 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.fathomevents.com.

The ACU American Marketing Association will sponsor informational meetings every Tuesday at 9 p.m. in COBA Room 117. All majors are welcome to attend.

Remember that chaining or locking bicycles to handrails, trees or sign-posts is prohibited.

Students are advised to use the bike racks.

Police Log Edited for space

Monday, Feb. 23

Thursday, Feb. 26

5:57 p.m. The ACU Police had to jumpstart a vehicle in the McDonald Hall parking lot.

10:30 p.m. Someone reported a theft at Moody Coliseum.

2:25 p.m. Someone reported a vehicle dumping trash at the University Church parking lot; the ACU Police contacted the driver, and he picked up the trash.

7 p.m. Someone reported a disturbance at McKinzie Hall; the ACU Police contacted two students having a disagreement, and one subject left for her residence.

Tuesday, Feb. 24 3:30 p.m. The ACU Police attempted to unlock a concession stand at Crutcher Scott Field but was unable to locate the key.

4:15 p.m. The ACU Police attended a meeting at the district attorney’s Office.

6:50 p.m. The ACU Police assisted the Abilene Police in notifying a student of a recovered stolen vehicle.

7:31 p.m. Someone reported a suspicious subject near Elmer Gray Stadium, and the ACU Police discovered the subject was waiting for a ride.

9:55 p.m. The ACU Police issued a traffic stop at Campus Court because a subject disregarded a stop sign.

11:05 p.m. The ACU Police responded to an incomplete 9-1-1 call on Oliver Jackson Boulevard but was unable to locate any suspects.

Wednesday, Feb. 25 9 a.m. The ACU Police unlocked a vehicle in the Williams Performing Arts Center parking lot.

12:20 p.m. Someone reported a suspicious subject at the Bob and Shirley Hunter Welcome Center, but the subject was gone when the ACU Police arrived.

3:40 p.m. Someone reported skateboarders at the Bob and Shirley Hunter Welcome Center, but the ACU Police was unable to locate any subjects.

Friday, Feb. 27 4:10 p.m. The ACU Police assisted a motorist with a flat tire in the Campus Center parking lot.

Saturday, Feb. 28 10:38 a.m. The ACU Police directed traffic for the Abilene Police after a vehicle accident on Washington Boulevard.

2:40 p.m. The ACU Police assisted the Abilene Police with a disturbance call at Cracker Barrel.

5:38 p.m. The ACU Police attempted to lock the Biblical Studies Building, but a wedding was still in progress.

Sunday, Mar. 1 4:06 a.m. A burglar alarm sounded at Central Stores warehouse, but the ACU Police was unable to contact a representative to reset the alarm.

2 p.m. Someone reported a suspicious subject on Morrow Lane, but the ACU Police was unable to locate a subject.

4:20 p.m. Someone reported juveniles on the roof of the Bob and Shirley Hunter Welcome Center, but the subjects were gone when the ACU Police arrived.

Always report suspicious activity to ACUPD at 674-2305 or 674-2911.

Chapel Checkup Credited Chapels to date:

37

Credited Chapels remaining:

36

CAMPUS NEWS

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Page 3

Professors contribute to book of Biblical commentary

By Megan Haggerton Student Reporter

For the past six years, upwards of 50 scholars from across the country, including some ACU professors, have been working on a one-volume commentary of the Bible called The Transforming Word.

Dr. Nancy Shankle, chair and professor in the Department of English, served as one of four associate editors for The Transforming Word. The other editors were Ken Cukrowski, associate dean of Biblical Studies; James Thompson, professor of New Testament and Kay Onstead Chair for Biblical Studies; and John Willis, chair of Biblical Studies and professor of Old Testament. The

general editor, Dr. Mark Hamilton, professor in the Graduate School of Theology, worked on the entire commentary.

“Every Bible scholar should have three books on their bookshelf in addition to the Bible itself: a Bible dictionary, a Bible concordance and a Bible commentary,” Shankle said.

The intended audience for The Transforming Word is Bible teachers around the world, along with anyone who is seeking a deeper understanding of the word of God. The commentary that professors worked on may be world-renowned in time.

This commentary is only one-volume, which makes it easier to read than others because it is condensed

Psychologist to offer info, insight about disorders

By Shelby Holt Student Reporter

Remuda Ranch, an eating disorder treatment facility in Arizona, is sponsoring a workshop on campus Thursday and Friday to raise awareness and provide more information about eating disorders.

Dr. Dena Cabrera, a psychologist from Remuda Ranch and sole workshop speaker, will cover topics, such as body image, exercise, healthy eating and eating disorders.

Steve Rowlands, director of the University Counseling Center, said the workshop will update the knowledge people already have on eating disorders and discuss ways the media plays into body image.

“The target age group has grown younger, especially females, and the number of men affected has increased drastically,” Rowlands said.

Food, Fat & Fear, the first of two seminars featuring Cabrera, will be Thursday at

7 p.m. in Hart Auditorium; it is free of charge and open to all ACU students.

“It will be geared for students who struggle with appearance or eating habits and provide more information on a healthy lifestyle,” Rowlands said.

On Friday, the topic of the seminar, Eating Disorders Across the Lifespan: A Closer Look, will center on eating disorders and be directed toward professionals, but still is open to the public.

This seminar costs $10 and is in the Bob and Shirley Hunter Welcome Center.

To register online, go to www.acu.edu/eating.

This workshop is valuable not only to students, but to Abilene as a whole, said Cara Flanders, coordinator of the workshop.

“We see a fair share of ACU students in the Counseling Center, struggling with eating disorders,” Flanders said, “and plenty who just have questions.”

These workshops are a useful tool for nutrition, social work and nursing

and more readily available, Shankle said.

“The Transforming Word helps people who are reading the Bible and come across a passage they don’t understand,” Shankle said. “They can use this commentary to help them better comprehend what they are reading.”

She said the goal of this commentary is to be used as a reference book when looking for a better understanding of the Bible itself.

“I hope readers will use this volume for their own personal studies and preparing to teach in the many ways Christians teach,” Hamilton told ACU Today. “I hope the book will help all of us read Scripture with understanding,

staff members and the people who worked under them. He said planning for the event began in October, and ACU hoped to create a conference where other educational facilities could find the tools and help they needed to implement a mobile learning initiative on their campuses.

“When we were planning for the conference, we [asked ourselves], what are questions did we have and what kind of conference do we wish we could go to,” Saltsman said.

Saltsman said more than 90 percent of the participants who filled out an online survey about the conference said they would return

for similar conferences in the future or recommend it to a friend. Although those numbers only include more than one-fourth of the more than 400 people who attended, Saltsman said the response he has received has been warm.

No plans for a future conference have been set, he said.

“I was so proud of the people that put this together,” Saltsman said. “ACU really pulled this off.”

Ken Thothero, coordinator of external and special projects at the University of Texas, was hoping to see if ACU’s Mobile Learning Initiative was simply a gimmick or an effective use of Apple’s mobile devices for learning. He said Thursday

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

Transforming Word is a guide, written by more than 50 scholars, to help readers decipher passages from the Bible.

E-mail Haggerton at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Eating disorders

Harvard professor speaks on campus

Several common disorders people have include:

By Ryan Elam

n Anorexia Nervosa n Bulimia Nervosa n One or two people out of 100 will struggle with a disorder Source: kidshealth.org

majors, as well as student athletes, she said.

Many people already have registered to attend, and some are even traveling from across the state of Texas.

“I hope people will feel like they have more accurate knowledge and information, so that if they have a friend or roommate in this situation, it will give them the skills to help,” Flanders said.

If students have any questions about eating disorders or would like to speak with a counselor, they may drop by the University Counseling Center, which is located in the lower level of McKinzie Hall, directly underneath the Medical Clinic.

E-mail Holt at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

ConnectED: ACU plays host to guests Continued from page 1

feeling and commitment.”

The Transforming Word was published by the ACU Press and is available for purchase in The Campus Store or online at www.transformingwordcommentary.com. If bought online, the price for this book runs at $69.95, plus shipping and handling. If bought in The Campus Store, it only costs $69.95.

The Transforming Word has been reviewed by sources such as the Christian Chronicle. This one volume-book is 1,136 pages of commentary on every book of the Bible.

evening he had his doubts, but was open-minded to the use of mobile devices in education.

“That’s what I’m here to see,” Tothero said Thursday evening at the beginning of the conference.

On Friday after the final speech of the ConnectED conference, Thothero said ACU’s openness and conference showed him this private Christian university knew what it was talking about when it came to mobile learning.

“I was impressed,” Thothero said.

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

Student Reporter

A group of 50 students, faculty and staff gathered in Walling Lecture Hall to listen to Dr. Eric Mazur, professor of physics and applied physics at Harvard University, give a lecture on subcellular surgery and nanosurgery Thursday.

ACU invited Mazur to campus as a keynote speaker for the ConnectED Summit.

His lecture was somewhat impromptu, as Mazur simply offered to share his research with the academic community.

In his lecture, Mazur revealed to the mixed audience his method of performing surgery inside a single cell.

“It is like taking a knife and being able to get inside the cell without puncturing the membrane,” Mazur said.

The procedure is made possible through the use of a femtosecond laser, a device that discharges a short, but tight, pulse of energy. The pulse makes a cut inside the cell without creating enough damage to kill the cell, he said.

The tiny pulse has the energy equivalent of a fruit fly

“

It is like taking a knife and being able to get inside the cell without puncturing the membrane. :: Dr. Eric Mazur, professor of physics at Harvard University

bumping into a human cheek, yet the intensity is so phenomenally high it can disrupt material, Mazur said.

Dr. Donald Isenhower, professor of physics at ACU, said the lecture particularly benefitted the pre-med and physics majors.

“It showed a technique to go in and do surgery at a level that would have been considered completely impossible to do before,” Isenhower said. “A lot of the students in there were going to go into health fields, and the physics majors could see what we can do with ultra short pulses of light.”

Mazur said he began his procedures on dead cells and eventually moved to living cells and organisms.

Mazur and his research group use the femtosecond laser to dissect C. elegans, a worm species that lives in soil.

”

Growing up in Europe in a family of academics, Mazur began his career at Harvard University in 1982, where he moved into the applied physics field and began working with lasers.

Mazur also helped found a company called SiOnyx, which is the leading innovator in shallow junction photonics.

One of SiOnyx’s goals is the commercialization of black silicon, a product that will advance products like computer chips and cameras.

For more information about SiOnyx, visit www. sionyx.com, and for more information about Mazur’s research, visit http://mazurwww.harvard.edu.

E-mail Elam at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

FROM THE FRONT

Page 4

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Makeover: Alumna uses art for TV show New Hire: Musick plans to network

Continued from page 1

Hull said. “I would love to do it again.”

Many skilled and unskilled volunteers assist in the rapid construction of the houses featured on the show, and all the materials are donated.

Hull worked on a house for the Augustin family, replacing an irreparably flood-damaged dwelling the family vacated last year. The show’s producers chose the family as part of their current “Heroes in the Community” season. Amber Augustin founded the non-profit Tiny Works of Heart, an organization that takes pictures of families and their premature babies at local hospitals free-ofcharge, and Peter Augustin frequently volunteers at

Habitat for Humanity.

Hull might have been surprised by the opportunity to showcase her artistic skills on an award-winning television show, but one of her former professors was anything but.

“I remember that she always paid a lot of attention to detail,” said Dan McGregor, associate professor of art and design. “She had a good eye for decorative design.”

Hull began her stint at ACU in 1997, taking a break from her academic career to launch a professional one as a muralist. Besides being a non-traditional student, her career choice is not a typical one for art students.

“The thing about murals is that there’s this heritage of great mural artists that she can look toward, like

Michelangelo and da Vinci,” said Jack Maxwell, chair of the Art and Design Department and Hull’s uncle. “Today, murals probably aren’t thought of as high art, but they give the artist an opportunity to work with [the] same challenges that the great artists of past had to work with.”

Hull’s interest in murals, however, began much earlier than her college career, partly influenced by her uncle and aunt, Jack and Jill Maxwell.

“I grew up listening to them talk about art,” Hull said. “They had murals everywhere, and they were the real deal.”

Hull’s work can be seen on walls around campus, including the University Counseling Center, Development Operations and the first floor of the Brown Li-

brary. Visitors to University Church of Christ also can see her art on the walls of the children’s wing.

“I love murals because you don’t have to bridge a gap between canvas and a wall,” she said. “It’s just like painting on vertical paper.”

Hull takes her work seriously, on and off the camera.

“I want my murals to get more interesting the longer that you look at them,” she said. “They have to transcend that particular moment. They have to have some staying power.”

The Extreme Home Makeover show is scheduled to air on ABC Sunday at 7 p.m. More of Hull’s work can be found on her Web site, www.rebeccahull. com.

E-mail Hackney at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Trial: Former student pleads not guilty Continued from page 1 stand trial after the jury has been selected. Ninety-eight potential jurors filled out questionnaires Tuesday; 12 will be selected Wednesday to serve on the jury, a secretary at the 354th District Court said.

Woodruff’s parents died from multiple bullet and stab wounds to their necks and faces in the living room of their home Oct. 18, 2005.

Police could not find any evidence of a forced entry into the locked house.

Police also reported that valuables were left in plain sight in the house, and a blood trail suggested the killer washed up in a bathroom before leaving, according to Texas Ranger Jeffrey Collins’ affidavit for an arrest warrant.

“

I want justice to be done to the right person, and it’s not me. :: Brandon Woodruff, former ACU student

Woodruff was arrested Oct. 24, 2005, and his bail was set at $1 million. Investigators said they found discrepancies in Woodruff’s testimony about where he was at the time of his parents’ deaths. “[My parents and I] always had a good relationship,” Woodruff said in a November 2005 interview with KTVT-TV, a CBS affiliate in Dallas. “If I had a problem, they were there to answer it. We were really, really close.”

Last month, prosecutors with the Texas Attorney

”

General’s office released a list of witnesses they will call to testify. They also released a series of allegations to raise against Woodruff during the trial, including steroid use, pornography and assaulting his older sister, according to a Royse City Herald-Banner article.

Richard Beacom, the 354th District Court judge, has issued a gag order prohibiting attorneys and witnesses from commenting on the case, according to a Dallas Morning News article.

Beacom also ruled that Woodruff’s constitutional

rights to confidentiality were violated when prosecutors listened to the recordings of telephone calls from the jail between Woodruff and his defense team. The incident delayed progress in the legal case and resulted in new prosecutors being assigned to the case.

Prosecutors have announced they will not pursue the death penalty, so a conviction would result in a life sentence for Woodruff.

“I want justice to be done to the right person, and it’s not me,” Woodruff said in the news interview.

E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu

Continued from page 1 of Alumni Programs. “He has a background in marketing and public relations, and we are looking forward to hearing his ideas.”

Musick will be in charge of University Events and Alumni Relations. He will be responsible for keeping in contact with ACU’s alumni and acting as their voice for the university, and he will be traveling and setting up events, as he keeps ACU connected with its alumni.

“When I was a student worker, I was inspired by the work and commitment of the Alumni Department and I made a personal promise to myself to take advantage of the opportunity if a directory position was ever available,” Musick said.

Musick and his wife Kathy have two children: Ashley, junior social work major from Nashville, Tenn., and Jeff, a high school senior.

Musick plans to begin his new position by focusing on two concepts for the university: creating a social media network for alumni and exploring and organizing mission trips for alumni to travel together and serve in the name of the Lord, which is the ACU heritage and common bond among the ACU community, he said.

While attending ACU, Musick was involved in Sing Song, the Big Purple, planning Homecoming events and volunteering and working in the Alumni Relations’ office for two

New Director Larry Musick will be in charge of the following departments: n University Events n Alumni Relations

years. Musick also was a member and officer of the men’s social club Gamma Sigma Phi and the Student Alumni Association.

“Working with [Student Alumni Association] enabled me to witness firsthand what alumni mean to the university and what their expectations are,” Musick said. “I would like to organize a group similar to the [Student Alumni Association] in the future.”

Musick replaced Amber Peck as director of Alumni Relations so she could have more free time to raise her 2-year-old son. Betsy Craig handled the responsibilities as director during the transition.

Musick graduated from ACU with a bachelor’s degree in communication and also is working toward his master’s degree in conflict management, according to a press release issued by the Public Relations office. Before working at Lipscomb, Musick worked with Dale Supply Company and Manpower, two Fortune 500 companies in Nashville.

E-mail Gutierrez at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

FocusWednesday

Page 5

March 4, 2009

Making a Way Her journey from fear to faith was far from easy, but Samjung Kang-Hamilton learned to fight through disappointment and trust that God would make a way.

S

amjung Kang-Hamilton was baptized by an American missionary on Jeju-Do Island, an island southeast of mainland South Korea. She was not a Christian; she had never heard the Gospel.

She was drawn to her own baptism by pure curiosity.

“I never heard of a Bible and I wasn’t interested,” she said. “I wanted to know what Americans looked like — I’d never seen them before.”

She and a friend attended an organized time of prayer, sponsored by the American missionaries who were conducting a summer campaign in her village. When the invitation for baptism was announced, she stepped forward.

“It was a very dramatic experience,” she said.

Fourteen-year-old Kang-Hamilton wore a white gown under a full moon and beautiful scenery, but that was all the experience reflected at the time.

She returned home and had no connection with Scripture.

Kang-Hamilton’s gentle voice is graced by an accent that captivates her listener and begs her story to be told. She maintains an elegant composure as she begins to trace her life from Jeju-Do Island to a cozy office in the Graduate School of Theology in Abilene, Texas.

Home was a fishing village on JejuDo Island called Shi Heung Ree, inhabited by about 500 other families. At the time, the village was home to 60 elementary school students, five of which attended high school. It was a village where a woman commonly helped her parents in the home until she found a spouse, married and settled. Today, Dr. Kang-Hamilton is a wife and mother of two musically gifted children, Nathan, 17, and Hannah, 13. She is an adjunct professor of religious education and children’s ministry in the Graduate School of Theology, an active member of the University Church of Christ and president of the Friends of ACU Library. She received her Ed.M. and Ed.D. from Columbia University.

“If you can do it, I can support you, and if you find the truth, stick to it,” she recollects her father telling her years ago. These words carried her from one side of the world to another and encouraged an open mind toward the unfamiliar world of Christianity.

Her father was an atheist; her mother did not practice any religion, and she lived next door to a shaman — a woman called on to cure illnesses, tell fortunes and serve as a medium between spirits and humans.

This skepticism kept her away from any interest in Christianity, until a few months after her baptism when a preacher from the church began repeatedly knocking on her door and asking her to come to a service.

She finally decided to go to church one Sunday, and from then on it was a completely different story.

Soul Searching She continued to attend church throughout high school and decided to make Christianity and education prominent elements in her life, but struggled with the effect this had on her relationship with her family.

“I cried — I cried so many times trying to practice what I thought was right and what my parents wanted me to do,” she said.

Contrary to most women in her village, she decided to move to Seoul after high school to go to college, become a teacher and further develop her faith.

“I would move from the country, a village, to the capital city by myself. It was a tough journey for me,” she said.

Her family was comfortable in its village, and had no need for advanced schooling or degrees, “But I needed to go to a different place to pursue the things I believed,” she said.

Photos courtesy of

:: Google Maps

Kang-Hamilton grew up in the small, fishing village of Siheung-ri on South Korea’s Jeju-Do island.

The Big Move

Heather Leiphart :: staff photographer Kang-Hamilton sits near her office in the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building.

She had found the truth her father spoke of, and she took his advice to follow it.

The Big City Kang-Hamilton moved to Seoul in 1976 and worked full-time as a secretary for the same missionary who came to her village the summer she was baptized.

She had taken the first step; but found herself struggling with her future.

“I was searching — it’s hard when you don’t know what direction to go in,” she said.

She remembers a day when God spoke to her and began revealing His will.

“I was walking down the street in Seoul and I heard a Gospel reading,” she said. “The preacher was talking about the will of God, and somehow that lesson hit me, and I was turned around.”

From that moment, her decision was to trust and follow God. “I began searching for the will of God,” she said. “I don’t know if God was listening to my struggle, but I decided to go to seminary. I’ll never forget that.”

Kang-Hamilton enrolled in night classes at Seoul Christian University, formerly Korean Christian Seminary, and began working toward her degrees in theology and Christian education.

“I studied in the public bus with my Greek and Hebrew language cards,” she said. “I made a good grade, but I wanted to study more.”

She was active in the Church of Christ that employed her and decided she wanted to learn more about the Christian faith, but could not do so in South Korea.

“I learned Christianity imported from the West, and I felt there was a lot more to explore.”

She continued her studies with this

desire in the back of her mind.

In 1984, Kang-Hamilton partnered with a missionary and planted a church in Seoul. She soon became closely acquainted with her peers from Seminary who shared the same dream of moving to the U.S. The group came together all night every Friday to pray for each other’s decisions.

By her senior year, she had devoted three years of her life to prayer about one decision, and was losing motivation to continue.

Senior year, she gave up.

“I was faced with people saying, ‘You’ve dreamt and prayed about this; why are you giving up now?’ so I started rethinking,” she said.

The following summer, she approached her boss about coming to the U.S. and was faced with a new set of obstacles.

He got in contact with friends at Cascade College in Oregon and arranged for an international student application to be sent for her admittance. However, the process was not easy — her visa was rejected — a possibility she was afraid would happen.

“I tried again during Christmas,” she said. “People are more generous then.”

This thought proved true — the American Embassy sent her a visa after her second attempt.

While at work, and still in the application process, Kang Hamilton was assigned to help a group of students from Oklahoma Christian University plan their mission trip to South Korea.

During causal conversation with the students, she mentioned she wanted to come to the U.S. and was in the process of applying to Cascade College. A student quickly replied, “Why don’t you come to Oklahoma?”

She received and completed the application and began to arrange her move to America.

Kang-Hamilton finished her degree in Korea, with honors, and transferred to Oklahoma Christian University on Jan. 2, 1985.

“I thought to myself, ‘Wow, Americans are blessed’,” she said.

Once she became accustomed to the spacious Oklahoma landscape in comparison to the 20-story buildings in South Korea, she began her bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies.

Her degree in theology and Christian education from Seoul Christian College transferred, but she was forced to spend a year taking Oklahoma Christian’s basic courses and faced a severe struggle with the language barrier.

“I came without any ESL,” she said. “I could hear, speak and function, but coming here was a struggle. When American students spent one hour for a class, I had to spend 10 for the same one.”

Her self-esteem spiraled.

“My self-esteem was spiraling,” she said. “I wished I could speak the way I was thinking in my head, but you cannot express the vocabulary of a country until you live there and learn its culture.

Gracious as each word may sound leaving her mouth, it is easy to forget she endured such a struggle with the English language. She makes an example of her struggle through the idea of checks and balances.

“I understand checks; I understand balances,” she said. “And you know that is a term for American government, but I never knew that because it is part of this culture.”

She also was living in a dormitory as a student in her mid-20s.

“It was hard for me, but I didn’t complain” she said.

Her life in the dorms was short lived — after a semester, the resident director let her move to the senior, then married student housing.

Kang-Hamilton completed her degree and had set a goal to receive her master’s in religious education, but that particular program at Oklahoma Christian was replaced with marriage and family therapy. Abilene Christian University was the only other school that still offered the program she wanted.

proached Kang-Hamilton. She told him she could not afford the trip, to which he responded, “If you want to go, we can find a way for you to go.

I can help you.”

Kang-Hamilton raised the money and soon was on a plane to Jerusalem with 14 other graduate students, including Dr. Mark Hamilton, a man she had seen around campus but did not know.

The two arrived in Jerusalem, started spending time together and soon went on their first date of pizza and a walk through the town.

“It just seemed right,” he said.

“When you meet someone who’s smart, creative and beautiful — all these things, you’d be stupid not to ask her out.”

The two dated for three years and married in 1989.

John Willis, professor of Biblical studies in the Graduate School of Theology, was Mark’s Old Testament chairman, while Mark was pursuing his master’s degree, and thinks highly of the Hamilton family, whom he has known for 20 years.

“They have a wonderful relationship,” he said.

“He’s wonderful, sweet, kind and smart — girls are looking for all these things in a strong Christian man,” Kang-Hamilton said. “My goal is to serve God, and this man is going to support me. This is a gift.”

The two finished their master’s degrees and moved to Connecticut, where Mark had a job preaching. She commuted six hours by train, three days a week to Columbia University, and had their first child, Nathan, by the time she received her Ed.M. and Ed.D. with a focus in church education.

“Then it was Mark’s turn,” she said.

The family moved to Massachusetts where Mark received his Ph.D. from Harvard University.

The two have committed to balance family with ministry and careers. “You cannot teach and preach without taking care of your own,” she said.

The Hamilton family is back in Abilene where along with Kang-Hamilton’s multiple campus and ministry responsibilities, Mark is the associate dean and professor in the Graduate School of Theology

A New Home

Today

“I came here not knowing anyone, no car, nothing — it was a wonderful experience,” Kang-Hamilton said.

She worked fulltime in the Brown Library and took classes in the master’s program. The library staff knew she was supporting herself and surprised her with a trip home.

“They knew I was going to school and working day and night, so they secretly collected money and sent me back,” she said. “I hadn’t seen my family in several years, and they knew I didn’t have the money to do it.” She said this showed her what it means to be a Christian.

“I have a lot of special people here,” she said. “I have a lot of fathers, mothers, grandparents — everywhere I go, someone is there for me. That’s part of being a Christian — friends.”

In 1987, a donation was given to the graduate school to send a group of students to Jerusalem for a semester.

“I was interested, but I didn’t have the money,” Kang-Hamilton said.

Wendell Broom, professor emeritus in Bible, missions and ministry, was leading the group and ap-

Kang-Hamilton has been baptized again, but when she looks back to the night of her first baptism, she said she sees God’s work beginning.

“I believe that moment was God’s invitation,” she said. “He worked not through my will, but through the will of the people who prayed for me in that moment, through a community believing in prayer.”

As she continues her life in Abilene, she bases her prayers on John 15:1-8.

“If we are in Christ and He is in us, we will bear much fruit. He can dwell in us in proportion to the space we provide for him in our lives,” she said.

She said he sees her impact on those around her.

“She makes people feel better when they’re around her. She is a voice of sanity, wisdom and spiritual depth,” he said. “She makes people feel better when they’re around her because they know God loves them, and they know she loves them.”

E-mail Rodriguez at: sar06g@acu.edu

ViewsWednesday

Page 6

March 4, 2009

Abilene offers unique entertainment opportunities

S

tudents often leave town for the weekend because they think they can find nothing to do in Abilene. It is even more common for students to dread returning to Abilene.

The streetlights turn off at night, the city looks fast asleep by 9 p.m. and the “to-do’s” do not even compare to places like Austin or San Antonio.

But face it, we do not live in Austin or San Antonio, so we cannot expect the same city life and atmosphere. When the population of Austin is nearly 14 times the size of Abilene, it would be foolish to expect such. So stop comparing; quit whining about living in a boring town and discover the fact that Abilene has a lot to offer.

Start with the cuisine.

Like any city, Abilene has

its share of franchises, but it also has a diverse collection of locally owned restaurants. These include Ann Thai Kitchen, Szechuan Chinese Restaurant, Sharon’s Barbecue and Catering, Joe Allen’s Catering, McKay’s Bakery, Harold’s Pit Bar-B-Q, La Popular and Café and Alley Cats Restaurant and Top Cap Catering. If you are not looking for a meal, but rather a comfortable place to read a book with a cup of coffee, try Monks Coffee Shop, Mezamiz Deux Coffee House or Tuscany’s Café and Bistro — in case you want a little of both. These locations often double as intimate concert venues.

When the meal is finished and you need to find something to do, freshmen, whip out your iPhones and look at the Civic Center’s Web site:

http://www.abilenetx.com/ CivicCenter/. Comedians, artists and any other form of entertainment that comes to Abilene to perform do so at the Civic Center.

In the last week alone, the Civic Center had comedian George Lopez perform and presented the musical Hairspray. In addition, it set the stage for illusionist David Copperfield on Saturday.

If money is tight, plan a trip to the Abilene State Park, experience a night of square dancing at the Oplin Dance Hall, see if the Abilene Zoo lives up to its promotional billboards on I-20, visit the Buffalo Gap Historic Village or go to a rodeo just to say you have done it.

Or, learn a little about Abilene’s history and culture at The Grace Museum, Frontier

Texas!, the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature or the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.

Lastly, let us not forget that Abilene is home to two other universities: HardinSimmons and McMurry. Explore the events on those campuses – just because we are students at ACU does not mean we are confined to activities on this campus.

Check out the Hardin-Simmons’ theatre department’s performance of William Shakespeare’s Two Gentle Women of Verona through Sunday — after you see Little Women at ACU, of course. Or, try out for the Abilene Ruff Riders, an indoor professional football team, at McMurry on Saturday at 9 a.m.

So, instead of complaining that Abilene lacks a wild downtown and sleepless

The issue:

Boredom in the city of Abilene remains a common complaint among college students.

Our view:

Abilene’s small-town atmosphere brings unique forms of entertainment for those willing to search.

The solution:

Instead of fleeing to bigger cities for weekend fun, scope out the distinct recreational opportunties Abilene has to offer. nightlife, take advantage of the things unique to Abilene.

After all, Gary P. Nunn, Texas-country singer, says in his song London Homesick Blues: “I wanna go home with the armadillo, good country music from Amarillo and Abilene, the friendliest people and the prettiest women you’ve ever seen.”

If you still cannot find anything to do in Abilene, take into consideration a

line from Harvey Danger’s song, Flagpole Sitta that says: “If you’re bored then you’re boring,” because you can find plenty to do here if only you try.

E-mail the Optimist at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Joe the Plumber mulls political aspirations Need a toilet unclogged or a leaky faucet repaired?

How about an analysis of the current economic downturn and its potential effect on American freedom?

Just call Joe the Plumber; he can fix anything.

Joe Wurzelbacher, Self aka Joe the Examination Plumber, the

By Ryan Self overnight sensation of the 2008 presidential campaign, is currently promoting his new book, Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream, all across the heartland. In his book, Wurzelbacher offers anecdotes and appraisals of the current state of politics in America.

On President Obama, Harvard Law graduate and former editor in chief of the Harvard Law Review, Wurzelbacher remarked, “So far every step he’s taken I pretty much disagree with.” On Sen. John McCain, who has spent more than 25 years in Congress and 5 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, Wurzelbacher commented, concerning McCain’s responses to his questions while on the campaign trail, “They appalled me. I was angry. I wanted to get off the bus after I talked to him.”

But what of Wurzelbacher? How does this plumber turned political pundit describe himself? “I like to think I’m a little more educated than some out there in politics just because it is interesting to me,” he said.

If only our politicians were more interested in politics, imagine what a difference they would make.

Wurzelbacher’s ambitions do not end with his recent book, which is sure to enlighten and inspire much more than Obama’s shallow and disappointing “The Audacity of Hope.”

Joe the Plumber has decided he wants to become Joe the Congressman. Wurzelbacher states, “If I became a congressman, I would literally bang people’s heads together and probably get in a lot of trouble.” I hope that is not his campaign slogan.

How did we become so fortunate to have such a

‘Religulous’ sparks answerable theological questions After viewing Bill Maher’s documentary Religulous, I was prepared to right his wrongs with this column, until the underlying question finally surfaced in my mind.

H o w s h o u l d Christians interact and discuss rePeople Say I ligion with Talk Too Much individuals

By Tanner who find Anderson Christianity ludicrous? I do not have the answer to this question, but the university equips its students with enough professors and classes for them to find their own answers.

Although Maher claimed he wanted to find the truth and the reason why people

believe in a higher power, he copped out on his documentary. Instead of talking with scholars and professors of theology, he tracked down the uneducated and unprepared who did not know what the documentary was about and perhaps involved themselves in a search for their quick 15 minutes of fame.

Maher talked to truckers in Raleigh, N.C., and traveled to a creation museum in Petersburg, Ky., where it depicted man and dinosaur living together with an animatronic triceratops with a saddle harnessed to its back. He interviewed a man who plays Jesus at a religious theme park in Orlando, Fla., and had a discussion with a man claiming to be the second coming of Christ somewhere in Mexico.

Although the subjects he interviewed were questionable, his questions did con-

Letter to the Editor Forgiveness crucial in conflict “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.

Live in peace with each oth-

er. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to

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

tain validity and substance, which brought to surface obstacles people struggle with regarding faith and religion with issues like homosexuality, the Holy Trinity and what sections of the Bible his interviewers took literally.

After living in Abilene, let alone attending a Christian school, the documentary contained an important truth, and I realized that once I burst out of the ACU bubble, I will encounter individuals who have difficult questions and need reasons other than, “because the Bible says so.”

Before coming to ACU, “because the Bible says so” was the only logical argument I had in my evangelical arsenal; I had an ignorant faith. I had faith just because I was told to, and it was not ever really challenged or confronted.

However, ACU prepares its students for difficult ques-

everyone else.” -1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 With respect to the Optimist staff, I want to encourage all involved in this event to be forgiving toward one other. Let us not be spiteful or negative about our differences in opinion.

I, too, work very hard but do not always receive appreciation for it. That does not, however, give me the motivation to attack or blame others. Our Savior Jesus Christ

tions with classes like philosophy, religion and science; teaching good news; introduction to the philosophy of religion and ethics. And although these questions take more than four years to answer, the university does a great job in providing educated professors and thought-provoking classes to truly educate and challenge young Christians.

I will finally leave ACU after five (cough) years with a degree and faith that is no longer ignorant; and although I am nowhere close to having everything figured out, I will have comfort knowing that although questions and doubts regarding issues of faith will linger, they will lead to a broader understanding if searched for, analyzed and discussed.

E-mail Anderson at: tsa04a@acu.edu

himself was scorned by those who he loved and died for.

I hope and pray that this incident reminds us that we always have the choice to act kindly toward our oppressors.

Clinton Morgan sophomore music teaching major from Baird

In response to the column, ‘Newspaper theft demonstrates rash disrespect, naivety’

Optimist the

Published by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication

Newsroom: (325) 674-2439

Sports desk: (325) 674-2499

wise and astute man littering the airwaves with his opinions? Back in October of 2008, Wurzelbacher confronted Obama about his new tax plan, which would heavily tax those that made more than $250,000. Wurzelbacher, as soon-to-be private business owner who found himself in that category, questioned Obama about how that would affect him and if he believed in the American Dream. Then a star was born.

The following presidential debate, Joe the Plumber, who now represented the everyday working American, was mentioned a staggering 26 times. The McCain campaign quickly brought him along the campaign trail where he was quick to dispense foreign policy advice, claiming that a vote for Obama is a vote for “the death of Israel.”

“

Since when does unclogging pipes translate into experience on foreign policy?

”

Thank you, Joe; you fix toilets for a living. Since when does unclogging pipes translate into experience on foreign policy?

An important note: Joe the Plumber is actually not named Joe, nor is he a plumber. His full name is actually Samuel Wurzelbacher, and he does not own a plumbing license (because, as he claims, “he doesn’t need one”). He also makes well below $250,000 and will not be owning his own plumbing business anytime soon. To be fair, if his book and political career keep heading where they are, he could very well be making a handsome salary. Unfortunately for all of us, that would mean he would have to leave his extremely profitable and fictitious plumbing business. He should stick with what he knows, which obviously has nothing to do with politics.

E-mail Self at: rcs06g@acu.edu

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SPORT JUMPS

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Page 7

Baseball: Offensive barrage against Javelinas leads to 31 runs in four games Continued from page 8 Second baseman Chris Hall led off the first inning with a double and scored after centerfielder Thomas Bumpass doubled on the next at-bat.

Shortstop Willie Uechi singled Bumpass home on the next at-bat before Schmitt, who reached on a walk, scored on a sacrifice fly by left fielder Anthony Walsh. An RBI single by third baseman Cameron Watten scored designated hitter Travis Latz for the final run of the inning to make it 4-0.

Latz singled home Schmitt in the bottom of the third inning for the final run.

In game two, the Wildcats broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the third inning and scored six runs over the final six innings to win 9-5. The Wildcats loaded the bases in the third after a single by Bumpass, and Schmitt and Latz reached after being hit by pitches. Walsh walked on the next at-bat to score Bumpass, and Watten scored Schmitt on a sacrifice fly to give the Wildcats the lead for good.

Relief pitcher Kevin Justice won his third game of the season after relieving starting pitcher Cooper Page. Justice went 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Bumpass and Schmitt led the team

with two hits, while third baseman Davis Page had a gamehigh three RBI. “I’ve seen their progression as pitchers, and they have stepped up beyond their maturity level for a freshman and sophomore and are very poised for how old they are,” Schmitt said of Yacek and Justice. “They’re throwing strikes and getting outs, which is huge for us.”

The Javelinas jumped all over ACU in game one Saturday, scoring 15 runs on 18 hits to open the doubleheader.

Trailing 3-1 going into the third inning, the Javelinas scored five runs to take a 6-3 lead, capped by a three-run home run by

center fielder Will Mettlach.

Texas A&M-Kingsville never slowed down, scoring nine runs over the final four innings to win 15-7.

Starting pitcher Preston Vancil went just four innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits in his first loss of the season. First baseman Bret Bochsler went 2-2 with three RBI and a home run to lead the Wildcat offense, while Walsh finished with a team-high three hits.

But after getting blown out, the Wildcat offense bounced back, scoring 11 runs on 16 hits, led by Schmitt, who had six RBI on two hits, his second series with six RBI in a game.

Both teams remained scoreless until the fourth inning, as each team scored one run. After the Javelinas took a one-run lead in the top of the fifth, ACU answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning after RBI from Schmitt and Walsh to take a one-run lead.

However, Texas A&M-Kingsville would not go away, scoring two more runs in the sixth to grab a one-run lead. But the Wildcats broke out over the final three innings, scoring two runs in the seventh and six in the eighth to win 11-4. Schmitt recorded his second and third RBI of the game after hitting a two-run home run in the sev-

enth before hitting a three-run triple in the eighth to give him six RBI. “[Schmitt] calls our games for us and has matured as a player and has been so consistent with his bat over the last two weeks and has really carried us,” Bonneau said. “Guys around him have gotten on base and have given him the opportunity to drive them in.”

The Wildcats will play Texas Wesleyan on Wednesday at 3 p.m. on the road, before facing West Texas A&M in a four-game series at home beginning Friday.

E-mail Abston at: gda04b@acu.edu

Softball: Gregoire picks up 10th victory after walkoff win Saturday Continued from page 8 Whittlesey capped off the scoring with a two-run single to put the Wildcats ahead 8-2. The Wildcats added one more run in the fifth inning, winning 9-3 to take the series opener.

“It’s a big deal to start off on a positive note,” said first basemen Katie Cornelison.

“This weekend’s wins were a big deal for us.”

In the second game of the doubleheader, ACU took

a 1-0 lead in the second inning, before the Lady Buffs shut down the Wildcat offense. WTAMU responded with six runs on 11 hits to even the series, led by second baseman Kristina Miles, who went 3-4 with three RBI. ACU’s only run came off a solo home run by shortstop Melissa Rodriguez in the second inning.

Starting pitcher Britney Benedict went four innings in the loss for the Wildcats, giving up three runs on sev-

en hits, while Whittlesey led ACU’s offense with two hits.

In Saturday’s series finale, ACU used an extra-inning base hit in the bottom of the eighth to take the series, winning 6-5 and giving Gregoire her 10th win of the season and second of the series.

Despite holding a 4-1 lead heading into the top of the seventh inning, WTAMU rallied for three runs to tie the game and force extra innings. The Wildcats were unable to score in the bottom

half of the inning, and the Lady Buffs took a 5-4 lead after an RBI single by pitcher Shelby Cockrell in the top of the eighth inning. In the bottom of the eighth, center fielder Caitlin Nabors started the inning with a bunt single before Whittlesey advanced Nabors to second on a sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning.

After a strikeout and a walk to Shiery, Cornelison drove home Nabors on a single to tie the game and

send Shiery to third with two outs. On the next at-bat, Gentile hit a two-out, twostrike pitch into the outfield to score Shiery and give the Wildcats the win. Gregoire pitched her second complete game of the series, allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out five in the win.

Gentile, Cornelison, Nabors and Shiery led ACU with two hits, while Gentile had a team-high two RBI. “Those games are always fun when they are done,” Wil-

son said. “We went to Jackie and said to end this and Katie had a big hit to keep the game alive, and they both went up there with a chance to end the game and did a great job.”

ACU will play Cameron in a LSC crossover matchup Tuesday in a doubleheader before playing Midwestern State in another LSC crossover doubleheader Saturday.

E-mail Barton at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Basketball: Team finishes season 10-16 Wildcats: LSC Championship awaits Continued from page 8 Buffaloes. The last time ACU was able to beat West Texas A&M goes back to Feb. 21, 1998. The Buffaloes would have clinched a postseason conference berth with a win or a Tarleton State loss. However, ACU played the spoiler role and knocked off the Buffs while Tarleton State defeated Angelo State and earned a spot in postseason. The Buffaloes will be on the outside looking in from the conference tournament for the first time since 2002.

The game was close throughout with the Wildcats leading 29-24 at halftime. The second half continued to go back and forth when guard Kay Shields hit a lay-up for WTAMU with 3:54 left to give the Buffaloes their largest lead of the game, 61-54. The Wildcats answered with an 8-0 run to close out the game and pull out the onepoint victory.

After Lambert hit a threepointer to take the lead with 30 seconds left, the Buffaloes had a chance to win. They advanced the ball and called timeout with 14 seconds left. The Wildcats had a foul to give, so Lambert fouled Shields with eight seconds remaining in the game.

Guard Clint McFall took the in-bounds pass and missed a jumper with three seconds left.

ACU center Kendrick Johnson pulled down the rebound and was fouled with seconds left.

After missing the front end of the 1-1, the Buffs put up a des-

peration shot that was way off the mark and the Wildcats escaped.

Guard Ean Wagner and guard Dante Adams led the team in scoring with 18 and 17 respectively.

Heather Leiphart :: staff photographer WTAMU had four players in Guard Dante Adams drives to the basket against WTAMU. double figures in the loss.

“You miss every [senior] The win capped off a disap- class,” Copeland said. “We are pointing season in which the going to have to go out and sign Wildcats finished 10-16 and six or seven players to get back 4-8 in conference. The Buf- in the thick of it.” faloes fell to 16-11 and 6-6 in The future of the Wildcats conference. The Wildcats will program is uncertain for next lose six seniors this year in- season. This season’s top five cluding team leader forward scorers will all graduate this Dejan Sencanski. ACU will also year, and the team will obvimiss seniors forward Milos ously look significantly differKlimovic, center Marko Nikol- ent. The fate of next season will ic, forward Cameron Holson, be in the hands of players who Wagner and Adams. have not gotten a lot of experiSencanski finished the sea- ence or playing time. They will son averaging team-highs in need to step up quickly and points per game (17.6) and re- play the game at a high level in bounds per game (6.1) while order to be competitive. It will scoring 944 points in his two also rely on the coaching staff seasons for the Wildcats. Hol- and its ability to develop these son finished his four-year ca- players along with recruiting reer with 953 points and av- more players. eraged 9.7 points during this “When you have to replace season. Adams was second that many guys you really don’t in scoring, averaging 13.8 know what next year is going points per game Klimovic av- to look like, but we are already eraged 9.3 points per game. on the road recruiting for next This strong senior class leav- year,” Copeland said. ing puts Coach Copeland in a tough bind trying to replace players for next season.

E-mail Cantrell at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Continued from page 8 Championship and defeated them again 104-95 earlier this season.

“Commerce is a scary team,” Lavender said. “They are very quick and athletic, and they have one of the best players in Division II in Britney Jordan.”

Jordan leads the nation in scoring, averaging 31 points per game. In the teams’ first matchup Jan. 3, Jordan scored 53 points, setting the record for most points in a game by an LSC player before being broken

by Texas Woman’s forward Renee Renz two days later.

Coach Lavender feels that

stopping Jordan completely is unrealistic, but the Wildcats must repeat what they accomplished earlier his year by making sure the other Lions do not hurt them. If ACU wins, they will play the winner of the Central Oklahoma-Tarleton State game.

In addition to the LSC Championship, the Wildcats will also be looking to earn a bid to the NCAA Division II tournament. To qualify for the NCAA field of 64, the Wildcats must either win the LSC tournament or finish ranked in the top eight in the NCAA’s South Central Region. Prior to their win over West

Texas A&M, the Wildcats were ranked No. 8 in the region. The Wildcats have not made the NCAA tournament in four years, missing by just one spot the past two seasons.

“It’s been a very interesting year,” Lavender said.

“We started rough and were trying to find our identity early in the season. At some point in the season everything clicked. At that point, we began to mentally win some games and we began to grow and mature.”

E-mail Craig at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Track: National meet begins March 13 Continued from page 8 it won’t be fast enough to get them in,” Hood said.

The team sent a group of men and women to the Sooner Indoor Open at the Mosier Indoor Facility in Norman, Okla.

Andrew McDowell won the 60-meter hurdles in 7.95 seconds, which not only won him the race but also secured an automatic berth for the national meet.

Camille Vandendriessche won the pole vault with a jump of 16 feet, 7.25 inches, high enough to earn an

automatic qualification.

Vandendriessche had previously qualified for the indoor heptathlon as well.

Nick Jones had his best throw ever in the shot put, 54-10, and won the event, while also improving his provisional qualifying mark.

Wanda Hutson won the 60 meters in 7.48 and Kim Prather ran a personal best of 7.58 to finish third. Jessica Sloss improved her provisional mark in the weight throw with a toss of 55-6.25.

Over the weekend, the Wildcats took four athletes to the NYU Last Chance

Meet in New York, N.Y., in an attempt to improve their individual marks.

Cleophas Tanui and Nyango finished first and second, respectively, in the 5,000-meter but did not improve their times like they had hoped, Hood said.

The Wildcats now shift their focus to the NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 13-14.

E-mail Harris at: tch05f@acu.edu

SportsWednesday

Page 8

SCOREBOARD Standings Men’s Basketball Team

Div. 10-2 8-4 8-4 6-6 6-6 4-8 0-12

MSU Angelo St. TAMU-K Tarleton St. WTAMU ACU ENMU

Overall 21-6 20-7 18-9 18-9 16-11 10-16 4-23

Women’s Basketball Team

Div. 10-2 9-3 7-5 7-5 6-6 3-9 0-12

WTAMU ACU Angelo St. Tarleton St. TAMU-K MSU ENMU

Overall 22-5 18-9 16-11 16-11 16-11 8-18 9-21

Track and field team adds three more for nationals

By Chandler Harris Assistant Sports Editor

The men’s track and field team claimed three more automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field National Championship after competing in two meets Feb. 20 and Feb. 21. Several Wildcats competed in the Nebraska Tune-Up, while others traveled to Norman, Okla., for the Sooner Indoor Open.

“We took a group of all guys to the Nebraska meet, and some of them improved their marks tremendously,”

Div. 10-2 8-4 8-4 8-4 7-5 ENMU 5-7 Central Okla. 5-7 East Central 5-7 Tarleton St. 4-7-1 WTAMU 4-8 TAMU-K 4-8 NE State 3-8-1 ACU SW Okla.

SE Okla.

Angelo St. Cameron

Track & Field said Don Hood, head track and field coach.

Julius Nyango automatically qualified for the national meet with a time of 1:51.34 in the 800-meter, which was fast enough to win the event. Desmond Jackson won the 60-meter with a time of 6.82 seconds, which improved his previous time and provisionally qualified him for the national meet.

Jackson also finished fourth in the 200-meter with a provisional qualifying time of 21.75.

Jordan Johnson improved his time in the 200-meter by

placing third in 21.73 and won the 400-meter in 48.12, which is also a provisional qualifying time. Amos Sang won the 5,000-meter and improved his provisional qualifying mark by winning the race in 14:25.14.

The distance medley relay team also won its event and improved its provisional qualifying mark by running a time of 10:01.86.

The relay team consists of Daniel Maina, Johnson, Jackson and Ramon Radway.

“We also had some other guys hit some marks, such as Daniel Maina in the mile, but See

Track page 7

Heather Leiphart :: staff photographer Pole vaulter Cory Altenberg looks ahead during practice Jan. 28.

Ready to Roll

Baseball Team

Gentile’s single gives Cats LSC series win

Overall 14-4 13-6 11-6 12-7 13-6 9-9 8-9 6-9 7-11-1 8-10 6-10 7-11-1

By Sadie Barton Sports Writer

Softball Team TAMU-K ACU TX Woman’s WTAMU ENMU Tarleton St. Angelo St.

Div. 2-1 2-1 2-1 1-2 1-2 1-2 0-0

Overall 14-6 15-7 13-11 13-4 12-7 12-7 21-2

Scores Friday Softball ACU 9, West Texas A&M 3 West Texas A&M 6, ACU 1

Baseball ACU 5, Texas A&M-Kingsville 0 ACU 9, Texas A&M-Kingsville 5

Saturday Softball ACU 6, West Texas A&M 5

Baseball Texas A&M-Kingsville 15, ACU 7 ACU 11, Texas A&M-Kingsville 4

Women’s Basketball ACU 64, West Texas A&M 55

Men’s Basketball ACU 62, West Texas A&M 61

Wednesday Softball ACU 14, Incarnate Word 4

Upcoming Wednesday Women’s Basketball ACU vs. TAMU-Commerce, 6 p.m.

Baseball ACU at Texas Wesleyan, 4 p.m.

Thursday

Dick Schissler :: staff photographer Center Audrey Maxwell-Lively drives to the basket against Eastern New Mexico on Jan. 13. The Wildcats defeated WTAMU 65-55 in the final regular season game.

ACU upsets No. 14 West Texas A&M in regular season finale

By Jeff Craig Sports Writer

The Wildcats will enter the 2009 Lone Star Conference tournament on a wave of momentum and as the No. 2 seed after upsetting No. 14 West Texas A&M 65-55 in the last game of the regular season.

The Lady Buffs entered the regular season finale with the Wildcats having already clinched the LSC South title and as the No. 1 team in the NCAA South Central region. Meanwhile, the Wildcats entered the final game needing a victory to clinch the No. 2 seed in the LSC South.

The Wildcats pulled off the upset, giving head coach Shawna Lavender and her team confidence and good

Basketball ACU 65, West Texas A&M 55 positioning as they head into the postseason tournament.

“The big thing for us in the game against West Texas was securing the No. 2 seed,” Lavender said. “Secondly, the game served as a momentum builder for us and finally a victory over our region’s top team, which should help our regional ranking as well.”

The Wildcats were anchored by All-Conference center Audrey Maxwell-Lively, who recorded her 37th career double-double by scoring 16 points and collecting 10 rebounds in her final home game. Maxwell-Lively also earned LSC South Women’s Player of the Week honors for her performance. Forward Ja-

mie Meyer scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while point guard Kat Kundmueller dished out nine assists and committed just three turnovers in the win.

After leading 30-29 at halftime, West Texas A&M opened the second half with the hot hand, going on a 15-7 run to go up 45-36 with just over 11 minutes remaining. But after allowing the Lady Buffs to score 15 of the first 22 points of the half, the Wildcats took over. ACU closed the game on a 28-9 run to shock the Lady Buffs 64-55. Lavender attributes her team’s amazing run to close out the game to its ability to clamp down on the defensive end of the floor.

“I think the key to the run was defensively, we weren’t shooting very well, but we

were able to buckle down and make them take bad shots,” Lavender said.

After beating WTAMU, the Wildcats departed for Bartlesville, Okla., on Monday for the LSC Championship. ACU joins a field of four teams from the LSC North and four from the LSC South. ACU joins West Texas A&M, Angelo State and Tarleton State from the South Division, while Central Oklahoma, Southeastern Oklahoma, Texas A&M-Commerce and Northeastern State will represent the North Division.

In the conference quarterfinals, ACU will play Texas A&M-Commerce, the No. 3 seed in the North, at 6 p.m.

Wednesday. ACU knocked the Lions out of the 2008 LSC See

Wildcats page 7

After splitting the doubleheader Friday, the Wildcats defeated West Texas A&M on Saturday to win their Lone Star Conference South Division series opener, improving to 15-7 overall and Wilson 2-1 in the LSC South Division.

The Wildcats are now tied for first place in conference with Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas Woman’s after the conference opener for both teams. WTAMU fell to 13-4 overall and 1-2 in the LSC South Division.

“I think we played three good games,” head coach Chantiel Wilson said. “We made some mental mistakes in the third game but we were able to respond and win, and any time you play conference games, it’s emotional and every game matters, and I think we played a good series against West Texas.”

In Friday’s opener, the Wildcats used a big fourth inning to pull away from the Lady Buffs, giving starting pitcher Jacque Gregoire her ninth win of the season, as she improved to 9-3. Down 2-1 entering the fourth inning, left fielder Jenny Kulp had a bases-loaded double with one out to put the Wildcats ahead 4-2. Catcher Jessica Shiery followed with a walk, and Cornelison singled on the next at-bat to score Kulp. Second baseman Jackie Gentile followed with an RBI single to center field to score Shiery, and designated hitter Brooke See

Softball page 7

Lambert’s three crucial in LSC win Baseball team wins three of four at home

By Ryan Cantrell Sports Writer

Track & Field ACU at Tarleton State Invitational, 11 a.m. :: Home games listed in italics

Briefs n Center Audrey MaxwellLively earned LSC South Women’s Player of the Week honors afMaxwell-Lively ter recording her 12th double-double of the season in ACU’s 64-55 upset win over West Texas A&M. MaxwellLively scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

March 4, 2009

Heather Leiphart :: staff photographer Guard Marquiz Baker dribbles past a pair of West Texas A&M defenders Saturday. The Wildcats finished the season 10-16 overall and 4-8 in the LSC.

The Wildcats concluded their season with an upset over the West Texas A&M Buffaloes. The 62-61 victory knocked the Buffaloes out of conference postseason contention. Point guard Riley Lambert was the hero for the Wildcats, hitting a three-pointer with 30 seconds left and giving ACU the 62-61 lead, which was the final score.

“I am proud of those eight kids,” head coach Jason Copeland said. “They played hard, and the effort was there the full 40 minutes.”

Hindered by injuries and playing with only eight players, the Wildcats were able to snap a 21-game regular-season losing streak against the See

Basketball page 7

By Grant Abston

Baseball

Sports Editor

For the second weekend in a row, the Wildcats won three of four in a Lone Star Conference matchup to remain atop the LSC standings, highlighted by catcher Jordan Schmitt’s second consecutive series with six RBIs in a game.

The Wildcats swept Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday before splitting a doubleheader Saturday, improving to 14-4 overall and 10-2 in the LSC. ACU extended its conference lead in the standings to two games and has now won 13 of its last 15 games. ACU also moved up five more places to No. 3 in the Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division II Poll, tied with Mesa State.

“Our bullpen did a really good job to keep us in ballgames to win that series,” head coach Britt Bonneau said.

“If it wasn’t for Kevin Justice and Andrew Yacek, there’s a good chance we would have split the weekend.”

In game one of Friday’s doubleheader, starting pitcher Cameron Aspaas went six innings, allowing no runs on three hits in his best start of the season to give the Wildcats their first shutout of the season. Aspaas improved to 4-0 after relief pitcher Andrew Yacek struck out the side in the final inning to give the Wildcats a 5-0 win.

See

Baseball page 7