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Optimist the

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Pg. 6 & 7 See photos from various Welcome Week events

August 25, 2008 :: Vol. 97, No. 1 :: 1 section, 10 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com

Inside This Issue:

Pg 4

Pg 8

ACU named ‘Technology Innovator’ for Mobile Learning Initiative

Pg 12

Ready and Reading: Freshmen eager to read ‘Same Kind of Different As Me’

Former ACU athletes compete in 2008 Beijing Olympics

Dr. Money pledges to remain president

Abilene Mobile University University dishes out more than 950 Apple devices By Daniel Johnson-Kim

By Michael Freeman

Editor in Chief

Managing Editor

Luz Hernandez will miss her red Samsung flip phone, but not that much. After waiting in line Aug. 16 with a multitude of other freshmen and their families, Hernandez, freshman business marketing major from Sulfur Springs, made her way to an open table where an AT&T representative was waiting to hand her an iPhone — one of the most cutting edge mobile devices in the world, compliments of ACU. “This is weird,” Hernandez said, while holding her iPhone in her hands for the first time. “I have a friend that has one of these, and he said that you miss the buttons on a regular phone.” More than 950 freshmen received an iPhone or an iPod touch as part of ACU’s Mobile Learning Initiative, an effort to incorporate the Apple mobile learning devices in the classrooms and hallways of ACU. The distribution of the devices began Aug. 16 and is See

Initiative page 9

Faculty join freshmen, eager to add to initiative

ACU first in Abilene to add AT&T 3G Network

By Michael Freeman

By Laura Acuff

Managing Editor

Freshmen will not be the only people beginning the school year with a free iPhone. About 150 faculty members will be equipped with iPhones or iPod touches to use in their classes this semester. “I’ve found my colleagues very supportive,” said Dr. Kyle Dickson, associate professor of English and co-director of the Mobile Learning Research. “Media is not solely about entertainment, but it’s also a key tool in education.” Many faculty members be-

gan ordering their iPhones shortly after the 3G version went on sale in July. Most have received their iPhones; however, a few are still waiting for their iPhones to arrive at the local AT&T store. Faculty, including adjunct and part-time instructors, who will be teaching freshmanlevel courses had first priority to the iPhones. “We tried to make sure that people who were teaching classes like University 100 had first access to these devices,” said William Rankin, See

ACU Mobile

ACU president Dr. Royce Money assured members of the faculty and staff during his State of the University speech in Cullen Auditorium Wednesday he intends to continue serving as president to see the 21st Century Vision implemented. “In May, the Board [of Trustees] asked me to extend my time as president, which I am very happy to do,” Money said. “I believe so much in this vision; I want to see it successfully launched.” But Money discussed more than his decision to stay with the university. He informally began the event by distributing gift cards and joking about staff members’ birthdays. Then after reviewing the Board of Trustees’ plans for the rest of the week and recognizing certain staff members for their work over the summer, Money spoke about the 21st Century Vision. The 21st Century Vision is a plan for transforming ACU within the next 12 years into the top university for Christian students. For the next five years, the university has four goals: “to produce leaders who think critically, globally and missionally; build distinctive and innovative programs; create a unique Christ-centered experience that calls students into community and to extend ACU’s Christian influence and educational reach nationally and internationally,” according to ACU’s Strategic Plan for 2009-2013. The exceptional plan is not an original endeavor for ACU because school leaders have been aiming high since the university was founded, Money said. “Don’t get the idea that we’re inventing this,” he said. “We’re a link in the chain.” Money wrapped up his State of the University speech with his account of a discussion between two recent ACU Malagasy graduates and an international banking executive when he

Opinion Page Editor

3G has come to ACU with the AT&T installation of four 3G towers around campus, accelerating the initial plan to equip the city of Abilene with 3G capability sometime in 2009. These towers support the recently launched mobile learning initiative because 3G technologies enable operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced mobile phone services including a faster wireless connection. “We’re about a year-anda-half ahead of the rest of

Faculty page 9

Pocket Guide

Abilene,” said Kevin Roberts, Chief Information Officer and director of re-engineering. “So it was kind of just a gesture of goodwill on the part of AT&T to say, ‘Hey, you know what? We appreciate all you’re doing. We will bring these towers up as 3G. We’ll blanket your campus with 3G as well.’” Of the four 3G towers, two are stationed on top of ACU buildings, and two are located off, but near, campus. “We work really hard for those towers not to be obvious,” Roberts said. “Aesthetically, we See

3G page 9

MyACU Mobile

By using the ACU Mobile Web site at http://m.acu.edu students can find out what is happening in Chapel, find maps and directions around campus and Abilene and have several other resources a finger tap away:

Whether students are looking for a good place to eat, or need to find the nearest movie theatre, they can access information about a variety of venues in the Pocket Guide feature of the ACU Mobile Interface:

Just by tapping their My Mobile icon on their iPhone or iPod touch, students can see how many Chapel credits they have, their meal plan balance and their account balance, but that is only the tip of the interface:

n Information about ACU

n Local Sporting Facilities

n Class Schedule

n Weekly Chapel schedules

n Museums

n Meal Plan, UniPrint Balances

n Upcoming Campus Events

n Local Churches

n Chapel Credits

n Maps of Abilene and ACU

n Movie Theatres

n Access to Class Folders

n Campus News

n Restaurants

n Access to Google Calendars

n Directory of Students, ACU Departments and Faculty

n Local Art Galleries

n Access to Class Documents

See

Money page 9

Welcome Week starts a ‘rLOVEution’ for incoming students By Lydia Melby Arts Editor

Welcome Week 2008, titled “rLOVEution,” followed the traditional format and included the usual favorites like the world’s largest game of Twister, the Candlelight Devotional, the free movie and the Freshman Talent Show, as well as the return of the mentor group Olym-

pics and an open mic night. All of these events made Welcome Week memorable for its participants; however, it’s the changes that were made to Welcome Week and the FirstYear program that will make this year revolutionary. Some of the changes made to the activities were fairly minor, like the addition of a mechanical bull to the pep rally fun or the

ACU WEATHER

removal of the tug-of-war event from the mentor group Olympics. Due to weather issues, the Candlelight Devotional and the Paramount movie events were switched, and although this resulted in the “Cool Runnings” movie premiering in Moody Coliseum instead of the Paramount Theatre, students were still enthusiastic about the film and managed to easily fill the

available seats. Other changes to Welcome Week were more significant and were meant to have lasting effects on the students’ first year at ACU. The FirstYear Program added a session called Campus Conversations, which Eric Gumm, director of Orientation, said were “similar to the Chapel forums from last year [and were] designed