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Pg. 8 Wildcat soccer team wins its first match of 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008 :: Vol. 97, No. 5 :: 1 section, 8 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com
Inside This Issue:
Pg 3
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New group aims to help students find ACU organizations to join
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Pg 8
‘Traitor’ humanizes Muslim extremists and their views on the ‘War on Terror’
Ex-ACU track athlete accused of steroid use in Olympics
University probes SA noose incident
M O C
By Michael Freeman Managing Editor
A noose was discovered in the office of Student Congress President Daniel Paul Watkins Wednesday, prompting the university to investigate. Watkins would not comment on the noose, but he met with Dr. Royce Money, president of the university; Jean-Noel Thompson, vice president and dean for student life; and other campus leaders Thursday to discuss what actions the university
! o o h a
Y As summer turns into fall, Brandon Oliver begins scouring the Internet, trying to find obscure facts about players in the National Football League. Oliver is one of the thousands of men and women across the nation who search for the next breakout player in the NFL. Why? So they can draft him for their fantasy football team. “I’m looking for the next Wes Welker,” said Oliver, freshman undeclared major from Waco. Like Oliver, many students will participate in a fantasy
football league this fall. The game is simple with each league comprised of eight to 14 teams and each person acting as the manager for his or her own team. A league commissioner sets a draft date during which all the managers draft current NFL players for their teams. Each week one team is pitted against another in a head-to-head matchup. Scoring is based on individual and team statistics from actual NFL games. For instance,
if a player on a team scores a touchdown, the manager earns six points. At the end of each week, the scores are tabulated, and the team with the most points is the winner. Much like in real football, managers can eventually progress to the playoffs and be crowned champions of the league. Oliver and his friends have been playing fantasy football for the past three years. Oliver said the most difficult part of the game is to know his own
Doors and sidewalks throughout campus will soon be littered with campaign signs and slogans, and that means only one thing: Students’ Association elections are here. Students will decide who will represent them in the Student Congress as SA elections begin next week. Elections for class senators, academic building representatives and residence hall representatives will be Tuesday and Wednesday. Students can vote in the Campus Center from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and if necessary run-off elections will be Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Student Reporter
Managing Editor
Fair page 4
Fantasy page 4
By Sondra Rodriguez
By Michael Freeman If you recently have yearned for funnel cake, Ferris wheels or calf wrestling, then you are in luck. The 109th edition of the West Texas Fair & Rodeo begins Friday at the Taylor County Expo Center. This year’s fair, themed “Horns, Hides, Laughs and Rides”, will last through Sept. 13. The fair will open each day at 11 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. General admission is $6 for adults and $3 for college students. Tickets for the rodeo will cost $12. “It’s a recreational thing,” said Ed Brokaw, professor of agriculture and environment. “Our club [Agriculture and Environmental Sciences club] is planning to get a group together to
biases. As a Dallas Cowboys’ fan, he would like to draft as many Cowboys as possible on draft day. But this is not a very good strategy, since all the Cowboys would have the same week off in which they would not score any points for him. “It’s tough because you have to draft guys on another team who play against the Cowboys,” Oliver said. Josh Anderson, sophomore See
Hit The Polls
Editor in Chief
Voting for Students’ Association senators and representatives will be in the Campus Center Tuesday and Wednesday: Days: Tuesday, Wednesday Time: 11:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. :: Runoff Thursday if necessary
“Since every undergraduate student at ACU is a member of [the] Students’ Association, participation in congress is important,” said Sarah Pulis, student body vice president. Petitions signed with the signatures of students of the same classification or residents of the same academic building or residence hall See
Election page 4
Security increased in halls
Expo Center prepares for fair, rodeo
See
By Daniel Johnson-Kim
acuoptimist.com: Log on to see a video of how fantasy football affects student life in the residence halls.
Student Reporter
E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu
Students to vote in Congress elections
A league of its own By Tanner Knauth
should take in response to the incident. “We plan to pursue the matter as a responsible Christian community should,” Money said. The hangman’s noose has been used as a racist symbol in the past to invoke the memory of African-American lynchings during the Jim Crow era. Money said he will deliver a prepared statement to the student body in Friday’s Chapel.
Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer A Ferris wheel is constructed in the parking lot of the Taylor County Expo Center for the West Texas Fair & Rodeo.
ACU WEAtHER
Students are banging on doors and stamping their feet in frustration because of a new residence hall policy. Exit doors will be locked 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure the safety of students. This policy is very different from last year when doors were only locked during curfew hours. John Delony, director of Residence Life Education and Housing, said it is a positive change that was enforced to protect students. Anyone wanting to enter a residence hall must swipe his or her ID card at an outside card reader. If an ID card is forgotten or lost, Delony recommends calling a resident assistant or residence director for access to the hall. “The main benefit is stu-
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dent safety,” Delony said. “We’ve got the technology in place, and it doesn’t cost us any more money but it’s just another safety measure we can put out there.” David Degge, resident assistant in Edwards Hall, said he agreed with the decision. “Overall, it’s a positive change,” said Degge, junior music education major from Highland, Ill. “It’s going to be easier for the ResLife staff to ensure the safety of the residents and to regulate who is coming in and out of the dorm during visitation hours and freshman checkin; it just makes it flow more smoothly,” he said. Sophomores are expected to struggle the most with the new policy because freshmen have no prior residence hall experience. Jordan Johnston, sophomore Christian ministry major from Carrolton, said he
What should be the main purpose of the Students’ Association?
Log on to www.youtube.com/acuvideo to see Wednesday’s newscast from the JMC Network Newscast staff. This week’s webisode highlights SHADES’ tryouts and information on upcoming events.
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does not think the change was necessary. “I think the school feels safer for us, but we don’t feel any different,” he said. “We just have to do extra work now; we can’t cut through Mabee from Edwards anymore.” Johnston favored the former arrangement and thinks “it just makes more sense to lock the doors after a certain hour.” However, Degge remains confident the decision will benefit residents in the long run. “There will be frustrations,” he said. “But overall, it’s a smart move.”
a. Talking to the administration. b. Giving away free food. c. Hosting events for students. d. Representing the student body.
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