The Optimist - Sept. 23, 2008

Optimist the

a product of the JMC

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Pg. 6 Photos from the Freshman Follies performances

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 :: Vol. 97, No. 10 :: 1 sections, 10 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com

Inside This Issue:

Pg 7

Pg 4

Chapel monitors on guard for ‘Sliders and Gliders’

Pg 10

ACU leads charge with Facebook university application

Rolling on the Road: Wildcat football team moves to 3-0

Pledging numbers down from 2007

By Tanner Anderson Page Designer

Students across campus are sporting a new dress code. Some of the men are wearing wrinkle free suits and ties, while some women can be seen wearing different colored buttoned up shirts and skirts. If students are not sure what to think, they should know it is all just the start to a new pledge season.

About 80 men and 166 women accepted their bids this year. According to Optimist archives, those num-

bers are substantially down from 2007 when 223 women and 108 men pledged. They are even lower than in 2006, when 235 women and 142 men pledged.

“It was a smaller pledge class, but we had a smaller freshman class last year,” said Mauri Westbrook, director of Student Organizations.

“We’re in the second year of implementing the new rules, and all of our clubs seem to be doing a great job abiding by our expectations,” she said.

New rules were created to

ensure the safety of current pledges, while other rules limited the amount of pledges a social club could have; it is known around campus as a pledge cap. The pledge cap seems to work as an equalizer, a chance for larger clubs to retain their size, while giving other clubs a chance to grow.

“I think there are some positive and negatives,” said Jamie Lyn Spires, president of Ko Jo Kai and senior communication major from Arlington.

“It’s good for smaller clubs See

Numbers page 9

Pledging Numbers More than 200 students are pledging various social clubs this fall.

Men n Frater Sodalis — 4 n Gamma Sigma Phi — 31 n Galaxy— 33 n Pi Kappa ­—1 n Sub T-16 — 12 Women n Alpha Kai Omega- 41 n Delta Theta — 19 n GATA — 10 n Ko Jo Kai — 48 n Sigma Theta Chi — 48

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer Ryan Hodges, senior marketing and management major from Cimarron, Kan., encourages pledges Brian Patterson, sophomore chemistry major from Rowlett; Kevin Goodpaster, sophomore management major from North Richland Hills; and Jeffry Bankes, sophomore business and finance major from Fort Worth, during Bid Night Friday.

Students plan to recharter Trojans

“

In God’s court of law because of Christ we are treated as if we have never sinned at all. :: Dr. Leroy Garrett, Summit keynote speaker

”

By Tanner Anderson Page Designer

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer Dr. Leroy Garrett gives his interpretation of Paul’s letter to the Roman church in a sermon titled “Righteousness of God Revealed Through Faith and For Faith” during Summit’s opening Theme Conversation in Moody Coliseum Sunday. Garrett was the first of seven speakers chosen by Brady Bryce, director of ministry events, to explore Romans.

Garrett ties righteousness to grace

By Daniel Johnson-Kim

acuoptimist.com

Editor in Chief

See footage of Dr. Leroy Garrett’s sermon on the “Righteousness of God”

In front of an audience of more than 2,000 people Sunday, Dr. Leroy Garrett challenged those filling the seats in Moody Coliseum to rethink how they define the Apostle Paul’s writings on God’s righteousness.

Rather than accept what he called the popular translation of Paul’s words in Romans 1:17, Garrett told his audience of varying ages to define the “Righteousness of God” as

the Lord’s grace given to all people who do not deserve it.

“The Gospel reveals how God because of what he did through Christ says to a sinful man, ‘Not guilty,’ even when he is guilty,” Garrett said.

“In God’s court of law because of Christ we are treated as if we have never sinned at all.”

The 89-year-old scholar, who throughout his life was known as a radical and outsider in the Churches of Christ, was the keynote speaker for Summit and launched the Theme Conversations that will continue through Wednesday.

Randy Harris, instructor of Bible, ministry and missions; Eric Wilson, See

Garrett page 9

Still on The Schedule

Wilson

Seidman

Three speakers remain on the schedule for the Summit Theme Conversations n Randy Harris (Tuesday, 7 p.m.) n Eric Wilson (Wednesday, 11 a.m.) n Chris Seidman (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)

Hundreds of students submerged into the pledging world Friday. Pledges will display their new pledge pins and learn about their clubs’ traditions during pledging, and now, more than 30 young men want to add to that custom and revive history by jump-starting the social club Trojans.

“Every year guys I know have gotten together before pledging begins and talked about bringing back a social club. Now we have 33 guys who are interested in attempting to re-charter the club,” said Matt Lambro, senior interdisciplinary major from Colleyville.

The Trojans are off campus and are not recognized

by ACU as an active club. After meeting with Mauri Westbrook, director of Student Organizations, Monday, Lambro said the men will need to develop a new constitution and write a paper on the club’s history, its status the last five years and where the men hope to take the club by the end of the semester in order to complete the rechartering process.

See

Trojans page 9

Summit classes tackle topic of same-sex attraction

By Colter Hettich Features Editor

Sally Gary, assistant professor of communication and Center Peace founder, opened her three-part session Monday morning entitled “Nothing Can Separate Us: God’s Love for the Same-Sex Struggler.”

Gary provides compassion and support for Christians struggling with same-sex attraction personally and through her ministry, Center

Peace. She also leads a support group on the ACU campus for students who may have nowhere else to go.

Brady Bryce, director of ministry events, said some student leaders approached him with the idea of inviting Gary to speak, and she willingly agreed. The session deals with what remains a sensitive subject in the Church, although Gary said she has seen a growing compassion and awareness in the Churches of Christ. Bryce hopes no

one will avoid the class out of fear or insecurity.

“This is not a hidden, no room number, come for anonymous strugglers,” Bryce said. “Everybody is interested because we are all touched by it and are all involved in it.”

Gary feels such a strong desire to minister to this demographic because she knows what it is like.

“I grew up, like many of you, going to church with parents who were actively involved in church,”

More from the

Acu WeAther Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

High: 88 Low: 63

High: 88 Low: 61

High: 86 Low: 60

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network:

Gary said. “But at the same time, there were a lot of things we didn’t talk about.”

What was not being discussed was Gary’s unhealthy, and many times abusive, relationship with her father. The consequences of spending her childhood ”starved” for her father’s attention and affection later manifested itself in the form of same-sex attraction.

See

acuoptimist.com See a video of Monday’s “Nothing Can Separate Us: God’s Love for the Same-Sex Struggler,” Summit class online.

Gary

Gary page 9

Webcast

Online Poll :

Log on to www.youtube.com/acuvideo to see Tuesday’s newscast from the JMC Network Newscast staff. In this week’s newscast: a review of Summit events and classes and footage of Friday’s Bid Night activities.

Did you pledge a social club this fall?

a. No, I am not a sheep. b. Yes, and I regret it. c. What is a social club? d. Yes, I couldn’t be happier

acuoptimist.com Department of Journalism and Mass Communication ::

Abilene Christian University

::

Serving the ACU community since 1912

2

Campus Day Friday, September 12, 2008

Calendar and Events

23

Tuesday

8 a.m ACU golf at NSU Classic.

9 a.m.

8th Annual West Texas Book and Music Festival. For more information, call 676-6017.

24

Wednesday

9 a.m.

8th Annual West Texas Book and Music Festival. For more information, call 676-6017.

25

acuoptimist.com

Bigs for a Day 9 a.m.

8th Annual West Texas Book and Music Festival.

9 a.m.

8th Annual West Texas Book and Music Festival.

7 p.m.

ACU Volleyball versus West Texas A&M.

4 p.m.

ACU Soccer versus Angelo State.

21

Credited Chapels remaining:

Webcast

Check out a sportscast of highlights from last weekend’s football, volleyball and soccer games.

Log on to www.youtube.com/acuvideo for a preview of “Summit”, Freshman Follies and Bid Night.

45

Announcements Virtuous African Heritage Sisterhood will conduct a blood drive from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Campus Center’s Living Room Sept. 30.

Students can join other students and faculty for a time of unified intercession Mondays at 7 a.m. at Jacob’s Dream. For more informa-

6 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Entra a la Plaza by the GATA fountain.

Online Newscast

ChapelCheckup Credited Chapels to date:

Friday

Wildcat Preview Day

8 p.m.

JamFest auditions in the Bean Sprout.

tion, e-mail kdl04a@acu.edu.

Pilates for Pink is an event where EverFIT and Sigma Theta Chi sponsor a free pilates class Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the grass lot across from Jacob’s Dream. For more information, contact EverFIT at 320-1945.

Volunteer Opportunities Key City Kiwanis annual fish fry needs volunteers Oct. 3 and 4 at the Abilene Civic Center. Help is needed Oct. 3 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. with cooking, serving, cleaning tables and trash pick up.

Volunteers receive a meal ticket to eat meals while working. All proceeds benefit local organizations.

ACU’s radio station KACU-FM needs volunteers to act as ushers Oct. 18 for the Prairie Home Companion performance in Moody Coliseum. Help is needed from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Love and Care Ministries needs help with clothing ministry in its dining room, at street feeds, maintaining facilities and cleaning.

Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m., 1 p.m. or 5 p.m. at 233 Fan-

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 mab07d@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

26

Thursday

About This Page

nin St. For more information, contact Tate Drysdale at 665-2495.

Breakfast on Beech Street is an opportunity to help set up, prepare and serve breakfast to homeless/lower income people.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to talk to those in attendance.

Serving time is 6:30 a.m. to 7:15 a.m every weekday with cleanup afterward. Volunteers should be finished no later than 7:30 a.m.

For more information regarding any of the above opportunities, contact the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout.

Summit brings large numbers of visitors and increased parking pressure. Drive safely around campus and plan to arrive a few minutes earlier than usual.

Police Log Edited for space

Monday, Sept. 15

Friday, Sept. 19

2:05 p.m. Student found a dog on campus and returned it to its owner at 500 E.N. 17th St. 6:45 p.m. Credit card fraud.

12:26 a.m. Assisted Abilene police with a loud party at 700 E.N. 14th St. 12:42 a.m. Assisted Abilene police with a loud party at E.N. 18th Street & Ave D; subjects agreed to lower volume and move patrons inside residence.

4:45 p.m. Student requested a follow-up on vehicle hit-and-run accident that was reported to Abilene police.

10 p.m. Report of water balloons being thrown at students near Jacob’s Dream; unable to locate anyone.

Tuesday, Sept. 16 7:40 a.m. Report of a tractortrailer blocking Central Plant; vehicle was moved.

6:40 p.m. Contacted magazine sales crew at University Park.

Advised to leave campus.

6:53 p.m. Assisted Abilene police with a child that was found; child was returned.

7:45 p.m. Student reported suspicious subjects following her and harassing her from Gardner parking lot to Teague Special Events Center parking lot.

Wednesday, Sept. 17 2:20 p.m. Report of a lost iPhone at McKinzie Hall.

4:15 p.m. Attempted to locate a loose dog on ACU Drive.

9:34 p.m. Assisted Abilene police with report of gunshots at 1900 Lincoln St.; subject shot at his neighbor; secured the scene.

10:02 p.m. Report of two vehicle alarms sounding in Morris Hall parking lot; checked.

Thursday, Sept. 18 12:40 a.m. Report of subject soliciting money at Wal-Mart.

1:30 a.m. Assisted Abilene police with report of gunshots at 2400 Madison St.; checked.

Saturday, Sept. 20 10:06 a.m. Report of a snake at Jacob’s Dream; it was dead and was removed by Physical Resources.

11:18 a.m. Report of two dogs fighting at 700 E.N. 10th St.; Animal Control notified.

Sunday, Sept. 21 1:35 a.m. Assisted Abilene police with a disturbance at Ave D and College Drive; was a fight between husband and wife; wife returned to the scene, and all was OK. 2:22 a.m. Report of subject throwing rocks from the Lake toward Judge Ely Boulevard.

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

CAMPUS NEWS

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Page 3

Facebook testing application with ACU students

By Molly Byrd Page 2 Editor

A new Facebook application called Schools uses ACU students as guinea pigs to test the effectiveness and popularity of its program. The private application is uniquely designed for ACU students and faculty; the application integrates and accelerates the real world relationships de-

veloping on campus.

It offers a variety of options for students to communicate with classmates and staff and allows them to view their class schedules and join different groups such as student organizations, departments and residence halls.

Michelle Martin, senior integrated marketing communication major from Rockwall, said she had dif-

ficulty finding a purpose for the new application because ACU already is well equipped for communication between students and teachers.

“We get on Facebook to get away from schoolwork and to focus on friends, fun and pictures, so we don’t want to get on to look at our homework because that would definitely be a buzz kill,” she said.

Bret Bochsler, junior busi-

ness management major from Seattle, agreed with Martin.

“I won’t add the application because it lets everyone see my business whether I want them to or not,” he said.

“I don’t want to give up my privacy like that.”

A Facebook representative visited Martin’s electronic delivery class and asked the students for feedback on the application. She

ACU recognizes Parents of the Year

By Zak Zeinert Chief Photographer

said the representative was very interested in what students thought and was eager to find ways to improve or change the application so it would be more useful.

Martin said she added the ACU application but does not think it is entirely necessary.

“ACU students are going to be the determining factor on whether or not this application is spread to other

Page 2 Editor

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer Janine and Charles Ellison received the ACU Parents of the Year award during Chapel Friday.

prised they won because he felt they deserved it.

“They aren’t as active as other parents, but they have a good Christian background, and I feel like they are the epitome of what ACU is looking for,” Ellison said.

The Parents of the Year award has been a part of ACU since 1993. Students are invited to nominate their parents through a recommendation

letter; the winners are then chosen during the summer.

Betsey Craig, interim director of alumni relations, said it was a tough choice because all of the nomination letters were very compelling.

“This award is really representative of parents that do make a difference back home and in Abilene. This is kind of a way to recognize a special couple and parents

as a whole,” Craig said.

Charles and Janine were nominated by all their children: Jennifer, Spencer and Jessica.

Janine said the best part of winning was reading the letter her children had written.

“Just to read that letter that they wrote, it’s hard to express a lot of those feelings,” she said.

E-mail Zeinert at: zaz05a@acu.edu

E-mail Byrd at: mab07d@acu.edu

CHOP aims to unite students in prayer

By Molly Byrd

When Janine Ellison heard she and her husband Charles had won the ACU Parents of the Year award, she had no idea she had even been nominated.

Janine and Charles Ellison from Van were presented the award by Dr. John Tyson at Friday’s Chapel amidst a chorus of applause.

Janine said they found they had won when their three children came home with the nomination letter they had written and surprised them with the news.

“It’s just difficult to put into words the depth of emotion that you have when your children affirm what you’ve tried to do as parents,” Janine said.

During the past decade, Charles and Janine have helped recruit many students from their hometown by sharing with them their experiences at ACU, according to a press release.

Spencer Ellison, senior environmental sciences major from Van and the middle child of Charles and Janine, said he was not really sur-

universities,” she said.

The Schools application depends on university specific data, and user verification is made through campus e-mail addresses only.

Inigral Inc. is responsible for creating Schools and can be contacted at mpstaton@ inigral.com.

Campus House of Prayer is a group that offers students, staff and faculty a place to come together in prayer at any and all hours Sunday through Saturday.

CHOP has a tent set up in the grassy area outside Moody Coliseum, and it welcomes everyone 24 hours a day, every day this week.

The prayer room allows students to pray and worship in different forms.

Jaz Maranca, senior exercise and sport science major from Rowlett, said worship CDs play as students read, color, write or doodle on the wall of prayer art within the tent.

She said everyone who participates tends to get an idea of where God wants his or her prayers to be focused.

“As the days go by, the tent gets more colorful and filled, so it keeps growing and growing,” she said.

CHOP uses a tent as the prayer meeting place because it wants to make it convenient for students to take a moment

out of busy schedules for relaxation and prayer, she said.

According to the CHOP Web site, prayer in a community is encouraged because the Bible says God is there when two or more people gather in His name.

Jordan Taylor Bunch, senior Christian ministry and music major from Sunnyvale, said the prayer house is open 24 hours a day because Jesus said persistence brings justice quickly.

In Acts 2:42, God’s people devoted themselves to following the Apostles’ teachings, fellowship, communion and prayer; the Church of Christ may do a good job focusing on all of these, but it could use a little more dedication to prayer, Bunch said.

“It’s incredible to see what is on people’s hearts whenever I look at our prayer art wall,” he said.

Bunch said last year, someone drew vines intertwining all of the prayer requests together on the wall, and it was a nice way to visualize the unity of the prayers.

E-mail Byrd at: mab07d@acu.edu

CAMPUS NEWS

Page 4

Summit brings parking issues

By Chelsea Hackney Student Reporter

Late sleepers who commute to campus could soon find themselves without a parking space as ACU’s Summit began Monday and brought with it not only guest speakers but also a flood of visitors. Jimmy Ellison, chief of ACU Police Department, recommends everyone provide for a few extra minutes of walking time.

“Don’t expect to get here at 8:55 for a class at 9:00 and get a front-row spot,” he said. “We expect students and staff to do their part by planning ahead.”

Ellison said Summit is a manageable event from a parking perspective.

“Where to put the vehicle is not the issue,” he said.

Ellison said plenty of parking is available to accommodate everyone, even at such a large-scale event as Summit; however, it will certainly be more congested than usual.

Students and staff may have their normal parking routine disrupted by the sudden influx of guests, especially since most visitors will be less likely to notice whether a parking lot is designated

“

Don’t expect to get here at 8:55 for a class at 9:00 and get a front row spot. We expect students and staff to do their part by planning ahead. :: Jimmy Ellison, chief of ACU Police Department

for students or faculty.

“Visitors typically park closest to the venue that they are attending,” Ellison said.

While this might mean fewer spaces in staff and student parking lots, the ACU Police Department still prefers students and faculty park in their respective lots.

“We understand the congestion,” Ellison said.

But he reminded drivers ample space is available for vehicles, even if it is not conveniently located directly next to a destination. He said despite all the confusion, fire lanes and handicapped spaces must remain clear.

Officers will be practicing a policy of “very low tolerance” for such parking violations.

Ellison said these guidelines are not intended solely for students, but faculty and staff as well, and the burden

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

A Helping Hand

”

to help make the process go smoothly should be shared by everyone during the following week.

He said events such as Summit, during which the campus is host to a considerable number of visitors, provides students and staff with opportunities to be “good ambassadors” for ACU. Many guests are not familiar with the campus and may need to be pointed in the right direction; Ellison said faculty and students could make visitors feel welcome, even if it means walking the extra mile.

E-mail Hackney at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer Kate Whitworth, senior political science major from Houston, leads Madalyn Baker, sophomore English from Dumas, during Bid Night Friday. Ko Jo Kai had a total of 48 pledges.

Women for ACU sells pies, coffee for scholarship endowment

By Kelline Linton Head Copy Editor

The smell of homemade pecan and apple pies will fill the Teague Special Events Center during Summit as the Women for ACU sells coffee and pies Monday through Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The pie table is set in the center of the Summit exhib-

its and visiting area, and visitors can purchase a slice of pie for $2. The members of WACU and volunteers from local churches bake the pies, but the group also uses donations to buy pies from bakeries and grocery stores.

“It’s a great way for people who come to Summit to get together,” said Hazel Fillmon, president of the local chapter of WACU. “We

have tables and chairs, and they can sit and visit in between lectures.”

All proceeds from the sale will help the WACU fund its scholarship endowment. The WACU began the fundraiser in 2002, and the group raised more than $5,000 through the pie sale last year alone.

Through such fundraisers, the WACU gave 14

scholarships in the 2007-08 school year that were worth $1,000 to $2,000 each.

Students, both male and female, can apply for its scholarships through their various departments in the spring semester. The WACU will announce the scholarship winners for this year at the Women’s Dinner on Tuesday at 4:45 p.m. in the Williams Performing Arts Center. Tickets for the event are $12.

Scholarship funding depends on the amount raised the previous year.

“We try to help as many as we can with as much as we can,” Fillmon said.

Since its founding in 1969, WACU has donated more than $1 million to ACU for scholarships and special projects, including the furnishing of the College of Education, new instruments for the Big Purple Band and the beautification

of McDonald Hall.

The WACU’s largest fundraiser is a food sale every Thursday from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Women for ACU Museum, where visitors can purchase homemade desserts and casseroles at low prices.

E-mail Linton at: krl04b@acu.edu

CAMPUS NEWS

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Page 5

Men of ACU choir perform in Cullen during Summit

By Cody Veteto

Chief Videographer

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer Dr. Jack Boyd, former professor in the Music Department, leads the Men of ACU accapella in their performance Sunday in Cullen Auditorium.

Campaigns offer chance to serve

By Brittany Brand Student Reporter

Weekend Campaigns are starting up again, with four trips planned for the year. A completely studentled organization, Weekend Campaigns provides students with opportunities to serve communities outside of Abilene through weekendlong mission trips. Five students make up its committee.

“What we do on campaigns depends on where we go,” said Mike Miles, head of the committee. “We’ll do anything from working with children and homeless people to doing manual labor.”

The places they are serving usually decide what they will be doing, Miles said.

The first Weekend Campaign is scheduled Friday through Sunday in Belton. On the Belton trip, students will work with children living in low-income apartment complexes. It will be at a church in the area where they will play games, make crafts and sing songs with the kids.

The three other campaigns planned after the Belton trip include Dallas from Oct. 1719, Houston from Nov. 7-9 and Oklahoma City from Nov. 21-23.

“It is a great opportunity for students to connect with smaller groups of ACU students and serve,” said advisor Mark Lewis.

Fifteen to 30 people usually come for each campaign, but the committee hopes to take around 40 people to the Weekend Campaign trip in Oklahoma City because it usually has the most volunteers. Students spend the weekend preparing Thanksgiving food boxes.

Lewis said the campaigns originated in the ’70s when students would go on mission trips and “converge on a town to help families.” Each destination was about six to eight hours away.

“The best thing about Weekend Campaigns is that it’s free,” Miles said.

“Transportation is provided by [the Students’ Association], and our housing is provided by churches and ministries that

The Men of ACU choir performed Sunday in Cullen Auditorium; more than 60 men sang in the concert.

The men had practiced for hours the day before the performance.

“This is the best we’ve ever done,” said the Men of ACU’s director Dr. Jack Boyd, who was a professor in the Music Department from 1968 to 1998.

“I work them hard because they want to.”

It was the first time most of the men had sang in a choir, apart from participating in a mixed chorus.

Boyd said the men do this performance for the university. They love ACU, and it makes the Music Department look good.

Many of the performers left their homes and families to fly into Abilene just for the show.

Charlie Nelson, who acted as the announcer during the

acuoptimist.com See a video of the Men of ACU choir’s performance online

concert, introduced the choir as “the Men of ACU, regardless of some of their mileage.”

However, not every man was an “aged” alumnus.

The group invited John Kaczmarek, who is looking at ACU for graduate studies, to sing with them.

“It was kind of intimidating,” Kaczmarek said.

Nevertheless, a lot of these men are older than the average graduate student. After the brief concert, Boyd’s friends joked about calling their particular group the “Testostertones“ or even the “Over The Hill Gang.”

Students and visitors can purchase the group’s CDs during Summit.

E-mail Veteto at: cjv04a@acu.edu

Romantic Pledging Proposal

we work with. The only thing you might need money for is a few meals, but a lot of times we get home-cooked meals from the people we’re working for.”

Students can get involved in Weekend Campaigns several ways. A Weekend Campaigns’ Chapel is Thursdays in the Biblical Studies Building Room 113, or students can sign up at the campaign table in the Campus Center a week before each campaign.

Weekend Campaigns also are a Facebook group where students can get more information on upcoming events.

E-mail Brand at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Jozie Sands:: staff photographer Steven Cardona, sophomore political science major from Abilene, swoons Stephanie Smith, sophomore nursing major from Bryant; Jessica Ladell, junior nursing major from Fort Worth; and Brenna Meeks, junior education major from Mineral Wells, during a Frater Sodalis and GATA Bid Night activity Friday

FocusTuesday

Page 6

September 23, 2008

The women of Gardner 3rd East dance and sing “You’re the Apple of my i.” Hall acts write their own lyrics to popular and recognizable melodies.

Putting the

‘i’ in freshmen

The class of 2013 entertained hundreds at this year’s iPhone-themed “iFollies.”

Photos by: Emily Jorgenson, staff photographer

Below left: Jeremy Moore (blue), musical theatre major from Mesquite; Will Morgan (green), finance major from Longview; Michael Maeker (pink), biology major from Lubbock; and Black McFarland (black), youth and family ministry major from Mansfield, perform as part of the large chorus. Left: Kristen Jones, interior design major from Houston, and Chanea Heard, graphic design major from Dallas, dance to “Pick up the Phone.” Above Left: Leah Bouteller (left), early childhood education major from Belton; Blake Rogers (middle), musical theatre major from Tyler; and Whitney Bammel, psychology major from Houston, sing “The Best of Times.” Above Top Left: The women of 3rd West and Center West perform “Incredible iGirls.”Above Right: Kasey Moore, undeclared major from Keller, sings “A Little Longer.” Right: Bryce Powers, business management major from Houston, dances to “R-LOVE-ution of Dance” with the men of Mabee 3rd North. Above: Zach Groves (left), youth and family ministry major from El Paso, and Tanner Ambs (right), youth and family ministry major from Amarillo, dance to “iFreshman.”

CAMPUS NEWS

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Page 7

Chapel monitors direct Big Purple nixes second show congested student traffic

By Kimberly Wolford Student Reporter

The Big Purple Band debuted part of its 2008 show Sept. 13. The band played four songs from its Genesis Rock show, including a medley of Dodo/Lurker and Land of Confusion as well as a combination of the Phil Collins’ song Against All Odds and the Genesis’ hit I Can’t Dance.

In a letter sent to members of the Big Purple, it was announced they would perform only one show this year. In past seasons, the Big Purple performed two separate shows, debuting the second at the ACU Homecoming game. Despite only having one show, the Big Purple still has some surprises in store for its audience.

“This year we are only doing one show,” said Erin Kluzek, senior music education major from Oklahoma City. “Starting at Homecoming, we will change the last song to another medley of hits and finish the season like that.”

Kevin Whitelaw, associate

By Savannah Shelton Student Reporter

Moody Coliseum’s new card readers called for another addition to this semester’s Chapel program—Chapel monitors.

The Chapel monitors are resident directors and Student Life staff members whose main focus is to help students slide their ID cards in the right direction.

The new readers became necessary when crowd control turned into an issue as students perched on the stairs, waiting to slide their cards. The crowded stairs posed a potentially dangerous situation if someone lost his or her footing or bumped into another person.

Some may assume a Chapel monitor’s job is to catch those who “slide and glide” (slide their card, leave and then return to swipe out at the end of Chapel), but Chapel monitors stand by the sliders at the beginning and end of Chapel for several reasons.

“Their main purpose is to help with the new card readers and to encourage flow,” said Mark Lewis, assistant dean for Spiritual Life and Chapel Programs.

Lewis said he hopes their presence will discourage students who want to “slide and glide,” but the monitors also are needed to ensure people respect city codes by not sitting on the floor when available seats are limited and to keep the roped-off sections of “O” through “S” empty.

“It’s very distracting when people are sitting in those sections behind the stage,” said Kathy Hogan, administrative coordinator of Student Life.

The monitors are asked to arrive early before students

Emily Jorgenson :: staff photographer Ariel Hacker, junior physical therapy major from Littleton, Colo., slides her ID card after Chapel Sept. 2.

start arriving and to stay about ten minutes late, Lewis said.

At the most, only ten resident directors and Student Life staff members monitor the readers when Chapel is at its fullest.

Fewer Chapel monitors will be needed as most students become used to the new readers.

As far as the readers are concerned, they have exhibited a few glitches, Lewis said.

“The networking people are working so hard on the software for the readers,” he said.

The readers work efficiently when everyone slides in for Chapel, but sliding out is a different story sometimes.

“We want everyone to get credit for being there,” Lewis said.

Automatic credit is given to all students who swiped in when the readers suffer the occasional meltdown.

E-mail Shelton at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

director of bands and director of the Big Purple, said the band’s one show will consist of four segments. The first two segments were debuted Saturday, and the third will debut Oct. 4. The fourth segment will include In the Air Tonight by soloist Phil Collins and Sledgehammer by soloist Peter Gabriel.

Dr. Steven Ward, director of bands, said he is excited about the visuals that will be added to the show later this season as well as the new look of the color guard. Ward also said the Big Purple has a great group of student leaders this year.

“We had some challenges with the rain and [we] want to commend all the students on their dedication to the program and to represent ACU so well,” Ward said.

Another notable change for the Big Purple is the staff addition of Paula Findley, color guard instructor.

“Mrs. Findley has helped the color guard integrate better with the band, allowing the Big Purple to function better,” said Amber Deschamps, soph-

Play IT Again

The Big Purple Band will play the following songs for this year’s football games:

n Against All Odds by Phil Collins n I Can't Dance by Genesis n In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins n Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel

omore biology major from Liberty Hill and co-captain of the color guard.

The color guard has new uniforms and flags this year.

“The choreography is just as good as last year,” said Lacy Hanson, sophomore psychology major from Abilene. “But [it] is more advanced because of all the changes that we have made this year.”

E-mail Wolford at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

ViewsTuesday

Page 8

September 23, 2008

Pledging tradition necessitates clarity from clubs

E

very year, a slew of ACU students willingly perform embarrassing and strenuous acts for five and a half weeks in hopes of being accepted into a social club. Some consider the ordeals hazing, others tradition. Nonetheless, the pledging process will remain a part of ACU’s calendar and continue to be a topic of annual discussion unless drastic changes are made.

Last year, the Social Club Task Force mandated new pledging guidelines and strict adherence to the ACU Social Club Handbook. A few of the rules in the handbook include barring any activities requiring pledges to recite club knowledge orally and forcing pledges to physically exert themselves.

Any spectator to this year’s

“

...if the university wishes to quell the debate, radical and comprehensive actions need to occur.

on-campus initiatory stage of pledging would have witnessed clubs repeatedly breaking these rules. However, pledging advocates will argue these activities were necessary for building unity and camaraderie.

Ask any club member, and they most likely will say the difficult pledging process changed their lives for the better. The pledges will typically band together in the face of adversity, supporting and challenging one another to work arduously. Detractors will say

”

this method is pointless and destructive, and supporters will heartily disagree. It’s a never-ending battle. And if the university wishes to quell the debate, radical and comprehensive actions need to occur.

However, a complete overhaul to the pledging process would disregard some of ACU’s notable traditions and be a slap in the face to most of the social clubs. Modest and practical changes could satisfy both factions to the pledging issue.

First, the university, as well

as the social clubs, must clearly and intentionally communicate the purposes of pledging.

The ACU Social Club Handbook states that the social club pledging period should honor God by honoring others at all times. But for those not involved in pledging, the sight of their well-dressed classmates entering the classroom carrying stuffed animals or picture frames may seem confusing when compared to the definition in the handbook. Everyone on campus should be informed of the reasoning behind the pledging process.

Secondly, everyone on campus also should be made aware of the definition of hazing. Hazing is a crime. It is the duty of conscientious citizens to report crimes, a task that poses a great

The issue:

Pledging lends itself to heated discussion of merits and demerits.

Our view:

The pledging process is an ACU tradition and is not going anywhere. The ACU community needs to recognize that and adjust accordingly.

The solution:

If pledging is to stay a part of the ACU tradition, administration and clubs alike need to clearly define and support the process in an official venue. challenge when the citizens do not know what technically constitutes as a crime.

And finally, civil discussion, not bickering, needs to take place regarding how the process can be improved and made fairer for all students.

As a Christian community, we have been called to live after God’s will, whether it is in our actions during pledging or our

reactions to pledging.

The administration and students can take or leave these suggestions at their discretion.

But they need to take note that whatever their decision may be, pledging is here to stay as well as the controversial conversation that follows.

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

Economic stupidity handicaps recovery I don’t claim to know much about economics. I actually know very little about the incredibly complicated world of the global market economy. However, many of the contributing factors of the current economic crisis are very simple: stuSelf pid practices Examination and stupid

By Ryan Self decisions.

For example, take the subprime mortgage crisis. This is a perfect case where an outcome could have been seen by almost anyone who had taken a high school course in economics.

According to The Telegraph, during the U.S. housing boom, lenders began giving “No Income No Assets loans,” or NINA loans, which is jargon for giving people enormously high loans without any proof they had the finances to afford them. No verification. No background checks. Someone could virtually walk in with a salary of $30,000, write a number far greater than that in the box marked current salary and walk away with a loan they would never be able to afford.

Lending money, often hundreds of thousands of dollars, to people who may not have the means to pay it back is obviously a bad banking practice.

Why would lenders across the country engage in this practice? For one, money was to be made, lots of it. A single sales manager could make $70,000 to $100,000 a month, according to Glen Pizzolorusso in This American Life. Another reason to grab so many high risk loans was their quick passoff to Wall Street.

Wall Street then divvied these risky loans into mortgage-backed securities. These securities were given credit ratings according to their risk.

Many received AAA ratings-the highest. Why? The precarious

Private property laws restrict freedom of speech Orgasm donor. Just like the words leap off the page to you, so did the phrase jump off the shirt to me. When I saw a white T-shirt with those two words plastered across the front on sale in the Steve and Barry’s store in the Got Your Abilene mall, Grammar Talk I could not believe anyBy Kelline body would Linton buy such a repulsive innuendo. And then, I saw a young teenage girl wearing the shirt at Dante’s Pizza in the same mall. Even though her garment appalled me, I was more shocked by the scene that followed.

As the girl, who might have been a freshman in high school, ate lunch with her boyfriend, a mall security guard came up to her and told her she needed to change the shirt. She could either turn her T-shirt inside out or buy

a new shirt. The guard then escorted her to the nearest bathroom and waited until she had complied.

I had never felt so indignant to see an offensive object removed from my sight.

This security guard, who was an elderly woman, used her authority and the girl’s inexperience to completely violate her Constitutional rights.

She disregarded the First Amendment and its protections as established by the U.S. Supreme Court.

As early as the 1970s, the Supreme Court ruled expressive speech is protected speech. In Cohen v. California, a 19-year-old man wore a jacket that read “[expletive] the draft” in a courtroom.

Although his jacket did not provoke a disturbance or riot, he was arrested for such an offense. Upon hearing his case, the Court stated his actions were legal under the First Amendment.

A jacket, a T-shirt—I see a close similarity. And although the girl was not arrested for her shirt, she was intimidated

Letter to the Editor Voters should take celebrity opinions with ‘a grain of salt’

I take what a celebrity says with a grain of salt, typically, because they rarely address issues in their superfluous attempts at swaying whatever audience they might hold.

That would be the same standard I would hold anyone to.

If you address issues, then

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

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

into limiting her free speech by an authority figure who perhaps even threatened her with “mall jail.”

But does the Supreme Court see a courtroom and a shopping mall through the same lenses? Unfortunately, no. They are not both public forums or places where people can speak and wear what they want without breaking the law. The courtroom is a public forum because it is a public facility, but a mall is a private property. In 1980, the Court ruled states can decide on an individual basis whether to extend the right of free speech to a private shopping area like a mall. So far, California, Colorado, New Jersey and Massachusetts have chosen to give this protection for

serious consideration or swaying one’s decision is not an abuse of power. In your editorial, Lindsey Lohan’s Myspace blog was used as an example, her Myspace blog. Generally, I would classify her [target] demographic not likely of age to vote anyway. When I was coming of voting age, I admit that I was somewhat influenced. I was eligible to vote for the first time during the 2004 Presidential Election, and I remember,

“political speech.”

Why does Texas not see a shopping mall as a public forum? Because most judges say private property should be treated like private property, and not as a public free speech zone.

I disagree. Ironically, if the girl had refused to turn her shirt inside out or leave the premises, she could have been arrested for criminal trespass, but only because her free speech was limited by a private citizen (i.e. security guard) and not the government. The Texas court system keeps the government to higher standards.

Why is the same speech protected from one party’s limitations and not the other? It is the same speech!

I have heard of an organ donor, but never an “orgasm donor” until this weekend.

But, I have heard of the First Amendment, and as Justice Harlan said in the Cohen case, “One man’s vulgarity is another’s lyric.”

E-mail Linton at: krl04b@acu.edu

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confidence that crosses party affiliation or celebrity influence. All sides of the political spectrum have celebrity lobbyists, but it’s up to the individual to develop an educated stance on the issues and then vote according to those beliefs.

I’ve done my civic duty and researched the issues and feel that my political logic would work best. Therefore, you better believe that if I were a celebrity, I would lobby my au-

practically, every musician I admired was campaigning for Kerry. It felt, however, more like a campaign against Bush, only citing the war in Iraq as rationale. I was anti-war (and I still am except with a more Constitutional understanding), so I entertained the cue that I too needed to vote Democrat.

Ultimately, I was too confused to cast a vote. As an adult, with a better understanding of issues, there is a new sense of

mortgage securities were combined with several safe investments, and after redistributing many of the unsafe mortgages with safer ones, the overall result was an investment with a high rating but with many hazardous mortgages lurking underneath the surface.

The latest blow to the U.S. economy is the federal bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Again, I do not claim to even begin to understand how these companies operate, so I will defer to John Snow, former Secretary of the Treasury.

“This is potentially extraordinarily costly and was totally avoidable, and it is really regrettable that this, this is a huge failure of American pub-

“

...governmentsponsored enterprises have no incentive to avoid failure.

”

lic policy, and it didn’t have to happen,” he said.

Until Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were bailed out several days ago, they were regular companies. Regular, except for the fact they received “congressional charters, exemptions from state and local taxes and access to Treasury credit lines,” according to The Slate.

Simply put, these governmentsponsored enterprises have no incentive to avoid failure. The government bears the burden of all bad decisions, and Fannie and Freddie reap the benefits of all good decisions.

The $200 billion bailout of Fannie and Freddie is necessary. It makes taxpayers nervous, however, when the people in control of an enormous portion of the global money pool seem to throw caution to the wind.

E-mail Self at: rcs06g@acu.edu

dience too. However, I would hope, that I would focus only on the issues and never advocate the lesser of two evils.

Dustin Reid senior electronic media major from Rockwall

responding to Sept. 17 editorial: ‘Celebrity opinions add superficial dimension to elections’

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FROM THE FRONT / SPORTS JUMPS

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Page 9

Football: QB Malone sets touchdown record Continued from page 10

third quarter, finishing with 161 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

“It’s just a matter of chipping away because teams’ first priority is to stop Bernard,” Thomsen said. “If you don’t stop him, you have a problem, so we threw the ball down the field early and loosened them up. If you do enough of that, the run game comes around.”

The Wildcats would add

two more touchdowns from running back Taber Minner in the fourth and a 20-yard field goal from place-kicker Matt Adams to close out the game. ACU racked up 581 yards of offense en route to its highest point total of the season.

Malone finished with 317 yards passing and three touchdowns on 17-19 passing, earning LSC co-South Offensive Player of the Week honors. Knox led all receivers with six catches

Garrett: ‘Perfect’ start to Summit Continued from page 1 senior minister at Fairview Road Church of Christ in Columbia, Missi., and Chris Seidman, senior minister at Farmers Branch Church of Christ in Dallas, are the three speakers remaining on schedule for the Summit Theme Conversations. Harris will speak Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wilson will speak Wednesday at 11 a.m. and Seidman will be the final theme speaker to present when he takes the stage Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Seven men were chosen to explore Romans and speak on the overall theme of the “Righteousness of God” in Moody Coliseum. Brady Bryce, director of ministry events, said each speaker would bring their style and interpretations of the scripture, and Garrett was the man to begin the examination of Paul’s first century letter to the Roman church.

“There was only one man I thought of to start us off, and that was Leroy Garrett,” Bryce said on stage.

Bryce introduced Garrett and alluded to Garrett’s life story and “quarrel” with the Churches of Christ, but said despite Garrett’s “lover’s quarrel,” as explored in Garrett’s autobiography A Lover’s Quarrell: My Pilgramage of Freedom in Churches of Christ, he was the perfect choice to launch the Theme Conversations.

As the scholar—who has a bachelor’s degree from Abilene Christian College, a doctorate from Harvard University and post-graduate work experience at Princeton University—took the podium, he was greeted by a standing ovation. After thanking the audience and saying a quick joke, Garrett dove into the subject at hand: God’s righteousness and what it meant to the audience.

“Put a home spun way, I can say, ‘You are not OK, and I am not OK, but that’s OK,’” Garrett said to define his view to the audience.

In keeping with the conversational focus of Summit, after Garrett delivered his sermon, he and Bryce moved to two red couches on the side of the stage where Garrett answered questions from the audience sent through text messages and e-mails.

The scholar from Denton fielded questions about his message, his theology and even his age. Although the coliseum roared when he revealed he would turn 90 in December, he saw every day as a blessing and was looking forward to the day when God would say to him, “Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.”

“That will be my glory,” Garrett said.

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

Volleyball: Cats come home to play ENMU Continued from page 10 only its second home game of the season so far: the team has started the season with 12 of its first 13 matches on the road.

The team will play Eastern New Mexico at 7 p.m.

Thursday in Moody Coliseum. Eastern New Mexico is 4-11 and has yet to play a conference match. Vanessa Wilcox leads the team with 122 kills, while Karen McIntyre leads with 319 assists

in 2008.

“We take our season on a game-by-game basis,” Schilling said. “Between now and Thursday, coach [Mock] will tell us their style of play and their weaknesses. Texas teams have a higher level of play, and every team can beat any other team despite whether they are stereotyped as a good or bad team. We have to be ready for every team,” Schilling said.

E-mail Harris at: tch05f@acu.edu

Gary: Lecture delves into identity conflict Continued from page 1 “I grew up doing the normal thing, and on the outside I had it all together,” Gary said. “But a large part of that was to cover the turmoil going on inside.”

While in law school, Gary reached her breaking point. She told everything to a close friend and through that confession and prayer, she said, “The Lord healed me then and there.”

Gary told her Monday morning audience that the first step in addressing the issue is having less political involvement, saying, “Jesus came to change hearts, not laws,” and Christians should stop focusing on

declaring their stance against same-sex attractions and strive to “love people more where they are.”

Tuesday, Gary will address a question that lies at the core of the discussion: what is behind same-sex attraction? She said at the very heart of the issue is more a struggle with identity than behavior.

Gary will conclude the series Wednesday morning by tackling the aftermath and the probing question, “Why do Christians demand a total transformation with same-sex attraction and homosexuality, and not with other sins?”

E-mail Hettich at: clh05d@acu.edu

for 140 yards and a touchdown. Gates added 87 yards, and Ferguson had 63 yards, while both finished with four catches and a touchdown.

Defensively, linebacker Eric Edwards and safety Tony Harp led the Wildcats with 10 tackles and a sack.

Linebacker Bryson Lewis finished with seven tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles. Defensive lineman Aston Whiteside harassed Southeastern Oklahoma’s quarterback all night, finish-

ing with two tackles, a sack and one fumble recovery for 16 yards. “[Aston] had some big plays and pressured the quarterback again this week,” Thomsen said. “There are still areas he needs to improve on, but he is coming along in the pass rush.”

The Wildcats allowed only 279 yards of offense while causing three turnovers and limiting the Savage Storm to just 83 rushing yards on 43 attempts for an average

of 1.9 a carry. Southeastern Oklahoma also finished just 2-12 on third downs and gave up five sacks.

“I thought [the defense] played very physical and played hard, and that’s what I’m most proud of,” Thomsen said. “When you do that, good things happen for us.”

E-mail Abston at: gda04b@acu.edu

Tennis: ITA Central Regional next Continued from page 10 played well, they were unable to win any of the tournament flights. Askdale and Iwinski from Denver University won two flights, and Hasegawa from Northern Arizona won the third flight.

The men’s team continued its season playing at a tournament in LouisianaLafayette.

Unfortunately, the rain put a damper on the tournament, forcing the doubles bracket of the tournament to be canceled. They also had to cancel the singles consolation bracket due to the weather.

This limited the amount of games ACU could play because it turned the tour-

nament into single elimination format. Hutton Jones Jr., Joey Farias and Luke Hawk all won their first singles match before losing in the next round. Brian Joiner did the best individually, winning his first two matches before losing in the quarterfinals.

“It was a good tournament and it allowed us to play some Division I schools such as LSU, Memphis and Southern Mississippi,” Joiner said.

Joiner and Hawk were the only doubles match that was able to play. They were leading an LSU team 7-4 in doubles before the game was canceled due to rain.

“It was a great level of

competition for us, but unfortunate because we were there to get experience and matches against good teams, and it did not work out because of the rain,” said assistant coach John Walker.

“Everyone did get to play at least one match.”

The men will travel to Maryville, Mo., Friday for the ITA Central Regional Tournament. The women’s next tournament will be Oct. 3 in Abilene for the ITA Central Regional Tournament.

“Overall I was proud of how we competed this weekend and I think we will be ready for regionals next weekend,“ Walker said.

E-mail Cantrell at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Trojans: Club to plan with HSU Continued from page 1 “We’ve been working with our adviser Tim Bench and have been asking ourselves what we want from club and what kind of goals we need to set. We want to create a dynamic that appeals to a vast majority of guys,” Lambro said.

He said the group’s goals not only would be to recharter Trojans but to craft a bond that will integrate the clubs together.

“We’re looking to create lots of events and do activities with other clubs on and offcampus; we want to add on to the social life of the school,” Lambro said.

He said they even want to plan events with students at Hardin-Simmons University and create an atmosphere where ACU and Hardin-Simmons student groups can interact.

If the meeting Monday went well, the Trojans may be allowed to sponsor “interest

meetings,” which will be somewhat equivalent to a rush.

Right now, the men are planning to rewrite the Trojans’ more than 50-year-old constitution and already have come up with their verse: “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”

“It’s a good feeling,” Lambro said. “Not only are we creating something new for ourselves but we’re also reviving a club for alumni as well.”

E-mail Anderson at: tsa04a@acu.edu

Numbers: Cap hinders pledging Continued from page 1 smaller clubs and it keeps girls’ minds open to other clubs; but sometimes feelings are going to get hurt if you don’t get into your first bid,” Spires said. “It can be hard; when you want something, you go for it, and that’s what it’s like with pledging. Some girls might not get their No. 1 choice, but they still can get a similar experience in a different setting.

Right now the pledging cap is at 48 for women’s social clubs, and this year twice as many women are pledging social clubs than men. Ko Jo Kai and Sigma Theta Chi both reached the pledging

“

Overall, the rules that they put into action are good for everyone involved. :: Lindsey Ice, GATA president and senior music major from Hurst

cap, while Alpha Kai Omega were a few pledges shy.

Men’s social clubs do not have a pledge cap; they get to decide how many pledges they want each year.

“I would actually like to see the pledging cap lowered.

The pledge cap [where it’s at] makes it difficult to get girls, and we’re trying to grow,” said Lindsay Ice, president of GATA and senior music major

”

from Hurst.

“Mauri Westbrook and campus leaders have worked hard about making things fair this year.

There may be a few things that can be tweaked,” Ice said. ”Overall, the rules that they put into action are good for everyone involved.”

E-mail Anderson at: tsa04a@acu.edu

SportsTuesday

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Rolling on the Road

SCOREBOARD Standings Football Team

Div. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

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

Overall 4-0 4-0 3-0 3-0 3-1 2-2 1-3

Div. MSU 2-0 TX Woman’s 2-0 TAMU-C 2-0 ACU 1-1 Angelo St. 1-1 Tarleton St. 1-1

Sports Writer

Overall 15-0 9-5 8-5 11-2 10-6 9-6

Women’s Soccer Team

Div. 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 Angelo St. 0-0 East Central 0-0 MSU 0-0 SW Okla.

0-0 NE St. 0-0 ENMU 0-1 WTAMU TAMU-C TX Woman’s ACU Central Okla.

Overall 5-0-1 4-1-1 4-2 4-2-1 4-2-1 5-3-1 3-2-1 3-3 2-5 1-4-1 4-4

Scores Saturday Football ACU 59, SE Oklahoma 10

Volleyball ACU 3, Texas A&M-Kingsville 0

Upcoming Thursday Volleyball ACU vs. Eastern New Mexico, 7 p.m.

Friday Women’s Soccer ACU vs. Angelo State, 4 p.m.

Saturday Volleyball ACU vs. West Texas A&M, 2 p.m.

Football ACU vs. Eastern New Mexico, 7 p.m. :: Home games listed in italics

Intramural Round-up 4-on-4 Soccer Starts: Tuesday, Oct. 28 Sign-up Deadline: Oct. 23 Cost: $125 per team

3-2 Softball Tournament Starts: Saturday, Nov. 8 Sign-up Deadline: Nov. 6

NOTES n QB Billy Malone earned LSC co-South Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for 317 yards and two touchdowns, leading ACU to a 59-10 win over Southeastern Oklahoma.

Malone became the LSC and ACU all-time leader in touchdown passes (87) and became the LSC’s alltime leader in total offense (9,808 yards). n LB Mike Kern earned LSC co-South Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording five tackles, one-half tackle for loss and a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown. The intercepton return tied the record for the longest return in school history. Kern has recorded a defensive touchdown in the last two games.

Wildcats compete against Division I opponents

By Ryan Cantrell

Volleyball Team

Page 10

Photo courtesy of Creative Services

Quarterback Billy Malone looks to pass during Saturday’s game against Southeastern Oklahoma. Malone threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns.

Malone throws ACU past Southeastern Okla. 59-10

By Grant Abston Sports Editor

The ACU Wildcats routed Southeastern Oklahoma Saturday night, 59-10, behind another solid defensive performance and the offensive trio of wide receiver Johnny Knox, quarterback Billy Malone and running back Bernard Scott.

The fourth-ranked Wildcats moved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the Lone Star Conference after the win. The Savage Storm dropped to 1-3 overall and 1-2 in LSC play.

“I thought it was a good road victory,” said head coach Chris Thomsen. “Road games in the Lone Star Conference are tough, and I thought our guys did a good job and came out focused and ready to play.”

The Wildcats jumped all

Football over Southeastern Oklahoma early, scoring just three minutes in after Malone found Knox for a 20-yard touchdown pass to put the Wildcats ahead 7-0. The touchdown pass was Malone’s 85th of his career, making him the LSC and ACU all-time leader in touchdown passes.

“Billy is a fifth-year senior and has a real good understanding of what he’s doing,” Thomsen said. “The receivers did a good job of getting open, but it starts with him.

The protection was better this week, and he had time to throw and was real sharp.”

The Wildcat defense then stepped up and scored its third touchdown in two weeks to put ACU on top 14-0. Linebacker Mike Kern intercepted

a pass on the 1-yard line and returned it 99 yards for his second touchdown in two weeks. The interception return for a touchdown tied the longest in school history, topping the previous mark of 98 set in 1973. Kern also earned co-South Defensive Player of the Week honors.

The Wildcats went up 21-0 in the second quarter after Malone threw his second touchdown of the night, connecting with wide receiver Edmund Gates for a 45-yard touchdown. The Savage Storm got on the board with 2:14 remaining after a 37-yard field goal, but the Wildcats extended their lead after Malone found Jonathan Ferguson for an 18-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds remaining, his third touchdown pass of the first half.

“The first half they were playing an eight-man front, but they loosened up in the second half, and it opened up the running game more,” said center Sam Collins.

Southeastern Oklahoma scored its first touchdown in the third quarter after running back Baylen Laury scored on a 12-yard run, cutting the lead to 28-10. But just 12 seconds later, the Wildcats answered after Scott scored his first touchdown of the game on an 80-yard run, his longest run of the season.

Two series later, Scott scored again on a 44-yard run to extend the lead to 42-10 after a seven-play, 89-yard drive. Scott managed just 21 yards in the first half before breaking off big runs in the See

Football page 9

The ACU tennis team continued its season in tournament play this weekend. The men’s team traveled to Louisiana-Lafayette where play was suspended due to rain, while the women’s team traveled to New Mexico.

T h e women’s team faired well, playing against top-level competition. The Wildcats Jones were up against Division I schools including Denver, Texas Tech, Northern Arizona, Kansas and the host school New Mexico. These schools provided great competition for the Wildcats, and head coach Hutton Jones was impressed with his teams’ play.

“There were no easy matches this weekend ,and I felt that we won over half our matches against a very high level of competition,” Jones said. “This was overall a good tournament to help us get ready for the regionals coming up.”

Jones said playing against better teams exposes some weaknesses, but the Wildcats can practice and improve for future matches when they return home this weekend.

Although the women See

Tennis page 9

Cross country teams finish in top ten at Tech

By Jeff Craig Sports Writer

The Wildcat cross country teams began the Sam Burroughs’ era at the Red Raider Invitational Friday at Texas Tech University.

The men’s team finished in fourth place overall with a composite score of 121 points. The field was led by South Plains College, which won the 8-kilometer race with a score of 30 points, followed

by Texas Tech and Fort Hays State, which finished second and third respectively.

The women’s team came in sixth place with a score of 150 points, while host school Texas Tech won the 6-kilometer race with a score of only 25

Cross Country points. Coach Burroughs said his goal was to run a controlled, paced race and he felt his teams did just that.

“This weekend we ran our men’s B squad; we didn’t want to run crazy hard,” Burroughs said. “I told them to go easy and not over-extend themselves; and while the results aren’t what they could have been, we choose to save ourselves for our next race in Oklahoma.”

Individually the men continued their trend of having several runners in the top 10.

ACU’s senior Daniel Maina came in third with a time of 24:44.05; senior Julius Nyango finished fifth with a time

of 25:05.27; and freshman Charles White finished eighth with a time of 26:02.51. Other Wildcat competitors included Jake Schofield, who finished 62nd with a time of 29:12.63, and Matt Upshaw, who finished 86th with a time of 31:21.05.

The overall team performance was impressive considering they were running without three of their five all-Americans: Serge Gasore, Amos Sang and Cleophas Tanui. Coach Burroughs said this match was an opportunity for freshman Charles White to step up in their absences and that he was very pleased with White’s top-eight finish.

The members of the women’s team also put on a solid performance, having their two

all-Americans finish in the top 10. Winrose Karunde came in fifth, finishing the race in 18:32.41, and Loice Cheboi finished ninth with a time of 19:37.59. Other Wildcat competitors included Haley Garner, who finished 47th in 22:56.37, Lindsay Putnam, came in 50th with a time of 23:02.53 and Suzanne Mahoney rounded out ACU’s top five with a time of 27:44.74 to come in 81st.

With his first race behind, Coach Burroughs feels a bit relieved and admits he felt a little nervous leading up to his first race as ACU’s head coach.

“Of course you are always nervous your first time coaching, but it was good to see these kids for the first time in

a race and see how they stack up,” Burroughs said. “The toughest thing is getting to know them, and I feel I now have a better understanding of who they are.”

The cross country team’s next competition will be Oct. 4 in Stillwater, Okla., at the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree.

Coach Burroughs said he looks forward to racing against a Cowboy’s team that is among the elite squads in Division I. While he wanted to see a conservative, controlled race in Lubbock, he plans to let his team give it all in Stillwater.

E-mail Craig at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

ACU defeats A&M-Kingsville 3-0 on the road

By Chandler Harris

Volleyball

Assistant Sports Editor

Emily Jorgenson :: staff photographer Michelle Bacon (12) and Shawna Hines (7) block a hit in Saturday’s match. The Wildcat volleyball team defeated the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-19) to win its first game in league play.

The ACU volleyball team showed no sign of weakness on Saturday coming off a loss to Tarleton State. The team defeated Texas A&MKingsville 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-19) in a game led by the Wildcat defense. The team is now 11-2 overall and 1-1 in Lone Star Conference play.

ACU held the Javelinas to a .049 hitting percentage.

Junior defensive setter Amy Wilson led the team with 15 digs and the Wildcats had eight team blocks.

Freshman outside hitter Jennie Hutt added 13 kills, followed by sophomore middle blocker Shawna Hines, who had 12 kills and five blocks.

Sophomore middle blocker Jordan Schilling and junior outside hitter Erin Curry had eight kills apiece. Sophomore setter Ijeoma Moronu had a double-double with 35 assists

and 10 digs.

The Javelinas were led by Shaday Smith with six kills, and Virginia Hernandez had a match-high 16 digs.

“It is always nice to win, especially after a loss because it shows the character of our team,” Schilling said. “We got killed by Tarleton, but then we came back and had the strength to pull together as a team and not give up after a tough loss.”

Schilling said the best part about the match against Texas A&M-Kingsville was that the team had fun.

“No one was stressed out,” Schilling said. “We were just enjoying the game.

We were relaxed and calm and enjoying being together as a team.”

The team comes home Thursday for what will be See

Volleyball page 9