The Optimist - 02.15.13

And the Winner is ...

Hal Hoots returns to predict winners and runners-up vol. 101, no. 37 vol. 100, no. 37 216SECTION, PAGES 18 PAGES friday, february friday, 15, 2013 february 217,SECTIONs, 2012

Pages 4A - 5A

stephen reyes staff Photographer

VACATION ALL I EVER WANTED

Judging elements encourage upstage acts to incorporate more of “Vacation” theme

mandy lambright chief Photographer

“They’re going to give us some great shows,” he said. “They’re looking really editor in chief good.”

Craig said the upstage acts will also have Sing Song is back for some fun in the a greater emphasis on creatively relating sun. The “Sing Song Vacation” theme will This show is all about fun. We’re trying give fans a two-and-a-half hour break from the busyness of their lives to relax to give people a break from all the under a beach umbrella. Crowds will fill stresses of the day-to-day.”

Moody Coliseum to watch the 10 social clubs and six mixed voices acts perform acts ranging from TV remotes to the WizTom Craig ard of Oz. director of student productions “This show is all about fun,” said Tom Craig, director of student productions.

“We’re trying to give people a break from all the stresses of the day-to-day.” their performances to “Vacation.”

The six hosts and hostesses will perform “On Friday night, the judging category is hit songs by the Go-Go’s, Chicago and the originality,” Craig said. “The theme element Beach Boys, among others, each of which in the originality category is weighted more will have a direct relation to the theme. heavily. Elements like creativity in general Craig said the talents of the hosts and went down for connection in theme to go up.” hostesses have meshed and blended toSaturday night’s show sold out on gether extremely well, and the variety of Wednesday. The Saturday afternoon show musical styles will make for a very entersee theme page 8b taining show.

Mark Smith

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mandy lambright chief Photographer above photos by mandy lambright chief Photographer

Sing song News Band Director to play iPad in show Page 6A

Zeta Rho surprises competition with baked goods Page 6A

Rec Center becomes green room Page 3A

Hosts, hostesses ready for shows mandy lambright chief Photographer

Page 7A

Three men going for sixth, seventh Sing Song victories Page 6A

Alpha Kai to defend first title Page 3A

inside NEWS

OPINION

PHOTOS

For news from around campus, turn to:

Despite shortcomings, CORE is worth the investment Page 6B

See more shots of “Sing Five Score and Seven Song Vacation” on our Years Ago: A look at website and Flickr page how much campus has acuoptimist.com Pages 4B-5B

Pages 3B, 7B-8B

Abilene Christian University

FEATURES

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saturday

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sunday

10 a.m. Softball vs Grand Canyon

9 a.m. Softball vs Regis Colorado

12 p.m. Softball vs Nova Southeastern

10 a.m. Men’s Basketball at Cameron U

7:30 p.m. Title of Show - ACU Theatre

2 p.m. Women’s Basketball at Cameron U

8 p.m. Sing Song

2 p.m. Sing Song

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monday

All Day - Golf - UIW Spirng Tournament

2 p.m. Basketball at McMurry

7:30 p.m. Title of Show - ACU Theatre 8 p.m. Sing Song

Chapel checkup

34 65 @acuoptimist The Optimist optimist@acu.edu

Announcements ACU Theatre presents its winter musical comedy, [title of show] in Fulks Theatre Feb. 15-16 and 22-23. For tickets, call 325-674-2787.

Spots are still available on Spring Break Campaigns going to various locations. For more information contact Liz Lurz at evl09a@acu.edu, Wilson White at www09a@acu. edu or stop by the SBC office in Bible 322.

Order your official Abilene Christian University ring at the Campus Store Feb. 15-16 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

The 6th annual Student Art Contest for Summit is open for submissions. The ACU Ministry Events Office calls any current ACU student to submit their original artwork, photography, drawing, painting or other creation to visually communicate the 2013 Summit theme: Margins. Submissions must be received digitally to summit@ acu.edu by Feb. 15. One select work will be awarded a cash prize of $100 and used to advertize the 2013 Summit.

Police Log Police log 2/05/2013 9:24 a.m. ACUPD responded to an auto-pedestrian accident involving 2 ACU students at EN 16th and Campus Court.

2/06/2013 2:49 p.m. During an ACUPD traffic stop the driver was found to have an active warrant. The driver was arrested and taken to the Taylor County Jail.

2/06/2013 4:55 p.m. A student reported the theft of his bicycle from inside the Don Morris Center. The theft took place within a 30 minute time span.

Abstract submission for the Undergraduate Research Festival is now open. The 5th annual ACU Undergraduate Research Festival will be Apr. 4-5. To submit your abstract or get abstract writing tips and information on the review of abstracts go to the Research Festival Blog at blogs.acu.edu/researchfest.

Submit your poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, photography and other art works to The Shinnery Review, ACU’s undergraduate literary arts magazine, for a chance to be featured in this spring’s edition.

Email submissions to shinnery@acu.edu. Deadline for submissions has been moved to March 15th.

The ACU Career Center is now on Pinterest. Go to pinterest.com/acucareercenter to begin following the boards from the ACU Career Center Pinterest today.

The ACU Wind Ensemble and Concert Band concert is Thursday, February 21st at 7:30 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium, featuring music by internationally recognized composer-in-residence Carter Pann. Admission is free.

Weekly Stats for week of Feb. 5-FEB. 12 2/08/2013 5:00 p.m. An ACU student reported criminal mischief [multiple key markings] of her vehicle while it was parked in the Big Purple lot from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

2/11/2013 4:17 p.m. ACUPD received a report of a suspicious male in a truck adjacent to Lunsford Trail. Investigation revealed that the male had been urinating inside his vehicle in view of passing witnesses. He also had an outstanding municipal warrant; he was arrested and transported to the Taylor County Jail.

Abandoned Vehicle Accident Administrative activity Alarm Assist Bicycle patrol Building lock/unlock Check building Citation Issuance Criminal Mischief Criminal trespass warning Escort Foot Patrol Found Property Information report Investigation follow up Lost property Medical Emergency Mental health concern Monitor facility/lot

1 Motorist assist: 2 Jumpstart 11 Other 1 Unlock 6 Noise violation

1 Other 14 Parking lot patrol 93 Parking violation 1 Patrol vehicle: 2

Maintenance 1 Refuel 3 Prowler 9 Random patrol 1 Report writing 4 Suspicious activity 7 Suspicious person 1 Theft (non vehicle) 3 Traffic stop 1 Welfare Check 13

5 2 8 1 11 10 4

10 8 1 3 2 1 6 1 4 1

Total Events: 253

The Center for International Education is looking for conversation partners for international students to practice English, conversations and cultural learning.

Partners meet for one hour each week at a time and place determined by the partners. For more information contact Laura McGregor at 325-6742821 or laura.mcgregor@ acu.edu.

Rescue the Animals is seeking volunteers to take pictures and videos in preparation for the launching of their new website as well as maintenance of the site after the launch. This opportunity is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. For more information contact Kathy Walker at 325-677-7722 or rescuetheanimalsvolunteers@ yahoo.com.

The National Center For Children’s Illustrated Literature is looking for volunteers to greet patrons, assist with art activities, sell

books and make visitors feel welcome. Help is also needed for special events like Artwalk and exhibit openings. The NCCIL is located at 102 Cedar St. For more information on times and dates contact Debby Lillick at 325-673-4586 or visit: http://www.nccil.org/ index.htm.

The Food Bank of West Central Texas needs volunteers to help sort and stock food and other items any weekday Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. The Food Bank is located at 5505 N. 1st St. For more information contact Janice Serrault at 325-695-6311 or abfoodbk@camalott. com.

The House That Kerry Built is looking for volunteers to assist in the day care of medically fragile children any day Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Contact Keith Loftin at 325-672-6061.

The International Rescue Committee is seeking volunteers to work with

refugees who recently moved to the U.S., teaching English, helping with homework and mentoring.

Contact Susanna Lubango to make an appointment at 325-675-5643.

The Covenant Place of Abilene is seeking volunteers to lead singing and/ or play piano for residents.

For more information contact Ann Erwin at 325793-1144.

University Place is seeking volunteers to help with the resident birthday party for residents the third Wednesday of each month at 2:30 p.m. For more information contact Linda Tijerina at 325-676-9946..

The Abilene Public Zoo is seeking volunteers to help clean/feed animals, assist zookeepers and assist with educational classes any weekday any time between 12 p.m.-4 p.m. They are also seeking volunteers to help with general labor such as grounds cleanup and painting any weekday at any time between noon and 4 p.m. For more information contact Joy Harsh at 325-676-6487.

The CAC Department is seeking volunteers to participate in Special Olympics, by helping mentally/physically challenged people play games and sports Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. For more infomation contact Angel Seca at 325-690-5235.

For additional volunteer opportunities visit: www. acu.edu/campusoffices/ ccsl/ministry-service/volunteer-opportunities/

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sing song

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Kaios prepare to compete after last year’s victory melany cox online managing editor

mandy lambright chief Photographer

Kylie Hanna, senior English major from Vancouver, Wash., leads Alpha Kai Omega in its Sing Song perfomance Wednesday night.

After winning their first Sing Song title in club history last year, the women of Alpha Kai Omega are once again practicing choreography, decorating costumes and singing their hearts out.

Kylie Hanna, senior English major from Vancouver, Wash., is the director of the Alpha Kai Omega Sing Song act. Hanna said the act has about 75 women participating.

Alpha Kai’s act last year caught the audience’s attention with six costume changes. Hanna said they wanted to do something different this year.

“We felt like that was something we did and we didn’t want to do that again, so we decided to go in a different direction,” she said.

This year the club will be portraying the life of a T.V. remote control.

Hanna said she didn’t think about becoming the club director until she was approached with the offer.

She said, as director, there have been many good moments.

“The moment that the music finally clicked for the girls was really awesome,” she said. “Just the realization of it all coming to-

gether was really awesome, and I couldn’t do it without the girls because they have been so encouraging the whole time, and it’s just been really great to work with these girls.”

Lydia Miranda, sophomore elementary education major from San Antonio, is participating in Sing Song for the first time. She said her first Sing Song experience with Alpha Kai has been “awesome.”

“Everybody said I was going to be tired,” she said. “I’m not feeling it yet; that’s probably going to change this week. I’m sure I’ll feel it later, but it’s been a lot of fun.”

Miranda said she chose to participate in Sing Song because she has been involved in music her whole life. She said her grandfather directed several Sing Song shows and she grew up going to Sing Song. She said she is “excited to finally be a part of it.”

Rachel Easley, junior psychology major from Belton and president of Alpha Kai Omega, said last year’s victory was one of the best moments of her life.

“I still get goosebumps thinking about it,” she said.

“We actually just went and watched the video like, three times last night, so I still think about it all the time. Good times.”

Because of the victory last year, Easley said she feels Al-

pha Kai has a lot to live up to this year.

“It was such a great experience,” she said. “I think one of our big goals is just to be competitive and to be proud of our act and to glorify God through that. So that’s going to be our goal and our mission and I hope we have a lot of fun up there, but it’s definitely intimidating following last year, but I am really excited and looking forward to it.”

Abigail Talley, junior biology major from Tanga, Tanzania, and vice president of Alpha Kai Omega, said she is excited because this year’s act is different from the winning act last year.

“Even though we have good memories from last year and winning, it’s really exciting, this new act and new director. I think people do have high expectations, but I think that’s a good thing because that’s making us work harder this year.”

Talley said this year’s act is coming together well.

“It’s always chaotic and you kind of panic when it’s the last practice and it’s like, ‘Oh my goodness we don’t have this.’ But it’s all coming together really well and I’m very very excited about the end result.” contact cox at mkc09b@acu.edu

SWRC serves as holding area for students there until it’s time to warm up, then they move to the concourse, go on stage, perform, then reGyms A - C in the Royce turn to the gyms to wait for and Pam Money Student the finale,” said Tom Craig, Recreation and Wellness director of Student ActiviCenter are currently re- ties and Productions. served for Sing Song, while “Having a space like the other facilities are ready gyms is of great value to us for many visitors. because it’s the only space The three gyms will large enough where we can serve as a holding area for assemble a cast of 1,500 and all the upstage groups. rotate them on and off stage,” “The [performers] wait Craig said. “And it’s fun. In

katie williamson student reporter

the gyms you get to visit with your friends.”

The gyms will be closed Thursday through Saturday but will reopen Sunday.

“For as long as Sing Song has been in Moody Coliseum, we’ve used the gyms in this way. We call it the Sing Song rotation…moving from the gyms to the concourse to the stage and back again,”said Craig.

The rest of the SRWC, however, is open to visitors.

They will be hosting an open said visitors can sign in to the house Thursday through guest registry and give themselves a tour of the center or For as long as Sing an employee of the SRWC may take them on a guided Song has been in Moody tour. Visitors are also welColiseum, we’ve used gyms come to come and utilize the facilities to exercise for free. in this way.” Any non-ACU student must tom craig sign a waiver prior to workdirector of student ing out. This will allow them productions access to SRWC classes or use of the equipment.

Saturday. Joel Swedlund, ex“Any age can come in ecutive director of the SRWC, and tour,” Swedlund said,

“

“but [visitors] must be over 18 to workout, unless it is during family time.”

Family time is Saturday 9a.m. - 3p.m. and Sunday 3 - 5p.m.

Sing Song is a very busy time for the SRWC, but they are excited to welcome visitors and be a part of such a rich tradition. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

sing song

friday 02.15.13

6a

ZP spreads cheer in the form of cookies katie greene page 2 editor

mandy lambright chief Photographer

Members of Zeta Rho bring back the fanny pack during Wednesday’s performance.

Zeta Rho continued its efforts to bless other clubs on campus through cookies last week. Each women’s social club received an assortment of cookies on Feb. 6 during Sing Song practice, courtesy of two Zeta Rho members.

Sarah Holley, a sophomore social studies for secondary education major from Spring, was one of the Zeta Rho members to deliver cookies.

“It’s a Zeta Rho tradition to bring cookies during pledging and Sing Song because we want to bless other clubs and we do that

through cookies,” Holley said.

The women in all the social clubs had a positive reaction to the Sing Song practice interruption. “They applauded us and everybody said thank you,” Holley said. “It’s one of the things we’re known for, and it’s really fun.”

Lori Eddy, a junior speech pathology major from San Antonio, and a member of GATA social club appreciated the cookies brought by Zeta Rho. “Cookies make everything better so it was a welcome break from singing and songing to stop and have a cookie,” Eddy said.

The foundation of Zeta Rho is one of service. The club started the tradi-

tion of baking cookies for other social clubs during its first semester back on campus last Spring during their pledging.

“We want to be a club that blesses other people

despite having its own Sing Song act.

Other clubs notice the way Zeta Rho has gone out of its way through delivering cookies.

“I though it was really sweet of them to take time of their busy schedCookies make everything out ules to make cookies for better so it was a welcome all of the clubs,” Eddy break from singing and said.

Men’s social clubs have songing.” not been left out of this tradition. All the men’s Lori Eddy junior speech pathology clubs recieved their own major from San Antonio cookie assortment from Zeta Rho later on in the week during their Sing and other clubs, and this Song practices. is one of the ways we do that,” Holley said. contact greene at This semester Zeta Rho keg09b@acu.edu continued this tradition

“

Jazz Ensemble director uses iPad app to create unique solo long to add the solo to the medley. managing editor “It didn’t really take any extra rehearsal time What was originally sup- to add this,” he said. “In posed to be a trumpet the future, with the way solo transformed into a popular music seems to technology showcase for be headed, I could see us the Jazz Ensemble in this experimenting more with year’s Sing Song perfor- electronic instruments or mances. effects.”

Derek Brown has been the director of jazz studThe app is pretty fun ies for over four years and is directing the Sing Song to play with and pretty band for the fifth time simple to use.” this year. After discovering the app Bebot, Brown decided to use his iPad derek brown to recreate a tune from director of jazz “Good Vibrations” during studies a Beach Boys medley. Bebot acts as a synthesizer, mimicking an electronic Brown will be performinstrument known as the ing the solo in each Song theremin.

Song performance during “The app is pretty the first song after interfun to play with and re- mission. ally simple to use,” said “It’s just a short little Brown, instructor in saxo- solo, but it’s a pretty fun phone and music theory. little effect,” Brown said.

“You just slide your finger left or right to alter the pitch, and up and down contact garcia at for the volume.”Brown jtg10b@acu.edu said it didn’t take him

joshua garcia

“

mandy lambright chief Photographer

Nathan Nix, junior computer science major from Austin, solos on the saxophone mid-song.

Three seniors going for golden runs brock niederhoffer student reporter Depending on the results of this year’s performances, these three seniors could become some of ACU’s most winning students ever.

This year Lucas Alderete, senior family studies major from Taylor, Bobby Kyle Holden, business marketing major from Frisco, and Matt Sanderson, marketing and finance major from Lubbock, have the chance to be a part of their sixth and seventh winning Sing Song acts.

These three have been a part of their class act since their freshman year, as well as Gamma Sigma Phi club act, since the three pledged in 2010.

“If we win both this year, we’ll have gone seven for seven,” said Alderete. He went on to say, “With practice time alone, we will have put in three hundred hours for Sing Song, not including plan-

ning, costumes or dress rehearsals.”

Not only would a win this year be a unique accomplishment for these three, it would also be big for the senior class act as a whole.

“If the senior class wins, it will be the second time in ACU history for a class to have a clean sweep” said Tom Craig, director of student activities

“

tice, but once the performances come around, you just have to leave it all out on the stage,” said Alderete.

Not only has the senior class won the past three years, GSP has been a dominant force in Sing Song throughout the past decade, having won ten times since 2000. If both the senior class and GSP can pull out a win this

If we win both this year, we’ll have gone seven for seven. With practice time alone we will have put in three hundred hours for Sing Song, not including planning, costumes or dress rehearsals.”

Lucas Alderete senior family studies major from bobby

and productions.

The last time a class won outright four years in a row was from years 1995 through 1998 according to the Past Winners page on ACU’s website.

“When you put it that way it makes it pretty exciting. Around this time we’re kind of tired of prac-

year, Alderete, Sanderson, and Holden “…will be in a very elite group if they can achieve that status,” said Craig.

contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Visitors bring police parking challenges Joshua Garcia managing editor On Saturday, ACU police officers will be stationed in parking lots across campus to help bring order to chaos.

Tom Craig, director of student activities and productions, said Sing Song will bring thousands of guests to ACU. “Friday night, Sing Song will bring about 2,000 guests to campus,” Craig said. “The Saturday 2 p.m. show will bring about 3,600 guests to campus. Saturday night, we’ll have about 4,400 guests.”

ACU police have been tasked with parking duties.

Lieutenant Randy Motz has been working for ACU for nine months. This will be his first Sing Song.

“The good news is Sing Song is very well attended.

The bad news is we only have a limited amount of parking spaces,” Motz said.

On Saturday, portions of the Teague and Big Purple parking lots will be sectioned off for VIP, valet and handicapped attendees. An ambulance will also be stationed in Teague in case of an emergency.

“Saturday’s really challenging because you have an earlier show and you have the President’s Circle Dinner in between that show and the evening show,” Motz said.

“You have a lot of moving parts.”

Motz said drivers may want to drop off elderly or handicapped individuals at Moody before parking. He also said it would be helpful for students and young adults to park farther away.

“I just really would like to ask and encourage the younger people to consider parking farther away from Morris and Big P and some of those areas that are close to Moody, so as to allow senior citizens to park a little closer,”

he said.

Motz said attendees should park only in designated parking spots to ease traffic congestion.

“If they start parking outside of designated parking spots, it starts clogging up those lanes and makes it difficult for people to get in and get out,” he said. “Not everyone’s going to get the parking spot they want. Obviously, if you arrive early, you’ll have a better chance. If you arrive five minutes before the show, it’ll be more difficult. Some will have to walk.”

Motz said both officers and attendees should be patient and courteous to keep the process as smooth as possible.

“The biggest thing is it’s Sing Song. Have a good time,” Motz said. “Arrive early, be patient on the way out.” contact garcia at jtg10b@acu.edu

7A

arts MUSICAL GETAWAY

friday 02.15.13

photos by mandy lambright Chief Photographer Above: Austin Anderson, junior biochemistry major from Flower Mound; Abbie Boyd, junior earlly childhood education major from Austin; Bree Hembree, junior vocal performance major from North Richland Hills; Jace Reinhard, senior theater major from Greenville, Ill.; Amanda Jarufe, senior theater major from Coppell; and Jarrett Ward, senior vocal performance major from Houston are this years hosts and hostesses.

Below: Host and hostesses run through Sing Song 2013 with their backup dancers

Hosts, hostesses to take audience on trip to remember Jocelyn Nederhoff student reporter With Sing Song week upon us, the host and hostesses practice late into the night - perfecting their pitch, preparing their choreography and performing their parts. In the blur of their busy week, the stars share their experiences.

The 2013 Sing Song host and hostesses consist of six students, all with unique styles and personalities combined to create a one-of-a-kind show.

Austin Anderson, junior biochemistry major from Flower Mound; Abbie Boyd, junior early childhood education major from Austin; Bree Hembree, junior vocal performance major from North Richland

Hills; Jace Reinhard, senior theatre major from Greenville, Ill.; Amanda Jarufe, senior theatre major from Coppell; and Jarrett Ward, senior vocal performance major from Houston will grace the stage as this year’s hosts and hostesses.

“Life for us doesn’t stop,” Hembree said. “We have almost no breaks, but I love every minute of it. Being a music major, I already sing nonstop, but lately I have been truly consumed by it.”

Ward echoes a similar feeling.

“This week has been filled with time in the dance studio and with our vocal coach,” Ward said. “Our days are long but very productive and rewarding. It’s going to result in an awesome show.”

The host and hostesses agree the combination of voices this year is one

sure to please audiences.

weekend because I promise you will walk away singing at least one of our songs.”

These students were born to perform.

This week has been filled with time in the Both Hembree and Ward said they were dance studio and with our vocal coach” singing before they could talk, and Jarufe recalled singing in home videos at age 3. This lifelong passion will be evident through the performance.

Jarrett Ward “The Optimist readers better brace senior Vocal performance major from houston themselves, because it’s going to be a wild ride,” Ward said. “I have heard all “The show has brilliantly arranged the songs a million times at this point but music that showcases our six unique they still blow me away.” voices,” said Jarufe. “We absolutely love singing together and have a great blend.

One of my favorite moments is singing in a trio with Bree and Abbie. It’s so much contact the Nederhoff at fun to make harmonies with their voices. jdn08a@acu.edu Everyone should come see the show this

“

sing song

friday 02.15.13

ALL PHOTOS BY mandy lambright chief Photographer

The Trojans act salutes the audience during their Sing Song act.

Jessica Welshans, senior music major from Spring, directs the Sigma Theta Chi act.

8A

Brock Niederhoffer, junior Ad/PR from San Antonio, leads Sub T-16 in “Sub T Style.”

Alexander Hill, junior biology major from Allen, and Kristin Holz, junior physics major from Chicago, perform during the Swing Cats’ dance.

standings

athletics

New logo ushers in new era edward isaacs sports editor ACU has revamped its athletics logo. After 15 years, the university has replaced the old Willie and brought in a more consistent brand for the school.

“This has been a two year process,” said Ron Hadfield, assistant vice president for university communication and editor

ties athletics logo,” he said.

“That has not been done in 15 years. He (Mosley) wanted to do some updating and we did as well.”

“The current Wildcat we have is very detailed,” Mosley said. “It’s almost impossible to reproduce that on [logos contributed by acu creative services apparel and embroidery and it look good.”

Left: The new ACU logo. Right: The old ACU logo.

Hadfield said the logo reand graphic designer for ics director Jared Mosley to design was not a result of the ACU Today magazine. begin a process of looking at move to NCAA Division I in “We were asked by athlet- a redesign on the universi- the fall of 2013 or the South-

land Conference invitation since this process started before there was a D-I plan in place.

“We wanted to put a new face on ACU athletics and build some new energy for the fans, players and coaches,” Hadfield said.

Hadfield and his marketing team in the Office of Creative Services decided to hire Rickabaugh Graphics see logo page 2b

women’s basketball

Lankford breaks ‘Stangs daniel zepeda

men’s basketball

Team

Div.

Ovrl.

MSU Cameron IWU TSU ENMU Commerce TAMU-K WTAMU ACU ASU

13-2 10-5 8-5 7-6 7-7 6-7 6-7 6-8 5-10 2-13

17-5 14-6 12-9 14-7 10-12 13-10 10-10 10-8 11-12 5-18

women’s basketball

Team

Div.

Ovrl.

ACU MSU TSU UIW WTAMU ASU Commerce TWU ENMU TAMU-K Cameron

13-3 13-3 12-3 11-4 10-6 7-9 5-10 4-11 4-11 3-12 2-13

18-4 18-4 16-5 15-6 14-11 10-12 7-13 6-15 5-18 5-16 4-18

sports reporter The Wildcats captured a huge win in Witchita Falls against Midwestern, 85-72 behind another huge night from Junior Mack Lankford. Lankford scored a season-high 33 points in the win, after scoring 31 points against Tarleton last Saturday.

“She [Lankford] was just in that shooter’s zone and she was amazing out there,” head coach Julie Goodenough said. “She showed a lot of toughness coming back into the game after hurting her ankle so I was really proud of her and of just how the overall team played.”

Lankford’s 33 points came off 10-16 shooting, including 5-9 from threepoint land. She also was an impressive 8-9 from the charity strike with five steals.

Junior Renata Marquez had 14 points and 6 rebs., while freshmen Kynzie Newman and Whitney West added 10 points each. Sophomore Sadie Dickinson had 9 points in 20 minutes.

“I felt like our team was very confident coming into the game and we really believed we could come in and compete against a really great team,” Goodenough said.

The Wildcats went into halftime with an impressive fifteen point lead, and was able to even push the lead up to nineteen with 17:39 left in the game.

MSU went on a 23-11 run after Lankford left briefly due to an ankle injury to cut the score to 64-57 with 9:31 to play. Although being outrebounded 45-24, the Lady ‘Cats were able to hold on and secure the win.

“We did give up a few runs, but the important thing is how we responded to adversity,” Goodenough said. “We were able to get

briefings Former ACU cross country runner Fabian Wessel-Terharn passed away earlier this week in Germany. Terharn was a German native and had returned last semester to live there.

Former ACU wide receiver Johnny Knox was released by the Chicago Bears this week. The former Pro Bowl kick returner has not played since Decmber of 2011 due to a severe back injury.

Knox announced that he is retiring because of his health.

Who’s Hot

hach

mandy lambright Chief Photographer

Shannon Sanders takes a jump shot from the paint in Moody Coliseum against Tarleton State in a home victory. back to our playing style, pushing the pace and knocking down threes.”

The ACU win snapped Midwestern’s eleven game win streak and tied the Wildcats for first place in the LSC with Midwestern. Both teams

are 18-4 and 13-3 in the Lone Star Conference.

Since the tough loss to Eastern New Mexico, the Wildcats have won three in a row, including the first and second ranked teams in the LSC. “After every loss, we use

it as a learning experience to get prepared for the next team,” Goodenough said. “I always tell them ‘enjoy the win now, but be ready to get back to work tomorrow’.”

ACU will play their next game on the road due to

Sing Song weekend. The Wildcats will take on Cameron University in Lawton, Okla. at 2 p.m. on Sat. Feb. 6. contact zepeda at djz11a@acu.edu

Division I

Block tuition’s impact on athletics Edward isaacs sports editor Wake up Call One linebacker goes down with an injury and is done for the year. A second linebacker injures his ankle; out for three weeks. The third string player suffers a concussion and is also out for at least a couple of weeks. The head coach is now forced to start players he would rather not have running around the field, at least not in crucial games. Sound unrealistic?

Head football coach Ken Collums and his Wildcats had to deal with a multitude of injuries this season on the defensive side

of the ball including at the linebacker position.

It quickly became obvious his team did not have the personnel to deal with a large number of injuries, especially on one side of the ball. Players had to be moved around to unfamiliar positions to accommodate all the mishaps. This is what life would be like at a private Christian university playing Division II football under the annual block tuition plan.

The Plan There are currently two primary pricing models used in higher education.

One of these is a per-credit model, which was used at ACU before block tuition was enacted. The other is

called a block model. Under the block model, students pay one flat rate for tuition and they can take a block of hours within that rate. ACU’s plan is based on 30 hours and allows students to take up to 36 hours across an entire year for one price. Many private and state universities have moved to the block tuition plan.

“We decided to do an annual block tuition plan so students could take 15 hours in the fall, 15 in the spring and six in the summer and still take full advantage of the block,” said Kevin Campbell, Chief Enrollment Officer. “Students

Saturday the softball team plays a doubleheader against Regis College at 9 a..m and the University of New Haven at 11 a.m.

mandy lambright chief Photographer

see tuition Ipage 2b President Phil Schubert shakes hands with D-I reps.

King Felix, superstar and role model because he is stuck in sleepy old Seattle, only die hard Assistant Sports Editor fans know about his dominance.

In a time when the sports The Mariners have not world is is focused on jump- been good for ten years, but ing to big markets and every fifth day the team is snatching up all they can, worth watching because the Felix Hernandez is a breath king takes the mound. of fresh air.

Sure, he could have made Hernandez may be the the jump to the Yankees or best pitcher in baseball, but Red Sox, chasing the big-

time endorsement deals.

However, Hernandez does not want to relocate his family and abandon the organization that drafted him.

So when Hernandez got his seven year $175 million deal, the sports world saw something incredible.

Most people will look at that contract and snear, complaining that athletes

Upcoming The ACU softball team will play a double-header in Tucson, Arizona Friday against Grand Canyon University at 10 a.m. and Nova Southeastern University at noon.

track

Matthew Sloan

Senior tennis player Hans Hach has been on a tear to start the season. Hach’s experience on the first line has showed in the early going, as he is 6-1. The Culiucan, Mexico native has put together a solid run as of late, winning five straight singles matches, all of them from the number one slot. Hach is also 6-1 in doubles matches with a couple different partners, and 5-1 when playing on the first line. The men’s team is currently 3-4 on the season, but expects to have a big year.

make too much money, and they may be right.

What I saw was a man that has done everything the right way being rewarded for his hard work.

In his press conference, a tearful Hernandez promised that he would not let anyone down.

He did not throw a party with his money or parade

around like a spoiled person, he cried because of the faith the organization showed in him.

Thank you king Felix, for showing us what it means to be a role model in the sports world. contact sloan at mes10b@acu.edu

The men’s and women’s tennis teams play a double-header against HardinSimmons University at 9 a.m. and Western New Mexico University at 2 p.m. both matches are at the Eager Tennis Pavilion.

The women’s basketball team plays at Cameron University at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The men’s basketball team plays on the road against Cameron University at 4 p.m.

Saturday.

2b

sports

friday 02.15.13

men’s basketball

‘Cats stumble in Witchita Falls matthew sloan assistant sports editor The men’s basketball team traveled to Midwestern State in hopes stealing a win on the road, but could not finish off a furious comeback, and lost 60-55.

The first half was a defensive battle, as both teams shot below 35% from the field. The ‘Cats went into the locker room down only five points on the road 30-25.

“I thought we played really well defensively,” head coach Joe Golding said. “I think they shot 37% for the game or something so way down on their average, so defensively we played really well.”

The second half started with a bang for the Mustangs, who raced ahead and left ACU down by as

many as 17 points with nine minutes left to play.

That is when the Wildcat defense clamped down and the men in purple and white started knocking down some shots, sparking a run.

“In the second half we pressed them a little bit and sped up the game, and got some easy buckets and some open looks,” Golding said. “We just don’t have the depth to press like that the entire game, so that makes it a little tough.”

ACU chipped away at the Midwestern State lead until an Eric Lawton threepointer knotted the game up at 55-55 with only two minutes to play.

Unfortunately, another close game slipped away from the Wildcats in the final minutes of play, and leaving ACU at 5-10 in the Lone Star Conference.

“

We have to find a way, that is the only mindset to have.” brian burton assistant coach acu men’s basketball

Lawton finished with a game high 17 points. Elliott Lloyd had 13 points, and his first half shooting kept ACU within striking distance. Freshman Parker Wentz also had 10 points off the bench, and Dosh Simms grabbed 12 rebounds.

“Elliott shot the ball really well in the first half,” Golding said. “It is tough to finish on those guys because they are big and very long. We had some looks but we couldn’t finish in the first half. In the second half Parker hit some threes and

we got more open looks.”

Despite the loss, the Wildcats still have a chance to make the LSC tournament with a good finish.

ACU is currently one game back in the win column for a qualifying spot in the tournmanet.

The ‘Cats have three games remaining, starting with a road trip to Cameron University Saturday afternoon.

“We have to find a way, that is the only mindset to have,” assistant coach Brian Burton said. “These guys are playing hard and giving everything they have. We have to create some good favor so that we can get some breaks and get to Allen for the tournament.” contact sloan at mes10b@acu.edu

Curtis Christian Staff Photographer

Steven Werner makes a post move in Moody Coliseum.

football

Offensive firepower surges into the huddle matthew sloan assistant sports editor ACU welcomed 18 new football players to the Big Country in their inaugural Division One recruiting class, including a talented group of offensive playmakers.

The two quarterbacks head coach Ken Collums and his staff will welcome to the fold have dual threat abilities that the Wildcats have not seen in quite some time.

Will Weathers played his high school ball at Brook

Hill Academy in Tyler, while Kade Munden took snaps for China Springs High School in Waco.

“I put a premium on finding guys with the ability to run and move around because we’re probably going to add some quarterback run concepts to what we do offensively as we move up,” Collums said.

“Both of those guys bring that ability to the table.”

The program also found three running backs to take the rock in the future. De’andre Brown from Lewisville, Randy Gober from La Vega High School

in Waco, and transfer Herschel Simms from Abilene High School.

Simms will not be allowed to play in 2013 because of NCAA transfer regulations, but will suit up for the Wildcats in the 2014 season.

“All three of those guys really anted to be here, and each of them are upperlevel running backs,” Collums said. “I’m looking forward to getting them all on the field and seeing what we’ve got.”

The ‘Cats also brought in a wide receiver from Lancaster that played a couple

years at nearby Cisco Junior College. Cedric Gilbert is a 6’2’’ 220 pounder that will cause problems for defensive backs right away.

“We haven’t had a wide receiver like Cedric, and we’ve had some great ones,” Collums said. “His ability to adjust to the ball will give the quarterback freedom to get the ball out there and let Cedric go get it.”

The bulk of the offensive recruiting class for ACU was offensive linemen. The ‘Cats will welcome five new faces to the O-line, including high school teammates

Austin Hisler and Riley Mayfield from Cedar Park High School.

The other three linemen are Sam Fodale from Evangel Christian Academy, Chance Rieken from Comfort High School and Hayden Wall from Hallsville.

“What we went after in this recruiting class was length and athleticism, and we got that,” offensive line coach Sam Collins said. “All those guys are great competitors and they all want to be a part of an O-line that is really good.”

Now that recruiting is over, the coaching staff is in

the process of preparing for spring practice, where they will start building for their first Division One football game in the fall.

“Once recruiting is over what you have to do is start investing in the guys you have on your team,” Collins said. “Our biggest goal is to start coaching those guys and developing them. Make sure they are doing well in their classes as well as developing them athletically.” contact sloan at mes10b@acu.edu

athletics

Logo: ACU releases new look for D-I from page 1b to design the new Wildcat.

Rickabaugh is located in Ohio and is one of the leading design firms for collegiate athletics programs in the country. They have worked with schools like Baylor, Ohio State, Texas, Vanderbilt and the University of Wisconsin.

“Eric Rickabaugh did an outstanding job working with us,” Mosley said. “It was nice to be able to lean on them and not have to figure this out on our own.”

ACU began meeting with Rickabaugh in 2011.

The company did market research and held several meetings with Hadfield and his team to talk about what the school envisioned for a logo.

“We had focus groups of more than 100 people to look at the preliminary designs that they did,” Hadfield said. “The groups

logos contributed by acu creative services

The Wildcats’ new primary logo. consisted of student-athletes, coaches, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and friends of the athletics programs.”

The official primary colors of the logo are ACU Purple and white, the same as the old logo. The official secondary colors include: ACU Gray and ACU Silver although making the secondary color gray or silver is optional. Black can be used as the support color, as a background for the logos or as a trim color on apparel.

Hadfield said they have already started working

with the coaches and their uniform representatives so that they have jerseys for next season. Athletes will not be sporting their new jerseys until next fall.

The Moody Coliseum floor is scheduled to be refurbished this summer.

The floor will be sanded down to bare wood and then repainted. The new Wildcat logo will be painted at midcourt. contact isaacs at jei08a@acu.edu

Division I

Tuition: Coaches adjusting to new plan from page 1B the block,” said Kevin Campbell, Chief Enrollment Officer. “Students felt that taking 18 hours a semester was too much for them to still have a social life and be involved in other activities.”

The goal of block tuition is to shorten the time it takes students to earn a degree, ultimately saving them and their families money and reducing the amount of debt after graduation. This plan also lets families know the exact amount they

are going to pay in any given year. In the past, parents would have to guess the amount based on how many hours their son or daughter was taking that semester.

Campbell said the effect annual block tuition has on athletics depends on the sport. Overall though, he likes what it has done for the athletes.

“It affects the sport more than it does the athlete,” he said. “The athletes that are on scholarship will be getting a little more now.

A few of the sports have had to be more creative in how they use those scholarship dollars, but in theory it should be good for the athletes as well as the students.”

Part two of this story will run in Sunday’s issue.

contact isaacs at jei08a@acu.edu

3B

news

friday 02.15.13

university

Board of Trustees to revise policy manual mark smith editor in chief The ACU Board of Trustees plans to review and approve a revised Board Policy Manual in its meeting on Friday.

Dr. Barry Packer, chair of the Board, said the existing manual is somewhat outdated and the Board has

been working on the revision for the past six months.

“One of the positive outcomes of this revision will be that the Board of Trustees will focus a greater proportion of its time on ensuring that graduates of ACU have the capacity to think and act critically, missionally and globally,” Packer said.

Packer said the Board is ordering its policies around four categories: policies about ends and results; policies that limit the university president’s authority about methods, practices, situations and conduct; policies that indicate how governance is linked to management; and policies that dictate how the Board

itself will operate.

Packer said the Board is not radically changing its policy, but restructuring it to be more effective.

“The significance of the Board of Trustees’ impacts and potential impacts on ACU and those it serves requires that the Board proactively define and demand successful organizational

performance, not react to and ratify it,” he said. “This restructuring is intended to enable the Board to function more effectively and provide greater leadership for ACU.” Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, said the students are always at the heart of the Board’s discussions, even if its decisions and changes don’t

initially affect them.

“The students will be the center of the conversation and the focus of the answer to the questions,” Schubert said, “But I don’t know that students will see any shift or noticeable differences.” contact smith at mds10a@acu.edu

accident

Alcohol not a factor in fatal head-on crash were not under the influence of alcohol, according editor in chief to the preliminary toxicology report.

The drivers involved in the Jeffrey Davis, 27, ran fatal accident on Jan. 25 a stop sign while turning

mark smith

onto TX-36 and hit head-on a truck full of ACU students, driven by Bo Braddock, senior biology major from Deer Park.

Davis’s blood alcohol

level was less than .02, well below the legal limit of .08.

No alcohol was found in Braddock’s blood.

Davis and Lindsey Smith, junior Ad/PR major

faculty

New science building planned to replace Chambers Meeting also details new Mobile Learning phase, kinesiology master’s degree mark smith editor in chief Plans are underway to construct a new science building on campus.

Dr. Robert Rhodes, provost, led a faculty-only meeting on Monday afternoon to present some details on upcoming changes, also including Mobile Learning and a new master’s degree in kinesiology and nutrition.

Dr. Allison Garrett, executive vice president of the university, and Dr. Jeff Arrington, associate vice president for Student Life, led the section on the new academic building.

Garrett said several peo-

ple on campus have been discussing the prospect with an architecture firm since a feasibility study was done in 2011, but they are still in the early stages of planning.

The new building, as it is currently foreseen, will be located where Chambers Hall is now. Chambers, which houses the departments of English and psychology, was built more than 80 years ago.

“Although Chambers is a building with a lot of history, it’s a building with accessibility issues,” Garrett said.

Garrett said the early plan is that Foster Science Building will be renovated to offer spaces to house other academic departments. However, these changes are not

going to happen any time soon.

“We are still a long time away from the start of construction,” she said.

Garrett said fundraising and specific department planning still need to take place before construction, which will take a while, starts.

Some departments will be in temporary quarters until the project is completed.

Also during the meeting, Dr. Joe Bell, associate professor and chair of kinesiology and nutrition, presented a new Master’s of Science in Occupational Therapy. If it passes faculty vote during the next week, it will undergo the accreditation process from summer 2014, when the first

university

Spring enrollment dips josh garcia managing editor Enrollment for the spring is only slightly down from the fall semester, with the total number of students being reduced to 4,037 from 4,371.

The retention rate for the 2012 freshmen cohort, initially consisting of 958 students, is similarly high at 90.1%. Bart Herridge, director of student retention and services, said 75.8% of these freshmen are expected to return next fall.

“Lower enrollment creates financial pressure on the university due to lower tuition revenue,” Herridge said. “We are addressing these pressures in prudent ways, primarily through expense savings and by not filling certain open positions.”

Herridge said the administration is working to not only retain current students but make the university more appealing to potential transfer and graduate stu-

dents. Numbers for both of these categories declined this fall.

“We survey every student who leaves ACU. The most common reasons identified are financial concerns, ‘fit’ with the university and that ACU does not have the student’s major,” Herridge said.

“All of these are areas of concern for the university and we are working hard to address them.”

The total number enrolled in fall 2011 was 4,558.

However, 2011 also had one of the smallest freshmen classes in several years with only 864 enrolled. Allison Garrett, executive vice president, said a slight drop between fall and spring semesters is normal.

“This is due to students graduating in December and also to a few students who decided not to return to ACU for the spring semester,” Garrett said. “A drop from the fall to the spring semester is expected and something that every institution sees as part

of the normal enrollment cycle.”

Garrett said interest for next semester’s enrollment is high.

“Our admissions staff has been working hard to assure strong fall enrollment,” Garrett said. “While it is still too early to provide definite projections for next fall’s freshmen class, the interest level we are seeing as evidenced by campus visits and applications is up over last year.”

John Daily, sophomore marketing major from Richland Hills, transferred to ACU this semester. He said he loves the environment.

“It truly feels like a place where people care about each other and where it’s completely normal for Christians to express their faith,” Daily said. “I feel like my teachers are at this school because they actually want to help me succeed.” contact garcia at jtg10b@acu.edu

cohort will start, through the summer of 2016.

“Shortly after we’ll be up for our final accreditation,” Bell said.

This would be the first Master’s degree in the department.

Bell said student interest has been high, from both inside and outside ACU. “Our current undergrad students are very interested and we’ve received calls from people all over the place asking about it,” Bell said.

Rhodes also spoke about the second phase of Mobile Learning, which will move away from iPhones and iPods and focus exclusively on iPads.

contact smith at mds10a@acu.edu

from New Braunfels, died in expected to take several the accident. months to complete.

The blood samples are headed to the DPS Lab in contact smith at Austin for drug analysis. mds10a@acu.edu The next series of tests are

FRIDAY 02.15.13

Originally located in downtown Abilene, ACC’s growing student population called for a new location. In 1927, the current campus site first opened. Now ACU, the university has been undergoing changes ever since.

McKinzie Hall

Above: Aeriel view of campus-1930

Mabee Hall

The Music Building

4B

5B

FRIDAY 02.15.13

Zellner Hall, Daisy Hall, Expanded Administration Building, McDonald Hall.

The Cafeteria back in the day.

Big Tex makes an appearnace at ACU Homecoming 1955.

Page Design by: Asia Todd and Gabi Powell Photos courtesy of: ACU Special Collections

Opinion

friday 02.15.13

6b

Editorial

Snow, rain nor heat ... except on Saturdays class stamps.

Because Congress took too long to respond, USPS had to resort to drastic measures. Instead of delivering and picking up mail six days a week, they will now only

the issue The United States Postal Service announced it will stop delivering first-class mail to street addresses beginning in Aug.

our take The new policy might prove cost effective, but it will cause an inconvenience to customers.

Last week, the United States Postal Service announced it will stop delivering firstclass mail on Saturday. The new plan will go into effect Aug. 5.

In 2012, the postal service reported a $16 billion loss.

The postal service is expects the change to save about $2 billion a year, the

effect might not last long.

After Aug. 5, Saturday mail delivery will cease for street addresses. However, packages will still be delivered six days a week, delivery to P.O. boxes will remain the same and post offices will remain open on Saturday.

That’s the equivalent of more than 34 billion first-

“

Congress, Franklin established a postal system to serve the colonies in 1775.

In those days, the postal service was the sole source of long distance communication. Now, letters and other

After Aug. 5, Saturday mail delivery will cease for street addresses.”

deliver 5 days a week.

If Benjamin Franklin, the first Postmaster General, learned of the direction the postal service is heading, he’d be disappointed. With the help of the Continental

forms of personal are becoming more scarce. However, the rate of shipping packages has increased.

Stopping first-class mail on Saturdays might be a good idea to save money,

but it arrived too late.

USPS should have taken measures to save money earlier, so they wouldn’t have to restrict their service.

The postal service is a government entity. If the government were to allow the postal service to have more freedom, perhaps it wouldn’t have to resort to such desperate measures.

The costumers are no longer a priority. Money is.

The new policy is an inconvenience for individuals. Waiting for items and mail to be shipped is already annoying, but now shipping time will take longer.

Customers who want their

mail shipped and delivered quickly will now take their business to other shipping companies.

The postal service has been delivering on Saturday since 1863. After all that time it will be difficult to adjust to a new schedule.

USPS’s responsibilty is to deliver the mail. While the decision may prove cost effective, USPS is demonstrating weekness in the face of a changing era of communication and inconveniencing customers. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Evan marks

evan’s marks

column

Make the most out of CORE WELL, THIS IS AWKWARD MARK SMITH

I wish I could go back and take CORE over again. Not because I enjoyed it, but because I didn’t.

The Cornerstone course for incoming freshmen is not a popular one; it especially wasn’t in the fall of 2010.

Students’ complaints ranged from the abstract foundation of the material to the sometimes uncomfortable subject matter. Different instructors taught different materials in different ways, making students in some classes work harder for an A than others.

It was not a perfect system, and the university realized that. Administration listened to students and made some changes.

But if the students had their way, this general education curriculum would be thrown out all together. The course requirements were reduced and courses were condensed and improved, but students still have to pass several semesters’ worth of CORE classes.

And that’s a good thing.

Reminiscent of common child-parent arguments, administration essentially told the student body, “We know what’s best for you.” The students may continue to respond negatively, but here’s some advice: get over it. Try to get the most out of it.

I didn’t hate CORE, but I really didn’t like it. Cornerstone seemed pointless and too difficult. I thought that even before I heard that other classes watched TV in class, for educational purposes apparently, while I was unsuccessfully trying to study Shakespeare.

The workload in the next

semesters of CORE weren’t much easier, but the classes became more interesting and more applicable. I went into them a skeptic, came out a better critical thinker.

The CORE Community course, which is now paired with the Identity course, brought different political philosophies to question and criticism. Ideologies, not political partisanship, detailed four different ways of coexisting in large and small communities. Stripped of the democratic/republican argument, the political views presented all had strengths and weaknesses.

I hated politics. I didn’t know what to think about it, other than that it just seemed like irresponsible politicians arguing about how they are always right and everyone else is always wrong.

I got a lot out of Community, more than in the other CORE classes. I learned to think for myself outside of the confining box the two conventional American parties have established.

The initial semester of Cornerstone had its setbacks and shortcomings, as with any new program, but it was still worth it. I wish I had given it a second chance.

I’ve heard better responses from lower classmen. To those of you still resistant to the challenging, abstract material, give it another shot.

Let it provoke new ideas and thoughts. Let it interest you, even if it doesn’t seem relevant now. It will be soon.

contact smith at mds10a@acu.edu

hashtagACU 1:31 p.m. Feb. 14

kelly knight starting the class with singing slim shady. it’s like she read the last four hours of my mind

@tarababank

11:38 a.m. Feb. 13

I’m trying to think of something worse than glitter right now and I can’t.

@gabersgguerra

column

The tale of a tongue-tied traveler OXFORD COMMA

MARISSA JONES

My Spanish teacher told me I had one of the worst Spanish accents she’d ever heard. She said this to me in front of the whole class after I had answered a question. Strangely enough, my eagerness to speak in a foreign language just hasn’t quite been the same ever since.

Part of the problem is I can’t roll my tongue. This is a pretty quintessential part of the language. Arriba, rápido and burro are all useless.

When people discover my affliction, they always

think they will be the one to finally fix me. Somehow they have the cure to my ailment. They make me say a certain word or noise over and over. But no one can fix me. I am beyond help. I will never be able to roll my r’s, and I’ve come to terms with the it.

For the most part.

Sometimes when people roll the ‘r’ in my name, I’m overcome with jealousy. My own name is a curse to remind me of my inadequacy.

Another part of my incompetence is due to my irreconcilable whiteness. Any

word that requires even a little bit of pizzazz dies in my mouth.

So in Barcelona, I fit right in.

One of the great things about the world is most of it can speak at least a little English. This is a selfish, Anglo-Saxon thing for me to love, but it makes my life exceptionally easier.

But of course in Barcelona, I encountered a number of people who didn’t speak much English. Actually they didn’t even speak Spanish.

Barcelona’s regional language is Catalan. Barcelona resides in a territory in Spain called Catalonia. A large group from this region wants Catalonia to become a separate country from Spain. This nationalism permeates the city–flags and signs hang everywhere, people call for indepen-

“Remember, its not thug sing song.” -Tom Craig #singsong2013

@OneandOnlyBK

Why am I more excited to see what #SubT has for #singsong13 than any other club? #PitchPerfect

@SawReed

You know it’s #SingSongWeek when you are perfectly capable of dozing off during band rehearsal while playing.

@Quarters3

11:50 a.m. Feb. 13

This will be the first year I’ve ever had plans for Valentine’s Day. Thanks, Sing Song! #IsThatAwesomeOrPathetic? #both?

11:29 a.m. Feb. 14

Do I have a date for Valentine’s day? Yes. February 14th.

@treytres3

@kbays11

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.

10:21 a.m. Feb. 14

Brace yourselves.

Single girl probs posts are coming.

@tomevans74

published by the department of journalism and mass communication editorial and management board

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79609 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu

About to get my first manicure/pedicure.

Just one of the many things I am willing to do in the name of Sing Song.

@jwardtenor 2:03 p.m. Feb. 14

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

contact jones at mnj10a@acu.edu

10:11 a.m. Feb. 12

2:02 p.m. Feb. 13

11:47 a.m. Feb. 14 11:17 a.m. Feb. 14

dence on street corners, chants shake the stadium at football games. People are very passionate about this, and it’s contagious.

You can’t help but feel a little passionate yourself.

It’s frightening and exciting how infectious it is.

But the language, Catalan, is very similar to Spanish, so sometimes I was forced to try and communicate with my appalling accent. I’m not sure if some of the smiles I received were just friendly or were covering up their deep amusement.

On a scale of Charlie Brown to Beyoncé in how confident I feel about my accent now, I am definitely still a Charlie Brown.

newsroom (325) 674-2439

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12:06 p.m. Feb. 14

Judging the guy with Valentine’s balloons filling the back of his truck.

@kaylenrunyan

3:50 p.m. Feb. 13

Death by sing song.

@em_brynn

Today, all my teachers are sounding like the teachers on Charlie Brown. #wawa #singsongweek #exhaustion

@Alainaw1992

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7B

news

FRIDAY 02.15.13

university

Dinner to include university’s top donors gabi powell features editor Saturday night, the university’s top donors will dine as the highlight to a weekend honoring President’s Circle Members.

This year, nearly 550 are set to attend the special annual dinner. With a meal created by Aramark chef Tony Domingue, a message from Dr. Schubert, times of thanksgiving for God’s generosity and student entertainment, university sponsors will spend an evening in ACU community and fellowship.

Saturday’s dinner will also feature a showcase of

student talent, with performances from Omega, SHADES and Sanctify dance groups, as well as students from the ACU Theatre department to perform during the dinner.

Established in 1969, the President’s Circle is purposed to bring together those strongest financial supporters and thank them for their investment in the futures of the university and ACU’s students. Invitations to the President’s Circle are those who have given $1,000 or more in the 2012 calendar year to any initiative on campus. Besides members of the President’s Circle, this

count also includes members of the Heritage Society, families who have already made plans to bless ACU with a gift from their

“

nors who are not interested in recognition, but they do want to know how their gifts are changing students’ lives,” Hahn said.

We have so mant donors who are not interested in recognition, but they do want to know how their gifts are changing students’ lives.”

estate.

Rendi Hahn, campaign coordinator, is part of the committee that has been planning the event for several months.

“We have so many do-

randi hahn campaign coordinator

“This event gives them the opportunity to meet students, hear their stories, and share time with other philanthropists who love ACU and her students. I always leave encouraged

reslife

Pipe bursts in Edwards Hall denzil lim staff videographer A busted pipe in Edwards Hall led to an unexpected Monday night, when the men of Edwards had to struggle against waves and gushes of water throughout the south wing.

On February 4, around 10 p.m. a simple airconditioner leak turned into a major flood. When several students found a considerable sized puddle in the second floor of the south wing, physical resources was contacted while a trash can was used to contain the leakage. Residence Assistant for Edwards, Jake Hall, junior English education major from Springtown, received calls from his residents that the seepage

was getting worse.

“A physical resource employee, who was fixing the leak, was starting to rip-off the insulation for the pipe and as soon as he did that, one of the main joints for the air-conditioner pipe just popped,” Hall said. “It started pouring down like Niagara falls.”

Matthew Bornmann, sophomore finance major from San Antonio, said, “I was about to take a walk, when a guy asks me whether I had seen the waterfall in the stairwell. I followed him into the stairwell and it is just a mess of water. I opened the door into the second floor and it was just raining in that hallway. I could see and hear that a pipe had burst.”

The burst pipe was located on the ceiling of the

second floor. The water seeped through the walls into the first floor. It did not affect the third floor.

Hall said a physical resource employee had to use his hand to try to stop the flow while waiting for more assistance to come. A broomstick was used as a temporary plug before approximately 10-15 physical resource employees and professional cleaners came to the scene. The employees and cleaners worked night and day to vacuum and redirect the flow out of the building.

Students that were affected received very little damage. Most of the personal belongings that got wet were clothes on the floor. Moreover, Curtis Smith, area coordinator for Edwards Hall, and his wife were forced to move

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out as the flood poured into their apartment.

“For as much water as there was, there was very little damage,” Smith said.

“We are just very blessed for how much help there was and the little damage.”

Curtis and his wife stayed in a hotel for a few nights before moving back in to their apartment.

Residence Life, even though there was very little damage, reimbursed those that were affected.

Work has been ongoing to change the carpets in the building. Areas that were flooded were blocked off and humidifiers and fans were used to dry the areas.

contact lim at dkw11a@acu.edu

and excited about all that God is doing.”

Zack Morgan, a senior biology major from Keller, is a member of the Student Alumni Association who will help host the event.

Sixteen student representatives from SAA will greet and converse with guests throughout the evening.

“It is important that the donors are able to walk away from the night with a name and a face they can associate with and know that their donations really are making a difference in the lives of individual people,” Morgan said.

Hahn said the dinner is equally beneficial for students as well.

“This encourages our

donors as they have the opportunity to meet students whose lives are changed by their generosity - and it blesses those student ambassadors as they see the generous hearts of our donors,” she said.

Jennifer Ellison, director of University Events, said, “This year’s event will be spectacular - but we don’t want to spoil the surprise for our guests.

Let’s just say that the innovation that characterizes ACU will be evident in every part of the dinner.”

contact powell at gmp10b@acu.edu

news

friday 02.15.13

8b

sports

local

ACHS building dynasty

Plane crashes 8 miles north of Abilene

margo herrara student reporter With only a few games left, Michael Bacon, head coach for Abilene Christian High School varsity basketball team, and his players are fighting hard to make it to the state championship game for the second year in a row.

If the ACHS Panthers continue with the winning streak they have right now, then in just three more rounds of playoffs, the Panthers will be on their way to the state tournament.

Bacon played point guard and shooting guard for the Panthers and graduated from ACHS in 2008. He began coaching the Panthers last year along with assistant coaches Colby Carr and Nick Smith.

“Coaching is really the only job I’ve ever wanted to have and getting to coach at my high school is even better.

It’s like home,” Bacon said.

Not many of the players on this year’s team were part

of the team last year.

“Coaching this year has been very different. We’ve had to reteach and be a little more patient, which isn’t one of my best things,” Bacon said.

The Panthers are a young team. Players who were only practice players last year have had to step up and be thrown into the fire. One player that has shown improvement is Trevor Tyson, senior at ACHS. “My favorite thing about playing for the Panthers is the family aspect and the relationships we have with each other,” Tyson said. “I know everybody on the team is giving it all they have so why should I give any less.”

Despite the hardships, Bacon constantly reminds his team there is some light at the end of this tunnel.

“If all the players stick with it and buy in, it will all pay off,” Bacon said. “Life will be pretty good if we win again.”

contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

sing song

mark smith editor in chief A small airplane with one pilot and no passengers crashed in Callahan County, nearly eight miles northeast of Abilene, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety report. The pilot was not injured.

Frank Leroy Bell, 75, of Tuscola, was flying his 1970 Beechcraft 60, a twin-engine, five-passenger plane that measures less than 34 feet long, toward Abilene Regional Airport when he ran out of fuel and crashed.

He was trying to land in a plowed field about half a mile south of TX-351, but hit some mesquite trees. stephen reyes staff Photographer

contact smith at mds10a@acu.edu

Members of the freshman class act play pirate on Wednesday evening’s dress rehearsal.

crime

Theme: Shows to begin 4 bikes stolen in 5 weeks Continued from page 1

is expected to fill up 80 percent of the available seats, about 3,700, in Moody, and about 2,000 people will see the Friday night show.

The winners of the men’s voice, women’s voice and mixed voice categories will be announced at the end of the final show on Saturday. Each winning group will receive $1,000 for the charity it chooses before the shows.

The Friday night show is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $16.

The Saturday afternoon show will begin at 2 p.m. and tickets cost $18. The Saturday night performance, which will begin at 8 p.m., is sold out.

The shows are dedicated to Lindsey Smith, the 20-year-old junior Ad/PR major from New Braunfels who died in a car accident last month.

Next year’s Sing Song’s theme will be “What About Love?” because the first night of shows will be on Valentine’s Day. contact smith at mds10a@acu.edu

joshua garcia managing editor Four bikes have been reported stolen to the ACU Police Department this semester.

One of these thefts occurred in University Park; another occurred at the Don H. Morris Center. Two of the bikes were stolen from offcampus residences. Three of the thefts occurred in February. ACU Police has no leads or suspects.

Six bikes were reported stolen last spring; fifteen were reported stolen this fall.

Smith-Adams was a notable

problem area last semester, with half a dozen bikes having been pilfered from the residence hall’s parking lot.

No one who reported their bike stolen or missing provided a serial number.

Sergeant Thomas Valdez said without a serial number, a stolen bike is almost impossible to recover.

“All we have is the description or the make or the model of the bike, but no serial number,” Valdez said.

“Bicycles are pawned or sold by pawn shops all the time, all over the city, all over the state.”

Valdez said u-shape steel

locks are harder to defeat than cables.

“Some of the other flimsier ones, it doesn’t take much to cut them,” Valdez said.

Lieutenant Randy Motz said students should keep their bikes locked, record the serial number and keep their bikes monitored.

“The number one person to prevent bike theft is the owner,” Motz said. “Lock it up, don’t leave it here all summer.”

Most bike’s serial numbers are located on under the bottom bracket, near where the pedals meet. Motz said students should take a picture

“

The number one person to prevent bike theft is the owner.” randy motz ACU Police Lieutenant

of their bike and flip it over to record the serial number as well. Missing bikes should be reported as soon as possible to ACU Police.

contact garcia at jtg10b@acu.edu

university

Summit to return to New Testament with Luke Brock Niederhoffer student reporter A theme has been chosen for the 2013 Summit lectureship. “Margins: Following Jesus at the Edge in Luke’s Gospel” will focus on marginalized people that Jesus ministered to in the book of Luke.

Summit will start Sept.

15 and will last until Sept.

18.

“We’re picking out people at the fringe that are in this gospel and really bringing them center stage to emphasize discipleship and following Jesus,” said Dr. Brady Bryce, director of ministry events.

The past two Summit themes, “Intimacy” and “Enough,” have been from the Old Testament. In 2011, the theme was from the book of Isaiah, and in 2012, from the book of Hosea.

“We’re due to come

back to the New Testament,” Bryce said.

Summit draws crowds of up to eight thousand students and off-campus visitors yearly, and this year promises to be no different. In the past Summit has attracted big name guest speakers such as Shane Claiborne and Max Lucado.

“We have a number of big name speakers this year … we will [announce] them March 7 in the Adams Center,” Bryce said.

Because the first advertising for Summit 2013 will take place at Leadership Summit over the weekend, there hasn’t been much information made available to students.

“I haven’t heard anything about this coming Summit yet, but I’m sure I’ll be excited about it,” said Jake Jacobson, senior Biblical text major from North Richland Hills.

However, as the se-

mester progresses and the names of speakers are released, students will have much more information made available to them.

Summit 2012 has received lots of positive feedback, much of it directed at Walter Bruggemann and the message he was able to bring to last year’s discussion, as well as ideas for themes in upcoming years.

“I have been to Summit the past four years. This past year I really enjoyed Bruggemann. I went and heard him both times he spoke,” Jacobson said.

Bryce is looking forward to the change in focus.

“I’ve been here [at ACU] for six years now, and this will be our first look at a Gospel and so it’s just really time to focus in on Jesus,” Bryce said. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu