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A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
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Homecoming to present Faulkner Garden BY ALLISON HARRELL EDITOR IN CHIEF
Main Homecoming events kicked off Thursday with the 27th Annual Gutenberg Celebration. Craig Fisher, assistant vice president of alumni relations and university relations, said he considered Thursday to be the kick off for Homecoming. The Gutenberg Celebration invited back alumni and awarded selected alumni for their accomplishments
and work in the media. The Department of Engineering and Physics also hosted a reception and presentation on Thursday. “Friday morning is just travel time for folks that are trying to come in a little bit early and gives us a last couple of hours to work through some stuff,” Fisher said. Alumni were invited to attend Praise Day Friday Chapel at 11 a.m. in Moody Coliseum. During the Chap-
el service, the fall sports teams are acknowledged and celebrated for the work they have been doing. Friday afternoon the Maker Lab is hosting an event called “Make-and-Take” for alumni and their children. “We’re trying to think of things for people to bring their kids back to campus, that they could do,” Fisher said. “And the Maker Lab is a great place for them to go.” The Maker Lab has five
different activities planned for guests to create something that they can take away. From 5-8 p.m. there will be a carnival located in the Campus Mall area and the Recreation and Wellness Center. The carnival will consist of live music, bounce houses, other inflatables, a rock wall, Abilene Axe Company, Chartwells will be serving food and food trucks such as Papa Murphy’s Pizza, 1881, Tacolote, The Sweet Side and
Toasted Traveler. “It’s just a great time of fellowship,” Fisher said. Candlelight Devotional will follow at 8:15 p.m. in the Amphitheater. “We have a lot of alumni that didn’t get to experience that when they were in school, they’ve seen that their kids [get to experience it], or they have kids that are on their way and they want to give them a chance to see it,” Fisher said. “So it’s a neat time.”
There will be 30 minutes of devotional and worship. Fisher said Candlelight Devo became a part of Homecoming about four years ago. “Our alums have loved it,” Fisher said. Saturday morning, clubs and organizations will invite members for breakfast in various locations. The Homecoming parade line up will begin around 10 a.m. and will end at Campus SEE HOMECOMING AT PAGE 2
BY DAVID MITCHELL | PHOTOGRAPHER
Women pledging the social club of GATA gather together in their formal colors to pay respect to their club.
Women for ACU celebrates 50th anniversary BY SYDNEY VARNER STAFF WRITER
Women for ACU is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year by hosting a social and an anniversary luncheon. The WACU Fall 2019 Social took place Sept. 19 and the Anniversary Luncheon will take place on Sunday in the Hunter Welcome Center. The luncheon costs $25 a person and will feature two alumni Andrea Lucado (‘08) and Denalyn (Preston) Lucado (‘79). WACU, created by alumna Dewby Ray, originally was formed as an organization for the women of the
faculty and staff at ACU and has grown from a small fundraising program to a large program involving women of all ages raising money for student scholarships. WACU President Nancy Miller graduated from ACU in 1960 and has lived in Abilene since 1970. Joining the organization shortly after it started, Miller was excited to do her part in helping the university. “I was looking forward to helping carry out the mission of ACU and by doing that and being involved in activities and projects that we do,” Miller said. WACU alongside fund-
raising for the university primarily raises money for scholarships. All students are eligible and are required to have a good GPA as well as finish out their education at ACU. Students apply during the spring of their sophomore year and the scholarship applies for their junior and senior years. This year alone, there are 12 students on WACU scholarships. Jama Cadle, assistant director of alumni relations and university relations, has been a part of WACU for two years and is working as a liaison between the Alumni Relations Office and WACU. Cadle said that students who join can
“Over all of these years, we have given over one million dollars. We’ll just continue to work toward giving another million.” NANCY MILLER WACU PRESIDENT
see great benefits as well as students who apply for WACU scholarships. “Juniors and Seniors can receive awards up to $2,000 a semester,” Cadle said. “A WACU scholarship committee reviews the applications and reference letters.” As for each year’s fundraising, Miller said there isn’t a goal outside of
helping students. “Over all of these years, we have given over one million dollars,” Miller said. “We’ll just continue to work toward giving another million.” Although many students aren’t often involved in their time on campus, WACU is open to everyone no matter their age. Miller said WACU also has a connection to the students. “After senior candlelight, we always have homemade cookies and cold water for the seniors,” Miller said. Students with questions can contact wacu@acu.edu and scholarship information will be available in the spring semesters.
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SPORTS
Writing Center honors 20 years on campus BY ALYSSIA ANUAT GUEST WRITER SARAH BLANKENSHIP COPY EDITOR
T he Writing Center will mark its 20th annivers ar y celebration during Homecoming week. T he celebration will take place on Saturday from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the Brown Librar y on the g round f loor. At the event there will be desser ts and a small cerem ony perfor med by Dr. Rober t Rhodes, the provost. T he Writing Center was established in 1999 by the De par tment of English in a small classroom in the Hardin Administration Building. Once the Writing Center took off, it was moved to
BY ALYSSIA ANUAT | GUEST WRITER
Dr. Cole Bennett, professor of language and literature and director of the Writing Center, celebrates the 20th anniversary of the ACU Writing Center. the basement of the librar y until 2007. It now is located on the first f loor of the librar y in the Lear ning Commons. The Writing Center offers a wide variety of assistance to stu-
dents including writing workshops, ser ving as a repository of writing material, providing individual feedback to students developing writing portfolios and offering computer resources for writing research.
“I have had faculty from a variety of disciplines tell me that their students’ writing has improved when they come in,” Dr. Cole Bennett, professor of languag e and literature and director
of the Writing Center, said. Off campus, the Writing Center has been eng ag ed in community work. Bennett volunteers with FaithWorks, a local nonprofit, to help students with resumes and cover letters. Dr. Shelly Sanders, associate professor of languag e and literature, hosts T he Community Writers’ Workshop where she g athers Abilenians on Saturday mor nings to write memoirs and other nonfiction work. “Over these past 20 years, my faculty colleagues from all disciplines across campus have supported the Writing Center,” Bennet said. “They have put their trust in our tutors to help their students carefully improve as writers.”
Read about Tracy James’ journey to the field PAGE 10
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