Optimist Print Edition 11.02.18 (Volume CVIII, Issue XI

OPTIMIST

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ETHNOS ISA showcases a variety of cultures through different dances and acts in Cullen at 7 p.m.

A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912

Friday November 02, 2018

Volume CVIII, Issue XI News

Sports

Campus celebrated a variety of holidays last week with events like Entra a la Plaza by Hispanos Unidos, and the first ever escape room hosted by the men of Edwards Hall......................................Page 2

Football takes on Northwestern State Univesity on Saturday at 2 p.m. after a bye week. Soccer advances in the playoffs after defeating McNeese 3-1, and takes on UCA on Friday....................Page 5

F S S M T W T Opinion Cultural awarness is a topic necessary to discuss on all campuses, but ACU struggles to make substantive progress, as shown through recent racially-charged incidents on campus....................Page 4

Photo by RILEY FISHER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

CAMPUS NEWS

Tina Zavala, sophomore nursing major from Grand Prarie, and Natalie Alvarez, sophomore biology major from La Quinta, Calif., pose for a picture at Entra a la Plaza on Saturday evening. The event, hosted by Hispanos Unidos, promotes Hispanic culture, and usually occurs duing Hispanic Heritage month.

University clarifies sexual stewardship policy “ LAUREN FRANCO EDITOR IN CHIEF

The university clarified its sexual stewardship policy for students, faculty and staff in an email last Monday from Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university.

Wording in the previous policy referred to all employees generically, but the administration has reviewed and clarified that student employees in general will be considered students first and are governed by the Student Code of Conduct rather than the Employee Code of Conduct, which prohibits “same-sex dating, relationships, or marriage; or sexual activity outside of marriage between a man and woman.”

Schubert said a small

I applaud them for having the conversation and being so ready to invite different groups and hear different perspectives. They all personally wanted what was best for the student.

number of students’ employment roles considered to have spiritual mentoring responsibilities, such as resident assistants and summer camp counselors, would include similar restrictions within the job descriptions.

“While the previous approach on sexual stewardship centered on disciplinary action, it will now focus on developing relationships with students, reinforcing what we

believe the Bible teaches regarding healthy relationships and walking alongside them as they grow in their faith,” Schubert said in an email.

Schubert said the policy changed the approach with students, particularly those as employees of the university. Regarding faculty and staff, the policy remains the same – samesex dating relationships are not permitted.

“We believe that significant spiritual mentorship is taking place in those areas and we’re asking those individuals, be it student, faculty or staff to behave and support the university’s values on relationships,” Schubert said. “In this particular circumstance, it’s the model of marriage being between a man and a wom-

an, and we would ask that they be in relationships that conform to a traditional model. That is a requirement of being in those two roles as students.”

According to Schubert, the primary goal of conversations regarding LGBTQ+ policies throughout the past year has been to listen and gain perspective as well as to commit to clarifying the decisions at the right time.

“The Board of Trustees’ guidance on sexual stewardship affirms our commitment to the traditional view that sexual activity is reserved for marriage between a man and a woman,” Schubert said in the email.

“As a result, our long-standing policies for faculty and staff remain in place.”

Leading up to the pol-

a month ago, when the applications were posted.

Wildcat Ventures applied for the Outstanding Chapter Revenue Generating Initiative Award, and ACU CEO applied for Global Chapter of the Year, which they have won for the past three years.

The application to the competition required the prior submission of an essay from Wildcat Ventures and a five-minute video from CEO explaining each part of the organization.

The top three submissions are asked to present at the competition.

The conference begins on Thursday, where the executive teams will give a 5-8 minute presentation for each award. The execu-

tives for Wildcat Ventures are President Courtney Eubank, Vice President Evan Beck and CFO Shelby Watson. The executive team attending the conference to represent CEO consists of Meredith Orr, Cammie Seaman, Caroline Fairly and Greg Johnston.

Courtney Eubank, president of Wildcat Ventures and senior accounting and music major from Phoenix, Ariz., said organizing the presentation took only about two weeks of planning because the revenue data was already well known to them.

“The interesting part about this is that we are actually presenting last year’s information,” Eubank said. “So, last year we came up with $109,000

in revenue and redistributed it into how much we pay back to our employees.

This isn’t as much about how much money you make. It’s more about how are you inspiring entrepreneurship and just sharing with them what our company has to offer.”

Eubank said she remembers attending the CEO Global Conference last year and watching as conference members approached Jack Oduro, 2017 President of Wildcat Ventures, with praise over ACU’s student-led business structure.

“It just is so cool because you get there and are competing against nationwide

TY KELLEY EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT OF SGA

Ventures, CEO prepare for nationals ALLISON HARRELL FEATURES EDITOR

Wildcat Ventures and ACU CEO are preparing to attend CEO Global Conference and Pitch Competition in Kansas City, Missouri, from Nov. 1 to Nov. 3.

The Wildcat Ventures executive team, along with the CEO executive team, plan to visit an entrepreneur conference where they will attend various sessions and learn from well known entrepreneurs, then lead a presentation for the chance to win a fourth consecutive national title.

Wildcat Ventures and ACU CEO took the initiative to apply for the national CEO awards about

acuoptimist.com

SEE VENTURES PAGE 3

icy reconsideration, the Senior Leadership Team invited student leaders to engage in conversation as voices for the student body. Ty Kelley, executive president of Student Government Association, participated in discussions as a mediator between students and administration.

As a student, Kelley said he was surprised at how invested the Senior Leadership Team was in the sexual stewardship policy.

“They didn’t want to make a decision fast,” Kelley said. “I applaud them for having the conversation and being so ready to invite different groups and hear different perspectives. They all personally wanted what was best for the student.”

Over the summer, SGA

released a statement in response to a column in the Abilene Reporter-News by former associate director of residence life Jenny Boyer, saying: “Student Government Association (SGA) supports the leadership of our university, which is faced with difficult and challenging decisions every day. We do not support policies that discriminate, marginalize or dismiss any student or group of this university.

Student Government Association has always kept, and will continue to keep, all students at the forefront of our advocacy regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or background.”

ALLAYNA FORD MANAGING EDITOR

Kitten Klub, the Dormitory Council, the Ellen H. Richards club, Melpomenean Players, girls training classes, missions study and the W Club. Her daughter, Mary Clark, said her mother was honored to be on the Board of Trustees and befriended the members, because she loved ACU and loved how it helped her to grow spiritually.

“She was thrilled when they asked to be a part of the board of ACU and being the first woman during those days was an honor to her, and she was always humbled by that,” Mary Clark said.

SEE STEWARDSHIP PAGE 2

Clark remembered for service to university Mary Frazier Clark died at the age of 95 on Oct. 20.

Clark was the first female member of the Board of Trustees and an alumna, Clark g raduating in 1944.

Clark was born to W.G and Mintie Frazier in Levelland, TX, on Jan. 31, 1932.

She married John D. Clark in 1946 in Sundown, who died in 1977.

When she attended ACU, she was highly involved – being a part of the

SEE CLARK PAGE 3

Page 2 | Campus News Events

Friday 11/02 1.Basketball Block Party on campus 2. Nancy and Ray Hansen Reading Commons dedication 3. Ethnos Saturday 11/03 1. Football vs Northwestern 2.Saturday showcase 3. Ethnos Sunday 11/04 1. Presidential Scholars dinner 2. ACUITY Spin Clinic Monday 11/05 1. Presidential Scholar visit day 2. Spring/Summer 2019 Registration: Juniors Tuesday 11/06 1. Men’s basketball vs Arlington Baptist 2. GSP Grub

19

days until Thanksgiving break

Friday, November 2, 2018 ABILENE NEWS

Abilene becomes Storybook Capital of America HANNAH JOHNSON STAFF REPORTER

Abilene is now the Storybook Capital of America.

Previously the Storybook Capital of Texas, Abilene’s downtown museums and sidewalks are home to multiple storybook character statues.

Sidney Levesque, marketing director of the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, said this means that families can come to Abilene and have experiences relating to familiar books and art.

One of the most popular local museums is the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature (NCCIL). Throughout the NCCIL, illustrations from childrens’ books are displayed.

Abilene was named the Storybook Capital of Texas after being approved by state legislature in 2015.

In recent years, families began to travel to the Children’s

“

I think because we’re drawing people from other states to Abilene to experience the different storybook things, they felt like we should go ahead and have the title Storybook Capital of America.”

SIDNEY LEVESQUE MARKETING DIRECTOR OF THE ABILENE CULTURAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL

Festival from across the country, expanding the knowledge of local children’s art.

“I think because we’re drawing people from other states to Abilene to experience the different storybook things, they felt like we should go ahead and have the title Storybook Capital of America,” Levesque said.

Because there is no designated body to claim the national title, it was trademarked through the U.S. Patent and Tradebook Office.

Trish Dressen, executive

Photo by HANNAH JOHNSON | STAFF REPORTER This statue titled “Childhood’s Great Adventure” features three characters from the children’s book, “Santa Calls” by William Joyce

director of the NCCIL, said the city began appreciating storybook art when the mayor read a book to local school children in 1993 at a local ranch.

The book, “Santa Calls”,

was written by William Joyce, who later met with the mayor to discuss the preservation of original illustrations from the book following publication.

Joyce agreed to donate the

art, contributing to the mayor’s idea of the NCCIL. “We’re proud to be the very beginning of what is now an incredible legacy to be the Storybook Capital of America,” said Dressen.

CAMPUS NEWS

Edwards Hall create escape room for Halloween LAUREN FRANCO EDITOR IN CHIEF

Residents of Edwards Hall spent seven days creating and producing an escape room for students to participate in an on-campus Halloween event.

John Ellison, a junior business management and marketing major from Lampasas, Aaron Jones, a junior Christian ministry major from Flower Mound, and Garrett Martin, a sophomore engineering major from Dallas, led a crew of 12 members.

Though Edwards has previously been home to a haunted house, this is the first escape room. Ellison said the crew found evidence of past Halloween events in the basement.

The experience uses almost the entire basement of Edwards, but there are only four actors.

“It took us about a week, but there were a lot of hours in that week,” Martin said.

Jones said they expect a large turnout despite little advertisement. In the weeklong planning efforts the

crew reached out to Frater Sodalis president Austin Parsons, GATA president Alex Hill and campus groups, such as LYNAY. “We’re hoping to let word-of-mouth carry us and have another event with higher turnout on Saturday,” Martin said.

“If people go through again on Saturday, they’ll have better knowledge of what’s happening and maybe they could actually win if they lose the first time,” Jones said.

Martin said test groups averaged 15 minutes to win the escape room, though one group did lose.

Throughout the whole process, Martin said the best part was always the Walmart runs.

“We just walked around and asked, ‘Hey, what do we need in here?’ and just picked up the most random stuff and somehow made it work,” Martin said. “It was so much fun.”

The escape room is funded through the Residence Life budget.

Jones said the only setback the team faced was the absence of their makeup artist.

LangLit celebrates Halloween with reading of ‘Harry Potter’ EMMA CONATSER COPY EDITOR

Photo by RILEY FISHER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Edwards staff painted messages on the basement walls to scare attendees of the haunted escape room

“

We’re hoping to let word-of-mouth carry us and have another event with higher turnout on Saturday.”

GARRETT MARTIN SOPHOMORE ENGINEERING MAJOR FROM DALLAS

“The person we did have ended up having an obligation tonight, so Emily Parisi learned how to do stage makeup in less than an hour-and-a-half, and she’s doing great,” Jones said.

Parisi, junior accounting and finance major from Harker Heights, said she tried to remember everything she

had seen on Instagram to help the group.

“I learned it yesterday and practiced bruises a little bit,” Parisi said. “Within a few hours, I had it down and kept doing it. I looked up a few YouTube videos to remind myself how to do it.

In high school I helped with dramatic makeup for plays, but before this, I had never done it. I was pretty impressed I was able to learn it so quickly.”

The escape room will be open and free to students from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday night and from 8-11 p.m. Saturday.

Students, professors and members of the Abilene community gathered in the Reading Commons on Halloween for a live reading of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone from cover to cover.

The Reading Commons, featuring a new look with chairs arranged in a common room style, hosted many who drifted in and out to listen to different readers’ interpretations of the book. The rain and high winds didn’t stop people from stopping by at popular times. Few empty seats remained, as many congregated to listen to the reading.

The library was decked out with Hogwarts decor, boasting spooky candles, a sorting hat and wizarding robes. Students were able to sit comfortably and enjoy Halloween candy as they listened.

Though the listeners were excited, the readers were

“

I did enjoy reading, and I don’t enjoy reading out loud, but it’s Harry Potter.”

GRANT PARKER FRESHMAN PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR FROM ABILENE

highly anticipating this event, as well. One such reader was Savannah Rakovalis.

“It was a fun experience and the time went by really fast,” said Rakovalis, freshman nursing major from San Antonio.

Another reader, Grant Parker, was eager to take part in experiencing Harry Potter with others.

“I did enjoy reading, and I don’t enjoy reading out loud, but it’s Harry Potter,” said Parker, freshman psychology major from Abilene.

For eight hours, students sat, listened, ate, worked and enjoyed fellowship with one another as the rain continued outside. This second annual tradition of the language and literature department was well received.

Stewardship: University updates sexual policy for student employees Continued from Page 1 Because of SGA’s 30-day policy, the statement is no longer available.

Kelley said SGA plans to take on a bigger role in leading the conversation now that administration has a foundation for the policy.

“SGA has to be the leader of that discussion. I envision us continuing to have these conversations through

things like forums. We exist to represent the student voice as much as possible,” Kelley said.

Since the email, Schubert said the response has been positive, but the conversations will continue to help develop policy further, possibly including more open forums.

“Along the way, our journey is to really look at this

broader landscape of relationships and sexual stewardship for all students,” Schubert said. “This is not just an LGBT issue, but I realize that is typically what the media is interested in covering. This is a broader issue, and as a community of people, how do we want all of us to live in the context of sexual stewardship.”

Schubert said the univer-

sity has tried to create environments to listen to other viewpoints and interpretations as well as promote dialogue with open questions and answers that leave nothing but clarity.

“Often we find that in this conversation, there are frequent misinterpretations and misconceptions that need to be clarified so that they don’t create a hurtful

or harmful situation.”

In the sexual stewardship section of the Student Code of Conduct, the university reinforced its belief in the Bible as true and reliable. Regardless of differing interpretations of scripture pertaining to same-sex relationships, the Code of Conduct says the university encourages all students to “engage in this

issue with Christian care and compassion.”

Schubert said he does not anticipate any substantive changes in the near future, but encourages “healthy and constructive dialogue on these important issues, modeling how a Christian community can best glorify God and promote unity even when we see certain matters differently.”

POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 10/25/2018 11:28 a.m.

ACUPD responded to the 300 blk of College Dr in reference to an intoxicated male. Officers located a friend who took custody of the person.

No arrest.

10/26/2018 2:17 p.m.

A student reported their bicycle stolen from the patio area of Smith-Adams Residence Hall.

10/27/2018 11:28 p.m.

ACUPD Officers responded to the 700 blk of EN 14th St. in reference to a large party/noise violation. Officers spoke to the tenant and advised him to lower the volume. Tenant agreed. No citation issued.

911 CALL............................................................0 ABANDONED VEHICLE....................0 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY........................................................37 ADVICE..............................................................0 ALARM...............................................................1 ANIMAL CALL..............................................1 ASSIST.................................................................2 ATTEMPT TO LOCATE...........................1 BARRICADES...............................................2 BICYCLE PARTROL................................0 BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK.......................................10 BURGLARY....................................................0 CART PATROL.............................................0

CHECK BUILDING............................373 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF...........................0 DISTURBANCE..........................................0 DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE............2 ESCORT............................................................3 FOOT PATROL............................................4 FOUND PROPERTY...............................9 HIT & RUN........................................................1 INFORMATION REPORT...................3 INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP................................................8 LOST PROPERTY......................................2 MAINTENANCE: UNIV ASSETS...............................................2 MEDICAL EMERGENCY.....................3

MONITOR FACILITY/ LOT.......................................................................9 MOTORIST ASSIST: OTHER.................................................................1 MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART..................................................5 MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK...........................................................7 OTHER...............................................................7 PARKING LOT PATROL....................36 PARKING VIOLATION...........................6 PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE.........................................5 PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL............................................................8

PROWLER.......................................................1 RANDOM PATROL..................................7 REPORT WRITING.................................16 SOLICITING.....................................................1 SUICIDE (ATT & ACTUAL)....................1 SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT......................0 SUSPICIOUS PERSON.........................3 THEFT.................................................................2 TRAFFIC HAZARD...................................2 TRAFFIC STOP.............................................1 VEHICLE COLLISION............................2 WELFARE CHECK...................................5 TOTAL.....................................................657

Chief Ellison’s Weekly Tip Police chief tip of the week: Remember that suspicious activity needs to be reported to ACUPD immediately, not hours later or the next day. Obtain descriptions and license plate numbers, call ACUPD asap.

Friday, November 2, 2018

Feature | Page 3

Hispanic students celebrate culture with Entra a la Plaza MADELINE DAYTON OPINIONS EDITOR

Entra a la Plaza, Hispanos Unidos annual event, took place from 6-10 p.m. Friday in the campus mall area.

Hispanos Unidos has hosted the event for 27 years to promote cultural awareness and celebrate Hispanic heritage at ACU and in the Abilene community. For Entra a la Plaza, Hispanos Unidos partners with the community by bringing in

local taco trucks, Folklorico dancers from the local St. Vincent Pallotti’s ballet, aguas frescas, Spanish music and more.

While the event is a celebration, it is also an opportunity to promote cultural awareness. Throughout the event, Entra a la Plaza paid tribute to many Hispanic countries, through different foods, music and dances.

Hispanos Unidos usually holds this event during Hispanic Heritage Month,

which is Sept. 15-Oct. 15.

Entra a la Plaza was originally set for Sept. 28, but was moved to Oct. 26 as a result of scheduling conflicts.

“We really wanted this to be during Hispanic Heritage Month so we could celebrate and educate people,” said Cynthia Rangel, the HU president and junior journalism major from Dallas.

“Unfortunately it was during Bid Night and we had to reschedule for later.”

In order to be more ac-

cessible, Hispanos Unidos made it a priority to host the event in the mall area of campus this year. Previously, the event was held in the Hunter Welcome Center.

“We really want Entra A La Plaza to be accessible to everyone,” Rangel said. “We wanted to find a space that was more central to campus.”

During the event, there was a special memorial and moment of silence during the event for past

Hispanos Unidos officer Paloma Sanchez, who died this summer.

“We were all so saddened with the news of Paloma’s passing,” Rangel said. “She impacted so many people’s life and was an amazing Hispanos Unidos officer.

We are planning on having a box where people can write encouraging words to Paloma’s family.”

Rangel said her favorite part of Entra a la Plaza is seeing the joy on attendees’ faces.

A young girl dances in a traditional dress for a picture at Entra a la Plaza.

A Tacolote employee takes an order for a hungry customer at Entra a la Plaza.

A Tacolote employee takes an order for a hungry customer at Entra a la Plaza.

Face painiting was one of the fun activides for the guests at Entra a la Plaza.

An FM 93.3 La Voz employee talks to one of the Hispanos Unidos members about Entra a la Plaza.

Laura McGregor gets a plate of homemade queso over chips for her and a someone else.

Mary’s Palenteria popsicles were also available at Entra a la Plaza.

CAMPUS NEWS

Ventures: CEO goes to nationals

Young alumni come back to mentor; network

From Ventures page 1

Seven alumni will participate in a panel at 4 p.m. on Friday in the Hart Auditorium and network with students in a reception afterward. The student alumni association is in charge of this event.

The panel will discuss their experience at ACU as well as their career paths after graduation and how being Alumni of the university allowed them to

“For me, it’s been this idea that we are this tiny school in Abilene, Texas, and we’re competing against schools that are much larger. But somehow we have put the work in, we’ve developed enough, we’ve gained enough ground that we’re beating these schools. Not to sound cliché, but if you put the work in, you can do anything.”

The teams will find out at the presentation ceremony if they placed in Friday afternoon’s competition and will attend conferences for the remainder of the time. The group will return to ACU on Saturday after the conclusion of the conference.

“I am excited for an opportunity to represent ACU in a public forum,” said Evan Beck, vice president of Wildcat Ventures and senior financial management major from Celina. “The exposure it creates should encourage more students to come to ACU to explore a career in entrepreneurship.”

ALLAYNA FORD MANAGING EDITOR

make business connections.

Micaela Janssen, the Student Alumni Association co-president, said they wanted to focus on choosing from a pool of young alumni in order to find people who would be relatable to students.

“We reached out to alumni based on recommendations we received from ACU staff and based on jobs and companies that we felt students would be most interested in hearing about,” Janssen said.

Mandy Collum, the SAA adviser, said over the summer she researched what other colleges do in their SAA programs, in order to revamp ACU’s program. She was inspired by the program Ole Miss hosts with an alumni panel.

“I thought this would be a great event for ACU’s Student Alumni Association to host because it gives students the opportunity to connect with young alumni who were recently in their

shoes,” Collum said.

While Collum said she is looking forward to students and alumni to build relationships, there were challenging parts of planning this event.

“One of the hardest aspects of coordinating this event was finding alumni who were able to come to Abilene on a Monday,” Collum said. “It can be hard to get away on a weekday because people have jobs and young families to care for.”

Abby Browning, the SAA

Co-President said, bridging the gap between alumni and students in order for them to not only network but also create personal connections is the goal of SAA. “We hope this spurs questions about their future careers and helps students think about their next steps after college,” said Browning.

SAA is currently working on other students and alumni networking events for the future.

Clark: remembered for service to university

Burial Plots For Sale

From Clark page 1

Two side by side burial plots for sale by owner in the Mausoleum Garden area of Elmwood Memorial Park, Abilene, TX. Each valued at $4295.

Price negotiable.

days was an honor to her, and she was always humbled by that,” Mary Clark said. “She and Ruth Stevens, Dr. Steven’s wife, loved sports and they would sit together at basketball games, but they weren’t always the best behaved fans, especially if they didn’t like a ref ’s call.”

Clark loved her church, her kids, and ACU. When she loved, she loved with her whole heart. Mary Frazier Clark would always be at church and would teach young girls on Wednesday evenings, or help cook meals for funerals, involving herself in everything her children did.

When it came to cooking,

her daughter, Mary Clark, said her mother was amazing and could make anything with having very little.

“She was an incredible cook,” Mary Clark said. “She grew up 50 miles in the country and she just learned to make something out of nothing because she never followed a recipe. Somebody would ask her for a recipe and she would say that she took a little of this and a little of that.”

Mary Frazier Clark was tenacious and firm with others, but was always able to love everyone immensely.

“She was pretty stubborn, she was a straight-shooter, she would tell you what she thinks but in the kindest way

possible,” Mary Clark said.

“She wasn’t shy about letting her opinion be known, but she always bled with love- even if you disagreed with her, you still walked away knowing she loved you” Clark said a funny story which embodied her mother’s personality occurred during her time as an ACU student, during a time when women had to wear a hat and pantyhose when they left campus.

One day, she went downtown without her hat and pantyhose, and the dean of women caught her and asked what she would have done if she met Jesus, to which Clark responded she would prefer to meet Jesus than the dean.

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Page 4 | Opinion

Friday, November 02, 2018

Why would you want your colorblind Christianity?

THE ISSUE

OUR TAKE

Cultural awareness and cultural competency are prominent discussions on many American college campuses.

ACU has a tendency to avoid discussing issues regarding cultural awareness, reflected in their response to the Bantu knots incident.

Optimist Editorial Board | editor@jmcnetwork.com College is all about adjustment, as we each come from different, diverse backgrounds. Change is healthy, and adjustment is essential to the growth that we undergo when we embrace change.

However, in order for real change to occur, we must have healthy, safe environments with everything on the table. Part of a healthy environment is the foundation of cultural awareness and cultural competency, especially on a campus where 63.9 percent of the student body is white and tends to ignore this topic.

Recently, cultural awareness has been discussed heavily among students, faculty and staff alike.

ACU has a tendency of brushing serious issues like cultural insensitivity under the rug. Even when groups break standards of basic cultural respect, like social clubs imitating Bantu knots during the pledging process, our administration says and does nothing.

But what does cultural awareness really mean? And how do we take cultural awareness a step further to cultural competency? Why is this especially important as Christians?

Dr. Patty Goodman, a cross-cultural communication faculty member and researcher at Northeastern University, defines cultural awareness as “an understanding of one’s self and how one needs to adjust to the environment and ecosystem that he or she is in.”

Cultural awareness is vital to a thriving college community. We each came to college with different backgrounds, and we must learn to step outside of our own context to understand what affects others on our campus. The reality of ACU’s demographics calls for serious conversations about this topic.

Thankfully, there are programs that occur on our own campus to promote cultural awareness, and give students the opportunity to

understand cultures outside of their own. For example, Sundaes on Mondays is an ongoing event conducted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) on the second Monday of every month to discuss relevant cultural topics and provide information for students. In the past, Sundaes on Mondays has covered topics such as police brutality, cultural sensitivity and immigration.

OMA hosts a variety of student organizations that all promote cultural awareness, and provides a community for students to have these vital discussions. Whether you feel your culture is well-understood on campus or not discussed at all, every person should use their voice and join the conversation.

However, for real change to occur, cultural awareness must be taken a step further to cultural competency. The National Education Association defines cultural competency as “the ability to understand the within-group differences that make each

student unique, while celebrating the between-group variations that make our country a tapestry.”

Beyond simply being aware of other cultures, competency means positively engaging with people of other cultures and celebrating differences that make up our student body. Attending events, while it does provide awareness, does not equate to competency.

Competency means appreciation and respect of other cultures. Competency means having an open mind and actively stepping out of your comfort zone as part of the learning process.

It is active, and continual.

Both cultural awareness

and cultural competency are practices that are ongoing, and crucial for any community to thrive.

Beyond encouraging a safe environment for all students, cultural awareness and competency are an essential part of Christianity.

Singer and song-writer Jordy Searcy recently released a song about cultural sensitivity as part of the Christian faith, featuring a reading by Dajanae Cole. In the song, Cole says, “I don’t want your colorblind Christianity. You know God as the creator of colors except for when it come to me.”

Cole makes the point that Christianity is not meant to be colorblind. Colorblind

Christianity is loving and accepting others, but without a recognition or respect of other cultural identities. Although God calls us to love everyone equally, love does not turn a blind eye but instead understands and celebrates differences.

We should see color and culture, and respect the differences that make up each human’s identity. We are all created as image-bearers of God, and we bear this image across different cultures and ethnicities.

As a campus, we can do a better job of approaching the lack of cultural appreciation in our community. This starts with us, and this starts with respect.

STAFF COLUMNS

Fall break is the first verse, we want the whole song MAD’ AT ACU MADELINE DAYTON OPINIONS EDITOR

Senior global studies major from Sugarland

“Life goes on, it gets so heavy...” according to Coldplay. This song, “Paradise,” definitely had to be written with college students in mind, because as the semester goes on, it feels heavier and heavier.

By the time fall break rolls around every year, it

ends up being only a tease.

While designed to provide a short reprieve for students and teachers alike, it really turns out to be one extra day for travel time or studying.

I have said it before and I will say it again: life is way more important than

college. We are meant to spend time with our families, take care of our bodies and focus on the world around us.

First of all, fall break is not nearly long enough for students to actually spend time with their families or people they care about. It is unrealistic for out-of-state and international students as well, who would barely have time to get home and then come back immediately. travel without being stressed about the assign-

Shine bright like Anthony Field Though ACU is doing a commendable job at reducing energy waste with more efficient air conditioning and heating methods, there is still a bright elephant in the room: the constantly illuminated football stadium.

Coming from a high school with a $60 million football stadium that holds 18,000 people, I understand the excitement that comes with having a giant stadium. However, our stadium lights were only on for night football games and for practices in the dark when the sun set at an early time.

Yet, Wildcat Stadium is always brightly shining.

I’m not just talking about the field lights, because those will get turned off a few times here and there. I am talking about the suites and press level constantly being lit.

The average stadium takes 35,000 watts to power it. Multiplying that by 13 cents, the average cost of electricity in Abilene, and dividing it by 1000 leaves you with $4.55, which is the cost it takes to power

FORD TOUGH ALLAYNA FORD MANAGING EDITOR

Sophomore convergence journalism major from Allen those lights per hour. The sun sets around 6:50 p.m. and rises around 8 a.m., meaning the lights are on for 13 hours. The total amount it would take for the lights to remain on for one night is $59.15 and $3,321.50 for one month.

If the university wants to cut costs and be more energy efficient, shutting down the stadium is an area that must be addressed. If they have a deal with the cost of stadium energy priced at an incredibly small cost, I would be more understanding about the excess usage, but to my knowledge, the school is charged for all energy usage.

I understand football players practice at night, and they shouldn’t have to practice in the dark, but clearly they don’t practice every hour of every

night, at least not as long as the lights stay on.

I might understand their desire to show off the Anthony Field sign by keeping it lit, but there are unnecessary lights on in Chuck Sitton Tower and on the field.

The money to pay the electricity bills must come from somewhere, which makes me wonder who is paying for the lights to be constantly on.

Even if the money isn’t being pulled from students’ tuition, this money could be spent in better ways to directly assist student athletes.

Despite the positive move to conserve energy, I would rather have full control of the temperature in buildings alongside a dark stadium, versus having extreme temperatures and a bright field.

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 79609 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu

ments and tests coming up the next week.

Also, self-care and health are vital to survive college.

Let’s recognize that by this point in the semester, everyone plus their roommate and boyfriend are all sick with strep, the flu or bronchitis… maybe even all at once.

Students and teachers need time to prioritize their health by having a longer fall break to catch up on sleep and life. Having a longer fall break around week eight or nine would

significantly improve the work-life balance for most undergraduate students, especially because this rest would come right after the major stress of midterms.

Additionally, a longer fall break would allow students to travel more and experience the world around them. Being stuck in Abilene without long enough weekends to experience other parts of the world can be depressing.

Seeing as the only other two breaks given in the

fall semester are national holidays, there is no dedicated break for rest, relaxation and enjoyment. Spring break occurs in the spring semester for a full week, so why not during the fall semester as well?

Allowing students to use the time as they wish to travel, catch up on sleep or see family would lead to a healthier, happier campus. I would love to have a break from 8 a.m.’s for a hot minute, and I can bet many others would agree.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Editorial Board should consider more endorsements NEAL COATES POLITICAL SCIENCE & CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEPARTMENT CHAIR

I am writing as a faculty member to encourage you to consider a larger slate of endorsements each political season. There are important races this year, for example, for Governor and State Representative, and even a local school bond election.

Only considering and giving one endorsement misses the opportunity to assist your college and other readers in knowing about candidates and issues.

THE

mariel @marieldelgado_ I have 666 unread emails on Halloween. Spooky jenna salzman @jsalzzzzz I love being friends with art students because they wear wild things like a mechanics jumpsuit with a brightly colored ascot and what else could you want?

Austin Allison @austincallison The only thing I’m guaranteed to show up on time to is my funeral and even that’s debatable what. @ragingfloortile Leaving for NYC is going to be hard because I’ll have to start at the bottom with my relationships with baristas :/ Rankin Dean @RankinBullard NEWS: After a petition signed by every single citizen, the city of Fort Worth has been changed to Fort Nite Kayla Hooka Hooka @Kayla_jnae It’s November 1st, so I can officially start playing Christmas music!

Andrew Thompson @Andrew_thomp_ I got 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 dollars in my bank account

O PTI M I ST

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Friday, November 02, 2018

Sports | Page 5

SOCCER

‘Cats defeat McNeese, advance to semifinal RACHEL POE SPORTS WRITER

Despite a 1-0 defeat by McNeese in the first match of the season, the Wildcats flipped their performance for the second meeting between the two on Wednesday winning 3-1.

This win advanced the team past the quarterfinal round and will now face Central Arkansas in the semifinal.

The first and only goal of the first half came from junior midfielder/defender, Shay Johnson in the 17th minute when her teammate, senior forward Dylan Owens passed her the ball and sailed it into the back of the net for her second goal of the season.

During the second half, senior defender/midfielder Caity Acosta earned her third goal of the season when she sent a lengthy shot past the Cowgirl’s keeper after a deflection from senior midfielder/forward Sophie Standifer. Acosta doubled the score in the 58th minute, giving ACU a 2-0 lead.

Acosta said she was thrilled when she scored her third goal of the season.

Photo by NICHOLAS CROMWELL CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Senior Caity Acosta scored the Wildcats’ go ahead goal during the second half.

“We knew one goal would not be enough against a tough McNeese team,” Acosta said. “It was a relief,

but as always, one of the best feelings in the world.”

Three minutes later, McNeese got on the scoreboard

with a goal from Keely Morrow, kicking the ball past redshirt junior goalkeeper Rachel Johnson.

The third and final goal came from senior midfielder Chelsea Reedy in the 63rd minute, when striking a high ball into the left corner which all but secured ACU’s spot in the semifinals at that point in the game. The goal was Reedy’s first of the season.

The Wildcats trailed 6-4 in shot attempts in the second half, and Johnson recorded six saves in the game, adding to a total of 75 saves this season.

ACU is tasked with a match against top-seeded Central Arkansas, a team that defeated the Wildcats 2-1 earlier in the season.

Johnson said the Bears will be challenging to face, but her team is ready for the match.

“UCA will be a very tough team, but I feel confident about the way our team has been performing lately,” Johnson said. “It will be a very good game and I expect it to be about regarding shots and dominance. We just have to keep our heads up in the game and keep the momentum going.”

Gametime is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday in Beaumont.

FOOTBALL

Football seeks fourth conference win against Demons MAX PESTON SPORTS DIRECTOR

For the first time since 2014, the football team will have a chance to win its fourth conference game as a Div. I program when it welcomes Northwestern State on Saturday.

The Wildcats defeated Incarnate Word, HBU, Central Arkansas and SFA in 2014. This year, ACU will try to add the Demons to its list after defeating HBU, Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana.

Head coach Adam Dorrel said he wants to stay on a roll after winning two games in a row.

“We’re trying to keep our momentum captured and generate off the momentum we’ve had in the last couple weeks,” Dorrel said. “We’re also trying

to use the fact that we’re coming off a bye week and have had extra practices against Northwestern. We think that’s a big positive for us.”

ACU will go into the game with a 4-4 overall record and a 3-3 conference record while the Demons have a 3-5 overall record and a 2-4 Southland record.

Northwestern State defeated HBU and Lamar in Southland play this year, but lost to Southeastern Louisiana, Nicholls, Sam Houston and Central Arkansas.

Despite being behind in the standings (ninth place), the Demons boast the top passing offense in the conference. They rank first in passing yards per game with 318.6 and are second in total passing yards with 2,549.

Southeastern Louisiana is in first with 2,740, but has

played one more game than Northwestern State.

Their passing success is attributed to LSU transfer wide receiver Jazz Ferguson. He leads the conference in receiving yards with 852 as well as yards per game with 106.5 making him the only receiver who is averaging 100 plus yards. He also found the endzone eight times, the second most of receivers in the conference.

Junior quarterback Shelton Eppler has seen most of the reps under center for the Demons this season. He’s completed 128 passes on 209 attempts for 1679 yards and 14 touchdowns.

For ACU, junior transfer running back Billy McCrary and redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Anthony stand out offensively in the conference.

McCrary has run for 691 yards which is the second most in the conference. He also leads all starting running backs in yards per carry with 9.2.

Anthony has thrown for the third most yards out of the Southland quarterbacks with 2294 which also gives him the third highest passing yards per game at 286.8. As far as touchdown passes, Anthony moves up one spot to second with 18 on the year sitting under HBU quarterback Bailey Zappe’s 21.

Dorrel said he’s proud of Anthony’s leadership so far and would rank him among the top quarterbacks in the conference.

“He’s right there. I think for me, I’m excited about Luke’s growth and progress because he wants to be great,” Dorrel said. “Any-

body would tell you, if you’re gonna be great on offense, you got to have great leadership at the quarterback spot and I feel like he’s continuing to develop that in his game.”

In last year’s matchup between the two teams, the Wildcats lost in a heartbreaking fashion. The game went into overtime and Northwestern State ended up making a field goal in its first possession.

ACU then got the ball and eventually lined up for a field goal but missed from 34 yards giving them a 2623 loss.

Anthony was the starting quarterback and threw for 345 yards along with two touchdowns.

This Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium. Coverage is aired on 98.1 FM.

STANDINGS Volleyball Team

Ovrl. Div.

SFA SHSU UCA ACU TAMU-CC McNeese NWSU HBU UNO UIW Lamar SLU Nicholls

25-2 20-5 20-5 13-12 7-18 8-20 9-12 9-12 11-17 6-16 6-18 2-22 3-23

Soccer

Team

Ovrl.

UCA HBU Lamar ACU McNeese SLU NWSU SFA UIW TAMU-CC SHSU Nicholls

15-3-1 10-7-1 11-5-2 12-5-1 13-6-1 7-6-4 10-9 5-8-3 3-12-1 5-9-3 3-12-3 3-15

12-0 12-1 10-2 10-3 6-6 6-7 5-6 5-6 5-8 4-8 3-10 1-10 1-12

Div. 10-1 8-2-1 7-2-2 7-3-1 7-3-1 4-4-3 4-7 3-5-3 3-7-1 2-7-2 2-7-2 1-10

Football

Team

Ovrl.

McNeese UCA Nicholls SHSU UIW ACU Lamar SLU NWSU SFA HBU

6-2 5-3 5-3 5-3 4-4 4-4 4-4 3-6 3-5 2-6 1-7

Div. 5-1 4-2 4-2 4-2 4-2 3-3 3-3 3-4 2-4 2-5 0-6

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Soccer

Acosta Senior defender/midfielder Caity Acosta and her team defeated McNeese 3-1 in the Southland quarterfinals Wednesday. Acosta scored the Wildcats’ second goal, which also ended up being the game winner. The team will now move on to the semifinals and face Central Arkansas Friday afternoon.

Cross Country

FOOTBALL MATCHUP PREVIEW 2018 STATS 32.3

ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

POINTS PER GAME

24.1

179.0

RUSHING YARDS PG

94.9

290.1

PASSING YARDS PG

318.6

27.9 POINTS ALLOWED PG 34.3

(4–4)

MAX PRESTON SPORTS DIRECTOR

RACHEL POE SPORTS WRITER

Graham

NORTHWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY (3–5)

BRIAN SWEET SPORTS REPORTER

LEXI KIRGAN SPORTS REPORTER

I’m actually fired up about the state of the ACU football team right now, and I think we’re one of the top teams in the conference. When you take out only a few mistakes in the three Southland games the Wildcats loss, they win each of those and are undefeated in conference right now.

There’s a lot that could have been for the team this year, but mathematically, ACU is still in the race for a playoff spot. This means they have to win out in their last three games. They start with Northwestern State this week, a team that is 2-4 in conference play. Despite a weak record, the team leads the Southland Conference in passing yards per game at 318.6 and are second in yards (2,549) to Southeastern Louisiana’s 2,740. Wide receiver Jazz Ferguson leads his team and the Conference in yards with 852. He will be a tough man to stop, but I think the Wildcats keep their momentum after a win against SLU and rest from the bye week. ACU comes out on top by a touchdown or two.

Northwestern is 2-4 in conference and there is not doubt in my mind that the Wildcats can pull a win if they show up to play how they did during their last game against Southeastern.

Demons had a total of 484 yards last game against Houston Baptist, while the Wildcats had a total of 612 yards against SLU. Last year ACU lost 23-26 in OT to NSU, but if Abilene Christian shows up and blocks SLU’s wide receiver, Ferguson, and holds off Fletcher, their quarterback, they will come out 4-3 Saturday.

In order for the Wildcats to get a possible bid into the tournament, they would have to have three flawless blowout victories starting with Northwestern State. ACU cannot start out of the gate slowly, which I fear because of the bye last week. Northwestern State can rack up the points as they dropped 484 yards against Houston Baptist.

They have one of the top receivers in the conference in Jazz Ferguson, who reminds me of a Randy Moss/Calvin Johnson hybrid player. ACU cannot let him get open or else its game over and possibly no postseason for ACU Football. If the Wildcats can get out to a early lead on Saturday and contain Ferguson, I have no doubt that they can possibly get some attention f rom the FCS Selection committee as they make their f inal case for their f irst ever Division 1 postseason run.

Last weekend the Wildcats had their bye week so they should be rested and ready to go. They are currently 3-3 in conference and on a twogame win streak which is really big for them. In the Wildcats last game, they had 612 total yards. In the Demon’s last game they had 484 total yards. So if the Wildcats can continue to rack up these outstanding numbers, there is no doubt they will get the win. These next three games are very important for the Wildcats.

If they win them all, they could have the opportunity to go into post-season play for the f irst time being in Div. I. With that motivation, there is no doubt the Wildcats with have anything less than an outstanding performance on Saturday.

FINAL SCORE: ACU 42 NWSU 31

FINAL SCORE: ACU 35 NWSU 21

FINAL SCORE: ACU 42 NWSU 17

FINAL SCORE: ACU 35 NWSU 14

Senior Carnley Graham and her team competed in the Southland Conference Championships last weekend. Graham placed sixth individually out of 92 runners.

Her team came in eighth overall out of 13 schools. Levi Chambers was the highest finisher for the men at 25th out of 88 other competitors.

Both teams will next run in the NCAA South Central Regional Championships Friday, Nov. 9.

Volleyball

Sandercox

Over Volleyball’s last three games, junior outside hitter/right side Marybeth Sandercox totaled 21 kills for her team. She earned 13 in the loss against HBU and six in their match with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

As of now, the Wildcats sit at fourth in the conference standings with three games left to play. They were scheduled to face Central Arkansas Thursday and Stephen F. Austin Saturday.

For more visit acuoptimist.com

Page 6

Friday, November 2, 2018