Optimist Print Edition 08.29.22

ACUOPTIMIST.COM | Monday, August 29, 2022 | 1

A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912

1970 2022

BY CARRIE JOHNSTON | CO SPORTS DIRECTOR

Photo of Moody Coilseum from 1970. (TOP) & The newly renovated Moody Coliseum. (BOTTOM)

A better Mood(y): Coliseum reopens after renovation

BY SYDNEY VARNER & MACI WEATHERS EDITOR IN CHIEF & NEWSLETTER EDITOR

For many students and faculty, the large windows, neon signs and LED lights sitting a few yards north of the center of campus are unrecognizable.

For others, the new facility is all they’ve ever known. But to everyone, Moody Coliseum is a household name.

Sitting just adjacent to the heart of campus, Moody in its newly renovated glory is ushering in a new era for spiritual formation, athletics and culture, creating in itself a new heart of campus within its walls.

Moody reopened its doors in a grand opening ceremony Friday, though it was already being utilized throughout Wildcat Week for various events. Construction began in January of 2021, and the original plan was to have the facility open in the 2022 spring semester.

Large events and traditions, such as Opening Chapel and Sing Song, are set to take place in Moody Coliseum for the first time in two years, after both the COVID-19 pandemic and building renovation.

Impact of delays It’s no secret that construction in Moody took longer than expected. In fact, Moody was exactly one month behind schedule.

The delays in completion

of Moody were plinths underneath the basketball court floor and the supply chain issues that have disrupted the construction process.

Supply chain issues continue to hit the facility past the completion and opening of the space, with missing lights and graphics still being installed, said Kevin Campbell, senior vice president of operations.

“Right now they are still installing a lot of the graphics and we are still working through the architectural punch list,” Campbell said.

“As you complete the construction, then you walk through the facility with the design team and Architects to look for repairs.”

Before the construction was completed, Campbell said the pressure was to get the project done in a timely manner to minimize disruption on campus.

“But construction is always disruptive,” Campbell said.

“So to me, it’s not as much as pressure relief, it’s more about the excitement that we can open the facility to our entire community.”

Each part of the coliseum is dedicated to the past and the future of ACU athletics and events. The west side is dedicated to student events, and the east is dedicated to the history of athletics.

“Moody is a multipurpose arena,” Campbell said.

“ACU utilizes that arena more than I can think of

other colleges using their arena. It was important to us to not only pay tribute to the past from an athletic perspective but from a student use perspective.”

Commitment to Spiritual Formation For the past six decades, the three-times-a-week spiritual formation opportunity conducted in the arena, affectionately nicknamed “Moody Chapel,” has been a staple for students and alumni.

students swiping ID cards before taking their seats.

However, during the pandemic, the Office of Spiritual Life utilized apps like Compass for students to gain their spiritual formation points via QR codes.

Chapel in Moody will seem even more different to some because the Office of Spiritual Life have implemented a tap-in method instead of swiping or scanning.

In addition, with the increase of spiritual formation

“ACU utilizes that arena more than I can think of other colleges using their arena. It was important to us to not only pay tribute to the past from an athletic perspective, but from a student use perspective.”

KEVIN CAMPBELL SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS

With the loss of a building to facilitate this beloved university tradition, the Office of Spiritual Life explored different avenues of spiritual formation opportunities during the past two years.

Cyrus Eaton, dean of spiritual life and campus chaplain, said he and others in the Office of Spiritual Life are finding a new rhythm as the transition back to Moody begins by increasing their focus on leaders and on being servants in the new space.

In the past, Moody Chapel had a notable tradition of

requirements to 500 points from 400, new opportunities will exist for students to earn credit.

“We’ve developed different programs and initiatives that are meant to also be in support of spiritual formation,” Eaton said.

“And so now that we’re back with our big venues, our rhythms of what we’re at the beginning of the pandemic are similar, even though still slightly different.”

The continuation of small groups and finding different avenues for students to achieve the needed require-

ments were heavily relied upon during the pandemic.

These avenues will continue as the transition to Moody Coliseum continues.

“Often in our office, we say that spiritual formation isn’t just something that students come and are required to do,” Eaton said.

“Rather as a university, it’s a commitment that we are all making to students, faculty and staff to grow in friendship with God and one another.”

Despite the changes, Moody Coliseum is a piece of the puzzle for the Office of Spiritual Life, Eaton said.

“One of the things that both Moody and then the Boone Family Theater allows us to do as we have done in the past is truly being able to say that there’s a seat for everyone,” Eaton said.

A new home for Athletics For the past two years the Teague Center has acted as the home for both men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. Teague, which is intended to be the indoor tennis facility on campus, was also home to weekly Chapel events, as well as Candlelight Devotionals, Sing Song Awards and other ACU traditions.

After two years of facility changes and adapting to a lack of space, the reopening of Moody is allowing all athletics facilities to be used for their intended purpose.

Zack Lassiter, director of

athletics, said he is both grateful for the tennis proTeague Center. He said he is excited for Moody to be available for use again, not just for athletics, but for the student body as a whole.

“I really appreciate Juan Nuñez and Bryan Rainwater and our tennis programs for allowing us to use their indoor facility the last two years for our basketball team so they didn’t have to play off campus, but I’m excited to have the Teague Center be for tennis and for Moody to be for basketball,” Lassiter said.

SEE PAGE 2

NEWS

Boone Family Theatre set to reopen PAGE 2

GALLERY

Editors Note The Optimist is continually committed to fair and equal coverage across all corner’s of the university and Abilene community as a whole.

While times are continuing to change and technology is continuing to advance, the Optimist is working to bring you the news effectively.

This year, the Optimsit will publish four print issues. This issue for the first day of classes, a special Homecoming issue, a Sing Song issue and a graduation issue.

We will be publish twice-weekly Optimist newsletters, one on Wednesday and one on Friday. The newsletters will come directly to your ACU email.

Be sure to follow our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well as keep up with our website:

Take a look back at Wildcat Week 2022

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Big season leads to extended contract

PAGE 8

2 | Monday, August 29, 2022 | NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“Moody’s really a shared facility. Certainly, it’s our home in athletics, but every student starts their career and ends their career at Moody.”

As far as the future of athletics is concerned, Lassiter has three goals for the department: For students to grow in their faith, encourage coaches to be spiritual leaders, and – plain and simple – win championships. Lassiter said the new facilities will bring a new energy to the teams

and the Department of Athletics, but it’s not just the facilities that matter.

“It’s a matter of having facilities and infrastructure where a student feels like they can invest in being the best selves they could be, and I think what our facilities are doing is providing a place where that can happen, where they believe that this is a university that wants to invest,’’ Lassiter said.

“This is important, but it comes about the people that are in those buildings,

too.”

Bringing back culture While the reopening of Moody means something different to the students, faculty, staff and alumni, the overarching meaning of Moody, said Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, can be summed up in one word: connectedness.

“We as an institution push people into places and spaces where we can enjoy that sense of com-

munity because we know it may be hard for some, especially those who haven’t experienced that yet,” Schubert said. “What we’ve talked about with the senior leadership team level is making sure to have heavy promotion and visibility of these major opportunities for students and faculty and staff to feel connected again as a community. And we’re going to work really hard to make that highly visible.”

In addition to community, the Moody renova-

tion worked to preserve the culture by using the same structure built in the 1960s.

“There’s so many aspects of it that feel like it’s brand new, and yet we still get to enjoy knowing that we’re in a facility that was built back in the late ‘60s and has been a big part of the history and culture of ACU for decades,” Schubert said. “And yet it feels new and state of the art.”

Overall, Schubert is excited Moody is creating

a central gathering place again.

“I’m just super excited aout that part of the cohesiveness of ACU, which Moody over the decades has been a major catalyst for bringing people together, causing us to feel connected and as a bigger part of something,” Schubert said.

“I think we’re going to feel that immediately on Monday. I felt that the other night with freshmen there. It’s just a great sense of being together.”

Boone Family Theatre construction nears finish line

BY PAIGE TAYLOR NEWS WRITER

The finishing touches are being added to the newly named Boone Family Theatre as the school year launches into full gear.

The construction began in early summer of 2021. The goal was for everything to have been completed four to six weeks ago.

“It will still be open and ready for this fall but what we had hoped to do was have a little bit more time this summer to learn the facility, learn the AV and all the technical components of the facility,” said Kevin Campbell, senior vice president for operations.

A new grand lobby, backstage and restrooms are a few of the more noticeable changes.

Changes that may not be as easily noticed include the new lights and new HVAC system.

The seating capacity is now 650, which is about 100 less than before.

The creation of a new sound booth and aisles caused the loss of seating.

Although the $9.5 million project has not been significantly impacted by inflation, supply chain issues have slowed down the completion of some parts of the renovation until December.

BY CARRIE JOHNSTON | CO-SPORTS DIRECTOR The south entrace of the Boone Family Theatre, which will begin to house students in September.

“We are doing things like renting lights to start off instead of having our permanent lights set in…,” Campbell said.

“The majority of the users will never know the supply chain challenges or see or experience it.”

The grand opening of the theatre will be in October when the ACU Theatre Department will utilize the new space for their production of the homecoming musical, The Little Mermaid.

Previously the production was held downtown at the

Abilene Civic Center. This year musical attendees won’t have to go off campus to see the show.

“I think everyone is really excited to get started and to have a space that we get to call our own,” said Emilie Reed, senior musical theatre

major from Salem, Oregon.

The theatre department will begin rehearsing in the theatre on Sept. 26.

“We get a lot more time to get used to the space, especially as performers which will be really nice,” Reed said.

“Getting used to the acoustics in the room and how the sound works and the lights work and the stage itself works…. that will be really nice to have that.”

The homecoming musical will run from Oct. 13 to Oct. 16.

University releases a multifaceted five-year stragetic plan The university released its newest five-year strategic plan, outlining initiatives in six separate categories overall focused on student experiences, financial foundations and elevating the university’s academic brand.

The plan was presented in the annual faculty pre-session meeting Aug. 24 by Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, and provost Dr. Robert Rhodes.

The six categories that make up the strategic plan are as follows: • Elevate ACU’s academic brand to that of a

world-class, faith-based national university • Provide a vibrant student experience that strengthens ACU’s commitment to spiritual formation and leverages ACU’s nation leadership in student success • Promote an internal cul-

ture that celebrates every individual as created uniquely in God’s image • Provide a nationally competitive, Christ-centered athletics program that extends the university’s brand and propels ACU’s mission.

• Strengthen ACU’s finan-

cial foundation to aggressively pursue the strategic opportunities • Develop ACU’s campuses through enhancements that will support our strategic objectives, facilitates growth and provide long-term stewardship of physical assets Of these six categories there are multiple metrics being tracked for improvement as well as goals in all areas of the university.

A few of the more notable goals include increasing ACU Online enrollment by

“The logic is that an institution’s academic profile is most effectively strengthened at the graduate level.”

DR. PHIL SCHUBERT PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY

150%, improving graduate degree offerings by introducing more Ph.D. programs and exploring options of offering advanced medical degrees.

Schubert said in conjunction with the goal of improving the graduate programs, the overall academic brand will be improved by doing so.

“The logic is that an institution’s academic profile is most effectively strengthened at the graduate level,” Schubert said.

As far as advanced medical degrees are concerned,

ABILENE 101

Oct. 13-16, 2022 acu.edu/homecoming

the university is working to “complete an exhaustive feasibility study for a new Health Sciences Center” according to the strategic plan.

Schubert said there may be progress on this front.

“I expect there will be a recommendation for us to move forward with a medical school,” Schubert said.

However, the recommendation is the first step in a long process of deciding whether or not a Health Sciences Center is feasible for the university.

Another goal in the strategic plan states a hope to “compound recent enrollment gains to allow ACU to enroll an entering freshman class of 950 students each fall.”

As of this semester, the estimated freshmen enrollment is 944 freshmen, a significant increase from the previous year.

“We’re up 70 freshmen, I feel great about the rebound,” Schubert said.

“That’s where we need to be.”

Despite the detailed metrics laid out in the plan, Schubert wants people to understand the focus on improving the academic profile of the university.

“What I want people to know is that the overarching focus is to improve an academic file,” Schubert said. “We are pushing the envelope to elevate your academic brand.”

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BY SYDNEY VARNER EDITOR IN CHIEF

702 N. 2nd St, Abilene, TX 79601 (325)-400-0288

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OBITUARY | Monday, August 29, 2022 | 3

ACU REMEMBERS Memorializing dearly missed members of the ACU community Over the summer, several members of the ACU community passed away.

Now we honor them, their memories and the impact they have with the greater Abilene Community. Each

of those who have passed away this summer was beloved member of the community and they will be dearly missed.

The ACU Counseling Center is available on campus

and can be reached at counseling@acu.edu or 325-6742626, and counseling services are also available through our telehealth provider, Wildcat Care.

Communication Law, Opinion Writing and Publication Design, also advised The Optimist and many students remember one thing about their time working with him: the red pen.

Mary Jackson (‘89) served as the Optimist sports editor her senior year.

“My memories of being an Optimist sports editor as a non-mass comm/journalism major … so much red ink,” Jackson said.

“I think I probably helped Doc keep the Bic

ten at the top. ‘Nice job!’ I was so happy. It never happened again. Dr. Marler and his red pen taught me to stand back, take another look and ask: How can it be better?”

But above all of the grueling editing and meticulous standards, ‘Doc’ was helped his students grow as both communicators and people.

Doc created an environment for learning that helped students rise to the top of their potential with his quiet confidence and careful correction,” said

Dr. Charlie H. Marler

BY SYDNEY VARNER EDITOR IN CHIEF

Dr. Charlie “Doc” Marler (‘55), professor emeritus of journalism and mass communication and influential historian, died May 27, 2022 at the age of 89 following a short illness.

Marler held a revered career at the university, serving and mentoring students for 58 years.

Marler earned a B.A. in English in 1955 and a M.A. in history in 1968, both from ACU, and later earned his doctorate

in journalism from the University of Missouri in 1974.

Marler’s 58 year career continued when he served as ACU’s first sports information director from 1958-1963, director of information and publications from 1964-1971.

Marler began teaching in what became the Journalism and Mass Communication Department in 1974 and served in various roles in the department until 2003.

Marler, whose teaching specialities including

pen company in business.”

And while the red ink was legendary amongst students, it wasn’t always what students would find on their pages.

“Freshman year, every week I would see The Optimist pinned on the wall marked up with Doc’s red pen,” said Sharla Smalling (‘90).

“The first time I designed a page for The Optimist, I nervously waited for the mark up to be hung.

To my surprise, the only red on my page was writ-

Allison Wood (‘90).

“He allowed space for freedom of thought, questions to be asked and conclusions to be drawn…

Doc helped his students grow into ethical communicators and we are all grateful for this leadership and counsel.”

Dr. Marler is preceded in death by his parents, William Owen Marler and Velma Valentine Marler McCabe.

He is survived by his wife Peggy, sons and daughtersin-law and his grandchildren, including three

Stephen Ornelas Stephen Ornelas passed away Jul. 21, 2022. Ornelas, a student at the university, was the son of Monica Garcia, an instructor in the Department of Communication Science Disorders. Ornelas passed away on his 21st birthday.

Ornelas graduated from Cooper High School and was initially pursuing an education major, but had recently decided to explore other options of study.

Ornelas was an active member and incoming officer of Voice, the student education and support group on campus.

His mother Garcia said Ornelas found different places to fit in in the community being his authentic self and made friends across the board.

“I think within the Voice community he was encouraged to feel like he could still make a difference here at ACU and really just be courageous in that,” Garcia said. “ I think as a mom, I know what he meant to us as a family and where he fit in in our family and all the attributes that we loved about him.

But I think what’s been really good is that everybody else said the same things, courage, authenticity, kindness, his faith,

all of those things that we appreciated about him.

That was what everybody else saw about him as well.”

Ornelas was a part of a larger family with siblings ranging in age from 23 to three-years-old.

Garcia said his element was from a family standpoint and that if you ask any of her kids who their favorite sibling was, they would all say Stephen.

To Garcia and Ornelas’ siblings, it seemed like Stephen always had something going on.

“I think my favorite thing about him is his energy,” Garcia said.

“It’s just that’s what we were saying, that we missed so much. It’s his laughter and his infectious energy, he always had something going on. It was like, he would throw open the door because he lived in our backyard in a little house that he had built, and come into our garage, and have a plan.”

This birthday was no expectation as Ornelas, who was passionate about music, fashion and photography, was planning a photoshoot.

“He was always wanting, especially around his birthday, to do photo shoots,” Garcia said.

“He had a theme every year that he was going to do. He was always just like that. He just always had a lot of energy and a lot of plans.”

Ornelas grew up actively participating in the church, specifically the Catholic Church, where he served as an altar server and attended youth groups and young adult groups.

“I feel like even all of the young adults that were in his group felt the same as far as he would just check in on them and create those lasting friendships.

He was finding how his personal relationship with God fit into things,” Garcia said. “ I think that he was doing a good job of trying to figure that out.”

To Ornelas himself, the most important piece of advice was this: be yourself.

“Be you,” Ornelas said in a writing his mother read at his funeral. “Only two opinions matter in this world.

That is what you and God think of yourself.

Never give someone power over you, diminish your light for no one, change for no one but yourself.”

Ornelas is survived by his mother, and his siblings.

Dr. Andrea Di Stefano Dr. Andrea Di Stefano passed away June 6, 2022 while visiting his family in Italy. Di Stefano, an adjunct professor of history and global studies, held a doctor of research from the Università degli Studi di Teramo in Italy.

Before moving to Abilene in 2016, Di Stefano worked in two leading museums in Italy and taught for the University of New Hampshire’s Study Abroad program.

During his time at ACU, he taught classes in Abilene and online through ACU Dallas, in turn mentoring hundreds of students while work-

ing toward receiving his Master of Divinity degree in the Graduate School of Theology.

According to Dr. Kelly Elliott, associate professor and department chair in the History and Global Studies department, Di Stefano was working on his thesis on Church of Christ mission work in Italy.

While in Italy during te summer, Di Stefano had planned to visit the Vatican where he had received permission to visit some recently opened archives.

“He had actually just gotten permission to visit some recently opened ar-

Dr. Paul Faulkner

Dr. Paul B. Faulkner (‘52) died July 5, 2022 at the age of 92.

Faulkner, depending on the era, may be remembered as a minister, teacher, colleague or one half of the Marriage Enrichment Seminar he started with Dr. Carl Brecheen (‘52).

Faulkner earned a masters degree from ACU in 1961 and both masters and doctoral degrees majoring in psychology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in

1966 and 1968.

Faulkner founded the Marriage and Family Institute at ACU in 1979 and was a licensed marriage and family therapist and a clinical and supervisory member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy.

In 1974, Brecheen and Faulkner conducted the first seminar as a part of their series of Marriage Enrichment Seminars.

Five years later, anoth-

BY MONICA TREJO

Watercolor painting memorializing Stephen Ornelas painted by Monica Trejo

chives in the Vatican related to that, and that’s a really hard thing…you can’t just email the Vatican,” Elliot said.

“He was really excited that he had gotten that permission.”

Many students and colleagues would recall that Di Stefano was Catholic and spoke from that perspective and overall used his connections and skills to help broaden the worldview of students in ways other faculty may not have.

“He really just broadened the world of our students in a way that a lot of faculty maybe didn’t have

the ability to do just because he was from such a different point of view,” Elliot said.

“He was also very much a Catholic and really spoke from that perspective, so I think it was nice for students in this more Church of Christ or broadly evangelical environment to hear that different perspective within the Christian tradition.”

However, despite all of his accolades and accomplishments, perhaps one of the most memorable things about Dr. Di Stefano was his love of all things Texas and cowboy culture.

“This small Italian man who’s very charming and very gentlemanly and traditional, who also wore, like, a large belt buckle and boots and hat and loved the music,” Elliot said.

“So that was just always a really funny, quirky thing about him that he was known for and students looked for his hat and all of that.”

Before he passed, Di Stefano was looking for land in the Abilene area seemingly to live out his cowboy dream, but in the interim, his colleagues in the History and Global Studies Department took matters into

their own hands.

“Dr. Amanda Biles and Professor Beth Purcell redid an office for him, and they did it in a country western theme so there was this fake cow skin rug on the floor, we had a deer skull on the wall, and that was something that we did without him being aware of it,” Elliot said.

“And so he just came in one day and walked in, and it was all done. He was loved enough by students and colleagues that we wanted to redecorate his office. He was special.”

Di Stefano is survived by his parents and his brother.

er seminar drew upwards of 1,00 attendees and was videotaped and distributed, in total being seen by more than 2 million people worldwide.

Dr. Heidi Morris, associate professor in the Department of Marriage and Family Studies said that Faulkner’s legacy extends far beyond his seminars.

“He has the best visionary skill and also the ability to put things into practice,” Morris said.

“I think at the heart of

what I know of him and his family, he had a passion for his own family and his own marriage and his life of faith.

I think that influenced his desire to want to help other people have healthy and rewarding marriages and family.”

Faulkner’s passion for service and teaching left a mark on the department and a new center is being named the Paul and Gladys Faulkner Center for Marriage and Family

which will run educational efforts for the department.

Faulkner retired from the university in 1992 and continued to teach adjunct while founding his company Resources for Living, a counseling service for major American businesses including McLance Trucking, Walmart and others.

“It’s pretty revolutionary.” Morris said.

“His founding of Resources for a Living was very successful and really tapped into some of cor-

porate America in making connections for employees for mental health services.”

Faulkner is preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Consuelo Faulkner, Gladys, his wife of 64 years and sisters Dartha Fay Starr and Jean Faulkner.

He is survived by two daughters, two sons and their spouses as well as eight grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

4 | Monday, August 29, 2022 | MEDIA GALLERY

WELCOMING NEW WILDCATS

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Admissions counselor Macy McAlister gives directions to a parent outside of Mabee Hall.

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Freshman take photos of the sky and listen to professor emeritus Randy Harris.

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Volunteers line up to unload cars outside of Bullock Hall.

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Owen Fisher, freshman architecture and interior design major from Abilene, lights his neighbors candle.

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Trevon Hardy, senior management major from Houston, helps direct traffic in front of Bullock Hall.

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Students and families pray at the end of the Goodbye Blessing.

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Dr. John Boyles, associate professor of Bible, missions and ministry, gives advice to incoming freshmen.

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Families walk across campus arm in arm.

MEDIA GALLERY | Monday, August 29, 2022 | 5

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Two students celebrate a winning shot.

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

The Noble Nines Wildcat Week group gives answers for the trivia game.

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

A freshman Wildcat Week group play 9 Square outside of the Royce Money Recreation Center.

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

A new Wildcat focuses as she traps a ball.

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

A new Wildcat loses control of her scooter.

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Students compete to win the game of water volleyball.

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Students celebrate after making the winning shot in the basketball game.

6 | Monday, August 29, 2022 | FEATURES

BY SYDNEY VARNER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Student directors celebrate a sucessful Goodbye Blessing.

Director team worked together to welcome new Wildcats

BY SHERIDAN WOOD FEATURES EDITOR

Every year, new Wildcats gather the week before their first ACU classes to meet new friends, get acquainted with campus and learn the school’s traditional songs.

And every year, a group of motivated students makes it happen, with hopes to give the incoming freshman class a fun and welcoming week to begin their college experience.

A team of eight student directors carry the responsibility of ensuring that new students have a safe and fun environment to make their first ACU memories. They spent the last nine months planning 30-plus team building and tradition-in-

stilling events for the over 1,000 freshman and transfer students who participated in Wildcat Week.

Events throughout the week were not just all over campus, but all over Abilene. From bouncing at the trampoline park, to paddling at Lake Fort Phantom, to enjoying an on-campus carnival, the student directors facilitated a way for new students to get familiar with their college campus and town.

Planning so many events takes a lot of time and coordination. One of the directors is Sam Carter, a senior electrical engineering major from San Antonio.

He said communication has been key in working

with the university and different organizations to get all of the on campus events on the calendar.

“There’s just so much scheduling and planning that you have to do,” Carter said. “You basically have to be thinking 10 steps ahead.”

Although planning is a big part of the team’s job, the directors are in charge of many small behind-thescenes details that go into making the week. Abby Young, senior advertising and public relations major from Skippack, Pennsylvania, is on the student director team this year. She said some of the extra details include choosing the curriculum for the mentor groups and training the mentor

group leaders, setting up games like Nine Square for the group olympics and even making sure boats used for the olympics float in the pool.

“It’s the perfect crossover between the oversight and planning and the boots on the ground, nitty-gritty stuff of it,” Young said.

Although it is a lot of work, Young said it was important to her to give students a meaningful experience.

“I love the idea that I can give someone the feeling that they’re home, the feeling that I have had at ACU,” she said. “Something that a lot of the directors this year have been super intentional about trying with our leaders

and with those around us is just trying to get to know everyone. Obviously we aren’t all going to know everyone, but I want people to feel like they can find a friend here, find a home here.”

Carter echoes Young’s determination to get to know the new students and make them feel welcome at ACU. “I find the most joy in meeting the people that we [planned] all of these events for, and just donating 100% of my energy to all of the things that we are doing,” Carter said.

In the aftermath of a successful Wildcat Week, the directors’ hard work seems to have payed off. Emma

Jaax, a junior accounting and finance major from San Antonio who participated in Wildcat Week as a peer group leader, expressed her appreciation for the enthusiasm the directors have brought to the student volunteers.

“They’re fantastic,” Jaax said. “I’ve really enjoyed their spirit and organization.”

Now that Wildcat Week 2022 is over, Student Life officials will begin the application process to choose next year’s Wildcat Week student directors in the coming fall months. The planning process will begin again, and a new group of dedicated directors will join the cycle in keeping ACU’s traditions alive.

New ACU business owners seek to serve Abilene community

BY SHERIDAN WOOD FEATURES EDITOR

Over the past few years, Abilene has been expanding with new businesses and infrastructure, several of which are owned and operated by members of the ACU community. In 2022, three of Abilene’s newest businesses run by ACU staff and students have opened – or are in the process of opening – and take ACU’s mission of service into the local community.

Bahama Bucks

Dodd Roberts serves students as director of ACU’s

Halbert Center for Missions and Global Service, and although his ACU job centers around service throughout the world, he’s also serving the local Abilene community via snowcones, smoothies and acai bowls as the owner of Bahama Bucks in Allen Ridge.

The shop just opened in February after a two year delay thanks to COVID. Now that the store has been up and running for a few months, Roberts said the response from both the community and university students has been “fantastic”...

“We get so many ACU students over here, and faculty and staff, and we are blessed to have that and are excited about it.”

In addition to giving the community a place to cool down with cold treats in Abilene’s hot summer temperatures, Roberts also uses his store to carry ACU’s mission into the community by investing in the lives of his employees and facilitating a variety of fundraising events.

“We view this shop as an opportunity to glorify God’s name in the community and with our crew and with our guests,” Roberts said.

The snowcone shop couldn’t have opened at a better time, as its first summer in operation came in a season of record-breaking high temperatures for the Abilene area. Even as the weather starts to cool down, the community will be able to enjoy the franchise’s treats all year long.

Summer Moon

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Dodd Roberts opened Bahama Bucks just in time for a heatwave.

Another business new to Allen Ridge is Summer Moon. ACU head men’s tennis coach and alumnus Juan Nuñez (‘10, ‘13) and his wife and alumnae Shelby Nuñez (‘13) opened the doors of Abilene’s newest coffee shop on Aug. 13.

Shelby said the couple has loved Summer Moon’s coffee since 2011 when they first started going to an Austin branch. In 2020, she and Juan emailed the CEO of the franchise and their jour-

ney to becoming coffee shop owners began.

“It’s been a labor of love,” Shelby said. “It’s been a long time coming. We’ve had, probably just like any business owner, hurdles to jump through.”

Shelby said she and Juan have been praying over the shop for months, even before the groundbreaking, as they hope to create a place the community can enjoy.

“We want it to be a place where people can gather and fellowship together over a good cup of coffee,” Shelby said.

And in their two weeks of being open, Shelby and Juan seem to have created just that. On opening day, Shelby said the door barely closed as the line stretched out of the building, and the shop has stayed bustling ever since.

Seven and One

Within the next few weeks, an independent-style book shop will join Abilene’s downtown scene as the Kasselmans work toward opening their book sanctuary.

The Kasselman family has a role in the Seven and One book shop, and Spencer Kasselman, a senior Bible major from Abilene, is the general manager. He said the vision behind the bookstore is to give Abilene a place for collective learning.

“We want it to be a place when you open the door, through the products that we sell, through our team behind the counter and

BY MEGHAN LONG | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Spencer Kasselman hopes to open Seven and One book shop by September. walking the floor, that you have been properly seen and understood and actively being welcomed in that space, no matter who you are,” Kasselman said.

In addition to Seven and One, Kasselman’s dad David is one of the three owners of Grain Theory, right next door to the new bookstore.

Kasselman said the family is looking forward to opening the shop and giving

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“It’s one of the few businesses in modern times that you just simply go just to browse and just to exist within the space,” he said. “You can take away something without even buying anything.”

Construction may delay the opening but Kasselman said the family hopes to open the shop in September.

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NEWS | Monday, August 29, 2022 | 7

BY MARIAH WILLIAMS | BREAKING NEWS EDITOR

Old GATA Fountain turned into a flower bed.

New GATA fountain moves in front of Moody Coliseum

BY MARIAH WILLIAMS BREAKING NEWS EDITOR

Crews are working to relocate the GATA fountain, a central point on campus since 1970, to a new home.

The new fountain will be about 40 yards north of its current location south of Moody Coliseum.

It will be the center of a plaza area for students to have a spot to congregate before Chapel or in between classes.

The fountain is designed to have a crescent shape

with a flowing stream of water starting from the center and spilling to the sides.

What prompted the conversation was a mixture of the renovations to Moody and GATA members wanting a change with the fountain in general, Kevin Campbell, senior vice president of operations, said.

“Instead of having two things that were competing against each other, we pitched the idea to them: what if we made that feature the GATA fountain and moved it north a little

closer to Moody?” Campbell said.

“We showed them some renderings and they really thought it was a great idea.”

In place of the old fountain is a flower bed that will remain until further notice to pay homage to its previous presence.

GATA members have mixed emotions about the move of such a central part of campus and their club.

Kristin Emmert, a sophomore math major from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said she will miss the place-

ment and history of it.

“I liked it being in the middle of campus and a part of campus traditions and I feel it might take away from that,” Emmert said. “I see the benefits from it being in front of Moody.”

Julia Dobbs, a senior graphic design major from Allen, said she hopes the new design will hold beauty that reflects the sorority.

“Maybe make the flowers a bit more red, because our colors are red and white,” Dobbs said.

“As long as they make it

look nice and take care of it, I think it should be great. It is sad to see something old go, but also exciting to see new things for GATA.” The GATA fountain went through renovations to the current design in the early 2000s.

Campbell said its design was based on the trends during that time and the Olympics.

“In the 1996 Olympics, there were some fountains that were similar to what we have now,” Campbell said.

“That became the trend

but we’ve had struggles with the concept over the years with the Abilene wind.”

The original GATA fountain served somewhat as a wading pool for students.

They would jump and emerge themselves in the fountain for fun. Campbell said that over time, the fountain “lost its character” and prompted a change in design.

Construction plans to be completed and have the new fountain in full operation by October 2022 in time for Homecoming.

Administration individualizes health response to COVID-19

BY RYLAND MALLETT NEWS WRITER

The new guidelines announced Aug. 15 mean the university will no longer conduct contact tracing of the COVID-19 virus and will not manage or require isolation or quarantine for those who test positive for highly communicable diseases.

Dr. Tamara Long, vice president for student life, announced ACU’s updated guidelines for addressing highly communicable diseases like COVID-19 and monkeypox in an email.

University leaders ask faculty and students to report positive cases to the Weber Medical Clinic to continue monitoring trends and caseloads throughout the year.

“I think in the pandemic we were trying to layer policies on to everybody and there were places that was helpful at times and there were other places where that wasn’t very helpful at times,” Long said.

“And so I think we are able to move back now to personal care and addressing individuals and not

the whole.”

Individual professors now have the authority to determine attendance policies and expectations for illness related absences in their classes.

Administration recommends sick students stay at home in their dorm or off campus housing until they are well or approved by their healthcare provider to return to class.

“I am thankful that I know that’s not a fear I have to have anymore,” Jonah Norcross, junior DET major from Georgetown said.

“I get to be in person. I get to do things without this abnormal fear that we had for two years of physical health.”

Long said she recognizes the ACU community has people with varying concerns about the physical and mental health of themselves and others.

She said conversations between students and faculty about individual anxieties will help shift the community back into a sense of normalcy.

“We are back [to the normal] regardless of where

people feel in comfort to that and I am hopeful if anything we have learned to allow people to have the ability to choose for themselves what is best at this point,” Long said.

The absence of strict health guidelines means campus activities can return to a state students have not seen in two years.

Long says she has missed the big Chapel most since the beginning of the pandemic.

“We are excited to have students back and to feel like we have students that are going to get to experience ACU fully

and to watch our sophomores and juniors get to experience a part of ACU they have not gotten to experience yet.”

Norcross and other students notice the small changes to the campus like reusable utensils in the bean, extra outdoor seating and in person classes.

“I think this specific class has a lack of connection with ACU itself,” Jonah Norcross said.

“There is not a lot of school spirit that I think you would have seen in a lot of previous classes because of the lack of guidelines.”

Study Abroad will be sent off students for fall semester

BY JAYLYNN WARD NEWS WRITER

Students will be leaving on Wednesday for their semester-long study abroad destinations.

35 students are studying abroad this semester andhad a choice between three programs in Montevideo, Uruguay; Leipzig, Germany; and Oxford, England.

Of the three, 24 students will going to Oxford, six to Montevideo and five to Leipzig. These programs al-

low students to live in different places and experience different cultures for an entire semester while also getting university class credits.

ACU is constantly improving these programs to give students the best experience.

These changes are based on feedback they received from previous students.

“We have gotten a lot better at communicating with the students,” said Anna Johnston, student study abroad ambassador and junior management and mar-

keting major from Waco.

The Study Abroad office has also started to reach out to students to improve the scheduling and experiences during the trips by adapting classes and other aspects of the trips to give students the opportunity to go out and explore.

These programs are also changing as COVID restrictions continue to loosen.

The restrictions depend on what each country has in place for people traveling.

“You don’t have to be tested before entering [Uruguay],” said Mya Parker, program assistant for Montevideo.

As ACU is making initiatives to improve programs for students.

One of the most recent ways has been through the purchase and renovation of a house in Oxford for students and faculty to live in as they study abroad.

The first residents moved into the facility in fall of 2021 after more than 30

years of students staying in leased facilities.

This house accommodates 26 students and faculty with eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, two kitchens, five reception rooms, a studio and an outside deck and backyard.

Study abroad students will be sent off with a goodbye in the Hunter Welcome Center at 1:30 p.m. onWednesday.

This sendoff will include time to say words of encouragement to stu-

dents who will leave and a group prayer before they depart.

The Study Abroad office will also be hosting an annual application day party for students that are interested in studying abroad in future semesters.

This event will give information about different programs and will offer advice and guidance in the application process.

This will take place in September, but the official date has not been set.

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8 | Monday, August 29, 2022 | SPORTS

Patterson ushers in a new era for ACU football

BY CARRIE JOHNSTON CO-SPORTS DIRECTOR

New head football coach Keith Patterson and the Wildcats are preparing for the start of the 2022 season, which is marked by the conclusion of fall camp and the upcoming Sept. 1 matchup against familiar foe the Lamar Cardinals.

Patterson has his work cut out for him with ACU’s last winning season coming in 2018 when the Wildcats went 6-5. Patterson takes over a Wildcats team that encountered a fair share of struggles last season. Under former head coach Adam Dorrel, ACU finished 2021 with a 5-6 overall record. The morning after the Wildcats’ last game of the season, the Athletic Department revealed Dorrel would not return to coach at ACU. Two weeks later on Dec. 6, Patterson, the former defensive coordinator at Texas Tech became the new head coach of

the Wildcats. Before his hiring, Patterson was a part of coaching staffs across the country, from Tempe to Pittsburgh to Utah to now Abilene.

As the Wildcats entered the beginning of fall camp, Patterson integrated multiple new strategies to help turn around the Wildcat football program. To help promote the new culture he desires to bring, Patterson emphasized the importance of his players striving for excellence.

One of the players participating in fall camp includes last year’s starting quarterback, Peyton Mansell. Returning for his third season as a Wildcat, Mansell said this year is already different.

“Anyone who’s been through fall camp knows how much of a grind it is,” Mansell said. “It’s three to four weeks of just going, and I think the new coaches did a great job of taking care of us and not grinding

us down. The team’s been really coming together and grown a lot physically, emotionally and as a brotherhood.”

Another player returning to the Wildcats’ roster is senior wide receiver Kobe Clark, who led the Wildcats with 64 receptions in the 2021 season. Initially, when Dorrel left ACU, Clark entered the transfer portal to examine all of his options. But after meeting with Patterson, Clark ultimately left the transfer portal to return to ACU for his final year of eligibility.

“I was kind of freaking out a little bit, honestly,” said Clark.

“I did not know what kind of coach that we were going to bring in, and one I talked to Coach Patterson, it was a really good conversation. It was very blunt and honest, but also genuine, so he was one of the reasons came back.”

Along with Clark and Mansell returning to the

Wildcats, Patterson and his staff added numerous freshmen and 19 transfers from both FCS and FBS programs.

One of the new faces for the Wildcats includes sophomore quarterback Maverick McIvor, a transfer from Texas Tech.

The San Angelo native said he has grown to love the family-oriented atmosphere that ACU has shown him.

“It’s been pretty seamless, and the coaches have really poured into me,” McIvor said.

“Tech was a little bit different in the sense that it was a different realm of football with a different conference and players. But I’ve fallen in love with ACU by being here and seeing how different it is.”

With fall camp reaching its conclusion and the regular season looming around the corner, McIvor eagerly anticipates the start of the 2022 season, with the catalyst of his excitement resulting in the

BY CARRIE JOHNSTON | CO-SPORTS DIRECTOR

Sophomore quarterback Maverick McIvor practicing. chemistry built with his team come together, and we have a during camp. big one next week that we are “We’re in it pretty deep, and excited about.” we are starting to build bonds Patterson and the Wildcats that will be great for the rest open the 2022 season at home of the season,” McIvor said. against Lamar University on “From day one to now, the Thursday at 7 p.m. and will chemistry has been starting to stream live on ESPN+.

Wildcats’ emphatic start rattles Miners in home win

BY CONNOR MULLINS CO-SPORTS DIRECTOR

Sixteen minutes is all it took for sophomore forward Chayse Thorn and the Wildcats (1-1) to open scoring in a 4-0 home opener win against the University of Texas-El Paso Miners (0-2) on a drizzly Sunday afternoon.

Nine minutes later, Thorn found herself on a breakaway and used her speed to double her team’s lead. Five minutes after Thorn’s solo goal, the Miners dug their hole deeper with a handball in the penalty area. Senior midfielder Natalie Jones then tucked away the penalty kick to push the lead to 3-0. The emphatic start saw the Wildcats head to halftime with a comfortable 3-0 lead.

“Well, I was just honestly, I was always open,” Thorn said.

“The first one, I was like, I’m going to just try and shoot this and try to make the most of it. And the second one, I just had all that space and no one was really pressing me. So I was like, I’m going to just take it until I have that space.

So I just took the shot because I was there and that was it.”

Goals continued for ACU with junior defender Sami Brown finding her way onto the scoresheet with a solo goal in the 82nd minute.

Brown’s second half goal was the first of her career. Her goal along with Thorn’s first half brace and Jones’ penalty spot goal led the Wildcats to a 4-0 win.

“It was nice, we love playing at home,” said head coach Casey Wilson.

“The weather was a little humid today, but it was great. And like I said, the team really put a few pieces of work together and really played well tonight.”

ACU has been dominant

BY TELVEE MARVIE | PHOTOGRAPHER

Freshman defender and midfielder Grace Ornelas and senior forward Christina Arteaga force an opposing player out of bounds. against the Miners in recent memory, winning the last five matches dating all the way back to 2015. The 4-0 win is the largest margin of victory between the two with Sunday being the first time either team has won by more than one goal.

“For us it just means so

much,” Thorn said. “ I feel like we’ve been working really, really hard this week to try and get a win and play for our team and play for ourselves.

So to get this win is just really big for us. It’s really a lift for us and it feels good.”

Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Lily Foster did not see

action on Sunday with an apparent injury giving freshman Lili Ross the start in goal. Ross earned her first clean sheet of the season with two saves.

Prior to Sunday’s win against UTEP, ACU found themselves in a cagey affair at the University of North Texas on Aug. 18. ACU took the

lead 28 minutes in following a goal from freshman midfielder Hannah Vetromile. However, the Mean Green roared back scoring five in a 5-1 win.

“Well, you know not that we’re off to a slow start,” Wilson said. “But again we’ve kind of got fed some lunch here in the last couple

of weeks. So playing tough teams like we did really made us examine our weak spots and it was good to see them respond like they did today and that was awesome.”

Next for the Wildcats is a road trip to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (1-1) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 26.

Seven new additions highlight eventful postseason for Tanner

BY CONNOR MULLINS CO-SPORTS DIRECTOR

Head basketball coach Brette Tanner and the Wildcats have re-loaded its roster bringing in seven new additions after a highly successful season in its first season in the Western Athletic Conference.

In Tanner’s first season, the Wildcats went 25-11 overall and 11-7 in WAC play. The focal point of ACU’s season was the WAC Championship appearance the team made as the No. 6 seed before falling to the No. 1 seed New Mexico State Aggies, 66-52.

Tanner’s team then moved onto the College Basketball Invitational, again as the No. 6 seed. The Wildcats won their first two rounds over No. 11 Troy and No. 3 Ohio before falling to No. 2 Middle Tennessee State 85-69 in the semifinals.

“Our major thing is to have a great season next year, and if that ends up in a conference title, that’s great, but if it doesn’t so be it,” Tanner said.

“I’m very proud of the season we just had and we didn’t win

a regular season or postseason title, but I think what we accomplished this past year was far beyond what anybody may have expected.”

With the season ending on Mar. 22 and several graduating seniors, Tanner and his staff moved quickly to fill six spots on his roster ahead of their 2022-2023 campaign. Coming in for the Wildcats include Joe Pleasant: 6’7 forward, graduate transfer, former Wildcat who transferred to Wichita State last season Hunter-Jack Madden: 6’2 guard, sophomore, played for Coach Crass at Otero Junior College Ali Dibba: 6’4 wing, sophomore, Chicago State transfer Jai’Vion Seat: 6’3 guard, freshman, 2022 Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year Muodubem Muoneke: 6’5 wing, freshman, two-star rating on 247Sports, Tanner said he’s, “one of the highest rated players we’ve ever gotten.”

Reese Miller: 6’3 guard, walk-on freshman, averaged over 20 points per game at Round Rock High School Colby Tanner: guard,

walk-on redshirt freshman, student manager last season and is Tanner’s son.

“We added athleticism but more importantly, my goal with this class was to add size,” Tanner said. “When I talk about size I’m not talking about centers, we needed to add size on the perimeter. We needed to be able to take guys like Tobias and move him back to his natural position and Cam back. I think we’ve accomplished that, I hope.”

Leaving the Wildcats are senior guards Coryon Mason, Reggie Miller and Mahki Morris. Other Wildcats who decided to enter the transfer portal are Logan McLaughlin: 6’1 guard, sophomore, transferring to New Mexico Highlands University, a Div. II program Furaha Cadeux de Dieu: 6’8 forward, junior, transferring to the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, a Div. II program Stevie Smith: 6’6 guard, junior, uncommitted Jameson Richardson: 6’8 forward, sophomore, transferring to Southeastern Oklaho-

ma State, a Div. II school “We’re starting to look more like a mid-major division one basketball team,” Tanner said.

“Now whether we’re going to play like it remains to be seen, but we definitely will be bigger. You know, that was our major goal.”

In addition to the roster changes were a couple coaching changes as well with assistant coach Kyle Bankhead heading to the University of San Francisco in the same role.

With his departure, Tanner brought back former ACU assistant coach Ted Crass to fill the role. Crass spent the past two seasons at Otero Junior College where he went 39-12.

Tanner said he wanted to add another head coach to his staff and Crass said it was an easy decision to come back to Abilene. Tanner and Crass were communicating before the position was even open.

As well, Crass said that Tanner was helping him with other Div. I jobs so that he didn’t get stuck at the JUCO level. Crass said he loved his time at Otero but is looking forward to the future at ACU.

“I believe in Coach Tanner,” Crass said. “It’s not like I’m walking back into the same job. We got a new arena, I got a new head coach, a new athletic director, we have a brand new conference. It’s a new job. I spent four years of my life here so in a lot of ways it’s coming back home. The people that I care about and care about me are still here and I’m glad to be back.”

In addition to Crass are Vince Walker, the new Director of Operations, and Damian De Santiago, the new director of strength and conditioning. Walker comes from an assistant coaching role at Pittsburg State, a Div. II program.

The Gorillas were 30-50 in that span. De Santiago comes from Texas Tech where he was the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the men’s program. The Red Raiders finished their season No. 12 in the country.

Several way-too-early WAC predictions for next year have the Wildcats finishing first in its second year in the WAC. Tanner said his goal for every season is to have a great season

and compete for conference titles. Tanner said they came up short last year but expect to have another great season.

Another addition to next season is the newly renovated Moody Coliseum which is set to be open this coming August. After two years at the Teague Center where the Wildcats went 27-3, Tanner said he’s looking forward to the new facility.

“The two years in the Teague Center were awesome,” Tanner said. “I’ve taken memories out of that building to where now, every time I walk in that building, it’s going to be a completely different feeling to me than before. But we’re really excited about the new Moody and just starting kind of a new era of ACU basketball and our fans are going to love it and I know our players are going to love it.”

Preparations for next season has begun with next season’s schedule yet to be released. Tanner’s second season at the helm is starting to come together with more updates to come.