Features Page 5
Pond Hopping
vol. 101, no. 34
wednesday, february 6, 2013
1 SECTION, 8 PAGES
Morgans return to Abilene after 9 years in Oxford
accident INSIDE OPINION Super Bowl commercials proving not worth the money, anticipation
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Injured continue to improve mark smith editor in chief Another victim from the Jan. 25 accident has been released from the hospital, and the last one is expected to leave soon. Deanna Romero, freshman international studies major from Sioux Falls, S.D., was discharged from
romero
cherniss
Hendrick Medical Center on Friday. Rebekah Cherniss, freshman Ad/PR major from Katy, under-
went successful surgery on Friday morning and expects to be discharged this week. Both were involved in the head-on collision on TX-36 almost two weeks ago. Three other students were injured in the accident, and 20-yearold Lindsey Smith, junior Ad/PR major from New Braunfels, died in the crash. The other driver,
Jeffrey Davis, 27, also died on the scene. Kevin Cherniss, Rebekah’s father, said she walked outside her hospital room on Monday for the first time since the accident. “The surgery went well,” he said, “and now she’s been sitting up and did some walking all the way down the hall.” Kevin said Rebekah
baseball
NEWS
could be discharged as soon as Wednesday or Thursday. He said once she can, they will take her back to a rehabilitation hospital near her home in the Houston suburb. Kevin said the local support has helped the family during Rebekah’s recovery. “We really appreciate the see improvements page 4
campus
‘Piano Man’ cut, rehired after strong response
Interns needed for recording WWII history Page 4
NEWS Rezoning proposed for Abilene elementary schools Page 3
NEWS
josh garcia
Rec Center no longer offers free Performance Lab testing
managing editor
Page 3
SPORTS
Baseball team splits 2-2 in Astros in Action tourney over weekend
PLAYIN’ BALL
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Baseball players reach out to Houston youth with pickup wiffle ball games before weekend tournament
SPORTS Women’s basketball loses at ENMU for first time in 12 years
“Piano Man” Mike Schuler was let go because of budget restraints on Thursday, only to schuler be rehired within 24 hours. Schuler has been playing piano in the Bean for about 20 years. After a four-year hiatus, he returned to the Bean a little over a year ago. Last semester, Schuler performed four or five days a week, most commonly dur-
“
I spent the weekend getting back on Facebook, Twitter and email thanking everybody.” mike schuler the piano man
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ONLINE PHOTOS For more from the pickup games in Houston, go to: flickr.com/acuoptimist
NEWS Highland to conduct instrumental worship on Sunday nights acuoptimist.com
VIDEO A video tribute, shown in Chapel, for Lindsey Smith
acuoptimist.com
VIDEO DET students take on 48-hour mobile game contest
ing lunchtime after Chapel. On Thursday, Schuler received a call from the office of Anthony Williams, chief business services offer, notifying him that his services had been cut. Schuler said he immediately turned to social media to rally students and alumni. mandy lambright chief photographer “I started telling the kids, Above: One of the young boys involved with Impact Church of Christ in Houston runs toward home plate during a wiffle ball game with the ACU I put something on Facebaseball team. Below: Grant Boone, Alumni Relations officer, leads a huddle prayer with the ACU team and kids from the church after the game. book about it. Immediately they got onto social media, edward isaacs Facebook, Twitter, emails, sports editor phone calls,” Schuler said. Schuler said Williams called him and offered him The baseball team took time out of work for three days a week, their weekend trip to Houston to volwhich he accepted appreunteer with Impact Church of Christ ciatively. located in downtown Houston. The “I spent the weekend team played wiffle ball Saturday getting back on Facebook, morning with a group of around 18Twitter and email thanking 20 middle school kids at a park not far everybody,” Schuler said. from the players hotel. “Thank you to the student Grant Boone, Alumni Relations body and everybody else officer, organized the event and has that made a difference.” worked with Impact before. Schuler attended Har“The baseball team jumped right din-Simmons University in,” Boone said. “We divided up into in the ‘80s before pursuteams with all the Texas players on one ing a career in instrumenside and the guys from outside Texas on tal performance, getting another. We divided the Impact kids up started at the now-defunct randomly. We had an absolute blast.” “All the players had a great attitude who are struggling with poverty. Senior infielder Chuck Duarte en- about it,” Boone said. “What the play“They feed people, clothe peo- Crystal’s Pizza. Though joyed playing with the kids. ers did could have a big impact on ple, and help those with short and self-taught on the piano, “Those kids definitely looked up to those kids.” long term poverty issues,” he said. Schuler took trumpet lesus,” Duarte said. “We thought we could Impact was founded by several “They’ve been a real force for good sons as a student and in the just give something back to them.” ACU alumni. It was established to and change in inner city Houston for Air Force band. “I love everything about The middle school kids also got to address the needs of the inner city in a quarter of a century.” music,” Schuler said. “It’s eat lunch with the Wildcats after the Houston. It is located just across the a really great way to have a wiffle ball game, and a group of them interstate by downtown Houston. contact isaacs at went to the ACU game that night in Boone said it is a church that minjei08a@acu.edu see rehired page 4 Minute Maid Park. isters to low income inner city people
sing song acuoptimist.com
Dance teams preparing for shows For the first time in several years, ACU is bringing back the Sing Song Dance Team. The team consists As Sing Song is fast ap- of students with all difproaching, everyone is danc- ferent types of dancing ing around campus getting styles. This year the dance organized, losing sleep and team will perform 18 trying to focus on preparing numbers throughout the for the performances. show consisting of classi-
christina williamson
OXFORD Marissa Jones, our Oxford correspondent, details her latest experiences abroad theoxfordcommablog. wordpress.com
student reporter
cal, contemporary, swing, step, modern, and country two-step. Many students participating in the dance team are members of SHADES, ACU Swing Cats, Omega Dance Co., and Sanctify. For tryouts this year, 55 students attempted to
Abilene Christian University
make the dance team. Only 30 students were chosen. Two dance professionals were brought in to evaluate the students and make suggestions for the dance team. Kirby Wilkerson, sophomore nutrition major from Abilene, describes the tryouts as “intense.”
“We did a lot of center floor; tends, piles and flexibility,” she said. “Then some across the floor work, kicks, more turns. All of which were so hard to do because there were so many people. We were squished.” see tryouts page 4