acuoptimist.com
Optimist the
Melodic Weekend, page 4
Monday, February 7, 2011
Vol. 99, No. 33
1 section, 6 pages
SNOWED IN
Heavy snow and ice shuts ACU down for four consecutive days
DANIEL GOMEZ // Chief Photographer
An ACU student walks across the snow-covered campus after ACU was blanketed in almost four inches of snow last week.
Students face winter weather Cancellations affect classes STAFF REPORT
Four consecutive snow days filled ACU’s campus with students enjoying winter activities like sledding, boarding, hockey and even body surfing through the ice and freezing temperatures. Tino Angadicheril, freshman chemistry major from Arlington, purchased a five-foot long roof shingle and used it to body surf down the hill behind Smith and Adams Halls. “We tied it to the back of a truck and went sliding behind it,” Angadicheril said. “It was a lot of fun until we hit a puddle and got soaked.”
Abbie Boyd, freshman elementary education major from Austin, also braved the cold. “I love the snow,” Boyd said. “I’ve been sledding and played on the soccer field in the really deep snow. In Austin, we never get anything like this.” Bobby Brown, junior biology and psychology major from Orange County, Calif., was among many students to aid stranded motorists. After returning from lunch with Patrick Casey, junior marketing major from Fort Collins, Colo.,
STAFF REPORT
DANIEL GOMEZ // Chief Photographer see ICE page 4
Students push a car stuck in an icy parking lot.
Last week’s snowstorm will affect classrooms across campus long after the snow and ice melt. Inclement weather and hazardous road conditions forced the university to cancel classes for four consecutive days last week. Dr. Jeanine Varner, provost, said canceling classes for four days in a row was unprecedented “Everybody I’ve talked to doesn’t remember this happening before, even those who have been
here a long, long time,” Varner said. Varner said despite the canceled classes, no days will be added to the end of the school year or subtracted from spring break. “I think the impact is that each faculty member will have to make adjustments to his or her syllabus,” Varner said. “I don’t believe we can add any days or affect spring break because people already have plans or have bought tickets.” see WINTER page 4
WORLD
Egyptian protests impact campus community Linda Bailey Editor in Chief
Clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators turned violent in Cairo, Egypt, this week. News networks have reported seeing groups hurling stones, fire bombs and a multitude of other objects amid rapid gunfire.
Most of the ACU community only watches this news from a distance. But for ACU’s only Egyptian student, Lily Assaad, the conflict hits closer to home. Assaad, sophomore management and psychology major from Cairo, said her parents and much of her extended family, who are living in Cairo, are doing fine despite the outbreak of violence in the city.
curfew on residents, mandating that they must be in their homes between 3 p.m. and 8 a.m. Initially, after hearing about the conflicts, Assaad said she was worried when she hadn’t heard from her parents. But as soon as the Internet came back on, they called her and told her they were fine, relaxing in their building. “The Lord, in crazy situations,
website
inside arts Abilene’s downtown coffee shop, Monks, is kicking off their spring concert season. Each Friday, the shop will host a different performer. page 3
Protests in Egypt erupted last month, with many Egyptians angered by the country’s poor economic conditions and President Hosni Mubarak’s plans to name his son Gamal as his successor, according to The Telegraph. Violence in Egypt escalated last week as the Egyptian government blocked Internet access in the country and imposed a
opinion The editorial board commend Dr. Schubert’s push for faculty and staff to regularly attend Monday Chapel. page 5
has always taken care of my family,” Assaad said. “When things seemed ridiculous, he saved us every time, so for nothing else but that, I’m not worried.” Dr. Neal Coates, chair of the Department of Political Science, said the events in Egypt are momentous enough to fill a chapter see PROTESTS page 4
weather photo gallery Find more photos and video of ACU’s snow-covered campus on our website, acuoptimist.com and our Flickr account, flickr.com/ photos/acuoptimist.
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