The Optimist - 02.16.14

Features Page 4

Back in time Alumni remember past Sing Songs vol. 102, no. 36

Sunday, february 16, 2014

1 SECTION, 10 PAGES

INSIDE SPORTS Johnathan Farquharson’s journey from the Bahamas to the ACU track team

Page 8

NEWS Sing Song acts were supported and encouraged by the Sing Song moms initiative Page 5

LABOR OF

OPINION After the announcement, the Editorial Board dreams of what should be added to the new stadium

LOVE

Ashlyn Anthony staff photographer

Page 5

Above: Courtney Tee, freshman director and communications major from Houston, lifts the Sing Song trophy when the freshman are announced the winners of the mixed voices. Below left: The Trojans celebrate with the Sing Song trophy after being announced as the overall winners of the men’s division for the second year in a row. Below right: Ko Jo Kai director Madelyn Robinett, senior family studies major from Amarillo, cheers with the rest of the members of her act after being named overall winners of the women’s division.

SPORTS Brittney Johnson reflects on athletes that paved the way for equality in sports Page 8

NEWS The state of Texas has cancelled the requirement of algebra II in high schools Page 5 deanna romero chief photographer

Deanna romero chief photographer

SPORTS Women’s basketball takes down Incarnate Word behind the sharp shooting of freshman Lizzy Dimba on the road Page 10

NEWS Four bands will be performing in Notes & Joe, a charity concert, in the Shore Art Gallery Page 3

NEWS Unlike other Church of Christ affiliated universities, ACU does not give Church of Christ scholarships Page 5

ONLINE VIDEO Watch the JMC Network’s newscast to see a recap of this year’s Sing Song

Read more at acuoptimist.com

marissa jones editor in chief The men of Trojans continue their streak after winning their second Sing Song title. The class of 2017 walked away from their first Sing Song with a victory, and Ko Jo Kai

won their 18th Sing Song title.

Trojans director Andrew Tate said winning last year encouraged the club to create a winning act.

“It’s awesome to work so hard on something and it pay off. Our goal from the beginning was

to produce the best show we could and not worry about others and I’d say we achieved that,” said Tate, junior biology major from Abilene.

Though it was their first Sing Song, the freshman class was able to “believe in their potential” and support each

other, said Courtney Tee, freshman director and communications major from Houston.

“We knew we had a good act, and we knew we had worked hard, but we also knew we would have to put on a great show because there were some awesome other classes,”

Tee said. “We were really excited to put together the best show we could.”

The freshman act won three out of the four categories for mixed competition.

“This class is something special for sure,” see winners page 7

SING SONG 2014 WINNERS

see winners page 7

Overall Winners

Originality

Appearance

Entertainment

Vocals

Men’s Division:

Men’s Division:

Men’s Division:

Men’s Division:

Men’s Division:

1st: Trojans 2nd: Gamma Sigma Phi 3rd: Galaxy

1st: Gamma Sigma Phi 2nd: Galaxy 3rd: Trojans

1st: Trojans 2nd: Galaxy 3rd: Gamma Sigma Phi

1st: Gamma Sigma Phi 2nd: Trojans 3rd: Pi Kappa

1st: Trojans 2nd: Gamma Sigma Phi 3rd: Galaxy

Women’s Division:

Women’s Division:

Women’s Division:

Women’s Division:

Women’s Division:

1st: Ko Jo Kai 2nd: GATA 3rd: Sigma Theta Chi

1st: Sigma Theta Chi 2nd: GATA 3rd: Ko Jo Kai

1st: Ko Jo Kai 2nd: GATA 3rd: Alpha Kai Omega

1st: Ko Jo Kai 2nd: GATA and Sigma Theta Chi

1st: Ko Jo Kai 2nd: Sigma Theta Chi 3rd: GATA

Mixed Division:

Mixed Division:

Mixed Division:

Mixed Division:

Mixed Division:

1st: Freshman class 2nd: Junior class 3rd: Senior class

1st: Freshman class 2nd: Senior class 3rd: Sophomore class

1st: Junior class 2nd: Freshman class 3rd: Senior class

1st: Freshman class 2nd: Junior class 3rd: Senior class

1st: Freshman class 2nd: Senior class 3rd: Junior class

Building initiative creates excitement Brittany Jackson managing editor Students and faculty alike are looking forward to the renovations and construction announced in Friday’s Chapel.

President Schubert sent out an email on Thursday encouraging students to attend Chapel the following day, when he announced the university has received

a $55 million gift from three donors. The donations will be invested in the $75 million “Vision in Action” initiative, building three science facilities and two on-campus stadiums.

Many who attended Chapel were excited about the construction, viewing it as a beneficial expansion to the university.

“We’re growing as a community and Cham-

bers is old, so I think this project will help the community as a whole, as well as students around campus,” said Mindi Gonzales, sophomore psychology major from San Antonio.

Mark Dumcum (‘83), said he was delighted by the news.

“I am so excited. I think this gives us a rebirth on our campus,” he

Abilene Christian University

Paige otway Staff Photographer

President Phil Schubert claps with the rest of the school see reaction page 7 during the campaign announcement on Friday.

SUNDAY 02.16.14

16 SUNDAY

17 1 p.m. Men’s Baseball vs. Arlington Baptist College

MONDAY

18

Tuesday

8 a.m. Alliance Data interviews

2

19

5:30 p.m. Women’s Basketball vs.

Arlington Baptist College

wednesday

11 a.m. Mardi Byers’ Masterclass

7:30 p.m. Men’s Basketball vs.

Arlington Baptist College

Chapel checkup To date:

Around Abilene

Remaining:

32 68

Feb. 16

Feb. 17

Feb. 18

Feb. 19

2 p.m. The magical Bill Balgg is performing live at the Paramount Theatre. Tickets cost $9.

7:30 p.m. Beginning square dance lessons at Wagon Wheel. For more information, email peggy54@clear.net.

7:30 p.m. Mardi Byers is performing at the Willams Perfomong Arts Center.

12 p.m. Mid-Month Movie Matinee at the Center for Contemporary Arts.

@acuoptimist The Optimist optimist@acu.edu Police Log Announcements Springboard Ideas Challenge registration is open. Teams must submit an application along with a mini-business plan online. Registration costs $10 and all submissions must be turned in by 5 p.m. on March 7. For more information, Registration for the Kirk Goodwin Run is email griggscenter@acu.edu. open. Applicants can register for the Run the West half-marathon for $80 or the clas- ACU Theatre is performing 100 Saints sic 5k for $20. The race will be on April 26. You Should Know at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27To register, visit www.kirkgoodwinrun.com. 28 in Culp Theatre. Tickets cost $12.

ACU Theatre is perfoming Mark Twain’s Call 325-674-2787 or visit www.acu.

“Is He Dead” at 7:30 p.m. at Fulks The- The Shinnery Review is accepting original edu/theatre to order tickets. atre on Feb. 21-22. art or creative writing until Feb. 28. Send submissions to shinnery@acu.edu.

The ACU Ministry Events Office has opened the annual Student Art Contest for Summit. Students are encouraged to submit original artwork, photography, drawings or other artwork to communicate the Summit 2014 theme. The selected work will be rewarded a $100 prize and will advertise the 2014 Summit. All submissions should be emailed to summit@acu.edu by Feb. 21.

Project Merge will be hosting the Notes & Joes Coffee Shop as a fundraiser for Project Merge in the Shore Art Gallery at 7 p.m. on Feb. 21. Tickets will be on sale Feb. 12-21 in the Campus Center. Tickets cost $7.

Pre-production for ACU Filmfest has begun, and filming will begin Feb. 17. The theme is “Shift.” For more information, like the ACU Filmfest Facebook page.

Mission Lazarus is sponsoring an open mic night on Feb. 20 in Cullen Auditorium as a fundraiser. All money goes to support the Honduras Spring Break Mission Team. Cost is $3 at the door. To sign up an act, email amr10a@acu.edu.

ACU Wind Ensemble and Concert Band is performing at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 27. at the Abilene Civic Center. Admission is free.

Volunteer Opp0rtunities New Life Alliance is searching for tutors, Khan Academy coaches, junior acheivement teachers and volunteers for its upcoming Easter program. For more information, contact Ashley Parker at 325-672-1636 or aparker@newlife-alliance.org.

The International Rescue Committee in Abilene needs your help in welcoming refugees to our community. We are seeking the following donations: hygiene and cleaning supplies, bed linen, towels and kitchen items (dishware, silverware, pots/pans etc). Donations are accepted Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2-4 p.m. or by appointment.

Their office is located at 3303 North Third Street Suite D in Abilene, Texas. For more information, contact MariePascale Manishimwe at 325-675-5643.

Treadaway Kids is looking for more students and volunteers to join the group. For more information, contact Carly Henderson at cah10a@acu.edu.

JUMP @ Abilene North Apartments is seeking students to asssist in teaching the Gospel to at-risk low-income children. Students must be avaliable to volunteer from 4-5:30 p.m. on Mondays. Service opportunity begins Jan. 27 and lasts until April. 28. For more information, contact Caroline Thompson at 281-782-2956 or crt12a@acu.edu.

Friends for Life is seeking volunteers to help with both elderly residents and independent living elderly. Nursing home service opportunities include visiting, playing games, reading to the blind and assisting in arts and crafts. Independent living service opportunities include mowing lawns, grocery shopping and changing light bulbs. To volunteer contact Cecilia Barahona at 325672-2635 or cecilia@friendsforlife.org.

The Noah Project is seeking volunteers to help with tasks such as answering phone calls, providing child care and doing maintenance and housekeeping. To volunteer call 325-676-7107.

Love and Care Ministries is looking for volunteers to help with sorting clothing, stocking their food pantry, assisting in prayers in their prayer room and serving food to the homeless. For more information, call 325670-0246.

Volunteers are needed at the BCFS Abilene Transition Center for event planning and setup, assisting in teaching life skills classes, accompanying transport, visiting homes and/or assisting in construction of facilities for assisting in the betterment of male and female youth ages 15-25. This opportunity is open each morning Mondays through Fridays. Students interested must contact Johnny Nguyen at 325-6920033 or jnguyen@bcfs.net.

Meals on Wheels Plus needs volunteer drivers to deliver afternoon meals to seniors and adults with disabilities Monday-Friday between 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Drivers must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. Training is provided. For more information, contact Samantha Barker at 352-672-5050 or visit http://mealsonwheelsplus.com.

University Place is seeking volunteers to help with resident birthday parties for residents on the third Wednesday of each month at 2:30 p.m. For more information contact Linda Tijerina at 325-676-9946.

House of Faith is an organization that seeks to take Jesus to neighborhood children. Volunteers are needed to help with the various programs they do throughout the week. Backyard Bible studies are hosted Mondays and Wednesdays and a youth program takes place on Thursday evenings. The organization is seeking volunteers who can commit to a specific day a week. House of Faith lasts from 3-5:30 p.m. To volunteer or gain more information contact Amy Jeffers at abj09a@acu.edu or call 832-331-5324.

Rescue the Animals is seeking volunteers to work at the adoption center performing a variety of tasks, from playing with the animals to working in the office. For more information visit their website at http://www. rescuetheanimals.org/volunteer.

The Abilene Zoo is looking for volunteers to help with general labor such as grounds cleanup and painting any weekday at any time between 12-4 p.m. The Zoo is located at 2070 Zoo Ln. Contact Joy Harsh at 325676-6487 for more information.

Breakfast on Beech Street is seeking volunteers to help set up, prepare and serve breakfast to homeless/lower income folks any Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday at 5:30 a.m. or Tuesdays at 5 a.m. B.O.B.S. is located at First Christian Church on 3rd Street and Beech Street. Service times must be scheduled in advance. To serve on Mondays, contact Jody Depriest at 325-669-3312 or jody.depriest@ gmail.com. To serve on Tuesdays, contact Allen Daugherty at 325-660-6949 or ale.al@suddenlink. net. To serve on Wednesdays, contact Jane Harvey at 325-695-0092 or jharvread@aol.com. To serve on Thursdays, contact Margaret Beasley at 325-6924149 or mbeasley5@suddenlink.net. To serve on Fridays, contact Rachel Brown at rdb08a@acu.edu.

The Christian Service Center is seeking volunteers to help with filling requests for items such as clothing and bedding from the donation center, sort and organize donations and occasionally pick up donated items. Volunteers are needed every weekday and the first Saturday of each month between 9-12 p.m. and 1-4 p.m. For more information, contact Roberta Brown at 325-673-7561 orrobertabrown51@hotmail. com. Visit http://www.uccabilene.org/ministries/csc. htm.

The National Center For Children’s Illustrated Literature is looking for volunteers to greet patrons, assist with art activities, sell books and make visitors feel welcome. Help is also needed for special events like Artwalk and exhibit openings. The NCCIL is located at 102 Cedar Street. For more information on times and dates, contact Debby Lillick at 325-673-4586 or visit http://www.nccil.org/index.htm.

Christian Homes & Family Services is seeking volunteers to do minor landscaping such as raking, trimming bushes, minor apartment repairs and general upkeep Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information contact Shaylee Honey at 325677-2205 or Shoney@ChristianHomes.com.

The International Rescue Committee is asking for Digital TV Converter Boxes to accompany several older televisions for refugees within Abilene. Dropoffs are requested at the office located on 3303 N. 3rd Street, Suite D from 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesday. This is a helpful way to make a difference in the lives of refugees who recently resettled into the local community. For more information, contact Marie-Pascale Manishimwe at 325-675-5643.

The Food Bank of West Central Texas needs volunteers to help sort and stock food and other items any weekday Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. The Food Bank is located at 5505 N. 1st Street. For more information, contact Janice Serrault at 325-695-6311 or abfoodbk@camalott.com.

The Salvation Army is looking for volunteers for a variety of needs such as sorting and pricing items in the thrift store, helping in the kitchen and/or doing yard work. Times are flexible and volunteers are needed Monday-Saturday. The Salvation Army is located at 1726 Butternut Street. For more information contact J.D. Alonzo at 325-677-1408 or visit www. satruck.com.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters offers two volunteer programs. Lunch Buddies pairs volunteers with a little brother or sister to have lunch with once a week for 30 minutes. Lunch Buddies has a preferred time of 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The Community Based program pairs volunteers with a little brother or sister that they will hang out with two to four times a month. Both programs require committment to the program for 12-18 months. To sign up, stop by the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters office at 547 Chestnut Street. or contact Randy Woods at 325-674-3102.

Christian Ministries Food Pantry needs volunteers to help with tasks such as cleaning up, stocking shelves and bagging flour. It is looking for students who can make a commitment of 1-3 hours a week. For more information, contact Becky Almanza at 325-6735295 or balmanza7@sbcglobal.net.

The Center for Contemporary Arts needs a gallery assistant to greet partons, answer phones and answer basic questions about the Center and its programs.

Volunteer opportunities are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesdays-Fridays. For more information contact Jennifer Parks at 325-677-8389 or jennifer@center-arts.com.

For additional volunteer opportunities visit: www. acu.edu/campusoffices/ccsl/ministry-service/volunteer-opportunities/

e

3

news

Sunday 02.16.14

Deanna Romero chief photographer

Deanna Romero chief photographer

Austin kilcullen staff photographer

Deanna Romero chief photographer

SING SONG 2014 Austin kilcullen staff photographer

TOP LEFT: Madelyn Robinett, Andrew Tate and Nick Tatum celebrate after the winners of Sing Song are announced. TOP RIGHT: GATA cheers after winning second place in the overall women’s division.

MIDDLE: Marc Gutierrez and Brock Niederhofer sing “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.” BOTTOM LEFT: Sub-T 16 cheers during the awards ceremony. BOTTOM RIGHT: Director Jake Hall and the senior class react after winning third in mixed voices.

Notes & Joe to benefit community Emily seidel student reporter Coffee and music will lead the way for Project Merge’s first Notes N Joe Benefit Concert at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 in the Shore Art Gallery.

Project Merge is a student-led home renovation project that serves Abilene families in need of significant home improvements. Its website describes the organization as “ACU’s very own Extreme Home Makeover.”

The organization started with interior design students in the Department of Art and Design who decided to use their design skills and care for the community to help disadvantaged families in town. Now in its third year of work, Project Merge is in the process of choosing a family to begin working with.

The benefit concert will feature musical performances by The Dogwoods, Sunset at Ivry, Wes Robbins and Jake Rosser. Big Country Coffee Co. will sponsor the event and provide the coffee. Admission is $7.

Gracie Ferreyro, senior art major from San Antonio, said the idea for the event came when Project Merge members were deciding on the theme of their upcoming fundraiser.

“We didn’t want to do anything too ‘the same’ or similar to other fundraisers people are used to,” Ferreyro said.

“So we came up with coffee and music, or ‘notes and joe,’ to give students something different to look forward to.”

Ferreyro is heading the current leadership team working on the event along with fellow Project Merge members Meredith Speight senior interior design major from Grand Rapids, Mo. and Alyssa Stanley senior interior design major from Dallas, who hope to make the concert an annual fundraiser to help their cause. Right now the main obstacle the group faces is raising awareness of their work and getting the help they need, they said.

“It’s kind of a gamble on attendance right now. We’re trying to get the word out.

We’re expecting maybe onehundred to one-hundred

and fifty people, but we’d love to get as many as we can,” Ferreyro said.

The bands and performers providing the live music at the concert are all ACU students. Speight said the event’s atmosphere will be as close as possible to that of a coffee shop. She said a big factor in the theme was the understanding that the semester is reaching a busy point for most students.

Notes N Joe will provide students with a relaxed, laidback place to hang out with friends and listen to music.

“With the local ACU talent and coffee provided by Big Country Coffee Co., we believe that it’s going to be attractive to most of the student body,” Speight said. “I think the most exciting thing about Notes and Joe is our incredibly talented performers. They have been excellent in helping us make this concert possible and I personally cannot wait to see what they have planned.” contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Student design sought for Summit Logan Sartain student reporter The winning artist in this year’s Student Art Contest for Summit will win $100.

All ACU students can enter the contest by submitting their original artwork, photography, drawings, paintings or other visual works.

The contest is entering its seventh year in 2014.

Dr. Brady Bryce, director of ministry events, came up with the idea for the contest as a way to get more students involved with Summit.

“The Art Contest is a way to incorporate the talent that ACU students have,” said Anna Perrey, contextual education and ministry events coordinator.

The ministry events staff and the art department faculty chair are the judges of the contest, Brady said.

“It’s really hard to pin-

point exactly what we’re looking for,” Perrey said, “but every year you see one or two and you’re like, ‘That’s it.’”

The judges are looking for “visual connection with and representation of the theme,” Bryce said.

The theme of Summit 2014 is “Earthed: Discovering Our Origin in God.” “It’s really about finding our story within the first recorded stories of the Bible,” Perrey said.

This year, Summit will focus on passages of scripture within the book of Genesis.

“The pages of Genesis allow readers to observe God’s promises earthed in creation,” Bryce said.

Along with the prize money, the winner’s art will be used to promote Summit.

“It’s been a T-shirt design in the past, it’s been printed in our brochure, it’s even been used as a backdrop on the Summit stage,” Perrey

said. “We use the winner’s art in the way that it will feature them the best.”

Previous winners have come from a variety of majors and classifications.

“We’ve had freshmen and seniors, graduate students, non-traditional students and even a repeat winner,” Bryce said.

Last year’s contest winner was Sara Hasten, a vocal music education major.

Once a winner is chosen, he or she will be notified and invited to attend the Summit unveiling event for university faculty, Perrey said. This year’s unveiling will be held on March 6, in the Adams Center.

All submissions are due

by Feb. 21, and should be emailed to summit@acu. edu. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

FEATURES

sunday 02.16.14

SIN GS ON GY LINSEY THUT

|

features WRITER

“T

hey always told me to ‘just mouth the words, Schubert.’”

ACU President Phil Schubert remembers his Sing Song experience fondly, even if he wasn’t a standout vocalist.

And Schubert is not alone. He is just one of many faculty and staff who as students braved the sleepless nights, costume malfunctions and sore jaw muscles to participate in ACU’s most cherished tradition.

Every year since 1957, classes and clubs have created rewritten lyrics to well-known songs to reflect a theme and compete for the best performance.

Some students might think teeth, coffee cups and Supermen are goofy, but the staff members who participated in Sing Songs past can still remember the costumes they wore, the long rehearsals and embarrassing moments and, most of all, the friendships they made.

Julie Danley, a resident nurse at the ACU Medical Clinic, recalls the jalapeño costumes the Siggies wore one year as a shiny green pepper costume with a bright green stem for a hat.

“Our costumes looked great up on stage but terrible up close,” she said.

Robert Oglesby, director of ACU Center for Youth and Family Ministry, said his favorite costume was when he was King Tut with Galaxy.

“Our costumes did not cover our stomachs,” Oglesby said. “Some guys had great abs and others needed to be on the back row of the act.”

Sing Song director, Tom Craig, said he had some crazy costumes his two years in Sing Song.

“My junior year, we were toddlers, and my senior year we were the Dallas Cowboys,” he said.

Alan Wages, assistant professor of family studies, is a seven-time Sing Song veteran. He said he took part in every class act and Pi Kappa act offered during his time at ACU. Wages proudly listed off all seven costumes he sported as a Sing Songer.

He was a mailman his sophomore year, disco dancer his junior year, and a pirate, knight and Paul Buyan in Pi Kappa.

Wages recalls loving his freshman year act costume of silverware until the group got onstage for the performance.

“When we got on stage, we realized it was a bad idea because the foam material we used to make our costumes absorbed the sound,” he said. “We had a humongous number of people, but you couldn’t really hear us.”

T

he staff and faculty still remember those awkward Sing Song mess-ups in the last few days before the show.

Tamara Long, director of admissions, said when she was in the 2003 Sigma Theta Chi bridesmaid act, their rehearsal on the final night was a disaster.

“All the Siggies’ veils and wigs went flying everywhere,” she said. “Our choreography was a disaster.”

However, she said, the Siggies had the last laugh.

“It made us pull our act together in 24 hours, and we ended up winning,” Long said.

Erin Daugherty, area coordinator of Sikes Hall and A.B. Morris Hall, said her most embarrassing moment happened when she was co-director of the 2012 senior class act. She said before each show, the senior class would circle up and meow in four-part harmony to “There’s A Stirring.”

“Our ‘meows’ were filling up the

Header: 1995: Gamma Sigma Phi, 2002: Alpha Kai Omega Top to bottom: 1981: Danley in the jalepeno Siggies’ act 1984: Sub T-16 as Cabbage Patch Dolls

EA R

BO OK

g y m, and I’m pretty sure everyone hated us,” she said. “We were pretty obnoxious.”

Schubert said the uncomfortable moments are part of what made Sing Song so much fun for him.

“It’s times like that people are borderline exhausted, but also it’s time that you make the most memories,” he said.

Schubert’s most cringe-worthy moments happened when he was onstage.

“It was embarrassing to be out there and display my lack of musical or choreographically talent,” Schubert said.

Oglesby said his most mortifying moment came from living with the Galaxy Sing Song director, Don Hall.

After skipping many of the rehearsals, the director told Oglesby and his friend that if they skipped another rehearsal, they’d be kicked out of the act.

“We were ready for bed and told him that if we came, it would be in our robes,” Oglesby said.

Oglesby recalled that he and his friend were in for a rude surprise.

“We actually went in our robes to practice at the Hillcrest Church, but what we didn’t know is that Siggies were coming over to bring us snacks during practice,” he said. “We looked ridiculous.”

H

umiliation aside, it’s hard not to love this long-time tradition.

Jeff Goolsby, director of choral activities and director of Pi Kappa’s 2000 act and winning 2001 Sing Song Act, said his favorite part was achieving a goal alongside friends.

“I love the process,” he said. “The creative impulse to combine songs, lyrics, music, choreography and staging into an entertaining show.”

Wages said he was a part of Goolsby’s act, and said it was his favorite year.

“He was really tough on us, and it was challenging,” Wages said. “But the reward was so much greater when we won that year.”

David Kneip, assistant professor of church history, was a host in 2001. He said he enjoyed being able to take part despite being a grad student.

“I was readily accepted by the undergrad hosts and hostesses,” he said.

“The friendships made the challenging production so much fun.”

Galaxy had a three-year winning streak.

“We were probably obnoxious about it,” Oglesby said.

However, he said winning never compared to the last performance.

“I’ll never forget the crowd yelling at the end of our act,” he said. “You could tell everyone enjoyed what they had heard; winning a trophy didn’t measure up to that moment.”

Despite the wins and losses throughout Sing Song’s 58 shows, Schubert sums up the reason students press themselves past their limits, sacrificing grades, free time and sanity for the legendary show each year.

“It’s such a huge part of our heritage,” he said. “It’s one of those odd things that we do that’s a big part of ACU, and unless you are a part of the community, you’ll never understand.” contact thut at lct10a@acu.edu

Top to bottom: 1981: Frater Sodalis as Crooners 1981: Kinsmen as noses.

1981: Trojans as the Blues Brothers

2004: Sigma Theta Chi as grass

1999: Wages in silverware freshman class act

2002: Pi Kappa as Paul Bunyan

2007: Senior class as baristas

4

Left: 2002 Kinsmen as Huckleberry Finn

5

news

Sunday 2.16.14

‘Moms’ encourage, support Sing Song acts Brittany Jackson managing editor While the stress of Sing Song may have many participants wishing for their mothers, a group of female students have decided to be the next best thing.

Led by Callie Kerbo, the Care and Service Initiative has called these women to encourage weary students and producers. The Sing Song Moms, as they are affectionately known, have spent countless hours bringing comfort to performers and producers alike during the month leading up to Sing Song.

They were responsible for bringing students cookies, writing letters and sending weekly inspirational emails to production staff.

Kerbo, Jaci Browning, Leslie Lewis, Megan Thurman and Melissa Kichura make up the initiative.

This is not the first year of the program. Kerbo, sophomore marketing major from Murfreesboro, Tenn., helped on last year’s CSI. “This is not about me, none of this that I’m doing, even though I’m very

heavily involved. This isn’t even about my team,” she said. “We’re about making it a good experience, from the performers to production to the guests.”

The Moms aimed to keep up everyone’s spirits, especially when the novelty of the event wore off.

“The end goal is to have a smile on our faces, to be someone people can look to and know it is, in fact, going to be all right,” Kerbo said.

The program is unique to every manager. Kerbo said she personalized the program by infusing her own interests with the Moms’ actions and reached out on a closer level to everyone involved.

One of her projects was writing letters to the many people involved in the event. She said her inspiration came from “More Love Letters” an initiative to break away from websites, apps and emails to spread love the old-fashioned way, through handwritten letters longer than any 140-character tweet.

“We’re not reinventing the wheel on love here.

We’re not reinventing the wheel on gratitude, or on kindness,” Kerbo said. “We

are simply doing what we and what our hearts were built to do.”

Two of the women, Browing and Thurman, balanced their participation in the initiative with their performance in the sophomore class act.

Thurman, sophomore Bible, missions and ministry major from Austin, said the dedication to both was as rewarding as it was stressful.

“Some people would take pictures of their letters we gave them and put it on Facebook, everyone would come up and say thank you,” Thurman said.

“It really helped them and encouraged them, because it can get really stressful.”

Browning, sophomore business marketing major from Midlothian, said she did not regret her participation, despite how busy it made her.

“This was my first year to do production staff and an act, and I would do it all over again,” she said. “I love it and I love the people that I’ve worked with, on both aspects. They’re awesome and it’s just been great.”

The women worked diligently throughout the

jarred schuetze Staff Photographer

The Sing Song ‘Moms’ deliver cookies to the junior act. duration of Sing Song to make the event the best it could be, bringing many cookies and smiles to those involved in the process.

Kerbo said every minute was worth it, even if she had to drag herself out

to serve the people.

“It’s times like these that I know I’m absolutely lost in the right direction.

That is what keeps me doing this,” Kerbo said. “That is what is giving me energy at this point, because caffeine can only do so much.

But seeing the looks on people’s faces, hearing them call me a Sing Song Mom, that is my favorite part of all of this.” contact jackson at bkj12a@acu.edu

Colloquium to discuss short-term missions author of “Short-Term Mission: An Ethnography of Christian Travel Narrative and Experience” and The 2014 Broom Colloqui- several other books. um will feature a profes“Most people don’t sor of anthropology from know this, but 30 years Wheaton College who will ago, there was almost no discuss short-term mis- such thing as short-term sions during Chapel on missions,” said Dr. Chris Feb. 26 and will partici- Flanders, associate propate in a forum on Feb. 27 fessor of missions. “It’s in Hart Auditorium. an exploding phenomDr. Brian Howell of enon. One of the things Wheaton will discuss his researchers love to do is research and experience look at trends and ask why regarding short-term this has happened and missions. Howell is the that is exactly what Brian

meigan gardner

student reporter

Howell has done.”

Howell’s interest navigates between culture, globalization and Christianity. He will use his knowledge of these topics to provide insight on how to improve ACU’s shortterm missions programs.

“The ultimate goal is to learn from him and to improve what we are already doing,” Flanders said.

“There are a lot of existing short-term missions all across campus.”

Flanders created the colloquium in the spring

Texas drops algebra II requirement Dystanie Douglas student reporter Incoming high school freshmen in the state of Texas are no longer required to take algebra II as a mandated math course.

Public education in Texas is regulated by three separate entities: the state Legislature, Texas Education Agency and the State Board of Education.

As the state’s elected representatives, the Legislature determines all graduation requirements for public schools in Texas.

According to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, “the state Legislature approved the change in May, even though Texas’ higher education commissioner, Raymond Paredes, said removing mandates for advanced math and science would leave more students illprepared for college and technical careers.”

The state legislature has

built new graduation plans in replacement of the plans that have been in place since 2006. These plans are known as the foundation plan and the endorsement plan.

The foundation plan requires 22 credits to graduate, while the endorsement plan requires 26 credits and have five different “stems” or routes to graduate by.

Dr. Audra Ude, associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction of Abilene Independent School District and ACU alumna, said reasons still exist for high school students to take the course.

“Essentially, students who take an endorsement are required to take algebra II,” Ude said. “Also, if a students wants to be in the top 10 percent and have automatic admission to colleges and universities in Texas, they also have to take algebra II.” Ude said every student in Abilene ISD is required

to choose an endorsement plan, and the district will not have the foundation plan as a option.

Having algebra II as a non-mandated course does not affect the high school students’ GPA in any way because of other alternative math courses that will be offered such as statistics and quantitative reasoning.

Many Texas teachers believe that if the student is not required to take algebra II, then the student will opt out and not take it.

Stephanie Williams, high school math teacher at Trimble Technical High School in Fort Worth said, “I believe it is a misstep to trade academic rigor for comprehensive electives because it will create a generation of service industry workers which will result in a weak economy.” contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

of 2007 and is now the director of the project.

“We’ve been wanting to do something like this for a long time,” Flanders said. “Finally, in 2006, we had the opportunity to give the ACU campus a chance to have a missional conversation. It isn’t just for Bible or mission majors; it’s really meant to be for the entire campus.”

The colloquium was named after Wendell Broom, assistant professor emeritus of missions,

and his wife, Betty.

“They were central figures in the mission community in the early 1970s,” Flanders said.

“Wendell was one of the first Church of Christ missionaries who went on to get advanced degrees in missions. He’s kind of a big deal, so we thought it was appropriate to name it after them because they exemplify this notion of world Christianity.”

The colloquium has been successful in previous years and organizers

hope to pack Hart auditorium again this year.

“A colloquium is a great opportunity to learn a lot of information in a short amount of time,” said Shaobeny Johnson, junior ad/PR major from Odessa. “I’d like to think of it as a seminar on steroids. I’m really looking forward to learn what this years’ Broom Colloquium is about.” contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

OPINION

6

Sunday 02.16.14

editorial

How to wow the crowds with new stadium the issue Construction on ACU’s new football stadium will begin soon, thanks to the largest donation in the university’s history.

our take The Editorial Board has come up with a list of creative suggestions for the new multi-million dollar stadium.

For $1.6 billion, the world’s most expensive sports stadium could be ours.

Home to the New York Giants and New York Jets, MetLife Stadium is the essence of luxury. And while ACU has a humble budget in comparison, $30 million is one large chunk of change.

We aren’t expecting MetLife, but we have some suggestions for what would really wow us.

Wildcat stadium wishlist: Escalators - Too long have we trudged up the steps of Moody Coliseum. Too long has it taken minutes to adjust to the altitude once we reach the top. We feel it is in the best interest of both the young and the old to install these step-easy stairs.

Concert capabilitieslights, stage, concert.

Finally Abilene might not be a dead-zone for shows. A worthy stadium would welcome in bigname artists. Except you, Justin Bieber.

The World’s Largest Screens - No better way to say “we’re here to compete” than dethroning Cowboy Stadium’s seat as home to the largest HD video screens (two 60-yard screens).

With God and generous donations, all things are possible.

Grade-A Concessions - We’re looking at you, Chipotle. What better way to cheer on the Wildcats than with burrito in hand?

C onc e s sion-to-seat

waiters - And what better way to enjoy that burrito than having it delivered to your seat? For those with Chapel probation

“

redeem itself so we may tweet and Instagram Wildcat victories with no cyber troubles holding us down.

Card swipers - Nothing is more innovative and real than card swipers on each stadium seat.

We’ve been trying to enact this post-Chapel traffic tactic in Moody Coliseum for years.

Underground pool Four words: It’s A Wonderful Life. The dance floor/ field could split, revealing an underground pool.

With dancing recently legalized we could have dance-off, swim-off parties (one-pieces only) in the works. And what a wonderful life it would be.

Valet service - We al-

We aren’t expecting MetLife, but we have some suggestions for what would really wow us.”

worries, we present a service opportunity to make a Chapel-credit profit.

Wi-Fi - ACU’s infamous and fair-weathered wireless has a chance to

ready have enough parking woes. Let’s put some of that money where our parking spaces are. Here is another service opportunity for students to cash in some chapel credits.

Quidditch capabilities - It is no secret this is a board of Potter-zealots.

We would like to think we are only a small portion of a Potterhead populated campus who would enjoy competition of brooms and golden snitches.

MetLife mischief managed. contact The Optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

DAILY doodle dosage

Column

Ben Todd

Rediscovering child-like faith I THINK, THEREFORE I WRITE ADRIAN PATENAUDE GUEST COLUMNIST

Most people experience some kind of faith crisis in college. Our childhood beliefs are shaken when we are confronted with the brokenness of the world. Here at ACU, we are also faced with the apparent contradictions of the Bible and the fact that many of our churches are built on a delicate structure of cultural assumptions. Everything we thought we knew about God suddenly seems so fragile, like the grown-up equivalent of Santa Claus.

ACU does a better job than many Christian universities of embracing the questions that come with an honest faith journey. The floor is open for intelligent debate as we grapple with this puzzling thing we call “God.” However, we are at risk of believing a dangerous lie: that faith comes from understanding God, rather than trusting him.

We are an academic institution in a western culture where logic is paramount.

And while there is nothing wrong with applying our minds in matters of faith, we forget that salvation has never depended on our ability to comprehend God. Why do we even attempt to understand a being whose very definition implies an inability to be grasped? Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 1:25 that God is far beyond us, “...the foolishness of God is wiser than

“

So we act like our beliefs are logical, ignoring the fact that every religion ultimately requires us to be a little bit crazy.”

Column

human wisdom.” Even the Bible - the inspired word of God himself - does a poor job of explaining. And yet we have such confidence in our ability to reason our way into faith.

For us academic folks, it’s incredibly fulfilling to philosophize, but in 1 Timothy 1, Paul warns us not to get wrapped up in idle arguments and to focus instead on having a “sincere faith.” But in an environment that is so skeptical of fundamentalism, it can be hard to embrace the simple faith of a child. So we act like our beliefs are logical, ignoring the fact that every religion ultimately requires us to be a little bit crazy.

The Bible tells us to have the faith of a child. A child doesn’t have a Ph.d.

A child believes in Santa Claus - because faith flies in the face of reason. For all our arguments and all our study, we can’t avoid that step into the void. contact Patenaude at ajp09c@acu.edu

Media portrays what love is not DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE

MELANY COX OPINION PAGE EDITOR

Of all the television programs currently airing, The Bachelor is one of the most unnerving.

The pseudo-reality dating show features a single man and the 20 or more female contestants chosen to be his love interests. The show includes group dates, one-on-one dates, overnight dates and a whole lot of pointless drama. The Bachelor is airing its 18th season.

The fact that the show has continued for so long is appalling.

So many things about this show are a cause for concern. There’s the catty women doing whatever it takes to prove they are right for the designated Bachelor. There’s the fact that the Bachelor is courting multiple women at

the same time. But the problems with this show go even deeper.

The relationships the contestants develop with the Bachelor are not healthy, as are proven in their (lack of ) success rates. Since the show first aired in 2002, 15 of the 16 final couples have ended their relationships.

Can a person really stay genuine when every moment of their life is caught on camera and a large sum of money is at stake?

Former Bachelor Sean Lowe married the season 17 winner this past January, making him the first Bachelor to marry the women to whom he proposed. However, he admitted in a video for the nonprofit organization “I Am Second” that the

whole process didn’t feel right.

“It’s unnatural to date 25 women at one time, and it felt wrong. A lot of the time, it felt wrong,” Lowe said.

This show is just one example of the media’s many misrepresentations of what true love is.

True love is not a competition. It doesn’t have a designated timeline. It’s not based on lies and misgivings.

Contrary to what movies, TV shows and cheap paperbacks portray, lusting after someone is not the same as truly loving them.

C.S. Lewis described love as “not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”

This kind of relationship takes time and patience. It can’t be achieved within just a few weeks and it can’t be forced by the influence of outside voices.

It’s not a “guilty pleasure.”

Some people might think 1 Corinthians 13:47 is suffering from overuse, but the fact is, it is a very accurate description of love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not selfseeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

These verses are not just talking about romantic love. They speak of love in the truest, purest form.

The model a relationship is based on could determine its outcome.

Which model has been proven to work and which has proven to fail?

Feb. 14 2:54 p.m.

Feb. 14 1:39 p.m.

contact Cox at MKC09B@acu.edu

hashtagACU Feb. 13 5:27 p.m.

Also, tomorrow’s chapel announcement (SPOILER ALERT): Nick Tatum and the grad school act a late addition to #SingSong2014 #SorryFreshmen

@Sh4zam

Feb. 14 11:18 a.m.

So when’s the art building renovation?

Oh wait, all our alumni are poor #struggling artists #bringusCS6 #orworkingprinters

@Hans_YOLO22

Feb. 14 11:14 a.m.

YOU GET A MILLION DOLLARS! YOU GET A MILLION DOLLARS! EVERYBODY GETS A MILLION DOLLARS!! #ACUDifference

@EmilyLMcClung

Feb. 14 11:28 a.m.

OMG @acuoptimist plz plz RT this tweet b/c my tweet about this money is so original @acuoptimist @acuoptimist @acuoptimist RT & favorite

Quick! Tweet in the next 15 minutes about the ACU vision announcement to get in the Tweets section of the Optimist.

@NPEllwood

Feb. 14 2:42 p.m.

Feb. 13 7:22 p.m.

Feb. 13 8:33 p.m.

Whoever played the banjo I respect you!! @ overheardACU #singsong

@chancerieken55

Happy #SingSong, #ACU undergrads! And by that I mean THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WEEKEND OF YOUR LIFE

@bpbailey

Happy Valentine’s Day; Happy ACU Sing Song Weekend; Happy Can’t Find A Parking Space Weekend & Happy Crowded Restaurants in Abilene Weekend!!

@PianoManMike

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.

published by the department of journalism and mass communication editorial and management board

E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu

The Ko Jo Kai performance just taught my broommate so much about Texas.

@shelblurbs

Feb. 14 2:20 a.m.

Feb. 14 11:21 p.m.

@laurenb510

@emilystemen

Not sure where to look when someone is putting sing song face paint on me. Do I gaze into their eyes or just look awkwardly off to the side?

@the_gramble

Marissa Jones

Kirsten Holman

JP Festa

editor in chief

Copy Editor

Multimedia Managing Editor Page 2 Editor

faculty adviser

Brittany Jackson

Maggie Marshall

Jaci Isham

James Eldred

cade white

managing editor

Copy editor

Staff Videographer

Staff Writer

Visuals adviser

Melany Cox

Matt Sloan

Laura Benson

JC Peeples

cara lee cranford

opinion page editor online managing editor

Sports Director

Staff Videographer

Staff Writer

Deanna Romero

Daniel Zepeda

Rachel Smith

Allison Brown

Sports Editor

Video Projects Editor

Staff Writer

Collin Wieder

Paige Otway

Linsey Thut

Assistant Sports Editor

Staff Photographer

Features Writer

Kara Stutesman

Jarred Schuetze

Ben Todd

Sports Video Editor

Staff Photographer

Cartoonist

chief photogrpaher

Alikay Wood arts editor

gabi powell

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79609

@abbey_moses

I knew these dark green jeggings I found at H&M for $10 would be handy for something... They match PERFECTLY with my AKO sing song shirt!

Feb. 15 3:25 p.m.

Prez Schubert just became the next Oprah: “YOU GET A CAR & YOU GET A CAR..

AND A FOOTBALL STADIUM!” Merry Christmas, everyone @overheardACU

features editor

Rachel Fritz

Kenneth Pybus

advertising

Shera Niemirowski Sports Broadcaster

newsroom (325) 674-2439

sports desk (325) 674-2684

photo department (325) 674-2499

advertising office (325) 674-2463

multimedia desk (325) 674-2463

subscriptions ($40/Year) (325) 674-2296

7

NEWS

sunday 2.16.14

Church affiliations impacted by scholarships Linsey Thut features writer Meredith Thornton, senior psychology major from Cedar Hill, highly considered attending Pepperdine Christian University. As a Church of Christ student, she even received a scholarship to attend the school.

With this scholarship and other forms of financial aid, her first year at Pepperdine was completely paid for.

However, somehow she ended up at Abilene Christian University, a Church of Christ school that offered no scholarships for students who attended a Church of Christ.

A tour to Pepperdine made Thornton realize that they weren’t offering the same experiences that ACU was, she said. A tour guide’s reaction to Chapel helped clear this up for Thornton.

“Every time she mentioned Chapel, it was like she was apologizing for it, and that really bugged me because I felt like chapel was a big part of the Christian experience,” Thornton said. “I wanted that connection to everyone.”

Thornton said ACU never apologized for Chapel or any of it’s Christian traditions and that is why she chose ACU. Thornton is just one of many other Church of Christ students that must choose between receiving larger scholarships at another Christian university or attending ACU. The percentage of Church of Christ students attending ACU has dropped steadily over the past five years and one

factor could be money.

ACU does not consider Church of Christ membership when awarding scholarships, while some other Christian schools do. Another factor in this decline might be that a Church of Christ affiliation is not a priority for recruiters like it was in the past. And despite dropping numbers, university leaders said this is not a concern.

“

Our price has been a great value for a number of years and comparing our price to most Christian universities, we are a bargain.”

Glenn Dillard assistant vice president of enrollment at harding university

In 2009, 54.6 percent of students claimed Church of Christ membership. By this fall, that number had fallen to 41.9 percent.

One factor in the lowering numbers at ACU might be that Pepperdine, Harding and Lipscomb offer Church of Christbased scholarships.

According to the Pepperdine University admissions website, Church of Christ students are encouraged to apply for two scholarships based on their religious affiliation.

The site even offers a definition of what a Church of Christ is: “Churches of Christ are autonomous, non-denominational congregations associated by common core beliefs as recorded in the New Testament rather than united by a governing body, president, or creed.”

Students can apply

for the Church of Christ scholarship by submitting a letter of reference from a church leader.

The Associated Women for Pepperdine offers a scholarship that grants $5000 a year to Church of Christ students who submit an essay on their spiritual life. Students are asked to include their baptism experience, service at their congregation and how they will use their faith at Pepperdine.

Harding University and Lipscomb offer the church match scholarship only for Church of Christ congregations.

ACU offers a similar match scholarship, however it does not specify that the church needs to be Church of Christ.

Glenn Dillard, assistant vice president of enrollment at Harding University, said the number of students claiming a Church of Christ affiliation at their university is 80 percent.

Balancing Act Dillard said the number of Church of Christ students attending the school could be due to the university’s low tuition.

“Our price has been a great value for a number of years and comparing our cost to most Christian universities, we are a bargain,” he said.

Stewart McGregor, senior Christian ministry and political science major from Arlington, is another student who was offered larger scholarships at another university, but chose ACU. He said he had set his mind on attending Harding University because he could get more scholarships there.

“I had kind of fallen in love with Harding be-

cause everything was in line and it was so easy,” he said.

McGregor said he applied for a Harding scholarship reserved for Bible majors who attend Churches of Christ and are willing to work as a minister at a Church of Christ after they graduate. Although he didn’t receive the scholarship, McGregor said Harding increased its offer because he had applied for it.

Two weeks before he left for Arkansas, McGregor said his plans changed completely after he received a Lynay scholarship, which is unrelated to church membership.

“I am so thankful I came to ACU,” McGregor said. “I’ve gotten to do a whole lot of things I wouldn’t have gotten to do at Harding.”

Another factor in the decline could be reduced emphasis in recruiting.

University recruiters are not required to attend a Church of Christ, a requirement that was dropped a decade years ago. However, chief en-

“

may offer different scholarships, ACU has not drawn back on its strategies to bring in Church of Christ students.

“Church of Christ students are our heritage,” he said. “We think it’s very important to the DNA of ACU, and we are still trying to attract them as best we can.”

The university still focuses much of its recruiting efforts on Church of Christ students, including visiting Churches of Christ and Christian high schools.

However, Campbell said he does not see ACU offering Church of Christ scholarships in the future.

“What we hope is that we can maintain our Church of Christ basis that we have right now and kind of continue going in that regard,” Campbell said.

He said the reason for this is because the university attracts students who may not be Church of Christ but would thrive in the community environment ACU provides.

“They’re disciples of Christ and they didn’t

What’s most important is that we’re attracting students that believe in Jesus and believe in a life that is greater than themselves through service to God.”

rollment officer Kevin Campbell did say eight of the university’s 10 recruiters attend Churches of Christ, and the admissions, recruiting, marketing and analytics directors do as well.

Campbell said that although other colleges

Tamara Long Director of admissions

grow up attending a Church of Christ,” he said. “So what we don’t want to do is disproportionately pull money away from somebody based on an affiliation that may have nothing to do if they are a disciple of Jesus Christ.”

Beyond Affiliation Tamara Long, director of admissions, said the university is not concerned about the decrease in Church of Christ students, but rather open to diversity on campus.

“I think there’s a lot of conversation going on around campus about how ACU maintains its heritage and our roots and who we are without being dishonoring of the different faith backgrounds that are coming to our campus,” Long said.

Long said she thinks religious affiliation may no longer be the biggest factor in admitting students to ACU like it was in the past.

“What’s most important is that we’re attracting students that believe in Jesus and believe in a life that is greater than themselves through service to God,” Long said.

“If we’re doing that, I don’t think really we’re all that concerned with a piece of paper where they check what church they grew up in.”

In the end, Thornton said her parents approved of her choice to attend ACU. “I can guarantee you, even if Pepperdine was going to be free, they would probably still say they were happier I went here,” she said.

Thornton said looking back at her time in Abilene, she knows she made the right decision, too.

“I don’t think I would have found the community and the support there, that I have here,” she said. contact THUT at lct10a@acu.edu

Winners: Clubs, class react to championship from page 1 Tee said, “They have lots of energy and are a very fun, very cohesive group, so I’m excited to see what’s in store for the future, for us.”

Trojans will be donating their $1000 prize money to Love and Care Ministries, and the freshman act’s do-

nation will be given to The Leukemia and Lymphoma society.

Kojie director Madelyn Robinett, senior family studies major from Amarillo, said winning felt surreal to her.

“I’m honestly so stoked.

Even more than that, I am so thankful. Like, I can’t be-

lieve it,” Robinett said. “We really dove into it wholeheartedly from the very beginning. We were never afraid to ask for help. We had so many people input ideas. They inspired us.

We definitely didn’t do it alone.”

Ko Jo Kai’s $1000 of donations will be given to,

senior ad/PR major from Amarillo and Sigma Theta Chi member, Sarah Puckett and her family. Puckett’s mother has terminal cancer.

“Their family has been financially struck by that,” Robinett said. “We prayed a lot about it and decided to give our money to her.”

The Siggies planned to give their prize money to Grace Mason, senior nursing major from Amarillo and Sigma Theta Chi member, who had a similar situation with her mom. The directors of the Siggie and Kojie acts decided each club would raise $500 and give that

joint money to Mason.

“We didn’t want to pick between the two,” Robinett said. “That’s not what the competition is about.

It’s about supporting our friends.” contact jones at mnj10a@acu.edu

Reaction: Students, faculty respond to Chapel from page 1 said. “ACU is such a vibrant place anyway, so these are going to be great additions to what we have.”

Others were taken aback by the donors’ generosity. They saw it as an investment toward future students and an opportunity to gain more recognition in the collegiate world.

Jaclyn Barker, junior math education major from Grapevine, said she is looking forward to expanding out of the cor-

ner in the Foster Science Building.

“Also, for high school students looking at ACU, a new building will be more impressive,” she said. “Maybe that will increase the enrollment in the math and science departments.”

Many students realized the buildings would not be constructed in time for their use, but remained optimistic about the process.

“It’s really exciting to see the campus growing, even if we probably won’t see it all finished before

we graduate,” said Michael Scott, sophomore business management major. “I’m glad to see the campus constantly improving.”

Caleb Hughes, sophomore criminal justice major, had a similar view.

“I think what they’re doing is fantastic, even though our class probably won’t be around to see the changes,” he said. “I’m thoroughly impressed, though.”

Even prospective students attending Chapel were impressed by the announcement.

Daniel Fanto, prospective student from Thousand Oaks, Calif., recognized the significance of the gift for students and the city of Abilene.

“I thought it was a great commitment toward the campus and the community that surrounds us.”

Zane Witcher, sophomore biblical text major from Georgetown, said he is most excited about the project’s potential to unite students.

“As I look at a Moody full of students who are standing around for the an-

nouncement, I think about how cool if will be for all of them to be in our football stadium one day,” he said.

However, some professors are concerned about the displacement of Chamber Hall’s departments. For example, Paul Roggendorff, professor of Language and Literature, said faculty in his area had not met to discuss the impact of construction.

“As far as I know, the departments in Chambers have not. It’s kind of a given that their building is going away,” he said.

“But the new projects are for the sciences, and so that’s as much information as we’ve had up to this point. We’ve had no input in the new buildings.”

These changes will be the largest to the university since the Design for Development campaign in the 1960s and ‘70s, which raised $33 million for the construction of buildings around campus. contactjackson at bkj12a@acu.edu

sports

sunday 02.16.14

8

ACU has mixed success in home series hannah little sports reporter The softball team went 1-2 in a series on Friday and Saturday against Oklahoma Christian University. The Wildcats and are now 2-3 for the year.

The Wildcats fell in game one of the series, 7-1 against a strong pitching performance from OC pitcher Shea Coats.

She registered 7.0 innings pitched, six hits, an earned run and three strikeouts.

“Take away a couple of bad innings this weekend and I think we played alright,” Austin Kilcullen Staff Photographer head coach Bobby Reeves Freshman Tori Valdivia swings at a pitch Saturday at a said. “We have to play well in home game. two out of three phases of the

game: pitching, offense, or defense.”

The Wildcats had no runs until the sixth inning, when sophomore utility player Anna Jones doubled home sophomore infielder Demi McNulty.

OC had taken the lead by two runs after the first inning.

Kala Ratliff, who finished 3-3 and three runs batted in, led OC in their victory.

Starting fresh and renewed on Saturday, the Wildcats won the first game in five innings, 8-0. Senior catcher Lyndi Smith went 2-3 with two RBI’s and a home run.

Senior outfielder Ashley Nolan’s lone hit of the game was a home run that drove in

two, enough offensive support for freshman pitcher Hannah Null. Null earned the win and registered 5.0 innings pitched, three hits, four strike-outs and zero earned runs as she moves to one win and one loss on the young season.

The Wildcats couldn’t continue its offensive urgency into the second game. The team lost the second game 5-1. OC only had six hits, but was able to capitalize.

The home squad had the exact opposite problem, registering five hits, only to have one player cross home plate.

OC scored four runs in the third inning, all coming off one swing, as a grand slam

gave the Wildcats an early 4-0 deficit.

“It comes down to scoring runs when you have them in scoring position,” Reeves said.

“Making adjustments when needed and getting momentum at the right times and keeping it.”

Moving forward, the Wildcats will travel to Lubbock to take on Western New Mexico University and Lubbock Christian University on Tuesday.

The games will begin at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. contact little at hll12a@acu.edu

Track star aims for future Olympic dreams jimmy isbell sports reporter As a young boy, sophomore track and field star Johnathan Farquharson never liked to run. Over the years that began to change. As he grew older, he quickly realized how fast and how far he could run. So fast and so far, that it brought him to Abilene.

“It’s something you really have to love,” Farquharson said.

“I honestly think it’s the worst thing to train for, but at the end of the day, I cannot go without it because it has brought me so far.”

Not many people can say they came running to Abilene Christian as a native of the Bahamas. Johnathan’s good friend and former ACU track teammate, Dennis Bain, spoke highly of the Wildcat track program.

“It’s a good school, good environment and a good place to go if you want to get faster,” Bain said.

Track programs in the Bahamas differ from the program at ACU. The weather in Abilene alone could pose some problems for a runner used to the scorching heat of the Bahamas.

“The weather here is different for sure,” Farquharson said.

“I never ran in cold weather before I came here, so it was difficult to adjust my lungs to the constant temperature change.”

A fellow field-athlete senior Aaron Bynum believes Johnathan could be an Olympic gold medalist if he was just a bit taller.

“It’s amazing to watch him run against guys who are sometimes eight inches taller than him,” Bynum said. “He still keeps up with them, and most of the time finishes before all of them.”

His legs may be shorter, but he uses them to his advantage.

While the sprinters beside him take one stride, he takes two.

It is a challenge for him because a tall sprinter could have a bad stride or two, but for Johnathan, his movement has to be smooth. Sprinting is all about consistency and endurance.

“It doesn’t bother me too much,” Farquharson said. “I’ve never been intimidated walking up to the blocks looking up to all the other athletes in my heat, because then, I would already feel defeated.”

Johnathan’s two main sprints are the 200 and 100 meter.

Last season, as a freshman, Farquharson was a conference runner-up in the 200m at the Lone Star Conference Championships, clocking in a time of 21.40. He finished fifth at the Indoor Nationals in the 100m.

“In the 100, keeping up with the other athletes is a little easier because the distance is shorter, but the 200 is more of a task,” Farquharson said.

His success last season has carried over to this year. Farquharson finished fifth in the men’s 60m sprint final and tied his personal record in the men’s 200m sprint with a 21.47 at the Texas A&M Invitational two weeks ago.

Farquharson’s role model sprinter is Warren Weir, a 2012

deanna romero chief Photographer

Sophomore Johnathan Farquharson has always understood the importance of practice and the necessary requirement of devoting time and effort to be the best he can be. Farquharson finished first in the Husky Classic Men’s 200-meter dash in Seattle last weekend with a 21.88 second time.

London Olympics bronze medalist in the 200m, who is only 5’10”.

“He’s a short guy just like me,” Farquharson said. “Nobody believed he could run against athletes like Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake, but he finished third amongst the fastest men in the world.

Weir’s nickname from then on was, ‘The Wolf,’ because he came from behind within the last 30 meters or so to finish ahead of USA’s Maurice Mitchell.”

Johnathan has come far in his time at ACU representing

the Wildcats. He continues to strive for a podium spot at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

“I think it’s all about the work you put in,” Farquharson said. “If I do well at the World Indoor Championships this year, I believe I will have a chance at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.” contact isbell at jri10a@acu.edu

Remembering the pioneers THOUGHTS WITH “THE ROCK” JOHNSON BRITTNEY JOHNSON SPORTS REPORTER “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” -1 Samuel 16:7 Tony Dungy, former NFL head coach, used this verse to start one of the chapters in his bestselling book Quiet Strength.

To most fans and athletes, Tony Dungy is simply a coach. To a few others, he is a man worthy of admiration. Dungy reformed the Colts with a game plan that proved more than just winning.

He re-organized the defense and brought the team to a new understanding of the game of football.

His unique coaching efforts paid off. In 2007, Dungy led the franchise to their second championship, defeating the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI, making him the first African-American to coach a team to a Super Bowl victory.

Along with this entry for the history books, Dungy was the first coach to defeat all 32 teams in the NFL, the youngest assistant coach and coordinator at the age of

25 and 28 respectively, and was the third person to win a Super Bowl championship as both a player and head coach.

Many of the pioneers who changed the face of sports across the board were African-American. It is unfortunate that their achievements in history often go unnoticed or barely celebrated once a year during February.

In a time when slavery and racism were prominent, a 19-year-old jockey by the name of Oliver Lewis crossed the barrier, forever changing the outlook of professional sports.

Not only was he the first person to win the Kentucky Derby at its start in 1875, but Lewis was the first AfricanAmerican to claim the title.

For the next three decades African-Americans dominated the sport of horse racing, winning 15 of the next 28 derbies.

By dedication and pure love of the sport, Lewis opened the door for many others to follow his footsteps and break the race-divided blockade.

It is the courage, strength and tenacity of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in the MLB 72 years later, that truly began the wave of integration in sports.

Men like Willie Mays, Fritz Pollard, Bobby Marshall and Wally Triplett, all pioneers in

their field, shared the same perseverance as Robinson and Lewis. They saw that sports had their heart and nothing stopped them from pursuing their dreams. As Tony Dungy stated in his book, “Why would you let anything stop you from doing what you have the ability to do?”

Over the years sports slowly became a model for the rest of society. The NBA was the first league to fully embrace players of color.

Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, Nat “Sweetwater” Cliffton and Harry “Bucky” Lew were among the first players to be drafted, signed and play for a NBA team.

All of these men had one goal: to play a sport they loved, professionally. They faced extreme hatred and discouragement because of the color of their skin.

It is 2014, and progress has definitely been made in terms of acceptance and equality. Today, you can see that sports in general are blended with people of all races, cultures and backgrounds.

As Vince Lombardi said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” contact johnson at baj12a@acu.edu

9

sunday 2.16.14

sports

sunday 02.16.14

Men score season high 108 in win daniel zepeda sports editor The men’s basketball team scored a seasonhigh field goal percentage in their win against Dallas Christian, 108-69.

From the start of the game, ACU controlled the score, only trailing by as little as three throughout the entirety of the game.

The Wildcats shot 58 percent from the field, as the 108 points is a season high and the most points they have scored since Dec. 30 against Open Bible College.

The game had to be played at McMurry University’s Kimbrell Arena due to scheduling conf licts with Sing Song.

The win moves ACU to 9-17 as they took a break from Southland Conference play.

The impressive offenpaige otway Staff Photographer sive explosion exhibited Freshman guard Michael Grant drives to the basket at five Wildcats finishing in double digits for points Moody. Grant had a career-high 17 points against UCA on Jan. 18. scored.

In the first half, ACU shot 71 percent from the field and was led by sophomore guard Parker Wentz who had 14 firsthalf points and junior guard Julian Edmonson who added 13 points and three steals.

“We were able to get out to a hot start early, and that helped,” head coach Joe Golding said.

“I thought our guys did a good job of playing inside-out, which gave our shooters space.”

The Wildcats held Dallas Christian to 42 percent shooting and only 4-18 shooting from beyond the arc.

ACU finished the night with 14-29 shooting from three-point land and an impressive 16-17 from the charity strike.

ACU controlled the glass by out-rebounding DC 42-26 and scoring inside on a regular basis.

The Wildcats scored 44 points in the paint compared to Dallas Christian’s 30.

“Inside, we had a size advantage, but our guards did a good job of getting to the glass,” Golding said. “By controlling the glass we were able to get out and run a little bit too.”

Edmonson led all scorers with season-high 27 points. Wentz was the second highest scorer with 22 points on 8-10 shooting including 6-8 from beyond the arc and six assists in only 26 minutes of play.

Freshman guard Michael Grant was impressive with 14 points and was 6-7 from the freethrow line. Junior forward Jacob Lancaster registered a near doubledouble with nine points and thirteen rebounds.

The Wildcats will continue non-conference play Tuesday against Arlington Baptist at home in Moody Coliseum. contact zepeda at djz11a@acu.edu

Dimba’s career night leads the ‘Cats reese gwin sports reporter The women’s basketball team will get a brief break from the Southland Conference when it faces Arlington Baptist College on Tuesday.

The game marks the first non-conference match-up since Jan. 4 and the first non-Div. I opponent since Dec. 17. The Arlington Baptist Patriots are a Div. II team from the National Christian College Athletics Association.

The Wildcats are coming off a 73-67 win over Incarnate Word on ESPN3.

The team was down by nine with 10 minutes left to play, as ACU came roaring back to get the muchneeded road win.

Freshman guard Lizzy Dimba had a career night with 21 points on 9-11 field goal shooting. Senior forward Renata Marquez put in 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

Freshman forward Suzzy Dimba added eight points on a rough 3-11 shooting night, but added 14 rebounds for the Wildcats.

That game pushes the purple and white to an even, 5-5 conference record. The ’Cats managed to exorcise some old demons Thursday night after dropping multiple close games.

The team was able to close out at the end of the halves, win the battle inside and take advantage of free-throw opportunities. The win is proof that despite nine freshmen and the transition to Div. I, ACU is still overachieving this year.

The Wildcats will play a seemingly easier opponent than they have seen in months in the Patriots, but head coach Julie Goodenough does not in-

tend on taking anything for granted.

“We just have to focus for 40 minutes. We have to have more focus,” Goodenough said. “You just can’t take possessions off. We have proven that we can be in all of these game, but we have to stay focused.”

Little is known about Arlington Baptist because this will be the first time ACU has gone up against them.

Goodenough has preached time and time again that the team needs to be worried only about themselves.

The Wildcats have proven that when they play their style of basketball, they are tough to beat.

Physicality on the boards, quickness in transition and fundamental defense are the backbone of this team and something that fans should see a lot of against Arlington Baptist.

Still, Goodenough’s players are looking for more of a complete game from themselves than they have been showing the past few weeks.

The Wildcats are 3-5 over their last eight games, with close losses coming against Lamar, 83-85, Northwestern, 72-76 and Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 71-74.

“We have to execute the game plan better,” freshman guard Alexis Mason said. “We have done a good job of doing certain things right but have let other things go.”

That means focusing on details and closing the game strongly.

“You never know when one block out or one free throw can determine a game,” Goodenough said. contact gwin at erg13a@acu.edu

sports editor The baseball took the first two games of their threegame series against Arlington Baptist.

Game one finished with the Wildcats on top, 12-2, and game two ended with the Wildcats edging the Patriots 4-2.

“Pitching has been the key so far,” said head coach Britt Bonneau.

“We have had great starts without guys going fiveplus innings each. If we can get that on Sunday, we will have a chance to sweep.”

Game one exhibited an offensive showcase from the Wildcats as they scored 12 runs on 14 hits.

Senior catcher Seth Spivey led the way with a 3-5 performance, including a triple, a home run and five runs batted in,

coming up just a double short of the cycle.

“Offensively, we have done a few things well,” Bonneau said. “We have to continue to be patient at the plate and swing at our pitches. When we do this we have scored. “ Senior pitcher Nate Cole was dealing on opening day. He went five innings and gave up four hits, an earned run, three walks and 10 strikeouts.

Game two showed the ‘Cats jumping out to a fast start, leading 4-0 after three innings. Senior infielder Kyle Giusti’s lone hit of the afternoon was huge, with a two RBI single in the fist inning.

Sophomore pitcher, Garrett Demeyere, went six innings in the win, giving up four hits, no earned runs and five strikeouts.

Sophomore Hunter Wakefield and junior

standings Men’s basketball

Team

Div.

Ovrl

SFA SHSU TAMU-CC UIW NSU NO ORU Nicholls St. SELU MSU UCA ACU Lamar HBU

13-0 10-3 9-4 7-4 8-5 7-5 7-5 7-6 6-7 5-7 3-10 2-9 2-11 2-12

24-2 18-7 13-14 19-5 12-12 10-10 13-13 10-12 11-13 7-17 6-18 9-17 3-22 5-21

woMen’s basketball

Team

Div.

Ovrl

UCA Lamar SFA Nicholls St. MSU NSU TAMU-CC HBU SELU ACU SHSU ORU UIW NO

10-3 9-4 8-5 8-5 7-6 7-7 7-7 7-7 6-6 5-5 6-7 6-7 2-9 0-12

16-8 14-10 14-11 13-11 14-9 14-11 14-11 11-14 7-17 14-11 11-13 7-16 8-15 0-23

Who’s Hot Sophomore Johnathan Farquharson turned in an impressive performance for ACU at the University of Washington’s Husky Classic in Seattle.

Farquharson placed first in the 60-meter dash final with a 6.77 second time, a personal best. He also won the 200-meter dash with a 21.88 second time.

briefings Last week, athletic director Jared Mosley issued his second “Notes from the AD’s Desk”. He discussed the football recruiting class, sophomore basketball player Parker Wentz, along with other topics.

Visit acusports.com for more information.

Soccer head coach Casey Wilson announced the addition of eight Texas high school recruits for the 2014 season, on Wednesday.

The new recruits are from San Antonio, Denton, Midland, McKinny, Belton, Allen and Flower Mound.

The Harlem Globetrotters 2014 World Tour is scheduled to come to ACU on Wednesday. Tickets are still available and start at $22. Visit acusports.com for more information.

Deanna romero chief Photographer

Freshman guard Lizzy Dimba drives from the top of the three-point arc in the Wildcat’s game at Moody. On Thursday, Dimba scored a career-high 21 points and was 9-11 in ACU’s 76-67 win over the University of Incarnte Word.

Follow @OptimistSports on Twitter for the latest ACU sports news.

Upcoming

ACU looks for sweep at the Crutch daniel zepeda

10

Baseball looks to sweep Arlington Baptist at 1 p.m.

Sunday at Crutcher Scott field.

Softball takes on Western New Mexico University at 11 a.m.

Tuesday then plays Lubbock Christian at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Lubbock.

Women’s basketball plays Arlington Baptist College at 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday night in Moody Coliseum.

Men’s basketball hosts Arlington Junior Tyler Eager hits a line drive in a game at Crutch Field. Eager went 3-5 with a Baptist College at double in the Wildcat’s opening day game. the conclusion of the women’s game. The tip Kevin Sheets both pitched ing series sweep at 1 p.m. sity of Central. is scheduled for 7:30 well in relief, giving up a Sunday afternoon.

The game can be heard p.m. Tuesday.

File photo

combined four hits, two earned runs and two strikeouts in four innings.

The Wildcats will be back in action in hopes of earning the season open-

After that, the team locally Abilene on 102.7 will compete in the Al FM. Scott Memorial Baseball Classic next weekend, contact zepeda at starting Friday afternoon djz11a@acu.edu at 4 p.m. against Univer-