The Optimist - 08.27.12

Leaping Ahead Freshmen begin college experience with Welcome Week vol. 101, no. 1

Photo Feature Page 7

1 SECTION, 10 PAGES

monday, august 27, 2012

INSIDE NEWS ResLife clarifies Title IV act regarding sex assault and harrassment Page 5

NEWS Welcome Week leaders expect food collection to exceed record Page 8

NEWS Welcome Week leaders implement res hall event Page 4

OPINION Why we believe editorials are important

page 6

OPINION Blane Singletary looks at Nintendo’s new downloadable games page 6

SPORTS

CONFERENCE CALL ACU accepts invitation to rejoin Division I Southland Conference

Mandy Lambright chief Photographer

Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, shakes the hand of Tum Burnett, chairman of the Southland Conference, as he accepts an official invitation into the Division I conference.

mark smith

A new ticketing policy will change the way students attend games Page 10

SPORTS Mitchell Gale named Preseason All American Quarterback

Page 10

SPORTS Football Coach Ken Collums anticipates competing in Division I

editor in chief ACU will rejoin the Southland Conference almost 40 years after leaving the Division I conference.

The Board of Trustees approved the decision to accept the conference’s invitation Friday evening.

The move will take place before the 2013-14 school year. ACU will remain in the Division II Lone Star Conference this school year.

After two years of discussions between the university and conference,

Talent Show moved from Paramount Theater to Civic Center Page 5

NEWS Sophomores moved from Sikes to Morris to make room for freshmen Page 3

ONLINE See the new freshmen participating in Welcome Week festivies

Word and the University of New Orleans. ACU was the last of the three to officially accept the invitation.

ACU was a founding member of the Southland Conference in 1963. ACU left the conference for the Lone Star Conference 10 years later because it would be less expensive.

All ACU athletics teams will be banned from postseason play for the university’s first five years in Southland.

contact smith at mds10a@acu.edu

Bowling alley to shut down

Dead Day lives to see another Finals Week

The bowling alley, located underneath the main floor of the Campus Center, is to be closed at the end of the fall semester.

“For the past several years we have seen two trends: declining student use of the bowling alley area, and increased cost to maintain the bowling equipment,” said Jeff Arrington, associate vice president for Student Life.

Since Residence Life now provides the convenience

of pool or ping pong tables in many of the residence halls, first and second year students living on campus have options that were formally found along the side of the bowling alley.

The bowling alley will still be open for certain operations, allowing ACU student groups, social clubs, departments, and other organizations to reserve lanes for events.

Additionally, the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition will still conduct see bowling page 4

administration

david singer opinion page editor After being removed for the spring semester, Dead Day has officially returned this fall to the finals week schedule.

After reviewing data mandy lambright CHIEF Photographer provided by the registrar, Transfer Student Jack Jiang, Ad/PR major from Hong Kong, hits the lanes with other new provost Dr. Robert Rhodes, who began in members of his mentor group during Welcome Week.

July, made the decision to return to the previous finals week format with no changes.

“The decision was to just return to what we did,” said registrar Bart Herridge, “and come back and sponsibilities Aug. 20. and business experience,” revisit this issue at some Garrett’s appointment said Schubert. “Most im- point and see if we could was announced in an email portantly, she is a strong glean some good things on July 6. Schubert intro- Christian woman who is out of what we tried.” duced her to ACU’s faculty passionate about transAlthough there are no and staff as qualified and the forming the lives of stu- definite plans yet, Herridge right fit to fill this position.

“Allison comes to us see Garrett page 4 see finals page 4 with impressive academic

OC provost named EVP Dr. Allison Garrett, previously the senior vice managing editor president for academic affairs at Oklahoma ChrisA top Oklahoma Christian tian, now fills the position University administrator formerly held by Dr. Phil has been named the new Schubert before he was executive vice president of moved to the role of presithe university. dent. Garrett began her re-

marissa jones

VIDEO

I will affect more than sports. University academic standards will also change by next school year.

“We’ve explored division standards to see what Dr. phil schubert the best fit for ACU,” said president of the Dr. Robert Rhodes, prouniversity vost. “The students that typically come to ACU very impressed.” meet the Division I acaSchubert said the move demic requirements much would make ACU sports more evidently. We found more popular.

Division I would be a much “Division I athletics better fit.” provides a broader visibilSouthland had 11 ity of ACU,” Schubert said. schools in the conference “We’re excited about the and was looking to expand opponents we’ll find our- membership to reach 14. selves matching up with.”

The conference also invited The move to Division University of the Incarnate

Registrar

staff reporter

NEWS

“

Division I athletics provides a broader visibility of ACU.”

campus

josh garcia

Page 10

Southland offered ACU an invitation to join the conference on Aug. 20. Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, sent an email to all faculty and staff to tell them the Board of Trustees would meet at the end of the week and would vote to accept or decline the invitation. The official announcement was made in a press conference in Hunter Welcome Center Saturday afternoon.

“We were here a month ago and had a great visit on campus,” said Tom Burnett, commissioner of the Southland Conference. “We walked away

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Monday 08.27.12

27 Monday

11 a.m. Opening Chapel

28 Tuesday

29

30

Wednesday

7 p.m. Welcome to Abilene

2

11 a.m. Mark Lewis Chapel 101

THursday

4:30 p.m. Students’ Association Congress Interest Meeting 6 p.m. SC at Dallas Baptist U

Chapel checkup

0 61 @acuoptimist

Around Abilene Aug. 27

Aug. 28

Aug. 29

Aug. 30

7 p.m. Meet the Bearcats at Bearcat Field in De Leon.

Football team members, coaches and cheerleaders will be introduced. Hamburger meals will be sold for $5.

7:30 p.m. Paramount Theatre is hosting members of the Houston Grand Opera Studio singing at “Catch a Rising Star!” The event will benefit Young Audiences of Abilene.

Admission will be free.

6:30 p.m. The Key City Squares will host a square dancing workshop at the Wagon Wheel in Tye. All ages invited.

6:30 p.m. The Abilene Public Library will be hosting a notebook creating workshop in the auditorium of the Main Library. Participants will learn how to make and decorate personalized, recycled notebooks with recycles boxes.

Materials will be provided.

The Optimist optimist@acu.edu Police Log Announcements Students interested in joining The Wildcat Reign can signing up at thewildcatreign.com. The Wildcat Reign serves to provide students the ability to facilitate Wildcat pride on campus and serves as a linking point between students and wildcat athletic events.

The ACU Roller Hockey Club Team is accepting new members who are interested in playing roller hockey. For more information on the team, you can post on the ACU Wildcat Hockey Facebook page or email at acuhockey@gmail.com.

ACU Speech and Debate Team is seeking new members interested in speech and debate. For more information email Dena Counts at dena.counts@acu.edu or text/call 325-428-6699.

ACU Theater presents their fall comedy, The 39 Steps, in Fulks Theatre. The play will be showing on Aug. 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, call 325-674-2787 or purchase tickets online at acu.edu/theatre.

A general information meeting for Sing Song host and hostess auditions will be held in Cullen Auditorium on Sept. 6 at 11:30 a.m.

Treadaway Kids will be having an interest meeting in the Campus Living Room on Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. Applications can be found at acutwk.wix.com.

The Royce & Pam Money Student Recre- Students’ Association Congress will be ation & Wellness Center will be celebrat- hosting an interest meeting on Aug. 30 ing its first birthday with RecFest 2012 from 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Aug. 31 from 4 p.m. to midnight. Come play in the dodgeball tournament, and join the Zumba Party.

Volunteer Opp0rtunities The Abilene Zoo is looking for volunteers to help with general labor such as grounds cleanup and painting any weekday at any time between noon and 4 p.m.

The Zoo is located at 2070 Zoo Ln. Contact Joy Harsh at 325-676-6487 for more information.

Child Protective Services needs volunteers for clerical work as well as volunteers who can organize a playroom. Volunteers are needed any weekday anytime between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Child Protective Services are located at 3610 Vine St. Background checks are required and are done at the center. Background checks usually are cleared in about two weeks. For more information call V. Danette Cummings at 325691-8214.

Medical Care Mission is looking for volunteers to assist medical or dental staff with patients any weekday from 8:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. For more information contact Dave Kraly at 325-676-3104 or email medicalmoose@sbcglobal.net.

Abilene Hope Haven Inc. needs volunteers to provide childcare while parents are in class, any evening Monday-Thursday from 6:45 - 8:15 p.m. Abilene Hope Haven is located at 801 S. Treadaway Blvd. For more information contact Kathy Reppart at 325-677-4673 or visit www.abilenehopehaven.com/volunteer.

The Abilene Boys and Girls Club needs help any weekday between 3:30 - 6 p.m. helping children of all ages with games, art, gym time, reading and computer skills. Locations are 4610 N. 10th St. or 1902 Shelton St. Contact Mark Denman at 325-672-1712 for more information.

Volunteers are needed to enjoy a free lunch with students at Bonham Elementary School on a weekly basis. This would be sometime between 10:00 a.m. and 1:15 p.m., and would involve spending lunch time with students and having a positive impact on their lives. Contact Jason Shaw at 325-639-3745 or e-mail jason.shaw@abileneisd.org.

New Life Alliance is looking for volunteers to help with their after school program on Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. You will help with snacks, homework, crafts, games and other activities in addition to mentoring and building relationships with youth. Contact Ashley Kee at 325-672-1636 or e-mail akee@newlifehousing.com.

The House That Kerry Built is looking for volunteers to assist in the day care of medically fragile children any day Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Contact Dave Kraly at 325-676-3104 or e-mail medicalmoose@sbcglobal.net for more information.

Rescue The Animals is looking for volunteers anytime between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. They need help around the adoption center with general cleaning, socialization of the animals, helping potential adopters and other tasks. Contact Mindi Qualls at 325-698-7722 or email rescuetheanimalsvolunteers@yahoo.com. The center is located at 5933 S. 1st St. Young Life Ministries needs volunteers Mondays, Tuesdays and weekends from 6-9 p.m. Volunteers will hang out with kids, experience leadership roles, serve others and introduce students to Christ.

Young Life is located at 1917 S. 6th St. For more information contact Chuck Rodgers at 325-676-1211 or email clrodg@wrproperties.com.

Disability Resources, Inc. is looking for volunteers to assist developmentally disabled residence. Help is needed with activities, art projects, reading books, exercise activities, assisting with vocational training needs and other interactions Monday through Friday from 9 a.m-4 p.m. For more information contact Becky Moody at 325-677-6815 or e-mail bmoody@driabilene. org.

Volunteers are needed to read to Taylor Elementary School students Monday through Thursday afternoons at UCC from 3:15-4:30 p.m. Enter through the south entrance. Contact C.G. Grey 325-668-2842.

Meals on Wheels Plus needs volunteer drivers to deliver afternoon meals to seniors and adults with disabilities Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Drivers must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. Training is provided. A Chapel exemption is available if delivery time conflicts with Chapel. Contact Jessica Stewart at 325-672-5050 or email volunteer@mealsonwheelsplus.com.

Da’ Cipher 360, a program for at risk children, is looking for volunteers on Monday evenings from 5-8 p.m. at the Rose Park Activity Center, 2625 S. 7th St. Volunteers can help in a variety of ways including helping with set up, learning activities for kindergarten-3rd graders, tutoring 4th-8th graders, and assisting with clean up. Contact Alvina Scott at 847-333-7026 or email ams07b@acu.edu.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters program is looking for volunteers to participate in Lunch Buddies. Bigs and Littles will enjoy lunch together at the child’s school once a week. Students can earn Chapel credit for each visit. Big Brothers Big Sisters is also looking for volunteers for its Community Based program. Bigs are matched with Littles in a oneon-one relationship and spend four to six hours per month together in the community. To sign up or learn more visit www.bbbstx.org or call 325-6743113.

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

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 St. For more information

contact Janice Serrault at 325-695-6311 or abfoodbk@ camalott.com.

Access Learning Center is looking for volunteers to help elementary school kids with homework, reading, computers and games. The center is located at 2102 Ambler Ave. For more information contact Bret Hines at 325-670-9727. Call ahead to schedule a time to volunteer.

College Heights Friendship House needs child mentors Monday - Thursday from 3 - 5 p.m. Contact Dusty Garison at dusty@wecareabilene.org for more information.

Center for Contemporary Arts needs a gallery assistant to greet patrons, answer phones, and answer basic questions about the Center and its programs. This oppotrunity is open Tuesday - Friday. The Center for Contemporary Arts is located at 220 Cypress Street.

For more information contact Jessica Dulle at 325677-8389 or visit: http://www.center-arts.com/ 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 St. For more information on times and dates contact Debby Lillick at 325-673-4586 or visit: http://www.nccil.org/index.htm Breakfast on Beech Street is seeking volunteers to help set up, prepare and serve breakfast to homeless/lower income folks any Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 5:30 a.m. or Tuesday at 5 a.m. B.O.B.S is located at First Christian Church on 3rd St. and Beech St. 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 325692-4149 or mbeasley5@suddenlink.net. To serve on Fridays contact Rachel Brown at rdb08a@acu.edu.

The Christian Ministries of Abilene: Food Pantry is searching for volunteers to greet and interview neighbors, do computer entries, shop with neighbors, take groceries to vehicles, bag, stock and pick up orders on Mondays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m.

- 11:45 a.m. The Food Pantry is located at 701 Walnut St. For more information contact Camilla Becton at 325-672-1890 or email bammy0811@yahoo.com.

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

3

campus news

Monday 08.27.12

Res Life

Shifting numbers force change in dorms Alikay Wood Copy Editor Residence Life Education and Housing has reorganized several aspects of the dorm structure because of the large number of incoming freshmen.

One of the biggest changes is that freshmen women are now living on the third floor of Sikes Hall, a dorm usually reserved for sophomores.

John Delony, assistant dean for residence life and education, equates the changes in Sikes to “letting air out of the tires.”

Once Delony and ResLife officials became aware of how large the freshmen class would be, they immediately took action to make sure there would be adequate accommodations for all incoming students.

In the process, ResLife was forced to move sophomore women out of Sikes and into Morris. The women moved out of Sikes were chosen at random and were offered a “sweet deal,” said Delony. That included keeping their former hallmates and placing only two

women in rooms that usually hold three.

Having freshmen in Sikes is unusual to many students, but it is not unprecedented. Delony said some sophomores lived in Sikes seven to nine years ago.

Although ResLife is working to prevent this kind of movement of sophomores again, it is difficult to anticipate the number of future freshmen.

“We’re watching very closely,” Delony said.

Erin Daugherty, the new Sikes residence hall director, said having freshmen in Sikes will be a good learning experience for both sophomore and freshmen women.

“It’s a great opportunity for sophomores to invest in the lives of freshmen girls,” she said. “I’m really interested to see how the two can impact and bless each other.”

Delony wanted to ensure that the freshmen women still receive the freshmen dorm experience. Because of this, ResLife will be doing a lot of programs with Gardner Hall and will be working hard to get them involved

with other students their age, he said.

Curfew will also be enforced for freshmen living in Sikes, as it is for all freshmen.

Daugherty is not worried about these new housing challenges because for the past several years both freshmen and sophomore men have lived in Edwards Hall, which has provided a great model for Sikes to use.

Another change in ResLife is the reorganization of Barrett Hall. For the past several years, Barrett has been organized by floor, but this year it is to be organized by tower.

“It comes down to how many beds we need,” Delony said. Barrett has been organized by tower before, and the structure is largely dependent on the male-tofemale ratio.

Delony said that ultimately the organization of housing “all depends on the freshmen.”

Destiny hagood Staff Photographer contact wood at akw10a@acu.edu

Members of the ACU community joined in with the Move-In Crew to help move freshmen women into Gardner dorm at the beginning of Welcome Week.

Admissions

Large number of transfer students participate in Welcome Week Josh Garcia student reporter About 80 participants of this year’s Welcome Week were transfer students from different schools around the world.

The overall Welcome Week participation is higher, but the total number of new transfer students is slightly less than last school year. However, numbers

could increase when the fall semester begins.

“In terms of quality and the folks that I’ve had interactions with, it’s a great group. There’s a lot of energy. A lot of enthusiasm,” said Dr. Eric Gumm, director of the First-Year Program and Academic Development.

Among these transfer students is Heather Peacock, a junior social studies major from Magnolia, who transferred from Ranger

College. The quality of ACU athletics sparked her interest and helped her decide to transfer.

“I was looking for somewhere to play softball, and it seemed like a good fit for me. So I came and tried out, and I made it.”

Colton Mitchell, a sophomore business management major from Palatine, Ill., transferred from Carthage College and stated that faith played a major

part in his decision to enroll.

“I came to ACU because I wanted a good Christian school,” said Mitchell, “I looked at ACU and it just seemed to fit.”

Other students, such as Savannah Snook, a sophomore speech pathology major from Boston, who is transferring from Middlesex Community College, found that ACU’s size played a role in their decision to transfer.

Snook mentioned that she she went to a high school with an environment similar to ACU and wanted to return to a place with that atmosphere.

“I didn’t want to get lost in the crowd and have teachers that didn’t care about me,” said Snook. “I really wanted a college that was smaller and had a strong Christian foundation.”

Gumm stated that many people are looking for an

environment like ACU; one that integrates faith into the curriculum while still upholding a high standard for academics.

“It’s about that integration of faith and learning, and the energy that the campus has in terms of being a close community,” Gumm said. contact garcia at Jct10b@acu.edu

news

Monday 08.27.12

4

campus

Bowling: Excessive alley costs cited in decision “We met other friends and it was a great experitwo sections of bowling ence,” said White. “Since this semester. Video game that time I’ve gone on nuconsoles, pool tables, and merous occasions.” ping pong tables in the area have already been reOnce we are further in the distributed to various Resithe semester we’ll begin dence Halls.

With the alley area facdiscussions on long term ing large expenses and lack plans for the area.” of use, the school decided it was best to close the bowljeff arrington ing alley and use the funds associate vice president for student life elsewhere.

Current plans for the future of the space include usage as a meeting place Arrington, however, for small groups. “Once we believes that closing the are further into the semes- bowling alley is the right ter we’ll begin discussions action to take. on long term plans which “Across the university may include much needed we continually reevaluate space for student leaders the way funds are used in to work in collaboration order to be good stewards with Student Life staff,” Ar- of both the financial rerington said. sources of the university Wilson White, senior and the opportunity to history major from Ozona, provide transformational said he is sorry to see the experiences for students,” bowling alley go.

Arrington said.

White noted after meeting his roommate freshmen year they went bowlcontact garcia at ing to hang out and get to jtg10b@acu.edu know each other. continued from page 1

“

destiny hagood Staff Photographer

Kariana Williams, freshman from Belton, takes advantage of the on-campus bowling alley during the Bowling Bonanza event Thursday.

registrar

Finals: Dead Day’s death short-lived continued from page 1 said the intention is to find a compromise that keeps the better parts of each schedule.

“Even the students that hated losing dead day acknowledged that there was some educational value to putting more space between classes,” he said.

The decision was based very strongly on the negative student response that flooded in after the announcement last fall. At the end of the spring semester, students filled out a survey in impressive numbers to show their disdain for the changes.

Just over 700 students responded the survey as opposed to the 468 who voted in last years Student’s Association election. Of those who responded, 60% were opposed to a Dead Day free finals week while 19% supported and 21% were neutral. While results were negative regarding the

changes, 35% of students did find the new schedule helpful in performing on exam days.

Faculty responses on the issue were fairly split.

Of the 110 who answered, 42% said losing dead day was not detrimental to students, 40% believed it was and 18% were neutral.

Along with their responses to the survey, students also voiced their opinion through a petition orga n i zed

by Alexander Hill, junior biology major from Abilene.

Hill’s petition, which he delivered directly to hill the registrar at the end of the spring semester, garnered 500 signatures from students seeking a return of dead day.

“I honestly did not expect to get as many signa-

tures as I did,” said Hill.

“The student response was enormous which I think contributed so much to getting dead day back.”

While Hill is glad to have the time back for studying, he is unsure if students will use the time to study or meet with professors.

However, he said, there are other benefits.

“It’s a day where you can get some sleep,” said Hill.

“It’s a day where you can relax and unwind before the incredibly stressful week.

Even if you aren’t studying, it lets you relax and actually be able to do well on the test the next day.”

Herridge agrees that while students will “probably not” take advantage of the day from a studying aspect, it is a day that student sneed and want for a variety of reasons.

“There are absolutely students that are using it to study,” said Herridge.

“There are also a substantial number of students

who are using that as the last opportunity to get with friends.”

After a student outcry, Hill is happy to see the administration respond.

“I hope that students will use their voice,” he said. “I hope students do start expressing their opinions more. If the majority of students think that something is wrong, I think this proves that the administration will listen.”

Despite the negative response, Herridge felt there were positives to the temporary removal.

“It was absolutely worth while,” he said, “and the survey data was pretty clear about how everyone feels about it. I think it was a good educational piece for us as a university to go through and reevaluate what our purpose is for finals week.” contact singer at dis08a@acu.edu

administration

Garrett: Finalist for OC presidency now serving as EVP continued from page 1 dents. ACU is fortunate to have such a talented individual who will help advance our mission.”

Garrett’s responsibilities will include financial operations, enrollment, marketing, and facilities and campus management (including landscape and grounds, physical resources and construction). Garrett, who was one of two finalists last year for the presidency of Oklahoma Christian, will serve on the Senior Leadership Team and as a liaison to the Board of Trustees.

“I have respected ACU for years,” Garrett said.

“It’s a university that seems to have a very clear vision and is doing some really innovative things that makes it a leader in Christian higher education, so the opportunity to work here is something that was really attractive.”

Garrett earned a bach-

“

It’s been a wonderful opportunity to work with bright students who are passionate about changing the world.” dr. allison garrett executive vice president of the university

elor’s degree with honors from Oklahoma Christian, a Juris Doctor degree (J.D.) from the University of Tulsa College of Law, and a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) in securities regulation from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Since 2007, Garrett has held a position at Oklahoma Christian, overseeing three colleges, graduate studies, the library, Honors, the registrar’s office, international programs, the student success program, Institutional Research and OC’s faculty technical support group. Previously, she was an executive in various roles with Arkansas-based

Walmart Stores Inc. for more than a decade.

“I love Christian higher education and left a corporate role to be involved in it because I feel so strongly about the need for people of faith to be in positions to share their expertise with students,” Garrett said. “It’s been a wonderful opportunity to work with bright students who are passionate about changing the world, about their disciplines and really wanting to express their faith with what they do.” contact jones at mnj10a@acu.edu

5

NEWs

Monday 08.27.12

STudent Life

Talent Show moved to Abilene Civic Center to get to know Abilene better.

“It’s the beginning of It’s the beginning of a a new tradition and alThe large freshman class new tradition and allows lows students to explore has forced Welcome Week organizers to move the anstudents to explore new new places in Abilene,” nual talent show to the places in Abilene.” Ragland said. She said the Abilene Civic Center. move will encourage new For the past two years, T’Neise Ragland students to enjoy the culsenior education major ture that Abilene has to ofthe Welcome Week talent from Sachse show has taken place at fer. The Civic Center hosts the Paramount Theatre in art shows, music and book downtown Abilene and was Welcome Week leader festivals and theatre perforlocated in Cullen Audito- T’Neise Ragland, senior ed- mances that students can rium for years before that. ucation major from Sachse, attend throughout the year.

But with more than 960 in- said the change also allows Moving the location of coming freshmen, organiz- freshmen the opportunity the talent show will allow more people to participate in this Welcome Week tradition, she said. The Civic Center holds more seats than either Cullen Auditorium or the Paramount. This leaves plenty of room not only for freshman participating in Welcome Week, but also for parents, alumni and upperclassmen to attend the show.

Paramount Theatre officials said college students mandy lambright Staff Photographer still will have opportuniHaley Huskins, freshman youth and family ministry major from Sugarland, sings “I ties to attend film festivals, Want You Back” by The Jackson 5 while Luke Schumann, freshman missions major movies and other events at from Sugarland, accompanies her on guitar at the Welcome Week Talent Show. the venue during their time in Abilene.

“We still host the Wel- Compton, technical direccome Week movie night, tor at the Paramount. mandy lambright Staff Photographer FilmFest in April and have Cheryl Bell, freshman Spanish major from Taylor, sang plenty of ACU students “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys in the Welcome Week contact greene at involved in musicals over Talent Show. keg09b@acu.edu the summer,” said Taylor

Katie Greene pafe 2 editor

ers decided to move to the new location.

“

administration

ResLife revises harassment policy marissa jones Managing Editor Residence Life Education and Housing implemented a new government mandate clarifying the Title IV act regarding sexual harassment and assault.

Title IV is a federal law, established in the 1972, that prohibits sex discrimination in education.

The Office of Civil Rights issued several documents which seek to clarify and elaborate on what the actual policy refers to.

In April 2011, all institutions receiving federal financial assistance, which includes ACU, received a letter that established sexual harassment and assault as a form of sex based discrimination in the education environment and lined out some policies that schools are required to comply with.

“If a student puts forth a sex assault allegation and then goes to class with that student, that’s not a good learning envi-

ronment.” said John Delony, Assistant Dean for ResLife, “So the government came out and clarified it, and we walked through the processes of how to handle it.”

“The letter has lined out some policies that schools are required to comply with,” said Kaci St. John, director of judicial affairs. “One of those being that we have a clear policy on sex assault and harassment, so we have revamped our policy and made the reporting process a little cleaner and easier to find.”

The letter also requires a Title IV court leader to be assigned which, at ACU, is director of human resources Wendy Jones.

The document also recommends deputy coordinators to be appointed.

St. John investigates and reports on violations of policy by students and Robyn Smith, talent management specialist, oversees employees who have been accused.

“It’s going to make it

“

It’s useful to know the proper way to handle that type of information should I ever be in that situation.”

a more streamlined process,” St. John. “If something does come to our attention we have a more detailed process of how to approach this issue. I think that makes it a little bit easier and hopefully a more centralized person like the coordinators will make it easier to know where to take your concerns.”

The university has a new website with Title IV policies and resources and information of who to contact and how to report harassment or assault. Brochures were also made containing this information and given to each on-campus resident.

Resident assistants also participated in training specific to Title IV. “The Title IV portion of the RA training was new

Rebecca Horton sikes’ assistant director

this year,” St. John said.

“We have talked about assault and harassment before, but this year was really about how to educate the students about their options and let them know ACU has a duty to respond and to keep our campus safe.”

They were instructed that if any of them were to hear of someone who had suffered sexual abuse, they should report it to a resident hall director.

“It’s useful to know the proper way to handle that type of information should I ever be in that situation,” said Rebecca Horton, Sikes’ assistant director.

contact jones at mnj10a@acu.edu

Opinion

Monday 08.27.12

Editorial

6

column

Editorials: a protected, fact-based stance Direct downloads are a game-changer Of all the content in a newspaper, editorials are arguably the most divisive.

Where news presents factual events to the reader, editorials deliver opinion and judgment.

Often, these judgements can offend readers of opposing stances. However, these verdicts do not come without a deep understanding of facts. It is every reporter’s job to gather evidence regarding current events and then we, as an editorial board, attempt to sift through those facts and come to an educated conclusion.

An editorial is most successful when it can bring human opinion that is based on factual news, and a well written editorial can benefit both sides of the argument. Should you agree with our stance, hopefully you can gain a stronger basis of fact to defend your point in the

future. Even those who disagree are persuaded to look deeper into their own view and possibly reevaluate their stance.

One of the largest complaints regarding editorials is that the members of the board simply hide behind the anonymity and take advantage of their ability to present a view that many may find offensive.

“

We, as an editorial board, attempt to sift through facts and come to an educated conclusion.”

We do not hide, but instead, our unnamed editorials give us the protection necessary to try and present an often hard

the issue This is where the editorial board briefly describes what is being discussed in the editorial.

ONES AND ZEROS BLANE SINGLETARY

our take This is where we take a decisive stance on the above-mentioned issue.

and rarely popular stance on the news. Despite how brave any person may consider themselves, our public opinions are constantly influenced by those who feel differently.

In any community where there are resounding political, moral and spiritual views (i.e. a Christian college) it can be difficult to present an unaltered, opposing opinion. Political and social issues can be very polarizing. While our stance will not always be in opposition to public opinion, when it is, our attempt to reach a strong consensus will remain unaltered by a fear of be-

ing singled out for our beliefs.

The editorial board is the purveyor of opinion in any publication. Our printed views are not aimed at being offensive, countercultural or even unpopular. But sometimes they are. Our opinion is gathered through consensus, protected from belief and most importantly, based on a thorough understanding and an educated reading of the facts.

contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

EVAN’s marks

evan marks

If you want to buy the the latest entry in the Super Mario Bros. franchise, you won’t have to leave your dorm room, house or other dwelling.

For the first time in its history, Nintendo is allowing owners of its 3DS console the ability to buy and download a full, retail game directly to their device. With this move, and plans to continue to make retail games available for purchase on their eShop service, Nintendo joins other console developers in offering digital download services for retail titles.

We’ve already seen a similar change take place in the music and book industry. Thanks to iTunes and your mobile device, if you want a song, you can get it with (almost) no questions asked.

The gaming industry, on the other hand, has had a much harder time building up a digital distribution model. Taking into account the differences between these media, it’s no surprise.

Now let’s be clear. We’re talking about full retail console games like Call of Duty and The Legend of Zelda; games that have a lot of content to justify a higher price tag. Not quick-buy smartphone games like Angry Birds or Cut the Rope.

There are a few major changes that come with this technology. First of all, there is size. Let’s remember that the internet wasn’t always as highspeed as it was today.

One of the reasons iTunes worked was because the average music file weighs in at about 5 megabytes.

Some of today’s games, on the other hand, can take up well over 5 gigabytes, 1,064 times more infor-

mation than the average song. Try doing that over dial-up.

Then there’s the consumer expectation of tangibility. Most audio downloads set you back a measly $.99; barely enough to even think about. For the higher price that today’s TripleA games demand ($40-60), people like something physical to show for it. How would you feel if your computer or console where your downloaded game is stored were to break?

What’s the guarantee that you’d be able to use it on your new device?

These are challenges that the gaming industry is facing as they continue this brave, new digital transition. Game companies have every incentive on their end to do away with physical retail buying altogether.

Think about it: direct downloads mean developers can sell more directly to the consumer and eliminate the middle men standing in their way.

However, going back to tangibility, consumers naturally expect a lower price for something they can’t actually hold.

A switch to digital means that game companies will have to change many of their own practices. A retail game and a downloadable game are two very different things.

Lower prices as well as the power to transfer the game to whatever device you want it on are just some of the many things that will have to change to make downloading a justifiable option for consumers. contact singletary at sbs07a@acu.edu

2012-2013 Editorial Board The editorial board meets once a week to hash out a collective opinion on news and issues of local and national importance. Through spirited debate and some friendly argument, we come to a consesus on topics relevant to you.

CALL ME, MAYBE

WOAH! IS ME DAVID SINGER

Classification: Senior MAJOR: Graphic Design HOMETOWN: Pflugerville David enjoys using computers, pencils and his hands to make things. He finds humor in everything and mistakes in most menus. He just finished his last summer ever.

VAGABONDAGE

LINDSAY PALMER

ONES AND ZEROS

SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND

BLANE SINGLETARY

Classification: Sophomore MAJOR: psychology HOMETOWN: houston

Classification: Senior MAJOR: Ad/PR HOMETOWN: brownwood

Classification: Senior MAJOR: electronic media HOMETOWN: abilene

Lindsay is hoping to become an art therapist and help children with autism. In high school she participated in competitive speech and debate and has five siblings.

Samantha is a travel-loving, outdoor-dwelling, adventureseeking, concert-going, humor-finding, joy-pursuing storyteller who is just trying to figure out what it means to be Jesus to this world.

Blane is News Director at Abilene Public Radio and host of Eye on Entertainment. He composes electronica music and mash-ups under the alias “Sma Man.” He enjoys taking long walks to find beaches to take long walks on.

DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID

MELANY COX

WELL, THIS IS AWKWARD

MARISSA JONES

MARK SMITH

Classification: junior MAJOR: convergence journalism HOMETOWN: belton

Classification: sophomore MAJOR: multimedia HOMETOWN: abilene

Classification: Senior MAJOR: journalism HOMETOWN: powhatan, Va.

Melany loves traveling and has visited seven different countries, including Vatican City. People often tell her she’s too quiet. The truth is, she have plenty to say, she’s just waiting to see if they are willing to listen.

Marissa is a nerd, and she knows it. She likes to have adventures, and is still figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up.

Mark never envisioned himself as editor of the Optimist but he’s taken to the job like a polar bear to Coke. He enjoys Steve Carell movies and his favorite band will always be Relient K. Mark wants to write the Miami Dolphins beat at ESPN.

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

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79609 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu

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7

welcome week

monday 08.27.12

WELCOME

ACU

TO

mandy lambright chief Photographer

Incoming freshmen adjust to campus life while participating in Welcome Week activities both on campus and in the Abilene community.

mandy lambright chief Photographer

mandy lambright chief Photographer

mandy lambright chief Photographer

brittany williams staff Photographer

mandy lambright chief Photographer

NEWS

monday 08.27.12

8

student life

Leaders hope to top 2011 service project Melany Cox online managing editor During Welcome Week 2011, students collected and donated more than 12,000 pounds of food as part of the annual service project. This year, leaders hope to have collected even more food.

Welcome Week mentor groups journeyed onto the streets of Abilene Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Each group visited different Abilene neighborhoods and collected canned goods and other non-perishable food items. The collected items were donated to the Food Bank of West Central Texas. The service project lasted two hours.

Eric Gumm, director of the First-Year Program, said 12,270 pounds of food were gathered last year, after converting the cash donations into food. Because of the size of this year’s freshman class, he said he would like to see more than 13,000 pounds of food collected, which would

“

We also want to make sure they understand a key portion of life at ACU is serving others.”

Eric Gumm director of the firstyear program

equal about 10,000 meals.

Gumm said the Food Bank of West Central Texas serves Taylor county and several surrounding counties.

The mentor groups were spread over a wide variety of areas in town, according to Gumm.

“We actually have collecting points at the United here on this side of town as well as the United on South 14th to try to create centralized places for people to bring things too,” he said.

“The neighborhoods ranged from Heritage Parks outside the loop on the north side of town to the neighborhoods down towards Wylie and the south side of town, and then a number of neighborhoods

in between.”

Gumm said the goal of the Welcome Week service project is to introduce incoming students to the idea of participating in service throughout their four years at ACU. “We also want to make sure they understand a key portion of life at ACU is serving others,” he said.

Kari McQueen, junior elementary education major from Georgetown, has participated in the service project for three years.

McQueen, a mentor group leader, said the project time had been shortened because of the heat.

She said the purpose of the service project was to encourage the new students to serve their community and get to know the people with whom they will be spending the next four years.

“It’s to get them started in the ACU community and in the Abilene community, because they really encourage not just being here on campus, but going out into the community and serving,” she said. “It’s really just to get that rolling in their heads and give them a chance to serve with their class.”

contact cox at mkc09b@acu.edu

student life

Destiny Hagood Staff Photographer

Welcome Week includes res hall events Melany Cox online managing editor

This year a new event was added to the Welcome Week schedule.

On Wednesday, incoming freshmen and transfer students were able to participate in an activity with their residence halls, a first for Welcome Week activities.

Dr. Eric Gumm, director of the First-Year Program, said time for the residence hall activity was designated after it was requested

by Resident Assistants who have been involved with Welcome Week over the past couple of years.

“They love leading their mentor groups, which are their Cornerstone collections of students, but they also said, ‘We’d love to have an intentional way to do an activity with the students who actually live in our hall too,’” Gumm said.

He noted that several

recommendations over the past few months led to a conversation with Residence Life, who were in favor of the idea. The activities took place at 1 p.m. on Wednesday and Gumm said he received positive feedback about the event. There were a variety of activities available which allowed each hall to get to know each other and their R.A. on a more personal level.

Stacy Acton, an elementary education major from Boulder, CO, is an R.A. in Sikes and served as a Mentor Group leader. Acton said the activity with the residence halls provided students with the chance to meet the people on their hall before classes started.

“I like that they fit that into Welcome Week because, before you were living with these people for a week, and then you’d have a hall meeting,” Acton said.

Gumm also said changes were made to the Talent Show and the Fun Run. The Talent Show was moved to the Abilene Civic Center and the Fun Run was “tweaked” to provide an opportunity to support charity.

“Instead of just running for yourself and running for fun, it’s an opportunity,” Gumm said. “Every person who runs gets a ticket to vote for a charity that they want to support.

There’s a container for the Red Thread Movement, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Student Academic Advisory Committee and the Anabel Reid Run for Water foundation.

Whichever of those charities gets the most tickets, we’ll make a donation based on the number of people who run.”

contact the cox at mkc09b@acu.edu

Above and left: Chelsea Brumbaugh, senior communication major from Lewisville, and freshman Kren Fernandes collect canned goods from Abilene residents as part of the Welcome Week service project.

9

sports

monday 08.27.12

University

Student IDs no longer gain entry at games Daniel Zepeda sports reporter The ACU athletic department has created a new system to allow students’ access to ACU athletic and sporting events. The new policy goes into effect for the very first games.

“Your student ID’s will no longer get you into student athletic events,” said John Houser, assistant director of athletics for operations. “Now, you must go onto acusports.com, click on “ticketing”, then

click the ACU student link in the bottom left hand corner of the page, and once you’ve clicked on that, just follow the instructions.”

The new system now gives students two ways of acquiring their tickets.

“From the website, you can look at the schedule, select the games you want to attend and then print the ticket off from your home or dorm,” Houser said.

“The other option that we have created is that you can get the QR code from

“

Your student ID will no longer get you into student athletic events.”

John houser Assistant director of athletics for operations

the website onto your Iphone, smart phone or device and bring it to the games where the workers can scan the code and then let you into the game.”

The change to the ticketing system will hopefully get students more

involved and increase student turnout.

“Grand Valley State has made the change as well,” Houser said. “They have twenty to twenty five thousand students and they said that it creates a huge increase in student attendance.”

“This new system encourages the students to go online, see what’s going on and look at the athletic calendar, and make them get their ticket, which in response will hopefully get them to actually show up to the games,” he said.

The new policy not only affects students, but also teachers and faculty.

“Faculty, staff and retirees all get a free sports pass to go to as many games as they want for free,” Houser said.

“The only change is now we will begin to charge dependence: spouses and kids over eighteen sixty dollars each,” he said.

“On the other hand, kids under eighteen or spouses over sixty five are given a buy one get one free deal for forty dollars.”

Houser and the rest of the ticketing department are very optimistic about the new policy and believe that it is definitely a step in the right direction.

“It’s going to take a little time to get up and running with it, but once we get going, I think it will be a very simple and smooth process,” Houser said.

contact zepeda at djz11a@acu.edu

university

Competition: Mosley positive about D-I leap from page 10 with an approximate enrollment of 4,600 students.

Mosley said size was not heavily discussed during the two year process of deciding to become a Division I school.

“The opportunities that await in Division I have nothing to do with size,” he said. “It has more to do with our mission and institutional alignment and our ability to maximize revenue streams in our market.”

“A lot of the focus was on how do we tailor a Division I program here at ACU and set it up in a way that we can sustain long term success. If you’re able to establish and have the support we have from alums, donors and corporate partners here in town it certainly makes it easier to navigate.”

Concerns about competing at the NCAA Division I level were always in the back of Mosley’s mind throughout this process.

“We haven’t been to Division I in a long time so you don’t know exactly how it’s going to play out,” he said. “Based on

mandy lambright Staff Photographer

Tom Burnett, Southland Conference commisioner, speaks at the Div. I press conference the quality of the studentathletes we have as well as the coaches we have in place that we’ll be able to navigate it pretty well. We won’t know for sure until we jump in though.”

“No question, there’s going to be parts of our plan that we aren’t going to fully realize until we get out into year five or six,”

he said. “It is a growing process. We’re not launching into this at levels right out of the gate because we wanted a plan that’s sustainable. I’m sure there will be some challenges but I’m confident in the leadership we have to be able to get through this.”

Head football coach Ken Collums has never

been worried about competing at the new level.

“I don’t think there is any doubt we can be competitive,” he said. “We can be competitive right now.

Now whether we would win every game, probably not because our depth isn’t near what it’s going to be in four years.”

“When you go up in

levels your facing people that have more good players. As we go through this transition we’ll stair step it and be able to compete.

The product we have here will attract good players.”

“The bottom line is football is football,” Collums said. “You have to get stops on defense, you better have a good quarterback; those things don’t change whether you’re in the NFL or college. Southland is very similar to the Lone Star in that you better show up and play well or you’re not going to win.”

ACU does come into the Southland as one of the nation’s most-accomplished athletic programs.

The ‘Cats have won 64 team national championships since 1952 and have 57 NCAA national championships, which ranks fourth nationally in total number of national team championships.

Only Stanford University, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC) have more.

“I encourage our fans, students and alum to know

ACU’s Southland Conference Titles Men’s Track and Field (7)- 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 Men’s Cross Country (7)- 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 Men’s Basketball (3)- 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68 that this is a process,” Mosley said. “The support we’ve been able to generate over the last eight to ten years by fans and people on our campus has been phenomenal. I’m sure we’ll continue to have people come to the plate and support us.” contact isaacs at jei08a@acu.edu

university

Academics: Standards to rise after move from page 10 recruiting and transfers are concerned.”

In order to come to ACU and be eligible for athletics, transfers must now earn an associate’s degree from the school they are coming from. They also must have a certain number of hours in certain subjects.

Collums believes ACU will focus on more than just the athletic talent of their recruits.

“We’re really going to have to hand-pick our players even more than we already do because here at ACU, I want the right heart anyway,” Collums said. “We throw a huge net and then narrow it down. It comes down to academics, the ability, and the guy’s heart.

There definitely will be a

different set of circumstances as far as academics, and getting people here.”

The way the department handles athletics scholarships will also change.

Division II schools such as ACU have the ability to break up scholarships in as many ways as they want and distribute them to whomever they like. However, Division I comes with an entirely new set of rules and regulations on scholarships.

“In sports like football you may have 63 scholarships but you can only give it to 85 people,” Collums said. “You really can’t just divvy them up the same way that we do in Division II.” Not all changes at the next level will be difficult for athletes. Mosley is look-

“

It will be an adjustment phase for us, but I think we will be fine.”

Ken collums head football coach acu athletics

ing forward to the increase in funding and more scholarship opportunity.

“If we look at anticipated scholarship growth and expense it’s hard to project exactly what that will be. We kind of have a plan in place that we will use to navigate,” Mosley said.

“We will be growing in a part of our adding of revenue that we will be bringing in towards enhancing our scholarships offerings at the Division I level.”

Along with an increased

revenue, Collums is hopeful that the new scholarship regulations will work well with the university’s recently adopted block tuition.

“The block tuition is awesome for academics, you can’t get any better than that. You can get in and get out and graduate, but as far as athletic scholarships in a Division II school are concerned, it’s not the best setup.”

Last fall Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, announced that Abilene Christian would begin block tuition the following year.

Under the new plan, students can take 24-36 hours per year for one price, including other general fees.

The hours may be split over semesters, as well as in summer courses.

Many athletes take fewer hours during the season in order to balance their schoolwork and athletic careers. When less than the minimum number of hours is taken, the athletic department has to make up some of the difference.

“We’re going to be playing this year with 10 less guys than we had last year on scholarship because of the block tuition,” Collums said. “We end up having to make up a lot of that for our kids, and that’s just what happens.”

“The answer to block tuition is obviously more scholarship money so we can take care of everybody.

And naturally that’s the way that the rules are set up at the next level.”

An increased revenue and greater allowance for

scholarships will not only help out players on current teams, but it will also help bring in more talented athletes in the future.

“I’m fired up that we’re moving to the Southland Conference,” Collums said. “Because as far as athletics, the way we do scholarships and academics are concerned, we are going to be able to take care of a lot more kids. It’s a much better fit. The key is recruiting, and it’s a different ballgame now.”

“It will be an adjustment phase for us, but I think we will be fine and like Dr. Schubert said, it will really fit the mission of what we’re doing here.” contact goin at nsg10b@acu.edu

sports

Monday 08.27.12

standings

University

‘Cats prep for Div. I competition Edward isaacs sports editor The official announcement of ACU joining the Southland Conference on July 1, 2013 means the Wildcats will leap to NCAA Division I athletics for the 2013-14 school year.

This move raises an interesting question: Can we compete in Division I?

10

It is a question that ACU has already addressed during its process of becoming a Division I program.

Jared Mosley, director of Wildcat athletics, looked at other small D-I schools to help answer this question.

“It’s pretty obvious if you look at the landscape of smaller division I institutions that it’s going to

require a shift in how we look at our program from a competitive standpoint,” Mosley said.

“In Division II we’ve grown accustomed to trying to compete at the national level, so we want to send teams to the national meets and national tournaments,” he said. “While we certainly inspire to do that at the Division I level, it’s going to be a little more

challenging in some ways.”

“You have to reorient and begin, where we’re at, to focus on conference competitiveness. If you’re able to achieve conference titles and win conference tournaments you then are eligible for those national opportunities.”

“It shifts your focus a little bit, but with the way our programs have competed in the past, hope-

football

Div.

Ovrl.

ACU fully we can navigate this ASU transition process and ENMU figure out how to sched- UIW ule in a way that we can MSU set our self up for contin- TSU ued athletic success,” said Commerce Mosley.

Once ACU moves to TAMU-K Division I, it will become WTAMU one of the smallest institutions in the league and volleyball in the entire DI landscape

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see competition page 9

Football

Gale earns preseason honor

Team

soccer

briefings The football team will began its season ranked No. 10 in the country by the American Football Coaches’ Association pre-season poll. The ‘Cats are picked to finish second in the Lone Star Conference.

Soccer begins its season ranked No. 7 in the pre-season poll released by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. ACU is the only LSC team to make the top-25 poll.

Head baseball coach Britt Bonneau hired Elliott Cribby as the new pitching coach for the ‘Cats. Cribby spent the past two years at Mount Si (Wash.) High School.

ex- factor Texans defensive back Danieal Manning had mandy lambright chief Photographer one assist in each of Mitchell Gale fires a bullet to one of his receivers during a game last season. Gale was named a preseason all-American by the Lone Star Houston’s first two preConference. He was also named preseason MVP by Lindy’s Magazine in its preseason issue. season games. Manning all-American quarterback, head man for Collums, who to eclipse the 12,000 yard Harkless outside the num- had 59 tackles and two matthew sloan Mitchell Gale. served as the offensive co- mark sometime in his se- bers, ACU fans could be interceptions last seasports reporter Gale’s preseason ac- ordinator for the Wildcats nior campaign, the senior looking at a prolific passing son with the Texans.

As the ACU football team bears the brunt of the West Texas heat during two-a-days, expectations are as high as ever for the purple and white in what will be their last season as a member of the Lone Star Conference.

Despite losing several key players on offense to the League, ACU is expected to be a juggernaut offensively in large part because of their preseason

colades are as long and impressive as his resume, which includes being named division two preseason player of the year by several prevalent publications.

“Mitchell is a guy that deserves everything he gets because he maximizes his ability and is a great leader and has one of the biggest hearts of any kid I have ever coached,” head coach Ken Collums said.

It is the first year as the

for the past eight seasons.

Collums will be looking to utilize Gale and the rest of the playmakers on an ACU offense that is poised for another big year.

“Offensively, we are looking to be balanced and do what we do,” Collums said. “We are going to exploit matchups and Mitchell is going to get the ball out of his hands and get it to playmakers.”

Assuming Gale stays healthy, he should be able

from Alva, Okla. could even attain 100 career thouchdowns.

“I think all the numbers are a testament to the guys I have played with in my years here,” Gale said.

“Right now I am focused on going out there and putting together a great 2012 season. Once I am done, I’ll probably start to think about all those things.”

With game breakers such as juniors Taylor Gabriel and Darrell Cantu-

attack that could lead the ‘Cats on a deep playoff run.

“We have a receiving corps in the upper tier of our league,” Collums said.

“When you have four productive receivers that can get open and get yards after the catch, you are one of the few teams that can say that.”

Upcoming contact sloan at mes10a@acu.edu

university

D-I decision to affect academics natalie goin assistant sports editor As Abilene Christian transitions into Division I, new academic standards and regulations on athletic scholarships will have a huge impact on the department and how they will recruit going forward.

Jared Mosley, director of athletics for the university, addressed how academic standards will serve as accountability at the next level.

“One of the ways that it’s different in Division I is that almost every sport has a higher expectation than what Division II has for our student athletes,” Mosley said.

“There’s a greater expectation on the front end, and there’s a lot more publicity at the Division I level because it’s really the ac-

countability mechanism.

It will definitely be a different opportunity.”

ACU is now subject to the academic progress rate, or APR, used across the board in Division I to keep schools responsible for maintaining their players’ eligibility. Failure to meet these standards may result in sanctions such as loss of scholarships and reduced practice times.

Head football coach Ken Collums does not seem worried about his players maintaining their grades.

“That just becomes part of their life. You have to meet a certain percentage towards your major to even be eligible to play.

Now all you have to do is pass 12 hours,” Collums said. “Mainly, it is just more rigorous as far as

Football opens its season on Saturday, Sept. 1 against McMurry University at Shotwell Stadium.

Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

Soccer begins its season on Thursday, Aug. 30 at Dallas Baptist University. The match starts at 6 p.m.

The volleyball team travels to the St. Edward’s / St. Mary’s Tournament in Austin and San Antonio on Friday, Aug. 31 and Saturday, Sept. 1 to begin its season. The Wildcats open up the tournament on Friday in Austin when they play St. Edward’s at 11 a.m. and Southwestern Oklahoma State University at 7 p.m.

mandy lambright chief Photographer

see academics page 9

Rams running back Daryl Richardson had eight rushes for 35 yards and one reception for seven yards in the teams second pre-season game.

Richardson scored his first NFL touchdown during the contest.

Jared Mosley, director of athletics, speaks with a reporter during the D-I press conference

The men’s and women’s cross country teams travel to Waco to the Baylor Twilight Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 1 for their season opener.