Optimist
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the
Fashion Forward, page 5
Friday, September 3, 2010
Vol. 99, No. 5
1 section, 8 pages
COMMUNITY
TECHNOLOGY
Abilene charity finishes top-five
By the (Face)book Study shows freshmen active on Facebook are more likely to return for a second year. Christianna Lewis Senior Reporter
Kelsi Williamson
Jennifer Feise, sophomore nutrition major from San Antonio, said she spends about four or five hours on Facebook every week keeping up with her 494 friends. Feise said she’s not wasting time she could spend studying – she’s connecting with people around campus. Far from endangering her academic future, Feise’s activity on the social networking website may have contributed to her return for a second year of college, according to recent research. A study of 375 ACU freshmen published recently in the Journal of College Student Retention found students who are more active on Facebook are more likely to return to college after their freshmen year. A team of researchers – including Dr. Jason Morris, director of the master’s program in higher education at ACU – accessed public information from the Facebook pages of the randomly selected first-semester students enrolled in fall 2006. They analyzed the students’ activities, such as the number of Facebook friends, groups and wall posts throughout the year. The students who returned to ACU in fall 2007 had 27 more Facebook friends and 59 more wall posts on average than those who left the university. These results support the theory that socially-integrated college students are less likely to drop out than those disconnected from the campus community, Morris said. The study challenges the idea that social networking websites disengage their users from the people around them, said Dr. Richard Beck, professor of psychology and co-author of the research article. “This study seems to suggest that we’re using Facebook not to replace relationships, but as a reflection of them,” Beck said. illustration by Morgan Davis
Arts Editor
Connecting Caring Communities (CCC) did not win any prize money from the Pepsi Refresh Project for August, but it did gain some prize support from its involvement and finished at fifth place in the contest. “It’s broadened the horizon of who’s going to be able to help CCC out in the future,” said Corri Anne Wesley, junior advertising public relations major from Amarillo. Wesley helped spread the word about CCC’s involvement in the Pepsi Refresh project by passing out flyers after Chapel, sending Facebook messages and tweets, and connecting the nonprofit’s coordinators with people on ACU’s campus. Communication like Wesley’s was crucial to CCC’s top-five outcome in the August national competition. Every month, Pepsi accepts 1,000 ideas from people, businesses and nonprofits who have positive impacts on society. The general public then votes on these ideas either online or through texting. Pepsi names winners in three money categories at the end of each month.
see STUDY page 4
see PEPSI page 4
STUDENT LIFE
CHAPEL
Changes impact potential pledges
Smaller Chapels to meet Thursdays
Jeff Craig
Managing Editor
Students interested in pledging an ACU social club began rushing Monday, when they encountered a change in the rushing process. This year, there is no minimum number of rushes a potential pledge is required to attend. Gamma Sigma Phi president Bryan Elrod, senior marketing major from Missouri City, said most students already know which clubs they are interested in pledging, so the rule requiring them to attend a set number of
rushes was pointless. However, Elrod said students should attend several rushes anyway to ensure they make a good decision. “The biggest thing with rushing is even if you go into it with an idea about which club you want, rushing gives you a chance to see what thoughts you have about the club,“ Elrod said. “The most important part is getting a feel if that’s the group of guys who can be your really good friends in the long run.” Elrod said attending several rushes also allows students to get
Page 2 Editor
MEAGAN HERNANDEZ // Staff Photographer
Members of women’s social club Sigma Theta Chi conducted a cinema-themed rush Monday night in Hart Auditorium.
to know potential club members better. Another change to the 2010 rushing process applies only to women’s clubs. The first rush for women’s clubs is open to anyone, but the final three rushes will be invitation only, starting this year. Alpha Kai Omega president Michelle Nix,
senior family studies major from Austin, said the changes were made to give potential pledges more time to choose which club they want to join. “The women’s club presidents all sat down together in the spring see RUSH page 4
website
inside news Swing Cats, ACU’s swing dance club, will meet for the first time this semester on Sunday. page 4
Alan Cherry
sports ACU golf continues to gain notoriety. Alex Carpenter and Tyler Sheppard competed in a national tournament. page 8
ACU students can find a more intimate Chapel experience in Small Group Chapels, meeting Thursdays across campus. The first Small Group Chapels will begin Thursday, Sept. 16. The only major change to Small Group Chapels this semester is the movement of the relatively new instrumental-praise Chapel, “Immersed,” from Cullen Auditorium to Moody Coliseum, to take advantage of the better sound equipment available in Moody.
Mark Lewis, assistant dean of spiritual life, said Small Group Chapels are a good way for students to come together with a more concentrated group of their peers to focus on spiritual matters. Students can choose from over 60 different Chapels meeting in various locations around campus. They range from Chapels geared toward social clubs to social justice advocates. “Spiritual formation happens more naturally and effectively in small groups. It is a challenge see LEWIS page 4
weather story More than 700 passengers were stranded in the Abilene Regional Airport Wednesday after being redirected from DFW because of storms.
Fri.
82° 61°
Sat.
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Sun.
93° 69°