Arts Page 5
Slam poetry vol. 102, no. 13
friday, october 04, 2013
Students bring poetry to life
1 SECTION, 6 PAGES
INSIDE NEWS Students encourage others with chalk messages Page 3
SPORTS The women’s basketball team starts practice in prepartion for their season
Page 6
NEWS The physics and engineering club looks to join a national society Page 3
OPINION The editorial board discusses what it would look if ACU shutdown like the government
Deanna romero staff Photographer
Morgan Roberson, senior exercise science major from Abilene,checks GATA pledges’ formal colors after Chapel.
Page 4
NEWS
Pledge classes reach record high Rachel fritz
Students to serve on a new Maker Lab Advisory Board Page 3
SPORTS The newly formed disc golf team plays in their first championship Page 6
NEWS The first case of flu is reported on campus Page 2
OPINION The president of the Republican club shares his feelings about the government shutdown Page 4
SPORTS The sports staff predicts the outcome of the ACU vs. Pitt. State football game this Saturday Page 6
ONLINE VIDEO Watch social club pledges participate in Bid Night activities
acuoptimist.com
Staff reporter This year’s pledge class has been one of the largest in ACU’s history, despite an unclear number of students who have de-pledged. As of Tuesday, a total of 392 students – 154 men and 238 women – are pledging social clubs. About 450 total students registered to pledge in mid-September. Pledging can be a daunting process, but it hasn’t broken the spirits of Flame Stephanie Jordan, sophomore multimedia major from Sumter, N.C. “It’s an interesting experience. It’s nice to get to know other people,” Jordan said. “If I didn’t think it was worth it, I wouldn’t be pledging.” The pledging process can also be strenuous for
PLEDGE CLASSES Alpha Kai Omega- 50
Frater Sodalis- 5
GATA- 56
Galaxy- 33
Ko Jo Kai- 63
Gamma Sigma Phi- 57
Sigma Theta Chi- 63
Pi Kappa- 10
Zeta Rho- 6
Sub T-16- 18 Trojans- 31
club officers. “I think this year’s pledge class is great,” said Meg Boutros, junior psychology major from Bourne and chaplain of Alpha Kai Omega. “It’s just crazy because it’s a lot bigger than previous years. But I just think it’s so great. I’m really excited.” Boutros said that despite the demanding nature of
the pledging process, the rewards it reaps make the experience worthwhile. “I would say to look at pledging in a positive way,” Boutros said. “They are probably stressed and frustrated with all the activities going on, but those are the things that made me close to some of my best friends now. I would just encourage them
to stick it out. Pledging helps build community because they go through that hard time together.” Two students have already withdrawn from the pledging process, said Mark Jackson, associate director of student organizations and programs. While students de-pledge for a number of reasons, it’s not something clubs encourage. “De-pledging can be a good thing if the student has a valid reason, like if something happens back home,” said Jackson. “It can be a bad thing because the club they accepted a bid for voted for them and wanted them in their club.” What students may not realize is that de-pledging can affect students who were not chosen to participate in the pledging process. “They may have taken the spot of someone else who re-
ally wanted to pledge,” Jackson said. “Some might say, ‘I didn’t really know the club that I chose, but that’s what rushing and teas are are all about.” There is no question that pledging is challenging, but with the right perspective and club compatibility, it can be a rewarding experience. “My advice would be to not take pledging too seriously - it’s supposed to be fun,” said Sarah Holley, junior social studies for secondary education major from Spring and chaplain for Zeta Rho. “Do your best but don’t let it stress you out. Be intentional about building relationships. Friendship is really what makes club great.”
contact fritz at ref11a@acu.edu
New classes able to fill Core requirements Eric Terrazas Student reporter More classes will be available to count for Core credit, including classes from Natural Science, Social Science, Fine Arts/Humanities and Cultural Awareness. Two faculty councils have approved new courses to meet the Core requirements. The University General Education Council and
University Undergraduate Academic Council have developed criteria for courses to be included in these fields of study. Dr. Nancy Shankle Jordan, assistant provost for general education, oversees and manages the development of Core. “The council has spent the last two years developing the criteria and reviewing courses that departments submitted for consideration
in the menus,” Jordan said. Jordan said that a major revision that has been made to the Core curriculum was due to the faculty vote in February 2012 to change the number of integrative courses from to nine hours from 12 hours, including CORE 110 and 210 as well as BCOR 310, which counts as a Bible credit. “The faculty also approved a two-hour general education elective and the
cultural awareness requirement,” Jordan said. One course that went through the revision process and was approved last month, is JMC 100 Media Issues, which will count as a social science choice. Many departments have already submitted the courses they want the council to review, but any department that wants to submit a course can still do so, Jordan said.
This revision, however, has not changed the total number of hours required for general education. “The current Core curriculum requires the same number of hours to complete as the old general education plan, 56 hours,” Jordan said.
contact the optimist at optimist@acu.edu
Phone repair store to open in McGlothlin Allison Brown staff reporter Starting Oct. 7, Phone ER will open for business to treat and repair the ACU student body’s smartphone and tablet ailments. Phone ER, the newest of four Wildcat Ventures companies, is an oncampus smartphone and tablet repair service run out of the Campus Store. Students will be able to drop off their broken
phones, tablets, or even laptops up until 3 p.m. on Mondays at the Campus Store’s technology counter, and within 24 hours later, their devices will be available for pick up. Because the Phone ER is partnering with the Campus Store, repairs will be charged directly to student accounts. Whether it’s a cracked screen, broken home button, or the infamous water damage, students now have the opportunity to have their phones fixed
at reasonable prices right here on campus. This completely student-led, student-run company offers competitive prices in the phone repair market, with repairs of equal professional quality. Any component on the iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy or Android phone will be able to be repaired by Phone ER’s service technicians. Brandon Avedikian, Masters of Accounting student, is the vice president of Wildcat Ventures.
Abilene Christian University
“In addition to its great accessibility and affordability to students, the Phone ER will provide 90-day warranties on each repaired product,” Avedikian said. Cade Isham, Masters of Accounting student and CEO of Phone ER, said, “We’re all college students here, and not everyone has cash just right off the top. This is giving students and opportunity to fix phones on campus with no hassle. It is something that
needs to be here.” With ACU being such technology-driven campus, Islam said Phone ER’s services to the student body will be a great asset to the owners of broken or damaged mobile devices. For more information on drop-off, prices, or any other questions, email phoneER@acu.edu
contact the optimist at optimist@acu.edu