Arts Page 4A, 5A
Hear the people sing vol. 102, no. 16
The Homecoming play shows this weekend friday, october 18, 2013
2 SECTION, 16 PAGES
INSIDE HOMECOMING SA promotes a whiteout for the football game Page 6A
NEWS JMC alums honored at annual Gutenberg Celebration Page 2B
SPORTS ACU men’s basketball team welcomes a player from Serbia
mandy lambright Staff Photographer
WELCOME
HOME
Page 8B
OPINION The editorial board discusses the pros and cons of instramental music in worship
Deanna Romero Staff Photographer
Page 4B, 5B
HOMECOMING The ringing of the bell tradition returns for a second year Page 3A
SPORTS The ACU athletic department will induct five new members into the Hall of Fame Page 1B
NEWS The first woman officer has been inducted into the ACUPD Page 3A
OPINION Adam Hester, director of “Les Mis”, discusses the process the theatre department went through for Homecoming Page 4B, 5B
SPORTS
Top: Students perform in the annual Homecoming musical, “Les Misérables”. The musical will show Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Left: At last year’s Homecoming football game, students cheer on the Wildcats. Right: Alpha Kai pledge Whitney Pittard, junior art major from Marble Falls, works on the club’s Homecoming float a week before the parade.
Students parade ACU’s ‘Dynasty’ kirsten holman Staff reporter This year’s theme for the Homecoming Parade is “Wildcat Dynasty.” Despite the forecasted cold weather, the parade will begin Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. near the intersection of Judge Ely Blvd. and EN 16th, eventually making its way down Campus Court. Other Homecoming events on Friday evening have been moved or postponed due to a predicted cold front and rain, Craig
Page 7B
ONLINE VIDEO Watch a preview of the Homecoming musical, “Les Misérables”
acuoptimist.com
Fisher, director of alumni relations and annual projects, said. The Homecoming Carnival will move to the Scruggs Gym inside the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. The petting zoo has been cancelled, and children’s carnival tickets have been reduced to $3. JamFest will move inside Moody Coliseum. The Firework show has been postponed to 8:40 p.m. Saturday. Samantha Adkins, assistant director of Alumni Relations, was responsible for helping name the parade’s theme.
“This year, with us moving to D-1 in athletics, it was kind of like we have this dynasty of being in D-2 athletics for so long and that history,” Adkins said. “But then we were also thinking that the word ‘dynasty’ also recollects a lot of ideas for different people given which era you were in at ACU, and for those who were at school in the ‘80s, the TV show Dynasty could be a funny idea. Duck Dynasty is a big thing right now and especially last sesee parade page 6A
HOMECOMING STORIES Student bands play in JamFest concert Page 3A
Chemistry club enters float for first time Page 2B
Tradition of ringing of the bell continues Page 3A
The Maker Lab hosts an open house Page 3B
Theatre departments showcases “Les Mis” Page 4A and 5A
Meet the Homecoming Queens
The Chemistry Circus experiments for its 27th year Page 3B
Page 8A
ACU drops Spring Break Campaigns rachel fritz
The sports staff predicts the outcome of the ACU vs. Incarnate Word Homecoming football game this Saturday
Jarred Schuetze Staff Photographer
staff reporter For the first time in almost four decades the university will not send hundreds of students to far-flung locations on Spring Break Campaigns. The decision to discontinue SBCs came as part of the university’s increased emphasis on local ministry,
said Jan Meyer, interim vice president of student life and dean of students. Meyer, who has overseen the Center for Christian Service and Leadership, said the decision also corresponded with the departure of Jen Rogers, whose position as director of student ministries was eliminated as part of university-wide budget cuts. What began in 1976 when a group of ACU stu-
dents went to Guatemala in response to an earthquake, transformed over the years into a multi-city, multicountry mission effort that grew to involve hundreds of students. The end of the program has left some students who planned to be involved in 2014 Spring Break Campaigns surprised and disappointed. “It is unfortunate that SBCs will not be continu-
ing this year because some students, myself included, came to ACU to participate in mission trips like SBC,” said Blair Agan, who served on the SBC committee last year and planned to again next spring. Meyer said she and others in the CCSL began planning Service in the City, a local outreach effort to take place during spring break next year, six months ago
and decided to hand Spring Break Campaigns off to Halbert Institute for Missions. “CCSL is trying to get students committed to service in Abilene so they learn how to connect in the community,” Meyer said. After the Spring Break Campaign office was moved the Halbert Institute on the second floor of the Onsteadsee SBC page 6A
GSP on probation for two semesters Gabi powell features editor Gamma Sigma Phi will be on probation for the next two semesters related to policy violations that took place last spring. Mark Jackson, associate director of student organizations and programs, confirmed the club began the fall semester on proba-
tional status. Jackson would not disclose the infraction or specify the club’s consequences, but said punishment was aimed at “refocusing the club’s identity.” “We want to say, ‘This is who you guys are, let’s get back to that. Let’s stay on track,’” he said. GSP president Michael Smith, senior accounting major from Denton, declined
to comment about the infraction or the punishment. “We feel that matters between us and administration should stay that way,” Smith said in an email. Kyle Pinson, director for intramural sports, said Gamma Sigma Phi was originally registered for intramural football as a club-affiliated team, but they are no longer representing the social club. Instead, they are competing
Abilene Christian University
under the team name Phi Slama Jama, PSJ. However, GSP is registered as a club team for the intramural volleyball season, Pinson said. Because of their probational status, GSP was prohibited to paraticipate in traditional Bid Night and pledge activites with the women’s social clubs. Also, GSP has not produced a newsletter this year. Jackson said Smith and
GSP’s officers have not disputed the consequences. “My trust in him through this process has only gone up,” he said. Jackson said GSP is permitted to participate in Sing Song and will remain under probation until the end of the year. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu