WEDNESDAY September 1, 2004
OPTIMIST THE
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
Abilene Christian University
Vol. 93, No. 4 1 section, 8 pages www.acuoptimist.com
Serving the ACU community since 1912
Cats win home opener:
Students supplied with service options:
Kicking off the season:
The volleyball team won its home opener Tuesday against Wayland Baptist. Page 8
The Volunteer and Service-Learning Center provides a centralized list of opportunities for students who want or need to serve. Page 4
As a four-year starter, Eben Nelson has solidified the Wildcats’ kicking game. Page 8
New Chapel format delayed Chapel still to meet in Moody on Thursday as small groups organize By APRIL WARD PAGE 2 EDITOR
Students can expect a variety of spiritual opportunities to choose from for small-group Chapel beginning next Thursday. Shane Hughes, coordinator of Chapel programs, said the three different community-for-
mation Chapels will begin next Thursday, which will be in Chapel on the Hill, Hart Auditorium and Teague Special Events Center. The one in Chapel on the Hill will be a special opportunity for worship led by volunteers from area churches. A series called “Digging Deeper” will be in Teague. The curriculum will be based on Dallas Willard’s book “Renovation of the Heart.” “We wanted to take a more intense look at Chapel curricu-
lum,” Hughes said. “The book focuses on the way your life interacts with God’s life—the way the human spirit is transformed into the image of God. The text shows how your soul can literally be formed into the image of Christ.” “Faith Stories” will be a series of different speakers sharing their personal accounts of the Christian walk. It will feature various faculty and staff members throughout the See CHAPEL Page 7
New Thursday Chapel format • A praise and worship Chapel, led by various volunteers from area churches, will meet in the Chapel on the Hill. • “Digging Deeper” will meet in Teague Special Events Center and will look at the book Renovation of the Heart. • “Faith Stories” will meet in Hart Auditorium, where a variety of speakers will give personal testimonies of their faith.
Residence hall squeeze leaves some displaced Some women placed in other housing could stay through semester By LORI BREDEMEYER MANAGING EDITOR
Some female students have advanced through housing faster than the normal ACU student because of overcrowding in freshman halls. Currently, 16 freshmen live in Sikes Hall, a sophomore residence hall, and 18 sophomores live in University Park Apartments, usually reserved for juniors and seniors. Dr. Mimi Barnard, director of Residence Life Education and Housing, said the freshmen probably will stay in Sikes unless rooms open for them after Christmas and they are willing to move. The sophomores will continue to reside in UP throughout the year. She said the women have
adapted well to the situation. “Ideally, everyone that comes to the campus gets settled immediately,” Barnard said. “We’re doing the best that we can given the options that we have.” The past few years men have had to triple in Mabee and Edwards halls, but this year that problem was alleviated when McDonald Hall was converted to a men’s hall. Barnard Barnard said it takes much planning to decide how to accommodate a surplus of students. “Really it’s like putting together a big puzzle, kind of a Rubik’s Cube,” she said. “Every move you make has a consequence.” See HOUSING Page 7
School selects parents of year BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
The Abilene Fire Department monitors the burn room demonstration as a crowd of students watches after Chapel on Tuesday. The example showed students a fire could completely engulf a typical residence hall room in about 90 seconds.
Officials send students fiery message Flames engulf mock residence hall room in less than two minutes
“It made me realize I should take away the 15 candles from my room.” Mandy Bizaillion, junior marketing major from Houston
By JACI SCHNEIDER OPINION EDITOR
Flames bursting from a mock residence hall room awed students as they exited Moody Coliseum after Chapel on Tuesday. The fiery demonstration served as a lesson to students on how fast fire travels, especially in messy residence hall rooms. “The Burn Room is a great way to offer students a lifesized object lesson regarding fire safety,” said Dr. Mimi
Barnard, director of Residence Life Education and Housing, in an e-mail. The lesson seemed to work as students gasped in amazement at how quickly flames spread and smoke billowed from the room. Layne Rouse, Students’ Association president, lit the match to start the blaze. Within five seconds, the smoke alarm began wailing, and gray fumes wafted through the room.
In a minute and a half, flames fully engulfed the inside of the small building, including the bed and all the bedding. After two minutes, the windows began shattering, and after three and a half minutes had elapsed, the Abilene Fire Department stepped in to squelch the blaze. “Two minutes is not a lot of time to get out,” said Todd Ormsby, director of Smith and Adams halls. “I think it’s
FocusWednesday For more pictures of the burn room demonstration, see the photo essay on page 5.
something all the students need to check out,” he said, adding that he does check for candles in his residence halls. After the demonstration, some students said they will think twice about lighting candles in their rooms or homes. “It left a really big impact on me,” said Mandy Bizaillion, junior marketing major See BURN Page 5
Panel chose winners from group of nine submitted essays By SARAH CARLSON COPY EDITOR
When flowers arrived at their Fort Worth home at the beginning of August, Suzy Jeffrey said her husband, Morton, thought there had been a mistake. The Jeffrey’s anniversary was Aug.1, and she said he thought the gift must have been belated. “I personally was proud that he remembered our anniversary was Aug 1,” said Suzy Jeffrey jokingly. The flowers were in fact sent to the Jeffreys to tell them they were chosen as ACU’s 2004 Parents of the Year. They will be awarded a plaque by Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, in Chapel on Sept. 24 with a reception in the Sowell Rotunda in the Biblical Studies Building immediately following.
Samantha Adkins, coordinator of alumni projects, said nine sets of parents were nominated in the spring through two-page essays submitted by their children, and every letter received was good. “All were wonderful letters,” Adkins said, “and we felt very blessed reading all of them.” A committee comprised of representatives from around campus read the essays and chose the winner. Members of the committee were Adkins; Jim Holmans, executive assistant to the president; La Shae Sloan, director of Student Multicultural Enrichment and Student Services; and Jana and Mark Hanner, co-presidents of Wildcat Parents. Andy Jeffrey, senior integrated marketing and communication major from Fort Worth, along with his two sisters and brother, all ACU alumni, nominated his parents. “They’ve done so much for See PARENTS Page 7
HSU opens off-campus coffee shop Hardin-Simmons partners with ARAMARK in venture By JACI SCHNEIDER OPINION EDITOR
Java City, a new coffee shop and restaurant, opened this summer on Ambler Avenue near Hardin-Simmons University. It is the first of its kind in the world, said Torick Banks, the location manager of Java City. The coffee shop is a joint project between Hardin-Simmons and ARAMARK, the university’s food service company. Students and community members can dine at the café, but ARAMARK provides the menu, which is full of specialty coffees, smoothies, salads,
sandwiches, croissants and more. Java City is ARAMARK’s signature coffee brand and cafe; about 2,800 franchises are in schools, hospitals and stadiums in the world, Banks said. However, Hardin-Simmons began the first off-campus operation. “It’s a real-life retail operation under the umbrella of ARAMARK,” Banks said. “The original idea came from students at Hardin-Simmons.” The grand opening of Java City was July 24, and Banks said that business has been great. “It’s a wonderful building and a nice place where students can hang out,” he said. The café also offers free wireless Internet and desktop computer access.
“It’s absolutely the place to be in Abilene,” Banks said. ACU receives dining service from ARAMARK and has five “brew” locations on campus, said Cory Bourg, director of ARAMARK food service at ACU, in an e-mail. The Fatted Café, Connections Café, the Jelly Bean, Smith and Adams halls and the Bagel Wagon serve Java City coffee, but not specialty coffees. They also serve Starbucks brew. Bourg said the university is looking at the possibility of putting a smaller version of Java City in the new residence hall. “I have been there,” Bourg said, “and like it a lot.” E-mail Schneider at: jrs02a@acu.edu
EMILY CHASTAIN/Staff Photographer
Java City, a joint venture between Hardin-Simmons University and ARAMARK, opened July 24 on Ambler Avenue near the HSU campus. Torick Banks, location manager of Java City, said the cafe is one of the first university-run coffee shops to be built off campus.