The Optimist Print Edition 11.10.17

on

Former Greek professor remembered for kind spirit Page 3

SPORTS

A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912

Friday, November 10, 2017 Vol. 106, Issue 12

CROSS COUNTRY TEAM GOES TO REGIONALS Page 8

I <3 ETHNOS

CHRISTI LIM GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rina Iwakami, Kosuke Ioka and Kotono Babaguchi perform in a Japanese dance for the 15th anniversary of Ethnos culture show which opens Friday at 7 p.m.

CALENDAR 11/10 •

ACU Barn Dance at 7 p.m.

• •

Ethnos at 7 p.m.

Men’s and women’s basketball games at 5:30 p.m.

Master of Athletic Training open house at 2 p.m.

•

11/11 • • •

Tailgate at 11 a.m.

Football vs. SHSU at 2 p.m.

Ethnos at 6 p.m.

11/13 •

OMA Sundaes on Mondaes

11/14 •

Jazz Concert at 7:30 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium

BOX OFFICE NOVEMBER 3-5 1. Thor: Ragnarok $122,744,989 2. A Bad Moms Christmas $16,759,161 3. Jigsaw $6,558,146 4. Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween $4,541,190 5. Geostorm

$ 3,194,031

11

BY LAUREN FRANCO

CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR

Ethnos is celebrating its 15th anniversary with its annual culture show themed, “Customs.”

The first official culture show was in 1992, making this the 26th show. However, this year is the 15th year anniversary of it being given the name “Ethnos”.

The show will be produced by the International Students’ Association and showcases various forms of artistic expression form all over the world. The main organizers are advisor Ve-

ronica Whitt and a team of seven ISA officers including, President: Cindy Lee, junior political science major from Guadalajara, Mexico Vice President: Rina Iwakami, senior management major from Mito-shi, Japan Secretary: Kristy Ng, sophomore management major from Plano Treasurer: Olive Tuyishimire, sophomore engineering major from Abilene Chaplin: Mafer Hernandez, sophomore marketing major from Guatemala

City, Guatemala Advertising/Public Relations Director: Grace Lim, senior psychology major from Sungai Petani, Malaysia Sports Director: Ivan Anyaegbu, senior computer science major from Abilene.

This show features 16 acts, most of which are lead by some of our international students. In addition to ISA members, other ACU dance and step groups will perform, including Sanctify, Omega Dance Company, SHADES and Swing

Simmons University to be in the show,” Whitt said. “We also have the International Rescue Committee youth group and a group of African students from Abilene High who are joining us.

All in all we have about 150 participants, including our organizers and volunteers.”

“Customs” will premiere CHRISTI LIM GRAPHIC starting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 10 DESIGNER and continue through Nov. Local high school students 11 in Cullen Auditorium. perform in Ethnos show.

Tickets will be sold at the Cats.

“For the past few years we OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU have also invited the international students of Hardin

erne.

Leah Jarvis, a freshman youth and family ministry major from Amarillo.

Brittney Johnson, a senior communication major from Universal City.

Heitor Lima, a freshman biochemistry major from College Station.

Shannon Que, a junior social work major Burleson.

Jansen Sharp, a freshman communication major from Bedord.

Alli Wulfert, a freshman theatre and youth and family ministry major from Farmington, New Mexico.

The steering committee

works to make the event run smoothly and efficiently. Event responsibilities are broken up into specific parts such as productions team, host and hostess or marketing team.

Madeline Dayton was one of the student-speakers at last year’s event.

“I wanted to become more involved and give back since I was a student speaker last year,” Dayton said.

To be a part of the committee, applications were found on the TEdxACU website, and applicants were selected to meet for a

face to face interview.

“I was really excited when I found out I got to be a part of the committee,” Dayton said. “I’ve always loved Ted talks, and getting involved was my vision so I’m really glad I got to be able to.”

Amanda Ford was a hostess last year at the TED talk.

“I really enjoy the opportunity of learning about new things and becoming more culturally aware,” Ford said. Whether you are interested in a certain speaker or topic, I hope listeners will grow in their passions.

I hope listeners can experi-

ence something new.”

During the event, speakers from both around the world and locally come to discuss specific topics. The event is available for students and the public.

This year the topic is “In six words.”

The TEdxACU event is scheduled on March 23.

Tickets will be sold in the campus center starting next semester. For more information on the TEdxACU talk or how you can get involved, visit www.tedxacu.org.

during elections. The current bylaws list several qualifications for candidates to run for the office of executive president and vice president, positions currently occupied by Danny Burke and Julia Kennedy. Jones’ resolution would allow future candidates to run together, so two students could run as a team for the offices.

Jones said she wanted to change the process after seeing previous SA leadership lack a “coherent vision.” She said the vice

president and president should run together so the two students in the top positions for SA will know they can work together before they are elected.

“It has nothing to do with this administration,” Jones said. “They’ve done a wonderful job and have worked really well together.”

According to the bill, allowing candidates to run on the same ticket would allow better communication between the two top positions in SA. The bill claims, “... one ticket voting would

give the student body confidence about who exactly they are voting for, and create accountability for two people to uphold instead of one.”

Candidates would still be allowed to run individually if they choose. The SA Constitution can be read online at saacu.org.

Congress tabled the bill at the last two meetings to make more edits on the constitutional changes before Congress gives official approval.

“We’re not tabling just

because we aren’t doing anything,” Jones said.

“We’re trying our very hardest to make sure that this is the best possible solution.”

Jones also said she thinks most representatives will vote for the change. The student body must still give final approval to any constitutional changes. SA typically sends an email the the student body with a link to the voting site.

TEDxACU chooses student leadership team

BY JENNA WILLIAMS STAFF REPORTER

The steering committee for the fourth annual spring event, TEdxACU, was announced on Oct. 31.

The 10 members are: Leah Adamski, a sophomore business major from Kempner.

Madeline Dayton, a junior global studies and business management major from Katy.

Jacqueline Demuynck, a senior communication major from Cedar Park.

Amanda Ford, a senior education major from Bo-

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Student Congress to vote on election change DAYS UNTIL

THANKSGIVING BREAK

OPINION

SA PRESIDENT OUTLINES PLANS Page 4

Ethnos celebrates fifteen years of culture

BY HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF

The Students’ Association Congress will vote Wednesday on a resolution to change the SA Constitution to allow candidates for executive president and vice president to run together.

If the resolution is passed by congress, the proposed changes will go to a student body vote.

The resolution, written by junior class president Rachel Jones, would change the bylaws which govern how SA operates

W W W. A C U O P T I M I S T. C O M

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

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NE W S

Wildcat Software starts app

BY ZEKE TRIPP STAFF REPORTER

Wildcat Software created a new mobile app for the ACU Theatre Department that elevates the experience of ticket purchasing, brochure play access and communication during the theatrical season.

Nik Grau, CEO of Wildcat Software said the app has been in progress since the summer of 2017.

“ACU Theatre came to us in the summer looking to improve audience engagement through a new mobile app,” said Grau.

Wildcat Software is the College of Business Administration’s (COBA”S) student-run software company. Student developers employed by Wildcat Software are afforded the opportunity to work for real clients on a variety of software projects, including mobile application and website development.

The mobile app, ACU Theatre, is free and it allow a user to access the ACU Theatre’s season brochure of plays, view each show individually, and purchase individual or season tickets directly.

You can also contact the ACU Theatre department directly from app.

Brandon DeLano, SITC Software Developer for the ACU School of IT & Computing work alongside Nik Grau and the Wildcat Software team and together they create information systems for a variety of companies across the nation. ”Wildcat Software is a great place for students to gain real life experience with developing mobile apps, information systems and more for companies all across the nation,” Said Grau.

In the past Wildcat Software has been hired by companies like Gift Clarity. Gift Clarity hired Wildcat Software to develop and internal application for their clients to track past and present donors.

The software allows clients to foster stronger client/ donor relationships, increasing communication and granting a deeper level of personal interaction.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 10, 2017

Women’s event features Christian artist

BY HANNAH JOHNSON STAFF REPORTER

Girl’s Night Out brought in speakers to discuss women’s wellness.

The event began with Ellie Holcomb, a singer/ songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee, singing and playing her guitar onstage with Christa Wells on her piano.

The songs included “Fighting Words”, “Wonderfully Made” and “Red Sea Road”.

In between the performance and the guest speakers, door prizes were handed out on a raffle. The prizes included gift cards from Papa Murphy’s, Medspa, Bean Bucks, Bueno and Bucketheads.

Sarah Brooks spoke at the event to give tips on how to keep yourself well in college. The tips focused on knowing when to say “no”, choosing five people in your life to be close to you and finding time to unplug from technology. Brooks thinks college is the best invention ever created. “But we’ve got to think of ways to keep ourselves healthy,” Brooks said. “Otherwise

Ellie Holcomb singing onstage.

Women’s Wellness Panel with (left to right) Jessica Nyguen, Cherisse Flanagan, Gretchen Etheredge, Ryan Randolph and Sara Trammell.

were not being intentional and we’re not figuring out who we are in a healthy environment.”

Brooks is the writer of the blog “Life as of Late” and is from Fort Worth.

Jessica Nyguen, a professor of psychology at ACU from San Diego, California, organized the event and was partnered with Laura Bush Foundation for Women’s Health. Nyguen said the theme was “whole wellness” with the mind, body and spirit and the foundation was interested in educating ACU women for its large female population. Nyguen is also the director of second year residential experience.

Michaela Kasselman, a

senior sociology major from Abilene, She is also a student director of ACU Cabinet for the campus activities board.

Kasselman said the ACU Cabinet and Residence Life are also within the partnership. Kasselman thinks that it is an opportunity for women’s health to be talked about in a holistic environment because of the challenges that get in the way of women in the world and of the topic not being talked about often.

The event ended with a women’s wellness panel that featured guest speakers.

Students texted questions to them and the audience received answers about anxiety, daily habits, sexual health and avoiding spiritual

exhaustion. Ellie Holcomb, Gretchen Etheredge, Sara Trammell, Ryan Randolph and Cherisse Flanagan.

Etheredge is a marriage minister and the director of the Highland Counseling Center from Brookville, Pennsylvania. Trammell is a medical director of Hendrick Hospital from Abilene.

Randolph is a residence director of Smith Adams from Cedar Hill. Flanagan is a clinical psychologist of private practice from Abilene.

Nyguen helped answer the questions with them.

Afterward, Holcomb took pictures with spectators and gave autographs.

“I feel like when I sing, I’m doing what God made me

to do and that is a sweet thing,” Holcomb said. Holcomb’s father went to ACU and that he had a formative experience while he was here. “Honestly, I wish that we had had more time,” Holcomb said, discussing her participation at the panel. “I loved it. I think it’s so important. I’ve spent a lot of years hiding and not really walking in the truth and so I love an atmosphere that invites honest question and honest conversation about how to work out our faith.”

Nyguen said that there will be more Girl’s Night Out events in the future.

over the past four years. She has hired more shooters, videographers and travels all around the world to capture memories for engaged and married couples.

What sets Asia’s business apart from many others is her simple mission to show couples they do not need anything but each other.

“Photobyjoy is my small way of whispering, “Your love is enough” into a material world that screams “You need more” on your wedding day.” she explains.

Asia tries to display this message in all aspects of her business. It determines the way she runs her website, the

kindness in which she treats her clients and she even says it goes into choosing which lenses to buy for her camera.

This raw and honest approach to wedding photography has attracted couples who feel the same way. “There are brides who want moments over things and grooms who aren’t all that interested in fake smiles.” she says. These kind of couples are what Asia credits for the explosive growth of Photobyjoy.

As her life as an entrepreneur gets busier and busier, Asia still makes time to give back to ACU and young photographers through her portrait and camera work-

shops. This weekend she is hosting her fourth round of photography workshops at ACU with the Learning Center. Her joyful and honest take on photography gives a godly example for ACU students with similar passions to hers. She wants them to see that it is possible to both pursue their creative passions and live and work in a way that glorifies God. In this world that can get extravagant in the age of Pinterest and Instagram, Asia is looking forward with Photobyjoy. “I wake up each day with open hands, asking God what His dream is for this business. “ she pro-

claims. She is trusting that the Lord will continue to show her the way in this difficult profession.

“When starting Photobyjoy I thought that I would be the one shaping what this business would grow into, but four years in, the truth is Photobyjoy is shaping me. It’s a daily reminder that life is worth celebrating beautifully.”

For booking information and more images you can visit her website at www. photobyjoy.com.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Alum to host couples photography workshop

BY PHOEBE VOSS STAFF REPORTER

If you were to take a quick scroll through the photos on her blog, it wouldn’t take long for you to feel like you knew her. Full of genuine smiles and candidly captured moments, Asia’s personality screams loudly through her work.

After graduating with a major in multimedia, Asia Edison dove straight into the world of professional photography, starting her own business, Photobyjoy.

Beginning with just one girl and her camera, Photobyjoy has grown immensely

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Student Life: Co-ed social club may be a non-starter

BY EVAN RODRIGUEZ WEB EDITOR

Two students on campus are looking to start a co-ed social club on campus an call it Alpha Kai Alpha.

The club is the brainchild of Ashlyn Lovell, senior agribusiness major from Clyde, and Tori Tucker, senior social studies teaching major, from Elk Grove, California.

Lovell currently serves as the club’s president

and Tucker serves as the vice-president.

Both say they noticed a lot of people who rushed but did not end up pledging. They attributed this to a lack of options for both men and women when it came to choosing a club and say they see a co-ed social club as something that might fill that need.

“We want a club for anyone to join so they don’t feel unincluded,” Lovell said.

Lovell said they hope to broach the idea with the Office of Student Life in the next week but noted that they have 10 members already and others have expressed interest.

“We want to get members and make sure there were people who wanted to do it before we did anything further,” Tucker said.

They draw their inspiration from the co-ed literary organizations that existed in the university’s

past – the Hardings and the Zellners, which spun out from the original Argos and Argens social clubs in 1913.

Tom Craig, director of student activities and productions, said student lifee hadn’t had any recent contact with anyone looking to start a co-ed social club.

“We’ve had that question before, and the answer has always been, ‘If you want to do a co-ed thing, it would be a or-

ganization, not a social club,’” Craig said. “To change that paradigm would go through several different tiers.”

Alpha Kai Alpha is looking for a faculty advisor and sponsor and are open to chartering as a student organization if student life denies its request to be recognized as a social club.

EMR14C@ACU.EDU

POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 11/01/2017 3:00p.m.

A coach reported the theft of an XBOX from the football team lounge at Wildcat Stadium.

11/01/2017 4:45p.m.

A student reported the theft of items from her dorm room.

11/02/2017 10:08 p.m.

ACUPD investigated the report of a disturbance in a UP apartment. Investigation revealed that tenants had grown loud during a discussion among the residents. The tenants agreed to speak more quietly.

11/03/2017 11:20 p.m.

Officers responded to a call for service re: noise violation – loud party in the 800 block of Harrison. Three ACU student tenants were advised of the complaint and closed their party.

11/04/2017 11:43 p.m.

ACUPD responded to multiple call re: noise violation in the 800 block of EN 14th. Officers advised the two HSU student tenants of the violation and they closed the party.

911 CALL ACCIDENT ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY ADVICE ALARM ALCOHOL INCIDENT ASSIST ATTEMPT TO LOCATE BARRICADES BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK BURGLARY (MOTOR VEHICLE) CART PATROL

1 1 36 2 3 1 3 1 1 17 1 1

CHECK BUILDING 335 CITATION ISSUANCE 1 DIRECT TRAFFIC 1 DISCHARGE OF FIREARM 2 DISTURBANCE 5 DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE 1 DRUG ACTIVITY/OFFENSE 1 ESCORT 5 FOOT PATROL 22 FOUND PROPERTY 5 INFORMATION REPORT 5 INTOXICATED PERSON 3 INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP 7

MAINTENANCE: UNIV ASSETS MEDICAL EMERGENCY MISSING PERSON MONITOR FACILITY/LOT MOTORIST ASSIST: INFLATE TIRE MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK NOISE VIOLATION OTHER PARKING LOT PATROL

0 1 1 12 1 14 9 8 5 26

PARKING VIOLATION PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL PUBLIC SERVICE RANDOM PATROL REPORT WRITING STAND BY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY SUSPICIOUS PERSON THEFT TRAFFIC HAZARD TRAFFIC STOP TRAINING

3 6 11 1 19 19 1 2 7 3 1 7 1

WELFARE CHECK TOTAL

2 654

POLICE CHIEF TIP OF THE WEEK:

Depression is real. Don’t fight it alone. Reach out for resources at the ACU Counseling Center.

N E WS

FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 10, 2017

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Obituary

Trussell used motocross experience in engineering classes

BY HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF

Known for a love of extreme sports, Zach Trussell spent his time winning local motocross competitions when he wasn’t studying electrical engineering on campus or playing guitar and drums. Trussell, a senior engineering major from Anson, died in his residence on Saturday, Nov. 4, at the age of 24.

Trussell could be seen on-campus wearing a backwards Fox hat, Blink 182 t-shirt, tight grey skinny jeans and five piercings –one at the top of his inner lip. Growing up off a dirt road, Trussell quickly learned you can be both smart and crazy at the same time. With a twostroke, red bike, a partially ripped jersey and the cheapest boots he could find, Trussell began to ride.

In an interview a year ago, Trussell said he could reach

Trussell soars over a car at a motocross competition.

(Photo from Trussell’s Facebook page.)

over 25 feet into the air doing several tricks from the Can Can (legs off to the side of the bike) to the Cliffhanger (toes where the handlebars are).

Trussell said he merely hopes to land safely; or at least with very little broken bones. But, let’s be honest, fractures are part of the game, he said.

“Once you’re in the air, you don’t care about anything,” Trussell said at the time.

“You’re just so free.”

Bret Ellis, a friend and fellow rider, in an interview a year ago described him as a “maniac.”

“If you want to have a good time,” Ellis said. “Zach is the guy you should call.

Anytime we want to try something new, and probably dangerous, Zach is the guinea pig for anything.”

Ellis said he once went with Trussell to the Kermit Sand Dunes in Odessa for a mini motocross trip.

“I remember we were

both riding the dunes and all of a sudden, I see Zach do a flip and hit the ground,” said Ellis. “All he said was, ‘did you get that on tape?’ I laughed so hard and sadly had to say ‘no.’”

Darby Hewitt, assistant professor of engineering and physics, said he and other professors were shocked at Trussell’s passing and will miss Trussell’s easygoing presence in their classes.

“I never really experienced him being upset,” Hewitt said. “Zach was just sort of, a really happy person. We’re all going to miss having him around and seeing him in Bennett.”

Trussell took several of Hewitt’s classes because he had an interest in electrical engineering, Hewitt’s specialty. They also bonded over music, Hewitt said. He sent Trussell a recording of himself playing guitar, and Trussell recorded himself playing

drums for the song.

“He had a lot of experience – probably a lot to do with his motorbike hobby – in getting his hands dirty and messing around with engines and stuff,” Hewitt said.

Trussell also pursued his love of electronics off campus at Best Buy, where he worked on installing car stereos, Hewitt said.

Funeral services took place Tuesday in Hawley. Trussell is survived by his parents, Darrell and Cindy Trussell; one sister, Meagen Trussell; a nephew, Jax Emerson; grandparents, Verlon Trussell and Jane and Andy Sandoval; three aunts, Juanita Burleson, Sherry Robertson, and Lesha Cole; two uncles, Michael Sandoval and Shane Trussell; and numerous cousins, according to an obituary in the Abilene Reporter News.

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

Obituary

Former Greek professor left legacy of scholarship, song him today although he doesn’t work A 2004 New York in ministry Times piece listed the unianymore. versity’s Greek class, a reHe still uses quirement for many Bible a Greek HAILEY majors, as one of the hardBible someest courses offered by col- times because Hailey taught leges nationwide. Although him the value of the Greek Elementary Greek Read- language. As a student he ings I and II were known said he appreciated Hailey for difficult coursework, the making the class worthwhile classes were also known for despite spending 20-25 a loving teacher, Jan Hailey. hours a week studying the “I really don’t think difficult material. they’re afraid of me, I think “She helped you learn they’re afraid of the sub- even if it didn’t show on ject,” Hailey said in the your grades,” Mankin Times. “I’m a grandmother; said. “I feel like I learned how tough can you be?’’ more than my grade reThe former teacher died flected that I did.” on Nov. 2 in Eden Prairie, Hailey was born in Minnesota, at the age of 69. Sweetwater and moved to Her husband, Dr. Mel Hailey, Abilene when she was a who teaches as a professor of child, according to ACU political science. Funeral ser- Today. She became the vices took place Monday. valedictorian at Abilene One of her students, Christian High School in Grant Mankin, said Hai- 1966 and wrote part of the ley’s teaching still impacts school song which students

BY HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF

Lyrics to the Abilene Christian School song: We’ll cherish thee, our glorious school, Let Honor crown thy name.

We’ll serve thee best and love thee most and give thee Christian fame.

For the Panthers, blue and white, we will fight with all our might.

We pledge to thee our loyalty, Dear Abilene Christian High. still sings today. She came to the university to study education and married Mel before she graduated in 1970.

After teaching English for a few years, she returned to the university as a research assistant in the College of Biblical Studies.

She later earned a Master in Greek in 1995 and a

Master of Divinity in 2003.

She taught Greek and other Bible classes for many years, served on the founding board of Abilene Habitat for Humanity, and volunteered for the Noah Project, Meals on Wheels, and the Emmaus Community.

“Jan was always very, very sweet,” Mankin said,

“and you wanted someone like Jan teaching you something like Greek.”

Hailey retired from the university in 2008 after working in the College of Biblical Studies for 20 years.

Hailey is survived by her husband, Dr. Mel Hailey, and by her two children and their families: Jennifer

and Joel Nichols, and their children Benjamin and Natalie Nichols; and Robert and Jill Hailey and their children Joseph, Zrinyi, and Ryder, Caitlin and Caroline Hailey; and her sister, Vicki Ruth Shepard.

wanted to focus more on the creativity side. So, we are still sharing the knowledge of Adobe but also focusing on being creative.”

Jason Katsoff, a customer success manager representative for Adobe, said he works with colleges in the southwest region of the United States.

“So, I only not help ACU, but a handful of other high-rated institutions throughout the central Southwest region of the United States to be aware of they have the tools to equip people with resources to get them successful in the tools,” Kat-

soff said. “And then to celebrate and showcase the success that they have.”

There was a Creative U T-shirt logo design contest in which the winner got an iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil for winning.

The winner was Daniel Tapia, a senior graphic design major from Los Angeles, California. He said he plans to use his new iPad Pro for graphic design work.

“I’m a graphic design major so with the iPad Pro with the pencil allows for easier access to hand drawn things.” Tapia said. “In parts of industry

right now, hand drawn, hand crafted, handmade things are kind of growing in popularity because people want to feel like they are buying is genuine, and so I feel like I can

add that through the iPad Pro and that accessibility will make it easier.”

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

Learning Studio showcases Adobe software in Creative U event

BY BRIAN SWEET STAFF REPORTER

The Creative U event showcasing the Adobe Suite Products took place Nov. 7. Students had the opportunity to be hands-on with the Adobe software.

Creative U was put on by staff members from the Brown Library, the new Innovation Foundry, the Maker Lab and the Creative Studio. Adobe representatives were also present to help out.

Students had the opportunity to learn how to create a logo using Adobe Illustrator in ACU’s Learn-

ing Studio. They also had the opportunity to print a logo that was already created in Illustrator on a T-shirt using the printer in the Maker Lab. Dr. Marisa Beard, director of education technology, said the event came to fruition because they wanted to change up Adobe Day. “Well, three years ago ACU became an all in Adobe School,” Beard said. “All our faculty, staff and students have access to the Adobe Suite. So, for the last two years we did something called Adobe Day and this year we

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OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

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OPI N I ON

FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 10, 2017

@LEXIII_25 11/06/17 7:00 A.M. I go to a university where most of my professors start class with a prayer & im forever grateful for this opportunity. #acudifference

#ACU

@ATOWNBMAN 11/06/17 7:23 P.M. Is it acceptable to eat salsa with Ruffles? @TateBeakley loves it.

@KAYLERGRACE 11/06/17 9:28 A.M. “Shoot Christian coaches say” #acudifference

@IAMJMC95 11/0817 9:53 A.M. I demand a meal plan Signed, Starving Senior @KENNEDYOATES 10/11/17 8:09 A.M. we just facetimed Dr.Reeses granddaughter and sang her happy birthday #acudifference

Senior nutrition major Midland, Texas

@ALLEN_STORM96 11/08/17 12:13 P.M. Hi I’d like to sign up for this new Chef’s Table version of the Bean. @DOGAN_LYER 11/07/17 12:42 P.M. Thank you @acuoptimist for giving us this positive and relevant news

I CAN’T EVAN

EVAN RODRIGUEZ WEB EDITOR

Junior management major Sugarland, Texas

Giving [Chapel] credit where credit is due

THE ISSUE

Students are frustrated about getting chapel credits, and they are disrespecting chapel speakers.

OUR TAKE

Although students need to respect university requirements, it may be time for the university to bring the 55-credit requirement down and start respecting students needs as well.

Although students need to respect university requirements, it may be time for the university to bring the 55-credit requirement down and start respecting students needs as well.

Women’s basketball coach Julie Goodenough presented one of the funniest and most practical Chapel talks of the year on Monday – and hardly anyone heard her. Buy 11:26

a.m., people began swiping out, and the little beeps of the card readers drowned out the coach’s bold words.

To some students, the 55-credit requirement is seen as a motivation to grow in faith, but to others it is a burden on their highlighter-filled, organized planners. Meanwhile, the infamous “slide and gliders,” who swipe in, leave and come back just to swipe

out, are essentially cheating the whole system.

Our university has taken pride in fellowship, worship and community since 1906, but as the university grows, more students see attending Chapel as just a requirement rather than a time to grow spiritually. Lowering the number of Chapel credits required each semester would allow for more respect for the speakers and for the people attending. A reduction would benefit the students who actually want to be there, by changing the attitude that Chapel is a “burden.” By making Chapel a place of respect and worship, we believe that more students will want to attend.

There’s a tension between the time-honored tradition and the changing attitudes of students. While 30 percent of students claimed to be Church of Christ in 2016, that number dropped to 27.8 percent in 2017. This number drops every year, as more and more non-Church of Christ students come to a Church of Christ-affiliated school.

What is the purpose of Chapel? According to the university website, Chapel requirements come from a “desire to ground our students in Scripture and spiritual practices that lead to transformation into the likeness of Christ to bless others through leadership

and service in every corner of the world. With these thoughts in mind, we’ve integrated Chapel into the curriculum: full-time undergraduate students are required to earn 55 spiritual formation credits each semester.”

Our problem is not with how Chapel is run because we know the university is trying to be more engaging to students from various denominations. Our problem is with the 55-credit requirement. While students must respect the requirements of the university, the university must also respect our time and commitments.

Students will not focus on even the most engaging speakers if they’re distract-

ed with homework or frustrated by time constraints.

Reducing the number of credits could lead to a smaller attendance in Moody, but it would greatly improve the respect for worship. The university should emphasize quality over quantity. They should do things that draw a quality group of students who want to be there, more than a large quantity of students playing on their phones.

Changing Chapel may not change the mindset of every student, but it could change the atmosphere of the space.

EDITOR@JMCNETWORK.COM

SA president advocates for SA mission, fall plans

ACU students, “Attitude reflects leadership, Captain.” This famous quote from the movie, Remember the Titans, serves as such a powerful reminder for me as I now serve in a leadership position – it challenges me to constantly reflect and seek improvement.

The purpose of this letter is to acknowledge Students’ Association shortcomings, share our plan to proactively change SA’s identity and role, and clearly outline the next steps we are taking to accomplish this ambitious goal.

First, as the Executive President, I accept responsibility and personally apologize to students for any and all poor experiences involving SA. Our mission is to be good stewards of our God-given gifts – to represent the diverse needs of the student body through both activity and advocacy and

PHOTO BY CHRISTI LIM Danny Burke talks to students at a tailgate before a football game. in doing so, hold ourselves, the student body, the faculty, staff and administration accountable to each other and God. Therefore, during the month of November, Congress and the Executive Cabinet will communicate with a multitude of other

student government organizations around the country and evaluate the foundation of how SA operates and serves students. We will vote on bills and resolutions at the end of the month that will amend the student Constitution and Bylaws. One big change will be to po-

tentially alter the title of SA from Students’ Association to Student Government Association. Since titles identify purpose, we believe the new title could more clearly establish our reason for existence and explicitly explain our role on campus.

Besides possibly changing the Students’ Association title, here are other examples of resolutions we are currently working on: altering two more position titles (Executive Administrator and Chief Communications Officer to Chief of Staff and Press Secretary) respectively, adjusting the campaign and election process to allow a ticket system, changing the funding regulations to better empower student organizations, equipping committee chairs with formal responsibilities, creating a judicial board of students, and allowing a student representative to sit as a non-voting

member on ACU’s Board.

The changes will be focused on increasing our student government’s effectiveness and positively impacting the student experience. Any formal alterations to the student Constitution passed by the Student Congress will be sent out to the entire student body for a ratification vote. We understand progress is impossible without change and we want to bring the change about.

With this in mind, let me personally extend a hand for you to join us in this process by communicating with your congressional representative, positions are listed on saacu.com. Your ideas and feedback are incredibly valuable for us to gain a better understanding of how to smoothly make this transition into a new era of ACU student government.

My dream involves students

believing that ACU student government holds an incredible opportunity to unify students for a mission bigger than us and students joining a calling worth investing in. We promise to work hard and listen to you until the attitude of the student body towards SA reflects the kind of leadership my team strives to exhibit.

Finally, I want to thank students for the tremendous honor to lead the Students’ Association. I pray you will partner with us this month to create a student government that better engages, equips, and empowers students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.

Sincerely, Danny Burke Students’ Association Executive President EDITOR@JMCNETWORK.COM

University leadership needs to be transparent with students QUITE FRANCO-LY

LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR Junior psychology and convergence journalism major Fort Worth, Texas

When I first visited ACU, I knew I was home.

I had high expectations for this university with its middle name being, “Christian.” I mean, the 55 credits in which little freshman me didn’t know that soon, they would come to feel like forced worship. Alongside most of the professors praying before classes started were the cool new Bible classes I was getting to take.

But when it came time

for me to start writing about university happenings, I was shocked at the lack of vulnerability in some areas. I thought coming to a Christian school entailed transparency and honesty, forgiveness and understanding. That has not been the case.

Even subjects that seem irrelevant have questionably been deemed unworthy of public disclosure.

Toward the beginning of the semester, Students’

Association would not publicly reveal the number of votes from the election.

Later, Student Life would not disclose the number of pledges per club. Both easily attainable facts, so why the need to be private?

Over the summer, Student Life announced pledging changes stemming from an investigation when some “issues” were brought to attention. Following the announcement, gossip among the student body about Galaxy ending pledging early has been more prevalent than the willingness for Student Life to be open about the issues.

Although I safely assume the situation was not as se-

rious as Florida State University’s, I applaud their president for his willingness to openly discuss the problem, and put an end to the issue until a solution is agreed upon.

“There must be a new culture, and our students must be full participants in creating it,” FSU President John Thasher said in an interview with CNN. “I want to send a message that we’ve got a serious problem and we need to deal with it, and they’re part of the solution. And the sooner they can come to the table and we can all talk and find those solutions, the sooner this will be lifted.”

Being a representation

of the body of Christ is not about good PR, trying to appear good by avoiding the discussion of topics that might make the school look “bad.” It’s about coming together in unity and recognizing our faults and failures, our strengths and weaknesses. It’s about finding solutions to the things that need to be discussed, not shoving them under the rug. Why is a non-religiously affiliated public school doing it better than us?

I’m disappointed in the perfectionism that accompanies the desire for good ratings, great headlines and even better admissions. It makes me sick knowing mistakes that can

be kept private, are.

Rather than dismissing the hardened hearts of pharisees in Matthew 23, Jesus publicly and directly confronts the issues in the church. It isn’t about fluff, nor is it about pretending the church is a place and people that it isn’t. His correction and vulnerability is about growth and restoration.

I don’t understand how to trust an authority that lacks trust in the student body. I beg the question, how are we supposed to grow in faith through failures if the university won’t do the same.

LMF14A@ACU.EDU

It’s been a year since Trump was elected, and saying that it’s gone badly would be a gross understatement.

In the year since Trump was elected, diplomatic relations with our closest allies have been strained as the incompetencies of a 71 year old who has never held public office have become glaringly clear. For example, republican senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has called for hearings on the President’s nuclear weapons authority. This is unheard of for a senator to question and examine the president of one’s own political party in such a way. And yet, this

is the new normal.

Corker’s decision is appropriate as this President has demonstrated time and time again that he does not posses the temperament required to handle criticism from the press, much less provocations from a hostile foreign power.

If you voted for Trump, what do you have to show for it? Angry “snowflakes”?

Is the bar that low?

If “pissing off liberals” is the only requirement for a successful presidency, I’d recommend reevaluating one’s priorities.

Voting is about the members of society coming together to elect a leader to represent ALL members in that specific society. If

your definition of successful elected official includes making 50% of society angry, you’re missing the point.

One year into his presidency and Trump voters don’t have a wall.

Obamacare hasn’t been repealed. Tax reform hasn’t been enacted and probably won’t be anytime soon.

Trump being a disappointment isn’t a conservative or liberal position to take. All American’s should recognize the degradation of norms which have taken place in Trump’s first year. From lying about his inauguration size, to feuding publicly with gold star families, to mocking a female television host for her plastic surgery, Trump has failed to adhere to presidential decorum. Republican’s, however, aren’t the only one’s who should be criticized for abetting his behavior. Democrats as

well must be careful not to treat every Trump blunder as the end of the world.

Trump has been dogged

by Russia revolutions throughout the past year, with no end in sight. Republicans have who stick by his side essentially have to trust that this serial liarin-chief is telling the truth when evidence to the contrary has been slowly been coming out for the last year. Would you make that bet? I wouldn’t.

For all their flaws, you could disagree with former President’s Barack Obama and George W. Bush on policy issues without calling into question their fitness for public office or asking if they had the temperament to handle minor criticisms.

They were and continue to be, respectable men worthy of admiration regardless of their policy positions.

Personally, I’d consider myself moderately right-leaning, however, I believe in honest self-reflection of one’s party, regardless of party affiliation.

The sooner American’s recognize how badly Trump has handled the presidency, the sooner we can learn from the mistakes. For some Republicans, that means admitting they made a mistake in voting for him, for some Democrats, that means not overreacting to everything Trump does.

No one party has a monopoly on the truth or the right way forward, rather, each must come to terms with their own flaws if they have any hope of enacting meaningful change in the future.

Christ.

The Eucharist (communion) is the practice of eating the body of Christ and drinking His blood as commanded in Luke 22.

Through this sacramental practice, we partake to remember the gesture and action Christ took for us on the cross. By taking the bread and wine, we, as Christians, come together as believers and take part in the body of Christ. In turn, we become the body of Christ. The Eucharist is something that goes beyond Sunday communion taken right after worship and before tithing. It is an action taken by christians around the world where for one moment we think about our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ partaking in the same radical action. As German Catholic priest Romano Guardini once wrote “Man, with the aid of grace, is given the opportunity of relaying his fundamental essence, of really becoming that which according to his divine destiny he should be and longs to be, a child of God”, so through the Eucharist, our soul unites once again with God. By learning the significance of such acts, one can begin to question the

importance of other sacraments. If sacraments are used as symbols within Protestant churches, why should we partake in them?

Are we still christians if we choose to not partake?

With so many questions, I began realize that it is our pride which inhibits us to partake in sacraments. It is our pride within our denomination which makes us choose where we stand on the issues of baptism and the taking of the Eucharist.

The sacrament of baptism, though simple in thought is more complex when accompanied by conviction and practice. The immersing of a christian in water is more than just an act of submersion, but also an act of salvation to some. Within the Churches of Christ, the sacrament of baptism is linked to the salvation of a person. When first learning about this, I was shocked. How could one’s submersion be a door-die situation? It wasn’t until I removed myself from what my denomination taught me where I began to see the beauty in such a deep-seated tradition.

As mentioned, the act of baptism is not the act one chooses to do to himself.

Rather, it can be seen as an act done to someone. Just as

grace is granted to us by the mere love of Christ without any action on our part, baptism is the action bestowed upon us. Someone submerges you through an act of faith, love and conviction. And through those elements, we spring for air into a new life. Whether our new life be in representation of what the Lord has done or what the Lord will do. Restoration and grace are the key elements shown through the act of baptism.

Baptism cannot be bonded to the boxes we have placed alongside the walls of our church. Baptism is and will always be an act done on us as a sign of love, acceptance, restoration and faith in Christ.

The importance in questioning sacraments is healthy. By questioning our faith, we begin to draw closer to God. We allow our barriers to be lowered for the answers we desire. As Christians, we should seek the Lord in all ways and ask the questions set in our dogma that burn for answers. It through our constant questioning and seeking that we can find the Lord. Knock on His door for knowledge.

I guarantee He will answer just as He has answered me.

EMR16C@ACU.EDU

Questioning the use of holy sacraments ONE IN A EMILLION EMILY GUAJARDO ARTS AND FEATURES EDITOR Senior Convergence Journalism Major San Antonio, Texas

The use of sacraments is a debate which has lasted since the church’s initial split during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.

Beginning with the seven sacraments of baptism, eucharist, confirmation, reconciliation, anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders implemented by the Catholic church under the Council of Trent, the sacraments have been a key component to the church’s foundations as well as symbolic rituals in representation of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. And in one split, two sacraments remained – baptism and the eucharist – leading the rest of the protestant reformation toward the denominations we cling to today.

During this semester, I have began to question my beliefs and how I use those beliefs for the betterment of my relationship with Christ. However, the most important question I’ve had trouble answering is why do I believe what I

believe? For the past three and half years, I have worn the badge of non-denominationalism in protest to hints of traditional, ritualistic or impeding Christian thoughts – even thoughts I would label as “too religious”.

And just how Saul was blinded by the light in lieu of his stubbornness, I was paralyzed in the realization that sacraments are not evil, religious or wrong. Rather, they are meant to used mere symbols and representations of how much Christ loves us. For far too long, I had judged members of the church councils, priests of the catholic church and apostles from the beginning stages of the faith. For the first time, I tasted a glimpse of the beauty sacraments can bring to the table – pun intended.

Sacraments, though they sound binding, were and are still used as symbols and practices which were given to us (Christians) as mere gifts in order to represent and remember the life of

T HE

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.

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

How to eat healthy on a budget SAWYER COBB GUEST COLUMNIST

President Trump is a national disgrace

CARTOON BY ERNESTO GUAJARDO

5

O PI NI O N

FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 10, 2017

EAG13B@ACU.EDU

Happy weekend! I can smell the rolls and pecan pie already; we are so close to Thanksgiving break!!!

I hear all the time how expensive eating healthy is, and because of that, people are turned away from it. I will be the first to admit that eating healthy can 100% be much more expensive than the alternative, however, it can also be done in a frugal way that won’t drain your bank account.

Over the past few years, I have learned a few tricks that really help save on groceries for the week. I spend less on groceries than I ever have before and each of my meals only cost me around $3.

PHOTO BY SAWYER COBB

A few tips that I find extremely helpful: • Go to the store with a game plan. Know what you need, write it down, and stick to the list.

I get in trouble if I go into the store and aimlessly stroll, just adding what looks good.

• Choose recipes that have minimal ingredients and can be eaten for more than one meal. For example, I made vegetable soup the other day and ended up making 6 or so servings of it and the entire recipe only cost me $12.

That is $2 a meal!

• Realize that in order to eat healthy foods, you don’t have to buy tons of name brand bars and powders. The foods with the most vitamins and minerals are fruits and vegetables, which are so much cheaper than any packaged “health” food.

• Buy in bulk! I buy my flours, nuts, and oats in a large amount and it last me for months. Sam’s Club is a great place to buy large quantities here in Abilene, I also recommend thrive.com for buying bulk items.

For more information about how I grocery shop on a budget, follow my Instagram @thewholesomeblogger & check out my blog at thewholesomeblog. com! Eat something good this weekend and relax: the semester is almost over.

EDITOR@JMCNETWORK.COM

O PT I MI S T

published by the department of journalism and mass communication staff and management board Haley Remenar Editor in Chief Lauren Franco Content Managing Editor Jonathan Raitz Sports Director Jessica Clark Video Director

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4

OPI N I ON

FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 10, 2017

@LEXIII_25 11/06/17 7:00 A.M. I go to a university where most of my professors start class with a prayer & im forever grateful for this opportunity. #acudifference

#ACU

@ATOWNBMAN 11/06/17 7:23 P.M. Is it acceptable to eat salsa with Ruffles? @TateBeakley loves it.

@KAYLERGRACE 11/06/17 9:28 A.M. “Shoot Christian coaches say” #acudifference

@IAMJMC95 11/0817 9:53 A.M. I demand a meal plan Signed, Starving Senior @KENNEDYOATES 10/11/17 8:09 A.M. we just facetimed Dr.Reeses granddaughter and sang her happy birthday #acudifference

Senior nutrition major Midland, Texas

@ALLEN_STORM96 11/08/17 12:13 P.M. Hi I’d like to sign up for this new Chef’s Table version of the Bean. @DOGAN_LYER 11/07/17 12:42 P.M. Thank you @acuoptimist for giving us this positive and relevant news

I CAN’T EVAN

EVAN RODRIGUEZ WEB EDITOR

Junior management major Sugarland, Texas

Giving [Chapel] credit where credit is due

THE ISSUE

Students are frustrated about getting chapel credits, and they are disrespecting chapel speakers.

OUR TAKE

Although students need to respect university requirements, it may be time for the university to bring the 55-credit requirement down and start respecting students needs as well.

Although students need to respect university requirements, it may be time for the university to bring the 55-credit requirement down and start respecting students needs as well.

Women’s basketball coach Julie Goodenough presented one of the funniest and most practical Chapel talks of the year on Monday – and hardly anyone heard her. Buy 11:26

a.m., people began swiping out, and the little beeps of the card readers drowned out the coach’s bold words.

To some students, the 55-credit requirement is seen as a motivation to grow in faith, but to others it is a burden on their highlighter-filled, organized planners. Meanwhile, the infamous “slide and gliders,” who swipe in, leave and come back just to swipe

out, are essentially cheating the whole system.

Our university has taken pride in fellowship, worship and community since 1906, but as the university grows, more students see attending Chapel as just a requirement rather than a time to grow spiritually. Lowering the number of Chapel credits required each semester would allow for more respect for the speakers and for the people attending. A reduction would benefit the students who actually want to be there, by changing the attitude that Chapel is a “burden.” By making Chapel a place of respect and worship, we believe that more students will want to attend.

There’s a tension between the time-honored tradition and the changing attitudes of students. While 30 percent of students claimed to be Church of Christ in 2016, that number dropped to 27.8 percent in 2017. This number drops every year, as more and more non-Church of Christ students come to a Church of Christ-affiliated school.

What is the purpose of Chapel? According to the university website, Chapel requirements come from a “desire to ground our students in Scripture and spiritual practices that lead to transformation into the likeness of Christ to bless others through leadership

and service in every corner of the world. With these thoughts in mind, we’ve integrated Chapel into the curriculum: full-time undergraduate students are required to earn 55 spiritual formation credits each semester.”

Our problem is not with how Chapel is run because we know the university is trying to be more engaging to students from various denominations. Our problem is with the 55-credit requirement. While students must respect the requirements of the university, the university must also respect our time and commitments.

Students will not focus on even the most engaging speakers if they’re distract-

ed with homework or frustrated by time constraints.

Reducing the number of credits could lead to a smaller attendance in Moody, but it would greatly improve the respect for worship. The university should emphasize quality over quantity. They should do things that draw a quality group of students who want to be there, more than a large quantity of students playing on their phones.

Changing Chapel may not change the mindset of every student, but it could change the atmosphere of the space.

EDITOR@JMCNETWORK.COM

SA president advocates for SA mission, fall plans

ACU students, “Attitude reflects leadership, Captain.” This famous quote from the movie, Remember the Titans, serves as such a powerful reminder for me as I now serve in a leadership position – it challenges me to constantly reflect and seek improvement.

The purpose of this letter is to acknowledge Students’ Association shortcomings, share our plan to proactively change SA’s identity and role, and clearly outline the next steps we are taking to accomplish this ambitious goal.

First, as the Executive President, I accept responsibility and personally apologize to students for any and all poor experiences involving SA. Our mission is to be good stewards of our God-given gifts – to represent the diverse needs of the student body through both activity and advocacy and

PHOTO BY CHRISTI LIM Danny Burke talks to students at a tailgate before a football game. in doing so, hold ourselves, the student body, the faculty, staff and administration accountable to each other and God. Therefore, during the month of November, Congress and the Executive Cabinet will communicate with a multitude of other

student government organizations around the country and evaluate the foundation of how SA operates and serves students. We will vote on bills and resolutions at the end of the month that will amend the student Constitution and Bylaws. One big change will be to po-

tentially alter the title of SA from Students’ Association to Student Government Association. Since titles identify purpose, we believe the new title could more clearly establish our reason for existence and explicitly explain our role on campus.

Besides possibly changing the Students’ Association title, here are other examples of resolutions we are currently working on: altering two more position titles (Executive Administrator and Chief Communications Officer to Chief of Staff and Press Secretary) respectively, adjusting the campaign and election process to allow a ticket system, changing the funding regulations to better empower student organizations, equipping committee chairs with formal responsibilities, creating a judicial board of students, and allowing a student representative to sit as a non-voting

member on ACU’s Board.

The changes will be focused on increasing our student government’s effectiveness and positively impacting the student experience. Any formal alterations to the student Constitution passed by the Student Congress will be sent out to the entire student body for a ratification vote. We understand progress is impossible without change and we want to bring the change about.

With this in mind, let me personally extend a hand for you to join us in this process by communicating with your congressional representative, positions are listed on saacu.com. Your ideas and feedback are incredibly valuable for us to gain a better understanding of how to smoothly make this transition into a new era of ACU student government.

My dream involves students

believing that ACU student government holds an incredible opportunity to unify students for a mission bigger than us and students joining a calling worth investing in. We promise to work hard and listen to you until the attitude of the student body towards SA reflects the kind of leadership my team strives to exhibit.

Finally, I want to thank students for the tremendous honor to lead the Students’ Association. I pray you will partner with us this month to create a student government that better engages, equips, and empowers students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.

Sincerely, Danny Burke Students’ Association Executive President EDITOR@JMCNETWORK.COM

University leadership needs to be transparent with students QUITE FRANCO-LY

LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR Junior psychology and convergence journalism major Fort Worth, Texas

When I first visited ACU, I knew I was home.

I had high expectations for this university with its middle name being, “Christian.” I mean, the 55 credits in which little freshman me didn’t know that soon, they would come to feel like forced worship. Alongside most of the professors praying before classes started were the cool new Bible classes I was getting to take.

But when it came time

for me to start writing about university happenings, I was shocked at the lack of vulnerability in some areas. I thought coming to a Christian school entailed transparency and honesty, forgiveness and understanding. That has not been the case.

Even subjects that seem irrelevant have questionably been deemed unworthy of public disclosure.

Toward the beginning of the semester, Students’

Association would not publicly reveal the number of votes from the election.

Later, Student Life would not disclose the number of pledges per club. Both easily attainable facts, so why the need to be private?

Over the summer, Student Life announced pledging changes stemming from an investigation when some “issues” were brought to attention. Following the announcement, gossip among the student body about Galaxy ending pledging early has been more prevalent than the willingness for Student Life to be open about the issues.

Although I safely assume the situation was not as se-

rious as Florida State University’s, I applaud their president for his willingness to openly discuss the problem, and put an end to the issue until a solution is agreed upon.

“There must be a new culture, and our students must be full participants in creating it,” FSU President John Thasher said in an interview with CNN. “I want to send a message that we’ve got a serious problem and we need to deal with it, and they’re part of the solution. And the sooner they can come to the table and we can all talk and find those solutions, the sooner this will be lifted.”

Being a representation

of the body of Christ is not about good PR, trying to appear good by avoiding the discussion of topics that might make the school look “bad.” It’s about coming together in unity and recognizing our faults and failures, our strengths and weaknesses. It’s about finding solutions to the things that need to be discussed, not shoving them under the rug. Why is a non-religiously affiliated public school doing it better than us?

I’m disappointed in the perfectionism that accompanies the desire for good ratings, great headlines and even better admissions. It makes me sick knowing mistakes that can

be kept private, are.

Rather than dismissing the hardened hearts of pharisees in Matthew 23, Jesus publicly and directly confronts the issues in the church. It isn’t about fluff, nor is it about pretending the church is a place and people that it isn’t. His correction and vulnerability is about growth and restoration.

I don’t understand how to trust an authority that lacks trust in the student body. I beg the question, how are we supposed to grow in faith through failures if the university won’t do the same.

LMF14A@ACU.EDU

It’s been a year since Trump was elected, and saying that it’s gone badly would be a gross understatement.

In the year since Trump was elected, diplomatic relations with our closest allies have been strained as the incompetencies of a 71 year old who has never held public office have become glaringly clear. For example, republican senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has called for hearings on the President’s nuclear weapons authority. This is unheard of for a senator to question and examine the president of one’s own political party in such a way. And yet, this

is the new normal.

Corker’s decision is appropriate as this President has demonstrated time and time again that he does not posses the temperament required to handle criticism from the press, much less provocations from a hostile foreign power.

If you voted for Trump, what do you have to show for it? Angry “snowflakes”?

Is the bar that low?

If “pissing off liberals” is the only requirement for a successful presidency, I’d recommend reevaluating one’s priorities.

Voting is about the members of society coming together to elect a leader to represent ALL members in that specific society. If

your definition of successful elected official includes making 50% of society angry, you’re missing the point.

One year into his presidency and Trump voters don’t have a wall.

Obamacare hasn’t been repealed. Tax reform hasn’t been enacted and probably won’t be anytime soon.

Trump being a disappointment isn’t a conservative or liberal position to take. All American’s should recognize the degradation of norms which have taken place in Trump’s first year. From lying about his inauguration size, to feuding publicly with gold star families, to mocking a female television host for her plastic surgery, Trump has failed to adhere to presidential decorum. Republican’s, however, aren’t the only one’s who should be criticized for abetting his behavior. Democrats as

well must be careful not to treat every Trump blunder as the end of the world.

Trump has been dogged

by Russia revolutions throughout the past year, with no end in sight. Republicans have who stick by his side essentially have to trust that this serial liarin-chief is telling the truth when evidence to the contrary has been slowly been coming out for the last year. Would you make that bet? I wouldn’t.

For all their flaws, you could disagree with former President’s Barack Obama and George W. Bush on policy issues without calling into question their fitness for public office or asking if they had the temperament to handle minor criticisms.

They were and continue to be, respectable men worthy of admiration regardless of their policy positions.

Personally, I’d consider myself moderately right-leaning, however, I believe in honest self-reflection of one’s party, regardless of party affiliation.

The sooner American’s recognize how badly Trump has handled the presidency, the sooner we can learn from the mistakes. For some Republicans, that means admitting they made a mistake in voting for him, for some Democrats, that means not overreacting to everything Trump does.

No one party has a monopoly on the truth or the right way forward, rather, each must come to terms with their own flaws if they have any hope of enacting meaningful change in the future.

Christ.

The Eucharist (communion) is the practice of eating the body of Christ and drinking His blood as commanded in Luke 22.

Through this sacramental practice, we partake to remember the gesture and action Christ took for us on the cross. By taking the bread and wine, we, as Christians, come together as believers and take part in the body of Christ. In turn, we become the body of Christ. The Eucharist is something that goes beyond Sunday communion taken right after worship and before tithing. It is an action taken by christians around the world where for one moment we think about our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ partaking in the same radical action. As German Catholic priest Romano Guardini once wrote “Man, with the aid of grace, is given the opportunity of relaying his fundamental essence, of really becoming that which according to his divine destiny he should be and longs to be, a child of God”, so through the Eucharist, our soul unites once again with God. By learning the significance of such acts, one can begin to question the

importance of other sacraments. If sacraments are used as symbols within Protestant churches, why should we partake in them?

Are we still christians if we choose to not partake?

With so many questions, I began realize that it is our pride which inhibits us to partake in sacraments. It is our pride within our denomination which makes us choose where we stand on the issues of baptism and the taking of the Eucharist.

The sacrament of baptism, though simple in thought is more complex when accompanied by conviction and practice. The immersing of a christian in water is more than just an act of submersion, but also an act of salvation to some. Within the Churches of Christ, the sacrament of baptism is linked to the salvation of a person. When first learning about this, I was shocked. How could one’s submersion be a door-die situation? It wasn’t until I removed myself from what my denomination taught me where I began to see the beauty in such a deep-seated tradition.

As mentioned, the act of baptism is not the act one chooses to do to himself.

Rather, it can be seen as an act done to someone. Just as

grace is granted to us by the mere love of Christ without any action on our part, baptism is the action bestowed upon us. Someone submerges you through an act of faith, love and conviction. And through those elements, we spring for air into a new life. Whether our new life be in representation of what the Lord has done or what the Lord will do. Restoration and grace are the key elements shown through the act of baptism.

Baptism cannot be bonded to the boxes we have placed alongside the walls of our church. Baptism is and will always be an act done on us as a sign of love, acceptance, restoration and faith in Christ.

The importance in questioning sacraments is healthy. By questioning our faith, we begin to draw closer to God. We allow our barriers to be lowered for the answers we desire. As Christians, we should seek the Lord in all ways and ask the questions set in our dogma that burn for answers. It through our constant questioning and seeking that we can find the Lord. Knock on His door for knowledge.

I guarantee He will answer just as He has answered me.

EMR16C@ACU.EDU

Questioning the use of holy sacraments ONE IN A EMILLION EMILY GUAJARDO ARTS AND FEATURES EDITOR Senior Convergence Journalism Major San Antonio, Texas

The use of sacraments is a debate which has lasted since the church’s initial split during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.

Beginning with the seven sacraments of baptism, eucharist, confirmation, reconciliation, anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders implemented by the Catholic church under the Council of Trent, the sacraments have been a key component to the church’s foundations as well as symbolic rituals in representation of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. And in one split, two sacraments remained – baptism and the eucharist – leading the rest of the protestant reformation toward the denominations we cling to today.

During this semester, I have began to question my beliefs and how I use those beliefs for the betterment of my relationship with Christ. However, the most important question I’ve had trouble answering is why do I believe what I

believe? For the past three and half years, I have worn the badge of non-denominationalism in protest to hints of traditional, ritualistic or impeding Christian thoughts – even thoughts I would label as “too religious”.

And just how Saul was blinded by the light in lieu of his stubbornness, I was paralyzed in the realization that sacraments are not evil, religious or wrong. Rather, they are meant to used mere symbols and representations of how much Christ loves us. For far too long, I had judged members of the church councils, priests of the catholic church and apostles from the beginning stages of the faith. For the first time, I tasted a glimpse of the beauty sacraments can bring to the table – pun intended.

Sacraments, though they sound binding, were and are still used as symbols and practices which were given to us (Christians) as mere gifts in order to represent and remember the life of

T HE

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.

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

How to eat healthy on a budget SAWYER COBB GUEST COLUMNIST

President Trump is a national disgrace

CARTOON BY ERNESTO GUAJARDO

5

O PI NI O N

FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 10, 2017

EAG13B@ACU.EDU

Happy weekend! I can smell the rolls and pecan pie already; we are so close to Thanksgiving break!!!

I hear all the time how expensive eating healthy is, and because of that, people are turned away from it. I will be the first to admit that eating healthy can 100% be much more expensive than the alternative, however, it can also be done in a frugal way that won’t drain your bank account.

Over the past few years, I have learned a few tricks that really help save on groceries for the week. I spend less on groceries than I ever have before and each of my meals only cost me around $3.

PHOTO BY SAWYER COBB

A few tips that I find extremely helpful: • Go to the store with a game plan. Know what you need, write it down, and stick to the list.

I get in trouble if I go into the store and aimlessly stroll, just adding what looks good.

• Choose recipes that have minimal ingredients and can be eaten for more than one meal. For example, I made vegetable soup the other day and ended up making 6 or so servings of it and the entire recipe only cost me $12.

That is $2 a meal!

• Realize that in order to eat healthy foods, you don’t have to buy tons of name brand bars and powders. The foods with the most vitamins and minerals are fruits and vegetables, which are so much cheaper than any packaged “health” food.

• Buy in bulk! I buy my flours, nuts, and oats in a large amount and it last me for months. Sam’s Club is a great place to buy large quantities here in Abilene, I also recommend thrive.com for buying bulk items.

For more information about how I grocery shop on a budget, follow my Instagram @thewholesomeblogger & check out my blog at thewholesomeblog. com! Eat something good this weekend and relax: the semester is almost over.

EDITOR@JMCNETWORK.COM

O PT I MI S T

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FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 10, 2017

F E ATUR E

6

One Year After Trump’s Election With one year into the Trump administration, students and faculty share their concerns, thoughts and fears on the president’s new regime..

PHOTO BY EMILY GUAJARDO

Students walk along the upstairs level of the Onstead-Packer Bible Building.

BY EMILY GUAJARDO ARTS AND FEATURES EDITOR

O

n Nov. 8, a new age of presidential administration took the seat in the Oval Office. No longer would the President of the United States be required to uphold the same requirements of self-control, social media civility and political correctness. The fact of the matter is one year with Donald Trump as president has led the nation into uncharted territory where headlines, protests, economic stability and the lack of social-control roam freely day to day.

While some students and faculty members chose not to express their opinions, others shared their reactions in regard to the Trump administration’s one-year anniversary.

ONE YEAR OF CHAOS

On the night of Nov. 8, 2016, students congregated in classrooms, homes and dorm rooms awaiting the results of one of the most debated elections of the 21st century. While many students expressed their concerns across several social media platforms, students such as Aleira Martin, sophomore ad/PR major from Fort Worth, was a bit scared of the potential catastrophes that could occur with a president labeled as a bigot, racist and misogynist on the throne of authority.

According to Pew Research Center, 69.6 million votes were cast by millennials. Of those 69.6 million, a net increase of 7.5 million eligible voters within the minority demographic rose from the 2012 election.

With countless protests and social media alerts bombarding her phone, Aleira’s fear grew. She said she honestly did not think he would make it that far.

“I was distraught when I heard the news,” Martin said. “I was just like ‘Wow, this is actually happening. A lot of things are happening, and even though he isn’t doing anything to help the black community, he has hurt several members of other communities like the DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals], and it’s very distracting that all of this is happening and it’s only been a year.”

Martin said one thing she noticed is how confrontational people became when stating their opinion.

“I think people have become more rowdy and willing to state their opinions,” said Martin. “I will say that some members of the black community have stepped up to help other communities that they see need help because it seems like all minorities are on the short end of the stick when it comes to this presidency so far.”

U

nder this administration, The Atlantic argued Trump has an inability to understand views held by the minorities and has instead treated them as a threat. On Sept. 5, President Trump announced an end to the Obamaera project protecting undocumented adolescents in the United States. The end of DACA was near and protestors began to rally. Since the election of Trump, Splinter News reported more than 50 protests including the Women’s March on Washington on Jan. 21, A Day Without Immigrants on Feb. 16 and Not My Presidents Day on Feb. 20.

Prentice Ashford, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said the announcement of the end of the DACA program was devastating news to students and faculty. After being bombarded with constant questions such as “What do we do from here?” “What’s going to happen to me?” and “Am I going to have to leave?” Ashford said he had to learn how to handle new concerns every day.

“I can’t think of a day that goes by, while school is in session, that Trump or the administration or anything of that nature hasn’t come up. Every day we talk about some aspect that has come up,” said Ashford. “I try to remove my bias from any conversation we are having. Generally, the advice we give to students is ‘you’re safe here.’ There hasn’t been an executive order that we have seen yet. We try to reassure students and give them the only advice we can give.”

Ashford said the discussions around the office have become more heated since the inauguration. Like night and day, Ashford said some students have found a special boldness in their voice while others have been more inclined to inch toward fear – the fear of saying something wrong.

“I have definitely seen a shift in students’ boldness or fear of saying things within the past 365 days,” said Ashford, “and that has shifted the way I view student response whether positive, negative, pro or against. Some things happen or things I say, I can see where they came up with the courage to say that. Our president allows it, so of course they’re allowed to say it without fear of repercussion, but then there are students who have this voice and say, ‘I’m afraid. I’m afraid someone might cuss me out or shut me down, and that’s directly because of this administration.’”

W

ithin the first couple of days after the election, some felt an unspoken tension creep into the classrooms of the Hardin Administration, College of Business Administration and Onstead-Packer Buildings. Rallies, such as the OMA demonstration on Nov. 16, 2016, allowed students to express their fears and concerns on national and local issues.

“My previous three years, four years here, students were a lot more open to expressing themselves because they didn’t feel like people were going to ‘build that wall,’” said Ashford. “In general, students are becoming more unapologetic with their voice and that’s all students: black, brown, white, international, domestic.

They are finding the courage to say ‘this is who I am’ because they aren’t sure if they’ll be able to say that for long. Students are coming to terms with who they are, what they are, why they are quicker.”

ONE YEAR

OF PROGRESS Although left-leaning students feel conflicted and concerned for what their future holds, others feel just as bonded by silence – Trump supporters, themselves.

Members of the ACU College Republicans group cohesively believe that although Trump may not be the best public

speaker, he is making a radical statement for other Republicans to follow.

Jonathan Ladd, a member of the College Republicans, said the primary reason he voted for Trump was based on public policies that adhered to his needs.

“I think the Trump presidency has had its ups and downs. The economy has been doing really well,” said Ladd, sophomore political science major from Maytown.

“The Dow (Jones Industrial Average) is increasing every day, and even though legislatively he hasn’t gotten some things done, he has gotten some things done through the use of executive order and he has done well to not overstep his bounds in that respect. Overall, I think he’s been very good from a policy perspective.”

U

nder the Trump administration, Forbes magazine reported the stock market’s increase of 20.4 percent since the inauguration, leading to an increase of 2.3 percent in the country’s gross domestic product value and a rise in manufacturing jobs up to 138,000 through the end of Oct. 17. Ladd said he feels confident in his vote one year later.

“Trump wasn’t my first choice in the primaries, but when it came down to it, I voted for him,” said Ladd.

For many young Republicans, the persona of Trump is more mesmerizing than any policy embedded through Congress.

Trump’s perceived ruthless demeanor and patriotic character make him stand out among any current politician known today. As Alexander Shanales, freshman biology major from Lubbock, said Trump was the best image for what a president should be – an all-American.

“This is the very first time in history that we’ve had a very patriotic president,” Shanales said, exulting his voice in pride.

“It’s very refreshing to hear someone say ‘America first,’ to stand up to the globalist elite and look out for the people in the West Belt and middle America that everyone seems to forget about. It’s great to see someone who isn’t like a European bureaucrat to stand up for the people, by the people like the founders intended.”

Tyler Hasenjaeger, junior political science major from Weatherford, said he has felt more alienated for his beliefs during this year alone. The constant glares and insults spit at him for voting for one man has made him feel unwelcome in his classes. Today, many conservative supporters like Hasenjaeger said they are timid to speak out. Because of the protestors in Charlottesville, Hasenjaeger believes society labels all Trump supporters as “bad people.”

“I have been in classrooms where I have been demonized for having right-wing beliefs, and I’ve had friends who stopped being my friend because I was a conservative,” said Hasenjaeger. “People talk a lot of trash about conservatives not just behind their back, but to their face. Conservatives would rather not get down on that level and fight back. We’re just trying to get by.”

A

fter being called several names for expressing his beliefs and reasons for voting in favor of the GOP, Hasenjaeger, as well as other students, has wondered what the reason is for so much hate. Is it worth going to a school

or attending a class where your beliefs are not as valued as others?

“If I have right-wing beliefs, I shouldn’t be demonized because that’s my opinion, and we’re supposed to have different opinions in school, and we’re not supposed to demonize different opinions at school,” said Hasenjaeger. “So, when I say ‘more guns are better than less guns’, and a professor gets up and calls me an ‘idiot’ in front of class and embarrasses me, and I’m supposed to sit there and listen.

And later, I’ll call my parents and they’re confused why they’re sending me to school and paying tens of thousands dollars and have to listen how my teacher is trashing my beliefs as a student. It’s not that we’re attacked constantly, but it’s enough to where we know we’re being attacked and it’s definitely hurting a lot of conservatives for being conservative.”

R

emoving his hat, Hasenjaeger becomes silent. Acceptance is what Hasenjaeger desires and pain is what he has received. While still faithful to his beliefs, students like Nick Cartwright, senior political science major from Bourne, said the atmosphere the university has settled into is completely contradicting to what he experienced three years ago.

“Everything is completely different.

ACU was very conservative at that point,” said Cartwright. “Then, Trump wins and everyone is so polarized and defined in what they believe.”

Ladd, who is black, said although he hasn’t seen any polarizing issues on campus, he has tried to remain upfront on what he believes and why.

“I don’t think Trump is racist, and I when I enter I classroom – maybe it’s the way I present myself or whatever – but I try to show people what I believe at the moment I enter a classroom no matter if people believe or agree with me or not,” said Ladd.

Dr. Neal Coates, professor of political science, said the issues and actions arising during this administration is not necessarily the fault of the president, but rather the actions people have decided to take for themselves.

Even as a political science professor at a predominantly conservative university, Coates said he uses his classes to show all sides of the argument and not allow for it to get out of hand if students disagree.

Shanales said conservatives get a misconception of being the type of people who only want our side to win and unfortunately, there are people like that.

“But, I will say there are people on both sides that want the dialogue and Socratic method, if you will. We want to hear from each other and find the best solution. You know, the great thing about America is you’re allowed to not like the president,”Shanales laughed. “We can disagree and that’s what makes this discourse great.”

As students and faculty walk along campus, one can see how their different views segregate them. With three more years left, one can only wait until the next moment Trump strikes.

EAG13A@ACU.EDU

S PORTS

FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 10, 2017

Football welcomes top-five team in nation

BY MAX PRESTON ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The football team will host the No. 4 ranked Bearkats of Sam Houston State Saturday for its final home game of the 2017 season.

The Wildcats sit at 2-7 overall, and 2-5 in conference after a heartbreaking loss in overtime to Northwestern last week, while Sam Houston has a full head of steam with an 8-1 overall record, and a 6-1 Southland record coming off of a 57-20 win against Incarnate Word.

In ACU’s previous game, redshirt freshman quarterback Luke Anthony was given the opportunity to start for the first time this season, and earned honorable mention Southland player of the week throwing for 345 yards and two touchdowns.

Head coach Adam Dorrel said he was pleased with Anthony’s performance.

“I thought he did phenomenal, I’m really proud of his effort,” Dorrel said.

“He’s done a really good job all year being a leader on and off the field.”

Heading into the game, The Wildcats have had an impressive year in the passing game ranking third in the conference with 2246 yards. Senior wide receiver Troy Grant has legged most of those yards with 440.

However, ACU has struggled to find its rhythm in the rushing game ranking last with 777 yards. Sophomore running back Tracy James has emerged as the leading running back for the Wildcats with 480 yards this season.

The Wildcats will wel-

come a talented team in Sam Houston Saturday, ranking first in the conference in total offensive yards (4919), first in passing yards (3154) and second in rushing yards (1765).

Reigning Southland Conference player of the year, senior quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe, will be leading the Bearkat offense. Briscoe broke the FCS record of touchdown passes thrown in a season last year with 57. So far, this season, Briscoe has

thrown for 3079 yards, and 27 touchdowns.

Sophomore wide receiver Nathan Stewart has produced the biggest numbers for Briscoe with 1057 yards and eight touchdowns.

Defensively for Sam Houston, junior linebacker Justin Johnson leads the team in tackles with 64. A year after winning the Southland Conference defensive player of the year, senior defensive end P.J. Hall has performed well again this

anticipation, will have to prove themselves.

“It’s a daily reminder to those guys that the future is bright and on this team there is a lot of potential,” Golding said. “I think it’s going to be an incredible year for ACU basketball, but we haven’t done anything yet.”

Although the Wildcats had several defining wins last year, the team will look to develop more consistency from game-to-game. ACU began last year’s conference season 0-3 and finished the campaign 1-3, but over the other 11 games were above .500 at 6-5.

“I think our depth is better this year, we can play 10 or 11 guys, so that’s exciting,” Golding said.

“And I think we have some flexibility, different lineups we can do whether we go small or big.”

Along with his returners, Golding brings his first-ever graduate transfer in Tevin Foster. Foster averaged 13.8 points at Drury College last year and joins a back court with experience and potential.

“It’s a good mix. There’s guys with a lot of maturity and guys that have been through the battles and they are battle tested, not only in conference but non conference and hopefully that sets up for a great year,” Golding said.

The Wildcats open the season Friday night against Randall University. The two teams met during the

middle of the season last year, and ACU nearly lost, but held on for the 78-74 victory. Golding said each player on the team improved over the summer and everyone is excited to get the season going.

“You can tell this week in practices, they’ve really kind of stepped it up a bit, or guys really realize the season is just around the corner,” Golding said.

The players also realize this could be a year of historical proportions and Golding said he believes his team will do what’s needed to be done to get to the conference tournament in Katy and have a shot at advancing beyond that.

“Somebody is going to make the NCAA tourna-

ment at Abilene Christian, it’s gonna happen,” Golding said. “And it’s gonna be a heck of a dream come true for our university. This is a special group and I think they’re going to continue to work hard and put themselves in a position come March that we’ll have a chance to compete for that.

The team will play three of its first four games at home before traveling to the Campbell Tournament in North Carolina. After the tournament the Wildcats will play and even three home games and three away games before starting conference play against New Orleans on Dec. 28.

ished with an impressive 117 assists last season.

The Wildcats also bring back other returners in seniors Sierra Allen and Taudencia Oluoch, junior Sara Williamson and sophomores Dominique Golightly, Pamela Herrera and Lexi Kirgan. The team also added a Rice transfer in junior forward Lexie Ducat.

Looking at the rest of the season, the women’s non-conference schedule will include big schools, such as Arkansas, Southern Methodist University, Florida Gulf Coast University and Idaho.

ACU will then begin its conference games days before New Year’s Eve on Dec. 28 against New Orleans in Abilene.

The team will play through most of the spring semester, playing their fi-

nal regular season game against Incarnate Word on March 3.

Goodenough said she is ready for the season to start.

“The weather is getting colder outside, so that to me is always a sign that basketball season is right around the corner,” Goodenough said. “This is the time of the year where players are so sick of playing each other. They’re ready to have a game and play in front of our crowd, so we’re ready to get the games started.”

Though Goodenough and the Wildcats are the reigning back-to-back Southland Conference champs, the team was given a prediction to finish fifth this season.

ACU sits above McNeese in the pre-season predictions, while New Orleans is projected to finish

fourth, Stephen F. Austin third, Central Arkansas second and Lamar first.

This year will also be the first season that the women will be eligible for the postseason Southland tournament, as well as the NCAA tournament.

“We’ve been talking about that since we started working out this summer, it’s our first year to play in the conference tournament,” Goodenough said.

“Someone will get the NCAA bid by winning that tournament and there’s no better team for that to happen to than us.”

The women will begin their game against Southwest in Moody at 5:30. If you can’t make the game, coverage can be heard on 98.1 FM.

EMILY GUAJARDO ARTS AND FEATURES Wildcats end inaugural season at Wildcat Stadium against No. 4 Sam Houston State.

season with five sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss.

Senior linebacker Sam Denmark, who needs 10 tackles to break the alltime ACU career record of tackles, said the defense is ready for Sam Houston.

“Going into a game like this and playing a tough offense like that excites the defense,” Denmark said.

“Our coaches have a great game plan, but it’s up to us to practice it and master it.”

Kickoff time for the game was moved up to 2 p.m. this week after it was originally scheduled for six. The Wildcats will also be participating in senior day before the game, where Denmark, and the other seniors will be honored. Coverage of the game can be heard on 98.1 FM. MJP14B@ACU.EDU

Men’s basketball team stacked with potential

BY MAX PRESTON ASSISTANT SPORTS DIRECTOR

Maybe one of the most anticipated basketball seasons in ACU’s history is just around the corner.

In their first year of post-conference eligibility, the Wildcats begin the season ranked seventh in the preseason polls. The ranking does come as a bit of a surprise, considering ACU returns all five of its starters, the previous two freshman of the year award winners and knocked off Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State and eventual NCAA tournament qualifier New Orleans.

But head coach Joe Golding and his team are well aware of their 7-11 conference finish last year and despite the

MJP14B@ACU.EDU

Back to back Southland champs begin new season

BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS DIRECTOR

The women’s basketball team is set to begin the quest for a three peat as Southland Conference champs when they take on Southwest College in Moody Coliseum Friday night.

The team will be figuring out life with the departure of their big four Suzzy and Lizzy Dimba, Sydney Shelstead and Alexis Mason for the first time in Friday’s game as well.

Sophomore point guard Breanna Wright will bring returning starter experience to the Wildcats, however, and will be a key piece to the women’s success.

Head coach Julie Goodenough said she has a lot of expectations for Wright going into the season.

“We’re relying on her to be a leader for us just

LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR Sophomore Breanna Wright is the lone starter returning for the Wildcats this season.

because she has played so many big-time minutes, She’s played in the pre-season WNIT and the postseason WNIT as a starter, and that experience is something no one else on the team has.”

Wright averaged 5.5 points per game, and fin-

JMR13B@ACU.EDU

7

Tennis wins three road titles

BY DAVIS DENTON SPORTS REPORTER

The Wildcat men and women’s teams shined in Arizona at their most recent and final tournament, taking both doubles titles and a singles championship.

Sarah and Henry Adams each left Grand Canyon University Sunday with a men’s and women’s GCU Invitational doubles titles, along with their partners senior Whitney Williams and sophomore Jonathan Sheehy.

Sheehy and Adams reached the finals after defeating the Arizona Christian tandem of Enzo Douilliac and Jesse Miritello, 7-6 in the quarterfinals, and the GCU combo of Valentin Lang and Gregoire Balenci, 7-5, in the semifinals. The duo eventually defeated another team from the tournament host, Grand Canyon, 7-5 to take the title.

As a team, ACU picked up 14 doubles wins going 14-7 in Phoenix.

The road for Williams and Sarah Adams included a 6-2 first-round win over Southern Utah, followed by a 6-1 steal vs. Tarleton State, and 6-4 semifinal win vs. Grand Canyon. They then defeated fellow teammates Nino Memishishi and Lucile Pothier 6-1.

Pothier was the Wildcats’ lone singles champion, she bounced back from loss in the doubles title match. She won the Purple Draw over GCU’s Celina Buhr, 7-6 and 6-3 after defeating competition from Grand Canyon and Southern Utah along the way. Pothier caps off an impressive fall, where she also competed well at the ITA Oracle Masters in Malibu, California.

Sarah Adams came close to winning her second title of the weekend, but finished in second of the Black Draw.

Junior Jordan Henry also fell in the finals to Neetika Sud of Tarleton State, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 in the White Draw.

For the men, no singles competitor finished higher than third. But Sheehy, senior Hunter Holman and junior Cole Lawson all came in third in their individual brackets.

Sheehy beat Arizona Christian’s Enzo Douilliac for third place in the Purple Draw, 6-2, 6-2. It was the second time in the tournament Sheehy defeated Douilliac, after he and Adams battled him and his partner during the semifinals of doubles.

The GCU Invitational was the Wildcats final tournament of the fall. The teams will kick back up next spring, but those schedules have not yet been released.

DMD14A@ACU.EDU

WITH COACH ADAM DORREL, GRANT BOONE AND HANNAH NULL

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8

SP ORTS

FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 10, 2017

STANDINGS Team

Football Ovrl. SLC.

UCA SHSU Nicholls McNeese SELU SFA NWSU ACU UIW HBU Lamar

8–1 8–1 7–2 7–4 5–5 4–5 3–6 2–7 1–8 1–8 1–8

Volleyball

Team

SFA UCA SHSU HBU McNeese TAMU-CC NWSU ACU NOU UIW Nicholls Lamar SELU CHARLIE BLALOCK COURTESY OF SOUTHLAND

The Wildcats celebrate after Caity Acosta punched ACU’s ticket to the semifinals with a 5-3 win over McNeese State in shootout fashion.

Soccer sets foundation with historic season

BY RACHEL POE SPORTS REPORTER

The Southland Conference tournament has come to an end and so has the 2017 soccer season for the Wildcats, but it won’t soon be forgotten. This season was one of historic proportions for the Wildcats. Not only was it their first year of Div. 1 postseason play, but they also became the first ACU team to win a Southland Conference postseason tournament game in just their first attempt.

Head coach Casey Wilson said this season continues to build on the foundation the coaching staff and players have worked

so hard on building.

“The returning players have a full spectrum of everything, and maybe mentally they’ll even be more prepared for the next year and knowing how close we were [to the championship match].”

After upsetting the No. 3 seed in the tournament in McNeese State in a dramatic shootout, the Wildcats battled till the end against a perennial powerhouse in Stephen F. Austin. ACU was eventually beaten 4-2 in its second shootout in three days, but Wilson said if a few more things would have went their way in that game, his team would’ve been

primed for the championship match.

“I think that, you know, otherwise were a couple of penalty kicks and a solid game [against Lamar] away from playing this week, so they knew how close they were so now it’s just a matter of capitalizing the next time they get the opportunity,” Wilson said.

Moving forward the Wildcats will likely be viewed as one of the top conference competitors, but as the Southland Conference to continue to get tougher each Wilson said the team must keep the bar high, and the returners must value the team’s past success

but continue to lead the way for the future.

“It is always nice to know that we have a good handful of freshmen that have a lot of game experience, because that is important going into next year as opposed to being pretty top heavy, where mostly upperclassmen play,” Wilson said. “That is one thing that we always benefit from is we always have enough impact players coming in as freshman and there veterans by the time they are sophomores.”

Wilson said the team also looks forward to next year’s recruiting class that will bring in more impact players to the program. And if the team

continues to compete at a high level, it is likely to see that trend remain.

The Wildcats finish the season with an overall record of 8-10-2 with both ties coming in the Southland Conference Championship and finished as the No. 6 seed in the regular season conference standings, but as a top-four team in the tournament.

ACU also defeated SFA in the regular season for the first time in Div. 1 and joined the Lumberjacks to have a winning conference record in each of the last five seasons.

Susset finished first with a time of 21:37.9. Susset later went on to run in the NCAA Div. 2 National tournament, finishing 59th with a time of 22.50.0.

The top-three women for ACU Alexandria and Michaela Hackett and Diana Garcia Munoz, finished with better times in the Southland Conference Championships this year than Susset did when she won the regional tournament in 2011.

In 2011 two runners also made the All South-Central region team, with Susset finishing 1st and Alyse Goldsmith finishing 4th. A few talented Wildcat women have an opportunity to do the same thing, but as a Div. 1 school.

The tournament takes

place in College Station at the Watts Cross Country Course at Texas A&M, with the women starting the event at 9:15 a.m. The top two teams will qualify for the NCAA Div. 1 National Championships next weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. Arkansas has won both the men’s and women’s region team title each year since 2013. The Razorbacks have also won the last six women’s regional titles.

Arkansas is the clear favorite this weekend, ranked sixth in the national coaches’ poll, but the Wildcats did receive two votes in the latest poll for spot in the top-30.

RKP15A@ACU.EDU

Women’s cross country enter regional picked second

BY TREVOR WYATT SPORTS REPORTER

After a great comeback season in which the Women’s Cross Country team went from 9th to 1st including a clean sweep of the medal positions, the team is looking to be the first women’s team to run in the NCAA regional tournament for ACU since 2011.

In 2015 when a nearly identical women’s team won the Southland Conference Championship, they were ineligible for NCAA postseason contention. Now the girls are back and ready to fight for a spot in the NCAA national tournament. They rank second in the region behind Arkansas and ahead of schools like Rice,

LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR

Senior Diana Garcia Munoz races toward the finish line.

Baylor and the University of Texas.

The last time any run-

ners ran in the NCAA regional tournament was in 2011 when ACU’s Chloe

TMW13A@ACU.EDU

FOOTBALL MATCHUP PREVIEW 2017 SEASON

ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (2–7)

JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS DIRECTOR

19.3

POINTS PER GAME

45.3

86.3

RUSH YPG

196.1

249.6

PASSING YPG

350.4

POINTS ALLOWED

27.2

27

MAX PRESTON

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

DAVIS DENTON SPORTS REPORTER

While ACU is a huge underdog in this game, I do expect there to be some positives to take away.

The Bearkat offense is one of the most prolific in the FCS under the command of Jeremiah Briscoe, but the Wildcat defense has been stout for the better part of the year, especially in the redzone. The offense has also done a great job taking care of the football this season, in fact, it hasn’t had a turnover in its last five games. Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke Anthony put up impressive numbers last week against Northwestern State in his first career start, but we’ll see how he holds his composure against the No. 4 team in the FCS. If the Wildcats play up to their capability and can limit the Bearkats’ big play, I think they keep this one reasonably close. But if Sam Houston State jumps out early like they are known to do, we could be in for another Homecoming-like drubbing.

If we’re being honest, ACU has seen the last of its winnable games for this season as they face two top five FCS schools to close the year.

Sure any team can win on any given Saturday, but on paper, the Wildcats don’t have much of a chance. ACU is playing a team from Sam Houston that averages 547 yards of offense a game, as well as 45 points a game. The Bearkats also have the reigning Southland Conference player of the year, senior quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe. He orchestrates his offense so well and is basically a coach playing with the team. Briscoe has thrown for 3079 yards and 27 touchdowns, making a case for a player of the year repeat. ACU redshirt freshman quarterback Luke Anthony played very well in his first start of the year last week against Northwestern, however, I don’t think his offense will have enough to push past Sam Houston. The Bearkats take an easy victory in this one, and remain in contention for the Southland Conference title.

The Wildcats took a painful loss from Northwestern State, surrendering 296 yards and only 26 points, but couldn’t muster the offense to win. Nik Grau also missed four field goals. ACU has struggled to score this season with a mostly anemic offense averaging 19 points a game, but has produced decent yardage totals, popping off 336 yards a game. Unfortunately, Sam Houston is averaging 547 yards of offense and 45 points per game. There’s little chance ACU’s offense can match Jeremiah Briscoe and company, but the Wildcat defense has been outstanding this year, surrendering 27 points per game with the only major slip-up coming in a 56-21 Loss vs SLU. Sam Houston is ranked fourth in the nation in FCS and is the defending Southland champs. Luke Anthony shined in his first career start last weekend, throwing for 345 yards and two TD’s. I think Wildcats take the Bearkats by surprise at home.

FINAL SCORE: SHS 31 ACU 17

FINAL SCORE: SHS 52 ACU 24

FINAL SCORE: SHS 14 ACU 10

SAM HOUSTON STATE (8–1)

TREVOR WYATT SPORTS REPORTER

It’s time to throw in the towel– there’s no way that ACU is going to win these next two games. New QB Luke Anthony looks good and may be poised to start next season, but ACU has glaring problems on the offensive side– it’s got only two viable receivers and no standard, reliable run game. SHSU is a powerhouse in the Southland Conference and has been for some time. This season is one of their better ones, as they’ve only lost one game to first-place UCA. In every win except one they’ve scored 30 plus points and all but two have seen 40 plus points, including a pair of 60 point games against Lamar and Nicholls. ACU’s defense has been a bright spot this year, but don’t expect any miracles against the Bearkats.

FINAL SCORE: SHS 45 ACU 20

Team

7–0 6–1 6–1 5–2 5–3 4–3 3–4 2–5 1–5 0–7 0–7

Ovrl. SLC.

25–6 23–3 14–13 18–9 18–11 12–13 13–16 11–15 12–15 6–15 4–23 4–21 3–26

Soccer

13–2 12–2 10–4 9–5 9–5 9–5 8–6 7–7 6–9 5–9 2–12 2–13 1–14

Ovrl. SLC. Lamar 18–3–1 10–1 SFA 13–8 8–3 McNeese 12–6–1 8–3 UCA 11–10 7–4 HBU 7–7–3 6–3–2 ACU 9–11 6–5 SHSU 7–9–2 4–5–2 TAMU-CC 6–9–3 3–6–2 SELU 5–10–3 3–6–2 Nicholls 6–11–1 3–7–1 NWSU 6–12 2–9 UIW 2–13–1 2–13–1

DORREL DAILY “I think Saturday is a really important game for our football program.

Dorrel We need to get on track I want to play good and I want to be unselfish. It starts with that stuff right there because you want to finish the season feeling good, not on a down note.”

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Football

Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke Anthony made the first start of his career last Anthony week against Northwestern. Anthony was nothing short of impressive as he threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. This performance earned him Southland Conference player of the week honorable mention.

He returns to action this week at home against Sam Houston.

Tennis

Senior Whitney Williams picked up a championship victory in doubles with her partner, Williams sophomore Sarah Adams, at the Grand Canyon University Invitational.

Williams and Adams defeated fellow teammates freshman Nini Memishisi and senior Lucile Pothier.

Fall play has now concluded, and both tennis teams will pick back up in the spring.

Basketball

The reigning Southland Conference freshman of the year is back.

Redshirt Friday sophomore Jalone Friday and his team start the season Friday evening against Randall College at 7:30 p.m. Friday was named to the Southland Conference preseason second team, along with junior point guard Jaylen Franklin. Friday was the co-team leader in points per game with 13.7. Look for his team to come out firing this week in their first game.