Spikes up Student mail-orders her pet hedgehog
vol. 103, no. 17
wednesday, october 22, 2014
1 SECTION, 6 PAGES
Features Page 5
what’s INSIDE NEWS Alumni office awards three alumni at Homecoming
Page 3
SPORTS Football team suffers loss to McNeese State on Saturday
Page 6
SEASON
OPINION Voter participation is crucial for college students and easy with absentee voting
OF CHEER
Page 4
NEWS National Hispanic Honor society to publish review
Page 3
OPINION Preparations for Sing Song need to encourage creativity, and rely less on outside help
Page 4
INTRAMURALS It’s playoff season. Daniel Block fills us in on which teams should head to the championship Page 2
NEWS Red Thread Movement partners with Better World Books Page 3
what’s online
paige otway staff photographer
The student section at Shotwell Stadium cheers on the Wildcats at the ACU Homecoming game.
Local foundations donate $8 million Schubert to break ground on Onstead Science Center madeline orr editor in chief The university will break ground on the Onstead Science Center after having secured $42 million of the $45 million needed to complete the new science and engineering facilities. Two significant donations to fund construction of the science facilities were from local foundations, the Dodge Jones Foundation and the Diane Graves Owen Foundation, who donated
$5 million and $3 million, respectively. Schubert said it’s great when the local community’s investment can be highlighted alongside investments coming from elsewhere. “They wanted to demonstrate their support and send a strong signal about the local Abilene community supporting the projects as well,” he said. “It creates great partnerships.” Larry Gill, grants administrator at the Dodge Jones foundation, said having en-
tion on the Onstead Science Center will take place Nov. 10 outside of the Foster Science building after Chapel. Schubert said part of the reason he wanted to begin construction on the Onstead facility was so that the building’s 84-year-old namesake, Kay Onstead, could see significant marked results. “I have the desire to ensure that there is visible progress so that she can enjoy and appreciate and be a part of it,” he said. Schubert said there are many ongoing conversations with other individuals, corporations and foundations about fundraising. “We’re in the process of trying to get clarity on final
decisions so we’re hopeful that even conversations we’re already in with proposals on the table will yield significant progress,” he said. About $21 million of the $30 million needed for the athletic facilities has been secured. Schubert said progress continues on the new track and soccer venue which is expected to be complete by April. The Engineering and Physics Laboratories at Bennett Gymnasium are expected to be completed by January. contact orr at mco10b@acu.edu
Study Abroad professor returns to U.S. reese gwin staff reporter The ACU Study Abroad Program in Montevideo, Uruguay, is getting a new faculty resident after a family emergency required one professor to come home early. Dr. Paul Roggendorff, instructor in the Department of Language and Literature, originally planned to spend the entire fall semester in South America with his wife and two children. However, when his wife became seriously ill, Roggendorff de-
cided to return to Texas. His family returned to the States on Oct. 3. It only took five days for the Center for International Education to choose a replacement. Dr. Ronald Morgan, a professor in the Department of History and Global Studies, will be the new faculty resident for the trip. “I am on research leave, so it worked pretty well with my schedule,” Morgan said. “I am not teaching anything right now.” Despite the change in personnel, the 11 students in Montevideo did not
miss a beat. They continued their studies and live with two ACU onsite directors, Wimon and Rosalinda Walker. “As the directors in Montevideo, Rosalinda and I can assure you that ACU and the Study Abroad office are working hard to care for the Roggendorffs and their needs,” Wimon Walker said. “And at the same time, we are all working hard to make sure that the students have the best experience possible.” Roggendorff had not begun to teach his slate of classes at the time of his
d e p a r t u re, said Stephen Shewmaker, executive director of the Center for International roggendorff Education. Morgan will teach the classes Roggendorff was expected to teach. Morgan has international experience as well as foreign language skills to step into the role. He is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish and has spent the last nine years as Director of ACU in Oxford.
The hardest part of the transition for students and faculty involved will not be academics, but losing a part of the study abroad family to such a sad circumstance, Morgan said. “Being there with (Dr. Roggendorff) and his family, they would have all bonded a lot,” Morgan said. “Since he has come home in a family crisis, the students are not only sad he is gone but also concerned for his family.” contact gwin at erg12a@acu.edu
New club members put away pledge pins
associate director of student organizations and programs. “Some are sweeping changes and Student musicians Pledging underwent some some are very minor.” perform at dramatic changes this seThough there were Homecoming mester, but proved to be many of these big and JamFest just as rewarding as in the small changes to the past. pledging process, it was This semester, the still a positive experience. pledging season was “I do think it was a sucshortened from five weeks cessful pledging season,” to three weeks, physical Jackson said. “I think activities were banned most of the credit goes to and pledges were admit- the club presidents, the ted to clubs before fall officer teams and the adbreak instead of after. visers.” “Changes come each Manaia Broom, sophoRead more at year in the pledging pro- more biology major from acuoptimist.com cess,” said Mark Jackson, Paragould, Arkansas, was
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gineering and science programs in Abilene appealed to the foundation. “We have some great science academics on faculty at ACU and this will enhance those programs,” he said. “It just seemed to make a whole lot of sense for the future of ACU students and the future of Abilene.” Both foundations also made financial contributions to the building of the Hunter Welcome Center and the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, but their combined $8 million donation is the largest amount either foundation has given to the university. A groundbreaking ceremony to begin construc-
rachel fritz copy editor
skeptical about the pledging process. “I was really in the fence about pledging my freshman year and I didn’t want to do it alone,” she said. “So when my friends thought about pledging more seriously, I was leaning towards it more.” Broom’s was finally persuaded to pledge Alpha Kai Omega after she found out about the changes that were being made. “I wasn’t too sure about pledging when fall rushes first started, but I finally
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made my decision after the first round of rushes and knowing it was only three weeks,” she said. “I knew with the shorter amount of pledging I could handle that with school work.” The shortening of the pledging process resulted in a more intense pledging season, but it was just as satisfying. “Some of the best parts of pledging was getting to know so many new girls and having really unique memories now looking back on it,” Broom said. “There were a lot of sleep-
less nights, and I got to see the worst in friends – and even in myself – but I got to see even more good in them.” Though the semester was different because of the tweaks made in the pledging process, Jackson saw it as a success. “I think the general consensus was that pledging was a positive experience, but also a tiring one,” he said. However, it is still too early to tell if the rule changes attracted more see pledging page 3