OPTIMIST
The Vol. 95, No. 41
IN THIS ISSUE CAMPUS Break the chains
The International Justice Mission is sponsoring a Justice Fair on Friday afternoon to raise awareness for Invisible Children, page 3
Creating art
Students from Dr. Al Haley’s English class are creating pieces of art for the Grace Museum, page 3
Harmonizing tunes
The touring Vienna Boys’ Choir sang in Abilene on Monday night at the Civic Center, page 3
ARTS
•
1 sections, 8 pages
FRIDAY
March 2, 2007
•
www.acuoptimist.com
Week highlights impact of choices n Students can discuss topics such as drunk driving, sex before marriage and the benefits of sleep next week during the Counseling Center’s Making Choices Week. By BLESSED MATAI Student Reporter
Making Choices Week is a week dedicated to students’ health and safety during spring break. The ACU Counseling Center and the Peer Health Education are the two
offices in charge of the events that will take place next week. On Monday, the two offices will be spreading awareness of drinking and driving, sleeping before long trips, sexual activities before marriage and more said Steve Rowlands, director of Counseling Center. But the primary focus will be in drinking and driving. On Monday a DUI simulator will be placed in front of the GATA fountain from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The DUI sim-
ulator program features a 24foot trailer that has a driving simulator where students can operate the driving simulator wearing ‘‘fatal vision” glasses. The simulator is programmed to operate in an “impaired” manner where the student quickly recognizes their inability to drive safely while impaired. Making Choices Week will also feature guest speakers Tuesday in Chapel and a Chapel forum from 7-8 p.m.
in Cullen Auditorium. At the forum, students will have the opportunity to ask all kinds of questions from sexuality to drug use. On Wednesday booths will be set up in the Campus Center to teach students about alcohol, sleep deprivation awareness and crime victim issues. Students will also have a chance to participate in events such as DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) and See
CHOICES page 7
MAKING CHOICES n Monday: A DUI simulator will be in front of GATA fountain from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for students to simulate driving while intoxicated. n Tuesday: Dr. Richard Beck, associate professor of psychology, will speak in Chapel; at 7 p.m., a Chapel forum will begin in Moody with a question/answer format to a panel of faculty, alumni. n Wednesday: Booths will be set up in the Campus Center with information on making healthy choices.
Study Abroad cancels two trips n Because of lack of interest, a British History Maymester and Communication Summer II course in Oxford were canceled; the Communication course will now take place in Honduras. By JOHNNY BAUTISTA
Buzzing at the beehive
Abilene’s newest steak house lives up to the awards its first branch in Albany received from Texas Monthly for best small-town steak house in Texas, page 5
SPORTS
Staff Writer
Students who were looking forward to taking courses this summer in Oxford for Maymester and Summer II will have to plan on taking their Oxford trip another time. The British history class has been canceled because not enough students signed up. The communications classes will now be offered in Honduras and will be partnering with Dr. Jack Walker and his medical missions team. Dr. Joe Cardot, chair of the Communication Department, said one of the reasons he thinks the Oxford trip didn’t work out was because the department didn’t push the opportunity early enough for students See
Laying it on the line
The baseball team will put its undefeated streak at home on the line this weekend during a four-game series against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Friday, page 8
OXFORD page 7
SA learns art of grant writing n Members of SA recently attended a conference in Boston and learned to write grants. SA is working on a grant to receive money to open the south entrance of the Brown Library. By KELSI PEACE Features Editor
Representing ACU
Audrey Maxwell and Alex Guiton were named to the first team all-Lone Star Conference South Division, page 8
ONLINE Basking in the sun
With the warm weather breezing through Abilene last week, students skipped classes to enjoy the warmth, view it online at www.acuoptimist.com
On the edge of Tyler Cosgrove’s desk a thick handbook rests, a jargon-filled souvenir from his recent trip to Boston for a grant-writing convention on behalf of the Students’ Association. Cosgrove, SA executive treasurer, plans to write two of his own and tailor them to suit the needs of student organizations and the SA finance committee before the changing of the guard this spring. This way, said Cosgrove, senior finance major from Amarillo, SA won’t have to fund another conference any time soon—they can refer to the handbooks instead. Kevan Kirksey, chief financial officer, and Ryan Stephen, chief advancement officer, also attended the convention. The SA budget includes two conferences per semester; the grantwriting conference was allotted about $3,600, Cosgrove said and any extra expenses will come from See
LACI ADKINS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Jackie Hughes, a computer programmer in Computing Services Department, stands with her son Jchon Bahl, a freshman graphic design major from Abilene in her office on Thursday afternoon.
A juggling act for 7 n Jackie and Frank Hughes balance working full time, raising five children and both taking classes for journalism and mass communication degrees — and still have time for fun. By MALLORY SCHLABACH Editor in Chief
Inside the living room three little boys, stair-stepped in height, run around the suede couches playing football. The smallest two double team Isaac, the oldest of the three, and soon the game turns into a pileup of giggling boys. Jackie Hughes just shakes her head as she walks past them in the hallway and shuts the door to the den. The French door only muffles their gleeful sounds. “The problem is Noah and Langston had naps today, so they’re wired right now,” Jackie says laughing. No one would guess as she sits on the plaid sofa in her sweats,
that she’s a mother of five who’s working on her second college degree. She also works full time at ACU in the Computing Services Department. For her, juggling is a class act. For the Hughes and their five children: Jchon, Samantha, Isaac, Langston and Noah, the madness begins at 6 a.m. each day, when Frank, Jackie’s husband of 10 years, gets off work at Dyess Air Force Base as a security guard. As Frank sits next to Jackie on the couch flipping channels, he says days go by fast. “Yeah, they’re fast-paced,” Jackie says. “There’s a lot to get done around here,” he says, finishing her sentence. “But it’s fairly routine. Every Monday is the same, and every Tuesday is the same. Frank works third shift, so he’s the first one up each day. “So he gets home at 6 a.m. I get up at 7 a.m. What time does every
one else get up?” Jackie asks. “Noah gets up at 6:30 a.m.; he wakes up by himself. The rest of the boys are up at 7 a.m.,” Frank says quietly, as Jackie jumps in again. “He gets everybody ready, which gives me a great day. Usually you can get irritable in the morning trying to get everyone ready. But since he’ s already up and not in a hurry, he can get everyone ready without getting irritable,” she says smiling at him. Jackie’s a computer programmer, which means she mostly works on ACU’s Banner or perfecting the Police Department’s parking ticket computer system when she gets to work. “But don’t call me if you get a parking ticket to get you out,” she says laughing. “Frank got one the other day, and I thought it was hilarious.” She takes a break around 3 See
HUGHES page 4
SA page 7
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
Abilene Christian University
Serving the ACU community since 1912