The Optimist Print Edition 03.28.18

Student body passes eight SA resolutions Page 3

FEATURE

Wednesday, March 28, 2018 Vol. 106, Issue 25

A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912

MAKER LAB COORDINATOR STARTED KENYAN UNIVERSITY Page 5

ROCKING OUR COLORS

NICHOLAS CROMWELL STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Garrison Powell, junior biochemistry major from Hallettsville, sprays paint on dancing students at the ACU PaintFest hosted by the Cabinet last Friday.

CALENDAR 3/28 •

ACU Rodeo Petting Zoo outside Moody Coliseum

3/30 •

Good Friday

4/1 • •

Easter Sunday April Fool’s Day

4/4 •

ACU Intramural Rodeo at 6 p.m. at the Taylor County Expo Center

4/5 •

All Club Rush at 5:30 p.m. in the Mall Area

•

Casting Crowns concert at the Abilene Convention Center

BOX OFFICE MARCH 23-25 1. Pacific Rim Uprising $28,116,535 2. Black Panther $17,099,618 3. I Can Only Imagine $13,604,521

4. Sherlock Gnomes $10,604,774 5. Tomb Raider $10,102,616

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LGBT policy sparks reaction “

BY HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF

Students, alumni, faculty, staff and Abilene residents are reacting to changes to the sexual stewardship policy which will prohibit same-sex dating relationships for some student employees.

The new sexual stewardship policy will remove language that prohibited “behavioral expressions” outside marriage between one man and one woman. In a student forum Tuesday, university president Dr. Phil Schubert and provost Dr. Robert Rhodes said the university has always had a policy that was restrictive toward same-sex dating. The new policy removes restrictions for students, while clarifying the restriction against same-sex dating for student employees.

“We’d love a policy that speaks truth, but in pure love,” Rhodes said. “And I know that any time you start to put things in writing, it doesn’t feel like that. It’s what do we do from the stand-

GRADUATION

SPORTS

GOLF HEADS WEST Page 6

ployees probably get it on a lot more than their homosexual counterparts cause their homosexual counterparts are very much trying to figure out what they believe, and it’s not easy.”

Other students asked how the policy would be enforced, what legal complications the policy could create and how it would be implemented in Residence Life. Schubert and Rhodes responded to those questions saying the policy was still under consideration, and they want student feedback on how it should be implemented.

Last weekend, a group of students created rainbow buttons with the university logo and the phrase “Love thy neighbor.” Virginia Pettit, senior computer science major from Abilene, and Robert Towell, senior computer science major from Portland, Oregon, and a few of their friends made the buttons in the Maker Lab. Pettit said some of her friends could be affected by the policy prohibiting same-sex dating by employees. She said at first

Modesto, California, says the rodeo has been going on for a while.

“Personally, I have helped with the rodeo for three years. My first year I assisted with the women’s livestock, and last year I was head of women’s livestock,” Veneman said. “This year I’ve taken a new role as head of sponsorships. This will be our 63rd annual rodeo that the ag and environmental sciences department has put on. It is one of our oldest traditions that is always put on by the students. We do all the fundraising, planning of rodeo events and

handling of livestock.”

According to Charlotte Marion, the administrative coordinator for the Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Department, some of the events that are coming back for this year’s rodeo are: calf scramble, double mugging, rope and ride and more.

Veneman also said there are some new events and prizes due to a large number of sponsors for this year’s rodeo.

Nicholas Grandell, senior animal science major from Carrollton, said students will be able to sign up soon for events.

We’d love a policy that speaks truth, but in pure love, and I know that any time you start to put things in writing, it doesn’t feel like that.”

ROBERT RHODES UNIVERSITY PROVOST

she only made 15 buttons for her and her friends to wear to the student forum.

But 24 hours after she posted a photo of the button on Facebook, she had more than 100 requests for buttons.

“It’s gotten way bigger than I had expected,” Pettit said. “Based on that overwhelming positive reaction, we decided, let’s make more.”

Pettit said she even got requests from people out of state, and some people have offered money to pay for the materials.

SEE LGBT PAGE 3

A&E prepares for 63rd annual rodeo

BY BRIAN SWEET STAFF REPORTER

DAYS UNTIL

point of how do we interpret Scripture, how do we apply that to our daily lives, and apply that to the institution?”

Schubert said that both heterosexual and LGBT students must follow the university’s value system.

“We’re calling all students to sexual purity,” Schubert said.

After Rhodes and Schubert described the Board of Trustees statement on sexual stewardship and the proposed policy, students asked questions or made comments to the senior leadership team.

About 98 students attended the first session of the forum and 138 attended the second session. Several students said the policy appeared discriminatory and did not show Christian values to outsiders.

“How is this not discriminatory?” said Richard Chaz Gomez, junior musical theatre major from Houston. “You don’t know what kind of sexual activity is happening with their heterosexual counterparts.

The heterosexual students I know who are student em-

The Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Department will be hosting the 63rd annual ACU Rodeo on April 4 at the Horse Barn at the Taylor County Expo Center.

Tickets for the rodeo this year are $5 per person and $8 for two people.

Money that is raised from the event is used for services that are performed at the rodeo, and the remainder goes to department activities.

Cassie Veneman, junior animal industry and business major from

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

“Students are encouraged to participate and will have the ability to sign up and see a full list of the events and other details in the campus center from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. March 28-April 4 in the Campus Center,” Grandell said.

The department will have a veterinarian and a medic at the event in case something happens to either an animal or one of the participants.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Zoo hosts rhino bash fundraiser

BY HOPE CORDES COPY EDITOR

The Abilene Zoo will host a fundraiser to protect rhinoceros, an endangered species.

“Each year the Abilene Zoo donates funds to global conservation organizations, last year donating over $40,000 to 26 different organizations,” said Paige Schneider, educator and conservation chair, via email.

This year the fundraiser is called Rhino Bash and will take place on April 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Play Faire Park on North 2nd street.

“The goal of our Rhino Bash fundraiser is to help raise awareness and funds for all five living species of Rhinoceros, each of which is classified as Endangered or Critically Endangered,” Schneider said. “Macho, our resident Black Rhinoceros, is a representative for a Critically Endangered species. This is the second year of our fundraiser benefiting the International Rhino Foundation.”

“While this event was not created in response to the death of the last male Northern White Rhinoceros, it highlights the need to build much needed support for these incredible species,” Schneider said.

Tickets are $10. The event will include two rounds of golf and access to the silent auction.

There will also be live music and food trucks.

T-shirts are available for purchase for $15.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

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WEDNESDAY | MARCH 28, 2018

NICHOLAS CROMWELL STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Bailey Goodenough, senior cabinet member, sprays paint on the audience.

Kristen McLarty, sophomore, Malise Grimm, sophomore, leaves paint fest drenched in glow in the dark color.

MATTHEW BAKER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A weekend in review Last week, the Cabinet dents danced to music hosted ACU Paint Fest by a DJ while getting on Friday night. Stu- sprayed with glow-inthe-dark paint.

TedxACU hosted motivational speakers, including two students Tatiana Cordts and Taylor Spencer, in the Hunter Wel-

come Center.

Students, families and community members walked around Abilene Town hall on Saturday, protesting gun violence at schools.

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WEDNESDAY | MARCH 28, 2018

Homecoming ACU Football to host annual Spring Clean Up leadership applications to open

BY LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR

BY DAVIS HILL OPINION SECTION EDITOR

The 2018 Homecoming applications for co-chairs and the steering committee are now open for any student on campus who wants to be part of one of the biggest alumni/student celebrations.

Co-chairs will have the responsibility of executing two to three events throughout the fall semester as well as interviewing and picking the steering committee members. They will also be speaking in Moody chapel the friday before the big game.

Aubree Browning, Alumni Relations Officer, said that “being a co-chair helps you realize that you are part of something bigger” when you see the alumni filling up the stands. Each co-chair will attend two meetings a week from the beginning of the semester to the end of Homecoming. It is preferred that anybody applying for the position has served on the steering committee in the past, but not required.

The applications for cochairs are due by Friday, April 6th, with interviews as the main decision-maker for selection. In the past, about 15 co-chairs applications are received with four being selected to serve as the co-chairs.

They will be interviewing and selecting 15 students to be a part of the steering committee. These students will be expected to attend one meeting a week, work closely alongside the cochairs and set up for events during Homecoming. The applications are due by April 17th and will also be an interview process.

DBH16B@ACU.EDU

ACU Football players and coaches are participating in the second annual Spring Clean Up to get involved in the community.

Head Coach Adam Dorrel said there is a lot of negative light on college athletics, specifically football, so community service is a way to let people meet players outside of their element.

These activities generate support for the university and get people involved with athletics.

“One of the things that I wanted to do when I took over as head coach was to get involved in the community,” Dorrel said.

“It’s something I’ve always done, I think it’s important for a lot of reasons.”

Dorrel said over the past year, the team has accumulated about 550 hours of community service doing things with local schools, churches, work with Global Samaritan Resources and volunteering with other sporting events on campus.

Usually, community service is done in groups of

about four to five people, but the Spring Clean Up involves around 100 players and coaches.

On April 14, the team will assist in yard care for those who cannot do it themselves, or cannot afford it, who have signed up prior to the clean up.

Dorrel said last year the team didn’t have enough yards, so this year they are looking for more.

One of the most consistent community service projects is “High-Five Friday” in which the whole athletic department has

started participating. On Fridays, athletes wait for kids to come to school in the morning and greet them with high-fives.

Defensive End Tony Davis from Shreveport, Louisiana said he appreciates community service projects for reminding him how blessed he is.

“I’m looking forward to helping other people and getting to know them,” said Davis, a redshirt freshman nursing major. “We can give our time and effort to help them out.”

Davis said he has par-

ticipated in community service projects such as coloring boxes to send to kids overseas, attending after school elementary programs and helping out with other athletics.

“Everybody don’t have everything,” Davis said. “I don’t have everything I want but I have everything I need and I thank God every day that he gave me that.”

LMF14A@ACU.EDU

LGBT: Students respond to policy proposal of Residence Life: advocacy, safety, intentionality, belonging, and spirituality.

Dr Richard Beck, chair of the Department of Psychology, sent an email to the department encouraging students to attend the student forum. He also wrote in the email, “But mostly I’m writing tonight to encourage our LGBTQ majors and graduate students. Many of you are discouraged, angry and disillusioned. You feel singled out and attacked. So I wanted to write you and say, on behalf of the Department of Psychology, that we love you and cherish you. Our doors and our

hearts are open to you.”

Local alumni and members of the Abilene community met Saturday for the first Abilene Allies event hosted by Damon Parker, an alumnus and minister at the Refuge Church. Parker said about 70 people attended the meeting. Most of the attendees were Abilene residents, but a few students also attended. He said the group discussed ways to support the LGBT community, but it did not decide on any formal actions.

Ryan Clements, a 2015 graduate and openly gay Christian, started a Facebook page called ACU

Alumni and Friends for Action after he heard about the same-sex dating policy.

He said he started the page on March 9, and the group had 1,000 members within three days. The group then organized into teams and now has an official website and strategic plan.

“We are a grassroots organization that is actively organizing for change,” Clements said. “Ultimately we’re looking for change in ACU’s student employee policy so that there is no discrimination or harm towards members of the LGBT community.”

He said right now the group is organizing and

has a storytelling team, a research team and a care team. The research team will look at the university’s current and upcoming policy implementation, a theological stance that is LGBT-affirming and the psychological effects of the policy.

“As we get our facts together, as we build up our numbers and get more organized, we’ll then formally reach out to the administration with a request for dialogue,” Clements said.

Following an email to vote on new legislation sent out to students last week, Students’ Association passed all eight resolutions listed on the ballot.

With only 130 respondents, the results are as follows: C.R. 94.05 - Treasurer Appointment. Passed with 80.0% in favor and 20.0% against.

C.R. 94.07 - President +

Vice President Same Ticket. Passed with 75.4% in favor and 24.6% against.

C.R. 94.11 - Students’ Association to Student Government Association.

Passed with 90.0% in favor and 10.0% against.

C.R. 94.13 - CCO to Press Secretary. Passed with 93.8% in favor and 6.2% against.

C.R. 94.15 - Congress Member Voting Rights Error. Passed with 94.6% in favor and 6.2% against.

C.R. 94.16 - Budget Allo-

cation for Student Organizations. Passed with 89.2% in favor and 10.8% against.

C.R. 94.22 - Executive Administrator to Chief of Staff. Passed with 90.0% in favor and 10.0% against.

C.R. 94.23 - SAO to Marketing Director. Passed with 92.3% in favor and 7.7% against.

Ty Kelley, Chief Communications Officer of SA, said all of the resolutions go into effect immediately, but some of them might take time to implement. Chang-

ing Students’ Association to Student Government Association includes more work than just changing the constitution. Although SA President Danny Burke already updated the constitution, it still has to get approval and be published.

In general, Kelley said this is the response they were expecting, and overall he is happy with the turn out. He said he is happy some people voted no because it shows they actually read through

the resolutions and voted based on what they read.

“Allowing more of the budget to be allocated is the key to enabling student organizations,” Kelley said.

The budget and name change go hand in hand, defining the role of student government association, Kelley said. The name change allows SA to be more sustainable at the university as it grows.

science major from Olney, and her mother will share their stories and experience with suicide. Participants will then walk the Lunsford trail. After the walk, there will be a remembrance ceremony for those who have lost loved ones to suicide.

They will be serving a free lunch, and people are welcome to bring their dogs to walk with them.

“The Out of the Darkness Campus Walk is a walk that brings awareness of suicide prevention; it brings awareness of mental illnesses to the public,” Dame said. “One in every three college age students

from 18-25 have a mental illness, and a lot of college students aren’t open with their mental illness, so that’s what we’re striving to kind of get out in the open.”

Before and after the walk, they will sell t-shirts, stickers, and a variety of other items with prices ranging from $0.50 to $30.

All the proceeds will go towards the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Last year, they raised about $6000.

“It’s basically just a time for people to get together to remember their loved ones if they lost anyone to suicide,” Dame said.

“We also do a little thing for anyone who’s struggling at the time, if they’re struggling with suicidal thoughts or just a mental illness in general.”

This is the third year the Out of the Darkness Campus Walk takes place on ACU’s campus, coordinated by Dame with help from ACU’s counseling center.

Dame said almost 300 people showed up last year.

“A lot of the time you hear ‘suicide,’ and it’s just a very hush-hush situation,” Dame said. “Like people don’t really want to say the word ‘suicide,’ it’s kind of like ‘oh no!’ So it

tells people that it’s OK to talk about it openly. It helps people not to be scared if they do have that problem.

If they are having suicidal thoughts, if they’re having struggles with their mental illness, they can reach out, and it’s OK.” Jon Hayden, junior digital entertainment technology major from Dallas, said the number of participants in the walk doubled last year. He said he was really excited to see how many people care about this and are willing to give up a morning to walk for the cause.

“It lets me know that

there’s more people out there who either suffer with this or know people who suffer with this,” Hayden said. “It makes me feel like I’m not alone out there, because I’ve also suffered . . . so it’s really great to see people standing up, sharing their voices that ‘yes, I’ve suffered through this too, and I’m able to walk for other people as well.’ “

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“It’s not our goal to push them on people,” Towell said.

“We just have them, and then people ask for them.”

Residence Life housing coordinator Mallory Brickman sent an email to all on-campus residents about the policy on Friday. It stated, “We recognize that there is unrest on our campus surrounding the Sexual Stewardship conversation.

We want your home to be a safe space. Our goal is always that your experience in Residence Life supports you academically, spiritually, and socially.” The email also clarified the five pillars

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Student body passes eight SA resolutions

BY LAURNE FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR

LMF14A@ACU.EDU

Students to walk for suicide prevention awareness

BY STELLA WIESER COPY EDITOR

ACU students will walk the Lunsford to bring awareness for suicide prevention and mental illness on April 7.

Registration for the Out of the Darkness Campus Walk begins at 10 a.m. by the pond outside the Hunter Welcome Center, although walkers can also sign up ahead of time through a link on the group’s Facebook page, ACU Campus Walk AFSP. The walk begins at 11 a.m.

Before the walk, Kalie Dame, sophomore animal

ECW13B@ACU.EDU

POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 03/24/2018 1:55 p.m.

Officers investigated a report of a loud music violation in a backyard. Officers found a small backyard barbecue with no loud music.

03/24/2018 6:00 p.m.

Responded to a second allegation of a noise violation at the same house; tenant decided to close the party.

03/24/2018 7:40 p.m.

A student called ACUPD saying she needed an unwanted person removed from her property. Officers learned the identity of the elderly Asian female who had been asking for money but she left prior to officers arrival. The same female had recently been issued a Criminal Trespass Warning from ACU campus for loitering and harassing.

03/25/2018 12:05 a.m.

Officers investigated a caller’s noise violation complaint: loud party on EN 16 th . Officers heard loud music and voices coming from the residence and found 40-50 people and alcohol inside. Tenant was issued a municipal ticket for noise ordinance violation.

03/25/2018 2:18 a.m.

ACUPD responded to a noise violation: loud party on EN 23 rd . Officers heard loud music from the street and shut the party down.

911 CALL 1 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY 27 ALARM 6 ASSIST 2 ATTEMPT TO LOCATE 4 BARRICADES 7 BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK 13 CHECK BUILDING 307 CITATION ISSUE 1 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 4 DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE 2

ELEVATOR RESCUE ESCORT FOOT PATROL FOUND PROPERTY INFORMATION REPORT INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP LOST PROPERTY MEDICAL EMERGENCY MONITOR FACILITY/LOT MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART

1 4 19 6 2 19 2 4 7 3

MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK 6 NOISE VIOLATION 6 OTHER 7 PARKING LOT PATROL 23 PARKING VIOLATION 3 PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE 4 PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL 10 RANDOM PATROL 7 REPORT WRITING 17 REPORT WRITING (FOLLOW

UP REPORT) SEX OFFENSE SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY SUSPICIOUS PERSON SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE TRAFFIC HAZARD TRAFFIC STOP TRAINING TRESPASSER VEHICLE COLLISION WELFARE CHECK

1 1 2 3 6 1 1 1 4 1 1 2

TOTAL POLICE CHIEF TIP OF THE WEEK: Safe travels to everyone for Easter Break. Remember; He is Risen.

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OP I N I ON

WEDNESDAY | MARCH 28,

Toy Story One takes Disney Pixar glory

Everybody grew up with Buzz Lightyear, Sheriff Woody and all of the other toys. Whether your favorite was Wheezy, Hamm or Rex, you knew Toy Story like the back of your hand and loved it even more.

The editorial board has

picked this classic to top our list for the best Disney/ Pixar movie of all time. There were a few hard decisions that kept the polls interesting, like putting Toy Story One versus Toy Story Three. Of course there were a few favorites that had to be

eliminated; Monsters Inc. took an early “L,” but will still go down as a childhood icon.

We all agreed there were a few movies that should have tied for first, but the votes came down to a head on head battle for first place between

Aladdin and Toy Story. We were taught so many lessons about life from this one trilogy that it would be hard not to have it at the end of our bracket.

Buzz taught us to always believe in ourselves, the aliens showed us that some people have different

DAVIS HILL UP

Mr. Incredible’s ability to conquer his pride and understand the importance of a team is a good lesson to learn. He realizes there is no i in “team,” but there is an i in “incredibles.”

another one over it. Two and three were also very good, but you have to resort back to the original as the best. Who didn’t own a Buzz and/or Woody toy when they were younger honestly? It’s no surprise my parents tell me they were my favorite toys, as well as movie, when I was a kid.

help of his father, a king must take back his throne from an evil usurper.

Simba wins the battle for Pride Rock, and in our story, the Gospel story, Jesus Christ wins the battle for the universe. Besides the plot, this movie has some of the best music ever composed. The characters are well-developed, and the funny lines scattered throughout the movie keep audiences entertained from start to finish. It’s a tear-jerker and a thought-provoker.

It is hands-down, the best Disney film of all time.

Editor picks for favorite flicks

Up is by far one of the most “high-flying” and amazing Pixar movies of all time. It taught me to reach for the skies and never stop believing. This adventurous comedy has always reminded me that you are never too old or young to follow your dreams. Also who doesn’t love a cast of talking dogs being freed from their evil owners? It even has a beautiful love story that can be topped by no other. This movie will remain one of my favorite movies of all time , even if it didn’t top our editors’ pick.

LAUREN FRANCO THE INCREDIBLES Don’t tell me you didn’t get excited over Incredibles 2 coming out, and don’t tell me you aren’t going to see it the week it comes out. If you haven’t ever said, “WHERE’S. MY. SUPERSUIT????” you’re lying. It’s full of memorable quotes and gifs that rule Twitter and make people laugh even 15 years after its release. It’s about a family that overcomes change and frustration by taking down selfishness and grudges.

JESSICA CLARK TOY STORY If you’re in college right now you were born roughly between 1992 and 2000. Toy Story was released in 1995, right near the beginning of our lives. You grew up loving Pixar because of Toy Story. Every movie you ever loved by Pixar followed in Toy Story’s success. Not to mention, we first heard the story of Andy, Woody and Buzz at the beginning of our lives, and then he went to college right about the time we did.

Tear jerking, amirite?

MAX PRESTON TOY STORY Most of the movies in this brackett are excellent, and Disney is a master in moving pictures, however, Toy Story is the best on this list. It’s without a doubt a classic, and I feel Disney is known for its creation of Toy Story. The movie is so unique and creative, it’s hard for me to pick

JONATHAN RAITZ LION KING I’m not a music fanatic, but I think many of these millennials filling out these Disney brackets to pass the time are missing a crucial component of the criteria. How good was the soundtrack? I’m sorry, but movies like Toy Story, the Incredibles and even Monster’s Inc have zero musical credibility to contribute to the conversation. Thus, this is why I would have to give the nod to Lion King after all aspects are considered. I could make a case for Tarzan or Hercules as well, but they don’t have quite the universal message that Lion King has. Besides you really can’t beat the Timon and Pumba duo. Name a more iconic duo, I’ll wait.

HALEY REMENAR LION KING Basically this movie is the Gospel message. With the

invasion of privacy. Please limit letters to 350 words or fewer. A name and phone number must be included for verification purposes.

Phone numbers will not be published.

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

Coco had an amazing, family-focused storyline.

Miguel Rivera proved it’s possible to follow your dreams and have your family by your side, even if it takes some work to do so. This is something I believe more kids (even adults!) need to see in movies. Coco also didn’t include a classic romantic subplot, which is part of what makes it stand out. Coco is an example of how much Pixar has grown since 1995 when Toy Story came out and foreshadows the endless possibilities of fantastic movies to come.

T H E

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

AMBER CHAVEZ COCO

viewpoints (worshipping a crane) and the entire gang taught us to surround ourselves with true friends and keep them close.

This movie will go down as an American classic like no other. Let’s face it, we all cried when Andy went off to college

and left his toys in a new, safe home. We may all disagree on which film takes the gold, but it’s hard to argue that this band of toys doesn’t deserve to be up there.

EDITOR@JMCNETWORK.COM

@acuoptimist @baileymarshall 03/23/18 1:57 P.M. Waiting for the day @acuedu puts Country Girl Shake It For Me on the bell tower @BeccaSchardt 03/26/18 2:51 P.M. I presented a bill proposal to our legislative representative this morning and I’m more stressed about registration than I was about my presentation @rachescott 03/23/18 9:14 A.M. This is my public apology: to those I have hurt with illegible responsibles while reading, I love you, I just have a hard time putting good books down sometimes. @CarleeStapp 03/27/18 1:34 P.M. not even this hot cup of coffee that spilled on my leg is gonna keep me from having a good day!!!!! i might not have a leg anymore but that’s okay!! @JoshHogan47 03/26/18 9:24 P.M. One of my favorite things is when there’s a group of potential students on a campus tour and I walk right by them in my pajamas

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F E ATUR E

5

Darren Wilson, Maker Lab coordinator, is the creator of HOPE School of Leadership in Nairobi, Kenya.

For the HOPE of Kenya

PHOTO BY EMILY GUAJARDO

On the clock, Darren Wilson is known as the waving guard of the Maker Lab. Off the clock, he manages an international online Christian university for Kenyans to continue with their higher education.

BY EMILY GUAJARDO ARTS AND FEATURES EDITOR

I

n a country over 8,884 miles away filled with over 3 million residents, one online school is inching its way into the buzzing and chaotic lifestyle of Nairobi, Kenya. With the name of Christ stamped alongside its valiant efforts, one man’s heart for the love of Kenya is reaching new levels of hope.

Darren Wilson, coordinator of the Maker Lab, is the founder of HOPE School of leadership, a tuition free, two-year online Christian university for African men and women seeking a higher level of education.

Known for being the friendly face who faintly waves when students enter the Maker Lab, Wilson said he first found out about Made In The Streets ministry when Californians Charles and Darlene Coulston visited his church in Irving. Though Wilson was only a high technology school teacher at the time, he knew he wanted to be a part of their endeavor.

After meeting with various members of Made On The Streets ministries, a nonprofit organization seeking to remove children from a life on the streets toward a high school diploma, Wilson began brainstorming some ideas for a continuing higher education school for students and professionals wishing to gain more insight and knowledge about scripture and leadership skills.

“At the time, there wasn’t any infrasture for a school for what we wanted, but we kept talking about it. And then, they got the internet,” Wilson said. “Sure, it didn’t work that fast or that great, but still it was working and people started getting phones with internet and we started thinking about delivering content.”

And in 2008, his love for Kenya began to bloom.

O

ver the next couple of years, Wilson began writing courses on Canvas with the intent of launching in 2014. Wanting to provide more opportunities for students graduating from Made One The Streets, Darren, along with other partners, designed HOPE School to give a unique experience to students who wanted to continue learning more than just a skill.

“Most of the kids are super bright and very hard-working,” Wilson said. “They don’t want

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY DARREN WILSON

Graduates from the class of 2017 alongside Paul Oduor, director of Africa operations, and Darren Wilson, director of online operations. The graduation consisted of twelve graduates and their families. to stop school with a high school equivalency. So, we made HOPE school to continue their education regardless of where they were in town because Nairobi is like two Dallas/Fort Worth’s put together. It’s a mess. So, you can’t easy go to college and it made sense to do it one hundred percent online.”

Within the course, students will undergo twelve individual courses ranging from scripture, social sciences, networking skills and leadership skills based off Christian interpretation. Whether it be learning how to negotiate for better pay or how Jesus led those who didn’t believe in Him, students are reaching different aspects of their potential – not just a physical skill.

Though the school seems to doing great, Wilson said the first 22 students were people he knew personally. Whether they were recent graduates of Made On The Street or professionals he had encountered throughout his

visits, Wilson was able to rile up some of HOPE School’s next leaders and coordinators.

“We just approached them and said ‘Hey, we’ve got this school and we want you to be the first class’,” Wilson said. “And they said ‘Yes,’ and by the time they graduated, they had already told a whole bunch of their friends and they told their friends and they told their friends. We’re definitely not over or under fillings the classes.”

However, this effort didn’t come without a heavy cost. Wilson said the school had several pitfalls and minor mistakes along the way, including not being accredited by the government and giving out free items like tablets without thinking about the consequences fully through.

“We decided to give out tablets for the first class and at that time, we bought some really cheap ones for like one hundred bucks.

You know like Android ones.

And like six months later, the tab-

lets were either stolen or broken.

That’s why we decided to move toward them just using their phones. We didn’t really think about that until then, but we use our phones for everything now so it worked,” Wilson said.

T

oday, students predominantly use their phones as their classroom which continues to innovate and bring the Kenyaian’s closer into the technology-savvy era.

Already on its fourth graduating class, the buzz behind HOPE School is catching on. Whether it be Kenyan friends of Wilson or friends of previous graduates, HOPE School is allowing Kenyans to follow and believe in other Kenyans.

With leaders like native Kenyaians Paul Oduor and Catherine Njambi, Wilson said it’s important for Kenyans to see other Kenyans run these types of institutions to avoid the “white

savior” concept.

“At some point, I want to hand everything over to Paul and our staff in Kenya and have it completely runned in Kenya,” Wilson said. “I think the problem is with Americans going to places in Africa like Kenya and only painting a fence or something like that. They already have people who can paint fences. What we want is to have Kenyans work with other Kenyans. Like, when we gave out free tablets, we were feeding into the ‘white savior’ concept. Now, we only provide an education and it’s an education they can get in Kenya.”

By removing the flair and flamboyance of American entrepreneurship and nonprofit stench, Wilson is putting his leaders to the test and giving them the necessary responsibilities to run the school within the next two years.

“Last year, I quit grading assignments and gave the task to other staff members because I didn’t want them to think that they’re working for me – the white guy,” Wilson said. “So, I’ve been putting the training wheels on them and have given them some of the reins on the operations.”

Wilson said he hopes to see the school move to other countries in Africa and other parts of the world where English is spoken and understood.

“We want to branch out and go to other countries like Cape Town where people could study with us and don’t have to be in Kenya,” Wilson said. “We want to get to the point where we can have someone in South America want to study and we can say ‘Sure. Let’s get you signed up.’”

Until then, Wilson’s passion for HOPE School is inevitable. From the moment he explains HOPE’s efforts to the last picture he scrolls through showing you all of the students with their black and gold gowns, HOPE School is not only bringing new hope found to Kenya, but also to Wilson.

“They named it HOPE because that’s what they have. They think hope is what the have.

Hope is what Jesus gives them and hope is what school gives them,” Wilson said.

And after his last scroll on last years graduating class pictures, Wilson returns to man his desk with pieces of copper wire, computer parts and mark-up’s along the edges of the Maker Lab room.

EAG13A@ACU.EDU

6

SPORTS

FRIDAY | MARCH 28, 2018

STANDINGS Baseball Team

Ovrl. SLC.

SHSU 17–7 SELU 18–9 UCA 15–10 McNeese 9–14 UIW 15–11 NWSU 12–11 HBU 9–15 SFA 9–15 Nicholls 8–15 TAMU-CC 16–9 ACU 13–9 NOU 9–15 Lamar 5–19

6–0 7–2 7–2 6–3 5–4 3–3 3–3 3–3 4–5 2–4 2–7 2–7 1–8

Softball Team

Ovrl. SLC.

NWSU 20–9 Nicholls 20–9 UCA 16–13 SELU 19–12 McNeese 22–10 SFA 17–13 Lamar 18–14 ACU 10–16 SHSU 11–21 UIW 6–18 HBU 5–17 TAMU-CC8–23–1

8–1 7–2 7–2 6–3 5–4 5–4 4–5 4–5 4–5 2–7 2–7 0–9

Men’s Tennis

LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR Sophomore Adrian Escobedo dashes around the right side looking for some space.

Rugby wins international match

BY LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR

ACU Rugby took on international competition for the first time when it competed and defeated the Gananes Chihuahuan team from Mexico, 55-5.

The team was hoping to host the team on campus, but had complications securing a field. As a result, the rugby team traveled to El Paso to take on the international team.

Adrian Escobedo, team chaplain of the rugby club, said the team took on a level of professionalism in all aspects of their life from athletics to school.

“The way we prepared as a team and club stuck out to me,” Escobedo said.

“It all started during the weeks before the game, the squad knew the level of focus and intensity that was expected of us to perform well. During school we had to make sure we managed our work and tests in or-

der to make practice. We made sacrifices to our social life by practicing everyday leading up to the game.”

Upon their arrival, the team led a rugby camp of 100 middle schoolers and then attended a chiropractic session as well as locker room meeting prior to the game.

“During the game, what stuck out to me the most was the energy and fearlessness of each player ready to give it all for each other,” Escobedo said.

Moving forward, Escobedo said they are always looking for ways to improve, but for now they are focusing on knowledge of the game, basic plays, fitness and recruiting.

Two years ago when the team started, only two of the players had experience. Now, Escobedo said a majority of the players have at least one season under their belt.

“ACU rugby mens and womens has made remarkable improvements like

number of players, skill and on and off campus impacts,” Escobedo said. “Building off of a good foundation has been a blessing. Each semester we continue to strive for more.”

The men’s team is 3-4 this season, but has played just four games since the start of 2018. The Wildcats are scheduled to play the University of Texas-Paso April 14.

LMF14A@ACU.EDU

Tennis posts perfect weekend in Louisiana

BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS DIRECTOR

Men’s and women’s tennis combined for an undefeated 4-0 weekend in Louisiana after the women came away with a dominant 6-1 victory over Southeastern Louisiana.

Sophomore Sarah Adams, who was a perfect 2-0 with her partner, freshman Nini Memishishi, in doubles matches over the weekend, said the wins will help the team get back on track.

“It was a great weekend; we definitely needed the confidence boost after a couple of close losses,” Adams said. “Once we get deep into the season like this, things usually start to come together, we sort of get into a groove, which is always a good feeling.”

Adams also clinched the win for the Wildcats over New Orleans with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory at the No. 4 spot.

The women continued their winning ways taking the double’s point against the lady Lions and winning five of the six singles matches. Both Memishishi and sophomore Autumn Crossnoe extended their match winning streaks to four and five wins respectively.

The win was also Memishishi’s 13 of the season,

NICK CROMWELL STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Sophomore Autumn Crossnoe congratulates her teammate after securing the win. which is two more than the next closest in senior Whitney Williams, who earned her 11th victory of the year on Sunday.

For the men, it was a comeback effort against non-conference opponent Xavier University of Louisiana and another impressive performance victory, this time over New Orleans that extended their team match win streak to five and allowed them to remain unbeaten

in conference.

Against Xavier, the men faltered in doubles, despite a win from sophomore Jonathan Sheehy and junior Cole Lawson and trailed 4-3 before storming back in the final two matches. Senior Hunter Holman tied the match at 4-4 with a 6-3, 6-2 win and senior Henry Adams secured the win over the nation’s second ranked NAIA squad with a straight-set victory.

“Coming into Xavier we knew it was going to be a tough match after they took down another team from our conference, Nichols, 4-0 so we were ready when it came down to the wire,” junior Josh Sheehy said. “Henry did a great job of staying strong and pulling through at the end when it mattered most.”

With momentum on its side, ACU disposed of UNO quite handily. The

the best individual finish in a tie for 50th, shooting 72-79-77 for a total of 228.

Head Coach Tom Shaw said the timing of the tournament wasn’t ideal.

“I don’t think we did a great job of preparing the week before and I think with the tournament over spring break we weren’t a sharp mentally as I would like to have been,” Shaw said.

Now after a two-week break, the team is rejuvenated and looking ahead to its next chance in California. While the list of schools competing is un-

clear at the moment, the past Goodwin tournaments have shown to host a strong amount of PAC12 teams, as well as other various conferences.

Shaw said he looks forward to getting the chance to compete on the West Coast this week.

“We’re excited to have a new opportunity this week at Stanford’s tournament,” Shaw said. “The best thing you can do in golf is put the past behind you and look forward to the future. It’s on a tremendous golf course with

the strongest field we’ve ever competed against.”

Looking ahead, the team will only have one more tournament after this week before participating in the Southland Conference Championship in McKinney.

This will be the first year ACU can compete attached in the tournament, after playing unattached the previous year when completing the Div. 1 transition.

“The roster is rounding into form for our last two to three tournaments. I

Wildcats earned the double’s point with victories from Josh Sheehy and senior Paul Domanski and seniors Brad Gleason and Adams. The team then added singles wins at the No. 1, 3, 4 and 5 lines to clinch the match 5-2.

Adams and Josh Sheehy each extended their win streaks to five games with victories in the match. For his efforts last week, Sheehy earned Southland Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season.

“Everyone played well and we were able to defeat UNO with few problems,” Josh Sheehy said. “With the win we now have just two conference matches left and I know we can win both of them.”

After the perfect weekend, the women are now 10-7 overall and 4-3 in conference and prepare to return to Abilene this weekend for matchups with Stephen F. Austin and conference leader Northwestern State, who is 7-0 in the Southland.

The men, who have now won five-straight matches following a 4-0 week, will be idle until April 14 when they take on Incarnate Word.

JMR13B@ACU.EDU

Golf looks to bounce back in California

BY MAX PRESTON ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

After a disappointing 15th place finish in the Bob Sitton Invitational, the golf team will look to come back with a better performance at The Goodwin tournament in San Francisco.

ACU shot 307-315-301 for a total shot count of 923 in the Bob Sitton and its 15th place finish was out of 16 schools, beating out Northern Iowa by seven shots for last place. Freshman Alex Clouse carded

like the group we have this week and we’ll see how everything goes,” Shaw said.

“If each of us plays to the level of their ability we should be extremely competitive in these last events, with our eyes towards the conference championship in April.”

The Goodwin tournament will take place at TPC Harding Park starting on Thursday and will last until Saturday.

MJP14B@ACU.EDU

Team

ACU UIW Lamar Nicholls TAMU-CC NOU

Ovrl. SLC. 14–8 7–7 6–9 4–8 15–7 4–8

3–0 1–0 1–1 1–2 0–0 0–3

Women’s Tennis Team

NWSU McNeese UCA TAMU-CC SHSU ACU NOU SELU UIW Nicholls Lamar SFA

Ovrl. SLC. 11–5 10–2 10–3 8–6 9–4 10–7 8–7 5–9 4–13 8–7 2–12 1–14

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

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Women’s Track & Field Hackett was named Southland Conference Indoor Track and Field Student-Athlete of Hackett the Year Tuesday. This is her third Student-Athlete of the Year award during her career at ACU. She boasts a GPA of 3.97 as she approaches graduation this semester. During her indoor season, she posted a first place finish at the Ted Nelson Invitational in the 3K run.

Tennis The Southland Conference honored Sheehy with his second Player of the Sheehy Week this season, the sixth of his career, after helping with team to a stellar 4-0 performance.

Sheehy upped his singles record to 14-5 with three wins against Hardin Simmons, Xavier (La.) and New Orleans.

Softball Null put together a strong weekend series against Houston Baptist Null despite picking up two losses.

She achieved the 500 career strikeout milestone in game one of the series Friday. In game three of the series, she also put together a 10 strikeout performance. The team will next be on the road against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi this weekend.

For more, check out ACUOptimist.com Or follow us on social media @OptimistSports