THE Vol. 95, No. 44
IN THIS ISSUE CAMPUS Summer deadline
Students have until Friday to submit applications to live on the Crow Reservation this summer for credit, page 7
A night of worship
Beltway Baptist Church will feature contemporary Christian artist Jeremy Camp on April 4, page 7
Every cent counts
ACU’s radio station, KACU will begin its annual pledge drive next week to raise more than $35,000, page 8
SPORTS
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OPTIMIST
1 sections, 10 pages
WEDNESDAY
A delegation of 10 evangelical leaders traveled to China this summer to meet with government officials about religion. This feature begins a series on Christianity in China, page 5
SPORTS
Halfway through
The men’s baseball team finished the crossover portion of LSC North teams this weekend with a record of 18-4, page 10
Moving on
Four track and field athletes automatically qualified for the Outdoor National Championships which will take place in North Carolina in May, page 10
ONLINE Going offsides
A new soccer club has formed on campus. See what they’ve had to do to form the group and what talent they have on the team online at: www.acuoptimist.com.
www.acuoptimist.com
Fall registration begins Friday n During the next two weeks, students will be able to register for Fall 2007 classes. Students need their advising release codes and no account holds. By MALLORY EDENS PAGE 2 EDITOR
Registration for the 2007 fall semester begins Friday. Students must sign up for fall classes on a specified date, which has been assigned ac-
cording to classification. On Friday, graduate, honors and Study Abroad students are expected to register. Students classified as seniors, or whom have 90 or more hours completed, register Monday. Juniors, or students who have completed 60 to 89 hours, register Wednesday. Sophomores, or student who have completed 30 to 59 hours, register April 9. Freshmen, or students who have
completed up to 29 hours, register April 11. Registration on each specified date begins at 3 p.m. Karen Griffith and Brad Powers, Student Service Specialists in the Depot, said these classifications are based on the hours that a student has already completed. For example, if you currently have 29 hours, you are still classified as a freshman. Registration will be as usu-
al; there are no modifications in the process. Students may apply for classes online by clicking on “Student and Financial Aid” from the Banner tab on my.ACU. The specialists also had some advice for students who are preparing to register. “Make sure you get your advising release codes from your advisor,” Griffith and See
REGISTER page 9
Grad fair prepares seniors to walk n Seniors expecting to graduate could stop by the Hilton Room for a briefing on what they need to do before graduation on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.
Traveling to China
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March 28, 2007
EMILY SMITH CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Dennis Jernigan, Christian recording artist, speaks to students during Chapel on Tuesday about his struggles with homosexuality and the truth that God loves everyone as they are.
By ATSUMI SHIBATA PAGE DESIGNER
Students can stop by for 10 minutes and get help to be prepared for their future at a brand-new event for graduating seniors Wednesday. Graduation Fair is a new event that began this semester to help students prepare for their graduation. Students can fill out the essential paperwork and purchase caps, gowns, invitations for graduation ceremony, the official ACU ring and diploma frames. Students can also learn about their financial aid situation, involvement as alumni, proceeding for a graduate school and job opportunity. Samantha Adkins, Alumni Program coordinator, said the event provides everything students need for their graduation. She said completing all the process for graduation could be confusing without help provided at Graduation Fair. “It can be overwhelming for students to make sure they have everything they need,” Adkins said. At the Graduation Fair, students can complete all of the process at one spot, instead of running around the campus, she said. Matt Boisvert, director of the office of Career and Academic Development, said he thinks Graduation Fair is a great, convenient opportunity for students. “Hopefully, we remind students about all the last steps before they graduate,” Boisvert said. About 600 postcard invitations have been sent to graduating undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students. The event took place Tuesday and will take place again Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hilton Room of the Campus Center. Students can stop by anytime and eat free food and win an iPod Nano as a door prize. Amanda Gomez, senior history major from San Antonio, visited the event Tuesday and thought it was very helpful. Gomez said she was especially thankful for the financial service, which explained things she didn’t know. See
n Study Abroad, graduate and honors Students begin registering Friday. n Seniors, or students with 90 or more hours completed, register April 2. n Juniors, or students with 60 to 89 hours completed register, April 4. n Sophomores, or students with 30 to 59 hours completed register, April 9. n Freshmen, or students with less than 30 hours register, April 13.
Gen-Ed changes under faculty review n Faculty will meet to discuss final changes to the general education core curriculum Wednesday. Faculty will vote in mid-April whether to implement it. By MICHELLE JIMENEZ COPY EDITOR
Speakers promote healthy relationships Jernigan, Thomas discuss building relationships By KELSI PEACE FEATURES EDITOR
The ACU Counseling Center brought in two prominent members of the Christian community for the sixth annual Healthy Relationships Week, called Sacred Relationships Week this year, which emphasizes friendships, marriages and community in the context of authenticity and spirituality. Christian recording artist Dennis Jernigan, a winner of the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Award, performed a “Night of Praise” in Moody Coliseum Tuesday night, where he also shared his testimony.
FAIR page 9
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
REGISTRATION DATES
“Dennis’ story is a story about pain and brokenness and healing and freedom through the love of God,” said Kurt Boyland, counselor in the Counseling Center. “His message is very powerful.” After the performance, about 20 faculty members waited outside to pray with students. Jernigan also spoke with students at a “brown bag” lunch after chapel on Tuesday. Gary Thomas, author of “Sacred Influence,” “Devotions for a Sacred Marriage,” “Sacred Parenting” and “Sacred See
SACRED page 9
The final plan for ACU’s 21st Century Vision of the general education core curriculum is now a motion that faculty will discuss in a meeting Wednesday. Faculty members will be asked to consider the philosophy and the framework of the plan before casting their vote in mid-April. The 10-page-long final plan faculty will review is called “Liberal Arts Core Curriculum at ACU: Building a 21st Century Education” and includes new student learning outcomes, 12 implement statements that would implement different features about the plan and Shankle a chart that identifies how credit hours will be allocated. Dr. Nancy Shankle, chair of the Department of English, is the co-chair of the General Education Review Steering Committee that reviews the current general education program. “Nothing about the current plan is so bad that it’s horrible, but it’s not where we want to be as a university,” Shankle said. The new plan, Shankle said, is meant to further challenge students and prepare them for the kind of learning they need in the 21st Century. Shankle said there will be a new sequence of classes designed to encourage five student outcomes that involve intercultural knowledge, integrated thinking and collaborative problem-solving skills; habits of mind that foster integrated thinking and the ability to transfer skills; deep understanding; and strong communication, quantitative and information skills. The most noticeable change in the core curriculum would be an addition of four integrated courses within the degree plan: the Cornerstone See
Abilene Christian University
CORE page 9
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