OPTIMIST THE
FRIDAY August 31, 2007 Vol. 96, No. 3 1 section, 10 pages www.acuoptimist.com
Students’ Association electing new officers SA vice president interviewing candidates before campaign, page 3
Suiting up
About a girl
ACU opens at Central Oklahoma in unfamiliar role as favorite, page 10
‘Star-Spangled Girl’ never lags in this eccentric and overwhelmingly funny play, page 5
Residents fed up with Sherrod By Daniel Johnson Sports Editor
The Shockley family returned from their summer vacation to find a hoard of crickets filling the bathroom shower and covering the kitchen floor of their apartment in Sherrod Hall. The crickets slipped through the holes and cracks in the walls and doors of their apartment while the Shockleys were gone, and Troy Shockley, an ACU alumnus, had no choice but to clean out the apartment himself. He knew from experience if he called the Residential Life Education and Housing Office nothing would get done.
“I had to get in there with a brush and bleach, and I told [my wife] to not even look because she would get sick,” Shockley said. “We’re just out here by ourselves.” The apartment complex that houses about two dozen ACU students and their families is plagued with leaks, broken lights, broken doors, a lack of laundry facilities and, residents say, a lack of security. All the while the rent has continued to go up and the list of needed repairs and services grows longer. As of Thursday, John Delony, newly appointed director of ResLife, said he was presenting a proposal to Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, to end Sher-
rod as a residential facility. Delony said residents don’t need to worry, if the action is approved, it will not be immediate. “What people need to know is that Sherrod is on ResLife’s radar,” said Delony, newly appointed director of ResLife. Delony, who has only been director of ResLife for three weeks said Sherrod has moved up on the ResLife priority list, and the university will take action, pending approval by the president. “It would be irresponsible for me not to take an active role in this,” Delony said. He added that he planned to meet with residents to see what the problems are at Sherrod.
The residents’ rent for 2007 was raised to $595 from $570 last fall, and the Shockleys and other residents wonder why. Little to no repairs or improvements have been made to the facility, and the Sherrod on-site director, the residents only connection to the university at Sherrod, has not been replaced since leaving in the middle of the summer. “One of the biggest things is there is no on-site director,” said Seth Shaver, graduate student in the College of Biblical Studies from Tyler. “If we run out of laundry cards, we have no one to go to; we have to go all the way to the ResLife See
Katie Gager CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Troy Shockley’s nearly two-year-old daughter sweeps up a cricket Wednesday as a daily ritual.
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iPod + ACU: iPossible? By Jared Fields Editor-in-Chief
Faculty and staff are taking the first steps to see whether ACU pursues becoming an iPhone university. At this early stage, the first steps are looking more like a golf shot. “It’s just like that $1 million hole-in-one thing. I’ll pay my dollar and take a swing,” George Saltsman said. “The ball’s in the air, and that’s looking pretty good. I have no idea if it’s going to land in that hole or not, but it’s kind of exciting to see the ball going in that direction.” Saltsman, director of Educational Technology in the Adams Center for Teaching Excellence, Bill Rankin, associate professor of English, along with others want to bring Apple’s new iPhone to campus. Those leading the charge met with faculty and staff Thursday at lunch to discuss the proposal to Apple and future steps regarding the iPhone. Saltsman, Rankin and Dr. Kyle Dickson, assistant professor of English, presented on podcasting in a similar luncheon that took place Wednesday. The lunch focused on podcasting and ACU’s use of iTunes University. Last year only a dozen or so faculty used iTunes U. Of them, most were in the distance learning program through ACU WorldWide. This year, Saltsman said about 60 faculty members, or about one-fourth of the total faculty at ACU, will podcast for their classes. Nearly 70 faculty and staff members interested in testing the iPhone attended Thursday’s luncheon in the Campus Center Living Room to hear about the iPhone’s possibilities. Faculty and staff must submit proposals to receive iPhones for a two-year commitment to be a part of a research team dedicated to finding the usefulness of this new product. Friday is the deadline for applicants to turn in the proposal. It is not known exactly how many will be selected for the research group.
JORDAN BLAKEY PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
See
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Van Dunk: Dedicated to God, work Wage increase leads By Kelsi Peace Managing Editor
Brenda Van Dunk, 61, wrote prayers on her lecture notes — an illustration of what co-workers say was a deep commitment to her faith and her career. “[It was] all done under the umbrella of ‘This is for the Lord,’” said Susan Clark, associate professor of social work. Van Dunk, assistant professor of social work, died May 20 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Born in Hackensack, N.J., on Feb. 27, 1946, Van Dunk earned a bachelor’s degree from Montclair State Uni-
versity in 1971 and a master’s in social work from Syracuse University in 1976. She established Van Dunk and directed the Davis House/Youth Consultation Service, a treatment center for psychiatrically diagnosed children, before coming to ACU in 1990, where she and Clark met as new professors. The two women had offices next to one another for 15 years, during which time Clark observed Van
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
Dunk’s passion and dedication to her work. “I think she had a heart for all people, but I think she felt real committed to supporting the African American students,” Clark said. Van Dunk was actively involved in the National Association of Black Social Work Educators as well as the National Association of Social Workers, the Academy of Certified Social Workers, the North American Council of Christian Social Workers and the Council on Social Work Education. She spent 10 years sponsoring a student social work club on campus, spending
after-hours time with students in the organization, Clark said. Van Dunk’s students saw her as a mentor, but also knew her courses were challenging, said Jean Isom, assistant professor of social work. Last year, Isom took over Van Dunk’s classes, and she said it gave her a new picture of Van Dunk. “It gives you insight,” Isom said. “Brenda had an exceptional ability to think about the product that would come out of the class.” From the prayers penciled in the margins to the See
VAN DUNK page 7
to budget problems By Mallory Edens Page 2 Editor
With the recent minimum wage increase from $5.15 to $5.85 per hour, ACU departments are facing budget deliberations to decide whether or not to cut back on employees. According to the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, which President Bush signed into law on May 25, the minimum wage will stay at $5.85 an hour until July 25, 2008 when it will rise to $6.55 an hour. On July 25, 2009, it will rise to its final amount of $7.25
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an hour. Kelly Young, chief financial officer, said he thinks the gradual increase will help with future budget planning. “It’s been a lot of years since the minimum wage has gone up,” Young said. “They knew they needed a pretty big increase, so they did the threeyear increase. Overall, the view we have taken is that everyone can try to deal with this first year’s pressure, and then we can plan for the future better. We aren’t anticipating any real impact this year.” See
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