OPTIMIST THE
FRIDAY September 7, 2007 Vol. 96, No. 5 1 section, 8 pages www.acuoptimist.com
Exercise doesn’t to be a hassle
need
A deeper look at art
Shore Art Gallery holds public reception for Christian art exhibit Friday, page 4
Professional fitness instructors provide lowcost exercise options on campus, page 5
Tenure awarded to 12 professors By Karie Schmidt Student Reporter
Filling out teacher evaluations at the end of the semester may seem like a waste of time but for ACU professors, this can be an aid on the path to promotion and tenure. This year, 17 faculty members received tenure or a promotion, and nine of these 17 received both. Professors can begin applying for tenure and a pro-
motion five years after they begin teaching at a university, and they can receive tenure with their sixth year teaching at the institution. “Tenure does make you feel good because your peers acknowledge you as a good person and teacher,” said Dr. Neal Coates, associate professor of political science, who received tenure and a promotion. According to the Adams Center For Teaching Excel-
lence Web site and academic tradition, tenure is designed to give professors the necessary freedom for scholarship and progress in their disciplines. Tenure also affirms the individual faculty member’s contributions to ACU and verifies the institution’s long-term commitment to the faculty members’ pursuit of knowledge. Promotions are based on professional preparations, performance of duties and fidelity to the Christian
purposes of the University. “It’s an honor and relief… it’s job security more than anything else,” said Dr. Jeffrey Wherry, professor of psychology, who received tenure. Applicants who wish to receive tenure or a promotion must apply and turn in an extensive portfolio to their department and the university tenure promotion committee. The committee See
No slow start
Wildcats play No. 18 team in nation for first home match, page 8
Tenure and promotions Promoted or tenured professors as noted by (T) or (P): n Steve Allison: professor of psychology (T,P) n Virginia Bailey: associate professor to Brown Library (T,P) n Neal Coates: associate professor of political science (T,P) n Malcolm Coco: professor to management sciences (P) n Lloyd Goldsmith: associate professor of graduate studies in education (T,P) n Jackie Halstead: associate professor of marriage and family therapy (T,P) n Melissa Johnson: associate professor of Brown Library (T,P) n Rick Lytle: professor of management sciences (P)
TENURE page 5
A mouthy mission
Crickets’ duration, not amount, reason for discomfort
By Michelle Jimenez Student Reporter
A dental program in Choluteca, Honduras, started by an ACU alum is in need of dentists and hygienists to donate a week to work in the clinic. Dr. Jane Tindol, a local dentist and 1982 ACU graduate, started the program two weeks ago and plans to return to Choluteca the week of Jan. 1 to finalize the preparation for the Choluteca Community Center’s dental clinic. At present, Tindol is in the political process of getting permission to open a dental hygiene school in a “third-world country,” Tindol said. The plan is to begin with a dental assistance school and progress to a dental hygiene school, ultimately founding a nursing school and a hospital. The dental clinic already has nine out of 12 dental chairs in place and ready for volunteer dentists and hygienists to work. Without a full-time dentist on hand, the clinic is waiting on donated assistance to get it up and running. “Nobody’s there right now,” Tindol said. “We’ve this great need for dentists and hygienists to donate a week of their time to work in the clinic. … I just need anybody who could go, and all they have to do is contact me.” The Choluteca Community Center, at present consisting of the dental clinic and the Choluteca Central Church of Christ, is allied with Mission Lazarus, a “holistic, faith-in-action” organization that helps spread the gospel through a variety of ministries in Honduras. According the Web site, Mission Lazarus’ assortment of ministries focuses on basic primary education, skill development, health education and treatment and agricultural development meant to meet physical and spiritual needs of the people. “I’m kinda piggybacking with them because they’re already established,” Tindol said. “They know the people; they got their churches going. We’re just adding this community center.” Tindol wants to present dental awareness and prevention to the people of Choluteca by creating the center.
n Dan McGregor: associate professor of art and design (T,P) n Larry Norsworthy: professor of psychology (T) n Nicki Rippee: professor of exercise science and health (T) n Ginna Sadler: professor of art and design department (P) n Micheal Scarbrough: professor of music department (P) n Jonathan Stewart: professor of accounting and finance (P) n Jeffrey Wherry: professor of psychology (T) n Kay Williams: associate professor to music (T,P) n David Wright: associate professor to management sciences (T,P)
By Laura Acuff Student Reporter
COURTESY OF Dr. jane tindol
Mission Lazarus minister Leonardo Ken baptizes a man in the Choluteca River in Choluteca, Honduras on Sunday, Aug. 12. “I’ve always felt so limited because all I could do is pull teeth,” Tindol said. “And then I thought, ‘Man, we need to educate these people so that we can get to a point where they’re getting prevention.’ They don’t ever have any prevention. They’re just always paying and losing their teeth.” Serving the people, starting prevention, creating jobs and having mission points where people can serve also are some of the motives behind the Center, Tindol said. Amy Philpott, a Registered Dental Hygienist, who worked with Tindol in setting up the clinic, said she was excited about Tindol’s idea of providing a service of dental care and prevention to the people of Choluteca that was not already being provided. “That’s right up my alley,” Philpott said. “I can’t be the dentist; I can’t pull teeth … all I can do is teach prevention. That’s my expertise.” Although Tindol’s need is for dentists and hygienists, students also have opportunities to serve the community by helping teach English and assist with computer classes for See
DENTIST page 5
courtesy of dr. jane tindol
Dr. Jane Tindol and Victoria Mancha, a registered dental assistant, clean a man’s teeth at the Choluteca Community Center on Wednesday, Aug. 15.
They invade the dorms, infiltrate classrooms and creep through corridors as they arrive each year by the thousands. But they are not students—they’re crickets. Although the crickets are annual fall visitors in Abilene, because of the extensive rainfall this year, residents can expect an even longer visitation from the winged insects, and ACU faculty and students are preparing for the duration. “There are more crickets than people to deal with, so in that sense, it’s a struggle,” said Bob Nevill, director of physical resources. “I don’t know if it’s any worse than it has been in the past. It’s longer. The difference between a million crickets and 1,200,000 crickets is really not observable so much, but the difference between a month infestation and two months is very noticeable, so that’s what we’re aware of; that’s the pressure.” Nevill said Physical Resources is limited in its response to the problem. During the summer, lights around campus could be turned off to discourage the bugs, but when students arrived, safety concerns necessitated the lights stay on, making spraying insecticide and caulking cracks and holes in buildings the best of few remaining solutions. “We don’t like to use pesticides too much because it’s an indiscriminate killer,” Nevill said. “It kills the beneficial insects as well as those we want to get rid of, so we have to be pretty careful about it.” Nevill also cited allergies of some students and faculty to the chemicals used in insecticides as See
CRICKETS page 5
SHADES stomping out final members Friday By Aaron Ballard Student Reporter
New blood is stepping into SHADES. Tryouts began Monday and have lasted throughout the week. “We are looking for anyone who can catch on quickly and who has a great personality,” said SHADES head captain Camari Carter, senior political science major from Los Angeles. The first cuts took place Wednesday night, and the final tryout is Friday. Approximately 28 women and eight
men tried out this year. “We do not have a specific number in mind that we are looking to accept,” Carter said. “We want to avoid adding any extra pressure.” Tryouts are only held once a year. Returning members of SHADES do not automatically have a spot on the team, therefore, they must go through tryouts like everyone else. Last year, the team consisted of about nine men and nine women. This year’s officers were elected last semester. In addition to Carter, officers
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
include men’s captain D. Jay Wells, women’s captains Sara Eligado and Becca Schumacher and treasurer Meghan Dailey. The first big performance will take place during Lectureship, where the team will be stepping to an a capella song similar to their performance at Sing Song. Also this fall, SHADES will perform in the culture show and host a mini-show for the first time. “Usually, we just have one big show in the spring, but this year, we want to give ev-
erybody a little taste before that,” said Carter. The mini-show will take place in the Bean Sprout toward the end of November. In the spring SHADES will perform at Sing Song and at its big annual show is usually around April. The SHADES team also participates in competitions, and the women of SHADES are scheduled to compete in Lubbock in October. During the year, the team meets for practice twice a See
SHADES page 5
Megan Lowe STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Meghan Dailey, senior pre-med major from Boerne, helps Shalesia Rhodes, senior music education major from Longview, learn steps at the SHADES tryout Monday evening.
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