Bid Night Pledging starts with a long night of traditions
vol. 103, no. 10
MOnday september 22, 2014
Features Page 5
1 SECTION, 10 PAGES
Episcopal priest to be Summit’s first female preacher
what’s INSIDE NEWS The Siburt Institute selects new director, Dr. Carson Reed
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SPORTS Senior runner, Daniel Block, sets sights on season
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NEWS Student bands and musical artists audition for the Homecoming JamFest Page 4
SPORTS Wildcats defeated Incarnate Word on Saturday, 21-0 Page 10
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Don McLaughlin, the pulpit minister at North Atlanta Church of Christ, spoke as the opening theme Summit speaker on Sunday night in Moody Coliseum.
student reporter
The Editorial Board takes a look at where SA has allocated student funds
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Summit theme to focus on Genesis callie oliver
OPINION
This year’s Summit will feature the first woman preacher as a theme speaker. Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest and the author of several awardwinning books, her most recent being “Learning to Walk in the Dark.” B r a d y Bryce, director of Summit, said Taylor is an brown outstanding preacher and various people had suggested her as a speaker. “Her name has come up every year, repeatedly, from a wide group of people that submit ideas to us about who to speak,” Bryce said. Bryce said they’ve been sending Taylor invitations to speak for the longest out of any of the speakers. “I’ve been here for eight years and we’ve been asking if she had the ability to come that entire time,” Bryce said. “This is the first time she’s been able to do it.” Bryce said he anticipates Taylor’s preaching to change people’s perspectives of woman preachers.
Many visitors and long-time friends of ACU gathered in Moody Sunday night as this year’s Summit began. With the theme of ‘‘Earthed,’’ Summit will go back to the beginning and focus on Genesis. “This year’s theme is ‘Earthed’, and it represents God’s creative work in humanity,” said Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university. “This week, the speakers and experiences will
challenge you to walk closely with God and enrich the work being done in churches around the world.” Throughout the week, different sessions and speakers will focus on the idea of Genesis and our beginnings. Brady Bryce, director of ministry events and assistant professor of practical theology, said the speakers who will speak at the forums are wellknown authors and thinkers who will challenge and encourage listeners. Many students often attend Summit sessions to re-
ceive Chapel credit. This year, Summit will offer students the chance to earn up to 20 Chapel credits with 10 possible opportunities. There will be 10 forums, and each forum will be worth two Chapel credits. “This is going to allow students to go to Chapel and hear some amazing stories and testimonies,” said Mark Jackson, co-director of Chapel. The forums will take place Sunday through Wednesday. Monday through Wednesday will offer three different cred-
ited forums a day at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Moody Coliseum. Students often use Summit week as a way to get ahead with Chapel credits. The chance to earn 10 in one week doubles the amount students can earn in a normal week. Offering credits for these sessions increases the desire for students to attend Summit lectures. “It makes me want to go to them,” said Kala Arnold, sophomore accounting major from Austin. “More so
than the sessions or classes I don’t receive credit for. Last year, the forums were interesting.” The Bible, Missions and Ministry Department is required to cancel classes during Summit week, so many Bible professors take the opportunity to attend lectures and have their students do the same. While some teachers require students to attend a session, others strongly encourage it. see summit page 5
Pledging season begins with Bid Night
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NEWS Jeff Berryman creates a one-act play, Leaving Ruin, for Summit Page 3
linsey thut features editor On Friday night, campus was filled with women skipping in single file lines wearing shirts with marker all over them and men carrying pictures of fruit and chanting about cows. No, the ACU campus did not go crazy; pledging kicked off with the time-honored tradition of Bid Night. Throughout the night, a total of 369 students were welcomed, and initiated,
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Gamma Sigma Phi will have 53 “Siblings” to prepare for Knighthood as Kinsmen. Drew Ritchie, senior biblical text major from Lake Jackson, is president of GSP and said he looks forward to the pledging process. “I am excited about the effort that the members of GSP have put into making this a memorable and valuable experience for the pledges,” he said.
PLEDGE CLASS SIZES Frater Sodalis:
14 Trojans:
18
Galaxy:
25 Alpha Kai Omega:47
Gamma Sigma Phi:
53
Pi Kappa:
4
Sub T-16:
20
GATA:
69
Ko Jo Kai:
67
Sigma Theta Chi: 66 Zeta Rho:
4
see bid day page 7
Brantly family deals with Ebola aftermath Latin american correspondent
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by the 10 social clubs. Pi Kappa is welcoming four “Carp” this year. Josh Day, president of Pi Kappa said he looks forward to seeing the club’s fellowship grow during pledging. “I am super excited to watch the Carp grow together and learn what it means to be in the brotherhood of Pi Kappa,” said Day, senior youth and family ministry major from Katy. Galaxy is initiating 25 “Novas” this year and Trojans have 18 new “Slavs”.
As Dr. Kent Brantly recuperated from his battle with the Ebola virus, his family members had the chance to catch their breath, too. Brantly was serving with Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization in Liberia, when the Ebola virus was spread in the area. He, his wife, Amber, and their children decided to stay and help those infected. About a
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month into his work, Br a n t l y tested positive for the virus. Brantly Houston, brantly senior advertising and public relations major from Abilene, was in Indianapolis with his grandparents when he learned his uncle contracted the virus. “It was really easy for me to figure out what was going on,” he said. “I kind of had a peace about it,
though; I wasn’t worried.” A large amount of his family was in Indianapolis with him when the news broke, he said, and were able to get in contact with Brantly. “There was a lot of crying, fear and uncertainty,” he said. “To me it kind of looked like helplessness. But I really just felt like it was going to be fine.” A few days later, Houston’s family left for a wedding in Texas, and the situation became more challenging for him. “I kind of felt a bit out of
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Abilene Christian University
the loop,” he said. “That’s when it started getting frustrating and when more intensity was going on.” Then the calls began to pour in; reporters from all over the country were trying to get the story. “Every few minutes the reporters were calling. It was crazy,” he said. “Being a mass communication major, I kind of understood. They were just doing their job. But it was kind of like, good grief, calm down.” The family was soon overwhelmed by the atten-
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tion. Dr. Gary Green, coordinator of World Wide Witness and longtime friend of Amber Brantly’s family, reached out to them after hearing the news. He said the timing was bittersweet for the family. Near the same time Brantly was diagnosed, they were celebrating the birth of their eldest son’s first child, another son getting married and another family member’s birthday. “Their emotions were all over the charts,” he
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see ebola page 8