WEDNESDAY September 26, 2007 Vol. 96, No. 9 1 section, 8 pages www.acuoptimist.com
OPTIMIST THE
Bringing down the house, and bringing home the parents
This year’s theme, “UTube,” more than just entertainment, about developing friendships, page 3
Triple video play
Bid Night and Entra a la Plaza highlight three new videos online this issue at, www.acuoptimist.com
Racket it up
Four tennis players earned trips to nationals in October, page 8
Students use peace to protest war By Mallory Edens Page 2 Editor
As Chapel attendees filed out of Moody Coliseum Friday morning, the students lined up across the lawn gathered many curious glances. Donning red paint to represent blood and holding signs promoting peace, students silently urged others to make a difference in global violence. “We are doing this as a genuine way to seek peace,
and see how we can truly love our brothers and see what God’s hand in it is,” said Elena Stephenson, junior theatre major from Kansas City, Kan. “What can we do in Abilene, Texas, to make a difference?” Stephenson stood Friday holding a sign that said, “All war is deceit.” She said she chose to hold the sign because she believes Americans use war as a manipulative tool all too often. “To me, I don’t think there
is such a thing as a just war,” Stephenson said. “It’s such a tragic thing, and we don’t think of the consequences.” While she is against war, Stephenson said the protest was in no way against those who are for war. Rather, the protest was intended to promote dialogue. “We don’t want it to be us against them,” she said. “I think as young people, we need to be aware of other people and what is going on
in other countries. I think it’s a good to raise awareness about peace.” This arousal of awareness was the original intent of the protest, for which planning was begun last semester by Paul Goncalves, senior Biblical text and philosophy major from Itu, Brazil, Seth Adcock, senior English and youth ministry major from Ruidoso,
See
PROTEST page 7
adrian cruz STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Brooke Kucinsky, senior missions major from Fort Worth; Seth Adcock, sophomore youth and family ministry major from Nogal, NM; Bryn Oliver, senior art major from Abilene; and Tara Elzey, sophomore undeclared major from Powell, Wyo., hold signs at the peace protest Friday outside Moody Coliseum.
Watered-down pledging By Rachel Davis Opinion Editor
By Kelsi Peace
Changes in Bid Night rules forced some clubs to alter their activities and gave pledges a 5 a.m. curfew. Most clubs didn’t have problems adhering to the new rules, but several had to alter their activities. “Our activities on Bid Night were altered most significantly by the change in return time for the Siblings,” said Gamma Sigma Phi president Robert McCall, senior youth and family ministry major from Austin. “All of our activities had to be shortened. Other than that, activities were generally the same with slight changes in ideology.” Sub T-16 had its first Bid Night in two years after a suspension, and president Jacob Smith, accounting graduate student from Tyler, said they did not have a hard time adhering to the new rules. “I think after everything we’ve been through, we were a lot more prepared for it than most clubs were,” Smith said. “I think we were a lot more receptive to the changes. We’ve all been so excited about getting back on track and taking new pledges.” Smith said some administrators came by at the end of the night to check on the activities, but there were no problems with them. “Overall, Bid Night went just right — everything fell into place perfectly,” Smith said. “We still pledged those guys hard, and we’ll make them earn it like we always do.” Delta Theta president Christie Thomas, graphic design major from Austin, said DT didn’t have any issues with following the new rules. “We’ve been abiding by the rules for a while, so it didn’t really cramp our style,” Thomas said. Thomas said by the end of the night, all the pledges had learned to work together and got rid of the cliques that had formed. “Seeing all of the Biddies work together as one unit was definitely the highlight of Bid Night,” Thomas said. GATA’s Bid Night went well, said president Laci Lawrence, senior criminal justice major from Andrews.
Managing Editor
The 85th Students’ Association Congress approved the Fall 2007 Budget and all officer and representative appointments in its inaugural meeting Wednesday. Sophomore senator David Vanderpool debated the appointment of officers with no previous Congress experience. According to the bylaws, all undergraduates who pay a student activity fee are members of the Students’ Association and eligible to be appointed. Neither Isaac Vasquez, chief communications officer, nor Sarah Newton, executive secretary, has previous Congress experience. SA executive president Matt Worthington said he would vouch for both appointments. “They’ve worked very, very hard and are very, very qualified,” he said. With many of the representatives appointed and ineligible to vote until approved, Congress voted to approve all appointments with 19 approving and one vote abstaining. Congress approved the Fall 2007 budget with 39 votes approving and one abstaining, acknowledging its ability to review and amend the budget later. With an $11,560 rollover from last year and See
BID NIGHT page 7
By Laura Touchette Student Reporter
Sibling Chris King, sophomore undeclared major from Houston, holds a watermelon for more than an hour Friday during Bid Night in Beauchamp Amphitheatre.
Entra a la Plaza celebrates heritage By Lauren Sutton Copy Editor
ACU students, staff and members of the Abilene community gathered around the GATA Fountain Friday night to enjoy an evening full of Latin culture in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Members of Hispanos Unidos, an organization for Hispanic students, organized the third annual Entra a la Plaza, an event showcasing Hispanic culture through music, dance and food. “We had a lot of volunteers, even non-Hispanics. That made me happy,” said Hispanos Unidos president Dulce Vidana, senior market-
SA page 7
‘Burn Room’ demonstrates dorm fire hazard
brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
See
SA Cabinet cuts spending
ing and management double major from Mexico. Restaurants like Ta Molly’s and Enrique’s Restaurant & Cantina donated food for the event, and the father of Hispanos Unidos member Carino Cortez donated money for decorations. The organization hired Ballet Fonklorico dancers and a Mariachi band from Mexico to entertain the crowd throughout the evening. “We want to attract more Hispanics to ACU and tell ACU what Latin American culture is really about,” Vidana said. In contrast to past years, officers of Hispanos Unidos wanted to expose attendees to a variety of Latin cultures and not just Mexico. Columbia, Ni-
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
caragua and Puerto Rico were all countries that were represented Friday evening. KRBC news covered the event, which helped Hispanos Unidos achieve their goal to attract and inform people from the Abilene community about Hispanic culture. “I think a lot more people came this year,” said Jeremy Cox, senior family studies major from Houston. “They did a lot more to bring in the community.” Vidana said her favorite part of the night was seeing all the international students at the event, and Cox, a nonHispanic who served as emcee, See
PLAZA page 7
matt newhouser STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Amanda McLemore, senior English major from Aledo, and Minda Hyde, junior pre-occupational therapy major from Hampdem, Maine, try some pan dulce at Hispanos Unidos’ 3rd annual Entra a la Plaza on Friday night.
Abilene Christian University
Within three minutes, everything a student owns could be destroyed. Within five, the fire in a dorm room could take someone’s life. That is the idea organizers of the Burn Room want ACU students living both in residence halls and off campus to understand. “I used to light five candles a day in my dorm room freshman year,” said Allie Waters, junior integrated marketing communications major from St. Louis. “Now, I live in University Park, and after really watching the burn room, I know why they enforce the no-candle rule.” ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison said that the Burn Room has been around for about five years and makes an impact on him even after seeing it year after year. “I am equally amazed at how fast the burn room goes,” Ellison said. “I think the room has a huge visual impact on students and helps the students understand why the university takes fire precaution so seriously. The fire can really happen, and it can happen really, really fast” When Dr. Mimi Barnard, director of faculty enrichment, attended a Crisis Response Team meeting in 2003, she suggested a real Burn Room would have more visual impact than a video, which was initially suggested. When Barnard was the director of Residence Life, she joined efforts with the Physical Resources Department and together they made the Burn Room a reality. The Burn Room is constructed by Physical Resources and looks basically the same every year. With the help of the Abilene Fire Department, the Burn Room is a fall semester demonstration for ACU. “The Burn Room is around to educate students See
BURN ROOM page 7
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