Unbroken uncapped Jolie’s movie sparks veteran discussions
vol. 103, no. 32
friday, january 23, 2015
Arts Page 5
1 SECTION, 6 PAGES
what’s INSIDE NEWS ACU club lacrosse plays in Lone Star Alliance Page 3
SPORTS Wildcats welcome offensive power, Incarnate Word
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OPINION Jarred makes his editorial debut with his complaint of Abilene’s chips and salsa
mariana cedillo staff Photographer
FACING THE MUSIC
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ARTS The newest princess, musical movie takes a stab at satire Page 5
OPINION Finding a ride to DFW airport is often tricky for out-ofstate students
mariana cedillo staff Photographer
Yam saowatarnpong staff Photographer
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New Chapel policy increases exemptions daniel block intramurals editor
SPORTS Track and Field start season strong in Collge Station
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NEWS Professors switch to Canvas in place of OpenClass
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The Chapel Office has modified its exemption policies for this semester, allowing students greater leeway to fulfill their credit requirements. The new exemption policy is designed to make it easier for students with schedule conflicts to satisfy the Chapel requirement and remain off Chapel probation. Mark Jackson, associate
arts editor
VIDEO Citizens and students gather to march in remeberance on MILK Day
Read more at acuoptimist.com
director of student organizations and programs, said he thinks the new policy will benefit students with busy schedules. “We (think the change) will help students, especially students that have to work a lot,” Jackson said. “It’ll help their schedules and they won’t have to panic and think, ‘OK, how am I supposed to get all these credits? I’m working all the time.’” Under the former system, students needed to be exempt for at least two
days per week to be eligible for a 48-credit requirement. A three-day exemption meant 36 credits were needed, and a four-day exemption required 24. If a student was exempt every day, he or she was expected to secure 12 Chapel credits. This semester, a student is required to attain 10 fewer credits than the regular 55 for every day of the week he or she is exempt from Chapel. A student with five exemptions now needs five credits
throughout the semester. Timothy Hoffbauer, from Los Alamos, New Mexico, worked at the Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center last semester and was exempt every day of the week. He said the changes to the policy were welcomed. “I think it’s great that they’re going down to just needing five,” Hoffbauer said, “because when you can’t come into Chapel all five days of the week, it’s still really hard to even come to forums, especially
when you have a junior or senior schedule.” Corinne Sheffield, junior elementary education major from McKinney, has three exemptions per week and said the modification came as a relief. “I think it’s really nice of (the Chapel office) to lower the requirements,” she said, “because students are under a lot of stress as it is … with all the stuff that we already have to do. I think 25 is a good numsee chapel page 3
Bennett expected to open in February catherine blakemore
what’s online
Top: Men of Gamma Sigma Phi practice their Sing Song music. Left: Jessi Andersen co-directs the women of Ko Jo Kai. Above: Kelsey Odom sings with the women of Sigma Theta Chi in Hart Auditorium on Wednesday.
Construction on Bennett Gymnasium, after a semester-long delay, will be finished by mid-February, and the Department of Engineering and Physics will move in throughout the remainder of the semester. The project was delayed after the discovery of an original concrete structure 21 feet beneath the ground. Much like a jigsaw puzzle, the concrete required the construction workers and designers on the remodel to alter plans for new steel to support the building, said Kevin Roberts, vice president of operations, and Scot Colley, executive director of construction and risk management, who oversee
all construction and plans that have gone into Bennett renovations. To support the structure of the building, new construction required that 48 steel columns be put in the ground 28 feet deep. “The way steel works is that you put your order in for steel six months ahead of when you need it,” Roberts said. “You get in line at the steel manufacturer and move forward in the line.” When drilling began by the west wall of Bennett and the spread footer stood in the way, the columns had to be adjusted which changed the geometry of the rest of the structure. “When we figured out we had to redo everything, that meant we had to go reengicatherine blakemore arts editor
see bennett page 3
Abilene Christian University
Construction workers finish up the interior of Bennett gym rennovations.