The Optimist Print Edition 10.13.17

The Best Taco in Abilene: Twitter and Instagram followers told us the students’ choice Page 5

SPORTS

Friday, October 13, 2017 Vol. 106, Issue 08

A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912

FALL FEELS

WILDCATS PREPARE FOR NICHOLLS STATE GAME Page 6

HOLLY DORN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Families take photos at the Disability Resources Inc. annual pumpkin patch. The patch will be open until Oct. 31 on Highway 83 north of Interstate 20

CALENDAR 10/13 • • •

Swing Cats Fall Stomp at Elks Art Center Honors College Movie Night at Zellner Lawn Paramount Film Series: “Dial M for Murder” at 7:30 p.m.

10/14 •

African Food Festival in the Campus Center

10/15 •

Phi Eta Sigma induction ceremony at 2 p.m.

10/20 • • •

Homecoming Carnival 5-8 p.m.

Chemistry Circus in Halbert-Walling at 6 p.m.

Freshman bell-ringing

BOX OFFICE OCTOBER 6-8 1. Blade Runner 2049 $32,753,122 2. The Mountain Between Us $10,551,336 3. It $9,972,002 4. My Little Pony: The Movie $8,885,899 5. Kingsman: The Golden Circle $8,675,412

FRIDAY THE

13

NEWS

OBITUARY: KAY MCGLOTHLIN Page 3

Drug, alcohol arrests rise on campus

BY HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF

Drug and alcohol arrests on campus rose in 2016, according to a federally mandated crime report released by the ACU Police Department in early October.

Drug arrests rose to seven in 2016 from just two in 2015, while alcohol arrests rose to 12 in 2016 from just one in 2015. This includes all enforcement actions that include arrests or citations, said ACU Police Chief Jim-

my Ellison. Campus police also issued fewer referrals for alcohol violations than in previous years. Referrals are criminal incidents officers responded to but did not make an arrest or citation but instead referred to the Office of Student Life.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Crime Statistics Act requires campus police to make data about on-campus crime available to all students and employees, prospective students and employees and to the

public.

“The Department of Education believes that as a member of a campus community, you should know what’s occurring broadly on your campus,” Ellison said, “and then more specifically if you live in a res hall, you really want to know what’s occurring in res halls on campus.”

Crime numbers can vary from year to year, Ellison said, but the increase of drug and alcohol arrests could be attributed to more

consistent policies for both ACU PD officers and Residence Life staff.

“ACU police and Residence Life administration have done more training together in terms of what the laws are, and what the best procedures are,” Ellison said. “I think we’re seeing a more consistent approach as far as things being reported to the police department.”

Milton said. “It’s just a place where minorities are able to come and be themselves and have the opportunity to be in a social club.”

For the group to become a social club, they must be a student organization for an entire year.

There are groups available on campus for minority groups such as Black Student Association and Hispanos Unidos, but Milton said he wanted to “be more com-

fortable in the social club aspect.”

“I know that when I was going through the rushing in the spring last semester, I didn’t really feel at home, and I really wanted to find a place that felt more comfortable and I wanted that to be for everyone,” Milton said.

Milton is serving as the organization’s president, and wants to create an atmosphere where students are able to be themselves.

“You can come any type of race and bring what your culture is to the table so we are able to show and educate the community about what it is. Milton said. “Come as you are, we will accept you no matter who you are, and we are also here for people to become more comfortable with themselves and have a community of sisters.”

timized or witnessed someone else being victimized” said ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison.

“While ACU has had a longstanding policy of immunity in many of these types of cases, this new Texas law will likely help with victims or bystanders coming forward, and certainly at other universities who, unlike ACU, may have not had these types of amnesty policies already on their books,” Ellison added.

Clery Act guidelines limit universities to only include listed crimes which occurred in only three specific categories of locations; (1) on-campus, (2) on public property immediately adjacent to campus, or (3) at non--campus properties owned and controlled by ACU. As an

example of this, Ellison said that ACUPD investigated an additional two instances of sexual assault allegations which were reported to have occurred at off-campus private residences during the 2016 calendar year.

“The Clery Act, and the US Dept. of Education which oversees Clery Crime Report guidelines, are very specific, you only report what occurred on-campus, on public property immediately adjacent to campus, or at off-campus properties owned and controlled by the institution” Ellison said, “None of the numbers that you see in the Clery report reflect what occurred in the neighborhoods and community surrounding campus.”

While he acknowledges that ACU’s overall stats for

sexual assault related cases are low, Ellison acknowledges that sexual assault is one of the most underreported types of crimes across the country, with ACU being no exception. “We hope that through various offerings and programs, preventative education, bystander intervention training and cross-campus partnerships in places like Residence Life, and with faculty, victims feel safe in coming forward.

“We want all victims to come forward. Unreported crimes mean that there are victims out there that we are not aware of who need services, resources, and quite frankly they need Justice.”

SEE ARRESTS PAGE 2

Sparrows hope to start diverse social club

BY CYNTHIA RANGEL STAFF REPORTER

The Sparrows are a new student organization on Campus with the hopes of becoming a social club.

Jordan Milton, sophomore elementary education major from Fort Worth, started a new group on campus targeted towards minority women to come together in community.

“Everyone is welcome,”

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Chief Ellison applauds newest Title IX law

BY EVAN RODRIGUEZ WEB EDITOR

On Jan. 1, Senate Bill 969 will go into effect in Texas.

The bill requires that schools not take disciplinary action against students who have committed a minor crime, such as underage drinking, if they are reporting any incident involving sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence or stalking.

While the university has had this policy in place before the law passed, the law passing is bringing increased attention to the issue.

“In a campus setting, particularly a faith based setting, I think some people may still be reluctant to report things for fear of administrative policies that might have been broken, when they were vic-

W W W. A C U O P T I M I S T. C O M

EMR14C@ACU.EDU

Cover-to-cover reading features “Frankenstein”

BY ZEKE TRIPP STAFF REPORTER

Students, faculty and administration will participate in a cover-to-cover reading of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein on Halloween in the Brown Library.

The event, organized by the Department of Language and Literature and the Brown Library, is the inaugural Cover2Cover Marathon and is intended to increase student reading on campus.

Dr. Todd Womble, assistant professor of language and literature, said he created the Cover2Cover reading event because he realized how impactful something like this could be for our campus.

“I saw that one of my past professors from UT-Arlington was putting on a reading event at the school for a book entitled Moby Dick, and I thought it would be really cool to do something like that on our campus,” said Womble.

Frankenstein will be read by 40 different readers in 15-minute increments. Readers will vary from sophomore students to faculty members and administrators, such as Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university.

The novel will also be read in different languages. Some faculty members will read their section in German, French or Spanish.

“This is planned to be a fun event to share the joy of reading great literature with the campus community,” said Dr. Jeanine Varner, chair of the department.

“We hope students and faculty alike drop by the first floor of the library for a few minutes and listen as we read aloud the great novel Frankenstein.”

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

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FRIDAY | OCTOBER 13, 2017

Arrests: Police release crime report for 2016 Onstead CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Any call can have different factors, Ellison said, but if police can establish legal grounds for a drug or alcohol violation, they will lean towards an arrest or citation.

Alcohol violations could include minors in possession of alcohol or furnishing alcohol to a minor. Clery reports do not include arrests for public intoxication or driving while intoxicated.

Ellison said the rise in numbers of violations could also be caused by national trends for alcohol and marijuana use.

“By and large, alcohol use among college-age Americans is up,” Ellison said.

“College students of today look at marijuana as the new

letter sent to their parents explaining the conduct probation. Conduct probation also requires students to get a faculty mentor and write a written exercise.

Although the handbook does list suspension or expulsion as a potential consequence, Lewis said that rarely happens for drug and alcohol violations.

“Very unique situations where the person’s problems are such that they’re being here is actually a risk to themselves,” Lewis said. “It’s not a ‘We’re ACU and you’re bad and you’re out of here.’

It’s that they need to take a life ‘timeout’ and just invest in wellness.”

12-pack. Many 18-25 year old Americans see no difference in marijuana use as they do alcohol use.”

The Office of Student Life has more broad policies for alcohol and drug violations. The university prohibits alcohol on campus, so even students over 21 cannot possess or consume alcohol

on campus or in residences like the University Place apartments.

Mark Lewis, dean of students, said most first-time drug and alcohol violations result in conduct probation, which can last four to six months. Drug violations involving marijuana used to result in immediate suspen-

that everything changed.

Prior to her diagnosis, my mom was complaining of a tenderness in her left breast.

There appeared to be a red rash, almost like a sunburn, that took up a majority of her breast as well.”

Throughout the span of eleven months, Jenifer Cordts was left with no answers. Her fears and questions were brushed aside as the cancer was spreading throughout her body every day. They saw Doctor after doctor, and still no one had an answer.

“Until one day someone finally did. It was a doctor from Baylor Scott and White in Dallas that finally

decided to seek answers. A biopsy confirmed what a mammogram could not.

Within those eleven months of being turned away from every doctor we faced, the cancer had spread from my mom’s left breast to her bones, lymph nodes, liver, and blood. She was Stage IV. Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC). An extremely rare, about 1% of the population, and an extremely aggressive form of breast cancer. It does not show up on any mammograms or blood work. It is almost undetectable until you feel the pain.”

Over the next two years, as time passed with chemo-

therapy and radiation sessions, the cancer had not returned to anywhere except her liver.

“The doctor gave her 3-5 years and she is making the most of it, we all are.

We have traveled, we have prayed together, and we have never stopped fighting since.”

Jenifer Cordts’ story has gone viral as it is shared in magazines, news articles, and much more. She now has a large platform to speak out for this disease and raise awareness around the world. Right now, her story is being nominated for an Emmy award.

“I have recently made

T-shirts that I have been selling to raise money to donate to the Cancer Research Center in Houston.

They simply say Love>cancer. That’s our message.

Love is always going to be greater than any disaster, disease, or defeat. My mom’s voice is being heard far and wide. So please continue to spread the word about Inflammatory Breast Cancer and go to loveisgreaterthancancer.com to read the rest of the story and see all that is happening with this campaign.”

department requirements, college requirements, university requirements, and finally the application reaches the desk of Dr. Robert Rhodes, provost.

Around five to eight professors are granted tenure each year.

Faculty can also apply for promotion, moving from assistant professor to associate professor, or associate professor to full professor.

“It really is one of the most important decisions we make,” Rhodes said.

“The great thing about the

tenure process is you’ve had enough time for the person to know the university and the university to know the person and what were really extending is that offer for long term commitment to the institution, which if you look around ACU has been really successful.”

Rhodes said tenure is a way of cultivating faculty because the university cannot fire a professor without presenting evidence that they are incompetent or behave unprofessionally.

The tenured professors

include: Dr. Cherisse Flanagan, psychology associate professor Dr. Cliff Barbarick, bible, missions and ministry associate professor Dr. Jennifer Huddleston, biology associate professor Dr. Jill Scott, teacher education associate professor Dr. Kilnam Cha, bible missions and ministry assistant professor Rachel Slaymaker, social work associate professor Dr. Rachel Team, psychology associate professor

Dr. Ryan Jessup, management sciences associate professor Dr. Sarah Lee, chemistry and biochemistry associate professor Dr. Suzie Macaluso, sociology associate professor The university also added 23 new faculty members to the Abilene and Dallas campuses combined including 12 instructors, eight assistant professors and three associate professors.

The Onstead Science Center revisions will complete the Vision in Action project around the time of Sing Song 2018.

The $45 million project consisted of three phases including “phase zero” the remodel of Bennett Gymnasium as the Engineering Department, “phase one” as the remodel of the Onstead atrium, “phase two” as the construction of the Halbert-Walling Research Center and “phase three” as the remodel of the interior of the Onstead Science Center.

Working to finish the entire project, phase three is underway. In the OSC, there is a remodel on all of the floors, although most changes will occur on the ground level. Three departments including agriculture and environmental sciences, engineering and physics, and mathematics, will locate their offices radiating off the main lobby area, according to Greg Straughn, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

The lower level will also have departmental student lounges, a conference room, and a kitchen.

Throughout the 2017–18 academic year, all of the offices and classrooms previously in Onstead have been temporarily relocated to different areas around campus, including the Witt House, McKinzie, and the Sherrod Building.

Straughn said the renovations are part of the overall plan to enhance the sciences at ACU, bringing all of the science classes into proximity and providing additional and improved research and laboratory areas. These changes will align the sciences with the world-class research performed at the university.

LMF14A@ACU.EDU

LMF14A@ACU.EDU

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

Student raises funds for breast cancer treatment

BY ALLISON CRIST STAFF REPORTER

Across campus, students and faculty find a cause to stand behind as sophomore, Tat Cordts, shares her mother’s story.

It began when her mother, Jenifer Cordts, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive breast cancer. In an interview with Tat, she shared her mother’s journey and their family’s hope to spread awareness.

“It was like the world was being ripped out from under me. It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. November of 2015 will be forever etched in my mind as the month

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

University grants tenure to ten professors

BY LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR

Ten professors received tenure at the start of the 201718 academic year.

Tenure is a common designation for universities, which means a continuous contract rather than a year-to-year contract.

At the end of five years with the university, faculty can apply for tenure by submitting their portfolio for review. The tenure review process starts with

Science Center continues renovations

sion, but Lewis said during the time Dr. Royce Money was president of the university between 1991-2010, the practice changed.

“There are always exceptions and unique circumstances, but by-and-large the response is conduct probation,” Lewis said.

Students on conduct probation must go through training with a counselor called BASICS, or Brief Alcohol and Marijuana Screening and Intervention for College Students. Lewis said BASICS can be educational for first-time violators or it can be an intervention program for students who may have an addiction.

Students who are under 21 or students over 21 who are dependents will have a

BY LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR

Theatre prepares for Homecoming musical

BY PHOEBE VOSS STAFF REPORTER

As the Homecoming Musical inches closer, the Department of Theatre is pulling out all the stops to prepare for Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic Broadway musical that tells the story of the Jellicle Cats.

Rehearsal started back in August and the cast and crew have been working on the show almost

every day since. The cast moved into their final space, the Abilene Civic Center last Monday.

The set, shipped in from California, is an adult-sized playground that is comprised of giant bike wheels, tennis rackets and trash.

“Everything on set is climbable,” said Courtney Rhodes, senior theatre major and Cats stage manager. “It’s one of the

biggest things we’ve done in a long time,” Rhodes said.

With professional grade lighting and sound, Rhodes said, “This show is technically astounding and extremely physically and mentally demanding for the actors.”

Preparation for this year’s musical is different because the director, Jeremy Varner (‘10) came in from New York to work

on it. “Cats is a different show than what most are used to,” Varner said. “It’s a show that can kinda take your burden away for a little bit and just entertain you.”

Jill Jackson, junior theatre major from Austin, has loved being a part of the production and invites everyone to come see what they have been working so hard on. “It’s been really fun to get to revert back

to childhood and play pretend with my friends.”

The showtimes for Cats will be Friday, Oct. 20 and Saturday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center.

Tickets can be purchased at acu.edu/theatre.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 10/04/2017 3:00 p.m.

ACUPD Investigated the theft of MMA fighting gloves from the Rec Center; items recovered and suspect interviewed.

10/06/2017 8:30 a.m.

ACUPD initiated an investigation of unlawful photography that occurred inside Sikes Hall, later determining that no criminal offense occurred.

Referred to Student Life for administrative conduct follow-up.

10/09/2017 8:54 a.m.

ACUPD was advised ot several wall signs begin removed the walls of a Biblical Studies Building hallway.

10/09/2017 11:27 pm.

ACUPD assisted APD at a disturbance call in the 1600 block of Hwy 351. One person arrested for disorderly conduct.

911 CALL 3 ACCIDENT 7 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY 13 ADVICE 4 ALARM 1 ANIMAL CALL 2 ASSIST 1 BARRICADES 4 BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK 17 CHECK BUILDING 372 CITATION ISSUANCE 1

DIRECT TRAFFIC 2 DISTURBANCE 2 ESCORT 9 FOOT PATROL 14 FOUND CHILD 1 FOUND PROPERTY 8 IMPROPER PHOTOGRAPHY OR VISUAL RECORDING 1 INFORMATION REPORT 2 INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP 16 LOST PROPERTY 4

MAINTENANCE: UNIVERSITY ASSETS MEDICAL EMERGENCY MONITOR FACILITY/LOT MOTORIST ASSIST: INFLATE TIRE MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART MOTORIST ASSIST: OTHER MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK OTHER

6 3 11 2 5 2 11 4

PARKING LOT PATROL PARKING VIOLATION PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL RANDOM PATROL REPORT WRITING SEX OFFENSE SUSPICIOUS PERSON SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE THEFT TRAFFIC HAZARD

29 19 4 11 11 19 2 2 2 5 2

TRAFFIC STOP TRAINING WELFARE CHECK TOTAL

7 1 4 689

POLICE CHIEF TIP OF THE WEEK: ACUPD extends prayers and condolences to the Texas Tech Police Dept for the line of duty death of TTPD police officer Floyd East Jr.

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FRIDAY | OCTOBER 13, 2017

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OBITUARY

McGlothlin remembered for lifetime of service

BY HALEY REMENAR EDITOR IN CHIEF

Kay McGlothlin’s family was too poor to afford groceries, let alone college. But a family friend helped fund her tuition at Abilene Christian College. Years later, she and her husband gave a gift to the university that brought them together by helping fund the McGlothlin Campus Center.

“She knew that the only reason she had gotten to go to school was because she had got a gift,” said her daughter, Nita Rampey.

Kathryn “Kay” Dollar was born in 1927 in Memphis, Tennessee, and died Monday at age 90.

Throughout her lifetime she gave to the university not only monetarily, but also through founding

Wo m e n for ACU, serving on the Alumni Board and hosting college McGlothlin students at her house for a meal every week. In 2015, the university dedicated the Quad in honor of her and her husband.

Her family suffered from poverty during the Great Depression, and often received groceries from church members. A family friend helped her go to ACU -ACC at the time -to study English.

She heard about Ray McGlothlin before she met him. He had started attending ACC as a 17-year-old, but joined the navy to fight in World War II as soon as

he was able.

“He was a handsome service men and everyone was talking about Ray McGlothlin,” Rampey said.

He returned to campus after the war, met Kay, and by 1947 they got married. She also became a member of GATA women’s social club.

“When she was a pledge they had to swallow raw oysters on a string,” said her daughter, Karyn Henley.

McGlothlin’s other campus activities included Alpha Chi, CSO, Who’s Who, A Cappella Chorus, Girls’ Sextet, Orphesian Society (music club), W Club (President 1948-49) and Girl of the Year (1948-49). After graduating, she served in many ministries at Hillcrest Church of Christ, sponsored the Wildcat

softball team when it started, and traveled with the women’s basketball team.

“She was always involved in music,” Rampey said. “She and Daddy both sang at all of the alumni reunion chorus CDs that they put out.”

Once a month in the 1960s, she and her husband hosted “Sing Along with Ray and Eat Along with Kay,” a food and song event for college students. She also served in women’s Bible classes until a few years ago, Rampey said.

In 1965, the McGlothlins joined three other families in giving $1.6 million to the university to build the Evelyn McGlothlin Campus Center. At the time, it was the single largest gift in university history.

Her daughter Caryl

Parker said although her mother preferred a cappella worship, she was never bothered by the university growing more accepting of things like instrumental worship or dancing. She supported all of her daughters when they chose to attend instrumental churches.

“They were more concerned with our relationship with Jesus,” Parker said. “I think they’ve always been open to progress.”

Every week for more than 40 years, McGlothlin met with a group of women to pray for their families. Her daughters said she still loved to be involved in college activities up until she had a fall in August and was restricted for the first time.

McGlothlin was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Dan Dollar and

WANA changes leadership, awareness focus

BY HANNAH JOHNSON STAFF REPORTER

The We Are Not Alone support group passed down leadership to Angela Burleson.

WANA is a support group for those who have suffered or are currently suffering from an eating disorder. This group is also available for people who know someone who has suffered or is suffering from eating disorders.

Angela Burleson, a graduate social work major from Abilene, is the new leader of WANA and has brought

with her some changes.

“We meet on Sundays at two o’clock in the library,” said Burleson. “I wanted it here. I think Kaila had it in her home last two years, but some of the other girls don’t have vehicles.”

“I just didn’t have the time due to my other obligations,” said Kaila Bellinghausen, a psychology and social work major from Amarillo. Bellinghausen was the former leader of WANA. Burleson said another change was the introduction to reading material. WANA members have been reading from the book, “Anorexics

and Bulimics Anonymous”

by Faith Farthing.

“It’s like a twelve-step program and it’s got different stories in each of the chapters,” said Lani Ford, a freshman English and convergence journalism major from Athens, Texas. “It teaches me that I’m not the only one that has this problem and it’s kind of like that ‘Oh! You too!’ moment that you need.”

Ford said she contributed to WANA by making the flyers and putting them up around campus.

According to the Collegiate Survey Project done

by the National Eating Disorders Association, the rate of eating disorders among college students surveyed from one college increased from nearly 8 percent to 25 percent for males and from about 24 percent to 32.6 percent for females over a 13 year period.

“Given that eating disorders are the mental illness with the highest mortality rate early detection, intervention and treatment is extremely important and gives an individual the best chance of recovery,” according to the same study.

To Burleson, the goal

is to give access to help for these students on the ACU campus.

“We want the anorexics, the bulimics, the over-eaters, the exercise addicts, the insulin bulimics, and all different types of eating disorders,” said Burleson.

Burleson said she wants WANA to be like Alcoholics Anonymous for its anonymity and its trust to keep secrets that are expressed as a way to cope.

“Our secrets make us sick,” said Burleson.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Seekers of the Word performs Christian skits

BY BRIAN SWEET STAFF REPORTER

Seekers of the Word performed its show titled “GPS” Sunday night in Cullen Auditorium.

Seekers of the Word is a drama ministry that performs humorous and dramatic skits with Christian values for students and local youth ministries across Abilene and elsewhere. Seekers include students from different majors who want to share the message of God through drama. Auditions take place each fall.

“God, People and Self ” was the original name for the show, said Sarah Dillinger, junior secondary social studies major from Pittsburgh. During one of Seekers meetings, someone noticed the acronym was GPS and they decided to use that for promotion.

“All of our skits are written by Seekers and are based upon a Bible verse,”

PHOTO BY BRIAN SWEET Seekers of the Word introducing themselves at their performance entitled, “GPS.” she said. Members “meet up and look through the current skits we have, pick several and then order them in a way that the audience’s emotions and energy flows from one skit into the next.”

Seekers doesn’t perform just on campus; they reach out to youth groups from different churches in and around Abilene to plan performances at their lo-

cations as well.

Lindsay Stivers, a psychology and youth ministry senior from Coppell, serves as the Seekers public relations officer and reaches out to youth groups in the area.

“Essentially my job is to find and plan performances for us,” she said. “I’m in communication with a lot of churches in and out of the Abilene area. A lot

WITH COACH ADAM DORREL, GRANT BOONE AND HANNAH NULL

WATCH SATURDAYS @acuvideo

AT 11 AM ON K TAB -T V

of times we will look for new opportunities for performances. So basically, my job is to reach out to churches and find new performances and getting that all planned out for us.”

Dillinger said being in Seekers is “amazing.”

“I have been in this group since my freshman year at ACU and the members have become a family to me,” she said. “I

am proud of our performances and in the hard work each member puts into practice. I love that this group is God-centered and dedicated to showing God’s messages through the medium of acting.”

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

grandson Bryce Oliver. Survivors include her husband, Ray McGlothlin, Jr., daughters Karyn Henley, Nita Rampey, Danna Oliver and Caryl Parker; sister Dot Lincoln Cunningham; ten grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will take place at Hillcrest Church of Christ Friday, October 13 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for gifts to the Ray and Kay McGlothlin Scholarship Fund at Abilene Christian University, Hillcrest Church of Christ Zambian Mission Fund, World Christian Broadcasting, Pregnancy Resources of Abilene, or a charity of the donor’s choice.

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

ART IN ABILENE

Art seniors display pieces

BY ASHLAN SMITH STAFF REPORTER

Graduating seniors have the opportunity to showcase their art that they have created over the years. The show will end Friday.

‘Uncommon‘ was the show that was showcased this week with graduating seniors: Ben Price, graphic design and advertising major from Abilene; Allison Davis, a fine art major from Abilene; and Trey Jackson, a graphic design and advertising major, from North Richland Hills.

I think we all worked well as a group as we planned, and set up the show as well. Show week can be very stressful and I think we handled it well,” Jackson said.

Students showcase their creations in the Shore Gallery, and visitors get a full gallery experience when they walk in. It is a collaborative experience for the seniors, and it highlights their projects.

The next senior show will take place Dec. 1 and will include four senior shows of the six graduating seniors.

The faculty show will take place in the Shore for a month.

The gallery stays open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

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FRIDAY OCTOBER 6, 2017

LIGHTING A 'FIRE' Rankin will be recognized at the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger for her unpublished novel Strange Fire

Sherry Rankin qualifies as one of the five finalists for the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger competition in London.

WRITTEN AND PHOTO BY EMILY GUAJARDO ARTS AND FEATURES EDITOR

I

n the nooks and crannies of the Hardin Administration building, one office is dimly lit with photos, figures and Victorian paintings hanging along every inch of the small white walls.

With a rolling case and a green cardigan, Sherry Rankin, assistant professor of language and literature, plops onto her seat as countless books on mounted shelves surround and embrace her. Mementos of her loved ones and personal interests stand proudly as the dim light gives glimpses into the real life of Rankin.

It was the office of a true writer – bold, calming and literarily inspiring.

Rankin said she first began her writing dreams when she was just a child in New Jersey. Composing and creating countless stories, Rankin said she always found ways to write and never grew tired of it until she went off to college.

“I was a big fan of murder mysteries as a kid,” said Rankin shortly. “I wrote excessively starting really young as a child and all through high school and stopped in college just because I didn’t have time. After that, I got married and had a family and I just stopped writing. It wasn’t until a few years ago I started writing my New Year’s resolutions, and I said ‘I want to write a murder mystery.'"

Over the span of five intense years with countless rewrites, writing support groups and doubts, Rankin had finished her work. Strange Fire was finished. Following the life of Abel Morales, a university security guard who discovers the murder of a student, Rankin said she wanted to convey the message and awareness of human traffick-

ing that occurs across the borders surrounding the United states.

Rankin expressed how through the characters, Rankin understood how the characters felt and where they wanted to go within the plot – she was just the receiver.

“We think of slavery in the U.S. as something that is long gone, and it’s not,” said Rankin. “So, I just thought ‘Well, I want to write a murder mystery,’ so I could write about something that could have some sort of social benefit that tells people about something that’s really happening in the world.”

Although Rankin’s novel has not yet been published, Rankin said she was interested in finishing it once in for all. If there was any New Year’s resolution, this was one she had to complete.

“I always said I wanted to write a novel at some point in my life and I don’t care if I never get published or anything, I just want to be able to say ‘that was a goal I had and I did it,” said Rankin.

And she did.

U

pon reaching her goal, Rankin decided to send her novel to the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger competition in London for the possibility of being noticed or at least be try to see where "Strange Fire" could land. It wasn’t long before Rankin received the email that her novel was selected as part of the top five short list among the hundreds of entries submitted. Just like one of Rankin’s favorite novelists, Louise Penny, Rankin will be honored in London later this month as one of unpublished finalists for an award

presented by the association. Along with countless recognized authors, Rankin said she was shocked to even be selected.

“I honestly was very surprised,” said Rankin as she laughs a bit. “I was like how on earth can I be in the top five among all the other people who entered and I thought there has to be a mistake. And I haven’t read the other entries, so I don’t know if I agree with them that I should be on the list, but I’m very excited about it and it’s very affirming.”

As novelists across the world may know, the process of writing is tiresome and weary. With countless pages, corrections, edits, name changes and self-doubt, one needs affirmation to tell you to keep going.

“Writing a novel is such a solitary thing,” said Rankin.

“I’m part of a writing group with a couple of other professors here and we meet and share what we’re writing and that got me through it. Writing is such a solitary thing and all the thoughts in your head say ‘you can’t do this’ and so, it’s nice to see this and say ‘well, maybe the last five years of my life weren’t wasted’.”

Rankin believes she doesn’t think she’ll ever stop writing unless she feels inclined to. Rankin thinks the genre she’s chosen lends itself to more sequels (like the one she is currently writing).

Perhaps someday, one could see a published Rankin book on the shelves of the local bookstore.

EAG13A@ACU.EDU

PICK A BOOK. READ A BOOK. SLEEPING BEAUTIES

STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING

Combining two King minds, Stephen and Owen write a conjoined novel following the lives of Clint and Lila Norcross, a couple in West Virgina. After a strange epidemic causes certain women to fall into a deep sleep and forming a cocoon.

When awoken, the women begin to try to commit homocidal acts as the men react uproaring the cocooned women, diasters start occuring. Will the women ever awaken? What is really going on?

Unlike what most people are led to believe, racism was built not by hatered but by some of the nation's most brillant minds. Ibram X. Kendi decides to chroniclizes the begining ideas of racism from both an academic, intellectual and social standpoint. Following the lives of five major intellectuals of early American history, Kendi finds how anti-black ideas were fed to us from the very start.

Fiction | Mystery, Thriller

Nonfiction | Social Issues, Historical

Comments: Kendi combines both fact and narration to validate his point. - EAG

Comments: Just another King book worth reading. - EAG

WHAT HAPPENED

Nonfiction | Autobiography

NEVER LET ME GO Fiction | Drama, Dystopia

After the events of the 2016 Presidental election, Hillary Clinton gives her intimate view of what it was like to run, be the first female nominee and lose right at the last second. Being her third memoir, Clinton hopes to portray her true feelings about the election– the whole truth.

Set in a dystopian world, the reader follows the life of Kathy, a clone organ donor destined to only reproduce organs duirng her lifetime. Because of Kathy's great physical health, Kathy is raised in a boarding school along with other donors. Knowing that her life is about to end, Kathy decides to break the rules and live life before she goes under the knife (or until her new clone appears).

Comments: Even if you didn't vote for her, you should read it.

Maybe gain some insight. - EAG

Comments: If you like wierd novels, this one is worth a shot. - EAG

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 13, 2017

OP IN ION

Taco Faceoff: Students choose La Pop

5

THE ISSUE

Students need to know the best tacos in town.

OUR TAKE

The Editorial Board chose La Popular & Cafe as the best taco shop in Abilene.

Tacos abound in Abilene so our staff set out to decide which was the best of the best. First we asked our Twitter followers to choose between 1881, La Popular & Cafe, Mi Ranchito and Fuzzy’s Tacos. La Popular won. Then we asked students to choose between Rosa’s Cafe & Tortilla Factory, Chipotle, Los Arcos or other taco shops. Rosa’s won that poll. So we decided to compare the top two. We used polling across social media, taste tests and a comparison of review scores on Yelp. Ultimately, the choice was easy: La Popular won our contest and the competition wasn’t even close.

PRICE 1. MEXICAN DINNER PLATE ROSA’S

$6.69 LA POP

$7.00 2. ENCHILADAS ROSAS

2 for $6.99 LA POP

4 for $6.00 3. SAUSAGE AND EGG TACO ROSAS

$2.79 LA POP

$1.75

CARTOON BY ERNESTO GUAJARDO

Twitter Poll with 99 Votes

TOTAL YELP 3.5 out of 5 for La Pop 3.5 out of 5 for Rosas

TASTE ROSAS Rosas provides food for low prices, but the quality leaves something to be desired LA POP La Popular offers authentic Mexican food at low prices which any college student can appreciate.

ACU STUDENTS 78% for La Pop 22% for Rosas

You have time to breathe

#ACUtweets

I’M JESS SAYIN’

@LAURA_CORRAL8 10/11/17 9:55 P.M. If someone makes a point to emphasize how exhausted you look, they could at least offer to buy you Starbucks....

I’m just saying @LAINERZZZ 10/11/17 8:50 A.M. have you ever dreaded a test so much that you just decide your better off just skipping it @ALLIEEGARRISON 9/30/17 2:22 A.M. Man, I just love ACU and all of its weird cult pledging activities @CHASE_1ANDONLY 9/25/17 1:36 P.M. I watch espn for sports, not your political views. Just do your job

JESSICA CLARK VIDEO DIRECTOR Senior Multimedia Major Dallas, Texas

Here we are again. Midterms are upon us, and even if you’re not in a classes that give a midterm exam, the middle of the semester is still probably giving you that feeling of perpetual drowning.

I’ve recently picked up a book called Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung. The book struck a cord with me the other day. In it DeYoung warns of three dangers of busyness, the first being

that it steals our joy. That probably strikes a chord with all of us right now, and I just want to say don’t let it happen to you.

Don’t spend this time just getting by and wishing away your semester. Think about it in total. It’s fair to say college is the best four years of your life to this point, don’t let busyness ruin that.

Do the things that make that true. Don’t get me

wrong, school is important, you are in fact a student first. Work is important, getting as much of that real world experience as you can is a valuable thing. But when we feel like it has to become everything we’ve crossed the line.

So, with midterms in sight, study for that test.

But before you study for that test take a minute to breathe. In the middle of studying, take some time, maybe even a few hours, to do that thing you thing you think you don’t have time for. Take a day to recuperate. Don’t skip class, don’t blow off work, but don’t skip church, or that social event, or that one class to get ahead on that other

class. I promise, there are enough hours in a day for you to live life, don’t rob yourself of that.

I may sound crazy, but just remember a few things if the idea of even juggling all of that stresses you out.

It comes down to this: people are more important than that accolade you’re chasing. Your spiritual life is more important than your GPA. Your well being is more important than your to do list. So live life with joy when it seems like you should be drowning.

JMC13F@ACU.EDU

Ask Sawyer: Nutrition major How to show light in a dark world shares healthy recipe Pumpkin Spice Pancakes *1 serving, makes 2-3 pancakes* Ingredients: 1/3 cup whole wheat flour 1 TBSP coconut oil 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp pumpkin spice seasoning 1/4 cup milk 1 egg pinch of salt Instructions: 1. Mix it all up 2. Spray a skillet and turn your stove top to medium heat 3. Begin scooping out 1/3 cup of batter onto the skillet at a time 4. Add chocolate chips to the batter if you want and once you’re done, top with some butter/peanut butter/whatever you like 5. Enjoy!

Adding pumpkin to your pancakes not only makes them taste delicious, but you get an added serving of vegetables and a great source of Vitamin A! This recipe includes a protein, carb, and fat source so it makes for a great, balanced breakfast choice!

Have a great weekend, make these pancakes, and check out, “TheWholesomeblog.com” or my Instagram page @sawyerfaith for more recipes!

HOT OFF THE PRESTON MAX PRESTON ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Junior Convergence Journalism Major Amarillo, Texas

Our nation has gone through tough times in the past years and we added another depressing event Monday night with the shooting and killing of a Texas Tech police officer.

Not to mention, we’re only a couple weeks removed from the Las Vegas shooting that killed 58 people.

We could go on and on about the shootings or events that have divided our country in recent years, but I think it’s time we start thinking about how we can keep these tragedies from happening, and I don’t mean in the gun control way.

Placing restrictions on guns or getting rid of them is not going to solve problems, because criminals are

T H E

EDITORIAL AND LETTER POLICY Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Optimist and may not necessarily reflect the views of the university or its administration.

Signed columns, cartoons and letters are the opinions of their creators and may not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Optimist or the university.

The Optimist encourages reader response through letters to the editor but reserves the right to limit frequent contributors or to refuse to print letters containing personal attacks, obscenity, defamation, erroneous information or

invasion of privacy. Please limit letters to 350 words or fewer. A name and phone number must be included for verification purposes.

Phone numbers will not be published.

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79609 E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu

criminals and they will find a way to get their hands on one whether it’s against the law or not.

I think that as citizens of this still wonderful and prosperous country, we need to reach the people on a more deeper and spiritual level, a way that can have a positive impact on their life and not just another restriction added to their laws.

In many of the most recent cases, the desire of a person that starts a shooting begins with a feeling betrayal or emptiness.

That person feels like they have nothing left to give or doesn’t receive much attention from their peers.

This can build up to angriness or the feeling of

wanting to turn on the people surrounding them because they won’t show that person affection.

Finally, hatred gathers up to the point of where they want to hurt their surroundings and show them how they feel.

A shooting is the representation of a person wanting to take others down with them and prove a point before usually capping off the tragedy with suicide, due to their perceived lack of worth.

The sad thing about this entire process, is that it can be fixed with a simple helping hand to these people.

Simply smiling and asking someone how they’re doing could give that person a needed boost to their confidence or self-worth. The rise in shootings is not a gun issue, it’s a heart issue and one we can all fix together.

There have been numerous stories where people have stopped themselves from going any deeper in

their feeling of separation, because one person was there to make them feel loved before it was too late.

Ending these tragedies doesn’t start with praying for an area after the event happened, but rather showing kindness and compassion to those around us before it happens.

Sure it’s up to a person of whether or not they want to cause a tragedy in the end, but we don’t do our part in society when we leave an individual out and make them feel unwanted.

We cause division in our country and high chances of fatalities when we simply don’t show support to our peers in the beginning.

All I’m really trying to say is that in a world of darkness, we need to show light to those around us in order to come together as a nation.

MJP14B@ACU.EDU

O P T IM IST

published by the department of journalism and mass communication staff and management board

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6

SPORTS

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 13, 2017

STANDINGS Team

UCA McNeese Nicholls SELU SHSU ACU SFA NWSU HBU Lamar UIW

CHRISTI LIM GRAPHIC DESIGNER

BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS DIRECTOR

The Wildcats three-game road trip that began with McNeese will come to a close Saturday night against the top-ranked blocking team in the conference in Houston Baptist.

ACU enters the match after Nicholls State staved off a late comeback and upset the Wildcats in Thibodaux, Louisiana, last weekend. The Colonels jumped out to a two-set lead with a dominant 25-12 win in game one and a 25-22 victory in set two. The Wildcats responded with a 25-21 win and a convincing victory of their own in game four, 2516. However, it was Nicholls holding off ACU 15-8 in the final set.

The team’s road doesn’t get any easier, as it takes on two top-five teams in HBU and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi over the next week.

Not only do the Huskies boast the top blocking unit in the Southland, led by Blair Gillard with 1.41 per set, but they also bring the second-best attack in the league.

HBU averages 13.76 kills per set, just behind Central Arkansas’ 13.97. The offensive attack is spearheaded by another league leader in Bailey Banks, who is averaging 3.84 kills per set.

Junior libero Lillian Drever, who has been splitting time with sophomore Amanda

Chapa at the position, said the defense will have to respond quicker to the flow of the game.

“One thing that we’ve gotten better at is just being stopped on defense and then reacting and just going for it,” Drever said. “I think we can see what the other team is doing earlier and just going for that.”

For the Wildcat’s attack, freshman Katelyn Mueller, who is second on the team in kills with 161 said the offense has practiced finishing over the last week.

“I think for the offense we’re just really working on putting it away when we really need to,” Mueller said.

“We’ve been working on our block a lot too and just slowing down hits, so I think that’ll motivate our hitters to swing high and swing hard and then motivate our block to get just as many good touches.”

As of now, ACU finds itself in eighth place in the regular season Southland Conference standings. If the season ended today, the Wildcats would find themselves in the conference tournament, but pitted against the No. 1 seed in the first round. After Saturday, four of the team’s remaining games are against top-five competition, and just three come against teams outside the top-eight.

JMR13B@ACU.EDU

Team

LAUREN FRANCO CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR Dylan Owens, fights for the ball with the defender. Owens leads the team with six goals.

Soccer looks to build on 2-1 road victory

BY RACHEL POE SPORTS REPORTER

After a 2-1 victory Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Wildcats take on McNeese State and Lamar this weekend.

Junior forward Dylan Owens was a one-woman wrecking crew against the Islanders, scoring ACU’s two goals within the first 10 minutes of the match.

Owen’s first goal came in the fifth minute after senior Chloe Fifer sent her a through ball. Five minutes later Owens received another through pass, this time from sophomore Brooke Lenz, and nailed the ball into the back of the net.

Owens said her goals against the Islanders and this year have been a result of great passing from her teammates.

“This season I came in not really emphasizing scoring. I think that as a whole we kind of just were working together as a team,” Owens said.

Owen’s tied her season-high from 2015, for goals in a season with six

goals. Her two-goal scoring game was the team’s third of the 2017 campaign.

With the win, ACU improved to 4-2 in Southland Conference play, while the Islanders fell to 1-4-1. The Wildcats will look to carry momentum from last Friday’s victory into the weekend match ups against McNeese and Lamar, each of whom are tied atop the conference with 5-1 records.

The matches will be the team’s second and final game of a three-game road trip. Head coach Casey Wilson said his team is experienced on the road.

“We know that long trips are tiring and can take a lot out of you,” Wilson said. “They have an idea what the mindset needs to be, how we travel and how we break our trip down to be ready to play the game.”

A season ago, ACU faced these two teams in reverse order, taking on Lamar and then McNeese. The Wildcats picked up wins in both of those matches, with a

score of 2-1.

This weekend’s competition will feature the second-ranked scoring team in the conference in Lamar, who averages 2.14 goals per game. And the top-ranked defense in the Southland in McNeese, who boasts nine shutouts and has allowed just five goals in 13 games.

“In our four-year history against them, we lost to them 1-0 the first two years, then the last two years we won on a penalty kick in overtime, so McNeese has definitely been one of the tougher opponents we’ve had in the conference the last four years,” Wilson said.

ACU is third in the conference in goals per game at 1.92, but ranks just 10th in goals allowed at 2.04 per contest. The Wildcats have won twice as many games on the road this season, posting a 4-5 record away from Elmer Gray. But the team has played just four home games, in which it is 2-2.

RKP15A@ACU.EDU

Cross Country teams travel to Pre-Nationals

BY TREVOR WYATT SPORTS REPORTER

Cross country travels to Louisville, Kentucky, as it competes in the NCAA Div. 1 Pre-National Tournament for the first time as an eligible competitor.

The Wildcats have ran well all year, especially on the women’s side, but have not competed in two weeks due to heavy rain cancelling the inaugural Wildcat Open, which was supposed to be held on Sept.

30. Their last competition

was at the Roy Griak Invitational, where the women finished seventh overall thanks to the Hackett sisters – Michaela finishing eighth overall and Allie with a fifteenth overall finish.

Distance Coach Jarvis Jelen said the run could have gone better, but helped show where they were in preparation for Pre-Nationals.

“Overall we had an OK day as a team,” Jelen said.

“It’s expected that some people are going to have an off day when racing on a very difficult course and weather

conditions. However, we still beat some solid teams and gained valuable information to better ourselves for NCAA Pre-Nationals.”

The women have a solid starting four in the Hackett sisters, Diana García Muñoz and Carnley Graham, but head coach Lance Bingham says the fifth spot is going to be crucial.

“As a team [results] kind of depends on how that fifth runner comes along and runs well,” Bingham said. “But it looks promising, they’re really running well, I’m proud of

them, good effort.”

Bingham said the competition for that final spot has been competitive.

“We’ve got a really strong starting four,” Bingham said.

“We’ve also got a number of girls who could finish in that fifth spot- girls like [Soren] Underwood, Sierra Bennett, and even freshman Brianna [Gerlach] is running strong.”

Although it has been the women garnering much of the attention thus far, Bingham said the men could surprise some people.

“I think this meet this

week is going to be indicative of how they are going to be able to finish the season. I think they are in a good place,” Bingham said.

“They are running really well as a pack. That’s very advantageous to your team to be able to support one another and run together.”

Pre-Nationals will be held at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park. A time has yet to be determined.

MJP14B@ACU.EDU

FOOTBALL MATCHUP PREVIEW 2017 SEASON

ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (2–4)

JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS DIRECTOR

18.3

POINTS PER GAME

27.8

76.3

RUSH YPG

181.7

203.2

PASSING YPG

203.2

22

4–1 5–1 4–2 3–3 4–1 2–4 2–4 1–4 1–4 1–4 0–5

Volleyball

Lauren McNeal and Jacey Smith prepare for the serve.

Volleyball anticipating tough Huskies

Football Ovrl. SLC.

POINTS ALLOWED

MAX PRESTON

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

27

DAVIS DENTON SPORTS REPORTER

NICHOLLS STATE UNIVERSITY (4–2)

TREVOR WYATT SPORTS REPORTER

If you’re going solely based on similar matchups, then ACU will lose this game 157, as Nicholls State defeated McNeese 37-35 to open the season. But I think this game has the potential to be even closer. Both teams are averaging an exact 203.2 passing yards per contest. It’ll be a classic case of a strong defense versus a productive offense, but the bottom line is, if ACU can’t get a run game going it has little hope of pulling off the upset on the road. I’m giving the nod to the No. 23 Colonels, but with the caliber of play the defense has been producing the last four weeks, you can generally count on the Wildcats having a chance in the second half.

ACU became even more unpredictable last week when they barely lost to a top-25 team in McNeese 13-7. If the Wildcats could have been even the slightest better on offense, they most likely would have won. Same goes for the rest of their games. If the offense can play better than they have been, they have a chance in every game on the schedule, because the defense currently ranks fourth in the conference in yards per game with 367.3 and can bail the offense out. Nicholls is a tough team that gave Texas A&M a tough game and also holds a 3-0 record at home so far. I think Nicholls holds the Wildcats off in a close game.

ACU battled hard against top ranked McNeese last weekend. Despite only scoring once the Wildcats were one play away several times from a different outcome. Nicholls will be no laughing matter as the Colonels took SEC power Texas A&M to the fourth quarter before the Aggies pulled away. The Colonels boast one of the Southland’s top receivers Damion Jeanpiere Jr. Jeanpiere has 539 yards in 6 games and is averaging 26 yards a catch and 90 yards a game. The Wildcat defense is very strong but the offense is unpredictable. Dallas Sealey has thrown almost 1300 yards and accounted for 8 TD’s. ACU’s defense keeps it a low scoring game and the Cats’ topple the Colonels in Thibodaux.

Just when you think you’ve figured ACU out, they completely fake you out. Two weeks ago every analyst predicted less than 24 points but ACU scored 45. Last week most analysts predicted a high-scoring game and it was a tightly-contested defensive battle. Since Nicholls is very similar to McNeese in PPG, passing yards and points allowed, it makes sense to assume the game will be very similar to last week – although it’s definitely going to be a hard-fought battle. In this case I’m going with Nicholls based on its success against tough competition earlier this season.

FINAL SCORE: Nicholls 24 ACU 20

FINAL SCORE: Nicholls 28 ACU 21

FINAL SCORE: Nicholls 17 ACU 14

FINAL SCORE: Nicholls 20 ACU 17

SHSU HBU UCA SFA TAMU-CC NWSU McNeese ACU UIW Lamar NOU Nicholls SELU

Team

3–0 3–1 3–1 3–1 2–1 2–2 2–2 1–2 0–3 0–3 0–3

Ovrl. SLC. 9–9 14–5 16–2 16–5 8–10 8–12 12–9 6–12 3–11 3–12 7–11 3–17 2–18

Soccer

6–0 6–1 5–1 4–1 5–2 3–2 4–3 2–4 2–5 1–4 1–5 1–6 0–6

Ovrl. SLC.

McNeese 9–3–1 Lamar 10–3–1 HBU 5–4–2 UCA 7–7 SFA 7–6 ACU 6–7 Nicholls 5–8 SHSU 5–7 SELU 3–7–3 TAMU-CC 4–6–2 UIW 2–9 NWSU 5–8

5–1 5–1 4–1–1 4–2 4–2 4–2 2–4 2–4 1–3–2 1–4–1 1–5 1–5

DORREL DAILY “We get a chance to play another top-25 team, and our guys are excited Dorrel about that.

For a group of guys that haven’t had a lot of success in their careers, it’s great to see them put that chip on their shoulder knowing we’re the underdog.”

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Soccer

Junior Dylan Owens has provided a consistent burst for the Wildcat offense this Owens season. She leads the team with six goals, after she scored two in the Wildcats’ 2-1 win this season. Her sixth goal tied a career-high for goals in a season, when she scored six in 2015 as a freshman. Owens was recognized as the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

Men’s Basketball

The men’s basketball team was the only team in the conference to place more than Franklin one player on the preseason all-conference team.

Junior point guard Jaylen Franklin was recognized as one of the guards on the preseason second team. Last season, Franklin averaged 10.8 points per game and passed his way to 115 assists for the year.

This came just a year after he was named the 2015 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year.

Sophomore Jalone Friday had a breakout season last year and became the secFriday ond-straight Wildcat to earn the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year award. This season he was picked as a second-team all-conference preseason selection. Friday was the co-leader in scoring last season averaging 13.7 points per game and also came away with 34 blocks on the year.