WEDNESDAY October 24, 2007 Vol. 96, No. 17 1 sections, 8 pages www.acuoptimist.com
OPTIMIST THE
Shining a light on Jigsaw, Norman and pumpkins Halloween happenings around town to whet any guy or ghoul’s appetite, page 4
Playoff homestretch
Ghana any Change?
Group aims to ship medical supplies to students’ home country, Ghana, page 3
No. 21 ACU faces difficult challenge for the weekend, and year, for a playoff push, page 8
Southern California fires burn close to home for some By Rachel Davis Opinion Editor
Raging wildfires threatened the safety of one of ACU’s sister schools, Pepperdine University, in Malibu, Calif., on Sunday. Through emergency notifications, students were able to be safe, and the fires have illustrated how important
ACU’s new emergency text messaging system will be in the future, said ACU police chief Jimmy Ellison. Pepperdine students were roused from their dorms early and stayed in the cafeteria and other various central campus locations for most of the day, said Pepperdine student Leslie Reed, junior Spanish and German major from Atlanta.
“For us, it was safer to stay on campus than leave,” Reed said. “Roads were closed, and the winds were so unpredictable that trying to leave would have been more hazardous. Sporadic fires in the [Malibu Creek] Canyon and the highway would have made it very difficult to get out.” Reed said her roommate
did leave Malibu and made it to a nearby town, but fires were there as well. “She would have been safer on campus,” Reed said. Ellison said when it comes to emergency planning, there’s no way to have a plan for each emergency that may occur. “You can’t have 957 plans for each emergency,” Ellison said. “That’s not re-
alistic. You need one plan that is strong enough to address every need and adapt to everything that might come up. The difficulty with emergency planning is that you can’t have a one-sizefits-all approach.” Pepperdine has its own fire department and a vegetation barrier around campus that is watered all the
time, Reed said. “To get to the campus, a fire would have to burn through wet grass and other vegetation,” Reed said. Ellison said most universities in Texas don’t have their own fire departments, but ACU is fortunate in its proximity to an Abilene fire See
FIRES page 5
Folding Up the Big Top ‘Greatest show’ comes to an end
Queen fulfills lifelong dream
By Sara Snelson Arts Editor
This year’s Homecoming, “The Greatest Homecoming on Earth,” had no problem standing up to last year’s centennial Homecoming. Jama Cadle, Alumni Events coordinator, said the 2007 Homecoming was comparable to last year’s, and there may have been a greater turnout. “Last year, there was so much publicity about it being the centennial year that a lot of people had already visited the campus before Homecoming, so the Homecoming
By Denton Josey Features Editor
Lauryn Lewis was shocked to win Homecoming Queen, but she had ACU history on her side. Lewis, senior English education and integrated marketing communication major from Houston, was crowned the 2007 Homecoming Queen during Saturday’s football game at Shotwell Stadium. When she heard her name called as the winner, Lewis was surprised. “I was real shocked, I turned and looked at my dad, and we had the same shocked expression,” Lauryn said. “It was so special for me and my family, having them all there to experience that with me. I was so surprised and honored for that recognition. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.” Before halftime, Lauryn and her father, Guy “Mojo” Lewis (’80), were talking in the bleachers about her journey to ACU. Lauryn’s parents, Guy and Holly Lewis, graduated from ACU in 1980 and won the awards for Mr. ACU and Miss ACU. Mrs. Lewis was also on Homecoming court in the Fall of 1979. When she was a baby, her father would sing “Dear Christian College” to her, Lauryn said, and on her first day of preschool, she wore an ACU cheerleading outfit. See
QUEEN page 5
See
SHOW page 5
brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Lauryn Lewis, senior English education and integrated marketing communication major from Houston, reacts after hearing her name announced as the 2007 Homecoming Queen on Saturday at Shotwell Stadium.
feeling was somewhat forgotten about,” Cadle said. This year, minor things were tweaked in activities, such as adding another stage for JamFest, and a reunion mixer was added at the carnival so old friends could see each other more through out the weekend. Not all of the numbers from the weekend are calculated, but the alumni office estimates about 2,500 alumni showed up this year for Homecoming, and about 84 students volunteered for various activities.
Shaelee Gibson, 4, rears back as she prepares to hit the strength test game at the Homecoming carnival on Friday in the campus mall area.
Former congressmen discuss controversial issues with students By Lauren Sutton Copy Editor
Conversation about political issues ranging from social security to global warming remained cordial and a bit humorous as students of both political parties met with two former congressmen to exchange ideas and engage in a politically oriented dialogue. Republican Arlen Erdahl, congressman from 1979 to 1983, and Democrat Norman D’Amours, congressman from 1975-1985, answered questions at a College Democrats forum Monday night
to a student audience as part of the program Congress to Campus. “I didn’t think it would be so interesting, seeing their knowledge in politics,” said College Democrats president Donovan Plummer, junior communications major from Mesquite. “They’ve been around, and their analysis and opinions were so amazing. That hour flew by.” Throughout the forum, the former congressmen stressed individual responsibility, involvement in politics and global learning. “We tend to be a nation of international illiterates,”
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
said Erdahl, who served as the Country Director for the Peace Corps in Jamaica from 1983 to 1989. “I think it’s also a good reason to be involved in partisan politics. It’s easier to be on the outside throwing rocks, but it’s much more exciting to be involved.” A large portion of Monday night’s conversation dealt with issues related to the 2008 Presidential election. D’Amours focused on the importance of preserving the New Deal, making reference to the health care bill Bush recently vetoed, while Erdahl talked about the need
to improve upon the Republican Party for the upcoming election. But both congressmen agreed that though the politicians might disagree on various issues, America is better for having more than one political party. “I would not want to live in a country with one party,” D’ Amours said. “I’d become a Republican before I agreed to having one party.” The congressmen also discussed domestic issues including social security, education and America’s response to global warming, and as See
FORUM page 5
todd piersall STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Arlen Erdahl, Republican congressman from Minnesota, and Norman D’Amours, Democratic congressman from New Hampshire, speak at the Congress to Campus event in the Campus Center Living Room on Monday.
Abilene Christian University
Serving the ACU community since 1912