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Voters speak up Abilenians face the rain to make it to the polls Features Page 5 vol. 103, no. 21

wednesday november 5, 2014

1 SECTION, 6 PAGES

what’s INSIDE NEWS Bible professors prepare for Carmichael Walling lectures Page 3

SPORTS Kade Munden, ‘Cats upset UCA in Plano on Saturday

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FO’DRIZZLE

OPINION Jumping in on the comments section online too fast or too furious reminds us of a literary classic Page 4

jarred schuetze chief Photographer

Students dodge puddles and huddle under umbrellas during the consistent all-day downpour on Tuesday.

NEWS Students share art work from their summer travels abroac Page 3

ACU moves to new insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shied fails to renew with Hendrick allison brown managing editor

OPINION How would other departments react if they were to face a “restructure” proposal?

ACU will switch to a new insurance provider beginning Jan. 1. Blue Cross Blue Shield has been the university’s provider in the past, but because Blue Cross’s contract expired with Hendrick Medical Center, ACU made the decision to move to a new provider, Cigna. Hendrick and Blue

Cross began negotiations to renew their contract about one year ago. Over the course of negotiations, Hendrick sent letters to clients telling them an agreement might not be reached between the hospital and Blue Cross. Blue Cross is known for getting the best deal for their clients, but hadn’t increased its reimbursement rates to Hendrick since 2010. During the negotiations, Hendrick asked that

Blue Cross pay the same rates it pays hospitals comparable to Hendrick in size and services. “The cost to provide care and run our hospital continues to increase every year,” said Tim Lancaster, president and CEO of Hendrick Health System, in a letter to clients on May 21. “Years of below-market payments have created an unsustainable gap that has widened considerably each year.” This “unsustainable gap” continued to shadow over the negotiations between the two parties.

“They are at complete polar opposites and can’t find any common ground over what the rate should be,” said Wendy Jones, ACU’s chief human resources officer. “Both have really painted the other side as the bad guy, a ‘he said, she said’ kind of thing.” Blue Cross felt strongly about offering the best rates for clients and Hendrick felt strongly about being paid fairly, but the two parties were unable to reach an agreement before the contract expired on June 30. Hendrick sent a

letter to all clients covered by Blue Cross, stating Hendrick Health System would be out of network as of July 1. Hendrick and Blue Cross continued meetings throughout the summer and into the fall, and as of Oct. 17, the two decided no agreement could be reached for the remainder of 2014 and most likely all of 2015. “If we were in the Metroplex, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal because there’s four or five hospitals in a

“Way before the conference, we submitted a video to compete for Chapter of the Year,” said Rudy Garza, president of ACU CEO. “We came to find out a few weeks later that we had been selected as one of the three finalists.” Garza, junior marketing major from Corpus Christi, made an additional presentation at the actual conference to determine the eventual winner. Bryant University in Rhode Island took first place, but the Wildcats beat in-state opponent Texas A&M University for second place. “Rudy did a great job of getting our name out there

and making this program something to really be proud of,” said Shane Birchfield, member of ACU CEO. “Rudy works on a weekly basis to make this program worth our while.” This is the fourth year ACU has had a CEO chapter, but it was their first time to attend the conference. More than 40 schools and 1,000 students from across the country participated in the conference. The format of the event was not unlike the average ACU CEO small group Chapel. Entrepreneurs spoke to students about their climb

to success in business, something Garza offers his members on a weekly basis. “Every week, we bring in a guest entrepreneur, and I just interview them about how to get from where we are as students to where they are as business owners,” Garza said. “Its all about letting students see what being an entrepreneur in their space is like.” Since Garza took over as president, he has dramatically increased the size of the program. The organization went to more than 200 members from 30 members. Nearly 10 percent of the ACU student body has at-

tended an ACU CEO event, Garza said. Still, Birchfield believes the success of the organization rests not in its size but in the quality of the material presented to students. “I am in it because I really like how it lets students see the thought processes of these entrepreneurs,” said Birchfield, junior management major from Lubbock. “It gets me in the right mindset for what I want to do in the future.”

ate about. The idea would be the product the student would perform at the TEDxACU event. “It didn’t have to be academic, but it could be,” said Lauren Lemley, organizer for TEDxACU. “A lot of people speak about just life experiences and understanding people. It doesn’t necessarily all have to be research-based. The talk can’t be a sermon, it can’t advocate for a political candidate and it can’t sell anything. There are limits around those things.” The process of choosing the finalists was set from selecting the candidates who followed the direct set of guidelines for TED talks. “It was a panel decision,” Lemley said. “Partially, it was ‘did they inherit all of the rules of the contest,’

and as long as they fulfilled the requirements of the contest. We went through them and looked at a combination of who’s a good presenter, who has good presentation skills and also someone who has a really interesting and captivating idea.” Carstens, junior biochemistry and biblical text major from College Station, is eager and passionate about expressing his idea. “The title of the talk is ‘Art is Not Entertainment,’”

Carstens said. “So it’s about exploring the idea of art and how we view it as entertainment and as a way to pass the time and something to do. Really, it’s more of a way of communication and a way to be educated in culture and about the world.” TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to reaching out to a mass audience and spreading worthy ideas. TED started as a conference in California in 1984 and has grown to support and suggest world-changing

ideas. At TED conferences, the world’s leading thinkers and doers present a live talk of their lives in less than 20 minutes. At ACU, one student will get the chance to be the first ever speaker for the event. “Whoever gets chosen will be our actual first speaker for the contest,” Lemley said.

see insurance page 3

Entrepreneurs take 2nd place nationally

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reese gwin staff reporter

SPORTS Volleyball falls in five sets against rival Incarnate Word

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INTRAMURALS Intramurals is moving to the Rec Center. Daniel Block talks pool and gym this week. Page 2

ACU’s Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization came in second place for the nation’s top CEO chapter at the organization’s national conference in Orlando, Florida, last weekend. Fourteen students and Dr. Jim Litton, faculty sponsor of ACU Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization, traveled to the annual event after learning they had been recognized as one of the top three chapters in the nation and a finalist for an award.

Students compete for chance to speak hannah little sports producer

what’s online VIDEO Library remodels and rearranges adding new automatic shelving downstairs