The Optimist Print Edition 2.13.15

‘TIL THE COWS LEAVE HOME AES RIDES OUT CLOSURE see special section vol. 103, no. 36

friday, february 13, 2015

2 SECTION, 20 PAGES

IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

above photos by JARRED SCHUETZE chief Photographer

AUSTIN KILCULLEN Staff Photographer

‘Countdown’ brings Sing Song faces back to Moody Coliseum for the 59th annual competition. Sixteen upstage acts and a variety of downstage acts will entertain thousands.

inside news

opinion

feature

news

Speakers selected for TEDxACU event in April

Hal Hoots the Owl is back with his Sing Song predictions

After 57 years, this Sing Song composer writes his last act

Upstage acts threatend with point deductions for misconduct

page 11

page 4

Page 5

page 6

Abilene Christian University

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friday

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saturday Tyson Invitational track meet at the University of Arkansas 2 p.m. Softball vs. Prairie View A&M University 4 p.m. Baseball vs.

University of Nevada

sunday 9 a.m. Women’s tennis matches

12:30 Alumni Day luncheon

2 p.m. Sing Song

1 p.m. Baseball vs.

University of Nevada

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monday

Golf at University of Texas Pan-American Classic Track at Southland Conference Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama

2 p.m. Baseball vs.

University of Nevada 8 p.m. Sing Song

6:30 p.m. Men’s basketball at Sam Houston State University

7 p.m. Sing Song

Announcements

Chapel checkup To date:

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Remaining:

24 49 @acuoptimist The Optimist

The Shinnery Review is now accepting submissions of original works through March 1.

Email all submissions to shinnery@acu.edu.

The ACU Theatre winter musical is The Marvelous Wonderettes, a show about four girls in high school in 1958. Shows will be at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and Sat. and Feb. 20-21 in Fulks Theatre.

Tickets are $15.

Samaritan’s Purse is hiring for numerous paid internships. Apply by Feb. 28 at intern.samaritanspurse.org.

V is for Violin will run Feb. 2628 in Culp Theatre. Written by Brittany Taylor, an ACU alumna, the play captures a close-up view of a couple struggling to make sense of love, choice and personal responsibility as citiAre you free this summer and zens of the world. Go to acu. in need of a job? Are you en- edu/theatre for ticket prices ergetic, love being around and show times. children, and have a passion for Jesus? Then ACU Leader- Need to practice interviews? ship Camps may be for you. ACU Career Center is offering If you have any questions, we mock interviews Feb. 23-27. are located downstairs in the Meet with ACU alumni and huCampus Center, Room 29. Ap- man resources professionals to ply online at acucamps.com/ network and receive feedback apply. on your interviewing skills. Visit A limited number of $20 student tickets to TEDxACU will be awarded in early March. Applications are due March 1. You can apply today at acu.edu/ tedxacu/studentapp.

acu.edu/careercenter for more information and to select a time.

The ACU Undergraduate Research Festival is almost here!

Come to Hunter Welcome Center Tuesday, March 31, to support undergraduate researchers during our 7th annual festival.

Spoken Word Chapel will meet Tuesdays in the Onstead Packer Biblical Studies Building Room 250. If you enjoy poetry, come listen, share, and be ministered to by Christ-centered poetry.

optimist@acu.edu police log SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK OF FEB. 5-12, 2014 02/05/2015 9:47 a.m. Employees in the Teague Special Events Center reported a suspicious mentally disturbed person entering offices and talking to himself. He was last seen walking towards the tennis courts but not found by responding officers.

02/06/2015 11:44 p.m. ACUPD responded to a prowler call; the reporting party did not see the prowler but heard noises. Officers were unable to locate anyone suspicious in the area.

02/10/2015 11:27 a.m. ACUPD responded to a noise violation in the 500 block of EN 23rd St. A warning was issued, and the party was closed.

02/10/2015 11:33 p.m. ACUPD responded to a noise violation call; a vehicle was playing loud music in the parking lot of the Heritage Park apartments.

No violation was found.

02/12/2015 2:43 a.m. ACUPD assisted APD on a prowler call in the 1300 block of Cedar Crest Drive. The area was checked, but no one was found. Caller had no description.

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news

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austin kilcullen staff photographer

The students of ACU perform during media night of Sing Song week.

Sing Song theme rocks around the clock Brittany Jackson managing editor With nothing but time on the clock, Sing Song is going through a “countdown” for this year’s performance.

The theme centers on the music industry’s biggest hits throughout the past few decades, paying special attention to the American musicperformance show era.

“It’s a nod to the famous countdown programs in our music industry throughout the past 40 years,” said Tom Craig, director of student activities and productions.

“We’ve hit on multiple generations from the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, all the way to the present.”

Craig said the theme is a convolution of shows like television’s American Bandstand, Soul Train and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and radio’s Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 countdown.

“One of the things that

really excited us was how songs have become iconic elements of specific generations based on their playtime, whether it be on the radio, on the jukebox, on an iPod or an MP3,” he said.

As the other themes were tossed around, and the running list of ideas kept getting longer, Craig kept coming back to the counting down idea.

“So, as it evolved, we saw movies like Hairspray, which is a take-off on American Band Stand, and the concept started coming together from there,” Craig said. “That setting from that movie is kind of the encapsulation of what we are recreating here on the Sing Song stage.”

In fact, the beginning and ending songs of the show, Bandstand Boogie and You Can’t Stop the Beat, are taken from American Bandstand and Hairspray.

The atmosphere is set up to allow the audience to expe-

rience what being in a studio during a taping of a show like American Bandstand would be like.

“From the DJ booth to the studio audience to the house band and singers on the stage, everything is evolving around that show concept and the countdown theme,” he said. “You will see the theme developed through the atmosphere on stage, what’s going on, what costumes people are wearing, all the way to the upstage where they have incorporated different forms of countdown in almost every act.”

The host and hostesses’ acts will have every audience member reminiscing the past. Every chosen song was featured on a countdown, many of them hitting No. 1 on multiple charts around the world, which is how Craig found them.

“We picked our songs by scouring through years and years of Billboard charts,” he

ACUPD manages limited parking spaces josh levinson student reporter The ACU Police Department is working on a plan that will help visitors for Sing Song adapt to the loss of more than 300 parking spaces on campus.

ACUPD is putting all officers on duty to help direct traffic and lead drivers to proper parking areas on campus.

“There’s no perfect solution to it, but we’re going to make it work, we do every year,” said ACUPD Lt. Randy Motz.

The north side parking area, or the Big Purple parking lot by Edwards Hall, is the closest lot to Moody but is also obstructed by the soccer/track stadium construction.

One of the major obstacles is the closure of Oliver Jackson Boulevard which runs from Ambler into the Big Purple lot. This leaves

only one entrance and exit for the lot.

Anticipating the traffic, ACUPD has already addressed ways to navigate the issue with its officers.

“We have a plan,” Motz said. “We have officers in place to help people in and out of Big Purple (parking lot) safely, but it’ll be slower, and it’ll be a challenge.”

Sing Song isn’t the only event taking place this weekend. The Department of Theatre will also present their production of The Marvelous Wonderettes, and there will be a number of athletics events including baseball and softball games.

But Motz is no stranger to big-event traffic.

“We’ve been real fortunate (in the past); we have enough people on duty and enough traffic control, and as long as people are patient and not in a hurry, we’ve done well,” Motz said. “The biggest thing we might have is just people being frus-

trated because they’re going to come to their usual route and they’re going to find out that route no longer exists.

Things look a little different on that part of campus now.”

A lot of the people coming in town to see Sing Song will be families of the students.

“My parents sort of expected not to have the easiest time parking last year, so I don’t think they’ll be surprised this year,” said Ross DeJarnatt, junior biochemistry from Jackson, Tennessee.

During Sing Song weekend, ACUPD will not be checking for parking stickers. However, to get to Moody it will most likely involve some walking. If drivers plan to show up early, they should expect a far less stressful parking experience.

contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

said. “So, they all have been very popular songs in their generations.”

The show also acknowledges two calendar events during the performances: The hosts and hostesses will perform Stevie Wonder’s Superstition in honor of Friday the 13th, while their rendition of the Beatles’ All You Need Is Love is dedicated to Valentine’s Day. The show has one last twist: the production team and representatives from each participating act will join the host and hostesses in the last performance.

Singing the No. 1 song of all time, based on Billboard’s Hot 100, they will dance to Chubby Checkers’ song, The Twist.

“It will be an exciting recreation of a movement that started to sweep the nation in the ‘60s, and that’ll be a lot of fun,” Craig said.

Craig said tickets are still “There’s still plenty of on sale for Friday’s 8 p.m. options to see the show,” show, though it’s two-thirds he said. full already. Saturday’s shows contact jackson at at 2 and 8 p.m., however, are bkj12a@acu.edu both sold out.

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Trojans, Kojies return to defend titles abbey bowling student reporter Students have spent weeks preparing for the Friday night opening of Sing Song to put on a show that tops last year’s Valentine’s Day-themed musical.

Last year, the Trojans and Kojies claimed the titles in their categories, putting a target on their backs. But they plan on defending those titles this year with captivating acts that will put up a fight for first place.

The Trojans have won two years in a row and won’t give up their title easily, so they’re willing to take risks during their act as the beast from Beauty and the Beast.

“We’re actually wearing masks this year, and I don’t know if that’s something that anybody’s ever tried,” said Jesse McGaha, Trojan Sing Song director. “I think it’s something that’ll really work for us.

I think that it’ll actually help the overall final project quite a bit.”

Having two years’ worth of men who have won before will also help mentor the new group that hasn’t participated in Sing Song and will potentially push the Trojans to their third consecutive win, said McGaha, senior social studies secondary certification major from Abilene.

“We would love to win a third year in a row,” McGaha said. “I know it sounds cliché, but as long as we’re

able to have fun together and be proud of the product that we put out, in the end, it’ll be worth it to us.”

This year, the Kojies will perform M&M’S in a candy shop — a fun, upbeat act with tons of surprises, said Megan Hobby, Ko Jo Kai Sing Song director.

“I think last year we were really motivated to win because we hadn’t won in so long,” said Hobby, junior kinesiology major from Arlington. “Kojies hadn’t won since the popcorn act in 2011 which meant that no one in club had the opportunity to experience what it felt like to win Sing Song.”

The Kojies will have tough competition from other clubs such as Alpha Kai Omega, who are tickets to a carnival, and the Siggies, who will appear as leaves. But Hobby said her club is staying focused on goals and having fun to find its success.

“This year, we are just keeping the mindset of last year,” Hobby said.

“We go into practice each night with goals and do our best to meet them but try to have fun while we do it. Kojies want to work hard and do their best.”

Though it is nice to claim the title and bragging rights that accompany the long-standing ACU tradition, winning isn’t everything.

“I think winning just reinforces all the hard work you put in,” Hobby said. “If we go out there

jarred shuetze chief photographer

The women of Ko Jo Kai perform their chocolatey act while the men of Trojans charm hearts for their social clubs’ Sing Song performances. and do our best and know that we had an amazing time doing it, we are going to feel great about our act, win or lose.”

contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Sing Song co-chairs crack down on acts

by Sing Song organizers won’t affect their act or participation in the weekend performance.

Students say the possibilThe threat of Breathaity of Breathalyzer checks lyzers and other conse-

catherine blakemore arts editor

quences were put in place to encourage students to respect the space in the Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center they will be using during

the show.

Act directors have warned Sing Song participants about bringing alcohol to practices and showings of Sing Song as a preemptive move against possible Breathalyzer tests.

Tom Craig, director of student activities and Sing Song, has been involved in Sing Song for nine years, this being his eighth to direct. He said the idea for the potential Breathalyzer check is from a practice used at Baylor’s similar production, “Sing,” and they’ve been looking into the option to see if it’s really possible for them.

Amy Sloan, junior Ad/ PR major from Houston, is one of the upstage cochairs of Sing Song this year and said she thinks the idea of using a Breathalyzer will encourage students to respect the gyms they are using.

“They think it’s a respect thing,” Sloan said. “That’s why we really thought about doing this; we have to respect the facilities we’re using and the other people participating.”

Megan Adams, director of the Alpha Kai act, said she hasn’t heard any student complaints about the possibility of Breatha-

lyzer checks.

“I understand why the office of student activities is wanting to do this, I just don’t know how effective it will be,” said Adams, senior art major from Amarillo. “But maybe that is because I haven’t seen anyone with a Breathalyzer yet.”

As part of the men’s acts section, Sub T-16 director Lane Luttrell, sophomore vocational ministry major from Colleyville, said he hasn’t heard a response from club members because it doesn’t affect them or their act.

“As a director, I have heard that there may or may not be a policeman there who may or may not Breathalyze participants but not all,” Luttrell said.

“He or she will pick out a couple people that I guess look suspicious, which is bad for our club because our costumes make us look sketchy already.”

The student activities office ultimately affirms all new rules created by co-chairs each year, including the possibility of using Breathalyzers. Aside from the Breathalyzer test, consequences for misconduct include not being able to have club formal off campus.

“The co-chairs develop certain consequences based on what they think will have the most impact with the students,” Craig said.

Nick Tatum, graduate communications student from Lubbock, is directing Sing Song this year and said he wants to preserve the integrity of the space the participants use so it can be a place for students to do homework and rest.

“There have been issues in the past that has made us sit back and revise the rules and guidelines for that,” Tatum said.

“So we decided to make it a little more strict to put emphasis on meaning business when it comes to stuff like that.”

Many of the rules and the threat of not having club formal on campus have been put in place in an attempt to control the environment to make sure participants don’t become too rowdy and create a disturbance during the show.

“We try to make it more extreme for that so it was kind of a bigger deal in their heads,” Tatum said.

contact blakemore at crb13a@acu.edu

Student-athlete balances golf, Sing Song reese gwin staff writer Participating in Sing Song is like a part time job –­­ a month-long gig with hours of practice that all hinge on a three-three minute show.

But for one Sing Song participant, the practice may be all in vain.

Kyle Karnei is preparing for Gamma Sigma Phi’s club act, and at the same time, qualifying for an ACU golf tournament that would require him to miss the show.

“Golf is my passion, but GSP is my family,” Karnei said. “Whether I make the tournament or sing in the show, I will have no regrets.”

The Wildcat golf team is in their second week of a two-week qualifying process to determine which five players will travel to the UTPA classic in Edinburg. As of Thursday night, Karnei was set to participate in Sing Song.

The busy schedule is

nothing new to the sophomore accounting major from Waco. In addition to being involved in golf and GSP, he is the vice president of the sophomore class, the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and an ACU student ambassador. It’s a lot to put on top of a full slate of classes, but head coach Tom Shaw sees it as a positive.

“Kyle is really the ideal ACU recruit with how involved he is in the community here,” Shaw said.

“The leadership and initiative that he shows in these extra curricular activities show up on the golf course as well.”

Karnei first touched a golf club at the age of 12, but as he put it, it was “nothing special.” Golf was not even his primary sport until high school.

Then in his junior season, he won a tournament in Salado against the best 5A competition in the state.

It would prove as a stepping-stone to better play.

“After I won that, I kind of told myelf, ‘Hey, if I work at this, I might be pretty good,’” Karnei said.

“That win put me on the map and gave me the confidence to pursue golf at the next level.”

In the fall season, Karnei qualified for half the team’s tournaments and had a 74-stroke average and did so while pledging and raising more than $1,200 for a SAAC service project.

The spring season is already presenting new challenges with tournaments, Sing Song and a bill he is writing for Student Congress.

“I know it’s a lot to take on, but I feel called to use my gifts as abundantly as possible,” Karnei said.

“Sing Song is important to my brothers, which means it’s important to me.”

contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

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news

friday 2.13.15

#ACULoveStory celebrates alumni couples rachel fritz copy editor The #ACULoveStory campaign is underway and has provided an opportunity for alumni to tell their campus love stories.

The campaign kicked off with Dr. Royce Money, chancellor and former president of ACU, and his wife, Pam, and the story of how they met.

“We met at ACU – I was a sophomore and she was a freshman at the time – in the old Campus Center,” Money said. “We dated on and off for a few years, and then I finally convinced her to marry me after three to four years.”

Craig Fisher, director of alumni relations and annual projects, is in charge of the campaign and chose the Moneys as the first alumni couple to share their story on the ACU Facebook page.

The Moneys celebrated their 50-year anniversary Jan. 23.

“It’s perfect that that happened,” Fisher said.

“Dr. Money and Pam have such a long history

here and are such a recognizable couple that we started the campaign with them because so many people would connect with them.”

The couple celebrated their anniversary with a cruise and a family dinner.

“We went on a cruise on the Danube in late December,” Money said.

“My wife had always wanted to go to Europe during Christmas time, so we went from Budapest to Prague.”

When the couple returned, their family treated them to dinner at Perini Ranch Steakhouse followed by an intimate family gathering at home.

“Our family prepared gifts for us, and then we played the newlyweds game,” Money said.

“Then, we watched a DVD of our wedding and early years of marriage. We got some laughs at how we used to look.”

Fisher and the Alumni Relations Office partnered with Creative Services to create the campaign and said with the abundance of alumni couples, he wanted to provide a plat-

form for them to share memories and relive their time at ACU. “What we wanted to do was take this month of February to just encourage people to tell their stories,” he said. “We have so many husbands and wives who met here and have great memories from their time here, like when they were dating and met here.”

Fisher also said he hopes the Moneys’ story will encourage participation from other alumni.

The campaign features historic couples, such as former ACU board chairman H. Lynn Packer and his wife, Barbara, and provides a venue for alumni and students to share their own history.

Fisher even shared his own love story.

“My wife and I have been married for almost 21 years, and we met here,” he said. “It’s a very positive thing, and I can speak to it from a personal level because this is where I met her, and we have some fond memories on campus from when we started dating.”

There is no specific goal for the campaign except to keep alumni involved with the university, Fisher said.

“It’s not a measurable thing that we’re trying to

do,” he said. “It is truly just visit https://w w w.facea way to connect with our book.com/hashtag/acualumni base and have peo- lovestory. ple share their stories.”

To read some of the contact fritz at #ACULoveStory posts, ref11a@acu.edu

alumni association special contributor

Top Left: Gloria and Larry Bradshaw. Bottom Left: Maher and Maria Saab. Right: Carolyn and David Mickey. Alumni couples are commemorated for their marriages.

Senior chosen to speak at TEDxACU event hannah little student reporter A senior ACU student has been selected to speak at the upcoming TEDx ACU event.

Victoria Sun, senior music and youth and family ministry major from X X X, will present her speech, “Who Do You Think I Am?” Lauren Lemley, organizer of TEDx ACU, said Sun impressed judges with her humor and poise as she advanced to the final round, where she delivered her speech in front of a live audience in preparation for the event.

Sun’s speech will provide a unique look into the perspective of millennials who have grown increasingly frustrated by society’s desire to “put them in a box.”

“I really believe the words we use are impor-

tant, and I was very driven by the idea that, with the right words, I could share something that I think is really important and challenge the way people think and act,” Sun said.

Sun was chosen after the fall semester’s student speaking competition.

“I think it was less about courage and more about sharing something that I really believe in and think people should hear, and I am very, very excited about that.”

Other speakers selected to speak come from different backgrounds and will represent different occupations. Rusty Towell, professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Engineering, has served in the U.S. Nav y as an instructor at the Naval Nuclear Power School. Tom Craven has worked as manager of the entertainment division at

Walt Disney World.

Another speaker that will represent many other ACU alumni is Chip Townsend.

Townsend began his career as a martial arts instructor and has been featured on ESPN, the Discovery Channel and NBC’s America’s Got Talent .

Over the next few weeks, the last few speakers will be chosen and posted on TEDx ACU’s website and Facebook page, facebook.com/ tedxacu .

TEDx ACU will take place April 17 with the theme, “(re)think.”

The event will be a one-day conference devoted to inspiring minds and planting ideas toward embracing the challenges of tomorrow.

The day will consist of a combination of speakers, performances, conversations, interactive exhibits and opportunities to network with people from

across the state.

“TEDx ACU isn’t a competition,” Lemley said. “As an organization, TED’s mission is to support ‘ideas worth spreading,’ and our event exists in that same spirit – to learn new things, to hear different perspectives and to make new connections.”

A limited number of $20 student tickets will be awarded in early March. To apply for the student tickets, visit https://acu.edu/tedxacu. studentapp. Applications are due March 1.

TEDx ACU will take place in Cullen Auditorium and will start at 8 a.m. For non-students who would like to attend, visit https://ww w.ted. com/ted x/events/12394 to register.

TEDxACU SPEAKERS Nika Maples, author of Twelve Clean Pages Chip Townsend, martial arts school owner Rabbi Phyllis Sommer, blogger Jeff Christian, preaching minister at Bering Drive Church of Christ Victoria Sun, senior music and youth and family ministry Jack and Jill Maxwell, professor of art and design and artist Dr. Stephen Baldridge, professor of social work Tom Craven, manager of the entertainment division at Walt Disney World Larry James, executive director of CitySquare Rusty Towell, professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Engineering

contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Wildcat Preview Day brings visitors to Sing Song james eldred staff reporter The Office of Admissions is offering prospective students a chance to see ACU up close while they visit for Sing Song with a Wildcat Preview Day and separately scheduled tours.

“They’re coming in from all over the country for Sing Song,” said David Pittman, director of

recruiting. “The vast majority of people will come on Friday, and then we’ll have smaller groups that come on Saturday.”

Friday is a standard Wildcat Preview Day, complete with lunch at The Bean and academic tours for prospective students and their families.

Saturday focuses on campus tours to allow visitors to attend the various Sing Song shows.

Leslie Hayes, associate

“

Two hundred thirty-four students are registered to be here. And most come with their parents, so that’s 500-600 people.”

sonal visits.

“Two hundred thirtyfour students are registered to be here,” she said. “And most come with their parents, so that’s 500-600 people.”

Check-in starts at 8 Leslie hayes a.m. After a welcoming associate director of admissions session, prospective students can choose to attend presentations by director of admissions, various interest groups said there are too many around campus, such as visitors during Sing Song Study Abroad and the weekend to allow for per- Honors College.

Visitors attend Chapel and eat lunch at The Bean before visiting the academic department of their choice. Prospective students will then have an opportunity to see sample dorm rooms in Gardner, Nelson, or Mabee Halls and meet with their admissions counselors.

Pittman said Sing Song weekend is one of the best times to see what life is like at ACU.

“This is a great time for people to see what our students are involved with,” he said. “This is the biggest single thing that students do all together at one time, so there’s going to be a lot of people that want to come see it.”

contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Hackathon develops students skills elijah evans online managing editor The School of Information Technology and Computing hosted a weekend-long Hackathon event January 23-25, enabling students to plow through personal projects.

The spring Hackathon was organized in conjunction with Global Game Jam, an event in which participants design a video game in 36 hours.

Only two teams participated in the Global Game Jam contest, but at least 25 other students attended the Hackathon, which took place in in the Mabee Business Building.

The SITC administration redesigned the Hackathon last fall. The reengineered event provided a weekend in which faculty and staff were available to assist students with difficult problems and major projects in a setting dedicated to the coding craft. Event planners also

brought in outside development help to provide a greater degree of technical assistance.

The event was not exclusive to SITC students, welcoming individuals interested in working on coding projects. The spring Hackathon differed from the fall Hackathon, which was organized to assist students in a freshman level app-design class.

The first Hackathon, last fall, attracted 35-40 students, said Brandon Delano, SITC system administrator and point man for the Hackathon.

“Some of the feedback we got back from the first Hackathon was let’s do something fun that’s at the beginning of the semester,” Delano said.

Several SITC professors appeared at the Spring Hackathon to assist the students and help troubleshoot. The professorial assistance at the spring Hackathon facilitated the learning process and allowed students to solve

their hardest problems.

“The Hackathon is about learning,” Delano said. “If you don’t know how to do something, come and try to figure it out.”

Austin Graham, sophomore digital entertainment major from Corpus Christi, designed a video game for the App Store with a fellow student during the Hackathon. The pair created a game similar to Asteroids, Graham said.

In addition to designing at the spring Hackathon, Graham helped tutor the freshman-level class participating in the fall Hackathon.

The SITC plans to continue having two events a year, Delano said.

“It is a lot of time. I think I put in 16 hours over the weekend,” Delano said. “But the more people that come, the better.”

optimist@acu. contact evans at ece12a@acu.edu

The Optimist

@acuoptimist

ACUOPTIMIST.com

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Sing Son

friday 02.13.15

2015 SING SONG ACTS

KO JO KAI

GAMMA SIGMA PHI

JUNIOR CLASS

TROJANS

Life is So Sweet When You’re Chocolately

Miracle on Ice

Don’t Tap on the Glass

Saved by the Belle

The women of Ko Jo Kai are as sweet as they come. With colorful costume changes and a dramatic candy shop plot, they are not just bite-sized, but fun-sized, too.

Gammas’ chilling rendition of the movie Miracle will have you at the edge of the rink.

Much more than a slap shot, their strong vocals and classic cameos will make you feel like you’re watching the winter Olympics.

The catch of their class, these juniors hit all the scales and pitches. Their bubbly act will leave audiences like flopping fish out of water.

The beasts to ACU’s beauty, this act is sure to charm the audience—storyline, props and all. Spoiler alert: They act out the entire Disney movie, sorry kids.

FRESHMAN CLASS

SIGMA THETA CHI

GALAXY

GATA

Does Any Bunny Know What Time it is?

We’re Falling for You

Space Jam

They might be running tight on time, but these freshmen aren’t messing around.

With good vocals and strong choreography, they’re hopping off stage and into the audience’s hearts.

Siggies are leaving it all on the stage this year. They undergo photosynthesis faster than you can say chlorophyll. The audience will fall for their vocals and their sparkly lifesize leaf pile.

The men of Galaxy are ready for tip-off.

Their hilarious lyrics will leave the audience laughing from the bleachers.

Move Over Mickey, There’s a New Mouse in Town This furry act will make you squeak. GATA has a cute tail to tell, but caution: it’s cheesy. Audiences will pick up their traps and welcome these mice into their kitchen.

HAL HOOTS’ Men’s PREDICTIONS

Hey slimes, I’m back again this year to tell you what’s good and what’s bad about Sing Song 2015. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the Perez Hilton of this campus, so watch your back. My private and sole purpose is to inform of the highs and lows of the 16 acts taking the stage this weekend.

Last year I predicted every single first place winner correctly, so you might want to pay attention. Don’t get your feathers ruffled if you disagree, because every act had a strength of its own. The judges have their work cut out for them.

But every sensible song bird knows that in order to place first here at ACU, vocals are priority. First and second places in every division are neck-and-neck, but I chose the ones who can truly carry a tune to win overall.

Honorable Mentions

VOICES

1. Gamma Sigma Phi It’s a tight race for first between Gamma Sigs and the Trojans. Trojans boast the recent winning record, but GSP is putting up a fight. Strong vocals, in addition to pulling on patriotic heart strings, make for a solid show. If they put all their energy on the ice Saturday night, they could go for the gold. After all, what’s better than singing men in uniform?

2. Trojans Trojans are not out of the running yet. Their rendition of a classic Disney tale is stuffed with perfect song choices and a set that invites the audience into the beast’s castle. Compared to GSP, their smaller size is what hurts them. They will need to belt it every show in order to win in the vocals category.

Galaxy The men of Galaxy’s song choice and hilarious lyrics were a slam dunk. Unfortunately, their lack of energy and poor vocal range should be a flagrant foul. They were probably just tired from their intramural basketball game–they didn’t even have time to change out of their jerseys.

GATA The women of GATA put on their best act in years. Unfortunately, so did every other women’s club. These mice are cute, funny and energetic. Their lack of dynamics and weak costume change may keep them from placing, but they sure looked tasty to me.

3. Pi Kappa The Pikes could win on adorable factor alone. They have obstacles to overcome. To state the obvious, their small number of participants. And for elves, they haven’t built a very flashy set. But they have an energy and dedication unlike any other act, with clever lyrics and superb costume change. Sometimes the best acts come in small packages.

Song 2015

friday 02.13.15

7

ALPHA KAI OMEGA

PI KAPPA

Come One Come All to the Kaio Carnival

Pi Kappa Saves Christmas

Donut Worry, Eat Happy

Countdown to Big Hair

Sweeter than cotton candy, this act will have you twisting and turning with laughter. These women entice the audience with strong choreography and brilliant props.

Christmas can never come too soon, as Pi Kappa demonstrates. Slaving away at their act, these men execute prop and outfit changes like they’ve been working for 364 days.

This act will have you running out to pick up a baker’s dozen. These freshman pastries not only look tasty but sprinkle on some great vocals to their act as well. Doughnut put a win past them.

“Long hair, don’t care” is a good way to sum up Frats this year. These men’s loud screams and lack of effort make for a spot-on impression of the rock stars they sing about.

ZETA RHO

SUB T-16

SOPHOMORE CLASS

SENIOR CLASS

Everyday I’m Swipin’ in

Redneck Wedding

Birds of a Feather Escape Together

R.I.P. my G.P.A.

Zeta Rho keeps it close to home, reminding students how many times they skipped Chapel this week. Their clever and energetic use of familiar songs will make you thankful for that little piece of ACU in your pocket.

Sub T is getting hitched. As always, it remains impressive that an act with no effort put forth will leave the audience on one knee, asking for an invite to their next party…err…wedding.

It’s turkey time for the sophomore class.

Their clever lyrics will leave you gobbling as they countdown to Thanksgiving.

The senior class is not dead yet. Audiences will lose their heads over this hilarious interpretation of senior year. Only someone without a pulse could listen to these zombies and not die from entertainment.

FRATER SODALIS

FRESHMAN CLASS

Women’s

Mixed

1. Sigma Theta Chi

1. Senior Class

VOICES Siggies do not have first place in the bag by a longshot. But if we’re going on vocals alone, they are clearly the strongest. Their act is a little boring at parts, but they still blew me away. Their set wasn’t as elaborate as Alpha Kai’s, but their costumes are so this season.

2. Alpha Kai Omega Kaios rule in appearance. With a working ferris wheel on stage and other elaborate details, this show is a wild roller coaster ride. Their vocals are dimmed by the Siggies’ harmonies and volume. If it weren’t for the women of EOX, Alpha Kai would have a golden ticket to their second win of the decade, but I’m giving them silver instead.

3. Ko Jo Kai The Kojies are entertaining for sure and come in bright shiny packages. The strongest element of the Ko Jo Kai’s performance was their on-stage presence and lyrics. Their bright colors fascinate the audience.

Their show wasn’t bad. It’s just like M&M’s, sweet but not satisfying.

VOICES The seniors killed it. Literally. These zombies will leave you dead from laughter because they brought the end of the enitre Sing Song show back to life. It’s obvious they have some work to do if they want to bury the freshman donuts. But with their entertainment value already through the tomb, they only need to resuscitate their volume and diction.

2. Freshman Donuts The doughnut act was downright yummy, but once the seniors took the stage, the freshmen were toast.

Still, their vocals are stronger than black coffee and their flashy set was the icing on the cake. So don’t count them out, they could still bring home the bacon.

3. Freshman Bunnies I wasn’t too impressed by these cotton-tails. This act had a lot of potential, but the rabbit trail isn’t leading to first place. Their costumes were adorable and I’m a fan of any other woodland creature such as myself, but they might need some of Alice’s tea to improve their vocals this weekend.

news/Sports

friday 2.13.15

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Alumnus makes Sayles Landmark a hotel six-room bed and breakfast – or as the owner and ACU graduate Terry Browder would have it, “Boutique An ACU alumnus renovat- Hotel Alternative.” ed a historic building near “There is no other place downtown Abilene and had in town like this,” Browder it featured on the TODAY said. “On one hand, it has show Friday. the luxuries of any hotel, Built two years before but on the other, it is hiselectricity came to Abilene, torical and innovative and the Sayles Landmark is now a true work of art.” perhaps the most unique The TODAY show listed structure in the city. What the Sayles Landmark as one was once the home of Hen- of the best Valentine’s Day ry Sayles, a notable lawyer getaways for less than $200 in the late 1800s, is now a a night. It was one of five lo-

reese gwin

staff reporter

cations that made the list.

Browder acquired the property four years ago and finished its renovations in late November. He is the third family to own the house since the Sayles, but not even in 1889 did the estate look this good.

Each of the six bedrooms comes with a full bathroom and its own theme. For instance, the Judges’ Chambers is a firstfloor room with wallpaper made out of the bindings of Texas law books. A second-

floor room, called Heavenly Rest, has a bed frame made from gothic stained glass windows and 100-year-old English church pews. Still, the house’s crown jewel is the Lux, the bridal suite.

“It is the nicest room from Fort Worth to El Paso,” Browder said.

The Sayles Landmark is more than just antiques.

The entire house has Wi-Fi, each room has a 50-inch flat screen TV and every bedside comes with two USB ports.

“It offers everything a hotel does and then a little something special,” said Danna Swayden, a former guest at Browder’s prosperities.

Still to be completed is a 2,000-square-foot arbor intended for outdoor weddings. Complete with Abilene brick and antique white roses, the arbor should be done in early spring.

Browder graduated from ACU in 1976 with a degree in art. He has spent his en-

tire career in real estate but began to renovate guest homes 12 years ago. Of his 10 properties, the Sayles Landmark is what he calls his “grandest effort.”

“I try to create intrigue and emotion in my design,” Browder said. “The same way a piece of art invokes a feeling, I want our guest to feel something powerful when they stay here.” contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

ron hadfield special contributor

Top left: Marco Bensley. Bottom left: Jason Proctor. Right: Henry Adams. The men’s tennis team prepares to play its first Southland Conference opponent, New Orleans.

Wildcats begin conference competition ACU plays at home for first Southland Conference opponent, the Privateers ence opponent of the season, New Orleans.

The Wildcats have begun to make their mark The men’s and women’s this season, as both teams tennis teams will be have had many successful home this weekend to matches so far to bring compete against their into the weekend. The first Southland Confer- men’s team is 2-5 over-

hannah little staff reporter

all entering the weekend, and the women’s team stands with an undefeated record of 2-0.

“I think as a team so far, we’ve only seen constant improvement,” said Jason Proctor, junior from Tulsa, Oklahoma. “The new players are really stepping up, and coming up with some tough wins, while our team as a whole has performed well the whole season thus far.”

Even though the men have not won as many matches as the team would like, the drive to attain them wins is there.

“We are pretty good and we feel comfortable with playing tough people,” Jones said. “I think the same thing has happened with the guys. We haven’t got as many wins, but I keep telling them to come to work because we got to get better.”

Marco Bensley, junior from Stellenbosch, South Africa, said he thinks the team’s successes so far have been contributed by how well the Wildcats are able to push each other and is confident going into the weekend.

“I feel like we have

worked really hard to get where we are right now,” Bensley said. “All the guys have done their part. I think we are mixing really well on the court, as we are motivating each other, which is really good.

For future thoughts, the plan is to return and compete successfully against conference opposition.

However, Jones’ main goal for the teams is to stay motivated and focused in the current matches.

“I’m just trying to have them stay in this moment and play this match well,” Jones said. “I guess when

you keep looking to that stuff, you’ve got to stay right here. Those goals are out there somewhere for sure.”

As for the tournament, there will be free hot dogs and Dr Pepper at the matches for spectators.

The tournament will begin at 11:45 a.m. Friday on the outdoor courts of the Eager Tennis Pavilion.

contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Baseball opens season with Nevada Wolf Pack Collin Wieder sports Editor ACU baseball starts its season with a three-game

weekend series against the University of Nevada Wolf Pack.

The Wolf Pack went 3127 last season with a 1515 Mountain West Conference record.

Head coach Britt Bonneau said he thinks the team can build off last season’s success as they head into the opening weekend.

“We have a pretty good, solid group of guys that are older and can help this young team out,” he said. “We have a good depth chart and a great pitching staff.”

They return an impressive squad featuring two first-team All-Mountain West selections with senior 3rd-baseman Austin Byler and outfielder Kewby Meyer. Byler hit .326 and led the team with 14 home runs. Meyer hit .328 and led the team in doubles with 27.

Sophomore outfielder Trenton Brooks, who led the team in batting average last year, will also return to the Wolf Pack lineup. Brooks was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman AllAmerica team after batting .330 with 35 RBIs. Bonneau said the team needs to shut down the rest of the lineup to stop

“

We have a pretty good, solid group of guys that are older and can help this young team out. We have a good depth chart and a great pitching staff.”

Britt bonneau baseball head coach

the Wolf Pack.

“The question is: Can we stop the guys around them (Byler, Meyer and Brooks) so there’s not a lot of guys on base when they come up?” Bonneau said. “We just got to pick the right time to use our pitches.”

The Wildcats will look to counter the Wolf Pack bats with the return of most of the pitching staff, including strikeout leaders Garrett DeMeyere, junior starting pitcher from Benbrook, and Kevin Sheets, senior relief pitcher from Brier, Washington.

DeMeyere led all pitchers in innings pitched last season with 88.

Senior transfer Thomas Altimont will be the opening-day starter for the Wildcats. Altimont went 1-0 last year at Arkansas and put up an ERA just below 2.00 for the Razorbacks.

ACU will look for players to step up at bat this weekend as they lost their top three hitters from last year. They do, however, return senior outfielder Tyler Eager.

Eager has started all three years at ACU, accumulating numerous awards. He has compiled batting averages of .329, .313 and .294 in his three seasons with 189 hits.

Aaron Draper, sophomore infielder from Plano, also looks to start his year off right this weekend after batting .309 in his freshman season.

The series begins at 4 p.m. Friday at, followed by games at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

contact wieder at cpw11a@acu.edu

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sports

friday 2.13.15

Former football star indicted for assault 3, 2014, on a charge of family violence assault A Taylor County grand jury by choking indicted ex-ACU junior foot- – a third-deball player Tyler Chapa last gree felony. week on a charge of family asAccordchapa sault, which means the case ing to police, against him may now pro- Chapa and his then-girlceed to a trial. friend, Janell Cortez, began If convicted, Chapa may an argument that turned face up to 10 years in prison. physical in his apartment at Chapa was arrested Oct. The Grove Apartments on

daniel zepeda

sports director

Sept. 18, 2014.

The decision, made on Feb. 5, means members of the grand jury concluded enough evidence exists against Chapa to warrant a trial.

In a sworn statement to Taylor County police, Cortez stated that Chapa choked her, grabbed her neck and arm and threw her onto the floor and bed after she went to check his cell phone for text messages or phone calls from

another woman.

She said once she called the police, Chapa took the phone and canceled the call, then told her that she needed to call back and tell police that everything was OK. When police arrived, they took a statement from Cortez and took pictures of bruising that “showed severe bruising to her neck to the point where finger marks were visible on her neck and face area,” ac-

cording to the sworn statement.

Chapa was released from the ACU football program Oct. 3.

Head Coach Ken Collums confirmed in a statement that the assault charge led to Chapa’s removal from the team.

“When (ACU police chief) Jimmy Ellison notified me on Oct. 3 that a warrant was being issued and that the ACU Police Department would be taking

him into custody, I told Tyler that he was immediately suspended from the ACU football program,” Collums said.

Chapa recorded 14 tackles in three games for ACU last season and was tied for the team lead during his freshman season with two interceptions, scoring on one. contact Zepeda at djz11a@acu.edu

Wildcats ink 15 on signing day Daniel Zepeda Sports director The ACU football program welcomed fifteen new athletes as part of the 2015 National Signing Day on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Head coach Ken Collums and Associate Director of Athletics Grant Boone unveiled the new recruits as part of the ACU Signing Day recap for family and friends.

The Wildcats focused on defensive playmakers this year, after signing 29 players last year to bulk up on size with the move to Div. I. ACU signed three wide receivers, three safeties, two offensive linemen, two outside linebackers, two defensive tackles, a running back, a cornerback and a tight end.

“This class is special because it helps us fill voids were they needed to be filled,” Collums said. “Offensively, we needed an overall, broad class. We signed someone at every offensive position outside of quarterback. That was what we needed. On defense, we have a lot of guys who can run and tackle.

Guys who can make defensive plays and have a nose for the ball.”

Collums later stated when it comes to bringing players to Abilene, it’s not always about football.

“I’ve been saying this for years, but we bring young men here and our primary goal is to turn them into great men,” Collums said.

“We want to make these guys into good husbands, and good fathers and men of character. We always want the best from them, in both football and life.”

On defense, hard-hitting safeties Junior Henderson from Seven Lakes High School in Katy and Bolu Onifade from Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City lead the way for ACU. Henderson was an Army All-American Top-500 Prospect and was a Texas Top-100 MVP. Onifade was one of the top defensive backs in the Oklahoma City area in 2014 and was selected to the first-team District 6AI-1 as a senior.

J.R. Hall, cornerback

shera niemirowski sports multimedia director

Grant Boone (left) and head coach Ken Collums (right) unveil each athlete signed by ACU on National Signing Day last week in the Hunter Welcome Center. from John Horn High School in Mesquite, signed with ACU after originally considering UTEP. Hall, however, was seriously injured in a car accident earlier that week that left his playing career in jeopardy.

Collums decided to honor his scholarship offer which would allow Hall to come to ACU. “J.R. is a great kid, and we’re praying for he and his family,” Collums said.

“I don’t know what his future holds, but we are going to hold up our deal, even if he can’t right now.”

On offense, running back Tracey James and wide receiver Justin Miller highlight the names of notable acquisitions. James, from Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, offers ACU something that it hasn’t had in recent memory: a power running back.

At 5-feet-11-inches and 225 pounds, James gives the Wildcats a true power back. Miller brings a level of athleticism that is best in the recruiting class. He played running back, wide receiver, corner back and punt return in his time

at David Crockett High School in Del Valle.

“We haven’t had a power back with the set of tools that Tracey James brings to the table,” Collums said.

“He can run, block and catch, and he’ll be a load to bring down. Justin Miller is an electric player. He’s very versatile and hard to tackle. Every team needs a player like this, and I’m glad we got him.”

Kalin Sadler, from Lawton High School in Lawton, Oklahoma, comes to ACU as a receiver with a history with one of the quarterbacks already here. Sadler went to the same high school as ACU quarterback Dallas Sealey.

The two played together in 2013 when Sadler caught 27 passes for 455 yards and four touchdowns. Last year as a senior, Sadler caught 47 passes for 915 yards and 12 touchdowns.

“Kalin is the most complete receiver we’re getting in this class,” Collums said.

“He’s very versatile, and he’s an explosive player with the ball in his hands.”

Collums said that the Wildcats could sign a few

Softball welcomes Prairie View A&M for home opener savanah silva Sports reporter ACU will begin the home portion of its season Friday with a double-header against Prairie View A&M. The first game will begin at 2 p.m., with the second game to follow at 4 p.m.

The ‘Cats, who are coming off a tough 1-4 season opener in Louisiana, are looking to turn things around when they face off against the Panthers, who haven’t played yet this season.

ACU was able to come back with one win from their season opening tournament in its final game. The Wildcats crushed Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 14-7, behind a ninerun first inning. Freshman second baseman Holly Vanckhoven went 3-4 with a double and 4 runs batted in, leading

the Wildcats to victory.

Freshman shortstop Peyton Hedrick contributed with a 2-5 game, including a home run and two runs driven in.

Senior pitcher Emily Seidel went 0-2 but was able to leave the tournament with an earned-run average of 3.85 through her four appearances and 20 innings pitched.

Her 15 strikeouts from the tournament ranks her first in the Southland Conference following the first week of play.

The Wildcats hit .248 through their five games and were led by Hedrick, who batted an impressive .412 over the course of the tournament.

Junior pitcher Julia Montoya played a key role in the ‘Cats win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, striking out four batters in 12 innings.

With Seidel and Montoya carrying the pitch-

ing load, another key player head coach Bobby Reeves is expected to use for offensive production is sophomore transfer from University of Central Florida, Kaleigh Singleton. Singelton started four games and had four doubles among her five hits in last weekend’s tournament.

Singleton splits time at catcher with junior returner Cara Hoover.

The Panthers finished last season 13-28 overall and 7-10 in their conference. ACU won three of the four games against Prairie View last season on the road.

The double-header starts at 2 p.m. Friday at Polly Wells Field. Live stats will be available for both home games online through acusports.com. contact silva at sns12b@acu.edu

more players between now and the summer, but is eager to see how this next class can contribute.

“I’m excited about these guys because they’ll be the ones who will be on the field when we’re an estab-

lished Southland Confer- wants to be part of that.” ence team and people are The Wildcats open their coming to watch us play in season on Sept. 5 against our new stadium,” Collums Fresno State in California. said. “Every one of these guys wants to be here and contact zepeda at believes in what we’re dodjz11a@acu.edu ing, what we’re about and

ARTS

Friday 2.13.15

RYCE GARREN

10

Senior musical theatre major from Amarillo

JOEL EDWARDS Junior musical theatre major from Tyler

CHERYL BELL Junior musical theatre major from Austin

MEGGIE LEWELLYN Senior nutritional science major from Mansfield

ABBIE BAIRD

Senior youth and family ministry major from Austin

ENRIQUE BARRERA Senior vocal performance major from Houston

The hosts and hostesses practice in Wednesday night’s dress rehersal.

jarred schuetze chief Photographer

Hosts, hostesses count down

jarred schuetze chief Photographer

jarred schuetze chief Photographer

abby runnels page 2 editor

jarred schuetze chief Photographer

The six men and women chosen to host Sing Song 2015 have been preparing since December to put on a fun and memorable show.

After an intense audition process, the hosts and hostesses went on a retreat with the production team to learn music and work out details for the show, said Ryce Garren.

“We started by learning the music and doing team-building exercises,” Garren said. “Basically getting the team prepared and ready to go for the next semester.”

The emphasis on team was intended from the very beginning, Joel Edwards said.

“I was closest to Joel and Cheryl since we’re all theatre majors and we spend all day in the WPAC,” Garren said. “I knew them the best going in, and I kind of knew Enrique and Abbie, but I didn’t know Meggie at all going in.”

Daily practices began as soon as the spring semester started, and intensity only grew from there.

“When we came back, we were doing an hour everyday at lunch, and by the next week, these were getting longer,” Edwards said. “Friday nights were dance rehearsals, so we’d been averaging 12 hours of scheduled rehearsals a week.”

For Garren and Edwards, the Sing Song experience is completely new. The Department of Theatre’s spring musical is typically around the time Sing Song week, and those that are involved in it find it impossible to be in Sing Song as well.

“The musical during Sing Song this year is all women, so that clicked for me, and I immediately auditioned for the host,” Edwards said.

Abbie Baird and Meggie Lewellyn have both been a part of Sing Song in the past and decided to audition for the hostess positions.

“My first two years, I was in a class act, then a club act, and then last year I directed the junior class act with my roommate,” Baird said. “This year has been so different because the group I get to work with is so

much smaller and more intimate. And the choreography is much more intense, of course.”

Lewellyn, who transferred to ACU her junior year, was part of last year’s winning Ko Jo Kai act.

The rigorous practices can take a toll on the hosts and hostesses, who have to perform 18 songs throughout each show. Staying healthy is vital, and getting enough sleep helps with the stress of schoolwork and late nights, Lewellyn said.

“We made a pact that none of us are staying up later than midnight,” Edwards said.

Lewellyn said she tries her best to give the group advice about staying healthy and hydrated.

“At the beginning of the semester, I bought them all water bottles, and they all laughed at me,” she said.

Besides each other, the hosts and hostesses have a support system of Sing Song gurus to help them along the way. Tom Craig, director of student productions, keeps Sing Song fun and full of surprises.

“When Tom is ready to tell us something new about the show, we get a phone call from him that’s like ‘meet me at this random Mexican food place in the morning, I’ve got something to show you,’” Edwards said. “He loves surprises. He had all the songs we were going to sing written on notecards.”

Despite the stress and work that goes along with hosting Sing Song, what is most important to the hosts and hostesses is that the audience has fun watching the show.

This year’s theme is “Countdown.”

“The way that the hosts are treating it is like American Bandstand,” Edward said. “Think of it like the movie Hairspray.

The ‘Countdown’ theme is because we’re doing number ones through the years.”

Along with great song selection, the group insists it is their closeness that will make them successful.

“It really helps for us to have chemistry outside of actual performances because it causes us to want songs to go well for each other as much as we do for ourselves,” Baird contact runnels at anr11a@acu.edu

11

Features

friday 2.13.15

Lydia Miranda and her grandfather, Dr. Ed George.

Austin Kilcullen sTAFf Photographer

The Final Act George writes one last Sing Song arrangement for his granddaughter Story and design by Linsey Thut

O

n Saturday night, Lydia Miranda will stand side by side with her Alpha Kai Omega sisters ready to take the Sing Song stage one last time. The girls will anxiously chatter as they prepare to take their place and perform the act they all know by heart. They will anticipate the moment the curtain rises, but no one will be as nervous as Miranda.

For her, it’s more than just the pinnacle of weeks of hard work. For Miranda, senior elementary education major from Clarksville, Tennessee, it’s the chance to perform her grandfather’s last Sing Song arrangement.

Miranda’s grandfather, Dr. Ed George, has been arranging Sing Song acts longer than Miranda has been alive. His first arrangement was for Frater Sodalis in 1958. And last year was supposed to be his last year.

George (‘61) has served as the orchestra director and taught multiple music courses at ACU over the past 46 years from music theory to private saxophone lessons.

“I think I’ve taught every music class at one time or another,” he said.

The Sing Song act-writing veteran was composing for Sing Song when acts consisted of just one song. While he hasn’t arranged every year, some years he’s done three or four acts.

“I’ve probably averaged one a year, so I’m sure it adds up to about 57,” George said.

His roster of arrangements includes GATA, Galaxy, Frats, Pi Kappa, Sigma Theta Chi and even a few class acts.

Writing Sing Song music is an intensive process, George said. In December, when school lets out for break, George gets busy right away composing music for the lyrics the students have written.

“It’s white heat from then until they come back to campus, “George said. “I have to do all that work in a very small amount of time.”

Composing music for one act can take 20-30 hours to write. He said the process of fitting the songs the directors have chosen together in an act is the most difficult.

“My challenge has been, over the years, to take those 10 or 12 songs and piece them together with the lyrics they’ve written and put them in the right keys and the right range to where they sound good and where there’s a smooth transition from one song to the next,” George said.

“

“Earlier on, I had toyed with the idea of saying, you know, ‘Get someone else,’ but she said ‘One more year.’”

Dr. Ed George Professor emeritus of music

A

nd then, after the student directors get the chance to look over the music, the rewriting process begins.

“Sometimes they choose one thing and say, ‘No, this is not how we want it, let’s do this.’ And sometimes within a week of looking at it, they’ll come back and say, ‘The way we had it first was better,’” George said.

As he approaches 80, George said the process becomes increasingly stressful.

“I’m a basket case in the third week of January,” he said. “I’m exhausted because I spent every waking moment in there in my studio.”

Miranda said she knows the stress of composing the acts is building on her granddad.

“I’ve been expecting his last year for the past four years now,” she said.

But George surprised her when she

asked him to arrange AKO’s act and he said yes.

“Earlier on, I had toyed with the idea of saying, you know, ‘Get someone else,’ but she said ‘One more year,’” George said. “And this is her last year, so I thought, ‘Why not?’”

Miranda was touched because she knew since he said yes to her club, he’d also say yes to the other clubs that were asking for his help.

“I opened up this whole door of months of work that he had to do,” Miranda said.

But even so, it took nothing for him to agree to write her act. uring Christmas break, Miranda spent two weeks working with her grandfather on her club’s Sing Song act, incorporating the suggestions she and AKO’s director had for the music onto paper.

Lydia Miranda talks to a fellow AKO member.

Austin Kilcullen sTAFf Photographer

D

George said he enjoyed sharing his passion with Miranda.

“It was really neat to work with a grandchild, especially in Sing Song,” he said.

Miranda said she got the chance to look over her granddad’s shoulder as he worked.

“It was such an amazing experience because he is so talented,” Miranda said. “He can literally listen to it and like write it out. That’s all he has to do, he doesn’t even need to reference it because he has such musical capabilities.” owever, because she was with him as he wrote it, she felt a huge responsibility to the women of Alpha Kai while she taught the music.

“It was very nerve-wracking teaching something that someone I look up to so much has written for me,” Miranda said.

And if teaching it wasn’t terrifying enough, Miranda said performing the act for George at their rehearsal was even more intimidating.

“I was thinking, ‘If I sing too loudly, he’s going to know it’s me, but if I sing too soft, he’s going to know it’s me, too,’” she said.

But in the end, George was proud of the hard work Miranda and her club had done to perfect his arrangement.

“He just kept saying, ‘It’s good, Lydia, it’s good,’” Miranda said. “And for my granddad, that’s a huge deal.”

Miranda said that as the performance draws closer, she is prepared for emotion to run high but not just because she is performing with her club for the last time.

“I think it being my grandfather’s show is going to play a big aspect in it being my emotional distraught,” she said.

For Miranda, it won’t be about winning the judges’ opinions, because to her, the act is already a winner.

“A very large deal of Sing Song and our show comes down to him and the fact that he was able to write it so masterfully,” Miranda said.

As long as she knows her granddad is in the audience supporting her final Sing Song act, that’s all that matters, she said.

“I just want us to do our best to impress him, because to me, he’s a big deal in my life,” Miranda said. “I really just wanted him to love it. I’ve always just wanted to make him proud, since I was little.”

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12

standings men’s basketball Standings

Team

Div.

SFA 10-0 SHSU 10-1 NSU 7-4 TAMU-CC 7-4 UIW 6-4 HBU 6-5 Lamar 6-6 SELU 4-6 Nicholls St.4-7 MSU 3-8 ACU 3-8 NO 3-8 UCA 1-9

Ovrl 20-3 19-5 12-10 12-11 14-6 11-10 12-12 7-16 7-14 9-13 9-15 7-13 1-20

women’s basketball Standings

Team

Div.

Lamar 10-2 SFA 8-2 Nicholls St.8-3 NSU 7-4 TAMU-CC 7-4 UCA 6-4 MSU 6-5 ACU 5-7 SHSU 5-7 SELU 3-7 HBU 3-8 UIW 2-8 NO 1-10

Ovrl 13-10 15-6 12-10 12-10 11-11 13-9 12-10 13-10 4-16 7-14 9-13 5-16 3-17

Who’s Hot Freshman Holly Vanckhoven Paige Otway Staff Photographer made the Sophomore Diana García Muñoz has become one of the elite runners to come through ACU’s legendary cross country program. She finds most of inspiration to excel in all aspects of her life, from her family, coaches and her own personal desire to succeed in every race. her first career start Vanckhoven as an ACU Wildcat.

Vanckhoven went 3-4 in the last game of the tournament last weekend.

She also recorded four runs batted in, a double As a freshman, she only have one chance to and a walk in the Wildcats’ Hannah Null found her footing early do my best. I need to do it 14-7 win over the sports reporter in the classroom and was for him, my other coaches, University of Arkansas named to the Southland my team and my family.”

Pine Bluff.

GOING THE DISTANCE García Muñoz steps up as leader of ACU cross country

Diana García Muñoz stepped up her performance after she still remembers her first taste of defeat.

Muñoz was competing in the 3,000-meter race at the Red Raider Invitational in Lubbock when she performed under her own expectations.

“Watching one girl pass by after another was horrible,” said Muñoz. “I had never had so many girls pass me in a race.

But it was the face of disappointment from Coach Graham that upset me the most.”

Muñoz, a sophomore distance runner for cross country and track, excels in competitions and holds herself to high standards.

Her love for running began her freshman year of high school in Tempe, Arizona, after her friend convinced her to watch a cross country practice. She decided to join the cross country team, where she later became MVP and team captain.

The state champion says she didn’t know what to expect when she got to ACU, but her coaches – Drew Graham and Ray Walker – made her feel at home.

Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll at the end of the year. But she left her greatest accomplishments on the track as the Wildcats’ No. 2 runner at all six meets of her first cross country season.

“She is really strong – mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally,” said Walker.

Muñoz says the expectations in college are higher than she ever experienced in high school.

“Mostly it’s about sacrifices,” she said. “You have to eat right. You can’t stay out late. It’s hard sometimes when you want to go out or eat junk food, but you can’t.”

In September, Muñoz was named the Southland Conference Runner of the Week after winning the West Texas College Open 5,000-meter race.

The Arizona native earned the Southland honor again in October when she won her first collegiate 6,000-meter race with a time of 22:54.2 at the University of Incarnate Word.

“Distance is all strategy,” Muñoz said. “People think we just go out there and run, but it takes preparation and timing. Every-

paige otway Staff Photographer

García Muñoz was named the Southland Conference’s athlete of the week twice last fall and was ultimately selected as the conference’s student-athlete of the year. thing has to be perfect.”

Muñoz felt more at ease as her sophomore year came around, but she still had a challenge to overcome.

The second cross country meet of this year was the Red Raider Invitational, where Muñoz felt failure for the first time. Muñoz felt the full sense of nonfulfillment when she saw the look of

dissatisfaction on Coach Graham’s face.

Soon after the meet, Graham was in an accident which disabled him from possibly ever running again.

The running coach and his wife were hiking when his spinal cord was injured during a dive into a lake.

“He lost his legs so quickly,” said Muñoz. “I

This fall, Muñoz was named Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year. She was also selected with an additional all-conference honor.

“My mom hasn’t gone to many of my races,” said Muñoz. “But when I won the race she started crying. I’ve never seen her so proud of me before.”

Muñoz started her track season this year recording the Wildcats’ highest finish with a second-place standing in the 3,000-meter run during the Texas A&M Invitational.

She followed up in the next meet by winning the women’s 4x800 relay with teammates Alexandria Hackett, Isabella Gutierrez and Marina Guerrero.

“I watched her grow into a leader over the past year, as well as an allaround better studentathlete,” said Walker.

“She runs for something much bigger than herself when she is on the track.”

contact null at hln12a@acu.edu

Big second half propels ‘Cats to win daniel zepeda sports director The Wildcats outscored the Sam Houston State Bearkats 35-21 in the second half, leading to a 63-48 win in Huntsville Thursday night.

The women move to 13-10 overall and 5-7 in conference. The Bearkats move to 6-16 and 5-7.

With the win in Huntsville, the Wildcats have won five of the last seven games.

Sophomore Alexis Mason recorded her fourth 20-point game of the season, finishing with 20 points on 3-6 shooting from three and 7-8 from the free throw line.

Sophomore Suzzy Dimba put in a 12-point, 13-rebound doubledouble effort along with three assists and two steals. For Dimba, it was her ninth double-double of the season, and her third in the last four games.

Neither team shot very

well during the game.

The Wildcats finished at 40 percent, while the Bearkats ended at the 35 percent mark. ACU put in seven of 21 3-point attempts and finished 1823 from the free throw line, 21 of those attempts coming in the second half alone. The Bearkats committed 13 fouls in the second half.

The game stayed close for the majority of the first half, with ACU taking its largest lead of the half, 28-22, on a layup by sophomore Sydney Shelstead with 3:22 left in the first half. Sam Houston would then score five points in a hurry on two layups and a free throw to make it a one-point game. The Wildcats took their 28-27 into halftime.

The second half would open up with the same results as the first half.

With 13:20 left in the game, ACU led 42-40 after an SHSU three cut the lead to just two points.

The Wildcats would then go on a game-deciding

13-0 run over the next seven minutes to lead 55-40 with just under six minutes left in the game.

Both teams were not exceptionally careful with possessions. ACU (21) and Sam Houston (23) combining for 44 turnovers during the game.

The Wildcats led in most of the statistical categories in this one.

ACU had a plus-nine in points off of turnovers (24-15), a plus-six in second chance points (12-6) and won the battle on the glass, 37-29.

The Wildcats now sit eighth in the conference out of 12 teams. The team will look to Texas A&MCorpus Christi (12-11, 8-4) Wednesday at home in Moody Coliseum.

contact zepeda at djz11a@acu.edu

briefings The men’s basketball team has made a living from scoring from the three-point arc. The Wildcats are first in the Southland Conference as a team in three-point percentage (.39) and three-point makes per game (8.2).

The women’s basketball team leads the conference in scoring margin (+6.4) coming into its game against Sam Houston State. It’s also the third highest scoring team in the Southland at 69.9 points per game.

Junior Rosen Daniel was named Male Track Athlete of the Week by the Southland Conference after an impressive New Mexico Classic. Daniel ran a Southland-best 400-meter race with a time of 46.78. It also placed him third in ACU’s history. He is the 14th Wildcat to be given the honor in the 2014-2015 sports season.

ACU soccer coach Casey Wilson announced the addition of 11 players to the soccer team Monday. Two players are transferring in and nine are coming from high school.

Be sure to follow @OptimistSports on Twitter and like the Optimist Sports Facebook page for more ACU sports news and updates.

Upcoming Softball plays a doubleheader Friday at home against Prairie View A&M. The first game is at 2 p.m. and the second is at 4 p.m.

Baseball hosts Nevada for a three-game series to start its season. First pitch is at 4 p.m. Friday.

paige otway Staff Photographer

Sophomore Alexis Mason goes for a layup in Moody.

Men’s and women’s tennis travel to New Orleans Friday for a tournament against the Privateers.