The Optimist Print Edition 9/12/14

Faith in shambles Four Abilene women find strength in Ukraine

vol. 103, no. 6

friday, september 12, 2014

1 SECTION, 6 PAGES

Features Page 5

what’s INSIDE NEWS Turntin software is now available for all faculty

armelle dumshine Staff Photographer

CLUB HOPEFULS RUSH INTO THE FUN paige otway Staff Photographer

Page 3

IM SPORTS Our intramurals editor previews the flag football season

Page 2

OPINION The Editorial Board suggests the addition of more social clubs

Page 4

SPORTS Golf places first at Charles Coody Invitational Page 6

NEWS

armelle dumshine Staff Photographer

Trevor Thompson leads DNA study for students in CORE 210 class Page 3

OPINION

Christina Solomon, sophomore history major from Wheaton, Illinois, joins in a game of limbo at the Ko Jo Kai rush on Tuesday night (Bottom).

Class officer run-offs in four races Students’ Association elections are not over yet Haley remenar

ACU student life is a microcosom of the world beyond the Lunsford trail Page 4

NEWS 4th annual RecFest to take place Friday night at the SWRC

Page 4

what’s online VIDEO Highland Church of Christ begins Sunday morning instrumental services.

Read more at acuoptimist.com

Staff Reporter Elections for the Students’ Association took place Wednesday and Thursday.

Students were able to vote for officers to represent their classes, residence halls, and department buildings. This year many more students participated in voting than they have in previous years. Many candidates ran unopposed, but others, particularly freshman, contended for votes.

“I have a passion for leadership,” said William Mince, candidate for freshman class president.

Mince, freshman public

relations major from Wills Point, finds campaigning fun and a great way to meet people and learn more about himself.

Many candidates were forced to be more outgoing than they had been before.

Makayla Jones, candidate for Gardner Hall representative, said she was convinced to run by Eric Gumm and chose to take the chance.

Jones, freshman Undeclared from Abilene, said she was glad she ran for office because she had fun and learned more about ACU’s campus. Putting her face on a poster of Uncle Sam was just one of the

2014-2015 SA CLASS OFFICERS & RUN-OFFS Freshman Class Junior Class Vice President President Tre Byrd Chuck Opeta

Run-offs

Mabee Rep race

Freshman Class President race Bryson Sophomore Senior Class Jennings, Class President President Rachael Shudde Zach West, Caleb Orr Colton McCoy and Ross Spears William Mince Sophomore Senior Class Gardner Rep Class Vice Vice President Freshman Class race President Stephen Estrada Treasurer race Ashlyn Anthony Sunni Zamoria, Senior Class Abraham Catlin Young, Sophomore Treasurer Enriquez Lindsie Lawson Class Treasurer Kimberly and Morgan Coleman Joshua Jennings Marquette

see election page 3

ResLife adds more dorm visitation nights jonathan ward staff reporter Residence Life announced Monday it will extend the number of open house days for students.

Starting Wednesday, visitation for residence halls was divided by hall between Wednesdays and Thursdays. Bob Strader, director of Residence Life Education and Housing, explained the changes were made with both residents and staff in mind.

“

Ideally, one day residents can visit at guys’ dorms, and the next day, residents will be able to visit in the girls’ dorms.”

“We wanted to make the open house schedule more f lexible so more people could visit. At the same time, open house puts a lot of stress on the residence hall staff, and we don’t want to overwork them. It’s kind of a balancing act there.”

Javan Furlow, area

coordinator at Edwards Hall, hopes students will take advantage of the strategic pairing of halls with different days.

“Ideally, one day residents can visit at guys’ dorms, and the next day, residents will be able to visit in the girls’ dorms,” says Furlow, who made

Abilene Christian University

the announcement to residents late Tuesday via email.

In regards to the new changes, Furlow promises the staff is doing its best to provide the greatest amount of visiting opportunities for students.

“It can be kind of an awkward transition, but with patience, we are constructing a system that we think will be beneficial and ideal for the residents.”

Strader and Furlow also said the visiting schedule could be different as early as next week.

“This is our first attempt to do it, and we’re probably going to learn some things the first time through,” adds Strader.

“We’re not married to any kind of system right now; we’re going to roll one thing out and see how that works, and then we’ll learn from it and take another run at it a week or two from now in possibly a different format.”

contact ward at jtw12a@acu.edu

friday 09.12.14

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13

friday

14

saturday

15

sunday

5 p.m. Voting for SA Congress ends

8 a.m. Alpha Kai Lake Day

5 p.m. Deadline for guys to register to pledge

6 p.m. Football game at Troy University

2

monday

7 p.m. Soccer game at Texas Tech University

7 p.m. Alpha Kai Omega Tea Party Rush 9 p.m. Zeta Rho Under the Stars Rush

7 p.m. RecFest 11 p.m. BSA Skate Night

Chapel checkup To date:

Announcements Remaining:

16 63 @acuoptimist The Optimist

If you are a fan of hockey or want to learn how to play, the ACU Hockey Club plays at the DII college level of Inline Roller Hockey. Email club president, Ryan Podany, at rap10c@acu. edu or the team captain, Tim Holt, at tdh10b@acu.edu for more information.

Want to work for Summit 2014? Visit the corresponding ad on my.acu.edu to apply to work at the 108th Annual Summit Sept. 21-24.

Freshman Follies is a musical variety show performed en-

tirely by ACU freshmen each fall. This year’s theme is “Freshman Follies: Road Trip,” and will take place on Sept. 19-20.

Join us as the freshman class takes you on a journey across the 50 states. For more information about getting involved with Freshman Follies or to purchase tickets, go to acu. edu/follies.

BSA will sponsor a ‘90s themed skate night 11 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday Sept. 12 at the Skatin’ Place. Cost is $5. Come dressed in your best ‘90s attire.

Need to practice interviewing?

ACU Career Center is conducting mock interviews Sept.

16. Meet with ACU alumni and human resource professionals to network and receive feedback on your interviewing skills. Login to College Central Network to select a time.

Books in the library are being relocated to movable compact shelving on the first floor of the library. The move will take place through Sept. and Oct. and will make it difficult to access some of the books.

Seek librarian assistance on the main floor research desk if you

are not able to easily find what you are looking for.

The Conversation Partners Program, offered through the Center for International Education (Admin 124), pairs native and non-native English speakers so they can learn about each other’s culture.

Each pair of students must meet for one hour a week during the semester but can choose the time and location. Contact Leanne Moore at lmm10b@acu.edu or 324674-2821 if you are interested or have more questions.

optimist@acu.edu Police PoliceLog log SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 09/06/2014 10:10 a.m. ACUPD responded to a Smith-Adams desk worker’s report of a suspicious person asking to enter the dorm. Officers responded and issued a criminal trespass warning and later arrested him for disorderly conduct off-campus.

09/08/2014 4:40 a.m. A student’s vehicle was struck by a hit-and-run driver while his car was parked in the Campus Center lot 09/09/2014 8:23 a.m. A student’s vehicle was struck by a hit-and-run driver while the vehicle was parked in the University Church lot.

09/10/2014 9:10 a.m. A University Park resident reported that someone had keyed an obscenity on the driver’s side door of their vehicle.

09/10/2014 10:30 a.m. An ARAMARK employee’s bicycle was stolen from the bed of his truck at the Bean loading dock.

09/10/2014 1:00 p.m. A student reported the theft of his bicycle from the rack on the east end of Adams Hall 09/10/2014 9:50 p.m. ACUPD officers arrested a male on an outstanding warrant for motion to revoke parole.

Weekly Stats For Week of Sept. 4 - Sept. 11, 2014 - Total Events: 362 911 CALL 1 ACCIDENT 2 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY 13 ALARM 4 ANIMAL CALL 1 ARRESTED SUBJECT 1 ASSIST 1 BARRICADES 1 BICYCLE PATROL 29 BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK 19 BURGLARY (BUSINESS) 2 BURGLARY (MOTOR VEHICLE) 1 CHECK BUILDING 156

CITATION ISSUANCE 3 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 1 DISORDERLY CONDUCT 1 DISTURBANCE 2 FIRE 1 FOOT PATROL 17 FOUND PROPERTY 3 HIT & RUN 2 INFORMATION REPORT 1 INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP 8 LOST PROPERTY 2 MAINTENANCE UNIV. ASSESTS: CCTV 2 MEDICAL EMERGENCY 3

MENTAL HEALTH CONCERN 10 MONITOR FACILITY/LOT 6 MOTORIST ASSIST: INFLATE TIRE 6 MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART 2 MOTORIST ASSIST: OTHER 6 MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK 2 OTHER 2 PARKING LOT PATROL 13 PATROL VEHICLE MAINTENANCE 6 PATROL VEHICLE REFUEL 3 PROWLER 3 PUBLIC SERVICE 3

RANDOM PATROL 1 REPORT WRITING 1 SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 2 SUSPICIOUS PERSON 2 THEFT (NON-VEHICLE) 11 TRAFFIC HAZARD 3 TRAFFIC STOP 1 WELFARE CHECK 2 Police Chief Tip of the Week: Bike thefts have increased recently. Make sure you lock your bike and always report suspicious activity to ACUPD.

Intramurals

Intramurals kick off with flag football to root for this season, have no fear. Pay close attention, and you will become an intramural expert in no time.

The Larry Sanders IntramuSo without further ado, ral Fields awoke Monday my friends, allow us take night after a season of hi- you on a tour of the fascinatbernation. Gone were the ing world that is ACU intrascorching heat and oppres- mural flag football. sive winds of summer, along with the dreadful nightmare Men’s Champ League of an earth-rattling hailThere are nine teams in storm, the likes of which Men’s Champ League this had not been seen since season, including four ofMoses led the Israelites out ficial social club teams. Pi of Egypt. Instead, the bubbly Kappa and Frater Sodalis voices of onlooking students have not entered a Champs accompanied the spiral- League team, because, well, ing footballs and energetic this is football, not Super cheers of “Go Team!”

Smash Bros.

“Ah, yes,” smiled the inGamma Sigma Phi won tramural fields. “Intramural the championship last year season is here.” as Phi Slamma Jamma (not This year’s intramural to be confused with Carl season is certain to be the Carlton’s 1981 hit single, best we at the Optimist have “She’s a Bad Mama Jama”). ever covered, and we declare While the GSP roster feathat as fact because it is also tures plenty of turnovers the first we have covered in this season, Parker Tennet, quite some time. Here’s hop- the club’s Intramural Direcing it will not be the last. tor, ensures us the team will If you are one of the still warm up to Carlton’s stragglers on campus and grooving tune. have not yet chosen a team “We are looking to up-

daniel block intramural editor

keep a strong tradition of winning flag football so all I can say is that we are gonna put up a fight against any team out there to the best of our abilities,” Tennet said.

Of the five non-club teams looking to challenge for flag football supremacy, the most notable may well be MACC Attack, quarterbacked by none other than former Wildcats’ pivot John David Baker. Having used up all of his NCAA eligibility, Baker is excited to showcase his talent on the intramural fields.

“It was an opportunity to play at the highest level of competition now that my college career had come to an end,” he said. “Just the speed of the game, there will be athletes on these fields that I’ve never had to deal with before. These guys are on a whole other level as far as athleticism.”

Baker also has high praise for his new MACC Attack teammates and their abilities, both on and off the field.

“Most of the guys on the team are accounting majors and only play chess and cricket,” he said.

MACC Attack has already started the season off on the right foot, defeating Tennet’s GSP boys on Tuesday night, 13-12, after GSP missed a last second conversion.

Baker seemed to transition well from playing under the lights at Shotwell Stadium to the Larry Sanders Intramural Fields, but only time will tell if he can maintain his poise under the pressure of playing in front of an actual crowd.

Women’s Champ League Six teams will contend for

Erika Bolado Staff Photographer

Intramural women’s football teams played their first game of the season Tuesday night. the title in Women’s Champ League action this fall.

Sigma Theta Chi, Ko Jo Kai, GATA and Alpha Kai Omega have entered teams, while the women of Zeta Rho have volunteered to bring cookies and orange slices for the teams to enjoy at halftime.

The final two teams are Eta Pi and The Heat, both nonclub affiliated.

Abusement Park, last year’s champion, will not be returning to defend its title, meaning the league will be as open as the dancefloor at a Church of Christ convention.

Preseason favorites are Siggies and Kojies, and we expect the rivalry between the two clubs to reach its boiling point when the teams finally meet Oct. 9.

Kojies cannot stand losing

to Siggies, while Siggies literally can’t even.

Other Notes Kyle Pinson, ACU’s Director of Intramural Sports, is excited to see another season underway.

“Intramural Sports increases the sense of community on campus,” he said.

While flag football is the current focus, Pinson notes that the variety of sports keeps things interesting and there is always room for new suggestions from students.

So what is next? A Super Smash Bros. tournament, perhaps?

“Curling,” he said. “Just kidding. Mark Lewis would be pumped though,” he said. “Everyone has an idea for a new intramural sport.

Keep them coming! I’m all ears.”

Tennet speaks for Pinson and his fellow Intramural Directors when he sums up the spirit of ACU intramurals. “[This] is a good chance for students as individuals and as groups to come together in a healthy, competitive atmosphere and have fun playing sports we all love,” Tennet said. “I think it has such an awesome atmosphere of fun and tradition around it that people want to come support their club and their friends. Plus it’s an excuse to put off your homework a little bit longer.”

contact block at djb13a@acu.edu

3

news

Friday 09.12.14

Faculty turn to Turnitin to catch cheating jonathan ward staff reporter The Adams Center for Teaching and Learning has made Turnitin.com available to all faculty.

Turnitin, a web-based application used to detect plagiarism and grade students’ work, has gained considerable recognition from universities over the past several years and now serves over 10,000

educational institutions.

Berlin Fang, director of instructional design at the Adams Center, believes ACU’s widespread implementation will increase students’ awareness of copyright violations.

“Turnitin is an instructional tool to help professors collect student assignments, check them for originality, provide feedback and assign grades,” Fang said. “It

will be a great learning tool to educate students about plagiarism.”

The application also provides grading features for assignments other than essays. Turnitin can grade and provide feedback for presentations, as well as subjects such as economics, math, science and visual arts.

Karen Cukrowski, English and Cornerstone instructor, is especially looking forward to the

application’s teaching tools for students.

“I’m a teacher and not a cop just aching to catch plagiarists,” Cukrowski said. “So, I really love that we can use Turnitin as more than a ‘gotcha.’

There’s an instructive element because a student can see they may have neglected to cite clearly, or, by using the grammar features, a student may be able to see some areas of an essay that need

more work.”

Additionally, Turnitin provides special grading templates for unique assignments such as a dance performance or music recital. Turnitin also enables teachers to give feedback in more than just written methods.

“Professors can also record audio feedback on papers, which would help to create multiple paths to learning for students,” Fang said.

The Adams Center has provided instructors with resources to assist in ACU’s widespread implementation of Turnitin.

The center also works daily to cultivate faculty enrichment through high-caliber learning facilities and a communal environment.

contact ward at jtw12a@acu.edu

Class to explore identity through DNA test Elijah evans staff reporter Two professors and three Honors students have teamed up to explore race as a social construct through DNA testing and plan to apply their findings to the CORE 210 class.

Trevor Thompson, Ph.D candidate and instructor, and Dr. Jonathan Camp, associate professor of communication and director of the Organizational Development Program, and the three honor students will interview and attempt to quantify the way each student was impacted and changed through the DNA testing.

Thompson and Camp have taught CORE 210 for three years and believe DNA testing will directly relate the topic of race and identity to their students. The two professors hope to facilitate an experience that transforms the manner in which

students communicate about race and shape their identity.

“We hope that CORE can be a transformative experience,” Thompson said.

“Many of our sophomores are very ill-informed about genetics and how that plays into their basic understanding of themselves.”

Camp reinforced the message of understanding of self. He wants to strip away visual cues that have structured students’ interpretation of race.

“We are questioning the biological categories of race, and how these are untenable,” Camp said. “But race as a social category is very powerful, despite not resting on any biological underpinning.”

Camp and Thompson are excited to see how the class is genetically related, which will be in ways closer than students imagine. Students are also looking forward to getting their results back

from the DNA testing.

Lily Auker, public relations major from Prescott, Arizona, said the real meat of the study will be the correlation between the participant’s genetic makeup and who he or she identifies with daily.

“We’ll see how this affects the way we treat other people and how it affects the way our culture shapes us,” Auker said.

Camp is also conducting a phenomenological study with the class. In other words, he will attempt to determine how the results of the DNA testing affect each individual’s experience with his or her identity. He is particularly interested in the conversations with family members that will result from this class.

Photo Courtesy of Lily Auker contact evans at ece12a@acu.edu

Dr. Jonathan Camp and Trevor Thompson began conducting DNA tests in their CORE 210 class.

RecFest to offer students opportunity to unwind hannah baxter staff reporter ACU will conduct it’s fourth annual RecFest at 7 p.m. Friday at the Recreation and Wellness Center.

Students are invited to the Recreation and Wellness Center Friday to enjoy the festivities. From live music in the outdoor court to free food for the first 100 visitors, RecFest will be full of giveaways and fun. Activities will include inflatables, a dodgeball tournament, a Zumba party and kayak races. Other events include a photo booth and free prizes that will be given away throughout the night.

Jordyn Lee, a staff member at the Rec Center, said the event is a lot of fun and a great time to meet new people.

“I’ve been working RecFest for three years now, and it always seems to be really fun,” said Lee, graduate marriage and family therapy major from Marshalltown, Iowa. “It’s just a good time to meet new people.”

Joel Swedlund, executive director of the Rec Center, is excited for students to have the opportunity to enhance their ACU experience and enjoy time with friends.

“RecFest is just another way the SRWC hopes to enhance the ACU com-

munity experience on our campus,” Swedlund said.

“We’re hoping for a great turnout. It should be a lot of fun.”

Swedlund said the activities provided are sure to be a hit.

“There will be a variety of things to do. You can enter the dodgeball tournament, participate in our Zumba party, play on the inflatables, or just hang out with your friends and listen to some live music,” said Swedlund. “We will also be having a photo booth with some wacky clothes as well as kayak races in the swimming pool. Door prizes will be given away throughout the night as well.”

Laura Obuchowski,

Election: Freshman class goes to four run-offs from page 1 the many fun things she was able to do, she said.

Tre Byrd, who ran for Vice President of the Freshman Class, said he ran so he could give a voice to those who normally wouldn’t speak out.

“It’s about the class, not a popularity contest,” said Byrd, freshman Bible major from San Antonio, Texas.

He said he considers SA officers to be servants to other students.

Emily Moreno, freshman, ran for Nelson Representative

with a similar attitude.

“Nelson Hall is my home and I want other people to feel at home home here,” she said.

While many freshmen were excited for elections, most upperclassmen candidates ran unopposed.

Savannah Cheatham, sophomore graphic design major from Abilene, said this could be because many upperclassman don’t care as much for class politics as they do for their studies. As they get more involved with social clubs and other orga-

nizations, the Student’s Association moves into the background.

Some students may be apathetic or afraid to step out, but as Makayla Jones said, “Why not?”

There will be a run-off on Friday September 12. Students are encouraged to vote once again at vote.acu.edu for the candidate they want in office.

contact Remenar at hrr13b@acu.edu

graduate speech pathology major from Houston, is excited about the event and is looking forward to relaxing and having fun.

“It’s a fun time to hang out with friends and listen

to live music outside the rec RecFest begins with live center,” Obuchowski said. music and inflatables open“They also bring in local ven- ing at 7 p.m. dors sometimes, so there’s lots of free food, music, and contact baxter at exercise classes. It’s a lot of hkb13a@acu.edu fun. I can’t wait to go back.”

Opinion

Friday 09.12.14

4

editorial

Pledging growth needs support from Student Life the issue The number of students registered to pledge has increased, but the number of clubs available to join hasn’t.

our take Student Life must allow students to create more clubs without having to jump hurdles to fill an obvious need.

Chris Riley, vice president of Student Life, said he hopes changes to the pledging process ultimately encourage more participation across the student body.

“We want to try to provide opportunities for as much participation as we can in clubs,” he said. “We want to think of ways for clubs to be more successful for the types of students that we have.”

Last year, about 40 percent more women and about 17 percent more men pledged compared to the 2012-2013 school year. This year, we’ve seen an additional 4 percent more women register to pledge.

But if the number of students wanting to pledge is growing in size, and Student Life is claiming to want more participation, how can we increase participa-

tion with a limited number of clubs and pledge class sizes? Even though more students want to pledge, there is only going to be a larger number of students, specifically women, who will be cut or dropped after not receiving a bid.

Mark Jackson, associate director of student organizations and programs, said he thinks the day is coming when we will need one or two more clubs.

“What we don’t want to do is add just to add,” he said. “In 2000, we had 17 clubs on campus, that was good but it was a lot of small clubs.”

However, adding more

clubs on campus would not be “just to add.” It would be adding because there is a need. It’s not just the numbers that are saying we need more clubs. It’s the changes to the pledging process.

Student Life could allow more bids to be given for each pledge class, but with changes to the pledging process such as a shortened period of three weeks, it becomes more challenging to get to know larger groups of people in a shorter amount of time. It’s much easier for a large pledge class of 70 to 80 women to bond over the previously allowed six-week period than the new threeweek period.

Jackson said he would be open to adding more clubs.

“I would like to get to six women clubs and six guy clubs just to have an even number,” he said. “I’m not going to force it to happen but if a group of students came to us we would definitely listen to it and see what’s possible.”

As of right now, it’s been three years since a new club ahs been added. And we’ve seen substantial growth in that time frame. Additionally, Student Life currently requires a group of students to be meeting and holding events for over a year before they can become an official club and added to the

pledging process.

If Student Life is going to make changes to the pledging rules and is serious about increasing participation, they must encourage and allow the chartering or rechartering of clubs to be an easier process.

If more clubs means smaller clubs, that’s a sacrifice that comes along with the pledging changes, but at least more students would be able to participate.

contact The Optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

hashtagACU Sept. 10 12:51 p.m.

Vultures circling overhead: this is my trek to campus

Sept. 9 10:40 p.m.

Freshmen girl to one of her male friends: “You are so sweaty but look so good”.

@abbey_moses Sept. 10 2:28 p.m.

@LambornPhilip`

@Laynie_H just busted into my room and yelled “Some girl asked me if I was RUSHING! Girl I do not RUSH unless it’s to get french fries!”

Sept. 4 3:23 p.m.

You’re looking for a knight in shining armor.

I just so happen to be wearing the armor of God. #ACUPickUpLines #knightsinshiningarmor

@ainsleyhaley You guys heard of the struggle bus? Well today I became the driver...

@ACUPickUpLines “Is it free?” -every college student ever

daily doodle dosage

by BEN TODD YikYak

Column

YikYak

How my summer cash has come and gone DAILY DOODLE VAGABONDAGE DOSAGE SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND BEN TODD

This summer I got a job for 17 bucks an hour.

That’s as much as I’m going to say about that job.

The point is that I had a hefty amount of cash on my hands. So what do you think a 19-year-old who never got that much pay in his life before did with the money? I did some serious shopping. Amazon and eBay were my best friends for the next few weeks as I splurged on all

the technology that was on my wish list.

I was satisfied with my new toys for a few days, but then my wallet started itching to find another deal. I perused pages of products on sale, thinking I could find something else I wanted. Thank goodness most of the things on sale were gardening tools and baby products – neither of which I have use for.

Slowly, I stopped checking

the pages for a sale, and my urge to find a new toy to play with died away.

The moral of the story is: don’t let shopping control you. I got lucky that Amazon and eBay couldn’t figure out what I wanted from their stores anymore, but, for the most part, businesses these days are incredibly good at selling you things you don’t really need. It’s best to assume all businesses are trying to make money, and you, an impulsive, oblivious consumer, are their best chance to achieve that goal.

As much as we would like to blame the companies for their cunning ef-

“

As much as we would like to blame the companies for their cunning efforts to reach our wallets, we have the final say on where our money goes.”

forts to reach our wallets, we have the final say on where our money goes. At the root, these businesses will take advantage of any consumer who doesn’t have the discipline to restrain his or her spending habits, but the more informed we are on this situation, the wiser our choices will become.

Here is one piece of advice that can help with your potential purchasing spree problem: sleep on it. Wait twenty-four hours before you think of buying something. You can even use the time to do more research online.

I’ve stumbled on a lot of products I would have purchased right away, but

they would have ended up wasting my money. Since I waited a day before looking at the product again, I often realize how caught up in the moment I was the day before. But today, now that I have a level head, I can make a better judgment on if I really need it.

Try putting that to practice, and feel free to send other money saving tips my way. College students have to make the most out of every buck, right?

contact todd at bat12a@acu.edu

Column

ACU campus is like a cute, real-world microcosm VAGABONDAGE THE ORRACLE

SAMANTHAMADELINE SUTHERLAND ORR

A microcosm is a situation that encompasses the characteristics of something much larger, but on a mini scale.

So living on a college campus, I can’t help but think about the structure of our university, especially student life, as a mini version of the larger “real world” that seems to linger outside of the Lunsford. It’s an “ACU microcosm.”

I emphasis student life because it seems to correlate with the elements that contribute to a citizen’s life.

Communities consist largely of businesses, organizations, religious and ethnic groups all with varying, and sometimes opposing, views and agendas. The ACU community is no different.

Just this week we elected representatives to the Students’ Association— the

equivalent to our local government. As students, a portion of our tuition is given to SA, which is intended to be given back to us in the ways that they serve us. On the large scale, taxpayers disagree with how that money is spent. On the ACU scale, if you’ve ever attended the SA budget meeting, you would know that a lot of our students feel the same way.

We have small businesses. For many years, we’ve had students from the Intro to Business class selling t-shirts and sunglasses in the campus center. But this year COBA has taken it a step further with Wildcat Ventures, the student-run

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.

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

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

newsroom (325) 674-2439

sports desk (325) 674-2684

business that is the parent to several other companies on campus.

We have sports. Although, I think a difference between ACU and the real world is that professional athletes aren’t likely to show up at the same restaurant as you, but it is very likely that you’ll run into the football team in the Bean or sit next to the starting point guard in Chapel. Nonetheless, we root for our home team just the same.

We have a local media outlet, the Optimist. And like many newsrooms, it is trying to inform and hold community figures accountable. But also like many newsrooms, it often

gives attention to the stories that are more exciting and sometimes lets the stories that need attention slip by unnoticed.

We have social clubs.

Just like all the rotary clubs, ladies’ book clubs and masonic lodges, we have created exclusive groups for the purpose of socializing, fraternizing and occasionally performing community service. Just as local Lions clubs wear funny hats and say secret chants, ours wear colored uniforms and exchange secret handshakes.

We even have those random landmarks or odd activities that the whole community knows about but no one particularly is

responsible for. The real world example may be a random statue in town that gets painted red every year.

In our case, it’s putting bubbles in the GATA fountain or throwing fruit at the drain pipe between Mabee and the library.

I know that eventually I’ll have to graduate and participate in the large scale community. But the ACU microcosm is fun to think about and a good practice round before I have to start paying taxes.

contact Orr at mco10b@acu.edu

Madeline Orr

catherine blakemore

jamie swallows

James Eldred

Kenneth Pybus

editor in chief opinion page editor

arts Editor

chief Videographer

Staff Writer

faculty adviser

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featureS

Friday 09.12.14

Three students share their experience war-torn Ukraine

Faith in

Jarred Schuetze staff Photographer

SHAMBLES Linsey Thut Features Editor

S

amantha Lakey sits at a lunch table in June surrounded by Ukrainian refugees in Northern Ukraine as reports are read telling that the Russians have crossed the Ukraine border with tanks. She thinks about how, a few months earlier, she was in the states, listening as news anchors described warring scenes that seemed so far away.

Now, sitting in Kiev, Ukraine, though far from the conflicted areas, her first instinct is to worry. But the refugees around her are still full of hope.

Lakey, along with Jess Weeden, Ashley Raybon and Rachael Valfre from Hillcrest Church of Christ, traveled to Ukraine in the middle of the revolution to help refugees at Jeremiah’s Hope, an at-risk children’s home.

Lakey, a 2014 nursing graduate of Hardin-Simmons, said two weeks earlier, she never imagined God would take her to Ukraine. Andrew Kelly, leader of Jeremiah’s Hope, contacted the Hillcrest elders desperate for help.

“He basically said, ‘We have so much to do and not very many people to do it with, and we’re getting swamped. Is there anybody who is able to come?’” Lakey said.

Lakey said she knew that, despite the protests of her family, Ukraine was where she needed to be.

“People don’t want you to go to war-torn countries,” Lakey said. “But it’s kind of like when God lays the cards out perfectly, you can’t not do it.”

Raybon, junior speech pathology major from Irving, said in the weeks leading up to the trip, things fell into place and it made perfect sense for her to take the trip also.

“You don’t get these types of opportunities all the time,” Raybon said. “We’re

young. We need to take advantage of them.”

Valfre, an interviewer at Abilene Bone and Joint, said she was not worried about taking a trip to the war-torn country.

“I knew Hillcrest would not be sending us if they thought we would be unsafe,” Valfre said. “The turmoil, at the time was in the eastern part and we were away from most of the danger.”

Justin Hatfield, college minister at Hillcrest, said the women were given a two-week window to decide whether they could make the trip, and they unanimously agreed to go.

“It shows their heart for sacrifice because they dropped what they were doing and took off,” Hatfield said.

Jeremiah’s Hope is a home run by Andrew Kelly, an ACU alumnus, and his wife Jenny in the village of Kolentsi. The camp cares for at-risk youth and underprivileged children and also has summer camps for missionary kids in Europe.

Hatfield said he takes groups from the college ministry to Jeremiah’s Hope quite often, but during the summer, the camp’s mission was changed to fit the circumstances.

“When they started having bombings and people were being evacuated, their camp was contacted by the government to be a place for these people who are homeless to stay until they can get homes,” Hatfield said.

Raybon said before they arrived, the adults and babushkas, or grandmothers, were spending all their time caring for children of refugees.

“They needed to worry about other things like the state of the rest of their family, so when I got there, we just did child care,” Raybon said.

Some of the kids there were orphans from families that stayed behind in Eastern Ukraine to fight for their homes, Lakey said.

“If you left your home, then either the pro-Ukrainians or the Russians were going

to take it,” Lakey said. “So you just had to sit there through the gunshots or you would lose everything.”

Lakey and Valfre worked mainly in the kitchen. Lakey said more refugees arrived daily, so the kitchen was bustling.

“I was constantly in the kitchen cooking and cleaning,” she said.

By the end of her two weeks in Ukraine, Lakey said the number of people she cooked for doubled from 60 to 120. And each dish was washed by hand, because they were without a dishwasher.

Lakey said the Ukrainian women working alongside her showed her the beauty of service, laughing and singing when life got stressful.

“Whenever I think of Ukraine, I think of starved faces and war, but that’s not what they were,” Lakey said. “They were these bubbly, sassy women.”

Raybon said while she was there, she stumbled upon a church service being held in Jeremiah’s Hope. She said she expected to find the refugees crying out in desolation of their loss but that’s the opposite of what she saw.

“These people were so joyous, and they were singing with smiles on their faces,” Raybon said.

It’s the significance of these smiles that Raybon said still gives her goose-bumps to this day.

“If you know Ukrainians, you know they don’t smile a whole lot, and when they do smile, it means the world,” Raybon said.

Weeden said she too was humbled by their faith in the midst of such tragedy. She found this faith in her nightly chats with Oskana, a Ukrainian refugee who spoke English.

“She was so intentional in her relationships with everyone and she wanted them to know that there was still hope,” Weeden said.

Lakey said at the end of their two week venture, the goodbyes were heartbreaking.

“There’s always this voice in the back of your head that’s like ‘What if I never see this kid again? What if I never see my friends over there?’” Lakey said.

Raybon said she found it most difficult to say goodbye to Daniel, an 11-year-old refugee to whom she taught English and learned Ukrainian. She called him “a little ball of sunshine.”

“I just got to learn so much about him,” Raybon said. “He was definitely the hardest one to say goodbye to because I don’t know if I will ever see him again.”

Back in America, the four women said the lessons they learned from the Ukrainian people is something they carry with them.

Weeden said the refugees’ faith in their darkest time was an example to her.

“I realized how much faith will be tested for those who believe,” Weeden said. “And also that our goal shouldn’t be to avoid it but to take it as it comes and prove faithful by being patient, kind and loving.”

Valfre agreed, saying they taught her lessons she couldn’t learn elsewhere.

“They were truly inspirational and made you really think about what was important,” Valfre said. “My life was forever changed, and I have been forever blessed by the experience and the people I met.”

Lakey said she was shocked by the Ukranians’ strength.

“They have a lot of stamina, and they don’t give up on themselves, their community or their kids,” Lakey said.

Her hope was strengthened by their unwavering trust.

“I learned to have faith and have joy when the world around me is literally in shambles,” Lakey said. “I learned how to lean on people and to lean on God.” Jeremiah’s Hope is hosting a fundraising dinner Sept. 20 in the Hunter Welcome Center. To learn more about the event or their service in Ukraine, contact Kelly at akellyukraine@gmail.com.

Above: Raybon said Daniel, an 11 year-old refugee from East Ukraine was a ball of sunshine, and the most difficult to say goodbye to. Top Right: Lakey said each day she would cook meals for up to 120 people in a small-staffed kitchen. Bottom Right: Valfre said the orphans were away from their families, but they were full of joy and giggled when she could not speak Ukrainian.

sports

friday 09.12.14

Golf takes first at local tournament reese gwin sports reporter The ACU golf team did something Tuesday afternoon that they failed to do all last season: win a tournament.

The ‘Cats took home first in the Charles Coody Invitation at Diamondback Golf Club for their first victory in Div. I. competition.

The team shot 11 over par in the final round but held on to win by five strokes over Odessa College. Junior transfer Dillon

Vaughn fired a 72 to earn a tie for second overall.

“Any win is great,” said Tom Shaw, head coach.

“I think this shows everybody that hey, vaughn we can win tournaments.”

Kaden Walters, senior from Fort Worth, bounced back from a rough first day with a 73. Clarke Hudgins, freshman from Amarillo, continued his strong play from Monday with

a 74. Kyle Karnei, sophomore from McGregor, and Corbin Renner, senior from Little Rock, Arkansas, had less impressive rounds with a 74 and 76. Renner, who started the day at the head of the pack, started slow and could never get caught up. Instead, it was Vaugn that hung with the leaders throughout the day. He had a share of the lead with two holes to play.

However, a double bogey on 17 left him two shots behind Odessa’s Vetle Maroy who came out on top.

Wind was a contribut-

ing factor to the outcomes of the day. Gusts at 30 mph had players chasing their shots all over the course.

“I was really interested to see how we would respond to the wind and trying to hold the lead,” Shaw said after the round. “I was extremely impressed from the top to the bottom with how we handled the conditions.”

The most surprising impression from the group was Hudgins. New to the Abilene wind and to college golf, Hudgins put together a strong 36-hole resumé.

“The wind was honestly very difficult, and I started off struggling,” Hudgins said. “Without the support of my team, I don’t know if I could have played as well as I did.”

The Wildcats will compete next week in the Ram Masters Invtiational at Colorado State.

“We want to go out and win the next one,” Shaw said. “This week we were 1-0. We want to be 1-0 next week.” contact gwin at erg12a@acu.edu

‘Cats look to topple Trojans collin wieder sports editor ACU football faces one of its toughest tasks in recent history as it heads to Alabama to take on the Troy University Trojans.

Troy has been a solid mid-major program for years, appearing in multiple bowl games over the last 10 seasons. The Trojans enter with the same record as the Wildcats who sit at 0-2.

Quarterback Parker McKenzie and the offense enter Saturday’s game with 29 points per game and 422 yards per game. The Wildcats need McKenzie to have a great outing if they want to win.

McKenzie has been responsible for all seven touchdowns this season and has gone 44-for62 for 568 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions, as well as one touchdown on the ground.

Despite McKenzie’s performance, Ken Collums, head coach, believes the ‘Cats need to put together a much smarter game offensively and keep from turning over the ball.

“You have to approach every opportunity and every rep in practice like it’s Saturday,” Collums said. “It’s about doing it cleaner than we did last week, and we want it to be clean on Saturday.”

Defensively, the ‘Cats look to build on a great outing against NAU in which they held the FCS playoff team to only 27 points.

The Wildcats’ defensive line has been the anchor this season with senior defensive linemen Nick Richardson and Damon Williams, combining a total of nine tackles for loss after two weeks of play.

They shut down the

daniel zepeda

The women’s soccer team looks to change its offensive woes and end its twogame losing streak on Friday in San Antonio.

The Wildcats will take on non-conference opponent University of TexasPan American at 6 p.m. in hopes of getting back onto the winning track.

After falling to University of North Texas’ Mean Green, 1-3, and following up with another loss to Texas Christian University, 0-3, ACU needs a solid win in the team’s secondto-last game before conference play begins.

“The two losses that we had were against very good teams,” said Sarah Schoch senior midfielder. “We learned that our speed of play needs to increase along with our composure on and off the ball. Our game on Friday was played with a lot of heart and fight so we will have to carry that on with us into this weekend to get the wins that we want.”

Offensive troubles have been apparent for ACU in previous games. The Wild-

standings football Standings

Team

Div.

SELU UCA Lamar SFA SHSU

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

HBU MSU ACU Nicholls St. NSU UIW

Ovrl 2-0 1-1 1-1 1-1 1-2 0-1 0-1 0-2 0-2 0-2 0-2

soccer Standings

Team SELU UCA SFA Nicholls St TAMU-CC ACU HBU Lamar MSU SHSU NSU UIW

Div. 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0

Ovrl 6-0-0 3-2-1 2-0-2 3-0-3 1-2-1 2-0-4 1-0-4 1-0-4 1-0-4 1-0-4 1-0-5 0-0-5

volleyball Standings

Team

Div.

SHSU MSU NO Nicholls St. NSU TAMU-CC HBU SFA SELU UCA UIW ACU Lamar

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Ovrl 5-2 5-3 4-3 3-3 3-3 3-4 3-4 3-5 2-5 1-5 1-6 0-6 0-6

Who’s Hot Sophomore Diana GarciaMuñoz was selected as the Southgarcia-munoz land Conference female Cross Country runner of the week. She won the season-opening race over 36 competitors from four schools and was 17 seconds faster than the runner-up.

briefings ACU football returns to national television Saturday. The Wildcats paige otway Staff Photographer will be shown on ESPN3 Senior defensive lineman Nick Richardson recorded one of his two sacks last Saturday against Northern Arizona at for the game against Shotwell. The Wildcats will hope for another solid defensive game against Troy Saturday night in Troy, Ala. Troy. The Wildcats were featured on ESPN3 last NAU rushing attack last said. “I feel like we can a 175-104-1 record since their head coach is estab- season in their game week, only allowing 3.6 get a win and shock the he arrived on campus in lished. The field is named against New Mexico yards per carry. world.”

1990. Blakeney helped after him.”

Williams hopes the Larry Blakeney, Troy’s the Trojans transition The Wildcats take on State.

Wildcats can continue to dominate at the point of attack and get a signature win Saturday.

“I think it’s a big-time game for us,” Williams

head coach, leads the Trojans into Saturday’s game. Blakeney has put together quite a resume in his 24 years as coach of the Trojans, building

from Div. II to Div. I FBS Troy at 6 p.m. Saturday during his tenure. on ESPN3.

“Troy’s not an upand-coming program,” contact wieder at Collums said. “They’ve cpw11a@acu.edu gone to bowl games and

Wildcats search for offensive stride sports director

6

cats began the season flat with two losses against Tulsa and UT-El Paso, both by 0-1 scores. The offense came alive against Wayland Baptist and Texas Wesleyan, as they outscored both teams 5-1.

“Our biggest obstacle during those two games has been the speed in which we play and the decisions we make,” Schoch said. “Once we are able to pick up our speed of play and improve our decision making, I have no doubt in my mind that we will be ready to do very well conference.”

The defense, which has also struggled as of late, will look to step up and be more assertive in San Antonio.

“In the end it comes down to the all of us working as a whole and really communicating with each other and helping the defense out, so they aren’t left to deal with the other team’s attack by themselves,” said Taylor Brown, senior forward.

“This week in practice, we have been trying out a few new things to see what is going to help us this weekend and in the future as well as what

Senior Cross Country runner Daniel Blcok leads his team while balancing work and school. Look for his feature on acuoptimist.com.

Be sure to follow @OptimistSports on Twitter for more stories and the latest ACU sports news coverage.

Upcoming Men’s and women’s tennis will compete in both the Raquet Club Invitational and the Walmart Open on Friday at 8 a.m. in Midland and Abilene.

Cross country will travel to Lubbock to play in the Red Raider Invitational on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

paige otway Staff Photographer

Sophomore Maria Gomez lines up a kick for ACU in their game against Texas Wesleyan.

The Wildcats have been outscored by opponents 6-1 in its last two games. works best with the personnel we have.”

The UT-Pan American Broncs are in their first season with a soccer program and reside in the Western Athletic Conference.

The Broncs have won four of their first six games of the season and have scored seven goals in

the last three games. Even with success early in the season, ACU is expected to match up favorably against the hometown Broncs.

“I think the most important thing for us to focus on right now is staying positive and not getting down on ourselves,” Brown said. “We haven’t

gotten the outcome that we’ve wanted recently, but it’s time for us to move forward and prepare for this weekend since we will be facing two really good teams.”

contact zepeda at djz11a@acu.edu

Women’s soccer plays the University of TexasPan American Friday night at 6 p.m. in San Antonio.

Women’s volleyball hits the road to play the University of North Texas in Denton on Friday night at 7 p.m.

Football travels to Troy, Ala. to play the Trojans Saturday at 6 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN3.