Players off Roster Men’s team suffers blow
vol. 103, no. 37
Friday, February, 20 2015
1 SECTION, 6 PAGES
Sports Page 6
Council votes against closing AES majors what’s INSIDE
proposal to discontinue the three majors. Because the UUAC voted against the proposal, it canThe University Undergrad- not go before the full faculty uate Academic Council vot- for a vote. ed 7-2 against the universiHowever, the result of ty’s proposal to discontinue the UUAC vote does not yet majors in agribusiness, ani- effect university plans to mal science and environ- move other AES majors into mental science during a the department of Biology. meeting Wednesday. Mandy Scudder, adminDr. Susan Lewis, vice istrative coordinator in the provost, said in an email Department of Agriculture that although the proposal and Environmental Sciand the responses from the ence, said there was a round department and the dean of applause from students included many details, the when the announcement council’s scope Wednesday was made in AES Chapel was to vote solely on the Thursday morning.
Madeline Orr
editor in chief
NEWS Organization sends relief to refugees in Ukraine Page 5
SPORTS Softball wins series against Prairie View A&M
“Today we’ve got something to celebrate,” Scudder said. “We’ve been noticed. We felt validated. But just like Dr. Brokaw said this morning, ‘We’ve won a battle, not the war.’” Scudder said the department does not know what the next steps are. “We are confused because we are halfway through the spring semester and we were not planning on accepting students this fall, all of sudden now we might be accepting new students,” she said. Council members are Dr. Greg Powell, Dr. Paul Lakey,
Dr. Steve Wages, Dr. Don Pope, Dr. Sam Stewart, Dr. Sheila Jones, Dr. Jeanene Reese, Dr. Debbie Williams and Dr. Vernon Williams. None could be reached for comment Thursday. Dr. Joe Cardot, faculty senate chair and a non-voting member of the UUAC, was present at the meeting until all non-voting members were asked to exit and the UUAC voted. “Whenever things like these are examined, it usually always is for reasons identified by administration that suggest that the program is not viable,” he
said. However, Cardot noted the department showed a 20 percent growth in majors, and there is personnel available for hire that could replace the missing faculty. “It becomes more of a need to trim the budget, rather than we are just very unhappy with it,” he said. “The administration drew some conclusions based on data that they thought it was a good time to do that.”
contact orr at mco10b@acu.edu
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NEWS CEO plans concert to fundraise for spring break mission trip Page 3
SPORTS Corbin Renner and Golf team win first tournament of the year Page 6
OPINION Why student indictments should be reported on, not ignored
emily guajardo staff photographer
Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university (left) and Craig Fisher, director of alumni relations and annual projects (right) present Dr. Kent and Amber Brantly with the Young Alumni of the year award at the alumni luncheon on Sunday. Page 4
ARTS
Grand jury indicts former student brittany jackson
Guest writer reviews new novel, The Bone Clocks Page 5
NEWS Former members of U.S. Congress visit with students on campus Page 3
what’s online VIDEO Arts Editor, Catherine Blakemore reports art on the scene
Read more at www.acuoptimist.com
managing editor Jacob Windsor was indicted by a Taylor County grand jury on three counts of sexual assault last week related to an incident last fall when he was enrolled as a student. The event referenced in the indictment took place Aug. 30, 2014, at a party in Taylor County, and criminal charges were filed against Windsor about a month later. The indictment, handed down Feb. 12, means the grand jury decided enough evidence exists
to proceed to trial. According to Abilene police, the victim was at the party when she “became unable to control herself mentally and physically because of an unknown substance she ingested through her drink.” When she woke up, the victim realized she had been sexually assaulted, a claim further supported by a sexual assault nurse examiner, according to police. According to the complaint, Windsor, who was a junior biology major from Midlothian at the time, was at the party and confirmed the victim was
intox icated at the time. He also con f i r med to police he had a sexual encounter with the windsor woman but did not admit to sexual intercourse, police say. The Optimist does not disclose the names of sexual assault victims without their permission. The indictment covers three potential violations of state law regarding sexual assault. The first count claims Windsor intentionally and knowing-
ly committed sexual assault on the victim while she was “unconscious or physically unable to resist.” The second count alleges the assault took place when the woman was unaware that the sexual assault was occurring. And the third count claims Windsor impaired the woman’s judgment by administering an unknown substance before sexually assaulting her. The charge is classified under Texas law as a second degree felony. If convicted, Windsor may face between two and 20 years in state prison and may be fined up to
$10,000. Windsor’s Abilene attorney, Kenneth G. Leggett, said the indictment is nothing more than one step in the U.S. legal system. “An indictment is nothing more than somebody said this is what happened, and this is what we’re going to try and prove,” Leggett said. “An indictment proves nothing. It is not evidence in the case, the jury is instructed not to take it as evidence.” He said the only necessary element for a grand see indictment page 3
Teacher Quality Grant totals $3.27 M rachel Fritz copy editor The Teacher Quality Grant has been approved for the 15th consecutive year at ACU adding up to $3.27 million of external funding. The federal grant, formerly known as the Eisenhower Grant Program, is a program in which high school and middle school teachers spend three weeks at ACU being trained how to teach math and science classes. The program extends to
38 school districts within a one-hour radius of Abilene. The grant was unintentionally introduced to ACU 15 years ago when Dr. Kim Pamplin, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, wanted to get a new science machine for the department. He sent a proposal to get funding for the machine along with a one-week workshop but was denied. “I didn’t get funding, but I was told to do the workshop anyway, so I applied for the Eisenhower
Grant Program,” Pamplin said. “Eventually, we got funding.” Since then, the program has benefitted around 150 teachers. The program started with only high school teachers in math and science, but in 2006, middle school teachers were added to the program. “High school and middle school teachers need to know what each other is teaching,” Pamplin said. Pamplin teaches chemistry to high school and middle school teach-
Abilene Christian University
ers while other professors teach them how to apply what they have learned in their own classrooms. Dr. Lloyd Goldsmith, Department of Graduate Studies in Education professor and program director, is one of the faculty members who teaches education strategies. “I’m a former high school principal and science teacher,” he said. “We go out and train teachers who are underprepared or teaching out of their fields.” With funding from the grant, teachers are able
to go on science-related “field trips” in which they learn the subject matter they will be teaching during the academic year. Last year, they went to Big Bend National Park, and this year, they will go to an outdoor classroom in Junction. They will then take the material they learn and put together a lesson plan they will present at the end of the three-week workshop. “The knowledge they gain can be easily shared see grant page 3