The Optimist Print Edition 3.20.15

Years and Years Brittish band picked up after recent EP release ARTS Page 5 vol. 103, no. 42

friday, march 20, 2015

1 SECTION, 6 PAGES

Students ‘stick’ their love for ACU in Campus Center

what’s INSIDE NEWS UBikes adds mountain bikes to their rental options

mercedez hernandez student reporter

Page 3 The Student Alumni Association showed appreciation to ACU donors by flooding the Campus Center with notes written by students.

“We want I Love ACU day to become a day that students look forward to,” said Alex Abston, vice president of SAA. “It is an easy way to give back to ACU and show our appreciation for people who pour into our campus financially, academically, and spiritually.”

This is the second year of I Love ACU day.

“We were blown away by how it just took off, we wanted to keep the same particular idea and run with it again this year,” said Samantha Adkins, assistant director of alumni relations.

Abston, junior pre-law communication major from The Woodlands, said she was also pleased by last year’s outcome.

“We had a great turnout for our Post-it note activity,” Abston said. “It was so cool to walk into the Campus Center and recognize the blessings that surround us every day.”

The sticky-notes from students can range from silly to sincere.

“It’s really cool to see all of the different things that people say,” Adkins said. “I just hope that days like these focuses the campus back on alumni and students.”

Alumni were also encouraged to share what they love about ACU throughout the day on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #iloveacu.

“There is something special about this place; a lot of the things people love at ACU aren’t possible without donations,” Adkins said.

SPORTS Baseball slides into three-game series against McNeese

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OPINION Rachel’s column about something

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SPORTS Softball takes on conference power UCA Bears Page 6

OPINION Like colleges across the U.S., ACU seeks new sources for revenue other than tuition emily guajardo staff Photographer

Students expressed their apprection for ACU donors by writing what they loved about ACU on social media and sticky notes in the Campus Center. Samantha Adkins, assistant director of alumni relations, posts #iloveACU notes.

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ACU hires firm to study millennials brittany jackson managing editor

NEWS Engineering students hope to create a new club within their department

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NEWS Students round up teams for annual ACU Rodeo

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what’s online

ACU is three months into a semester-long partnership with Barna Group, a research group surveying the student body and providing resources for the university to better engage in students’ spiritual development.

Barna Group, founded in 1984, tracks cultural and spiritual trends, offering statistics, resources, seminars and custom research to churches and non-profit organizations. The group’s research is being shared with staff and faculty through a series of web seminars throughout the semester.

Jan Meyer, vice president of student life, said the

arts editor

ONLINE

Read more at acuoptimist.com

group’s national and custom research will help staff understand the student body better.

“Our students at ACU are a part of a larger college student culture that is always moving and changing,” she said. “We want to be staff and faculty who are in tune with cultural shifts so that we can be most effective in our roles as mentors and educators.”

Chris Riley, director of Student Life, said the partnership will help the university in tailoring the ACU experience to current students.

He and Meyer heard David Kinnaman, director of Barna Group, speak at a conference in January. Shortly after, Riley brought Kinna-

man to speak at the staff presession.

Riley said the staff senate members received enough positive feedback to prompt a possible partnership with the research group.

“The research affirmed many of the observations that we made and discussed, and that is always encouraging,” Meyer said of the staff presession. “It also provided a framework in which to

continue more conversations about practical applications of the information.” vThe university has partnered with Barna Group before, hiring the company to in 2011 to survey alumni, but Riley said the focus this time around is first and foremost the current student body.

According to an email sent to faculty and staff by Riley, the Barna Lab Discussions consist of monthly live webcasts focusing on “engaging and working with Millennials (ages 13-30),” that will help staff engage in more meaningful relationships with students.

Although involvement is not being tracked by Barna Group or ACU, staff and faculty are encouraged to watch each webcast and discuss

their findings at monthly departments meetings organized by the university.

A survey was sent to students at the beginning of March, offering two Chapel credits upon completion, as part of Barna Group’s custom research.

The questions covered areas such as church and bible study involvement, a student’s background in religion and Christianity, as well as what the student anticipates their spirituality will be like in the future. The survey also asked students how supported they felt on campus, and whether or not they had a mentor. contact jackson at bkj12a@acu.edu

Transhumanist candidate speaks to BCOR catherine blakemore

Savannah Silva hosts this week’s newscast covering arts, FilmFest and more

contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Two sections of BCOR 310, God and the Good Life, heard from guest speaker Zoltan Istvan, the 2016 presidential candidate for the Transhumanist Party, the Friday before spring break.

Transhumanism is the idea that human experience and capacity can be greatly enhanced by the use of technology and making those technologies widely available. It is a prominent topic taught in the university’s BCOR classes.

Istvan founded the

“

The evolution of BCOR has at least incorporated, at least in my sections, more and more of transhumanism”

didate.

“I simply friend requested him on Facebook some months ago and developed a friendship and engaged him about some of the stuff Dr. Trevor Thompson he had written and some of Instructor of bible, missions and ministry his ideas,” Thompson said.

According to its website, the Transhumanist Party Transhumanist Party in Oc- is “an American political tober 2014 and is the author organization dedicated to of a philosophical science putting science, health and fiction novel, The Transhu- technology at the forefront manist Wager. of United States politics” The Transhumanist Party while aiming “to uphold the has been talked about this energy and political might year in the sections taught of millions of transhumanby Dr. Trevor Thompson, ist advocates out there who instructor of Bible, missions desire to use science and and ministry and PhD can- technology to significantly

Abilene Christian University

improve their lives.”

A few weeks ago, Thompson asked if Istvan would be willing to address his two sections of BCOR on the topic.

“The evolution of BCOR has at least incorporated, at least in my sections, more and more of transhumanism, and so I started reading Zoltan’s stuff early on and started reading more and more and more and this semester, I assigned some work from him,” Thompson said.

The presentation from Istvan began with the exploration of new technologies that transhumanists strive

for, such as robotic hearts, telepathy, self-driving cars, etc.

Istvan addressed his campaign for president in 2016 and the infancy of the transhumanist movement as a political party.

“We don’t have a real chance of winning this election or anything like that because we are a very small party,” Istvan said. “But we have a very interesting platform; our main goal of the Transhumanist Party is to promote three different things.”

Those three things insee bcor page 7

friday 3.20.15

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friday

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saturday

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sunday

monday

4 p.m. Softball versus University of Central Arkansas

9 a.m. Men’s tennis versus McMurry University

12 p.m. Women’s tennis at Northwestern State University

6 p.m. Baseball versus McNeese State University

12 p.m. Softball versus University of Central Arkansas

1 p.m. Baseball versus McNeese State University

8 p.m. ACU FilmFest Red Carpet Gala

4 p.m. Women’s tennis at Stephen F. Austin University

Fall registration begins 4:30 p.m. Interest meeting about pledging in Cullen Auditorium

Announcements

Chapel checkup To date:

2

Remaining:

The ACU Undergraduate Research Festival is almost here!

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

article submissions related to the humanities, social sciences and theology. Creative writing submissions will be accepted for the journal’s new blog located at http://blogs.acu.edu/ conversations/. Deadline for submissions is April 10. Email Interested in running for stu- snw12a@acu.edu for more indent body president, vice formation. president or treasurer? Make sure you attend the mandatory The second annual Finals meeting Monday at 5:15 p.m. in Fun Fest will be April 25. The the Students’ Association con- four-on-four grass volleyball ference room. tournament will be at Sanders Intramural Fields. Cost is $80 The ACU Graduate School aca- per team. Each team can have demic journal is now accepting a maximum of five players, but

45 28 @acuoptimist The Optimist

only four can participate at a time; at least one player must be female. The play schedule will be sent by email beforehand. For more information or to register, contact Ijeoma Moronu at ish07a@acu.edu or 325-674-2383.

luncheon information session March 25 in the Alumni Conference Room in the Hunter Welcome Center. If you are interesting in applying to work there, RSVP on College Central Network by Tuesday.

ACU’s Intramural Rodeo will be March 26. Registration is open until March 25 after Chapel in the Campus Center.

Cost for a four-person team is $100. Spectator tickets are $5 for one, or $8 for two. Register now to secure your spot.

The Texas Department of Spaces are limited.

Family Services is having a Midnight Worship is every Friday night at Fountaingate Fellowship, 909 N. Willis. Join college students and young adults across Abilene as we unite to worship.

optimist@acu.edu police log SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 03/14/2015 11:40 p.m. ACUPD investigated four cases of obscene graffiti painted on vehicle windows in the ACU Drive north lot.

03/16/2015 3:55 p.m. Officers investigated a criminal mischief incident of a broken vehicle window in the Mabee-Edwards lot.

03/16/2015 5:55 p.m. ACUPD received a report of a juvenile using a siren to try to stop cars in front of his house. The mother acknowledged that the child was playing with a siren but denied that he was trying to stop passing motorists.

03/17/2015 5:45 p.m. A student reported that their vehicle had been damaged in a hit-and-run crash in the University Church lot.

03/18/2015 5:37 p.m. ACUPD assisted APD in searching for a person said to have been huffing spray paint in Wal-Mart. The person was last seen leaving WalMart and entering Cracker Barrel, but left prior to officers’ arrival.

Stats for the Week of March 12 - 19, 2015 - Total: 378

911 CALL 2 ABANDONED VEHICLE 1 ACCIDENT 1 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY 10 ADVICE 2 ALARM 6 ANIMAL CALL 1 ASSAULT 1 ASSIST 4 BARRICADES 2 BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK 7 CHECK BUILDING 192 CITATION ISSUANCE 1 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 3 DISABLED VEHICLE 1

DISTURBANCE 4 FOOT PATROL 17 HIT AND RUN 2 INFORMATION REPORT 2 INTOXICATED PERSON 2 INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP 7 MAINTENANCE UNIV. ASSETS: CCTV 11 MAINTENANCE: UNIV. ASSETS 1 MONITOR FACILITY/LOT 3 MOTORIST ASSIST: INFLATE TIRE 1 MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART 2 MOTORIST ASSIST: OTHER 1 MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK 7 OTHER 9 PARKING LOT PATROL 26

PARKING VIOLATION 1 PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE 3 PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL 4 PUBLIC SERVICE 1 RANDOM PATROL 20 REPORT WRITING 7 ROBBERY 1 STAND BY 1 SUICIDE (ATTEMPT AND ACTUAL) 1 SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 2 SUSPICIOUS PERSON 4 THEFT 1 TRESPASSER 1 WARRANT SERVICE 1 WELFARE CHECK 1

Police Chief Tip of the Week: Do you know the model and serial numbers for your valuable laptops and tablets?

Knowing the serial number greatly increases the chance for stolen items to be recovered by police.

Intramurals

Intramural basketball finals highlight club rivalries THE VAGABONDAGE REC-COVERING SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND ADDICT

DANIEL BLOCK

The intramural basketball season ended Thursday night with its own version of March Madness.

All season long, the social club teams lagged behind the non-club teams, kind of like how I am lagging behind in my homework and classes at this point in the semester.

But if intramural basketball can tell us anything, it is that it’s not how you start, but how you finish. Some teams just happen to be late bloomers, and there’s nothing wrong with that. At least that’s what I was told back when I was 14.

Soccer also started this week, and the usual suspects are at it again, with a couple additions and subtractions. This next month will be the time when, much like with the U.S. Men’s National Team at the World Cup, Americans and ACU students will pretend they like soccer.

guessed we’d be seeing everyone’s favorite rivalry in the final this year.

But I guess when you back a Siggie or a Kojie into a corner, you might find that she’s got more fight hidden in that massive Michael Kors purse than you could possibly imagine.

LEGIT and The HasBeens stood atop the standings all season, with only one loss between the two teams on the season, and that coming in their head-to-head matchup.

But the Siggies battled the Has-Beens down to the final buzzer and came away with a three-point victory.

Knowing that they couldn’t allow Sigma Theta Chi to own all the intramural glory, the Kojies went ahead and oneupped their rival club and defeated top-ranked LEGIT by an even smaller one-point margin, 43-42.

So what is it about the Women’s Champ Siggie-Kojie rivalry that Basketball makes it so entertaining?

I asked Siggie basketball Not even this intramu- player Mary Kate Rotenral expert would have berry how the two teams

always seemed to end up playing each other in the biggest games.

“It’s rigged,” Rotenberry said.

I’d agree with her, but I just can’t see Emily Sears and her GATA teammates purposely losing all those games just to accommodate the ACU intramural bigwigs.

Rotenberry was careful not to expose any other Siggie secrets in the days leading up to the big game, but she did hint at celebration plans if the Siggies could pull off the victory.

“I’m only answering this so I don’t get fined,” Rotenberry said, “but you will probably find out where we go eventually on Instagram.”

That makes sense. I could give you a Siggie’s entire life story based on her Instagram.

The Subbers found themselves down 13 points with 10 minutes to play, but chipped away at the score and the poise of Drain’n 3’s until Sub T had a five-point victory and a frustrated opponent.

GSP followed suit by knocking off the freshman superstar team Skillz that Killz. Despite all the Skillz talent and

“

Sub T; I’m not sure.

Women’s Champ Soccer There are six teams in the league this year, including the regular four club teams. Joining them are B.O.B and Doomsday Divas.

As of Thursday afternoon, Alpha Kai and B.O.B each had gained their first wins of the

Frats wake up every morning and live out the word excellence. The gold, white and blue of our club’s crest demand the respect of opposing teams on the soccer field.”

overly ambitious fan section, the Gammas were able to ruin the highschool heroes’ dreams of a championship and possible start to an intramuMen’s Champ ral dynasty. Because once Basketball you’re out of high school, an intramural championThis one might not have ship is often the highest been as much of a sur- you can reach. prise as the women’s As for the champileague, but the final onship game itself, the was certainly a crowd- crowd in the gym was very pleaser. Sub T-16 and GSP one-sided. On one bench snuck into the champi- you had GSP, everyone onship game as the third and God’s favorite team, and fourth seeds, defeat- while on the other bench, ing Drain’n 3’s & Drink’n you had Sub T, their own DPs and Skillz that Killz, favorite team. Actually, respectively. even Sub T might hate

Drew Martinez Frater Sodalis soccer captain

campaign, while Doomsday Divas and GATA each had once loss.

Men’s Champ Soccer Absent from the men’s soccer ranks this year are Trojans and Galaxy.

Maybe those are the only two clubs actually willing to show that they have no real interest in soccer, or maybe they were tired of losing. I don’t know.

Venturing into the Champs League world is Frater Sodalis. The Frats and Friends team put down their gaming controllers long enough to

kick a ball around, and it’s looking like it has been a good idea so far. They destroyed Bink Squad 9-2 in the first game of the year.

Frater Sodalis captain Drew Martinez said it shouldn’t be a surprise his team joined the Champs League for a season of footy.

“I’m not going to lie,” Martinez said. “Frats wake up every morning and live out the word excellence. The gold, white and blue of our club’s crest demand the respect of opposing teams on the soccer field.”

Because the Frats only enter the Champs team in soccer, they have plenty of time to practice and develop special strategies.

“Our strategy is a very old and effective style of winning,” Martinez said.

“When the game of football first came into existence men won games with one creative strategy—score more goals than the other team before time runs out. As for special plays, all I have to say is the ‘Shake’n’Bake’ from Talladega Nights is usually most effective when we need a quick score or a defensive stop.” contact block at djb13a@acu.edu

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news

Friday 3.20.15

On-campus bike business grows quickly madeline orr editor in chief UBikes, the on-campus bike rental service that launched last semester, added more bikes to its fleet this week.

The student-run business, whose parent company is Wildcat Ventures, saw enough demand in its first four months of operation, allowing it to purchase five new mountain bikes and two new cruiser bikes, bringing its total inventory to 15 bikes available for rental.

“We started out with eight bikes, and we had six of them rented for the whole semester within a week and a half,” said David Guinn, CEO of UBikes. “That left us with only two bikes to rent out, so that’s one reason we replenished.”

Guinn, senior management major from Graham, said the addition of mountain bikes is to cater to students who began asking if they could rent bikes to ride on trails around Abilene.

Several students in a cycling class taught by Dr. Kerri

Hart, assistant professor of kinesiology, rent from UBikes because of its convenient location in the Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

“It’s just so convenient; you walk in and fill out a piece of paper,” said Cassie White, junior family studies major from Abilene and student in the cycling class. “And whenever we’re out riding, our friends are like ‘Whoa where did you get those?’ because they’re nice bikes.”

Jennifer Evans, junior family studies major

from Abilene, is also part of the class.

“All we need for class each day is an hour, so we figure if we’re spending $8 a week maximum, then we’re getting out with a pretty good deal,” she said. “It’s cheaper than a Huffy at Wal-Mart.”

Connor Osburn, president of Wildcat Ventures, said it is an exciting time for bikelovers at ACU. “All we did was buy eight bikes, and now we’ve had so many conversations with people on campus, like with the ACU Green Initiative,”

said Osburn, senior finance major from Southlake. “Now we’re looking into repairs, like a repair shop in the rec center where people can bring in their personal bikes.”

Guinn said he has looked into the process of becoming an accredited bike-friendly university and that he thinks Abilene is moving toward becoming a bike-friendly city.

Efforts by the city of Abilene include the proposed trails at the Cedar Creek Waterway and Abilene Metropolitan Planning Organization’s recent initiative

to create more bike lanes throughout the city.

“It’s encouraging and refreshing to see it grow,” Guinn said.

The new bikes are now available for rental in the SRWC. UBikes offers rentals by the hour, day, week or for an entire semester and students can rent using cash, credit or charging their student account.

contact orr at mco10b@acu.edu

Engineering students construct departmental club daniel block intramurals editor Students in the Department of Engineering and Physics have begun a new club to explore and practice different skills in the engineering field.

The club, called the Engineering Students’ Association, is not yet officially recognized by Student Life, but meetings are taking place and plans are in the works for new projects.

Francisco Teran, president of the ESA, said the group is hard at work getting everything ready.

“We’re working on all the paperwork right now,” said Teran, junior engineering major from McKinney. “But it’s real. We’re having meetings.”

The ACU engineering degree program is in its third year of existence but is not yet accredited by any society outside the school.

Dr. Matthew Steele, assistant professor of engineering and physics, is one of two faculty sponsors for the ESA. He said developing the club is an important step in preparing for future accreditation by the nationally recognized Accreditation Board for En-

gineering and Technology.

“It’s just that next stepping stone,” Steele said.

“Next year, we go up for accreditation after the seniors graduate, but there’s no reason we can’t have our student groups. It just isn’t affiliated at a national level. But this allows us to get our structure in place.”

This semester, Teran said the club plans to rebuild a golf cart in the newly renovated Bennett Gymnasium.

“We’re going to work on the engine and the suspension,” Teran said. “We’re going to modify the golf cart. We don’t really know

what we’re going to do with it (after), but right now it’s just something fun to do.”

Steele said hands-on projects benefit students.

“We found last year when we did a lot of activities outside of the normal classroom, we started working on a few little projects; it really helped with retention,” Steele said.

Once the club becomes official and receives funding from ACU, it will enter competitions with different projects, Teran said.

The ESA plans to have meetings biweekly or monthly and are working on finding an appro-

priate time to host these meetings, Steele said. The club intends to bring in engineering experts from around Abilene and Texas to share with students about different career possibilities and experiences.

“That’s the goal of this group: to provide a social and a professional group to help them develop themselves,” Steele said. “We’re there mostly as mentors trying to stay as much hands-off as possible to let them do a lot on their own.”

Teran said the group will be integral in furthering the engineering pro-

gram.

“It’s going to help us create a network and help other students know what they are going to do after graduation,” Teran said.

“It’s going to allow students to get involved in activities they enjoy outside of school. It’s also going to help everybody get to know each other. It’s going to help create relationships inside the engineering department.”

contact block at djb13a@acu.edu

MFT online program to launch in summer elijah evans online managing editor The Department of Marriage and Family Therapy will offer an online graduate MFT program starting this summer, in addition to the residential graduate program.

The program will feature three degree tracks and will be facilitated through ACU’s new learning management system, Canvas.

The Department of Mar-

riage and Family Therapy has been discussing the addition for several years, said Dr. Jamie Goff, associate dean of the Graduate School and chair of the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy.

“Now we have some financial resources available to us through the Graduate School that weren’t available before,” Goff said. “And that has made it possible for us to offer it online.”

The department expects

high demand for the online program due to the rapidly growing marriage and family therapy industry, Goff said. Only two accredited graduate online programs exist at the moment.

Although the online program won’t be open to accreditation until the first class graduates, the residential program’s 31-year accreditation streak bolsters the reputation of the infant online modality.

“There is a lot of demand

for MFT in general, but there is even more demand for MFT graduate degrees online,” Goff said. “Because a lot of the folks interested in doing this are second career, many of them have families, and many have to work full-time.”

Goff and the department hired subject-matter experts in the field to assist with the course migration from residential to online. In addition, instructional designers are working alongside the ex-

perts to ensure the program is as high-quality as the residential program.

The online program will be identical to the residential program content-wise, but the research and mentoring opportunities offered by the residential program situate it as a better option for PhD preparation, Goff said.

“If you’re doing an online program, you’re probably interested in a master’s degree and want the clinical training, but you are not really looking

beyond that in terms of research experience,” Goff said.

Elizabeth Watters, senior family studies major from Tomball, said she is applying for the residential graduate program, but thinks the online program will be a popular option.

“The main highlight, to me, is that it will really open it up to a lot of people,” she said. contact evans at ece12a@acu.edu

ACU Press moves offices to Brown Library foyer Elijah Evans Online managing editor During the first few weeks of December, ACU Press moved out of its offices on Campus Court and into the former faculty lounge just off the front foyer in the Brown Library.

The change of offices marked the beginning of a revamped partnership between Brown Library and ACU Press in a move initiated by the university. The

move will change administrative interaction as well because the director of ACU Press, Dr. Jason Fikes, now reports to Dr. John Weaver, dean of the library.

Several university presses are joining forces with their libraries to produce and disseminate the content curated by the library, Fikes said. The partnership will allow ACU Press to create original and fresh content drawn from the library’s curated archives.

“One example of a great

partnership that is happening is a release of a new book covering the concise history of the Stone-Campbell Movement that will come out in June,” Fikes said. “It’s been very profitable to publish that work in collaboration with the Center for Restoration Studies in the archives.”

In the future, ACU Press hopes to collaborate with the library and make some of the library’s digital primary sources more accessible through different av-

enues of the Press.

As ACU Press continues to produce more digital-first content, the rich media opportunities housed in the library will enhance the final products. Partnerships with the Learning Studio and Adams Center are two of the promising avenues, Fikes said.

“It’s a lot easier to collaborate with the Learning Studio now that they are our neighbors,” he said. “But we are also collaborating with instructional design, which

is over in the Adams Center. We are in conversations with them about how courses that are being designed can become texts which we can promote and publish.”

Dr. Carisse Berryhill, associate dean for digital initiatives, special collections and university archives, said several members of the library staff are training to possibly assist the Press with copy editing.

“The partnership that is possible between the library and the academic publish-

ing voice on campus should be good,” Berryhill said.

Because ACU Press recently moved into the library, its offices remain unmarked across from the Adams Center in the main entry foyer. However, official print and digital signage is expected to be finished by the end of the spring semester, Fikes said.

contact evans at ece12a@acu.edu

Students saddle up for annual ACU Rodeo josh levinson student reporter

deanna romero former staff Photographer

The ACU Rodeo lives to see another year despite the fuss over whether the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences should be dissolved. I thought it was definitely dissolved.

The Faculty council has officially dropped the proposal to get rid of the Ag department. Whether this is a temporary or a long-term decision will be answered with time.

“When we received news last semester of the possibility that the department could close, a number of students

transferred,” said Brett Dennis, junior environmental science major from Abilene.

“Not a huge number, but some were good friends and are sorely missed.”

Despite the loss of students, the annual tradition will continue.

“Our day-to-day operations have not changed at all,” Dennis said. “The rodeo continues to operate and will as well into the future.”

Alpha Epsilon Sigma, an agricultural club within the department, has facilitated the rodeo in the past.

Should the department close, the club could still conduct the rodeo as they are separate entities.

“The department will still

BCOR: Transhumanist speaks on new political party from page 1 volve putting resources into living indefinitely by changing genetic structure, spreading the techno-optimist message of technology as something that makes lives better and longer and protecting against existential risks such as asteroids and artificial intelligence gaining too much power.

“I published an article on the artificial in-

telligence and that kind of global arms race that might be developing around people developing this technology,” Istvan said. “After all, whoever gets this technology first might actually end up with more national and military power than all other nations combined.”

He also explored other major topics in the discussion of transhumanism, such as whether ar-

tificial intelligence will use religion and whether science and technology can allow humans to live indefinitely.

Istvan’s visit to campus sparked interest in more than just current BCOR students.

“A number of students in the classroom are not even in the class,” Thompson said. “But they had heard from someone or heard from a friend or a couple of for-

mer students had heard from someone and were just like, ‘OK, I want to come check this out.’ I think it was the chance to actually hear someone who represents transhumanism and is a leading voice in the transhumanist movement.”

contact blakemore at crb13a@acu.edu

be around next year unless another motion is made to dissolve it,” Dennis said.

“However, in the case this did occur, the rodeo could potentially continue. This would greatly depend on the underclassmen. The Rodeo takes a lot of manpower and dedication. It can be done if we have motivated students to continue it.”

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the rodeo and is open to the public. Social clubs can also compete for intramural points.

Students within the department are looking forward to the continuation of the long-standing tradition.

“I love the ACU rodeo because it is one of the old-

est traditions on campus,” said Sara Bishop, junior animal science major from Longmont, Colorado. “The rodeo reminds students of the agricultural background that established this university, and it provides a fun medium to bring students from all types of social groups together.”

This year’s rodeo will be March 26 at the Taylor County Expo Center. Students can sign up at the ACU Rodeo table in the Campus Center until March 25. Spectator tickets will be on sale at the booth the week of the rodeo. contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Opinion

Friday 3.20.15

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editorial

New revenue sources welcomed if tuition is lowered the issue ACU is looking for a new cash cow, in both Dallas and undeveloped land in North Abilene.

our take As long as these investments keep tuition low, we say bring on the diversified revenue resources.

ACU has made plans to open a new campus in Dallas.

Many important details have yet to be decided, like its exact location or which graduate programs will offer oncampus classes rather than online. But even without knowing the details, ACU’s incentive

and drive behind the plan is clear: money.

Universities across the country are seeing their primary revenue source, tuition, once a number that was hardly questioned, becoming a value decision by prospective students.

So now many colleges, ACU included, are opting

to use the magic word, “diversify.”

They’re looking for new sources of revenue, otherwise they will have to continue to raise tuition. While the revenue coming from graduate programs offered online and in Dallas will technically still be made from tuition, it looks like it will be more profitable than the what ACU makes from students who pay to attend on the Abilene campus. In theory, online programs should have larger profit margins than programs run on expensive cam-

puses with lots of overhead costs, like our beloved Abilene campus and it’s beautiful lawns.

The graduate school has already cranked out proposals for nine new programs (four have been approved while others await accredidation). By moving the programs’ headquarters to the metroplex, even if they are online, allows ACU to tap into the huge young professional or mid-career market that is growing in DFW. AK A, a goldmine.

We can guess that this movement toward new

DAILY doodle dosage

revenue sources is also a driving factor behind the Endowment Office’s recent interest in developing the near 425 acres ACU owns down East North 10th Street. What interest does a university have in building suburbs, parks and Chipotles? More gold.

“If we do this, it is No. 1 to enhance the university experience, No. 2 to try to create revenue in the endowment from vacant land – we’re not earning anything on it right now,” said Kelly Young, chief financial officer. “So it creates

new sources of revenue for the endowment that then will ultimately help the university. It’s very university-centric.”

While ACU is still a non-profit and shouldn’t raise revenue for revenue’s sake, it’s wise to keep cost-effective, Christian higher education our ultimate goal.

If online courses mean lower tuition, then diversify onward, ACU.

contact The Optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Ben Todd

hashtagACU March 19 3:52 p.m.

The person making my mocha frappe just asked if she’s supposed to put coffee in it.....

March 19 10:53 a.m.

Just struggled for 80 minutes trying to keep my eyes open in class.

@Em_ily_95

@TaylorPowers1

March 19 3:30 p.m.

Picked out $9 in quarters because that’s how badly I wanted Sonic.

@Cranny_20

March 19 3:22 p.m.

March 19 2:59 p.m.

The other 40% is eating a cupcake afterwards.

Quarter-life crisis induced by future VAGABONDAGE ON THE FRITZ

SAMANTHA RACHEL SUTHERLAND FRITZ

I’m 20 years old, and I have no idea what I’m doing with my life. This, my friends, is a quarterlife crisis.

What is a quarter-life crisis you ask? Well, it’s kind of like a mid-life crisis but 20 years premature. Instead of realizing your mortality in life, you realize you mortality as a student.

You start to question what you’re going to do with your life and if you even have a chance

of surviving in the real world. Eventually, we all have to graduate and enter what they call the “real world.”

When I came to college almost three years ago, I had a plan. I had a plan to get a degree in journalism, graduate and go on to work for the New York Times as a reporter.

Now, I’ve lost all confidence in that plan. I’ve changed my dream career so many times, I’ve

lost count.

Do I want to be a journalist? Do I want to be a graphic designer? An astronaut? Rapper? The possibilities are endless.

Sometimes I think I’d be perfectly content just to work at a Starbucks. Free tea for life is a pretty good perk if you ask me.

Just kidding. It’s not that bad. I love journalism; plus I’m not good at anything else. But it doesn’t help that people say, “Isn’t that a dying field?” when I tell them I want to write for a living.

Graduation is a little more than a year away for me, and I’m nowhere near the answer to what I’m doing after I walk across that stage, let

alone what I’m doing this weekend.

It’s a lot to think about, but hey, it’ll all work out for the best. Or so I’ve been told.

You may be going through your mid-life crisis, too, but know you are not alone, my friend.

As long as you don’t go out and buy yourself a new sports car – which, lets be real, none of us can afford that any way – I think you’ll make it through.

After all, misery loves company, right?

#remodelthegatafountain @overheardACU

@lukeaschumann 60% of my motivation to go to the gym is picking out an outfit.

Column

March 17 1:26 p.m.

You could probably get struck by lightning three times in one day before you could get 100% on your bracket

@kelseygoin

@samanthafword

March 19 3:15 p.m.

March 19 12:49 p.m.

I’m at the point where I text too fast for autocorrect to keep up with me. #sadLife

When you say you are using yellow chemicals in lab and the professor makes it a point to call it “a Siggie Reaction.” #mylifeasaTA #acudiffernece

@Pocolocoelijah So far my academic life consists of group projects and an overconsumption of coffee

YikYak

@sweetcarolina93 Professor: “This is not an assignment you can do the night before it’s due.” Me: “You underestimate my power.”

Naps make life make sense

YikYak

YikYak

contacT Fritz at ref11a@acu.edu

Column

Stop trying to fight the power of Netflix, TV FUNNY HOW VAGABONDAGE THAT WORKS SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND EMILY SEIDEL

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a college student in possession of absolutely no fortune must be in want of a week off from the relentless classes and backbreaking debt.

And so we have spring break. But that’s over, and now we have to deal with the horrifying task of returning to school with enough motivation to make it through seven more weeks.

I’ll admit, I came back from the break with just

about zero motivation, like most of the other students. But instead of trying to fight it, I’m going to give in to my senioritis.

There’s this little website called Netf lix with thousands of movies and shows that need to be watched as badly as our homework needs to be completed.

I’m here to present what I call “Sweet apathy: seven weeks of Netflix.” Basically, it’s a list of my favorite gems on Netf lix to get you through

the rest of the semester with a proper lack of ambition.

This program is not for the faint-hearted, but for the steadfast bingewatcher and crippling introvert.

1) Parks and Recreation: If you haven’t seen this show yet, then you need to stop and reconsider some of your life choices.

Each character is cleverly written and engaging in his or her own way.

For example, there’s Leslie Knope, whose crazy ambition is contagious enough to make me worry it’s counterproductive to this entire column.

And then there’s Ron Swanson, whom I can best define as America

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It’s hilarious, mainly for its outrageous silliness.

Watch this one with your best friend if you can. You’ll be acting like Shawn and Gus after the first episode.

4) Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: There may only be one season up, but if you’re a die-hard Marvel fan like me, you need something to tide you over between films.

5) Sherlock: Smaug and Bilbo, fighting crime side by side. Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect as Holmes, and Andrew Scott was born to play Moriarty. Their battles of wit are really something to behold.

6) All the Disney movies. Seriously, they have Hercules, Pocahontas,

Mulan, Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Fox and the Hound and The Emperor’s New Groove. You can never go wrong with Disney.

7) Between the classics section and the romance section, there are dozens of famous romantic comedies, old and new, that never get old.

Mean Girls, 13 Going on 30, Dirty Dancing, Sleepless in Seattle, and Clueless are only a few titles near the top of the list.

You’d be surprised what you can find if you do a little exploring.

contact Seidel at EKS13B@acu.edu

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wrapped in bacon. When you finish, season 7 is on Hulu. Vote for Knope!

2) Arrested Development: This is definitely a cult classic, and one of the most detailed comedy shows I’ve ever seen.

Through four short seasons, there are running gags and clever jokes to keep you laughing the whole time. Also, it’s a great show to watch with your family to make you realize maybe your problems aren’t so bad.

If you pass this show up, you’ve made a huge mistake.

3) Psych: This show is a detective comedy about a man who pretends to be psychic to solve mysteries with the Santa Barbara Police Department.

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5

arts

FRIDAY 3.20.15

photo courtesy of theinterns.net

British electropop trio releases new EP catherine blakemore Arts editor British-Australian trio Years & Years released their latest EP Y & Y EP Feb. 3 as their first full EP under Polydor Records.

The EP features four songs, Desire, Take Shelter, King and Memo. The 14-minute album feels beautifully longer in the way it transports feeling.

If there is one EP that makes you simultaneously want to dance, run a marathon and fall in love, it’s this one.

Vocalist and keyboardist Olly Alexander leads the main vocals with a unique sound that is incomparable to other artists.

Though the electropop style of music has been compared to MGMT’s style of synth and keyboard sounds, their sound is reminiscent of R&B with a pop facelift under a blanket of rich lyrics.

Desire opens with a simple vocal track that, after a few seconds, is laced in with an audio track of snapping to a beat, which in turn blends into the heav y bass track kept throughout the song.

Though the chorus repeats throughout the middle and end of the song, the variation of tone and style of Alexander gives it a unity that strays far from a repetitive nature.

“Is it desire/Or is it love that I’m feeling for you/I want desire/’Cause your love only gets me abused” is the standard chorus with a change at the end: “I want desire/I wanna see what you’re willing to lose.”

The next track, Take Shelter, was r leased as their fourth single. It takes a full house-style intro and

cover of y & Y EP courtesy of record cover blog

overall sound with a sultry style of vocals leading from verses to the pre-chorus that you can feel builds into the full chorus where the sound turns back to the more similar style from Desire.

Though the chorus has the dancing feel and rich lyrics, the bridge near the end of the song is the real treat.

The beat increases so much, then drops to focus on when Alexander sings/shouts/pleads, “I don’t really need this pressure to go/If you wanna find love/

If you want something more/I’ll be the one to run for you,” and repeats, before dropping back in the chorus one more time.

The third song – and sixth single ever – King is next on the track list reaching No. 1 on the Official UK Chart early this month. King is yet another foottapping song that begs to be danced to.

Alexander’s singing takes the focal point on this track with an intense variation and fast-paced ballad.

“All that I compromised/to feel another high/I’ve got to keep it down tonight,” interlaced with Alexander singing, “Oh, oh, oh” to a beat of his own.

Concluding the album is a superbly tragic melancholy song, Memo with a focus back on Alexander’s powerful lyrics, “Are you gonna hide/Are you gonna burn/Gonna answer me?/I’ma gonna take your heart/Love you in the dark,/No one has to see/I-I-I want more, I want more.”

Straying from the dancehall style of music, Memo shows the versatility of the band’s musical and vocal capabilities, “Memo, you could bring it back/Uh, who wouldn’t want it when it looks like that?/Oh oh, I want you to stay/And if I try my hardest, would you look my way?”

Y & Y EP is a chart-topping, beautifully crafted EP that will hopefully lead to similar and great songs, like Worship, from the band on their debut album Communion set to release on June 22.

contact blakemore at crb13a@acu.edu

WEEKLY FAVORITES with Hannah Little.

Song

Always in my Head by Coldplay photos courtesy of comingsoon.net

‘Designated Ugly Fat Friend’ movie HALEY REMENAR STAFF REPORTER Witty, modern and cliché, The DUFF, short for designated ugly fat friend, is your average high-school f lick with a contemporary facelift.

The book-turned-movie describes what happens to highschool senior Bianca, played by Mae Whitman, when her best friend crushes her confident self-image. The story follows her struggle to regain self-confidence as she is bullied and humiliated by her peers, encouraged by her friends to see her worth and, of course, falls in

“

love along the way.

The film features an attractive and talented cast. Robbie Amell plays Wesley, Bianca’s popular best friend, and Bella Thorne acts as Madison, Bianca’s model-perfect antagonist.

Director Ari Sandel focuses the film on modern culture using hashtags and humor relevant to the 2015 audience. ​A t the beginning of the movie, Bianca’s best friend Wesley reveals to her that she is a DUFF in her group of friends. Though she’s neither fat or ugly, she is the least attractive and easiest gateway for guys to get to her more attractive girl friends.

Normally self-confident, Bi-

It’s starchy, corny and over-the-top. It would feel like a parody if it wasn’t trying to be so earnest. But, the overarching message makes up for what the film lacks in quality” lauren duca huffington post

But after bopping along deftly for a long while, The DUFF missteps toward the end by laying it on too thick with speechifying about self-esteem and defying labels.” christy lemire Roger eBert

anca immediately seeks a way out of the DUFF role. She stops talking to her friends and offers Wesley homework help in exchange for popularity tutoring.

When an embarrassing video of Bianca goes viral and the boy she had a crush on breaks her heart, she is forced to turn to her mother and friends for help.

Eventually she falls in love and debuts her new, confident self at the homecoming dance.

W hile the plot of the mov​ ie is not the most original, it does have some unique film elements. The actors perform above average, giving the characters a life of their own. Some of the screenplay is reminiscent

“

Band Dave Matthews Band.

Happy good vibes.

of YouTube videos with fastmoving clips and hilarious one- TV Show liners. Characters make fun of the way parents respond to so- House of Cards; just to cial media in a way that is all see what the hype is the more humorous because of about. I’m undecided. its truth.

The DUFF is good for comedic relief or a girl’s night, but Food/Recipe won’t make the cut for most Grilled fish and lemon original movie of 2015.

pepper. Yummy.

Coffee Drink

contact REMENAR at ARTs@UMCNETWORK.COM

Vanilla latte with coconut milk. Light and delicious.

Blog/Website

While The DUFF whiffs on the comedy front more often than it succeeds and is likely not destined to become the ‘ Sixteen Candles for a new generation, it is eminently watchable and even a bit touching.” the associated press

“

Canny and funny in equal measure, it’s a film that embraces technology — just like it does its protagonist — on its own perfectly imperfect terms.” nick schager variety

www.teamworkonline. com. Internship search. #journalismprobs Movie

Letters from Iwo Jima.

It’s a good portrayal of history. And Clint Eastwood.

90’s Music Video

I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys, of course.

sports

friday 3.20.15

Softball takes on Southlands’ best in UCA savanah silva sports reporter Wildcat softball will continue conference play this weekend at home against the University of Central Arkansas Bears.

ACU, who sits at 5-18 and 1-5 in conference, is coming off a come-from-behind win Tuesday against University of Texas at Arlington. Down early, the Wildcats battled back from a four-run deficit to win the game, 7-6.

Julia Montoya, junior transfer pitcher from Manchaca, got her sixth start of the season against the Mavericks after head coach Bobby Reeves elected to give starting pitcher Emily Seidel some rest. Seidel, senior form Burbank, California, has pitched 106.1 innings out of the 141.2 innings played this season.

Though Montoya hasn’t started much, she was effective enough to set Seidel up in the sixth to get the game’s final out against the Mavericks.

The ‘Cats were down four runs after the first inning, and then the Mavericks pulled away to 5-1 after two innings, but ACU remained focused.

They clawed their way back in the fourth and went up 7-5 entering the last half of the seventh.

Jarred Schuetze Staff Photographer

The Wildcats welcome the undefeated conference Central Arkansas Bears this weekend. ACU is coming off a 7-6 comeback win over the UT-Arlington Mavericks.

Peyton Hedrick, freshman shortstop from Forney, helped boost the ‘Cats to the win against UTA with an RBI in the third and a scoring run in the sixth. Hedrick ranks

second in the Southland Conference with a .444 batting average and fourth with 32 hits.

This weekend, ACU will look to improve its 1-5 con-

ference record as they face the UCA Bears who are undefeated in conference at 6-0 and 18-7 overall.

UCA is coming off a tough loss against Oklahoma State

University, ending their ninegame winning streak.

The Bears started off slow until the top of the sixth when they would load all bases. Junior third baseman, Sam Forrest, set the team up for a score when she got hit by a pitch and capitalized off an OSU error moving her to second base.

It, however, would not be enough for the Bears. They would remain scoreless due to errors on their part. They dropped the game to OSU 4-0.

However, the team is undefeated in the Southland, defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Stephen F. Austin State University in convincing fashion. Look for the Bears to come out strong and try to shut down the ‘Cats’ offense.

But if ACU can come out and maintain their defense, the Bears may struggle.

Hedrick said the goal against the Bears is to pull offense, defense, and pitching together to get the win.

The first game of the series will begin at 4 p.m. Friday at Wells field and will follow up with a doubleheader at 4 p.m. Saturday. contact silva at sns12b@acu.edu

6

standings 2014-2015 men’s basketball Standings

Team

Div.

SFA 17-1 SHSU 15-3 NSU 13-5 TAMU-CC 13-5 UIW 10-8 Lamar 9-9 MSU 8-10 HBU 7-11 Nicholls St.7-11 NO 6-12 SELU 6-12 ACU 4-14 UCA 2-16

Ovrl 29-4 25-8 19-12 19-13 18-10 15-15 15-16 12-16 10-19 11-18 9-23 10-21 2-27

2014-2015 women’s basketball Standings

Team

Div.

SFA 16-2 Lamar 14-4 Nicholls St.13-5 TAMU-CC 12-6 MSU 11-7 NSU 10-8 UCA 10-7 ACU 9-9 HBU 6-12 NO 5-13 SHSU 5-13 SELU 3-15 UIW 2-16

Ovrl 23-7 17-13 17-13 16-14 17-13 19-14 17-14 17-12 15-18 8-19 6-22 7-22 5-24

Who’s Hot Senior first baseman Tyler Eager had a solid two games against Alabama Eager A&M. Eager went 5-for9 at the plate with four RBIs and two doubles.

Eager also leads the team in batting average at .319.

briefings ACU football had its pro day Monday. Six players participated in the pro day with eight NFL teams in attendance.

Wide receiver Demarcus Thompson, tight end Noah Cheshier, defensive tackle Damon Williams, defensive end Nick Richardson and safeties Angel Lopez and Justin Stewart participated.

Former ACU safety and current NFL player Daniel Manning is bringing his football camp to ACU. The camp will be March 28 and will include former Wildcats who are in pro football: Taylor Gabriel, Edmond Gates, Darryl Richardson, Charcandrick West, Mitchell Gale and Bernard Scott.

Mariana Cedillo Staff Photographer

ACU’s offense found a little momentum in its series split with Alabama A&M. The Wildcats had 21 hits and scored 11 runs between Tuesday and Wednesday night.

‘Cats find stride against Bulldogs collin wieder sports editor ACU baseball split its twogame series against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Wildcats started off the series with a rough patch as they would drop the first game 9-5. The pitching staff struggled early on giving up five runs in the first inning. Tyler Eager, senior first baseman from Fort Worth, brought back the team with a three-RBI double.

The ‘Cats closed the lead down to two in the seventh inning but wouldn’t get

any closer as the Bulldogs scored two in the ninth to seal the 9-5 win.

ACU bounced back Wednesday with a 6-3 win thanks to a group effort from the pitching staff. Brandon Lambright, sophomore pitcher from Friday Harbor, Washington, picked up the win with only two innings pitched. Senior Joe Gawrieh, junior Nate Cole and senior Ladgie Zotyka also pitched two innings each giving up a total of only three earned runs on the afternoon.

“Any win right now is going to help our spirits out,” said Britt Bonneau, head coach. “We have played

some really close games the last three weeks, and a lot of those haven’t gone our way.”

ACU’s bats came up big for their pitching staff as Eager, Chris Altimont, sophomore outfielder from Southlake, and, Alex Copeland, junior catcher from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, went a combined 6-for-12 from the plate with three RBIs to lead the team.

“You know, we have been so close all season we just hadn’t put together a complete game yet,” Eager said. “We fell behind, but we knew we would eventually pick it

up and find a way to win.”

The Wildcats will need to continue to improve as they are currently hitting only .226 as a team. Eager and Copeland lead the way hitting over .300 on the season but have a huge drop off with the next closest player hitting .242.

“We have a bunch of young guys right now,” Eager said. “When you come in after high school and you have been one of the best players, it’s hard because baseball is a game of failure.

We are getting better, and last night was a good example.”

ACU’s pitching seems to

be finding its rhythm in the bullpen but has yet to find Be sure to follow consistent starters. Pitch- @OptimistSports ers such as Zotyka, 0.87 era, on Twitter and like Cole (1.15), Sheets (1.35) and Palacios (4.32) have the Optimist Sports kept the team in games late Facebook page for more and will look to do the same ACU sports news and updates. heading into this weekend.

The Wildcats return to the field at 6 p.m. Friday to have a three-game Southland Series against McNeese State. The Wildcats head Softball hosts the into the series at 3-14 overall University of Central Arkansas this weekend and 2-4 in conference.

Upcoming

contact wieder at cpw11a@acu.edu

Outdoor track starts season in Fort Worth Hannah Null sports reporter The track and field team will open its outdoor season this weekend in Fort Worth at the TCU Invitational.

It’s been a month since the indoor season ended, and the Wildcats have been on preparing for a rigorous outdoor season consisting of nine meets.

Distance runner Ryan Cleary feels confident in the improvements the team has made based off of the previous season.

“I think everyone is ready to start the outdoor season with a strong showing against some Big XII schools and show them that we’re ready to compete,” said Cleary, freshman from Prosper. “I think we’re going to have high finishes in a lot of events.”

The freshman excelled this season and was the second finisher for the Wildcats in the first four meets.

The season will open with tough competition for the ‘Cats. ACU will face several Div. I competitors, such as Baylor, TCU and Kansas

State, at the Lowdon Track and Field Complex.

While most the team will compete in Fort Worth, pole vaulters and redshirts will get the chance to compete in an additional meet at McMurry University. This local meet gives newcomers a chance to perform at the collegiate level and the vaulters an opportunity to practice and improve before their next meet.

Kenzie Walker, sophomore pole vaulter from Abilene, is excited to get a start on the outdoor season.

“With the experience I

gain, I always try to learn and take something away from each season,” Walker said. “The energy that the Lord gives me is what is going to make the biggest difference in the 2015 outdoor season.”

This indoor season, Walker claimed a fifthplace ranking in the ACU record books for Wildcat history with a height of 3.85 meters.

In previous years, the team has improved its times, heights and successes with the return of the season.

Walker improved her re-

Head basketball coach Joe Golding and the ACU basketball team will go to Costa Rica over the summer to play in a tourmament and help out with a mission trip.

cord of 3.72 meters to 3.85 and plans to continue striving for higher numbers.

“My goals are set pretty high to jump over 13 feet this next season,” she said.

“I want to depend on God this season and beyond my track abilities.”

Both meets – the TCU Invitational and the McMurry University War Hawk Classic – will begin Friday with an all-day competition.

contact Null at Hln12a@acu.edu

for a three-game series. The first game will occur on Friday, with games two and three coming on Saturday. The first game begins at 4 p.m.

Track heads to Fort Worth Friday to compete in the TCU Invitational.

Men’s tennis will stay home to play McMurry University and the University of the Southwest Saturday.

Women’s tennis will play their second set of matches in three days as they travels down to Nacodoches this Saturday to take on Stephen F. Austin University.