The Optimist Print Edition 4.24.15

Wildcats hit the road Baseball resumes conference play Sports Page 6 vol. 103, no. 50

Friday, arpil 24, 2015

1 SECTION, 6 PAGES

what’s INSIDE NEWS Disc Golf team competes at nationals in South Carolina Page 3

ARTS Department of Art and Design awards Instagram contest winners

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OPINION Catherine Blakemore offers her reaction to the latest video posted by ISIS

SUPER SWING

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SPORTS Freshmen softball star, Hedrick, brings new talent to Abilene

Page 6

OPINION German trial questions role of accountant in Holocaust

Page 4

jarred schuetze cheif photographer

Emily Seidel, senior convergence journalism major, takes a swing at the softball team’s superhero-themed practice on Wednesday.

Players donned capes and masks on to the field, celebrating one of their last practices of the semester.

Congress votes to pack heat on campus

Students asked for opinion on concealed weapon bill

three opposed with no debate, was in response managing editor to the administration’s attempt to gauge the student Student Congress voted body’s opinion of Senate Wednesday to support a Bill 11. campus carry bill proBeau Carter, Students’ posed in the Senate to al- Association president low concealed handgun and junior political scilicenses to bring guns on ence major from Farmers campus.

Branch, and Caleb Orr, juThe resolution, which nior class president, draftpassed 27 in favor and ed the resolution.

brtiany jackson

copy editor

ISA promotes diversity with annual food festival Page 3

NEWS Golf finishes fifth in Southland Conference championship Page 6

Constitution.”

The campus carry bill, which allows those with concealed handgun licenses to bring their handguns on campuses, was proposed to and passed by the Texas Senate in early March. It is now up for debate in the House and, depending on the outcome, will go to the governor to be signed into law.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Gov. Greg Abbott said he would approve legislation “that ex-

pands on Second Amendment rights.”

ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison explained the bill to SA about two weeks ago.

“If this bill passes into law and gets signed by the governor, it would conceivably be legal for CHL holders in Texas to bring their guns onto campus, into classrooms, into the dorms, into The Bean, into the Campus Center, unless see sa page 4

Lindsey Smith Red Boot Round-up canceled rachel fritz

NEWS

“The goal of this resolution is to act in such a way that is more in line with allowing the right to bear arms for students,” said Orr, sophomore political science major from McKinney. “Yes, we’re a private institution, but we don’t think that our actions should be determined just because we’re legally established as private. ACU is much bigger than just a private institution, and since it is so, it should act with regard to the Texas

The annual Red Boot Round Up was canceled this year to allow for more time to plan and improve the event.

The benefit dance concert was created two years ago to remember ACU student Linsey Smith who was killed in a head-on car crash in January 2013. Smith and a group of students were headed to the Grand Ole Oplin, a two-stepping dance hall, when they were hit by a truck.

Close friends of Smith started the event with help

from Student Life and the Students’ Association, and it has taken place each year since.

The event consists of twostepping, one of Smith’s passions, live music and worship.

All funds go toward the Lindsey Smith Scholarship Fund.

Among the survivors of the crash is Rebekah Cherniss, junior Ad/PR major from Houston. She spent the rest of that semester recovering in Houston and lost about two months of her memory, including her memory of Smith.

“I think I had met her previously since we were both

on the Sing Song dance team that year, but that night was the night I really had a chance to meet her,” Cherniss said.

Despite her loss of memory, Cherniss still looks at the bright side and understands the significance of the event.

She was Skyped into the first Red Boot Round Up. “God blessed me so much from this accident; I don’t remember the tragedy or the pain, but the one thing I wish I could remember is this joyous life I have heard so much about,” Cherniss said. “It is my understanding that the Red Boot Round Up was a fundraiser to honor two of

Lindsey’s favorite things – dancing and traveling.”

Eric Schinske, graduate social work student from Argyle, has helped organize the event in the past and made the call to hold off until next year.

“We want the Red Boot Round Up to be a large production,” he said.”We really want to spend more quality time getting sponsors and fundraising so we can make this event all it should be.”

Aside from funding, Schinske said the decision to cancel this year’s event was also related to the quality of the event.

“We don’t want to settle,” he said. “We figured more time will allow for more proper advertising, larger-scale advertising and enough fundraising to bring in a big-name band.”

Schinske also said he wanted the event to properly honor Smith.

“Lindsey lived her life to the fullest in just over 20 years, and we want this event to reflect just how incredible she truly is,” he said.

contact fritz at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Six students chosen as Sing Song co-chairs what’s online

abby runnels page 2 editor

ONLINE Follow the Optimist on Facebook for video updates on what’s happening around ACU

Read more at acuoptimist.com

Six students have been selected as the 2016 Sing Song co-chairs. Tom Craig, director of student activities and productions, and Mark Jackson, assistant director of student organizations and programs, made the announcement Tuesday.

The 2016 Sing Song cochairs are: • Kevin Carroll, sophomore marketing major from Abilene • Taylor Flowers, senior kinesiology major from Spring • Melissa Meyer, junior management major from

Lubbock • Courtney Roberts, junior marketing major from Pearland • Amy Sloan, senior advertising/public relations major from Spring • Alyssa Timmons, junior marketing major from Lubbock The six will oversee all aspects of making Sing Song 2016 turn from concept to reality, Craig said. The theme for next year is “On the Town.” This show will also be the 60th anniversary of Sing Song.

Aspiring co-chairs filled out applications, which Craig and Jackson looked

contributed photo by alyssa Timmons

The student productions office selected six students to be co-chairs for Sing Song see sing song page 4 2016. Kevin Carroll, currently studying abroad, is not pictured above.

Abilene Christian University

friday 4.24.15

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friday

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saturday

Baseball at Stephen F. Austin University 4 p.m. Softball vs.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 7:30 p.m. Band concert

sunday Kirk Goodwin Run

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monday

Baseball at Stephen F. Austin University

7 p.m. Ben Rector concert at the Historic Paramount Theatre

Finals Fun Fest 12 p.m. Softball vs.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi 7:30 p.m. Ghost: the Musical

7:30 p.m. Ghost: the Musical

Announcements

Chapel checkup To date:

Remaining:

62 5 @acuoptimist The Optimist

The second annual Finals Fun Fest will be Saturday. The four-on-four grass volleyball tournament will be at Sanders Intramural Fields. Cost is $80 per team. Each team can have a maximum of five players, but only four can participate at a time; at least one player must be female. For more information or to register, contact Ijeoma Moronu at ish07a@acu.edu or 325-674-2383.

Phone ER can fix your cracked screen, broken charger, broken home button and even change the color of your phone! Better yet, you are able to charge repairs to your ACU student acSublease at University Park count! Come by the Campus Apartments for $395 per Store or email us at phoneer@ month for the summer! Apart- acu.edu for more information. ments are fully furnished! Tendollar electricity coverage per Meet us at the ballpark at 7:05 month. Some extras such as p.m. June 4 at Globe Life Park lamps and some kitchen sup- when the Texas Rangers take plies may be included as well! on the Chicago White Sox. ArACU Theatre’s spring musical Let me know if you are inter- rive early to meet ACU coaches is Ghost: The Musical, a time- ested via email at at the Wildcat Club Caravan at less fantasy about the power nlj10a@acu.edu.

5 p.m. on the third floor of the of love. Don’t miss this roller Hall of Fame inside the park. coaster ride of music, romance and comedy. The musical will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $15 at http:// acu.edu/theatre.

For more information, visit http://acu.edu/alumni.

ACU Dead Day Disc Golf Tournament will be 10 a.m. May 4 at the Wildcat Disc Golf Course.

The cost is $5 for single players and $10 per doubles team.

Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. at Hole 1.

It’s that time of year again!

Course evaluations are coming up soon, and it is important for you to fill them out! Visit http://blogs.acu.edu/edtech/ course-evaluations/ for more information.

optimist@acu.edu police log SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 04/17/2015 12:15 p.m. A student reported the theft of his watch from a library computer lab keyboard.

04/18/2015 3:49 a.m. A student’s bicycle was stolen from Building 8 of University Park Apartments; it had been secured to the railing.

04/19/2015 12:19 a.m. A student’s bicycle was stolen from in front of their University Park apartment.

04/19/2015 11:05 a.m. ACUPD and APD arrested a male at his residence in the 600 block of College Drive; a warrant was issued pursuant to an August 2014 complaint of indecent exposure.

04/19/2015 8:09 p.m. ACUPD investigated a reported suspicious male in McDonald Hall; the male was found to be the boyfriend of a McDonald Hall resident.

04/20/2015 8:17 p.m. A student’s vehicle was keyed/damaged and a window lowered while it was parked in the Nelson Hall parking lot.

04/21/2015 3:50 p.m. A student reported the keying of their truck while the vehicle was parked in the lot facing Teague Special Events Center.

Stats for the Week of April 16 - 23, 2015 - Total: 386 ACCIDENT 2 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY 18 ALARM 2 ALCOHOL INCIDENT 1 ANIMAL CALL 1 ARRESTED SUBJECT 1 ASSAULT 1 ASSIST 2 BARRICADES 8 BICYCLE PATROL 2 BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK 15 BURGLARY (RESIDENCE) 1 CHECK BUILDING 189 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 3

DISTURBANCE 1 DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE 2 DRUG ACTIVITY/OFFENSE 1 FOOT PATROL 17 FOUND PROPERTY 3 HIT & RUN 1 INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP 6 MAINTENANCE UNIV. ASSETS: CCTV 5 MAINTENANCE: UNIV. ASSETS 1 MEDICAL EMERGENCY 1 MONITOR FACILITY/LOT 4 MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART 6 MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK 12 NOISE VIOLATION 3

OTHER 2 PARKING LOT PATROL 24 PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE 4 PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL 6 PROWLER 1 RANDOM PATROL 12 REPORT WRITING 7 SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT 1 STANDBY 1 SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 2 SUSPICIOUS PERSON 3 THEFT 7 TRAFFIC STOP 3 WELFARE CHECK 4

Police Chief Tip of the Week: The ACU Police Department is now on Twitter as ACU Police (@YourACUPD).

Follow us!

volunteer opportunities Big Brothers Big Sisters “Lunch Buddy” program is looking for volunteers. Each volunteer is matched with an elementary-age child. Volunteers spend just 30 minutes per week eating lunch with their “little brother” or “little sister” at local elementary schools, while mentoring through the simple act of friendship. Participants can enjoy playing card games, reading books and visiting during lunch.

The waiting list has 138 children. Contact Jamie Bearden at 325-674-3113 or jbearden@bbbstx.org for more information.

Communities in Schools needs 10 to 20 reading and lunch buddies at Ortiz Elementary. Volunteers are needed anytime between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. weekdays.

Contact Sheila Ashford at 325-671-4945 ext.5351 or sheila.ashford@abileneisd.org for more information.

Girl Scouts is seeking volunteers to help make a difference in the life of young girls. Girl Scouts offers several flexible ways to volunteer. You choose how: a one-day event, six-week series or year-round troop! Contact Scout Office. rent opportunities at 325-670-0432 and mlawson@gs-top.org.

Keep Abilene Beautiful is looking for volunteers to help with litter clean-ups.

Small and large groups are both needed. Contact Nicole Eaves at 325-7343301 and nicole.eaves@ abilenetx.com for more information.

Kingdom Kids (Beltway Park Baptist Church) is looking for assistance with Sunday morning activities for Kingdom Kids (physically and emotionally challenged children). 5-6 volunteers are needed. Contact: Sharla Sanders at beltwaykids@beltway.org for more information.

REACH @ Abilene North Apartments is seeking volunteers. Volunteers will be a part of building relationships with at-risk kids and their families through a unique and developing apartment ministry. The program takes place Mondays from 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. Contact Caroline Thompson at 281-782-2956 or crt12a@acu.edu for more details.

The Alliance for Women and Children is seeking volunteers for afterschool child care for Pre-K-5th grade children, 6th-8th grade children and A-Teens Middle School Girls Program. For more information about times and location, contact Toni Brown at 325-677-5321 or info@afwconline.org.

The International Rescue Committee in Abilene needs your help in welcoming refugees to our community. We are seeking the following donations: hygiene and cleaning supplies, bed linen, towels and kitchen items (dishware, silverware, pots/pans

etc). Donations are accepted Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2-4 p.m. or by appointment. Their office is located at 3303 N. 3rd St. Suite D. For more information contact Marie-Pascale Manishimwe at 325-675-5643.

Love and Care Ministries is looking for volunteers to help with sorting clothing, stocking their food pantry, assisting in prayers in their prayer room and serving food to the homeless. For more information call 325-670-0246.

Volunteers are needed to help with daily activities organized by the staff at Chisholm House. This could involve playing board games, helping with arts and crafts and helping with a walking club. For some of these tasks volunteers may be asked to lead a group or work alongside a staff coordinator. Volunteer opportunities are from 2-4 p.m. or 6-8 p.m. daily. Contact Larissa Blankenship at 817-578-9296.

The Betty Hardwick Center is seeking volunteers for the Human Resources Center to help with filing and organizing.

This job requires someone with attention to detail who wishes to learn more about Human Resources. The job is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. To volunteer, please contact Martin Walker at 325-690-5235 or mwalker@bhcmhmr.org.

House of Faith is an organization that seeks to take Jesus to neighborhood children. Volunteers are needed to help with the various programs they do throughout the week. Backyard Bible studies are hosted Mondays and Wednesdays and a youth program takes place on Thursday evenings. The organization is seeking volunteers who can commit to a specific day a week. House of Faith lasts from 3-5:30 p.m. To volunteer or for more information contact Amy Jeffers at abj09a@acu.edu or call 832-331-5324.

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news

friday 4.24.15

Alum hopes to create video game company daniel block intramurals editor An ACU alumus’ dream to create his own video game company is approaching fruition, and he’s looking for students to get involved.

Ron Davis is the creative mastermind behind Reactuate Games, a video game developer started in January and based in Abilene.

He is conducting the hiring process to find four workers to join his company and wishes to tap into stu-

dent potential at his alma mater.

“I created Reactuate Games to fulfill a lifelong dream to make video games,” Davis said.

Davis looks to find four people to fill three job descriptions – two digital artists, one coder and a marketing producer.

“ACU students can benefit from (Reactuate Games) in two ways,” Davis said. “First, they can apply to work there and hopefully live out their dreams as well. Second, they can enjoy the products we cre-

ate – our games.”

Dr. Brian Burton, assistant professor of digital entertainment technology, said Davis’ business in Abilene could be a good opportunity for his students. Digital entertainment technology students have worked with companies in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Hollywood, where major media corporations are prevalent.

“Ron’s effort is one of our first game development companies to really launch here in Abilene,” Burton said. “It’s nice to

have someone who’s connected to ACU right here in our own backyard and be able to connect current students or students who have graduated with Ron’s efforts to build a persistent game environment.”

Burton said several students have already been interviewed by Davis who recently won the Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy’s annual Springboard Ideas Challenge. He hopes some of them will be selected to work with Davis on the development of a video

game.

“This is a great opportunity for the students as far as experience goes,” Burton said. “It allows them to further develop their skillset in creating 3-D models, texturing those models, creating realistic virtual environments that people are going to be running around in.”

Burton said developing video games can be a very long process, often lasting two years or longer, but he’s looking forward to having students involved from the start through the

completion of the project.

“This is an exciting project,” Burton said. “It’s going to take time before it’s available, but this is an exciting opportunity, and we’re excited to be able to work with him as much as we can in that development.”

Students can find more information regarding the application and interview process at http://www.reactuategames.com/. contact block at djb13a@acu.edu

Community honors first African-American sheriff rachel fritz copy editor Members of Goodwill Full Gospel Church will honor Otis Wiley, Abilene’s first African-American sheriff, Friday at Hardin-Simmons University with a dinner and ceremony.

Wiley, 79, is the pastor of Goodwill and is known as a pioneer of his time.

In 1967, Wiley was the first African-American hired by the Taylor County sheriff’s department. He started as a jailer and had no prior experience. He

worked there for nine and a half years, becoming a sheriff in the process, and went on to work for the Veterans Service Office.

In 1997, Wiley retired and became a pastor. Now, 18 years later, he still pastors Goodwill.

Billie Sneed, Wiley’s stepdaughter and member of Goodwill, is helping to organize the event.

“In the 1960s, he was a real pioneer here in Taylor County when discrimination was still very much in play,” Sneed said. “In those days, a black was lucky to get a hotel room, so

we thought we should do something to honor him.”

Joyce Belvine, chairman and organizer of the event, is also a member of the church. She said didn’t know about his accomplishments until last year while talking to her previous pastor from California.

After that, she went digging for information at the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office where she got in contact with Lt. John Cummins.

“I called him my hero,” Belvine said. “Jon had been so helpful. He told

me about Otis, and that’s where the event was born.”

Soon after, she made it her goal to recognize him properly. She, along with some help, has been working to make the event a reality.

“We want to let him, as they say, ‘smell his flowers’ because you never know when he’ll get another chance,” Belvine said. “We want to acknowledge that he is a pioneer in Abilene.”

Wiley was recognized by the city when he retired but wasn’t recognized during Black History Month, which is part of the reason

Belvine wanted to create this ceremony.

“This is like a late Black History Month celebration,” she said. “They recognize people like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, but they’re dead.

People need to know we have a pioneer like Martin Luther King in Abilene now.”

Belvine has even gone as far as to try to find some of the men he worked with, though she has hit a few snags. Many of Wiley’s fellow employees have died or are too ill to make it to the event.

Sneed said the whole city is invited to attend the ceremony, however.

Representatives from the Abilene Police Department, sheriff’s office and City Council will be present, and Dr. Kelvin Kelley, assistant professor of theology at HSU, will be featured as the guest speaker.

The event will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Johnson Building.

contact frtiz at ref11a@acu.edu

Disc golf ends competition, plans next year petition. They worked on practicing different shots and techniques that were needed to compete at naThe ACU disc golf team tionals. traveled to South CaroThe team went in hoplina to compete in a na- ing to make it into the tional tournament as a top 25, but according to farewell for three gradu- Professional Disc Golf Asating seniors. sociation results, they finBetween school and ished 30th out of 67 comwork, senior competitor peting teams.

Trey Arnett, business and “I’m proud of our perfinance major from Ar- formance,” Arnett said. gyle, and the other three “This was my first major team members were able tournament, so it was a to practice four days a huge learning experience week to train for the com- and something I saw as a

hannah null staff reporter

once-in-a-lifetime opportunity since I’m graduating in May.” The end of the season leaves expectations for the following years, which presents the team with a slight problem: the disc golf team will only have one returning member who made it to nationals when it competes next year.

The team of four will drop to a team of one after fall 2015 as Garrett Langthorp, social science for teachers major from Con-

roe, has accepted a teaching job in Houston, Arnett will graduate in May and Cody Drennan will graduate in December.

Team captain Ian Story, junior physical science teaching major from White Oak, will be the lone member left of the team.

“Losing most our team to graduation will be a minor setback, but we’ll be on the lookout for anyone who can fill those spots,” Story said. “Male or female, if you’re good

enough, then you will make the team. We’re even hoping to gain enough interest to have multiple teams for next year.”

As the end of the season, the year and college approaches, seniors like Arnett feel a sense of responsibility to keep the group going.

“I’m worried about the disc golf team on campus next year,” Trey said. “The club on campus hasn’t really taken off in the past few years, and I think folks are really missing out on

something special.”

Story is planning open practices, mini-tournaments and tryouts to recruit new players and continue expanding the ACU Disc Golf Club.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Story said. “But the relationships gained through competition is something that I look forward to as much as playing.”

contact null at hln12a@acu.edu

Sing Song: Co-chairs selected for production from page 1 through before inviting selected students back for interviews.

She has never worked on the behind-the-scenes aspect of Sing Song before but said she thought being a co-chair would be a good

fit for her.

“I thought that it sounded like something that I would really enjoy, the planning and managing of a show,” Meyer said. “I just finished preparing the Omega show and had so much fun, so I wanted to do it on an even bigger scale. It

also gives me the opportunity to use the talents that God has given me in a way that can benefit the student body.”

The six co-chairs will begin working on the show right away, but the real, time-consuming work starts in the fall, Roberts

said.

Roberts said she is going to make the most of it.

“There is much to learn and gain from this position, which will ultimately help me in my future,” she said.

The co-chairs do, arguably, the most work out of everyone involved in Sing

Song, and they acknowledge that there will be challenges, especially with the amount of work to be done

by February.

“A year seems like a whole lot of time, but when broken down, it is not as long as it sounds,” Meyer said. “But I am fully confi-

dent that this year’s group of co-chairs and leaders will be able to get everything done as smoothly and quickly as possible.”

contact runnels at arn11a@acu.edu

SA: Congress supports campus carry law from page 1 ACU chooses to enact a local rule against that,” he said.

As part of the bill, private universities are allowed to opt out of permitting concealed handguns on campus, given that they first consult students, staff and faculty, in that order, in the decision.

In the meeting, Ellison said administration wanted to address the issue before the bill was voted on by the Texas House of Representatives. That way, if it were approved and passed into law, the university could establish its position and respond quickly.

“All of the legislative experts and legislative watchdogs that I have contact with seem to think that this bill will pass out of the House and eventually go to the governor for approval into law,” Ellison said.

He and Chris Riley, vice president of Student Life, used SA as a consultation group for the student body.

“This is the voice of the students, this is a group that they come to and trust that you all have representation across the board on these types of issues,” Riley said. “This will be an opportunity to help us in the administrative perspective understand what, just from your perspective, what makes sense in relation to this.”

However, the language of the Senate bill does not state the importance of the students, staff or faculty’s opinions in the university’s decision to allow concealed handguns on campus.

“The bill doesn’t say we are held or bound by what the opinion is of the students, it just requires us to consult and help us understand what those expectations are of the people that make up those universities,” Riley said.

Main arguments in favor of the bill address the statistically backed claim of college campuses being most susceptible to active shooters, Ellison said.

In the resolution, Carter and Orr addressed this argument by citing several college and university shootings and the number of people killed at each, including the active-shooter situations at Virginia Tech University in 2007 and University of California, Santa Barbara in 2014.

The following section in the bill mentioned that about 150 campuses already allow campus carry and have for 20 years without seeing any resulting violence.

It also said that by not allowing campus carry while other universities do, ACU could be opening its campus to an active shooter.

However, Ellison said those who oppose the bill

argue that more guns on campus would only add to the problem.

“It’s a serious issue,” Ellison said. “It’s a very divisive issue and is a topic that has come up in the last three legislative sessions in Austin.”

Given that an individual must be 21 years or older and cleared by the state to obtain a CHL, Ellison said many students on campus would not be carrying on campus.

Addressing a Congress member’s concern, Ellison said he would plan preemptive meetings about active-shooter situations with every CHL holder at ACU. “We would take that step in trying to educate them, but we can’t require them to come to that meeting,” he said.

Even if the campus carry law passes and the university supports the law, it could still impose regulations on aspects of carrying on campus.

In fact, in the resolution, Congress said “regulations should be in line with the recommendations of Abilene Christian University Chief of Police (currently Jimmy Ellison) regarding the registration, tracking and training of students and faculty with concealed handgun licenses,” so long as the regulations do not conflict with the campus carry law.

Several members of

Congress gave their input on the bill, including Cole McClellan, executive treasurer, Morgan Jennings, sophomore class treasurer, Rachael Shudde, freshman class president, Abraham Enriquez, freshman class treasurer, Burton Cannon, off-campus representative, J.P. Festa, Don Morris representative, Ryan Bischof, Onstead-

Packer Building representative, Bryson Jennings, Mabee representative, and Zach West, Mabee representative.

“I was really happy with how the SA process went,” Orr said. “We really did put a lot of time into generating support. A big 27-3 vote shows overwhelming support for something, and I think it’s the most ef-

fective way to consult with the student body.”

Ellison said administration plans to make a decision before the Senate bill, if passed, becomes active on Sept. 1.

contact jackson at bkj12a@acu.edu

Opinion

Friday 4.24.15

4

editorial

‘Cog in the machine’ is no excuse for former Nazi the issue A former bookkeeper at Auschwitz is being tried as an accessory to murder even though he never killed anyone.

our take Simply standing by and knowingly watching 300,000 murders, he should be found guilty as charged.

Tuesday was a controversial day in Germany with the start of the trial of 93-year-old Oskar Groening, the “Accountant of Auschwitz” as he’s known in the German press. He is being charged as an accessory to 300,000 murders.

Most people view the events at Auschwitz to be black and white, and therefore may be confused as to the “controver-

sy” of this issue. But Groening’s trial is somewhat unique; the German justice system has previously only charged Nazis who directly participated in murder, rather than their office-worker colleagues, according to CBS News.

Groening never murdered anyone, but he was a member of Adolf Hitler’s paramilitary organization, the SS. He guarded

prisoners’ baggage while they were led to gas chambers, took their money and valuables and then tallied it all and sent it to Berlin.

So here is the controversial question: is Groening legally an accessory to murder?

Some will answer with a resounding “yes” with no hesitation. After all, Groening was an admitted Nazi and a self-described “cog in the machine” of Hitler’s plans. Whether he personally harmed another human being is irrelevant, since he was a willing member of the party responsible for hundreds of thousands of murders.

Some think this may be more of a gray area.

Groening was responsible only for the finances and valuables collected at the camp.

Some argue that whether he had been at the camp or not, the murders still would have taken place.

But Groening admitted in the trial that it was clear to him that Jews who entered the camp were not expected to survive.

He also said he accepted “moral guilt” for his role, but it would be up to the court to decide if he is legally guilty.

What we believe it comes down to is intention. Groening was fully entrenched in the corruption and evil of the Nazi

DAILY doodle dosage

Ben Todd

party. He was stationed at the most infamous concentration camp in history, taking others’ belongings before they were sent off to be murdered.

He publicly acknowledged that he was thoroughly aware of everything going on at the camp, and he witnessed thousands of murders. And he was a co-worker, and probably a friend, of the men who actually did the killing.

To work for the Nazis, to be a productive member of Auschwitz who never questioned or tried to stop its brutal practices, clearly made Groening a knowing accomplice. He may have been a “bench player,” but he was still

part of the team.

The Optimist editorial board is not a jury, but we find it unlikely the German court will rule in favor of Groening. And if sentenced, he will face three to 15 years in prison.

At 93, that is probably a life sentence for him.

A guilty verdict would also most likely provide significant closure for the more than 60 Auschwitz survivors attending the trial. So let’s hope that, in this case, moral guilt and legal guilt mean the same thing to the court.

contact The Optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Column

Not the shaky camcorder video you expected #BASIC VAGABONDAGE BLAKEMORE

SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND CATHERINE BLAKEMORE

Column

When good things come to an end THAT’S WHAT VAGABONDAGE SAID SAMANTHA SHE SUTHERLAND MARISSA JONES

When I was about 6 years old, I had a very annoying habit. My parents would come to pick me up from playing at a friend’s house, and, no matter how long I had been there, I would throw a fit – a loud, embarrassing, bratty tantrum.

This habit also came out just before bedtime when I always wanted to stay up for five more minutes.

My parents were probably concerned that, despite their best efforts, they were raising a future telemarketer or some other evil human.

I just don’t want a

good thing to end, and when it does, my inner brat resists with all of her might. And sometimes I feel that inner brat trying to take over as I near graduation.

Because college has been a good thing – a fantastic thing. Accepting that it’s going to end is difficult.

It’s like my parents are picking me up from a really fun, really long play date with all of my favorite 6-year-old friends.

It’s hard not to be dramatic when you’re graduating.

No one could possibly understand that your

life is about to change so fully, so radically, that everything you know is changing and playtime is over because you’re now going to have the responsibilities of a full-time adult, and you’re probably going to fail at it anyway and be unemployed living at your parents’ house until you finally get a job at Whataburger.

And you want graduation just to wait five more minutes. It should wait, because how are you supposed to live normally without these friends you love so much? Or find a respectable job in a town with reasonably priced rent? Just five more minutes, please.

But then, just like the threat of being grounded persuaded me to go to bed or to leave my friend’s house, senioritis kicks in.

Senioritis is your brain telling you it’s OK to graduate. In fact, it’s so OK that you’re graduating that you should act like you’ve graduated already and just stop doing all school work.

Without senioritis, graduating could be significantly more traumatic. Because the alternative to graduating? Not graduating. Deeper debt.

Not making the full transition into responsible adult life. The alternative is worse.

So hopefully when this good thing ends, I will be able to accept it without any ounce of brattiness and without throwing any tantrums like the graceful 22-yearold I am. contact Jones at MNJ10AB@acu.edu

hashtagACU April 22 11:08 p.m.

I think coffee just might be the answer to life

@JessiekaahJayd

Don’t show up to a Pi Kappa rush in a Trojan shirt #whoops #rushpikappa

@goodbyereality

The lady at the writing center yawned 7 times while reading my paper.

This is not a very good sign.

@brookekonyha

April 22 9:14 p.m.

I’m too sentimental for this pass down stuff

Can’t wait for summer just to get away from ACU wifi

@meghannsydney

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

Unfortunately, the video was easy to find. I had not once looked for any of the videos released by ISIS because of their inherent graphic nature. This one in particular seemed interesting simply for the propaganda aspect of it.

What I found was far worse than I could have imagined. When I had previously imagined a beheading video by ISIS, I imagined shaky early 90s camcorder style video, not the quality of a film that we see in theaters.

contact Blakemore at crb13a@acu.edu

Ma’am, don’t get me wrong, your child is adorable, but would you PLEASE GET IT OUT OF THE LIBRARY

teacher: “we should legalize marijana” student:”...but you said...” *pulls out ‘ just say no’ ribbon from elementary school*

April 23 3:34 p.m.

Accidentally just sprayed my shower with Febreeze instead of cleaner..the good news?

It smells wonderful.

@hayleysissy

@chloe_braaten

Trying to finish a study guide...

Now if only I had time to study it.

Dying from a tornado on earth day?

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

My hand is asleep, my leg is asleep, my brain is asleep. Aka I’m asleep.

YikYak

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.

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April 23 10:42 a.m.

@SPhernetton

@m_fertig

April 23 7:36 a.m.

Idk why but 8am tests always seem to be 100x harder than those not at 8am.

“

I couldn’t work, or think, because of the horror that I had seen inflicted on men who believe in the God I believe in.”

The video explained that the captives were Christians who refused to pay a monetary tax for their faith and refused to convert to Islam.

It goes through 28 minutes of words, images, and special effects. Twenty-eight minutes of content that was produced better than some popular independent films.

Then suddenly at the end of the video, in a gruesome pan shot with sound included, 15 men are shot in the head near some trees and 15 more men are decapitated with horrifyingly small knives, much smaller than I had ever assumed would be used for a decapitation.

In less than a minute, 30 of our brothers in Christ were killed for refusing to pay money to practice their faith and served as a propaganda warning for other Christians in the Middle East.

After the video, I walked across campus to the library, ordered a drink and sat down to continue working.

I couldn’t work, or think, because of the horror that I had seen inflicted on men who believe in the God I believe in.

So let this column just be a simple reminder for you to be grateful, as someone who walks and speaks freely on a gorgeous campus that celebrates God. I know it will always serve as a reminder for me.

April 23 2:33 p.m.

April 23 2:37 p.m.

April 22 11:41 p.m.

Many editorials and columns have been written on the subject of ISIS, both at the Optimist and in various other publications. Though I have known about the Islamic State for quite sometime, it’s been through word of mouth and social media posts.

Early this week, as I was reading the news in the morning, I read about a 30-minute propaganda video released by ISIS. Curious as any other journalist might be, I went to see if the video was easy to find so I could understand what the propaganda was.

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5

arts

FRIDAY 3.26.15

BREANNE AVEDEKIAN ART & DESIGN MEDIA STUDENT WORKER

Art department connects alumni and students Catherine Blakemore arts editor Six students have won first place in various sessions of the semester-long ACU A&D Instagram Competition facilitated by the Department of Art and Design.

The competition serves as a way to connect current art students with alumni.

Every two weeks, a department alumnus judges the miniature competitions.

Six winners have been named so far: Anne-Marie Coffee, senior graphic design/advertising major from San Antonio; Chancey Sanders, freshman art major from Luf kin; Stephanie Fink, senior two-dimensional art major from Fayetteville, Georgia; Matt Varner, senior graphic design/advertising major from Abilene; Ashlyn Morrison, junior interior design major from Palm Springs, California; and Hannah Bruce, senior art major from Abilene.

“I think that an in-house competition encourages students to be competitive and creative with their designs,” Morrison said. “It also helps us gauge where we stand amongst our peers. The competition is a great way for us to showcase our work not only to other students, but to the public.”

The competition was created by Mike Wiggins, chair of the art and design department, and implemented with the help of two student workers, Coffee and Breanne Avedikian, junior art major from Clovis, California.

“The cool thing is that we were just trying to get more engagement in our social media and trying to think of ways to do that,” Coffee said. “We also wanted alumni to be engaging on our social media and show them kind of what is going on in the art department and show them that it’s still awesome and thriving.”

Different alumni reach out to the department and vice versa to create a balanced group of judges as well as connect their different focuses in art with students interested in them.

“I think it’s getting more and more successful, and there are alumni who are inquiring how they can be part of the judging process, which is awesome,” Coffee said. “And the students being able to click on the hashtag and go through the artwork being submitted.”

Judges have included interior designers, graphic designers and a contemporary artist and painter. Every two weeks, the department announces the new judge, and students continue to use the hashtag to enter the competition.

“It can be a bit confusing about when one competition ends and another begins, but it doesn’t practically affect it much,” Fink said. “The low-key submission method is really nice to have during the rush of the semester. We have the big

“

“It’s always a great feeling when all your hard work is recognized,” Morrison said. “I am so appreciative of the art department and all the opportunities they are providing their students.”

ASHLYN MORRISON JUNIOR INTERIOR DESIGN major FROM PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

Spring Student Show competition opening this Friday, and that’s great, but it’s nice having the low-stress fun of entering this competition during the rest of the year.”

The decision to make this competition was created to continue students’ relationships with alumni. Wiggins said it seems to have strengthened those relationships, not created them out of nowhere.

“It’s important for alumni to see our student work, but a big goal is just for us to be in contact,” he said. “We could run fewer competitions and probably have more participation, maybe. But we would have that much fewer connections with alumni. If one of our goals is to really connect, I’d rather connect with more alumni more often than fewer alumni less often.”

The upside of the structure of the competition was that students could put the hashtag on a post at any time and be entered because there was always only one competition occurring at a time.

“The competition convinced me to finally get an Instagram account, which is a fabulous resource for fine artists and craftsmen both to connect with others, promote their own work and to find inspiration and resources,” Fink said.

contact blakemore at crb13a@acu.edu

sports

Friday 4.24.15

Golf improves three spots in second season

6

standings 2015 Baseball Standings

reese gwin student reporter Wildcat golf finished fifth in the Southland Conference Championship in McKinney Wednesday as the team concluded its spring season.

The ‘Cats improved three spots in the tournament from last year, their first spring season under head coach Tom Shaw.

“Overall, this is a very solid performance for this team,” Shaw said. “We beat some excellent golf teams in only our second year of Div. I.”

The scores were higher than they had been all year but were recorded under tougher conRenner ditions. The Stonebridge Ranch Country Club even forced Southland powerhouse and eventual champion Sam Houston State to shoot over par.

Senior Corbin Renner fought for control in all three rounds to shoot a 234 in his final tournament for the Wildcats. It was the first time all season Renner failed

to finish as the team’s top golfer.

“The course was unlike anything else we had played this year,” Renner said. “It was the toughest setup I have played to this point.”

Renner is expected to graduate in December with a degree in communications and plans to play golf professionally. In his four years at ACU, he’s won three tournaments and is tied for second in school history for most career victories. The tournament was also senior Kaden Walters’ last.

“Its hard to put my career into words with all of the

memories I have made,” Renner said.

“I am very blessed to have had the opportunity to have played for

The ‘Cats battled the weather throughout the entire tournament. A thunderstorm stopped play for five and a half hours on Tuesday and played part of the back nine on Wednesday in a drizVaughn zle. Still, the team finished its final round by improving this school.” three places.

Freshman Clarke Hudgins “The future is bright for stepped up to lead the team ACU golf,” Shaw said. “We’ll with a 225 and an 11th place only get better over the next finish. Junior Dillon Vaughn few years and hopefully add followed closely behind with a Southland Conference title 228, which was good enough to the trophy case soon.” to tie for 14th. Sophomore Kyle Karnei filled the fourth contact gwin at spot with a three-round total erg12a@acu.edu of 249.

Team

Div.

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

Ovrl 30-12 22-17 21-17 21-20 22-19 23-14-1 20-15 19-17 18-22 9-29 13-26 13-26 14-26

2015 Softball Standings

Team

Div.

NSU 17-2 UCA 14-4 MSU 15-5 Lamar 12-6 SELU 13-7 SFA 10-10 TAMU-CC 10-10 Nicholls St.10-11 SHSU 6-13 HBU 4-15 ACU 4-17 UIW 3-18

Ovrl 28-15 29-15 30-18 22-20 19-24 18-26 15-25-1 24-19 15-26 11-27 10-31 9-34

Who’s Hot

Hudgins

ACU freshman golfer Clarke Hudgins placed 11th overall at the Southland

Conference Championships. Hudgins put together rounds of 74, 74 and 76 to lead the Wildcats at the tournament. Hudgins helped ACU place fifth overall at the tournament with a total score of 931.

briefings Jarred Schuetze Head Photographer

Freshman shortstop Peyton Hedrick is more than just an average freshman. She leads the Wildcats in several offensive catagories and is near the top in the Southland Conference in batting average, hits and fielding percentage.

Rookie shortstop does it all Hedrick makes run for 2015 freshman of the year Collin thompson sports reporter Freshman shortstop Peyton Hedrick has been tearing up the Southland Conference this season, and that’s a bit of an understatement.

Despite the team’s 4-17 showing in the conference and 10-31 overall record this season, Hedrick’s individual performance had proven she is more than her team’s record.

At second in the conference in batting average, SLG percentage and hits, and in the top 10 for OBP, runs, doubles, triples and home runs, Hedrick has shined as one of the nation’s top performers earning her consideration against 24 players across the nation for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Freshman Player of the Year award.

“It was very surprising,” Peyton said. “That’s a huge deal being in the top 25, especially being at a smaller school like ACU. It’s awesome to be representing the

university and getting ACU’s name out there. Getting people to know ACU, it’s a start for us to try to get the school bigger and to get the program bigger, which is where we need to go.”

Coming from a softball background, Peyton has some pretty big cleats to fill.

But, she seems to be filling them just fine in her collegiate career.

“My mom was a threetime All-American pitcher at Louisiana Tech, but she never pressures me, ever,” she said. “It’s hard because a lot of people know my mom, and they’re like, ‘Your mom was a such a great player, and you’re a great player,’ and I mean, I feel pressure in that way, and it feels like I need to live up to that and do as well as she did, but it’s pretty hard to do what she did, so we’ll see.”

Despite being called a five-tool player at just the age of 18, Peyton said she still has a lot to learn about the game at this level.

“Everything’s faster and quicker, so obviously, being

called a five-tool player, I take that as a compliment,” Peyton said. “It’s a little much for me right now because I have a lot of room to grow. I mean, I’m only a freshman and I’m still learning the ropes of college softball, but I guess that’s a good thing.”

Peyton was a starter and team captain at North Forney High School in Forney, and her performance doesn’t seem to have changed a bit at the plate as she’s moved into a tougher Div. I environment.

Peyton batted over .500 with a .688 on-base percentage, 13 home runs, 152 RBI and .912 fielding percentage over her high school career.

So far, she has better .454 on the season.

“I don’t like being a mental hitter, so when I go up there and I’m thinking too much, I don’t do well,” Peyton said. So after playing my whole life, I’ve learned that I know how to hit. In high school, I did really well just because I know how to be relaxed. College is stressful, whether it’s the preseason or

conference, so when I would get into a slump or have a bad game, I’d just remember to relax and play the game normally like I know how to play it, and it turns out it’s been successful.”

With successful stats comes the desire to be consistent, but Peyton said she has to make sure she’s constantly focused on her team and winning one game at a time.

“As much as any person, you want to keep those stats and you want to do as great as you can, so there is that pressure, but I try not to worry about that and try to do everything for my team, not just for me,” Peyton said. “If I have a bad game, I feel like we won’t do as well, and that sits on my head sometimes; I have to push that away because I can’t carry that as a single person. It takes nine people to win a game, so I try to remember that it’s not just me, it takes everybody.”

Peyton is competing against fellow Southland players Erika Piancastelli of McNeese and Sydney Booker

of Southeastern Louisiana, as well as players from distinguished programs from around the country including Oklahoma, Alabama and North Carolina for the FPOY award.

She said she would love to be recognized for her outstanding play and her contribution to the program this season, but she knows her fellow Wildcats are what really matter.

“It’s for my team; nothing is for me,” Peyton said. “This season, I’ve done great, but it doesn’t feel great. It feels good to get the accomplishments that I have, and I’m doing well as a freshman. It’s a great start, but I want to be able to build for my team, and I want to be as great as I am this year next year when everything comes together. I want to build on my defense and be perfect at everything I can be, and I hope that my team sees that we’re all in this together.” contact thompson at cnt13c@acu.edu

Baseball looks to rebound at ‘Jacks collin wieder sports editor ACU baseball will travel to Stephen F. Austin University Friday for the chance to move up to the middle of the Southland Conference standings.

The Wildcats enter this weekend’s three-game series with an overall record of 9-29 and 7-11 in the Southland. SFA comes in with a 13-26 overall record and a 7-13 conference record.

ACU is coming off a 10-2 loss on Tuesday against Texas Tech University in Midland. ACU is now 0-3 against the Red Raiders on the season.

The Wildcats kept it a tight 2-2 game for seven

yam saowatarnpong Staff Photographer

Baseball hopes to climb out of a slump that has the team sitting at 1-9 over their last ten games. innings behind the pitching of seniors Nate Cole and Kevin Sheets. The performances proved fruitless as reliable senior reliever Ladgie Zotyka got rocked in the bottom of the sev-

enth for seven runs. The Red Raiders tacked on one more to get their 26th win of the season with a score of 10-2.

“We played really well until the bottom of the

seventh,” said Britt Bonneau, head coach. “We threw the ball around too much, and that got the ball rolling downhill. We just didn’t make the plays in the field we had to make to stay in the game or win it.”

ACU’s offense will need to improve heading into this weekend and will be leaning on senior first baseman Tyler Eager and sophomore third baseman Aaron Draper. Eager leads the team in batting average (.285), doubles (11) and RBIs (22). Draper is second on the team in batting average (.272), and leads the team in runs with 23.

The pitching staff has given up 26 runs in the last four games and will look to climb out of its recent

slump, a lot of which has been the result of throwing errors.

The ‘Cats’ bullpen should look to continue their strong play this season behind junior Nick Palacios, Sheets and Zotyka. Sheets leads all pitchers in ERA (2.22) in 16 appearances made, Palacios leads in appearances at 18 with a 2.41 ERA, and Zotyka is not far behind with 2.59.

They should find success against the 11thplace Lumberjacks, who are hitting a mediocre .256 at the plate.

The first pitch of the series is at 6 p.m. Friday. contact wieder at cpw11a@acu.edu

Sophomore Nico Agritelley was selected First-Team All-Southland Conference. In singles, he went 17-9 overall and 5-0 in conference play.

Women’s tennis partners senior Brittney Reed and junior Kaysie Hermsdorf earned First-Team AllSouthland Conference for doubles. Sophomore Erin Walker and freshman Whitney Williams earned Second-Team AllSouthland Conference for doubles.

Track and field is taking a select few members to compete in Des Moines, Iowa. Participants include Osei Alleyne-Forte, Daniel Block, Devan Brown, Rosen Daniel, Johnathan Farquharson, Deandre McBride, Kai Schmidt and Lexus Williams.

ACU basketball added Serbian shooting guard Jovan Crnic. Crnic averaged 11.5 points as a sophomore at Northern Oklahoma College.

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

Upcoming Men’s and women’s tennis continue play today in the Ojai, California, Tournament.

Softball hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for its final home series of the season. The first game starts at 4 p.m.

Friday.

Baseball travels to Nacogdoches Friday to take on Stephen F. Austin. The first game starts at 6:30 p.m.

Track heads to Des Moines, Iowa, for the two-day Drake Relays.