The Optimist Print Edition 4.29.15

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Closing time Wildcats end season with losses at home Sports Page 6 vol. 103, no. 51

wednesday, arpil 29 2015

1 SECTION, 6 PAGES

Ben Rector entertains at Paramount

what’s INSIDE NEWS Ice cream removed from the Bean after Blue Bell recall

dani burrell student reporter The Students’ Association sponsored Nashville singer and songwriter Ben Rector’s concert and food trucks at the Paramount Theatre Monday in an attempt to provide students with more entertainment in Abilene. Rector has worked with famous artists such as Train and Colbie Caillat and has released five albums. His latest, The Walking in Between, is ranked No. 16 on the Billboard 200 chart. Beau Carter, SA president, has had the opportunity of working closely with the production for this concert. “In the last few years, we’ve noticed that there has been a lack of entertainment brought to campus for ACU students specifically,” said Carter, junior political science major from Farmers Branch. “Our goal is to improve the student experience through creating more opportunities for students to have a good time here in Abilene.” Surveys were sent out to the entire student body last year to find out which artists students wanted to see perform in Abilene. Rector was one of the top responses after tallying up the votes. “Ben Rector has been on the rise for the last few years, and he is very popular to students here on campus,” Carter said. “So we thought that he would be a great way to kickstart our new entertainment initiative.” Rector’s performance in Abilene was part of his NEEDTOBREATHE tour. Ryan Woods, sophomore kinesiology major from Dallas, is one of Rector’s many fans. “His songs always have a message or something you can take away from them,” Woods said. “I love the range and the genuineness of his voice.”

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NEWS Graduate School of Theology receives national recognition

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OPINION Senior staff members write their last columns Page 4

SPORTS Baseball loses series 2-1 agaisnt SFA this weekend

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OPINION Surprisingly, Facebook is helping out through times of international crisis

austin kilcullen staff photographer

Ben Rector, Nashville-based singer and songwriter, performed at the Paramount Theatre Monday night for ACU students as part of his NEEDTOBREATHE tour. Page 4

Frats to raise $50k to renovate intramural fields jonathan raitz student reporter

SPORTS Track suffers from injuries at Drake Relays Page 3

NEWS Jeff Arington to take over accreditation process for engineering Page 3

what’s online

Alumni from the men’s social club Frater Sodalis are trying to raise $50,000 to renovate the Larry “Satch” Sanders Intramural Fields. If completed, the project will provide the fields with new grass and soil. Frats adviser and fundraiser of the project Tim Yandell said the arch at the entrance and lights around the fields were added after the original field was built in 2004. “They’ve never put down real grass, so they are really going to dig that out

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and put a new surface and all new grass,” Yandell said. Yandell, who was a part of the fundraising team to build the fields in 2004, said $38,000 has already been committed to the project by former Frats, and he expects to have the remainder by June 1. However, Kyle Pinson, director for intramural sports, said it would take slightly more than double this amount to finish the project and upkeep the fields. “I think everyone feels like we are going to have the money, but one thing we’ve found is that when you get nicer fields they’re

going to cost more to maintain,” he said. “We don’t want to make them real nice for two months and then let them go back to where they are.” Pinson said this is one of a few projects aimed at making outdoor intramurals safer and more enjoyable and has been in the works for over two years. “The plans are for them to go through and to remove about two inches of material,” Pinson said. “They are going to laser grade the field, sort of baseball style, and then they are going to bring in some nice sod. If we are able to make that happen, I think it’ll be

a major improvement for our outdoor sports.” The Students’ Association passed a bill last week to allocate the remaining money in its congressional fund as of May 1 to the field project. SA Treasurer Cole McClellan, junior accounting major from Parker, said the amount to be donated is around $2,800. This renovation will also serve as a commemoration for Larry “Satch” Sanders as he steps down as Frats adviser after 37 years. “He’s not a ‘sit on the sideline’ adviser,” Yandell said. “He’s always been in the lives of the guys that are Frats.”

Sanders said the fields are a facility that could potentially be the most actively utilized on campus, and he is honored by the support of the alumni. “How can anyone feel about individuals that are such a huge part of my life, stepping up to honor me that way?” Sanders said. “It is just remarkable.” If the funds are raised, the renovated fields are scheduled to be ready for the opening day of intramurals in Fall 2015.

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32nd KGR draws hundreds of runners savanah silva

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sports producer Sun and a light breeze greeted runners Saturday morning as the 32nd annual Kirk Goodwin Run kicked off another year of charity runs. This year, students from Hardin-Simmons University, faculty, staff and community members participated in the KGR in support of the cause. The KGR is one of Abilene’s most well-known 5Ks, along with the Run The West half marathon. These two events draw out hundreds of runners each year, and all proceeds go toward a specific

cause. The KGR was started in honor of Kirk Goodwin. Goodwin was a member of Galaxy men’s social club in 1983 and was also a member of the track team. Goodwin died in a car accident in 1984, and Goodwin’s social club brothers rallied behind his family in support. They organized the Kirk Goodwin Victory Run to help his family pay for medical bills. Since then, the KGR has been an annual event with the goal of helping families with outstanding medical bills, much like Goodwin and his family dealt with. see sing song page 4

contributed photo by Rudy Garza

Runners race around campus on Saturday during the annual Kirk Goodwin Run.

Abilene Christian University


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