The Optimist Print Edition 3.31.17

NEWS

WHAT'S INSIDE

How does the White House budget affect Abilene? Read our in-depth on local arts funding.

Page 4

FEATURE

SPORTS

OPINION

Student filmmakers prepare for their Paramount debut. Check out this year’s FilmFest lineup.

Page 7

Fake news: a danger to readers and writers.

Don’t fall for it all.

Page 5

Adams siblings take to the tennis courts together; Athletics launches new sports app Pages 8

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Friday, March 31, 2017 Vol. 105, Issue 26

A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912

#WELOVEACU

LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Students filled the windows of Wildcat Central in the Campus Center with purple Post-It notes to celebrate the Alumni Office’s #ILoveACU day, listing off various reasons they love going to their school.

Women’s group to recharter Delta Theta

BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

A women-only campus group called Lucky 13 became a student organization in January with plans to potentially recharter the women’s social club Delta Theta.

The group, which includes 22 women, will host its first service project, writing letters to veterans and troops, in the Campus Center Thursday.

The club was started by Shelby Short, freshman kinesiology major from Caddo Mills, and Leksi Vasquez, sophomore biology major from Wichita Falls.

“It’s for women to find community while serving our community,” Short said.

“There’s never enough opportunity for service. I think it’s really positive for women to build each other up.”

Vasquez said she thought

about starting a club because, as an RA in Sikes, she thought there was a need for a new club with so many women in the freshman class.

She said she researched what clubs would be good to recharter and decided Delta Theta would receive the most support from alumnae.

“I’ve noticed that maybe there is a demand for more communities that young women can be involved in,”

Vasquez said.

The group sponsors include Alyssa Ellison, student activities coordinator, Emerald Cassidy, associate director of enrollment marketing, and Mark Lewis, dean of students. Cassidy and Ellison were members of Delta Theta.

“If they just want to do Lucky 13 and not turn into a social club, that’s totally fine,” Ellison said. “Right now it is a

student organization anyone can join. Their main focus has been on the present.”

Lucky 13 was the name of a club founded in 1926 which rechartered to became Delta Theta, according to the 1990 Prickly Pear. The club went inactive in 2011 after both of its sponsors resigned.

“I think we need to worry about where we are presentSEE DT PAGE 4

Christian Service Center reopens after fire

BY ADRIENNE BARRICK STUDENT REPORTER

The Christian Service Center will open a new facility next week after a fire burned down their old building last year.

The new facility, located at 3185 N. 10th Street in the old Woodlawn Church of Christ building, will open April 3. A grand opening event will take place April 17, complete with a speech from Mayor Norm Archibald, a reception and tours of the facility. The receiving room opened Monday to take donations.

Jim Clark, the director of the CSC, said the opening of the new facility is “a wonderful way to show Christ’s love in tangible ways.”

The CSC helps individuals suffering abuse or coming from prison or rehab.

The CSC keeps lists of recovery churches and job postings and refers to clients as “neighbors.”

The Christian Service Center sends out only two fundraising letters a year and conducts few events, but Clark said the Abilene SEE FIRE PAGE 4

LYDIA LAWSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Members of the Abilene Fire Department survey the aftermath of a fire which destroyed the Christian Service Center located at 901 Mesquite Street in 2016. The new facility is located at the old Woodlawn Church of Christ.

Trump proposal to affect local arts

Latest White House budget to hit KACU, Grace Museum, Meals on Wheels

BY EMILY GUAJARDO VISUALS MANAGING EDITOR

Under President Donald Trump’s proposed federal budget, which trims virtually every agency except for the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, which will be raised by 22 percent or 59.2 billion, several

arts organizations as well as public broadcasting will lose significant funding.

Breaking down the budget The proposal was initially intended to lower the national debt by $18.96 trillion as reported on January 26, 2016 and will alleviate by cutting over $54

million. The plan, called the “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again,” will decrease federal support for many departments, including the Department of Transportation by 12.7 percent, or $2.4 billion, the Department of Health and Human Services by 16.2 percent, or $5.8 billion, the Department of Edu-

cation by 31.4 percent, or $2.6 billion, with 3,200 jobs slashed.

Several organizations would be entirely eliminated and will need to find alternative forms of funding and, in some cases, employment if they choose to continue. Some of the agencies and organizations cut or zeroed out are as follows: African Development

W W W. A C U O P T I M I S T. C O M

Foundation Appalachian Regional Commission Community Development Block Grant, which in part funds Meals on Wheels Corporation for National and Community Service Corporation for Public Broadcasting Delta Regional Authority SEE ARTS PAGE 3

Potential SA candidates prepare for fast-paced race

BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

Elections for the Students’ Association executive president, executive vice president and executive treasurer will take place April 5-6.

Candidates will begin campaigning Thursday afternoon. Debates will take place Monday at 7 p.m. and the candidates will give speeches Wednesday during Chapel.

The three officers each earn $14.50 an hour, which comes from the total SA budget. In the spring, the SA cabinet received $22,500 which amounts to about 22 percent of the $103,900 spring budget.

The executive president serves as the chief executive to the Students’ Association and Student Congress and represents the entire student body to the university administration, according to the SA Constitution.

The executive vice president presides over the Student Congress and can fulfill the president’s duties if the president is absent.

The executive treasurer makes the SA budget, releases funds to student groups and reports and records all SA funds.

The list of candidates will be made public after potential candidates turn in petitions. Those interested in running for executive positions must obtain signatures from students before being put on the ballot.

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

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FRIDAY | MARCH 31, 2017

Arts: local businesses react to executive order CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Economic Development Administration Essential Air Service program Global Climate Change Initiative Institute of Museum and Library Services Legal Services Corporation Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Minority Business Development Agency, under Commerce National Endowment for the Arts National Endowment for the Humanities NASA’s Office of Education Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation Northern Border Regional Commission State Energy Program United States Institute of Peace United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Although the budget has not yet been approved

by Congress, many organizations already are preparing to find alternative means to support their organizations, including soliciting donors prior to the fall. Several Abilene organizations and community centers are also feeling the weight of this issue as it will cause several programs including Meals on Wheels, KACU and the Grace Museum to redefine their priorities.

Meals On Wheels: meal cuts and pink slips Meals on Wheels Plus, a local branch of the Meals on Wheels Association of America, serves more than 1,000 home-delivered meals for the past 42 years with 700 trained community volunteers. Serving mainly hot lunches and dinners five times a week, Meals on Wheels primarily serves adults with disabilities or people over the age of 60. With 90 percent of their clientele in the low income households and only 10 percent making donations for the food they receive, Meals on Wheels leaders hope the proposed federal budget cuts will not

lead them to take drastic measures.

Betty Bradley, Meals on Wheels executive director, said she understands people’s misconceptions of the president’s proposal, but hopes that the budget will be revised repeatedly by the House and Senate before it is finalized. According to Bradley, Meals on Wheels plus has a budget of two million dollars and does not primary relay on the grants like the Community Development Block grant as it is only a portion of the funding used for the organization. Meals on Wheels plus is covered by over acts such as the Older Americans Act which was first enacted in 1965 under president Johnson to “provide services and assistance for older persons through grants to the States for community planning and services”. On top of that, Meals on Wheels plus relies on funds covered by the Social Security Act Title XX which allows each state to use the grant for projects and services they choose. Luckily, Texas allows it to be used for the elderly.

Although it sounds like Meals on Wheels can remain afloat with the allowance federal budget cuts, the Older Americans Act and Social Security Act Title XX were not mentioned in Trump’s budget planformally called a “skinny budget” because of the lack of details needed for organizations to start planning for potential cut backs on the number of meals delivered and even personal.

“Right now, I consider it safe,” Bradley said, “but we have to realize that this is just the House’s budget.

There is still a lot of revisions and resistance that could occur before the budget is finalized and put into motion. Until then, it’s very possible, we’ll be on the chopping block.”

Bradley said she hopes it doesn’t have to come to the point where they have to choose who gets priority.

Until then, Bradley and the rest of her team remain on high alert. It may be tomorrow when they realize pink slips will have to start being handed out and face the agony of telling the disabled, old woman on the corner of Grape Street that her

ERIKA BOLADO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Nathan Gibbs, general manager of KACU, interviews a subject during the station’s pledge drive. Last year, the station relied on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for 28 percent of its overall budget. meals will come at a price – a price she cannot afford.

KACU: Can you hear me now?

Located on the first floor of the Don Morris building sits a small off-grey office from which NPR news, classical music and local Abilene news are broadcast on a 24-hour cycle daily. KACU has served roughly 166,963 people in the Abilene and the surrounding rural areas with updated national, local and state news for the past 30 years. Under the proposed budget, the Corporation of Public Broadcasting will be zeroed out, cutting $445 million. Although CPB only makes up .01 percent of the entire current federal budget, the CPB will no longer be able to fund the 1,300 public radio stations or networks throughout the states.

With more than 41 million people who consume some sort of public radio or network information, stations like KACU will have to find other means of funding if they want to keep all of the content the air.

With the CPB grants, KACU is offered only a fraction of the smaller portion of $99 million set aside for radio purposes. From there, only $69.2 million is allowed to be used for approved grantees with only roughly $141,000 allowed to be obtained by each individual approved stations at most. In fiscal 2016, KACU was granted $118,000, which allowed it

to operate efficiently with little-to-no cuts. However, KACU depends on the CPB grants for 28 percent of its budget, as of last year, and will be in serious financial trouble if about one quarter of their budget was terminated, said leaders at the station.

Nathan Gibbs, assistant professor and general manager of the station, said if the budget was processed as is, KACU would have to find alternative means of funding, including having to drop certain NPR programs and weekend music slots.

“We would, of course, survive, but we would no longer be this type of station,” said Gibbs. “We’d really have to ask the community to step up with they want to keep things the way they are. It’s going to be a real struggle if this all went away, and many stations would just die.”

Gibbs said as part of the application for CPB grants, several qualifications need to be met including educational sessions that can educate the broader community. Sessions like Morning Edition and All Things Considered are two of the most-listened-to news programs NPR has to offer.

Gibbs said KACU is unlike other radio stations because it seeks to help educate and serve the community. To do that though, the station need the grants.

“I would even argue from a Christian standpoint that this fulfills the community service mission, which can

be seen as threatened,” said Gibbs. “Service is in our mission statement, and I think that it’s one of the things we can truly fulfill.”

The Grace Museum: Goodbye, neon light?

Known as a local favorite around the sidewalks of downtown Abilene, the Grace Museum stands a monumental landmark for all admirers of the local arts, photography and artists. The neon-red sign stands on the rooftop of the brick building as sign of peace and artistry in a town too small to be mapped on a globe. The lights have begun to flicker and could potentially be turned off temporality in the coming months. Under the proposed budget, the National Endowment for the Arts is could be zeroed out along with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Receiving $10,000 in 2014, the Grace will have to find other ways to receive that amount of funding, if necessary.

The National Endowment for the Arts originally was founded in 1965 as an independent federal agency aiming to support partnerships that allow people to enjoy and experience the arts in various settings.

Within the federal budget, the NEA allocates $148 million or less than .01 percent of the overall budget. Since the release of the proposed budget, the NEA released

a fact sheet for its members to be updated with the current budget situation, but reassures its members that the proposed budget is part of a long process and hope that their budget will only be deducted instead of completely slashed. Granting more than $5 billion to local and independent art affiliates, supporters of the NEA are already making donation promises to keep the organization alive.

Sarah Tenison, Grace director of guest services and grants, said she’s optimistic the Abilene community will become more active if the NEA is slashed as planned.

“The arts is a very big part of the Abilene community and we really do hope members of the community step up when the time is needed,” said Tenison. “More than anything, it’s very sad that something like the arts needs to be cut.

Abilene needs the arts and it just doesn’t make sense that something else is seen as more prevalent.”

Tenison said the Grace will continue to run as normal but if the scheduled budget cuts the NEA, some sources will have to be let go such as programs for children and some exhibits.

The waiting game Abilene is known to have a serving heart of those who need the help the most but when it comes to cutting $54 billion dollars from a larger pie, one cannot help to ask what will this fulfill?

The scheduled budget is just one version of what will be later be finalized in the coming months. The back and forth fight between the House and Senate has only just begun. Organizations and agencies like Meals on Wheels plus, KACU and museums like the Grace will have some serious issues in the coming years if donors are not as serious about saving the items that matter most to them. Fliers, pre-signed pink slips and petitions are already in the works.

Until then, Abilene needs to wait for the sun to rise once again- taking it one day, one dollar and one donor at a time.

EAG13A@ACU.EDU

DT: students plan to recharter social club Fire: Service center rebuilds after one year CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

and anything in the past doesn’t have a lot of relevance to where we are at right now with Lucky 13,” Short said.

The group must be a student organization for one year before it can recharter as a social club, so Ellison said the group will focus on working together and

building community for now. The group includes mostly freshman and sophomores, as well as two seniors, Vasquez said. Short and Vasquez said any women are welcome to join and they hope to continue the service organization even if Delta Theta is rechartered.

“Although our end goal is to be a social club, we don’t

want to allow Lucky 13 to go off campus after that,” Short said.

Lucky 13 has plans to paint Easter eggs on April 8 with residents at Chisholm Place, an assisted living center on E.N. 10th.

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

community and local foundations gave more than $1 million to build the new facility. Meals on Wheels made their old office space available for the CSC and Global Samaritan brought furnishings and other donations.

The new facility will offer multiple services including

food, prayer, clothing and more. The CSC gets their supplies from donations, but they also often buy from the food bank to fill their shelves.

The renovations of the facility also included making space for a prayer room, two baby supply rooms, a bathroom with a shower for the needs of the public, interview rooms and more.

Cheryl Alexander, the office manager, said the team is excited for the grand opening.

“We’re on the verge of a new day, we have a new home and a fresh vision,” said Clark.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

POLICE LOG SELECTED ACUPD CALLS FOR THE WEEK 03/21/2017 11:19 p.m.

A student reported the theft of a bicycle parked in front of Smith/Adams Hall.

03/27/2017 4:40 p.m.

A student’s vehicle, parked in the Campus Center Lot, sustained serious bumper damage, apparently caused by a hit-and-run driver.

03/21/2017 4:15 p.m.

A female student victim reported a series of past sexual assaults from 2015, 2016 and January 2017 at various on-campus locations involving known male suspects which allegedly occurred during social or dating encounters but without the victims consent. Investigations ongoing.

ACCIDENT ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY ADVICE ALARM ANIMAL CALL ASSIST ATTEMPT TO LOCATE BARRICADES BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK BURGLARY (MOTOR VEHICLE) CHECK BUILDING DISCHARGE OF FIREARM DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE

2 19 3 2 1 1 1 5 5 1

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ESCORT FOOT PATROL FOUND PROPERTY HIT & RUN INDECENT EXPOSURE INFORMATION REPORT INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP MAINTENANCE UNIV 333 ASSETS: CCTV 1 MONITOR FACILITY/LOT 1 MOTORIST ASSIST INFLATE TIRE

1 3 23 3 1 1 4 9 5 5 1

MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK NOISE VIOLATION OTHER PARKING LOT PATROL PARKING VIOLATION PATROL VEHICLE: MAINTENANCE PATROL VEHICLE: REFUEL PUBLIC SERVICE RANDOM PATROL REPORT WRITING

10 SEX OFFENSE SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 8 SUSPICIOUS PERSON SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE 6 THEFT 3 TRAFFIC HAZARD 21 TRAFFIC STOP 2 WEAPONS OFFENSE 6 WELFARE CHECK 11 1 TOTAL: 562 24 16

6 3 2 1 4 2 3 1 1

POLICE CHIEF TIP OF THE WEEK:

Victims of sexual assault are encouraged to always contact ACUPD immediately.

This helps assure that victims receive immediate victims assistance, crime victims counseling, and other services.

O P INIO N

FRIDAY | MARCH 31, 20167

&

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E D ITOR IAL

Fake news is way more fun than real news

THINK BEFORE YOU READ hashtagACU @MADISON19TAYLOR

@ELLENJOHNSON13

Held door for prof He started running & I said don’t run no worries!

I got nervous & involuntarily said thank u!

Walked to class Hes my sub

@ROWDYRIGGINS

Compared to some people @ ACU: I’m not handsome I’m not smart I’m not wealthy But I learned to wash my hands when I was 5. @ALLISONKBROWN

Stay tuned for my new book I’m working on titled All Dogs Go To Heaven But Only If They Have An Instagram

@BRICLOSE

Received voicemail from Aunt in Clyde that they found a rattlesnake a few minutes ago. Glad I’m their first call when it comes to snakes.

@MIKAELACLINTON

This morning the lady at the Starbucks on campus knew my order without me having to say it and I have never felt more loved and understood

@TAENJOHNSON

Every time I have a La Croix I’m severely disappointed

FOLLOW

SOCIAL MEDIA @ACUOPTIMIST WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ACUOPTIMIST WWW.ACUOPTIMIST.COM

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

Fake news continues to spread because we let it. We are enticed by clickbait and are paying the price.

Extra! Extra! Read all your hot takes here.

Recently, fake news has become something of an epidemic in our country – especially since Donald Trump began blasting the media during his campaign and even now in the early stages of his presidency. As aspiring journalists and future members of the media, we feel it’s important to address this issue.

Look, it’s easy to

write fake news. All you have to do is check out the majority of the content of this paper. Making it all up was fun. Lying is second nature for people – maybe even first nature for some – and gossip is the guilty pleasure we feed on when we’re bored with our own lives. Writing the Pessimist was fun and easy and we probably made our audience happy. But what historically has been an April’s

OPINION@JMCNETWORK.COM

GUEST COLUMN

We are just 13 years removed from the one and only instance of outright censorship of the Optimist in the last three decades of university history. I was editor at the time. That regrettable decision occurred because of misguided and poorly articulated fears over the newspaper’s attempt to forthrightly report on what it was like to be a gay student on campus.

Today, openly gay students have been quoted by name in the Optimist without repercussion, and the university now officially recognizes an LGBT student group and openly discusses potential changes to its approach to same-sex relationships. This is indeed an incredible amount of progress, and I commend the university for it.

However, I remain concerned that ACU still does not fully appreciate the stigma and pain it propagates by continuing to enforce prohibitions against samesex activity that are allowed for opposite-sex partners.

As someone with journalism and church history degrees from ACU, I turn to the lessons we can learn from those who recorded momentous events as they occurred – students who faced what they considered an unacceptable example of ostracism and ignorance perpetrated by the administration of Abilene Christian College.

In 1946, Numa Crowder, who had come to Abilene to learn how to be a preacher after fighting Nazis in Europe, sent a letter to the Optimist and unwittingly made history: “Can a school be truly a Christian or democratic school that will turn away boys and girls because of their race?” he asked, putting forward the first public objection to ACU’s segregationist policies.

The answer, of course, was no. But it would take nearly 20 more years for the university to agree. Today, I can’t help but ask: Can a school truly be a Christian school that will turn away young men and women

because of their sexual orientation or gender identity?

A student code that maintains same-sex couples as a disfavored group on or off campus under the guise of biblical “purity” is one that can be used to turn away married or dating samesex students, or students addressing gender dysphoria while in a relationship that is perhaps temporarily same-sex.

Another cogent objection to ACU’s policy of segregation was raised by Joe Schubert, eventual father of the current president. “When we gather at the throne of God to sing praises to His name, will God want us any closer to His throne than the Negro?” Schubert asked in 1954. I would ask his son today: When we gather at the throne of God, will God want any of us straight or cisgender people closer than those who are gay, bi or trans?

Lest the objection be raised too quickly that the obviously despicable practice of racial segregation is not applicable to today’s situation – and they are certainly not the same on every point, as the university seems to have thus far stopped expelling openly gay students simply for existing – I would remind that in the 1940s and 1950s, the biblical rightness of segregation and white supremacy were almost totally unquestioned by those who ran the churches and colleges affiliated with the movement, even as students and faculty became increasingly unsettled.

As Harding College president Robert Benson told that school’s chapel audience in the face of a mass revolt over its institutional racism in 1957: “The blackbirds and bluebirds, the blue jays and mockingbirds, they don’t mix and mingle together, young people!” Racial integration – especially as a prelude to interracial sex – was seen as counter to the natural order set out by God and attested in scripture.

Today, many ACU alum-

T H E

EDITORIAL AND LETTER POLICY personal attacks, obscenity, defamation, erroneous information or invasion of privacy. Please limit letters to 350 words or fewer. A name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Phone numbers will not be published.

OUR TAKE

number one rule of reporting and it’s the first thing we’re taught here in foundation classes.

But it is also the reader’s job to double check – if something doesn’t seem right, it’s probably not.

It’s far too easy for anyone to write anything and share it on the internet. If you read a sketchy article that your aunt shared on Facebook, there’s a good chance it might be fake.

Check the source, make sure it’s from a reliable news organization. Do some fact checking of your own if you really want.

BY PAUL ANTHONY

debating if my life is worth risking going out during the tornado watch for queso

Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Optimist and may not necessarily reflect the views of the university or its administration.

Signed columns, cartoons and letters are the opinions of their creators and may not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Optimist or the university.

The Optimist encourages reader response through letters to the editor but reserves the right to limit frequent contributors or to refuse to print letters containing

Nothing new here. Fake news is still an increasing problem spreading across the country.

joke is now an opportunity to comment on a prevelant cultural issue.

It’s all fun and games until actual false information is being shared - by the president. #alternativefacts Fake news is just another term for the same, recurring cycle of unsupported facts, misquotes and lots of wrong information.

But most members of the media write factual stories because it is the media’s job to write factual stories. It’s like, Journalism Ethics 101.

You can’t make up stories, fabricate quotes, or even present your own bias in your writing. Every real journalist knows that’s the

Discussion of same-sex relationshtips on the ACU campus has come a long way since I was a student

@acuoptimist

A Student Publication since 1912

THE ISSUE

“

I pray the administration will take advantage of it, reject the litany of excuses we have all heard for decades now, and turn the page on an ugly chapter that has already gone on far too long.

ni and donors would likely say the same about homosexuality, but with slightly different language. As the Optimist describes ACU’s own policy: “God intends sexual relations for marriage between one man and woman.” In other words,it’s the natural order of God’s creation and is clearly attested in the Bible. With donors on the line, this is the easy answer. I fear the university in recent years has too often chosen this easy path, prioritizing the qualms of its donor class over the convictions and concerns of its faculty and students. But this question is too important for such mercenary concerns.

From my own conversations with them, it is clear that ACU’s Bible faculty is no longer united on the question of whether God views consensual, monogamous same-sex relationships any differently from consensual, monogamous opposite-sex relationships.

Science, as it did on questions of racial superiority a century ago, no longer provides support for conservative Christian notions that sexuality or gender identity are choices as popularly understood. They are rather the results of a complex mix of genetics, biology, and prenatal and childhood environmental factors.

Given the evolving consensus of the scientific community and the unraveling of consensus among biblical scholars in Churches of Christ, it no longer seems that this can be considered, in old-school language, a “salvation issue.”

And if it’s not, what reason can ACU have for maintaining a policy that hurts and stigmatizes its students for something over which they have no control? How

does a cruel and capricious policy prepare students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world? What lessons are taught when a university, already shamed by its inexcusable slowness in welcoming African American students, hesitates year after year to fully welcome its LGBT students?

In 2004, when offered the possibility of embracing an open discussion of homosexuality and bisexuality on the ACU campus, the university’s administrators rejected it. A memo explaining the decision had a litany of excuses, but no good reasons. Just one year later, the discussion was thrust upon the campus anyway in the form of a visit by the LGBT advocacy group Soulforce. Rather than being proactive, ACU was forced to react to outside pressure – and, to its credit, handled the visit well, by all accounts.

Again, ACU has the opportunity to embrace a proactive and positive approach toward its LGBT students that welcomes and affirms their humanity in all of its aspects. I pray the administration will take advantage of it, reject the litany of excuses we have all heard for decades now, and turn the page on an ugly chapter that has already gone on far too long.

Paul A. Anthony (‘04, M.A. ‘16) was editor of the Optimist from 2002-04.

PAA00A@ACU.EDU

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OMA to host outdoor concert

BY HALEY REMENAR ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

The Office of Multicultural Affairs will host an outdoor concert with free food, games and student performances April 21 at the Sanders Intramural Field.

Games will include a dunk tank, a water balloon fight, giant Jenga, giant Connect Four, bubble soccer, board games and a raffle. OMA will provide free Cajun Cones, burgers and hotdogs.

“

We wanted to do something that wouldn’t necessarily have an agenda,” LINDSIE LAWSON SCAC INTERN

The Student Cultural Affairs Council, which includes four OMA interns, organized the event after hearing the annual Springfest would not take place this year, said SCAC intern Lindsie Lawson.

Throughout the year, the SCAC hosted educational events including Cultural Awareness Week and Sundaes on Mondays, a time for discussion about current events.

“Something we needed to work on as a whole was having a more relational approach,” said Lawson, junior global studies and Spanish major from The Colony. “We wanted to do something that wouldn’t necessarily have an agenda and take the focus off constantly educating students about cultural issues and focus more on just being friends with them.”

The event is co-sponsored by the Campus Activities Board, which provided some funding, and the Students’ Association, which provided resources and funding.

HRR13B@ACU.EDU

FRIDAY | MARCH 31 2017

Annual KGR fundraiser to benefit local nurse

BY LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The men of Galaxy will host the Kirk Goodwin Run on April 8 to raise funds for a local nurse diagnosed with kidney disease.

The KGR started 33 years ago when Kirk Goodwin, a Galaxy pledge at the time, was in a fatal car accident driving home to visit his family. Because he was in a coma for about three weeks, the family had an overwhelming amount of medical bills. The men of Galaxy hosted the first run to contribute to the bills.

Now, the annual run functions to support an ACU student or Abilene resident that is in the same position as the Goodwin family years ago.

This year, they are sponsoring Kristen Taylor, previously a NICU nurse at Hendrick Medical Center until she was diagnosed with a kidney disease. Despite receiving a new kidney from her mom a year ago, her

PAIGE OTWAY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The beneficiaries of this year’s Kirk Goodwin Run will be Kristen Taylor, who was previously a NICU nurse at Hendrick Medical Center until she was diagnosed with a kidney disease. transplant began causing problems, and doesn’t have much more time to be effective. Because of her health problems, she is out of work and has only her husband’s income to pay for living and medical expenses.

Caleb O’Neal, executive director of the KGR, said he’s seen increased participation in the run since

he pledged Galaxy. Three years ago, the KGR benefit dinner began to help raise money for the race. Since its beginning, there has been substantial monetary and participation growth.

At the dinner, Kirk is remembered by the community as his family and guest speakers share testimonies about their personal expe-

riences with him. The race symbolizes that although they are no longer financially supporting the Goodwin family, Galaxy and the community still desire to help people in the same situation.

O’Neal and Blake Harpold, executive director of logistics, said their involvement with the KGR has

changed their perspective.

“Personally, its really great to be in Galaxy just to see how it works and how the family is blessed,” O’Neal said. “It’s another thing to be on the leadership team and actually interact with the family of Kirk and also get to interact and see how happy the recipient family is and how pleased they are that a group of college kids are putting this on and taking time out of their everyday life, their school, their job to put all of this on just to help them. Its been eye opening, its blessed, I think me more than anything in my life.”

Harpold also clarified that the race isn’t just for members of Galaxy. The KGR is bigger than club, its about giving back, he said.

Runner sign-ups, a donations page, and more about the history of the KGR can be found at http://www. kirkgoodwinrun.com.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

Wildlife Society plans competition fundraiser

BY ASHLEY ALFRED STUDENT REPORTER

The ACU Wildlife Society will host a birdhouse-building contest to raise money for additions to the Parker Hill Nature Trail.

The trail is located just off of campus and brings new opportunities as an educational feature for the university and the Abilene community. The Wildlife Society has contributed in the preparation of the trail by planting native plants along the trails.

ACU’s Wildlife Society has been working on these improvements to the trail since the beginning of the Fall semester and will continue their work for years to come. The birdhouse will be one of many ways other for ACU students to get involved.

“We wanted to provide a way for students to get involved with topics related to wildlife,” said Eric Dolezik, senior environmental sci-

“

“We wanted to provide a way for students to get involved with topics related to wildlife,” ERIC DOLEZIK WILDLIFE SOCIETY PRESIDENT

ence major from and Wildlife Society president from Ennis. “It’s a very unique experience for everyone.”

Dolezik said the birdhouses will be built from scratch, but participants will have access to examples built by the MakerLab as a reference for guidelines.

Some participants may be rewarded with gift cards to

local businesses.

The Birdhouse Building Contest will allow no more than 10 participants due to a limited amount of space in the Maker Lab. The Wildlife Society will then do a drawing on April 7 to decide who of the register students will participate in the contest.

“The Maker Lab will pro-

vide all tools and equipment and Lowe’s has donated some wood fence pickets,” said Dolezik. “So the students just need to bring their creativity and competitiveness to participate in the contest.”

Contestants are required to go through a training process to understand their equipment and the proper way to use it prior to the event. The contest will begin onApril 17, the Monday of Earth Week, and will end on April 21. An orientation for chosen students to attend on Monday to review the rules.

After orientation, students will have the remainder of

the week to build their birdhouses.

After the contest in over and the winner is announced, the birdhouses will be placed at the trail’s grand opening on Earth Day, April 22. Students must register

by April 7 to eligible for the drawing.

If you would like to participate in the Birdhouse Building Contest or get involved with ACU’s Wildlife Society, email wildlife. society@acu.edu or attend a club meeting on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. in ADM 128.

OPTIMIST@ACU.EDU

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F E ATUR E S

FRIDAY | MARCH 31, 2017

RISE This year’s FilmFest features eight films from various genres that’ll have you laughing, crying, and shaking in your seat.

Among Us

ACCUSED

carly Carroll

Joshua Taylor

Directed by Ian Crombie

Cinematography by lydia lawson

Sound&design Mercedez Hernandez

5

Directed and written by Michael Scales Produced by Christan Nelson and Ross Barrington Cinematographers: John L. Greer, Aj Carter and Lydia Lawson Hannah Johnson

Simon Haines

Lance Bleakney

Starring Quentin Bryant & Christian Winter

stalked Amanda Pryor

Joshuataylor

aaronpokluda

STONES OF TRUTH A CHRISTIAN WILLIAMS FILM directed by

Mercedez Hernandez

lydia lawson

Cinematography by

jessica clark

edited by

sound by

Ian crombie

music by

isaiah Garcia

Accused Directed by Ian Combe

Heavy Metal Elevator Directed by Aaron Pokluda

Categorized as a thriller, this film starts off slow before dropping an intense, dramatic plot twist – what a shocker. There are only two characters, but they’re enough to keep the dialogue interesting and the plot moving, keeping you on the edge of your seat asking “Who did it?” right up until the very end. The simplicity of the mystery presents itself like an indie film – short, dramatic and to the point.

This film includes two heavy metal musicians who use an elevator as their stage, the fans who join them, and all the comedic mayhem that ensues. Though there’s minimal dialogue, the comedy shines as the band make it impossible for anyone to use the elevator without awkward, funny interactions. From the moment the music starts till the old lady sings, this film is bound to electrify the audience with sweet tunes and welltimed comedy.

Among Us Directed by Michael Scales An angel and a demon walk into a church – no, really. This drama begins with Gianna, an angel, confronting Beelzebub, a demon who wrongfully took the soul of Santo. The two fight over who has the right to her, with Gianna persisting that even bad people have the chance to repent before they’re shipped off to the afterlife.

The background music also adds a chilling aspect to this well-written piece. Although Beelzebub sounds a bit like Dracula and Gianna looks like he just got off the set of Lord of the Rings, the characters are well-developed and make the twist ending a surprise instead of the expected cliche.

Intergalactic Tales of the Delusional Mind Directed by Forrest Lorenzen and John Puckett Kirk, an aspiring filmmaker, is on the phone desperately trying to get funds for his movie when a meteoric rock crashes through his living room window.

As soon as he touches the rock, weird things begin to happen – or are they only happening in his mind? Cue the X-Files music. He begins to relive memories of his former relationship in real life, and he realizes he can control the actions of his ex-girlfriend and past self, so he directs hilarious scenes between

the two while also learning an important lesson. This truly funny, well-paced film uses stunning visual effects that are out of this world and will keep you intrigued until the very end.

Legacy: In Honor of Katie Kirby Directed by This documentary is a honorable tribute to Katie Kirby, the sophomore member of GATA who passed away last semester. In February, GATA dedicated their S’mores Sing Song act to Kirby and also donated their winning money to the Katie Kirby Fund to help students with financial needs. This film includes emotional interviews with GATA and TKG members as well as others who knew Kirby personally, and describes the profound impact her life had on so many people. Bring tissues, because this one will make you cry.

Stalked Directed by Mercedez Hernandez Ana wants to be an art major, but her mother wants her to choose a more practical major as a pre-med student.

As the two fight over which path Ana should choose, someone begins to stalk her down dark alleys and even in her

own home. Who is stalking Ana? Why are they stalking her? And why are they so obsessed with a certain fruit? This film takes an interesting approach to the underlying message of following your dreams.

Stones of Truth Directed by Christian Williams This film offers an interesting perspective on racism and the many forms it can take by showing interactions between people of different races. It underlines the important but often neglected idea that racism isn’t always blatant – sometimes it’s the subtle, ignorant comments that show true racism, even at Christian universities.

Sundown Directed by Nathan Westfall This film opens with a man in black who finds a wounded man, Billy, on his property in the middle of nowhere – but Billy doesn’t remember exactly how he get there. Through flashbacks, the story unravels, revealing fight scenes that look very realistic and will make you cringe at the first sight of blood. But pay close attention to the man in black – he isn’t as normal as he seems.

6

S P O RT S

Athletics to launch ‘Go ACU Wildcats’ app in coming weeks

BY BYRON MAXWELL JR. STUDENT REPORTER

The Athletics Department will launch a Wildcats sports app titled “Go ACU Wildcats.”

The app will allow individuals to follow every team’s schedule, roster, player profiles and stats.

Game notifications and Live game updates will be sent straight to the app holders device. It also has access to streaming media, tickets, social media, and Venue mapping.

“Ultimately we want every student, ticket holders, and fans in the community to have the app to get our brand out there and awareness of our games,” said Dave Kinard, senior associate director of Athletics.

The app was designed by a company called From Now On, which is in Omaha, Nebraska.

“Abilene Christian is undergoing a transformation with their growth into a premier institution within the Southland Conference,” said Josh White, director of business development on the From Now On website. “We are excited to partner with Wildcat athletics to help deliver a first-rate experience for their fan base by connecting them real-time to student-athletes, coaches and local businesses.”

The app is set to launch in the next couple of weeks and will be available on the Apple and Google Play store to download.

ACUOPTIMSIT@ACU.EDU

Stadium records fall in windy meet

BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS EDITOR

per-

The track and field team hosted its fourth annual Wes Kittley invitational over the weekend, breaking four stadium records and earning four gold medals.

Senior Taylor Yantis Woods got the gold-medal winning started with a come-from-behind victory in the heptathlon. The victory is Woods fourth-career heptathlon win, as she beat out her next closest competitor by 20 points and set the stadium record with 4,677 points. Woods was named women’s Southland Conference Athlete of the Week.

ACU would return to the gold-medal stand behind a first-time performance victory by junior Ryan Cleary in the steeple chase. Like Woods, Cleary would also break the stadium with a time of 9:29.58.

First-year head coach Lance Bingham said he was very impressed with he multi-event athletes.

“Cleary looks like he is going to a really strong steeplechaser,” Bingham said. “It’s still early in the year, but I felt like we had a lot of good

mances. I was very pleased across the board with all the multi-event athletes. Friday was a great day for us.”

The final two gold medal performances came from sophomore Reagan Mabery in the javelin throw and senior Kenzie Walker Mascorro in the pole vault.

But the story of the day was the performance junior Kai Schmidt put on as an unattached competitor.

Schmidt used the wind being at his back to his advantage as he broke his previous personal best by almost 19 feet with a discus throw of 202 feet, seven inches.

The throw at the time ranked No. 1 nationally, as it was surpassed later that weekend by Akron senior Phillip Jagers at 203 feet, six inches. Schmidt’s toss also ranks him 10th in the world among college discus throwers and earns him a spot at this summer’s German Nationals.

Schmidt said it was his hard work since the end of last season that has helped him to this point.

“In Track it is important

TRACK

f o r-

Softball Team

After leading the Wildcats to another historic season, head women’s basketball coach Julie Goodenough was named the 2017 recipient of the Kay Yow award.

The award is annually presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to honor a basketball coach who exemplifies biblical principles over the course

of his or her career. Goodenough said in an interview with acusports.com, when she found out she would be receiving the award she was left speechless.

“This is an impressive group I am now part of, and it’s a privilege to be included,” Goodenough said.

Previous winners coaches from various Div. 1 schools including NC State’s Kay Yow, who won it in 2008.

Ovrl. Div. 9-0 8-2 8-1 8-1 5-4 3-6 3-6 3-6 2-4 1-5 1-8 0-9

McNeese 22-11 Nicholls 22-11 18-13 ACU 17-15 Lamar 14-16 SHSU 14-18 SELU 13-20-1 NWSU 11-23 UCA 12-19 SFA TAMU-CC 6-20 5-26 UIW 8-16 HBU ELIJAH EVANS STAFF CONTRIBUTOR Woods is the top-ranked heptathlete in the conference after her winning performance.

how you prepare yourself over the entire year before you start competing again,” Schmidt said. “I came back out here last fall and worked every day with the mindset that I want to be in the best shape of my life as soon as the season starts.”

Redshirt senior Michaela Hackett also competed as an unattached competitor and broke the stadium record int he 5K with a time of 17:22.58.

The team was scheduled to split this week and weekend, with some heading to the Texas Relays and the

rest traveling to Texas State over the weekend. However, the Wildcats will all travel to San Marcos on this weekend to compete.”

“I think we are better off just focusing on getting to compete in a few more events as a whole,” Bingham said.

Competition began Thursday with the men’s and women’s discus, and the remaining began Friday morning and will carry into Saturday.

JMR13B@ACU.EDU

Goodenough earns Kay Yow award

BY JONATHAN RAITZ SPORTS EDITOR

STANDINGS

LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Goodenough celebrates after her team earned its first-ever conference championship.

TENNIS

Baseball Team

McNeese SHSU SELU Nicholls SFA HBU Lamar UNO UIW UCA TAMU-CC NWSU ACU

Ovrl. Div. 16-5 9-0 15-6 6-0 14-6 5-4 13-8 5-4 13-9 3-3 13-9 3-3 5-14 4-5 12-10 4-5 9-10 4-5 10-13 3-6 10-13 2-4 8-11 2-4 9-14 1-8

WHO’S HOT Redshirt senior Michaela Hackett was named indoor stuHackett dent-athlete of the year this week after she finished the indoor season with victories in the 3K and 5K. Hackett also boasts a 3.97 GPA as a financial management major, and is the first Wildcat to win the award since the Div. 1 transition.

BREAKING Redshirt junior Kai Schmidt broke his career-best discus throw by almost 20 feet over the weekend as he now has the second furthest toss in the nation at 202 feet, six inches.

Seniors Suzzy Dimba and Sydney Shelstead were recognized as First-Team all-Acadmic members. This is Shelstead’s third time to be honored, while Dimba makes her debut.

MATCHUPS LAUREN FRANCO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The brother and sister duo of junior Henry Adams and freshman Sarah Adams have been playing tennis together since they can remember. They now continue that trend at the collegiate level, as members of ACU tennis

Like brother, like sister

Adams siblings tag team collegiate tennis

BY MAX PRESTON ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Growing up, shouting matches were not the only type of matches that took place between the brother sister duo of Henry and Sarah Eleanor Adams.

In fact Henry said he and his sister were born into a family that all participated in tennis.

“The reason we started playing tennis was because we have four older siblings who all played college tennis and then both our parents played college tennis as well,” Henry said. “We were in strollers at our older siblings tennis practices, so we just crawled out of the stroller and onto the court.”

The Adams’ siblings started their competitive tennis career as early as eight years old and have been competing since then all the way up to the collegiate level.

Henry, now a junior at

ACU, has played on the team since his freshman year while Sarah is a freshman, competing in her first collegiate season, and making a name for herself.

Henry said that one of the reasons him and his sister are at ACU is because their oldest brother Henson played tennis for the Wildcats for a year before transferring over to Oklahoma Christian.

“That’s how we were able to get in touch with Hutton and John,” Henry said. “We decided that ACU was a good place to be and there’s a lot of good people that go here.”

Head coach Hutton Jones said he’s happy to have Henry and Sarah competing for his team.

“Henry has really matured and seeing him grow and buy into what we’re doing has been fun to watch,” Jones said. “Sarah just from

fall until now has been fun to watch and she has been doing real well.”

Sarah has had major success as a freshman so far as she picked up her 15th singles victory last weekend against Southeastern Louisiana, which kept her in the team lead in singles wins.

She said that she’s very happy to have a team that pushes her to do her best.

“I’m going to always try my best, so having that lead in singles victories makes it even better,” Sarah said. “It’s really exciting because next year I know that I will get to go to the bigger tournaments and I’m excited to see what the rest of my career is like.”

The Adams’ siblings also play alongside another set of siblings in Josh and Jonathan Sheehy. Jones said that there is a difference when comparing the brother and sister duo to the brother and brother duo.

“There is definitely more fighting between Josh and Jonathan,” Jones said jokingly. “They do fine, but they are more competitive with each other and it’s much more different when it comes to a brother and sister relationship.”

The Sheehy’s defended their case by saying they are able to practice and spend more time together.

“It’s different because we can practice more together and they could too, but it’s not the same,” Josh said.

“We also get to play doubles and travel together.”

Josh also said that Henry and Sarah do tend to get along better off the court though.

Henry said him and his sister are nothing short of a normal brother sister relationship when it comes to being on the court.

“I’ll give her a hard time every once in awhile and it

“

I’ll give her a hard time every once in awhile and it can get a little tense when we play doubles together. It’s all in love though and we try and make it fun.”

JAREN LEWIS SOPHOMORE FORWARD

can get a little tense when we play doubles together,” Henry said. “It’s all in love though and we try to make it fun.”

Sarah said her and her brother have enjoyed their time at ACU together so far, even when she has to keep Henry in line every now and then.

The men’s and women’s tennis programs are a combined 6-1 in conference this season.

TMW13A@ACU.EDU

Baseball 3/31-4/2 ACU (9-14, 1-8) SHSU

(15-6, 6-0)

Softball 3/29 ACU 0 Baylor

6

3/31-4/1 ACU

(18-13, 8-3)

TAMU-CC

(6-20, 1-5)

Track 3/30-4/1

San Marcos

Texas State Bobcat Invitational

Tennis 4/1 Women’s ACU (14-4, 6-1) NWSU

(11-6, 4-3)

4/2 Women’s ACU (14-4, 6-1) SFA

(7-9, 3-4)

Check out more stories at acuoptimist.com