WHAT'S INSIDE
NEWS
SITC students gear up for the Global Game Jam, a challenge to create a video game in 48 hours. Page 2
FEATURE
Three students share their perspective on Barack Obama’s impact on their adolescent years. Page 4,5
OPINION
Can you pray for your president and still protest against him? Our thoughts on the inauguration. Page 6
Friday, January 20, 2017 Vol. 105, Issue 16
SPORTS
Athletics adds club sports director. Mason breaks all-time 3-point mark. Pages 7, 8
A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
WE HAVE A DREAM
BIANCA BARRIENTOS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Abilene residents marched across the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge near downtown on Monday in honor of Dr. King’s legacy. People of all races and ages came together in support of unity and human rights.
travel Halbert-Walling opens classroom doors Students to D.C. for Trump BY ALLISON BROWN EDITOR IN CHIEF
The newly completed Halbert-Walling Research Center opened this week for classes, marking the completion of Phase 2 of the university’s efforts to improve science facilities on campus. A part of the Vision in Action science campaign, Halbert-Walling features multiple new labs and three new science classrooms: a 150-seat lecture hall, a 48seat classroom, and a 75-seat classroom that can be divided into two instructional spaces and serves as the home for the Department of Biology, De-
partment of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Body and Soul program. Faculty began moving supplies, equipment and chemicals from the Onstead Science Center to the new building over the Christmas break. Dr. Jeff Arrington, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, oversaw the transition and said, thus far, the transition has gone smoothly. “The faculty and staff in the department of biology, and the departments of chemistry and biochemistry have been so excited about this new space that they’ve gone above and beyond in
PHOTO BY ALLISON BROWN A look inside the atrium area of the new Halbert-Walling Research Center.
moving thousands of chemicals and delicate equip-
ment to really convert a new building into an instructional
space,” Arrington said. The 54,000-square-foot center replaced Chambers Hall. “The focus of this building is hands-on student learning experiences gained through advanced lab facilities and increased research possibilities,” Arrington said. David Marolf, senior biochemistry major from Melissa, has seen all stages of the university’s science facilities; when he began school, classes were still held in Walling Lecture Hall, which was torn down in Jan. 2015. SEE CENTER PAGE 3
Advising center unveiled as student service hub BY MERCEDEZ HERNANDEZ PRINT MANAGING EDITOR
After several months of construction, Wildcat Central opened its doors Monday, providing students with the opportunity to access academic advising and student services in one location. With the start of the spring semester came the opening of Wildcat Central, the permanent home of Student Services, formerly The Depot, and Academic Advising. Wildcat Central is located in the Campus Center in the area
that once hosted Mail Services and the Living Room. The two teams located inside Wildcat Central, the advising team and the Student Services team, offer the same services they once did before they were under the same roof. In the Student Services area of Wildcat Central, students can do things like replace their student I.D. and meet with a financial aid counselor. And in the Academic Advising area of the center, students can set appointments with an academic adviser to discuss class reg-
istration and degree plans. Brett Butler, director of student administrative services, offered an example of how putting these two teams in one location can help a student balance their academic pursuits and the cost of education. “Affordability can sometimes be a hurdle when a student is working to stay on track for graduation, but a financial hold is preventing registration,” Butler said. “Rather than asking the student to make another appointment with a financial aid counselor, only
to return later, the adviser and a counselor can collaborate in the moment to work with the student toward a solution.” Butler said the concept of Wildcat Central was several years in the making after feedback from students, staff and faculty, and as the center has finished construction, Butler said he and other staff members look toward improving the ease in which students navigate their administrative duties and needs. “I expect that Wildcat Central will continue to
evolve as we receive more feedback from the Wildcat family,” Butler said. “We will continue to expand and improve our services to make the administrative part of attending ACU easier and more relational. The Student Services and Academic Advising teams are quickly learning from one another, and I expect that time will only make our partnership stronger.”
MMH13A@ACU.EDU
Willis to retire in May after 46 years BY ALLISON BROWN EDITOR IN CHIEF
Dr. John Willis, professor emeritus of Old Testament, plans to retire at the end of the semester after teaching in the College of Biblical Studies for 46 years. In his final semester, Willis will teach two sections of Message of the Old Testament, a sophomore-level
Willis
Bible credit. Over the course of his academic career, he’s taught at the undergraduate and
graduate level. “I’m retiring because I am 83, and it’s about time,” Willis said, chuckling. “I would love to keep going, which I
think I could, but you have to stop sometime.” Willis joined the Bible faculty in 1971. Before that, he taught at Lipscomb University in Nashville for 15 years. He received his undergraduate and masters degrees from ACU and his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. Willis was named teacher of the year in 1974 and 2006. In all, Willis has taught for 61 years.
As he prepares for retirement, he plans to teach his two classes as he always has and to still bring cookies to his students every day. Looking back on all of his years as a professor, he is most proud of all his students have gone on to do. In fact, most of his faculty colleagues are former students, and many of his current students’ parents had
W W W. A C U O P T I M I S T. C O M
him as a professor. “I’m thrilled to death about all of the successes of my students,” Willis said. “I really am so proud.” In his retirement, Willis plans to remain an elder at Highland Church of Christ, where he has served since 1976. AKB12B@ACU.EDU
inauguration BY LAUREN FRANCO STUDENT REPORTER
Twenty-three students attending the presidential inauguration during the Civil Discourse in Politics short course say they are just as divided among their views as the rest of the nation. Braden Crow, a junior biblical text and communication double major from Fort Worth, signed up for the short course because he is interested in politics in addition to others’ opinions on certain policies. Crow also said he registered after the election results, so he knew what he signed up for. “This is a really important inauguration just because of where the United States is on the world stage right now,” Crow said over text message from Washington. “While we try to bring peace to a war-torn Middle East, and immigration is becoming a hotter topic by the day. Domestically, we are still facing challenges of people still feeling like they are not being heard. The point is this: our country voted for the candidate who marketed ‘change’ for the people and the people got the candidate that they voted for.” During the trip, Crow said the group got to see the government come to life. They visited the U.S. Senate to witness it in action and got to see people such as Sens. Ted Cruz, John McCain and Marco Rubio. Although he said this was exciting, Crow said he is most looking forward to the inauguration itself, despite how chaotic Washington, D.C. will be. “There could, in all reality, be well over 1 million people there on Friday, so while I am looking forward to it, I am naturally a bit inSEE INAUGURATION PAGE 3