The Office of Multicultural Enrichment and Black Students Association will present “Ruth,” the 14th annual Black History production, March 1-2 at 7:30 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium. The play was written by ACU Alum, Vincson Green (’12), theatre major living in Abilene. Vince wrote a skeleton of the play in Dr. Adam Hester’s play writing class his senior year. “I have a desire to write about characters who have authentic relationships with God,” said Green. “I want to tell stories that usher people into an experience with characters who have different perspectives of God based on their experiences with Him.” Green wrote his story about a female character who is perceived in many different ways by the other characters in the play. “[The characters] relationships change, their perspectives on God change,” he said. “They themselves also go through a process of transformation all because of one choice that this female figure makes.” Elyse Bryant, freshman Nursing major from Desoto, will play Ruth, the main character of the play. “‘Ruth’ is not your typical play,” Bryant said. “There is a story behind every word, every action and every prop. I cannot wait to show the ACU community what we, Black Students Association, are capable of. I pray and hope that the ACU community will not only gain a better understanding of people of different ethnicities and different backgrounds, but also better knowledge of accepting people, living in harmony with one another and growing spiritually with God.” Byron Martin, Director of Multicultural Enrichment, will be producing the play and acting as a co-director alongside Green. Byron has been a part of the Black History production for several years. “This year’s production gives [students] the opportunity to express themselves in a venue that’s normally not open,” said Martin. “It is an opportunity to share with the campus a culture that’s not the main one on campus.” Their goal is “to put on an incredible show that tells a story about how God is always in the process of reconciling us to him.” Tickets are $5 presale and $7 at the door. Students can buy tickets in the Campus Center or come to the office of Multicultural Enrichment in McKinzie Hall. –Story by Katie Williamson The Den, Barret Hall’s Java City coffee shop, closed down in December, and now that space will serve a different purpose. According to an email sent to the residents of Barret by Ryan Ran- dolph, Area Coordinator from Bar- ret and Smith Adams Halls, the open area is now being used as a lobby for the residents of Barret. Residents will have access to it through the use of their ID cards and it is open 24/7. Students will now have a place to watch movies, play games, and hang out with their friends of the opposite gender. Randolph said the lobby is cur- rently equipped with an ice maker, microwave and a few industrial fridges. Other appliances are still in the works. Residences are allowed to keep their food in the lobby fridges, they are just asked to label everything with their names. The classroom next door to the lobby is also going to be open for residents who need a quiet place to study. The Den was a coffee shop that offered customers a variety of cof- fee choices along with smoothies and other snacks. It opened in January of 2006 and patronized by many Barrett residents because of its proximity, but was closed down by Business Servic- es because it wasn’t receiving enough business. “I was really sad to see The Den close down. I loved not having to wait in lines for drinks and it being so close to my room,” said Taylor Brown, sophomore Ad/PR major from Southlake and Barret Hall resi- dent. “But I am pretty excited that we’ll now have an open lobby area and access to kitchen supplies.” In addition, Randolph also said there will be free coffee served at 7 a.m. during the week. It’s bring your own cup, but coffee, cream and sugar will be supplied. “Students can come get some cof- fee on the way to class and not have to worry about waiting in lines,” said Allye Foster, senior communications major from Lubbock and Barret Hall RA. As far as future plans go, noth- ing official has been said, but it has been thought to make this area into a kitchen space. “There’s a lot of counter space in Barret so incorporating a stove and some refrigerators in there would be nice,” said Foster. “Most other dorms have a kitchen with those utilities so it would be nice for Barret to have one.” –Story by Margo Herrera ABILENE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, FRIDAY, MARCH 1 2013 Number 41 DEDICATED TO CHRISTIAN EDUCATION NEWS BRIEFS New Blood Football team adds recruits to defense, optimistic about next season. Story on page 6. Freshman Defense First year student offering free Karate lessons in Rec Center. Story on page 3. ‘Lynda.com’ ACU gives all students free membership to tutorial website, which features more than 80,000 video tutorials on many different subjects. Story on page 3. Finding a Mentor Students’ Association Vice President Dylan Benac writes a guest column on the importance of finding a mentor. It’s not too late, and he or she may not be who you expect. Column on page 4. OME, BSA to present 14th BHP The Students’ Association granted $1,835 to four student groups for trips this semester in its meeting on Wednes- day. The conference request fund is a part of the overall SA budget for this Spring. Though the fund started at $6,500, approximately $40,000 has been requested by various student groups. Congress has granted a total of $4,942, with $1,558 remaining. After brief presentations by stu- dents and little debate, Congress helped fund four trips. The ACU Fishing Club was granted $375 of its requested $1,815 for the Big Bass Bash Tournament in Branson, Miss., on March 21-23. Lambda Pi Delta was granted $300 of its requested $1,700 for the Eastern Communication Association Conven- tion in Pittsburgh, Pa., on April 24-28. The Association for Information Systems was granted $250 of its re- quested $1,842 for the Americas Con- ference on Information System in Chi- cago, Ill., on August 15-17. Alpha Psi Omega was granted $91o of its requested $5,760 for the South- eastern Theatre Conference in Louis- ville, Ky., on March 6-10. Last week, SA funded five trips, in an argumentative and lengthy session, with $1,331 in the budget. Three differ- ent groups received the funds: the ACU Wildlife Society, the Student Associa- tion for Nutrition and Dietetics and the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. SA meetings are conducted Wednesdays at 5:15 p.m. in the On- stead-Packer Biblical Studies Building Room 114. Meetings are public and anyone is welcome to attend. –Story by Josh Garcia THROUGH A GREATER A. C. C. Vol. CI Horizon Team Turns in Final Report to President, Provost Barret residents find new use for coffee shop space The Horizon Team finalized its report to the university and disbanded shortly thereafter. The team was created in the fall of 2011 by President Phil Schubert to conduct research on the future of higher education. Dr. Mark Phillips, assistant pro- fessor of management, chaired the team, which consisted of five members pulled from a variety of departments on campus. Phillips said the team looked specifically at ACU and its fu- ture, including potential threats and opportunities, within the con- text of broad research on higher education. “We looked at a bunch of different things that are going on, and identified things we thought were relevant for ACU,” Phillips said. “We spent a great deal of time around campus; we met with many, many people on campus to hear what they thought ACU was good at.” Phillips said the Horizon Team did not limit its research to infor- mation it could gather from ACU. “We also met with people from other universities,” Phil- lips said. “We also did a bunch of reading, both of books and ar- ticles, and spent an awful lot of time in discussion.” The Horizon Team submitted its final report in February and it includes detailed information regarding its understanding of higher education and the future of ACU. “That went to the president and the provost, and from there that’s been distributed out,” Phil- lips said. “It’s now available for the entire ACU community to look at.” The Horizon Team was not created as a long-term project. Phillips said its research will be incorporated into the university’s strategic plan. “ACU’s in the middle right now of a process of revising and rewriting its plan for the next five years and you’ll see lots of infor- mation from us that’s worked into the various pieces of that,” Phil- lips said. Dr. Susan Lewis, associate professor of journalism and mass (Continued on page 3) According to the “End It Move- ment,” 27 million people are in slav- ery today. College students across the country are partnering to raise aware- ness by stand for 27 hours next week. On Monday, ACU students will set up in the McGlothlin Campus Center to stand together from 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. as part of the “Stand for Freedom” event. They will do the same on Tuesday until they’ve stood together for 13 and a half hours. Har- din Simmons University students will do the same, at the same time of day, on Wednesday and Thursday so that the groups together reach 27 hours. Megan Thurman, freshman Bible and ministry major from Cedar Park, said the students’ goal this week is to raise awareness and get 1,000 signa- tures, which they will send to Presi- dent Obama. They are also planning to host a benefit concert on April 9. Thurman said all the money they raise in the events will go to to the In- ternational Justice Mission, the group that organized the event. –Story by Mark Smith In case you missed the Wednesday issue, the re- disign of the front page is a part of our “Throwback Series.” This is the 101st volume of the Optimist; One hundred school years ago, the first edition of this news publication made its appearance at Abilene Christian College, and this is our tribute to those who did this work before us. Today’s issue is a throwback to the Optimist’s of the 1920s-’40s. The logo at the top of this page was used for the longest period of time in our history: 21 years. Every other logo has only been used for 11 or fewer years. This is the second of four issues of our “Throw- back Series.” Parts three and four will come next week, leading us up to spring break. –Mark Smith, Editor in Chief Black History Production, ‘Ruth,’ written by ACU grad Shows to take place Friday and Saturday in Cullen Auditorium Edition 2 of 4 of Throwback Series ACU, HSU students to stand for total of 27 hours for charity Students’ Association continues conference request funding Abilene Christian University Students interested in adding kitchen to new Barret lobby Team finishes research on higher education’s future The Duncum Center for Conflict Resolution and the ACU student chapter of Mediators without Board- ers will host the ACU Conference on Peace Monday Students, faculty and alumni will make presentations throughout the day. The keynote speaker, Dr. Ken- neth Cloke, international mediator, will make three presentations. Cloke has mediated conflicts around the world. The primary organizer of the con- ference is Dr. Garry Bailey, academic director for the Duncum Center. Bai- ley said he will provide introduction for the main speaker and will also making a presentation. Pam Horn, as- sistant to the executive director of the Duncum Center, is helping to coordi- nate the conference. “This is our first year to hold the conference,” Horn said. Horn said the keynote speaker, Cloke, will speak in Chapel on the topic “What You Can do to Stop Injustice.” Cloke will then speak at a Chapel forum at 3 p.m. in Hart Auditorium on the topic “A Con- flict Revolution: Mediating Evil, War, Injustice and Terrorism.” He will conclude his presentations by speaking at a dinner in the Univer- sity Church of Christ Family room at 6 p.m. His final presentation is titled “The Crossroads of Conflict: A Journey into the Heart of Dispute Resolution” Bailey said the purpose of the conference is to “to encourage ACU students and faculty to be advocates for peace and justice around the world.” He also said he hopes the conference inspires conversations around campus about what students and faculty can do to prevent injustices. Bailey described Cloke as a “well- known scholar and practitioner of global peace and justice work.” Bailey said other conference presentations will begin in the Campus Center Living Room at 9 a.m. He said students in the Masters Program who are members of the ACU Mediators Beyond Borders Chapter will conduct a silent action of items from around the world. “With the auction, students hope to raise funds for projects they are working on to do peacemaking work in places like Uganda, Croatia, Egypt and the Philippines,” he said. Check in for the conference be- gins Monday at 8:30 a.m. in the Campus Center Living Room. Cloke’s first two presentations are free. Tickets for the dinner at UCC can be purchased at acu.edu/conflict. Registration includes dinner and lunch and discounts are available for students and alumni. Bailey said anyone interested in peacemaking, mediation or global conflict intervention should attend the Conference on Peace. He said the conference should have a positive effect on the ACU and Abilene communities. “Conflicts are plentiful every- where, but people with good peace- making skills are not,” Bailey said. “ We hope the conference will bring awareness to ACU and Abilene of the importance of these skills. We also hope that the conference will demonstrate the value of opportuni- ties participants have for education and training.” –Story by Melany Cox and Katie Greene Duncum Center to host first Conference on Peace Making a Splash Noa Dowl and the cast of “Metamorpheses” to bring Greek myths to life. Story on page 5. Vincson Green, the writer of ‘Ruth’ Rodney, played by David Owens, holds a prop gun up at Acadia, played by Elizabeth Oyetunde, in the Black History Production, ‘Ruth.’ Photo by Adrian Patenaude.
Transcript
The Office of Multicultural Enrichment and Black Students Association will present “Ruth,” the 14th annual Black History production, March 1-2 at 7:30 p.m. in
Cullen Auditorium.The play was
written by ACU Alum, Vincson Green (’12), theatre major living in Abilene. Vince wrote a skeleton of the play in Dr. Adam Hester’s play writing class his senior year.
“I have a desire to write about characters who have authentic relationships with God,” said Green. “I want to tell stories that usher people into an experience with
characters who have different perspectives of God based on their experiences with Him.”
Green wrote his story about a female character who is perceived in many different ways by the other characters in the play.
“[The characters] relationships change, their perspectives on God change,” he said. “They themselves
also go through a process of transformation all because of one choice that this female figure makes.”
Elyse Bryant, freshman Nursing major from Desoto, will play Ruth, the main character of the play.
“‘Ruth’ is not your typical play,” Bryant said. “There is a story behind every word, every action and every prop. I cannot wait to show the ACU community what we, Black Students Association, are capable of. I pray and hope that the ACU community will not only gain a better understanding of people of different ethnicities and different backgrounds, but also better knowledge of accepting people, living in harmony with one another and growing spiritually with God.”
Byron Martin, Director of Multicultural Enrichment, will be producing the play and acting as a co-director alongside Green. Byron has been a part of the Black History production for several years.
“This year’s production gives [students] the opportunity to express themselves in a venue that’s normally not open,” said Martin. “It is an opportunity to share with the campus a culture that’s not the main one on campus.” Their goal is “to put on an incredible show that tells a story about how God is always in the process of reconciling us to him.”
Tickets are $5 presale and $7 at the door. Students can buy tickets in the Campus Center or come to the office of Multicultural Enrichment in McKinzie Hall.
–Story by Katie Williamson
The Den, Barret Hall’s Java City coffee shop, closed down in December, and now that space will serve a different purpose.
According to an email sent to the residents of Barret by Ryan Ran-dolph, Area Coordinator from Bar-ret and Smith Adams Halls, the open area is now being used as a lobby for the residents of Barret. Residents will have access to it through the use of their ID cards and it is open 24/7.
Students will now have a place to watch movies, play games, and hang out with their friends of the opposite gender.
Randolph said the lobby is cur-rently equipped with an ice maker, microwave and a few industrial fridges. Other appliances are still in the works. Residences are allowed to keep their food in the lobby fridges, they are just asked to label everything with their names.
The classroom next door to the lobby is also going to be open for residents who need a quiet place to study.
The Den was a coffee shop that offered customers a variety of cof-fee choices along with smoothies and other snacks. It opened in January of 2006 and patronized by many Barrett residents because of its proximity, but was closed down by Business Servic-es because it wasn’t receiving enough business.
“I was really sad to see The Den close down. I loved not having to wait in lines for drinks and it being so close to my room,” said Taylor Brown, sophomore Ad/PR major from Southlake and Barret Hall resi-dent. “But I am pretty excited that we’ll now have an open lobby area and access to kitchen supplies.”
In addition, Randolph also said there will be free coffee served at 7 a.m. during the week. It’s bring your own cup, but coffee, cream and sugar will be supplied.
“Students can come get some cof-fee on the way to class and not have to worry about waiting in lines,” said Allye Foster, senior communications major from Lubbock and Barret Hall RA.
As far as future plans go, noth-ing official has been said, but it has been thought to make this area into a kitchen space.
“There’s a lot of counter space in Barret so incorporating a stove and some refrigerators in there would be nice,” said Foster. “Most other dorms have a kitchen with those utilities so it would be nice for Barret to have one.”
–Story by Margo Herrera
ABILENE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, FRIDAY, MARCH 1 2013 Number 41
DEDICATED TO CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
NEWS BRIEFS
New BloodFootball team adds recruits to defense, optimistic about next season. Story on page 6.
Freshman DefenseFirst year student offering free Karate lessons in Rec Center. Story on page 3.
‘Lynda.com’ACU gives all students free membership to tutorial website, which features more than 80,000 video tutorials on many different subjects. Story on page 3.
Finding a MentorStudents’ Association Vice President Dylan Benac writes a guest column on the importance of finding a mentor. It’s not too late, and he or she may not be who you expect. Column on page 4.
OME, BSA to present 14th BHP
The Students’ Association granted $1,835 to four student groups for trips this semester in its meeting on Wednes-day.
The conference request fund is a part of the overall SA budget for this Spring. Though the fund started at $6,500, approximately $40,000 has been requested by various student groups. Congress has granted a total of $4,942, with $1,558 remaining.
After brief presentations by stu-dents and little debate, Congress helped fund four trips.
The ACU Fishing Club was granted $375 of its requested $1,815 for the Big Bass Bash Tournament in Branson, Miss., on March 21-23.
Lambda Pi Delta was granted $300 of its requested $1,700 for the Eastern Communication Association Conven-tion in Pittsburgh, Pa., on April 24-28.
The Association for Information Systems was granted $250 of its re-quested $1,842 for the Americas Con-ference on Information System in Chi-cago, Ill., on August 15-17.
Alpha Psi Omega was granted $91o of its requested $5,760 for the South-eastern Theatre Conference in Louis-ville, Ky., on March 6-10.
Last week, SA funded five trips, in an argumentative and lengthy session, with $1,331 in the budget. Three differ-ent groups received the funds: the ACU Wildlife Society, the Student Associa-tion for Nutrition and Dietetics and the Alpha Chi National Honor Society.
SA meetings are conducted Wednesdays at 5:15 p.m. in the On-stead-Packer Biblical Studies Building Room 114. Meetings are public and anyone is welcome to attend.
–Story by Josh Garcia
THROUGH A GREATER A. C. C.
Vol. CI
Horizon Team Turns in Final Report to President, ProvostBarret residents find new use for coffee shop space
The Horizon Team finalized its report to the university and disbanded shortly thereafter.
The team was created in the fall of 2011 by President Phil Schubert to conduct research on the future of higher education. Dr. Mark Phillips, assistant pro-fessor of management, chaired the team, which consisted of five members pulled from a variety of departments on campus.
Phillips said the team looked specifically at ACU and its fu-ture, including potential threats and opportunities, within the con-text of broad research on higher education.
“We looked at a bunch of different things that are going on, and identified things we thought were relevant for ACU,” Phillips said. “We spent a great deal of time around campus; we met with many, many people on campus to hear what they thought ACU was good at.”
Phillips said the Horizon Team did not limit its research to infor-mation it could gather from ACU.
“We also met with people from other universities,” Phil-lips said. “We also did a bunch of reading, both of books and ar-ticles, and spent an awful lot of time in discussion.”
The Horizon Team submitted its final report in February and it includes detailed information regarding its understanding of higher education and the future of ACU.
“That went to the president and the provost, and from there that’s been distributed out,” Phil-lips said. “It’s now available for the entire ACU community to look at.”
The Horizon Team was not created as a long-term project. Phillips said its research will be incorporated into the university’s strategic plan.
“ACU’s in the middle right now of a process of revising and rewriting its plan for the next five years and you’ll see lots of infor-mation from us that’s worked into the various pieces of that,” Phil-lips said.
Dr. Susan Lewis, associate professor of journalism and mass
(Continued on page 3)
According to the “End It Move-ment,” 27 million people are in slav-ery today. College students across the country are partnering to raise aware-ness by stand for 27 hours next week.
On Monday, ACU students will set up in the McGlothlin Campus Center to stand together from 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. as part of the “Stand for Freedom” event. They will do the same on Tuesday until they’ve stood together for 13 and a half hours. Har-din Simmons University students will do the same, at the same time of day, on Wednesday and Thursday so that the groups together reach 27 hours.
Megan Thurman, freshman Bible and ministry major from Cedar Park, said the students’ goal this week is to raise awareness and get 1,000 signa-tures, which they will send to Presi-dent Obama. They are also planning to host a benefit concert on April 9.
Thurman said all the money they raise in the events will go to to the In-ternational Justice Mission, the group that organized the event.
–Story by Mark Smith
In case you missed the Wednesday issue, the re-
disign of the front page is a part of our “Throwback Series.” This is the 101st volume of the Optimist; One hundred school years ago, the first edition of this news publication made
its appearance at Abilene Christian College, and this is our tribute to those who did this work before us.
Today’s issue is a throwback to the Optimist’s of the 1920s-’40s. The logo
at the top of this page was used for the longest period of time in our history: 21 years. Every other logo has only been used for 11 or fewer years.
This is the second of
four issues of our “Throw-back Series.” Parts three and four will come next week, leading us up to spring break.
–Mark Smith, Editor in Chief
Black History Production, ‘Ruth,’ written by ACU gradShows to take place Friday and Saturday in Cullen Auditorium
Edition 2 of 4 of Throwback Series
ACU, HSU students to stand for total of 27 hours for charity
Students’ Association continues conference request funding
Abilene Christian University
Students interested in adding kitchen to new Barret lobby
Team finishes research on higher education’s future
The Duncum Center for Conflict Resolution and the ACU student chapter of Mediators without Board-ers will host the ACU Conference on Peace Monday
Students, faculty and alumni will make presentations throughout the day. The keynote speaker, Dr. Ken-neth Cloke, international mediator, will make three presentations. Cloke has mediated conflicts around the world.
The primary organizer of the con-ference is Dr. Garry Bailey, academic director for the Duncum Center. Bai-ley said he will provide introduction for the main speaker and will also making a presentation. Pam Horn, as-sistant to the executive director of the Duncum Center, is helping to coordi-nate the conference.
“This is our first year to hold the conference,” Horn said.
Horn said the keynote speaker, Cloke, will speak in Chapel on the topic “What You Can do to Stop Injustice.” Cloke will then speak at a Chapel forum at 3 p.m. in Hart Auditorium on the topic “A Con-flict Revolution: Mediating Evil, War, Injustice and Terrorism.” He will conclude his presentations by speaking at a dinner in the Univer-sity Church of Christ Family room at 6 p.m. His final presentation is titled “The Crossroads of Conflict: A Journey into the Heart of Dispute Resolution”
Bailey said the purpose of the conference is to “to encourage ACU students and faculty to be advocates for peace and justice around the world.”
He also said he hopes the conference inspires conversations around campus about what students
and faculty can do to prevent injustices.
Bailey described Cloke as a “well-known scholar and practitioner of global peace and justice work.”
Bailey said other conference presentations will begin in the Campus Center Living Room at 9 a.m. He said students in the Masters Program who are members of the ACU Mediators Beyond Borders Chapter will conduct a silent action of items from around the world.
“With the auction, students hope to raise funds for projects they are working on to do peacemaking work in places like Uganda, Croatia, Egypt and the Philippines,” he said.
Check in for the conference be-gins Monday at 8:30 a.m. in the Campus Center Living Room. Cloke’s first two presentations are free. Tickets for the dinner at UCC can be purchased at acu.edu/conflict. Registration includes dinner and lunch and discounts are available for students and alumni.
Bailey said anyone interested in peacemaking, mediation or global conflict intervention should attend the Conference on Peace.
He said the conference should have a positive effect on the ACU and Abilene communities.
“Conflicts are plentiful every-where, but people with good peace-making skills are not,” Bailey said. “ We hope the conference will bring awareness to ACU and Abilene of the importance of these skills. We also hope that the conference will demonstrate the value of opportuni-ties participants have for education and training.”
–Story by Melany Cox and Katie Greene
Duncum Center to host first Conference on Peace
Making a SplashNoa Dowl and the cast of “Metamorpheses” to bring Greek myths to life. Story on page 5.
Vincson Green, the writer of ‘Ruth’
Rodney, played by David Owens, holds a prop gun up at Acadia, played by Elizabeth Oyetunde, in the Black History Production, ‘Ruth.’ Photo by Adrian Patenaude.
1 2 3 4friday saturday sunday monday
All Day - TRK NCAA Championships
All Day - St Edward’s Invitational
All Day - Weaver Inter-viewing on Campus
All Day - Whitten Inn Baseball Classic
All Day - TRK NCAA Championships
All Day - ACU Men’s Tennis at Austin vs St. Edwards
11 a.m. Softball vs Northeastern State
3 p.m. RH - SJ Jiang junior recital
All Day - Whitten Inn Baseball Classic
All Day - Career Cen-ter Mock Interviews
3 p.m. Softball at Oklahoma Panhandle State
6 p.m. Second Chance Dance
7 p.m. Softball at Em-poria State
7:30 p.m. Metamor-phoses - ACU Theatre
7:30 p.m. OME and Black Students Asso-ciation presents Ruth
All Day - Whitten Inn Baseball Classic
9 a.m. ACU Men’s Tennis vs Temple
2 p.m. Metamorphoses - ACU Theatre
3 p.m. ACU Men’s Tennis vs Baylor
5 p.m. Softball vs Em-poria State
5:30 p.m. Women’s Basketball vs TAMU-K’ville
6 p.m. Baseball vs Cameron
7 p.m. Softball vs St. Mary’s
7:30 p.m. Metamor-phoses - ACU Theatre
7:30 p.m. OME and Black Students Asso-ciation presents Ruth
Spots are still available on Spring Break Campaigns go-ing to various locations. For more information contact Liz Lurz at [email protected], Wil-son White at [email protected] or stop by the SBC office in Bible 322.
Abstract submission for the Undergraduate Research Festival is now open. The 5th annual ACU Undergradu-ate Research Festival will be Apr. 4-5. To submit your ab-stract or get abstract writ-ing tips and information on the review of abstracts go to the Research Festival Blog at blogs.acu.edu/researchfest.
The Office of Multicultural En-richment and Black Students Association presents “Ruth” the 14th annual Black History Production on March 1-2 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 in ad-vance in the Campus Center or $7 at the door.
Student Social Work Asso-ciation is hosting the Second Chance Dance in Bennett Gym March 1 from 7-10 p.m. Admission is one hygiene product to donate to the do-mestic violence shelter.
Freshman Formal is Apr. 19. Tickets are $20 before spring break and $25 after.
Apply for study abroad in Fall 2013 by March 1 and receive a $100 discount on the applica-tion fee. Stop by ADM 124 for more info.
Lost & Found, ACU’s annual film festival, is March 22. For more information or questions email [email protected].
The Kirk Goodwin Run will be the morning of April 27.
ACU Theatre presents Meta-morphoses, based on the myths of Ovid, March 1-2. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at acu.edu/theatre.
Submit your poetry, short fic-tion, nonfiction, photography and other art works to The Shinnery Review for a chance to be featured in this spring’s edition. Email submissions to [email protected]. The dead-line for submissions is March 15.
Sanctify is throwing a dance workshop benefit to rais mon-ey for their show and for Re-bekah Cherniss and Deanna Romero March 2 at 12:30 p.m. in the SRWC. Tickets are $3 in the campus center and $5 at the door.
2/21/2013 1:53 p.m. ACUPD received a report of a disturbance in the alley behind the police station. Inves-tigation revealed that a boyfriend and girlfriend had been arguing; the female left prior to officers’ arrival.
2/21/2013 2:56 p.m. An ACU student reported the theft of her bicycle from her residence in the 600 block of EN
2/24/2013 2:27 p.m. An area resident student reported to ACUPD that someone had poured flour all over his two vehicles while the vehicles were parked in front of his house.
2/24/2013 4:33 p.m.An ACU student reported the theft of his bright yellow frame Raleigh brand men’s 27” road bicycle from the back yard of his off-campus residence
Police Tip of the Week: Be safe while at clubs or parties. Never accept a drink from someone else and never leave your drink unattended. Date rape drugs can be adminis-tered into a drink quickly and are often tasteless.
Volunteer Opp0rtunities
Chapel checkup
The Center for International Education is looking for conversation partners for international students to practice English, conversations and cultural learning. Partners meet for one hour each week at a time
and place determined by the partners. For more information contact Laura McGregor at 325-674-2821 or [email protected].
St. John’s Episcopal School is seeking volunteers to paint metal playground equipment anytime Monday-Friday after 3 p.m. and Saturday anytime. For more information contact Rebecca McMillon at 325-695-8870 or [email protected].
Center for Contemporary Arts needs a gallery assistant to greet patrons, answer phones and answer basic questions about the Center and its programs. This opportunity is open Tuesday-Friday. The Center for Contemporary Arts is located at 220 Cypress Street. For more information contact Jessica Dulle at 325-677-8389 or visit: http://www.center-arts.com/.
Rescue the Animals is seeking volunteers to take pictures and videos in preparation for the launching of their new website as well as maintenance of the site after the launch. This opportunity is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. For more information contact Kathy Walker at 325-677-7722 or [email protected].
For additional volunteer opportunities visit: www.acu.edu/campusoffices/ccsl/ministry-service/volunteer-opportunities/
Weekly Stats for week of feb. 12-FEB. 19
911 callAccident Administrative activity Alarm AssistAttempt to locate Building lock/unlock Check building Criminal mischief DisturbanceDomestic disturbanceDrug activity/offenseEscortEvent support Foot patrol Found propertyHit and runIncident reportInformation report Investigation follow upLost propertyMaintenance: University assetsMedical EmergencyMonitor facility/lot
Motorist assist: Inflate tire Jumpstart Other UnlockNoise violationOtherParking lot patrolPatrol vehicle: Maintenance Refuel ProwlerRandom patrolReckless Driving Report writing Sex offenseSpecial assignment Suspicious activitySuspicious personTheft (non vehicle) Traffic stop Unauthorized motor vehicle use
Total Events: 258
Women for ACU will award 15 scholarships from their endowment to sophomore and junior men and women for the 2013-2014 academic year.
The scholarships being provided by WACU will be worth up to $2,000 per fall and spring semester, and may be renewed for the following school year if recipients remain in good academic standing and continue to meet the requirements for their scholarship.
“Depending on how the market does every year, and how much their endowment has earned determines how many scholarships they can give, at $2,000 per year, but they like to give as many as possible,” said Misty Spainhower, alumni relations officer, and ACU liaison for WACU.
Students who wish to apply for these scholarships must have completed three semesters at ACU, be active on campus and in the local community, be active in a local, Abilene-area church, and must have a verifiable financial need.
“WACU wanted to give scholarship money to upper-classmen because it seems that the older you get, the less scholarship money is available to you,” Spainhower said.
Over the years, the requirements to apply for a WACU scholarship have changed several times. At first, the scholarships were only offered to women. As time went by scholarships became available to male and female Bible majors. Today they are available to women and men in any major.
“After each selection in the spring, the scholarship committee makes suggestions on improving the wording and the requirements
for the scholarship. We want it to be clear that on campus involvement, local community involvement, and Abilene area church involvement are most important,” said Donna Garrett, vice president for funding and projects for WACU.
WACU is looking for students who are active on campus and in the community. This can look very different from applicant to applicant. WACU is looking for students who seek opportunities and are willing to step out and get involved by joining campus or community groups, and by volunteering in the community.
“We want our students to be well rounded in all aspects of college life. Studying is important but serving is also very
important,” Garrett said.WACU has been
providing scholarships to ACU students since it was started in 1969. WACU has also funded several campus projects over the years, including the ACU Museum, and has made
donations to multiple groups and causes on campus.
Self-defense classes are being offered on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. in Studio A of the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. Micah Bynum, freshman communications major from Aiea, Hawaii, teaches the class.
“Karate, in my opinion, is the best way to find inner peace in this world other than the peace of Christ,” Bynum said. “The Buddhists got it right when they created this art. It’s one of the best ways to make yourself a better person.”
Bynum has been training in different martial arts since he was six years old. Currently, he is a first-degree black belt.
“Everyone should train in a martial art,” Bynum said. “I apply it to every aspect of my life, even Christianity. It’s literally everywhere in everything I do.”
Bynum believes in teaching the history and philosophy of karate while teaching the physical exercise. In the end, Bynum hopes his students grasp the deep understanding of the art.
“I am a real martial arts
nerd,” Bynum said. “I love the philosophy and I love striving for perfection in the art.”
Bynum is also offering private lessons for those who are interested in one-on-one instruction.
“This has literally been my dream since I was young,” said Bailey Cate, freshman elementary education major from Freemont, Neb. “My brothers took karate growing up so I always wanted to try it. Last week, I looked up martial arts classes in Abilene and got really excited when I found this was at ACU.”
Bynum got permission to teach self-defense in the Rec Center from assistant professor of exercise science and health, Dr. Kerri Hart.
“Micah’s passion for self-defense and his base of knowledge seemed like the perfect fit,” Hart said. “Talk about fit, those attending will get a really great workout while in his class.”
The self-defense class is free for the first two sessions, then students will need a group exercise pass to attend. Group exercise passes will be available at half-price beginning March 11.
friday 03.01.133 news
Joshua Garciamanaging editor
continued from page 1
paige otway staff Photographer
Freshmen Jenny Dennis, justice and urban studies major from Garland, and Dani Glenn, speech pathology major from Rowlett, enjoy browsing through the book fair hosted by the Education Department.
ACU is offering a free membership to Lynda.com to all students this semester.
Lynda.com is a website specializing in providing video-based tutorials in subjects such as business management
and computer technology. The site boasts more than 80,000 video tutorials and 400 software titles. Lynda.com was created in 1995 by computer instructor, author and businesswoman Lynda Weinman.
ACU students can use their IDs to gain access to the site for free. Annual subscriptions can normally
cost up to $375.Kyle Dickson, director
of the Learning Studio, said Lynda.com has video tutorials ready and waiting for a wide variety of needs.
“Lynda.com is the standard for video software training for design and media professionals and now ACU students, faculty and staff have unlimited access to the entire library
for free,” said Dickson,
associate professor of
English.Dickson said Lynda.com
can provide supplemental and specialized support to resources already available on campus.
“We have great resources in the Learning Studio and Team55 for introducing students to a select list of software and skills,” Dickson. “But as students move into specialized
work in accounting or web design, Lynda.com allows us to offer expert training in dozens of specialized fields.”
For more information or help logging in or downloading the app, visit acu.edu/lynda.
Lynda.com is the standard for video software training
for design and media professionals.”“
Donna Garrettvice president for funding and
projects for WACU
Studying is important but serving is also very
important.”“
administration
Team listens to campuscommunication and member of the Horizon Team, said in some cases, conversations were difficult, but informing.
“The overwhelming message we heard was that the people who have chosen to work and enroll at ACU are firmly committed to the university’s mission,” said Lewis, interim vice
provost. “Each group we visited spoke strongly about the importance of educating students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.”
For more information on the Horizon Team, visit blogs.acu.edu/horizon.
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 let-ters to the editor but reserves the right to limit frequent contributors or to refuse to print letters containing
personal attacks, obscen-ity, 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.
Address letters to: ACU Box 27892Abilene, TX 79609
12:44 p.m. Feb. 27In other ACU news, 2 people in the library are googling/giggling at pictures of people without eyebrows & I got a parking ticket
This day, is a day in his-tory. February 27, 2013. I got a booth in the upstairs section of the ACU Brown Library.
2:09 p.m. Feb. 27
Some of our favorite pieces we found from the 1920s-’30s:
Throwback excerpts
THURSDAY, jan. 29, 1920
MOCK WEDDING STAGED ON SATURDAY EVENING“The chapel was full, the seats of the center pew be-ing reserved for relatives and friends of the bride and groom. The house was beautiful decorated. There was a few bunches of mis-
tletoe along the footlights on the stage. Two attractive ushers waited at each door.... A solemn, impressive and beautiful ceremony made the bride and groom und-wedded for life.”out of the orrdinary madeline orr
@tomevans74@lexifrench
2:08 a.m. Feb. 27 Dropped my phone in the toilet this morning, everything but the exter-nal speaker still works. Bring it on Wednesday.
@BentonHCooper
8:57 a.m. Feb. 27
@chrisjohn310 @JosephDAustin
7:13 a.m. Feb. 27
I was someone’s wake up alarm this morning. When I called she asked if I could push the snooze button for five minutes.#iamanapp
for every 5 mins i am “in the zone” there are 20 mins i am “out of the zone”
So glad Michelle Obama could make an appearance at the Os-cars, she’s always been my favorite actress
10:54 p.m. Feb. 25
thursday, march 26, 1931
COLORED PREACHER ADDRESSES CLASS WEDNESDAY NIGHT“He said that he was very gratified with the progress of the Church among his people and gave his outline of the progress
during his twenty-five years of preaching.”
thursday, april 7, 1938
“Marching in never endling line are names of the social clubs (written on the desks), but always attended by such phrases
as “Kill the social clubs” and “Join a social club and became a 100% heel.”
@jessiandersen
Its 2 early to be sitting next 2 the Asian girl eating cocoa crispies out of a cool whip bowl in class and behind the girl with the back tat
8:31 a.m. Feb. 28
@DandeeRandee
Girl walking on cam-pus- “I don’t really like sharky’s.” EXCUSE ME. KICK HER OUT. @over-heardACU
1:54 p.m. Feb. 27
@katiewilli
9:33 a.m. Feb. 28No, it’s not okay for you to wear pajamas to class. This isn’t a daycare.
@salvatoreangela
7:24 p.m. Feb. 27Please stop making out with your boyfriend in the theology section of the library. That’s sinful.
thursday, feb. 21, 1924
FISH TAKE LEAD FROM SOPHS IN CLASS RACE“The dope in the race for the class championship was upset during the past week when the Slime squad came
out and won from both the Sophomores and Juniors.”
Spring Break is on the horizon and Carnival Cruises will not be hosting the lot of you.
This recent boat trip boycott brought to you by a recent nightmare at sea, when the ship, the Triumph, left the port of Galveston on Feb. 9, with more than 4,000 people aboard for a four-day cruise. After an engine fire wiped out power for three days, passengers lived with
measly meals and without working toilets, lights, air-conditionerbefore being towed into the Mobile, Alabama, port on Valentine’s Day.
As expected, lawsuit claims seeking compensation for “emotional damages” are flooding Carnival like water to Titanic’s boiler rooms. The cruise line reimbursed its passengers for their fare,
transportation costs and their on-board expenses, plus a free cruise in the future and the finishing touch of a complimentary $500.
Thankfully, this time around, shortages of lifeboats were not the source of mayhem. The lack of use perhaps was.
But unfortunately, this is not Carnival’s first hostess hiccup.
In 2010, a fire on the cruise ship the Splendor left 3,300 Carnival passengers without electricity for three days. Last year, the Italian ship Costa Concordia, under Carnival Corporation ownership, struck a rock and capsized off
the coast of Italy, resulting in 32 deaths.
Whether the cruise line is run improperly or simply has a case of the Titanics, Carnival has become cozy with the term “technological malfunction.”
And the aftermath has lent no helping hand, either. Post-Triumph panic has had passengers making news appearances, retelling their tragic tail of those nights onboard, “S.O.S.” tweets and Instagrams of Spam suppers.
Can you imagine the material to surface on the iPhones of Rose and Jack?
Hysteria is bred when a mass audience is looking
to be catered. The Titanic’s tragic tale gave way to an overhaul of safety regulations in the cruise-line industry. Perhaps the Triumph’s simply irritating incident should bring about changes in our reactions in the social sphere.
Because in the grand scheme, the overhyped inconvenience of the Triumph’s defeat is but a blur on cruise ship industry horizon.
According to a USA Today article, in 1980, cruise passengers totaled at 1 million worldwide. This year, projections put the number at 20 million. All this after the “unsinkable ship” of 1912 was
sunk and an Oscar-winning movie to commemorate her runs every weekend on TV to remind us.
Nautical dangers are a reality and man-made devices will fail us. And we will continue to use social media platforms to embargo them both.
So please, do not cancel your voyages at sea. Test the waters. We will hoist the sails once more. Perhaps bring aboard some Lunchables for safe measures.
By Dylan Benac, vice president of the Students’ Association.
The idea of having a men-tor is an interesting concept. For some, it provides an im-age of Obi-Wan or Yoda. For others, it is a wise business-man or woman who is guid-ing the recent college grad. Maybe it is a brother, a par-ent or even a professor. I ven-ture to believe that if I asked you to pick someone who could be a possible mentor, you could think of one, may-be two people.
Allow me to share my per-sonal story on finding a men-tor. In the past few semesters I had thrown around the idea of asking a professor to be my mentor.
If I am being honest with myself, I had a purely idealis-tic view of what I thought my mentor would be like. I envi-sioned a wise old C.S. Lewis-type who would give me the solutions to all my problems. I have never been so happy to be wrong.
In actuality, I met a friend who has encouraged me
to reach my potential and never stop thinking. Instead of finding solutions to my problems, I have been chal-lenged to think beyond my sphere of influence and how I can impact others.
I could end this now and rattle off statistics or interest-ing stories about how a men-tor can have a deep impact on our life. This has no pur-pose because until you expe-rience a relationship that is about mutual learning and growth, then it is nearly im-possible to grasp the impact
of having a mentor.Whether you have one
semester left, or your gradu-ation seems distant I strongly encourage you to make some time in your schedule and find someone who is older, wiser, and willing to be your mentor. It may be awkward in the beginning, but in the end you could have a strong friend and advocate.
This whole feral cat management program is an outrage. We call ourselves Wildcats yet we’re taking these cats off campus to spay/neuter?
11:19 a.m. Feb. 28
CLOSE STUDY OF CLASS-ROOM DESKS REVEAL WHAT STUDENTS DO AND THINK IN CLASSES
thursday, feb. 7, 1924
ZELLNER ZEPHYRS.“The open season for leap year proposals is here. If you don’t believe it witness the following, which was received by our respected president of the Senior class, Don Morris: Land of Kisses, Date of Love.My dear and most respected sir:
I send you this, your love to stir. It’s you I’ve chosen first of all on whom to make a leap year call. Your heart and hand I ask today, and hope you’ll send, without delay, your answer yes or nay.
But if your mind does not incline in wedding hand to join with mine, then you must leap year’s laws obey, and down to me $5 pay. And besides, Kind Sir, a handsome dress. I’ll ask no more, and take no less, and if you think me a dandy, send me a 5 lb. box of candy.
With lots of love and lots of kisses, from one who wants to be your Mrs.
Yours till the river hangs on the fence to dry.
P.S.–If for me there is no hope, send me back six feet of rope.”
all photos by paige otway Staff Photographer
Mikayla Tipps, freshman undeclared major from Amarillo, and Owen Beans, junior theatre major from Greenville, Ill. run through Metamorphoses.
friday 03.01.135 arts
Noa Dowl values and emphasizes the importance of versatility and seamlessness in acting. As a cast member for ACU Theater’s production of Metamorphoses, Dowl, junior theater major from Dallas, covers roles ranging from Zeus to Hades.
“I am most excited about the challenge of presenting a play as flawlessly as possible to a new audience each night,” Dowl said. “In the past I’ve waited tables, and for some reason I need for my tables to be arranged perfectly. I enjoy the ease that those I wait on feel as a result of this.“
The neat organization and delivery Dowl eluded to in a past job correlates directly with how he approaches his acting.
“Our goal in performing Metamorphoses is to deliver the stories to our audience as smoothly as possible.”
Metamorphoses, which premiered Thursday evening, is the theatrical
adaptation of the Roman poet Ovid’s 15-book saga titled The Metamorphoses of Ovid. The play covers a handful of vignettes dealing with various tales from Greek mythology.
Attendees of the performance need not be afraid if Greek mythology has merely been shelved in the back of the mind after being introduced to the content in a freshman level high school English class.
“There’s a lot of narration within the story so the audience is able to sit back
as the scenes are painted for them by the colorful acting and commentary,” Dowl said.
The set of the play boasts a pool of
three-foot deep water that many scenes utilize.
Dowl joked that the crew has been most worried about pranksters sneaking into Culp Theater late at night to play in the production’s pool.
“We’ve been worried about that or the pool busting and flooding our theater,” he said.
As he looks toward what is to come after graduating next year, he shared his plans to relocate back to Dallas where his acting agent is. From there he plans on pursuing work where the opportunity arises within television or film acting.
“I even entertain the idea of freelance acting, just doing my own thing. That’s where you can make your own ideas come true. You don’t have to wait for
someone else to cast you.”But for now Dowl is focusing
on the remaining performances of Metamorphoses.
“The good news is that every show sold out before we even opened,” said Michael Duran, the director of Metamorphoses.
Those lucky enough to nab a ticket to the show this weekend will enjoy seeing Dowl and company deliver a dynamic interpretation of an exceptional production boasting stories that have been shared for thousands of years.
I am most excited abou the challenge of presenting a play as flawlessly
as possible to a new audience each night.”“
MAKING A SPLASH
Tyler Hazard, sophomore theatre major from Spring, and Owen Beans, junior theatre major from Greenville, Ill., rehearse in the pool on stage.
Noa Dowl, junior theatre major from Dallas, and Taylor Hunt, sophomore theatre ma-jor from Overland Park, Kan., play Erysichthon and Hunger.
The cast of Metamorphoses runs through opening scene.
Andrew Lang, junior theatre major from Abilene, plays King Midas in the show.
The baseball team hosts Eastern New Mexico at 6 p.m. Friday. The team also plays Cameron Saturday at 6 p.m.
The softball team plays against Emporia State University at 7 p.m. tonight at home. They also host Emporia State Saturday at 5 p.m.
The men’s tennis team plays a double header against Temple College and Baylor in Waco Saturday.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams play Texas A&M Kingsville Saturday at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. in Moody Coliseum.
women’s basketball
standings
briefings
Who’s Hot
The Lone Star Conference post-season basketball tournament starts March 6th and runs through March 9th. The ACU women’s team will be one of the favorites heading into the game.
The ‘Cats for cans all sports food drive starts today. The drive will last five days. Those who donate at the men’s or women’s basketball games will get $5 off their admission price.
Junior pitcher Brady Rodriquez has been nearly unhittable so far this
year. Rodriquez re-corded his first save of the year last week in 1.2 innings of score-less baseball. In 14.2 innings of work this season, Rodriquez has only allowed one earned run, while punching out 10 and holding hitters to a .180 batting average.
It was Wildcats vs Wild-cats when the ladies matched up against the University of Kentucky.
Unfortunately, the pressure was too much and the purple and white fell short against UK, 2-5.
The team won two of three of the doubles
matches and Laura Mon-gin was the only to win her singles match, play-ing Kristen Lewis 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
“The matches were tough but we knew they were go-ing to be hard,” Mongin said. “Everyone of us gave our best on the court.”
While the ladies ended their stay in Kentucky with disappointment, the men’s team celebrated
their third straight vic-tory, Wednesday.
The team took on the University of the Texas Permian Basin, adding a 9-0 win to their belts.
The wildcats won all of their singles and doubles matches.
Hans Hach and Guil-herme Gesser both had a 6-2, 6-1 victory in their singles matches.
Nicklas Wingord earned
a well deserved 6-4, 6-7, 13-11 win against Jona-than Rutledge.
Duo Hach and Wingord defeated Alcaro Sifuentes and Austin Fowler 9-8 (7-1). Alfredo Desiati and Gesser defeated Rutledge and Vicente Veck 8-5.
The women’s team will play the University of the Southwest and Barry University next week. The men will travel to
Waco and Austin to play Temple College, Baylor, and St. Edwards.
“[Baylor] will show us things we don’t see with the schools we domi-nate,” assistant coach John Walker said. “We’ll be relaxed, they’re the ones with the pressure.”
‘Cats slip in San Antonio The Wildcats took on Incar-nate Word on Wednesday with a chance to capture the Lone Star Conference season title. Incarnate Word had other ideas as they defended their home court and handed the ‘Cats a painful 68-53 loss.
The loss moves ACU to 20-5 on the year with a 15-4 LSC record while UIW goes to 17-8, 13-6, fourth in the LSC.
“We were missing a lot of intensity and motivation,” Head Coach Julie Goode-nough said. “We didn’t ex-ecute on either end of the floor like we have. It was disappointing to see the lack of effort with such a big game on the line.”
The loss against In-carnate Word dashed the Wildcats shot at being the sole owners of the LSC title. The Wildcats 15-4 record puts them at a half game behind first place Midwestern State (21-5, 16-4) with one game left in the season.
“It’s disappointing be-cause we already faced them earlier this season and beat them,” Goodenough said. “But Incarnate is a great team who’s had a great sea-son. They are tough to beat, especially on the road.”
The Wildcats went into halftime 36-31 after a tight nit first half. The team came out slow and heavy as they gave up a 22-7 run to start the second. The run pushed Incarnate’s lead up to twen-ty, 58-38 with 10:30 left.
The 20 point deficit was only the second time this season ACU had trailed by
at least 20 points in a game. The only other time was on Dec. 8 when they trailed by as many as 24 points in the second half of a 78-60 loss at Tarleton State.
ACU was not able to score whatsoever, as the squad scored a season ty-ing low 53 points and shot 28.6 percent from the field in the second half.
ACU entered the game leading the league in scor-ing offense (75.5 points
per game), free throw percentage (74.2 percent) and 3-point field goals per game (8.8), second in 3-point field goal percent-age (33.5 percent).
Wednesday, they hit just 6-23 3-point attempts (26.1 percent), and they made just 11-19 free throw at-tempts (57.9 percent).
Junior Mack Lankford led the Wildcats in scor-ing with 11 points (3-10) and junior Renata Mar-
quez added a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Sophomore Sadie Dickinson and freshman Kynzie Newman had off nights shooting as they combined for 16 points on 5-22 shooting.
“It was very unlike us to play as poor as we did,” Goodenough said. “I thought with the weekend break we’d come out more energized and focused,
but it was just a complete mental break down.”
The Wildcats will play their season finale against Texas A&M Kingsville (5-20, 3-16) at Moody Coli-seum on Saturday. With a win, ACU can tie Midwest-ern for first place and fin-ish the season with a dual LSC championship.
women’s basketball
mandy lambright chief Photographer
Freshman guard Sadie Dickinson attempts to move past a defender in Moody Coliseum.
The men’s basketball team traveled to San Antonio in hopes of sweeping the season series against Incarnate Word, and hammered the Cardinals 82-68.
The win marked the sixth conference victory of the year for the Wildcats, doubling their win total from the season before.
ACU lit up the score-board in the first half, hit-ting 60 percent of their shots from the field and battering Incarnate Word in the paint. The Wildcats
headed to recess up by double digits, 41-23.
“After you beat some-body, it gives you some confidence going into the game the next time you play them,” assistant coach Jaret von Rosenburg said. “We just jumped on them early by getting some stops defensively that led to some easy baskets offen-sively and made the game easier for us.”
Golding’s team played aggressive defense in the first half as well, limiting Incarnate Word to only six made field goals in the opening 20 minutes.
The second half start-ed with an Cardinal run
to squeeze the ACU lead to six points before the Wildcats turned up the heat and begun a barrage on the basket.
A 10-0 run by ACU in the middle of the second half put the Cardinals in the rear view mirror for good. The ‘Cats lead by as many as 19 points in the second half, and ended up winning by 14.
Eric Lawton led ACU in scoring with 18 points. Steven Werner and Dosh Simms scored 14 apiece, and Parker Wentz chipped in 13 points of the bench. Simms also grabbed 13 re-bounds to register another double double.
“We have been count-ed down from 135 days left for these seniors,” von Rosenburg said. “We just talk about a sense of urgency, and you can’t be happier for them fight-ing back and having good games. They want to fin-ish the right way.”
ACU finished the game shooting 57.7 percent from the field and held the Car-dinals to under 40 percent shooting, showing that they dominated at both ends of the floor.
ACU will play their fi-nal game of the season Saturday when they host Texas A&M Kingsville at 7:30 p.n. in Moody Colise-
um. A win would give ACU a .500 record for the first time since 2007.
“We talked to the seniors this week and told them they can leave this program with seven conference wins, which is the best we have done in a long time,” head coach Joe Golding said.
“We can also go 13-13 with a win, which would be the second time since 1999 that we are .500 or better. I don’t think there is any doubt that this pro-gram is going in the right direction.”
The ACU Wildcat football team needs size on both sides of the ball as they move up to the Southland Conference this next sea-son, but more important-ly on the defensive side.
The ACU defense, known for their closing speed, understanding of the game and coachable players, needed one more element to their game: size. Like every program moving up to the next level, the team’s No. 1 pri-ority is to add little more
bulk and depth to their roster for their team to succeed.
The Southland Con-ference consists of many hard-hitting teams. Sam Houston State and North Dakota State are among those teams. The two met at the FCS national cham-pionship at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco. NDSU routed SHSU 39-13.
“We’ve know this, but watching North Dakota State and Sam Houston State just re-affirmed to me that we’d better have some guys who are big and who can run and hit, ”Collums said.
With many acquisi-tions on the defensive side, many of them came from the secondary. D.J. Arnold (Wichita Falls Rider), Quinton Baker (Manor), and Quentin Bryant (Mart) signed their names on the dot-ted line Feb. 6, taking their talents to the purple and white.
“We had to establish some big guys up front, and we did that to a de-gree,” Collums said. “We also wanted to get some good athletes who can run and hit and were able to do that with Arnold, Baker and Bryant.”
Out of the 18 players acquired, three of them will be on the defensive front line. Josh Hailey (A&M Consolidated), Gabe Hernandez (Chap-in) and Josh Mckinnies (Mayde Creek) average 6-2, 265 pounds.
Collums encourages them to redshirt during the 2013-2014 academ-ic year, with the aim of playing their 2017 season competing in the South-land Conference post-season play.
Collums is optimistic as the team heads into spring training, because he has a good feeling more
defensive players will make a decision to suit up as an ACU Wildcat.
“We missed out on a couple of guys that we went after pretty hard,” Collums said. “I would have liked to have signed one or two more guys, and I think we will still do that.”
The team is anxious to make a statement on Aug. 31 this year when they host Concordia Col-lege (Ala.).
