A product of the JMC Network of student media at Abilene Christian University.
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Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Abilene Christian University Serving the ACU community since 1912 MONDAY IN THIS ISSUE CAMPUS The search is on A search is underway in Oxford, England, for a new house the university could buy for the Oxford Study Abroad Program, page 3 The O PTIMIST February 19, 2007 Vol. 95, No. 38 1 sections, 10 pages www.acuoptimist.com • • Double duty The cast of ‘The Miracle Worker’ performed a special matinee of the play Saturday for deaf students in Abilene at the Paramount, page 2 SPORTS Holding on to hope The women’s basketball team lost against WTAMU Saturday, but with a record of 6-6, the team still has a chance of making it to the playoffs, page 10 Behind closed doors As others performed on stage during Sing Song, class and club acts waited in the double gyms in Moody Coliseum. View it online at: www.acuopti- mist.com Protecting home plate The Wildcat baseball team swept East Central Saturday and continued to be undefeated at home with a record of 7-0, page 10 FEATURES ‘Shifting into high gear’ More than 1,200 students participated in some way to produce 2007 Sing Song this past weekend, page 6-7 ONLINE STAFF REPORT The winners in the men’s and women’s divisions dur- ing Sing Song 2007 didn’t sur- prise many. Sigma Theta Chi and Gamma Sigma Phi won Sing Song for the sixth year in a row Saturday night. In the mixed voices division, the ju- nior class won — placing first in the entertainment, audience favorite, originality and best overall categories. Sigma Theta Chi, directed by sophomore Jennifer Ras- co, swept the awards during all three performances for first, and Gamma Sigma Phi, won after a scare Friday with Frater Sodalis, a club looking to win after 25 years. Rasco, elementary educa- tion major from Abilene, said she thought Saturday night’s performance was the best the club did. “I’m in complete disbelief and shock,” she said, and said she couldn’t even talk. Preston Rampy, director of GSP, said he was proud of his men. “After they announced vo- cals, I was feeling pretty good. I think it was probably the best Sing Song show overall in a long time.” GSP won entertainment, vocals, audience favorite, cos- tumes and best overall. The junior class came into the competition not expect- ing anything, said co-direc- tor Evan Anderson. “Really, we just thought we’d possibly be entertaining, so it was quite a shock to hear them call out our class,” he said. Kristin Childress, junior class act member, said enter- tainment was the only thing her class was going for. “I was so excited because we had so much fun, and I’m glad that came across to the audience and judges,” said Childress, international rela- tions major from Afton, Va. Siggies, GSP win No. 6; juniors cheer into first Left: Members of the junior class act celebrate after Sing Song co-chairs announced their act won first in mixed voices. Center: The women of Sigma Theta Chi react to winning six years in a row. Right: The women of Ko Jo Kai enjoy their third place win Saturday in Moody Coliseum. n Hughes has spent his time as a professor, chair of the Mathematics Department and as an assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. By JARED FIELDS MANAGING EDITOR Dr. David Hughes decided 40 years was long enough of a career in teaching. Hughes, a professor of mathematics and computer science and associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, gave co-workers business cards to tell of his decision to retire at the end of the semester. “I intended to stay 40 or more years,” Hughes said. “I decided 40 was enough.” Hughes has been the as- sistant dean for two years, but has served in the Math ematics Department as the chair of the department twice: once in the mid 80s Hughes to end 40-year career in May n More than 60 employers across the country and two from overseas will be present at a career expo Thursday to interview students. By JEREMY POND STAFF WRITER Now that Sing Song madness has evaporated, students’ focus has be- gun to shift from the big show to graduation and what they will be doing in the near future. Among the most obvious con- cerns is whether or not they will find jobs after commencement. To assist students in se- curing employment after graduation, the ACU Office of Career and Academic OCAD brings expo to Abilene n At the biannual meeting of the Board of Trustees on Saturday, C.E. “Doc” Cornutt became the official new chair of the board. He was chosen in August. By MALLORY SCHLABACH EDITOR IN CHIEF Dr. Royce Money unveiled the latest version of the 21st Century Vision for the uni- versity at a Board of Trust- ees meeting Saturday morn- ing. Money, president of the university, said the trustees engaged in a “spirited dis- cussion” about the future di- rection of the university. He said the response was tremendous, and the board discussed what kind of facil- ity, faculty and other types of support would be neces- sary to fulfill this vision. As for the next step, Money said the senior ad- ministrative team on the board would come back in August with details of how to reach this vision. “What we talked about to- day was a long-range plan,” Money said. “They will come back with the details on how to get the things done we’re talking about.” He said certain aspects of the plan, such as the core curriculum changes, are al- ready in the process of be- ing implemented. “The faculty is close to reaching a decision on the core curriculum,” he said. “And that truly is the facul- ty’s decision. When they an- nounce changes, that is one piece of the vision that will fall into place.” Money said this year the board is trying to wrap up the vision and unwrap an- other one with the 21st Century Vision. The board also met for the first time in 15 years with a new chair. C.E. “Doc” Cornutt, CEO of Argent Properties in Dallas and a member of the board since 1988, was named chair in August. He replaced Don Crisp, former chair of the Board of Trustees. Cornutt said his first priority as chair was to de- cide what the first priorities Money presents 21st Century Vision to board See HUGHES page 9 See EXPO page 9 See BOARD page 9 n Mixed Voices • 1- Juniors • 2- Freshmen • 3- Sophomores n Men’s social clubs • 1- Gamma Sigma Phi • 2- Frater Sodalis • 3- Galaxy n Women’s social clubs • 1- Sigma Theta Chi • 2- Alpha Kai Omega • 3- Ko Jo Kai FINAL RESULTS Deadline looming Sophomores wanting to move into Barret Residence Hall next semester have until Friday to apply, page 4 E-mail the Optimist at: [email protected]Frater Sodalis, Alpha Kai Omega and Freshmen take second BRIAN SCHMIDT SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER BRIAN SCHMIDT SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER The men of Gamma Sigma Phi cheer together on the Sing Song stage in Moody Coliseum after winning best overall as firemen of Ladder 68. BRIAN SCHMIDT SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER BRIAN SCHMIDT SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Transcript
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Abilene Christian University Serving the ACU community since 1912
MONDAY
IN THIS ISSUE
CAMPUS
The search is onA search is underway in Oxford, England, for a new house the university could buy for the Oxford Study Abroad Program, page 3
Double dutyThe cast of ‘The Miracle Worker’ performed a special matinee of the play Saturday for deaf students in Abilene at the Paramount, page 2
SPORTS
Holding on to hopeThe women’s basketball team lost against WTAMU Saturday, but with a record of 6-6, the team still has a chance of making it to the playoffs, page 10
Behind closed doorsAs others performed on stage during Sing Song, class and club acts waited in the double gyms in Moody Coliseum. View it online at: www.acuopti-mist.com
Protecting home plateThe Wildcat baseball team swept East Central Saturday and continued to be undefeated at home with a record of 7-0, page 10
FEATURES
‘Shifting into high gear’More than 1,200 students participated in some way to produce 2007 Sing Song this past weekend, page 6-7
ONLINE
STAFF REPORTThe winners in the men’s
and women’s divisions dur-ing Sing Song 2007 didn’t sur-prise many. Sigma Theta Chi and Gamma Sigma Phi won Sing Song for the sixth year in a row Saturday night. In the mixed voices division, the ju-nior class won — placing first in the entertainment, audience favorite, originality and best overall categories.
Sigma Theta Chi, directed by sophomore Jennifer Ras-co, swept the awards during all three performances for first, and Gamma Sigma Phi, won after a scare Friday with Frater Sodalis, a club looking
to win after 25 years. Rasco, elementary educa-
tion major from Abilene, said she thought Saturday night’s performance was the best the club did.
“I’m in complete disbelief and shock,” she said, and said she couldn’t even talk.
Preston Rampy, director of GSP, said he was proud of his men.
“After they announced vo-cals, I was feeling pretty good. I think it was probably the best Sing Song show overall in a long time.”
GSP won entertainment, vocals, audience favorite, cos-tumes and best overall.
The junior class came into the competition not expect-ing anything, said co-direc-tor Evan Anderson.
“Really, we just thought we’d possibly be entertaining, so it was quite a shock to hear them call out our class,” he said.
Kristin Childress, junior class act member, said enter-tainment was the only thing her class was going for.
“I was so excited because we had so much fun, and I’m glad that came across to the audience and judges,” said Childress, international rela-tions major from Afton, Va.
Siggies, GSP win No. 6; juniors cheer into first
Left: Members of the junior class act celebrate after Sing Song co-chairs announced their act won first in mixed voices. Center: The women of Sigma Theta Chi react to winning six years in a row. Right: The women of Ko Jo Kai enjoy their third place win Saturday in Moody Coliseum.
n Hughes has spent his time as a professor, chair of the Mathematics Department and as an assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences.
By JARED FIELDSManaging Editor
Dr. David Hughes decided 40 years was long enough of a career in teaching.
Hughes, a professor of mathematics and computer science and associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, gave co-workers business cards to tell of his decision to retire at the end of the semester.
“I intended to stay 40 or more years,” Hughes said. “I decided 40 was enough.”
Hughes has been the as-sistant dean for two years, but has served in the Math ematics Department as the chair of the department twice: once in the mid 80s
Hughes to end 40-year career in May
n More than 60 employers across the country and two from overseas will be present at a career expo Thursday to interview students.
By JEREMY PONDStaff WritEr
Now that Sing Song madness has evaporated, students’ focus has be-gun to shift from the big show to graduation and what they will be doing in the near future. Among the most obvious con-cerns is whether or not they will find jobs after commencement.
To assist students in se-curing employment after graduation, the ACU Office of Career and Academic
OCAD brings expo to Abilene
n At the biannual meeting of the Board of Trustees on Saturday, C.E. “Doc” Cornutt became the official new chair of the board. He was chosen in August.
By MALLORY SCHLABACHEditor in ChiEf
Dr. Royce Money unveiled the latest version of the 21st Century Vision for the uni-versity at a Board of Trust-ees meeting Saturday morn-
ing. Money, president of the university, said the trustees engaged in a “spirited dis-cussion” about the future di-rection of the university.
He said the response was tremendous, and the board discussed what kind of facil-ity, faculty and other types of support would be neces-sary to fulfill this vision.
As for the next step, Money said the senior ad-ministrative team on the
board would come back in August with details of how to reach this vision.
“What we talked about to-day was a long-range plan,” Money said. “They will come back with the details on how to get the things done we’re talking about.”
He said certain aspects of the plan, such as the core curriculum changes, are al-ready in the process of be-ing implemented.
“The faculty is close to reaching a decision on the core curriculum,” he said. “And that truly is the facul-ty’s decision. When they an-nounce changes, that is one piece of the vision that will fall into place.”
Money said this year the board is trying to wrap up the vision and unwrap an-other one with the 21st Century Vision.
The board also met for
the first time in 15 years with a new chair. C.E. “Doc” Cornutt, CEO of Argent Properties in Dallas and a member of the board since 1988, was named chair in August. He replaced Don Crisp, former chair of the Board of Trustees.
Cornutt said his first priority as chair was to de-cide what the first priorities
Money presents 21st Century Vision to board
See HUGHES page 9
See EXPO page 9
See BOARD page 9
n Mixed Voices
• 1- Juniors
• 2- Freshmen
• 3- Sophomores
n Men’s social clubs
• 1- Gamma Sigma Phi
• 2- Frater Sodalis
• 3- Galaxy
n Women’s social clubs
• 1- Sigma Theta Chi
• 2- Alpha Kai Omega
• 3- Ko Jo Kai
FINAL RESULTS
Deadline loomingSophomores wanting to move into Barret Residence Hall next semester have until Friday to apply, page 4
To ensure that an item will appear on time, the announcement should be sent at least 10 days before. The Optimist may edit items for space and style.
Corrections and clarifi cations of published news articles will be printed in this space in a timely manner.
About This PageMonday, February 19, 2007
Announcements Volunteer Opportunities
Ash Wednesday
11 a.m.“Come to the Quiet” contemplative prayer service in Chapel in Moody Coliseum.
President’s Day
4 p.m. Donald Hall, the 14th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the U.S. Library of Congress, answers questions at Hardin-Simmons in the JB Multipurpose Room.
5 p.m.“Resumes: Seven Seconds for Impact” resume workshop in the Learning Commons and the Adams Center, Room 241.
8 p.m. Donald Hall poetry reading in the Hardin-Simmons JB Multipurpose Room.
7 a.m.National Pancake Day. Anyone who goes to IHOP between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. will receive a free shortstack of pancakes. IHOP asks that while there, visitors consider donating to support local children’s hospitals through Children’s Miracle Network of other local charities.
5 p.m.“Resumes: Seven Seconds for Impact” resume workshop in the Learning Commons and the Adams Center, Room 241.
7 p.m.The women’s basketball team plays Texas Women’s in Moody Coliseum.
10 a.m.Employment Expo 2007 at the Abilene Civic Center. Hosted by ACU, the career fair will host over 50 recruiters from employers nationwide, ready to speak to students. Come with a prepared resume and dressed in professional attire.
8 p.m.The Miracle Worker, the dramatic story of Helen Keller’s struggle to communicate, opens in Fulks Theatre. Tickets are $12.
8 p.m.Open Mic Night at Monk’s Coffeeshop.
21 Wednesday19 Monday 20 Tuesday 22 Thursday
Want to help in the planning of Welcome Week? The applica-tion deadline is Wednesday for the Welcome Week Steering Commit-tee. Find an application and more information at www.acu.edu/fyp_leaders. Information on be-ing a Peer Leader, Transfer Group Leader or a Mentor Group Leader is also available there. Be a part of welcoming our new students in August by applying now for one of these leadership positions. For more information, e-mail the First-Year Program at [email protected] or call (325) 674-2212.
The Law School Open House for Students of Color is Satur-day. Baylor Law School and the Law School Admission Council will sponsor an open house aimed at encouraging students of color to consider a career in law from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Baylor Uni-versity School of Law. The open house is specifi cally designed for sophomores and juniors, but fresh-men and seniors are welcome. The open house will include a tour of the Baylor Law Center, a mock law school class, a moot court team demonstration, lunch and an ad-mission and fi nancial aid question and answer session. As a special incentive, the Kaplan Education Center will be giving away schol-arships for its LSAT preparation course as door prizes at the end of the open house. If interested, no-tify Heather Creed by Wednesday at (254) 710-7617 or e-mail her at [email protected].
The graduate program in speech and language pathology is applying for re-accreditation
from the Council on Academic Ac-creditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Asso-ciation (ASHA). In accordance with the CAA policy on Public Com-ment, the program invites inter-ested parties to attend a meeting on March 1 at 4:30 p.m. in Room 117 of the Don Morris Complex. This meeting will be facilitated by CAA site visitors to address how the program is meeting the Stan-dards for Accreditation. A copy of the standards and/or the CAA`s Policy on Public Comment may be obtained by contacting the Ac-creditation Offi ce at ASHA, 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Mary-land, 20852, calling ASHA`s Action Center at 1-800-498-2071 or ac-cessing the documents on ASHA`s Web site at http://asha.org/about/credentialing/accreditation/. Ad-ditional information regarding the time and location of this meeting may be obtained by calling Dr. Brenda Bender, program director, at (325) 674-2074.
WorldWide Witness is now accepting applications for more than 40 summer internships around the world. Apply online at www.worldwidewitness.org. For additional information, contact Gary Green or Wimon Walker at [email protected].
ATTENTION ALL MAJORS! Study while traveling this sum-mer! Programs offered in Austra-lia, England, Scotland, Ireland, Jamaica and more! Scholar-ships are available. The dead-line to sign up is Feb. 28. See Ed Timmerman for more info or e-mail him at [email protected].
CreditedChapelsto date:
CreditedChapelsremaining:
Chapel Checkup24 48
Big A Club of City Light Com-munity Ministries has an urgent need for volunteers to ride buses and vans with elementary-age children and to help with Bible studies. This takes place on Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Contact the Vol-unteer Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout for more information.
Meals on Wheels needs volun-teers to deliver meals to seniors and adults with disabilities. This usually takes about an hour, and students can have one day of Chapel per week ex-cused for this service. Contact the Vol-unteer Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout for more information.
Fannin Elementary needs volun-teers until the end of February to tu-tor fourth grade students in reading, writing and math in order to prepare the students for TAKS testing. Call to set up an appointment. For more in-formation, contact Rosalinda Walker at (325) 677-8085.
McKenzee Cheng, an interna-tional student, would like a female volunteer to help her pronounce vocabulary for her sociology class on Monday and/or Tuesday af-ternoons. If interested, contact McKenzee at (325) 669-7800 or at [email protected].
Pruett Gerontology Center needs volunteers on March 1 from 9:30 a.m. until noon to assist senior adults walk up and down stairs at the Civic Center and escort them to lunch while they attend a conference. Contact the Vol-unteer Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout for more information.
Girl Scout Troop #1550 needs young women who want to make a difference in young girls’ lives through Girl Scouting. The girls are from un-
derpriveleged homes, and they need positive Christian infl uences in their lives. Volunteers will help conduct meetings, including arts and crafts. Help is needed every Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. until May. For more information, contact Diltzie An-drews at (325) 673-6379.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters is look-ing for young women willing to vol-unteer time and energy mentoring in a program called Y-teens. Through activities and service projects, this program will empower young girls with knowledge about life skills and will build self-confi dence while creat-ing an atmosphere for learning and emotional growth. Help is needed every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Franklin Middle School and Lincoln Middle School. For more information, contact Erin McMullen or MC Jen-nings at (325) 677-7839.
Day Nursery of Abilene needs help setting up for their annual Mexi-can dinner, prepare and serve food and clean up. The dinner will be held on March 24 at the Abilene High School cafeteria. Help is requested from noon to 10 p.m. For more information, con-tact Pat Peck at (325) 670-0002.
The Betty Hardwick Center needs help in their offi ce answering phones, fi ling, copying and running er-rands. For more information, contact the Volunteer Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout.
The Christian Service Center needs help maintaining its furniture room. This might include picking up donated items or delivering furniture. It is helpful to have a pickup truck. For more information, contact the Volun-teer Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout.
n A special matinee of “The Miracle Worker,” a story about Helen Keller, will be performed for the deaf community and high school students on Saturday.
By ANDREA LUCADOSTUDENT REPORTER
ACU Theatre Department will perform a special mati-nee of the student-directed play “The Miracle Worker” by William Gibson for members of the deaf community and high school students in Fulks Theatre at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Ryan Massie, senior the-ater and education major from San Antonio, was cho-sen to direct “The Miracle Worker” last fall.
A special performance like this has always been in the plan. Massie said Mike Fernandez, assistant pro-fessor of theatre and fac-ulty adviser for the play, and Adam Hester, profes-sor of theatre and chair of the department, originated the idea to perform “The Miracle Worker” for a high school group and members of the deaf community.
He said the department publicized to local high schools through flyers, post-ers and social networking.
Clay Freeman, theatre director at Abilene High School, said he expects to bring between 25 and 75 theatre students to the matinee and will open it to any deaf students who want to come.
“It’s a classic play; it’s something our kids need to understand,” Freeman said. “The Miracle Worker” is a theatrical portrayal of how Annie Sullivan taught Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf, to communicate.
“This show brings about hope into a very desperate situation,” said Jenavene Hester, sophomore musical theater major from Abilene
who plays Helen in the play.Amy Simpson, senior
theater major from Den-ver, Colo., and dramaturge for “The Miracle Worker,” said they invited members of the deaf community to this performance because of how the plot connects to their lives.
She said she believes the-ater should be more than art — it should impact peo-ple, and the Saturday show will allow the department to reach out to the community.
During the performance, a sign language interpreter will interpret the play for a section in the theater re-served for the deaf mem-bers of community.
After the performance, audience members who choose to stay can partici-pate in a talkback session with the cast and director in which they are free to ask questions concerning the play and acting.
Talkbacks have become a common conclusion to many of the department’s produc-tions, including this season’s “A Street Car Named Desire” and “Singin’ in the Rain.”
On the other hand, Simp-son said this is the first time, as far as she knows, an ACU production has included a sign language interpreter.
Tickets for high school students or members of the deaf community who at-tends this matinee perfor-mance is $5.
Other evening perfor-mances are at 8 p.m. Thurs-day through Saturday and March 1 through 3. Tickets to these shows cost $12 per person. For tickets, call (325) 674-ARTS.
n ACU looks to purchase a new housing facility for students and faculty in Oxford, England, after renting two Victorian-era houses for the past eight years.
By LAUREN SUTTONOpiniOn EditOr
With the arrival of the new ce, ACU’s 21st Cen-tury Vision includes pur-chasing a housing facility for the Study Abroad Pro-gram at Oxford.
The Study Abroad of-fice has spent the last four years looking for the right facility that will stabilize the Oxford pro-gram, economically ben-efit the university and meet the needs of the many students who spend a semester in the U.K.
For the past eight years, ACU has rented two houses from one of the Oxford schools, St. Hughes College. Steven Shewmaker, worker at the Center for Interna-tional and Intercultural Education, said the two Victorian-era homes lo-
cated on Canterbury St. are not in bad condition for students, but they aren’t ideal.
“The longer you stay a renter, the more you think about purchasing,” said Kevin Kehl, executive director of the Center for International and Inter-cultural Education. “This program is a part of ACU tradition, and there is an expectation for students wanting to study there for a semester. Therefore, we should consider pur-chasing property, but it’s a natural progression.”
While ACU is active-ly looking at different property at Oxford, it is not functioning on a spe-cific time line. The Cen-ter for International and Intercultural Education is under the direction of the provost office, which decides what buildings will be funded in keeping with the ACU vision.
“The university has ev-ery intention of trying to keep the program at Ox-
ford, and from an econom-ic standpoint, it makes more sense to be an own-er,” Shewmaker said.
ACU looked into buy-ing a house this summer, but the property was taken before ACU could purchase it. Shewmaker said only a small amount of properties that would meet ACU’s need.
The biggest require-ment for a purchased house at Oxford is square footage. The university needs a facility with about 10,000 square feet. Other requirements include good location as well as a facility that is in a good working condition.
Though the Center for International and Inter-cultural Education needs the approval of the pro-vost office, it is expect-ant to find a facility the university will support financially.
ACU looks for new Oxford house
n The Wind Ensemble will feature a piece to honor British composer Malcolm Arnold on Friday and will include a solo from senior trombonist Kyle Mullins.
By BLESSED MATAIStudEnt rEpOrtEr
The ACU concert band and the Wind Ensemble are getting ready for the winter concert.
The Wind Ensemble is comprised of under-graduate wind and per-cussion players on the ACU campus. The two groups will perform a variety of music and a piece to honor a famous British composer, Mal-colm Arnold, who died on Sept. 23.
“We’re both going to be playing a piece by Malcolm Arnold just to honor him and recognize
him because he’s just a wonderful composer,” said Steven Ward, asso-ciate professor of music and director of bands.
Along with Malcolm Arnold classic pieces, the ACU concert band will play music by other composers, such as Elliot Carter and Maurice Ravel.
The Wind Ensemble will also perform classics by Aram Khachaturian and Leonard Bernstein.
Ward will conduct the Wind Ensemble while Natalie Steel, instructor of music, conducts the concert band.
The biggest highlight of the concert is going to be senior music educa-tion major and trombon-ist, Kyle Mullins, Ward said. Mullins is going to play the first movement
of the De Meij trombone concerto.
Steel said the prepara-tion for the performance is going very well.
“We expect to play as well as we possibly can [and] to have a good musical experience to entertain the audience,” Steel said.
The band is rehears-ing regularly — practic-ing an hour a day, three days a week to get ready for the big show.
“I am very excited be-cause it’s going to be a good show,” Steel said.
The winter concert is free admission and will take place Friday in Cul-len Auditorium.
Concert to honor late composer
katie gager CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Students and faculty live in two Victorian-era houses near St. Hughs College as apart of the Oxford Study Abroad Program.
n The Peace Corps will come to recruit students to participate in its volunteer services in more than 70 countries in the world.
By LAURA SMITHStudent RepoRteR
The opportunity to reach out to the world is com-ing on Wednesday. It’s the chance to take 27 months performing service to na-tions around the world.
The Peace Corps is coming to Abilene for two days next week to present students with information about the Peace Corps, as well as inter-action with those who have served in the past.
Joel Swedlund, manager of the McGlothlin Campus Cen-ter, was contacted by the Peace Corps hoping for an opportu-nity to recruit on campus.
“I guess it’s getting out that we have a good group of students to pull from,” Swedlund said.
And with a university whose focus is to “change the world,” this makes sense.
Samantha Garvin, re-cruiter for West Texas, New Mexico and Arkansas and a returned Peace Corps volun-teer, will be in the Campus Center from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, manning an information booth.
An information session will take place in the Cam-pus Center Living Room from 3:30 p.m. and will fea-ture a video presentation as well as a question-and-an-swer session with returned Peace Corps volunteers. Garvin will also be at the Ca-reer Fair at the Abilene Con-vention Center the next day.
The Peace Corps has 7,749 Volunteers serving in 73 coun-tries, said Shannon Borders, Peace Corps public affairs specialist. These Volunteers have skills that qualify them to serve in education, health, HIV/AIDS, business develop-ment, environment, youth and agricultural positions.
Peace Corps volunteers spend three months filled with language, cross cultural, technical and safety training, followed by two years work-ing in an assigned position to assist people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women, Borders said.
To learn more about the Peace Corps, visit its Web site at www.peacecorps.gov.
n The premiere of the movie ‘The Ultimate Gift’ invites 1,200 guests, including the President’s Circle, the Heritage Society, faculty and staff at the Paramount Theatre on Sunday.
By ASHLEY ROBINSONStudent RepoRteR
The ACU Foundation Of-fice, in coordination with ACU Development Office, will co-host an exclusive movie premiere of “The Ultimate Gift” on Sunday. The movie, which stars Drew Fuller and Brian Dennehy, focuses on the gift of giving.
Michael O. Sajbel summa-rizes the movie on the Inter-net Movie Database by saying, “Jason thought his inheri-tance was going to be the gift of money and lots of it. Was he ever in for a big surprise.”
Barbara Hejl, director of Scholarship Programs, previ-ously saw a screening of the movie in Dallas.
“It’s an excellent film based on a simple, yet very thought provoking book; its good for
families,” Hejl said. Marilyn Tittle, executive as-
sistant to Dr. Bruce Evans at the Foundation, is working with Hejl to coordinate the event.
“It’s about learning what the real gift is in giving,” Tittle said. “It’s about giving from the heart and not just giving material gifts.”
The movie is based on the 2000 Christian fiction book, “The Ultimate Gift” by Jim Stovall. Hejl, who previews and makes recommendations for books for the President’s Circle, decided showing the movie in Abilene would be a gift to the President’s Circle and the Heritage Society.
“This is our way of show-ing our appreciation to the President’s Circle and the Heritage Society,” Hejl said. “Its an extra expression of gratitude for them.”
The President’s Circle is a group of those who give $1,000 or more donation during a fiscal year, and the Heritage Society is for peo-
ple who have included ACU in their estate plans.
The premiere originally was reserved for only mem-bers of the President’s Circle and the Heritage Society, but because of extra seating, it is now being extended to oth-ers by special invitation.
“We opened the event up to staff and faculty because there are so many seats,” Hejl said.
For faculty and staff this will be a two-credit event, which will count towards their continuing education credit.
“We are required every year to have 26 professional development credits, so we go to events like this to earn them,” Tittle said.
Everyone is asked to RSVP, and guests are allowed.
“There are 1,200 seats, but only 800 are filled,” Tittle said.
The premiere will be Sunday at the Paramount Theatre, lo-cated at 352 Cypress in Abilene. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
n Students need to turn in applications to live in Barret Hall by Friday. Residents of Barret Hall will live in the communities of eight students and a mentor.
By NATHAN STRAUSStaff RepoRteR
Those who wish to live in Barret Hall during the next school year must act fast. The registration deadline is Friday.
All applicants must fill out a Living and Learning Com-munity Proposal and turn it in to the office of Residence Life Education and Housing by 5 p.m. Friday.
Bob Booth, residence di-rector of Barret Hall, said the deadline is early in the semester because the entire process takes longer.
The proposal instruc-tions state only one applica-tion is allowed per student, and incomplete applications won’t be considered.
“Once the proposals are
in, they have to be viewed by a committee,” Booth said. “There’s a real time crunch … a domino effect to put ev-erything in order.”
The application process has many steps to go through, and it all has to be done in a certain time. Booth said though all the residence halls go through their housing pro-cedures in early spring, the Barret process involves more than just paperwork.
“Each proposal has a service component as well. This can include volunteer hours,” Booth said.
The proposals them-selves are evaluated on only its content. Names will be omitted, Booth said.
Darren Curry, coordina-tor of housing, said the se-lections for Barret happen before other students make their hall selections.
“You have to apply to a living and learning commu-
nity,” Curry said.Booth said the communi-
ties are comprised of eight sophomore students and a mentor. They will live in a “pod,” including four resi-dence hall rooms and a cen-tral living room. Two stu-dents live in each room.
“Pods are not limited to a single college,” Booth said. “Any student can live in one.”
Booth also said the men-tor can be any professor on campus willing to perform as a mentor.
Male and female students will not be put in the same pod. Half of the formerly fe-male-only hall is reserved for male students, the other half for female students.
The residence hall itself is similar to other sophomore housing such as Edwards Hall. Each room has a bathroom, as well as furniture.
Barret entry to close Friday
Fun with dots
n The School of Information Technology and Computing (The iSchool) is planning to have a new computer science competition that allows three time out and lifelines.
By RACHEL DAVISStudent RepoRteR
Everyone has felt it. The pressure of competition and the sting of defeat. Wondering what could have been done to get a better performance dur-ing the match-up.
The new School of Informa-tion Technology and Comput-ing knows that very thing has happened to its students in computer science competitions. National competitions require competitors to sit at a com-puter for five hours and solve programming problems, so the professors decided to create a new competition that will take some of the pressure away, said Brent Reeves, assistant profes-sor of management science and information systems.
“We noticed during our last competition that there were a lot of opportunities to teach
the students something new,” Reeves said. “After the prob-lems they solved were turned in, they sat around trying to figure out how they possibly could have solved them.”
Reeves and his fellow col-leagues in the SITC decided to create a new competition that will give students three life-lines. The competitors can call a time out to ask for help with a problem. Plans are to have the competition from noon to 5 p.m. on March 31 at ACU.
“The main goal of this com-petition is to have a program-ming contest where you have the psychology of the compe-tition, but to also add a bonus time out when you’re stuck,” he said. “We also want it to help ACU and get ACU’s name out in the public more.”
Reeves said high school stu-dents, along with other colleges in the surrounding area, might be included in the competition.
“It’s a good way for the new School of Information Technol-ogy and Computing to get its name out there,” Reeves said.
SITC, also known as “The iSchool,” was chartered in June 2006. It offers two new majors: information systems and infor-mation technology. The school will fully operate in fall 2007 and will work with the College of Business Administration and also incorporate the Computer Science Department.
The contest already has a few corporate sponsors, and that allows for prizes to be given to the winners. The spon-sors are Jensen Networks; IT3, a Houston-based company; and Abilene-based Millsoft.
“These companies are all in-terested in sponsoring a SITC contest because they need peo-ple,” Reeves said. “They’ve had ACU hirees before and have been very pleased with all of them.”
“It’s definitely interesting be-cause we’re recasting an event that’s a nationwide thing and localizing it,” Reeves said. “We just hope that it will benefit the new SITC and ACU as a whole.”
The iSchool to have a new contest
brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Female members of the freshman class act play a game in the single gym before Friday night show.
n Six art professors spent the week in New York to attend the College Art Association’s conference where they attended sessions on different art forms.
By SARA SNELSONStudent RepoRteR
Six professors of the arts left Tuesday for New York City to attend the College Art Association’s 95th an-nual conference.
“The College Art Associa-tion is a top-rated confer-ence in which artists, art critics, art historians and art instructors can meet and share state-of-the-art infor-
mation about the state of the arts,” said Kenny Jones, associate professor of art and design who is attending the conference.
The conference took place at the Hilton New York in midtown Manhattan. They were able to attend more than 150 sessions and pan-els on art history, art from other cultures, modern art and the future of art and artist techniques.
Major institutions and places of art are in New York and in close proxim-ity of the location where the conference was held.
“The context of the New York art scene only adds to the energizing of content for art classes and my own art output,” Jones said.
He explained how the excitement and content of these conferences always “have him energized about the art discipline with new ideas, techniques and re-cently uncovered facts.”
Jones said one of the most interesting compo-nents of the conference was the book and art supply fair, which present the latest in art materials from new paint mediums to electronic
technology to recently de-veloped textbooks.
The other five who left Tuesday for the conference include Jack Maxwell, pro-fessor of art and design and chair of the department; Dan McGregor, assistant professor of art and design; Robert Green, professor of art and design; Nil Santana, instructor of art and design; and Mike Wiggins, assistant professor of art and de-sign. The professors were at the conference Wednesday through Saturday.
Professors take in week of art in NY
n Two ACU students will attend a conference at Baylor University aimed at students who may consider a vocation to church-related higher education.
By YURI SUDOStudent RepoRteR
Twenty-five church re-lated college and univer-sity students from Texas, including two from ACU, will participate in a three-day conference called “What Real Friends Are For: Goodness, Vocation, and the Quest for Happi-ness” at Baylor University in Waco on Thursday to discuss how the discern-ment and pursuit of one’s vocation is found in a gen-uine friendship.
Baylor University, the host of this regional under-graduate conference, will host the conference for the fist time in four years, said Darin Davis, associate di-rector of the Institute for Faith and Learning.
The conference is in-tended for outstanding undergraduates who have academic promise and are open to considering a vocation of service to church-related higher ed-ucation and to being the next generation of Chris-tian teachers and scholars in the academy.
“The title of the confer-ence, we hope, suggests
our aim,” Davis said. “We want our conference par-ticipants to think about how deep, authentic friendship can transform our lives. Without real friends, we are unlikely to flourish [and] unlikely to understand what our true calling is.”
One of the students who will participate, Shelby Coates, senior journalism major from Clarksville, Tenn., said, “I have never been to the conference before. I am so excited, though I do not know what I expect. I saw the schedule; everything looks good.”
The students are expect-ed to read a compilation for three Plenary Discussions: “Why Facebook friends are not enough further up and further in,” “Friendship as shared ascent,” “An inte-grated life,” and “Placing heart and mind in the ser-vice of God.”
The Lilly Fellows Pro-gram is supporting the conference financially. The Humanities and Arts department at Valparaiso University created the Lilly Fellows Program to renew and enhance the connec-tions between Christianity and academic vocation.
Students prepare for conference
n Dr. Edward Robinson’s biography of Samuel R. Cassius tells of a man who lived to see slavery abolished is on sal, and will be at the Campus Store soon.
By CASSIE LEHMANNStudent RepoRteR
The desk is cluttered with paper, and the shelves are brimming over with books. The man behind the desk is smiling about his recently published book.
Assistant professor in the History Department and the College of Biblical Studies, Dr. Edward Robinson is the author of the newly pub-lished biography titled “To Save My Race From Abuse: The Life of Samuel Robert Cassius.”
Cassius was born a slave in Prince William, Va., in 1853 and emerged as a lead-er in the African American Church of Christ.
“Cassius was more than a church leader; he was a community leader, educa-tor, politician, a race-man, a globe trotter and a humani-
tarian,” Robinson said.Cassius spent 31 years of
his ministry time in Oklaho-ma — from 1891 to 1922.
“He saw both transi-tions: Okla-homa be-coming a state, and the transi-tion of once e n s l a v e d blacks to free,” Robinson said.
Cassius was father of 23 children from both his first and second wives. As an ed-ucated man, his library con-sisted of 205 books in the year 1905, which according to Robinson was unusual and significant for that time.
Cassius also met a few well-known and influential individuals in his lifetime, including Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States; Frederic Doug-las, a black man famous for his writings around the time of the Civil War; and David Lipscomb, co-founder of Lip-
scomb University in Nash-ville, Tenn.
“One of the most influen-tial people in Cassius’ life was a white school teacher he met in Washington D.C. after the Civil War, Francis W. Perkins. She took him under her instruction and taught Cassius the power of education,” Robinson said.
Cassius battled the racial bigotry through his sermons and writings, many of which were published in the Gospel Advocate and the Christian Leader. The University of Tennessee Press will repub-lish the collection in 2008.
The four-year writing process was not without its difficulties. Starting in 2003 after following the path of a footnote from another re-search project, Robinson said, “the hardest part was getting through the racial issues, understanding his is-sues and the racial ideas he was trying to refute.”
Robinson said his goal for this biography is to “help students of history and his-
torians to better understand the life of African Ameri-cans who had to transition from slavery to free life, to grapple with the meaning of freedom.”
“I hope to inspire others to uncover unsung heroes out of common people,” he said.
Dr. Jack Reese, dean of the College of Biblical Stud-ies said, “He is able, in ways most cannot, to look [at] what the African American Church has done to develop their sense of history and response to rejection and obstacle from whites and de-velop a sense of faithfulness in post-Civil War America. .. [Robinson] is a hardwork-ing, careful scholar and a passionate and enthusiastic speaker.”
Robinson’s biography of Samuel Robert Cassius is available on Amazon.com and on the University of Alabama’s Web site and will soon be avail-able in The Campus Store.
Galaxy: “Float Like a Butterfly, Sing Like a Moonie”
Sigma Theta Chi: “Do You Want Fries with That?”
Delta Theta: “Don’t Hold Your Breath, Prince Charming”
Freshmen: “Get Loose”
Seniors: “Better Latte Than Never!”
Monday, February 19, 2007 Page 7SING SONG
PHOTOGRAPHER/Staff Photographer
up for Sing Song 2007
Gamma Sigma Phi: “Burnin’ Down the House”
Ko Jo Kai: “Fish Are Friends, Not Food!”
Alpha Kai Omega: “The Journey to Elf Discovery”
Juniors: “The Perfect Cheer”
GATA: “Ladies in Red”
Sophomores: “It’s a Hard-Knock Life for Us”
PHOTOGRAPHS by bRiAn ScHmidT Senior photographer
My first impression of Sing Song was a picture of a red-cheeked, wide-eyed smiling girl on a poster in Moody Col-iseum, and to be honest, I was
scared and confused.
I didn’t understand why rotat-ing your arms like a star, singing rip-offs of oldies and smiling like a person overdosing on Prozac
were things that consumed the lives of ACU students for a month every year.
To me it seemed weird, unnecessa ry and even a lit-tle crazy.
I thought everyone in-volved was too compet i t i ve , and it was just another thing social clubs did on campus.
But after be-ing a partici-pant for the first time this year, I have seen the light — I am a Sing Song convert.
As a member of the Frat-er Sodalis act “Shifting in2 007,” I found something exhilarating about being on stage dressed in a home-made costume and pop-ping choreography moves I practiced for weeks. Heck, it was actually kind of fun.
I was proud to have my Sing Song face locked throughout the show and proud of singing on the
right tune. But I was proud-est of the men that sang with me.
After spending numer-ous practice hours and preparation time with my fellow club members, I now have memories that will fol-low me the rest of my life. Memories I wouldn’t have had without Sing Song.
Although this is a hos-tile era in ACU’s history to be a club member — with criticisms from the ACU community and growing limitations from the ad-ministration — I couldn’t be more proud to be a member of a social club af-ter Sing Song.
Sing Song is the social clubs’ big-gest oppor-tunity to represent themselves positively to ACU. This year they did so brilliantly.
I have come a long way from the c y n i c a l freshman who was confused by Sing
Song. I can now surely say I will definitely participate in Sing Song the rest of my college career.
Maybe someday a skep-tical student will be con-fused by my Sing Song face on a poster in Moody.
The First Amendment guarantees American citi-zens freedom of speech and of the press, but what hap-pens when these liberties push hateful and harmful boundaries?
On Feb. 7, the opinion ed-itor for Central Connecticut State University’s newspa-per, the Recorder, wrote and printed an editorial that has drawn strong protests from not only the community but the nation.
The editorial headlined “Rape only hurts if you fight it,” argues that rape has been a positive force in western civilization since the days of the Roman Em-pire. While his story was
i n t ended to be sa-tirical, au-thor John Petroski’s article was out of line as he and his staff are now facing op-position from a spectrum of people nationwide includ-ing rape victims.
About 1,000 people, some with signs, have rallied for Petroski’s resignation. What other response could be ex-pected from an article with statements that glorify rape as a “magical experience” and argues that rape is the only way “ugly woman would ever know the joys
of intercourse with a man who isn’t drunk?”
Jack Miller, the universi-ty’s president, issued a state-ment defending Petroski’s right to freedom of speech, but condemning the article as a “clear violation of re-sponsible journalism and the community standards of this institution.’’
“Rape is a profound viola-tion of body and spirit, and to make light of this, even
in satire, is abhor-rent,’’ Miller said.
Miller was cor-rect to say that Petroski legally had the right to print his story, but like the author is
experiencing, the media are responsible for what they choose to say and print.
A publication’s purpose is to inform its audience, but when it deals poorly with such a sensitive sub-ject as rape, it is forced to suffer the consequences of the public’s reaction. This is just.
In Petroski’s case, he was asked to meet with the uni-versity where he was asked
to resign from his position, write a formal apology to the school and attend mandatory rape prevention programs.
Writing news in the form of opinion can be contro-versial, and the media has a history of receiving criticism from the public. This can be expected, and newspapers should be a place to stir new thinking and promote change. But this must be ap-proached with great sensitiv-ity, caution, and a knowledge they will be held accountable for the words by society.
Page 8 Feb 19, 2007
Newspaper held accountable to public
Say you’re fighting mad about something or want to see some change around you. You need to let the world,
or at least a few close f r i e n d s , know the ex-tent of your rage and how you plan to start the next big revolution.
But you’re smarter than previous gen-erations who
tried this. People before you held picket signs, had sit-ins, demonstrations, wrote letters to congressmen or even used violence to get results they wanted.
But not you. You’re smarter than them; you grew up in the Internet age.
You have Facebook.Now, when young people
get mad they turn to the Inter-net instead of the source. I see Facebook groups popping up everyday, but I don’t see activ-ism acted out through person-to-person interaction.
The latest trend in protest and political rallying is not to go to the source but to sit in front of a computer screen and vent to people who already agree with you.
Take for example the 2008 presidential race. Democratic favorites Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have almost countless pro and anti groups on Facebook.
But what good does that do? I’ll make a bold prediction and say it will not make any dif-ference in the two races. I am
sure as this race progresses I will not be approached to at-tend a rally, but I will be invited to plenty of groups, for and against, a certain candidate. So if someone checks my pro-file close enough, they’ll see I have the guts to sit down at my computer and make a stand for what I believe.
Youth say they want to make a difference, but they create a group on an Internet site where the people they’re addressing know little or nothing. You can look to issues here to see how young people have no clue how to make a change.
Instead of going to the Stu-dents’ Association, Facebook groups are created to “demand” things like a looser attendance
policy, a recreation center and a promise to attend Lecture-ship if teachers let them out of class. The group wanting a rec-reation center has almost 600 members. Six hundred people can make an impact, but if no one who matters in the deci-sion-making process knows there are that many wanting a rec center, then nothing can ever be accomplished.
To speak for the power of Facebook and the ineffective-ness at the same time, look at the groups that formed de-nouncing Facebook after its format changed. Instead of deleting profiles, people joined groups to show their anger.
Lord help them if they had to show true protest and actu-ally take action. Then some-thing might get done.
Miller was correct to say that Petroski legally had the right to print his story, but like the au-thor is experiencing, the media are responsible
for what they choose to say and print.
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 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.
In response to Atsumi Shibata’s editorial where she states “a gun is one of
the most useless things in the world,” I would have to disagree and say the es-timated 20.1 million hunt-ers in the United States would also.
The majority of the people who own guns in the United States and certainly in Texas are not
“gangsters.” In fact, many people still use guns sim-ply to obtain basic food requirements for their families needs.
For instance, “Hunters for the Hungry” is a pro-gram that has provided over 3.5 million quarter pound servings to those
who could not afford to purchase meat to put on their tables since 1990 in Texas alone.
Programs like these, which reach out to the needy and the poorest of the poor, could not exist without guns and the abil-ity to harvest this game. It
is easy to point fingers and to exploit an accident that involves guns. However, before someone says we should “eliminate guns,” I think it would be wise to open our eyes to all of the uses of guns and the ways they do in fact benefit our society, including those
The majority of Texas gun owners are not gangstersA letter to the editor in response to Atsumi Shibata’s Feb. 16 column headlined “Eliminating guns, decreasing violence.”
LETTEr TO ThE EDiTOr
ViewsMonday
been giving us opportunities to stay in the games. We just
need to be more disciplined at the plate and come through when runners are in scoring position.”
Wilson said the team
fought for runs every inning, but driving in runs has been an issue for the team all sea-son long.
“Overall, this weekend,
we came through pretty well with runners on base,” Wil-son said.
Monday February 19, 2007 Page 9FROM THE FRONT PAGE/ SPORTS JUMPS
and then from 1997-2005. The card Hughes gave co-
workers, such as Colleen Dur-rington, the dean of the Col-lege of Arts and Sciences who left after the fall semester, and David Hendricks, chair of the Mathematics Department, pictured an old, bearded man with a golf club.
“I Don’t Care!” the card read. “I Won’t Be Here Next Year Either!”
Dr. Jeff Haseltine, assis-tant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, along with Hughes, gave Durrington a self-inking stamp that said, “I don’t care, I won’t be here next year,” as a gift.
“When he came over [to the dean’s office] that’s when I re-ally got to know him,” Hasel-tine said. “He’s got a very dry sense of humor, and he’s also very intelligent.”
Outside of the Mathemat-ics Department, Hughes’ role
in the dean’s office has pri-marily dealt with curricu-lum and working with the Registrar’s office.
“He has really smoothed out some of our processes with the catalogue,” said Danelle Brand, registrar and director of academic records. “David is a very detailed person and an analytical person and has brought some continuity to the Arts and Sciences Depart-ment and that catalogue.”
Haseltine said Hughes’ historical knowledge of the university was invaluable for his position.
“He’s been at ACU for a long, long time, and his knowledge and recollection in what’s gone on in a lot of different areas has helped,” Haseltine said.
While Hughes’ position will need to be filled, the continu-ing search for a new dean will delay replacing Hughes.
“The first order of business is to replace [Durrington],”
Hughes said. Hughes said he has quite
a list of things to do once he retires.
“I’m sure I will spend some time volunteering at the Christian Service Center,” Hughes said.
Along with volunteering, Hughes said he’s looking for-ward to playing golf, traveling and getting to a stack of books he wants to read.
Hughes hinted there may be a slight chance of his stay-ing at ACU in some facility, al-though without a dean he can-not be sure of that.
Hughes isn’t the only per-son with those thoughts.
“My secret hope is that there might be some way for Dr. Hughes to continue on as a senior faculty member but have his part-time position here in these offices,” Hasel-tine said. “That’s my own per-
Development is spearheading the West Central Texas Em-ployment Expo.
The Expo, taking place at the Abilene Civic Center on Thursday, will feature over 60 employers from across the country and will even have one or two from over-seas. OCAD is encouraging students of all classifications and majors to attend.
Bradon Tharp, employer relations specialist in OCAD, said she was anticipating a great Expo.
“Last year was exemplary,” she said. “We had a great turn-out, both from employers and students, and this year is shap-ing up to be just as good.”
Students who attend the Expo are encouraged to bring multiple copies of their re-sumes to give to prospective employers. Tharp said the
Expo provides a great oppor-tunity for students to net-work with professionals in their fields.
“The students really need to talk to everybody they can,” she said. “The biggest mistake I see students make at this event is to just show up, talk to two or three peo-ple and leave.”
Tharp pointed out that many of the employers fea-tured send representatives
that are looking to hire for multiple varied positions in a large corporation.
“It is vital that students simply get out of their comfort zones and talk to employers,” said Matt Boisvert, executive director of OCAD. “They are friendly people, and they love the quality of ACU students.”
To help prepare students for the Expo, OCAD will host a resume workshop Monday and Wednesday at 5 p.m.
When students do attend, both Tharp and Boisvert said professional attire is a must.
“It’s happened before that we’ve had students show up in a T-shirt and flip flops,” Tharp said. “You’d be surprised some of the outfits I’ve seen people wear, and they’re try-ing to convince a professional organization to hire them.”
OCAD recommends that students who attend dress formally — at the very least
wearing slacks and a button-down shirt.
Students are not required to register for the Expo. The format allows students to come and go at their own convenience anytime be-tween the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Thursday.
Expo: Formal dress needed to meet with various employers Continued from page 1
were of the university, and then to take them to the next level.
He said the board will work on creating new pro-grams for the university and renewing the focus of what the university was founded on.
“We want to continue encouraging students to find leadership on cam-pus,” he said. “We want them to succeed here, and then take their skills and leadership abilities and go beyond the boundaries of Abilene into the world.”
Board: Group to plan vision details Continued from page 1
coach Hood said time will drop a little though because of the kind of track at Oklahoma.
“Her time will drop about a half second because it was a flat track,” Hood said.
Freshman Elizabeth Buyse put herself in contention to provisionally qualify in the pole vault when she cleared 11-10.50. The mark puts her just
outside of 12th in the nation, which Hood said could get her to nationals.
“Usually they take a mini-mum of 12 to nationals,” Hood said. “But it depends on the event.”
In the 60 meters, Kim Prath-er’s time of 7.62 improved her provisional time. Sylvester Wil-liamson earned a provisional mark in the men’s 60 meters with a time of 6.82.
Also on the men’s side, Kyle Dennis improved his pole vault mark with a height of 16-08.75 to gain an automatic spot to the national meet.
Roger Morris jumped 6-09.00 in the high jump to get close to qualifying for nation-als. Like Buyse, Morris’ jump put him close to the top 12 in the nation.
Hood also had some ath-letes hit personal best marks
at Oklahoma. Kellie Clements in the shot
put threw for a distance of 43-05.75.
In the men’s pole vault, Ca-mille Vandendriessche and Aaron Cantrell both cleared 15-05.00 for personal bests.
“I’m just really encouraged,” Hood said. “We got a lot of folk a lot closer.”
the national tournament in May and bring home the first golf championship since 1993.
“This team has a lot of depth,” Campbell said. “That’s something that we haven’t had before and that shows in our ranking.”
Curtis Harris, member of the golf team, said he thinks the team has great depth.
“Coach can feel confident
to take any of us on the road,” Harris said.
Harris also said he thinks this year could be the cham-pionship year they have been waiting for.
“I like our chances, hopeful-ly we will be playing as well as we are now around the postsea-son,” he said.
Campbell said he didn’t see any obstacles.
“I know this team, and I
know they’re where they need to be,” he said.
The first tournament for the Wildcats will be at the St. Edwards Invitational in Austin on Monday and Tues-day. Among the schools at-tending are Lone Star Con-ference competitors, such as Cameron, East Central, Northeastern State and Cen-tral Oklahoma.
“All the Lone Star Con-
ference teams are really strong,” Campbell said. “Bar-ry University will be there, and they’re up at the top in the country.”
Barry is ranked at No. 5 according to the GCAA Coaches poll and is the high-est ranked team at the St. Edward’s Invitational.
Golf: Cats to face Lone Star teamsContinued from page 10
West Texas A&M shot 63 percent (19 of 30) from the field in the sec-ond half.
The Wildcats’ next game is Tuesday against Texas Woman’s University.
“I don’t think there’s a whole lot of adjustments we’ll have to make,” Lav-ender said. “We just ran into a good team. I think the biggest thing is that we have to make sure we stay focused and stay playing with the same intensity we’ve been playing with. So, just keeping the inten-sity level where we need it to be, I think, is going to be the biggest key.”
If ACU beats Texas Woman’s, it will clinch the first playoff berth for the Wildcats since the 2004-05 season.
Doom: ACU can clinch playoffsContinued from page 10
n The ACU baseball team overpowered East Central this weekend in its Lone Star Conference Crossover series. ACU won all four games of the series.
By DANIEL JOHNSONSportS Editor
The nationally ranked Wildcat baseball team swept a four-game series against East Central this weekend to remain undefeated at home and extend its record to 10-2.
The biggest wins of the weekend for the No. 18 Wild-cats were a two-game tromp-ing of Tigers on Saturday. ACU won both games Satur-day, 20-0 and 25-4, and both games Friday, 6-1 and 7-0.
“We came out, and we hit the ball well and did everything we need to do,” said head coach Britt Bonneau. “It was just one of those days when the wind’s blowing in our favor.”
ACU outplayed, outscored (58-5) and out hit (59-20) the Tigers over the weekend in the sweep, and ACU’s pitch-ers only allowed two earned runs in 28 innings pitched. All four of ACU’s starting pitchers picked up wins over the weekend.
“That’s what you got to do to win at home,” Bonneau said. “You got to take care of business.”
The two most consistent bats of the Wildcats over the weekend were third baseman Alec Sowards and shortstop Willy Uechi. Sowards was 8-
14 at the plate with five runs scored, two doubles, one tri-ples, two homeruns and 10 RBI. Uechi, a freshman walk-on, was 10 for 15 with eight runs scored, one double and nine RBI.
“Both of them had a great game,” Bonneau said.
Bonneau said to have such a consistent hitter that
is a freshman like Uechi is a pleasant surprise.
“He’s definitely a surprise, but he has earned everything that he’s accomplished,” Bonneau said.
Uechi is also an asset on de-fense as he fills in and performs wherever Bonneau puts him.
“He’s one of those kids that works hard and allows us to have a kid that plays three different positions,”
Bonneau said. “He just has to keep working hard and doing what he’s doing.”
The Wildcats have a consis-tent lineup with a team .394 batting average and a bullpen that has a 2.52 ERA
ACU’s next series will be against Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla. Feb. 23-24.
n The ACU men’s basketball team lost its seventh-straight game Saturday; ACU lost to West Texas A&M 80-68 and now has no chance of making the postseason.
By DANIEL JOHNSONSportS Editor
Playoffs are out of the picture for the ACU men’s basketball team after its seventh-straight loss in con-ference play.
ACU is now 1-9 in Lone Star Conference South Divi-sion play and 10-14 overall after losing 80-68 to West Texas A&M on Saturday.
“We had our chances and just didn’t execute well the
last two and a half min-utes,” said head coach Jason Copeland.
ACU will move on to play Angelo State on Monday in the first of the Wildcats’ two remaining games of its 2006-07 season.
Angelo is the only team ACU has been able to beat in conference play — ACU beat Angelo 92-76 — but Copeland isn’t overconfident going into the game.
“They’re a team that plays really well at home and has struggled some on the road,” Copeland said. “I feel like if we go over there and play
well, we will win.” ACU did play well in the
second half against West Texas after encroaching on a 15-point West Texas lead by going on a 17-8 run that cut the Buff lead to 72-66. That was the best shot ACU had though, as West Texas rallied for a late surge.
Guard Cortnie Ross led in scoring for the Wildcats with 18, while three other Wildcats scored in double digits: for-ward Cameron Holson with and guards Philip Brooks and Elmo Williams, both with 10.
ACU’s 18th-straight loss to West Texas pushed the Buffs to 8-2 in the LSC South to remain atop of the divi-
sional standings.ACU is last in the LSC, but
Copeland does see the posi-tives of the season so far.
“Obviously 10 wins is bet-ter than the last two seasons,” Copeland said.
ACU was 8-19 in 2005-06 and 2004-05 seasons.
But Copeland would like to win the last two games of the season.
“I think it would be huge to win a couple more,” he said. “If we can finish with two more, it will definitely help the confidence of the return-ees next year.”
Monday
MEN’S BASKETBALLACU at Angelo State, San Angelo 7 p.m.
GOLFACU at St. Edwards Invitational, Austin
Tuesday
WOMEN’S BASKETBALLACU vs. Texas Woman’s, 7 p.m.
GOLFACU at St. Edwards Invitational, Austin
n Home games listed in italics
SportSMondayPage 10 Monday, February 19, 2007
SCOrEBOArd
Standings
Upcoming
INTrAMUrAL rOUNd-Up
n The intramural schedule and points seen on the Optimist sports page are not final and subject to change. Any last-minute changes can be viewed on the intramural bulletin board in Moody Coliseum.
n Better qualifying times for the Indoor national meet in Boston was the Wildcats main prize at the Oklahoma Indoor Invitational this weekend.
By JARED FIELDSManaging Editor
The Wildcats left Okla-homa with some bettered qualifying marks for the in-door national meet in Bos-ton on March 9-10.
In the women’s shot put, Liga Klavina improved her provisional mark with a throw of 46-08.25.
In the 800 meters, Ve-nessa Whittle improved to a time of 2:14.72, but head
Marks bettered over weekend
n The ACU softball team made it to the semi-finals of its bracket at the Triple Crown Fastpitch division II Leadoff Classic in phoenix.
By RACHEL DAVISSportS WritEr
The Wildcats proved they were a team to beat this weekend at the Triple Crown Fastpitch Division II Leadoff Classic in Phoenix.
“I felt overall we made a turning point in the team’s overall level of play and in-tensity level,” said head coach Chantiel Wilson. “We beat a couple excellent teams which proved to these play-
ers we are capable of playing with anyone.”
ACU made it to the semi-finals of the Gold Bracket be-fore losing 4-0 to third-ranked Emporia State on Saturday. The 19th-ranked Wildcats, who are now 8-6 for the sea-son, ended the tournament tied for third place. The tour-nament featured some of the top nationally ranked teams. Emporia State finished last year’s season as the national runner-up.
“Every team we played was tough,” Wilson said.
The women won two games on Friday to get them
to the semifinals. Junior cen-terfielder Leisha Johnson hit two home runs, including a game-winning homer, to top off the Wildcats’ offense. ACU beat Western New Mexico and second-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills with identi-cal 5-3 scores.
Wilson said the highlight of the tournament for the team was beating both West-ern New Mexico and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
“Both games were very intense, and the fans were very much into the game,” Wilson said. “It was exciting to see us play at the level we are capable of. Cal State had a great line-up and a pitcher
who went right after us. But we were able to keep up with them throughout the game and deliver in the clutch with the game on the line.”
The team played twice on Thursday and first beat Grand Canyon 7-0 and turned around to lose to 10th-ranked Cal-State Stanislaus 5-0. John-son homered twice in the first game and pitcher Jamie Led-ford allowed only four hits the entire game. In the second game, ACU only got two hits against Cal State’s pitching.
“We still need to be more consistent [with hitting],” Wil-son said. “Our pitching has
ACU reaches semis at Phoenix tourney
n The ACU women’s basketball team dropped to 15-11 overall and 6-6 in the Lone Star Conference South after losing 80-64 to West Texas A&M on Saturday.
By MICHAEL FREEMANonlinE Editor
A slow second half start doomed the Wildcats against West Texas A&M as ACU fell 80-64 Saturday night at Mc-Murry University’s Kimbrell Arena. The loss drops ACU to 15-11 overall and 6-6 in the conference, meanwhile West Texas A&M, the No. 1 team in the Lone Star Conference, im-
proves to 23-3 and 12-0 in con-ference play.
Even with the loss, the Wild-cats are still in the playoff hunt. ACU needs to win one of its last two games to clinch a postsea-son spot.
On Saturday, the Wildcats jumped out to a 35-30 first half lead over West Texas A&M, but the Lady Buffs went on a shoot-ing spree in the second half, outscoring ACU 50-29.
“I was very pleased with our first half effort,” said ACU head coach Shawna Lavender. “I thought we played great. Really
overall, I think our girls played hard. We just made too many mistakes in the second half.”
Center Audrey Maxwell and guard Alex Guiton led the way for the Wildcats in the open-ing half. Guiton scored 11 of her eventual 15 points for the game, and Maxwell snagged 13 rebounds in the first half as she went on to finish with 20 points and 20 rebounds. For-wards Lacey Blau and Jamie Meyer ended the game each with nine points.
In the first half, ACU sped out to an early 18-9 lead, but the Lady Buffs quickly began shaving down the lead as they
took a 29-25 advantage with 5:33 remaining. At the two-min-ute mark, the Wildcats regained the lead and entered halftime up 35-30. ACU held the team that owns the No. 2 spot in the conference in scoring to just 32 percent (12 of 37) shooting from the field.
West Texas A&M came roar-ing out of the gates in the sec-ond half by converting points off of ACU’s turnovers and go-ing on a 7-0 run.
“We just didn’t come out ready to play the first five min-utes,” Lavender said. “I think
Slow second half dooms Wildcats
Upcoming
Monday
WOMEN’S CHAMp BASKETBALLThe Justice League vs. Cheetah girls, Benett gym, 6 p.m.
Siggies vs. Rockout, Benett gym, 7 p.m.
MEN’S CHAMp BASKETBALLGrove Squad up vs. Flyboys, Benett gym, 8 p.m.
Yao’s Homeboys vs. Abilene’s finest, Benett gym, 9 p.m.
Loss puts postseason out of picture
brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Shortstop Willy Uechi scoops up a ground ball during the Wildcats four-game series against East Central this weekend. Uechi had nine RBI, one double and eight runs scored over the weekend.
Softball
Baseball
Women’s basketball
Men’s basketball
GarY rhOdEs CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Forward Ashlee Barr shoots over a West Texas A&M defender Sat-urday. ACU lost 80-64 and is 15-11.
GarY rhOdEs CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Guard Cortnie Ross drives to the basket against West Texas A&M on Saturday. ACU lost 80-68.
Austin Tourney begins seasonn The ACU golf team will start it spring season at the St. Edwards Invitational in Austin. ACU will play in the tournament Monday and Tuesday.
By NATHAN MACDONALDSportS WritEr
The ACU golf team is going to hit the links this season ranked seventh in the nation according to the Golf Coaches As-sociation of America’s Coaches poll.
Being ranked seventh is the highest the team has been ranked since Coach Mike Campbell started coaching at ACU in 2003. He said this year his golf-ers are hungry to get to
