CAMPUS A year and a half ago, George Throop departed from his home in Vancouver, Wash., and set out on a walk that would take him all the way to Washington, D.C. With almost 3,000 miles already behind him, Throop’s arrival in Abilene marked the half-way point in his “Walk of Inspira- tion” across America. Throop said he wants to use the walk to encourage people to live healthier lives and to engage in activities that will pull them out of the monotony of everyday life. “You may have to give some things up – some com- forts or luxuries – to radical- ly change things, but if you follow that voice of intuition inside you, down the road, you will see it was the best thing you could ever do,” Throop said. After quitting his job in January of 2007, Throop bought a ticket to Latin America and spent five months touring and volun- teering. He said it was there he decided he would come home and do this walk. “I’ve served my time. I’ve served my sentence, and I feel as if I’ve been sort of lib- erated, and I’ll continue my path to keep my freedom,” Throop said. “I’ll never go back to the way it was.” Doug Timmons, senior information systems ma- jor from Weatherford, met Throop on Friday and was able to hear a lot of his story. “He is the manifestation of the desire for change that is inside our generation,” Timmons said. Throop carries signs on the road as he walks and, frequently, people stop to inquire about his journey. Optimist the Wednesday, April 20, 2011 acuoptimist.com 1 section, 6 pages weather inside page 3 website feature Two friends who have traveled the world together recently visited the Middle East and returned to ACU to share their experience. page 6 sports A minor league baseball team soon will grace local fields as Abilene’s once popular Blue Sox make a comeback. 83° 64° Wed. Fri. Thurs. 91° 69° 94° 66° A World of Friendship, page 3 Samantha Sutherland Contributing Reporter National walker makes ACU pit stop Vol. 99, No. 51 Abilene Christian University SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND // Contributing Photographer George Throop visits ACU campus as his half-way point of his “Walk of Inspiration” across America. The university has hired Craig Fisher, president and chief executive officer of Abilene Christian Schools, as the new director of alumni relations and annual projects. The posi- tion, which he will fill starting June 1, will combine alum- ni relations with university advancement. Fisher said he believes this new part- nership is a great concept. “We’re going to create a new environment, where both departments will be working together with com- mon goals,” Fisher said. “I believe there will be a stron- ger commitment to each other and to the university.” Fisher said he is excit- ed to work with the two departments. “This builds a cohesive unit,” Fisher said. “I’ll be able to engage alumni, current students, families and be a part of ACU and other areas that bring more students to the school and give alumni new jobs.” Alumni Relations appoints director see ALUMNI page 5 A CU alumnus Glenn Ad- dison, a candidate for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s soon- to-be vacated U.S. Sen- ate seat, was among the featured speakers at a Tea Party rally in Downtown Abilene on Friday. The Taylor County Tea Party event originally was scheduled to be conducted in front of the Windsor Hotel, but the rally had to be moved inside the lobby because of blustery winds Friday afternoon. Joy Ellinger, co-founder of the Taylor County Tea Party and candidate for may- or of Abilene, said the rally was planned to get people organized and ready for the next election. “We have 571 days to end an error. We have 571 days to the next presidential election. We have 571 days until the next congressional election,” Ellinger said. “It can’t be done without your help.” Addison, a 1983 graduate with de- grees in business and political science, spoke to a crowd of about 50 individuals, telling them modern politicians are out of touch with their constituents. “My heart is burdened, and your heart is burdened, or you wouldn’t be here,” Addison said. “That has caused me to run for this election.” He told the crowd he would change the career politician mindset current- ly dominating politics. He promised Christina Burch Page 2 Editor see JOURNEY page 5 JOZIE SANDS // Online Editor Glenn Addison, 2012 Senate candidate, speaks at the Taylor County Tea Party in the Windsor Hotel Friday evening. Tea Time for Change ALUMNI Alumnus speaks at local Tea Party, prepares Senate campaign news Notable jazz performer Christian McBride, will make a guest appearance at ACU’s Spring Jazz Concert, Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium see TEA page 5 Jeff Craig, Managing Editor STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION Julianne Hart will serve as next year’s Students’ As- sociation vice president. Hart, junior political science major from Aus- tin, will join next year’s SA President, Connor Best, junior political science major from Sacramento, Calif., and next year’s SA Treasurer, Carson Henley, junior biochemistry ma- jor from Colleyville, in the new SA executive cabinet. Hart said the three years she’s spent working with Best and Henley on SA will in- crease their chances of work- ing well together next year. “I really think the three of us will work well in the office together. We have a pretty good knowledge of each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Hart said. “Our teamwork and abil- ity to work effectively will just increase over time.” Current SA Vice Presi- dent Jared Elk, senior po- litical science major from Savoy, said nearly 380 students voted, approxi- mately 80 percent of the 2-day general election. Linda Bailey Editor in Chief Hart takes SA vice presidency see HART page 4 JOZIE SANDS // Online Editor Julianne Hart, junior political science major from Austin, will serve as Students’ Association vice president. Fisher
Transcript
CAMPUS
A year and a half ago, George Throop departed from his home in Vancouver, Wash., and set out on a walk that would take him all the way to Washington, D.C.
With almost 3,000 miles already behind him, Throop’s arrival in Abilene marked the half-way point in his “Walk of Inspira-tion” across America.
Throop said he wants to use the walk to encourage people to live healthier lives and to engage in activities that will pull them out of the monotony of everyday life.
“You may have to give some things up – some com-forts or luxuries – to radical-ly change things, but if you follow that voice of intuition inside you, down the road, you will see it was the best thing you could ever do,” Throop said.
After quitting his job in January of 2007, Throop bought a ticket to Latin America and spent five months touring and volun-teering. He said it was there he decided he would come home and do this walk.
“I’ve served my time. I’ve served my sentence, and I feel as if I’ve been sort of lib-erated, and I’ll continue my path to keep my freedom,” Throop said. “I’ll never go back to the way it was.”
Doug Timmons, senior information systems ma-jor from Weatherford, met Throop on Friday and was able to hear a lot of his story.
“He is the manifestation of the desire for change that is inside our generation,” Timmons said.
Throop carries signs on the road as he walks and, frequently, people stop to inquire about his journey.
Optimistthe
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
acuoptimist.com
1 section, 6 pages
weatherinside
page 3
websitefeatureTwo friends who have traveled the world together recently visited the Middle East and returned to ACU to share their experience.
page 6
sportsA minor league baseball team soon will grace local fields as Abilene’s once popular Blue Sox make a comeback. 83° 64°
Wed. Fri.Thurs.
91° 69° 94° 66°
A World of Friendship, page 3
Samantha SutherlandContributing Reporter
National walker makes ACU pit stop
Vol. 99, No. 51
Abilene Christian University
SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND // Contributing Photographer
George Throop visits ACU campus as his half-way point of his “Walk of Inspiration” across America.
The university has hired Craig Fisher, president and chief executive officer of Abilene Christian Schools, as the new d i r e c t o r of alumni r e l a t i o n s and annual projects.
The posi-tion, which he will fill s t a r t i n g June 1, will combine alum-ni relations with university advancement. Fisher said he believes this new part-nership is a great concept.
“We’re going to create a new environment, where both departments will be working together with com-mon goals,” Fisher said. “I believe there will be a stron-ger commitment to each other and to the university.”
Fisher said he is excit-ed to work with the two departments.
“This builds a cohesive unit,” Fisher said. “I’ll be able to engage alumni, current students, families and be a part of ACU and other areas that bring more students to the school and give alumni new jobs.”
Alumni Relations appoints director
see ALUMNI page 5
ACU alumnus Glenn Ad-dison, a candidate for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s soon-to-be vacated U.S. Sen-ate seat, was among the featured speakers at a Tea
Party rally in Downtown Abilene on Friday.The Taylor County Tea Party event
originally was scheduled to be conducted in front of the Windsor Hotel, but the rally had to be moved inside the lobby because of blustery winds Friday afternoon.
Joy Ellinger, co-founder of the Taylor County Tea Party and candidate for may-or of Abilene, said the rally was planned to get people organized and ready for the next election.
“We have 571 days to end an error. We have 571 days to the next presidential election. We have 571 days until the next congressional election,” Ellinger said. “It can’t be done without your help.”
Addison, a 1983 graduate with de-grees in business and political science,
spoke to a crowd of about 50 individuals, telling them modern politicians are out of touch with their constituents.
“My heart is burdened, and your heart is burdened, or you wouldn’t be here,” Addison said. “That has caused me to run for this election.”
He told the crowd he would change the career politician mindset current-ly dominating politics. He promised
Christina BurchPage 2 Editor
see JOURNEY page 5
JOZIE SANDS // Online EditorGlenn Addison, 2012 Senate candidate, speaks at the Taylor County Tea Party in the Windsor Hotel Friday evening.
Tea Time for ChangeALUMNI
Alumnus speaks at local Tea Party, prepares Senate campaign
newsNotable jazz performer Christian McBride, will make a guest appearance at ACU’s Spring Jazz Concert, Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium
see TEA page 5
Jeff Craig, Managing Editor
STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
Julianne Hart will serve as next year’s Students’ As-sociation vice president.
Hart, junior political science major from Aus-tin, will join next year’s SA President, Connor Best,
junior political science major from Sacramento, Calif., and next year’s SA Treasurer, Carson Henley, junior biochemistry ma-jor from Colleyville, in the new SA executive cabinet.
Hart said the three years she’s spent working with Best and Henley on SA will in-
crease their chances of work-ing well together next year.
“I really think the three of us will work well in the office together. We have a pretty good knowledge of each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Hart said. “Our teamwork and abil-ity to work effectively will
just increase over time.”Current SA Vice Presi-
dent Jared Elk, senior po-litical science major from Savoy, said nearly 380 students voted, approxi-mately 80 percent of the 2-day general election.
Linda BaileyEditor in Chief
Hart takes SA vice presidency
see HART page 4
JOZIE SANDS // Online Editor
Julianne Hart, junior political science major from Austin, will serve as Students’ Association vice president.
Fisher
Team Tatum Walk/Run for a Wish The ACU Student-Athlete Advisory Commit-tee is raising funds to help fulfill the wish of Tatum Kate Flaming, a local girl who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leuke-mia in 2009. Students can help support Flaming by participating in the Team Tatum Walk/Run for a Wish 5K on May 7. Pre-registra-tion is $15, and walk-up registration costs $20. To learn more about Flaming’s story, visit www.caring-bridge.org/visit/tatumkate.
Study Abroad Fall 2011 Spaces still are available in the Oxford and Montevideo Study Abroad Programs for Fall 2011. Students can en-roll in CORE 120 and CORE 220 in Oxford, and $1,000 scholarships are available for the Montevideo Study Abroad Program. For more information, visit the Study Abroad Office in Room 124 of the Hardin Administra-tion Building.
Online Summer Courses Registration for online sum-mer courses now is open. Students can choose from 15 courses, and each course is three weeks long. For more information, visit www.acu.edu/summeronline.
Grief Group The Univer-sity Counseling Center is sponsoring a grief group on Thursdays in April. Each session takes place from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Hunter Welcome Center conference room. Con-tact [email protected] for more information.
Swing Cats The Swing Cats meet every week 7-9 p.m. on Sundays in Cullen Auditorium. No partners or experience are required.
Service Saturdays Stu-dents can serve the Abilene community on Service Saturday April 30. Contact Rita Harrell at 674-2932 for more information.
Relay 4 Life The Freshman Action Council is selling Relay For Life shirts in the Campus Center. Shirts cost $10 and are available in four colors: pink in support of breast cancer, blue for pros-tate cancer, gold for child-hood cancer and purple for general awareness.
All-school Chapel The Cha-pel Office encourages stu-dents to participate in “Bring Your Professor to Chapel Day” and invite their profes-sors to Chapel as a part of the campus-wide effort to attend Chapel every Monday.
Upward Bound Summer Advisers Students inter-ested in helping disadvan-taged high school students now can apply to become Upward Bound summer advisers from May 29-July 8. Advisers will receive free room and board, plus $925. For more information, call 674-2529 or 674-2713.
Relay for Life The Ameri-can Cancer Society is organizing Relay for Life to raise funds for cancer research and to honor and celebrate the lives of can-cer survivors and fighters. The event is from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. on April 29-30 at El-mer Gray Stadium. To sign up with an Abilene team, click on the Relay for Life myACU log-in ad or visit www.relayforlife.com.
FCA The ACU chapter of Fellowship of Christian Ath-letes meets at 9 p.m. every Thursday in the Campus Center Living Room.
announcements
22 Friday
International Rescue Committee Students can work with refugees who moved to the United States, teaching English, helping with homework and mentoring. Volunteer times are flexible. Call Daina Juryka-Owen at 675-5643 ext. 16 to make an appointment. For more information on the Inter-national Rescue Commit-tee, visit www.theirc.org.
Madison Middle School is looking for male volunteers to participate in a weekly “Boys2Men” lunchtime program for eighth grade boys. Speakers will address different aspects of growing up. Contact Jeff Womack at 692-5661 or [email protected].
Abilene Hope Haven is seeking volunteers for childcare any night, Monday-Thursday from 6:45-8:15 p.m. For more information, contact Kathy Reppart at 677-4673.
The Salvation Army Volunteers are needed at the 1726 Butternut St. Salvation Army to sort and price items and help with kitchen or yard work. Vol-unteers are welcome any time Monday-Saturday. Contact J.D. Alonzo at 677-1408, or visit www.satruck.com for more information on the program.
GED Tutoring Just People, Inc., needs volunteers to tutor adult GED students. Volunteer times are flexible. Contact Justina or Alana at 672-2118 for more informa-tion, or email [email protected].
Aimee’s Art Studio is seek-ing volunteers from 9-10 a.m. or 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, to assist with ho-meschool fine arts classes. No formal art skills or train-ing is required. The studio is a five-minute walk from ACU’s campus. For more information, contact Aimee Williams at 672-9633.
Ben Richey Boys Ranch is seeking volunteers for its upcoming Annual Clay Shoot on April 30. Volunteers will be pull-ers at stations, help with registration or coordi-nate raffle ticket sales. Training will be given for both shifts at 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. or 11:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Free T-shirts and dinner are included for volunteers. Contact Patty Dunn at 665-4058 for more information.
Meals on Wheels Volun-teers are needed to de-liver meals to seniors and adults with disabilities. Routes are available 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Mon-day-Friday. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, with a valid driver’s license, auto insurance and a desire to serve. Training is provided. Stu-dents may be exempted from one Chapel per week if delivery time conflicts with Chapel. Contact
Samantha Barker at 672-5050 or [email protected]. Betty Hardwick Center Volunteers are needed in several departments at the Betty Hardwick Cen-ter, specializing in mental health. Students can help mentally and physically challenged people play games, run track and go bowling. Students can volunteer from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Monday-Friday. Contact Angel Seca at 690-5235 for more infor-mation.
Mesa Springs Healthcare Center needs volunteers 8 a.m.-5 p.m. any day of the week to help with fun activities for the residents, including playing in-struments, calling bingo and sitting and talking. All help is appreciated. Contact Laura Reynolds at 692-8080 or [email protected].
National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Students can assist with art activities, sell books and welcome visitors from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. or 1-3 p.m., Tues-day-Saturday. For more information, contact Debby Lillick at 673-4586, or visit www.nccil.org.
Dyess Youth Center needs help with a Ping Pong Exhibition from 4-6 p.m. every Friday. Vol-unteers will preside over tournaments and help with an exhibition for the students. Transportation will not be provided, and volunteers cannot have any sexual assault charg-es or charges pending. For more information, contact Sheri Frisby at 696-4797, or email [email protected].
Center for Contem-porary Arts needs a gallery assistant to help with exhibit setup and preparation. The work can be done any time from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Friday. Call 677-8389 or email [email protected].
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
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volunteer opportunities
2Campus Day
11 a.m. Gethsemane “Come to the Quiet” Chapel in Moody Coliseum with Dr. Jack Reese
5 p.m. Gamma Sigma Phi club rush at Will Hair Park
7 p.m. Delta Theta club rush at 1013 Griffith Avenue
7 p.m. Sub T-16 club rush at Will Hair Park
8 p.m. Jazz Ensemble concert with Christian McBride in Cullen Auditorium
9 p.m. Sigma Theta Chi and Galaxy club rush at the Skatin’ Place on South 14th Street
11 a.m. “From Arrest to Crucifixion” Chapel in Moody Coliseum with David Kneip
7 p.m. Softball at Angelo State University
Good Friday (no classes)
1 p.m. Softball at Angelo State University
3 p.m. Softball at Angelo State
7 p.m. Baseball vs. Cameron University
Track and Field at the Michael Johnson Classic
2 p.m. Baseball vs. Cameron University
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about this pageThe Optimist maintains this calendar for the ACU community to keep track of local social, academic and service opportunities. Groups may send announcements directly to [email protected].
To ensure an item will appear on time, the announcement should be sent at least 10 days in advance. The Optimist may edit items for space and style.
Corrections and clarifications of published news articles will be printed on this page in a timely manner.
Wednesday
For Rent:3 -1 bedroom/1bath unfurnished apts.$300/mo. (no pets & no smoking)utilities not included, located within walking distance to ACU, available June 1649 ½ E.N. 15th649 ½ E.N. 16th1233 ½ WashingtonCall 325-677-1943 if interested.
For Rent:Two nice 1 bedroom apartments on same property as our home.Available June 1Also, one large 4 bedroom/2 bath house.All listings located 1/2 block from campus on College DriveNo Smoking/No petsCall 672-9633 or 370-5122 if interested.
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FocusApril 20, 2011 Page 5
A TALE OF TWO TRAVELERS
Ellie Hamby and Sandy Ha-zelip travel the world to-gether. In past years, they have visited Siberia and Mongolia on the longest
train ride in the world. They traveled across Southeast Asia, taking trains and buses through several countries.
Hamby is the director of Zambia Medical Mission each summer. She also is a successful documentary photogra-pher. Hazelip is the medical director for Senior Healthcare Center in Abilene and a children’s book author.
When traveling, the two opt out of any type of tourist excursions and live like the natives of the land they are visit-ing. They forgo any fancy hotels or trans-
portation and immerse themselves into the surrounding culture.
“We are second-class travelers,” Hamby said.
This year’s location: the Middle East.“I’ve wanted to go to Petra my whole
life,” Hazelip said.Beginning in Romania, Hamby and
Hazelip traveled through Bulgaria to reach Turkey, where their adventure in the Middle East began.
Hamby and Hazelip utilized public transportation, which, in the Middle East, means traveling by buses, trains, taxis, pickup trucks, unmarked cars, camels and donkeys.
Hamby photographed, while Hazelip wrote of their adventures. Excepting Ham-
by’s Nikon DSLR’s and a few lenses, the two women packed light for their travels.
“You can’t travel the way we do with very much luggage,” Hamby said. “It would be exhausting.”
The pair traversed “beautiful country-side” and dusty deserts. They resided in cheap hotels and even a Bedouin tent. But the most significant aspect of their journey remains the relationships they formed.
“We love the people, the culture,” said Hamby. “[Meeting them] was price-less, unplanned, and we wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Women traverse the Middle East, living and traveling as natives
by Hannah Barnes
photo courtesy of ELLIE HAMBY
Above: Sandy Hazelip rides a camel during her Middle East adventure with Ellie Hamby. Below: Hamby shares traveling experience in the Campus Center Living Room on Monday.
photo by DANIEL GOMEZ // Chief Photographer
photo courtesy of ELLIE HAMBY
Above: A Bedouin woman served as the pair’s hostess in the desert. Hamby and Hazelip stayed in a Bedouin tent. Left: Ha-zelip sings the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to her Bedouin host family.
Many of us had to go without water on Monday morning, when the water main broke on East North 16th Street. In one of my friend’s classes, stu-dents took an extra long break when their teacher had to visit the library to use the bathroom.
The inconvenience for the teacher probably seemed like a blessing for the students, but not hav-ing running water when you expect it is a pain.
This year, I was in charge of paying the wa-ter bill for the house I live in off campus. There are four of us, one to take care of gas, another electricity and the third, Internet.
I don’t know how those three took care of their respective bills, but I know I completely for-
got about mine when Christmas vacation came around.
As soon as my last exam finished, I was off for five weeks of family, friends, pres-ents and my first-ever ski trip.
When I got back to Abilene, I had a nice overdue bill from the Wa-ter Utility Office. The last day, it said, to turn it in was Jan. 7, and it was al-ready Jan. 10. So I wrote a check, and not wanting to wait for the snail mail to get it in, drove to the drop box downtown.
I was at ease, knowing I had done everything that could be done. I guess I could have called in and delivered the check in person, but who has time for all that?
All was well, except the next week after supper one night, when I went to the sink to wash my plate, and the water didn’t turn on. Needless to say, I freaked out. I knew I had turned in my check, but
what if it hadn’t cleared yet, or the paper work hadn’t caught up with the order to cut off my water.
I ran to the bathroom, and the water didn’t work there either. I couldn’t think of any other pos-sible alternatives, other than they had shut off our water. But the water had worked just fine to make the food, and I found it a bit odd that they would send the workers to shut it off at 9:30 pm.
So I grabbed a flash-light and went outside to check our water me-ter. I don’t know what I would have done once I got there, because I didn’t know anything about wa-ter meters, but I was hop-ing I could at least tell if it had been shut off.
But once I got to the alley behind my house, I saw yellow flashing lights about a block down.
I padded over in my slippers and pajamas to find out from two con-struction workers that a pipe had burst, and the water, hopefully, would be back on in two hours.
Hallelujah! Immediate relief: It was not my fault after all.
I don’t know if anyone else in Abilene had the same experience as I did that Monday in January. But I do know that if they did, they’ll never forget to pay the water bill on time again.
When I got back to Abilene, I had a nice overdue bill from the Water Utility Office. The last day, it said, to turn it in was Jan. 7, and it was already Jan. 10.
Little LindaBy Linda Bailey
My parents took me to the eye doctor right before my fourth birthday. In the ex-amination room, I identi-fied kites and birth-day cakes instead of the ABC’s, b e c a u s e I didn’t know my letters yet. After a few other tests, the doctor told my parents I would need glasses – and an eye patch.
The glasses consumed half of my face, and I’m still not quite sure why I chose a maroon eye patch, em-b r o i d e r e d with a stoic-looking uni-corn head.
But, I real-ly didn’t care. Maybe it was because I rarely looked in mirrors at age 4, and because the glasses were on my face, I forgot about them. Or maybe it was because nobody ever made fun of my glass-es, seeing as all of my friends didn’t know a Linda sans spectacles.
Wearing the eye patch for an hour each day was annoying, but it wasn’t because of how I looked – it was because I could only look out of my left eye.
At age 22, I’m an-noyed with my glasses because they make me self-conscious – not because my right eye is obstructed.
All day long, I can tell myself that nobody cares what form of cor-rective lens I’m wear-ing, but it doesn’t stop me caring about what
people think when they see me in my glasses.
Perhaps Little Lin-da, with her bottle-cap glasses and felt eye patch, should remind me to care more about being comfortable with myself and less about what peo-ple are thinking.
Because, Little Linda wore her glasses and patch happily, so she could see. Not because they were cool or fash-ionable – because trust me, they weren’t.
Older Linda wears her contacts because she is comfortable in them looks great in them, and I can do more in them than in glasses.
And when I’ve had a long night in the news-room and my eyes hurt from staring at a computer, I’ll wear my glasses the next day to relieve the pain. Choos-ing to wear my contacts instead of my glasses is ok as long as my main motivation is personal comfort, instead of oth-er people’s judgment.
Most mornings, I wake up, throw on a T-shirt, a cardigan and my favorite pair of sneakers and put in the contacts, just like I put on the eye-patched glasses.
Now, as back then, I can see, and I’m comfortable.
COLUMN
Eyewear blinds self-conception
Laura AcuffCopy Editor
Bailey GriffithCopy Editor
Morgan DavisCartoonist
Campus looked a bit beige this winter, with its tan buildings, brown grass and blank side-walks. Since spring ar-rived, the grass has livened up, but the side-walks remain as bleak as ever. Well, not ever.
A long, long, time ago, students frequently used chalk to advertise cam-pus events, and we agree with a Students’ Asso-ciation chalk policy that aims to bring it back.
Two years ago, the side-walks were lively and infor-mative. Times, dates and
locations of events were scrawled in colorful for-mations on the walkways across campus, making information quickly acces-sible to students and easily washed away by the rain.
The chalk-covered path-ways not only connected the buildings on campus, but also the student body. Students did not have to make an inconvenient stop at a hut located in the cen-ter of campus to find out what’s happening in their world, because they could learn about events as they walked to class or Chapel.
Then, the advertis-ing policy changed. It shoved chalking into the untidy pile of torn f liers and walked-over posters, banning all three forms of advertising and forc-ing student advertise-ments onto hidden f liers and electronic ads.
Thanks, in part, to a reformed chalk policy passed by the Students’ Association, administra-tors are considering a change to the advertising policy, which would al-low students once again to advertise using chalk.
Though chalk-able areas would be limited to horizontal areas eas-ily reached by the rain, excluding the Lunsford Trail, it would be a wel-come change. In a com-mendable move, the Students’ Association identified a preference of the majority of the stu-dent body and is taking the appropriate action to make it happen.
Students have few op-tions when it comes to ad-vertising events around campus. Chalk gives ad-vertising a creative spin
and students the abil-ity to expand their audi-ence. With an amended chalk policy, students will be able to see adver-tisements on sidewalks around campus instead of solely on Chapel slides and in the one ad kiosk on campus.
SA ref lected student opinions in its new chalk-
ing policy, and it made appropriate compromis-es to combat the causes of the chalk shut down.
Administrators should chalk up the needs and desires of the students when they reexamine the chalking policy.
OpinionPage 4 April 20, 2011
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Optimist and may not necessarily reflect the views of the university or its administration.
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Optimistthe
All day long, I can tell myself that nobody cares what form of corrective lens I’m wearing, but it doesn’t stop me caring about what people think when they see me in my glasses.
In a close race, Hart re-ceived 208 votes. Rebec-ca Dial, junior political science and history ma-jor from Lexington, S.C., received 172 votes.
When the two vice president candidates learned Thursday they would be in a runoff, both wanted to push the second election to the following week. Howev-er, Hart said she thought it was a relatively posi-tive turnout anyway.
“I think it worked out all right. I know Re-becca and I spent a lot of time last night and this morning talking with people and making sure everyone knew about voting today,” Hart said.
“The results seem to be, for the most part, pretty positive as far as overall voter turn out.”
Hart said she has al-ready been talking with student organization leaders about ways to help organizations. She also plans to compile lists of student organiza-tion leaders to start com-municating with them before the summer.
If the Board of Trust-ees approves the Danc-ing Policy, Hart said she wants to begin working to organize a begin-ning-of-the-year danc-ing event as soon as she hears of approval.
Fisher said he looks for-ward to exploring the possibilities within the Alumni Association and witnessing its direction for the upcoming year.
“I’m just excited to get to know the people already placed in those teams, and I want to help build on those talents,” Fisher said.
Fisher has been active within alumni relations for the last four years on the Alumni Advisory Board.
“It’s been great,” Fish-er said. “It’s given me the opportunity to give back to the school a little bit, and it has helped me continue to learn about the different facets of the university. That position has allowed me to be a
part of a small piece of what they’re doing.”
Fisher will succeed In-terim Director of Alumni Relations Jama Cadle, currently in charge of strategic planning and management for alumni, as well as event planning and networking.
“Craig is a man of great integrity and is well re-spected on our Alumni
Advisory Board and in the community,” Cadle said.
Cadle will resume her position as assistant director of alumni rela-tions, planning on- and off-campus events.
“Our alumni are the life-blood for the university,” Cadle said. “They assist the university in a variety of ways by sending students to ACU, providing intern-
ships and jobs, and provid-ing financial support.”
Last week, the univer-sity featured a Golden An-niversary Reunion for the class of 1961. Cadle was among the alumni rela-tions staff members to host the two-day event.
“I feel so strongly in the mission and vision of ACU, and I love culti-vating and maintaining
relationships with both our alumni and current students,” Cadle said.
More information about the Alumni Asso-ciation can be found at www.acu.edu/alumni/
Even if they do not, Throop said he is content knowing it has, at least, caused some people to consider what they can do with their resources, time and potential.
“It was exciting at first, but it has become routine, which is beautiful it’s own way,” Throop said. “When I put on that vest, and when I get my cart, it’s a good feel-ing because that means I’m about to make progress.”
Throop has had the opportunity to meet and share his experience with countless people along the way who are curious about his endeavor.
Wiepie Rojas, sopho-more environmental sci-ence and politics and public policy major from Waxa-hachie, said one of Troop’s most striking character-
istics was his desire to be intentional with all of the people he engages in con-versation along the way.
“He has this incredible demeanor when he talks to people, and you can tell that he genuinely desires to know and understand where the person is coming from,” Rojas said.
Throop said he does not expect to change the world by going on this walk; it is merely his contribution to a greater change. He believes that actual global, societal and personal change will require a collective effort.
“I want to be able to look back, if I’m dying, and smile because I’ve lived exactly like I wanted to,” Throop said.
To follow his journey, vis-it www.enjoythewalk.org.
if elected, he would serve only one term and shut down his campaign office the day he was elected.
He said problems caused by Republican and Democratic politi-cians have created a mess with no easy solutions.
“Because the problems of our country have been put off so long, there are no easy answers,” Addi-son said. “There are no good-tasting medicines to take. If you look on the shelf of solutions, they all taste bitter.”
Addison’s wife, Lorie Addison, who also at-tended ACU, said she is proud of her husband and his willingness to stand up for issues about which he feels passionate.
“I’ve enjoyed going out with him and seeing him share his vision and pas-
sion for the people of this country,” Lorie Addison said. “I’m proud of him for getting out and do-ing something instead of just complaining. There are so many people who express dissatisfaction with the way things are going, and he is giving them a chance to choose someone who is not a ca-reer politician.”
Courtenay Harre, a 20-year resident of Abilene, said she attended the ral-ly because the speakers support her conservative values. She said attending rallies is the responsible thing for citizens to do.
“I just want to hear what the speakers have to say and show my support,” Harre said. “It’s the adult thing to do, and I support the Tea Party cause.”
SAMANTHA SUTHERLAND // Contributing Reporter
George Throop walks on the Lunsford Trail. Throop is continuing his walk from Vancouver, Wash., to Washington, D.C.
said. “UCO is really aggres-sive, and if it’s going well, they can go deep, but if it’s not, they can post some high scores. We’re a much more consistent team, so over three days, it will all even out.”
Fellow Wildcat, Tyler Sheppard finished at one
over and in a tie for sev-enth. Kyle Dickerson sat at four over par, as did Trey Sullivan.
Coming off a win at the UCO/Kickingbird Classic, the Broncos continued their tear through conference play, boasting three golf-ers in the top five. Play will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday for the golfers.
Last year, ACU won the tournament by rallying in the final round to win.
This year, the Wildcats will need an even bigger comeback to claim their
second consecutive tour-nament individual and team victories.
Series: Wins keep ’Cats in thirdcame at an opportune time. That win and series, for us, was just what the doctor ordered.”
Freshman outfielder Lyn-di Smith and senior short-stop Ashley Calles each hit two homeruns and went 3-3 at the plate. Calles, filling the designated hitter role, fin-ished with four RBIs, while Smith had two of her own.
Brittany Rexroat won her eleventh game of the season on the mound for the ’Cats on Saturday.
“That was as good as I’ve seen Brittany throw all year,” said Wildcat catcher Erin Gil-liland. “She had everything working and going her way,” Wildcat catcher Erin Gilliland said. “The whole pitching staff did very well this week-end, and that’s a big reason we were successful.”
Texas A&M-Kingsville never posed a threat to ACU, only stranding four runners on base in Saturday’s game.
In the opener on Friday, the ACU offense found its mark once again. Eight start-ers recorded a hit for the Wildcats en route to the 9-0 victory. Three players, Erin Gilliland, Melissa Mendoza and Ashley Calles, had a pair of RBIs in the game, which was called because of the
mercy rule. Starter Brittany Rexroat (10-7) struck out five batters, not walking any, on her way to the shutout win.
In game two, the ’Cats, allowed an uncharacter-istic six hits and three er-rors. The Javelinas took advantage of the errors, accumulating eight runs and 12 hits.
fell behind 7-0 through the first three innings in the fi-nal game. Sky Valenzuela had an RBI double score for the Wildcats’ first run in the fifth inning. Will Calhoun later added a two-run dou-ble that made it a 7-3 game. ACU would add single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to make the score 8-6, going into the ninth. ACU then scored four runs in the ninth, including a Cameron Bankston single that scored two runs. WT would hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the ninth to make things interesting, but ACU held on, winning the game 10-9.
“Fortunately, in the third game, they got up on us big and then went to sleep,” Bonneau said. “We were able to come back, and now, we are only one game back instead of three games. We are struggling with injuries and finding guys who can give more than six outs at a time.”
ACU has been plagued with injuries this season, losing some of its top play-ers. Aaron Lambrix was lost at the beginning of the season, and Aaron Oliver now will miss the rest of the season with an undis-closed injury as well.
“Losing Aaron Oliver was the last nail in the cof-fin for us, when it comes
to injuries,” Bonneau said. “When you don’t have your key players, it is hard for guys that are coming off the bench to lead a team. We are just dealing with what we have, and it has been difficult to get through. But we are here, and we need to win four of our last six to have a chance to make the tour-nament. And to do that, we need to play better ball.
ACU currently sits in seventh place in the LSC standings, with two confer-ence series to go. ACU trails West Texas A&M by one game in the standings.
ALEX CARPENTER // sophomore golfer for the ACU Wildcats‘‘ ’’
SportsStandings
Briefs
n Freshman soccer player Andrea Carpen-ter and sophomore golfer Alex Carpenter received the Paul Goad Award, given annually to the top male and female student-athletes at ACU, Sunday night at the Athletics Banquet in the Teague Special Events Center. The award is decided by athletic administrators and head coaches.
n The No. 6 women’s tennis team and No. 7 men’s tennis team were crowned the Lone Star Conference regular season conference champions after both defeated Cameron University on Thursday. The men finished con-ference play 5-0 while the women finished 7-0, earning the confer-ence’s No. 1 seed, heading into the LSC Tournament Friday.
April 20, 2011Page 6
n The baseball team hosts Cameron Uni-versity on Friday at 7 p.m. and a double-header on Saturday, starting at 2 p.m.
n The softball team plays Angelo State Uni-versity on Thursday at 7 p.m. before playing a doubleheader on Fri-day, starting at 1 p.m.
n The men’s and women’s tennis teams will compete at the Lone Star Conference Championships Friday and Saturday in Okla-homa City.
Upcoming
BASEBALL
Team Div. Ovrl.
UIWSE OK St.SW OK St.Tarleton St.CameronWTAMUACUASU
19-819-821-918-917-1016-1115-1215-15
27-1223-1430-1229-1024-1329-1422-1821-20
SOFTBALL
Team Div. Ovrl.
ASUUIW
ACUWTAMU
Tarleton St.TWU
9-6
10-511-4
9-6
8-77-8
24-23
26-2035-8
32-12
20-2125-21
TAMU-K 4-11 23-24ENMU 2-13 11-35
PlayerProfile
Senior Brittany Rexroat from Glendale, Ariz., had two stellar outings for the Wildcats in their
series against Texas A&M-Kingsville last week-end.
Rexroat threw a com-plete game, three-hit-ter Saturday en route to her eleventh win of the season. On Friday, Rexroat delivered again, allowing only seven hits, while strik-ing out five. She has lowered her earned run average to a slim 3.80 for the season.
Blue Sox baseball returns to Abilene
Minor league baseball will make its return to Abilene in 2012, when the Abilene Blue Sox return to the diamond as part of the Pecos League of Pro-fessional Baseball.
The Blue Sox will make their second appearance as an Abilene minor league team after the original team left Abilene in the mid-50s after the West Texas-New Mexico League moved up to Class B in 1955.
The Blue Sox are slated for official approval in early January of 2012 and
expect to begin playing games at McMurry’s Walt Driggers Field when the Pecos League season be-gins in April.
“The Blue Sox will play at Driggers field for the upcoming neutral-site games and next season,” said Director of Univer-sity Relations at McMurry Nancy Smith.
The Blue Sox will be-come the seventh minor league team to try to find a niche in the crowded Abilene sports market. The last team to try to find a spot in Abilene was the Abilene Prairie Dogs, who ultimately failed after the
1999 season. Kemp, how-ever, is optimistic that the Abilene connection the Blue Sox already have will help the long-term vitality of his club.
“The Blue Sox con-nection to Howard Green is a big reason why we are bringing them back,” Kemp said.
Green, a graduate of McMurry, was the original founder of the Abilene Blue Sox in 1946, when he and a few other veterans of World War II decided to start a team after the war. Green kept the Blue Sox in Abilene for more than a decade until 1957, when the team left the city.
The Blue Sox will found a scholarship fund in honor of Green. Proceeds from the upcoming neutral-site games will serve as fundrais-ers for the scholarship fund.
“We are all motivated to honor Howard’s legacy,” Kemp said. “There is a lot riding on the success of the neutral-site games and the future of the Blue Sox.”
The neutral-site games will take place May 27-28 and June 19-21. The first series of games in May will feature the Alpine Cow-boys against the Ruidoso Osos in two doubleheaders on May 27 and 28. In June, the Alpine Cowboys will
return to face the Carlsbad Bats in a three-game set.
In order for the Blue Sox to settle roots in Abilene, they will need to secure a field of their own in the coming years.
“The long term-viabili-ty of a minor league team is having a dedicated facil-ity,” Kemp said.
Kemp would like to see a facility that would seat around 1000 fans and have the ability to sell beer.
The Blue Sox are set to begin play in 2012.
Brandon Tripp Sports Director
LOCAL
Hot bats propel ’CatsNeeding a series win to stay alive in the Lone Star Conference South Division race, the ACU softball team capitalized and won two out of three games against Texas A&M University-Kingsville on Friday and Saturday at Wells Field.
It was a tale of two teams in Friday’s doubleheader, as the ’Cats dominated the Javelinas in all facets of the first game, winning via the mercy rule 9-0. In the sec-ond game, however, errors plagued the team, as it fell to TAMU-K 8-4.
Sitting at 23-23, 8-6 prior to Saturday’s game, the Wildcats were desper-ate for a win to stay in the hunt for the LSC Confer-ence tournament. ACU prevailed 8-0, taking the series with the win. Also, as a result of the win, the Wildcats claimed at least third place in the confer-ence standings.
“That was a big win for us,” said Head Coach Bobby Reeves. “It’s a confidence thing. The win definitely
Bryson Shake Assistant Sports Editor
SOFTBALL
DANIEL GOMEZ // Chief Photographer
Freshman Lyndi Smith swings at a pitch from Monday night’s game against St. Edward’s University. The Wildcats took game one of the double header 9-4 before rallying to win the nightcap 7-6. The ’Cats have now won four out of their last five games.
Aggies show offensive power
The Wildcats dropped two of three games to West Texas A&M University this weekend in Canyon. The Wildcats lost the first two games of the series before rallying in the ninth in-ning to win the last game, avoiding a sweep.
“We didn’t pitch very well, obviously; overall, we couldn’t match their hitting either,” said Head
Coach Britt Bonneau. “They were very comfort-able hitting against us, and when that happens, you know they are going to score a lot of runs.”
The Buffaloes started strongly in the first game, scoring six runs in the first inning. Starter Brady Rodriguez never settled into the game, as he only went two innings and gave up eight runs to the Buffaloes. WT would run away with the first game,
defeating the Wildcats handily, 11-1.
ACU bats would come alive again Saturday, but even scoring eight runs was not enough in the second game of the series. West Texas A&M would put up 13 runs on its way to a 13-8 victory.
In the final game, ACU mounted a fierce rally in order to salvage a game in the series. The Wildcats
Ryan Cantrell Sports Multimedia Editor
BASEBALL
DANIEL GOMEZ // Chief Photographer
Second baseman Duncan Blades dives just short of a groundball last weekend.
Bouniol tabbed for top honor
Defending Division II na-tional champion Cyril Bouniol has been nomi-nated as a finalist for the Byron Nelson award, pre-sented by Cleveland Golf/Srixon and given to the top all-around senior golfer in the country.
“It would be the best way to end up my collegiate ca-reer and the amazing years I had at ACU with the most meaningful award in all of college golf,” said Bouiol. “It would be an honor to receive the award that car-ries the values and attri-butes of Byron Nelson.”
The award’s namesake, Nelson, won five majors, in-cluding two Masters Cham-pionships on his way to a Hall of Fame career. His award is given to the golfer who not only exhibits talents on the links, but talents in the classroom as well, along
with displaying integrity and character as a golfer.
This is not the first major award nomination for a Wildcat golfer. Last year, Bouniol won the Ar-nold Palmer award, and sophomore Alex Carpen-ter took home the Phil Mickelson award.
This week, the ‘Cats compete in the Lone Star Conference tournament in San Antonio. After Mon-day’s opening round, ACU trailed favorite Central Oklahoma University by 12 strokes. Co-LSC indi-vidual champions Bouniol and Carpenter played very different rounds, as Car-penter used a strong back nine holes to charge into a tie for fifth, while Bouinol struggled on the back half and ranked the lowest of the five Wildcats.
