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Forecast InsideWILDCAT SOCCERdefeated Central Missouri Sunday, earning their first victory against a nationally ranked opponent. Get match highlights and analysis.

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MINIMUM WAGEin the state of Texas was raised to $7.25 per hour this summer. Find out how local businesses and cam-pus jobs were affected.

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Did the NCAA rulejustly on Tuesday?

Visit acuoptimist.com to see whatthe ACU community is saying.

VIDEO

NCAA Press Conference

Optimistthe

acuoptimist.comBREAKING NEWS, VIDEOS, PHOTOS, DISCUSSION AND EXCLUSIVE CONTENTVol. 98, No. 4 1 section, 8 pagesWednesday, September 2, 2009

Who is Charles Gaines?

LOUDandCLEAR

MOVING FORWARDJeff CraigContributing Reporter

The NCAA rejected the universi-ty’s appeal of sanctions placed on the 2007 football team, ending a two-year investigation of the ath-letic program.

The ruling, announced Tuesday, forces ACU to vacate all 10 wins, and erase two players’ statistics from the books for the 2007 sea-son. The NCAA’s report did not name the two players, and the uni-versity also has denied to release the names. The football program will be required to vacate its first playoff victory since moving to Di-

vision II. The ruling will not affect ACU’s perfect 2008 regular season.

Jared Mosley, athletic director and compliance coordinator, ex-pressed his dissatisfaction with the ruling but made it clear the university will move on.

“I guess we were holding out a little bit of hope for a different out-come,” Mosley said. “We are going to move forward and continue to

build on what we are working on.” In February, the NCAA placed

sanctions on the track and field pro-gram and the 2007 football team, after the university self-reported the violations. Later that month, school officials appeared before the NCAA Division II Infractions Appeal Sub-committee, claiming the football sanctions were excessive.

Mosley stated that although he was disappointed with the nullifica-tion of 10 wins, he felt worse that the unnamed players would lose their statistics. Head football coach Chris Thomsen echoed Mosley’s sentiments.

FOOTBALL

see RULING page 7

The NCAA upheld its ruling against the ACU football program Tuesday, but head football coachChris Thomsen and athletic director Jared Mosley say ACU athletics is looking ahead.

acuoptimist.com

Watch video of Tuesday’s pressconference, including comments from head football coach Chris Thomsen.

LAURA ACUFF Features Editor

Jared Mosley, athletic director and compliance coordinator, expressed the university’s dissatisfaction with the NCAA’s ruling Tuesday.

Liz SpanoArts Editor

Student groups submit-ted budget requests for the fall semester to the Students’ Association on Friday. Thirty-nine groups

await the results of SA’s decision, which will be made this weekend.

The groups together requested about $127,000 in funding. The amount any group is approved to receive will be used

for events and supplies throughout the year.

The Students’ Asso-ciation has $90,000 to disperse among student groups this year, as op-posed to $100,000 avail-able the previous year.

The difference reflects the university-wide bud-get cuts that were made in an effort to conserve during the nation’s eco-nomic crisis, said Luke Cochran, SA treasurer and senior financial

management major from Round Rock.

“Obviously, there will have to be some cuts and everyone will not get the full amount they request-ed,” Cochran said. “Our biggest focus is to make

sure we’re cutting back in areas that are not going directly to students.”

The process of appro-priating budgets began after students turned in

SA set to distribute $90K to student groupsSTUDENT GOVERNMENT

see FUNDS page 4

Mary GarvinPage 2 Editor

The storm that hit Abilene on Thursday did more than delay the opening football game and thoroughly soak Wildcat fans. It toppled trees, destroyed land-scaping and damaged buildings all over cam-pus. The Physical Re-sources Department is still working to restore the campus to its origi-nal state.

Doug Barron, chemi-cals manager of physical resources, said he was not expecting the level of damage that occurred.

“There were winds exceeding 50 miles an hour reported last Thursday, and they blew over a lot of trees on campus,” Barron said. “It took all of Friday and eight or 10 people to correct the damage.”

The weather station at Dyess Air Force Base reported winds up to 63 mph Thursday evening. The intensity of the wind uprooted multiple trees, including a 15-foot tree that fell in the parking lot between the Biblical Studies Building and the tennis courts. The tree did not damage any cars in the lot.

“The storm moved into the Big Country from the northwest,” said Terry

Huber, a senior forecast-er at the National Weath-er Service. “I suspected that the storms would start dissipating around sunset. However, they were isolated storms, meaning that they could hit or miss anywhere, at any time.”

While branches fell on campus, bleachers were tossed onto the field at Shotwell Stadium min-utes before the Wildcats’ first football game of the season. After a few min-utes of the storm, most fans evacuated the field.

“It was terrifying,” said Felicia Cano, a fresh-man nursing major from Stockdale. “The wind was blowing hardcore. We left the game, and on our way back to the dorms, we passed a light, and the

Severe stormtears through campus, city

WEATHER

QUICK FACTS

Thursday night’s storm only lasted 15 minutes, but it left its mark on ACU campus.

n 50-60 mph windsn Marble-sized hailn Extensive damage to landscapingn A 15-foot tree between the Biblical Studies Building and the tennis courts was uprooted.n Branches, up to 8 feet in length, fell across the Lunsford Walking Trail.

see STORM page 4

Linda BaileyOpinion Page Editor

Fall rushes began this week, and students who want to pledge must start choosing a social club.

Over the next two weeks, social clubs will conduct various activities to intro-duce potential pledges to different aspects of club life.

Chelsea Brunts, Alpha Kai Omega rush chair, said a lot of women attending rushes are unsure about pledging, and the rushes help them make that decision.

“Rushing is a chance to get to know girls in other clubs and to figure out what you want from each club,” said Brunts, senior elementary education ma-

jor from San Antonio.

Ryan Cam-eron, Gamma Sigma Phi sib-ling father, said he expect-ed rushes to attract good prospective members. Cameron, senior math major from Houston, said rushes are supposed to be

fun, not awkward. Each club plans several

events for the two-week period. Jeff Morris, Tro-jan vice president, said

each rush shows a differ-ent side of the Trojans.

“We are definitely a mul-tifaceted club and very di-verse,” said Morris, junior

biochemistry major from Richmond. “It is impor-tant for students to come out to as many rushes as they can, because they will get a good picture of what we are about.”

Rushes also give club leaders the chance to explain what their club

Students offered chance to sample social clubsSTUDENT LIFE

see RUSHES page 4

A lot of stereotypes get thrown around ...and rushes are a chance for clarification.JEFF MORRISJunior biochemistry major from Richmond

PAGE 5

AnnouncementsA Service Expo will take place in the mall outside the Campus Center on Friday.

Freshman Follies will take place Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium. For more information or to buy tickets in advance, go to www.acu.edu/follies.

An interest meeting and ice cream social for Tread-away Kids and Wildcat Kids will take place in the Cam-pus Center Living Room on Monday at 7 p.m.

Monday is Labor Day. Classes and offices will remain open.

Volunteer OpportunitiesService Action Leader-ship Team applications are available in the Volun-teer & Service-Learning Center located in the lower level of the Campus Center. Applications are due Friday at 5 p.m.

The American Red Cross is offering “Shel-tering Boot Camp” Sat-urday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Attendees will receive specialized training that teaches new volunteers how to effectively work in shelters. For more infor-

mation or to register for training, contact Allison Coggins at 677-2622, or e-mail cogginsa@usa.redcross.org.

The ACU Ministry Events office needs volunteers to help with various parts of Summit Sept. 20-24. Volunteers will help with shuttle, receptionist and dispatcher duties; tech-nology; registration; and childcare. Help is needed each day between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

08Chapel CreditedChapelsto date:

Checkup 63CreditedChapelsremaining:

CALENDAR AND EVENTSWednesday, September 2, 2009

11 a.m.Nino Elliott will lead Praise Day in Chapel.

4 FRIDAY

11 a.m.Donna Stone will speak in Chapel as a part of Mission Week.

7-8 p.m.A Chapel forum featuring Donna Stone will take place in the Biblical Studies Building, Room 114.

3THURSDAY

11 a.m.Dr. Bob Strader will speak in Chapel as a part of Mission Week.

2WEDNESDAY

The Optimist maintains this calendar for the ACU community to keep track of local social, academic and service opportunities. Groups may send announcements directly to jmcnetwork@acu.edu.

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 clarifications of published news articles will be printed in this space in a timely manner.

AboutThis Page

September 2, 2009Campus InformationPage 2

2CampusDay

September 2, 2009 Page 3Campus News

Sondra RodriguezManaging Editor

The men of Galaxy are cel-ebrating the club’s 50th anniversary by sponsoring the construction of Galaxy Park, a stopping point on the Lunsford Walking Trail that overlooks the pond.

The park is not com-pleted, but for now, stu-dents can see a concrete marker in front of the

construction site with the club’s name and date of establishment. Galaxy president Kason Hart, senior electronic media major from Hous-ton, said he hopes to see the park completed by Homecoming.

The social club began collecting money for the project about six years ago, said Galaxy mem-ber Preston Woolfolk,

senior political science and business major from San Antonio.

Woolfolk said the club originally raised money to build a pier and bridge that would span the pond. After the pond was com-pleted, members learned the foundation would not support such a structure, and the park was chosen as an alternative.

The completed park

will consist of stone benches, similar to those at Jacob’s Dream.

Woolfolk said he liked the original plan but knows club members are satisfied with the park.

“I’m glad we have something on campus we can call our own,” he said.

Men of Galaxy celebrate 50 years of clubSOCIAL CLUBS

Kelsi WilliamsonStaff Photographer

The new Center for Chris-tian Service and Leader-ship began one of its first initiatives, Mission Week, in Chapel on Monday. The goal of Mission Week is to drive students to think about who they are and who they will become.

Dr. Jan Meyer, direc-tor of the CCSL and as-sistant dean of Lead-ership Development, spearheaded much of the week’s planning.

“ACU Mission Week is not about missions; it’s about being a mission keeper,” Meyer said.

Five speakers will speak in Chapel this week about what it means to be a mission keeper. They will educate students on reconciling their aca-demic and spiritual en-deavors in order to fulfill God’s calling.

“One of the largest benefits is that you get to see people that are living out what it means to be a mission keeper,” said Jen Rogers, director of Student Ministries. “They do it in such a va-riety of ways.”

The speakers’ dis-cussions will be based on the development of faith in stages. The idea of faith stages comes from the writings of Henri Nouwen.

Rogers said the CCSL wants to challenge stu-dents to pursue quality over quantity.

“Solitude to ministry is biblical,” she said. “We want to get students to start here...to start in a time of solitude, to have their identity shaped by God, then to celebrate and fellowship with oth-ers and then move out to ministry.”

It is this kind of think-

ing that Meyer said will help students become mission keepers.

“The idea is, you need to know who you are in God first,” Meyer said.

Ben Word, junior polit-ical science and missions major from Dallas, agrees that developing one’s Christian mission is a ne-cessity during college.

“It’s hard to be in this setting and not do any type of ministry and then expect that to come later in life,” Word said.

In addition to regu-larly scheduled Chapels, Mission Week includes a Chapel forum Thurs-day at 7 p.m. with Donna Stone in Room 114 of the Biblical Studies Building. For more information, go to http://www.acu.edu/campusoffices/ccsl.

Mission week at ACUSPIRITUALITY

contact Williamson atkkw07a@acu.edu

contact Rodriguez atsar06g@acu.edu

Chelsea HackneyCopy Editor

A 10 percent increase in the minimum wage was a pleasant surprise for many student work-ers returning to jobs on campus this fall.

“I think my wage went up,” said Noemi Palo-mares, a cashier in The Campus Store. “But I’m not sure. I wasn’t here all summer, and I haven’t gotten a paycheck yet.”

Until this summer, the state minimum wage was $6.55, but a federal law raised the federal mini-mum wage to $7.25, ef-fective July 24. For Texas employers, higher wages means fewer funds avail-able to hire workers.

“Most campus jobs are minimum wage, es-pecially after the hike,” said Tim Johnston, ex-executive director of the Career Center. “But, in-

flation is pretty low, so for the most part, these are gains for people.”

Student workers are eager to reap those gains, even if the departments employing them are feel-ing the crunch.

“Demand at August Passport for on-campus jobs was very high,” Johnston said. “Every penny counts and having the opportunity to work up to 20 hours a week in a convenient location is great.”

The wage hike might make on-campus jobs more attractive, but for students like Palomares, who has worked in the Campus Store since last September, the money is not important.

“It’s a good place to work,” said Palomares, sophomore Biblical text major from Elsa. “I don’t have to drive anywhere. Oh, and I get a discount,

so that’s good.”Employers such as

the Campus Store have worked hard to create incentives besides higher wages for good employ-ees, an effective strat-egy now and previously when minimum wage sat far below $7. Students usually work between 10 and 20 hours a week, but employees who demon-strate responsibility get more hours – and more money as a result, said Scott Harsh, assistant Campus Store director.

“We have very little turnover,” Harsh said. “I hope it’s because people like working here. We try to treat them well.”

Texas wages increaseSTATE

KELSI WILLIMSON Staff Photographer

Construction of Galaxy Park continues outside the Hunter Welcome Center.

contact Hackney atceh05c@acu.edu

their proposals Friday. SA will discuss each budget request and decide how much to allocate to each student group. The board will consider how each group used their funds last year, as well as how they plan to use them this year; the proposed bud-gets will then be present-ed to the Congress for ap-proval, Cochran said.

“I think it’s really a good thing, because it takes the decision out of the hands of two people and puts it to a group of 40 to 50 people,” Co-chran said. This ensures that all views are taken into consideration and the decision is made fairly, he said.

Wishing Well, a new group that raises money to build wells in impov-erished areas around the world, depends on the finances allocated by SA, as well as fundraisers and donations to accom-plish their mission.

“We’re thankful for whatever we get,” said Steven Powell, Wishing Well co-director and se-nior finance major from Abilene. “I trust that whatever we get is the amount we need, and an amount we will be able to work with and turn into more money to help oth-er people.”

pole was shaking. I thought a tornado was coming.”

Some students, includ-ing Cano, parked their cars under bridges and covered drive-through lanes to avoid hail dam-age. Although a few buildings were harmed, the majority of the dam-age on campus was done to landscaping.

stands for. Morris said rushes are a chance for students to get first-hand information.

“A lot of stereotypes and rumors get thrown around about different clubs, and rushes are a chance for clarifica-tion,” Morris said.

Glenn Geib, junior exercise science and health promotions ma-jor from Holland, Penn., said he looks forward to attending rushes this semester. He said

he plans to attend sev-eral rushes and keep an open mind.

“I expect to meet people and be able to decide which one I want to pledge based upon the connection I feel to-wards the group,” Geib said. “I’m so far away from home, and I think it will be good for me to meet people and have a network in Abilene.”

Clubs began rushing for this year’s pledges at the end of last spring. Vanessa Hart, Big Sig for Sigma Theta Chi and se-nior education major

from Austin, said rushes offer the chance to match names with the faces of women they met in the spring. She said rushes are a brief but fun time to meet new women.

For a complete list of rushing events, visit the Student Events cal-endar on myACU, or go to www.acu.edu/so-cialclubs and click the rushing calendar link.

Continued from page 1

contact Spano ateas07a@acu.edu

Storm:Propertydamage

WEATHER

SA: Congress toreview petitions

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

September 2, 2009From FrontPage 4

Continued from page 1

contact Garvin atmkg09a@acu.edu

contact Bailey atljb07a@acu.edu

Rushes: Fall activities continue from spring

STUDENT LIFE

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Members of Trojans grilled hamburgers Monday night during their rush on College Drive.

JOZIE SANDS Chief Photographer

A group of girls feed a cookie to a giraffe at the Abilene Zoo on Monday as part of ACU’s Family Fall Event for faculty and staff.

Continued from page 1

Charles Gaines spent a crucial evening last spring dining at Oscar’s Mexican Restau-rant, waiting on a call that had the poten-tial to drastically change his senior year. When the call came, he learned his would be one of several new faces among the Students’ Association officers – a group he would lead as its president.

“Are you kidding me?” said the newly elected president, a senior criminal jus-tice major from Cedar Hill, upon receiv-ing the call.

In a close race, Gaines had defeated Daniel Burgner, junior political sicence major from Yorba Linda, Calif., by only 11 votes. Following a congratulatory call from Burgner, Gaines dialed his parents’ cell phone number.

“Understand, not everyone voted for you,” said Gaines’ mother, Rhonda Gaines. “That means you’ve got to get the other side on board. OK, we love you. Get to work.”

Gaines’ presidency comes after a con-troversial year involving the impeach-ment of former SA president Daniel Paul Watkins. Gaines says he wants to reestab-

lish SA as an organization known for its campus contributions, instead of its mis-communications and disagreements. This year’s cabinet plans to change the image of SA by creating a Christ-centered atmo-sphere of strong character and integrity, he says.

One strategy for transforming SA is Gaines’ “transparency initiative.” Gaines aims to be open and honest, allowing faith to guide his actions.

“If you vote for me, that’s what you’re going to get,” Gaines says. “From my per-sonal experience, there’s no doing this without Christ.”

Comparisons between Gaines and Watkins may be unavoidable, and Gaines knows it. The back-to-back black presi-dents each entered the office as a senior political science major with aspirations to law and politics. But armed with a new strategy, Gaines hopes to approach his position from behind the scenes, he says.

Like his comic book heroes, Gaines wants SA to be seen as a symbol that in-spires trust. Rather than depending on the student body president as an individ-ual, he wants students to depend on the integrity of the organization as a whole.

“This is not about us and definitely not

about me,” Gaines says. “Batman, Super-man, Spiderman – people don’t know the person, but the symbol. That’s exactly how I want SA to be. I do not want them to say, ‘Charles Gaines is doing this.’”

And like a superhero taking off his mask, Gaines anticipates SA becoming more vulnerable this year. Showing his personal committment to the goal and taking his initiative one step further, Gaines shares his office with Vice Presi-dent Tony Godfrey, junior English major from Burleson. Gaines’ computer faces Godfrey’s, adding accountability.

“I’d really like for SA to strive to be more transparent,” Gaines says. “It’s not an exclusive club. Everyone is a part of SA, and I don’t like the idea of turning stu-dents away.”

Despite Gaines’ resolve, big changes take time, he says, and he hopes his con-stituents will not lose patience. He com-pares the task of reinventing SA’s image to fixing an automobile.

“We are not trying to fix a mirror or fix a scratch. We want to change the engine. We need to look on the inside and make sure it’s running smoothly,” Gaines says.

As part of Gaines’ efforts to improve SA, Godfrey plans to lead monthly forums in an effort to avoid miscommunication and mend relationships between students and their government. In addition, one-on-one meetings between students and SA officers will allow students to voice their concerns. Treasurer Luke Cochran, senior finance major from Round Rock, is working to get the budgets of student or-ganizations approved earlier than in past years. Finally, the congressional meet-ings conducted Wednesdays at 5:15 p.m. will be broadcast live on the SA web site, www.acustudents.com.

On top of many other meetings, Gaines sets aside time each week to seek guid-ance from one of his mentors. At 7:07 a.m. every Thursday, he and Dr. John Willis, professor of Old Testament, dis-cuss ways Gaines can foster good char-acter traits. In addition, Dr. Mark Tucker, professor of library science and dean of library and information resources, and his wife, Barbara, have influenced Gaines,

adopting him into their family.Gaines believes he benefits greatly

from others’ instruction, not only as pres-ident, but also as a person.

“Anything I can do to better myself and make wise decisions – it would be foolish of me not to take advantage of it,” Gaines says. “I am who I am today because I lis-ten. I apply what I hear.”

Gaines says he also looks to ACU as a for clues on how to live. The university’s willingness to say, “We’re not there yet,” is his favorite part of ACU. He supports ACU’s constant efforts to improve and tries to model that in his own life.

“They’re never satisfied with the status quo,” Gaines says. “It makes you feel like you’ve been a part of something that’s pretty neat.”

Despite the success he has already achieved, Gaines says devotion to self-improvement keeps him motivated.

“I never want to say, ‘I’m there,’ be-cause there are things in my life I want to improve on,” Gaines said. “The key is to keep fighting and to keep pushing for-ward. Even if I’m president of the United States, I hope to never answer ‘yes’ to that question.”

After completing his undergraduate work, Gaines plans to complete a mas-ter’s degree and apply to law school. He believes politics could be his calling, but he intends to put his relationship with Je-sus first.

“If you think about it, he made a great sacrifice, and I take it personally,” Gaines says. “I don’t love Christ out of tradition, but because he means something to me. It’s a very personal relationship.”

For now, Gaines looks forward to a productive, though challenging, year serv-ing the ACU student body.

“It’s like running a marathon,” Gaines said. “But when you have 4,000 students encouraging you along, it makes that race easier to run.”

FocusSeptember 2, 2009 Page 5

Just another FACE in the CROWD

New SA president strives for collective success

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Former SA President Sarah Pulis, senior political science major from Longview, hands a gavel to SA President Charles Gaines at the traditional Changing of the Guard Ceremony.

JOZIE SANDS Chief Photographer

SA President Charles Gaines, senior criminal justice major from Cedar Hill, observes Chapel proceedings from the floor of Moody Coliseum on Tuesday morning.

Christina JohnsonFeatures Writer

contact Johnson atjmcnetwork@acu.edu

OpinionPage 6 September 2, 2009

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.

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79699

E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu

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Editorial and Management Board

Colter HettichEditor in Chief

Sondra RodriguezManaging Editor

Laura AcuffFeatures Editor

Linda BaileyOpinions Page Editor

Jozie SandsChief Photographer

Brandon TrippSports Media Director

Sommerly SimserMultimedia Editor

Chelsea HackneyCopy Editor

Liz SpanoArts Editor

Scott StewartPage 2 Editor

Jordan BlakeyCartoonist

Multimedia Desk(325) 674-2463

Kenneth PybusFaculty Adviser

Cade WhiteFaculty Adviser

Christi StarkAdvertising

Optimistthe

By Jordan BlakeyAtaraxia

Purple shirts and tat-tered hats representing Wildcat sports are com-mon on campus. Toy footballs and T-shirts fired into a crowd of football fans empha-size ACU’s support for its athletic department, and more importantly, our common identity as students and faculty cheering for the purple and white.

But there is something about seeing our quarter-back’s face looking down from a two-story poster that leads a few of us to wonder, “Is ACU being a little excessive?”

It is reasonable to wonder as students whether our money is

being used for a worthy purpose. It is easy, when unaware of what goes on behind the scenes, to develop a negative or bitter attitude concern-ing the university’s mar-keting decisions.

However, consider for a moment what our uni-versity would be with-out an effort to reward students for their skill, commitment and suc-cess in their sport.

Jason Groves, associate vice president of market-ing, said the focus of the new athletic marketing campaign is to promote all sports, not only to ACU students, but also to alumni, faculty, staff and the Abilene community.

“We really want to create a lot of energy,” Groves said. “It’s not just about sports. It’s about community being together, having fun, ral-lying behind something and getting students, alumni and professors in one place having a good time together.”

The most recent ACU football game was the first big push of the campaign. Marketing interns played a large role in raising funds and engaging the commu-nity in the game. Flags on Judge Ely Boulevard, table-toppers in numer-ous Abilene restaurants and game day T-shirts were funded almost en-

tirely by local business-es, Groves said.

“We are really thinking through some grassroots and community market-ing approaches that will give us more leverage – without increase in dol-lars,” Groves said.

By involving the com-munity and finding creative ways to raise money, Groves said the university will be able to do more with their funding. This results in increased awareness of and participation in ath-letic events, he said.

The university’s pro-motion efforts are ad-mirable. There should be more enthusiasm and spirit when it comes to

supporting our fellow Wildcats. School pride is something that unites students and shows oth-ers we are proud of our university. Pregame parties and free T-shirts are part of the college culture and something students should appre-ciate, even if they do not actively participate. The day we see holograms of

Bernard Scott high-fiv-ing students on their way to class is the day we can worry, but until then, give a high-five yourself, catch a foot-ball game and let ACU catch a break.

Advertising promotes school spiritEDITORIAL

Religious bill should include more textsCOLUMN

Chelsea NowChelsea Hackney

“Good morning, class. Please take out your Bibles. Today we’ll be studying Deuteronomy 27. Now, can any-one tell me where Mt. Ebal is located?”

No, it’s not a scene from Ad-ventures in Odyssey. It’s a conversa-tion that could be taking place right now in public schools across the state, thanks to H.B. 1287.

The bill is an amend-ment to the Texas Educa-tion Code that requires public school districts to include elective courses on “religious literature, including the Hebrew Scriptures — the Old Tes-tament — and New Tes-tament, and its impact on history and literature.”

The bill was signed into law by Governor Per-ry in 2007, but the parts applicable to school dis-

tricts – the sections re-quiring the courses – did not take effect until the 2009-10 school year.

Obviously, the bill specifically says teachers must teach the class in a way that is religiously neutral and in line with the First Amendment ban on the establishment of religion. Teachers as-signed to teach the class must attend training on the proper way to teach a Bible course. But, like so many state and fed-eral laws, the government doesn’t provide the mate-rials or funding to make sure teachers receive the training. This has led many schools to uninten-tionally – to give them the benefit of the doubt – em-ploy teachers who take advantage of the situa-tion and try to proselytize their captive audience right there in their blue plastic chairs.

As a clear-headed, forward-thinking Chris-tian college student, my concern is not that the Bible is being taught in schools. The Texas legis-

lature’s rationale for it is spot-on. A good portion of the literature, art, mu-sic and history taught in public schools across the country references the Bible in some way or an-other. Imagine trying to read Paradise Lost with no knowledge of the biblical myth of Satan’s fall from heaven. Even Stephen Col-bert makes references to the Judeo-Christian tra-dition. I agree: an under-standing of the Bible as literature helps round out a student’s education.

The bone I’d like to pick is the choice of the Bible as the official elec-tive literature topic. Sup-porters would argue that the bill allows schools to offer “an elective course based on the books of a religion other than Chris-tianity,” but unlike the Bi-ble, those religious books are not required by law.

What gives, Texas?The Qu’ran, although

not as influential in the American tradition, has arguably had as signifi-cant an impact on world history and literature as

the Bible, and is becom-ing increasingly more important as the U.S. at-tempts to strengthen its ties with the Middle East. Followers of other major world religions could say the same of their sacred texts. So, where are they in this picture?

Because of its contro-versial nature, this law will most likely end up in front of the Supreme Court. Until then, parents and students of all faiths have to deal with it. The bill has the potential to cause irreparable dam-age to the relationship between Christians and people of other faiths, but it certainly doesn’t have to be that way. A law like this gives Chris-tians the power and the responsibility to use this as an opportunity for civ-il dialogue among people of all faiths, even in the face of extreme criticism.

Just remember, dia-logue goes both ways.

contact Hackney atceh05c@acu.edu

THE ISSUEFootball advertising and promotion around campus can seem excessive.

OUR TAKEPromotion of ACU athletics creates school spirit, and that is a good thing.

Trail requires compromise

COLUMN

Sondra, not SandraSondra Rodriguez

Try going for a jog around the Lunsford Trail on a weeknight.

Instead of your an-ticipated workout, you’ll find yourself dodging walkers, t a l k e r s and strag-glers who think it’s OK to take up the entire sidewalk walking side by side.

Freshmen are the worst when it comes to Lunsford Trail etiquette, but at least they have an excuse.

They are still in the “honeymoon” stage and not paying much atten-tion to their surround-ings. Stress hasn’t set in, the college experi-ence is still new and exciting and they still know the name, major and two truths and a lie about everyone in their U100 group.

It’s great to see them using the trail to walk together; however, “too many freshmen” is still a constant refrain on the Lunsford Trail.

After some brain-storming, I came up with a few solutions to this unfortunate problem.

Obviously, freshmen are not the only ones at fault. Seniors and fresh-man alike are guilty of breaking Lunsford Trail protocol. So, when using the trail, keep in mind the following guidelines:

n Two’s a crowd. Walking arm-in-arm may make conversation easi-er, but you need to take it to the grass.

It’s hard to run through walls of people.

n Avoid huddles. Gathering in groups on the trail complicates the flow of traffic and forces everyone else to dodge your posse.

n Clean up after your pets. This does not mean moving waste to the grass, since many runners are forced to run in the grass to avoid joint pain. Pick it up and put those trash cans to use.

n Be courteous. Re-member the rules of the road. If you’re on a bike,

signal your next turn. If you’re running, try not to zigzag and make it impossible for someone to pass you. If you’re walking, keep an eye out for people you may be blocking.

Simply stated, pay at-tention.

Most importantly, re-member you are rarely the only one on the trail. Perhaps, if everyone makes a point to be at-tentive and considerate on the trail, daily work-outs won’t be as hazard-ous to your health.

contact Rodriguez atsar06g@acu.edu

Hackney

Email the Optimist at:jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Freshmen are the worst when it comes to Lunsford Trail etiquette, but at least they have an excuse. They are still in the “honeymoon” stage and not paying much attention to their surroundings.

Rodriguez

star Aston Whiteside, backup linebacker Ar-thur Johnson returned the ball 42 yards for a touchdown. ACU was suddenly ahead 9-0 without scoring an of-fensive point.

The only other Wild-cat touchdown result-ed from another play by a backup. With the Bearcats poised to make a run, backup linebacker Casey Carr intercepted a pass and returned it 37 yards. The return set up a connection from Harrell to Gibbs, putting the Wildcats up 16-0 go-ing into halftime.

The defense remained staunch in the second half, and the offense did just enough to keep the ball out of the Bearcats’ paws, including com-pleting a field goal late in the game, giving the Wildcats some breath-ing room. The Wildcats held on for a nail-biting win and started their bid for a championship.

Saturday’s game against Fort Lewis Col-lege will start at 6 p.m. at Shotwell Stadium.

Mistakes plague season opener, defense holds

FOOTBALL

contact Gwin atagg07a@acu.edu

“Somehow, we will take all of the pieces to form a masterpiece and make something great.”

Schofield echoed Bur-rough’s sentiments, saying this year’s team should be strong enough to contend for a title.

“Overall, I think our team will be better than last year’s team,” Schofield said. “Our transfers from Eu-

rope are really strong and fast. Our top three should be awesome with Cleophas, Amos and Daniel.”

The men’s and wom-en’s teams will kick off the 2009 season in a 5K in Anchorage, Alaska, at the Great Alaska Stampede Sept. 5. Burroughs said the match presents his teams with a rare opportunity.

“I’m excited because this may be many of the runners’ only chance to

visit Alaska,” Burroughs said. “It will be a good way for the team to kick off the season, because the weather will be very cold, which will hopefully better prepare us for the National Championship.”

The Wildcats will race in Abilene twice; one race will be hosted by ACU, the other by McMurry Univer-sity. The teams will also race in Evansville, Ind., and Joplin, Mo., rounding out

the team’s regular-season schedule. The 2009 LSC Championship will take place at West Texas A&M Oct. 24, and the NCAA Re-gional will be in Abilene Nov. 7. The Wildcats ulti-mately have their sights set on the NCAA National Cross-Country Champion-ships in Evansville, Ind., Nov. 14.

Ruling: Sanctions won’t affect seasonFOOTBALL

“The thing I feel worst about is for the players,” Thomsen said. “They did nothing wrong. They were just following our lead.

Thomsen acknowledged that the violations took place; however, he and Mosley contend that the infractions were not inten-tional as the NCAA ruled, declaring the penalties “ex-cessive.” During the appeal

process, university attor-neys pointed to similar cas-es in which the NCAA ruled in favor of the university in question, but to no avail. An unnamed coach involved in the infractions was never interviewed by the commit-tee. Coach Thomsen also noted that he was never questioned about the aca-demic violations.

The school is already en-forcing self-imposed sanc-tions that aim to prevent any future violations.

“We’ve been enforcing these since Day One. The only thing we held back on was vacating the wins,” Mosley said. “We are in a better place having been through this.”

Former ACU standout and current Cincinnati Ben-

gals prospect Bernard Scott played an integral part on the 2007 team, whose 10 wins will be erased from the record books. Scott, who was selected in the sixth round of this year’s NFL draft, was surprised by the NCAA’s decision, but has

complete confidence in the ACU football program.

“I had no idea that any of this was going on when it first came out,” Scott said. “I think the program will get over it. ACU has a lot of great coaches and is a great school.”

Scott’s confidence in ACU coaches was reiterated by Mosley. Mosley and the athletic department have put their support behind the football program, with hopes for success in 2009.

“We have full confidence in our football staff,” Mos-ley said. “They have our full support moving for-ward.

contact Craig atjrc07d@acu.edu

contact Craig atjrc07d@acu.edu

Running: Cats open season in Alaska CROSS-COUNTRY

Continued from page 8

defense. Stewart was 10-14 passing, and Harrell had a great touchdown pass to Ben Gibbs that made the difference in the game.

The Wildcats have a strong running game led by three running backs, Daryl Richardson, Jus-tin Johnson and Reggie Brown. Brown was the leading rusher, with 17 carries for 59 yards. The

best thing about the of-fense is that no one is graduating this year; Johnson, Stewart and Richardson are sopho-mores, and Harrell, Brown and Gates are juniors.

The problem is fans have been spoiled watch-ing the ACU offense the past few years. They can’t expect this year’s offense to score 52 points per game. This year’s team is different.

It will be up to the de-fense to step up, force turnovers and keep teams off the board. Week One was probably ACU’s big-gest test, and the defense passed with flying colors. The defense scored on a fumble return and only gave up one touchdown.

If ACU wins a game this season, it will look like it did Thursday. No more high-scoring shoot-outs, such as 93-68. Those

days are over. ACU is go-ing to have to grind out its games and be OK with ugly wins.

This year’s team is still good. They have a chance for a great season, may-be even another perfect season. It is just going to look different from last season. That is the hard sports truth.

Offense has room to growCOLUMN

Continued from page 8

contact Cantrell atjrc07f@acu.edu

Continued from page 8

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Center Matt Webber, sophomore management major from Paradise, calls the blocking scheme for the offense.

Continued from page 1The thing I feel worst about is for the players. They did nothing wrong. They were just following our lead.CHRIS THOMSENACU Head Football Coach

September 2, 2009 Page 7From Sports

Hard Sports TruthBy Ryan Cantrell

Thursday night was any-thing but pretty, but a win is a win. Not only a win, but a win against the second - r a n k e d team in the nation. Yet, fans left the game with an uneasy feel-ing. It was not what every-one expected. It was not what they were used to.

The truth is, this sea-son is going to be differ-ent. Last year’s terrific trio has moved on. Scott is playing for the Bengals

and doing well. Knox is with the Bears and al-ready returning kicks for them. Malone has picked up a clipboard and is helping to coach the Wildcats. Thier success is the team’s loss as the Wildcat offense was left to start over.

This year’s offense has a lot of young talent, starting with the quar-terbacks. Stewart and Harrell shared snaps Thursday, and even though they both lost a fumble, they still looked good against a tough Northwest Missouri State

Shouts from the StandsWhat Wildcat fans were saying after the football game Thursday:

The opposing team gave us good competition, but the top team came through in the end.

SHERIDAN FORTESenior psychology major from Hutchings

COLLIN WALTERJunior math major from Oglesby

SARAH BEARDSLEYSophomore speech pathology major from Merkel

The storm pumped the crowd up a little bit. Standing under the bleach-ers, everybody was getting riled up.CONNER HALSTEADSenior Bible and family minis-tries major from Odessa

I am glad that we won, but I really felt it wasn’t a well-earned victory.

KIPP SWINNEYSophomore Bible major from Austin

It was pretty sloppily played. We need to move the ball better on offense.

It was crazy. It rained a lot and it was fun to watch.

TAMU-K 0-0 1-0SE Okla. 0-0 1-0Angelo St. 0-0 1-0

Jeff CraigSports Writer

The last time the ACU men’s cross-country team failed to win the LSC title, the majority of this year’s freshman class wasn’t even born yet, the first George Bush was presi-dent, and Bryan Adams

recorded the #1 song in America. All signs point to the 2009 team con-tinuing that tradition.

Both the men’s and women’s teams put on a strong showing in 2008, capturing numerous team and individual awards, although neither team was able to capture a na-

tional title. Most notably, the men’s team captured its 18th Lone Star Con-ference title en route to a fourth place finish at the NCAA Championship in Slippery Rock, Pa. The women’s team captured fifth place at the LSC Championship, although failing to qualify for the championship race.

The Wildcats also won impressive individ-ual titles in 2008. The men’s team had five runners named to the all-LSC team, more than any other team.

Junior Daniel Maina was named the top men’s runner in the conference, while freshman phenom-enon Charles White was named Rookie of the Year.

Perhaps most notably, Julius Nyango was named the conference’s top aca-demic runner, highlight-ing ACU’s demand for ac-ademic excellence among its athletes.

The women’s team also garnered some great awards. Winrose Kar-unde was named the LSC women’s Runner of the Year, and was joined on the all-LSC team by team-mate Loice Cheboi. Kar-unde also joined Julius Nyango in being named women’s Academic Run-ner of the Year.

First-year head coach Sam Burroughs was named the LSC Coach of the Year and the NCAA South Region Coach of the Year in 2008. A

season removed from a coaching position at Division I cross-country powerhouse Iona Col-lege in New York, Bur-roughs has high expec-tations for the Wildcats.

“The men’s team should be better than it was last year,” Burroughs said. “We lost some key players, but on paper we are stronger. The question now is can we run better in colder conditions for nationals in Indiana.”

“I’m looking forward to working with this di-verse team. I mean, we have talent from Texas, New York, France, Af-rica, England and other places,” Burroughs said.

Running toward another titleCROSS-COUNTRY

SportsPage 8 September 2, 2009

Standings

FRIDAY

VolleyballACU vs. Western State, 3 p.m.ACU vs. Pittsburg State, 7 p.m.

SoccerACU vs. Southwest Baptist, 5 p.m.

SATURDAY

Men’s Cross CountryGreat Alaska Stampede, 10 a.m.

VolleyballACU vs. Western New Mexico, 9 a.m.ACU vs. Incarnate Word, 2 p.m.

Football ACU vs. Ft. Lewis College, 6 p.m.

SUNDAY

SoccerACU vs. Rollins (Fla.), 11 a.m.

HOME GAMES LISTED IN ITALICS

Upcoming

FRIDAY

VolleyballACU 1, Truman State 3ACU 0, Nebraska-Omaha 3

SoccerACU 1, Central Missouri 0

SATURDAY

VolleyballACU 3, North Alabama 1ACU 1, Minnesota-Mankato 3

SUNDAY

SoccerACU 1, St. Mary’s 3

Scores

FOOTBALLTeam Div.

Ovrl.

ACU

VOLLEYBALL

MSU

Central Okla.

TAMU-C

0-00-0

0-0

0-0

1-01-0

ENMU 0-00-1

WTAMU 0-0 0-1

0-1

0-1

Team Div. Ovrl.

CameronTAMU-KTAMU-C

0-00-00-0

ACU 0-0 1-3

WTAMU 0-0 5-0

4-04-02-1

Angelo St. 0-0 4-0

n Former ACU RB Bernard Scott had 8 carries for 54 yards for the Bengals in a preseason loss. The Cincin-natti Enquirer beat writer says that Scott has moved to No. 2 on the depth chart behind starter Cedric Benson.

Briefs

WOMEN’S SOCCERTeam Div.

Ovrl.

ACUMSUTAMU-C

0-00-00-0

2-02-02-0

WTAMU 0-0 2-0East Central 0-0 1-0NE St. 0-0 1-0TX Woman’s 0-0 1-1Angelo St. 0-0 0-2Central Okla. 0-0 0-2ENMU 0-0 0-2SW Okla. 0-0 0-2

Different kind of Wildcat

COLUMN

KELSI WILLIAMSON Staff Photographer

Lyndsey Womack makes a stop in a big win against Central Missouri.Central Okla. 0-0 2-2

East Central 0-0 2-2SE Okla. 0-0 2-2

TX Woman’s 0-0 1-3ENMU 0-0 0-4MSU 0-0 0-4SW Okla. 0-0 0-4Tarleton St. 0-0 0-4

Austin GwinAssistant Sports Editor

ACU lost to the Bearcats at Shotwell Stadium on Thursday – by the stat sheet, at least. Luck-ily for the Wildcats, the numbers do not always tell the story, and ACU was able to eke out a win in a close game that spotlighted the talent of several backup players.

Northwest Missouri State actually beat ACU in yardage, 230 to 174. Wildcat quarterbacks Zach Stewart and Clark

Harrell together passed for only 89 yards, 47 of those to tight end Ben Gibbs. The three run-ning backs did not do much better, racking up only 85 yards be-tween them.

Capitalizing on Bearcat mistakes was crucial for the Wildcats. With that in mind, ACU took advantage of sever-al turnovers. Both ACU touchdowns resulted from Bearcat turnovers, and the safety was deliv-ered to the Wildcats on a silver platter.

On that safety, the ball floated above the NWMSU punter’s outstretched fingers and into the end zone to give the Wildcats an early 2-0 lead.

The first of two touchdowns set the tone for the Wildcat defense. After a forced fum-ble by defensive star

Finding a way to winFOOTBALL

see RUNNING page 7

Tanner KnauthSports Editor

The Wildcat soccer team up-set the 14th-ranked Central Missouri Jennies in their sea-son-opener Friday. The win marked the first time in their brief history the women’s soc-cer team has defeated a na-tionally ranked opponent.

Julie Coppedge scored the lone goal that propelled ACU to victory. Goalie Crissy Lawson had seven saves, shutting out the Jen-nies. Lawson is well on her

way to reclaiming her title of LSC Goalie of the Year.

The Wildcats failed to get a shot off in the first period, but they turned up the heat in the second period, taking three of the first five shots. The goal by Coppedge put ACU up for good, despite three shot attempts by the Jennies late in the game.

ACU continued their win-ning weekend Sunday after-noon, defeating St. Mary’s University 1-0.

Senior Jordan Reese scored the winning goal just eight

minutes into the game. The Wildcats had nine shots on goal, and Lawson tallied three saves for ACU. Lawson has 10 saves and has not given up a goal in two games.

The Wildcats will be tested again this weekend as they face the Southwest Baptist Bearcats Friday at 5 p.m. in Abilene. ACU will then face a tough Rol-lins Tars team travelling to Abilene from Florida.

Wildcats enjoy winning weekendSOCCER

contact Knauth attxk07a@acu.edu

see NUMBERS page 7 see DIFFERENT page 7

Wildcats win despite pooroffensive outing

QUICK STATS

The stats were not as outra-geous as years past, but it was enough for the win. The offensive leaders from the game were:

n QB Zach Stewart 10-14 for 65 ydsn QB Clark Harrel 1-2 for 24 yds and 1 TDn RB Reggie Brown 17 rushes for 59 ydsn RB Daryl Richardson 9 rushes for 31 ydsn RB Justin Johnson 6 rushes for 24 ydsn TE Ben Gibbs 3 recep-tions for 47 yds and 1 TD

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Caitlin Hanisco, freshman undeclared major from Memphis, keeps pace during the relay meet Thursday at Nelson Park.

Cantrell