Four consecutive snow days filled ACU’s cam-pus with students enjoy-ing winter activities like sledding, boarding, hock-ey and even body surfing through the ice and freez-ing temperatures.

Tino Angadicheril, freshman chemistry major from Arlington, purchased a five-foot long roof shin-gle and used it to body surf down the hill behind Smith and Adams Halls.

“We tied it to the back of a truck and went slid-ing behind it,” Angadich-eril said. “It was a lot of fun until we hit a puddle and got soaked.”

Abbie Boyd, freshman elementary education major from Austin, also braved the cold.

“I love the snow,” Boyd said. “I’ve been sledding and played on the soccer field in the really deep snow. In Austin, we never get anything like this.”

Bobby Brown, junior biology and psychol-ogy major from Or-ange County, Calif., was among many students to aid stranded motorists.

After returning from lunch with Patrick Casey, junior marketing major from Fort Collins, Colo.,

Clashes between pro- and an-ti-government demonstrators turned violent in Cairo, Egypt, this week. News networks have reported seeing groups hurling stones, fire bombs and a mul-titude of other objects amid rapid gunfire.

Most of the ACU community only watches this news from a distance. But for ACU’s only Egyptian student, Lily Assaad, the conflict hits closer to home.

Assaad, sophomore manage-ment and psychology major from Cairo, said her parents and much of her extended family, who are liv-ing in Cairo, are doing fine despite the outbreak of violence in the city.

Protests in Egypt erupted last month, with many Egyptians an-gered by the country’s poor eco-nomic conditions and President Hosni Mubarak’s plans to name his son Gamal as his succes-sor, according to The Telegraph. Violence in Egypt escalated last week as the Egyptian govern-ment blocked Internet access in the country and imposed a

curfew on residents, mandating that they must be in their homes between 3 p.m. and 8 a.m.

Initially, after hearing about the conflicts, Assaad said she was worried when she hadn’t heard from her parents. But as soon as the Internet came back on, they called her and told her they were fine, relaxing in their building.

“The Lord, in crazy situations,

has always taken care of my fam-ily,” Assaad said. “When things seemed ridiculous, he saved us every time, so for nothing else but that, I’m not worried.”

Dr. Neal Coates, chair of the Department of Political Science, said the events in Egypt are mo-mentous enough to fill a chapter

Optimistthe

Monday, February 7, 2011

acuoptimist.com

1 section, 6 pages

weatherinside

page 3

websiteartsAbilene’s downtown coffee shop, Monks, is kicking off their spring concert season. Each Friday, the shop will host a different performer.

page 5

opinionThe editorial board commend Dr. Schubert’s push for faculty and staff to regularly attend Monday Chapel.

photo galleryFind more photos and video of ACU’s snow-covered campus on our website, acuoptimist.com and our Flickr account, flickr.com/photos/acuoptimist. 50° 35°

Mon. Wed.Tues.

58° 16° 29° 15°

Melodic Weekend, page 4

WORLD

Linda Bailey Editor in Chief

Egyptian protests impact campus community

Vol. 99, No. 33

Abilene Christian University

see PROTESTS page 4

Students face winter weatherSTAFF REPORT

see ICE page 4

SNOWED IN

DANIEL GOMEZ // Chief Photographer

An ACU student walks across the snow-covered campus after ACU was blanketed in almost four inches of snow last week.

Heavy snow and ice shuts ACU down for four consecutive days

Cancellations affect classesLast week’s snowstorm will affect classrooms across campus long after the snow and ice melt.

Inclement weather and hazardous road con-ditions forced the uni-versity to cancel classes for four consecutive days last week. Dr. Jean-ine Varner, provost, said canceling classes for four days in a row was unprecedented

“Everybody I’ve talked to doesn’t remember this happening before, even those who have been

here a long, long time,” Varner said.

Varner said despite the canceled classes, no days will be added to the end of the school year or subtracted from spring break.

“I think the impact is that each faculty mem-ber will have to make adjustments to his or her syllabus,” Varner said. “I don’t believe we can add any days or affect spring break because people al-ready have plans or have bought tickets.”

STAFF REPORT

see WINTER page 4

DANIEL GOMEZ // Chief Photographer

Students push a car stuck in an icy parking lot.

announcements

Monday 09Wednesday

The 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 e-mail sheri.frisby-@dyess.af.mil.

Breakfast on Beech Street Students can help set up, prepare and serve breakfast for the home-less at First Christian Church on Third Street and Beech Street. Serv-ing time is 6:30-7:15 a.m. on Monday-Friday. Visit www.fccabilene.com for more information.

National Center for Chil-dren’s Illustrated Literature Students can greet patrons, assist with art activities, sell

books and welcome visitors from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. or 1-3 p.m. on Tuesdays-Satur-days. For more information, contact Debby Lillick at 673-4586 or visit www.nccil.org.

The Center for Contem-porary Arts needs a gal-lery assistant to help with exhibit setup and prepa-ration. The work can be done any time 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Friday. Call 677-8389 or e-mail info@center-arts.com.

Monday, February 7, 2011

calendar & events07 Tuesday08 10Thursday

follow us on Twitter: @acuoptimist // become a fan on Facebook: The Optimist

volunteer opportunities

A log of the ACU Police De-partment’s daily activities will be printed on this page of the Optimist. The first Police Log will appear Friday.

2Campus Day

Married Students Retreat Registration for the Mar-ried Students Retreat now is open. The retreat is Feb. 11-12 and is $65 per couple. Register at www.acu.edu/retreat or contact Steve Eller at steve.eller@acu.edu or the Counseling Center at 674-2626.

Table Tennis The ACU Table Tennis Club is hosting a free Table Tennis Tournament at 10 a.m. on Feb. 12 in the Campus Center Living Room. Students do not need to own their own paddle to participate. For more infor-mation, contact Benjamin Hayes at bph08a@acu.edu.

Civil Rights Tour Stu-dents can receive academic credit during Summer Session I by joining the ACU Freedom Ride on May 15-21. The seven-day, 1,800-mile guided bus tour will visit significant sites of the American Civil Rights

Movement. Registra-tion is Feb. 23. For more information, contact Dr. Richard Beck at beckr@acu.edu, Dr. Jennifer Dillman at jennifer.dillman@acu.edu, Dr. David Dillman at dill-mand@acu.edu or your academic adviser.

Advising period for summer courses begins

11 a.m. Chapel with guest speaker Michael Johnson in Moody Coliseum 1:05 p.m. Baseball vs. Incarnate Word

3 p.m. Chapel forum with Michael Johnson in Cullen Auditorium

5:30 p.m. Women’s basketball vs. Angelo State University

7:30 p.m. Men’s basketball vs. ASU

8 p.m. ACU Choral Concert at the Recital Hall

11 a.m. Campus Conversations begin (locations vary across campus) 5:30 p.m. Women’s basketball vs. West Texas A&M University

7:30 p.m. Men’s basketball vs. West Texas A&M

11 a.m. Chapel with guest speaker Joy Eggerichs in Moody Coliseum

2 p.m. Chapel forum with Joy Eggerichs in Cullen Auditorium

11 a.m. Small Group Chapels (locations vary across campus)

8:15 p.m. Freshmen Devo at Chapel on the Hill

15

Chapel

Credited Chapels to date

Checkup58 Credited

Chapels remaining

Police LogEdited for space

Tuesday, Jan. 251 p.m. ACU Police of-ficers received a report that five tables and 20 chairs went missing from Sikes Hall.

Wednesday, Jan. 2610:10 a.m. ACU Police re-ceived a report of a bicy-cle theft. An online report was filed to the Abilene Police Department. 2:38 p.m. Someone re-ported graffiti in sev-eral restrooms of Moody Coliseum. ACU Police are following up with a possible suspect.

Friday, Jan. 281:22 a.m. The Abilene Police Department re-quested assistance from the ACU Police Department for a flight in progress on the 2700 block of N. Judge Ely Boulevard. ACU officers

arrived, but the fight had ended, and the individu-als had dispersed.

Saturday, Jan. 299:37 p.m. The Abilene Po-lice Department requested the ACU Police Depart-ment handle a loud noise complaint at University Park Apartments. Officers made contact with the ten-ant and issued a warning.1:09 a.m. The ACU Police Department assisted the Abilene Police Department with a burglary in progress on the 600 block of Harwell Street. A computer and 32-inch television were stolen from the residence.

Report all suspicious ac-tivity to the ACU Police Department at 674-2305.

Weekly StatsJan. 25-Feb.1

911 CallAlarm CallAnimal CallAttempt to LocateBoot/Unboot VehiclesBuilding Lock/UnlocksCheck BuildingsCriminal Mischief

Motorist Assist: OtherMotorist Assist: UnlocksNoise ViolationsParking ViolationsRandom PatrolSuspicious Activities Thefts Traffic Stops

3

12

2

5

12

74

1111

4

10

30

3

Disabled VehicleDomestic DisturbanceFound PropertyHazards VehicleHit and RunsLost PropertyMedical EmergencyMotorist Assist: Jumpstarts

1

1111

421

7

ArtsFebruary 7, 2011 Page 3

Feb. 4

Feb. 4

Feb. 4

Feb. 8

New Releases

Sanctum(Universal)

The Roommate(Screen Gems)

Waiting For Forever(James Keach)

Life As We Know It(Warner Bros.)

Abilene Events

THURSDAYArtWalk - Journey To Freedom5 p.m.220 Cypress St.

ACU Events

PocketboothPhotographyHHHHIPocke tboo th allows its users

to take their own photostrips without having to find a pho-tobooth. This app works with all versions of the iPhone and the 4th generation of the iPod Touch. iPhone 4 users can use the app with both the front facing and rear cameras. The photostrips can be custom-ized with different coloring ef-fects and pose options (3 or 4 poses). The app even has a fun vintage interface designed to look like a 1950s Model 11 Photobooth. Photostrips can be shared through email, Twit-ter and Facebook. The app also is enabled with AirPrint for users with a compatible device and printer.

Eurydice7:30 p.m.Fulks TheatreWilliams Performing Arts Center

FRIDAY

ACU Choral Concert8 p.m.Recital HallWilliams Performing Arts Center

MONDAY

App of the Week

THURSDAYDaddy/Daughter Date Night6 p.m.Abilene Civic Center

Feb. 8For Colored Girls(Lionsgate)

Feb. 8You Again(Disney)

IN THEATERS

DVD

MUSIC

Feb. 8Esben & The WitchViolet Cries

Feb. 8My Soul To Take(Rogue)

Feb. 8It’s Kind Of A Funny Story(Focus)

Feb. 8Teddy ThompsonBella

Feb. 4Ranchero(Indican Pictures)

Feb. 8Paranormal Activity 2(Paramount)

Feb. 4The Other Woman(IFC Films)

Feb. 8Nicole AtkinsMondo Amore

Feb. 8Cut CopyZonoscope

Feb. 8LionizeDestruction Manual

Feb. 8MotorheadThe World Is Yours

Feb. 8Thompson SquareThompson Square

Feb. 8Emily ArinPatch of Land

FRIDAYSeven Brides For Seven Brothers7:30 p.m.Historic Paramount Theatre

contact Ferguson atmlf10a@acu.edu

Students attended an interest meeting two weeks ago, to discuss the seventh annual student film competition, FilmFest. This year’s competition, which will challenge participants to tackle the issue of identity, will include changes to the control element and the judg-ing process.

Members of the competition board met with potential direc-tors, screenwriters and musicians to discuss the changes.

Third year co-chair Christi-na Johnson, senior English and professional writing major from Dallas, said changes in judging will mark a significant difference from last year’s competition.

“This year, we’re having the script judged separately and the film itself judged for screenwrit-ing,” Johnson said. “When the par-ticipants turn in their scripts, we’ll immediately forward them to the judges, and they can already have that judged.”

Johnson said the theme Identity came to her during a church service.

“As college students, identity is what we’re all really trying to find,” she said. “We are all on this four-year, personal journey and really in this in-between time, and we really wanted a theme that ev-eryone on campus can relate to.”

The competition started on Jan. 28, when the FilmFest board released the control element, a required line of dialogue all films must contain, via its Tumblr ac-count, acufilmfest.tumblr.com.

Those wishing to participate must complete an application and pay the $45 entry fee by Feb. 11. The fee will provide contestants with a t-shirt and ticket to the premiere night at The Paramount Theatre on March 25.

As a new addition this year, groups may choose one of two dates to turn in their final piece. Judges will accept work on March 11 and 21. However, entries will be issued a $20 late fee on the latter date.

Johnson said the extra date will be helpful for students going on spring break campaigns who still want to participate or for those wanting extra time to film.

“I think to capture a film in three to five minutes is difficult, and it’s a struggle for a lot of people because you just want to tell so much back story,” Johnson said. “But really,

you’re telling a climactic moment in a character’s life or plot. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Entries may be anywhere from three to five minutes long and may enter in only one category. The short film also must reflect the uni-versity’s mission and policies.

“One thing to keep in mind is that this is not an avenue to film something that’s not in accordance with ACU policy,” said Tom Craig, director of student productions. “We want everything to be kept within the guidelines of ACU.”

About 15 awards are given out, and a grand prize will be awarded for Best Picture.

FilmFest meeting considers changesMarissa Ferguson

Staff Reporter

FILMFESTFeb. 8

Tamara Drew(Sony)

Feb. 8Middle Men(Paramount)

Feb. 8YanniTruth Of Touch

Monks Coffee Shop was filled to the brim with ACU students and Abilene locals on Jan. 29, ready for a free concert by The Light Parade, comprised of ACU alumni Alex How-ard and Kara Dubose. The duo joined for the show by Panther City Band and Blinded By Bears.

A crowd of people gath-ered outside of the Monks storefront, grabbing some fresh air as people worked their way in and out of the busy coffee shop.

Joshua McQueen, book-ing manager of Monks and sophomore management marketing major from Abilene, said more than 150 people attended the event.

“I thought it went great. We had a ton of people show up,” McQueen said. “Wor-rying that the fire marshall will come is always a good problem to have.”

McQueen had been try-ing to get The Light Parade to open for one of the larg-er events later in the se-mester. When scheduling conflicts didn’t allow that to happen, he decided to book them as the headlin-ers for the January show.

“I felt like the show was a lot of fun, a great big, sweaty mess,” Howard said. “Throw in tons of people, add a few technical issues and mix in nervous energy, and it makes a really fun and exciting night.”

Howard noted that play-ing at Monks always will be different than playing a show in any other town.

“Playing an Abilene show is definitely different because instead of creat-ing a connection with a stranger in an audience, you’re performing to a connection that already exists,” he said.

To market the show, Mc-Queen gave raffle tickets to anyone who would use their mobile device to “check-in” at Monks on Facebook. Raf-fle winners received Monks T-shirts, mugs, coffee and a yet-to-be-released CD by The Civil Wars.

McQueen said this will be the first of many great musical performances this spring season at Monks.

“We are really excited about some big acts coming in,” McQueen said. “We have both Andrew Belle and The Civil Wars, who were No. 1 on iTunes this week, coming in March. We plan to fill the season with shows that vary

in price and genre.”In addition to these

shows, Monks will host weekly events.

“We have open mic nights, a Monks staple, on Thursday nights and a new local musician perform-ing a free show on Friday nights,” McQueen said.

Those interested in per-forming on one of these Fri-day nights can contact Mc-Queen at bookingmonks@gmail.com with their name and links to their music.

“We really want Monks to become a home for qual-ity music and still be a place that local musicians can come to perform and grow,” McQueen said.

DANIEL GOMEZ // Chief Photographer

Monks Coffee Shop, located on 233 Cypress St. displays its hours on a homemade sign.

SANDRA AMSTUTZ // Arts Editor

Michael Perkins of Blinded By Bears from Abilene performs at the Monks Coffee Shop 2011 opening concert.

contact Amstutz atsla07a@acu.edu

Melodic WeekendsLocal hotspot launches springconcert season

Sandra AmstutzArts Editor

February 7, 2011 Page 4FROM FRONT/SPORTS

year’s class including 6-5 offensive lineman Conner Keeton out of Corpus Chris-ti. Keeton was a first team all-district player in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons for the Carroll Tigers.

The class is highlighted by Division I prospect Jon Parker out of Carson City, Nev. Parker, who gave his verbal commitment to ACU last week, turned down three Div. I schools, includ-ing Nevada and Arizona to come play for the Wildcats.

Parker at 6-4 and 235 pounds was first team all-

region as a defensive end and was an honorable mention selection at the running back position. Despite those honors, the versatile Parker is slated to be the back-up tight end behind returning starter Ben Gibbs. Parker caught 11 passes for 108 yards in his senior season for Car-son City High School.

A familiar name ap-peared on the ACU list of signees on Wednesday. The Wildcats signed free safety Vincente Cantu-Harkless, the brother of Darrell Can-tu-Harkless. Vincente, was a two-time first team all-dis-

trict player at Austin Crock-ett High School and was selected as the district de-fensive MVP at the conclu-sion of the 2010 campaign. He finished his senior sea-son with four interceptions, four forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles.

In addition to the high school seniors who signed Coach Thomsen signed Div. I transfer Rob Boyd from Sam Houston State and Ja-maine Sherman a transfer from Scottsdale Commu-nity College in Ariz.

Continued from page 6

Recruit: Thomsen landssuccessful recruiting class

FOOTBALL

contact Tripp atbjt07a@acu.edu

Varner said faculty members might have to rework their syllabi, cut content from their classes or require more out-side work.

“They may have to change an assignment or a project, or they may want to put more material online,” Varner said.

“We can’t make up the actual time, but the material doesn’t all have to happen during class time.”

Dr. Phil Schubert, presi-dent of the university, said faculty should take this as an opportunity to work together as they try to figure out how to work through the time off from school.

“Be flexible. I know it’s hard in times like this,” Schubert said. “Everyone grows impatient as the uncertainty of schedules grows. As we work through this in the next couple of weeks, in terms of trying to handle what we’ve just been through, just try to be patient.”

Dr. Kim Pamplin, chair of the Faculty Senate, said the biggest challenge for faculty would come from determin-ing where to make adjust-ments in curriculum.

“Some classes are pre-requisites for other classes, and they need to cover as much as they can,” Pamplin said. “There are other classes

where that class is not a pre-requisite, so maybe if we cut a chapter out, it is not going to affect how a student performs in the next class.”

Pamplin, chair of the De-partment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said his advice for faculty was to be fair.

“We lost a whole week. I would hope that we will all

try and be fair with students,” Pamplin said. “In some cases, it may be acceptable to ask students to do more outside work. In other cases, that may not be possible. My advice to the faculty members is to be as fair a possible.”

Brown noticed a letter carrier struggling to free his car from the snow.

“We thought of the story of the Good Samaritan and figured this was our oppor-tunity,” Brown said. “It’s al-ways nice to help a stranger out rather than peg someone in the face with a snowball.”

Casey said that as a native of Colorado, he is used to similar weather conditions causing prob-lems for motorists.

“You’re always thankful when someone does that for you, so I just tried to return the favor,” Casey said.

Brown said he and Casey used some of the packages and cardboard boxes from the mailman’s load to create greater traction for the tires. The mail carrier was able to return to business after 10-15 minutes.

“When we first saw him, he seemed pretty helpless at that point,” Brown said.

“Being a mailman, he’s just lucky there weren’t any stray dogs around.”

For Emily Larimore, se-nior psychology major from Weatherford, the snow day brought more frustration than fun. The roof of her off-campus apartment col-lapsed due to the heavy bur-den of snow.

“I never imagined it hap-pening to me,” Larimore said. “I didn’t know who to call. It was the last thing I ever expected to happen on my snow day.”

The roof is believed to have collapsed late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. Larimore, who was over at a friend’s house, came home Wednesday to find her bedroom and hall-way covered in white blankets of roofing insu-lation, her possessions completely ruined.

“It’s really hard,” La-rimore said. “It’s easy to say possessions don’t

matter, but you still need basic things to live. It’s just been a big downer for the day.”

After speaking to lo-cal firefighters, Larimore was instructed to leave her flooded apartment immediately to avoid any danger caused by ex-posed wires.

Larimore said she is most concerned about receiving coverage from her insurance company. She said the company would not be compensat-ing her for her losses be-cause of complications in switching coverage from her previous dorm to her new apartment.

“It was just a God thing that I wasn’t there or my dog,” Larimore said. “The roof fell directly on my bed and Bailey’s bed too. If we were sleeping, we would’ve been hurt.”

in a book on the history of Egypt.

“People are saying, to a 30-year power, that we’ve had enough,” Coates said. “This is a continuation with what started with the United States and the Declaration of Inde-pendence, saying that just be-cause you are born into mon-archy, you don’t get to be king forever. People get to decide ultimately what is right.”

Assaad said she cares more about how her friends and family in Egypt are doing than following the politics of the situation, but she still un-derstands what’s going on.

“I don’t have an opinion on what is going to happen, but I think that Egypt as a nation has a right to have a democra-cy, and I don’t think that what they’re doing is unexpected,” Assaad said. “If you had been under a dictatorship for 30

years, you’d probably want a democracy too.”

The conflict in Egypt should remind students that social media works, Coates said. Not only has Assad been able to communicate with her parents now that the In-ternet is functioning, but pro-testers are able to spread in-formation to each other, and journalists are able to report what’s happening.

ACU students can see this in their own lives through the iPhone and iPod distri-bution, Coates said.

“Things are faster, and things are better when you can communicate

widely,” Coates said.Coates also encouraged

ACU students to use social media to reach out to Eng-lish-speaking Egyptians and, in appropriate ways, talk to and encourage them.

“It’s important that we remember, as Christians, we aren’t passive observers of the world,” Coates said. “We actually have a call-ing to convert others, and when people in Egypt find out there are Christians in Abilene who are praying for them, it has a big effect.”

Winter: University will not add school daysACADEMICS

Continued from page 1

contact Optimist atoptimist@jmcnetwork.com

Continued from page 1

Ice: Snow provides breakWEATHER

Protests: Egyptian conflictaffects student, her family

STUDENT LIFE

Continued from page 1

Throughout the season, the Wildcats will face ten Division I opponents.

Rounding out their sea-son, they will take on top-ranked Division II schools Columbus State, Alabama-Birmingham and Samford in the southeast.

Hutton Jones has coached the men and women’s tennis teams at ACU for 14 years now. With an enviable record

of 582-197, he’s working for a repeat of last year’s success. He hopes to coach the wom-en to an LSC Championship repeat this season.

“Coach Jones makes sure we glorify God whether we win or lose and he makes it a lot of fun,” Kelley said.

Emily Conrad, fresh-man from Oklahoma City is enthusiastic about her first spring season at ACU.

“I am trying to build chemistry with the other

girls. Our team is great, so I am really excited.”

The Wildcats finished in eighth place last season at the National Champion-ship tournament. This year the NCAA Tournament will

take place in Orlando, Fla.The Wildcats’ first home

match is on Friday against Tarleton State.

Basketball players weren’t the only ones affected by the snow, however. The women’s tennis team originally was slated to play against Sam Houston this weekend in Hunts-ville. That match and one

against Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches have been canceled. Both matches would have seen the Wild-cats playing a Division I opponent as a warm-up to their spring season.

The baseball team saw its season opener moved as well. Crutcher Scott Field

was supposed to have its first action of the season on Tuesday. Instead, the ‘Cats game against Incar-nate Word will have to wait until March 1.

Head Coach Britt Bon-neau was frustrated with the ice out that has brought campus to a halt.

“Our guys are getting very anxious,” Bonneau said. “They were bummed when we had to move our games, and rightfully so. No one likes being cooped up.”

Snow: Storm forces reschedulingATHLETICS

Continued from page 6

contact Gwin atagg07a@acu.edu

Season: ’Cats look for spring successTENNIS

Continued from page 6

Coach Jones makes sure we glorify God whether we win or lose.

HANNAH KELLEY // sophomore women’s tennis player‘‘ ’’contact Jefferies at

blj10a@acu.edu

contact Staff atoptimist@jmcnetwork.com

contact Bailey atljb07a@acu.edu

Things are faster, and things are better when you can communicate widely.

DR. NEAL COATES // chair of the Department of Political Science‘‘ ’’

Laura AcuffCopy Editor

Bailey GriffithCopy Editor

Morgan DavisCartoonist

Faculty and staff have tak-en over certain sections of Moody Coliseum on Mon-days after a push from the president, but we don’t mind having them there.

Phil Schubert asked faculty and staff to regu-larly attend Monday Cha-pel at the beginning of the semester. This change may make finding a seat on Monday more difficult, but this effort to create a greater sense of communi-ty among everyone at ACU

is a worthy endeavor.The president gave fac-

ulty and staff permission to close their offices for 30 minutes on the first day of the school week to join the rest of the ACU com-munity in Chapel, leav-ing them few excuses for not attending. This is a simple and well-planned solution, making it as convenient as possible for faculty and staff members to attend Chapel – a tradi-tion as old as ACU itself.

Students also should make it a point to attend on Mondays and take advan-tage of this opportunity to listen to topics with faculty and staff – especially consid-ering this change came part-ly from student opinions.

Chapel Guy Mark Lewis noticed, while reading last semester’s Chapel surveys, that many students were requesting more Chapel attendance and participa-tion by members of fac-ulty and staff.

Schubert’s expectation for faculty to attend on Mondays makes the stu-dents’ desire attainable. Students, faculty and staff shouldn’t take his gesture lightly. They should ap-preciate Schubert’s di-rectness, keep in mind the importance students place on faculty and staff attendance and show up with a smile.

This well-formulated change, if taken seriously, has the potential to create

deep dialogue between fac-ulty, staff and students, ex-panding the Chapel experi-ence out of its traditional 30-minute time frame and into the classroom.

Although some faculty and staff members may disagree with being told

to attend Chapel once a week, they should at least be relieved they aren’t re-quired to wait in a seem-ingly endless line to swipe in and out.

OpinionPage 5 February 7, 2011

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

editorial and letter policy

By Morgan DavisThe Funny Funnies

Faculty Chapel attendance creates unityEDITORIAL

Workers press on despite cold

COLUMN

HomeskoolValidictorianBy Jeff Craig

Last week’s weather was, well, un-Texas like.

Believe it or not, the good folks in New York City, B o s t o n , Washing-ton and Phi ladel-phia saw w a r m e r w e a t h e r this week than Abilene. Snow and sub-zero wind chill fac-tors have turned Abilene into a bone-chilling, frozen wasteland.

In fact, the Green Bay Packers had to move their practice inside in preparation for the Super Bowl in Arlington to stay out of the ele-ments – and if the Packers think it is cold, then it must really be nasty outside.

Roads and sidewalks blend-ed together to form one big, slip-pery white path. Cars that were lucky enough to not be stuck in their driveways slid around like butter in a skillet.

On Wednesday, I watched my roommate attempt to cross an icy sidewalk in his cowboy boots, only to face-plant onto the iced-over concrete. As we helped him up off the ground it became perfectly clear – we are winter novices.

Yes, this is undoubted-ly restating the obvious. The dozens of cars that were stuck around cam-pus served as evidence of our icy ignorance.

Fortunately, the high-brass leadership at ACU recognized our incompetency and can-celed classes last week. I’m certain they did it for our own good.

However, as we

were carefully crafting snowmen and haphaz-ardly launching snow-balls, some individu-als pressed on with the same diligence they ex-hibit every day.

ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison and his officers were hard at work, cleaning up acci-dents and keeping our new-found winter won-derland safe.

Employees in the “World Famous Bean” braved the slick roads of Abilene to come to work, so students could have a warm place to eat and fellowship.

ACU’s physical re-sources and groundskee-

ping teams worked tire-lessly to clear sidewalks, so folks who thought they knew how to walk on the ice did not hurt themselves too badly.

For ACU’s students, the winter blast of 2011 was a good chance to relax and rewind. For others, it was just another day at the of-fice. ACU’s students and faculty may get all the at-tention, but it’s individu-als like Chief Ellison and his officers, who work behind the scenes, who make ACU successful. It’s people who keep our sidewalks clear and our bellies full who are the backbone of this institu-tion. Without them, ACU would not be ACU.

As we were carefully crafting snowmen and haphazardly launching snowballs, some individuals pressed on with the same diligence they exhibit every day.

contact the Optimist atjmcnetwork@acu.edu

the issuePresident Schubert announced his desire for faculty and staff to attend Monday Chapel alongside students.

our takeFaculty presence creates the opportunity for conversation and cohesion with a shared experience.

contact Tripp atbjt07a@acu.edu

Etiquette rules still apply to textsRounding the BasesBy Brandon Tripp

Electronics are replac-ing everything. Machines now check out customers at Walmart, letters are be-coming an archaic form of commu-nication and texting is re-placing face-to-face con-versation.

Since we, as a society, have some generally accepted rules of etiquette regarding face-to-face conversa-tion, I think it’s high time we lay down some rules for texting.

No. 1: Don’t text and drive.

This rule goes with-out saying, studies have shown that those who text while driving are up to 30 percent more likely to end up in an accident.

According to the Uni-versity of North Texas’s Health Science Center, texting was responsible for 16,000-plus deaths over the last five years. You can wait to tell your friends the score of the

C o w b o y s game af-ter you get where you’re going.

N u m b e r two: Just be-cause they haven’t texted you back after three minutes, don’t think they want another text.

This is the No. 1 pet peeve of 75 percent of ACU students, according to a nonscientific survey conducted by me consist-ing of my roommates and a few friends.

There exists a few possible explanations if a person doesn’t imme-diately reply. First, they didn’t get the text be-cause they were sleeping or otherwise occupied. The solution to this prob-lem is not to text them two minutes later asking if they got your previous text. The correct answer is to be patient; they will get around to it. The oth-er possibility is that they don’t want to text you back right then. If you think this might be the case, continuing to text them will only increase

their frustration. Lastly, they were trying to reply to your text while driv-ing and are unavailable at the moment because they are unconscious in the hospital.

No. 3: Use your words please.

Don’t think that be-cause you put the letter “u” in place of the actual word, it buys you points. I can’t tell you how many times handwritten pa-pers have included “r” in place of “are” and “u” in place of “you.” God gave us complete words; it would be an insult to besmirch his gift out of laziness.

No. 4: If you receive a phone call from me, don’t text me back.

It is a generally safe as-sumption that if I took the time to call you instead of text you, I actually want

a call back; not a text saying, “What’s up?” Just because you don’t feel comfortable talking to me over the phone doesn’t mean you don’t need to learn how.

No. 5: Please stop over using emoticons :P, okay?

There is really no need to use them after ev-ery statement. Your text should be able to com-municate whether you’re smiling or sticking your tongue out after you said what you said. If it does not, try rephrasing your sentence.

If we all can learn to abide by these general texting rules, we all can live in a happier place with less of this “;)” and more actual words.

COLUMN

contact Craig atjrc07d@acu.edu

Tripp

Craig

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Texting is responsible for 16,000-plus deaths over the last five years. You can wait to tell your friends the score of the Cowboy’s game after you get where you’re going.

Rounding the BasesBrandon Tripp

It is the biggest sporting event of the year. More than $55 million are spent on this one day, ev-

ery year, for food alone. That doesn’t include the billions of dollars spent by advertisers trying to come up with the cleverest com-mercial of the year.

The Super Bowl truly is the one sporting event that can attract all walks of life. From the commer-cials we all love to the halftime show for which music lovers wait each year, this is an event people can rally around annually.

Last year, more than 106 million Americans watched the most rec-

ognizable sporting day of the year, almost one-third of the population.

The average NFL playoff game draws about 45 million viewers, that number more than doubles for the Super Bowl. People who wouldn’t be caught dead watching a football game at any other point during the year tune in this one Sunday night to take part in the American expe-rience, and it shows in the money and time spent on advertising by all kinds of advertisers.

Every year, companies like E-trade, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, GoDaddy.com and even Angry Birds get in on the action to have the most memo-rable commercial of the year. In fact, each new year is not just a competi-tion among other businesses’ com-mercials from that year, but also a competition to see how well your 30 seconds measures up against

the other greats in history. Ads like the Budweiser frogs, the Pepsi com-mercial with the geese, Mean Joe Green, the Jordan and Bird McDon-ald’s battle and Cat Herders, just to name a few. Commercials are the reason the Super Bowl has man-aged to have such a reach with such a wide variety of audiences.

Another reason to love the Super Bowl is the food. Everyone loves Su-per Bowl food – and lots of it. A 2006 study estimated that Americans consume 15,000 tons of chips, 4,000 tons of popcorn and more than 12 million pounds of avocados on Su-per Bowl Sunday. That means, for every person watching the game, viewers eat six feet of chips.

What’s more, everyone loves a good musical interlude to hard-hitting football. Until the 1990s, the Super Bowl halftime show

primarily consisted of college bands. But in 1993, that changed for good when Michael Jackson entertained the millions who tuned in to watch that year. For some people, the music is the reason to watch the game.

The Super Bowl also gives us a pretty good game most years. From the Titans coming up one yard short to the Patriots taking down the greatest show on turf before reel-ing off two of the next three, it’s re-ally about the football. We all want to see the New York Giants take down the undefeated Patriots.

From food, to commercials – and oh, by the way, the football game – the Super Bowl is the great-est sporting event in the world.

SportsStandings

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Team Div. Ovrl.

Tarleton St.UIWMSUASUENMUWTAMUTAMU-KACU

6-14-34-34-34-34-42-61-6

15-415-416-58-119-1017-47-139-10

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Team Div. Ovrl.Tarleton St.WTAMUACUAngelo St.UIWMSU

4-36-27-0

4-33-72-5

7-1213-817-2

11-86-126-13

Briefs

n Chris Thomsen and his football staff have announced their 2011-12 recruiting class, one that in-cludes 25 high school players and two trans-fers. These players all have signed binding national letters of in-tent to play for ACU.

n Tickets for the Lone Star Conference Bas-ketball Championship now are available for purchase. The tourna-ment will take place March 2-6 in Bartles-ville, Okla. Tickets cost $35 and can be purchased through the ACU athletics office or on www.lon-estarconference.org.

PlayerProfile

n Aaron Oliver, senior outfielder from Los Angeles, is looking

to build upon his stellar junior season Sunday as the ‘Cats

open up their season. A first-team All-American and South Central Region Player of the Year, Oliver hit .405, had 14 home runs, 65 RBI’s, 102 hits, 27 stolen bases and 79 runs scored, all of which were team highs last season.

n Former offensive tackle Trevis Turner will play in the NFLPA All-Star game on Saturday in San Antonio. This will be Turner’s scond all-star game this year.

Ex-Factor

February 7, 2011Page 6

Oliver

ENMU 2-5 4-15TAMU-K 1-7 3-17

n The men’s and women’s basketball teams will play An-gelo State University on Monday. Gameplay starts at 5:30 p.m. with the women’s game.

n The softball team will play Angelo State and St. Mary's on Monday, starting at noon.

n The baseball team will play a double header against Incar-nate Word on Monday, starting at 1 p.m.

Upcoming

Super Bowl unites America

FOOTBALL

Jones preps team for spring campaign

ACU’s women’s tennis team is aiming for an-other trip to the National Tournament after being crowned Lone Star Con-ference Champions last season.

To prepare the team for conference and nationals, the women’s spring sched-ule will be competitive and grueling, with matches against four Division I op-ponents in a mere five days.

Both the ACU men’s and women’s tennis teams will travel to Las Vegas during spring break for the Las Vegas Invitational, where teams from all divisions will be competing.

Cassie Carver, junior from Oklahoma City, expects her

team to advance at least to the sim-finals of nationals this year, she said.

“I think this is the best team we have had since I have been at ACU,” Carver said. “Individually, I would like to go undefeated and do my best at my position in doubles.”

Hannah Kelley, sopho-more tennis player from Richardson, echoed Carv-er’s hopes for the season.

“We will be playing some tough teams this year, but we have a great chance at nationals,” she said.

The home schedule of the Lady Wildcats consists of Louisiana-Lafayette, Tarleton State and New Mexico Military Institute, along with a few others.

Brenna Jefferies Sports Reporter

WOMEN’S TENNIS

FILE PHOTO //Heather Liephart

Senior Lauren White returns a volley at practice last season. The women’s team is preparing for its first match of the spring season against Tarleton State on Friday.

Athletics stall for ice out

It has been a mixed bag of emotions for ACU athletes during this “winter won-derweek” on campus.

Like all students, ath-letes have been out of school, but they also haven’t been able to compete on their respec-tive fields and courts. Both basketball teams had away games against Angelo State University pushed back from Tues-day to Thursday and then to Saturday. Additionally, the home game that was supposed to be played

on Saturday against the same Angelo State teams has been pushed back to Monday. This results in an odd scenario in which the Wildcats will play the Rams twice in 48 hours.

The first match-up of the two schools on Saturday ended uncharacteristically of how the season has gone so far. The men’s squad fi-nally won its first conference game of the season, breaking a six-game losing streak. The 74-71 overtime win over the Rams was the first in more than a month for the Wild-cats. Guard Zach Williams led the ‘Cats with 19 points in the game, including five

crucial points in the extra period. Forward Ben Warton added 11 while Guards Pres-ton Davis and Marcus Wash-ington each had 10.

It was a different story for the women’s team. A 67-63 loss to rival Angelo State breaks a three-game winning streak, and drops ACU in a tie with Angelo for third in the Lone Star Con-ference. Monday’s rematch in Moody Coliseum will be the biggest game of the sea-son for both teams as the winner will have the upper hand to move on to the LSC postseason tournament.

Austin GwinSports Editor

ATHLETICS

Wildcats reload on signing day

Another year, another sol-id recruiting class signed by ACU Head Coach Chris Thomsen. The Wildcats signed 24 high school se-niors to letters of intent on Wednesday and two transfer players.

Of the 26 signees, six are listed as wide receiv-ers, the most of any single position signed by the Wildcats so far this year. Those six wide receivers will become part of a re-

ceiving core that will have to fill some big shoes next season, replacing five se-niors including: Edmund Gates, Chris Fowler, Ken-drick Johnson and Ray-mond Radway.

The receivers signed by ACU average 6’1” and 190 pounds, four inches taller than the average of 5’9” and slightly heavier than the 188 pound average of the receiv-ing corps last season.

ACU also nabbed three offensive linemen in this

Brandon TrippSports Director

FOOTBALL

see RECRUIT page 4

see SEASON page 4

Tripp

see SNOW page 4

contact Tripp atbjt07a@acu.edu