The Optimist Print Edition" 04.15.11

LOCAL

Blue Taco, a restaurant known for its quirky taco and burrito combinations, will open a new location on Ambler Avenue. The grand opening is set for July 1.

This second site will replace Java City, located next to Hardin Simmons University, which owns the establishment.

Manager and Executive Chef Nathaniel Erwim said the push to add an addi-tional location in the area attempts to reach out to the customers on the north side of the city.

“A lot of our custom-ers come from that side of town, so it’s a little more

convenient for them,” Er-wim said. “Also, we can reach the hospital.”

With plans for the new restaurant underway, Java City has moved into its new location in HSU’s Moody Center.

Although the univer-sity owns the property, the restaurant will have no ties to the school, Erwim said. However, it still will offer student and military promotions, as does the Buffalo Gap location. Ad-ditionally, customers can earn free coupons and mer-chandise by text messaging ‘Blue Taco’ to 39649.

For its grand opening, the Ambler location will unveil a breakfast menu, a new move for the chain.

With the expanded menu and different location, Er-wim said he expects busi-ness to be “insane.”

“I hope that we’re busy from the minute we open the doors until we close,”

he said. “And it’s a good location, so I see business continuing pretty well.”

Blue Taco fan Parker Gordon, freshman piano

Optimistthe

Friday, April 15, 2011

acuoptimist.com

1 section, 8 pages

weatherinside

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websitenewsRecent cuts to the state education budget has some graduating education majors concerned.

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artsAs part of National Record Store Day, The Record Guys will offer live music and discounted records on Saturday.

76° 49°

Fri. Sun.Sat.

76° 52° 88° 61°

Record Celebration, page 5

Marissa FergusonStaff Reporter

Ambler anticipates Blue Taco

Vol. 99, No. 50

Abilene Christian University

MEAGAN HERNANDEZ // Staff Photographer

Workers prepare burritos at Blue Taco’s south-side location.

Local Tea Party advocates will gather in Downtown Abilene on Friday for the third-annual Taylor Coun-ty Tea Party Rally.

The event begins at 4 p.m. with booths set up in the lobby of the Windsor Hotel. The presenters will begin speaking at 5:30 p.m.

Taylor County Tea Party co-founder Pat Hippely said she is expecting a big crowd for the rally.

“Last year, the crowd estimates were around 500 people, but it was raining and cold,” Hippely said. “The first year, the esti-mates were around 1,000. We’ve been getting the word out, so I am antici-pating a good crowd.”

Hippely also is running for mayor of Abilene. She said the rally would convey a message in support of small-er government, starting small in cities like Abilene.

“Our group wants less government and less tax-es,” Hippely said. “Many tea parties and grass roots groups are finding out rep-resentatives even in the city are doing the same thing they are doing in Washing-ton. They are implement-ing mandates that circum-vent our constitution.”

Hippely said Friday’s rally should garner partic-ular interest among college students, since they are the future of America, she

Tea Party prepares annual rally

see TEA page 4

Students are not yet done voting for their new Stu-dents’ Association vice president. No vice-presi-dential candidate received 50 percent of the vote, so frontrunners Rebecca Dial

and Julianne Hart will undergo a runoff election on Friday.

Voting will take place in the McGlothlin Campus Center from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Other elections reached resolution Thursday. Connor Best will serve as SA president, and Carson Henley will serve as SA treasurer.

Both Dial, junior political science and history major from Lexington, S.C., and Hart, junior political science major from Austin, said they asked to have run off elections pushed to next week.

“I think that’s not enough time to in-form students and get everyone aware of the situation,” Dial said. “Plus, a lot of people are leaving tomorrow, and that hinders students from voting and being aware of what’s happening.”

However, SA Vice President Jared Elk, senior political science major from Savoy,

Jeff CraigManaging Editor

see TACOS page 4

photo illustration by JOZIE SANDS // Online EditorTwo of the four candidates for Students’ Association vice president, Julianne Hart, junior political science major from Austin, and Rebecca Dial, junior political science and history major from Lexington, S.C., will face each other in a runoff on Friday.

Friday FaceoffLOCAL

Vice president candidates enter runoff, Henley named Treasurer

photo galleryDuring the last Students’ Association Congressional meeting, Congress voted to restructure congress and show support of policy to bring back chalk advertisements.

see SA page 4

Linda Bailey, Editor in Chiefquick factsNearly 500 students voted in the 2011 Students’ Association election this year.

President• Connor Best, 437 votes

Vice President• Rebecca Dial, 148 votes• Julianne Hart, 139 votes• Katherine Handy, 115 votes• Natalie Fleet, 79 votes

Treasurer• Carson Henley, 312 votes• Heath Bracken, 136 votes

Students interested in pledg-ing a social club this fall will have the opportunity to preview each club as spring rushing begins April 18.

Students can meet and mingle with ACU’s vari-ous social clubs at an all-club rush from 5-6:30 p.m. in the campus mall area. Each club then will host two rushes of its own, one per week, from April 19-29.

Mark Jackson, associate director of student organi-zations, said spring rush-ing is especially great for new students, freshmen

and transfers wanting to get a head start on this fall’s pledging process.

“Students can find out if this is something they want to do,” Jackson said. “By the first fall rush, there’s more seriousness. Spring rushes are very relaxed and let students check out the clubs and see if they’re interested or not.”

All-club rush attendees will be able to visit various tables representing each social club and meet club members. Information on eligibility and registering for the fall pledge process

SOCIAL CLUBS

Clubs to offer spring rushes

Christina Burch Page 2 Editor

see CLUBS page 4

Equine-Assisted Learn-ing Workshop The University Counseling Center is conducting a workshop on dating and marriage Friday from 2-4 p.m. Current students who are either engaged or in a serious relation-ship are invited to partake in ground activities with horses and learn about the roles, struggles and personalities of intimate relationships. To reserve a spot, contact Steve Eller at [email protected].

Study Abroad Fall 2011 Spaces still are available in the Oxford and Mon-tevideo Study Abroad Programs for Fall 2011. Students can enroll in CORE 120 and CORE 220 in Oxford, and $1,000 scholarships are available for the Montevideo Study Abroad Program. For more information, visit the Study Abroad Office in Room 124 of the Hardin Administration Building.

Team Tatum Walk/Run for a Wish The ACU Student-Athlete Advisory Commit-tee is raising funds to help fulfill the wish of Tatum Kate Flaming, a local girl who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leuke-mia in 2009. Students can help support Flaming by participating in the Team Tatum Walk/Run for a Wish 5K on May 7. Pre-registra-tion is $15 and walk-up reg-istration costs $20. To learn more about Flaming’s story, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/tatumkate.

Online Summer Courses Registration for online sum-mer courses now is open. Students can choose from 15 courses, and each course is three weeks long. For more information, visit www.acu.edu/summeronline.

Grief Group The University Counseling Center is spon-soring a grief group on Thursdays in April. Each session is from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Hunter Welcome Center conference room. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Relay 4 Life The Fresh-man Action Council is selling Relay For Life shirts in the Campus Cen-ter. Shirts cost $10 and are available in four colors: pink in support of breast cancer, blue for prostate cancer, gold for childhood cancer and purple for general awareness.

All-school Chapel The Cha-pel Office encourages stu-dents to participate in “Bring Your Professor to Chapel Day” and invite their profes-sors to Chapel as a part of the campus-wide effort to attend Chapel every Monday.

Upward Bound Sum-mer Advisers Students interested in helping dis-advantaged high school students can apply now to become an Upward Bound summer adviser from May 29-July 8. Advis-ers will receive free room and board plus $925. For more information, call 674-2529 or 674-2713.

announcements

17Sunday

Just People, Inc. needs vol-unteers from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. for the Abilene Kite Festival on April 16 at Red Bud Park. Volunteers can help facili-tate safety measures and as-sist festival participants. For more information, contact Justina Thompson at 672-2118 or email [email protected].

International Rescue Committee Students can work with refugees who moved to the United States, teaching English, helping with homework and mentoring. Volunteer times are flexible. Call Daina Juryka-Owen at 675-5643 ext. 16 to make an appointment. For more information on the Inter-national Rescue Commit-tee, visit www.theirc.org.

Mesa Springs Healthcare Center needs volunteers 8 a.m.-5 p.m. any day of the week to help with fun activities for the residents, including playing in-struments, calling bingo and sitting and talking. All help is appreciated. Contact Laura Reynolds at 692-8080 or [email protected].

Madison Middle School is looking for male volun-teers to participate in a weekly “Boys2Men” lunchtime program for eighth grade boys. Speak-ers will address different aspects of growing up. Contact Jeff Womack at 692-5661 or [email protected].

Abilene Youth Sports Authority needs volunteers April 16-17 for a basket-ball tournament they will conduct at Abilene High School and Cooper High School. Students can help sell tickets and assist from the concession stand 8 a.m.- 9 p.m. Contact Katie Miller at 692-2972 or email [email protected].

Betty Hardwick Center Volunteers are needed in several departments at the Betty Hardwick Center, specializing in mental health. Students can help mentally and physically challenged people play games, run track and go bowling. Students can vol-unteer from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Monday-Friday. Contact Angel Seca at 690-5235 for more information.

Dyess Youth Center needs help with a Ping Pong Exhibition from 4-6 p.m. every Friday. Vol-unteers will preside over tournaments and help with an exhibition for the students. Transportation will not be provided, and volunteers cannot have any sexual assault charg-es or charges pending. For more information, contact Sheri Frisby at 696-4797, or email [email protected]. GED Tutoring Just People, Inc. needs volun-teers to tutor adult GED students. Volunteer times are flexible. Contact Jus-tina or Alana at 672-2118 for more information, or email [email protected].

Aimee’s Art Studio is seek-ing volunteers from 9-10 a.m. or 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, to assist with ho-meschool fine arts classes. No formal art skills or train-ing is required. The studio is a five-minute walk from ACU’s campus. For more information, contact Aimee Williams at 672-9633.

National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature Students can assist with art ac-tivities, sell books and welcome visitors from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. or 1-3 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday. For more information, contact Debby Lillick at 673-4586, or visit www.nccil.org.

Ben Richey Boys Ranch is seeking volunteers for its upcoming Annual Clay Shoot on April 30. Volunteers will be pull-ers at stations, help with registration or coordi-nate raffle ticket sales. Training will be given for both shifts at 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. or 11:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Free T-shirts and dinner are included for volunteers. Contact Patty Dunn at 665-4058 for more information.

The Salvation Army Volunteers are needed at the 1726 Butternut St. Salvation Army to sort and price items and help with kitchen or yard work. Volunteers are welcome any time Mon-day-Saturday. Contact J.D. Alonzo at 677-1408, or visit www.satruck.com for more informa-tion on the program.

Meals on Wheels Vol-unteers are needed to deliver meals to seniors and adults with dis-abilities. Routes are available 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Monday-Friday. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, with a valid driver’s license, auto insurance and a desire to serve. Training is provided. Students may be exempted from one Chapel per week if delivery time conflicts with Chapel. Contact Samantha Barker at 672-5050 or [email protected].

Friday, April 15, 2011

calendar & events15 Saturday16 18Monday

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

11 a.m. Praise Day in Moody Coliseum

5 p.m. Softball vs. Texas A&M University-Kingsville

5 p.m. Exercise Event at the intramural fields

6 p.m. Baseball at West Texas A&M University


7:30 p.m. The Pirates of Penzance in Fulks Theatre

11 a.m. Chapel in Moody Coliseum

9 a.m.-3 p.m. Celebration of Service

10 a.m. Phi Alpha Theta Regional Meeting for History Honors

1 p.m. Baseball at West Texas A&M University


7:30 p.m. The Pirates of Penzance in Fulks Theatre

8 p.m. ACU Opera The Consul in Cullen Auditorium

3 p.m. Pioneer Baptist Church Easter Pageant at the Abilene Civic Center. Free tickets available at the Pioneer Baptist Church main office.

11 a.m. Holy Week Chapel in Moody Coliseum

5 p.m. Softball vs. St. Edward’s University

5 p.m. All-club rush in the campus mall area

7 p.m. Softball vs. St. Edward’s University

8 p.m. Percussion Ensemble Concert in Cullen Auditorium

59

Chapel

Credited Chapels to date

Checkup14 Credited

Chapels remaining

ACU Police Tip of the WeekAvoid being the victim of financial crimes and keep a list of all debit/credit cards for quick and easy cancellations if your wallet or purse is stolen.

Police LogEdited for space

Wednesday, April 67:30 a.m. Aramark food services reported that a golf cart was stolen from the Aramark load-ing dock. ACU police located the missing cart at A.B. Barret Hall and returned it to Aramark.10:18 p.m. ACU police assisted the Abilene Po-lice Department with a one-vehicle accident at the 500 block of E.N. 10th Street. The vehicle was driven off the street in front of the Sherrod Apartments. MetroCare transported the driver to Hendrick Medical Center.

Saturday, April 92:55 a.m. ACU police offi-cers assisted the Abilene Police Department in deploying stop sticks on Highway 351 to stop a vehicle fleeing from Shackleford County.

Sunday, April 1012:40 p.m. An ACU fleet truck assigned to the Physical Resources de-partment was stolen from the ACU Physical Re-sources complex on Am-bler Avenue and driven through two fences. The vehicle was recovered by ACU police officers on East Overland Trail. Report all suspicious ac-tivity to the ACU Police Department at 674-2305.

Weekly StatsApril 5-12

AccidentAdministrative ActivityAssaultAssistAttempt to locateBarricadesBicycle/skateboard callBuilding lock/unlockBurglary (residence)Check buildingCitation issuanceCriminal mischief

Motorist assist: unlock Noise violationParking violationPatrol vehicle: maintenancePatrol vehicle: refuelReport writingStolen vehicleSuspicious activityTheftTraffic stopTrainingWelfare check

14

213

4

7

115

310

11

36

15211

15

1

1811

Direct traffic EscortFireFoot patrolFound propertyInvestigation follow upLost propertyMedical emergencyMonitor trafficMotorist assist: jumpstartOtherMotorist assist: other

121124

11

17

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Friday

April 15, 2011 Page 3CAMPUS NEWS

Shaky job market concerns education students

The recession and budget cuts affecting the country and state now are being felt within the College of Education and Human Services.

Angela Stornello, senior education major from Arling-ton, said she worries about job availability.

“It’s scary. I’m about to graduate, and their aren’t any jobs,” Stornello said. “I went to an ACU job fair specifically for education majors, and it was disheartening. They were saying they’d love to hire us, but they couldn’t.”

Despite a challenging economic situation, Dr. Dana Kennamer Hood, chair of Department of Curriculum and Instruc-tion and professor of cur-riculum and instruction, maintains a bright outlook for graduates and said her department prepares stu-dents to find jobs.

“Employers know we prepare excellent teachers, but students have to now be more active in their job search, especially in edu-cation,” Hood said. “The job market is not what you would call an open one, so we are being much more in-tentional and preparing our students for job interviews and having them become ESL-certified to make them more attractive candidates.”

Hood compared the economy to a wave that will pass eventually and said more spots would be-come available.

“I know of lots of teachers just in Abilene who have 25 years or more already,” Hood said. “In the next three to five years, we’ll see lots of those teachers retiring and opening up jobs for graduates.”

Teachers from around the Abilene Independent School District are con-fident of a turnaround in prospects as well.

“The teachers I work with, as a student teacher, say it will probably bounce back in two years,” Stor-nello said. “Once officials see what is going on, they’ll realize their mistake and fix what they are doing now.”

Will Foster, junior educa-tion major from Mesquite said he worries he might not be able to get a job later.

“I’ve heard of a lot of first year teachers being laid off right now, and I’m thinking, ‘what’s the point of spending all this money and getting a degree if I’m not going to be able to get hired after graduation?’” Foster said. “The cuts are hurting a lot of people right now. I’m glad I have a cou-ple of years left in school, because I’m hoping they’ll fix all their problems by the time I graduate.”

But as intimidating as fluctuating job security might seem for current graduates, both Hood and Stornello said

they also are concerned about how cuts to education will af-fect American children.

“There is no way our gov-ernment can cut funding and continue talks about excel-lence for our children,” Hood said. “Something will have to change, and they will have to address this.”

Many of the cuts eliminate more case-tailored programs under the assumption that all children can succeed with uniform care.

“It’s not fair to the kids,” Stornello said. “They are cutting extra programs like special-Ed and the gifted and talented programs, so many

children won’t get the atten-tion they need. How are we supposed to prepare them for the future if we don’t have the resources to provide them with what they need now?”

Matthew WoodrowOpinion Page editor

STUDENTS

DANIEL GOMEZ // Chief Photographer

Madalyn Baker, senior education major from Dumas, presents her senior showcase to faculty and peers in the Department of Education.

contact Woodrow [email protected]

Chapel prepares Holy Week

In a series entitled “Holy Week,” Chapel will be taking lessons from the Gospel of John, picking up last semes-ter’s theme.

The Chapels leading up to the Easter break will lead up to focusing on the cruci-fixion of Jesus.

Mark Lewis, assistant dean for Spiritual Life and Chapel programs, said he thinks this series will help the students focus on the gift that Jesus’ sacrifice was.

“Remembering the death burial and resurrection of Jesus is core to our practice as a Christian community,” Lewis said. “We hope to en-courage the ACU commu-nity to draw nearer to the Lord and celebrate all he has done for his children.”

Dr. Jack Reese will be lead-ing Wednesday’s Chapel in a Taize-style of worship. This alternative style of worship seeks to clear the mind and fo-cus it on God through prayer, repeated scripture and silent meditation. Jack Reese hopes that Wednesday’s Chapel will reflect the time Jesus spent in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Last year, the Chapel team hosted “Holy Week” for the first time. It decided to conduct the series again this year, following the posi-tive feedback received for the week of contemplation.

Lewis said he hopes this year’s Holy Week will be not only successful but inspira-tional as well.

“I want this to be a time for us to be renewed and recom-missioned through the ‘Good News’ of Jesus’ resurrection,” Lewis said.

Following Easter week-end, Monday’s Chapel will be a Resurrection Celebration to commemorate Jesus’ victory over death and the emanci-pation of his followers’ sins. Graduate worship intern Luke Baty will be leading the celebration in a Chapel simi-lar to Friday’s Praise Day.

“We all have our own sep-arate churches we go to, but the resurrection still holds power and meaning for all of us, and I believe it’s impor-tant to celebrate it together, Baty said. “I like to think of it like Christmas. Many of us celebrate Christmas with lots of different families dur-ing the holidays, and this is ACU family celebrating not his birth, but resurrection the Monday after.”

Matthew WoodrowOpinion Page Editor

CHAPEL

contact Woodrow [email protected]

History students to present research at regional event

Ten ACU undergradu-ate students will present original research Satur-day at the Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference, an honors history conference sponsored by the ACU De-partment of History.

The conference will include 22 sessions with more than 50 presenta-tions by undergraduate and graduate students from universities across the region.

According to Dr. Tracy Shilcutt, associate profes-sor of history, ACU stu-dents have worked with various professors on re-search topics ranging from biographical sketches of Gilded Age politicians to museum collections man-agement strategies.

ACU students will pres-ent alongside students from Angelo State Univer-sity, Dallas Baptist Uni-versity, Hardin-Simmons University, Midwestern State University, Texas Wesleyan University, Tex-as Woman’s University, the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of North Texas.

The 22 sessions are scheduled throughout the day Saturday and in-clude a variety of topics. In each session, at least two student panelists will present papers related to

a given topic to a session chair and audience.

Sessions include but are not limited to: Mili-tary History, Women’s History, British India, Slavery and Human Sacri-fice in the Ancient World, Early Nineteenth Centu-ry Texas and Ancient and Roman Biographies.

Amanda Arzigian, ju-nior history major from Edgewood, N.M., will be presenting a paper ti-tled “Rocks, Papers, and Sometimes Scissors: The Challenges of Collections Management.” The pa-per discusses and com-pares challenges Arzigian noted firsthand during internships with Salinas Pueblo Missions Nation-al Monument, a National Park Service museum lo-cated in New Mexico, and ACU Special Collections.

“I am looking forward to hearing others pres-ent and getting feedback on my research,” Arzigian said. “It is interesting to use a paper to synthesize research and process what I have done, putting it in a larger historical context.”

Trent Dietz, senior history major from Long-mont, Colo., will present a paper based on his in-ternship with the 306th Bomb Group Association, a group that preserves the history of the 306th during World War II.

“I was able to use the

306th BGA’s historical col-lection, currently housed at ACU,” Dietz said. “I think that this event will help me step out of the classroom and into a more professional realm. This event isn’t about graded assignments, but about becoming a better historian.”

The university has been encouraging under-graduate and graduate research among students and faculty alike as part of the Quality Enhancement Plan. Dr. Phyllis Bolin, chair of the QEP Develop-ment Team, commended the Department of Histo-ry for furthering the goals of the university.

“ACU’s Quality En-hancement Plan (QEP) of Pursuit is working to expand opportunities for faculty-mentored re-search with students,” said Bolin, “The Depart-ment of History has a long history of faculty/student collaboration on research and schol-arly projects and is to be commended and encour-aged as they fulfill goals of the QEP.”

For more information about the event, visit their http://www.acu.edu/academics/cas/histor y/pat/index.html.

Laura GasvodaStaff Reporter

STUDENTS

contact Gasvoda [email protected]


Dr. Stephen Moore, assistant professor of English, attempts to fly a kite with his class on Wednesday as part of a class activity after reading The Kite Runner.

Let’s Go Fly a Kite

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Page 4 April 15, 2011FROM THE FRONT

Honors students present work at conference

Five ACU honors students presented their research at the Great Plains Honors Council’s annual confer-ence April 1-2 in Arlington. Honors students from more than twenty institutions in five states shared their work in fields ranging from biol-ogy to English.

Meghan Clark, senio rpolitical science major from Olney, said the op-portunity to hear the per-spectives of students from John Brown University and junior colleges across the state broadened her own perspective on research and scholarship. It also al-lowed her to examine her research on the roles of Turkish women in politics and society in the light of different worldviews.

“Presenting the paper challenged me to make sure that I could clearly explain my research to people who weren’t familiar with my topic,” said Clark. “It also gave me a chance to get feedback from people who don’t know me and can, therefore, be completely objective when evaluating my research.”

The conference’s broad spectrum of research fields offered a fitting setting for Amanda Arzigian, junior history major from Edge-wood, N.M., to share her research, she said. In her paper, titled “Rocks, Papers, and Sometimes Scissors: The Challenges of Collec-tions Management,” Arzi-gian compared her chal-lenges and priorities while working at ACU’s paper archives to interning under cultural resources at the

Salinas Pueblo Missions in New Mexico.

“I didn’t do scientific research, but I used my experiences to talk about my topic,” Arzigian said. “They shed light on mu-seum methodology.”

Though the conference welcomed non-scientific research, it also accepted Amber Deschamps’ pre-sentation on genetic di-versity among populations of a species of shrimp that lives along the Texas coast. Deschamps, senior biol-ogy major from Liberty Hill, asserted in her pre-sentation that the fishing industry would be hurt if the ghost shrimp, used as fish bate, formed two seg-regated genetic pools.

Dr. Joe Stephenson, in-terim dean of the Honors College, and Dr. Chris Wil-lerton, professor of English

and honors studies, ac-companied the students to Arlington, Deschamps said. Each of the professors pre-sided at over a paper pre-sentation session.

The conference par-ticipants heard Dr. Mary Vacarro, professor of art history at the University of Texas at Arlington, speak about a painting recently determined to be the ear-liest surviving work of Mi-chelangelo, Arzigian said. Attendees then viewed painting at the Fort Worth museum district.

Exploring the Kimbell Art Museum, the Mod-ern Art Museum of Forth Worth, and the Amon Cart-er Museum of American Art served as the highlights of the trip for Arzigian. For Clark, the conference was an extension of her journey as an ACU honors student.

“The honors experience, as a whole, has been im-portant in my decisions as a students and a scholar,” Clark said. “As an honors student, you tend to look at how you can best do some-thing the easiest way out.”

Clark said she took the conference as an opportu-nity to show that ACU stu-dents can do good work.

Christianna LewisSenior Reporter

STUDENTS

quick factsFive students gave their presentations at the Great Plains Honors Council’s conference in Arlington.• Amanda Arzigian, junior history major from Edgewood, N.M.: “Rocks, Papers, and Sometimes Scissors: The Challenges of Collections Management”

• Meghan Clark, senior political science major from Olney: “The Role of Women in Turkish Politics and Development”

• Amber Deschamps, senior biology major from Liberty Hill: “Population Genetic Study of the Ghost Shrimp Callichirus islagrande”

• Amanda Goodall, junior communications major from North Richland Hills: “For the Love of Love: A Rhetorical Analysis of The Bachelor”

• Greg Jeffers junior English major from Sugarland: “Oppression and Rebellion in American Novels: A Political/Philosophical Reading”

contact Lewis [email protected]

performance major from Stephenville, said he will appreciate the shorter drive, especially consider-ing rising gas prices.

“I like Blue Taco be-cause it offers good Mexi-can food at a good price. There is a lot of variety you can choose from, and it all goes into one taco shell,” Gordon said. “Right now, the closest place we can go for a bur-rito is Sharky’s, but some-times we want something

different. You couldn’t ask for a better location.”

Unlike Sharky’s and Chipotle burrito-based restaurant chains, Blue Taco offers authentic blue-colored tacos. And Erwin said he hopes the new lo-cation will encourage pa-trons to try new flavors. He suggests the shredded beef or shredded chicken.

“I try to get people to think a little bit outside of their normal flour tortilla. For example to get pine-apple on it, perhaps,” he said. “I want to get them away from their normal everyday going to the store to find a flour tortilla.”

Continued from page 1

Tacos: Restaurant hopes to draw college students

LOCAL

contact Ferguson [email protected]

There is a lot of variety you can choose from.

PARKER GORDON // freshman piano performance major from Stephenville‘‘ ’’

said, and America’s col-lege students would be among those forced to suffer consequences for the decisions made today.

“We’re not doing this for us. We are doing this for my children, grand-children and college students,” Hippely said. “We want them to have the same great nation we had that was built of Ju-deo-Christian and indi-vidual rights, not social justice issues.”

Nine individuals will speak at the rally, includ-ing Hippely and Glenn Addison, an ACU alum-nus running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated

by Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2012. Addison gradu-ated from ACU in 1983 with degrees in business and political science.

Addison said his speech on Friday would focus on America’s need for a wake-up call from the way politics current-ly works.

“I’m just fed up with politics as usual in this country, from both par-ties. I’m fed up with ca-reer folks promoting their own career,” Ad-dison said. “I do not see politicians standing up with courage. I do not see them saying what we need to hear, which is that there are no easy so-lutions to our problems,

and we must take some bitter medicine.”

Addison said he hoped to see many college stu-dents at the rally be-cause modern issues should matter to college students. ACU students, especially, he said, might be intrigued by the rally’s message, as attendees of a historically conserva-tive university.

Addison said he is run-ning his campaign on a platform of term limits and smaller government. He hopes to reach voters next year with his common-man approach to politics.


Tea: Party plans local rallyLOCAL

contact Craig [email protected]

said voters only would ben-efit from a delayed runoff if SA had planned another big event prior to casting votes, at which candidates could share their platforms. Be-cause campaign events al-ready have finished, Elk said the lapse in time would only diminish voter turnout.

“We want to capitalize on the momentum we cur-rently have from the elec-tions,” Elk said.

Hart, however agreed with Dial, saying conduct-ing the election the next day could hurt voter turnout.

“I’m a little worried with the quick turnaround that people won’t know what’s going on and vote a second time,” Hart said.

Both Dial and Hart said they plan to visit dorms

and other large student gathering places to let students know what’s going on and encourage them to vote Friday.

Both also said they would still be involved in SA Con-gress if they don’t win

And Best said he was excited about the prospect of working with either vice-presidential candidate.

“I think no matter who wins vice president race, we are going to have three very hard workers,” Best said. “The work ethic of the two vice-presidential candidates is very high. We all want to see SA accomplish its full potential and get back to what it can do.”

He also said Henley’s commitment to SA would make the new treasurer an excellent leader.

Henley said he was ready

for next year’s cabinet to be-gin collaborating.

“Knowing the issues that SA has had the previous two years, that has taught us that we need to make SA work a lot better,” Henley said. “Connor and I are best friends on this campus, and whoever the VP is will fit into the puzzle.”

Best said he’s been think-ing about the presidency all week, but now that he is of-ficially elected, he can de-velop plans for next year.

“I’ve taken this week to think about and pursue vi-sions for ACU,” Best said, “and now, knowing it’s of-ficial, I’m going to start talk-ing to other officers and fig-ure out a vision we can have for next year.”

also will be available.“You may have great

understanding of each club and think you know which direction you’re going,” Jackson said. “But then you start to meet people and maybe start to rethink that.”

Tom Craig, director of student productions, said he believes spring rush-ing is the perfect oppor-tunity for students to get to know the personality of each club.

“For students who want the complete ACU experi-

ence, they should pledge a social club,” Craig said. “When a student joins a club at ACU, they get to know people on a deeper level and have a greater variety of experiences than they would any oth-er way on campus.”

Craig said he encour-ages students to consid-er pledging, so they can form these special rela-tionships found in clubs.

“Those experiences and relationships will literally last a lifetime as they come back for club events as alumni at Homecoming, Sing Song and other ACU func-

tions,” Craig said.In order to pledge in

the fall, students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher and must not be on academic pro-bation. They must have completed high school in 2010 or earlier and com-pleted two full semes-ters of college (at least 24 hours). Students also must be enrolled full time in classes.

Students can view the rushing calendar and reg-ister for fall pledging at www.acu.edu/socialclubs.

Clubs: Rushes start MondaySOCIAL CLUBS

SA: Best wins presidencySTUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

contact Bailey [email protected]


contact Burch [email protected]


ArtsApril 15, 2011 Page 5

Apr. 15

Apr. 15

Apr. 15

Apr. 19

New Releases

Rio(Fox)

Scre4m(Dimension Films)

The Conspirator(Roadside Attractions)

Ip Man 2: Legend Of The Grandmaster(Variance Films)

ACU Events

PostagramPhotographyHHHHP o s t a g r a m is a partner

to the popular camera app, Instagram. Postagram takes the photos captured through Instagram and creates print-ed postcards that can be sent anywhere in the world for only 99 cents each. The postcard includes a small picture of the sender, a 140 character message, and 2.5-in. by 2.5-in. pop out print of the selected photo. Posta-grams are printed on thick, high quality photo postcards at 300 dpi resolution and take 2-5 business days for U.S. delivery. Postagrams is a free app that works with all devices that have iOS 3.1.2 or later and use Instagram.

Percussion Ensemble Concert8 p.m.Cullen Auditorium

MONDAY

The Pirates of Penzance7:30 p.m.Williams Performing Arts Center

FRIDAY & SATURDAY

App of the Week

Apr. 19Rabbit Hole(Lionsgate)

Apr. 19Somewhere(Focus Features)

IN THEATERS

DVD

MUSIC

Apr. 19Clare MayHush

Apr. 19The King’s Speech(The Weinstein Company)

Apr. 19NedryCondors

Apr. 15Footprints(Paladin)

Apr. 15

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I(Warner Bros.)

Apr. 15Atlas Shrugged(Lionsgate)

Apr. 19Kimberly CaldwellWithout Regret

Apr. 19French Horn RebellionThe Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion

Apr. 19I’m From BarcelonaForever Today

Apr. 19JennifereverSilesia

Apr. 19Duff McKaganThe Taking

Apr. 19Dengue FeverCannibal Courtship

Apr. 19The UnthanksLast

Apr. 15The Double Hour(Samuel Goldwyn Films)

Apr. 19WolframWolfram

OPERA & ARTWORK

When Rick P i e r -sall, as-s i s t a n t

professor of music and opera conductor, decided that the mu-sic department would be performing Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Consul as its spring opera, he knew he wanted to put a spe-cial spin on it.

A c c o m p a n y i n g the opera will be art-work created by Dan McGregor, associate professor of art and design.

“I’ve done this show twice professionally, and I always thought it would look great as a graphic novel,” Piersall said. “I talked to Dan, and he thought it was a great idea.”

McGregor said he was excited about working on a project so new and different to him.

“My job was to create images that would project behind the actors,” McGregor said. “I didn’t want to create anything that was literally happen-ing on the stage, so I worked on making art that’s supplemen-tal to the story.”

This process in-cluded digitally drawing intriguing posters for advertis-ing and more subtle background images to use during the show. Each drawing took hours to create, and McGregor drew approximately 20.

“I took photo-graphs of the cast members, posed them in dramatic lighting and then used them as refer-ence materials to do my drawings,” McGregor said. “I’ve been working on them pretty non-stop for a month.

McGregor explained that he was able to cre-ate these pieces because he resonated with the themes of oppression in the show.

“I just read a book about the history of Poland. I feel very emotional about the Polish people and their story,” McGregor said. “This opera doesn’t spe-cifically identify itself with any country or year, but I continu-ally kept the Polish people in mind as I was drawing.”

Piersall said the message of the opera is one of the main reasons he selected it for this semester.

“It’s a very pow-erful show,” Piersall said. “It’s very politi-cally relevant, as so many countries are fighting for freedom right now.”

Julie Dieltz, senior vocal performance major from Sioux Falls, S.D., portrays Magda Sorel, the protagonist of the opera. She agrees that the artwork en-hances the message of the show.

“Something that is big in opera is ver-isma, which is telling the truth with the op-era. This show really tells the truth,” Dieltz said. “By having the pictures, it allows the audience to have multiple images in their mind and cre-ate their own images. It shows what really can happen and what really does happen.”

Both McGregor and Piersall said that not only is this opera relevant, but because it is in English, it should be accessible to ACU students.

“I hope that a lot of people come see it,” McGregor said. “If you haven’t seen an opera before, this is a good one to cut your teeth on.”

The Consul opened on Tuesday and will perform its second and final show Sat-urday night in Cullen Auditorium at 8:00 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door and cost $5 for students and $10 for adults.

Sandra AmstutzArts Editor

Shop recognizes National Record DayIndependent record stores across the country will ob-serve National Record Day on Saturday. Jon Howell, co-owner and operator of Abilene’s own record store, Record Guys, learned about the holiday this year and jumped at an opportunity celebrate his passion with the community.

“It’s grown in the past 3 or 4 years, as big artists have begun to support in-dependent record stores,” Howell said. “Some people, like Jack White’s record la-bel, release albums specifi-cally for this day.”

Howell plans to distin-guish the day at his store by selling a host of restored stereos and bringing out more than 2,000 new re-cords for fans to peruse and purchase.

“I’ve been working day and night at putting new stuff out on the floor,” Howell said. “There will be at least 30% new stock out here by Saturday.”

In addition to all of the new product, live acoustic music will be performed all day on stage in the store. Howell has invited the public to use his facili-

ty as a platform for music.“The floor is open to

anyone who wants to come and play,” Howell said.

Musicians Howell has already locked down in-

clude local favorites Hun-gry, Mother and Blinded by Bears. Blinded by Bears per-former Michael Perkins says he is excited to celebrate such an important medium.

“I like that this event could get more people in vinyl,” Per-kins said. “Vinyl has a much warmer sound and you can get a lot more depth.”

Howell also says that if someone has never tried listening to vinyl before, this event is the perfect op-portunity to start.

“Give it a chance. Stop by the store to give some music a listen,” Howell said. “At $2 a record, it’s a fun and cheap hobby to get into.”

Record Guys is located at 729 Leggett Drive and will celebrate National Record Day from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.


contact Amstutz [email protected]

SANDRA AMSTUTZ // Arts Editor

Multiple genres of music are laid out and ready to purchase at Record Guys.

Photos Courtesy of DAN MCGREGOR

Dan McGregor, associate professor of art and design, created art that represents themes of oppression.

Apr. 19Gulliver’s Travels(Fox)

Apr. 19The Way Back(Newmarket Films)

Jazz Ensemble Concert8 p.m.Cullen Auditorium

WEDNESDAY

A Fashion Show!5:30 p.m.The ACU Campus Store

FRIDAY

Bag It: Movie screening and discussion4 p.m.Bible room 129

WEDNESDAY

contact Amstutz [email protected]

‘The Consul’ uses professor’s designs

Guest ColumnBy Meagan Hernandez

A toddler with an iPad.Despite the hilarity

of the idea, I saw it with my own eyes.

During a recent trip to an u p s c a l e mall, I observed a mother and a little boy pass the Apple store.

“Mommy! Look, they have iPads. You prom-ised me a new toy!” he exclaimed. The mother replied with a laugh, and the duo entered the store.

Now, I’m not sure if a purchase was made, but the simple fact that the child d e m a n d e d what he want-ed and the mother gave in without an objection is appalling. Add the fact that the child f l i p p a n t l y thought of an expensive electronic device as a toy, and the situation is jaw-dropping.

As I stood in shock, wondering if it would be obvious if I followed the two into the store, I thought: Are chil-dren these days being raised as a generation of “spoiled brats?”

The problem already prevails among young adults. A craving for the latest fashions, the fastest electronics, the shiniest cars and power consumes most young adults’ life agendas. As these young adults be-come spouses and par-ents, inevitably they pass this mindset to their children.

Today a child wants an iPad; tomorrow they

will want the whole Apple store. There are so many useful prod-ucts in the Apple line. Why bother a child with a coloring book? Give them Photoshop.

A recent study by the University of Pennsyl-vania discovered that children ask for at least 14 items per day. I can’t imagine how a child discovers 14 different things a day to ask for, but they do.

Give in to those 14 things a day, and they will start asking 70 times more.

A child’s want for something expensive really boils down to the parents’ first purchase

of something expensive. An important step in raising a child: Buy your child’s love. If they want something, you must get it for them, even if you have to work three jobs and sell all your expen-sive jewelry. No amount of love and discipline will gain their respect. Materialistic posses-sions mean everything. Just ask mother of the year, Dina Lohan.

If my sarcasm in the last paragraph was not clear to you, you might be on the track toward becoming a contribu-tor to the “generation of spoiled brats.”

COLUMN

Pampered kids become ‘brats’

With the removal of the physical part of pledging next semester, social club bids will lose much of their significance, both for mem-bers and those pledging.

Clubs recently were in-formed that the physical activities that typically play an integral role in pledging will be removed from the process, and pledges no longer will be allowed to perform physi-cal activities, including calisthenics.

“Calisthenics,” accord-ing to the revised ACU Anti-Hazing Policy and Philosophy, include any activity that involves “sys-tematic rhythmic bodily exercises performed, usu-ally without apparatus.”

By removing the phys-ical challenges from the pledging experience, ad-ministrators also are im-peding the commitment of pledges to their clubs. Without the sense of ac-complishment resulting from surmounting physi-cal obstacles, pledges will not acquire the sought

level of dedication to their respective clubs. Pledging essentially will morph into a sign-up sheet, and pledges will develop little of the loy-alty physical activity tra-ditionally has fostered.

Diminished commit-ment results in lessened enthusiasm for club activ-ities like service projects, events or even Sing Song. Without deep commit-ment, organizations fail.

Although filtering and evaluating pledging ac-tivities on an individual basis represents a respon-sible task for administra-tion, completely cutting calisthenics castrates the camaraderie that can only result from collective ex-haustion and a necessary reliance on fellow pledges to achieve both group and individual goals.

Wildcats who have de-cided to partake in the pledging process dur-ing the last 50-plus years understood the ramifica-tions of their decision. The physicality of pledg-

ing was an accepted and integral part of the pro-cess and remains a well-known aspect of the ex-perience among pledges accepting their bids. No pledge is blindsided by the news that they must perform physical activity.

In addition to emascu-lating the pledging process and undermining its inher-ent goals, eliminating cal-isthenics exponentially in-creases the risk that clubs will go rogue with their pledging activities. Right or wrong, some clubs may resort to off-the-grid, off-campus activity to sustain their traditions.

A quick look at pledg-ing at other universities proves the existence and weight of this temptation. The law that sparked the restructuring of pledging at ACU actually is a state

law, making it one that other universities – public and private – must respect. Yet the traditional pledg-ing tales still abound; pledges still are forced to participate in the same activities as always, just without the knowledge of those in charge.

Physical challenge rep-resents an integral and longstanding aspect of the pledging process. It propels pledges toward accomplishing more than they thought possible, both individually and as a group. Removing that challenge eliminates the value of pledging alto-gether and will transform social clubs into either dwindling cliques or un-der-the-radar liabilities.

Laura AcuffCopy Editor

Bailey GriffithCopy Editor

Morgan DavisCartoonist

Students had no say in who would represent them as Students’ Associ-ation president next year, but they do have a say in what that person will do.

Don’t get us wrong, Con-nor Best has the talent, lead-ership and goals to make an outstanding president. But even the best leaders need accountability from their constituents.

Students should stay informed on SA issues and activity to make sure rep-resentatives are earning their paychecks.

SA president, vice presi-

dent, treasurer and secre-tary each make $1,080 per month, each bringing in more than $8,000 per aca-demic year. Second-level SA employees, such as chief communications officer, chief development and chief financial officer, make $540 each per month, making more than $4,000 each per year. These salaries come from the student activities fund, and that money comes from the students, giving students an even greater in-centive to keep accountable their representatives, sena-tors and officers.

Students must keep an eye on what SA is doing. They should attend meet-ings, talk to their represen-tatives, file complaints, sub-mit ideas, provide feedback and make requests.

Some students might be under the impression that SA can’t really do anything. The truth is, it obviously doesn’t have the same power as administration, but at the end of the day, it can do something.

Although SA can’t wield equivalent power to admin-istrators, it does maintain increased ability to bend

administrative ears. Not to mention, SA officers dole out $180,000 per academic year. Out of that total, SA allocated more than $80,000 to student organizations this academic year and used more than $6,000 for student events.

However, nearly $7,000 went unspent last se-mester, said SA Treasurer Chris Shim, senior finance major from Atlanta.

Every dollar SA distrib-utes represents pennies out of our pockets. SA is a heav-ily funded organization that students have the power to influence. And although

we continually complain about tuition increases, we don’t often question where a large chunk of the student activities fee goes.

Unlike tuition, students can directly affect the dis-tribution of the student ac-tivities fund. We can plan worthwhile events in our student organizations and request funds from SA that

we will actually spend. We can give representatives ideas on how to use money allocated to classes and general activity funds. And we can watch how SA spends its money, holding it accountable when funds are going unused.

OpinionPage 6 April 15, 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: [email protected]

editorial and letter policy

By Morgan DavisThe Funny Funnies

Students should scrutinize SA’s spendingEDITORIAL

contact the Optimist [email protected]

the issueSA controls nearly $180,000 of student money, and the top three positions earn $1,080 a month.

our takeStudents need to hold SA accountable and exercise influence over how student activities funds are spent.

contact Hernandez [email protected]

Hernandez

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editorial & management board

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Optimistthe

Today a child wants an iPad; tomorrow they will want the whole Apple store. There are so many useful products in the Apple line. Why bother a child with a coloring book? Give them Photoshop.

Changes cripple pledging processEDITORIAL

contact the Optimist [email protected]

the issueThe new pledging policy prohibits clubs from requiring pledges to perform calisthenics.

our takeThe lack of physicality will take away from the camaraderie of club and increase the potential of unauthorized activities.

The ACU softball team is hoping to have a short mem-ory and renewed mindset as it rebounds from losing two out of three games to Texas Women’s University last weekend before taking on Texas A&M University -Kingsville Friday and Sat-urday at Wells Field.

The Wildcats beat the Pioneers 8-6 on Friday be-fore falling to them 8-0 and 9-4 in the latter games of the series.

Errors and pitching problems plagued the

’Cats, as both were present in the two games they lost. Eight walks, coupled with two errors, hindered ACU in the second game of the series, while TWU’s Lizzy Kelly silenced the ACU bats in their 8-0 win in the nightcap of the series.

“There are lots of things that we can work on and improve before the series with Texas A&M-Kingsville. I thought we were sub-par in all facets of the game in the two games we lost, so that gives us things to work on in preparation for this weekend,” Head Coach Bobby Reeves said.

The Javelinas, riding a current six-game losing streak, enter the matchup averaging slightly better than 4 runs per game, ju-nior outfielder Kaycee Bry-an leading the offense. Bry-an leads the team in batting average (.359), runs (28), hits (52) and triples (5).

“These guys should not be taken lightly. They have beaten St. Mary’s three times this year, and that’s more than we can say. They are a very scrappy team and can hurt you if you al-low them to,” Reeves said.

The Javelinas (3-9, 22-22) enter the series in sev-

enth place in the Lone Star Conference South Division, but catcher Erin Gilliland said that their record has no indication of who they are as a team.

“At this time of the year, we can’t take any team lightly. We’re looking at this series with the same mindset as we did when we played Angelo State.”

Gilliland said. “Each series from here on out is critical for us, and we have been preparing all week for them and are excited to play them this weekend.”

The Wildcats, on the other hand, are sitting in a tie for third in the LSC South. Their offense re-mains a strong point, as they continue to score bet-

ter than 5.5 runs per game this year.

Several different players rank tops on the team in certain categories. Valenti-na Nabayan leads the team in homeruns (9), RBIs (30), and on-base percentage (.469). Melissa Mendoza leads the team in hits (69), runs (40), doubles (14) and batting average (.423).

ACU (22-22, 7-5) will host TAMU-K in a double-header Friday, starting at 5 p.m. before playing at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

April 15, 2011 Page 7FROM SPORTS

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For Rent:Two nice 1 bedroom apartments on same property as our home.Available June 1Also, one large 4 bedroom/2 bath house.All listings located 1/2 block from campus on College DriveNo Smoking/No petsCall 672-9633 or 370-5122 if interested.

CLASSIFIED

Wildcats look to rebound against cellar dwellerBryson Shake

Assistant Sports Editor

SOFTBALL

contact Shake [email protected]

Each series from here on out is critical for us, and we have been preparing all week for them...

ERIN GILLILAND // junior catcher for the ACU Wildcats‘‘ ’’

Loss: St. Mary’s ‘earns’ victory

In the seventh, the Rattlers would add two more runs. ACU was unable to score the rest of the game, as the Rattlers went on to win 6-2.

“For the most part, we played all right today. We pitched well and played good defense, we just didn’t have timely hits and didn’t get enough people on in the right situations,” senior Cameron Watten said. “We didn’t give it to them, but they earned it today and beat us.”

The Wildcats will not have time to dwell on this loss, since they have an up-coming important week-end series against West Texas A&M University.

The Wildcats currently are tied with West Texas A&M for the sixth and fi-nal playoff spot in the conference tournament. ACU will travel to Canyon this weekend for three big games against the Buffa-loes. ACU will need to play well against WT this week-end and down the stretch

in order to make the LSC tournament.

“WT is always tough, they have a new field, so it should be fun to play at and should be exciting for us to get up and go out there and compete,” Watten said. “We have played well on the road this year, but our backs are against the wall the past three weeks, so it is important that we come out with a sense of urgency and play well.”

It will not be an easy road for the Wildcats, as ACU only

has three remaining series left in conference play. After playing WT this weekend, ACU has a three-game series against Cameron University, which currently ranks fourth in the conference. ACU will conclude its season with a three-game series against Southwestern Oklahoma. Regardless of where they finish, the ‘Cats will host the LSC tournament on May 7-10, 2011.

BASEBALL

contact Cantrell [email protected]


LSC: ’Cats will compete for back-to-back titlesdrought, however, the Wildcats dominated the LSC postseason tourna-ment, winning 7 of 10 titles from 1985 to 1995.

Other notable teams with a chance of winning the tournament include the University of Central Oklahoma, Cameron Uni-versity and Midwestern State University. Those three teams, along with the Wildcats, finished in the top four of the UCO/Kickingbird Classic two weeks ago.

“UCO is ranked ahead of us and won the last tour-nament,” Bouniol said. “That puts them as the fa-vorite and all the pressure on their shoulders.”

The LSC tournament will take place Monday-Wednesday in San Antonio. The Wildcats will arrive on Saturday and play a prac-

tice round on Sunday to get a feel for the course. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, each com-petitor will play one round each to decide the overall and individual champions.

GOLF

contact Gwin [email protected]


Coach: Crawford deserved chance

was in just his second sea-son as head coach and had a winning record in those two seasons at 79-60-25.

Granted, the Stars’ fall from first place to out of the playoff picture was hard to deal with for Stars fans, but observers should consider the fact that Dal-las was not projected to make the playoffs.

The frustration cli-maxed when the Stars dropped their final regu-lar season game to the Minnesota Wild in a game that was do or die for the eighth and final playoff spot. All the Stars had to do was win a game, and Crawford still would have a job today. Instead, they completed the choke of the year in the NHL by missing out on the play-offs after being atop the conference.

To make the firing more of a puzzle, the Stars – even with their absence from the

playoffs – set a record, be-coming the first team with 95 points to not make the playoffs. Crawford should not have been fired based, essentially, on the fact that the Western Conference was just better than it has been in recent years.

Although the Stars were minus six in goal differen-tial on the year, coaches have kept their jobs with less impressive numbers. Marvin Lewis was signed to a contract extension this off-season, despite going just 4-12 and finish-ing dead last in the NFL North, one of the toughest divisions in football.

So when you look at things like that, Crawford seems to have been unfair-ly fired. Crawford had the pedigree and previous ac-complishments to back the fact that he deserved an-other year to get this team into the post-season.

COLUMN

contact Tripp [email protected]

Wins: Women remain perfect

match at 7-6, 7-6, but he had great serves all match.”

On the women’s side, the No. 6 Wildcats swept every point against Cam-eron, 9-0, showing ACU’s team strengths, said fresh-man Emily Conrad.

“Cameron is ranked second in the conference, and this dominant win shows all the other teams in the conference just how good we are,” Conrad said. “It really gives us a lot of confidence going into the post-season.”

The women already had clinched home-court ad-vantage for regionals and will head into the Lone Star Conference Cham-pionships with a perfect 7-0 conference record. Freshman Micah Herms-dorf said today’s matches bring the regular season to an end on a high note for both teams.

“We did this as a team,” Hermsdorf said. “Every match counted, and we all played a part in this win.

We stayed tough and loose, and we played well.”

The Conference Cham-pionships will be played in Oklahoma City next

weekend, April 22-23. Re-gionals will take place the next weekend, and the National Championships take place mid-May.

Both squads went to na-tionals last year.

TENNIS

contact Smith [email protected]




Eldad Campbell goes after a ball against Cameron. Campbell won his singles match 7-6, 7-6.

UCO is ranked ahead of us and won the last tournament. That puts them as the favorite...

CYRIL BOUNIOL // senior golfer for the ACU Wildcats‘‘ ’’

Rounding the BasesBrandon Tripp

Ninth place in the NHL Western Conference sounds bad, but it sounds

a bit better when you c o n s i d e r the fact that your team was thir-teenth the season be-

fore and a non-factor in playoff conversation.

That’s why the deci-sion by Joe Nieuwendyk to fire Coach Marc Crawford seems a bit hasty. Crawford

SportsStandings

Briefs

n The men’s track and field team retained its No. 1 na-tional ranking for the second straight week in a poll released Tuesday by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association. The women’s team ranks No. 6 in its respec-tive poll.

n The intramural of-fice is organizing a golf scramble. The scramble will be a four-person, nine-hole format during the week of April 25-29 at Maxwell Golf Course. Call the golf course at 692-2737 to sign up. To schedule a tee time after 3 p.m., cost will be $18 per person with a cart and $10 without a cart. For a tee time after 5 p.m., the cost is $9 per person with a cart and $5 without a cart. All payments should be made directly to the golf course.

April 15, 2011Page 8

n The baseball team plays West Texas A&M University on Friday at 6 p.m. and a doubleheader Satur-day, starting at 1 p.m.

n Softball will host Texas A&M Univer-sity-Kingsville in a doubleheader Friday at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. and will play Saturday, starting at 1 p.m.

n Track and Field will compete at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays Friday and Sat-urday in California.

Upcoming

BASEBALL

Team Div. Ovrl.

Tarleton St.SE OK St.SW OK St.CameronUIWWTAMUACUTAMU-K

18-617-718-916-816-814-1014-1015-12

29-721-1327-1223-1124-1227-1321-1619-16

SOFTBALL

Team Div. Ovrl.

ASUUIW

ACUWTAMU

TWUTarleton St.

7-5

8-410-2

7-5

6-65-7

22-22

24-1934-6

30-11

24-1917-21

TAMU-K 3-9 22-22ENMU 2-10 11-32

PlayerProfile

Senior Bryan Joiner from Lubbock clinched the men’s tennis team a much needed victory on Wednesday. Joiner has been a four-year starter for the Wild-cats. Last fall, Joiner won the regional title in doubles with his playing partner Hans Hach. In each of the past two seasons, Joiner has garnered academic all-LSC honors to go along with his stellar colle-giate career.


ABOVE: Hans Hach battles in his singles match on Wednesday during a 5-4 victory over Cameron. The Wildcats got down early after the doubles matches, but some dramatic late day heroics by Bryan Joiner propelled the men to victory. BELOW: Julia Mongin returns a volley during her singles win. The women swept Cam-

Carpenter, Bouniol will tango for title

It isn’t a question of if, it is a question of whom.

Both Cyril Bouniol and Alex Carpenter tied at the top of last year’s Lone Star Conference tournament, splitting the title. There is a good chance a Wildcat will bring home this year’s title, but who will it be?

Cyril Bouniol comes into next week’s LSC tour-nament in San Antonio

as the defending national champion. Bouniol didn’t win a tournament at ACU until winning the confer-ence tournament. He used the momentum from last year’s win, taking the South Central Region title and later the national champi-onship. Those three wins were good enough to make Bouniol the LSC’s Male Athlete of the Year.

“The ultimate goal re-mains to make it to na-tionals,” Bouniol said.

“Patience, determination and acceptance will be the keys to success.”

Alex Carpenter shared the title with Bouniol last year and since has been one of the nation’s top golf-ers. Carpenter has won 11 collegiate tournaments, in-cluding seven this year. He is ranked by golfstat.com as the fifth best collegiate golfer in the nation, and he is the only golfer, nationally, to boast an average round this season of under 70.

“I’m pretty excited for this week’s conference tournament,” Carpenter said. “Everyone on the team is hitting it well, and all of our preseason events have helped build every-one’s confidence.”

Although the two will

be looking to secure in-dividual titles, their main goal is to lead the Wild-cats to an LSC title. Last year, ACU took the team title for the first time since 1995. Before the 15-year

Austin Gwin Sports Editor

GOLF

Home court advantageTENNIS

The ACU men’s and wom-en’s tennis teams both defeated Cameron Univer-sity in different fashions on Wednesday in the first home matches for ACU in more than a month.

The men overcame shaky doubles play to de-feat the Aggies 5-4, the final and deciding point won by junior Jake Hendrie.

“It’s always exciting

when the overall team win comes down to one point,” said sophomore Hans Hach. “We needed that point, and Jake really pulled it out.”

The men’s No. 1 and No. 3 doubles teams lost their matches, placing the Wildcats in a slight 1-2 hole before singles play began. Hach, sophomore Alfredo Desiati, and senior John Strahl each won their singles contests before Hendrie’s three-set match came to an exciting close. The final match carried extra weight for the Wild-cats because the overall team victory means ACU

will host NCAA regional competition at the end of the month.

“It’s great that we will host regionals because we don’t get to play at home much,” said junior Eldad Campbell. “All the guys on the team are really playing well, and it’ll be good for people to come out and see us then.”

Of his own match on Wednesday, Campbell said his adversary put up an admirable effort.

“My opponent played re-ally well,” he said. “I can do better, and it was a close

Mark Smith Sports Reporter

see LSC page 7

see WINS page 7

Rattlers shake Wildcats for win

The Wildcats lost a 6-2 battle to St. Mary’s Uni-versity Wednesday after-noon. The Rattlers got to the Wildcats’ bullpen, putting up three runs in the sixth and two more runs in the seventh.

“Ultimately, their pitcher held us in check, and we just couldn’t get guys into scoring oppor-tunities,” Head Coach Britt Bonneau said. “We had five opportunities to get bunts down, and we only got one successfully down. We just weren’t into it today, and our hitters didn’t come through late in the game.”

St. Mary’s started the game off with a run in the top of first to take the early lead. ACU answered, add-

ing a run to tie the game in the bottom of the third. The game remained tied until the sixth inning, when the Rattlers were able to string some walks and hits to-gether to put up three runs to make the score 4-1.

ACU would get one run back in the next inning. Duncan Blades and Bryce Gerhardt both drew walks to start the inning. Marcus Uechi would lay down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners over. Cameron

Watten then grounded into a fielder’s choice as the Rat-tlers got out the runner at third. ACU would pick up a run, but St. Mary’s man-aged to limit the damage.

Ryan Cantrell Sports Multimedia Editor

BASEBALL

see LOSS page 7 see COACH page 7

Coach should keep job

COLUMN

Tripp


Freshman pitcher Brady Rodriguez throws against Eastern New Mexico University last weekend.

Joiner’s final point seals dramatic rally against Cameron

Patience, determination, and acceptance will be the keys to success.

CYRIL BOUNIOL // senior golfer for the ACU Wildcats‘‘ ’’

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The Optimist Print Edition" 04.15.11