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Online Poll : If you could vote today, who would

you vote for?a. Sen. John McCainb. Sen. Barack Obamac. Other candidated. Sen. Hillary Clinton

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Pg 3InsideThis Issue:

Showdown in Canyon: No. 3 ACU to play ranked rival WTAMU

‘Jacob’s Dream’ documentary earns university Emmy nomination

Students skip Chapel to dine at local barbecue restaurant

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Pg. 5 Savory Sushi: New restaurant diversifies Abilene eating scene Friday, October 17, 2008 :: Vol. 97, No. 17 :: 1 section, 8 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com

More from the Log onto www.acuoptimist.com or www.you-tube.com/acuvideo to see weekly News casts and Sports casts from the JMC Network News Team, in addition to videos profiling various events and stories around campus and Abilene.

Classrooms incorporate devices By Colter HettichFeatures Editor

With most midterms behind students and faculty, the semester officially has reached the halfway mark. Freshmen re-ceived their iPhones 62 days ago, and one can hardly walk from building to build-ing without spotting someone looking at or talking on a mobile device.

The ACU community and the world have high expectations for the devices’ implementation in the classroom. In Uni-versity Seminar classrooms, the iPhone plays an integral role.

Ray Petitt, adjunct instructor of com-puter science, teaches a U100 for com-puter science majors. When he instructs his class to participate in a poll via iP-hone, the room comes alive with laughter and dialogue.

“This is looking painful, guys.” “Wait, I just submitted mine.” “Whoever’s voting more than once, stop it.”

One student calls out, “Who misspelled tasty?” Laughing, an anonymous voice

Provost retiring, moving WestBy Daniel Johnson-KimEditor in Chief

After almost 40 years of work in higher education, Dr. Dwayne VanRheenen is leav-ing college.

VanRheenen, who served as the university’s Provost for 13 years, a n n o u n c e d his plans to retire at the end of the fis-cal year at a Faculty meet-ing Tuesday afternoon.

The an-nouncement came as a surprise to some faculty members, but Van-Rheenen, 64, said it was a decision he and his wife Joan carefully deliberated. Al-though he said he thoroughly enjoyed his tenure as ACU’s chief academic officer, he and his wife are eager to move to the West Coast, where their children and seven grandchil-dren live.

“I’m sure I’ll stay very busy,” VanRheenen said. “We’ll be living close to Seat-tle on a little island out in the Puget Sound.”

Dr. Royce Money, presi-dent of the university, wrote in an e-mail that he was work-ing with the Faculty Senate to appoint a Search Committee to conduct a national search for VanRheenen’s replace-ment. Money wrote that the committee should be an-nounced and functioning by early November.

“During Dwayne’s tenure as Provost, the university has enjoyed significant gains in the academic area,” Money said in the e-mail. “My esti-mate is that he has overseen the hiring of about two-thirds of our current faculty.”’

Money added VanRheenen would still work as a con-sultant during the 2009-10 school year to help with the implementation of the new core curriculum and other “special projects.”

VanRheenen received his bachelor’s degree from Harding University and earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Missouri.

VanRheenen said he worked in the Department of Communication at the Uni-versity of Maine for 15 years; he was the Dean of Faculty for Seaver College at Pepper-dine University for 11 years and has been ACU’s provost since 1996.

While at ACU, VanRheen-en’s colleagues said he played a large role in increasing the size and quality of the ACU faculty and curriculum, al-though VanRheenen humbly

‘Prairie Home’ brings classic show to MoodyBy Michael FreemanManaging Editor

A Prairie Home Compan-ion, a public radio program with a national audience of more than 4 million lis-teners, will broadcast live from Moody Coliseum Sat-urday at 5 p.m.

“It’s the biggest thing to ever happen to KACU,” said Terri Peterson, KACU-FM membership director and business manager. “This is the most listened program in public radio.”

Based in St. Paul, Minn., the show, known for come-dic segments such as “The News from Lake Wobegon” and “Guy Noir, Private Eye”, tours the country, making about 10-15 stops every year.

After more than a two-year endeavor of bringing the ra-dio program to campus, ACU

VanRheenen

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

John Royse, freshman computer science major from San Antonio, completes a survey about college life with his iPhone during his U100 class.

Radio ClassiC

A Prairie Home Companion will broadcast live from Moody Coliseum Saturday at 5 p.m. The show, which has more than 4 million listeners, has broadcast from around the United States and world, including:

n Canadan Irelandn Scotlandn Englandn Germanyn Iceland

See Retire page 7 See iPhone page 7See Prairie page 7

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer

Donnovan Plummer, senior communication major from Mesquite, watches the final presidential de-bate between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain at The Grove clubhouse Wednesday night.

Eyes on the Presidency

By Michael FreemanManaging Editor

Nearly three dozen students attended a presidential debate-watching party in The Grove apart-ment clubhouse Wednesday night, sparking student cheers and jeers, but few changed minds. As the fi-nal debate between Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama got under way, the students intently watched while quietly eating pizza from Little Cae-sars, chips and cake, all of which were provided by The Grove and both the ACU College Democrats and ACU Young Republicans.

“I was a little surprised with how many people were interested. It was a good turnout,” said Shan-non Martin, senior family studies

Students gather, react to debate

acuoptimist.com: Hear students’ thoughts on the third and final presidential debate

See Debate page 7

Marijuana in Edwards lands student in jailBy Daniel Johnson-KimEditor in Chief

An ACU freshman from Austin was arrested and jailed Oct. 7 after the ACU Police Department found a small bag of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the stu-dent’s room in Edwards Hall.

ACU Police Chief Jimmy Ellison said ACUPD officers were called to the residence hall after several students and Kevin Claypool, Edwards Residence Director, reported a strong odor of marijuana coming from the student’s room on the first floor.

Ellison said two students were in the room, and ACUPD found drugs and several bongs and pipes. Only one stu-dent was found to be carrying drugs and was charged with possession of less than two ounces of marijuana, a class B misdemeanor. ACUPD arrest-ed the student, whose name university officials would not release, around 7 p.m. He was taken to Taylor County Jail.

“We found the drugs and placed him under arrest,” Ellison said. “It was a fairly open and shut incident.”

If the freshman is convict-ed, he may face a fine not to

exceed $2,000 and confine-ment in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days, according to the Texas Penal Code. Elli-son said the case already was filed with the Taylor County District Attorney’s office.

In addition to facing crim-inal charges, the student could face university sanc-tions and even suspension from the university.

According to the ACU Student Guide, using illegal drugs is a Category Three vi-olation of the university pol-icy. A Category Three viola-tion can result in suspension from the university, an ac-

countability agreement, loss of privilege, a minimum fine of $100, loss or reduction of scholarships, eviction from university housing, delay or prohibition of registering for classes and denial or read-mission without approval.

Although Ellison said this incident did not produce a further investigation into drugs on campus, he said it shows these types of crimes occasionally occur on and around ACU’s campus.

“There is no indication this incident was linked to any specific people or pat-terns,” Ellison said. “At the

same time I’m not so naïve to think this is the only in-cident that has occurred on campus. This is probably the one that somebody smelled and called.”

Ellison added that this hap-pens once or twice a semes-ter, and he does not believe it is fair to assume because of these incidents there is a “drug problem” on campus.

“Incidents such as this show ACU is not immune to people making poor choices,” Ellison said.

E-mail Johnson-Kim at: djj04a@acu.edu

The Medical Clinic is offering flu shots to students, faculty and staff Nov. 20 in the Living Room in the Campus Center from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Those who had the flu last year should not delay. Shots also are available in the clinic Tuesdays and Thursdays during regular clinic hours. Shots are $25 and can be paid by using cash, check or by charging to a Banner account.

Class Senators are conducting interviews for Class Sing Song Directors Oct. 20-24. Students interested in directing a class Sing Song this year, can contact a class senatorsor visit the Students’ Association Office.

Check out the student events calendar for information regarding the upcoming Criminal Justice & Military Career Fair Oct. 28 and the Graduate School Fair Oct. 29.

Get in the spirit of Homecoming and vote for the 2008 Homecoming Queen between Oct. 15-17. The queen will be crowned during halftime of the Homecoming football game Oct. 25 at Shotwell Stadium. Vote at www.acu.edu/queen.

Ghost Tours is an event Friday and Saturday at the Buffalo Gap Historic Village. It is a chance to hear all the ghostly tales relating to the history of the Buffalo Gap Historic Village lynchings, death and decay. Call 572-3365 for more information.

Cross Canadian Ragweed has a concert Saturday at the Taylor County Expo Center Entertainment Pavilion at 7 p.m. Call 677-4376 for tickets and details.

2 p.m.ACU Soccer at SW Oklahoma

Jordan Shriners’ Circus at the Taylor County Expo Center. Call 677-4376 for more information.

4 p.m.ACU Soccer versus Central Oklahoma

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.Ajisai: an Asian fashion show in Teague Special Events Center

4:45 p.m. - 7:15p.m.Prairie Home Companion in Moody Coliseum

6 p.m.ACU Football at West Texas A&M

7:30 p.m.SHADES, Swing Cats and salsa dancers perform at Primetime.

7 a.m.Prayer at Jacob’s Dream

10 a.m.Early voting in the Campus Center. Contact Christy Allen at 674-1216 for more information.

Calendar and Events

Volunteer OpportunitiesAnnouncements

Sunday17

Friday Saturday Monday

St. John’s Episcopal School needs volunteers at various times from Oct. 20 to Oct. 26 to help set up, run booths and tear down its carnival.

The annual G. V. Daniels Recre-ation Center Fall Festival needs volunteers Oct. 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Volunteers will as-sist with game booths and hand out candy to kids. Appropriate costumes are allowed.

The ACU Alumni Office needs vol-unteers to help with various aspects of the Homecoming Carnival Oct. 24 from 4:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. or 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Help is needed to control the inflatables, paint faces, hand out candy or walk around in Elvis costumes. ACU’s radio station KACU-FM is seeking volunteers to act as ushers Oct. 18 for the Prairie Home Companion performance in Moody

Coliseum. Help is needed from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Rose Park Recreation Center needs volunteers for its Halloween Carnival Oct. 31 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. This will be a safe alternative for trick or treaters, and volunteers are needed to operate booths and pass out candy.

The Junior League of Abilene needs volunteers for its annual Christmas Carousel, Style Show and Kids Event beginning Nov. 6 through Nov. 9 at the Abilene Civic Center. Help is needed different times each day for a variety of jobs. Proceeds from this event benefit local chari-table organizations.

Find out volunteer opportuni-ties by visiting the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center’s Web site at www.acu.edu/vslc and clicking on Volunteer Opportunities.

CreditedChapelsto date:

CreditedChapelsremaining:

Checkup

37 29Chapel

Friday, October 17, 2008

Campus Day2

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The Optimist maintains this calendar for the ACU community to keep track of local social, academic and service opportunities.

Groups may send announcements directly to jmcnetwork@acu.edu or to the Page 2 Editor at mab07d@acu.edu.

To ensure that an item will appear on time, the announcement should be sent at least 10 days before. The Optimist may edit items for space and style.

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

About This Page

This week’s newscast highlights the ACU football team’s win over Angelo State last Saturday as well as the results from the volleyball and soccer games.

Log on to www.youtube.com/acuvideo for clips from the TRiO balloon release on Monday. Also featured is the Study Abroad students’ art gallery.

Online Newscast Webcast

Students complete Chapel credits earlyBy Cody VetetoChief Videographer

At least seven ACU stu-dents are near their Chapel credit requirements for this 2008-09 academic fall semes-ter, although it is only mid-way through October. The students nearing their Chapel credit limits worked for the ACU Replay organization dur-ing this year’s Summit.

Those same students also were paid for their ACU Re-play work. ACU Replay was an audio recording organiza-tion founded by ACU alum-nus Lyndell Lee; it only oper-ated during Summit. One of the students who worked for ACU Replay, Lawson Soward, sophomore integrated market-ing communication major from Colleyville, already has 48 Cha-pel credits this semester. He said he strategized to get all of his Chapel credits early.

He said he attended every Chapel during Summit when he was not working and all the small group Chapels on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

His required Chapel credits were reduced to 47 because he worked for ACU Replay during Summit. He said he was excited not to have quite as many required credits.

Brady Bryce, Director of Ministry Events, allowed the student workers to receive Chapel credits for working

during the times they could have attended Chapel. Bryce also was thankful to Jean-No-el Thompson and Mark Lewis for their willingness to give Chapel credits to the stu-dents who attended several Summit sessions.

Danielle Lough, the Minis-try Events Coordinator, said all of the Summit student workers asked if they could be compensated for the Cha-pel credits they missed be-cause of their work.

“We did not want to penal-ize them for opportunities missed,” Lough said.

An unspoken agreement between ACU’s Chapel office and ACU’s Ministry Events also enabled these students to gain Chapel credit.

“My hope is that students who earn their credits early will choose to continue to at-tend because they want to,” said Mark Lewis, Assistant Dean for Spiritual Life and Chapel Programs.

For the one remaining Cha-pel forum of the semester, Lewis hopes students will still attend because they want to see the Nov. 10 “Everything is Spiritual” Rob Bell video pre-sentation at 7 p.m. in Moody Coliseum.

E-mail Veteto at: cjv04a@acu.edu

Friday, October 17, 2008 Page 3CAMPUS NEWS

Barbecue provides sanctuary for group of studentsBy Lydia MelbyArts Editor

On the first week of every month, students are treated to a Departmental Chapel session especially for their major, led by the faculty of their department and featur-ing speakers and lessons of particular interest for that major. Many students find this to be a helpful time to get connected with their de-partment, but a select group of students find it to be a great time to eat barbecue.

“Harold’s Chapel,” as those who attend usually call it, was started by a group of friends who de-cided that once a month, they would forego one Cha-

pel credit in favor of friends and Harold’s barbecue.

“We started skipping de-partmental Chapel fresh-man year just because most of us were done with Cha-pel credit by then and be-cause we wanted to all hang out,” said Zach Cook, junior marketing and finance ma-jor from Houston. Cook is the leader of “the Harold’s group” and generally is con-sidered the mastermind be-hind the entire endeavor.

“Sophomore year, I just decided to actually orga-nize something and make it a real, once a month event,” Cook said. “So I made a Fa-cebook group called ‘Cel-ebrating the Alternatives to Departmental Chapel’ and

got some friends together… and now, it’s taking off, it’s growing, it’s getting pretty strong. I’m feelin’ it.”

Cook explained that the students who usually attend do not necessarily have any-thing against Departmental Chapel but just that they felt spending time with friends was more valuable than one Chapel credit.

“It’s not that we don’t like Departmental Chapel, but it just isn’t the most interest-ing Chapel for me… I don’t really get to participate… Departmental Chapel for me is just like sitting there and getting lectured at,” Cook said. “Also, it’s convenient to skip that Chapel because it’s just once a month, so we

aren’t losing too much Cha-pel credit … and it’s really great because we’ve built this thing up, and Harold expects us, and that’s cool because I kind of know him now.”

While a core group of stu-dents attend every month, “Harold’s Chapel” is an open group with fluctuating numbers. Generally 20 to 25 students attend.

“I don’t go [to Harold’s Chapel] every time because I actually do like my Depart-mental Chapel; it’s definite-ly not the worst thing in the world,” said Megan Faver, junior English major from Lufkin. “However, I do go occasionally because ‘Har-old’s’ is a fun chance for us all to get together and hang

out, especially since we all live off campus now so we don’t see each other as much anymore.”

James Woodroof, junior interdisciplinary major from Nashville and regular “Harold’s Chapel” attendee, has been going since the group’s beginning more than a year ago.

“I typically don’t get much out of Departmental Chapel because of my ma-jor,” Woodroof said. “But I get to be with my friends and get valuable time with them as opposed to just sitting there and not doing anything. Plus I get Harold’s peach cobbler.”

Cook claims it is a great alternative to Chapel, even

if Chapel credit is not in-volved. He said eating great food while fellowshipping with friends is a valuable thing students sometimes overlook.

“We eat and commune, basically.” Cook said. “It’s a really simple Chapel con-cept. And it’s not an exclu-sive thing. If other people want to join us, I’d say go for it…but under two condi-tions: they’d have to join the Facebook group and they’d have to get food after me.”

E-mail Melby at: lgm05e@acu.edu

‘Jacob’s Dream’ documentary grabs 2008 Texas Emmy nomination By Tanner AndersonPage Designer

ACU is attending the Em-mys on Saturday. The black and white affair will see a little of the purple and white this year in the Texas chapter of The Na-tional Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, also known as the Emmy awards.

The documentary, ‘The Making of Jacob’s Dream’, was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Texas chapter. The docu-mentary, produced by Ron Had-field and Martin Perry, focused on ACU’s Bicentennial celebra-tion and the creation of Jacob’s Dream, a statue built in 2006 by Jack Maxwell, chair of the Department of Art and Design. KTXS donated free airtime and broadcast the 28-minute docu-

mentary on air in October of 2007. If it were not for the on-air broadcast, the documentary would not have qualified for ACU’s first Emmy nomination.

Earlier this year, ‘The Mak-ing of Jacob’s Dream’ was a four-time winner in the 28th annual Telly Awards. Previ-ous ACU films by Hadfield and Perry in recent years won four other Tellys and an inter-national silver medal from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education; the documentary received its Emmy nomination Sept. 19.

“Each year I work with Phillips Productions Inc. to show and create a film for the university,” said Hadfield, assistant vice president for university communication. “Everybody understood the

significance the sculpture would have upon completion, so we knew the documentary would be compelling.”

The film will be competing in the “Documentary - Cultural/Historical” category, which has five nominees. Winners will be announced during a gala Sat-urday at the Verizon Wireless Theater in Houston.

Hadfield worked on the documentary for two years with the film’s director, pho-tographer and editor Martin Perry, production manager at Phillips Productions Inc. lo-cated in Dallas. The film cap-tures the work of the sculp-tors and other artisans who battled several elements such as weather, engineering and production delays to meet the time crunch deadline for

ACU’s Centennial Birthday Celebration on Sep 9. 2006.

“It’s extraordinarily hum-bling to be involved with a project considered for such an honor,” Hadfield said. “Even if it doesn’t win, it’s still an ac-complishment which validates all the hard work that everyone has put into this project.” Jozie Sands :: staff photographer

‘Jacob’s Dream,’ the subject of the Emmy-nominated documentary, sits just east of the Biblical Studies Building.

And thE winnEr is...

The five contenders are:

n The Making Of Jacob’s Dreamn Central Texas Remembers WWIIn Cruiser Houston: Of Pride And Purposen Ghost Town: 24 Hours In Terlingua n Pompeii: Tales From An Eruption

E-mail Anderson at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Page 4 Friday, October 17, 2008CAMPUS NEWS

Flu vaccinations offeredto prevent repeat outbreakBy Sondra RodriguezStudent Reporter

The ACU Medical Clinic is pricking students with flu shots in their attempts to avoid the immobilized lifestyle com-prised of sleep, liquids and an-tibiotics caused by the illness, which is the second-most com-mon reason for a student to drop a class midsemester.

The clinic offered shots in the Campus Center’s Liv-ing Room Tuesday and also is making them available in the clinic on the main level of McKinzie Hall every Tues-day and Thursday. The $25 vaccinations are offered in the Living Room again on Nov. 20 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and can be charged to a student account.

Kathy Stokes, clinic office manager, said no appointment is necessary for walk-ins, and encouraged students to get the vaccine.

“Hopefully students will take advantage of it after

the outbreak we had last year,” she said.

According to Optimist ar-chives, the flu hit campus so hard that the clinic was forced to send students off-campus for medical attention. Staff members in the clinic were treating 25-30 victims every-day, starting in mid-January.

Stokes said the clinic only ordered 300 shots last year and almost 500 shots this year.

“We haven’t given as many as we’d like in the past, but we’re expecting to sell out this year because we’ve opened the offer to faculty and staff,” she said. “If we sell out, we’ll pur-chase more this year.”

Haley Bulls, senior speech pathology major from Paris, said she defi-nitely will get the shot within the next few weeks.

“I’ve always done every-thing I can to stay healthy,” Bulls said.

She said the fact that the fee can be charged to her stu-

dent account made the deci-sion easier, although she said she will most likely not get the shot in the Campus Center.

“I’ll do it in the clinic; I don’t want people to be watching me when I get it,” she said.

Because viruses in the shot are inactive, it is not pos-sible to get the flu from the shot, according to the Center for Disease Control and Pre-vention. However, students should be aware of possible side effects that include sore-ness, redness or swelling in the area the shot was given, a small fever and body aches.

Bulls said she will take her chances on suffering from side effects of the vaccine if it means she will avoid having to endure the flu during school.

“Other than out of habit, I always get the shot,” she said. “I’d rather go through that then get behind and be sick for weeks.”

Emily Jorgenson :: staff photographer

Marsha Smith, ACU medical clinic nurse, gives Christopher Shim, junior finance and marketing major from Atlanta, a flu shot in preparation of flu season.

Class trains for marathonBy Lezlee GutierrezStudent Reporter

Some students are prepar-ing for more than midterms this week. This semester 17 students are enrolled in the marathon class, which requires each student to compete in a marathon be-fore the semester ends. The marathon class takes place on Mondays and Wednes-days at 7:30 a.m., and most of the students are prepar-ing to compete in the White Rock Marathon in Dallas on Dec. 14. This is the second time the marathon class has been offered as an Exercise Science and Health course.

“The goal of our class is to safely prepare each student to finish a marathon by the end of the semester,” said Odies Wright, associate professor of exercise science and health.

The marathon class had 18 students last year; none of them had ever run a

marathon. This semester, three of the students have marathon experience.

The students follow a prep-aration and training regimen developed by former Ameri-can Olympian Jeff Galloway. The regimen follows a three-day run-walk-run method to build endurance.

In order to run four to six miles by the beginning of the semester, students began preparing during the sum-mer. They then add two miles each week and are currently at 16 to 18 miles.

“Our goal is to be able to run 20 to 24 miles before the marathon,” said James Woodroof, junior philosophy, psychology and Bible major from Brentwood, Tenn.

Woodruff already com-peted in the Houston Chev-ron Marathon and is excited to run in Dallas.

“Everyone is doing well because we give each other encouragement; we push our-

selves harder when we see ev-eryone else pushing so hard,” Woodroof said.

Marathon students run long distance on the weekends to constantly build mileage.

“We also run a few times outside of class and add cross-training exercises like bike rid-ing and weight training, which really helps,” said Jill Sanders, junior biology major from Ed-mond, Okla.

Sanders started at seven miles a week at the beginning of the course and is now at 16 miles. The students also have learned helpful information on proper diet and exercise. Each student is responsible for the running and exercise needed to maintain mileage and consistency. Any stu-dent interested in taking the course next semester can contact the Department of Exercise Science and Health at Ext. 2278.

E-mail Rodriguez at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

E-mail Gutierrez at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

SA awards more than $3,000

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

David Vanderpool, junior Biblical text major from Brentwood, Tenn., speaks on allocating money for Alpha Psi Omega, a nationally recognized honorary theatre society, during Wednesday’s meeting.

By Daniel Johnson-KimEditor in Chief

The Students’ Associa-tion Congress voted to give a student group more than $3,000 Wednesday, the larg-est amount Congress has given this semester from the Student Request Fund.

A motion to give Alpha Psi Omega, ACU’s nationally rec-ognized honorary theatre soci-ety, $3,668.30 to help fund two trips to the Southeastern The-atre Conference State Screening Auditions passed overwhelm-ingly, leaving the group to fund $1,167 to make the trips.

The funds will help pay for 12 APO members’ trip to the Mississippi State Screening on Dec. 7, and eight members’ trip to the Virginia State Screening, on Nov. 1. Students attending the Mississippi screening are required to pay $66.70 out of their own pockets, while stu-dents attending the Virginia

screening are required to pay $83.25. Congress calculated these numbers.

The SETC screenings are for professionals, so students must first pass a screening in order to audition with other industry professionals at the conferences, said Seth Baza-cas, senior musical theatre ma-jor form Ocean City, N.J., and president of APO.

Bazacas said the audi-tions were invaluable to ACU theatre majors, and he and other theatre students who auditioned in past years were able to work profes-sionally during the summer with various companies.

“I passed the screening, ended up with 15 call backs and when all was said and done I had six job offers,” Bazacas said.

Bazacas worked for the Prather Entertainment and Weathervane Playhouse, along with Jonathan Bragg, senior

musical theatre major from Rowlett. While making his case before Congress, Bazacas said that because of the help SA pro-vided in past years, the theatre department has had more stu-dents working professionally in theatre than ever before.

Bazacas convinced several Congress members, who stead-fastly stood behind giving APO as much money as possible.

“The Homecoming Musi-cal draws more money than the Homecoming football game,” said junior Sen. David Vanderpool during debate of the motion. “If our actors and actresses are better, the ACU community will be bet-ter. Let’s give them as much money as possible.”

More than $3,500 remains in the Student Request Fund after this allocation. The fund had more than $10,000 at the beginning of the semester.

E-mail Johnson-Kim at: djj04a@acu.edu

By Sara SnelsonStudent Writer

Out of nowhere, two to three months ago, a new restaurant appeared among the Abilene dining scene. A Japanese steakhouse nearly mimicking Fuji’s. A restaurant featuring something only a couple of places in Abilene offer: sushi.

Spring rolls, dragon rolls, salmon, eel, shrimp, crab and the traditional California roll are among the countless possibilities. With the prices ranging anywhere from $5 to $13 and portions ranging from five to 12 rolls, Bonzai presents a sustenance that has been wanting at a reasonable price and a stuffed-full stomach.

Flashy and vibrant in presentation, Abilenians are no longer lacking. While some people are scared of the word “raw,” the rice, seaweed and combined

flavors of fish, avocado, cream cheese and wasabi can make one relish any-thing but just raw fish.

Confused about the relation be-tween sushi and a Japanese steakhouse — it works. The two types of food are on the opposite ends of the cuisine spectrum, but Abilenians have now obtained something that could not be found in Abilene with a grill providing more than just entertainment.

Japanese steakhouses always are diverting, considering the food is read-ied right in front of you. Most places try to somehow involve customers in the preparation of the food, but what I experienced at Bonzai was not just en-tertainment through preparation, but a complete production.

Yes, the typical flipping of the shrimp or rice and having to catch it in your mouth is a classic of the Japanese

steakhouse. However, Bonzai brought more show into the culinary presentation.

Eggs were juggled and then caught by the top of the chef’s hat. The chef skillfully manipulated the ingre-dients as he cooked, creating a live volcano, a smoking train and a beating heart.

Food portions are large everywhere now, and Bonzai is no ex-ception. With soup, rice, meat, vegetables and a salad at dinner, when leaving you will not feel wanting. From chicken to raw fish and a production, Bonzai will leave you appeased and ratified with the money you spent — it is favorably worth it.

Tip: Lunch is cheap-er than dinner; howev-

er, the sushi is always the same price. Lunch ranges around $7 and dinner around $13, not including tip.

Bonzai is open Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday-Sat-

urday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and is located at 1802 Clack St. next to the Seafood Tavern.

Page 5October 17, 2008

ArtsFridayMusic scEnE

n Friday, Oct. 17:The ACU Chamber Orchestra will perform La Creation du Monde (The Creation of the World) by Darius Milhaud and conducted by Dr. Stephen Ward. Admission is free, and the concert will be in the WPAC Recital Hall at 8 p.m.

n Saturday, Oct. 18:Country band Cross Canadian Ragweed will perform at the Taylor County Expo Center Entertainment Pavilion at 7 p.m.

n Friday, Oct. 17:Homer Hiccolm and the Rocketboys will perform with Alpha Rev, Pompeii and Moroccan Victory Chant at 7:30 p.m. at Monk’s Coffee Shop. Admission is $7 at the door.

AbilEnE Arts

n Friday, Oct. 17:ACU Office of Multicultural Enrichment, in collaboration with the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, presents Ajisai: Four Seasons Asian Fashion Show, a runway event modeling the newest styles from Asian designers. The event will be in the Teague Special Events Center and will start at 7:30 p.m.

n Saturday, Oct. 18:A Prairie Home Companion will perform at ACU in Moody Coliseum from 5-7 p.m. Tickets are available at KACU-FM office or in the Moody Coliseum box office.

n Saturday, Oct. 18:SHADES, ACU Swing Cats and world class salsa dancers will perform at Primetime Family Entertainment Center at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students with University ID.

Bonzai offers sensational sushi and show

Zak Zeinert:: chief photographer

Chef Kenny Jian constructs a volcano from different cooking ingredients as he prepares food in front of guests at Bonzai Japanese Steakhouse.

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

California Rolls and Teryaki Chicken and Shrimp are just two of the dishes available at the Bonzai Japanese Steakhouse. E-mail Snelson at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

ViewsFridayPage 6

Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Optimist and may not necessarily reflect the views of the university or its administration.

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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.

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Editorial and Management Board

Daniel Johnson-KimEditor in Chief

Michael FreemanManaging Editor

Sommerly SimserMult. Managing Editor

Laura AcuffOpinion Page Editor

Zak ZeinertChief Photographer

Grant AbstonSports Editor

Lydia MelbyArts Editor

October 17, 2008

Multimedia desk:(325) 674-2463

Optimistthe

While watching the final presidential debate Wednes-day night, something struck me. No, it was not only John

M c C a i n ’ s dirty, insist-ing attacks on Barack O b a m a ’ s actual or s u p p o s e d ties with Bill Ayers and ACORN; neither was

it Mc-C a i n ’ s exasper-ating at-

tempts to maintain a fake, forced smile on his face.

What hit me then — and I can’t explain why I did not no-tice before — was the fact both candidates are left-handed.

Left-handed people don’t get enough attention, and I am not saying that just be-cause I am a lefty — well, maybe so. Think about a tool most of us use everyday: a computer mouse. The set-ting of standard desk com-

puters imposes everyone to use the mouse with the right hand. Isn’t this a flagrant disadvantage against left-ies? Actually, when using a mouse with the “wrong” hand, left-handed people have the “good” other hand free to do tasks that require accuracy like taking notes.

Still, most tools in this world are made for righties.

Studies about handedness acknowledge seven to 15 per-cent of the world population is left-handed. Lefties use the right hemisphere of their brain more, whereas right-ies use the left hemisphere more. Because of each hemi-sphere’s properties, lefties are believed generally have naturally superior spatial visualization, coordination and artistic skills, while righties have better rational, logical and analytic skills.

Lefties are represented more than righties in various fields such as arts, mathematics and sports that involve hand-eye coordination like tennis, boxing and fencing.

Having two left-handed presidential nominees might not be a coincidence; indeed four of the last six presi-dents of the United States are or were lefties, and the coming election will estab-lish Obama or McCain as the sixth left-handed American president out of 12 since the end of World War II.

While Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton were undoubtedly left-handed, Ronald Reagan’s handed-ness has been questioned. He did write with his right hand, but several publica-tions assumed he was forced to switch from left to right

in his childhood. The same sources claimed Reagan seemed to execute certain actions more comfortably with the left hand, like in the movie The Killers, where he slapped Angie Dickinson with his left hand.

The McCain-Obama pres-idential debate was not a première in its genre; the 1992 debate already op-posed lefties only in the persons of Rep. George H. W. Bush, Dem. candidate Bill Clinton and Indepen-dent candidate Ross Perot.

Unfortunately, lefties can-not always be in the winners’ camp, even when opposed to righties; Al Gore, John Ed-wards and Robert ‘Bob’ Dole are among the most recent unlucky candidates to the presidency. And on Nov. 4, one more name will appear on this list.

Sen. Barack Obama learned Wednesday night when a Maverick is cor-nered, he bites.

W h e t h e r it was Sen. John Mc-Cain’s roll-ing eyes, his questioning of Obama’s connections, his constant i n t e r r u p -tions, his condescend-ing tone, his d i s i n g e n u -ous smile

and smirk or his mocking of Obama when calling out his “eloquence” and belittling his substance, one thing was clear at the third and final presidential debate: McCain swung hard, but it won’t prevent his unavoid-able freefall to failure.

After dropping in several polls in battleground states leading up to the debate, the McCain campaign refocused its strategy from talking policy to attacking Obama.

At several campaign stops McCain and his gimmick, I mean running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin hounded Obama for an alleged connection with former “domestic ter-rorist” William Ayers.

Palin fed a hate-filled crowd in Englewood, Colo., saying Obama was, “pall-ing around with terrorists” and doesn’t see the U.S. like other Americans.

In an interview with CNN, McCain called Ayers an “unrepentant terror-ist” who “wants to destroy America.” He added Obama was not truthful about his relationship with Ayers.

Apparently the slurs even sunk in with McCain sup-porters. When McCain asked, “Who is the real Barack Obama?” at a rally, a sup-porter screamed, “Terrorist!”

For the record, Ayers, a professor of Education at the University of Illinois-Chicago, admitted to being a member of the Weather Underground Organization that claimed responsibility for a dozen bombings dur-ing the 1970s. Obama was eight years old when Ayers was part of this organiza-

tion. According to Michael Dobbs, the washingtonpost.com “fact checker,” Obama’s only connections to Ayers is a $200 donation the pro-fessor gave to Obama’s re-election fund for the Illinois State Senate and the fact both of them were on a board of the anti-poverty group the Woods Fund of Chicago. Keep in mind the director of the board called a direct connection between Obama and Ayers “a stretch.”

But don’t tell that to Mc-Cain — he wanted answers Wednesday night.

“We need to know the full extent of that relation-ship,” McCain said.

One relationship McCa-in was eager to sever was his to unpopular President George W. Bush.

“Sen. Obama, I am not President Bush. If you want-ed to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago,” McCain said to knock down the Obama campaign’s constant rheto-ric linking McCain to Bush.

He may not be president Bush, but the record shows McCain loves to support him.

Although the Obama campaign’s tune about Mc-Cain’s links to Bush has been played more than the Macarena in 1996, the claim has some substance. McCain voted with Bush 97 percent of the time in 2007 and an average of 89 percent of the time since 2001, according to Congressional Quarterly.

McCain’s attacks reveal how desperate the Maver-ick from Arizona is getting. While the Obama campaign focuses on preaching his pol-icies in these last few weeks, it appears McCain is content on attacking Obama’s char-acter. Instead of sinking in, McCain came off as a tired, angry old man who will do anything to win.

McCain’s bites may in-crease as Election Day nears, but the Maverick will be in the doghouse come Nov. 4.

Perhaps you heard about the $600 bil-lion bailout Congress passed to fuel our

faltering economy. Perhaps you heard how we are pay-ing the bailout through tax-es. Perhaps you even heard how our hard-earned money already has supported fail-ing businesses like AIG. The day AIG, a mega insurance company, was to declare bankruptcy; the federal gov-ernment committed $85 bil-lion to bail it out.

Less than a week later, the company spent $400,000 on a weeklong retreat at a luxury resort and spa, the St. Regis Resort in Monarch Beach, Calif. Documents ob-tained by congressional in-

vestigations show the com-pany paid nearly $200,000 for rooms, $150,000 for meals, $7,000 for golf and $23,000 in spa charges.

In other words, our mon-ey paid for someone’s mani-cures and pedicures.

Although the company claims the retreat is stan-dard practice among insur-ance companies and rewards high-performing individu-als for a job well done, Rep.

Henry Waxman (D-CA), who chaired the hearing on AIG, told ABC News, “It defies common sense to spend over $400,000 at an exclu-sive resort a week after the government bailed out AIG. It shows a reckless disregard for the shareholders, who are now the U.S. taxpayers.”

That’s right, Mr. Waxman. If our money is to be spent on spa treatments and fancy resorts, should we not be the ones en-

joying such extravagance?The AIG executives’ re-

sponse? They canceled a second retreat planned for the same brokers at the Ritz-Carlton Resort in Half Moon Bay, Calif. This move is commendable, especially since AIG now is asking for another federal handout in the amount of $37.8 billion.

Although AIG may have put its metaphorical foot in its mouth with its latest spending practices, it is not the only one.

Everyone is doing it. The standard practice for insur-ance companies includes large compensation packag-es for executives, luxurious retreats and trade in deriva-tives and credit swaps that

government regulators have trouble understanding. This is the problem.

Businesses with negligent spending practices are los-ing money, but Congress is throwing billions of dollars their way for them to use as a life preserver. But each time they are pulled back

onto the boat, they just throw themselves into the ocean again. Eventually the businesses will drown, but at this rate, they will be tak-ing our money with them.

McCain’s tactics turn cold as defeat looms

Lavish AIG resort squanders government bailout money

Left-handed presidential nominees catch interest

By Daniel Johnson-Kim

In Case You Wondered

E-mail Johnson-Kim at: djj04a@acu.edu

E-mail the Optimist at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

The issue:Following the government’s $85 billion bailout, AIG sent some employees on a $400,000 weeklong retreat.

Our view:Such irresponsible and unnecessary usage of funding indicates a lack of appreciation for the second chance AIG recently received.

The solution:AIG and other such companies should be grateful for the help they received and develop better, more frugal, business practices.

Instead of sinking in, McCain came off as a tired, angry old man who will do anything to win.

“

”

Colter HettichFeatures Editor

Kelline LintonChief Copy Editor

Cody VetetoChief Videographer

DeLaina ParkerBroadcast Manager

Molly ByrdPage 2 Editor

Kenneth PybusAdviser

Cade WhiteAdviser

Christi StarkAdvertising Manager

Businesses with negligent spending practices are losing money, but Congress is throwing billions of dollars their way for them to use as a life preserver.

“”

E-mail Vandendriessche at: cxv06a@acu.edu

By Camille Vandendriessche

Pardon Y’all’s French

acuoptimist.com

Log online to hear Johnson-Kim podcast

his column.

Having two left-handed presidential nomi-nees might not be a coincidence...“

”

In Your WordsWhat role do you think mudslinging

plays in presidential campaigns?

Sarah KratzerPsychology majorfrom Los Alamos, N.M.

“It kind of seems unnecessary to me. There’s more tactful ways to win your people’s support.”

acuoptimist.com

View videos of student responses

for the “In Your Words” questions online at a later date at www.acuoptimist.com

Kent AkersPsychology majorfrom Buena Vista, Colo.

“I think it sets up the vulnerability of everybody and lets the public see the dark side of the candidates.”

Dale AkersYouth and family ministry majorfrom Buena Vista, Colo.

“I think it’s ridiculous and doesn’t add anything to the debating process. If anything, I think it detracts something from the process.”

from Harlem, N.Y. “I was im-pressed by their composure and attitudes. There were some chuckles and remarks, but everyone was really taste-ful with it.”

Students kept their eyes fo-cused on the two flat-screen televisions in the clubhouse during the first half of the debate. Although the major-ity was Obama supporters, students did occasionally guf-faw at both of the candidates’ answers, especially as McCain and Obama mentioned ‘Joe the Plumber’ more than 20 times during the debate.

“I think the main point of this debate was to win over in-

dependent voters,” said Bran-don Coombes, sophomore engineering science major from Fort Worth, who said he supports Obama. “And what independent voters don’t like is attacks, and I think John Mc-Cain definitely came out on the attack. Obama always kept his cool as he has done in all of the other debates, and I think that really helped him.”

Most of the students react-ed to McCain’s sharp remarks and Obama’s clever come-backs. Students laughed when Obama mentioned that even FOX News disputes claims on his voting record and booed when McCain referred to his opponent’s negative television ads airing as he watched the

Arizona Cardinals defeat the Dallas Cowboys Sunday.

“I don’t agree with the Republicans on everything; I don’t agree with the Demo-crats on everything,” said Jordan Hancock, junior po-litical science major from Abilene and president of the Young Republicans. “But to me, being president involves being commander-in-chief over the military. And I think John McCain, having been in the military, would be a much better commander-in-chief than Mr. Obama.”

About an hour into the debate, some students be-gan talking. Some of the conversations dealt with politics, while others did

not, but the discourse re-mained civil.

“I thought it’d be pretty cool to watch it in a group environment, especially with Republicans and Democrats together,” said Courtney Goodich, sophomore biol-ogy major from Fort Worth.

Students will have a chance to react to Wednesday’s debate with their votes next week. An early voting team will come to campus Monday, and registered students will be able to vote in the Campus Center from 10 a.m. to noon. Monday’s early voting will be the only on-cam-pus voting opportunity before the election on Nov. 4.

slyly replies, “If you hadn’t have asked that, we would have as-sumed it was you.”

Pettit has noticed a deeper benefit to allowing students to anonymously respond and see their classmates’ re-sponses instantly.

“In my opinion, there are certain questions that a teach-er would like to ask, but it’s hard to get an honest answer,” Pettit said.

One day Pettit asked his class to identify how they matched up intellectually against their classmates. Only

two or three students claimed the top. The other 17 or 18 said the same thing: “I’m aver-age but I want to work harder.” When Pettit showed his stu-dents the results, he watched barriers come down.

Max Mills, freshman com-puter science major from Se-attle, did not think professors would be able to find a way to use the iPhone in the class-room. He said he has been pleasantly surprised and ap-preciates the polls.

“I think it’s a pretty good way to use [the iPhone] be-cause it keeps me engaged,” Mills said. “If I’m zoning

out, it keeps my attention.”Ian Duncan, freshman com-

puter science major from Bed-ford, said he has benefited from the iPhone outside of class as much as in class.

“It’s pretty convenient for me,” Duncan said. “I’m not su-per familiar with ACU and I use it not just to get around campus, but to get around Abilene.”

However, this new technol-ogy has its drawbacks.

Having the Internet, e-mail and infinite resources in the palms of students’ hands can be a distraction.

“Technology is more and more engrained in this genera-

tion,” Pettit said. “It’s almost painful for them to be separat-ed from the outside world.”

The iPhone can be a dis-traction for those who have it, but for those who do not it can be divisive.

Tracy Shilcutt, assistant pro-fessor of history, only uses the iPhone in her American History II class on occasion. Although she is openly willing to experi-ment, the fact that not every student in the classroom is a freshman or has an iPhone makes it a challenge to incorpo-rate the device.

Friday, October 17, 2008 Page 7FROM THE FRONT / SPORTS JUMPS

Soccer: Cats to battle two Oklahoma teams

are not overlooking them at all.”

ACU is eighth in the con-ference standings. Since the top six teams make it to the post-season, ACU has its work cut out and will try to vault into the top six with wins this weekend.

“We are taking our season one game at a time,” Wilson said. “The rest of our games could go either way. I think if we win about five plus games, we have a good shot at making it to the playoffs.”

If the team takes one game at a time, ACU should make the postseason, Wil-son said.

“We know we can win both this weekend,” Reese said. “It will just come down to how bad we want it and how consistently we play.”

The game against Cen-tral Oklahoma is Friday at 4 p.m., and the one against Southwestern Oklahoma State is Sunday at 2 p.m.; both are at home.

Football: Department of Athletics offers bus rides to game

Buffs have forced 14 turnovers on the season and are led by defensive ends Brandon Swain and Eugene Sims, who have combined for 6.5 sacks.

“They run a 3-4 and are re-ally fast and athletic,” Thomsen said. “It is the best defense we have faced since this point.”

Despite facing one of the top offenses in the nation, the Wild-cats have matched the Buffs

step-for-step. The Wildcats rank third nationally, averaging 530 yards a game, and have the No. 1 ranked scoring offense in the nation at 53.5 points a game. Quarterback Billy Malone ranks No. 1 nationally in pass-ing efficiency and has thrown for 1,913 yards and 21 touch-downs. Wide receiver Johnny Knox will lead the Wildcats receiving corps after setting the ACU single-game receiving yards record last week, catching

six balls for 232 yards and four touchdowns. Knox (530 yards), Gates (465), and Ferguson (312) lead the Wildcats.

“This is one of the best of-fenses I’ve ever seen,” defensive end Vantrise Studivant said. “It’s exciting to come to the sideline and see Billy [Malone], [Bernard] Scott, Clyde [Edmund Gates], Tyjuan [Manning] and people like that.”

Running back Bernard Scott enters the game as the third-

ranked running back in the nation, averaging 141 yards a game. Scott has also caught 21 passes for 422 yards and ranks second nationally, averaging 15 points a game.

Defensively, the Wildcats have been equally impressive, allowing just 259 yards a game and ranking seventh nation-ally, giving up just 12.7 points a game. After scoring a defen-sive touchdown last week, the Wildcat defense has scored a

touchdown in five consecutive games and has scored seven total touchdowns. The defense has also forced 25 turnovers and recorded 23 sacks, led by defensive end Aston Whiteside (5) and Studivant (4.5).

“We just want to get better, create more pressure, be more precise on pass coverage and play fast,” Studivant said.

The Wildcats will face West Texas A&M Saturday at 6 p.m. in Canyon. The ACU Department

of Athletics will be sponsoring two buses for fans to travel to Canyon. The cost to travel is free, but fans will be respon-sible for purchasing their own tickets, ($5 for student with ID, $12 for adults). Buses will leave the Teague Special Events Center parking lot at 11:15 a.m. Saturday morning. To reserve a spot, e-mail Nate Davis at nate.davis@acu.edu.

Tennis: Squillaci makes second national trip

On the women’s side, Irene Squillaci will make her second straight trip to the national championship. She is not a stranger to national pressure after finishing as the national runner-up in women’s doubles last year. This year, Squillaci is the region’s representative in women’s singles, and Jones sees no reason why she can’t replicate last year’s success.

“She’ll have to be at the top of her game,” Jones said. “If she plays at the top of her game, I think she can beat anybody on any given day.”

Squillaci said her main goal is not just to do well, but to be a good ambassador to her faith and her school.

“The most important thing is to represent ACU well and to glorify God,” she said. “If I play well, I think I have a chance of reaching top four.”

When asked to size up her first round opponent, West Florida’s Suzanna Cavalcante, Squillaci noted the match will be mainly strategic.

“She’s a very good player,” Squillaci said. “I have to play smart and examine her game. It will be more of a mental battle than a tennis battle.”

The national champion-ships takes place Thursday through Sunday at the Cope-land-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala. The center is the largest public hard-court ten-nis facility in the world.

Continued from page 8

E-mail Abston at: gda04b@acu.edu

Continued from page 8

Continued from page 8

E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu

E-mail Gwin at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Prairie: Tickets available for famous show

persuaded A Prairie Home Companion to make its first trip to Texas since June 2006 when the show played in Aus-tin. Sixteen women from the ACU A Cappella Chorus will be performing with the radio pro-gram, which is making its first appearance to West Texas.

“We’re really, really for-tunate to have it come to Abilene,” said John Best, jour-nalism professor and KACU-FM general manager.

On July 6, 1974, Garrison Keillor, the show’s host, and the A Prairie Home Compan-ion team began broadcast-

ing its live variety show. More than 30 years later, the radio program has produced broad-casts from Ca nada, Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany, Iceland and almost every U.S. state. Five hundred and eighty public radio stations now carry the program, including stations in Europe and the Far East.

“It’s an old time radio show in the 21st Century,” Best said. “There are very few old time radio shows left, and it’s really the most popular radio show in the world.”

Along with Keillor, several performers will be in the folksy show, including fiddle player Elana James, steel guitarist

Cindy Cashdollar and Gospel singer Jearlyn Steele. Also fea-tured in Saturday’s show will be Tim Russell, Sue Scott, Fred Newman, Rich Dworsky and the Guys All-Star Boot Band.

More than 3,800 tickets were available when tickets to Saturday’s show went on sale in August. Three thousand tickets already have been sold to people from Abilene as well as New York, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico and the Texas metropolitan areas.

“It’s going to be a phe-nomenal performance,” Best said. “I’ve seen the show twice live before. Although it’s an absolutely phenome-

nal show as a radio show, it’s truly exciting to see in per-son. There’s so much energy that comes off the stage, and all of the performers really have fun doing it.”

For those who cannot attend Saturday’s perfor-mance, they can listen to KACU-FM’s rebroadcast of the show Sunday at 2 p.m. But for those who wish to see the show, tickets are still available for $25 and $75. Tickets can be purchased at the KACU office or the box office in Moody Coliseum.

Continued from page 1

E-mail Hettich at: clh05d@acu.edu

Debate: Students laugh, scoff at debateContinued from page 1

E-mail Johnson-Kim at: djj04a@acu.edu

Retire: Provost praised

said credit for the high cali-ber of ACU’s faculty belongs to several of his colleagues in various departments.

One specific benefit Dr. Tom Winter, Vice Provost, said VanRheenen brought to ACU’s hiring of faculty was the expansion of the areas from which ACU re-cruited faculty members.

Winter, who worked with

VanRheenen since he ar-rived at ACU, said his work ethic would be missed in the Provost’s office on the second floor of the Admin-istration Building.

“I’ll miss him when I’m up there late at night or ear-ly in the morning,” Winter said. “We pulled a few all-nighters working on proj-ects from time to time.”

Continued from page 1

E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu

iPhone: Professors push iPhone usageContinued from page 1

E-mail Craig at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Ranked and Ready

By Grant AbstonSports Editor

After six convincing wins, including a win over fifth-ranked Northwest Missouri in week one, the Wildcats marched through the first seven weeks of the season, winning by an average of 40 points a game. However, this week the Wildcats will put their Lone star Conference title hopes on the line when they play West Texas A&M on the road.

The Buffs enter this week 7-0 and ranked No. 4 in the nation, one behind the third-ranked Wildcats. However, the Buffs are ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Super Regional Four rankings, one spot ahead of the Wildcats. West Texas A&M enters the game with the top-ranked offense in Division II and will provide one of the toughest regular season matchups in ACU history.

“It is the same as every other week and for us, it’s just the next opponent,” said head coach Chris Thomsen. “We will prepare like we al-ways do and we are looking forward to it.”

The Buffs average 539 yards a game and will fea-ture one of the top passing offenses in the nation. Quar-terback Keith Null ranks No. 2 nationally, throwing for 2,810 yards and 25 touchdowns. His touchdowns are the most for any Division II quarterback, and he ranks No. 10 nation-ally in passing efficiency. Null will throw to wide receiver Charly Martin, who ranks sec-ond nationally in yards per game at 135. Martin also has 11 touchdown catches and will be joined by wide receiv-ers Carl Johnson (503 receiv-ing yards) and Seth Hayden (387 receiving yards).

“Their quarterback is a tremendous player, and

they have one of the lead-ing receivers in the country in Charly Martin,” Thomsen said. “They have really good running backs, and we just have to tackle well and be in the right spot from a cover-age standpoint.”

Running backs Keithon Flemming and Wayne McKnight have rushed for 698 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Buffs.

Defensively, West Texas A&M has given up 285 yards and 21 points a game. Line-backers Eldon Grimslid (40) and Jared Brock (38) lead the team in tackles. The

n The ACU Department of Athletics will be sponsoring two buses for fans to travel to Canyon on Saturday to watch the ACU football team play West Texas A&M. The cost is free, but fans will be responsible for purchasing tickets ($12 for adults, $5 for students with ID) and meals. Buses will leave the Teague Special Events Center park-ing lot Saturday at 11:15 a.m. To sign up, e-mail Nate Davis at nate.davis@acu.edu.

n ACU quarterback Billy Malone is the main subject of espn.com college football writer Bruce Feldman’s blog. To read Feldman’s blog, go to espn.com, click ‘blogs’ from the top menu and find Feldman.

SportsFridayPage 8 October 17, 2008

Standings

FootballTeam Div. OverallWTAMUACU Tarleton St.TAMU-KMSU

Angelo St.

3-02-01-11-11-21-2

7-06-06-15-24-23-4

ENMU 0-3 1-6

VolleyballTeam Div. OverallWTAMUTarleton St.TX Woman’sTAMU-CMSU

ACU*

*9th out of 14 teams

4-06-14-24-23-22-3

20-316-615-812-719-614-7

Women’s SoccerTeam Div. OverallWTAMUCentral Okla.Angelo St.NE St.TAMU-C

TX Woman’s

5-03-13-12-1-22-12-1

11-1-19-3-29-4-14-5-38-2-17-5

ENMU 2-3 8-6ACU 1-2-1 5-5-2MSU 1-3 6-6East Central 0-4-1 4-7-2SW Okla. 0-4 2-11

SCOREBOARD

NOTES

Friday

SoccerACU vs. Central Oklahoma, 4 p.m.

Saturday

Cross CountryChile Pepper Festival, 9:45 a.m.

VolleyballACU at Texas Woman’s, 2 p.m.

FootballACU at West Texas A&M, 6 p.m.

Sunday

SoccerACU vs. SW Oklahoma State, 2 p.m.

:: Home games listed in italics

Upcoming

Friday

SoccerACU 3, East Central 2

Saturday

FootballACU 51, Angelo State 7

Sunday

SoccerACU 0, Northeastern State 0

Scores

Volleyball team to face Texas Woman’s in DentonBy Chandler HarrisAssistant Sports Editor

The ACU volleyball team continues its nine-game road trip on Saturday as it trav-els to Denton to play Texas Woman’s University. On Thursday, the Wildcats trav-eled to Commerce to play the Lady Lions of Texas A&M-Commerce. Results were un-available by press time.

Texas Woman’s sits at third in the Lone Star Con-ference standings with a 15-8 overall record and a 4-2 record in league play. Katie King leads the team with 199 kills on the season.

“They [TWU] have done

well up to this point,” said head coach Kellen Mock. “They move the ball around well and have experience in a couple of key positions. We will have to have good ball control and take care of the ball to win, but I do think that they are a team that we match up well against.”

In the LSC, ACU ranks eighth in team hitting per-centage at .188 heading into Thursday’s matchup. However, the team kept its opponents to a .131 hitting percentage which ranks sec-ond in the LSC. The team is third in assists with 11.63

per set and fourth in kills with 12.66 per set. The Wild-cats are second in blocks with 142.5. The team leads the conference in digs, aver-aging 17.3 a set.

Individually, the Wildcats rank in the tops of almost every statistical category. Sophomore middle blocker Shawna Hines leads the LSC in blocks with 1.11 per set. The closest competitor in total blocks is two behind Hines. Hines also ranks tenth in hitting percentage with .286. Freshman outside hit-ter Jennie Hutt is eighth in kills with 2.94 per set. Hutt also ranks ninth in points per set with 3.35. Sopho-

more setter Ijeoma Moronu is third in assists, averaging 9.97 per set. Senior libero Amy Wilson ranks third in the conference in digs, aver-aging 4.86 a set.

“We have struggled a lit-tle bit lately in conference,” Mock said. “We break our season down into segments and set goals for each seg-ment of the season. We had a team meeting on Monday and I think the girls are re-newed in body and spirit and are ready to play well.”

Mock said ACU has a good lineup ahead of them in conference matches.

“We are away from the south end of the conference

that has some powerhouse teams,” Mock said. “We have some tricks up our sleeves to beat the northern end of the conference.”

Prior to Thursday’s game, ACU lost four of its last five matches, including its last two conference matches. The team has not played a home game since Sept. 27.

“It’s kind of do-or-die right now,” Mock said. “We need to get some wins to help us get to the postseason.”

Tennis players head to ITA nationalsBy Jeff CraigSports Writer

The tennis team departed for the ITA Small Colleges Na-tional Championship in Mobile, Ala., earlier this week with half of its region’s qualifying spots.

Each NCAA Division II re-gion sends a men and women’s doubles team, as well as a men and women’s singles player. ACU’s tandem of Ryan Hudson and Juan Nunez will represent the South Central Region in men’s doubles, and senior Irene Squillaci captured the women’s singles spot by winning the South Central Region tourna-ment earlier this year. ACU en-ters the competition with high expectations. With its second

consecutive trip to nationals, the pair of Nunez and Hudson is positioned as the nation’s top-ranked tennis squad. Head coach Hutton Jones expects great things from them.

“I do think that [they will do well] because they qualified last year and they see that they are as good as anybody,” Jones said. “But they have to stay pos-itive. Knowing that, they cannot start trying too hard; they have to let go and not be too aware of what all of this means.”

Jones feels Hudson and Nunez are great on returns and playing at the net, but he said they must have great first serves to win. Hudson agrees

with his coach and said serves will go a long way in determin-ing their fate.

“We are going to have to serve well,” Hudson said. “I feel that first serves have been one thing to let us down in the past. If we can make good first serves, that’ll determine how we do.”

Hudson’s partner, Nunez, echoed his teammate’s senti-ments and said he feels that with good serves, they can achieve success.

“We need to take care of our serves a little bit more,” Nunez said. “I think we can win the whole thing; we think this is our year.”

Cats return home for 2 matchesBy Austin GwinSports Writer

The Wildcats come home to play for the first time in nearly two weeks as they take on Central Oklahoma on Friday and Southwest-ern Oklaho-ma State on Sunday.

ACU is coming off a road trip, where they went 1-0-1 to improve to 1-3-1, moving into eighth place in the Lone Star Conference.

Central Oklahoma will be a tough test for ACU. The Bronchos currently sit in sec-ond place in the LSC rank-ings with a 3-1 record and an 8-3-2 overall record. The Bronchos come into Friday’s game with the third-ranked offense in the LSC, scor-ing 26 goals on the season. UCO’s players have been stellar in conference play the past few years, winning 26 of their last 27 regular season conference games.

“They [Central Oklahoma] are always tough but they aren’t the same team they were last year, and neither are we,” said head coach Casey Wilson. “They are one of the top teams we’ll play all season, and we will come ready to play with them.”

Senior captain Jordan Re-ese added, “We have a lot of proving ourselves to do. We have been playing progres-sively better each game.”

Last year the Bronchos beat the Wildcats by a score of 7-0. This season, how-ever, the Wildcats’ vaunted defense will try to shut down UCO’s potent offen-sive star Stephanie Lovely, who scored nine goals this season, four of which were game winners. The Broncho defense, which posted shut-outs in three of four confer-ence matchups thus far, will prove challenging to an ACU team that has struggled to score this season.

The match on Sunday should be a little easier for the Wildcats, who will face Southwestern Oklahoma State. The Bulldogs are win-less in conference play so far and have an overall re-cord of 2-11; they have gone almost a month without scoring a goal. ACU may find the offensive spark it needs against the Bulldogs to jumpstart this season and break out of its slump. So far the only goals scored in con-ference play were all in one game Sunday.

Coach Wilson said he is not taking Sunday’s game for granted. “We fully ex-pect them [Southwestern Oklahoma State] to be a tough team,” he said. “They have been able to compete with many teams so far this year. We

See Soccer page 7See Tennis page 7

Volleyball

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

Quarterback Billy Malone scans the Angelo State defense last Saturday. Malone will direct ACU this weekend in Canyon as the third-ranked Wildcats will be on the road against No. 4 West Texas A&M.

Wilson

Third-ranked Wildcats to play WTAMU Buffs on road

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

Irene Squillaci is making her second-straight appearance at nationals.

Tennis

VSNo. 3 ACU No. 4 WTAMU

E-mail Harris at: tch05f@acu.edu

See Football page 7

Total Offense: 530.0 (2) 539.4 (1)Scoring Offense: 53.5 (1) 48.1 (2)Rushing Offense: 196.5 (2) 115.0 (6)Passing Offense: 333.5 (2) 424.4 (1)Total Defense: 259.5 (1) 285.9 (3)Scoring Defense: 12.7 (1) 21.0 (6)Rushing Defense: 67.8 (2) 93.6 (4)Passing Defense: 191.7 (4) 192.3 (5)Turnover Margin: +16 (1) +4 (3)

ACU WTAMU

*LSC rank in parenthesis

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