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ACU vs. Eastern NM

Forecast InsideWILDCAT FOOTBALLstalled offensively in the first half, but rallied to a 44-33 victory over Eastern New Mexico in the second. Our sports team breaks it down.

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CHANGES TO SUMMITthis year reflect a genuine desire on behalf of the Office of Ministry Events to offer students a relevant, challeng-ing spiritual experience.

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Did you notice thebats during Summit?Visit acuoptimist.com to see what

the ACU community is saying.

VIDEO

Rocketboys’ performance

Optimistthe

acuoptimist.comBREAKING NEWS, VIDEOS, PHOTOS, DISCUSSION AND EXCLUSIVE CONTENTVol. 98, No. 12 1 section, 8 pagesWednesday, September 30, 2009

The ’Boys are back in town

LOUDandCLEAR

PAGE 5

Lizzy SpanoArts Editor

Students will have the op-portunity to soak their professors in a dunk tank, jump on inflatable rides or throw themselves against a Velcro wall dur-ing “Unstress Day” on Fri-day, which will wrap up the 2009 Wellness Week.

Unstress Day was de-signed by the Counseling Center to provide fun and engaging activities for students in associa-

tion with Wellness Week events and activities.

“We really wanted to end the week with some-thing that [allows stu-

dents to] kind of rest, relax and enjoy a positive way to have fun,” said Steve Rowlands, director of the Counseling Center.

As part of the event, students can climb a rock wall, run an ob-stacle course or listen to Optimus Prime and the Autobots perform on the Nelson Hall patio. Also, a Breast Cancer Walk will begin Thursday during Chapel. Students can re-ceive two Chapel credits for participating.

Wellness Week was created for ACU students and employees to pro-mote health in their lives, challenging their knowl-edge of wellness and pro-viding information to in-form a healthy lifestyle. It will take place Oct. 6-9.

“Wellness Week was

Unstress day ends Wellness Week with games, live music WELLNESS

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

David SotoStudent Reporter

As Sing Song approaches, the Office of Student Pro-ductions begins its search for student hosts and hostesses once again.

Five to seven students are chosen from about 60 applicants each year, the majority of whom are women.

“The judges’ panel is comprised of people from the Sing Song professional staff, ACU’s Music Depart-ment and music profes-sionals outside of ACU,” said Tom Craig, director of Student Productions. “They look for people with excel-lent voice quality and who have the ability to blend well with others.”

Auditions take two days to complete. The first night, each applicant has three and a half minutes to sing portions of two songs. The best are called back for the second round of audi-tions the following night. Callback auditions involve sightreading a piece of music and singing in vari-ous small ensembles, after which students are taken through a simple choreog-raphy routine, Craig said.

“Those auditioning should expect to perform for the judges as if they

Studentsaudition for hostpositions

SING SONG

Casey OliverStudent Reporter

The Office of Enrollment Management is opening a new avenue for recruiting high school seniors with its new Web site, Live Up. The innovative and inter-active site was designed to work hand-in-hand

with the prospective stu-dents’ page on the ACU Web site.

Corey Patterson, direc-tor of Enrollment Manage-ment, said the goal of the Live Up project is to cre-ate a more dynamic site where people can watch videos and read profiles of current students.

“Current students can tell us their story, and it will become part of the Web site,” Patterson said. He said he believes see-ing and hearing students’ reflections on their expe-riences will propel pro-spective students to con-sider ACU seriously as an option for college.

“The best thing for prospective students right now is for them to get to hear stories from current students,” Pat-terson said. “Especially stories that they can actu-ally see themselves being a part of.”

The Web site is really a database of stories so

every time the page is re-freshed, it displays differ-ent content.

“It’s always fresh, al-ways changing, and that’s something that we’re real-ly excited about,” he said.

Live Up will be part of the electronic media fam-

Recruiting Web site features student storiesENROLLMENT

Enrollment Management’s new Web site, liveup.acu.edu, highlights students’ stories.

Kelsi WilliamsonStaff Photographer

The ACU Outdoor Club cleaned up and climbed up during the club’s rock climbing trip. Students of all skill levels, 22 in all, joined the Brownwood climbing group, Rock Addiction, as they collected trash before their excursion Saturday.

“It was so encouraging to see such a large group all excited about climbing and giving back to an area that we all have come to love,” said the Outdoor Club president, Colter Lane.

Lane, a senior physics major from Kalispell, Mont., has been climbing for four years. He met the leader of Rock Addiction on a previous climb this semester.

“It’s grown into a pretty good friendship,” Lane said.

Rock Addiction cleans their climbing area the last Saturday of every other month and of-fered to work with the Outdoor Club in exchange for help. The Brownwood group shared their gear and their advice with ACU students after the cleanup.

“They were incredibly helpful

and donated their complete time for our enjoyment,” said Brett Harbor, senior criminal justice major from Austin.

Many students who partici-pated in the climb were begin-ners; a few were not even part of the Outdoor Club, Lane said.

Samantha Sutherland, freshman English major from Brownwood, is a new member of the club. She said the trip gave her a chance to meet a lot of new people.

“The experience of doing some-

see CLIMB page 4 see SING page 4

see SITE page 4

see STRESS page 4

LAURA ACUFF Features Editor

Above: Asa Kusuma, sophomore computer science major from Annadale, Va., looks for his next hold while scaling a rock in Brownwood on Saturday. Below right: Sarah Kratzer, senior psychology major from Los Alamos, N.M., adjusts her harness before climbing.

Outdoor Club climbs, cleans

We really wanted something that [allows students] to kind of rest, relax and enjoy a positive way to have fun.STEVE ROWLANDSDirector of the Counseling Center

Announcements

CALENDAR AND EVENTS

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

2CampusDay

11 a.m.Praise Day

4 p.m.ACU Soccer vs. Northeastern State

8 p.m. Free Movie NightSteel Magnolias at Hardin-Simmons University

2 FRIDAY

11 a.m.Small Group Chapels

4 p.m. LSTU Interest Meeting

1THURSDAY

11 a.m.Come to the Quiet Chapel

30WEDNESDAY

28Chapel CreditedChapelsto date:

Checkup 43CreditedChapelsremaining:

The Nashville-based “Black-wood Legacy” gospel group will be performing a free concert at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at Lytle South Baptist Church. For more information, call 695-6533 or visit www.blackwoodle-gacy.org.

There will be a craft fair from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 2 in the classrooms at the Abilene Regional Medical Center’s Women’s Center. Use the northwest entrance at the back of the hospital.

Volunteer OpportunitiesThe Salvation Army needs volunteers to help with the appli-cation and interview process for new clients for the Christ-mas Angel Tree. For more information, contact Cecilia Bara-hona at 677-1408.

Volunteers are needed for Census 2010 at the Busi-ness Mercado at the Abilene Civic Center on Saturday. Volun-teers work two-hour shifts at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Contact Anna Jane Perrey at 674-2067 for more information.

The Day Nursery of Abilene needs vol-unteers for its first Putt “Fore” Chil-dren Miniature Golf Tournament. The event is Oct. 3 from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Prime Time Fam-ily Entertainment Center. Volunteers will register golfers, monitor holes and keep score. Contact Cynthia Pearson at 673-1110 for more information.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes needs volunteers Oct. 13 from 8:30-10:30 p.m. at the

annual Fields of Faith event at Shot-well Stadium. Vol-unteers need their own laptops with Excel. Contact Steve Keenum at 795-0075 for more information.

Disability Resources needs volunteersfor their annual Pump-kin Patch Oct. 1-31, Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. Volunteers will help sell pumpkins, drive hayrides and take pictures. Contact Kathy Deatherage at 673-4820 for more information.

Frontier Texas is seeking help with Halloween activities Oct. 20. Volunteers will help build sets and prepare for the event. Volunteers are also needed during the event Oct. 30-31 to staff a haunted house. Contact Jeff Salmon at 437-2800 for more information.

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

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

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

AboutThis Page

Police Log

Sept. 152:20 a.m. APD recovered an iPod from suspect.

Sept. 16 9:35 a.m. Motor vehicle burglary reported.

Sept. 177:45 a.m. ACUPD monitored school zone and stopped a brown Chevy pickup for speeding 39 mph in a 30 mph zone.

Sept. 1812:10 p.m. ACUPD began an investigation for a missing student who lives in the University Park Apartments.

2:59 p.m. Reporting party said there was loud music around University Park Apartments.

Sept. 1912:10 a.m. Reporting party said he left his camera and bag in the McGlothlin Campus Center Living Room after an event. ACUPD checked the information desk in the Campus Center, but no camera had been turned in.

Sept. 202:40 a.m. ACUPD received a call about a noise violation. Upon investigation, ACUPD found individuals shooting fireworks in surrounding neighborhoods.

8:06 a.m. Two motor vehicles were reported stolen.

Sept. 2111:25 a.m. APD dispatch contacted ACUPD to report they were sending medical assistance to Moody Coliseum for a female who had fallen.

Sept. 2212:37 a.m. Medical emergency reported for a person struck by a bike while walking on the Lundsford Walking Trail.

12:22 p.m. Reporting party called ACUPD to report their locked car had been broken into and their laptop stolen.

Wednesday8:55 a.m. A hit-and-run was reported to ACUPD at the Big Purple parking lot. Subject reported a hit-and-run accident involving his vehicle.

6:30 p.m. ACUPD received a call about a stolen bike at the southern entrance of the William Performing Arts Center.

CorrectionsIn the Sept. 20 issue, we erroneously referred to the McKinney House Museum in story about the Women for ACU dinner. The name of the museum is the Jennings House Mu-seum.

Tip of the WeekHelp prevent theft. Never leave your backpack, laptop or other personal items unattended.

September 30, 2009 Page 3Campus News

Linda BaileyOpinion Page Editor

The Service Action Leader-ship Team organized its only Service Saturday of the semester last weekend.

In the past, SALT orga-nized one Service Satur-day every month. Begin-ning this year, SALT will offer only one Service Saturday for the semes-ter; instead, the team will offer other service oppor-tunities each week.

SALT Secretary Aman-da Buchanan, senior psychology major from Lubbock, said the change was made to shift focus to a relational ministry rather than one based on planned events.

Buchanan said SALT will provide weekly op-portunities in specific ministry fields for stu-dents to join in service.

“We want to get ACU students involved in the weekly ministry that’s a lot more relational than a once-a-month event that they can attend,” Buchanan said.

Mark Foster, admin-istrator for the SALT officer team and senior information technol-ogy major from Abilene, said service opportuni-ties are a good way to meet ACU students and members of the Abilene community.

“For Abilene, there are a lot of opportunities to

get involved,” Foster said. Lydia McAnulty, senior

exercise science major from Belmont, Mass., par-ticipated in her first Service Saturday last weekend. She worked with the Highland Church of Christ Christ-mas store, unpacking box-es and taking inventory. Giving back out of one’s blessings is what service is about, McAnulty said.

Students who want to get involved in a weekly service project can find postings on myACU or visit the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center.

SALT restructures serviceSERVICE

Lizzy SpanoArts Editor

Local businesses and artists will organize spe-cial promotions and ac-tivities to attract visitors for Downtown Dayz, a monthly event that will take place Oct. 10.

Sponsored by the Abilene Downtown Asso-ciation, Downtown Dayz was created last year to encourage interest in Abilene’s downtown busi-ness and cultural scene. “The purpose of Down-town Dayz is really to generate interest in folks coming downtown to shop, to dine and to par-take of the cultural oppor-tunity,” said Dennis Miller,

president of the Abilene Downtown Association.

Students can park downtown during the event and walk to par-ticipating galleries, shops and restaurants – such as Monks Coffee Shop or the Paramount Theatre – to browse or take advantage of possible discounts, Miller said.

Although featured busi-nesses and artists vary each month, many have made repeat appearances, including The Arrange-ment, RELICS, Eternal Threads, The Loft, Mc-Kay’s Bakery and The Grace Museum.

Miller said the associ-ation has noticed a grad-ual increase in visitors

on Downtown Dayz.“Our merchants are tell-

ing us that they are seeing a little more traffic in their stores, that it has generat-ed some additional sales,” Miller said. “Like anything that’s new, it takes some time to develop.”

Students are often fea-tured artists and musi-cians. Cockerell Galleries exclusively displays work by ACU artists, and the Center for Contemporary Arts has an exhibit by Ash

Almonte, a former Mc-Murry University student, running this month.

Students interested in participating in Down-town Dayz can contact the Downtown Asso-ciation online at www.abilenedowntown.com. Next week’s featured par-ticipants will be also be displayed online.

Dayz go by in Downtown AbileneENTERTAINMENT

Jill DougherStudent Reporter

The ACU Spring Break Committee is conducting interviews this week to se-lect leaders for the 2010 Spring Break Campaigns.

Every fall, students have the opportunity to apply for a Spring Break Campaign leader posi-tion. Students given this title are in charge of planning a trip and lead-ing a group of students to a selected destination.

“We should come close to our quota with approx-imately 40-50 leaders,” said Emily Hood, travel chairman for the 2010 SBC committee. This con-trasts with last year, when

the committee had to reopen the application process due to a lack of applicants.

“Being a leader is a unique experience that you won’t find any-where else,” said Hood, senior psychology ma-jor from Spearman. Hood led the Chicago campaign last year.

Ben Rogers, senior finance major from Ath-ens, led the D.C. cam-paign last year and serves as treasurer for the SBC committee. He said he prefers being a leader rather than a campaigner during Spring Break.

“It’s exciting because you get to see strangers become servants for the

week,” Rogers said.To prepare for the

trip, leaders attend monthly meetings and meet weekly during Cha-pel to receive instruc-tions and begin building each other up as a team.

Students not leading campaigns still have the opportunity to serve this Spring Break as campaign-ers. Tri-folds with infor-mation on each 2010 trip will be set up in the Cam-pus Center Nov. 2-5. The SBC fair will occur Nov. 3 from 6-8:30 p.m.

SBC needs group leadersCAMPAIGNS

contact Bailey atljb07a@acu.edu

contact Dougher atoptimist@jmcnetwork.com

The purpose of Downtown Dayz is really to generate interest in folks coming to shop, dine and partake in the cultural opportunity.

DENNIS MILLERPresident of the Abilene Downtown Association

contact Spano ateas07a@acu.edu

September 30, 2009From FrontPage 4

established 10 years ago by the Counseling Center as an outreach for students and employees about spiri-tual, emotional, physical and relational wellness,” said Helen Marshall, Well-ness Week coordinator.

Rowland said October is a time when the stress and expectations of college life begin to have an effect on students. Midterm grades,

tests, homesickness and pledging are all stressors at this time, and Rowland said Wellness Week is a way to provide encouragement to students.

The theme of Wellness Week is Victory of Well-ness, or VOW. The Peer Health Educators will lead a small group Chapel for those who chose to make a commitment on Thurs-day in the Campus Center Living Room. The theme is based on the work of Dr.

Dickie Hill, professor of ex-ercise science and health.

Dr. Ellen Little, medical director for the clinic, will begin the week by speaking about “When God is Ab-sent” in Chapel on Monday. Booths addressing issues from depression to healthy relationships will be set up in the Campus Center on Tuesday, and students from the Abilene School of Massage Therapy will also offer free massages in the Living Room.

These activities will al-low students to become aware of stress-manage-ment techniques and healthy lifestyles in an en-gaging way, said Ben Marti-nez, junior accounting ma-jor from Abilene.

“The activities during Wellness Week give stu-dents the opportunity to take a break from class work and just have fun,” Martinez said.

Jackie Brunk, senior graphic design major from

Jackson, Wyo., said she practices several methods of combating stress during the semester.

“I start every morning with a quiet time; not only for the whole religious part of it – it gives me time to plan and think of what I have to do that day,” Brunk said.

Rowlands encourages similar techniques for stress management, includ-ing exercise and avoiding overcommitment.

“There are a lot of pres-sures on college students – and a lot of pressure to succeed and do well and be somebody,” Rowlands said. “One of the things I would love to encourage people to do is love themselves; be OK with who you are and who you are becoming.”

thing challenging together is a good way to get to know people,” Sutherland said.

For Harbor, rock climb-ing is an opportunity to form relationships.

“I don’t know if it’s nec-essarily easier to meet new people doing it, but it’s eas-

ier to build relationships, because you’re basically trusting people with your life,” Harbor said.

The Outdoor Club plans to partner with Rock Ad-diction again for another combination climb-and-cleanup next semester. The cleanup is important in preventing the misuse of public land, Lane said.

“It creates a sense of ownership,” he said. “If you see the good you can do picking up trash, you’re less likely to dispense trash. When you escape into the outdoors, but you go into a dump, it’s not very much fun.”

ily that the Enrollment Management Office uses to reach out. The Web site will coordinate with ACU Facebook fan pages, al-lowing students to browse pictures, ask questions and start discussions about campus events.

“I think being innovative is pretty important right now, especially when we’re trying to stand out from

other universities,” said Shelly Tarter, junior theatre and technical design major from Lubbock.

Patterson said his office needs input from current students for the Live Up Web site to reach its full po-tential. Live Up is targeted at seniors, but all students can participate.

“By submitting testi-monies, students are tak-ing part in the tradition of ACU,” Patterson said. “They see the promise, the

branding of the university. They can take Live Up as a challenge to live up to the potential that God has, the expectations of their pro-fessors, and the traditions of the last 104 years.”

Students can visit the Live Up Web site and tell their stories at liveup.acu.edu.

Continued from page 1

Stress: Fun activities a release from common stressorsWELLNESS

contact Spano ateas07a@acu.edu

Continued from page 1

Site: Forum for experienceENROLLMENT

Continued from page 1

contact Oliver atoptimist@jmcnetwork.com

Climb: Club cleans landSTUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

contact Williamson atkkw07a@acu.edu

Continued from page 1

Blowing hot air

Sing: Host, hostess auditionsSING SONG

JOZIE SANDS Chief Photographer

Lanny Finch of Abilene plays drums with the Screaming Moon Dogs Friday night at Balloon Fest.

contact Soto atoptimist@jmcnetwork.com

were performing to a crowd of 3,500 people,” he said.

Auditions will take place Oct. 5-6 in Cullen Auditorium. Full-time students with at least 60 hours, a grade point aver-

age of 2.5 or better and in good standing with the university — as inter-preted by the dean of Stu-dent Life — may audition, according to the audition information sheet.

Those interested must sign up for an audition time

slot by Sept. 30 and should plan to arrive 10 minutes prior to their audition time. The first performance of Sing Song, themed “Name Fame,” will be Feb.18.

theRocketboys

By day, they work as substitute teachers, waiters or baris-tas. But when the lights go down, these five ordinary ACU graduates lead far from ordinary lives. The Rocketboys are rocking the music scene as one of Austin’s newest musical sensations and one of Abilene’s favorite home-grown bands.

With two live DVDs, two EPs and multiple tours al-ready behind them, The Rocketboys’ first CD release confirms its legitimacy in the music industry, something the band earned long ago.

Countdown to Launch

Before they were Rocketboys, they were ACU students. The men met through mutual acquaintances freshman year and began playing music together in their residence halls. The band originally included Scott Delony on cello and piano and Philip Ellis on drums. Both left the band for personal reasons, but the music continued. The band that eventually became The Rocketboys is made up of Brandon Kinder (’06), Daniel Wheeler (’06), Justin Wise-man (’07), Mitch Holt (’07) and Josh Campbell (’07).

While earning their degrees, The Rocketboys recorded and released two DVDs and two EPs. They performed on the weekends, sometimes driving back at 5 a.m., just in time to make their 8 a.m. Monday classes.

The band adopted its original name, Homer Hiccolm and The Rocketboys, in 2005. They were inspired by the widely acclaimed Universal Pictures film, October Sky. Kinder, lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist, recalled the scene when Homer, portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal, unfolds a newspaper clipping with the headline, “Homer Hickam and The Rocketboys.” Kinder misspelled the name, but it “stuck,” he said.

The real Homer Hickam didn’t seem to mind. Hickam heard about the band from his grandchildren and found the group’s MySpace page. He encouraged the band members’ musical careers and gave them permission to use his name – which didn’t matter in the end. The band changed its name when it moved to Austin eight months ago; the shorter name is easier for fans to remember.

The Rocketboys now reside in Austin, one of Texas’ music hotspots. The city is competitive, bringing oppor-tunities and trials to the band.

“It’s such a musical, diverse city,” said Josh Campbell, bassist and vocalist. “It’s a little more nerve-wracking be-cause you don’t know what’s going on. There might be a better show next door.”

As for Daniel Wheeler, guitarist/aux, he said he loves returning to his alma mater in a town that is “consistent” and “timeless.”

A Ghost is BornThe group’s most recent milestone has to be the release of its first full-length album, 20,000 Ghosts. A free con-cert in The Bean served as the conclusion to ACU’s annu-al Summit and an album release party. The performance gathered a receptive audience of more than 100 students – an audience that enthusiastically called for more even after the band’s set list had been exhausted.

An enthusiastic fan from Amarillo drove to Abilene for the show. Clarke Paige, 18-year-old Amarillo High School senior, said The Rocketboys have an “original sound.” Paige had just enough time to shake hands with the band before heading straight home to attend school

the next morning.The band members said they were fortunate to get

their start in a small town. They developed a tough work ethic and learned to be innovative in their search for new performance venues.

Their JamFest performance was their very first at ACU. After that came shows at Cobb Park, Monks Coffee Shop, the Abilene Balloon Festival and the Paramount Theatre.

Wheeler recalls the show at Monks – the Rocketboys were the first band to perform there, and they broke fire code with an audience of more than 180 people.

“People want to see the music scene improved,” Wheeler said. “It’s possible to succeed here.”

The Rocketboys have performed nearly 100 shows in the past three years. Two years ago, they won the inau-gural Sound and the Jury competition at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

“We’re all pretty blown away,” Wiseman said. “We’ve accomplished a lot since we’ve picked up our instru-ments, and plus the fact that we’re making strides to do that and make this a career.”

School of Rock

The Rocketboys have lived through the pressure of quit-ting school to pursue music, and they encourage other students to earn their college degrees. They used their college years to find a purpose, sound and a message.

“Through college, you learn to think critically and ap-ply it as an artist,” Wheeler said. “My advice would be, first of all, do what you love to do.”

Wiseman calls The Rocketboys’ genre “ambient rock.” The band stays out from under the Christian umbrella, because, Wiseman said, he thinks it can reach a broader audience that way.

“With any type of art, your personal beliefs come out and make themselves known,” Wiseman said. “We don’t call ourselves a Christian band. It’s reflected in the things we create and do. We’re positive people and create things that are positive.”

The Rocketboys said they are excited about touring in a week and a half. In the past, they have toured nation-ally with numerous bands, including Grizzly Bear, Eisley, Art Brut and St. Vincent. During this tour, they will travel across 16 states.

“Its nonstop fun,” Campbell said. “What else do I have to complain about?”

As for the future, the band is working to redefine its

goals. A European tour is at the top of the wish list, but the first priority is to make the band a career.

“I don’t care about huge arenas or getting famous,” Campbell said. “I just want to get by, pay the bills.”

The band has been asked to perform at several high profile festivals and venues, such as Next Big Nashville, SXSW, the Cornerstone Festival, the Hotel Café in Los An-geles, the Public Assembly in New York and Stubbs in Austin. But after all the excitement, the members return to their roots: to play music to the best of their abilities.

“We want to keep doing it, not to make money, but because we genuinely love music,” Wheeler said.

The Rocketboys’ new CD is available on iTunes. For more information, visit their Myspace page at www.mys-pace.com/rocketboys.

FocusSeptember 30, 2009 Page 5

Homegrown band returns to release full-length album

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Guitarist Daniel Wheeler (‘06) sings backup vocals during the Rocketboys’ free concert Wednesday night in the Bean.

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Lead vocalist Brandon Kinder (‘06) sings while playing the piano Saturday night. Kinder also plays guitar for The Rocketboys.

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Joshua Campbell (‘07), bass and vocals, accompanies the band on a xylophone Wednesday night.

Christina JohnsonFeatures Writer

contact Johnson atoptimist@jmcnetwork.com

OpinionPage 6 September 30, 2009

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

Signed columns, cartoons and letters are the opinions of their creators and may not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Optimist or the university.

The Optimist encourages reader response through letters to the editor but reserves the right to limit frequent contributors or to refuse to print letters

containing personal attacks, obscenity, defamation, erroneous information or invasion of privacy.

Please limit letters to 350 words or fewer. A name and phone number must be included for verification purposes. Phone numbers will not be published.

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79699

E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu

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Editorial and Management Board

Colter HettichEditor in Chief

Sondra RodriguezManaging Editor

Laura AcuffFeatures Editor

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Multimedia Desk(325) 674-2463

Kenneth PybusFaculty Adviser

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Optimistthe

By Jordan BlakeyAtaraxia

Summit boasts a deep history of tradition and expectation, any changes to such a longstanding event must be handled with the utmost care. No matter how much consid-eration is taken, feathers surely will be ruffled; but Brady Bryce and the Of-fice of Ministry Events have done an excellent job bringing Summit’s focus back to students and reaching out to the student body to provide a relevant, challenging experience.

When Brady Bryce joined Abilene Christian University’s faculty as di-rector of Ministry Events,

Summit 2007 was planned already. While rummag-ing through his new of-fice, he stumbled upon a box of programs and brochures from past Lec-tureships (the event’s title was changed to Summit in 2008.) A faded pamphlet from 1921 caught Bryce’s eye. He described the de-sign as bland, with just typesetting, much like an old newspaper.

“I read the paragraph description of what [the event] was about, and it said this: ‘Lectureship is intended primarily for the benefit of the students … and we anticipate that a number of guests will

come for this rich, spiritual feast,” Bryce said.

The mission statement took him by surprise.

“I probably read that 10 times, thinking, ‘Real-ly? Almost 100 years ago, that’s the way it started?’” Bryce said.

In ACU’s first year – when it was still Childers Classical Institute – a weeklong gospel meeting, of sorts, gave students a break from spring classes and the chance to listen to a notable speaker. As Bryce learned more about the event’s history, he realized the focus of today’s Lec-tureship had shifted. Chris-tian educators, ministers

and alumni were receiving the best of what Lecture-ship had to offer. This sub-tle shift was not a positive one, in Bryce’s estimation, and he felt compelled to correct the event’s course by steering the focus back to the student body.

“That’s what I’ve tried to do for the last two years; even the older generations are saying wow,” Bryce said. “I love pictures of a person with tattoos and piercings sitting next to an old per-son in a classroom. There’s so much to learn.”

Bryce moved the fea-tured guest slot to 3 p.m. last year after much delib-eration about the most con-

venient time for the aver-age student. This year, the Office of Ministry Events redesigned the entire Sum-mit schedule to reflect class schedules. Now, students could attend an entire lec-ture track and miss only one class meeting.

It is no easy task to reformat an established

event such as Summit, but Brady Bryce and his team returned the focus of the week to the students, where it belongs.

Summit shifts focus to studentsEDITORIAL

Health care a philanthropic issueCOLUMN

Guest Column Dr. Cole Bennett

I wish to respond to the claim that dutiful Chris-tians should support the political left’s call to fund a national h e a l t h care plan t h r o u g h g o v e r n -m e n t c h a n -nels. The president h i m s e l f articulated such an ap-peal to faith-based orga-nizations in a conference call with religious lead-ers last month, where he argued “the wealthiest nation is failing to live up to the call” to “be our brother’s keeper.”

While I concede the president and I both want sick people to get well, I object vehemently

to his conflation of my roles as a citizen of the state and a citizen of God’s kingdom. I can ex-plain my objections on both philosophical and practical grounds.

I think if my neighbor is sick, I have the respon-sibility to love him – not because I am an Ameri-can, but because I am a Christian. I should visit him, take him food and even help him pay for medical care. If larger numbers in my com-munity, state or country need health care, I should mobilize my church and larger private philan-thropic organizations to take care of them through larger-scale donations of money and resources – offered willingly by all donors involved.

What I should not do is enact legislation that binds non-religious citi-

zens to religious behav-ior.

In the first place, New Testament Scripture re-cords directives for Chris-tians to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit prisoners, orphans, and widows; nowhere does it tell us to create a system of government that takes money from people by force – even very rich peo-ple – and redistribute it ac-cording to such directives. Jesus pushes Christians toward individual and churchwide collective ac-tion for people in need. He does not tell us to wield the power of the state upon non-believers.

In the second place, Christians are called to be good stewards. A dol-lar given to Abilene’s Love and Care Ministries, for example, goes a lot further to help people than a dollar taken by the

U.S. government, whose runaway spending can-not be monitored or con-trolled efficiently. Chris-tians should be careful with their resources and object when our govern-ment levies taxes that in-hibit their ability to give to charities.

My leftist Christian friends often say, “The government must in-terfere because people might not donate enough to charity.”

My response is simple: Citizens of the United States are not required to love the poor; citizens of the Kingdom are, and no rhetorical attempts by the president will con-vince me otherwise.

THE ISSUEOver time, the Lectureship program drifted from its original purpose.

OUR TAKEWe commend Summit coordinators for bringing the focus back to the students.

Forcing shots ignores rights

COLUMN

E-Span Lizzy Spano

After months of following the swine flu pandemic as it broke out across the nation, the hysteria in re-action to the virus is turn-ing into proactive and pre-ventative action.

A c -c o r d i n g to U.S. health officials, the vac-cine for the H1N1 virus will arrive Oct. 5, and while many clinics and hospitals wait with an-ticipation, others are not eager for the vaccine.

Most facilities will of-fer the vaccine as a volun-tary precaution, but some states are requiring work-ers to receive the vaccina-tion to avoid spreading the virus. The Washington Post reports H1N1 vacci-nations will be mandatory for hospital employees in many states, including in some facilities in New York and Massachusetts.

Many health care work-ers are unhappy or even angry about the deci-sion, arguing vaccinations should remain voluntary, and people should not be used as guinea pigs to test the effectiveness of the shot. Others are concerned about the safety and effec-tiveness of the vaccine.

New York State Com-missioner Richard F. Daines rationalized the mandatory vaccinations by stating that a patient’s well-being takes priority over personal preferences.

While precaution is cer-tainly necessary, as Daines and other officials suggest, many workers protesting the mandatory vaccine have reason for skepti-cism. Medical decisions should remain solely with the individual, no matter the circumstance or threat to public health.

This is not to say there is not a place for medica-tion and vaccinations as

our nation struggles to de-fend itself against the flu. However, programs re-quiring a person to receive a vaccine unwillingly cross the line of personal choice and freedom.

ACU recently an-nounced the availability of flu vaccinations in the Medical Clinic on campus for those who wish to take precautions during the flu season. By offering students a choice, the uni-

versity is providing a safe-guard, while refraining from imposing the vaccine upon students who do not wish to receive it.

This approach should be taken nationwide in the reaction to and pre-vention of the spread of the H1N1 virus. While offering the vaccine to employees within hos-pital facilities is wise, the choice to receive the vaccination should remain with the indi-vidual.

As we struggle to con-trol and eliminate the vi-rus, our nation needs to apply the Constitution in approaching the eth-ics of vaccinations. Who-ever believes preventa-tive action is necessary to avoid the flu should certainly receive a shot, but others who wish to forgo the vaccination should have the right to deny it.

Email the Optimist at:jmcnetwork@acu.edu

contact Spano ateas07a@acu.edu

I believe [a column in Sun-day’s issue] concerning pledg-ing was misleading. The author claims to be an insider into the pledging process of a men’s social club.

As a former officer for the club that the author pledged, I know for a fact that the au-thor left the pledging process less than a week into what is a five – week experience. His view is not that of an insider.

In fact, it may be even more skewed than a complete out-sider because he witnessed only a small fraction of what the entire process entails.

The [column], which does a very poor job of keeping Gamma Sigma Phi anonymous, represents a smear against a campus organization that truly does provide, for many, an intensely spiritual experi-ence. We would never claim it

is more than just one way to experience a deeper kind of faith.

No organization is perfect, and social clubs certainly aren’t. But no one is helped by an inadequate, uninformed account of the pledging pro-cess that claims to be more than it is.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Spano

Email the Optimist at:jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Brian Peacock, Secretary Emeritus, Gamma Sigma Phi

Medical decisions should remain solely with the individual, no matter the circumstance or threat to public health.

Bennett

advantage. The ladies cruised the rest of the way through the set, winning by a score of 25-18.

The Rambelles fi-nally showed signs of a pulse in the close third set, tak-ing an early lead for a change, but it was too little, too late. ASU kept it close, even maintaining a late 23-22 lead over the ’Cats, but three straight er-rors by the Rambelles broke the deal, and the Wildcats took the third set 25-23.

Jordan Schilling and Shawna Hines played excellent games, both recording 11 kills. Hines also led the Wildcats in blocks with six. Laura Leone and Ij Moronu each added four blocks. Kelsie Ed-wards and Jennie Hutt led the team in digs, 10 each.

As a team, the Wild-cats had a .240 attack percentage, while the

Rambelles had a lack-luster .055 average. The Rambelles record-ed only two blocks ver-sus the Wildcats’ 13.

The Wildcats lost to the Rambelles 1-3 in the regular season but swept them in the postseason tourna-ment last year. Count-ing the win from this year, the Wildcats have beaten ASU in six straight sets.

The Wildcats have an upcoming tour-nament at Pittsburg State on Saturday where they will face some tough competi-tion in preparation for the rest of confer-ence play.

The next chance to see the Wildcats at home will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 8 in Moody Coli-seum against Texas Woman’s University.

with a 38-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Edmund Gates.

After ENMU jumped back into the lead with a 39-yard field goal by Tay-lor Cannon, the Wildcats tied the game at 30-30 with a touchdown run by Reggie Brown. Brown con-tinued to take over the game, scoring two more touchdowns in the fourth and rushing for 235 yards, a career high.

“It was a great game that was very exciting,” Brown said. “I just got to give a lot of thanks to my

linemen. They did a big part of it, just opening up holes so I could run.”

The Wildcats racked up 21 points in the fourth quarter alone. The defense held the Grey-

hounds to three more points, and defensive back Major Culbert made an interception, leading the Wildcats to victory.

Head Coach Chris Thom-sen was critical of his team despite the victory.

“We had too many turnovers,” Thomsen said. “We need to be able to be aggressive on of-fense and still protect the ball. We turned it over and put our defense in a bad situation, but on the flip side, I am proud of our guys for continuing to battle back. And we are really glad to get out of here with a win.”

The Wildcats’ defense

held the best offense in Division II to 303 total yards. They also stepped up to make big plays when the game was on the line. Their passing game struggled, but the

rushing attack made up for it, rushing for 362 total yards.

Many questions at quarterback were left un-answered. Zach Stewart struggled with turnovers, and Mitchell Gale had a costly fumble. Clark Harrell did not turn the ball over, emerging as the dominant quarterback in the fourth quarter – although he com-pleted only three of six passes for 60 yards.

The Wildcats remain unbeaten at 5-0, while the Greyhounds fell to 2-3. The Wildcats will put their perfect 5-0 re-cord on the line Saturday

against the East Central University Tigers in Ada, Okla., at 2 p.m.

September 30, 2009 Page 7From Sports

GAME BREAKERS

Optimist picks players of the game and the play of the game.

n Offensive Player of the Game: Reggie Brown, 26 rushes for 235 yards, 3 TDn Defensive Player of the Game: Tony Harp, 7 tackles, 1 INT, 2 pass breakupsn Play of the Game: In the third quarte, with ACU down by 11, Justin Johnson returns a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to bring the ’Cats to within four points. n Play of the Game: Major Culbert ends any ideas of a comeback when he intercepts a J.J. Harp pass. The Wildcats were able to score a touchdown after the inter-ception to go up by 11 points.

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Running back Justin Johnson returns a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown since Danieal Manning returned a kickoff 78 yards in 2005.

Continued from page 8

contact Cantrell atjrc07f@acu.edu

Comeback: ACU overcomes turnovers, rallies in fourth

FOOTBALL

We need to be able to be aggressive on offense and still protect the ball. CHRIS THOMSENHead Football Coach

JOZIE SANDS Chief Photographer

Jennie Hutt, sophomore outside hitter from Papillion, Neb., goes up for a spike during ACU’s win against Angelo State.

Continued from page 8

Sweep: ’Cats power past Rambelles

The Wildcats’ hot streak continues as they sweep Angelo State at home

contact Gwin atagg07a@acu.edu

VOLLEYBALL

Austin GwinAssistant Sports Editor

The Wildcat volleyball team swept Angelo State University on Thursday, winning its 10th game in 11 matches. The win is the second straight confer-ence victory for the ’Cats.

The Wildcats sit at 2-1 in conference play and 11-4 overall. That puts them in fifth place

out of 14 teams in the Lone Star Conference.

ACU dominated the Rambelles from start to finish, jumping out to a 20-14 lead right away in the first set and hitting .360. The Wildcats took the set 25-16.

The second set looked much like the first, as ACU leapt to a quick 18-8

SportsPage 8 September 30, 2009

MSU 2-1 4-1

Tarleton St. 3-0 5-0TAMU-K 3-0 5-0

Standings

FRIDAY

VolleyballACU vs. Central Missouri, 2 p.m.ACU vs. Missouri Southern St., 6 p.m.

SoccerACU vs. Northeastern State, 4 p.m.

SATURDAY

VolleyballACU vs. Newman, 11:30 a.m.ACU at Pittsburg State, 3 p.m.

FootballACU at East Central, 2 p.m.

SUNDAY

SoccerACU at East Central, 1 p.m.

Upcoming

FRIDAY

SoccerACU 2, Angelo State 1 (2 OT)

SATURDAY

FootballACU 44, Eastern New Mexico 33

SUNDAY

SoccerACU 1, UT-Brownsville 0 (OT)

Scores

FOOTBALLTeam Div.

VOLLEYBALL

Angelo St.

SE Okla.

Central Okla.

3-0

1-2

1-3

ENMU 2-2

WTAMU 1-2 1-4

Team Div.

TAMU-C

ACUEast Central

3-1

2-13-1

Tarleton St. 2-2 6-11

WTAMU 4-0 15-2MSU 3-0 5-13

WOMEN’S SOCCERTeam Div.

ACUENMU

1-01-0

Central Okla. 1-0 7-3-1

NE State 1-1 4-4

TAMU-C 0-0 5-3

TX Woman’s 0-0 2-5

MSU 0-0 6-0-2

Angelo State 0-1 6-3WTAMU 0-1 6-1-1

East Central 0-1 3-2-2

Central Okla. 2-2

SW Okla. 2-2TX Woman’s 2-2 9-9

Cameron 1-2 13-6Angelo State 1-2 9-7SW Okla. 1-3 4-16TAMU-K 0-4 9-7

TAMU-C 1-3 1-4NE State 1-3 1-4

East Central 0-4 0-5SW Okla. 0-4 0-5

n Reggie Brown was rewarded for his 235 yards rushing and three TD’s against Eastern New Mexico, earning LSC South Offensive Player of the Week. Brown's performance was the sixth best rushing game in ACU history.

n For the second week in a row, a Wildcat was named LSC South Special Teams Player of the Week. Justin Johnson returned three kickoffs for 170 yards, including a 100-yard touch-down return.

Briefs

4-1

2-33-2

1-4

15-4

11-412-7

14-6

8-9

6-36-4

SW Okla. 0-0 3-5-1

Ovrl.

Ovrl.

Ovrl.

ACU 3-0 5-0

Ryan CantrellAssistant Sports Editor

The Wildcats battled back from an 11-point deficit to defeat the East-ern New Mexico Grey-hounds 44-33 Saturday night. The Wildcats’ rushing attack overcame some costly turnovers for the dramatic victory.

Instead of the pre-dicted high-scoring shootout, the first quar-ter became a defensive clash, ending in a 0-0 tie. Scoring picked up as the Wildcats put two field goals on the board, although both drives stalled in the red zone.

The Greyhounds an-swered with a touchdown on a one-yard pass from quarterback J.J. Harp to wide receiver Jesse Poku, but a missed extra point left the game tied 6-6. After a Wildcat fumble, the Greyhounds scored

another touchdown for a 7-point lead. The Wild-cats salvaged three more points before halftime, bringing the score to 13-9.

Despite a low-scoring first half, the anticipat-ed scoring showdown kicked off at the start of the third quarter. ACU appeared to be in trouble when the Greyhounds intercepted the ball and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown, leaving the Wildcats at an 11-point deficit once again.

However, with their backs against the wall, Justin Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to bring the Wildcats within four points of the lead.

The Greyhounds need-ed only 53 seconds on their next touchdown drive to make the score 27-16, but ACU responded

Cardiac ’Cats keep perfect season aliveFOOTBALL

Wildcats sweep Angelo State

VOLLEYBALL

see COMEBACK page 7

ENMU 0-4 4-14

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Evan Greathouse, sophomore youth and family ministry major from Abilene, shouts toward the field. Many students protested what they thought were bad calls by the referees.

ACU’s potent rushing attack propels ’Cats to a fourth quarter comeback

IN CASE YOU MISSED ITA quick recap of games you may have missed.

Tanner KnauthSports Editor

The Wildcats have won four straight matches in extra periods; the ACU offense came alive, aver-aging 2.25 goals per game.

After beating Dallas Baptist, ACU beat Texas-Permian Ba-sin 3-2 in double overtime Sept. 22. Three days later, the Wild-cats overcame Angelo State 2-1, once again in double overtime. The ’Cats needed only a single overtime to defeat a visiting UT-Brownsville squad 1-0 Sunday.

The Wildcats have generated offense from several players, led by Courtney Wilson with three goals. Lyndsey Womack and Julie Coppedge have each scored twice,

and Katie Miller and Jordan Reese have one goal apiece.

Crissy Lawson continues to im-press, earning her third shutout of the year against UT-Brownsville. Lawson leads the Lone Star Con-ference with 48 saves this season.

The Wildcats find themselves at 6-3 for the season and 1-0 in con-ference after their win against An-gelo State. ACU will try to continue their winning streak in a confer-ence battle against Northeastern State in Abilene on Friday.

Tanner KnauthSports Editor

Jaclyn Walker and Dina Pavlin won the Wilson/ITA South Central dou-bles championship Sunday at the WU Tennis Center on the Wash-burn Center University campus.

Walker and Pavlin defeated de-fending regional doubles champi-ons Zuzanna Osinska and Emina Spirtovic 6-2 and 6-1. The pair from Northeastern State Univer-

sity was also the top seed in this year’s tournament. Walker and Pavlin’s win advances them to the ITA Small College Championships Oct. 15-18 in Mobile.

SOCCER

TENNIS

ACU soccer wins four straight

Wildcats bring home doubles title

contact Knauth attxk07a@acu.edu

contact Knauth attxk07a@acu.edu

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Ijeoma Moronu goes up for a block during ACU’s victory over Angelo State on Thursday.

KELSI WILLIAMSON Staff Photographer

Daryl Richardson stiff-arms an Eastern New Mexico defender Saturday at Shotwell Stadium. Richardson finished the game 145 yards rushing.

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Running back Reggie Brown breaks through the Greyhound defense for his third touchdown in the fourth quarter in ACU’s win over Eastern New Mexico.

see SWEEP page 7