The Optimist Print Edition: 02/26/2010

Sondra RodriguezManaging Editor

Jenny Bizaillion, 31-year-old mother, wife, sister and daughter, passed away Monday afternoon at Bay-lor Grapevine Hospital.

Bizaillion, a former Ko Jo Kai member, was ad-mitted to the hospital Feb. 4 with what was thought to be the flu but was diag-nosed as pneumonia. This developed into sepsis, or an infection in the blood-stream, according to the Gregg Pearson Foundation Web site. She fought the infection until her death at 3:38 p.m. Monday after-noon, according to the CarePages Web site.

Mark Lewis, director of Spiritual Life, said Bizail-lion and her husband were involved in a Wednesday night Bible study at the Lewis’ home during their time at school – Bizaillion attended ACU from 1996-1999 – and Lewis wit-nessed their work as vol-unteers with the Highland Church of Christ middle school ministry.

“Jenny was just a very gentle person with a peace-ful presence,” Lewis said.

Cornutt joins six board members in departure

a. Catching up on homework.b. Sleep and laziness.c. Snowball fights.

PAGE 5

Optimistthe

The Big Idea

Forecast InsideIN ‘HALLOWED HALLS,’the third installment of our four-part series, we take a look at Moody Coliseum, ACU’s multipurpose bas-ketball arena.

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Online

Fri Sat Sun

31°50° 39°58° 34°52°

DRUNK DRIVINGcaused more than 11,700 deaths in the U.S. in 2008. These senseless deaths are preventable. One device could make a difference.

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How did you spend your snow days?

Visit acuoptimist.com to join the discussion.

PHOTO

Snow-Covered Campus

LOUDandCLEAR

acuoptimist.comBREAKING NEWS, VIDEOS, PHOTOS, DISCUSSION AND EXCLUSIVE CONTENTVol. 98, No. 41 1 section, 8 pagesFriday, February 26, 2010

ADMINISTRATION

Illness takes life of former student

ALUMNI

Christianna LewisContributing Reporter

Although many consider higher education to be a noble pursuit, for minority students like Elroy Johnson, it is a struggle – a struggle he shares with students thousands of miles away.

The Roma people, some-times called Gypsies, are an

ethnic group that faces ex-treme prejudice in Europe, despite their wide dispersal across the continent. Roma students are currently over-coming bias and education-al redlining in Hungarian universities, and Dr. Jason Morris, assistant professor of higher education, exam-

WEATHER

Snow Day-jà Vu

ZAK ZEINERT Staff Photographer

Kenny Bindel, junior marketing major from Arlington, prepares to throw a snowball at Stephen Muñoz, senior business major from Escondido, Calif.

Colter HettichEditor in Chief

C. E. “Doc” Cornutt stepped down this month as chair of the Board of Trust-ees after three years as chair and 21 years as a trustee.

Cornutt’s five-year term does not expire until Feb-ruary 2012, but he said his early resignation is in the best interest of the university and the board. He reiterated his excite-ment regarding the future of the university and the

selection of Dr. Phil Schu-bert as president. “I just felt it was time to move on with this next generation that’s going to make ACU what it is,” Cornutt said. “Sometimes it’s just time to pass the baton.”

Six other board mem-bers – the largest turnover since bylaws and policies were modified in 2007 – stepped down this month after reaching their 15-year term limits. Resigning members include Charles Ezzell, Randy Nicholson,

Dr. Guy “Mojo” Lewis, Dan-ny Phillips, Doug Smith and Melinda Worley. Dr. Slade Sullivan, who serves as secretary of the board, said none of the six sought to step down but did so to help the board reach its goal of no more

than 35 members by Feb-ruary 2011.

The timing of Cor-nutt’s resignation is not uncharacteristic of past board chairs. H. Lynn Packer resigned as board

Minority students combat prejudice

CAMPUS CAMPUS

Staff Report

An additional four inches of snow were recorded at Abilene Regional Airport Tuesday, according to the Na-tional Weather Service in San Angelo.

This winter’s total snowfall of 12.5 inches, including Tuesday’s numbers, makes it Abilene’s seventh snowiest winter on record.

Meteorologist Seth Nagle said an-other cold front will move through the area Sunday night, bringing with it a chance of precipitation.

Nagle said there was a slight

chance of snow with the system, but the chances for winter weather are slim.

Don’t put away the scarves just yet, though. The NWS reports snowfall has been seen as late as April in Abilene.

acuoptimist.com

View photo galleries of our photographers’ best shots of students enjoying the snow.

Scott JenningsContributing Reporter

While the Gibson Health and P.E. Center is under construction, Pow-ell Fitness Center is saving students from putting on pounds.

Some members of what used to be the Gibson’s North and South Exercise rooms have trans-ferred to Powell as the construc-tion of the Student Recreation

and Wellness Center continues.Dr. David Dillman, professor of

political science, used to work out in the South Exercise Room, but he said he does not feel at all incon-venienced by this situation. Faculty and students who lost their gym now can work out in Powell at no extra cost.

“All the machines I used were

Construction increases Powell membership

see SERVICE page 4contact Optimist staff at

[email protected]


Many students chose to spend their day off outdoors. The hills behind Smith-Adams Hall were a popular sledding spot.

see ROMA page 4 see POWELL page 4

see BOARD page 3


CALENDAR AND EVENTSFriday, February 26, 2010

2CampusDay

11 a.m.Praise Day

7 p.m.The Abilene Interfaith Council will host the Interfaith Amigos, a group of three clergymen of different faiths, for a discussion in the Mabee Room at McMurry University.

8 a.m.-2 p.m.A garage sale for Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society will take place at 4073 Richmond St.

10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.Gary Saurage, the star of CMT’s reality show Gator 911, will present live Gator Country shows at the Abilene Civic Center. The event costs $10. For more information, go to www.abilenecac.org/cparts.

27 SATURDAY

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 [email protected].

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

34Chapel CreditedChapelsto date:

Checkup 39CreditedChapelsremaining:

Volunteer Opportunities

The Noah Project needs volunteers to cover the do-mestic violence crisis hotline between 6 and 10 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, call Yvonne Myers at 676-7107.

Love and Care Ministries needs help with its clothing ministry and street feeds at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. or 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. To sched-ule a time, call Terry Davis at 670-0246.

The Abilene Cultural Af-fairs Council needs volun-teers for Gator Country, an animal preserve and rescue operation from Beaumont, on Saturday at the Abilene Civic Center. Volunteers will prepare breakfast, assist with two performances, serve as ushers and direct visitors through the Nature Trail. For more information, contact Angie Cook at 794-4426, or e-mail [email protected]. Volunteers must sign up by Monday.

The City of Abilene’s Adaptive Recreation Services needs volunteers to help mentally and physi-cally challenged adults with activities between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Activities can include arts and crafts, exercise, ce-ramics, bowling, field trips, etc. For more information, contact Barbara Liggett at

676-6575, or e-mail [email protected].

Abilene Nursing and Rehabilitation Center needs volunteers at 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday to assist resi-dents with Bingo and other activities. Volunteers will stay one to two hours. For more information, contact Rita Raymond at 673-0568, or e-mail [email protected].

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church needs volunteers to help with its baby room. Tasks include sorting, hanging clothing and cleaning. Volunteers are welcome from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays. For more information, contact Peggy Valentine at 829-3425, or e-mail [email protected].

The International Rescue Committee needs volun-teers to set up apartments before refugees arrive. This includes shopping for household supplies, assem-bling furniture and putting away kitchen and food items. All volunteers are required to attend an IRC volunteer orientation and must be available during weekday afternoons.

Breakfast On Beech Street serves breakfast to Abilene’s homeless com-munity and is in need of vol-unteers. Breakfast is served from 6:30-7:15 a.m. at the First Christian Church at 3rd and Beech Street. Volun-teers must arrive at 5:30 a.m. Mondays, Wednes-days, Thursdays and Fri-days and 5 a.m. Tuesdays. For more information, visit the First Christian Church’s

Web site at www.fccabilene.org/outreach.html.

Meals on Wheels is looking for volunteers to deliver hot meals to seniors and adults with disabilities each week. Volunteers may work once a week between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, contact Elisabeth Rodgers at 672-5050.

Abilene Hope Haven needs volunteers anytime between 3 and 11 p.m. Monday through Friday. Volunteers will answer phones, enter data into a database and handle other receptionist duties. For more informa-tion, contact Colleen Rud at 677-4673.

The Alzheimer’s Associa-tion needs volunteers any time 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Volun-teers must be present for at least one hour and will perform various office du-ties. For more information, contact Libby Connally at 672-2907.

The American Heart As-sociation needs volunteers any time 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Volunteers will help with general office tasks and as-sist with mailings. For more information, contact Kay Alexander at 627-0070.

The Christian Service Center needs volunteers to fill requests for clothing, bedding, kitchen utensils, etc., from the donation center. Volunteers may work from noon-4 p.m. Fri-day or Saturday. For more information, call Jim Clark at 673-7531.

26 FRIDAY 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.A Mexican Stack Lunch will take place at the First Assembly of God Church of Haskell. All proceeds will go toward insurance premiums for the church.

9 p.m.Nine O’clock, the weekly praise service, will take place at University Church of Christ at 9 p.m. Free drinks and snacks follow the service in the Family Room.

28 SUNDAY

Announcements

Equine Assisted Psycho-therapy is now available to staff, faculty and students through the Counseling Cen-ter. For more information, call 674-2626.

Tim Wise, a nationally known anti-racism author and activist, will speak at 7 p.m. March 2 in Moody Coliseum. Wise will address racism and other topics, which students can find at unitedbyfaithabilene.com.

The Honors College will present a murder mystery dinner at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the atrium of the Williams Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 individually or $15 for a couple. Formal dress is suggested.

The Upward Bound Pro-gram is in need of students to serve as summer advis-ers. The program is looking for encouraging, energetic and responsible students to assist in preparing high school students for college. For more information, call 674-2529 or 674-2514.

Artist Talk will take place at 9 a.m. Friday in the Shore Art Gallery. Join Nathan Spoon and Darren Le Gallo as they talk about life as artists in Los Angeles.

Gray Matter, the senior art show, will take place at

6 p.m. Friday in the Shore Art Gallery. The show will feature work from Jackie Brunk, Katie Palmer, Gentry Griffin, Casey Rogers, Rebecca Shumacher and James Vokes.

Pre-law advisers from ACU, Hardin-Simmons University and McMurry University are administering a practice LSAT test at 7 p.m. March 4. The test costs $10 and will be given in Room 210 in the Hardin Administration Build-ing. Contact Dr. Mel Hailey for more information.

The Shinnery has extended its deadline for submissions until March 5.

A FilmFest 2010 interest meeting will take place after Chapel on Friday in the Mc-Glothlin Campus Center.

Justice Week, sponsored by the International Justice Mission, will take place March 1-6. ACU’s Black History Production will take place March 5 at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium as a part of Justice Week. Admission is free.

ACU’s Wind Ensemble will perform a concert at 8 p.m. March 8 in Cullen Audito-rium. Admission is free.

The deadline to sign up for intramural volleyball is

March 5. The cost is $75 per team, and games will begin March 22. For more informa-tion, contact Susan Hard-castle at 674-2555, or e-mail her at [email protected].

Freshman Devo begins at 10 p.m. March 4 in the Beauchamp Amphitheater. Randy Harris will speak at the event.

The Kirk House Band and David Dunn will perform a free concert at 7 p.m. March 3 in Moody Colise-um. For more information, call 668-4019.

A Chapel forum, spon-sored by the Broom Col-loquium, will take place at 7 p.m. March 5 in the Biblical Studies Building. The forum costs $5, and interested students can sign up in the Center for Christian Service and Leadership in the lower level of the McGlothlin Campus Center.

Registration for online summer classes is now open. For more infor-mation, contact your academic adviser.

The Pete Brewer Quartet will perform at 8 p.m. March 25 in the Williams Performing Arts Center as part of the Guest Artist series. Admission is free.

February 26, 2010 Campus News/From Front

Chelsea HackneyCopy Editor

After five presidents in 15 years, Baylor Univer-sity has hired the dean of Pepperdine Univer-sity School of Law, Ken-neth Starr, to fill the oft-tumultuous presidential office. For ACU faculty, staff and students fa-miliar with Starr, his move is good news for Baylor and for ACU.

“I’m thrilled that Ken-neth Starr has been select-ed to be the next president at Baylor University,” said Dr. Royce Money, ACU president. “I know Judge Starr and have very high regard for his ability as a

Christian leader. I believe that the Baylor commu-nity will benefit from his expertise and dedication.”

For many who have been watching Baylor develop during the past decade, Starr’s hiring was somewhat of a sur-prise, especially because of his strong ties to the Church of Christ.

“We didn’t even know he was applying,” said Dr. Neal Coates, associate pro-fessor of political science.

Presidential hires at Baylor in the past few years have been decidedly controversial, but many of the staff at Baylor seems to be pleased with the selection of Starr.

“I believe that he is the right person for the right job at the right time for Baylor,” said Carl Flynn, director of marketing and com-munications for infor-mation technology and university libraries at Baylor. “I look forward to the positive impact he will have upon Baylor University as it strives to be among the leading Christian institutions of higher education.”

Universities frequently hire new staff and fac-ulty, and usually, it has a minimal effect on univer-sities across the state. In this case, however, a new president for Baylor could

strongly impact ACU and Christian higher educa-tion in general, in part be-cause Baylor poses com-petition as a Christian liberal arts program. It is also working to become a premier academic in-stitution, just as ACU is, according to www.baylor.edu/about/vision/.

Baylor’s Vision 2012, with goals such as at-tracting a top-tier stu-dent body and building outstanding academic facilities, is in many ways similar to ACU’s 21st Century Vision, and Baylor is in many ways facing similar struggles.

Historically, religious universities have had dif-

ficulty balancing academic excellence and a commit-ment to their faith heritage – look at Harvard and Yale. Baylor is feeling many of these growing pains, and one of Starr’s most impor-tant tasks will be to guide Baylor toward its vision while maintaining strong ties to its Baptist roots.

For ACU students, having a university with strong graduate pro-grams like Baylor follow-ing the same path could be beneficial, especially for students interested in pursuing law school.

Pepperdine and Bay-lor set aside one schol-arship each year for ACU students apply-

ing to law school, and Starr personally vis-ited several times to meet with prospective students. Coates said Starr’s move should not adversely affect ACU’s relationship with either university. ACU had a solid relationship with Pepperdine before Starr became dean, he said, although Starr certain-ly influenced the law school’s climb in the national rankings.

“It’s a win-win for ACU students who want to go to law school,” Coates said.

Starr appointed as Baylor’s 14th presidentSTATE

Kelsi WilliamsonChief Photographer

ACU’s strongest donors were honored at one of the university’s premier events, the annual Presi-dent’s Circle dinner, on Saturday.

“This is the top dinner on campus each year,” said Barbara Hejl, ACU di-rector of stewardship.

Held in the Teague Special Events Center, the event included an opening reception, din-ner and a concluding program with a video showing the benefits of the ACU endowment to students.

Almost 600 individu-als attended the dinner

this year, Hejl said. 1,157 invitations were sent to donors who have given at least $1,000 to the university during the past fiscal year.

“We feel good about the attendance,” Hejl said. “We would like to see the dinner grow even more.”

Created in 1969, the President’s Circle was “established to bring to-gether those who are the strongest financial sup-porters of ACU,” accord-ing to the ACU Office of Development Web site. Hejl said many of the President’s Circle mem-bers are ACU alumni.

Hejl begins planning for the dinner in Septem-ber every year in order to

make it top notch.“My goal is to make ev-

ery donor feel and realize that they are important regardless of the size of their gift,” Hejl said.

Twelve student am-bassadors attended the event Mark Foster, senior information technology major from Abilene, was one of the ambassadors. This was Foster’s first President’s Circle dinner, although he has helped with the Heritage Society dinner in the past.

“It’s a good time for them to be thanked,” Fos-ter said.

Donors celebrated at dinnerALUMNI

contact Hackney [email protected]

contact Williamson [email protected]

sity selected Dr. Royce Money as president of the university in 1991.

Cornutt’s predeces-sor, Don Crisp, was an advocate of taking regu-lar surveys of the board, and for the first time, in 2007, members indicated they thought the board was too large to func-tion effectively. Crisp as-sembled a committee to overhaul the board. The committee’s plan includ-ed the dissolution of the senior board, an increase

from two to four annual meetings, three-year term limits for trustees and five-year limits for board chairs.

“Over the past three years, we have really seen the board become more engaged,” Sullivan said. “The board has really improved its governance model in significant ways under his leadership.”

Four trustees will re-sign this August and four more in February 2011. But the university also se-lected two new members in February 2009 and will continue to add members in small numbers to en-sure an unbroken cycle in the future.

Board: Resignations part of four-year restructuring plan

ADMINISTRATION

contact Hettich [email protected]

Under his leadership, we have really seen the board become more engaged.DR. SLADE SULLIVANSecretary of the Board and General Counsel for the University

Continued from page 1

February 26, 2010From Front

“She was very approach-able to anybody that she came to know and a very loving, kind person.”

Lewis said Bizaillion also participated in an in-ternship with children at Highland.

“More evidence of her abilities with young peo-ple,” he said. “Just a really neat person.”

Lanna Armstrong, se-nior accounting major from Dallas and president of Ko Jo Kai, said although club members did not have contact with Bizail-lion during her illness and hospitalization, members’ mothers who pledged were friends with Bizaillion, at-tended church with her and remember her coming to club breakfasts.

“Even if someone isn’t in club the same time you are, they did the same thing you did; they did Sing Song, and they were where you are,” Armstrong said. “She was so young, some of the girls here knew her, and it touched our hearts to have this group where we can support her even though she’s not here any-

more.”KJK support included

donations at the club’s Sing Song breakfast, a gift basket to Bizaillion’s daughter, cards to her family, T-shirts in honor of Bizaillion, an upcoming bake sale with Sigma Theta Chi and an all-club social. The $10 potluck-style so-cial will take place March 7 in the Hunter Welcome Center, and all donations from these events will go to Bizaillion’s church and toward her medical bills, Armstrong said.

“Our goal by May is to have a big donation and try to raise money until their medical bills are paid off,” she said.

The rest of the ACU community also reached out to Bizaillion in prayer and donations. The win-ners of Sing Song, in par-ticular, donated all prize money to the Bizallion family after the winners were announced Saturday evening.

“It was kind of nice that Sing Song was push-ing for a goal this year,” Armstrong said. “Yeah, we didn’t win, but in the end it turned out good because that gave us motivation to

fight for something instead of Sing Song. Now we were fighting for a cause, and I think that really touched our hearts.”

A “Praying for Jenny Bizaillion” Facebook page was created where mem-bers could donate to the Gregg Pearson Founda-tion, a nonprofit organi-zation that aims to “help individuals directly that struggle with cancer and its indelible effects on themselves and their fami-lies” and “directly support other organizations that share in our same mission and desires.”

Bizaillion’s viewing took place Wednesday and her memorial service took place at 1 p.m. Thursday at Richland Hills Church of Christ in Fort Worth. The service was streamed live at www.livestream.com/rhchurch.

The Bizaillion family asks donations be made through the Gregg Pearson Foundation by visiting the Web site, www.greggpear-son.org, clicking “Donate” and entering “GPF Benevo-lence” in the memo line.

ined the sources of their motivation and strength last spring.

According to Morris’ report, Roma immigrants throughout Europe have fi-nally entered the “Decade of Roma Inclusion,” after centuries of oppression, poverty and discrimina-tion.

Now that a few Roma students are beginning to enter universities, Morris traveled to Hungary to re-search how Roma students have been progressing and what experiences, behav-iors and factors have con-tributed to their achieve-ments.

With the aid of Hungar-ian educators, Morris put together a survey examin-ing students’ backgrounds and experiences in the ed-ucation system. About 15 Roma students participat-ing in a support program called Romaversitas told their stories through essay answers, Morris said.

Their stories highlight-ed the stereotyping they often faced from the ma-jority and the conflicting pressures they felt from

their families.“I had to convince my

classmates that I am not like other gypsy kids,” one Roma student wrote. The Roma endure the stigma of dishonesty and stupidity, and many Roma children are assumed to be mental-ly disabled and placed in special education schools, Morris said.

Many are ashamed to identify themselves as Roma, Morris said, and some Roma wrote they did not receive support from their families in pursuing education.

But, despite these obsta-cles, Roma students from different backgrounds and philosophies are indeed working through college, Morris said.

Morris said its real pur-pose was to tell the sto-ries of Roma university students and foster hope in Roma communities. He plans to continue studying this question in the future.

Johnson, junior mar-keting major from Frisco, has no experience with the particular Roma students involved in this study. But he and some students he knows have faced simi-

lar obstacles in pursuing higher education.

He is a scholar in the McNair Scholars Program, which prepares low-income minority and first-gener-ation college students for doctoral education by help-ing them conduct primary research in their fields of interest, according to www.acu.edu/academics/trio/mcnair.

Johnson said he believes community support is a key factor in the broader question of academic suc-cess, but even more vital, he said, is an inward pas-sion that recognizes the value of education when others do not.

“I know people who literally fight their family to go to college,” Johnson said. “It’s their passion to have better opportunities for their children or more rights for others.”

This passion was re-flected in some of the re-sponses of Roma students. One said he joined a Roma support program to be able to do something for the Roma.

moved to Powell,” Dill-man said.

David Hess, strength coach at ACU, said he is happy to see more activ-

ity and new machinery in Powell.

“Now, we are more of a full-service gym,” Hess said.

While the main gym is a bit crowded, room remains for non-athlete

students to work out.Powell is open to stu-

dents, faculty and the pub-lic for a membership fee of $100 per semester. In 18 months, when the new recreational center opens, Hess will continue his

training services in Powell for those interested.

The biggest change in Powell’s day-to-day opera-tions after the opening of the Recreation and Well-ness Center will be reflect-ed in hours of operations,

Hess said. At this point, though, he is unsure what those hours will be.

Students will wait three more semesters for the new recreation center to open. In the meantime, Powell Fitness Center

serves as the ACU commu-nity’s only on-campus op-tion for indoor workouts open to everyone.

MEMORIAL

Service: Alumna mournedContinued from page 1

CULTURE

Roma: Studying globallyContinued from page 1

contact Lewis [email protected]

contact Rodriguez [email protected]

CONSTRUCTION

Powell: Renovation results in membership increaseContinued from page 1

contact Jennings [email protected]

ArtsFebruary 26, 2010

Lucas WrightArts Editor

The clock ticks as six stu-dents from the Department of Art and Design showcase their talent at the senior art show. The show, entitled Gray Matter, will open in the Shore Art Gallery on Friday.

Gray Matter is the part of the brain that routes stim-uli from your senses in or-der to create a response.

“We wanted something that would go with the brain and with thinking,” said Gentry Griffin, senior art major from Athens. “Cre-ating art is a process both mental and physical. You come up with an idea and then in some form or fash-ion you display that idea.”

The gallery will open at 6 p.m. and will feature a com-pilation of the student’s art-work from throughout their time at ACU. There will be music, finger food and drinks for viewers as they browse.

At 6:30 p.m., the artists will be introduced by a professor of their choice. Each artist will talk about their pieces and their progression through art.

“It’s a time to finally get a look at what we’ve done,” said James Vokes, two-dimensional design major from Atlanta, Ga. “You can see what our work has been about and where we’re going.”

The gallery plans to host the seniors’ work until March 12.

“It’s really going to be fun,” said Jackie Brunk, se-nior graphic design ma-

jor from Jackson Hole, Wyo. “Getting this ready has been a lot of work, but it’s going to be worth it.”

QUICK FACTS

Six senior art students showcase their creations for the last time in the Shore Art Gallery.

n Jackie Brunk, graphic design major from Jackson, Wyo.n Gentry Griffin, graphic design major from Athens n Katie Palmer, interior design major from Abilenen Casey Rogers, graphic design major from Abilenen Rebecca Schumacher, interior design major from Arlingtonn James Vokes, two dimentional de-sign major from Stone Mountain, Ga.

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff PhotographerLighbulbs symbolizing ideas hang from the ceiling of the Shore Art Gallery for the senior art show.

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff PhotographerGentry Griffin and Jackie Brunk hang artwork in preparation for the show.

contact Wright [email protected]

anything butgray

Opinion February 26, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79699

E-mail letters to: [email protected]

Editorial and Letter Policy

Published by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication

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Editorial and Management Board

Colter HettichEditor in Chief

Sondra RodriguezManaging Editor

Kelsi WilliamsonChief Photographer

Linda BaileyOpinion Page Editor

Brandon TrippSports Media Director

Hannah BarnesFeatures Editor

Jeff CraigSports Editor

Chelsea HackneyCopy Editor

Kimberly WolfordPage 2 Editor

Aaron CavittCartoonist

Lucas WrightArts Editor

Multimedia Desk(325) 674-2463

Kenneth PybusFaculty Adviser

Cade WhiteFaculty Adviser

Christi StarkAdvertising

Optimistthe

By Aaron CavittMac-n- Tex

ACU prides itself on in-viting top-notch speak-ers to campus, but more importantly, it empha-sizes its role as an open forum for discourse – and justifiably so.

During the past few years, ACU has invited authors, theologians, social activists and busi-ness leaders to speak at events of all kinds, from Summit to Lynay meet-ings. Students have got-ten excited about big names like Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz, and Lance Barrow, sports producer for CBS.

Thankfully, ACU has taken the time to invite some lesser-known indi-viduals who have equally valuable things to say. Sam Solomon, a former

Muslim scholar who con-verted to Christianity, and Tim Wise, an anti-racism author and speaker, are a couple of people who im-mediately come to mind. Even groups with far more controversial stances, such as the gay rights group, Soulforce, have also been welcomed to en-gage in dialogue with the ACU community.

We salute the univer-sity for not only allowing, but encouraging students, faculty and staff to partici-pate in meaningful discus-sion with those of different interests, faiths and politi-cal leanings. A liberal arts education is intended to develop a student’s ability to synthesize knowledge and experience in order to improve critical thinking

skills. The broader expe-rience we have in college, the better we’ll be able to contribute to society later.

Unfortunately, while ACU does an excellent job of inviting a diverse group of speakers, the selection process seems, at times, haphazard and incomplete.

Unlike many universi-ties, ACU does not have a central office respon-sible for choosing guest speakers. This gives de-partments the freedom to choose their own speakers – the College of Business Administra-tion is noteworthy in its selection of well-known and well-respected global business leaders – but it can also create confusion among students and fac-

ulty, who aren’t sure how or why certain speakers were chosen.

More importantly, though, ACU’s lineup of speakers rarely includes A-list figures, at least as far as universities like Harvard or William & Mary are con-cerned. Instead, ACU tends to invite counter-cultural evangelicals – edgy Chris-tians, if you will – but still Christians. They’re not edgy Muslims or Jews or atheists, and we hardly ever see famous politicians or athletes. Harding Univer-sity has invited such note-worthy guests as George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice; even Lipscomb Uni-versity invited Department of Commerce Secretary Da-vid Sampson in 2006, when it was half the size of ACU.

We’re not expecting to see Jon Stewart or Ban Ki-Moon at the next com-mencement speech. What we would like to see is a heightened interest on the part of the univer-sity in inviting speakers whose names are known outside evangelical cir-cles – not because we’re tired of hearing from leaders in the faith or because we’re ungrate-ful, but because we think world leaders, even “sec-

ular” ones, have some-thing valuable to offer.

ACU is becoming a household name in edu-cation; we should act like it. If we can afford to give iPhones to every student, maybe we could afford to get Anderson Cooper or Oprah or Stephen Colbert on campus. We’re sure ACU would give them a warm Christian welcome.

Campus should function as open forumEDITORIAL

Stench ultimately prompts patienceCOLUMN

Sondra Not Sandra Sondra Rodriguez

My house was skunked early Monday morning. The wretched smell woke my three roommates and I shortly a f t e r midnight, r i g h t a r o u n d the time one of my room-m a t e s drug her sleepy self into my room mumbling: “it smells aw-ful in here”. She climbed into bed with me as I shoved the corner of my comforter up my nostrils in an attempt to block my nasal passage from the vile smell, comparable to rotten eggs, burning rub-ber and garlic. According to her, I sat then up in a fit of rage and yelled ob-scenities at the smell and repulsive animal that was responsible.

Did the skunk spray the house in passing?

Was it stuck in the wall? Under the house? Will it begin decaying? These questions floated around my head till the four of us finally got out of bed—angry monsters with pounding headaches who smelled like stale skunk. I woke up without time to shower and headed straight to work, where I kept catching whiffs of skunk and apologized profusely for stinking up my boss’ office.

I made a few phone calls to our realtor and the city of Abilene and both replied with: “we don’t deal with things like that.” However, the city offered to put me on a wait list for a skunk trap I’d have to assemble myself. Not to worry, though, they’d send someone to collect the body. My roommates and I figured we were on our own.

Two trips to Wal Mart, thousands of candles, oil lamps and two bottles of distilled vinegar later, the house still reeked. Wikipe-

dia told us spraying vine-gar on every surface would break down the oil-based scent the skunk releases from two glands surround-ing the anus. This descrip-tion made the house smell even worse. After following Wiki-directions, our house smelled like an old, sour candle shop with a hint of skunk. We resorted to our next option; turn off the heater, open the windows and turn on every fan in the house the night before Abilene was slammed with 4.5 inches of snow.

At this point, we may as well have raised the roof off our house, stolen a high-power fan from some local photo shoot and blasted it in every direc-tion—the smell would still be there. Sure, it was a bit weaker, but by this point the smell had soaked into every fiber of the house and the oil began seep-ing into our skin. We were used to any remaining odor, numb to anything that smelled good and we were cold and grumpy.

We realized all we could do was wait—something most of us have trouble doing. We were exhausted, out of money and we had to let it go. As pungent as the stench was and as much as we wished for a miracle spray to free us from anal-spray induced headaches, we just had to wait. The smell couldn’t last forever.

Sometimes our situa-tions are less than ideal but we have to realize when to give up and learn to laugh about our misfor-tunes. I apologize if I of-fended anyone on campus with my rank scent, but we didn’t ask the skunk to spray our house. We did, however, handle the situation wonderfully and I applaud my wonderful roommates for undergo-ing the struggle with me.

Bear the smell, en-dure the struggle, suck it up and know that it’ll air out eventually.

THE ISSUEMany schools, like ACU, function as an open forum for discussion among diverse groups and individuals.

OUR TAKEACU should follow the example of other universities and start inviting names outside evangelical circles.

COLUMN

Email the Optimist at:[email protected]

contact Rodriguez [email protected]

contact Hettich [email protected]

Rodriguez

Hettich

Bread with TomatoColter Hettich

Americans prize freedom. They keep their finger on the legal trigger in case anyone gets anywhere near their rights. But when individu-als prize the right to inebri-ate them-s e l v e s b e y o n d c o h e r -ency and then drive a motor vehicle through populated areas, some-thing is wrong.

More than 11,700 peo-ple were killed in alcohol-related crashes in 2008, accounting for 32 percent of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. That comes to one alcohol-im-paired-driving fatality ev-ery 45 minutes.

What will really brighten your day is how prevent-able those 11,773 deaths truly are.

It’s called an ignition in-terlock device, or IID. IID-equipped vehicles require the driver to breathe into the device before starting. If it detects a blood alco-hol concentration, BAC, above a set limit, you’re not going anywhere.

Almost all IIDs in use are punishment for in-dividuals convicted of driving under the influ-ence of alcohol. Repeat offense rates of those individuals are 73 per-cent lower than those without, according to a study by the Center for Disease Control and Pre-vention. So why does the law not require every car be equipped with an IID?

It costs too much.Near-foolproof tech-

nology exists; it just costs too much. Early IIDs could be circumvented by hav-

ing someone else breathe or starting the engine and running it while the driver goes back inside to get that BAC nice and high. Some also complained about food or mouthwash triggering the device and leaving them stranded or in violation of their proba-tion. Breathalyzer technol-ogy has advanced far be-yond those concerns, but

reliable devices cost $800-$1,200. The average IID in use today is a low-end models and costs a whop-ping $300.

Patrolling officers alone are not enough. More than 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influ-ence of alcohol or nar-cotics in 2008, accord-ing to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports. Sounds good – except 159 mil-lion U.S. drivers self-re-ported driving under the influence, according to the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

Alcohol is responsible for more than driving-related deaths, including shootings and drown-ings. Those issues are no less important, but their combined totals cannot compare to those of au-tomotive vehicles.

The consequences of alcohol abuse have proven too dire to be protected by “rights.” We cannot pre-vent all death at once, but we can start somewhere.

Car breathalyzer could avert death

What will really brighten your day is how preventable those 11,773 deaths truly are.

February 26, 2010 From Sports

Copeland also said the arena’s sheer size serves as a valuable recruiting tool, even if basketball crowds never come close to capacity.

When Copeland took over the program, it had not reached the Lone Star Conference tournament in almost a decade. He de-scribed the victory against Texas A&M-Kingsville that propelled the ’Cats into postseason play in 2008 as one of his favor-ite Moody memories.

While Moody is home to ACU basketball and volleyball, the arena is about so much more than sports. Every week-day, thousands of ACU students make their pilgrimage to Moody for Chapel, and in Feb-ruary, Sing Song takes center stage.

If a major indoor event is taking place on

the ACU campus, it like-ly takes place in Moody. Even with the construc-tion of a new recreation-al center, Moody isn’t moving from its spot on campus or in ACU tradi-tion anytime soon.

Moody: Arena hosts more than athleticsBASKETBALL

Continued from page 8NUMBERS GAME

Moody Coliseum’s maximum capacity for athletic events. The arena can hold up to 5,500 for

non-athletic events.4,600

contact Craig [email protected]

KELSI WILLIAMSON Chief Photographer

Students fill the 4,600 theatre-style seats in Moody Coliseum during Chapel each week.

of exciting things. Six Flags Over Texas has been the focal point of the city for decades, not to men-tion Hurricane Harbor across the highway. How-ever, I have also seen a lot of hometown losses and failures as a fan of the Texas Rangers. All of the other Dallas teams, like the Mavericks and the Cowboys, are in different area codes, so the “Ar-lingtonites” are left with the Rangers.

When the team moved from Washington, D.C., to Arlington in 1972, it was nothing but high hopes and expectations for the city’s new team. Thirty-eight years later, Arling-ton residents have figured out that with one playoff win in the history of the franchise, our hometown team wasn’t all that great. The city of Arlington was just a baseball town with a bad team.

But in 1991, in the midst of a 77-loss sea-son for the Rangers, the city broke ground on

the new standard for sporting venues.

The Ballpark in Arling-ton was one of the most pristine baseball stadiums ever built. And it gave Ar-lington something to be proud of. The city sud-denly became a destina-tion for people around the state and the region. And for the next few years, resi-dents of Arlington ate up the attention.

The unsuccessful sea-sons continued, but Ar-lington still had an awe-some stadium; it just had an awesome sta-

dium with a bad team. Arlington was back off the map.

I’m proud to say those days are far behind the city now. For years, the residents of Arlington have roughed it with the Rangers and gotten nothing out of it. But all the waiting and loyalty has finally paid off. The city is now a beacon of light in the sports world with the addition of Cowboys Stadium right down the street from the Ballpark. Cowboys Sta-dium has brought with

it not only America’s Team but a new sense of pride for the city – pride that comes only with a championship team like the Dallas Cowboys. Ar-lington has gone from a bad baseball town to a sports Mecca in a mat-ter of years.

Regardless of the unproductive seasons the Rangers have had, Arlington will always stick with its hometown team. And the people of Arlington will always keep a seat saved for Josh Hamilton and Mi-

chael Young at Cowboys Stadium when the MLB playoffs begin.

Town: Cowboys, Rangers put Arlington back on the mapCOLUMN


“Its been a very crazy ride getting to this point, we’ve had our ups and downs,” Head Coach Shawna Lavender said. ”But when we’ve had to come through in big games, we’ve done it. We’re excited to be there, but we’re going to the tournament with intentions to win.”

ACU started the game with a 12-0 run, and maintained the lead from then on; the Zias never got within 10 points. ACU led by as much as 29 at one point and increased its winning streak against Eastern New Mexico to 17 games.

“We came out fo-cused and shot well as a team,” Lavender said. “I felt that the girls under-stood what we needed to do as a team, and we got a big win.”

The Wildcats clinched

a top-four position with only one game remain-ing. They finish out their regular season in Canyon against West Texas A&M at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Courtney Laing played a great game on Senior Night, recording a career-best 20 points along with seven re-bounds. Forward Jamie Meyer chipped in anoth-er double-double with 19 points and 10 re-bounds. Freshman Ceci-lee Perez provided a late spark off the bench with 11 points and a perfect 3-3 on 3-point attempts.

“This win really showed us what we are capable of and what we can do,” Laing said. “I still believe we have a lot of games left, and we have a lot of heart left in our team.”

The LSC postseason tournament is sched-uled for Mar. 4-7 in Bartlesville, Okla. The Wildcats’ first-round opponent has yet to be determined.

West Texas and Tar-leton State have al-ready clinched spots, with Texas A&M Kings-ville and Angelo State in competition for the

final postseason spot. WTAMU has clinched the No. 1 seed.

Playoffs: ’Cats blow past Zias, 75-59WOMEN’S BASKETBALL


Freshman Cecilee Perez dribbles around a defender during the Wildcats’ 75-59 win against ENMU.


contact Cantrell [email protected]

it up with a layup by Dustin Heiman. But in keeping with the sea-son’s trend, the ‘Cats could not close.

“We really dug our-selves into a hole like we have done all sea-son,” Copeland said. “It was good to see us tie it, but it wasn’t a victory by any means.”

With only 57 ticks left on the clock, ENMU guard Reggie Nelson hit a 3-pointed that sealed the Greyhounds’ fourth conference win of the season.

The Wildcats had good production from the bench; the two lead-ing scorers came from the pine. Marcus Wash-ington and Heiman had 13 points each, while Eddie Thompson, Dosh Simms and Kabba add-ed nine apiece.

The Wildcats shot 44 percent from the field, including a dis-mal 27 percent from behind the 3-point line. The Greyhounds on the other hand shot 54 per-cent from the field.

Shots from the free throw line may have made the difference in the game. The Grey-hounds made 20 of 25 free throws, but the Wildcats could not make their freebies. ACU made only 11 of 23 from the charity stripe.

The four seniors will play their final col-legiate game against West Texas A&M on Saturday. Game time is set for 6 p.m.

Finale: ’Cats fall to 1-10 in LSC play

MEN’S BASKETBALL


contact Gwin [email protected]

contact Goggans [email protected]

CattywampusBy Zane Goggans

Cities across the United States have felt what it’s like to have a t e r r ib l e h o m e team to root for. For ex-ample, I have a lot of sympathy for the people of Detroit. Even though the Lions have won the

NFL Championship game four times, the latest in 1957, they have never won a Super Bowl. The Charlotte Bobcats have never made it to the Fi-nals, and the Phoenix Coyotes don’t have a Stanley Cup.

My hometown has a team that for nearly 40 years has not produced only one playoff win

As a native of Arlington, I have seen my fair share

Sports February 26, 2010

Standings

MEN'S BASKETBALLTeam Div.

Tarleton St.

ENMU

9-2

4-7

MSU 10-2 25-2

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLTeam Div.

Tarleton St. 8-3WTAMU 10-1 26-2

TAMU-K 6-5 18-6

Angelo St. 5-6 11-12ENMU 2-9 7-17

TAMU-K 3-8

21-5

9-1613-13

20-5

Ovrl.

Ovrl.

ACU 1-10 8-18

ACU 6-5 15-9

Angelo St. 7-4 16-10

TUESDAY

Women's BasketballACU 75, Midwestern St. 59

Men's BasketballACU 71, Midwestern St. 74

SUNDAY

BaseballACU 1, TAMU-K 4

SoftballACU 2, Henderson St. 1

HOME GAMES LISTED IN ITALICS

MSU 2-10 8-17

WTAMU 5-6 14-12

Scores

SOFTBALLTeam Div.

WTAMU

TWU

0-0

0-0

Angelo St. 0-0 13-2

BASEBALLTeam Div. East Central 2-0

Cameron 5-3 5-3SW Okla. St. 5-2 7-5

ENMU 5-3 5-5SE Okla. St. 4-4 7-4

ENMU 0-0

11-5

6-5

5-11

2-2Ovrl.

Ovrl.

ACU 0-0 5-6

ACU 6-2 10-2

TAMU-K 0-0 3-8

Angelo St. 4-4 9-6

Tarleton St. 0-0 5-4

TAMU-K 3-5Northeastern 4-4 5-8

Central Okla. 1-3 3-3

WTAMU 0-5 1-5

7-5

Tarleton St. 2-6 5-7

FRIDAY

Women's TennisACU vs. Idaho St., TBA

ACU vs. Metropolitan St., TBA

SATURDAY

SoftballACU at St. Mary's, 3 p.m.

ACU at St. Mary's, 5 p.m.

BaseballACU at WTAMU, 12 p.m.

ACU at WTAMU, 3:30 p.m.

Women's BasketballACU at WTAMU, 6 p.m.

Men's BasketballACU at WTAMU, 8 p.m

SUNDAY

SoftballACU at St. Edwards, noon

ACU at St. Edwards, 2 p.m.

BaseballACU at WTAMU, noon

ACU at WTAMU, 3:30 p.m.

HOME GAMES LISTED IN ITALICS

Upcoming

Austin GwinAssistant Sports Editor

The Abilene Christian men’s basketball team dropped its last home game of the season Tuesday night, which

also happened to be Se-nior Night.

The Wildcats never held the lead against Eastern New Mexico, and with the loss, their record fell to 1-10 in conference play.

For the four seniors on the team – Kevin White, Riley Lambert, Abby Kabba and Kend-rick Johnson – the game was the final one they would play in front of a Moody crowd. Head

Coach Jason Copeland has been with the se-niors their entire time at ACU.

“All four are great kids,” Copeland said. “ We have been blessed to have them on our team.

All four have fought back from injuries. They will represent ACU well in their future.”

With 1:22 left to play, the Wildcats tied

Greyhounds edge Wildcats in home finaleMEN'S BASKETBALL

see FINALE page 7

Home Court Advantage

ATHLETICS

Hallowed HallsA four-part series on the venues of ACU Athletics

see TOWN page 7

Moody Coliseum, the Wildcats’ versatile arena


The view from the press box on the east side of Moody Coliseum. Moody has been the home of ACU basketball since 1968.

Jeff CraigSports Editor

Moody Coliseum stands at the center of Abilene Christian University – literally and figu-ratively. Indoor athletics, Sing Song, Chapel and Summit all call the cavernous arena home. More than 40 years after its comple-tion, Moody remains at the heart of all things ACU.

The arena has undergone sev-eral makeovers during the years. Today, the arena seats about 4,600 people for basketball games, but temporary seating can raise capacity to more than 5,500 for Chapel, Sing Song or Summit. The current scoreboard was raised to the rafters in 2003, and the cur-rent gym floor was laid in 2006.

The first basketball game ever played in Moody was Feb. 27,

1968, when the Wildcats topped Arkansas State 96-93 in overtime to win the Southland Conference title. During the past 43 seasons, the arena has played host to many other significant athletic events, ranging from regional basketball championships to vol-leyball tournaments.

Jason Copeland is in his fifth year as the men’s head basketball coach and has seen some great moments in Moody. The Wildcats ended a 15-game losing streak there against Tarleton State in January of last year and nearly defeated a top-10 team, Midwest-ern State, in the same month.

“It’s better than 80 to 90 percent of the places we play,” Copeland said. “We have a great floor and good seating.”


The north end of Moody was the stage for Sing Song.see MOODY page 7

Cowboys’ relocationcreated a sports town

COLUMN

Goggans

Ryan CantrellAssistant Sports Editor

The Wildcats are head-ed to the Lone Star Conference tournament after beating Eastern New Mexico 75-59 and getting some help from Midwestern State.

The Wildcats needed to keep pace with Ange-lo State during the sea-son final two games to make the postseason. The Wildcats took care of their business Tues-day, crushing ENMU. The Midwestern State Lady Mustangs aided

the Wildcats' cause beating Angelo State Wednesday evening. MSU's loss clinched

a postseason spot for the Wildcats.

Wildcats clinch playoff spotWOMEN'S BASKETBALL


Guard Shelby Shipley reaches for a pass against ENMU.

see PLAYOFFS page 7

The Optimist Print Edition: 02/26/2010

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