The Big Purple NOAH’s a thing or two about service The Big Purple marching band puts service time in with the NOAH Project, page 5

Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Abilene Christian University Serving the ACU community since 1912

November 16, 2007

FRIDAY

Vol. 96, No. 23

1 sections, 10 pageswww.acuoptimist.com

THE

Kimono OverThe Japanese act at Ethnos possesses more than an entertaining show one weekend a year, page 6

Run to historySenior Nicodemus Naimadu runs for history Saturday after a knee injury, page 10

OPTIMIST

By Kelsi PeaceManaging Editor

Students across campus can enjoy a free cup of coffee during finals week, thanks to the Stu-dents’ Association Congress.

Executive president Matt Worthington and vice president Daniel-Paul Watkins presented a plan to Congress Oct. 31 to partner with Dining Services and ARAMARK to provide free coffee

to students. Meetings with director of pur-

chasing Anthony Williams re-turned a cost lower than the Cab-inet expected, with ARAMARK agreeing to pay half the cost, Din-ing Service and quarter and SA the remaining quarter: $500.

Rep. Ben Word and Rep. Tony Godfrey presented a bill to Con-gress at Wednesday’s meeting to use the funds from the Congressio-nal project budget for the coffee.

ARAMARK will provide 3,500 cups of coffee available at a stand in the McGlothlin Campus Cen-ter Dec. 10-14, or until the coffee runs out.

“If students want to come, they just go over to this little place, and it’s available,” Worthington said.

Some representatives raised concerns that students would take advantage of the available booth — especially because din-ing services decided checking IDs

would slow the process.“I’m sure someone will try to

take advantage of it, but it will be OK,” Word assured Congress.

Worthington said in his meetings with Williams, they did not foresee any problems.

Congress passed the bill unanimously.

Godfrey said the plan originated

SA votes to bring coffee to studying students

By Lauren SuttonCopy Editor

The university will sport new bleachers on the Larry Sanders Intramural fields if the 2008 senior class can provide the funds.

In keeping with a long-standing tradition of students giving to the university for the Senior Legacy program, this year’s senior class chose to purchase the bleachers from a list of options that included raising money for a wheelchair lift in the Edward’s Hall lob-by, planting trees around the Lunsford Trail pond and providing endowed scholarships for two entering freshman to name several proposed ideas.

Senior class to donate bleachers

By Rachel Davisopinion Editor

The Department of Art and Design is partnering with the Cockerell 2nd St. Gallery to add an annex to the Shore Art Gallery down-town, making it easier for ACU to bring in outside art-ists to exhibit work on cam-pus and contributing to the revitalization of downtown.

“We’ve been interested for a long time in trying to secure

a space on or off campus that would allow us to show more art,” said Jack Maxwell, chair of the art department.

Maxwell said over the last five to six years the art de-partment has grown quick-ly, and because each senior is required to have an art show before graduating, Shore has been taken up by student art shows.

“We’ll finally have open ex-hibition time in Shore,” Max-well said. “It’s the first time

in several years that we can bring in a guest artist. This downtown space has been a personal dream of mine for a long time.”

Carolyn Cockerell, director and coordinator of shows and events for the Cockerell 2nd St. Gallery, said she’s excited to have ACU using the space.

“We love the thought of ACU having a presence down-town,” Cockerell said. “We love art and want to support art in Abilene, and it’s a great help to

the downtown renovation.”Cockerell, an ACU alumna,

said within the last four to six years, Abilene began to revi-talize the downtown area.

“It’s such a great opportu-nity for my family, ACU and downtown,” Cockerell said. “For ACU to have a presence downtown — I think it’s going to be a very positive joint ven-ture and partnership.”

Art department secures gallery

By Laura AcuffStudEnt rEportEr

In light of the impending Thanksgiving holiday, businesses and organizations within and outside Abilene are welcoming student volunteers for holiday-oriented charities.

“The one thing that we do, and we ask the students come prepared to do, is we try to make this a special day for those who are less fortunate,” said Jim DeFoor, director of veterans services for Taylor County, which is hosting a Thanksgiving meal Thursday.

The annual event has fed 1,000 people each year for the last two years, and stu-dents are invited to volunteer — no sign-ups or preparation necessary — between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Thursday, ready to help serve food and assist in cleanup, DeFoor said.

“Just show up and tell us ‘hey, I am here to volunteer,’ and we will put [you] to work,” DeFoor said.

Thanksgiving options exist for Abilene students

By Colter HettichStudEnt rEportEr

Students from every cor-ner of the map will share a piece of their culture with the ACU community this Fri-day and Saturday night. One-hundred twenty five students will perform acts from areas around the world, including China, Hong-Kong, Italy, Ja-pan, Jamaica, Latin America, Madagascar, Philippines and the United States.

Although entertainment on the surface, the culture show is about much more than pleasing an audience.

Carlos Mecias, ’05 ACU graduate, got the Ethnos idea suddenly in 2002 while sprint-ing across campus, late to a culture show meeting. Ethnos means “people” or “nation” and this year’s students feel the theme reflects their com-mitment to each other and their homeland.

Laza Razafimanjato, pre-architecture major from An-tananarivo, Madagascar and director of Ethnos 2007, said the leaders collectively decid-ed on the IM theme while stay-ing in touch over the summer — using instant messaging.

“We were trying to figure out how so many people from so many different cultures could be friends,” Razafi-manjato said. “And instant messaging is one the ways we stay in contact.”

The Culture Show has made a significant impact in Melina Rangel’s life, who said, “I’ll be the first to admit that I judged a lot of cultures.”

Rangel, senior English ma-jor and writer of Ethnos 2007, began getting involved in ACU’s International Students’ Association while she was still a senior in high school.

“A place for international students to share their culture

Culture and entertainment combine at Culture Show

katie gager CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Cristina del Pinal, senior business management major from Fort Worth, dances the tango with her uncle Antonio del Pinal at Ethnos’ rehearsal.

emily smith SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Photographs from a cemetery, by Ronnie Rama, assistant professor of art and design, on display at the Cockerell 2nd Street Gallery.

Tangled up in culture

See OPTIONS page 7

See DONATE page 7

See CULTURE page 7

See ART page 7

See SA page 7

Each year, seniors vote to decide where they will donate their money. Seniors who donate $100 or more receive a brick with their name engraved.

n 2008: New bleachers for the Larry “Satch” Sanders Intramural Fields.

n 2007: ACU insignia in front of Barret Hall

n 2006: Contribution to the Jacob’s Dream sculpture fund

n 2002-2005: Contribution to the Lunsford Trail fund

LEAvINg A LEgACy

1000 free tickets to Sat-urday’s playoff football game will be given away after Chapel Friday under a tent outside Moody Coliseum on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The last weekend campaign of the semester will take place this weekend. Students will travel to Oklahoma City to help pack and hand out Thanksgiv-ing dinners for those in need. For more information or to sign up, e-mail mem04d@acu.edu or visit the weekend campaign table in the Campus Center by Thursday after Chapel. Campaign participants will meet at 3 p.m. on Friday and plan to be back in Abilene by 3 p.m. on Sunday. Transportation and housing costs are covered. The only expenses will include purchasing a few meals during the weekend.

Thanksgiving holidays will begin at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, rather than on Tuesday as the ACU student planner says. This means all Tuesday classes,

including evening classes, will meet that day.

Spend the summer in New York. Work at Camp Shiloh, a Christian summer camp where children from New York City’s toughest neighborhoods enjoy games, camp-outs and activi-ties that enrich their lives socially and spiritually. Camp Shiloh is now accepting applications for its summer 2008 staff. For more information or to download an ap-plication, visit www.shilohnyc.org or e-mail camp@shilohnyc.org.

WorldWide Witness is ac-cepting applications for summer internships and two year appren-ticeships. New locations for min-istry include Cologne, Germany; Maiduguri, Nigeria; and Morelia, Mexico. More than 50 locations are available worldwide. Those wanting to fund raise during Christmas break must submit an application before Saturday. For more information, visit www.worldwidewitness.org or contact witness@bible.acu.edu.

Last day to withdraw from a class. Withdrawal forms can be found in the Depot, the Registrar’s Office and most advisors’ offices.

“Smart Talk with Sue” will take place in the Bean during breakfast and dinner. Sue Duncan, registered dietician, will offer one-on-one eat-ing plans to help students stay fit during the holiday season.

8 p.m.IM Ethnos, the annual student-produced culture show hosted by the International Students’ As-sociation, will take place in Cullen Auditorium. Tickets are on sale for $5 this week in the Campus Cen-ter and can also be purchased at the door.

8 p.m.Wouk, Alex Howard, Play Heaven and The Rockin Extensions will play at Crossroads, a new venue in Abilene located at 4216 N. 1st St. The show will cost $5 at the door.

7 p.m.Free bowling, ping pong, pool and XBOX 360 will be offered in the Bean Sprout until 10 p.m. Students must show a valid ACU I.D. to be admitted.

7 p.m.Auditions will be held at the Abilene Community Theatre for “You Can’t Take It With You.” No experience is necessary. This show has a cast of 20, which includes small roles.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Calendar Events& 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 optimist@acu.edu or to the Page 2 Editor at mxe06a@acu.edu.

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

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

About This Page

Friday, November 16, 2007

Announcements

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Volunteer OpportunitiesLove and Care Ministries, in

partnership with Arrow Ford, will hold its annual Mission Thanks-giving on Nov. 16. Volunteers are needed from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. to unload and load donations of food, clothing and money at the Arrow Ford dealership. These goods will benefit the homeless and needy in the Abilene community. Volunteers are also needed from 8 a.m.-noon on Nov. 17 to help unload trailers at Love and Care Ministries. For more information, contact Aubi Martinez at (325) 692-9500, ext. 239.

The Salvation Army needs vol-unteers to help with a Thanksgiving lunch on Nov. 22 from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Salvation Army. Vol-unteers will assist with setting up, serving lunch and cleaning up. For more information, contact Cecilia Barahona at (325) 672-1408.

The Veterans Administration needs help with a Thanksgiv-ing lunch on Nov. 22 from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center. Volunteers will help serve lunch and clean up. For more information, contact Jim DeFoor at (325) 674-1328.

Hendrick Hospice Care needs volunteers to accept donations at its “Light up a Life” tree, which will be located at the Mall of Abilene in the courtyard in front of Dillard’s

for men. Shifts are available seven days a week in two-hour increments from Nov. 19-Jan. 5. For more infor-mation, contact Jennifer Forrest or Brooke Hearon at (325) 677-8516.

Volunteers are needed to help with the Salvation Army Angel Tree, which will be located in the Mall of Abilene, from Nov. 17 until Dec. 17. Volunteers are needed Mondays-Saturdays from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sundays from 12:30-6 p.m. to greet shoppers, record personal information from those adopting angels, log in presents and bag presents. Volunteers are also needed at the Civic Center Dec. 17-Dec.22 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. to organize presents, sort and display toys by age group, as-semble food bags for families and assist during distribution days, which will be Dec. 21-23. For more information, contact Cecilia Barahona at (325) 677-1557.

The third annual HEB Feast of Sharing will be presented on Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center and will continue throughout the evening. The Feast of Sharing brings the community together for a free Holiday meal, live entertainment, a children’s area and a Community Service Fair. Volunteers are needed to work shifts from 3-9 p.m.

11 a.m.A Playoff tailgate party will take place at Shotwell Stadium. 500 free breakfast tacos, 1,500 free Rally towels and free purple T-shirts will be given away.

12 p.m.The Playoff football game against Mesa State University will take place at Shotwell Stadium. This is the first time ACU has hosted a playoff game at home in about 30 years. Tickets at the gate will cost $5 for students and $10 for adults. Tickets can be purchased for a discount at the ACU Athletics Office until 5 p.m. on Friday. Discount tickets cost $3 for students and $8 for adults.

8 p.m.IM Ethnos, the annual student-pro-duced culture show hosted by the International Students’ Association, will take place in Cullen Auditorium. Tickets are on sale for $5 this week in the Campus Center and can also be purchased at the door.

Purple Monday

7 p.m.Auditions will be held at the Abilene Community Theatre for “You Can’t Take It With You.” No experience is necessary. This show has a cast of 20, which includes small roles.

CorrectionIn Wednesday’s issue of the Optimist, the article “Chapel forum speaker shares lessons learned on the street” said Mike Yankoski wrote a memoir entitled “Under the Bridge.” The memoir was actually called “Under the Overpass.” The Optimist apologizes for this mistake.

By Katie HowertonStudent RepoRteR

Out of the 6,000 schools that participate in ratemy-professors.com, ACU hap-pens to be one of them. The university lists 367 total professors for ACU from various departments.

Ratemyprofessors.com is an online resource developed to help college students as they tackle the vigorous task of schedule planning.

Katie Randolph, sopho-more integrated marketing communication major from Thousand Oaks, Calif., is a student supporter.

“It has helped me plan out my schedules because if I come across a profes-

sor I have never heard about, I can go on [the Web site] and find out how oth-er students felt about the course,” Randolph said.

According to the Web site, ratemyprofessors.com is the Internet’s larg-est listing of collegiate professor ratings and has more than 6.8 million stu-dent-generated ratings of over 1 million professors. It offers ratings from over 6,000 colleges and univer-sities across the United

States, Canada, England, Scotland and Wales.

For the most part, pro-fessors are rated on help-fulness and clarity, but it also offers ways to rate easiness, overall quality and even hotness. A space is provided for students to write in personal com-ments about the profes-sor’s performance.

To keeps students’ iden-tities confidential, they are required to create an account with an unidenti-fiable login name. Howev-er, the information on the Web site is publicly dis-played and is available for everyone to see, including the professors who are being rated.

“I think it’s an inter-esting idea,” said Derran Reese, instructor of Bible, missions and ministry. “Because there really are no parameters, it’s hard to base any kind of serious reflection on…at some lev-el it’s not totally reliable, but I guess it’s interesting to see what students have to say.”

Professor ratings assist scheduling

“It has helped me plan out my schedules... I can go on [the Web site] and find out how other

students felt about the course.”

Katie Randolph, sophomore integrated marketing communication major from Thousand Oaks, Calif.

E-mail Howerton at: optimist@acu.edu

Friday, November 16, 2007 Page 3CAMPUS NEWS

By Mallory EdensPage 2 editor

For students who will stay in Abilene for Thanks-giving break, several oppor-tunities exist to give to oth-ers during the holiday and also spend time with others at mealtime.

Every year, various fac-ulty members open their homes to provide a Thanks-giving meal to those who need somewhere to go. Ce-lia Deeds, Creative Services administrative coordinator, and her husband are host parents to two students from Madagascar: Eddy

Borera, senior computer science major and John An-thony Rasolofonirina, se-nior computer science ma-jor. For Thanksgiving, they invite the students’ friends over for a meal, which includes traditional dishes plus the stu-dents’ favorite dishes from their native countries, followed by games and fellowship.

“We teach each other how to play games we know, and we just hang out for the day,” Deeds said. “It’s really nice. I love the college students, and I love having the boys here. This is their last Thanksgiv-ing with us, so it’s really spe-cial. They will always be a

part of our family.”Deeds said she expects to

open up her home to other students in the future be-cause of the opportunities it provides.

“The students are very special to me,” Deeds said. “We learn a lot from each other. It enriches your life a lot and broadens your view of the world and makes you realize how blessed we are.”

Joyce Voss, non-profit management center faculty member, also hosts many international students in her home on Thanksgiving.

Deeds said any student who has nowhere to go on

Thanksgiving should ask around and see if they can find someone who is host-ing students.

“There are a lot of staff and faculty here on cam-pus that will host them if they don’t have a place to go,” she said. “Just reach out and ask, because some-one will have an open door available.”

Erica Findley, junior art and psychology major from Bakersfield, Calif., is stay-ing in town for Thanksgiv-ing because traveling to her home in California was not an option for her. She and her roommate have planned

a day of relaxation and feasting while enjoying each other’s company, she said.

Findley suggested that if any students do not have anyone to spend Thanksgiv-ing with and do not want to be alone for the holiday, they should reach out to others in the community.

“Seek out older people in retirement centers who don’t have family and spend the day with them, or seek out random Thanksgiving guests,” she said. “Extend the invitation to people who need it. That’s something re-ally good and Christ-like for the spirit of Thanksgiving.”

Students could also vol-unteer to serve meals to the needy in the Abilene community. The Veterans Administration will serve Thanksgiving lunch at the Abilene Civic Center and needs volunteers from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. to help serve lunch and clean up.

The Salvation Army will also serve lunch from 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. and needs help with serving and clean up. Contact the Volunteer Ser-vice Learning Center for more information.

Faculty opens homes, students won’t spend holiday alone

By Denton JoseyFeatures editor

Many staff won’t show up for work Wednesday thanks to a decision the President’s Cabinet and human resourc-es made.

In years past, the day before Thanksgiving break has been a half-day for staff at ACU, but this year, they have the entire day off.

Suzanne Allmon, director of human resources, said the decision was made in appreciation of the staff’s hard work. Allmon said the President’s Cabinet and hu-man resources “felt like it would give staff additional time with their families. We felt that’s an important thing to do.”

The extra day off is also intended to help employees have more time to travel and, Allmon added, there wasn’t a compelling reason to not let staff have the day off.

Allmon said in the past

employees indicated on sur-veys that they would like the day off, so the response from the employees has been very appreciative.

Some of the staff able to take the day off include Ad-ministrative coordinators, the department of financial services, the Depot, the reg-istrar and marketing. All-mon said about 500 people who normally would have to work will be off.

“Lots of people will be af-fected positively by this de-cision,” Allmon said.

Maria del Pinal, guest ser-vices coordinator, said when she received the e-mail about the day off she was thrilled.

“I was ecstatic,” del Pinal said. With her family in Fort Worth, del Pinal said the day off allows for more time to travel. “That means I get to go home Tuesday night in-stead of Wednesday night and spend some extra time with my family.”

Some departments, how-

ever, are unable to take the time off. Allmon said the po-lice work 24 hours a day every day, so they won’t take time off. Likewise, departments that typically have staff on call won’t have Wednesday off because there needs to be enough people working to keep the university infra-structure running.

For employees unable to take time off Wednesday, a day off will be available to use by May. “I think most em-ployees are understanding of that, those who know they have to work,” Allmon said.

Allmon said she does not know if the extra vacation day will become a perma-nent thing, but said she an-ticipates it as a possibility.

Hard work earns full day off

E-mail Edens at: mxe06a@acu.edu

Todd Piersall STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Jason Huang, freshman International Studies major from Abilene, chips rust off a new bridge at the Abilene Zoo Nov. 10.

Rust rests in peace

E-mail Josey at: jdj03e@acu.edu

Page 4 November 16, 2007

FocusFriday

KATIE GAGER CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

For five years, the Japanese dance has entertained audiences at the Culture Show.

By Lauren SuttonCopy Editor

Clad in sweats instead of kimonos, 31 Japanese stu-dents diligently practiced their Asian-infused routine in the chilly, West Texas wind.

Characterized for their discipline and work ethic, this crowd endured the cold weather to perfect their up-coming performance and to maintain their reputation — a reputation that has been five years in the making.

What began several years ago as a mere opportunity to present a traditional Japanese dance to the ACU community has become a much-anticipat-ed act in the annual Culture Show and a tradition that in-volves the majority of ACU’s Japanese population.

But Wednesday’s practice was not strictly work-orient-ed, and the energy was high. Running around, laughing and listening to loud music on a portable CD player in between run-throughs, the Japanese dancers enjoyed the evening while tweaking a routine they hope meets their historically high standard.

One of four female dance instructors, Yukari Sekine, senior communication ma-jor, has watched the Japanese routine evolve throughout the

years and is one of several stu-dents who danced in the first performance.

Sekine reminisced about the day the Japanese students advertised Ethnos by perform-ing in Chapel five years ago. The student body didn’t know what to think.

“I think they felt weird,” Se-kine said. “We started it, and we could hear people laughing because our movement was not usual for them. It was new to them.”

But in time, the awkward laughs became loud applause as the Japanese routines were embraced by the ACU commu-nity and anticipated as one of the highlight acts of the Cul-ture Show.

“I think it’s anticipated because it’s so dramatically Japanese,” said Erin Roder-mund, senior missions ma-jor from Dallas and partici-pant in the Filipino dance. “It’s exciting because they fill the entire stage, and it’s colorful. They are so purely Japanese, and it’s fun to see someone else say so passion-ately ‘This is our culture.’ They are so dominantly bold with their ethnicity.”

In the past, the Japanese acts have varied from a dance about a fisherman that was bor-rowed from their country to a battle-like routine the students

choreographed themselves. And this year Culture Show attendees can look forward to yet another new twist.

I hope you dance

The Japanese have tried something altogether differ-ent for this year’s Culture Show — a gender-oriented routine.

As opposed to dancing jointly, the students split up the dances among the men and women to convey different as-pects of Japanese culture.

“This dance is my favor-ite one because we have two parts, and the girls’ part ex-presses the really tender heart of Japan and the guys show its strength,” said Hiro Akahoshi,

senior marketing and manage-ment major. “I think it’s really obvious and cool.”

Garnished with brightly colored Japanese fans, para-sols and ropes for dramatic effect, the 24 women and seven men have spent the last month preparing for this weekend’s performances.

“This year, we were way more behind than usual,” Sekine said. “I’m nervous, but I mean we’re not profes-sional. Our No. 1 purpose is to have fun.”

Sekine said the group has not rehearsed much this year. And by not rehearsing much, she is referencing the four-hour practices the group has at least two times a week in the double gyms at Bennett Gymnasium.

“Every time when it gets close to the show, we get so stressed out, and I think this year it’s going to be hard, it’s going to be tough,” Sekine said. “But when it’s over I’m glad I didn’t quit.”

A cultural perspective

Killing time, speaking in their native language and dancing outside the walls of Cullen Auditorium, this ste-reotypically reserved student group appears completely re-laxed, enjoying the comfort-able setting.

The Culture Show provides an opportunity for these stu-dents to build closer relation-ships with one another as they spend many late nights prac-ticing for their big weekend.

“I can see Japanese stu-dents who I don’t usually see on campus, and it’s kinda my first time to dance for school. I want to dance,” said Chigusa Nagayama, freshman unde-clared major.

While new students like Nagayama develop closer rela-tionships with others, the old-er students utilize this time of year to enjoy the friendships they have cultivated through-out their time at ACU.

“I just want to have fun with my friends, especially the graduating seniors,” said

Sekine, who will graduate this year. “This will be the last time to do something together.”

Regardless of age or clas-sification, the students want their routine to display as-pects of their culture to the predominantly American com-munity. They hope for a posi-tive audience response.

“The first year, it was the reaction of the audience that moved me,” Akahoshi said. “The practice is really hard, and everyone is really busy. It’s a hard time, but after the show the feeling from the audience’s reaction makes me think that I want to do it again.”

Friday night, the 31 stu-dents will don their brilliant-colored costumes, take the stage and hope for an enthu-siastic crowd response.

The Japanese students have diligently worked for the coming weekend, and as they have dedicated their college careers to infiltrat-ing into Western culture, for several brief moments this weekend they will invite the audience into their own.

KATIE GAGER CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Hitomi Tomioka, senior interior design major, performs with the female Japanese dancers in this year’s Culture Show, IM Ethnos.

EasternExpressions

E-mail Sutton at: les03c@acu.edu

“It’s fun to see someone else say so passionately ‘This is our culture.’ They are so

dominantly bold with their ethnicity.”

Erin Rodermund, senior missions major from Dallas

KATIE GAGER CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Aya Honda and Haruka Kawasumi raise their fans during rehearsal.

Friday, November 16, 2007 Page 5CAMPUS NEWS

E-mail Koehn at: optimist@acu.edu

By Karie SchmidtStudent RepoRteR

Staff and Faculty Emissary, or SAFE, may turn its rank over to Student Life so students will not fear the university could get involved.

SAFE is a program that provides an opportunity to find a person to talk to about life’s issues. According to the SAFE university Web

page, students’ concerns will be kept confidential.

“It allows them a greater access of mentors,” said Dr. Wayne Barnard, dean of spiri-tual formation and founder of the program.

SAFE was a program intend-ed for students to feel comfort-able talking to a counselor with-out feeling the university will tattle on them. The program is made up of a group of faculty

and staff whose goal is to make students feel safe.

Barnard wants students to know this program is intended to be for discipleship not dis-cipline. That is why he came up with the concept of this program. He said for years he had discussed with ACU faculty members the concept of an out-reach program for students.

“Because of university disciplinary actions, some

students may be afraid to reach out for help,” Barnard said. “We wanted a program like SAFE whereby students can connect with a faculty/staff person who can listen, support and otherwise assist students in finding the specific help or ministry needed for their concerns.”

Jenny Tenbush, junior graphic design major from Austin, said she thinks SAFE

will be a good program for the ACU campus.

“Some people are really seek-ing help. They just don’t know where to find it,” Tenbush said.

Barnard said the reason he wants Student Life to take over the SAFE program is because he thinks it needs to be connected with the Counseling Center.

Steve Rowlands, the director of the ACU Counseling Center, and Barnard are planning to

meet toward the end of the se-mester so that by next spring the program will be ready.

Barnard had the idea for this program last fall, and it was put in motion. After spending the spring semester in Oxford, the program seemed to fall apart. Since Barnard returned, he wants the program to go back to its successful state.

SAFE program a secure way to reach out for help

By Todd PiersallStudent RepoRteR

Night Riders are replacing their bikes with cards and hot chocolate as this year’s warm fall weather is finally starting to cool off, making night bike rid-ing difficult. But cold weather won’t stop the group from meeting and doing service proj-ects together.

Night Riders is a student group that meets every Tues-day night to ride bikes around the ACU community. Tara El-zey, sophomore English ma-jor from Powell, Wyo. and the group’s coordinator, said the group is open to anyone who

wants to join. However, new members

itching to ride will have to wait because the group probably won’t ride bikes again until next semester when the weath-er warms up, Elzey said. In the mean time, the group will focus on building a community.

Elzey said the Night Rid-ers recently helped build a house for Habitat for Human-ity and hope to continue help-ing build houses every other week. Aside from Habitat for Humanity, the group contin-ues to search for more service project opportunities.

Night Riders also hosts a small-group Chapel on Thurs-

days, which is open to any-one who would like to come, Elzey said. The small group Chapel takes place in room 217 in the Sherrod Commu-nication building.

Seth Adcock, an interdisci-plinary English and youth and family ministry major from Ruidoso, N.M., has been a part of Night Riders for three years and participated in this year’s Halloween ride.

“Night Riders are a fun, unique group of people,” Ad-cock said.

Riders off-season focused on serviceBy Pete Koehn

Student RepoRteR

If you’re worried about high energy bills this winter, you’re not alone.

Justin Shepard, senior bio-chemistry major from Abilene, lives by himself and expressed his concerns about the pros-pect of steep bills this winter.

“Since I don’t have room-mates, I don’t get to split my bill with anyone,” Shepard said. “Although I don’t use gas, my bills can still come back reasonably high.”

Shepard said he uses a window unit to heat his house, and he believes it is less expensive than central air. Shepard said he uses common sense when oper-ating his air conditioner.

“If I’m in the apartment, I turn it on. If I leave, I turn it off,” Shepard said.

Several good ideas for sav-ing electricity this winter have

been provided by WTU Retail Energy, one of Abilene’s energy suppliers. Lisa Dornan, senior manager of public relations for WTU Retail Energy, offered a list of tips for managing your energy bill this winter.

Computers can be a big user of energy, Dornan said.

“In standby mode, say for 20 hours a day, can end up costing you $50 to $60 a year in wasted energy,” Dornan said.

Dornan advises students to shut down their com-puters if they want to cut costs.

Even when you discon-nect a mobile device from its charger, if the charger is still plugged in, it will draw electricity, Dornan said.

Power strips can also be an energy sponge. Dornan said it is smart to turn off a power strip, especially if it has several devices con-nected to it, if you are leav-

ing town for the holidays or even a weekend.

With Christmas on the horizon, many students will purchase lights to hang outside their homes. Dornan said instead of regular bulbs, students should purchase LED lights, which are 80 per-cent more efficient.

“It doesn’t mean you have to throw away your ideas. You can still have fun with it,” Dornan said.

Dornan said she encour-ages students to practice energy conservation by monitoring energy con-sumption, even buying en-ergy-efficient appliances.

“WTU is an energy partner. We help you use less energy. You use less, you pay less,” Dornan said. “The work we are doing on energy efficiency we feel is reducing greenhouse and carbon emissions.”

Cold weather brings energy woes

By Kimberly PratherStudent RepoRteR

The spirit of giving is in the air with the Big Purple’s an-nual service event with Noah Project residents.

The Noah Project is an emer-gency center for victims of fam-ily violence where women and children are given a place to stay, are mentored and receive help to find jobs. The Noah Project’s mission is advocating

for victims and working to end family violence, according to the Noah Project Web site.

Through offices in Abilene and Haskell, the Noah Project serves 10 counties in West Central Texas.

The annual service project, entitled Christmas for Kids, has been a long-standing tradi-tion for the Big Purple. The Big Purple partners with the Noah Project and provides families who would otherwise have no

Christmas with a great holi-day. Christmas for Kids con-sists of purchasing gifts with the money the band raises and then hosting a Christmas party where the gifts are given to mothers and children residing at the Noah Project.

The Christmas party will take place on Dec. 8 in the band hall.

Ryan Rampton, senior youth and family ministry major from Naperville, Ill. and the Big Pur-

ple president, remembers his experience with the ser-vice project.

“I remember seeing a 3-year-old boy open his presents a couple years ago at the party and being so happy to have a new toy,” Rampton said. “These kids don’t have a lot to be ex-cited about, and being able to bring some joy into their diffi-cult lives is amazing.”

This year, the Big Purple would like to do more service

projects, said Jessica Sneed, senior marketing and manage-ment major from Keller and vice president of the Big Purple.

“The Big Purple’s theme for the year is ‘Into the World,’ and a lot of thought has been put into social events within our unique community,” Sneed said. “Our goal of the Big Purple is to be Christians, to be Christ-focused while building commu-nity. A service project is a per-fect way to do that.”

This year the Big Purple is currently at $1,100 in fundrais-ing, and the goal for the year is $1,400. On Monday, a collection was taken for the Noah Project after Chapel.

If students know someone is being hurt by family violence, the Noah Project can help. Con-tact Jessica Sneed for more in-formation at jls03i@acu.edu.

ACU Big Purple bands together for a special Christmas party

E-mail Piersall at: optimist@acu.edu

E-mail Prather at: optimist@acu.edu

E-mail Schmidt at: optimist@acu.edu

ViewsFridayOptimistPage 6 November 16, 2007

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

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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

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Editorial Board and News Staff

Jared FieldsEditor in Chief

Kelsi PeaceManaging Editor

Lauren SuttonCopy Editor

Rachel DavisOpinion Editor

Katie GagerChief Photographer

Denton JoseyFeatures Editor

Daniel JohnsonSports Editor

Sara SnelsonArts Editor

Camille TurnerVideo Editor

Val ValleOnline Editor

Christi StarkAdvertising Manager

Kenneth PybusAdviser

Jordan BlakeyCherry Waves

The issue:Thanksgiving is around the corner, and the holiday season brings many opportunities for community service.

Our view:Students should lend a hand to Abilene’s community service projects and help out as much as they can.

The solution:Keep an eye out for service opportunities around the area.

Say thanks through service this holiday season“Thank you” drops from

our mouths like leaves from trees during Thanksgiv-ing, and this nation’s day of thanks has morphed into a commercialized beast with all the trimmings.

We spend our “thankful” days off with a stomach full of turkey and sleeping or catch-ing up on homework, while the forgotten and homeless go hungry on the streets of our blessed nation.

ACU students should do more than simply say “thank you” this Thanksgiving holi-day. Instead, show your thanks through service.

In Abilene one way stu-

dents can give back before heading home for the break is Mission Thanksgiving.

For nine years, Love and Care Minis-tries has organized the altru-istic event, and all sections of the Abilene community — local businesses, media, churches and residents — unite to gather food, clothes and money for the homeless and poor of Abilene.

“We’re incredibly blessed, and we need to understand there are people all around the world that are not as

blessed,” said Terry Davis, administrator for Love and Care Ministries. “And as much as we need to be thankful for the things that we have, we also need to be open-handed with what we have.”

Love and Care accepts do-nations of clothes, food and money at Arrow Ford car lot at 4001 South 1st St. until 7 p.m. Friday, but ACU stu-dents can help most effec-

tively after the donations stop coming.

Davis said Love and Care needs volun-teers to help

unload the trailers full of gener-ously donated items at a ware-house on 4126 N. 1st St. The unloading begins at 9 a.m. and the more volunteers, the faster the trailers unload and the fast-er the donations go out to help Abilene’s impoverished.

Mission Thanksgiving of-fers just one of many ways the ACU community can show its thanks for blessings through action.

Find the Abilene Thanks-giving project you want to help and make a difference by helping the less fortunate during the holiday season.

Instead of lapping up plates full of shopping, pa-rades, pie and football dur-ing Thanksgiving, enjoy a side of service.

It may help digest that tur-key dinner a little more easily.

Find the Abilene Thanksgiving project you want to help and make a difference by helping the less

fortunate during the holiday season.

Admit it. You are already making a mental list of all

the things you would like to re-ceive for Chr i s tmas . And why not — your mom always likes suggestions.

America’s growing ob-session with the holiday season feeds our consum-

er-driven culture, giving us one more reason to fill our closets and garages with more “stuff.”

But can you name three presents you received last Christmas? And what about the Christmas before that? We have become far too in-trigued by our trinkets and stocking stuffers that we have lost sight of the joy

that comes from giving. In response to this sad re-

ality, several shrewd interna-tional non-profit organiza-tions are providing a remedy to the consumer epidemic that plagues the U.S.

One non-profit, Oxfam In-ternational, a relief and de-velopment organization ded-icated to finding solutions to poverty, hunger and injus-tice, according to the Oxfam Web site, has provided a spin on the Christmas season.

Instead of buying pres-ents from department stores or off the Internet, this non-profit has compiled a list of items that symbolically repre-sent the organization’s work in 26 different countries and created a holiday catalog.

Those looking to pur-chase a present can choose from a plethora of items, ranging from a $20 school uniform to a $200 two-way radio to a $1,000 shelter, in their friend or family mem-ber’s name.

A card is then sent to that friend informing them of the donation that has been made for them, and “the gift goes to those who need it most,” as the Web site advertises.

Last year I received an Ox-fam card saying an irrigation system had been purchased in my name, and as much as I enjoyed all the gifts I found under my Christmas tree on Dec. 25, knowing that some-one overseas was benefiting from a donation made on

my behalf was a refreshing change from the convention-al way of doing Christmas.

Christmas is still more than a month away, but as Thanksgiving comes and goes, the shopping season will quickly pick up. So as you enjoy your Turkey next week and ponder what you will buy your loved ones for the holiday season, give a second thought to Oxfam’s unique program.

Choose a gift that will not only show your gratitude for those who are close to you; buy a gift that shows your love for people who have less than you. Besides, do you re-ally need one more thing to store in your closet?

Give in a different way this holiday season

Peace ofMindLaurenSutton

We have become far too intrigued by our trinkets and stocking stuffers that we have lost sight

of the joy that comes from giving.

Armed with $25 and a computer, employees who lie

to skip a day of work can have solid proof they aren’t lying.

Thanks to the Excused Absence Net-work from Vision Mat-ters, LLC, s o - c a l l e d r e s p o n -sible adults are now

equipped to lie to their em-ployers and support the falsehood with a computer-generated medical note, jury summons or funeral service program from the Web site, www.myexcusedabsence.com.

This de-ceptive pro-gram casts a light on just how lazy and irresponsible many adults have grown. Or perhaps we’ve always been lazy, just much more subtle about it.

The days of subtlety faded with the advent of this pro-gram, which announces to Web site visitors, “Don’t just come up with same old excuses — back them up.”

The program flashes a dis-claimer — for entertainment purposes only.

However, the $25 fake notes can be purchased through the Internet payment program Pay-Pal, and the products are cur-rently on sale, suggesting they are intended for purchase, and in turn, use.

And arguments from cre-ators imply a very real intention behind the facetious front.

“Millions of Americans work dead-end jobs, and sometimes they just need a day off,” co-founder John Liddell told the Associated Press. “People are going to lie anyway.”

Such faulty reasoning speaks for itself. If society equipped people to do all the

things they will do anyway, we would be providing a lot of getaway cars, illegal drugs and cheat sheets.

Liddell’s willingness to equip sluggish adults to lie disturbs, but more disturbing is the complacent acceptance that a difficult or unpleasant task is license to dodge re-sponsibility.

We joke about the great jobs that allow employees to surf the Internet and waste time while on the clock – but deep down probably relate on a very real level.

And such shirking comes at a price. CNN Money.com cited a study from Chal-lenger, Gray & Christmas Inc, a global outplacement consultant, last year dur-ing a November influenza

o u t b r e a k . The group e s t i m a t e d e m p l o y e r s would lose $10 billion in paid sick leave at the

national level.While this $10 billion loss

can hardly be avoided from the inevitable flu season, this figure represents only those who legitimately miss work.

Aside from the practical implications of employees in-creasingly (and nonchalantly) deceiving their employers, the lack of integrity suggests a se-rious flaw in our thinking.

Some motivation — be it God’s glory or personal satis-faction — should inspire us to keep working rather than seek the easiest escape. A generat-ed doctor’s note cannot solve boredom, unhappiness or lazi-ness. It just puts responsibility off until tomorrow.

So take heart – if the loom-ing finals week grows over-whelming, the Excused Ab-sence Network can certainly conjure up an excuse. After all, we wouldn’t want to have to work too hard.

Internet enables, equipsdishonest employees

SoarSubjectsKelsi Peace

E-mail Sutton at: les03c@acu.edu, optimist@acu.edu

E-mail Peace at: knp04a@acu.edu, optimist@acu.edu

What are you doing over Thanksgiving break?

In Your Words

I know I’m getting up at 4:30 the day after Thanksgiving to go shopping with my mom.

Ashley HuckabeeSenior nursing majorfrom Shiner.

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

Some motivation ... should inspire us to

keep working.

Friday, November 16, 2007 Page 7FROM THE FRONT

Continued from page 1

E-mail Acuff at: optimist@acu.edu

Donate: Seniors raise funds for intramural seatsContinued from page 1

is vital,” Rangel said. “Each of us has a culture.” She feels that culture is not limited to African, American, or Asian. Culture can include Southern American or even Texan.

Laura Blake, International Student Services Coordinator, knows the audience enjoys the show,” but [the production] is

most beneficial for those on-stage and backstage.”

Blake, who has worked with Ethnos for four years, has seen first-hand how it brings people together.

“It really connects stu-dents and teaches them to work together. The produc-tion is student-driven and student-produced” she said.

Ethnos 2007 has not been

without bumps along the way.“ISA didn’t get as much

[money] as they requested from SA,” Blake said. Con-sequently, they are relying heavily on ticket sales to help pay for the show.

Censorship kept one group from performing. Ran-gel said the faculty gave the group plenty of warning and time to make it appropriate,

but those students chose to not participate.

“It is so important that we try not to cover it up or muf-fle it, especially in Abilene,” Rangel said.

Though they would prefer not to, most students gladly alter their act if it means getting to perform. Blake said that modest dress and clean lyrics concern the ad-

ministration most.“All of our cultures an-

swer to a higher culture: Christian culture,” said Tom Craig, director of student productions.

Despite monetary draw-backs and mild censorship, Razafimanjato has not let any-thing discourage him.

“This is my first time to take on such a big role, but I have a

great group of people helping me who are as excited as I am,” he said.

Ethnos 2007 has united these people from all over the world for one purpose: to cel-ebrate diversity together, in friendship and in Christ.

Culture: Plethora of culture to take the Ethnos stage this weekendE-mail Davis at: red04a@acu.edu

The gallery will act as an an-nex to Shore, and the depart-ment is leasing the gallery for a year. Maxwell and Cockerell didn’t know exact costs, but Maxwell said that Cockerell has worked very hard to get ACU a great deal.

“Carolyn and her family have worked so hard to accom-modate this, and we appreci-ate that,” Maxwell said. “We also appreciate how interested

they are in supporting arts in Abilene and contributing to the local scene downtown.”

Maxwell said having a pres-ence downtown is important to the department as well.

“We’re proud of what hap-pens at ArtWalk, and we’re proud of the artists in our community,” Maxwell said. “One of the positive things about this move is that it will help ACU promote community awareness of art, specifically ACU art. Also, it will just gen-

erally help Abilene. I feel like any kind of emphasis on arts in the community has histori-cally been a good thing. We’ve done that in Abilene, but I feel we can do it more.”

Once everything for the deal is finalized, the gallery will switch names. As of press time, the name hadn’t been decided on, but Maxwell said they are considering naming it the ACU-Cockerell Gallery.

The gallery is 2600 sq. ft, and Cockerell said there are

no other buildings like it in Abilene with an open space like that.

“We’ve had over 300 people in here from ArtWalk,” Cock-erell said. “And that was go-ing from nothing about three years ago [when the gallery was renovated]. I’m honored that they asked me to be a part of this deal. I feel like it was an answer to prayer. I want word to get out, I want people to ACU is here. I hope parents and alumni will visit and want

to come see the gallery. Truth-fully, there’s no one else I want in here.”

The first show, “Double Vi-sion,” will run from Dec. 13 to Feb. 8 and will feature artwork from Maxwell and his wife, Jill.

Maxwell said the depart-ment has a committee that will decide the next shows, and they want to look into the possibility of hosting regional and national competitions in the gallery.

“We really want to involve local artists and students from

Hardin-Simmons and McMurry, too,” Maxwell said. “The gallery is operated by ACU and the art department, but we want the community to see it as their space, too.”

Cockerell said she is excited for the future and what this opportunity will bring to her and her family.

“To have ACU in the gallery, well, it’s a dream come true,” Cockerell said.

Art: New art gallery intended for campus, communityContinued from page 1

E-mail Sutton at: les03c@acu.edu

with Watkins, and finals week seemed like a prime time to of-fer the service.

“We felt like we hadn’t done something for the student body as a whole,” Godfrey said.

Also at Wednesday’s meet-ing, Congress reallocated the $3,500 conference budget to the Congressional proj-ect fund, passing Rep. Kyle Moore’s bill to do so with 33 supporting, four votes oppos-ing and one abstaining.

Last year, Congress mem-bers attended conferences in Boston and Jacksonville, Fla. This semester, none were planned. Conferences have been a controversial issue with student groups, because SA fully funds conferences its rep-resentatives attend, instead of applying the budgetary prin-ciples applied to other student organizations. However, SA receives no outside funding or departmental support.

SA: Congress spends money to caffeinate studentsContinued from page 1

E-mail Hettich at: optimist@acu.edu

“There were a lot of great ideas that we had this year, and I feel that the bleachers are a good choice and will benefit students in the future,” said Na-than McKenzie, senior political science major from Albuquer-que, N.M. and senior senator.

In past years, seniors have helped raise money for proj-ects like the Lunsford Trail, Jacob’s Dream, and last year the class began a fund to place an ACU insignia on Campus Court between Bar-ret Hall and the Library.

“The senior legacy program

is a tradition of giving a gift back to ACU,” said Kristi Thax-ton, development program manager for the Development Office. “The senior legacy is to give back to ACU to help start a lifetime of philanthropy.”

This process began in Sep-tember when Thaxton met with the senior senators to brain-storm ideas and after compil-ing a short list, a Zoomerang survey was sent to all seniors to vote for their top choice. The bleachers won by a longshot, garnering 45 percent of the stu-dent votes.

The size of the bleachers will depend on the amount of

money the class donates, which Thaxton said varies from year to year.

Seniors can participate in the Senior Legacy by making a monetary gift of whatever amount they choose. Those who pledge $100 or more will be given a brick with their name inscribed to place in the Alum-ni Walk between the Campus Center and the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building.

Students can break up their pledge, paying their to-tal amount a little at time, but Thaxton said the pledges should be in by February in or-der to prepare the Alumni Walk

bricks by May graduation.“I think that seniors think

giving back to their school is a good thing,” McKenzie said. “ACU’s mantra is ‘change the world,’ and ACU does that a little at a time. We do that by investing in people. Se-nior legacy is a small way to change the world.”

Seniors interested in making a pledge can do so at the senior Web site at www.acu.edu/se-niors or by picking up a pledge sheet in Thaxton’s office in the development office located in the Administration Building.

Options: Students stay, serve in town

Katie gager CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Rep. Tony Godfrey and Rep. Ben Word present a bill to Congress to fund free coffee for the student body during finals week. Congress passed the bill unanimously.

Continued from page 1

E-mail Peace at: knp04a@acu.edu

Abilene’s Salvation Army chapter’s Thanksgiving meal provides another opportu-nity for students seeking to volunteer. Anticipating around 300 guests, Salvation Army community develop-ment director Cecilia Bara-hona said volunteers should call her for a specific assign-ment and expect to spend time serving individuals.

“It just kind of makes them feel special, rather than making them go through a buffet line, just kind of serving them wherever they are,” Barahona said.

DeFoor and Barahona

said their events welcome college students both as vol-unteers and as guests.

“It’s not just for the homeless,” Barahona said. “People who don’t have anyone in town will come have dinner — just to have companionship.”

Katie Lindsey, junior busi-ness management major from Missouri City, plans to help with Love & Care Ministries’ Mission Thanksgiving today by collecting, sorting and do-nating food and household items and with International Rescue Committee tomorrow by cooking a meal for refu-gees new to the United States. Lindsey has mixed feelings about surges of generosity

during the holiday season.“I think people are more

benevolent during Thanks-giving than they are gener-ally, and that probably has something to do with the fact that we’re being re-minded of just how much we actually do have,” Lindsey said. “The whole holiday re-volves around giving things and appreciating, but it also revolves around excess in everything. I think it’s really good that people are more generous at Thanks-giving, but it also makes me a little bit frustrated that it is such an isolated thing. I hope Thanksgiving can be used as a catalyst to kind

of launch future efforts of generosity.”

Beyond Abilene, this weekend’s campaign to Oklahoma City, also reso-nates of the holiday season, with students scheduled to package and distrib-ute Thanksgiving meals to needy families.

“I have a lot of time this weekend that I’m not do-ing anything,” said fresh-man interdisciplinary ma-jor Allison Maust from Wakarusa, Ind., who plans to attend the campaign. “I feel like God is asking me to use that time for some-thing bigger than myself.”

“It’s not just for the homeless. People who don’t have anyone in town will come have dinner.”

Cecilia Barahona, Salvation army community development director

Page 8 Friday, November 16, 2007SPORTS

Wildcat tip offACU basketball seasons begin Friday

By Rachel DavisOpiniOn EditOr

The men’s basketball team begins its season this weekend in the ACU Classic against Hillsdale Baptist, Lubbock Christian and Houston Baptist.

Head coach Jason Cope-land said the team hasn’t been focusing on any one opponent for the season.

“Right now, we’re just really focused on us and the stuff we need to do,” Copeland said. “Our of-fensive execution has got to get better and I think it has in the past week. And we’ve got to continue to

play defense. I think this is the best defensive ball club I’ve had in the past three years.”

The roster this year brings back six players from last year and brings six new players to the team. Returning starters include Cameron Holson, Riley Lam-bert, Marko Nikolic, Brooks Norman, Spencer Oestreich and Cortnie Ross.

Included in the six new additions are Division I trans-fers Brandon Callahan from Morehead State, Corwin Rag-land, from Stephen F. Austin and Stephen Musa from La-mar.. Other new additions to the team are players Dante Adams, Dejan Sencanski and Ean Wagner.

“It’s hard to tell who will be a stand-out this season,” Copeland said. “They’re all going to have a chance to put up some play and do good things for us.”

After facing a playoff drought of 10 seasons and eight losing seasons,

the team, picked to finish last in the Lone Star Con-ference South Division, has renewed hope for this year, placing its confi-dence in team chemistry and new talent.

“These guys get along great,” Copeland said. “Sometimes until you face some adversity, you won’t know what you have, but I think chemistry will be one of our strengths. I think we’ve got guys that just like being around each other.”

And Copeland said that chemistry should translate to ACU’s play on the court.

Senior guard Callahan, agreed that the team had great chemistry and also thinks the team can make it to the post-season.

“I think if we continue to work hard and everything, we have a pretty good shot at [the playoffs],” Callahan said. “We’ve got pretty good competition in the league, but if we work hard, we can do it.”

By Michael FreemanAssistAnt spOrts EditOr

Ten players are return-ing this season to the ACU women’s basketball team — a team picked to finish second in the Lone Star Conference South Division. And with the return of so many experienced players and the addition of four tal-ented freshmen, head coach Shawna Lavender is excited

about the Wildcats’ chances of being a serious contender in the post-season.

“I think we have a legiti-mate shot to challenge for the conference champion-ship,” Lavender said. “Now whether or not we do that is all going to depend on keep-ing our minds right and keeping our team chemistry where it needs to be.”

Last year, ACU went 17-12 overall with an 8-6 confer-ence record. The Wildcats’ season ended after being ousted 76-57 in the first round of the Lone Star Con-ference Post-Season Tourna-ment by Central Oklahoma.

“It left a bad taste in our mouths,” said junior center Audrey Maxwell. “We knew we could’ve been better. I re-ally want to take advantage of this season and make something happen.”

Maxwell and senior for-ward Alex Guiton were named to the first team all-LSC South Division last season.

Men start season with ACU Classic

MATT NEWHOUSER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Senior guard Brandon Callahan, a transfer from Morehead State, flies to the basket during practice on Tuesday in Moody Coliseum.

MATT NEWHOUSER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Returning starter junior center Audrey Maxwell, goes up for a shot during Thursday’s practice in Moody.

Experience gives Wildcats hopeMen’s BasketballWomen’s Basketball

See CLASSIC page 9

See HOPE page 9

Friday, November 16, 2007 Page 9SPORTS JUMPS

By Chandler HarrisStudent RepoRteR

Gamma Sigma Phi collected its second-straight intramu-ral flag football title Tuesday after defeating the Second Stringers 19-18, in front of a capacity crowd at the Men’s Champ League final.

GSP took an early 12-0 lead as they capitalized on two interceptions, one of which Clark Packer, senior manage-ment major from Dallas, re-turned for a touchdown.

The Second Stringers capped the half with a 68-yard drive for a touchdown, follow-ing an interception by Jona-than Garner, sophomore man-agement major from Plano, to close the gap to 12-6.

But GSP, led by quarter-back Hutton Harris, senior journalism major from Ben-brook, marched down the field to start the second half. Harris juked two defenders and spun his way into the end zone. Following the ex-tra point, GSP led 19-6.

A quick touchdown and four-down stop by the Sec-ond Stringers set up for a classic ending. On fourth down, Second Stringers quarterback Travis Za-hodnik, sophomore man-agement major from San Antonio, fired a 21-yard touchdown pass to Ben Gibbs to pull within one point at 19-18, with just 18 seconds remaining.

Following a timeout, GSP

safety Rob Lung, senior so-cial justice major from Clo-vis, Calif., sacked Jason Za-hodnik, junior journalism major from San Antonio, and the celebration began.

Jon Heintz, senior busi-ness management major from St. Louis and Gamma Sigma Phi captain, came back from a first half inju-ry in his final game to lead the team with a Willis Reed esque performance.

“We came out tonight and played with class, competi-tive nature, integrity, and a love for the game,” Heintz said. “Our defense came up big when it counted and that was the difference.”

Sigma Theta Chi won a thriller in triple overtime 12-6 over Ko Jo Kai to win the Women’s Champ League title.

Emily Edmonds, senior elementary education major from Dallas and Sigma The-ta Chi receiver, made a div-ing catch to win the game.

“We worked well as a team tonight,” Edmonds said. “Our defense made plays all night to keep us in it.”

G-2, of the Men’s Rec League, The Ramones, of the Women’s Rec League, the Novas, of the Men’s Pledge League, and the Nunus, of the Women’s Pledge League, all won their respective championships.

GSP wins second-straight flag football championship

traditionally does, he said he’s going to stick with the other ACU runners for support.

“What I just need to do is run with them, and I know everything is good,” Naima-du said.

In addition to Naimadu’s history shot, the men’s team can make history by winning their second-straight team title on Saturday.

Hood is confident that Naimadu’s rehabilitated

knee will not slow him down — he has won three-straight national titles.

“It’d be crazy to assume that Nicodemus is not gonna win the race because he’s such a great athlete and competi-tor,” Hood said. “Obviously I think it’s gonna affect him, but what affects Nicodemus isn’t necessarily what affects other runners. I think he’s got the potential and he has shown repeatedly that when the race is on the line he can find a way to win.”

And Naimadu is confident that his final meet as and ACU runner will not be a dis-appointment.

“I can tell you that when I cross the finish line being ahead, that will be my biggest college [achievement] ever.” Naimadu said. “I know it is the last one, but it is the one that means a lot.”

Naimadu: Teammates give support

single-season rushing re-cord into the playoffs.

But Mesa State’s defense is statistically the Wildcats toughest test all season.

The Mavericks’ 237.3 yards allowed per game av-erage is sixth in the nation in total defense, and they are No. 3 in the nation in

rushing defense and sixth in scoring defense.

Mesa St. comes into Saturday’s game with 26 sacks, 91 tackles for loss and have not allowed more than 27 points in any game this season. And even more impressive, the Mavericks have only allowed a com-bined 14 points in their last three games.

Leading the Mavericks is de-fensive end Kurt Kissner, who leads the nation in sacks (14.5) and sacks per game (1.3)

“We can’t control what they are gonna do,” Young said. “You’ve just got to take it as any other game.”

Host: Cats face top-ranked defenseContinued from page 10

Both players will be starting for ACU this season. In the Wild-cats’ exhibition game against Lubbock Christian Saturday, ju-nior forward Kristee Davidson, sophomore guard Kelsey Darby and sophomore forward Jody Meyer also started for ACU. But this season’s team is so talent-ed that the Wildcats’ starting lineup may not be set in stone.

“This is probably one of the deepest teams we’ve had in a long time,” Lavender said. “And the girls know that; they know that every day they have to fight to keep their starting jobs. It makes our practices very com-petitive, which is great because that makes more prepared for the game.”

ACU has 27 games on its schedule this year with the first game coming Friday against Incarnate Word. The schedule also includes games against competitive squads like nation-ally ranked No. 4 West Texas A&M. Texas A&M-Commerce, a team ACU beat last season, is also on the schedule this year. But Texas A&M-Commerce went on a streak through the regional tournament to the Di-

vision II Elite Eight last postsea-son and is entering this season ranked No. 12 in the nation.

“I think our schedule this year is probably a little bit tougher last year,” Lavender said. “Every game we’re playing is a regional game this year.”

In addition to 14 conference matches, ACU will play regional opponents such as Incarnate Word, St. Edward’s, East Cen-tral and the team that kicked the Wildcats out of the playoffs — Central Oklahoma.

ACU will combat oppo-nents this year with a fierce foursome of centers. Maxwell, who averaged 13.5 points and 10.1 rebounds last season, will lead the Wildcats’ interior game play. Sophomore back-up Jody Meyer will skillfully be able to play both the center position and forward position. And freshmen Jamie Miller and Jenna Simmel can provide an energetic boost coming off the bench.

“Definitely having a strong presence inside is huge,” Lavender said. “For us to have two strong cen-ters is really important.”

In the forward spot, Gui-ton, who led the team last

year in scoring with 15.1 points per game, will be a key player for the Wildcats. Senior Ashlee Barr, Davidson and sophomore Jamie Meyer will all be able to bring a bal-anced attack of both offense and defense when they take the court.

“They are really versatile,” Lavender said. “They can shoot from the outside and be able to post up down low.”

Consistent shooting and passing will come from a group of ACU guards composed of sophomore Kelsey Darby, ju-nior Cici Davis, freshman, Jo-anna Harner, freshman Jensen Knickerbocker, sophomore Kathryn Kundmueller and freshman Autumn Whitaker.

“We have a pretty balanced team,” Lavender said. “We have a lot of kids that can step up and hit some big shots for us.”

With its talented ensemble, the Wildcats appear poised to put together a stellar sea-son this year.

“I think we’re a better team this year than we were last year,” Lavender said. “And that’s how I expect us to play.”

Hope: Depth gives edge in ‘07-08

Continued from page 10

TODD Piersall STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

GSP quarterback Hutton Harris, senior journalism major from Benbrook, pitches a ball while Frater Sodalis rusher Reagan Morgan, senior market-ing major from Arlington, pulls Harris’ flag during a intramural flag football playoff game on Nov. 3.

Intramurals

E-mail Harris at: optimist@acu.edu

brian schmiDT SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Nicodemus Naimadu, left, leads the pack of ACU runners Philip Birgen, Serge Gasore, Julius Nyango and Amos Sang during the ACU Cross Country Classic on Sept. 1.

E-mail Johnson at: djj04a@acu.edu

maTT neWhOUser STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Junior forward Kristee Davidson guards the ball while teammates surround her during practice Wednesday.

E-mail Johnson at: djj04a@acu.edu

Continued from page 10

Callahan said he believes ACU’s team worked harder in the off-season than his previ-ous team at Morehead State.

“We don’t have any weak-nesses,” Callahan said. “We

just have to work on not be-ing selfish, and continue to work hard in practice.”

The ACU Classic begins Friday at 7 p.m. in Moody Coliseum, where the Wildcats will take on Hillsdale Baptist.

“We’re just looking for-

ward to seeing what those guys can get done,” Cope-land said.

Continued from page 10

E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu

Classic: ACU opens against Hillsdale

E-mail Davis at: red04a@acu.edu

Five Wildcats earn Lone Star Conference academic honors

n The ACU football team had five of the 11 honorees for the LSC South Division All-Academic Team this year. Place kicker Matt Adams, defensive end Travis Carpenter, linebacker Mike Kern, linebacker Cody Stutts and offensive lineman Nathan Young all made the team. To be eligible for LSC academic honors, student-athletes need at least a 3.20 grade point average.

Optimist

spOrtsFridayNovember 16, 2007Page 10

Friday

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLACU at Incarnate Word, 1:30 p.m.

MEN’S BASKETBALLACU vs. Hillsdale Freewill Baptist, 7 p.m.

Saturday

FOOTBALLACU vs. Mesa State, 12 p.m.

CROSS COUNTRYNCAA Division II Nationals in Joplin, Mo., 9 a.m.

MEN’S BASKETBALLACU vs. Houston Baptist, 5 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLACU at St. Edward’s, 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLACU at St. Mary’s, 6 p.m.

n Home games listed in italics

Standings

Upcoming

FootballTeam Div. OverallWTAMUACUTarleton St.MSUTAMU-K

Angelo St.

6-05-14-23-32-41-5

11-09-29-28-33-82-8

ENMU 0-6 5-6

For complete intramural scores and schedules

visit:w w w. a c u o p t i m i s t . c o m

INTRAMURAL ROUNd-Up

Scoreboard as of Thursday

SCOREBOARd

Women’s Basketball

Briefs

RankingsPreseason Polls as of Oct. 3

Men’s BasketballTeamRankingTarleton St.WTAMUMSUAngelo St.TAMU-K

ENMUACU

No. 6No. 5No. 4No. 3No. 2No. 1

No. 7

Texas Woman’sMSUAngelo St.Tarleton St.ACUWTAMU

Ranking

No. 6No. 5No. 4No. 3No. 2No. 1

Team

No. 7

No. 8

ENMU

TAMU-K

n The intramural schedule in the Optimist is subject to change and is not permanent. Any changes can be viewed on the intramural bulletin board in Moody Coliseum.

FLAG FOOTBALLFlag football playoffs ended Tuesday. First place winners for this year’s tournaments are:

Men’s Champ League: GSPMen’s Rec League: GalaxyWomen’s Champ League: SiggiesWomen’s Rec League: Ramone’s

Carpenter

Running for the record

By Daniel JohnsonSportS Editor

When ACU’s regular season end-ed two seasons ago, offensive line-man Nathan Young and the rest of the Wildcats found themselves far from the playoffs.

After another losing season, Young and his teammates were forced to do the only thing they could do — write off the season and get ready for offseason workouts.

“Back then I was ready for the season to be over,” Young said.

But now in Young’s senior season, things couldn’t be more different.

In his third season, head coach Chris Thomsen has transformed ACU’s football team from a dwin-dling 4-6 program to a 9-2 contend-er for the NCAA Division II title. And Saturday the Wildcats’ quest for a title begins at home in ACU’s first home playoff game in 30 years.

“It’s a big deal,” Young said. “Thir-ty years is a long time for Abilene not to see a [playoff game], and for this program it feels like we’re only on our way up.”

No. 15 ACU will host No. 17 Mesa State in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs Saturday, and the winner of the game will move on to play Chadron State on Nov. 24 in Nebraska.

But regardless of the result, ACU will make history on Saturday.

ACU has never hosted a playoff game while in the NCAA, and the

last time the Wildcats played host was Dec. 3, 1977, when ACU beat Wisconsin-Stevens Point, in the NAIA Division I semifinals.

But that is not where the paral-lels between the ‘77 Wildcats and the modern-day Wildcats end.

In 2007 ACU posted its first nine-win regular season since the Wildcats ‘77 national championship team finished 9-1-1 before going on to win the NAIA title.

“I think it’s a great thing that ACU is back in the playoff picture especially at home,” said Wally Bul-lington, athletic director emeritus and the athletic director in 1977. “It’s a great thing to see our pro-gram come toward the top.”

ACU earned its spot after a 42-41 come-from-behind win over Mid-western State and carries one the nation’s top offenses into the first round of the playoffs.

Junior quarterback Billy Malone, who is now the Lone Star Confer-ence’s all-time leading passer after his 304 yards against Midwestern put his career total at 8,167 yards, leads an ACU offense that averages 538.0 yards per game, 46.4 points per game and leads the nation with the least number of sacks allowed.

Junior running back Bernard Scott leads the nation in touchdowns and total points and is taking the ACU

By Daniel JohnsonSportS Editor

Three meets into his senior season, cross county phenom Nicodemus Naimadu in-jured his right knee. While running at the

Oklahoma State Jamboree on Sept. 29, the three-time national cross country champion from Narok, Kenya fell and eventually had trouble walking, let alone running.

With the injury, he was unsure if he would be able to rehabilitate in time to make history by be-

coming the first person to win four-straight indi-vidual cross country titles. And at times he said he felt despair.

But after five weeks of work, Naimudu says he’s healthy again, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

“We’re all breathing a sigh of relief after Mon-day’s workout,” said head cross country coach Derek Hood. “Seeing him up there with the guys; it was just

like old times.” Naimadu will make his run at history in Joplin, Mo.

as the men’s and women’s cross country teams compete in the Division II national championships Saturday.

“Right now I’m really confident that everything is well with my knee,” Naimadu said. “How I am feeling right now with my knee is it looks really better, and when I just focus on the national championships this

weekend I can see everything looks good.”But Naimadu has his teammates to thank for get-

ting a shot at history. With their top runner resting, the ACU men won the Lone Star Conference meet and finished sec-

ond at the NCAA South Central Regional meet

to qualify for the national championships — something Naimadu says he’s thankful for.

“I wanted to run in the [regional meet] but they told me we’re gonna make it,” Naimudu said. “They played a big role to encourage me and give me some confidence when I was having my knee injury and the time they ran for I knew they were the ones who would win.”

But securing a spot in the national race wasn’t the only thing his teammates did.

While Naimadu went through rehabilitation training, he said it was his teammates’ encouragement that helped him persevere.

“The other guys really picked up the intensity and that was reassuring to everyone,” Hood said. “The guys just really focused on being prepared for this national cham-pionship and assuming Nic is gonna be there and help us out as well.”

And Saturday Naimadu said he will be relying on his teammates yet again.

Instead of running alone in Missouri, like Naimadu

ThREE’S A CROWd

Football

Senior cross country runner Nicodemus Naimadu is one of five athletes to win three NCAA individual national championships, and if Naimadu wins his fourth individual Division II cross country title Saturday will break his and four other athletes records.

n Gerry Lindgren, Washington State (1966, 1967,1969)

n Steve Prefontaine, Oregon (1970, 1971, 1973)

n Henry Rono, Washington State (1976, 1977, 1979)

n Missy Bultry, Wartburg (2002, 2003, 2004)

See NAIMAdU page 9

Naimadu seeks fourth-straight title

Photo illustration by BRIAN SCHMIDT

No. 15 Wildcats host first NCAA playoff game

brian schmidt SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Senior wide receiver Jerale Badon leaps forward and catches a pass from junior quarterback Billy Malone during practice on Tuesday. The Wildcats will host their first NCAA playoff game Saturday. See hOST page 9