The Optimist - Sept. 4, 2009

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Forecast InsideEDITORIALNew Texas law prohibits mo-torists from texting while driv-ing. Our editorial board weighs in on the law’s excessiveness or appropriateness.

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SOCCER TEAM FACESFloridian futbol giant Rol-lins College. Get complete pregame analysis, includ-ing both teams’ strengths and weaknesses.

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Should Texans have theright to text and drive?

Visit acuoptimist.com to see whatthe ACU community is saying.

VIDEO

Frater Sodalis rush

Optimistthe

acuoptimist.comBREAKING NEWS, VIDEOS, PHOTOS, DISCUSSION AND EXCLUSIVE CONTENTVol. 98, No. 5 1 section, 8 pagesFriday, September 4, 2009

Opera in Abilene

LOUDandCLEAR

PAGE 5

Laura AcuffFeatures Editor

The Department of Foreign Languag-es is giving students the opportunity to study languages like Russian and Mandarin Chinese here on campus – without hiring any new faculty. In-stead, as part of the new Dialektos program, classes utilize Web-based technology to converse and study with native speakers and other stu-dents as far away as New York.

The program began at Drake Uni-versity in Iowa, where researchers de-veloped a program for use by the U.S. Government and State Department in language-training facilities around

the world, said Dr. Harland Rall, as-sistant professor of Spanish.

Paul Roggendorff, assistant coordi-nator for Dialektos, said the program could lead to an increase in the num-ber and variety of language courses at ACU and other universities, a goal that in the past required hiring ad-ditional faculty. At this early stage, however, the aim is to measure basic potential.

“For now, our partnership with Drake is just to see if it can be done physically, if it’s physically possible,” Roggendorff said.

The ACU program is in its pilot stage this semester. Students wish-ing to participate must fulfill certain

requirements to be accepted, Roggen-dorff said. Students must be well pre-pared academically and highly moti-

LANGUAGE

TALK SUEY

Colter HettichEditor in Chief

Baowen Li, part-time ac-counting major and Eng-lish-language study from Guangzhou, China, was struck by a motor vehicle Wednesday evening while riding her bicycle on East Highway 80, near Chili’s Grill & Bar.

Li, also known by her American name, Hebe, suffered a broken leg and underwent reparatory surgery in Abilene Thurs-day night. In an e-mail to ACU international stu-dents, Laura Blake, Inter-national Student Services coordinator, said Hebe is expected to remain hospi-talized for several days.

Li was riding against traffic after sunset with-out a headlight or hel-met.

“The pedicyclist was going against the flow of traffic, which caused the operator of the motor ve-hicle not to see her,” said Sgt. Doug Wrenn of the Abilene Police Depart-ment’s Traffic Division. “That was the largest con-tributing factor to the ac-cident.”

By state law, cyclists must obey all traffic laws, and bicycles must be equipped with some type of headlight. Bicycle helmets are not required by law.

Search team preps for presidential hopefulsPRESIDENTIAL SEARCH

JOZIE SANDS Chief Photographer

Hunter Hettich, freshman business management major from Abilene, practices conversational Mandarin Chinese with native speakers in China from his room in Barret Hall. The program is hosted by Drake University, which developed the language training technology.

see CHINESE page 4

KELSI WILLIAMSON Staff Photographer

Justin Prince, junior missions major from Helota, studies Russian online in the Bible Building computer lab.

Linda BaileyOpinion Page Editor

The Honors College re-located to the first floor of Zellner Hall after out-growing its office in the Administration Build-ing last semester. Seven

Honors faculty and staff members moved to the new location during the first week in August.

The Honors College began expanding as part of ACU’s 21st Century Vision, making the move necessary, said Bethany

Scroggins, Honors Col-lege recruiter.

“We were looking for ways to expand, and a way we expanded was in adding more staff,” Scrog-gins said. “When we add-ed more staff, we needed more space.”

Kelsey Evans, Honors College administrative coordinator, said the new location is more spa-cious than the cramped offices in the Adminis-tration Building.

The new location has a large commons area that

is ideal for student use, said Evans. She said all students are invited to use the area. Many stu-dents have already taken advantage of it to study, eat lunch or take a break between classes.

“We have more of a

presence on campus than we did before,” Evans said. “We feel like we can offer so much more with this space.”

In preparation for the move, walls received a

Honors College offices move to Zellner HallACADEMICS

SAFETY

Cyclingstudentendurescollision,surgery


The Presidential Search Advisory Committee has one meeting behind it and plans to meet for the second time in the first

half of October to discuss strategies for review-ing applications. Dr. Bill Franklin, senior consul-tant for Academic Search Inc., is compiling the com-mittee’s research and will publish a prospectus “in

the next few days,” said Don Crisp, chair of the search committee.

The prospectus will de-scribe distinctive aspects of the university and enu-merate the characteristics essential for a president

to manage them success-fully. Potential candi-dates will receive a copy of the report; it will also be made available to in-terested members of the ACU community. Upon completion of the pro-

spectus, candidates will have a 60-day window to submit applications.

Academic Search Inc. assists institutions of higher education in ad-ministrative searches.

“We talked to people in

higher education who had used Academic Search in the recent past,” Crisp said. “It’s nice for the candidates as well as us to have a liaison between

see SEARCH page 4

see COLLISION page 4

see MOVE page 4

Dorm residents have a new reason to keep the noise level low:Their neighbor might be in class – with students in China.

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 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.

AboutThis Page

Announcements

CALENDAR AND EVENTS

Friday, September 4, 2009

Monday is Labor Day. Classes and of-fices will remain open.

Service Action Lead-ership Team appli-cations are due Fri-day. Applications available in the lower lev-el of the Campus Center.

The Volunteer & Service Learning Center’s Service Expo will be in the Campus Center Friday. Students can get information on new places to volunteer.

Flu vaccinations are available in the Clinic for all students, faculty, staff and dependents. Walk-ins welcome Mon-day-Friday from 8 a.m.-

4:30 p.m. Students may put the $15 fee on their student account.

A worship night led by Crescent Heights Church will take place at the Living Word Harvester Church at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Ben Richey Boys Ranch is having a Chili Super Bowl, featur-ing the world’s largest bowl of chili, to benefit the ranch. The Super Bowl will take place at the Old Settlers’ Re-union Grounds in Buf-falo Gap from Friday-Sunday. Admission is $2 for adults and free for ages 12 and under.

Art Adventure The Na-tional Center for Chil-dren’s Illustrated Lit-erature is organizing an Art Adventure for all ages at 10 a.m. Fri-day. The event is free.

The Hamlin Chamber of Commerce will have it’s fall City-Wide Garage Sale at 8 a.m. Saturday. Free maps can be picked up in front of the Hamlin Chamber of Commerce at 245 S. Central Ave.

Buffalo Wild Wings will conduct a Karaoke Night Sunday at 9 p.m.

A “Volturi Masqued Ball” will take place at the Abilene Public Library on

2CampusDay

76 p.m.Free Night Out - Cold Stone Creamery

7 p.m. Treadaway Kids and Wildcat Kids Interest Meeting and Ice Cream Social

MONDAY

11 a.m.ACU Soccer vs. Rollins

7 p.m. Swing Cats Interest Meeting

6 SUNDAY

10 a.m.ACU Cross-Country - Alaska Shootout

6 p.m.ACU Football vs. Fort Lewis

5 SATURDAY

Service Expo

NoonLet’s Start Talking’s First Look Event

5 p.m.ACU Soccer vs. Southwest Baptist

4 FRIDAY

Volunteer OpportunitiesHERO, Hendrick Equine Rehabilita-tion Opportunities, is in search of volunteers to walk or jog along-

side a horse to support and assist clients with challenges. Requires at least one hour per week. Sessions run

Sept. 29 through Nov. 19. HERO will be at the Service Expo to talk with students Sept. 3-4, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Campus Center.

Optimist Club Balloon Fest needs volunteers at the children’s area Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25-26 at Redbud Park. Volunteers will assist kids with the inflatables, obstacle courses, giant slide and other activities.

The ACU Minis-try Events Office is looking for volunteers to help with Sum-mit Sept. 20-24. They need shuttle drivers, a receptionist/dispatcher, technology workers, registration workers and help with childcare. Help is needed each day between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Abilene Adult Day

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Care has an opportuni-ty for volunteers to help call Bingo. Volunteers are needed every Mon-day, beginning at 1:30 p.m., except the third Monday of the month, when they begin at 10:30 a.m. Contact Donna at the RSVP of-fice, 793-3519.

Literacy teachers needed at the In-ternational Rescue Commitee. Volun-teers help refugees on learn to read and write. All volunteers are required to attend an IRC orientation and a literacy workshop and must commit to two to

four hours per week for three months.

Apartment setup and furniture delivery vol-unteers needed at the International Rescue Commitee to help set up apartments before refu-gees arrive. This includes shopping for household supplies, assembling 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. Reliable transportation and ability to perform minor physical labor also required.

Last Week’s Police Activity Count

Tuesday at 7 p.m to celebrate the upcom-ing movie New Moon. Awards will be giv-en out for the best Volturi look-alike, and there will also be a Dance Dance Revolu-tion tournament. Sign-up sheets for the DDR tournament are available at the Li-brary’s main help desk. Admission is free.

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Chapel

CreditedChapelsto date:

Checkup

61CreditedChapelsremaining:

AccidentsAdministrative ActivitiesAssistsBackup OfficersBicycle PatrolsBriefingsBuilding Locks/UnlocksBurglary (Motor Vehicle)Building ChecksCivil DisturbanceCriminal Trespass WarningElevator RescuesEscort RescuesFoot PatrolFound PropertiesHarassmentHazardsHit-and-runInvestigative Follow-upsLost PropertiesMaintenance: University AssetsMedical EmergenciesMonitor Faculty/LotsMotorist Assists: JumpstartMotorist Assist: UnlockMotorist Assists: OtherNoise ViolationParking ViolationsPatrol Vehicles: MaintenancePatrol Vehicles: RefuelRandom PatrolsReport WritingsSpecial AssignmentsStolen VehiclesSuspicious ActivitiesThefts (Non-Vehicle)Traffic StopsTrespasserOthers

September 4, 2009 Campus News

Lizzy SpanoArts Editor

Dr. Nina Ouimette was named the new dean of the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing last month, a position she will take on in addition to her role as associate professor of nursing.

Ouimette, a pediat-rics and informatics nurse and a faculty member at the Nurs-ing School for almost 10 years, was chosen as the new dean in August. She will replace Dr. Car-ley Dodd, professor of communication, who served as a transitional

member after the previ-ous dean resigned.

“Nina is a great teacher,” Dodd said. “She’s just a great, professional person. She has a heart for her field and students and a passion for nursing in that sense. She real-ly lives it and believes it in a way that makes her exceptional.”

Ouimette’s role as

dean involves work-ing with accreditation boards, mentoring faculty, maintaining good relations with lo-cal health care systems and carrying out ad-ministrative duties for program development, said Ouimette. She said she will also recruit and develop faculty, as well as teach graduate and undergraduate nursing

students in instruction-al methods; research and theory; and ob-stetrics and pediatrics education.

“I have been at the school for 10 years, and my heart is with the school,” Ouimette said. “I want to match the caring which is at the heart of nursing with the sterile tech-nology that is required

in the world where [students] graduate.”

Ouimette said her fo-cus as the new dean is on the program’s mission to train nurses to minister to families globally. She said she also looks forward to preparing nurses for the 21st century in a techno-logically enhanced work environment.

The Nursing School, located next to Hendrick Medical Center, is an intercollegiate nursing program operated by ACU, Hardin-Simmons University and Mc-Murry University. The

program is designed for graduate students in pursuit of a nursing degree. Students in the program obtain their li-cense upon completion of two years of graduate schooling. About 150 undergraduate and 55 graduate students from Abilene’s three univer-sities are currently en-rolled in the program.

Nursing professor named dean of SheltonCOMMUNITY

She has a heart for her field and students and a passion for nursing in that sense. She really lives it and believes it in a way that makes her exceptional.Dr. Carley DoddProfessor of Communication

Kelsi WilliamsonStaff Photographer

The Office of Student Life sponsors free stu-dent events throughout the semester.

Free Movie Nights and Free Night Out events will be offered to students this fall.

Sadies Week is an annual event that gives the men of ACU a chance to sit back, re-lax and let the women do the pursuing.

Free nightly events will take place during Sadies Week, Oct. 26-30. The week will end with a performance by a hypnotist in Cullen Auditorium.

Free events this fallSTUDENT LIFE

Below is a complete list of free events this semester:

n Sept. 7, 6-10 p.m.: Free Night Out at Cold Stone Creameryn Sept. 25, 8 p.m.: Free Movie Night in Cullen Auditoriumn Oct. 5: Free Night Out*n Oct. 9: Unstress Day, ACU mall*n Oct. 26-30: Sadies Weekn Nov. 9: Free Night Out*n Nov. 20, 8 p.m.: Free Movie Night in Cullen Au-ditorium, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

*Times and/or locations TBA

Below is a list of free events in Abilene this semester: n Sept. 8, 7 p.m.: Volturi Masqued Ball in the Main Library Auditorium. Attendees are asked to dress as a character from the Twilight series.n Sept. 10, 5-8:30 p.m.: ArtWalk in Downtown Abilenen Sept. 14, 6:30 p.m.: BYO Teddy Bear at the Mockingbird Branch Library n Oct. 8, 5-8:30 p.m.: Art-Walk in Downtown Abilene


Reg Cox presented a lesson titled “Solitude” in the Hunter Welcome Center on Tuesday evening, encouraging sudents to set aside time with God every day.

contact Spano [email protected]

contact Williamson [email protected]

QUICK FACTS

September 4, 2009From Front

fresh coat of paint; a break room, complete with a sink and counter, was added; and one wall was transformed into a glass wall to open the

space, Scroggins saidAdmissions and Stu-

dent Financial Services were located on the first floor of Zellner in previous years. Admissions is now located in the Hunter Wel-come Center, and Student

Financial Services moved upstairs in Zellner.

Scroggins and Evans said they had been eagerly awaiting the move since last semester. The original date of the move was in January, but the Honors

College move was put on hold, because the Hunter Welcome Center was not completed on time. The delay was forgiven, though; both women said it was worth the wait.

Scroggins said the Hon-

ors College also plans to use the space to put on events not possible in the old location because of space constraints.

vated. The program looks more like an in-dependent study than a traditional college class.

Students work through exercises with a student instructor and then use Adobe Connect software to practice conversation with native speakers and language experts with terminal degrees in their field. Students also meet in a lan-guage-learning strate-gies class to address learning methods, an-swering specific ques-

tions that arise as the class progresses.

As many as four stu-dents may converse at one time using Adobe Connect software, al-lowing them to hone their skills as a group, Rall said.

Outsourcing teach-ing responsibilities us-ing online technology presents logistical is-sues, like where to send tuition dollars or which university should grant credit hours to stu-dents. However, offer-ing languages like Farsi – which only a limited number of experts teach – would greatly

increase the potential of the foreign language department, Roggen-dorff said.

Students often seek to learn an uncommon language to supplement a career, Roggendorff said. Some plan to be missionaries or enter the government or mil-itary. Others intend to conduct international business. The ability to cater so specifically to students’ needs makes the department more relevant.

them and the commit-tee.”

C.E. Cornutt, chair of the Board of Trustees, said in a statement, the university “extensive-ly interviewed several firms with outstanding credentials and experi-ence in higher educa-tion,” before Academic Search Inc. was selected. Board members will un-derwrite the cost of the search.

PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH PROCESS

A projected timeline for the presi-dential search process according to www.acu.edu:

n May: Dr. Money announces his retirement, effective May 2010n July: Announcement of Presiden-tial Search Advisory Committeen August: First meeting of Presi-dential Search Advisory Commit-tee to discuss role, process and timelinen August: Send presidential search update to ACU communityn August: Develop university profile for candidatesn Mid-September: Post search prospectus on Web site.n Mid-September through October: Presidential Search Advisory Committee accepts applications and nominationsn November: Presidential Search Advisory Committee reviews ap-plicationsn December: Presidential Search Advisory Committee identifies candidates and begins off-site interviewsn January-February: Finalists visit ACU for interviewsn Late February: Selection of new president

Elroy Johnson IV, soph-omore marketing major from Frisco, Hispanos Unidos president and Student African Ameri-can Brotherhood trea-

surer, witnessed the col-lision. Johnson heard a commotion while getting into his car, looked up and saw people running toward the scene. Johnson called 911 when he saw Li’s leg and the bicycle underneath one of the vehicle’s tires.

“The only thing you could really hear was people screaming and yelling, ‘Get off the girl, get off the girl,’” Johnson said. “It was a very hectic situation. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Although Li is thou-

sands of miles from home, she will not en-dure her rehabilita-tion alone. More than a dozen international students met for dinner at University Church of Christ Wednesday and signed a poster for

Hebe, encouraging her and offering their con-dolences.

Collision: Student injured in accident

Move: Honors College offices to Zellner

Chinese: DialektosSearch: President

Continued from page 1

LANGUAGEPRESIDENTIAL SEARCH

SAFETY


ACADEMICS


contact Acuff [email protected]

contact Hettich [email protected]



contact Linda [email protected]

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff PhotographerStudents massage each other’s shoulders to music during Donna Stone’s Chapel forum titled “Ministry” on Thursday night in the Biblical Studies Building.

ArtsSept. 4, 2009 Page 7

Paul KnettelContributing Writer

The driving blues-rock sound of Crossroads reverberated through-out a house on Campus Court on Monday in a nearly perfect rendi-tion of Cream’s power-house original.

The band, a group of ACU students, is new to the Abilene scene-really new. The group started practicing together just last week. The as-yet un-

named band compromis-es Tyler Lewis on vocals, Mason Shirley on lead guitar, his brother, Mor-gan Shirley, on rhythm guitar, Tim Thyne on bass and Michael McCul-ly on drums.

This new band, which contains former members of the locally popular Rockin’ Exten-sions, is sticking strict-ly to covers of classic rock songs, something it does exceptionally well. The group has

had little practice, but already they are playing cohesively, producing ac-curate and energetic ver-sions of timeless songs from classic rock greats, such as Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and Rush.

The Rockin’ Exten-sions disbanded recently, after lead singer Andrew Duge graduated, but the remaining band members had every intention of continuing to play. They invited Lewis to jam with them in an informal audi-

tion, and he was chosen to be the lead singer of the new band.

The group has a full, vibrant sound, and each member displays mas-tery of his instrument. Members learned indi-vidual parts over the summer so the group could hit the ground running and put every-thing together effec-

tively. Although many of the songs are com-plicated and technically challenging, the band members have learned their parts well and sound convincing and confident together.

The Final DestinationWeekend Gross: $27.4 Total Gross: $27.4

Inglourious BasterdsWeekend Gross: $19.4 Total Gross: $73

Halloween IIWeekend Gross: $16.4 Total Gross: $16.4

District 9Weekend Gross: $10.2Total Gross: $90.4

Box Office Stats

(In millions)

(500) Days of Summer (PG-13)Carmike Park Central234 South ClackFriday and Saturday3:50 9:40 p.m.

Taking Woodstock (R)Premiere Cinema 104310 Buffalo GapFriday and Saturday1:15 4:00 6:45 9:30 p.m.

The Ugly Truth (R)Town & Country Twin Drive-In2902 Vogel Ave.Friday and Saturday11:00 p.m.

Post Grad (PG-13)Carmike Park Central3234 South ClackFriday and Saturday1:20 7:30pm

Now Playing

Brooke BraddockContributing Writer

The opera event, “Catch a Rising Star,” brought a taste of big-city entertain-ment to Abilene at the Paramount Theatre on Saturday night. The show, featuring young perform-ers from the Houston Grand Opera Studio, was a compilation of well-known opera scenes and a benefit for Young Audi-ences of Abilene.

“The concert was geared to opera lovers,” said Jayne Middleton, professor of voice and vocal literature at Har-din-Simmons Univer-sity and opera director for 30 years. Middle-ton helped organize the event and said she hoped the show would

captivate audiences of all ages.

“There was a great turnout, and we were very pleased,” she said.

Young Audiences of Abilene is an organiza-tion dedicated to bring-ing culture to the Abilene community by inviting professionals to perform, said its executive director, Victoria Spangler.

The organization has stations that provide professional, educational entertainment to school systems nationwide. It does this by funding 50 percent of the cost of per-formances, she said.

Publicity and plan-ning by YAA were es-sential to the show’s success, bringing in ap-proximately 500 people. The Dian Graves Owen

Foundation sponsored the event, and donations were accepted before the performance. Span-gler said she hopes the event will become an an-nual tradition.

“There was an atmo-sphere of fun with Af-rican drums and guitar playing,” Spangler said. “It was excellent.” She said the opera scenes were in many different languages,

but explanations from the director helped commu-nicate the show clearly to the audience.

Studio brings opera to AbileneOPERA

‘Extensions’ exes launch classic rock bandMUSIC

Photo contributed by Young Audiences of AbilenePerformers present a scene from Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto.

contact Braddock [email protected]

contact Knettel [email protected]

DVD ReleasesEarth(Disney)

Sep. 1

High Crimes(20th Century Fox)

Sep. 1

State of Play(Universal Studios)

Sep. 1

Sin Nombre(Universal Studios)

Sep. 1

Opinion September 4, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79699

E-mail letters to: [email protected]

Editorial and Letter Policy

Published by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication

Newsroom(325) 674-2439

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Editorial and Management Board


Sondra RodriguezManaging Editor

Laura AcuffFeatures Editor

Linda BaileyOpinions Page Editor

Jozie SandsChief Photographer

Brandon TrippSports Media Director

Sommerly SimserMultimedia Editor

Chelsea HackneyCopy Editor

Liz SpanoArts Editor

Scott StewartPage 2 Editor

Jordan BlakeyCartoonist

Multimedia Desk(325) 674-2463

Kenneth PybusFaculty Adviser

Cade WhiteFaculty Adviser

Christi StarkAdvertising

Optimistthe

By Jordan BlakeyAtaraxia

We’ve all done it. You hear the buzz signaling the arrival of a text mes-sage. A friend is won-dering where you are, or needs directions, or has a random joke to tell. You flip open your phone and start texting. The only problem is you’re behind the wheel of a car.

This is a bad habit that has only gotten worse in recent years. It’s also in-credibly dangerous.

According to a recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, drivers who text while driving are 23

times more likely to be involved in an accident, compared to those who drive undistracted.

When you text behind the wheel, not only your mind is elsewhere; your eyes are, too. Texting ac-tually requires your eyes to leave the road to look at your phone, even if only for a few seconds.

A lot could happen in those precious seconds. A car could swerve into your lane, an ani-mal could dart across the road, or worse, a child could run into the street, unaware the driver of the car on the

street is busy texting, “OMG that’s so funny LOL.” To avoid such a tragic event, the state of Texas has passed an ordinance, effective Monday, banning cell phone use while driving in school zones, except for emergencies. To be clear: “where 4 lunch?” is not an emergency.

The point of the law is to discourage cell phone use of any kind while driv-ing around children, who aren’t always cautious when entering the street.

Leaving a school zone is not suddenly an op-portunity to engage in the

dangerous habit of tex-ting and driving. The dan-gers of this bad habit do not disappear one block away from a schoolyard.

Nor is the danger lim-ited to cell phone use. Distracted driving – that means driving while eat-ing, arguing with people in the back seat or chang-ing the song on your iP-hone – is the cause of over half of all driving fatalities each year, ac-cording to a Rapid City Journal report. With the total number of fatalities reaching over 40,000, a little less distraction could go a long way.

Increased commu-nication has improved our lives in many ways. Unfortunately, though, those few seconds it takes to send a text mes-sage, answer a phone call or change the radio sta-tion could lead to shat-tered lives. The next time you hear the sound of

your cell phone, wait un-til you’re not behind the wheel. Otherwise, you might be using it to call an ambulance for the person you were too dis-tracted to see.

Drivers must remain alert on roadsEDITORIAL

Easy, free answer to health care crisis COLUMN

Bread with Tomato Colter Hettich

Why does our govern-ment react to dilemma by throwing all the money they can at it? What our p r e s i -d e n t and con-g r e s s -m e n need is a creative problem-s o l v i n g seminar. But that would cost mon-ey, so here is the con-densed version for free.

A holistic solution to the current health care crisis lies in one simple bill. The Systolic Energy by Explicating Incor-poration bill, known in many circles as SEXI, addresses the root of the problem: unhealthy people. This SEXI bill would require every breathing body in the country to adhere to six statutes, while outlaw-ing three enemies of good health.

1. Every person, regard-less of age, must ingest one Flintstones vitamin every morning. Orange-

colored tablets must be thrown out, in accordance with FDA regulations pro-hibiting any aftertaste reminiscent of an orange-and-dirt smoothie.

2. The national radio station, SEXI-FM, will play a mix of Andrea Boce-lli and Sarah Brightman nightly from 9 p.m.–6 a.m. Individuals will fall asleep to the station, leaving the brain to dream of a blind, bearded man singing on a Tuscan hillside. Individu-als will awake at 6:01 a.m. rested and full of love.

3. Four times a week, individuals must watch a P90X infomercial in its entirety. Swiss studies show that prolonged vi-sual exposure to muscu-lar people can increase self-confidence for up to six minutes. Veteran viewers may choose to add a ThighMaster info-mercial to their regimen but should first consult their physician.

4. Monday night roller discos will promote well-ness and physical coordi-nation. Participation in the Chicken Dance is encour-aged, but not required.

5. Biweekly go-kart nights will provide a safe

way to relieve stress, re-ducing road rage and traffic accidents by at least 73 percent. Bump-ing a senior citizen dur-ing a race will result in a public scolding and revo-cation of disco privileges for one week.

6. Twice a year, local theatres will offer a free screening of the classic film Dumb and Dumber. When told he faces one-in-a-million odds, the film’s protagonist, Lloyd Christmas, responds, “So you’re telling me there’s a chance.” The film advo-cates genuineness, per-severance and optimism, and every American should strive to model its wonderful example.

Illegal parapherna-lia include, but are not limited to:

1. Television series on DVD. More than 10

straight hours can cause irreparable damage to the tailbone and retinas.

2. Swine flu. Diseases such as the swine flu are detrimental to achieving a healthy lifestyle and will not be tolerated.

3. Twinkies. In Latin America and Mexico, Twinkies are sold under the name “Submarino,” the Spanish word for submarine. Make no mis-take, this hellish snack’s only mission is to sneak in and blow you up from the inside.

Don’t get lost in political jargon; don’t be distracted when people throw words like “actuary” or “deduct-ible” in your face. If you want to reform U.S. health care, think SEXI.


THE ISSUETexting while driving has been banned in all Texas school zones.

OUR TAKEDrivers should avoid any form of distraction when they are behind the wheel.

Laughter has health benefits

COLUMN

Little Linda Linda Bailey

If you have met me, you have probably heard me laugh. I laugh when peo-ple say funny things. I laugh w h e n p e o p l e do funny t h i n g s . I laugh when no-body else laughs at a joke, and I laugh when I’m com-pletely stressed out or tired. I’ve been known on occasion to make others laugh because of my laughter.

But my favorite laugh-ing experiences are the ones that make your eyes water and your abs sore the next day. Those are the situations that make me laugh out loud in a quiet room just thinking of them.

Laughing is one of my favorite activities. Peo-ple comment on my ex-cessive laughter often. At this point in my life, I’m not sure if I laugh too much or if the aver-age person should just laugh more. I hope it is the latter, because I’m not sure I can make my-self stop. So, I challenge you average persons to laugh more, not because I say so, but because it is good for your health.

It was Abraham Lin-coln who said, “With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh, I should die.”

I’m not sure I can say I experience the level of “fearful strain…night and day” that our former pres-ident did, but I do know college can be stressful, and laughing can help. It has several stress-reliev-ing benefits that Lincoln must have known.

Consider this: Re-search, like a study from the University of Mary-land School of Medicine, shows that laughter can fortify the immune sys-tem, reduce food cravings and increase your pain threshold. Some thera-pists have even started practicing what they call “humor therapy.”

It sounds like laughter really is the best medicine.

Laughter also helps people take life less seri-

ously. Laughing allows you to step away from your problems, look at them and find solutions, instead of responding in frustration and anger.

Just by smiling, you can improve your day and the day of those around you.

There are many ways to induce laugh-ter. Watch your favorite comedy or go see a co-median. Read a funny book, subscribe to a funny website or hang out with funny people. Sometimes just listening to your professors can bring a chuckle; a lot of them have funny jokes placed in the middle of their lectures.

No matter how you do it, do it. Enjoy life, laugh more and live longer.

contact Bailey [email protected]

Email the Optimist at:[email protected]

At this point in my life, I’m not sure if I laugh too much or if the average person should just laugh more.The Systolic Energy by Explicating

Incorporation bill, known in many circles as SEXI, addresses the root of the problem: unhealthy people.

Bailey

Hettich

top teams in Division II, the Tars are 2-0 and have not allowed a goal yet this season.

Like the Tars, the Wildcats have shut out every opponent so far this season. The de-fense gives up goals grudgingly, anchored by goalkeeper Crissy Lawson. Lawson, a se-nior from San Diego, Calif., has been per-fect to this point, an achievement she cred-its to her teammates and hard work.

“I think it can be attrib-uted to a lot of things,” Lawson said. “Without the defense, there would be a lot more shots. I also think my training during the summer and our two-a-days have helped.”

Lawson is excited and expects a bright fu-ture.

“I feel like we are making good progress,” Lawson said. “We beat a ranked team, which is a big deal. As long as we keep playing hard there is nowhere to go but up.”

quarterbacks, Justin Peters and Tim Jenkins, also performed well. They shared snaps and each scored at least one touchdown, rally-ing the Skyhawks after an early deficit pull out a 23-13 victory.

“They have a pretty good quarterback and running back,” Thom-sen said. “They have some explosive players on offense.”

However, the outlook is not as rosy for the Skyhawks this time. The Wildcats come into the game ranked second in

the na-tion, and they are h e a v i l y favored o v e r the Sky-hawks.

This is the Wild-cats’ final non-confer-ence game before they play Texas A&M-Com-merce at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas next week.

September 4, 2009 From Sports

racking up 137 sets in the four games.

The games this week-end will not be any easier. Ranked No. 17, Pittsburg State is ACU’s second nationally ranked oppo-nent of the season. The Gorillas boast all-Ameri-can outside hitter Pame-la Cartenga. In the four games she has played, Cartenga accumulated 62 kills and 51 digs.

Their game against Incarnate Word will also test the Wildcats. As a team, the Cardinals have a hitting percentage bet-ter than .300. In the first day of the tournament at Angelo State last week-end, the Cardinals hit an astounding .392.

The Wildcats will play Western State at 3 p.m. and Pittsburg State at 7 p.m. Saturday and West-ern New Mexico and In-carnate Word at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday.

Rebound:Home opener

VOLLEYBALL

contact Gwin [email protected]


appeal of NCAA sanctions for “lack of institutional control.” Following Okla-homa’s appeal, the NCAA Committee on Infrac-tions changed the ruling to “failure to monitor,” a lesser infraction, and af-ter a public reprimand, accepted Oklahoma’s self-imposed sanctions – the exact sanctions, in fact, self-imposed by ACU. All of the same steps. None of the same results.

The “self-imposed” part is the biggest frus-tration in this situation. These minor infractions occur across the nation every week. People make mistakes, unintentional and otherwise. The fact

is, ACU reported a mi-nor infraction and lost a whole season of wins. If the NCAA is going to come down that hard on all minor violations, no school will to self-report anything. We’ll go back to the days of “catch us if you can.” The NCAA ruling is unfair, and it is sending the wrong mes-sage to the rest of the col-lege football world.

But, that is the way it goes. The wins are gone, and ACU is moving on. And that’s the hard sports truth.

NCAA: Ruling unfairCOLUMN


contact Cantrell [email protected]


Improvement: Hawks overmatched

FOOTBALL

contact Cantrell [email protected]


Test: Florida team awaits

SOCCER

contact Craig [email protected]


Clark Harrell gets a pass off in front of a Bearcat defender.

LAURA ACUFF Features EditorJared Mosley, director of athletics, speaks at press confer-ence about NCAA’s ruling on Tuesday.

Thomsen

Sports September 4, 2009

TAMU-K 0-0 1-0SE Okla. 0-0 1-0Angelo St. 0-0 1-0

Standings

FRIDAY

VolleyballACU vs. Western State, 3 p.m.ACU vs. Pittsburg State, 7 p.m.

SoccerACU vs. Southwest Baptist, 5 p.m.

SATURDAY

Men’s Cross-CountryGreat Alaska Stampede, 10 a.m.

VolleyballACU vs. Western New Mexico, 9 a.m.ACU vs. Incarnate Word, 2 p.m.

Football ACU vs. Ft. Lewis College, 6 p.m.

SUNDAY

SoccerACU vs. Rollins (Fla.), 11 a.m.

HOME GAMES LISTED IN ITALICS

Upcoming

FRIDAY

VolleyballACU 1, Truman State 3ACU 0, Nebraska-Omaha 3

SoccerACU 1, Central Missouri 0

SATURDAY

VolleyballACU 3, North Alabama 1ACU 1, Minnesota-Mankato 3

SUNDAY

SoccerACU 1, St. Mary’s 3

Scores

FOOTBALLTeam Div. Ovrl.ACU

VOLLEYBALL

MSU

Central Okla.

TAMU-C

0-00-0

0-0

0-0

1-01-0

ENMU 0-0 0-1

WTAMU 0-0 0-10-1

0-1

Team Div. Ovrl.

CameronTAMU-KTAMU-C

0-00-00-0

ACU 0-0 1-3

WTAMU 0-0 5-0

4-04-02-1

Angelo St. 0-0 4-0

n Crissy Lawson was named LSC Goalkeeper of the Week. Lawson earned the honor af-ter shutting out the Wildcats’ first two opponents.

n The cross-country team is ranked fourth in the preseason Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Associa-tion Poll. The Cats open their season at the Great Alaska Stampede this weekend.

Briefs

WOMEN’S SOCCERTeam Div. Ovrl.ACUMSUTAMU-C

0-00-00-0

2-02-02-0

WTAMU 0-0 2-0East Central 0-0 1-0NE St. 0-0 1-0TX Woman’s 0-0 1-1Angelo St. 0-0 0-2Central Okla. 0-0 0-2ENMU 0-0 0-2SW Okla. 0-0 0-2

Central Okla. 0-0 2-2East Central 0-0 2-2SE Okla. 0-0 2-2

TX Woman’s 0-0 1-3ENMU 0-0 0-4MSU 0-0 0-4SW Okla. 0-0 0-4Tarleton St. 0-0 0-4

Austin GwinAssistant Sports Editor

The Wildcat volleyball team is looking to rebound from a tough first tourna-ment in their first series of home games this week-end. ACU will compete against Western State, 0-4, Pittsburg State, 3-1, West-ern New Mexico, 2-2, and Incarnate Word, 3-1, in the ACU Invitational Sept. 3-4.

The Wildcats will enter the Invitational 1-3, after

dropping three of four in the Nebraska-Omaha Showcase. The ladies lost their first match of the tournament in four sets against ninth-ranked Tru-man State. They lost the second match to host Ne-braska-Omaha in straight sets, 30-28, 25-20, 25-22.

On Day Two, ACU won its first match of the season, beating North Alabama in four sets be-fore losing to Minnesota-Mankato in four sets.

The Wildcats record-ed a hitting percentage of just .127 in their three losses, while in their lone victory, they post-ed a .209 hitting per-centage. Shawna Hines was the top performer for the Wildcats in the tournament, leading the Wildcats in blocks, 16, and kills, 46. Ijeo-ma “Ij” Moronu, ACU’s star setter, did her job,

Cats competing at homeVOLLEYBALL

Ryan CantrellAssistant Sports Editor

When the Wildcats step on the field against the Fort Lewis Skyhawks on Saturday night, fans will expect a return to the explosive offense of previous years.

It should be a much easier task this week considering the Sky-hawks are unranked and picked last in the Rocky Mountain Athlet-ic Conference. The game will kick off at Shotwell Stadium at 6 p.m.

The ACU offense will be looking to find their rhythm after a less than stellar per-formance against the Bearcats’ last week.

“We just need to fo-cus on what we need to improve on from week to week,” said Head Coach Chris Thomsen.

“We won last week, but there was a lot of things we need to improve on. I think we had a great week in practice and got better as a team.”

The quarterback tandem of Zach Stew-art and Clark Harrell will have an easier time throwing the ball against an overmatched Skyhawks team. The de-fense – which scored a touchdown and record-ed a safety last week – should continue its quality performance.

Fort Lewis is coming off a win against the Oklahoma Panhandle Aggies in their first game of the season. The Skyhawks defense played well, forcing two turnovers and holding the Aggies to 83 yards passing. Fort Lewis’ two

Offense ready to roll

FOOTBALL

NCAA standards grossly inconsistent

COLUMN

Hard Sports TruthBy Ryan Cantrell

The NCAA ruled Tues-day to uphold sanctions placed on the ACU foot-ball team in 2007; how-e v e r , nothing a b o u t the rul-ing or a p p e a l p r o -cess ap-p e a r e d fair to the Wildcats.

The infractions com-mitted seem minor, a few trivial procedural er-rors here and there.

ACU caught the mis-take and reported its own error to the NCAA. They expected a slap

on the wrist and a stern warning. The NCAA saw it differently. They ruled that the violations were intentional and were committed to gain a competitive advantage.

The NCAA thought ACU needed to be pun-ished, so they took away ACU’s wins and wiped out the statistics of two unnamed ACU football players for that season.

There are two prob-lems with this. The first – the one that upsets people the most – is the severity of the punish-ment. But more than that, the penalty is an odd one. In previous cases, univer-sities committing major infractions received the harsher punishments, in-cluding vacation of wins

and stats, loss of schol-arships, playoff or post-season sanctions or the rights to broadcast games on television. Minor viola-tions, like those commit-ted by ACU, met with a much softer penalty.

Although ACU is not facing playoff restrictions, which is good, the ruling still seemed inconsistent.

The ruling was not the only thing that seemed unfair. The athletic staff felt ACU was short-

The wins are gone, and ACU is moving on.

Jeff CraigSports Writer

The women’s soccer team has a chance to continue its winning streak against a tough pair of out-of-state op-ponents this weekend.

The team kicks off the weekend in a match-up against the South-west Baptist Bearcats on Friday night at 5 p.m. The Wildcats then head down to San Anto-nio to take on the Rol-lins College Tars. Head Coach Casey Wilson is anticipating the chance to measure the team’s progress, he said.

“Both teams are pro-jected to be very good,” Wilson said. “Southwest Baptist is ranked No. 6 in our region, we are No. 7 and Rollins is ranked No. 11 in the nation.

The Wildcats are strong coming out of the gate. The team started

the season with a solid 1-0 win against St. Mary’s and capped its opening weekend with a 1-0 upset against the 14th-ranked Central Missouri Jennies. Wilson said he hopes last weekend’s perfect start is an indicator of how far the team has come.

“Last weekend was a good starting point for us,” Wilson said. “Both games the girls wanted to win, despite any mis-takes made during the weekend. The desire to win was there, and that’s important at the start of a season.”

Wildcat soccer is only in its third year but is al-ready developing a repu-tation as a good program. Southwest Baptist Head Coach Rob Podeyn is im-pressed with ACU’s soc-cer program, and looks forward to a good game against ACU on Friday.

Rollins, next step for Cats

SOCCER

see TEST page 7


Daryl Richardson breaks through the line during practice.

HEAD TO HEAD

STRENGTHSRollins is a veteran team driven by reliable senior leadership, especially on the backline.

KEY PLAYERSn Goalie MICHELLE DILLINGHAM has eight saves and two shut outs this season.

n LEAH HIRSCH has started the season hot, scoring a goal in each of the two games played so far.

STRENGTHSThe Wildcats rely on a strong defense and consistent awareness from senior goalie Crissy Lawson.

KEY PLAYERSn Goalie CRISSY LAWSON has not surrendered a goal in two games and has ten saves on the season.

n JORDAN REESE leads the team with six shots on goal and has one of two goals scored by ACU this year.


Goalie Crissy Lawson will be a key player as the Cats look to stay perfect this weekend.

Cantrell

see IMPROVEMENT page 7

see NCAA page 7

see REBOUND page 7

After an upset win, the Wildcats will be tested again this weekend

The Optimist - Sept. 4, 2009

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