the optimist - dec. 3, 2008

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

aCU WeatHer

Wednesday ThursdayHigh: 61 Low: 31

Friday

High: 49Low: 29

High: 53Low: 34

Online Poll :After one semester,

was the Mobile Learning Initiative

effective? a. Yes. ACU has done a great job.b. Yes. This is only the beginning.c. No. Students are not using them.d. Yes. Hand out iPhones to everyone. acuoptimist.com

Pg 3InsideThis Issue:

A Holiday Secret: Students share discoveries of Santa Claus myth

The Campus Store partnership with Staples may improve supply quality

Fresh Bite: Jack in the Box opens near ACU’s campus

Pg 4 Pg 5

Optimistthe

a product of theJMC network

Pg. 8 Halting History: Wildcats’ loss ends historical seasonWednesday, December 3, 2008 :: Vol. 97, No. 27 :: 1 sections, 8 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com

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

Officials happy with fall Chapel programBy Elizabeth SpanoStudent Reporter

After another semester of forums, guest speakers, small groups and special presenta-tions, Spiritual Life is wrap-ping up Chapel programs for the semester and taking stu-dent feedback into consider-ation in planning for changes in the spring.

“We are blessed to be in a very positive environment where [students and faculty] are supportive of Chapel,” said Mark Lewis, assistant dean for Spiritual Life and Chapel Programs.

Lewis said the Spiritual Life office has been pleased with the overall results of this semester’s campus conversa-tions, small group and Cha-pels in Moody Coliseum, and most of these programs have been well received.

“I felt like many aspects of Chapel improved this year,” said Beki Hamilton, sophomore integrated marketing com-munication major from Katy. “Tuesday Chapel was always good, and the speakers were interesting and relevant.”

Despite minor glitches with the new card readers, Lewis said they have succeeded in making Chapel traffic flow more smoothly. To improve the orderly exit, the installa-tion of additional card read-ers in sections G, E and M are being planned. This also will

By Lezlee GutierrezStudent Reporter

With the end of the fall se-mester near, many students are preparing for much more than finals and Christmas break.

Two hundred twenty-five students are expected to grad-uate next week at the 2008 De-cember Commencement and enjoy the bittersweet ending of their college journey. The cer-emony will be at Moody Colise-um Dec. 12 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dr. Cheryl Bacon, chair of the journalism and mass com-munication department, will be the featured speaker.

“It was hard to leave home to move here and it will definitely be hard to move again and start the next chapter of my life away from ACU,” said Abbey Carthel, senior communication science and disorders major from Am-arillo. “I feel the Lord has used ACU and the entire Abilene community to transform my life in such a great way, and it’s been a wonderful experience.”

Abbey has been attending ACU for three and a half years and will be getting married next semester. She also will be working in College Station in the Spring and begin graduate school in the fall.

Although fewer students tend to graduate in Decem-ber compared to May, the ceremony is just as special and important for students. Factors such as credits and students finishing earlier than expected play a role in the need for a Decem-ber graduation. Many proud parents and families will be expected to visit ACU and enjoy a less-crowded Moody Coliseum as they watch their loved ones graduate and reach an important milestone in their lives.

Graduates to take stage in December

Half Full

A CU made multiple appear-ances in local and national media during the fall 2008

semester — some positive, some less than positive. The launch of ACU’s iPhone Initiative attracted attention from all over the world. As the initiative nears the end of its first semester, ACU’s commu-nity and onlookers around the world want to know one thing: is it working?

Dr. Bill Rankin, associate pro-fessor of English and director of ACU’s iPhone educational research team, has played a key role in the initiative from its inception.

Rankin and other initiative leaders designated the first se-mester to familiarity.

“Because it’s experimental, we wanted to set the bar low,” Rankin said. “We wanted to get [iPhones] in the hands of the fac-ulty, get people to get comfort-able with the functions.”

About half the faculty, 169, received their choice of iPhone or iPod touch. In addition to cov-ering the costs of their service

plan, iPhone-bearing faculty were required to attend two training sessions offered throughout the semester. By not requiring that professors use the iPhone in class, initiative leaders hoped they would use this time to acquaint themselves with the device and,

Mobile Learning Initiative’s first semester lays foundation for future expansion

ACU remembers former trustee’s leadership, influence By Michael FreemanManaging Editor

Whenever Dr. Prentice Meador Jr. would call his longtime friend Dr. Royce Money after going through the switchboard to reach the president of the university, he would not begin the conversa-

tion by stating his name.“He would not say, ‘Hi, this

is Prentice;’ he would start by saying, ‘There was this sales-man…’ And he would start out with this long rambling joke,” Money said. “He loved to laugh. He was very fun-loving.”

Meador, a former ACU board of trustee member

and the Batsell Barrett Bax-ter Chair of Preaching at Lipscomb University, died Nov. 25 in Nashville after a brief illness. He was 70. But many will remember him for more than his sense of hu-mor; they will remember his influences at ACU and on Churches of Christ.

“In my opinion, he was the most effective, all-around minister I’ve ever known,” Money said. “He could do it all. And he was a professor so he had the heart of teacher. But he had the voice of a prophet, of a public proclaimer of the

In my opinion, he was the most effective, all-around minister I’ve ever known…he could do it all.

:: Dr. Royce Money, president of the university

“

” See Meador page 7

Students commit to clean up Galveston over break By Linda BaileyStudent Reporter

A group of students, faculty and staff plans to spend a week during winter break, cleaning hurricane-damaged Galveston.

The group will leave Dec. 14 and return Dec. 19. They will spend the week with the Clear Lake Church of Christ in an effort to rebuild damaged houses in Galveston, said Em-ily Garrison in the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center.

“These trips are just anoth-er opportunity for students to live out their Christian call to love and serve others,” Garri-son said in an e-mail.

Garrison said she was not sure exactly what they would be doing in Galveston, but it probably would be similar to the first relief trip during fall break. During this trip the group spent two days gutting and clearing water-damaged houses.

Kate Huggins, sophomore biochemistry major from Abilene, went on the first trip and plans to return during winter break.

“I think disaster relief is a really good eye-opener for college kids,” Huggins said.

She said she thinks many people have forgotten about

See Chapel page 7 See Service page 7

See Initiative page 3

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

Tim Simon, senior youth and family ministry major from Lockhart, plans to graduate in December and tells about his time at ACU during Chapel Tuesday.

Meador

Winter Walk

More than 200 students will walk across the stage in Moody Coliseum to receive their various degrees at the December Commencement.

n What: December Commencementn When: Dec. 12 (7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.)n Where: Moody Coliseumn Who: Dr. Cheryl Bacon, chair of the journalism and mass communication department, will be the featured speaker.

“By Colter HettichFeatures Editor The capability

this device offers is the platform for opportunity.

:: George Saltsman, director of Educational Technology in the Ad-ams Center for Teaching Excellence

” Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

See Graduates page 7

The Salvation Army needs volunteers to assist with its “Angel Tree” booth in the Mall of Abilene. Help is needed to greet shoppers, record information as angels are adopted and check in presents returned to the booth. This begins Nov. 21 and lasts until Dec. 14, Sundays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Volunteers are asked to work two-hour shifts or longer.

The ACU School of Social Work needs student volunteers to help with a children’s diabetic group which will meet the 2nd and 4th Monday every month from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The group will offer fun and therapeutic play activi-ties for children ages six to 16 at Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler Ave.

The Center for Contemporary Arts needs volunteers to greet patrons, answer phones and help with gallery shows. Three-hour shifts are offered every Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and/or 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The gallery is located in downtown Abilene. For more information, contact Saybra Giles at 677-8389.

An ESL pre-nursing student is in need of help (as soon as pos-sible) with some algebra review as she is preparing to take the Math Compass Test. A volunteer is needed to spend a few hours helping her with this. Please contact Carolyn Thompson at [email protected].

The annual H-E-B Feast of Sharing will take place Dec. 9 at the Abilene Civic Center from 4-8 p.m. This is a time when the entire Abilene community is invited to come and share a free meal together. In addition to be-ing able to enjoy a meal, a need for volunteers to help with vari-ous aspects of this event is also present. If interested in helping, please register at www.acall-forhelp.info. However, even if students can not volunteer, they can still take advantage of this time to come together for a meal.

The Grace Museum is always in need of volunteers. Volun-teers play a vital role in the daily operation of the museum. The minute visitors walk through the door, the experience in the museum relies on capable and trained volunteers. For more information about volunteer op-portunities at The Grace, please call 673-4587.

Find out volunteer opportuni-ties by visiting the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center’s Web site at www.acu.edu/vslc and clicking on Volun-teer Opportunities. For more information or to sign up to help, contact the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout.

6 p.m.An Essence Christmas sponsored by Essence of Ebony will be in the UP clubhouse.

7:30 p.m.ACU Theatre presents an American classic “The Member of the Wedding” in Fulk’s Theater. Call 674-ARTS (2787) for tickets.

6 a.m. - 8 p.m.KRBC TV Share Your Christmas Food Drive will be at H-E-B Supermarket parking lot, 1345 Barrow St. Drive through the dropoff to donate non-perishable food or monetary donations.

5 p.m. - 10 p.m.The Ice House Outdoor Ice Skating Rink at Nelson Park


4 p.m.ACU men’s basketball versus Southeastern Oklahoma State


Calendar and Events

Volunteer Opportunities

Announcements

Friday3

Wednesday Thursday Saturday

The dates to register for classes in summer 2009 have been changed. Rather than registering with spring 2009, summer 2009 will have its own registration day, Feb. 25. All classifications will begin registering for summer classes on the date at 3 p.m. The advising release codes will be the same ones used for spring registration. If students are thinking of taking courses in summer 2009, they need to talk to their advisers. For more information about registration, go to the Registrar’s Web pages: http://www.acu.edu/campusoffices/registrar/schedulebulletin/index.html.

World Wide Witness has openings for eight-week summer internships in places like Thailand, Costa Rica, Australia, Tanzania and England. Apply online now at www.WorldWideWitness.org.

China Now is a program that allows students to go to China and teach English to university students. Opportunities are available for undergraduates to spend one month during the summer or for graduates to work for an entire year. Please visit www.worldwidewitness.org for more information and to begin the application process.

Angel Tree-Adopt a Child. Please consider adopting a child from the SALT Angel Tree to help provide Christmas gifts

for that child. Stop by the table located in the Campus Center or come to the Volunteer & Service-Center in the Bean Sprout. Gifts need to be returned to the VSLC by Dec. 5. You will be making a big difference in a child’s Christmas.

The ACU Medical Clinic will be offering flu shots at a reduced price ($20) for each person who brings in three non-perishable food items to be donated to the Abilene Food Bank. This offer is good through Dec. 19. All donations will be delivered to the Abilene Food Bank in time for the Christmas holidays.

Spring Break Campaigns have teams going to locations like California, Canada, Oregon, Washington D.C, Colorado and more. Find out details about Spring Break Campaigns online at www.acusbc.org or stop by McKinzie Hall Room 127.

The Big Purple is raising money for its annual fundraiser to benefit the women and children of The Noah Project. The Noah Project is an organization whose mission statement is “advocating for victims and working to end family violence.” The plan is to give these women and children a Christmas party with food and presents, so please help by donating any amount (or just get rid of all that extra change weighing down your wallet.) Band members will be walking around

campus with cans or buckets labeled “Christmas for Kids”.

The 18th Annual Christmas Lane will be at the Abilene State School Thursday through Saturday. Admission is free to see lighted outdoor Christmas displays as well as an indoor display, including animated dolls and figures. Photos with Santa can be taken for $3. Call the State School with any questions at 795-3547.

Abilene Community Band Annual Christmas Concert is Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre. The admission is free. Call Diane Schmahl at 437-8009 with any questions.

Plaid Tidings will be performed at the Abilene Community Theatre Thursday at 8 p.m. This is the eagerly awaited Christmas sequel to Forever Plaid. Francis, Sparky, Smudge and Jinx are back with all their quirks and talent. The sweet and sentimental feel of the show and its comic nature give it universal family appeal.

Christmas Celebration IV- Abilene Philharmonic Pops Concert will be at the Abilene Civic Center Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The concert will feature the Classical Chorus of Abilene, the dancers of Shuffles and the return of soloists Mary Ann Robinson, Matt Newman and Leslie Harper. For ticket prices, call 677-6710 or 800-460-0610.

The Peddler Show- The Perfect Street of Shops will be at the Abilene Civic Center Friday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Adult tickets are $5, and those ages 65 & over are $3. Children ages 12 & under are free. Call the Civic Center at 676-6211 for more information or 800-775-2774 for booth rental.

Slithy Tove is an event put on by the Shinnery Review. Come to the Shinnery Review’s fall poetry reading in the Shore Art Gallery 8 p.m. to 11 p.m Thursday. Live music, free refreshments and poetry readings will be at the event. Students can bring anything they would like to share or come to listen to others read.

ArtWalk “City Lights” will be Dec. 11 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Bring friends to historic downtown to enjoy restaurants, shops, museums, galleries and entertainment for free. Call 677-8389 so the Center for Contemporary Arts can give more details. Also, check out the Website at http://www.center-arts.com/artwalk.html.

“The Ice House” Outdoor Ice Skating Rink will be open from Dec. 1 to Jan. 5 at Nelson Park, Festival Gardens. It will benefit Habitat for Humanity and the Dyess We Care Team. The hours are Sunday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Contact Karen at 201-0250 for more information.

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Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Campus Day2

acuoptimist.com

4 5 6Help prevent car burglaries and bike thefts during the Christmas Break. If you leave your vehicle on campus, park in an interior parking lot. If you leave you bicycle, remove it from the bike racks and store it in your dorm room.

Monday, Nov. 2412:15 p.m. Someone report-ed a theft at Edwards Hall. 3:15 p.m. ACU police di-rected traffic at 900 E.N. 16th St. due to a vehicle accident.3:49 p.m. ACU police escorted a disabled visitor from Sikes parking lot to Chambers Hall. 4:30 p.m. Someone reported an assault at the police station.

Tuesday, Nov. 253:10 p.m. Someone reported the theft of a bicycle. 3:42 p.m. Someone reported a suspicious vehicle at 600 E.N. 16th St.; ACU police checked the area but were unable to locate the vehicle.

Wednesday, Nov. 264:58 p.m. Someone reported a lost wallet. 5:10 p.m. ACU police assist-ed a motorist with a disabled vehicle at Will Hair Park. 5:40 p.m. A burglar alarm went off at an Abilene Chris-tian School, but it was only an open door. ACU police checked the premises and secured the door.

Thursday, Nov. 279:49 p.m. Someone reported a disturbance at University Park building 8. 11:25 p.m. Someone reported a paint ball hitting a vehicle at Smith and Adams Hall.

Friday, Nov. 285:03 p.m. Someone reported a stray dog; ACU police locat-ed the dog but were unable to secure it, so they contacted Abilene Animal Control.

Saturday, Nov. 299:20 a.m. ACU police escorted the Northwest Missouri foot-ball team to Shotwell Stadium. 12:57 p.m. ACU police as-sisted the Abilene police with a house burglary.4:55 p.m. ACU police assist-ed a student with a medical call at the Morris Center. 10:03 p.m. Someone reported a family violence assault at University Park.

Sunday, Nov. 304:55 a.m. ACU police cut the lock on a chain that was securing a dock door at the Campus Center. 8:05 a.m. A burglar alarm went off at the Foster Science Building; ACU police contact-ed Physical Resources.9:15 a.m. ACU police gave a subject a ride to Hillcrest Church of Christ. 4:15 p.m. ACU police checked the welfare of a student at McDonald Hall.

Always report suspicious activity to ACUPD at 674-2305 or 674-2911.

Police LogEdited for space

ACU Police Tip of the Week

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] or to the Editor at [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.

Watch videos on the upcoming Shinnery Review poetry jam and the ACU art and craft fair that will be in the Campus Center.

Log on to www.youtube.com/acu-video to view a sportscast wrapping up the ACU football, cross country and tennis seasons.

Online Newscast Webcast

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Wednesday, December 3, 2008 FROM THE FRONT / CAMPUS NEWS

ACU band gives kids Big Purple ChristmasBy Kimberly WolfordStudent Reporter

The Big Purple Band is well into preparations for its annual Christmas for Kids fundraiser. At the beginning of November, the Big Purple was running short on funds, which caused several fund-raising initiatives to begin.

A Facebook group for Big Purple announced on Nov. 25 that the band had raised about $1,100, which is half of what was collected last year.

Christmas for Kids is a fundraiser in which the mem-bers of the Big Purple donate

and raise money to benefit women and children involved with The Noah Project.

The Noah Project is an orga-nization for victims of family abuse, which serves ten coun-ties in West Central Texas, ac-cording to its Web site. The shelter on Grape Street is one of two shelters in Abilene.

Erin Kluzek, senior music education major from Okla-homa City, said the organiza-tion plans to give these women and children a Christmas party with food and presents.

Amanda Paramore, junior political science major from Sugarland, said 16 people

are benefiting from Christ-mas for Kids this year.

“There are five moms and 11 kids involved in the pro-gram this year,” she said.

Band members will be carrying cans around cam-pus labeled “Christmas for Kids” in order to raise the extra funds needed.

Ariel Marrs, fifth year senior psychology major from Bron-te, said in previous years the Christmas for Kids’ party had a small group playing Christ-mas music and lots of families opening Christmas presents.

“It’s held in the choir hall, so it’s not anything fancy,

but it still means a whole lot to the people they’re doing it for,” Marrs said. “ So I guess that’s what counts.”

The Big Purple will be col-lecting money until Friday. The party for the families will be Sunday.

Anyone who might be in-terested in helping with rais-ing the funds is encouraged to stop by the music office in the Williams Performing Arts Cen-ter or to find a band member for information before Friday.

Business booms during Jack in the Box’s first weekBy Sondra RodriguezStudent Reporter

Abilene’s very own Jack in the Box opened last week, and business is booming.

The franchise, based out of San Diego, is located at 2002 Overland Trail and opened Nov. 26, after more than a month of delays.

Rodney Thomas, area coach for the Abilene loca-tion, said no opening-day deals were offered to cus-tomers because of the chal-lenges he faced to open the restaurant, but business is doing well in spite of that.

“We just had such a hard time getting everything ready to open that we de-cided not to do any special

deals,” he said. “We just opened the doors, and it has been great.”

Donald Reedom, restaurant manager, said he is satisfied with the first week of business.

“I am very pleased with the way business is going,” he said. “I expect it to stay this way.”

The restaurant features in-door and outdoor seating; a drive-thru that is often backed up through the parking lot and

onto Overland Trail; salads, chicken and burger meals, shakes, malts, fruit smoothies, tacos and a breakfast menu served all day. It also is open 24 hours a day.

Zack Cook, junior market-ing finance major from Car-rolton, is an avid Jack in the Box supporter and comment-ed on his personal reasons for loving the franchise while en-joying a cheeseburger combo with no mustard and fries.

“It’s quick and it’s clean,” he said. “But what I really love about Jack in the Box is that you don’t leave smell-ing like Whataburger.”

Thomas said the student response has been great, particularly late at night.

“Most of the students come during the graveyard shift,” he said. “We see more adult community members during the day, but the students start coming in around five.”

Thomas said Abilene al-ways has wanted and need-ed a Jack in the Box, which is why he is confident busi-ness will stay strong.

Senior class gives ‘Hope’ for future studentsBy Savannah SheltonStudent Reporter

The graduating class of 2009 is planning to contrib-ute to “Hope for the Future,” a fund that offers scholarships to future ACU students.

Every fall, the senior class votes on a gift to give to the university as a way to support ACU and help current and fu-ture students, according to www.acu.edu. Students who donate $100 or more have their name and class year en-graved on a brick and placed in

the Alumni Walk on campus. Students who give $100 by Feb. 28, 2009, will have their bricks placed in the walk by the day of graduation.

“Hopefully the senior class will be willing to give an amount towards this scholar-ship,” said Erin Kessler, senior political science major from Missouri City.

The Senior Legacy office is proposing that each graduat-ing senior make a gift of $20.09 in honor of their year of gradu-ation, said Kristi Thaxton, de-velopment program manager,

in an e-mail to the Students’ Association senators.

“It’s a good way to give back to the school. So many of the scholarships ACU gives out are separate from the money the school earns from tuition. This donation would give back in place of the money the school gives up,” Kessler said.

In the past, senior classes have voted to give in varying ways. The class of 2008 voted to raise $5,000 to donate a set of bleachers to the Larry “Satch” Sanders Intramural Fields. The gifts from the class

of 2006 and 2007 contributed to the construction of Jacob’s Dream and the Lunsford Trail around campus, respectively.

Seniors who wish to do-nate to the “Hope for the Future” scholarship can use their credit cards or bank drafts at ACU’s online giv-ing Web site, mail a payment form to the Senior Legacy of-fice, say “yes” when contact-ed by the ACU Calling Center or contact Kristi Thaxton at [email protected].


Russel Baker, sophomore undeclared major at Cisco Junior Col-lege from Albany, enjoys a cheesburger at the newly opened Jack in the Box location on Overland Trail.E-mail Rodriguez at: [email protected]

when possible, experiment with the technology in class.

Mike Cope, adjunct pro-fessor of Bible, missions and ministry, and Ray Pet-tit, adjunct instructor of computer science, did just that. Pettit incorporated polls into every meeting of his University Seminar 100 class. Students read anony-mous answers on a projec-tor screen the instant their classmates responded on their iPhones. Cope makes documents available for the next lecture in digital form. In Cope’s class, students can carry their Bible and a host of other documents in their pockets.

“We are one of the world leaders in this,” Rankin said. “We’ve got people from 30 universities in more than six countries coming to ACU on Feb. 27 … for a confer-ence on iPhones in higher education.”

ACU is leading on the frontier of iPhone applica-tion programming and de-velopment as well as cam-pus-wide integration. James Langford, director of Web integration and program-ming, and a team of pro-

grammers and designers used Apple’s dash code to create the myACU mobile portal. ACU unveiled the Web application in August and plans to open-source the code in February, a big step toward collaboration with other universities.

“Right now we’re decid-ing which license to use,” Langford said. “A lot of what we’re doing [for devel-opment] right now is watch-ing and listening.”

Those involved in the ini-tiative welcome feedback and will continue tailoring the initiative to the ACU community. George Salts-man, director of Education-al Technology in the Adams Center for Teaching Excel-lence, expects a time when iPhones will create oppor-tunities for new teaching methods and increase effi-ciency in the classroom.

“The capability this de-vice offers is the platform for opportunity,” Saltsman said. “We’re imagining class-es focusing less on finding information and more on assessing information.”

E-mail Shelton at: [email protected]

E-mail Wolford at: [email protected]

But what I really love about Jack in the Box is that you don’t leave smelling like Whataburger.

:: Zack Cook, junior marking finance major from Carrolton

“”

Service: Student volunteers give hand in Galveston

Hurricane Ike and the people who were affected.

“It is important for the people we are helping because physically we are helping them put there houses together and emotionally we are showing them that we care and that we remember,” Huggins said.

Kyle Stallard, senior inter-disciplinary major from League City, also participated in the first trip and will be joining the group during winter break.

This relief effort hit close to home for Stallard because his father’s house suffered water damage from Hurricane Ike.

“I really like to help people clean up their stuff, especially people who can’t help them-selves,” Stallard said.

The effort will not only benefit people whose hous-es were damaged.

“I definitely think that it al-lows us to get out of ourselves for a while and get out of our comfort zone, especially in a spiritual aspect,” Stallard said.

“If we are going to be Christ in the world, let’s stop talking about it and let’s go do some-thing about it.”

Garrison said the vol-unteer trips are important because people along the coast are in need.

Garrison said God has blessed the team with the op-portunity to help them. She also said the trips have not only blessed the people they helped, but also have helped the students grow in their own spiritual journey and under-

standing of what it means to be a Christian.

Students interested in help-ing in this effort can still sign up by visiting the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center.

“I hope it brings some-thing special to our Christmas break,” Huggins said.

E-mail Bailey at: [email protected]

E-mail Hettich at: [email protected]

Continued from page 1


Initiative: ACU leads universities in mobile learning

“I really had to kick it in gear this semester, but the experience has been worth the struggle,” said Kristen Vogl, senior communication science and disorders major from Brock. “The support, spiritual growth and encour-agement I have gotten at ACU has been such a blessing.”

Kristen is a transfer stu-dent from Tarleton State University and has been at-tending ACU for two and a half years. She also will be getting married next semes-

ter before she begins gradu-ate school at either University of North Texas or University of Texas in Dallas in August. Kristen then hopes to work in the field of speech pathology, helping the elderly.

Graduation rehearsal is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. on Friday before the cere-mony. For more information about December Commence-ment, visit the events calen-dar at the ACU Web site.

Graduates: Seniors walk the stage this December

E-mail Guitierrez at: [email protected]


Wednesday, December 3, 2008 CAMPUS NEWS

Community displays love and charity By Kelsi WilliamsonStudent Reporter

Abilene citizens showed their support for the community during Love and Care Ministries’ annual Mission Thanksgiving on Nov. 22-23 at Arrow Ford. The fundraiser collected food, clothes, and monetary funds for Love and Care’s programs.

Terry Davis, Love and Care’s director of administration, gave positive results for the event.

“It was an incredibly strong fundraiser even in lieu of the economic times we are sitting in,” Davis said. “You would have thought we would have taken a hit.”

Davis said 5,500 cars were moved through the Arrow Ford parking lot in a 12-hour period on Nov. 22. He also

said 11 trailers were filled with donations, and $150,000 was raised between all donations and sponsors.

“Financially, it was better than it has ever been,” Davis said.

He said the fundraiser provides the Abilene community a way to feel involved, even if it just means dropping off a bag of clothing or food. Davis estimated that between 400 and 500 volunteers helped with Mission Thanksgiving, including many ACU students.

“We always have a strong involvement of ACU students,” Davis said.

Beki Hamilton, sophomore integrated marketing and communication major from Katy, participated in the

fundraiser.“Love and Care does a lot

for Abilene,” Hamilton said. “They have a big impact on the Abilene community, and I enjoyed being a part of their ministry.”

Hamilton helped other volunteers unload contributions from cars into shopping carts and then sort the donations into the correct trailer. She said the trailers were organized by various items, including clothing, blankets, toiletries and toys.

Jessica White, junior psychology major from Knox City, participated in Mission Thanksgiving. She helped unload boxes and bags of donated clothes at Love and Care on the second day of the fundraiser.

“It was nice to see all those clothes being put in the warehouse,” White said.

She said the community enthusiastically worked to unload at least three trailers.

“I enjoyed seeing the community get together and work together for a common purpose,” White said. “It seemed like everyone was happy to be there and volunteering.”

Davis said the donations from Mission Thanksgiving should supply Love and Care with enough clothing for eight months and enough food for 3 three months to give to those in need in Abilene.

“It’s a huge boost to our ability to serve our community,” Davis said.

The Campus Store collaborates with StaplesBy Elizabeth CoffeeStudent Reporter

The Staples easy button is making its way to ACU. The Campus Store is currently in conversation with Staples with regards to providing office supplies for retail.

“We are constantly look-ing at how to provide better products for students,” said Anthony Williams, chief aux-iliary officer. “We hope to see this come to fruition.”

If all goes according to plan, The Campus Store will be sell-ing Staples’ products by next January, Williams said.

The only thing left to do is sign a final contract.

“Together we’ve put to-gether a pretty comprehensive plan to meet students with print media, online offers, op-portunity to advertise in the Optimist and promotional ma-terial,” Williams said.

Brad Schultz, freshman political science major from Nashville, brought concerns and hopes for the Staples’ relationship.

“I’m hoping the quality of supplies will improve and that more will be offered,” Schultz said. “I’m concerned that prices will be higher.”

Prices will be aggressive, and being partnered with Staples will give ACU more buying power, Williams said.

The January goal depends on three things: an agreed-up-on product mix, agreed-upon terms and conditions and cus-tomized logos have to be avail-able, Williams said. Staples is willing to incorporate ACU’s school colors into its logo.

“We want an ACU store, not a Staples store, but we still want to sell their prod-ucts,” Williams said.

Scott Harsh, assistant direc-tor of The Campus Store, has

been the point man for this new endeavor.

“We want to pull from Staples’ resources and exper-tise,” Harsh said. “We want to find new ways to do better.”

The Campus Store will be the first college store in Tex-as to take advantage of this opportunity, Harsh said.

“Staples is looking at our store, telling us what we should carry based on other college stores,” he said.

With prices for school supplies being aggressive and The Campus Store being a lone retailer, it would ben-efit the store by having the

Staples’ advertisements per-sonalized, Williams said.

“The university made a pledge, and one of the things we pledged to do was to be exceptional,” Williams said. “We think that with the ad-dition of Staples inside The Campus Store, it allows us to offer an exceptional of-fice supply program.”

ACU adorns campus with christmas decoreBy Brandon TrippVideographer

Whether you’re in a cheery mood or not, Christmas is coming to town and Residence halls are decorating for the festive holiday.

Many of the halls already are decked with Christmas trees, lights and mistletoe.

Some of the decorations brightened the campus before students even left for the Thanksgiving break. Edwards Hall boasted its Christmas decorations beginning a week before Thanksgiving, and Mabee Hall had its decorations put up Monday, while residents who helped with the festivities gathered around the Christmas tree and sang an assortment of Christmas carols.

Walking outside the residence halls provides an air of Christmas spirit. A few frosted windows have emerged, along with several wreaths and Christmas lights.

Not all the students were excited to see the decorations before Christmas. Travis

Ball, sophomore music education major from Grapevine and Edwards Hall resident, was glad to see the decorations but felt it was too early for them.

“I think the Christmas decorations going up before Thanksgiving is a good way to get students ramped up for the holidays but also distracts from the Thanksgiving holiday right before it, and people get too caught up in Christmas and forget to focus on being thankful for the fact that they have Christmases,” Ball said.

Some students may be unhappy with the early arrival of the Christmas decorations, but many claim they are a wonderful idea.

Phil Martin, sophomore business major from Escondedo, Calif., loves the decorations’ early arrival.

“It gets me in the Christmas mood, and I get even more excited because I know that once the decorations go up, the semester is about to end,” Martin said.


Edwards Residence Hall spreads Christmas cheer with its fes-tive tree in the main lobby.

We want to pull from Staples’ re-sources and expertise. We want to find new ways to do better.

:: Scott Harsh, assistant director of The Campus Store

“”

E-mail Williamson at: [email protected]

E-mail Tripp at: [email protected]

E-mail Coffee at: [email protected]

December 3, 2008

FocusWednesday

By Sondra RodriguezStudent Reporter

When Wumi Okanlawon was in the first grade, her illusion of Santa Claus was shattered.

“My church gave the kids gifts,” she said. “And after they gave us the gifts, the kids were yelling ‘Santa! Santa!’ And the woman who actually bought

them got angry and said, ‘I bought all these gifts for you and no one said thank you to me!”

Okanlawon, sophomore biology major from Hous-ton, has not believed since.

Kaelyn Terry, junior psychology major from Austin, can trace her belief in Santa Claus back to second grade. A 7-year-old Terry was provided visual proof of his existence.

“My teacher had a guest speaker come in right before

Christmas, and he brought a picture of a house in the North Pole,” she said. “It proved to my second-grade self that Santa was real because that was his house.”

Her faith stayed strong until fifth grade. “I was in denial,” she said. “But I just started be-

coming a little more intelligent and realized there is no possible way all that could happen.”

More than 100 years have passed since newspaper editor Francis Pharcellus Church replied to a letter from an 8-year-old doubter named Virginia.

Church published his editorial in the New York Sun, Sept. 20, 1897, responding to Virginia O’Hanlan who had asked, “Please tell me the truth—is there a Santa Claus?”

Church responded with words that have become a part of American Christmas lore.

“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.”

Eventually, in some way, believers becomes non-be-lievers, sort of. Some, like Dani Englund, junior math major from New Braunfels, rely on reason.

“When I figured out that the Easter Bunny wasn’t real, I assumed none of them were—including Santa Claus,” she said.

Others hear the sad truth from friends. Erika An-thony, junior vocational missions major from Friend-swood, learned there was no Santa Claus through an elementary school boyfriend.

“He made fun of me for it,” she said. “I held onto the idea for a couple weeks after that—I was sure he was getting coal for Christmas that year.”

And editors still deal with the dilemma. Tricia Ellis-Christensen, editor for the online publi-

cation WiseGeek, said in her online column that some children and adults never stop believing especially when they view Santa as the spirit of Christmas and an extension of Christ.

“People with this view get to be Santa and contrib-ute to the mythos of Santa through their kind and generous actions,” she said

Santa Claus begins to represent the spirit of Christ-mas and reveals the meaning behind the holiday.

Terry and Anthony agree. “I think that [it] encompasses the love in our hearts

and reminds us that what Jesus said was true—when we give, we’re happy,” Terry said.

Anthony said, “My views have shifted toward what Christmas really is—Christ giving to us. He represents a giving spirit we all should have.”

Santa Claus may represent a spirit of giving and generosity, but thousands of kids’ illusions must be shattered every year before they can realize the good that comes from an adolescent belief in Santa Claus.

Kevin Palm, junior sociology major from Orlando, Fla., remembers that moment. “Santa dropped off a bag of presents at my house a few days before Christmas,” Palm said. “I was so confused—why would Santa bring a bag of presents so early? And to my house specifically?”

He asked his mom; she told him the news, and he began to cry. So began the journey toward under-standing the meaning of Christmas without a fat man in a red suit.

E-mail Rodriguez at: [email protected]

Spirit of SantaThe

Above: Santa gives a self-concious reindeer the confidence he needs in the 1964 claymation classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Right: Bil-ly Bob Thornton puts a slightly dif-ferent spin on the man in the red suit in Bad Santa.

Photo courtesy of :: www.cartoons.osu.edu

Thomas Nast’s iconic depiction of Santa Claus combines the traditional Saint Nicholas with German elv-ish folklore. This image was published on Jan. 1, 1881 in Harper’s Weekly.

One name, many faces

Photo courtesy of :: www.christmascartoons.org

Photo courtesy of :: www.rottentomatoes.com Photo courtesy of :: www.americancorner.hu

Photo courtesy of :: www.imdb.com

Above: A father’s world is turned upside down when he takes over Santa’s job in The Santa Claus. Left: Dr. Suess’ timeless How the Grinch Stole Christmas tells the story of a grinch who learns Christmas’ true meaning.

Throughout history, Santa Claus has taken vari-ous shapes and forms. Here are some of the most

memorable Santas of the past 50 years:

ViewsWednesday

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

Daniel Johnson-KimEditor in Chief

Michael FreemanManaging Editor

Sommerly SimserMult. Managing Editor

Laura AcuffOpinion Page Editor

Zak ZeinertChief Photographer

Grant AbstonSports Editor

Lydia MelbyArts Editor

December 3, 2008

Multimedia desk:(325) 674-2463

Optimistthe

Short on cash? Want to save a few extra dollars for the holidays?

My suggestion: ride a bike, donate plas-ma or cut back on the Starbucks cof-fee. But, by no means, don’t forget to tip your waiters.

Last week, a group of 130 people went to a res-taurant close to campus to celebrate

Thanksgiving. They enjoyed a delicious meal and good com-pany for several hours, even-tually racking up a $1,600 bill. They then left their 15 servers a tip totaling $3.25, or about 20 cents each.

I wonder how many waiters felt thankful that night?

When minimum wage in-creased to $6.55 on July 24, the cash wage for tipped employ-ees remained at $2.13 an hour. If a server’s wage + tips fails to equal minimum wage, the res-taurant is required to supple-ment the difference. But sever-al Abilene restaurants choose not to do this. They reason if waiters cannot make minimum wage with their tips, they must be doing something wrong.

That is false reasoning. Serv-ers have one of the hardest jobs in Abilene, a town once known to have more churches than gas stations, where more than 15 percent of the population is below the poverty line.

Not all people can afford to tip, but most who do have the funds choose to refrain from such a common cour-tesy for the sake of saving pennies on the dollar.

I’ve heard unbelievable sto-ries from several waiter friends

concerning people on this very campus. Some well-known and respected administrators have left less than a dollar for a $40 bill or skipped the tip altogeth-er. Most servers in Abilene are college students. They know the faces of deans, chairs of departments and professors. They work hard for their mon-ey; to be slapped in the face by someone they should respect is outrageous.

My uncle once told me a server does not deserve a tip if his glass is only half-filled when the bill comes. I’ve also been told waiters should not be tipped if it takes them 30 minutes to bring the food, it’s the wrong order or the food is cold. Personally, I disagree on all bases. A customer knows when a server is purposely being rude, but such behavior is actually rather rare. Most waiters know who pays their wages; they would not pur-

posely spoil a meal to make their own wallets suffer.

My personal observations lead me to think most servers have no control over the qual-ity and timing of the food. I’ve had my waiter friends tell me about days where the cooks ignore the orders or take their time. Cooks are people too. They are not perfect and have bad days. Sometimes it is so frustrating for waiters to know that with every passing min-ute their tips are slipping away that they actually may make a customer’s salad or dessert themselves. Don’t punish a server for a slow cook, packed restaurant or really busy day.

So remember when you’re enjoying a fun night out with family and friends over the holidays, don’t skimp on the tip because your server may need a few extra dollars too.

Recently, I wrote a col-umn about my best friend’s family’s troubles. I tried to make it anonymous, and I

tried to pull the good and the uni-versal truth for fellow C h r i s t i a n s from their situation.

In the days leading up to writing that piece, I had wracked my brain for a different

idea, any idea — something I could turn into 400 words worth printing, but I could think of nothing else.

Still, it wasn’t my place to write their story. No matter how anonymously I wrote, the Church of Christ community is small. I knew from the beginning that my words were likely to even-tually make it back to them through others aware of their situation. I told my-self that if I couldn’t think of anything else, I could call and ask permission from my friend’s mother. She was likely to grant ap-proval, I thought.

But I never made that call. Instead, I waited until the last minute and wrote the column anyway.

By my next visit home, a mutual friend had e-mailed the column to my friend’s family. At church that Sun-day, I saw my friend’s mom. A woman of intense integri-ty, she had almost as much a hand in raising me as my own parents, and I respect her just as much. When I guiltily apologized for not requesting permission to make her family the subject of my column, her response wasn’t what I expected.

“It’s OK,” she said. “And you know why it’s OK? It’s OK because I trust you.”

Relieved, I drove back to school that afternoon and counted my blessings: I hadn’t ruined my friendship with the family. But her re-sponse haunted me, and I didn’t understand why.

Eventually, I realized my hang up: she said she trust-ed me with their testimony, but I wasn’t sure I would have been able to say the same about myself.

I can’t explain why, but for me, religion may be the

most difficult subject to write about. I’m not one to run from conflict, so that can’t be the reason for my aversion. Maybe it’s too personal. When we truly subscribe to a religion, we invest all our hopes, wheth-er directly or indirectly, in that religion. It’s not quite the same as betting our rep-utation on an action or ap-parel choice. We stake our very souls on the decision, and if we settle on Christi-anity, we’re called to reveal such to the world through our testimony.

That’s why writing that column was a cop out. I do believe I felt God guiding me to do so but I don’t be-lieve I followed through ap-propriately. In writing my friends’ story, I put them on the line. I invested little and I didn’t even have the nerve to ask permission.

In the end, everything leads back to that Golden Rule we can all recite: treat others the way you want to be treated. But the trite command means little to me. Overused and familiar, I think sometimes we forget exactly what it means to ap-ply the concept to daily life. Perhaps the more poignant question is, do we deserve to be trusted?

Merr iam-Webster ’s Online Diction-ary named “bail-out” as the No. 1

Word of the Year for 2008 last week. This announce-ment came near the end of a tumultuous financial year that witnessed the U.S. Con-gress allocate nearly $7 tril-lion of taxpayer money to struggling companies and government institutions, ac-cording to a CNBC article.

The latest bailout plans to rescue the automobile industry. And judging by some reports, the industry needs to be rescued.

Last week, news organiza-tions reported that General Motors is considering nixing half of its brands, Saturn, Saab, Pontiac and Hummer, to cut costs and win bailout money, leaving the company to just sell Buick, Cadillac,

Chevrolet and GMC vehicles. Also last week, the New

York Times pointed out that the Ford Motor Company spends an average of $2 bil-lion of its cash each month.

And The Wall Street Jour-nal detailed earlier this week that Chrysler’s auto sales have plunged 41.7 percent from a year ago.

Such dire reports demand immediate action. Congress already has allocated $25 bil-lion for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. The govern-ment will be meeting for bail-out hearings this week, and if all goes well, will convene to vote on the proposed auto bailout loans next week.

While the bailout may save thousands of industry jobs, a larger problem still will exist after the money has been distributed.

Last Sunday, Ron Gettelf-inger, the United Auto Work-ers chief, publicly plead for the government to help U.S. car manufacturers.

“We cannot afford to see these companies fail,” he said. “[The rescue plan is] not a bailout, this is a loan — a bridge loan — that will get us through until we can take a longer-term look at exactly what needs to be done in the industry.”

The larger problem con-cerning the auto industry

bubbles through in Gettelf-inger’s statement. Instead of waiting until after receiv-ing money from the govern-ment, automobile companies already should have taken a longer-term look at their fu-tures. Any company not in-vesting for the future does not deserve to have one.

However, the auto indus-try, which employs millions of Americans, plays such a vital role in the nation’s economy that allowing the companies to go bankrupt would be a poor move, es-pecially when the rest of the country is hurting finan-cially. At this point in time, the bailout is necessary, but even more necessary is the reconstruction of how the American auto industry con-ducts its business.

Last month, the CEOs of Ford, GM and Chrysler

spent $20,000 each on pri-vate corporate jets to fly to Washington D.C. to ask for bailout money. Those travel decisions were absolutely asinine and totally waste-ful. Fortunately, the CEOs are driving to the nation’s capitol for this week’s bail-out hearings. But companies need to do more than just al-ter the way their top execu-tives travel.

Automakers need to direct their efforts into producing

what their customers want, which is quality vehicles that are inexpensive, fuel-ef-ficient and environmentally friendly. Not only will this move boost auto sales, but it will keep the company’s CEOs from having to knock on Congress’s door again.

‘Golden Rule’ requires modern application

Automobile industry necessitates bailout, increased responsibility

Restaurant wait service deserves generous tips

E-mail Acuff at: [email protected]

E-mail the Optimist at: [email protected]

The issue:The American automobile industry faces a crisis as Congress decides whether to approve a bailout.

Our view:The industry’s importance to the economy necessitates a bailout.

The solution:While a governmental bailout may be necessary in this case, companies should alter their unearning ways to avoid future headaches.

When we truly subscribe to a religion, we invest all our hopes, whether directly or indirectly, in that religion. It’s not quite the same as betting our reputation on an action or apparel choice. We stake our very souls on the decision...

“

”

Colter HettichFeatures Editor

Kelline LintonChief Copy Editor

Cody VetetoChief Videographer

DeLaina ParkerBroadcast Manager

Molly ByrdPage 2 Editor

Kenneth PybusAdviser

Cade WhiteAdviser

Christi StarkAdvertising Manager

Any company not investing for the future does not deserve to have one.“

”

What about all the regular guys out there? A lot of us are charming in our own way, but some of us are shy, and we all have our quirks.

I know several friends who are really great guys but just haven’t found a girl to be with and not for lack of trying. Whether that’s because they aren’t forward enough or just don’t uphold to the ridiculous standard you seem to set on men, I don’t know.

It just is aggravating to me that finding someone to

be with is already so hard yet here is another reinforcement of the idea that a man has to be prince charming.

Most guys hold the door open for women. Most guys would love to shower their girlfriend with hugs and kisses. Yet it seems that most guys still don’t cut it for those girls waiting and waiting for their prince.

Should men hold women to the same fanciful stan-dards that you do? If a girl isn’t fairy tale pretty, is she

just not good enough? I can understand where you’re coming from in not lowering your standards just to date someone, but honestly give a regular guy a break so even people (including women) that don’t pop straight out of a fairy tale can be happy.

Letter to the Editor

Ken ElliotIn response to Sommerly Simser’s

column ‘Women should hold out for prince charmings’

Idyllic standards overlook worthy individuals

E-mail Linton at: [email protected]

By Laura Acuff

Conscientious Conjecture

By Kelline Linton

Got Your Grammar Talk

Wildcats were a measly 4 of 22, while the Rams were 6 of 22.

The Wildcats evened up their record at 2-2 after winning their first game away from the confines of Moody Coliseum. They beat Texas-Permian Basin at the Falcon Dome last Monday night 89-85.

It was a critical win for the Wildcats after back-to-back overtime losses. Lead-ing 83-76 with less than four minutes to play, the Falcons appeared to have the game all but wrapped up; how-ever, the Wildcats would not back down as baskets by Cameron Holson, Kevin White and Dustin Heiman tied the game at 83-83.

After several missed shots by UT-PB, White grabbed a rebound and sunk a three-pointer to give the Wildcats a three-point lead. Klimovic, Sencanski and White all were one of

two down the stretch from the free-throw line to give ACU its final score.

Once again Sencanski led the Wildcats in scor-ing with 26 points. He has been the offensive star for ACU every game this season. The backcourt of Heiman and Dante Ad-ams combined to score 26 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists in their first start. Copeland made some lineup adjustments after going 1-2, and they seemed to work, giving the Wildcats the victory.

“I thought we could mix it up a little bit,” Copeland said. “It wasn’t about just one per-son. Everyone still played a lot of minutes. We just need-ed to make some changes so we could get a win.”

The Wildcats had a chance at redemption Tuesday night against Dallas Baptist in Dal-las. The results were unavail-able at press time.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 FROM THE FRONT / SPORTS JUMPS


Basketball: ACU recovers from loss

Football: Wildcats’ historic season endsrun, but it was as close as the Wildcats would get the rest of the game. The Bearcats scored the next two touchdowns to extend the lead to 42-27 as Council scored on 5-yard touchdown run, and Bolles scored on a 14-yard run to open up the fourth quarter.

Scott scored his second touchdown of the game with nine minutes remaining from one yard out, but ACU’s come-back bid fell short as NWMSU kicker Tommy Frevert kicked a 32-yard field goal. ACU could not answer, and Bearcat corner-back E.J. Hawkins intercepted a pass with three minutes re-maining to end the game. Os-born took a safety on the final play of the game to run out the clock and end ACU’s season.

Offensively, the Wildcats finished with 455 yards to NWMSU 454 yards, but pen-alties took their toll on the Wildcats as they finished with a season-high 110 yards on 15 penalties. ACU’s 36 points was the team’s lowest single-game total of the season, and 455 yards was its second-lowest to-tal of the season.

Malone finished his stellar career by throwing for 269 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 23 yards, while Scott improved his Harlon Hill candidacy by rushing for 169 yards and two touchdowns and leading all receivers with five catches for 76 yards. Wide receiver Jonathan Ferguson finished with five catches for 56 yards, while Knox finished with 44 yards and led all re-ceivers with two touchdowns.

“[The seniors] have meant everything to our program; guys like [Knox, Malone and Scott] and Mike Kern, Thomp-son, Collins, Holloway and all the seniors did such an incredible job of leading the team,” Thomsen said. “I feel bad for them for not moving on, but they helped take a program where it has never been, and I’m forever grate-ful for that.”

Defensively, linebacker Fred Thompson finished with a game-high 11 tackles and add-ed a half sack. Linebacker Eric Edwards and safety Tony Harp finished with eight tackles, while defensive lineman Nick Jones led ACU with one sack and a fumble recovery.

The Wildcats finished the season 11-1, their best season since 1977, and earned their

first outright Lone Star Confer-ence championship since 1973. ACU also finished a perfect 10-0 in the regular season, the second undefeated regular sea-son in school history.

“It was an awesome year in a lot of ways on and off the field, and the relationships that you develop through football are really the true rewards,” Thomsen said. “Winning the conference was awesome, and the perfect regular season and playoff win and all that was great, but the relationships that you develop through all that is really the most mean-ingful thing, and those will continue to move on. That’s the best thing about football.”

Cross Country: Focus shifts to track and field

to win yet again, one of them being the weather. The races were in Slippery Rock, Pa., which has considerably cold-er weather than Abilene.

Weather conditions in the days preceding the race and on race day were less than favorable. Average highs in Slippery Rock for late No-vember were in the upper 40s; however, on race day, they only reached the mid-20s. Accompanying the frig-id temperatures were a light breeze and an inch of snow on the track. Burroughs felt the weather may have affect-

ed his team’s performance to a degree.

“The weather played a part,” Burroughs said. “We tried to condition our bodies by training in the mornings. However, Abilene weather is nothing like we just raced in that day.”

With the cross country season complete, the mem-bers of the men and women’s teams will now concentrate on a track and field program, which like its cross country counterpart is rich in tradi-tion. Burroughs will coach the long-distance runners under head track and field coach Don Hood. Burroughs

believes the cross country season will serve as a moti-vator for the runners as they move to track and field.

“I hope some of the indi-vidual performances serve as a positive motivator for their training in both out-door and indoor track and field,” he said.

Despite the team’s inabili-ty to win a third-consecutive title, it was still a successful season for the Wildcat cross country teams; the men won an unprecedented 18th con-secutive Lone Star Confer-ence title and an impressive eighth Regional title in the last nine years — a season

that first-year head coach Burroughs and his teams can look back on with pride.

“This was a transition year for Abilene Christian; change is always hard,” Burroughs said. “Athletes can accept change and jump on board or resist it and become bit-ter. As these kids and I get to know each other better, things will smooth out as we move towards the future.”

Split: Team combats slow starts in games

with just 10 minutes left in the game but settled down for an impressive come-from-behind win. Lavender was pleased with her team’s resiliency.

“I’m happy we got the win,” Lavender said. “I felt like we could have thrown in the tow-el when we found ourselves down in the second half, but we did not. We did a good job of doing the thing we didn’t do against St. Edward’s by finish-ing our shots.”

The team still did not shoot as well as it would like to have. The Wildcats shot 42.9 percent, while Permian Basin shot only 27.1 percent from the field. While the team’s field-goal shooting percentage did im-prove in the second game, their three-point percentage did not; ACU shot only 10 percent from behind the arc.

Center Audrey Maxwell-Live-ly scored her second consecu-tive double-double by getting 16 points and 13 rebounds. But it was senior forward Kristee

Davidson who provided the energy the Wildcats would need in coming back to knock off UT-PB. Davidson scored 11 points and grabbed four re-bounds, most of which came down the stretch after the Wild-cats found themselves trailing by five points late. Davidson has missed considerable time with an injury and still is try-ing to get back into the swing of things.

“I’m still trying to get com-fortable on the court again,” Davidson said. “We started kind of sloppy but played great when it counted at the end. We pulled it out but we know we can play better.”

The team will be back in action Saturday against South-eastern Oklahoma at 2 p.m. in Moody Coliseum. The wom-en’s game will be immediately followed by the men’s game against the same opponent. Lavender encourages ACU fans to come out and cheer on the teams.

E-mail Craig at: [email protected]

E-mail Abston at: [email protected]

E-mail Craig at: [email protected]

E-mail Gwin at: [email protected]




Chapel: Length, program changes possible for futurereduce traffic congestion that causes the readers to malfunction.

Lewis said Spiritual Life will be gathering and review-ing the data from the end-of-the-semester Chapel surveys and using the information to improve Chapel in the future. Topics, including the length and presentation of Chapel programs are discussed in the survey to allow the possibility of change.

In this way, students are given the opportunity to par-ticipate and have input in the way Chapel functions each se-mester, Lewis said.

The success with the “Ser-mon on the Mount” theme to this semester’s Chapel pro-gram has led the Spiritual Life office to consider planning

ahead for future themes and speakers. A three-year pro-gram in which guest speakers and themes are chosen in ad-vance allows those involved in Chapel to feel more prepared.

“We design Chapel to bless students in their walk with the Lord and for those who may not have a relationship [with God], so that they can be exposed to what life in Christ is about,” Lewis said.

This week’s Chapel in-cludes senior reflections Tuesday in Moody, a special presentation by the Abilene Christian Elementary Chil-dren’s Choir Wednesday in Moody and Praise Day and Senior Blessing Friday. No Chapel will be offered dur-ing finals week.

Meador: Money recalls friend’s talent, mission

Gospel. It’s rare that you find both those gifts in the same person.”

Meador earned his bach-elor’s degree from Lipscomb University in 1960, and his master’s and doctorate de-grees from the University of Illinois, Urbana. Meador be-gan teaching at UCLA as an assistant professor of com-munication in 1963. He then went on to teach at the Uni-versity of Washington, Mis-souri State University and ACU, throughout the way specializing in Greek, Roman and Medieval studies.

Meador met and served as a pulpit minister with Money in Missouri during the mid-1970s.

In 1986, he was elected to the ACU Board of Trust-ees after making a favorable impression at a speaking en-gagement at the school the previous year. He served on the Board of Trustees for 21 years, retiring in 2007.

“I would call him a spiri-tual stabilizer on the board,” Money said. “He was always positive, always inspirational, always challenging ACU to be better and more effective and to have greater impact in the Kingdom [of God]. I think his advice was often sought out by the board.”

Meador also was known for his ministry work. He made several mission trips to Rus-sia, before and after the fall of Communism there. He often appeared on the American Religious Town Hall Television Program, a weekly television

program where clergy from different religious denomina-tions debate religious, politi-cal and social issues. Meador also wrote several religious books, including Walk With Me, Genesis: The Great Story, Promises to Keep and Stories That Astonish: The Parables of Jesus. Meador became the managing editor of 21st Cen-tury Christian magazine in 1992. Twelve years later, he served as guest chaplain in the U.S. Senate.

“His circle of influence went far beyond Churches of Christ,” Money said. “He al-ways reached out to people of other persuasions and back-grounds and felt very much at ease doing that. And I always admired that in him.”

Meador is survived by his wife, three children and their spouses and 10 grandchildren.

“He helped us to see the broader religious landscape and how ACU could have global impact,” Money said. “He was one of the early en-couragers of that.”


E-mail Spano at: [email protected]


E-mail Freeman at: [email protected]

ExpErt EduCAtor

Dr. Prentice Meador, Jr. taught communications, specializing in Greek, Roman and Medieval studies, at three colleges during his lifetime:

n University of Washingtonn Missouri State Universityn Abilene Christian University

By Jeff CraigSports Writer

The women’s basketball team split a pair of games over the weekend before Thanksgiving by defeating Texas-Permian Basin and fall-ing to St. Edward’s.

In the first game of the weekend, the St. Edward’s Lady Hilltoppers defeated the Wildcats 70-60 to improve to 3-1 on the season. This game was a rematch from a game earlier in November in which St. Edward’s beat ACU 66-51. Head coach Shawna Laven-der said she saw many of the same mistakes in the second game, which led to her team’s defeat in the first game.

“I really expected us to

come out more focused than we did in our last game against them,” Lavender said. “St. Edward’s hit a bunch of big shots, while we missed some easy shots.”

The Hilltoppers shot 40 percent from the field, while ACU shot 35.8 percent for the game. St. Edward’s also out-shot the Wildcats from the free-throw line shooting 89.5 percent compared to 62.5 percent for the Wildcats.

Individually, the team had some nice performanc-es. Guard Kat Kundmueller scored six points while grab-bing seven rebounds and dishing out seven assists in 37 minutes. Wildcat center

Audrey Maxwell-Lively put in another solid perfor-mance, scoring 19 points while grabbing 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Lavender said she was impressed with the solid performance by Max-well-Lively and also how her team utilized her presence in the paint.

“Audrey played well again. Everyone is starting to recognize that a lot of what we do goes through her,” Lavender said.

The Wildcats bounced back in the second game of the weekend by beating the Texas-Permian Basin Falcons 50-43. ACU found itself down 29-24

n Run-ning back Bernard Scott was announced as one of three finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy, given to

the top player in Division II. Scott will join North Alabama quarterback A.J. Milwee and Central Washington quarter-back Mike Reilly in Florence, Ala., where the winner will be announced Dec. 12 at the Harlon Hill Trophy and Division II Football Hall of Fame Ban-quet. Scott rushed for 2,156 yards and 28 touchdowns and caught 47 passes for 826 yards and six touchdowns.

SportsWednesday December 3, 2008

Standings

FootballTeam Div. OverallACUWTAMU Tarleton St.TAMU-KMSU

Angelo St.

6-05-13-33-33-31-5

11-111-28-37-46-43-8

ENMU 0-6 2-9

SCOREBOARD

NOTES

Saturday

Women’s BasketballACU vs. SE Oklahoma St., 2 p.m.

Men’s Basketball

ACU vs. SE Oklahoma St., 4 p.m.

Monday

Women’s BasketballACU vs. East Central, 6 p.m.

Men’s BasketballACU vs. East Central, 8 p.m.

:: Home games listed in italics

Upcoming

Saturday

FootballNWMSU 45, ACU 36

Scores

Scott

n The Wildcat baseball team added three junior college transfers for the 2010 season. Sophomore pitchers Zach Sneed and David Carpenter will play for Paris Junior Col-lege this season and sopho-more pitcher Will Calhoun will play for Howard College.

n The ACU golf team an-nounced that Anson standout Kyle Dickerson has signed a national letter-of-intent to play collegiately for ACU be-ginning in 2009-10. Dickerson is a three-year letterwinner for Anson and has won three-straight individual district championships as well as qualified for both the regional and state tournaments in all three of his seasons.

n The ACU softball team added two players for the 2010 season. Catcher Stephanie Tingle will transfer to ACU from Mt. San Antonio College in California after earning first-team all-South Coast Conference honors. Shelby Hall has signed a national letter-of-intent out of Red Oak High School and will be a four-year letterwinner when she graduates.

Basketball team suffers two overtime losses at homeBy Austin GwinSports Writer

The Wildcats lost a pair of overtime games during the past two weeks but improved to .500 on the season with a win before Thanksgiving four games into the season.

On Nov. 20, the Wildcats took on Dallas Baptist and lost in overtime. After being down by four points with just over a minute left, the Wild-cats were able to scratch back and tie the game at 90 with 28 seconds left. However, they were dominated in the over-time period 18-9. What killed the Wildcats in overtime was poor shooting. In the extra pe-riod, ACU was only 3-9 from the field and 0-5 from beyond the three-point line.

ACU leading scorer De-jan Sencanski led all scorers

with 27 points, including a perfect 10-10 from the free-throw line. Dante Adams and Milos Klimovic also scored in double-figures.

The Wildcats were plagued by turnovers throughout reg-ulation, totaling 24. DBU was able to capitalize off those turnovers, scoring 26 points, which proved to be the differ-ence in the contest.

“We learned that there is a fine line between winning and losing,” said head coach Jason Copeland of the two overtime losses. “It opened up the eyes of some of the new guys to what it takes to win at this level.”

Two days later, the Wild-cats suffered another heart-breaking defeat, this time against Huston Tillotson,

who beat ACU in a double-overtime thriller 92-90.

The Wildcats were able to force a second overtime after Sencanski hit a lay-up with 17 seconds left on the clock. But the Rams up-tem-po offense wore down the Wildcats in double overtime as they went up 87-85, a lead they didn’t relinquish.

The Rams were led by D’Mond Grismore. He scored 33 points and had 17 rebounds. Grismore barely played in ei-ther overtime period due to cramps but still managed to lead all scorers. Sencanski de-livered again for the Wildcats, posting 24 points and 14 re-bounds, although shooting 0-4 from the three-point line.

Both teams shot poorly from the three-point line; the Emily Jorgenson :: staff photographer

Guard Riley Lambert dribbles upcourt against Hillsdale Free Will Baptist on Nov. 17. The Wildcats are 2-2 and will play SE Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Bearcats Bite Back

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer

Wide receiver Edmund Gates looks upfield during Saturday’s playoff game against Northwest Missouri State. The Wildcats lost 45-36 to the Bearcats in the third round of the NCAA Division II playoffs at Shotwell Stadium. The Bearcats advance to the semifinals where they will face North Alabama.

Wildcats take fourth at nationalsBy Jeff CraigSports Writer

A season of change for the cross country team came to a close on Nov. 22, with the men’s team finishing fourth at the NCAA Divi-sion II Na-tional Cham-pionship.

T h e men’s team entered the race having won the last two nation-al titles and looking for a third. Polls preceding the race had ACU ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Adams State, who would end up winning both the men and women’s team titles. Head coach Sam Burroughs said he was disappointed that team did not claim a third-straight championship but applauds the effort put in by Adams State.

“I was of course disap-pointed that we did not take first place again, but I tip my hat to Adams State,” Burroughs said. “There were great perfor-mances by both their men and women’s teams.”

Adams State’s final team score was 67, while second place Western State had a score of 88. ACU finished with an over-all score of 128, just eight points behind third place Chico State.

Chico State’s Scott Bauhs captured the individual crown by finishing the 10-ki-lometer race in 30:23. Senior all-American Julius Nyango was the Wildcats’ top fin-isher coming in 13th with a time of 31:39, just five sec-onds ahead of teammate and fellow all-American Daniel Maina, who crossed the line in 18th place. The other ACU entrants were Cleophas Ta-nui, who finished 37th with a time of 32:14; Charles White, who finished 40th with a time of 32:17; Serge Gasore, who finished 46th in 32:23; and Jacob Schofield who fin-ished 143rd in 34:58.

Burroughs said he was again impressed by the de-termination and commit-ment of freshman Charles White. White had an excel-lent season for the Wildcats, giving the team great prom-ise for the future.

“Charles again exceeded our expectations,” Bur-roughs said. “For his fresh-man debut at the national championship, we hoped he would finish 50th; however, he finished 40th. This was his best race of the year.”

The Wildcats had their sights set on a third consec-utive title, but Burroughs felt numerous factors played into his team being unable

By Grant AbstonSports Editor

The Wildcats record-break-ing season came to a close Sat-urday after losing to Northwest Missouri State 45-36 in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals, ending one of the most success-ful seasons in ACU history.

One week after scoring 93 points against West Texas A&M, the Wildcat offense was never able to get going, as the Bearcats improved to 12-1 over-all and advanced for the fourth-straight year to the semifinals, where they will face North Ala-bama. It was the second meet-ing this season between the two teams, as ACU defeated NWMSU in the first game of the regular season 44-27.

“I thought it was a hard-fought game, and Northwest

Missouri State out-executed us in critical situations in the game, and that was the differ-ence,” said head coach Chris Thomsen. “Our guys played hard and battled back, but we didn’t execute enough in criti-cal parts of the game.”

On the opening series of the game, NWMSU got on the board first, capping an eight-play, 66-yard drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joel Osborn to wide receiver Abe Qaoud. However, the Wildcats would answer, tak-ing a 10-7 lead on the next two possessions after kicker Matt Adams hit a 47-yard field goal and wide receiver Johnny Knox caught a 9-yard

touchdown pass from quar-terback Billy Malone.

With two minutes re-maining in the first quarter, Bearcat quarterback Blake Bolles found wide receiver Greg Applegate for a 2-yard touchdown to put NWMSU up 14-10 after the first quarter. Running back LaRon Council extended the Bearcats’ lead to 21-10 to open up the second quarter before both teams ex-changed scores to close out the first half. Adams hit a 25-yard field goal before Osborn threw his second touchdown of the game to extend the lead to 28-13. Knox caught his sec-ond touchdown of the game with 21 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 28-20 at half.

“We didn’t execute well at times [in the first half], and getting a touchdown right be-

fore half was critical to get the momentum,” Thomsen said. “I thought we did a good job of getting back and making a game, and we had oppor-tunities but didn’t capitalize. We didn’t convert on third downs, and I thought that was the key to the game.”

On ACU’s first possession of the second half, running back Bernard Scott pulled the Wildcats within one after scor-ing on an 8-yard touchdown

Cats’ season comes to close after 45-36 loss to NWMSU

Basketball

See Basketball page 7

See Split page 7 See Cross Country page 7

See Football page 7

ACU defeats Permian Basin, falls to St. Edward’sBasketball

Football

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer

Center Audrey Maxwell-Lively tips the ball in a scrimmage against McMurry.

NWMSU 45, acU 36

Men’s BasketballTeam Div. OverallAngelo St.WTAMUTarleton St.TAMU-KACUMSUENMU

0-00-00-00-00-00-00-0

3-04-14-23-22-23-32-3

Women’s BasketballTeam Div. OverallWTAMUENMUTarleton St.ACUAngelo St.TAMU-KMSU

0-00-00-00-00-00-00-0

5-05-23-22-23-42-31-3

acuoptimist.com

Go online to see high-lights of ACU’s playoff

loss to Northwest Missouri State

Burroughs

the optimist - dec. 3, 2008

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