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Football Prizes: Players earn multitude of honors

GSP, Sub T-16 winfootball ticket sales contest

COBA revamps upcoming SpringBoard Challenge

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Pg. 5 Not-so Silent Night: ACU performs Christmas concert Friday, December 5, 2008 :: Vol. 97, No. 28 :: 1 sections, 8 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com

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Holidayhazards may hurt season funBy Kelline LintonChief Copy Editor

With the holidays approaching, students can expect all the joys of Christmas—family, food and presents—but should not over-look the sinister safety hazards special to the season.

As finals week winds to a close and students pack their vehicles and prepare for the journey home, the ACU Police Department stresses travel as the No. 1 safety concern.

“Travel safety starts with mak-ing sure you get enough sleep, enough rest before you hit the road,” said Jimmy Ellison, chief of ACU Police Department.

Ellison recommends sharing driving responsibilities or taking frequent breaks to prevent driv-ing fatigue.

“Recognize the signs of high-way hypnosis,” he said. “Anytime you’re behind the wheel for two or three hours, you start getting tired, things are monotonous and before you know it, you’re dozing off and you’re swerving.”

Sleepy drivers always can stop at the nearest gas station for a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. They also can begin the holiday festivities early by carpooling with friends and singing Christ-mas carols until hoarse.

Although snow is traditional Christmas weather, unpredictable climate changes like sleet and ice can ruin any merry holiday. Ellison recommends students check the weather conditions on their driv-ing routes before leaving ACU.

Disorder DangerHoliday season increases risk

for people struggling with eating disorders

About 150 freshmen girls will at-tend the annual Christmas party in the West Lobby of Gardner

Residence Hall at 10 p.m. Monday, and like any Christmas party, food will be everywhere.

“If just one person out of those 150 isn’t eating, or is overeating and then just walks away, they’re going to go unnoticed,” said Katherine Lewis, junior social work major from Wichita, Kan., and former resi-dent assistant in Garnder Hall. “I never entered into those activities with the mindset of I should be watching people to make sure everyone is emotionally stable tonight.”

The holiday season can be the most difficult time of year for a student dealing with an eating disorder. This struggle, often unnoticed, forces students to face the challenges of going home for the holidays, the por-trayal of food as a form of celebra-tion and the capability of the season to act as a trigger into a relapse.

According to the National Eating Disor-ders of America, NEDA, the two most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia is a condi-tion characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. Bulimia is characterized by a cycle of binge eating, consuming

By Sondra RodriguezStudent Reporter

millionFemales in the Unites States are fighting a life or death battle with eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia.

10

1millionMales in the Unites States are fighting a life or death battle with eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia.

percentof girls at age 13 are unhappy with their body shape and size.

53

78percentof girls at age 17 are unhappy with their body shape and size.

See Disorders page 3Source: www.nationaleatingdisorders.orgSee Hazards page 4

Noose culprit still at large despite thorough investigation By Michael FreemanManaging Editor

On Sept. 3, a noose placed in Students’ Association Pres-ident Daniel Paul Watkins’ office chair shocked the ACU community. More than three months later, the perpetrator of the incident has yet to be identified.

The ACU Police Depart-ment examined all its known

leads and scrutinized every piece of informa-tion it ob-tained, but so far the culprit and his or her specific in-tentions are still a mystery, said Jimmy Ellison, chief of ACU Police Department.

“We have conducted an ex-tremely thorough investiga-tion,” Ellison said. “Obviously, we would’ve liked for there to

be a positive outcome by iden-tifying the person who did this and determining what their motive was. Unfortunately, we

have not been able to do that.”The department received

new information about the incident as late as mid-

October; however, all leads proved fruitless.

“This case was a very nega-tive, very unfortunate inci-dent both for Daniel Paul as well as the institution,” Ellison said. “I think both Daniel Paul and the institution deserve to know what happened; that’s why we have investigated it as thoroughly as we have.”

Watkins

Obviously we would’ve liked for there to be a positive outcome...unfortunately we have not been able to do that.

:: Jimmy Ellison, chief of ACU Police Department

“”

Exam Class Exam8 a.m. 10-11:45 a.m., Friday, 12 8 a.m. 8-9:45 a.m., Wednesday, 109 a.m. 2-3:45 p.m., Thursday, 11 9:30 a.m. 8-9:45 a.m., Friday, 1210 a.m. 10-11:45 a.m., Tuesday, 9 Noon Noon-1:45 p.m., Thursday, 11Noon Noon-1:45 p.m., Wednesday, 10 1:30 p.m. Noon-1:45 p.m., Tuesday, 91 p.m. 8-9:45 a.m., Thursday, 11 3 p.m. 2-3:45 p.m., Wednesday, 102 p.m. Noon-1:45 p.m., Friday, 12 4:30 p.m. 4-5:45 p.m., Tuesday, 93 p.m. 2-3:45 p.m., Tuesday, 9 6 p.m., Tues 6:30-8:15 p.m., Tuesday, 94 p.m. 4-5:45 p.m., Thursday, 11 6:30 p.m., Tues 6:30-8:15 p.m., Tuesday, 96 p.m. 6:30-8:15 p.m., Monday, 8 6 p.m., Thurs 6:30-8:15 p.m., Thursday, 116:30 p.m. 6:30-8:15 p.m., Monday, 8 6:30 p.m, Thurs 6:30-8:15 p.m., Thursday, 11

Students prepare for finalsBy Chelsea HackneyStudent Reporter

Finals are on the horizon, and as with every semester, students already are thinking to the week ahead, planning study sessions, staking out prime locations in the Brown Library and stressing.

For most students, exams are just one more thing to work into an already crammed schedule.

Jason Sanchez, junior politi-cal science major from Abilene, said, “Finals are coming up fast, and I’m nervous that I won’t have time to prepare. I still have a lot to read and review on top of the fact that I work late every day.”

Some students said with such a large number of tests and essays required throughout the semes-ter, finals week will be like any other week. For others, though, it

is a hectic time of the semester, as students attempt to prepare adequately while still working and getting ready to go home for the holidays.

However, this semester stu-dents should be relieved to know the Brown Library will be open until 3:00 a.m., beginning Dec. 1 until Dec. 11. The extra time

Finals schedule

Class Exam Class Exam8 a.m. 10-11:45 a.m., Friday, 12 8 a.m. 8-9:45 a.m., Wednesday, 109 a.m. 2-3:45 p.m., Thursday, 11 9:30 a.m. 8-9:45 a.m., Friday, 1210 a.m. 10-11:45 a.m., Tuesday, 9 Noon Noon-1:45 p.m., Thursday, 11Noon Noon-1:45 p.m., Wednesday, 10 1:30 p.m. Noon-1:45 p.m., Tuesday, 91 p.m. 8-9:45 a.m., Thursday, 11 3 p.m. 2-3:45 p.m., Wednesday, 102 p.m. Noon-1:45 p.m., Friday, 12 4:30 p.m. 4-5:45 p.m., Tuesday, 93 p.m. 2-3:45 p.m., Tuesday, 9 6 p.m., Tues 6:30-8:15 p.m., Tuesday, 94 p.m. 4-5:45 p.m., Thursday, 11 6:30 p.m., Tues 6:30-8:15 p.m., Tuesday, 96 p.m. 6:30-8:15 p.m., Monday, 8 6 p.m., Thurs 6:30-8:15 p.m., Thursday, 116:30 p.m. 6:30-8:15 p.m., Monday, 8 6:30 p.m, Thurs 6:30-8:15 p.m., Thursday, 11

See Finals page 7

MWF Classes TR Classes

*To see a complete schedule visit www.acu.edu

See Noose 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 began 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 activities 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 thompsonc@acu.edu.The annual H-E-B Feast of Sharing will take place Dec. 9 at the Abilene Civic Center from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. This is a time when the entire Abilene commu-nity is invited to come and share a free meal together. In addition to enjoying a meal, a need for volunteers to help with various aspects of the event is also need-ed. If interested in helping, please register at www.acallforhelp.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 muse-um relies on capable and trained volunteers. For more information about volunteer opportunities at The Grace, please call 673-4587.

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

5 p.m.The Ice House Outdoor Ice Skating Rink at Nelson Park, Festival Gardens

6 p.m.18th Annual Christmas Lane at the Abilene State School

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.

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

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.

2 p.m. ACU women’s basketball versus East Central

4 p.m.ACU men’s basketball versus East Central

6 p.m.18th Annual Christmas Lane at the Abilene State School

Calendar and Events

Announcements

Sunday5

Friday Saturday Monday

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.

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-Learning in the Bean Sprout. Gifts need to be returned to the VSLC by Friday. 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.

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. 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.

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.

ArtWalk “City Lights” will be Thursday 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.

“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.

CreditedChapels

CreditedChapels

Checkup

71 0Chapel

Friday, December 5, 2008

Campus Day2

acuoptimist.com

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The Optimist maintains this calendar for the ACU community to keep track of local social, academic and service opportunities.

Groups may send announcements directly to jmcnetwork@acu.edu or to the Page 2 Editor at mab07d@acu.edu.

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

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

Watch videos on the upcoming Shinnery Review Slithy Tove in the Shore Art Gallery and the ACU art and craft fair 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

About This Page

Corrections/ClarificationsChapel checkup was inaccurate in Wednesday’s edition of the Optimist. It said 64 Chapels had occured and four Chapels were

remaining, but it should have said 69 Chapels had occured and two Chapels were remaining.

Friday, December 5, 2008 Page 3FROM THE FRONT / CAMPUS NEWS

Second SpringBoard Challenge spreads entrepreneurial spiritBy Tanner AndersonPage Designer

Everyone has them, those quirky ideas that come to you instantaneously in the middle of the night. They seem so far fetched that you quickly toss them aside. With the second SpringBoard Ideas Challenge, ACU will reward students who implement these ideas with cash and an opportunity to pursue their business dreams.

Last year Ryan Stephens, senior finance major from Houston, was on his way to law school; he was studying for the LSATS and preparing for a life after ACU, but his plans changed after last year’s

Ideas Challenge. He entered a 10-page business plan that fo-cused on linking churches to-gether through a social network online; he described it as a Fa-cebook for churches. The idea won first place in the student competition, and Stephens was awarded $7,500 for his effort. In total the event awarded its participants with $30,000.

“I think SpringBoard is unique. It can truly launch you towards a person’s desires and pursuits,” Stephens said.

Stephens is now the stu-dent director of this year’s SpringBoard Ideas Challenge and currently is in prepara-tion for setting up the event. Due dates and specifics are

still being discussed; although the entry date for the compe-tition has not been set, Ste-phens said it would not hurt if students who were interested began planning their ideas early for the competition.

“Last year I didn’t know the first thing about the business plan. The way the system is set up, the odds are set up to ben-efit you,” Stephens said.

While most of the compe-tition is relatively the same, this year does have one major change. Last year the compe-tition was only open to stu-dents and faculty enrolled in universities across Abilene. Now the rules have changed to allow anyone who is over

the age of 18 and a resident of Abilene to participate. The competition last year had two groups — one for students and the other for faculty; now it has three. A community cat-egory will have two divisions: a pre-revenue division for participants who have a con-cept but no business and a post-revenue division for peo-ple who currently have small businesses and are looking to expand. The third category will be for students enrolled in Abilene’s universities.

Jim Porter, ACU’s entre-preneur-in-residence, said the business plan project was created for companies that have just begun a busi-

ness or have a business idea they want to pursue.

Porter created the event in order to interest students and create a renewal of the entrepre-neurial spirit across Abilene.

“The event stemmed an incredible amount of inter-est within the Abilene com-munity, and it went so well that we decided to open it up to the entire Taylor County,” Porter said. “This is for Abilene, and it’s just a huge thrill for us to help facilitate people’s dreams. We don’t think that we’re the ones changing lives. We’re just creating a venue; it’s the people who participate who change them.”

To prepare for the entre-preneurial spirit, the ideas challenge will display scenar-ios and problems on its web-site and will reward students who have the best solutions with cash for the holidays. To find out more about the SpringBoard Ideas Challenge, visit its Web site at www.springboardchallenge.com.

“This is one of the best opportunities for students and other participants to experience a real world en-deavor while they’re in col-lege,” Porter said.

Disorders: Holidays facilitate pressure, emotional challenges

an unusually large amount of food quickly and to the point of physical discomfort, fol-lowed by purging or self-in-duced vomiting. This is done to compensate or undo the ef-fects of binge eating. Both are triggered by an extreme con-cern with self-image and by the intense fear of being “fat” or becoming “fat” after eating. The severity of both is intensi-fied over the holiday season.

Cara Flanders, therapist in the University Counsel-ing Center, treats students struggling with eating dis-orders on campus and said holidays are a challenge because students must go home and face any changes that have happened since they left for school.

“Let’s say a freshman gained weight their first semester,” she said. “They know they’re going to see old friends so they think ‘okay, I need to get this off,’

so they may experiment with some ways of doing that.”

Experiments include bring-ing and purging which can rap-idly become a habitual cycle.

“That cycle starts to con-trol them,” she said.

Lewis said this cycle goes unnoticed.

“I would say 10 percent of the girls on my hall struggled with some sort of eating disor-der,” Lewis said. “And I’d say most RA’s have no idea.”

Going home for the holi-days also means students will struggle to keep their disorders hidden from parents, said Steve Rowlands, director of the Uni-versity Counseling Center.

“You can come to college and hide the stuff you’re struggling with,” Rowlands said. “But when you go home, your mom’s cooking the food you used to like and she’s wondering why you aren’t eat-ing as much.”

Rowlands said students struggling with a disor-der also are faced with any

stresses left behind when he or she went to college.

“You may go home and be confronted with some emo-tional things you haven’t had to deal with all semester,” he said. “There’s a correlation be-tween these eating disorders and social pressures.”

Flanders said family stress is a primary factor, and as a result, “that disor-der can be magnified.”

A student with a disorder also may struggle with the fact that food is everywhere during the holidays.

“You can’t think of any place where there’s not food,” Row-lands said. “For someone con-cerned about their body image or eating habits, whether it is anorexia or overeating, those are both grounds that would be challenged that time of year.”

In an article by Dr. Randy Hartman at the Center for Change, a Utah based reha-bilitation center for young women struggling with eating disorders, he said the holiday

season is the worst time of the year for sufferers.

They are “trapped in the private hell of anorexia or se-vere bulimia. Thanksgiving and Christmas magnify all the personal demons and cause great internal pain and tur-moil,” he said.

Flanders said a single bite or even the presence of food can cause such anxiety.

“Some people have an issue realizing that food is not evil,” she said. “But eating a bite of that really nice pie can trigger them to purge because they feel like they ate too much.”

Flanders said many people do not struggle with an actual eating disorder but are diag-nosed with disordered eating.

According to NEDA, this is a condition that means people’s attitudes about food, weight, body size and shape may be causing them to have strict eating and exercise habits that jeopardize their health, happi-ness and safety.

This attitude can easily spi-

ral out of control and develop into an actual disorder.

Flanders said it is important to be aware of the differences in disordered eating and eating disorders—disordered eating may balance off after the holi-days, but anorexia and bulimia are year round.

Lewis said people do not realize how many students struggle with an eating disor-der on campus.

“I think since we’re on a Christian campus, a person with an eating disorder is re-ally stigmatized,” she said. “Being able to talk about dis-orders openly on this campus boils down to the fact that we have to be more loving and ac-cepting. Then, people would be more willing to talk about it, but right now it’s so hidden and closed off.”

Late one night as the fall semester came to an end, Lewis heard a knock on the door of her third-floor hall. She opened it to see a fresh-man girl sobbing.

“She told me that she was struggling with an eating disor-der,” Lewis said. “She told me it was something she dealt with in the past and she thought she was doing better since coming to school, but already felt her-self slipping back into it.”

Eating disorders exist on this campus, and the stresses of the holiday season have the poten-tial to amplify their severity.

If anyone thinks he or she may be struggling with any disorder, Flanders recom-mends scheduling an appoint-ment in the Counseling Cen-ter located in the basement of McKinzie Hall.

“You just have to get enough of the right factors together, and a disorder can start,” she said.

An appointment will allow a student to talk to someone, explore these factors and learn skills to handle them.

“Don’t blow it off, but don’t blow it up,” she said.

E-mail Rodriguez at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

E-mail Anderson at: tsa04a@acu.edu

Continued from page 1

Friday, December 5, 2008Page 4 FROM THE FRONT / CAMPUS NEWS

Hazards: Burglary, house fires pose holiday dangers“You might be driving home

to Kansas, and it might be 80 degrees in Abilene but snowing in Oklahoma and Kansas,” Elli-son said.

Although bad weather is a hazard, drinking and driving can have worse consequences.

“The holiday season, from Thanksgiving through New Year, is traditionally the time of year law enforcement sees the worst accidents and deaths stemming from alcohol-related impaired judgment,” according to Associated Content.

Texas leads the nation in al-cohol related accidents; Texas police arrested 94,605 people for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics in 2007; the age group with the most DUI arrestees was the 20-to-24-year-old set with almost 18,000 arrests, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

To prevent drunk driv-ing, DPS will have all available troopers patrolling Texas roads during the Christmas weekend.

When preparing for the trip home, students need to move their bicycles inside their hous-es and residence hall rooms to prevent holiday thieves from snatching free gifts. Bike thefts spike during the Christmas break, Ellison said.

Vehicles also can be parked in the campus’ interior lots so they are less enticing to burglars.

“For all practical purposes, the campus is deserted for a month, and so we have less eyes and ears to report things to us,” he said.

Students with houses should lock their residences and stop their mail and newspaper deliv-eries if they are leaving for an extended time period.

“A three-week pile of news-papers and an oversized mail-box is like a neon sign for a bur-glar,” Ellison said.

Once students are home for the holidays, new safety con-cerns arise.

A glass of milk and a plate of cookies await Santa Claus this Christmas Eve, but the jolly man

might not make it if he cannot fit down the chimney. The best solution to avoid such a horrible hazard? Clean the chimney, re-moving all obstructions.

Chimneys should be in-spected and cleaned every three years, said Gary Hamner, public education officer for the Abilene Fire Department.

The black carbon that accu-mulates in chimneys is highly flammable, and overheating a chimney can loosen bricks, al-lowing fire to sneak into attics and walls.

“It can become an explo-sive situation if bad enough,” Hamner said.

Chimney inspectors not only clean the black carbon from the chimney’s interior but also check for and remove birds’ nests and other barriers, ensur-ing the chimney is ready to ac-commodate merry Saint Nick.

During the holidays, cook-ing fires, candles and heating units like chimneys are always problems for the Abilene Fire Department, Hamner said.

Although red cinnamon-scented candles add a festive touch, lit candles should never be left unattended.

Heating units are hazards especially for wrapping paper and Christmas trees. Central heating and air-conditioning devices dry the trees, making them more susceptible to fire.

“Christmas trees should be placed at least 6 feet from heat-ers and fireplaces,” Hamner said. “Wrapping paper should never be left near space heaters.”

Tearing open presents and throwing the striped and dot-ted wrapping papers all over the living room floor, creating a sea of red and green, is one of the holiday’s most sacred traditions, but students should not forget the accompanying fire risks. If nothing else, think of loveable pets like Fido and Fluffy choking on discarded papers before leaving the mess cleanup for another day.

Decorating for Christmas also can generate safety risks.

“People overload their elec-

trical circuits and fall off their ladders,” Hamner said.

Shayne White, ER medical director with Abilene Regional Medical Center, said he rarely sees people who fall off ladders or roofs.

“These tend to be the worst injuries when they do hap-pen because they can lead to broken bones and punctured lungs,” he said.

As students decorate their Christmas trees, they should keep a wary eye on grandpa’s antique Christmas ornament. That family heirloom may con-tain a deadly hazard—a teta-nus-infested, rusty hook.

Although sparkly, glass or-naments are a beautiful holi-day addition, most boast sharp hooks that can sadden anyone’s day with an unexpected slip.

The greatest worry for most families is a burnt ham.

“We’ll see our share of cook-ing fires,” Hamner said.

White said holiday injuries at the ER tend to be kitchen-related knife accidents.

“Guess nobody cooks but during the holidays,” he said.

When students carve the ham or turkey, White recom-mends they cut away from their body.

Family and food may be a good mixture, but fellowship should never be a distraction from a sharp knife or unat-tended open flame, whether on the stove or grill.

“Every year a family loses a home in Abilene,” Hamner said. “Space heaters, candles, stoves—they burn a house down every year.”

As students take full ad-vantage of their winter break to enjoy the holidays with family and friends, they can keep these possible hazards in mind to ensure a safe and merry Christmas.

Gamma Sigma Phi, Sub T-16 claim cash prizes in ticket contestBy Heather LeiphartStudent Reporter

After hours of number crunching and double-check-ing, the final results are in for the student organization foot-ball ticket contest. The winner of the $1,000 prize for the or-ganization with more than 50 members that purchased the highest percentage of tickets is Gamma Sigma Phi. The winning organization with 49 members or less is Sub T-16, with a prize of $500, and the sophomores took the class division, winning $1,000 to use as they please.

“We did it to try to produce excitement for the game,” said Lynne Bruton, director of pub-

lic relations. “There were pock-ets of people excited, but we wanted the whole university excited about it, so that’s when we came up with the contest to get students more involved.”

The competition was divid-ed into a student organization contest and a class contest. All student clubs and organiza-tions formalized through Stu-dent Life could enter, and more than 20 groups participated. The count was based on the per-centage of tickets bought com-pared to total number of mem-bers, allowing clubs with fewer members to compete alongside larger clubs. Football ticket pur-chases were limited to four per person during the competition,

and only tickets purchased in advance qualified.

“We were trying to get peo-ple to the game, not necessar-ily to get them to buy tickets,” Bruton said. “We figured if they had tickets, they would be more likely to get to the game. We also tried to make ticket buying as easy as possible.”

During the contest, tickets were available in the Campus Center during lunch and din-ner hours, residence halls and the regular location in Moody Coliseum. For the last game, tickets were available at a table during the tailgate party, and students also were able to charge the ticket to their student accounts to

help those who normally do not carry cash.

The competition definitely paid off, Bruton said. The last advanced ticket count was a record of approximately 2,800 students. About 9,000 people attended the last game, a huge number on a Thanksgiving weekend, and of all NCAA Di-vision II football playoff games played that day, ACU had the largest crowd. Both playoff football games totaled about 20,000 people, not including visitors, she said.

The first thousand who ar-rived with their tickets and stu-dent IDs in hand received a free T-shirt, hot dogs, chips and a drink. Fans also won giveaways

such as pom-poms, hats, cush-ions and rally towels.

“I think that people were re-ally excited about the season, and I hope part of it was be-cause of what we tried to do,” Bruton said.

She said the social clubs were very competitive during the contest.

“Galaxy and GSP were the absolute most competitive out of everybody,” Bruton said. “They kept coming up and asking how they were doing.”

Eric Gentry, senior Biblical text major from DeSoto and president of Gamma Sigma Phi, said GSP has a tailgate party ev-ery home football game.

“We always have a high num-

ber of guys there. It’s a cool competition, and I think it’s a good idea for the Athletic De-partment to try to get organiza-tions involved,” Gentry said. “It’s a good way to get school spirit on campus.”

He said incentives encour-age participation. Taylor St-urgis, senior finance major from Plano and Galaxy presi-dent, agreed.

“With our club, there’s a lot of spirit behind the Athletic Department,” he said. “We’ve always been a staple at the foot-ball games.”

E-mail Leiphart at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Continued from page 1

E-mail Linton at: krl04b@acu.edu

Page 5December 5, 2008

ArtsFridayChristmas performance lends

wonder to all

A nyone walking through the large wooden doors of First Baptist Church

Tuesday night was immediate-ly immersed in the Christmas spirit created by the extrava-gant Christmas Vespers perfor-mance sponsored by the ACU Music Department.

The actual concert began at 8:15 p.m., but a musical pre-lude began at 8 o’clock. This prelude had several classical pieces performed by guest or-ganist Wes Gomer, by harpist Julie Eichelberger and finally by the ACU Orchestra. The prelude music set the stage for the practically unimaginable wonders of the rest of the eve-ning’s performance.

After giving a warm wel-come, Dr. Jack Reese, dean of the College of Biblical Studies, promised enduring the post-Christmas parade traffic would be well worth the audience’s time once the concert began. Needless to say, it was worth the wait.

The audience was asked to stand for the bidding prayer; after the prayer, ACU’s A Cap-pella chorus lined the walls of the sanctuary, beginning in the back and making its way to the front, as singers sang O Come, O Come Emmanuel. The audience, stunned and

moved by the first perfor-mance, was asked to sit, and the rest of the concert contin-ued to unfold beautifully.

Several readings from the Old and New Testaments were made as a quiet invitation for the audience to an openness

with God. Between each read-ing, performances, such as Candlelight Carol sung by the University Chorale and I Saw Three Ships sung by the A Cap-pella Chorus, drifted through the church. Along with special-ty songs, several hymns were

performed, and the audience was asked to join in the classic Christmas carols.

Although the concert in-volved mainly ACU performers, several guests participated. Vi-olin soloist John Madura plays with the Abilene Philharmonic

and is the Principle Violin of the Midland Symphony.

Greg Straughn, chair of the Music Department, said Madura was amazing. Be-sides Madura, Wes Gomer from McMurry University played wonderfully on the

organ, as did guest Dan Mitchell on the guitar.

Another aspect that added immeasurable depth to the concert was the fact the per-formers utilized facilities which were unavailable last year. The use of the organ and balcony created something very special during the event; the organ was played beautifully through-out, and the heavenly voices of the A Cappella chorus rang through the church when the singers took their places on the balcony above the audience.

Straughn said he was proud of the excellent turnout for the event, which was the second annual Christmas Vespers.

“There was a fantastic crowd. The organ was awesome, the vi-olinist amazing. Everything was picture perfect,” Straughn said.

Straughn said several au-dience members told him how the entire show was a great blessing.

Dr. Steven Ward, associate professor of music and director of bands, agreed.

“Everyone did a fantastic job,” Ward said. “It was very meaningful to me.”

Christmas in coffee shops helps alleviate study woesBy Sara SnelsonStudent Writer

Caffeine.It’s what keeps the student

body awake and going dur-ing finals week. For me, fall finals are always the hard-est to study because they fall during the Christmas season. And I would much rather be listening to Christmas music or watching Elf than studying for multiple tests. But at least a hot seasonal drink, Christ-mas music and a festive at-mosphere can make the read-ing, writing and memorizing somewhat more enjoyable.

Going to the library to study all the time can become tiresome. Walking into a cof-fee shop has a different feel-ing to it, especially during Christmas. The decorations, smells and sounds make it a more enjoyable and soothing place to comfortably sit, and in a way, it allows you to enjoy what you are doing, even if it is homework.

Most coffee and Internet shops in Abilene have pre-pared seasonal drinks and put up tinsel, lights, trees and holly to further deck the halls for their customers.

Beginning with the most famous: Starbucks. Located on South 14th Street and Buffalo Gap Road, both are

decorated with red, green, silver and gold (which is the color of the Christmas Blend packaging) in order to enhance the spirit. Some-times it can get too crowded to actually focus and study, but it definitely has a good holiday atmosphere. No need to bring headphones; Christmas music already is playing. This season its three signature drinks are a peppermint twist mocha, espresso truffle and ginger-snap latte.

From now until Jan. 2, 2009, for every signature drink that is bought, Star-bucks will give five cents to the global fund to save lives in Africa. The Starbucks in the Brown Library also is serving seasonal drinks and will be open through finals week. Al-though the library is staying open until 3 a.m., Starbucks still is closing at midnight.

Tuscany’s Coffee Shop, which attracts many university students, is offering holiday drinks as well — three differ-ent lattes, six different hot chocolates, caramel apple ci-der and cranberry cinnamon cider. It may be plentiful in drink options but it is lacking on Christmas decorations. Un-like Starbucks, Tuscany’s has a rather large food menu. Tus-cany’s is a good place to study

and has free Internet access. It also boasts live music on Thursday nights.

Java City, which tends to

be a quieter place to study, also is doing something simi-lar to Starbucks. If you buy a bag of its holiday blend or

ginger bread, proceeds fund a better life for Finca Orifla-ma, which is its partner cof-fee farm in Guatemala.

The new place in town is Brew.Net, conveniently locat-ed by ACU and in front of the Wal-Mart Supercenter. Because it just opened several weeks ago, it does not have an entire line of seasonal drinks. How-ever, it does offer a toasted marshmallow latte with cin-namon and peppermint syrup for any drink.

The shop is decorated with Christmas trees and table cen-terpieces. Music and a TV is al-ways on for background noise, but the intent of the shop is to keep fairly quiet for students to study — which is good for finals week. So try it out.

Finals are dreaded by all, but why not make the most of studying and go to a cof-fee shop while getting into the Christmas spirit at the same time? The atmosphere is jolly, the holiday drinks only come once a year and the music will make spirits bright. But do not forget, studying has to get done at some point.Jozie Sands :: staff photographer

Tuscany’s Coffee Shop, located on South 1st Street, serves several different holiday drinks such as the white chocolate peppermint mocha pictured here.

Above: Stephen Ward directs the ACU orchestra and guest violinist John Madura in their rendition of The Lark Ascending. Top Right: The University Chorale performs Candlelight Carol. Right: Julie Eichelberger, junior music major from Houston, performs Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring on the harp.

E-mail Barnes at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

E-mail Snelson at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

By Hannah BarnesStudent Writer

Photos by Jozie Sands:staff photographer

MuSic ScEnE

n Friday, Dec. 5:The Annual Art+Craft Fair: Rock, Paper, Scissors will take place in the Living Room this Friday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Peter and the Wolf will perform, and the event will feature student artwork for sale.

n Friday, Dec. 5:The ACU Department of Music presents the 2008-09 Faculty Art Series, featuring Samuel Cook, tenor and associate professor of music. Cook, who performed traditional Christmas favorites with the ACU Jazz Combo, will perform works by Bizet, Strauss and Bellini. The concert will begin at 8 p.m. in the Williams Performing Arts Recital Hall, and admission is free.

ABiLEnE ARTS

n Thursday- Saturday, Dec. 6:The ACU Department of Theatre presents Carson McCuller’s The Member of the Wedding, the story of a precocious 12-year-old girl who wants to break free from her small town life. Performances will begin at 8 p.m. in Fulks Theatre.

n Thursday, Dec. 11:The Center for Contemporary Arts presents City Lights ArtWalk downtown, as well as performances by the Aldersgate Handbell and Vocal Choirs and Abilene High School Theatre Department at the center.

ViewsFridayPage 6

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

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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 5, 2008

Multimedia desk:(325) 674-2463

Optimistthe

I got the call two weeks ago that a close friend from high school had committed sui-cide. That Friday at the funeral

back home, I walked into an auditori-um filled with people, more than I have ever known in my life-time. My late friend, who was in the room but no longer with us, could not

have seen the enormous out-pouring of sadness over her decision to take her life.

It’s only natural that when you leave a funeral, especially one involving suicide, you be-gin to evaluate your life. My friend was someone who had

always looked out for those who were lonely and forgot-ten. She always was the first one to include others and the last to laugh at another’s ex-pense. When I looked around the room and saw all the peo-ple with whom I had gone to high school and junior high, I couldn’t help but be humbled. Would this many people show up for my funeral? Some of the faces in the crowd I know I had made fun of in the past, I know I had put them down during my days in high school. She hadn’t; she had found a way to love almost everyone.

My friend always had been a great source of encourage-ment; I don’t know how she got so discouraged herself. The ex-perience made me wonder how many people around me are suffering with depression or any number of problems that

come with day-to-day life. How many people have I passed who simply needed a word of encouragement? How many people am I passing who just need someone to listen?

This semester I realized so many people around me are struggling with any number of issues. I have seen many “card-board testimonials” at various churches where people, many of whom I thought lead near perfect lives, came forward to reveal things they have strug-gled or are currently struggling with everyday. It’s powerful. It’s also eye-opening to just know how many people I bump into on a daily basis who are silently suffering through their pain.

A Christian university like ACU should be the last place where people are put down or rejected. As Christians, we are called to be the “hands

and feet” of Jesus, but too of-ten we are the hands and feet that kick each other down instead of lifting one anoth-er up. There never exists an appropriate time to degrade another person, be they of a different race, religion, politi-cal affiliation or social club. That’s not who we have been called to be. We should be the first ones to show Jesus through our actions.

If you are suffering with de-pression or thoughts of suicide, get help, reach out. If someone around you seems lost or you sense something is wrong, be there for them. I know after my experience with my late friend I will think twice about putting someone down when I should be offering a listening ear.

A long time ago, in a gal-axy far, far away, there was a girl. This girl was a good stu-dent, and since she wanted

to get ahead, she took dual-credit classes at a community college to get rid of those both-ersome ge-neric educa-tion classes universities always seem to be forcing on you. The

classes she took were some-times interesting, sometimes tedious, but the girl’s favor-ite thing about the college was its policy of rewarding students who worked hard. Come finals week, most of the professors allowed any student with an average of 93 percent or higher to be exempt from the final and begin his or her Christmas break early. This policy de-lighted the girl each time mention of it appeared in a syllabus, and she jealously watched her grades in the courses in order to avoid that miserable finals week.

The problem was, the girl forgot she was taking class-es in a galaxy far, far away from her future alma mat-er. She naively assumed ev-ery university operated on such reasonable standards. Needless to say, this girl’s first semester at ACU was a sad one when she realized she would be subjected to finals week along with ev-eryone else, no matter what amount of effort she put into her courses. So now at the end of each semester, the girl puts her head down and grinds away on a diet

of coffee and energy drinks, but still she dreams of a time when good triumphed over evil and hard work was rewarded with more than just a report card.

As we all head into finals week with mutual feelings of suffocating dread and hope for a light at the end of the week, I still wonder why all universities don’t follow such a simple, reasonable policy. If students have ex-erted themselves all semes-ter and put forth enough ef-fort to have an average of 93 percent or higher, why sub-ject them to a final test that accomplishes little except making them more stressed? Surely not for the purpose of seeing how much they learned, since most would agree one solitary test is a poor gauge of the amount of actual learning. Most stu-dents will not even learn more as a result of studying for finals week, since all the tests occur in the same week and leave little time for more than cramming. And frankly, I think promising a finals ex-emption as a reward for real effort would drastically in-crease the amount of quality work throughout the semes-ter, not just toward the end.

So the real question is, why wouldn’t our presti-gious university put such a policy into place? Exempt-ing those with a high grade average from the ensuing fi-nal would be reasonable and rewarding and is something I would love to see this pro-gressive university consider. After all, if a little commu-nity college can do it, surely the great ACU can too.

Christmas in America has become a close show-down between Jesus Christ and Santa Claus.

The bombardment in the me-dia about the jolly, old man delivering his presents often overshadows the original pur-pose of the holiday: celebrat-ing the birth of Jesus Christ.

However, the situation could be worse; in Belgium, Jesus does not have one, but three notorious competitors.

In Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium, San-ta Claus is called “Père Noël” — Father Christmas. Before de-livering the presents, he visits his companion Père Fouettard — Whipping Father — and asks him which child has been nice and which has been naughty.

In Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of the country, St. Nicholas is the one who

has the duty of visiting the children, twice. The first time he finds out if they deserve presents, and the second time he brings candy and toys for the good kids and leaves only twigs for the others.

Interestingly, the name “Santa Claus” was imported to the United States by the Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam; it comes from the phonetic alter-ation of the name “St. Nicholas” from the Dutch “Sinterklaas” and the German “Sankt Klaus.”

Christmas traditions vary from country to country, especially in Europe, a con-

tinent filled with diverse Christian backgrounds.

In Italy, households prepare a large, ornamental bowl called “Urn of Fate” that holds pres-ents for everyone. Each member of the family takes his or her turn at drawing from the bowl until everyone finds a gift.

In France, families typi-cally set up a nativity scene, or “crèche,” peopled with clay figures called “san-tons.” The French also bake Yule-log cakes — “bûches de Noël” — that they decorate and eat during Christmas dinner — “Réveillon.”

In Ukraine, finding a spi-der web on Christmas morn-ing brings luck. The tradition comes from a popular tale of a widow who was too poor to afford decorations for her children’s Christmas tree. On Christmas morning she found spiders had spun a web around the tree, and when her young-est child opened the window, the first sunshine that touched the web turned the whole thread into silver and gold.

Fortunately, the posi-tive spirit of Christmas also reaches to countries not founded on Christian roots.

In Bangladesh, Muslims make up about 90 percent of the population; still, Christmas is called “Bara Din” — the Big Day.

In villages, men tradition-ally cut banana trees to re-plant them along the paths to

churches; they also bend the leaves over the paths to form arches. They plant bamboo poles with a hole pierced at the top and fill it with oil. When they light up the holes, it illu-minates the way to church.

In India, Christians from the plains use banana or man-go trees as Christmas trees and sometimes adorn their homes with mango leaves. Christians traditionally give

presents to friends and fam-ily but also “baksheesh,” or charity, to the poor.

Whether people emphasize the religious side of Christmas does not really matter; it must remain a time of celebration where we give — and receive — joy, and where presents and other symbols are secondary.

Diligent students deserve option to exempt finals

General goodwill should transcend cultural Christmas differences

Christians should offer support, not disdain

E-mail Melby at: lgm05e@acu.edu

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

The issue:Christmas, originally a religious holiday, has spread worldwide and adopted some nonreligious traditions.

Our view:The Christmas season brings general positivity, regardless of religious affiliations of the celebrators.

The solution:Regardless of individuals’ “reason for the season,” Christmastime should inspire goodwill and charity.

Colter HettichFeatures Editor

Kelline LintonChief Copy Editor

Cody VetetoChief Videographer

DeLaina ParkerBroadcast Manager

Molly ByrdPage 2 Editor

Kenneth PybusAdviser

Cade WhiteAdviser

Christi StarkAdvertising Manager

...the positive spirit of Christmas also reaches to countries not founded on Christian roots.

“”

Thomas Jefferson be-lieved in a free press, call-ing it “the only security of all” and crucial to a healthy democracy. To Lafayette in 1823 he said: “The agitation it produces must be sub-mitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure.”

Following the Optimist’s

Oct. 24 presidential endorse-ment, the editorial board wit-nessed firsthand what hap-pens when journalists do their job correctly: Agitation.

Despite knowing its en-dorsement would receive an icy reception at best, this year’s Optimist staff bravely presented its views. They

demonstrated precisely the values that keep newspapers vital to readers — our dili-gent attempts to be credible, educational and truthful.

The Optimist’s staffers have the fortune of putting these values into practice very early in their careers. ACU’s student newspaper is a mi-crocosm of the larger world, a hothouse for the art and busi-ness of journalism. Seasoned Christian professionals guide students through the often-sticky journalistic situations, to help them prepare for the rough waters awaiting them in their careers.

Fortunately, Dr. Royce Mon-ey has always treated the Op-timist as a professional paper, giving students the freedom to make their own reasonable editorial decisions and work-ing with them, rather than against them, to create a pa-per of which students, faculty and alumni can be proud.

We carry these values with us, no matter where we go, long after we gradu-ate. It is a bond that ex-tends far beyond borders.

Some of us live in coun-tries that do not enjoy the protection of the First Amendment. Some of us

deal daily with compromises that erode the courage of our convictions. But we can look back with a deep sense of pride at the newsroom where we learned to handle differ-ences of opinion with grace, never condemning people for voicing their beliefs.

As ladies and gentlemen of the press, Christians or otherwise, we continue to roll with potential criticism. We continue daily the very process of coming to grips with our work: debate at its purest, agitation at its worst, democracy at its finest.

As alumni of the ACU

journalism department, we couldn’t be more proud of the current Optimist edito-rial board.

Letter to the EditorSharla (Stephens, ‘94) Green

Optimist Editor-in-Chief, 1993-94Dallas

Serene Goh, ‘94Optimist Managing Editor, 1993 -94

Singapore

Deana (Hamby, ‘93) NallOptimist Managing Editor, 1992-93

Little Rock, Ark.

J. Richard Stevens ‘96Optimist Opinion Editor 1993

Boulder, Colo.

Collegiate endorsement reactions reflect conflict in professional realm

E-mail Self at: rcs06g@acu.edu

By Lydia Melby

Your (A)Typical Coffee Addict

By Ryan Self

Self Examination

Savage Storm are anchored by their starting center Des-tiny Brown. Brown enters the game leading her squad in scoring with 12.5 points per game and rebounding with 8.2 rebounds per game. Wildcats’ center Audrey Max-well-Lively will have to guard Brown and describes her as a talented and versatile player.

“She’s very strong and versatile, and will do what-ever it takes to score,” Max-well-Lively said.

Southeastern Oklahoma is not the only team with tremendous talent at the post position. Lively should

provide a challenge to the Savage Storm defenders as well. So far this year, Lively is living up to her billing as an all-conference player by averaging a double-double, scoring 16.3 points and grabbing 10.5 rebounds per game. The senior cen-ter and Abilene native says it is vital for her team to play their game and not get trapped in Southeastern Oklahoma’s game plan.

“The biggest thing we have to do against Southeastern Oklahoma is get it together and work as a team,” Max-well-Lively said. “We can’t get caught up in what our opponent is doing.”

After their Saturday show-down against the Storm, the Wildcats will take a day off before they tip off against the Tigers from East Central. The Tigers will present a challenge quite different from the Sav-age Storm and feature Laura Harris, a 5’-7” guard averag-ing 14 points per game. Coach Lavender looks forward to the challenge presented by ECU.

“ECU plays a different style of basketball, and they have a lot of new players,” Lavender said. “Their coach has been there for a long time and he always puts good teams on the floor.”

The two games will be ACU’s first LSC opponents

of the year. Even though these two teams are from the North Division, the games are important for the Wildcats who are look-ing for a streak to build on. Coach Lavender feels these two games this weekend will serve as a good mea-suring stick to see where her team is at.

“I really think these games will be great tests for where we stack up and see what areas we need to work on, especially on our mental focus,” Lavender said.

cornerbacks Alex Harbison and Craig Harris and safety Nick Fellows earned second-team honors, while lineback-er Eric Edwards and corner-back Drew Cuffee earned honorable mention honors.

In addition to the all-confer-ence honors, Whiteside earned co-Defensive Lineman of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors. Washington earned Of-fensive Lineman of the year and Scott earned Offensive Back of the Year. Coach Thomsen also earned Coach of the Year hon-ors in just his fourth season at ACU while leading the Wildcats to their third-straight appear-ance in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

Much of ACU’s offensive success can be attributed to the offensive line, which had three first-team selections (Collins, Thompson, Washington) as well two second-team selections (Tubbs and Turner). The offen-sive line helped the Wildcats lead Division II in points, points per game, total yards, and yards per game while allowing just eight sacks all season. In addi-tion to being first-team all-LSC selections, Collins, Thompson and Washington were also vot-ed to the Daktronics all-Super Region 4 team. Scott and Knox join Collins for the second year in a row as first-team selections while adams and Whiteside were also first-team selections. Malone and Kern earned sec-

ond-team honors.Malone finished his ACU

career as the LSC and ACU all-time leader in completions, attempts, yards, touchdown passes, completion percent-age, total offensive yards and total offensive yards a game. He is the only quarterback in school history to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Divi-sion II Playoffs and finished the season with 3,213 pass-ing yards and 36 touchdowns while rushing for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

“Watching his development as a player and as a person is awesome,” Thomsen said. “I’ve learned a lot through him actually, and a coach learns a lot through their players, and

I’ve probably learned as much from Billy as any player I have ever coached. I have great ad-miration and respect for him as a man and a player and I’m grateful for what he has done for our program.”

Scott, one of three finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy, given to the top player in Di-vision II, finishes his two-year career as arguably the best back in school history. Scott finished with 2,156 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns this season and caught 47 passes for 826 yards and six touch-downs. Scott rushed for over 100 yards and scored at least one touchdown in all but one game in his ACU career. Scott rushed for 4,321 yards and ac-

cumulated 5,712 all-purpose yards and scored 73 touch-downs in just two seasons.

“He has an outstanding chance to win the Harlon Hill, and I would be shocked if he doesn’t win it,” Thomsen said. “It would be great to bring the trophy home to ACU because we have never had one.”

Adams finishes his career as the conference and ACU record holder in PATs (213), PAT at-tempts (222) and kicking points (339). His 117 kicking points this season is the new LSC and ACU single-season record. Knox finishes his career rank-ing in the top 10 in receptions and yards and is ACU’s all-time leader in touchdown catches. In his two-year career, Knox

caught 118 passes for 2,227 yards and 30 touchdowns.

After one of the most suc-cessful season in school histo-ry, the Wildcats will lose some of the top players in ACU and LSC history. However, expecta-tions will remain high despite losing 11 starters, and the Wildcats will look to challenge for another LSC title.

“We have a really strong core of returning players and obvi-ously we have to recruit well and fill some holes,” Thomsen said. “There’s a lot of good core players returning, and we will build on where we are and chal-lenge for another conference and national championship.”

Friday, December 5, 2008 Page 7FROM THE FRONT / SPORTS JUMPS

Continued from page 8

Continued from page 8

Continued from page 8

Football: Players earn honors after monumental season

BCS: Playoff format could solve problema tiebreaker? Possibly. The one thing that is certain is that ev-ery Texas, or even Tech fan for that matter, is not satisfied with the system, but then again OU fans can’t be either. Who can be satisfied with a system that rewards bad sportsmanship and mudslinging and requires computer formulas even my ac-countant can’t tackle to decide which team is the best?

Even President-elect Barack Obama has called for a change in the college football format in recent weeks. Now that is change even I can believe in.

Until we have a playoff sys-tem of some sort in college football, the bantering and con-troversy will continue. Then again, isn’t that what makes this sport so appealing?

Homestand: Team prepares for weekendE-mail Abston at: gda04b@acu.edu

E-mail Harris at: tch05f@acu.edu

Noose: Police look for leads, closure

Although there are no breaks in the case, Watkins said he decided not to dwell on the incident, and based on his observations, most of the ACU community has followed suit.

“I didn’t want it to be the fo-cus of the semester. It’s been good to me that my friends and people around haven’t been harping on it all semester,” said Watkins, senior political science major from Fredricks-burg, Va. “[The response] has been, ‘This isn’t who we are. Let’s move forward…and not live in the past.’”

Watkins said he appreciat-ed the caring response the stu-dent body, alumni and Presi-dent Dr. Royce Money made. He said he also was grateful for the support he received shortly after the incident.

“Two weeks after the noose happened, I broke my leg,” Watkins said. “As far as SA goes, that was a bigger blow than the noose incident.”

Watkins broke his right foot, ankle and leg in a flag football accident that sidelined him for almost four weeks. A week later, he had to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

“It was a really stressful four weeks,” Watkins said.

The Students’ Association continued with its weekly meetings, and Sarah Pulis,

senior political science major from Longview and Students’ Association Vice President, presided over the meetings in Watkins’ absence. For Wat-kins, the semester has been atypical, but for the ACU Po-lice Department, the semester has been similar to those in the past; crime statistics have not yielded any surprises oth-er than the Sept. 3 incident.

“This was an isolated inci-dent,” Ellison said. “We have not had anything like that pri-or to this incident and thus far we haven’t had anything since then. In trying to find positives to point out, I think that’s a positive. The reason why it was so outrageous and so appalling is because things like that typically don’t hap-pen on our campus.”

Ellison said he still is hope-ful new information will sur-face for the ACU Police De-partment to investigate.

“Someone out there knows something,” Ellison said. “What we’d like to see happen is for someone who does know some-thing to step forward and bring us that information, and by bringing us that information, conceivably giving us what we need in getting this case closed out for everyone involved.”

Continued from page 1

E-mail Craig at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu

could prove to be a lucky break for many students. Al-though study habits are as varied as the student body, procrastination often seems to be high on the list.

“I feel lucky that I’ll be done with finals on Tues-day,” said Chase Fickessen,

senior criminal justice major from Abilene. “It’ll be less stressful to get everything out of the way up front.”

Sanchez said he prefers not to cram right before a test; in-stead, he reads or plays games on his phone to relax.

“If I’m flipping out about the test, I’m not going to do well at all and I’m not going

to find any new or useful information in those last 15 minutes,” he said.

Monday, or Dead Day, as in the past, will be utilized by students and faculty to pre-pare for testing. Many profes-sors use this day to allow stu-dents to make up missed tests or assignments. Of course, students with Monday night

classes will have their exams during their regularly sched-uled class time, according to the Registrar’s Web site.

All final exam schedules can be found on the ACU Web site, http://www.acu.edu/campu-soffices/registrar/finalexams/.

Continued from page 1

E-mail Craig at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Finals: Dead day offers opportunity for studying

By Ryan CantrellSports Writer

The men’s basketball team returns home for a pair of games and will play Southeast-ern Oklahoma State University Saturday at 4 p.m. The Wild-cats are looking to improve

their record as they have struggled to a 2-3 start. They will have a quick turnaround, playing another game Monday night at 8 p.m. against East Central University.

The Wildcats lost to the Dallas Baptist Patriots on Tuesday 77-65. ACU had two players in double fig-ures and struggled shooting, making just 18.2 percent from beyond the three-point line. They also had 27 turn-overs in the game, nearly 10

more turnovers than their average per game. This was the team’s second loss to DBU and dropped the Wild-cats to 2-3.

“Defensively, we did bet-ter,” said head coach Jason Copeland. “What sticks out to me is the fact that we had 27 turnovers and shot four of 22 from the three-point line. We are not going to win many games doing those two things.”

The team is looking to turn things around against a struggling Southeastern Oklahoma State team, which has begun the season 0-6. The Savage Storm is look-ing for its first win on the year and has fallen short in its last three games by a combined seven points. The Storm is led by William Slones, who is averaging 14.8 points per game. The Wildcats will look to contin-ue to improve on defensive and eliminate turnovers against SE Oklahoma St.

Monday night, they will tip off against the Tigers of East Central University. The Tigers have gotten off to a 1-2 start this season. The Wildcats and Tigers both have played Dallas Baptist. The Patriots defeated the Tigers 125-111. ACU held this same team to 77 points with its strong defense. The Tigers have struggled defen-sively, giving up more than 124 points per game. Justin Wilkerson and Wes Badley, who are averaging 17.5 and 17 points per game respec-tively, lead East Central.

These games begin Lone Star Conference play. The Wildcats are projected to finish third in the South Division of the conference. Copeland is just looking to improve and get ready for division play.

“We are getting into con-ference play, and it is a little more hard-nose style of play,” Copeland said. “Right now we are just focused on getting better every game more than really who we are playing.”

By Jeff CraigSports Writer

The women’s basketball team will face off against two Lone Star Conference North Division teams this weekend and look to im-prove on their 2-2 record.

The Wildcats play the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm (4-2) on Saturday at 2 p.m. to begin a three-game homestand, and will then play the un-defeated East Central Tigers (3-0) Monday at 6 p.m. ACU is coming off an impressive come-from-behind 50-43 win over Texas-Permian Basin, and head coach Shawna Lav-

ender wants to see her team build off that momentum.

“I think we’ve had a good week of practice; the girls are really excited to get back on the floor after having not played in a week,” Lavender said. “Hopefully, we can carry over some momentum after our come-from-behind win against Permian Basin.”

The Wildcats’ first test against Southeastern Okla-homa could prove to be an up-tempo affair. The Savage Storm are a fast, athletic and scrappy team, Lavender said. She said her girls will have to keep their track shoes on against the Storm.

Despite their speed, the

n Wide receiver Johnny Knox was one of nine Wildcats voted to the Daktronics all-Super Region 4

team. Joining Knox on the first team were running back Bernard Scott, offensive lineman Sam Collins, Joseph Thompson and Tony Wash-ington, placekicker Matt Adams and defensive end Aston Whiteside. Knox, Col-lins and Scott are all repeat first-team selections. Quar-terback Billy Malone and linebacker Mike Kern earned second-team honors.

SportsFridayPage 8 December 5, 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

Tuesday

Men’s BasketballDallas Baptist 77, ACU 65

Scores

Knox

n The ACU women’s basket-ball team has added another player for the 2009-10 season. Forward Emily Miller from Southwest Christian School in Fort Worth signed a binding national letter-of-intent with the Wildcats Wednesday. Miller, a two-year captain, is a four-year letterwinner at Southwest Christian and averaged 20.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 3.3 blocks per game last season.

n Voting has concluded for the NCAA Division II College Player of the Year Award, the Harlon Hill Trophy, but results will not be announced until Dec. 12 at the Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation Banquet. Running back Bernard Scott, the runner-up for the award in 2007, will join quarterback A.J. Milwee of the University of North Alabama and quar-terback Mike Reilly of Central Washington University.

Football team represents well in postseason awardsBy Grant AbstonSports Editor

The 2008 football season ended with a loss in the third round of the NCAA Division II playoffs, but it will be re-membered as one of the most successful in ACU’s history as the Wildcats earned their first outright Lone Star Conference championship since 1973 and finished a perfect 10-0 regular season for the second time in school history.

The Wildcats reached the NCAA Division II quarter-finals for the first time in school history after winning the LSC championship and earning a first-found bye. The Wildcats defeated West Texas A&M 93-68 in the sec-ond round, setting an NCAA record for points scored in a playoff game to advance be-

fore falling 45-36 to North-west Missouri State. In addi-tion to winning the LSC, the Wildcats had a school-record 16 players honored on the all-LSC South Division first team and another school-re-cord 25 players on the 2008 all-LSC South team.

“It’s great for our guys and it was a lot of hard work, and when that hard work gets validated, [it’s great],” said head coach Chris Thomsen. “Hopefully we have some all-

American players, and I feel we will.”

On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Billy Ma-lone, running back Bernard Scott, fullback Emery Dudens-ing, wide receivers Johnny Knox and Edmund Gates, tight ends Kendrick Holloway and Trey Simeone, guard Jo-seph Thompson, tackle Tony Washington, center Sam Col-lins and placekicker Matt Ad-ams earned first-team honors. Defensively, linebackers Fred Thompson and Mike Kern, defensive ends Aston White-side and Vantrise Studivant and safety Tony Harp earned first-team honors.

Wide receiver Jonathan Ferguson, guard Royland Tubbs, tackle Trevis Turner, linebacker Bryson Lewis, Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

Running back Bernard Scott makes a run in ACU’s 93-68 playoff win over West Texas A&M. Scott is one of three finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy.

Cats come up short

Emily Jorgenson :: staff photographer

Guard Dustin Heiman defends a Hillsdale Free Will Baptist player Nov. 17. The Wildcats are 2-3 overall after losing to Dallas Baptist 77-65 and now will get ready for a three-game homestand beginning on Saturday.

Big 12 stirs yet another BCS debate

Unless you have been in hibernation for the past two months, then you probably have heard

about the Bowl Cham-p i o n s h i p Series (BCS) controver-sies, once again. This year the main con-t r o v e r s y isn’t even about who is No. 1 or No. 2, but rather who is ranked

highest among three Big 12 South teams and will get the chance to play in the Big 12 Championship.

The merry-go-round of superiority began in Oc-tober with Texas’ 45-35 victory over then No. 1 ranked Oklahoma. Texas then had its moment in the spotlight for three weeks until it traveled to Lubbock, where the up-start Red Raiders burst onto the national scene with a 39-33 win over the Longhorns, vaulting them to No. 2 in the polls. Just two weeks later, the Big 12’s worst-case scenario happened: Oklahoma demolished Tech 65-21, sending the three teams into a three-way tie with one week remaining. The tiebreak in such a situ-ation goes to the team with the highest ranking in the BCS. Uh oh.

Last week, each team took care of business and did its share of politick-ing as well. Students at Texas created a campaign to remind voters of its 45-35 head-to-head victory against OU, while Sooners’ coach Bob Stoops remind-ed voters that OU had just beaten the No. 2 and No. 12 teams, scoring 60 points in each matchup. Tech head coach Mike Leach tried creativity and said the tie should go to the school with the highest gradua-tion rate, Texas Tech.

I give credit to all of the students at Texas for their hard work and dedi-cation because they did make a difference. The Associated Press voters moved Texas above Okla-homa in their poll, and I’m sure the head-to-head reminder had something to do with it. Despite this, Oklahoma vaulted Texas in the BCS with the help of six computer formulas and will play in the Big 12 Championship on Sat-urday with a berth to the BCS National Champion-ship on the line.

Is it fair? No. Is there a better way to determine

Wildcats fall to 2-3 overall after loss to DBU

Football

See Football page 7

See Homestand page 7 See BCS page 7

ACU begins three-game homestand SaturdayBasketball

Basketball

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer

Center Audrey Maxwell-Lively posts up a defender in a scrimmage against McMurry University. The Wildcats face their first LSC opponent this weekend.

dallas Baptist 77, acu 65

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

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

4-04-14-24-23-32-32-3

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

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

5-05-24-22-23-42-31-4

acuoptimist.com

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

loss to Northwest Missouri State

By Chandler Harris

thoughts From the Bleachers

E-mail cantrell at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu