The Optimist Print Edition: 11.02.11

6
inside Page 3 page 4 page 3 Intramural waterball to return to campus Check out Ben Miller’s take on last week’s SA meeting Dr. Richard Beck continues “Unclean” Chapel series Abilene Christian University Messy Win ACU commits five turnovers in 40-28 win over Commerce Sports page 6 news opinion news Budget Plan acuoptimist.com Placekickers talk about kicking for the ACU football video University to eliminate positions to cut costs social clubs vol. 100, no. 19 Wednesday, November 2, 2011 1 SECTION, 6 PAGES For five weeks, the campus of Abilene Christian University has been filled with shouts of female students proclaiming their appre- ciation to a landmark on campus, males dressing in formal attire and noticeable amounts of stu- dents with sleep-deprived faces sprinkled around the school. The culprit of all of this is social club pledging, a five-week process held annually. The start of this week marked the end of the period for most clubs on campus. “As a whole, I think the whole process went really well,” associ- ate director of student organiza- tions and programs Mark Jackson said. “Our numbers on the guys side went up 25 percent, and the girl’s side remained steady. We love seeing the numbers go up, which means that people want to get in- volved on campus and ultimately make a difference.” Jackson is in his first year at this position, where he is in charge of more than 100 student organiza- tions, ranging from social clubs to academic programs. “As a whole, there are always things looking back where you go, ‘Man, I could’ve handled that bet- ter,’ but I am pleased with the final result,” Jackson said. Dispersed among 11 social clubs, 349 individuals completed the pledg- ing process and are now members of their respective clubs. “It is such a gratifying and re- warding feeling to be a member of Trojans Social Club,” Keegan Kinder, sophomore business marketing major from Round Rock, said. “The pledging pro- cess lived up to its bill, served its purpose, and was something that I am glad I was a part of.” During the five-week process, pledges have had nightly events and specific requirements that they had to complete in order to successfully make their way through the process, which is aimed at bonding the pledge class in a unique way. “Simply spending time to- gether and going through ac- tivities as a group serves as a natural bond between all those involved,” Kinder said. “It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m a part of a unified group.” These activities, though, con- sume hefty amounts of time, which make juggling various com- mitments and time management skills a priority. “Finding a balance with all that is going on is tough,” Jackson said. “It’s a struggle that takes some practice. Time management is a very important part of life, and those involved with pledging find that out first hand.” Mackenzie Speck, sophomore speech pathology major from Amarillo, echoed Jackson and is thankful that time has opened up on her schedule now for other things, such as schoolwork. “Staying on top of schoolwork was very hard during pledging,” Speck said. “Now that I have some time, I’ll make it a point to stay on top of my grades.” But she admitted the whole pro- cess was worth it. “Being called Siggie Mackenzie is a great feeling.” New members celebrate initiation adrian patenaude staff Photographer ACU students enjoy a fun Friday at the Red Thread Movement Paint Fight behind Smith Adams Hall. The Red Thread movement paint fight raised awareness and funds for the organization’s mission. As many as 11 faculty mem- bers will lose their positions with the university by the end of the year as part of a budget realignment plan to be announced in detail later this month. Under the plan, several departments face restructuring and mergers, and the university will of- fer early retirement to some faculty members. The university’s Senior Leadership Team will pres- ent the new comprehensive plan to the Board of Trust- ees on Nov. 11. Six days lat- er, Dr. Phil Schubert, presi- dent of the university, will present the plan in detail to all faculty and staff. “This realignment is in response to the volatile economy as we are mak- ing sure ACU is safe in times when the economy is tough,” Schubert said. “We’re making adjustments as most institutions are.” Schubert said that the re- alignment is important to pre- serve the financial strength of the university to adjust to the current economy. “We recognize that this is going to have an enormous impact on those involved,” Schubert said. “We’re doing everything we can to come alongside them in the tran- sition process, and we’re making sure we help them in every way we can so we can ensure this isn’t a major disruption in their lives.” Schubert said he regretted the need for the eliminations. “These are people who have invested a number of years of service here at ACU,” he said. “They’re im- portant members of this community and it’s unfor- tunate that we’re in this situation where we need to make these adjustments.” Also outlined in an email circulated to faculty early this week is the merging of specific departments in the College of Arts and Sci- ences. Three departments will be adjusted before the beginning of the 2012-13 school year. In the Department of Ag- ricultural and Environmen- tal Sciences, the agribusi- ness degree will close, and if a realignment plan for the remaining courses is not approved, the animal sci- ence degree will close and environmental science will move to the Department of Biology. The Department of For- eign Languages will merge with the Department of English, and the Depart- ment of Sociology and Fam- ily Studies will be dispersed among the Department of Political Science, the Col- lege of Biblical Studies and the College of Education and Human Services. Schubert said the merg- ing of departments will have minimal impact on students in these fields. “We’re maintaining our commitment to students actively studying in these areas,” Schubert said. “It shouldn’t be a distraction to their studies.” The early details of the plan released include a vol- untary retirement package contact shake at [email protected] see budget page 4 bryson shake sports editor Mark smith managing editor Keegan Kinder Sophomore business major from round rock Simply spending time together and going through activities as a group serves as a natural bond between all those involved.”

description

A product of the JMC Network of student media at Abilene Christian University

Transcript of The Optimist Print Edition: 11.02.11

inside

Page 3 page 4 page 3

Intramural waterball to return to campus

Check out Ben Miller’s take on last week’s SA meeting

Dr. Richard Beck continues “Unclean” Chapel series

Abilene Christian University

Messy WinACU commits five

turnovers in 40-28 win over Commerce

Sportspage 6

news opinion news

Budget Plan

acuoptimist.com

Placekickers talk about kicking for the ACU football

video

University to eliminatepositions to cut costs

social clubs

vol. 100, no. 19 Wednesday, November 2, 2011 1 SECTION, 6 PAGES

For five weeks, the campus of Abilene Christian University has been filled with shouts of female students proclaiming their appre-ciation to a landmark on campus, males dressing in formal attire and noticeable amounts of stu-dents with sleep-deprived faces sprinkled around the school.

The culprit of all of this is social club pledging, a five-week process held annually. The start of this week marked the end of the period for most clubs on campus.

“As a whole, I think the whole process went really well,” associ-ate director of student organiza-tions and programs Mark Jackson said. “Our numbers on the guys side went up 25 percent, and the girl’s side remained steady. We love seeing the numbers go up, which means that people want to get in-

volved on campus and ultimately make a difference.”

Jackson is in his first year at this position, where he is in charge of more than 100 student organiza-tions, ranging from social clubs to academic programs.

“As a whole, there are always things looking back where you go, ‘Man, I could’ve handled that bet-ter,’ but I am pleased with the final result,” Jackson said.

Dispersed among 11 social clubs, 349 individuals completed the pledg-ing process and are now members of their respective clubs.

“It is such a gratifying and re-warding feeling to be a member of Trojans Social Club,” Keegan Kinder, sophomore business marketing major from Round Rock, said. “The pledging pro-cess lived up to its bill, served its purpose, and was something that I am glad I was a part of.”

During the five-week process, pledges have had nightly events

and specific requirements that they had to complete in order to successfully make their way through the process, which is aimed at bonding the pledge class in a unique way.

“Simply spending time to-gether and going through ac-tivities as a group serves as a natural bond between all those involved,” Kinder said. “It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m a part of a unified group.”

These activities, though, con-sume hefty amounts of time, which make juggling various com-mitments and time management

skills a priority.“Finding a balance with all that

is going on is tough,” Jackson said. “It’s a struggle that takes some practice. Time management is a very important part of life, and those involved with pledging find that out first hand.”

Mackenzie Speck, sophomore speech pathology major from Amarillo, echoed Jackson and is thankful that time has opened up on her schedule now for other things, such as schoolwork.

“Staying on top of schoolwork was very hard during pledging,” Speck said. “Now that I have some time, I’ll make it a point to stay on top of my grades.”

But she admitted the whole pro-cess was worth it.

“Being called Siggie Mackenzie is a great feeling.”

New members celebrate initiation

adrian patenaude staff Photographer

ACU students enjoy a fun Friday at the Red Thread Movement Paint Fight behind Smith Adams Hall. The Red Thread movement paint fight raised awareness and funds for the organization’s mission.

As many as 11 faculty mem-bers will lose their positions with the university by the end of the year as part of a budget realignment plan to be announced in detail later this month. Under the plan, several departments face restructuring and mergers, and the university will of-fer early retirement to some faculty members.

The university’s Senior Leadership Team will pres-ent the new comprehensive plan to the Board of Trust-ees on Nov. 11. Six days lat-er, Dr. Phil Schubert, presi-dent of the university, will present the plan in detail to all faculty and staff.

“This realignment is in response to the volatile economy as we are mak-ing sure ACU is safe in times when the economy is tough,” Schubert said. “We’re making adjustments as most institutions are.”

Schubert said that the re-alignment is important to pre-serve the financial strength of the university to adjust to the current economy.

“We recognize that this is going to have an enormous impact on those involved,” Schubert said. “We’re doing everything we can to come alongside them in the tran-sition process, and we’re making sure we help them in every way we can so we can ensure this isn’t a major disruption in their lives.”

Schubert said he regretted the need for the eliminations.

“These are people who have invested a number of years of service here at ACU,” he said. “They’re im-portant members of this community and it’s unfor-tunate that we’re in this situation where we need to make these adjustments.”

Also outlined in an email circulated to faculty early this week is the merging of specific departments in the College of Arts and Sci-ences. Three departments will be adjusted before the beginning of the 2012-13 school year.

In the Department of Ag-ricultural and Environmen-tal Sciences, the agribusi-ness degree will close, and if a realignment plan for the remaining courses is not approved, the animal sci-ence degree will close and environmental science will move to the Department of Biology.

The Department of For-eign Languages will merge with the Department of English, and the Depart-ment of Sociology and Fam-ily Studies will be dispersed among the Department of Political Science, the Col-lege of Biblical Studies and the College of Education and Human Services.

Schubert said the merg-ing of departments will have minimal impact on students in these fields.

“We’re maintaining our commitment to students actively studying in these areas,” Schubert said. “It shouldn’t be a distraction to their studies.”

The early details of the plan released include a vol-untary retirement package

contact shake [email protected]

see budget page 4

bryson shakesports editor

Mark smithmanaging editor

Keegan KinderSophomore business

major from round rock

Simply spending time together and going through activities as

a group serves as a natural bond between all those involved.”“

02

47 24

03 04 05Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

11:30 a.m. Sadie Hawk-ins week at Monk’s Coffee Shop

11:45 a.m. Cheryl Bachelder in the Hunter Welcome Center

5 p.m. Spring Break Campaign registration in the Campus Center Living Room

11 a.m. Chris Riley: United Way presenta-tion in Moody Coliseum

6:45 p.m. Intramural Indoor Soccer tourna-ment begins in the Student Recreation and Wellness Center

11 a.m. Interest meet-ing for Study Abroad: China in COBA 301

7 p.m. Senior Art Show in Shore Art Gallery

8 p.m. Sadie Hawkins Week - Space Jam out-side the Campus Center

1 p.m. Crash Course 2011 in the Brown Library

2 p.m. ACU volleyball vs. Cameron

6 p.m. ACU club hockey vs. Oklahoma State

9 p.m. ACU club hockey vs. University of Texas

Police Log

chapel checkup

@acuoptimist

The Optimist

[email protected]

Wednesday 11.02.11 2

Announcements

Lottery ticket sign-ups for Spring Break Campaigns will take place through Thursday. Campaign Registration will begin Thursday at 5 p.m. in the Cam-pus Center Living Room. For more information email [email protected] or [email protected].

Cheryl Bachelder, President of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and CEO of AFC Enter-prises, Inc., will speak in the Hunter Wel-come Center Thursday at 11:45 a.m. as part of COBA’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

An interest meeting for Kanakuk Kamps will take place Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building room 103. Participants will be able to get information and do interviews.

An interest meeting for Study Abroad China will take place Friday at 11 a.m. in COBA 301. Students who study abroad in China will spend 14 days in Hong Kong and seven days in Beijing. The purpose of the program is to accelerate global competence, integrate faith with business, expand cultural horizons and develop knowledge through experience of local business and culture.

“Stuff on Walls,” a Senior Art Show fea-turing the work of Aaron Cavitt, Erika Ito, Jacob Ray, Stephanie Kennedy and Stew-art Youngblood, will take place Friday from 7 - 9 p.m. in the Shore Art Gallery.

ACU Entrepreneur Bootcamp will take place Friday and Saturday in the Hunt-er Welcome Center. This training event is designed for individuals who want to be entrepreneurs or have an idea for a business. Registration cost is $99 before Tuesday, $249 after Tuesday. The Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship and Phi-lanthropy will host the event.

The Shinnery Review will present Crash Course 2011, a workshop in non-fiction, fiction and photography, Saturday from 1 - 4 p.m. in the Brown Library room 235. Featured speakers will be Heidi Nobles, Al Haley and Nil Santana. Participants will learn how to improve their work and get it published in the Shinnery Review. All ma-jors are welcome. Snacks will be provided.

Jared Mosley and Dr. Suzie Macaluso will host a Deep Dish Philosophy discussion about sports and culture titled “Extreme Makeover: the Impact of Conference

Realignment.” The discussion will take place Nov. 7 in the Mabee Auditorium classroom from 7:45 - 9 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Honors College.

The 25th annual Carmichael-Walling Lectures will take place Nov. 10 in the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Build-ing Room 114. The first lecture will take place at 4 p.m.; the second lecture will take place at 7:30 p.m. This year’s lec-turer will be Steve J. Friesen, the Louise Farmer Boyer Chair in Biblical Studies in the Department of Classics at the University of Texas in Austin. The lec-tures are free and open to the public.

A Grad School Application Workshop will take place in the History Depart-ment office Nov. 12 from 2 - 4 p.m. The office is located in the third floor of the Administration Building. History professors will be available to help stu-dents with their grad school applica-tions. All majors are welcome.

Introduction to Equine-Assisted Psy-chotherapy will be offered Spring 2012 as a new 3-hour special topics course. The course will be offered Tuesdays

and Thursdays from 3 - 4:20 p.m. The course will include lectures on Tuesdays and hands-on learning on Thursdays at ACU Rhoden Farm. For more informa-tion contact Steve Eller at 325-674-2878 or email [email protected].

Students needing help with their aca-demic performance can visit www.acu.edu/tutoring to find tutoring informa-tion for their department.

Flu shots will be available in the Medi-cal & Counseling Care Center for $15. The Medical & Counseling Care Center is located at the northeast entrance of the Royce and Pam Money Student Rec-reation and Wellness Center.

Students who have registered for class-es for Spring 2012 can begin reserv-ing their textbooks. There is no extra charge, and students will receive a free bag with their order. Students must order books before Dec. 31. Books will be available for pick up the week before Spring semester classes begin. For more information visit the Campus Store web site.

Volunteer Opp0rtunities

Love and Care Ministries needs volunteers for their annual Tent Revival Nov. 6-9 beginning at 6:30 p.m. each evening. Love and Care will provide food, clothing, haircuts, flu shots and more to those in need in the Abilene community. Each evening will also include praise, worship, prayer, and guest speakers. Volunteers can register at lcmin.com/newsite/?page id=2091.

Communities in Schools needs volunteers Nov. 11 from 1 - 3 p.m. or 5 - 9 p.m. at Ortiz Elementary School located at 2550 Vogel St. Volunteers will play games with children from 1 - 3 p.m. or help set up, run booths, and take down their Fall Festival from 5 - 9 p.m. Volunteers can work at one or both events. Contact Sheila Ashford at 325-671-4945 ext. 5351 or email [email protected].

The American Business Women’s Association needs volunteers Nov. 11 - 13 for various daytime and eve-ning shifts to help with an event at the Abilene Civic Center. Volunteers will help primarily in the main concession stand. Contact Sydnye Moore at 325-692-2633 or 325-428-1024 or email [email protected].

The International Rescue Committee is collecting coats, hats, jackets, gloves and blankets for refugees in Abilene who came to the U.S. with few posses-sions and who will need warm clothing. Donations can be dropped off daily from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at 3303 N. 3rd St., Suite D. For more information contact Aly Shanks at 325-675-5673 ext. 19 or email [email protected].

The Big Brothers Big Sisters program is looking for volunteers to participate in Lunch Buddies. Bigs and Littles will enjoy lunch together at the child’s school once a week. Students can earn Chapel credit for each visit. Big Brothers Big Sisters is also looking for volunteers for its Community Based pro-gram. Bigs are matched with Littles in a one-on-one relationship and spend four to six hours per month together in the community. To sign up or learn more visit www.bbbstx.org or call 325-674-3113.

Rescue The Animals is looking for volunteers anytime between 1-5 p.m., Monday - Friday. They need help around the adoption center with gen-eral cleaning, socialization of the animals, helping

potential adopters and other tasks. Contact Mindi Qualls at 325-698-7722 or email [email protected] The center is located at 5933 S. 1st St.

Meals on Wheels Plus needs volunteer drivers to deliver afternoon meals to seniors and adults with disabilities Mondays - Fridays between 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Drivers must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. Training is provided. A Cha-pel exemption is available if delivery time conflicts with Chapel. Contact Jessica Stewart at 325-672-5050 or email [email protected].

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Lit-erature is looking for volunteers to work Tuesday - Saturday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. or 1 - 3 p.m. Volun-teers will greet patrons, assist with art activities, sell books and make visitors feel welcome. Help is also needed for special events like exhibit openings. The Center is located at 102 Cedar St. For more information contact Debby Lillick at 325-673-4586 or visit the NCCIL website.

Breakfast on Beech Street is looking for volun-teers to help set up, prepare and serve breakfast to homeless or lower-income visitors any weekday. The event begins at 5:30 a.m. Mondays, Wednes-days, Thursdays and Fridays; 5 a.m. on Tuesdays. Serving time is 6:30 - 7:15 a.m. B.O.B.S is located at First Christian Church on N. 3rd Street and Beech Street in Downtown Abilene. For more information visit the First Christian Church website.

The Abilene Zoo is looking for volunteers to help with general labor such as grounds cleanup and painting any weekday at any time between noon and 4 p.m. The Zoo is located at 2070 Zoo Ln. Contact Joy Harsh at 325-676-6487 for more information.

The House That Kerry Built is looking for volunteers to assist in the day care of medically fragile children any day Monday - Friday from 8:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Contact Dave Kraly at 325-676-3104 or email [email protected] for more information.

The Betty Hardwick Center is looking for volunteers to participate in Special Olympics by helping mentally/physically challenged people play games such as bas-

ketball, track, and/or bowling Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. The Center is located at 801 Cypress St. Contact Angel Seca at 325-690-5235 for more information.

Habitat for Humanity needs volunteers to help with various construction tasks including carpen-try, painting, cleaning up, installing cabinets and other tasks. Volunteers are needed any day Monday - Saturday anytime from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Contact Steven Legget at 325-670-0489 or email [email protected].

Westgate Church of Christ needs volunteers to help with their prison ministry. Help is needed with the women’s ministry, Family of Offenders support group meetings and more. Volunteers will work at the Middleton Unit and/or Taylor County Jail. The project is ongoing and times vary. For more information contact Jeff Thigpen at 325-829-4149 or email [email protected].

The Salvation Army is looking for volunteers for a variety of needs including sorting items in the thrift store, helping in the kitchen and/or doing yard work. Times are flexible, and help is needed Monday - Saturday. The Salvation Army is located at 1726 Butternut St. For more information contact J.D. Alonzo at 325-677-1408 or visit www.satruck.com.

Abilene Hope Haven Inc. needs volunteers to pro-vide childcare while parents are in class, any evening Monday - Thursday from 6:45 - 8:15 p.m. Abilene Hope Haven is located at 801 S. Treadaway Blvd. For more information contact Kathy Reppart at 325-677-4673 or visit the Abilene Hope Haven website.

The Food Bank of West Central Texas needs volunteers to help sort and stock food and other items any weekday Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. The Food Bank is located at 5505 N. 1st St. For more information contact Janice Serrault at 325-695-6311 or [email protected].

The Abilene Boys and Girls Club needs help any weekday between 3:30 - 6 p.m. helping children of all ages with games, art, gym time, reading and com-puter skills. Locations are 4610 N. 10th St. or 1902 Shelton St. Contact Mark Denman at 325-672-1712 for more information.

Nov. 02

A Volunteer Round-Up will take place at Lighthouse Adult Day Care Center from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. The Center is located a 125 Sayles Blvd. Tours will be offered.

Nov. 03

7 p.m. Charlie and the Choco-late Factory will be performed at Brownwood High School. Admission will be $3 for stu-dents and $5 for adults.

7:30 p.m. HSU Theater will perform The Seafarer at Hardin-Simmons University. Admission varies.

Nov. 04

10 a.m. The 31st annual Christmas Carousel will take place at the Abilene Civic Center. Admission will be $3-$5.

7 p.m. A country western dance will take place at the Peacock Community Center.

7:30 p.m. HSU Theater will perform “The Seafarer” at Hardin-Simmons University. Admission varies.

Nov. 05

7:30 a.m. The Marathon for Miracles will take place at the Taylor County Expo Center. Advance registration required.

12 p.m. The 31st annual Christmas Carousel will take place at the Abilene Civic Cen-ter. Admission will be $3-$5.

7:30 p.m. HSU Theater will perform “The Seafarer” at Hardin-Simmons University. Admission varies.

Around Abilene

wednesday 11.02.113 campus news

Representatives reflect on reformed health care

As the end of the calen-dar year nears, faculty and staff members will soon be reevaluating and reflect-ing on their current health care plans.

Representatives from Human Resources wrapped up a series of meetings last week that informed uni-versity faculty and staff members of the new sys-tem of health care benefits for the 2012 calendar year. ACU employees will be submitting their insurance choice for next year during this week’s benefits enroll-ment period.

Rachel Lee, benefits and compensation spe-cialist, is among the team to present the health care costs for 2011, the first year under the new health care reform plan.

“This year hasn’t neces-sarily been good or bad, but it has been a learning year,” Lee said. “We are pioneering a new plan to get our em-ployees used to the changes that are about to come with health care reform.”

Over 70 faculty and staff members attended the 12th and final meet-ing last week in which Lee and Wendy Jones, direc-tor of human resources, discussed the changes in health care benefits that took effect Jan. 1, 2011.

“The plan we are on right now is what health

care reform is going to look like in two years,” Lee said. “When students have real jobs and are out in the real world, their health in-surance may look exactly like this.”

Employees will see a slight increase in their pre-miums because the insur-ance provider has increased its rates, Lee said. How-ever, she said faculty and staff members present at the meeting were not con-cerned with the changes.

“It has gotten so much smoother this last quarter,” Lee said. “Employees now know how it works, so 2012 is going to be even better.”

Dr. Matthew Dodd, as-sistant professor with the Duncum Center for Conflict Resolution, said he favors the new employee health care plan.

“The complexity of the insurance plan is difficult to grasp sometimes, but hu-man resources representa-tives are very open and up-front about answering our

questions,” Dodd said.As a recent kidney trans-

plant recipient, Dodd said it is extremely important for him to have health in-surance and understand the coverage it provides. He said the plan has been beneficial considering his medical status.

“I’m very pleased,” Dodd said. “In some ways, we don’t have as many choices under the new BlueCross BlueShield plan, but that makes it easier on us.”

Faculty and staff mem-bers who missed the ben-efits enrollment meetings can view the 2012 Benefits Guide at www.acu.edu/hr. Human resources rep-resentatives are available during the annual benefits enrollment period through Friday, from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. at the Nichols Home at 1926 Campus Court.

University

christina burchmultimedia managing editor

contact burch [email protected]

Organizations raise awareness for campus sustainability opportunities

Several tables were set up in the McGlothlin Campus Center on Wednesday as multiple campus organiza-tions came together to raise awareness for Campus Sus-tainability Day.

Campus Sustainability Day is recognized annu-ally across the nation, but this is the first year ACU has joined in the celebra-tion. Several organizations publicized their causes in the Campus Center from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The group proceeded to pass out information and

engage students in con-versations about campus sustainability, said Dr. Jim Cooke, professor of envi-ronmental science.

Mary Caton, executive assistant to the chief finan-cial officer, said ACU Sus-tainability Group, which in-cludes several faculty, staff and students, decided to celebrate ACU’s success in several aspects of campus sustainability.

Caton said groups that participated in Campus Sustainability Day in-cluded Wildcats for Sus-tainability, Aramark, Lo-cavores (an organization devoted to eating locally grown food), the ACU

purchasing office and a representative from Sierra Club out of Austin.

Aramark had games, music and activities in the Bean during lunch. The Lo-cavores brought samples of locally produced bread, honey and butter. The Pur-chasing Office, which is responsible for on campus recycling with the Blue Bag Program, provided infor-mation about their on-campus sustainability pro-grams. The representative from Sierra talked about the Tenaska Trailblazer Project in Sweetwater.

Caton said students she talked to want to see ACU recycle more as well as want

to do more personally for campus sustainability.

“One of the objectives that I have in working with this is to create a culture of sustainability where, when students graduate, it doesn’t go away,” Caton said. “If we start something we need to find a way to ‘sustain it’ and keep it moving on for the next group of students.”

Cooke said the purpose of ACU’s Campus Sustain-ability Day was to show people who thought ACU wasn’t doing much for cam-pus sustainability that there are things going on behind the scenes. He said the event was also to encour-age people to come up with

new ideas about campus sustainability.

Cooke said that, as of today, there are seven bil-lion people in the world. It would take four to six plan-ets worth of resources for each of those people to live like an average American, Cooke said.

“The reality is, we only have one planet, and so sustainability means, ‘how can we keep seven billion people, meeting all of their needs and as many wants as possible, with the resources that we have available on one planet?’” Cooke said.

Cooke said the event was an attempt to spread the word about campus

sustainability. He said he is unsure how often Campus Sustainability Day will oc-cur at ACU. Organization and communication is dif-ficult because ACU lacks a sustainability office, Cooke said, but different groups with ideas about sustain-ability are encouraged to speak up.

“We have a responsibil-ity to use resources wisely, to use them efficiently, con-serve them when possible and to share that bounty and wealth with all the people of the world,” Cooke said.

campus

Melany coxpage 2 editor

contact cox [email protected]

Intramurals welcomes return of waterball to campus

Imagine a game of soccer in which hands are used and tackling is legal. Now, throw that sport into the pool, and the ferocity of waterball is created.

A campus intramural favorite, waterball, is re-turning again to ACU. After missing a year due to the construction of the Royce and Pam Money Student

Recreation and Wellness Center, waterball will make its reappearance when the season begins November 8.

Kenli Edwards, director of intramural sports, said she is excited about the sport’s return to the intra-mural schedule.

“It’s the most popular sport for all the students to come watch,” Edwards said. “The viewing deck is always full.”

Already the most-watched intramural sport,

Edwards expects even more students to attend waterball games this year. The con-struction of the SRWC added more space to watch from, and students will be able to watch from the leisure pool.

Despite being the most popular sport to watch, Edwards said waterball is not the most popular sport to play. There were only 13 teams in the fall of 2009, the last time waterball was on campus.

Aaron Gill, senior health

promotions major from Fort Worth, played waterball in 2009, and he is looking for-ward to diving back into the pool this semester.

“It can get pretty rough, but it is always a good way to let out some aggression,” Gill said.

While Gill did men-

tion the physicality of the sport, he also said there is a lot of strategy that goes into game play.

“If you don’t go in with a game plan, you’re going to get beat,” Gill said.

In the past, waterball had been excommunicated from ACU intramurals be-cause it had become too violent and had limited reg-ulation. In order to restore the sport in 2009, Edwards had to add some rules. With relatively little conflict and

only two injuries in the last season, the rules of water-ball will remain the same this upcoming season.

The team registration deadline for waterball is Wednesday, and the cost for each team is $100. For more information about intramu-ral sports and schedule visit www.acu.edu/campusoffic-es/intramurals/index.html.

campus

curtis christianstudent reporter

contact christian [email protected]

adrian patenaude Staff Photographer

An ACU student dresses up in celebration of Halloween Monday.

Beck conducts Chapel based on recent book

Honors College students have the opportunity to at-tend a Chapel series featur-ing Dr. Richard Beck, chair of and professor in the De-partment of Psychology. Beck is conducting an eight-week discussion based on the topics of his recently released book, Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hos-pitality and Mortality.

“The book is about kind of the failure of church,” Beck said. “It’s about try-ing to figure out what is it about the church that causes it to kind of retreat into its own exclusive com-munity and not be mis-sional to people.”

As a psychologist, Beck said he wrote the book analyzing through purity psychology. His talks re-flect his book by walking through different psycho-logical processes related to purity psychology. This,

he believes, gets in the way of the church welcoming outsiders, he said.

Beck said his message is crucial for college students.

“You already are the church, and you will be the church leaders for the next generation,” Beck said. “So if [students] find them-selves in a church setting and they find people kind of withdrawing from the world, hopefully, they will remember Chapel and be able to speak a word in that moment about not letting the psychological group dynamics get in the way of the mission.”

Toni Maisano, sopho-more communications major from Burnet, said she enjoys going to the Unclean Chapel. She said her favorite discussion focused on how the idea of purity is imported into the Christian walk and its potential negative conse-quences. He concluded that the Christian lifestyle is not about perfection.

“He was saying we should visualize it more as a journey rather than ‘I’m to-tally perfect now; I can’t sin and I can’t mess up.’” Mai-sano said. “I liked that pic-ture, and I think that helped me with where I am.”

Maisano also said Beck takes an interesting angle to his subject matter.

“I think it’s fascinating to look at the psychology be-hind this because I’ve expe-rienced a lot of what he has talked about personally,” she said. “It’s just interest-ing to see the science and psychology behind why people act the way they do and believe the things they do. That adds a really neat perspective.”

Unclean Chapel meets every few weeks in the Ma-bee Library Auditorium. For more information, visit www.acu.edu/campusof-fices/chapel.

honors

marissa fergusononline editor

contact ferguson [email protected]

Budget: Positions cut, departments mergedbudget plan

to be offered to tenured facul-ty of 60 years of age who have worked at ACU for 10 straight years in an effort to cut costs, according to an email sent to faculty members Friday afternoon. Schubert said a retirement plan of this struc-ture reduces the number of required decisions for elimi-nating or adjusting other po-

sitions in the future. He said about 40 faculty members are eligible for the early re-tirement package.

“I think any time we’re look-ing at the prospect of reducing positions, offering a volunteer retirement plan for tenured faculty is an attractive option,” Schubert said. “For some who might be contemplating that anyway, it provides an addi-tional benefit to help smooth

the transition.”Schubert said the entire

realignment plan is not a short-term vision; it should have the university pre-pared for the future.

“I can’t make any guaran-tees but this plan is built to last a good deal into the fu-ture,” he said.

contact smith [email protected]

continued from page 1

Kenli EdwardsDirector of intramural

sports

The viewing deck is always full.”“

Oh Dear, Christian College Ben miller

the issueThe administration has informed employees of dramatic re-structuring to the university budget, including massive layoffs.

our takeWhile the layoffs are painful, we must not overreact. We must realize that this is part of broad, national economic struggles.

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hashtagaCU

I only read the optimist to see who make it to the twitter section @overheardACU

Prayers during #ACU chapels last longer than @KimKardashian mar-riage. Its sad that peo-ple don’t take marriage seriously anymore.

@torimcfadden@MojogolfaCU @jroberts1125@sadiedrew @riley_rogers@em_brynn

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Mentioning beer and dropping the f bomb 3 times in a chapel fo-rum... Am I still at ACU?@overheardACU

I’m not sure what this whole “Sadie’s Week” is, but you better believe I’m taking it and running with it. #allaboutme #ACU

somebody get off #ACU banner so I can get on.

Seriously the speed bumps on campus are going to be the death of me #ACU

send your tweets @acuoptimist, or #aCU, to get your tweets printed in the Optimist.

SA neglects to fulfill campaign’s promises

Retro games see deserved revival

Budget cuts reflect national worries

“Communication!” stu-dents cried last spring during Students’ Associa-tion officer elections.

The candidates all lis-tened and pitched ideas for how they could best fix the problem, but a semes-ter later we find ourselves heading toward the same brick-thick barrier that di-vides SA Congress from the rest of the student body.

Many students on cam-pus don’t know how the congress functions, who their representatives are, or what SA even does. This year, like so many in the past, was supposed to be different. This year, classes have officers to create more obvious fig-ureheads to whom stu-dents can communicate their concerns, thus hold-ing these representatives accountable. The work of executive officers was to supposed be more trans-parent through the use of the SA website. Students were going to see their representatives at work.

But now, more than halfway through the se-mester, we can truly be-gin to see frayed edges of what was probably never tightly knit.

A building representa-tive and an off-campus representative resigned from their positions. The SA executive president said one representative resigned early in the year because he was busy and over-committed; the other resigned about two weeks ago for similar reasons. Neither the student body nor other members of con-gress learned of other of these resignations.

Although it may seem like a portion of the ac-countability should fall into the laps of the repre-sentatives, this is a matter of cabinet concern. The cabinet steers away from appointing students to elected positions, which is understandable because any candidate would have

run during the election. But the fear of not meeting quorum (which is based on percentages) is no ex-cuse for failing to relay the message to those who voted for leaders they no longer have representing them.

As this relates to con-gress as a whole, it is hard for the student body to hold members accountable for communication when they do not communicate well within themselves. Maybe that explains why last Wednesday congress traded an empty agenda for bonding time. Then again, who would pick a meeting over a free pizza party? Of course, “free” only means free to them.

Congress isn’t commu-nicating with us, nor is it listening to what we want from them. The congress this semester passed the full budget without any debate, rebuttal or pro-posal for any changes to group allocations. There are many fresh faces in congress, but inexperi-ence shouldn’t equate to apathy. The weight of con-gress seems to be placed on the cold backs of an executive and adminis-trative cabinet that turns a deaf ear to the student body.

You heard what we want, SA: communica-tion. Now what will we hear from you?

ACU’s budget struggles took a personal toll this week: several departments were notified of impending structure changes, certain professors were asked to retire early, and, perhaps most emotionally, many workers were warned that their positions will be eliminated in May. Eleven faculty members and nu-merous staff members will lose their jobs as a result.

The news comes as a shock to the university. A certain sense of panic ac-companies learning of what will happen.

While our hearts are with those now searching for new employment, even-

tually we must realize that the same events are taking place in universities across the nation.

The lay-offs may seem to put our university in a bad light. ACU is trying to build up its reputation; why would we let go of some of the exceptional faculty that we have worked to ac-cumulate? However, the events of the restructuring do not reflect poorly on our university. Rather, they re-flect poorly on the state of the nation’s economy. We may no longer be in the throes of a recession, but the employment rate is still at 9.1 percent, shockingly high. ACU, as part of the

U.S. economy, has no op-tion but to feel the effects of the economy’s woes.

Other universities in our own state have experienced the same problems. The major state schools – Texas Tech, University of Texas and Texas A&M – have laid off employees numbering in the hundreds and have cut the salaries of many others.

In some respects, ACU has fared well. Because it is a educational institu-tion and not primarily a business, and because it is a Christian institution, we have managed to lay off employees in a compas-sionate manner. Unlike corporations, we’ve given

the faculty and staff who have lost their jobs time to find new work before their last day at this university. In addition, layoffs weren’t the administration’s first reaction. We did attempt to avoid this outcome by cut-ting other expenses first.

And, looking at the situ-ation pragmatically, the administration’s decisions will avert further budget crunches. The university’s image, we hope, will benefit from the cuts because we’ll avoid having to scramble to repair damages later.

Even recognizing the broad picture of the situ-ation, however, won’t ne-gate what will happen at

the end of this year. People were fired. Men and wom-en lost their sources of in-come. ACU is somewhat of a family, so though only 11 faculty members and a number of staff workers will be laid off, we will feel their absence later as we feel their pain right now. We sympathize with those who have lost their jobs. As a Christian community,

we are called to surround those suffering from the restructuring with love, understanding, and prayer. At the same time, we must keep from overreacting and realize that the lay-offs are part of much larger eco-nomic woes.

This past weekend, I par-ticipated in a Tetris tour-nament held at a Play N’ Trade on the south side of town. It was ladder style, meaning that the person with the highest score at the end of the competi-tion period, this time Oct. 31, won.

I entered purely for the joy of competition. I al-ready owned the prize, a Retron-3 console, and I figured I could just give it to someone else. The cur-rent high score holder was someone I went to high school with, and I knew he had great skill. After pay-ing my entry fee, I sat down and began moving the blocks into place as they appeared on the screen.

After a few lines in I be-gan to get into what many athletes call “the zone.” My brain took over the controls as the digit coun-ters went up. It didn’t feel like my best game, but I felt good about how I was doing overall.

Finally, I made what may have been my fatal mistake. I glanced over at my score and noticed that it was already well above the former high score! A rush of excite-ment came over me as my joints turned to jelly. My Tetris-stacking prowess became useless as I clum-sily pushed blocks into the wrong places, and it wasn’t long until I was greeted by the two words

no gamer wants to hear: “Game Over.”

Granted, I did well enough to win, but I felt like I could do better, which is great incentive to compete again when the next tournament comes up. And then it hit me.

Tetris is getting on in years as far as video games go. The first ver-sion was released in 1984, and the tournament was played on the version Nintendo released in 1989. The fact that we’re still playing and holding tournaments that attract large groups of people on this game 27 years later really speaks to not only the timelessness of Tet-ris, but also of so-called “retro games” in general.

In another example, let’s look at the prize in this tournament, the Ret-ron-3. This console and others like it are known as “clone consoles.” These are new systems that play

older games and are not manufactured by the original companies, since their patents have expired (think of them as the ge-neric prescription drugs of the video game world).

The existence of clone consoles alone means that there is a market out there for people who want to relive or perhaps dis-cover these games, and big game companies like Sony, Nintendo and Mi-crosoft are taking notice by releasing these games in a downloadable digi-tal format. While retro gaming may not achieve a majority share of the mar-ket, it is already claiming a considerable amount. Perhaps NBC’s old slogan rings true to this situa-tion: “If I haven’t seen it, it’s new to me!”

editorial

column

contact Singletary [email protected]

contact the optimist [email protected]

Wednesday 11.02.11 4opinion

the issueTwo SA Congress members resigned earlier this semester. Their seats have not been filled.

our takeSA has not lived up to prom-ises of more transparent communication.

wednesday 11.02.115 sports Jumps

#1 Abilene Christian

#4 TAMU-Commerce

#5 Angelo State

#3 Eastern New Mexico

#6 West Texas A&M

#2 Midwestern St.

Game 1-Thurs. 11 a.m.

Game 2-Thurs. 1:30 p.m.

Game 4-Fri. 2:30 p.m.

Game 3-Fri. 12 p.m.

Game 5-Sun. 1 p.m.

LSC Soccer Tournament

at Wildcat Soccer Pitch Nov. 3-6

First: Team sets sights on LSC tournamentfully utilize each player’s individual talents.

“We changed up posi-tions a little in the second half purely to try and put players in the best position to make plays and use their skills,” Wilson said. “We felt that using Andrea on the outside would be more effective than having her strictly at forward. Doing that gave us an opportunity to attack from the outside.”

The change paid divi-dends. Sophomore mid-fielder Ashley Craig booted

in her second goal of the season, a crossing diagonal that was out of the reach of Bedoy and fell into the goal’s side netting. Garner was credited with the assist.

“Katherine did a great job of dribbling up the field and getting it up as far as she could, and then I just happened to be on the other side of the field and she crossed it to me,” Craig said. “I took one touch and shot it. I would’ve liked to cross the ball rather than shoot, but it wasn’t there. Luckily, it went in.”

While the Wildcats’ of-

fense was null in the first half, the team finished with a 21-15 shot advantage.

“This team has created a lot of opportunities to score over the last 18 games with-out a doubt, but we had a lot of 1-0 and 2-1 games this year too,” Wilson said. “That’s the essence of soc-cer as a game. Sometimes you get the breaks, some-times you don’t. All games are hard fought, no matter the final score.”

The team used goals from junior Krysta Grimm and freshman Megan Turner and a solid de-

fensive outing to hold off Midwestern State 2-1 Fri-day in Wichita Falls. That match concluded ACU’s five-game road stretch in which the team went 5-0.

“Midwestern played re-ally well against us,” Car-penter said. “They chal-

lenged us and made us bring our ‘A’ game. I felt we did that.”

Grimm scored her ninth goal of the season in the 74th minute. Turner fol-lowed closely after, scoring her third goal of the season off an assist from Craig.

The loss snapped Mid-western’s five-game win-ning streak.

ACU will now set their sights on the Lone Star Conference Champion-ship, which begins Thurs-day at 11 a.m. and ends Sunday.

The Wildcats will play

Friday at 2:30 in the sec-ond semifinal.

“We went 17-0-1, but it was a grind,” Wilson said. “It took a lot of energy and definitely took its toll on our team as a whole. I give all the credit to the girls for all they’ve put into this regular season. They came out 18 games and took care of business in every one of those. That’s a special thing, and we have a team full of special players.”

SOccer

continued from page 6

Mistakes: ACU happy to walk away with winpunt return from Com-merce, went for a touch-down when Gale faked a reverse and found Darian Hogg wide open down-field. Hogg jogged into the end zone and the ’Cats went up 30-0.

“Overall I thought our defense did a good job,” Coach Thomsen said. “Mike (Wallace) got the big touch-down for us. We had to have that, that was crucial.”

From that point on, though, Commerce got better and ACU got worse. Before halftime, Com-

merce quarterback J.J. Harp got the Lions on the board with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Rawlings.

After an ACU field goal made the score 33-7 to open the second half, miscues came back to bite ACU.

A Reggie Brown fumble led to another Lion touch-down, cutting the lead to 33-14.

A three-and-out by the ACU offense gave Com-merce some life and Harp was methodical, complet-ing all six of his passes on the drive. Running back Marcus Graham finshed

off the drive with a seven-yard score and Commerce had cut a 30-point lead to 12 with two minutes left in the third quarter.

Gale and company an-swered with a long drive of their own, as Gale went 5-6 on the drive and found Gibbs from 13 yards out to

put the ’Cats up 40-21.Harp stayed sharp,

though, and again led the Lions down the field. The quarterback closed out another successful Com-merce drive with his sec-ond touchdown pass of the game, again closing the gap to 12 at 40-28.

The ACU defense hung tough the rest of the game, forcing two turnovers-on-downs and closing out the Lions.

“The first half we played pretty good, had a couple of stops, really shut ‘em out. They scored that TD late in the first half,” said

safety Darien Williams, who had one of three Wildcat interceptions in the game. “I feel like dur-ing the second half we let off the gas and let them back in the game.”

Although the defense forced five turnovers, Wildcats’ lack of produc-tivity on offense was the highlight of the after-noon. Three of the four offensive touchdowns were scored on big plays, and the Wildcats only had one long drive that led to a touchdown.

“I’m proud of our guys for finding a way to get

the win, it’s tough to do that in the Lone Star Con-ference,” Coach Thomsen said. “At the end of the day, it’s going to take a much better game to do that in Kingsville.”

The ’Cats will travel to south Texas to take on the Texas A&M-Kingsville Jav-elinas next weekend.

Any loss will surely end the Wildcats’ chances of gaining a playoff spot.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Saturday in Kingsville.

Football

Continued from page 8

Win: ’Cats hope to better regional rankingThe ‘Cats bettered their record to 17-12 and 11-6 in conference play.

The team remains in third place in the confer-ence, one game ahead of Tarleton State.

This was the Zias’ sev-enth straight loss, plum-meting their record to 5-22 and 1-17.

Mock was proud of how her team responded to the defeat against the Lady Buffs.

“We turned around and played at a high level against Eastern. The Zias aren’t a bad team,” Mock said. “The girls wanted to get back on track and we

accomplished that in that game.”

Robinett said the team was able to work on the mistakes it made against West Texas A&M during the Eastern New Mexico match Saturday.

“We got to put those mistakes into practice and work them out against Eastern New Mexico,” Robinett said. “I feel like we did a good job of that.”

Staistically, the Wildcats looked much better against Eastern New Mexico.

ACU hit .243 as a team. Borger, Jennie Hutt and Sara Oxford all hit above .300 and put up 10 or more kills. Borger led everyone

with a .409 hitting percent-age to go along with eight blocks and 16 points.

Borger, Hutt and Ox-ford have impressed Mock throughout the season.

“Those three have been carrying us offensively this year,” Mock said. “At any given time, one of them will step up to handle the offensive load of the team,

and we’re grateful for their presence on the team.”

Rhoads was credited with 30 assists, and Edwards added 19 more digs to her all-time program record.

The ‘Cats led the entire first set. However, ENMU came within one point of the lead at 17-18.

Three Zias’ attacking errors pushed ACU to a 21-17 margin. Hutt and Oxford ended set each with one kill after Eastern New Mexico was behind 20-23.

ENMU had a short ad-vantage in the second and third sets, leading 13-11 and 10-9, respectively.

The Wildcats quickly end-

ed those threats with huge scoring runs of their own.

Borger and Robin-ett provided clutch per-formances during these runs. Borger scored seven points in the 10-0 second set stretch. Robinett was key in the third. She served two straight aces that gave ACU a 16-13 lead.

The final stretch of the regular season starts this week. The ‘Cats face Mid-western State University on Thursday in Moody Coliseum at 7 p.m.

Mock said she is pre-paring the team by work-ing on the girls’ ability to display mental toughness through adversity, push

through drills and find ways to win.

“[These are] things we’ve been working on all year,” Mock said. “We’re not varying the game plan much.”

Robinett stressed the importance of the next three home games.

“We want to move our regional ranking up to No. 8 so that we can go to re-gionals,” Robinett said. “These next few games are vital for us to reach our goal.”

Volleyball

continued from page 6

contact isaacs [email protected]

kellen mockhead coach

acu volleyball

These next few games are vital for us to reach

our goal.”“

casey wilsonhead Coach

acu women’s soccer

They came out 18 games and took care of

business in every one. That’s a special thing.” “

contact Shake [email protected]

chris thomsenhead coach

ACU Football

I’m proud of our guys for finding a way to get the

win, it’s tough to do that in the Lone Star Conference.”“

contact gwin [email protected]

read the optimist

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Senior running back Daryl Richardson was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week following his play last Saturday, Oct. 29 against Commerce. Richardson ran for 170 yards and scored two touchdowns in the win.

Football jumped up three spots in this week’s American Football Coaches’ Association poll released on Monday, Oct. 31. The team went from No. 19 to No. 16.

ACU football is ranked No. 5 in the NCAA Division II Super Region Four rankings released on Monday, Oct. 31 by the NCAA. The top six teams in the final poll advance to the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Chicago Bears and wide receiver Johnny Knox had the week off, but Knox has 19 receptions for 348 yards and no touchdowns on the season.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Benard Scott recorded his best game of the 2011 season on Sunday, Oct. 30 against the Seahawks. Scott had 22 rushes for 76 yards and three receptions. The Bengals won 34-12. On the year, Scott has 52 carries for 161 yards and a lone touchdown.

Danieal Manning, Texans safety, didn’t record any tackles this week against the Jaguars. Manning has 32 tackles and two interceptions so far this season.

Volleyball hosts LSC opponent Midwestern State at Moody Coliseum on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.

Women’s soccer competes in the LSC Tournament at the Wildcat Soccer Pitch on Friday, Nov. 4. The first match begins at 2:30 p.m.

Football goes up against LSC foe Texas A&M-Kingsville in Kingsville at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5.

football

volleyball

Women’s Soccer

standings

briefings

EX- FACTOR

Upcoming

DANIEL GOMEZ CHIEF Photographer

Junior midfielder Julie Coppedge advances and runs past West Texas A&M player Rachel Roth Sunday at the Wildcat Soccer Pitch en route to the Wildcats’ 1-0 win on Senior Day. The game wrapped up conference play for the ’Cats, who finished the regular season at 17-0-1.

’Cats blank WT, clinch No. 1 seed

For 18 games this season, the No. 2 ACU Wildcat women’s soccer team has been perfect. The team, boasting a record of 17-0-1, has clinched the top spot and hosting rights in the Lone Star Conference this weekend and a first round bye.

The 17-win season also ties the team’s win total last season, which came after the conference tour-nament and NCAA tourna-ment appearance.

The team wrapped up

their regular season con-ference schedule Sunday when it topped rival West Texas A&M 1-0 after beat-ing Midwestern State 2-1 Friday in Wichita Falls.

Sophomore midfielder Ashley Craig scored the game’s lone goal in the 77th minute of action, while goalkeeper Elliott London stopped six shots en route to recording the team’s tenth shutout of the season, a program best.

“I told the girls about the magnitude of Sunday’s win and not to walk away from it nonchalantly,” head coach Casey Wilson said. “What they’ve accom-

plished is something that is difficult to do in a con-ference that is tough from top to bottom. They’ve raised the bar all the way to the top.”

A scoreless first half was the result of solid defense, missed opportunities and uncharacteristic poor passing from the Wildcats.

Both teams combined for 13 shots, but none slipped past London and Lady Buff goalkeeper Yvette Bedoy.

“The first half we were trying to force the ball up the middle a little too much,” Wilson said. “We gave the ball away quite a few times, but WT did too. It was just a matter of us regrouping and sticking to what we’ve done all season.

In the 23rd minute, the West Texas A&M offense had several opportuni-ties to score, but London held her ground. The Lady Buffs fired six shots in that span, but London saved two, while an ACU

defender booted another out of play.

The ACU offense was the story of the second half, as much of the half was spent on the West Texas A&M half of the field. The ’Cats fired 12 shots over a 30- minute time span.

Wilson changed up some of his players’ posi-tions coming out of the second half. Sophomore forward Andrea Carpen-ter was at an outside mid-fielder position, and de-fender Katherine Garner switched to the forward position in an attempt to

bryson shakespots editor

Soccer

casey wilsonhead coach

ACU Women’s Soccer

What they’ve accomplished is something that is difficult to do. They’ve raised the bar

all the way to the top.”“

DANIEL GOMEZ CHIEF Photographer

Mitchell Gale hands the ball off to Daryl Richardson Saturday at Shotwell Stadium.

Turnover-prone Wildcats get ugly win over Commerce

It will go down as a win for ACU, but this wasn’t the win the Wildcats were expecting.

Facing an 0-7 Texas A&M-Commerce team, the Wildcats committed five turnovers en route to a dis-appointing 40-28 victory.

“I’m just disappointed in the lack of focus. We did some things today that were very uncharac-teristic,” head coach Chris Thomsen said. “That’s an obvious lack of focus, poor job on my part of getting our guys ready to play.”

The first quarter set the tone for the entire game as the Wildcats were hit-or-miss early on. In the first six offensive plays, Gale turned the ball over twice, but Richardson broke two huge touchdowns runs to give the ’Cats a 14-0 first quarter lead.

The 78-and 46-yard scores by Richardson ac-

counted for the only Wild-cat offense, though, as Gale failed to complete a single pass the entire quarter.

In the second quarter, the Wildcats finally found some offense through the air. With a 29-yard pass to tight end Ben Gibbs, Gale brought the ’Cats inside the Lions five-yard line. The drive stalled, though, and the Wildcats were forced to take a field goal and in-crease their lead to 17-0.

The defense, like it had done all game, stepped up on Commerce’s next drive. On a third-and-3, defen-sive back Mike Wallace got the second of three Wild-cat interceptions. Wallace made some shifty moves on the way to a 46-yard touchdown. That bal-looned the lead to 24-0, and it looked like ACU fans were going to get the blow-out everyone expected.

ACU’s next offensive series, aided by a muffed

football

austin gwinsports director

ACU splits in final road trip of season

The ACU volleyball team went 1-1 in its last two road matches of the sea-son last week on Thursday and Saturday.

The Wildcats faced the formidable West Texas A&M Lady Buffaloes in Canyon on Thursday night. The Wildcats couldn’t chal-lenge the #12 ranked Lady

Buffs and were swept 3-0 (25-11, 25-5, and 25-16).

Head coach Kellen Mock said WTAMU came out of the locker room and immediately went to work on ACU.

“They blocked us ear-ly and were able to shut us down from the start,” Mock said. “Balls just weren’t falling for us, and we didn’t rise to the occa-sion that day. WT didn’t help us any either. They

had maybe three errors the entire match.”

ACU’s three-match winning streak ended, and the team’s overall and Lone Star Conference re-cords went to 16-12 and 10-6. West Texas improved its record to 26-2 and 16-1. The loss was the Wildcats’ second to WTAMU this season. Both were three-set defeats.

It was senior night in Canyon, and the Lady Buffs

didn’t disappoint their fans. The team recorded a .429 hitting percentage in addition to three players producing 10 or more kills.

Defensively, WTAMU completely shut down the Wildcats. West Texas had 47 digs and blocked nine shots. ACU was held to an unbelievably low hitting percentage of -.030.

Neely Borger led the Wildcat squad with six of the team’s 21 kills and had

three blocks. Freshman Haley Rhoads accumulat-ed 16 assists.

Kelsie Edwards and Madelyn Robinet stood out on defense. They combined for 17 of the team’s 28 digs.

ACU turned its road trip around with a 3-0 win against Eastern New Mexico Univer-sity on Saturday in Portales, N.M. The scores were 25-20, 25-17, and 25-16.

edward isaacsassistant sports editor

volleyball

see win page 5

see first page 5

see mistakes page 5

wednesday 11.02.11 6sports