Election results presentno surprise for students

SWEEPREPUBLICAN UNITED STATES

REPRep. Randy Neugebauer75.58%

Dem. Andy Wilson21.34%

Lib. Richard “Chip” Peterson

3.08%

TEXAS STATE

GOV

1,901

Rep. Rick Perry69.49%

Dem. Bill White27.35%

Lib. Kathie Glass2.63%

. .

1,884TOTAL VOTES:TOTAL VOTES:

STRAIGHT-PARTY VOTES: each person represents about 100 people. Republicans: 853; 80.01% | Democrats: 198; 18.57% | Libertarian: 10; .44% | TOTAL: 1,066Data from precincts 402 and 403, which vote at University Church of Christ and Hillcrest Church of Christ.

Tuesday’s election results came as no surprise to most ACU students. Many said they expected Gover-nor Rick Perry to win the Texas gubernatorial race and anticipated the GOP’s return to power in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Members of ACU’s College Democrats gathered at the Taylor

County Democratic Party head-quarters to watch election re-sults. ACU’s Young Republicans watched election results from a classroom in the Hardin Admin-istration Building, and other stu-dents watched from home.

Dr. Monty Lynn was honored at a national conference in Florida last month for his work in integrating personal faith and business.

Lynn, associate dean of the College of Business Administration and profes-sor of management sciences, received the Johnson Award from the Christian Business Faculty Administration.

The award, given only once each year, generally goes to a member of CBFA, a nationwide organization with more than 400 members.

“It’s very humbling to receive it, and in large part it’s because so many folks have been helpful research part-ners,” Lynn said. “This is an award shared with many – colleagues at COBA and in other institutions.”

Lynn said he was humbled by the recognition and attributed his ability to conduct scholarly works to the uni-

versity’s encouragement of research.“Many years ago, COBA faculty

were enabled to have a one-course reduction in their teaching load to do research,” Lynn said. “Now, campus-wide, thanks to academic

leadership, research is a component in tenure for all. COBA in particular has been supportive of research as long as I’ve been here.”

The Offices of Admissions and Enrollment expect changes to ACU’s admis-sions process to decrease the total number of appli-cants – but those who do apply will be more serious

about attending ACU. Buck James, chief enroll-

ment officer, said beginning this year ACU will not wave the application fee and has significantly expanded the application to provide a bet-ter picture of each student.

“Both of those things to-gether are kind of going to

weed out the people who are kind of casual shoppers and get people who are re-ally serious,” James said. “We knew in doing that, that we would have slightly less applications, but the ones we would get would be more serious and prob-ably a better fit for ACU.”

The extended applica-tion will go beyond looking only at GPAs and standard-ized test scores. James said the new application will look at the full picture of the student and show how he or she might fit into ACU.

The official number of early applicants has not yet

been determined, but Mark Lavender, director of admis-sions, said overall applica-tions are down by a couple hundred compared to this time last year. However, he said the office has seen a much higher percentage of students who are completing their applications, suggest-

ing the changes have been successful in creating a more serious applicant pool.

Enrollment Management made the switch in 2009 from a rolling deadline system to set deadlines. In the past, prospective students could

Optimistthe

Friday, November 5, 2010

acuoptimist.com

1 section, 8 pages

weatherinside

page 3

websitenewsDr. David M. Vanderpool and his wife Laurie Vanderpool send a group to Haiti to provide medical service and spiritual guidance.

page 7

artsA weekend international film festival will show at Abilene’s historic Paramount Theatre this weekend.

video The Abilene community and ACU students watched the election results on Tuesday night.

68° 40°

Wed. Fri.Thurs.

75° 48° 76° 52°

Bitter Rivalry Reignited, page 8

FUTURE STUDENTS

Linda BaileyEditor in Chief

Admission changes could reduce total applications

Students’ Association Congress unanimously approved a bill during Wednesday’s meeting to help fund a charter bus to transport students to Saturday’s football game in Canyon.

Sikes Representa-tive Rebecca Dial, junior political science major from Lexington, S.C., and Administration Building Representative Keri Gray, junior political science major from Longview, presented the bill to al-locate $1,000 toward the bus. Dial said the Presi-dent’s Office, the Athletic

Department, Marketing and Student Life will also help fund the trip. SA’s portion of the funding will come from the Con-gressional Project Fund.

Students interested in riding the bus can sign up from 1-5 p.m. Friday in the SA office with a stu-dent ID for $5. The names will go into a lottery sys-tem, and 50 students will be randomly selected and notified by 6 p.m. All stu-dents not selected will be reimbursed Monday.

SA Treasurer Chris Shim, senior finance major from Atlanta, Ga., said he anticipates many

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

SA to fund buses to football game

Linda BaileyEditor In Chief

see MOTION page 4

Vol. 99, No. 22

DANIEL GOMEZ // Chief Photographer

Dr. Monty sits in front of a bookshelf in his office on Nov. 2. Dr. Lynn recently received the Johnson Award from the Christian Business Faculty Association.

Abilene Christian University

see EARLY page 4

FACULTY

Professor integrates faith, business

see LYNN page 4

Jeff CraigManaging Editor

see REPUBLICANS page 4

Jeff Craig and Laura Gasvoda

announcements

Friday 07Sunday

The Christian Service Center needs volunteers interested in business or design to put together an informational bro-chure. The work could be done any weekday afternoon before the end

of November. Contact Jim Clark at 673-7531 or jclark@cscabilene.org for more information.

Mesa Spring Healthcare Center needs volunteers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. any day of the week to help with fun activities for the residents, including playing instruments, calling bingo and sitting and talking with them. All help is appreciat-ed. Contact Laura Reynolds at (325)692-8080 or lgreyn-olds@sears-methodist.com.

The Center for Con-temporary Arts needs a gallery assistant to help with exhibit setup and preparation, as well as an administrative assistant. The work can be done any time 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Tuesday - Friday. Call (325) 677-8389 or e-mail info@center-arts.com for more information.

The Dyess Youth Center needs help with a Ping Pong Exhibition from 4 to 6 p.m. every Friday. Vol-unteers will preside over tournaments and help with an exhibition for the

students. Transportation will not be provided, nor can volunteers have any sexual assault charges or charges pending. For more information, con-tact Sheri Frisby at (325) 696-4797 or e-mail sheri.frisby-@dyess.af.mil.

The Dyess Youth Cen-ter needs volunteers from 4 to 6 p.m. every Monday - Friday to assist students with homework in the areas of math, science, English and history. Transportation will not be provided, nor can volunteers have any sexual assault charges or charges pending. For more information, contact Sheri Frisby at 696-4797 or e-mail Sheri.frisby-@dyess.af.mil.

Meals on Wheels needs volunteers to deliver noon meals to seniors and adults with disabili-ties. Routes are available 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Mon-day - Friday. Volunteers must be at least 18, with a valid driver’s license, auto insurance and a desire to serve. Training

is provided. Students may be exempted from one Chapel per week if delivery time conflicts with Chapel. Contact Elizabeth Rodgers at erodgers@mealson-wheelsplus.com.

Aimee’s Art Studio is seeking volunteers from 9-10 a.m. or 1:30-2:30 p.m. Tuesday to assist with ho-meschool fine arts classes. No formal art skills or training is required. The studio is a five minute walk from ACU’s campus. For more information, contact Aimee Williams at (325)672-9633 or williams-barryaimee@gmail.com.

The American Business Women’s Association is having a fundraiser for education Nov. 12-14.It needs volunteers to serve at the concession stand and prepare food from 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 12, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 13, and 12 to 5 p.m. Nov. 14. For more information, contact Sydney Moore at (325) 692-2633 or (325) 428-1024 or e-mail her at moore-h@att.net

Friday, November 5, 2010

calendar & events

05 Saturday06 08Monday

follow us on Twitter: @acuoptimist // become a fan on Facebook: The Optimist

volunteer opportunities

2Campus Day

Dallas White Rock Mara-thon Students wishing to run the Dallas White Rock Marathon or Half-Mara-thon can sign up with ACU to receive a $20 rebate, a free ACU running shirt and a free pre-race party. Register to run the race at www.runtherock.com and to participatewith ACU visit www.acu.edu/whiterock

Registration for spring classes opened at 3 p.m. Oct. 27 for Honors, Graduate School and Study Abroad students. It opened at 3 p.m. Nov. 1 for seniors, at 3 p.m. Nov. 3 for juniors, and will open at 3 p.m. Nov. 8 for sophomores and 3 p.m. Nov. 10 for freshmen.

Mother Teresa is Dead, the Department of Theatre’s Cornerstone production, will show at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16-20 in Fulks Theatre. For ticket-ing information call (325) 647-2787 or visit www.acu.edu/theatre.

24-Hour Fall Film Fes-tival ACU’s first 24 Hour Film Festival will begin at midnight Friday. Students will have a full day to

create, film and edit an original short film. There is no entry fee. For more information visit www.acufilmfest.tumblr.com

Amahl and the Night Visitors The ACU Opera will perform Gian-Carlo Menotti’s opera at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at University Church of Christ. Ad-mission is free, and any donations will benefit the CSC Feed the Hun-gry Drive. They will also perform at 8 p.m. Nov. 18 and Nov. 20 in the Williams Performing Arts Center. Tickets to these two shows will be $10 for adults and $5 for chil-dren and students.

Ethnos: The Culture Show begins at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 - 13. Tickets are $3 for stu-dents and $5 for general admission. Tickets will be sold in the Campus Center from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 8-12 and will also be available at the door.

The ACU Jazz Ensem-ble will perform from 8-10 p.m. Friday at the Windsor Hotel Ballroom downtown for a swing

dance hosted by the Abilene Swing Dance Society. The event is free and open to everyone. For more information e-mail Derek Brown at dpb08b@acu.edu

ACUltimate, the univer-sity’s ultimate frisbee club, meets at 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Interested students can contact Kyle Thaxton at krt06d@acu.edu.

ACU Percussion Ensem-ble & Steel Drum Band Concert The Percussion Ensemble & Steel Drum Band will play in concert at 8 p.m. on Nov. 8 in Cul-len Auditorium. Admission is free. For more informa-tion, call (325) 674-2199.

The Boston Brass Con-cert The Boston Brass will play in concert at 8

p.m. Nov. 12 in the Re-cital Hall of the Williams Performing Arts Center. Admission is free. For more information, call (325) 674-2199.

ACU Choirs The ACU choral department is look-ing for students to join the University Chorale for the spring semester. Men are especially encouraged to join. Interested students may register for the Univer-sity Chorale (MPEV 202-01) with their advisers. The course meets from 1-1:50 p.m. MWF. Contact Dr. Sean Pullen at sean.pullen@acu.edu or (325) 674-2108 for more information.

Turkey Throwdown The women of Delta Theta are sponsering a double-elimination flag-football tournament Nov. 18-21.

The entry fee is $60 per team. Each team member will receive a T-shirt. All proceeds will be donated to Meals on Wheels to help feed hungry families during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. To sign up contact Jessica Ellison at jle06a@acu.edu.

Iran and Nuclear Weap-ons Class The Depart-ment of Political Science is offering a special topics course this spring to explore Iran’s domestic politics, religion, econ-omy, culture and geog-

raphy. The class (POLS 488.01) will be offered from 3-4:20 p.m. Mon-days and Wednesdays.

FCA, the ACU chapter of the Fellowship of Chris-tian Athletes, meets at 9 p.m. every Thursday in the Living Room of the Campus Center.

Flu shots are now avail-able in the ACU Medical Clinic in McKinzie Hall. Call (325) 674-2151 for more information.

11 a.m. Praise Day in Moody Coliseum

12 a.m. 24 Hour Film Festival starts

6 p.m. Football game at West Texas A&M University

12 a.m. 24 Hour Film Festival ends

11 a.m. Chapel in Moody Coliseum

68

Chapel

Credited Chapels to date

Checkup25 Credited

Chapels remaining

As construction continues across campus, expect parking conges-tion and traffic detours. Park in marked/designated spaces only. If a lot is full, seek a space in an adjacent lot.

Tuesday, Oct. 262:10 p.m. ACU Police stopped someone who was speeding on Campus Court. The driver was identified and issued a written warning.2:27 p.m. Someone report-ed a man wearing a white sleeveless T-Shirt going door to door selling some-thing on Griffith Street. The subject was identified, and it was determined that he works for a household chemical supply company.3 p.m. Someone reported that his bicycle had been sto-len from Smith-Adams Hall.

Wednesday, Oct. 271:45 p.m. Someone re-ported a bald man driving a large white van trying to sell energy drinks. Of-ficers advised the person that the subject was with a group of door-to-door sales people, but would take action if the solicitors became a nuisance.

Thursday, Oct. 283:21 a.m. ACU Police were notified of an alarm in the Williams Performing Arts Center. The alarm company informed ACU Police that the duct work thermal cen-ser requires service. ACU Police notified the appro-priate department.

Friday, Oct. 291:55 a.m. While on patrol, an officer saw a subject on a bike coming out of the intramural field parking lot south of Gardner Hall. The officer stopped the subject and identified him.

Saturday, Oct. 301 a.m. Someone reported a loud party in the 600 block of EN 16th. An of-ficer contacted the tenant

and issued a warning.2:30 a.m. While on patrol, an officer observed several persons in the street carry-ing beer. When the officer went to the house, he saw people coming and going and advised the tenant to keep the party under con-trol and party goers inside his house. 7:15 p.m. Someone report-ed their neighbor was play-ing drums in the garage of his home loudly and that it is a recurring problem. The officer relayed the complaint to the Abilene Police.

Sunday, Oct. 312:06 a.m. ACU Police as-sisted Abilene Police with a noise violation call in the 2600 block of Garfield Ave. Officers arrived and Abilene Police issued a ci-tation for the noise.

Monday, Nov. 01 11 a.m. Someone called ACU Police in reference to a person inside her house on Ruswood Drive. Offi-cers responded to the lo-cation and determined it was a misunderstanding. 3:15 p.m. Someone report-ed the theft of her bicycle from Smith-Adams Hall. 5:15 p.m. Someone report-ed the theft of her bicycle from Brown Library.

Tuesday, Nov. 0212:05 a.m. ACU Police as-sisted Abilene Police with a check welfare call in the 400 block of Penrose. Offi-cers checked the residence and everything was OK.

Report all suspicious activi-ty to the ACU Police Depart-ment at (325) 674-2305.

Police LogEdited for space

ACU Police Tip of the Week

November 5, 2010 Page 3CAMPUS NEWS

As health officials put the death toll of Haiti’s cholera outbreak close to 450, ACU will continue its outreach to the small island nation as it has since the earth-quake earlier this year.

Just a few months after January’s earthquake left thousands living in tent cities, ACU named Dr. Da-vid M. Vanderpool (’82) and his wife Laurie (’81) of Brentwood, Tenn., Par-ents of the Year for their work with the nonprofit Mobile Medical Disaster Relief, which operates in several countries, includ-ing Haiti.

Dr. Vanderpool, a sur-geon by training and CEO of MMDR, said this out-break will be harder to combat because the coun-try’s resources are already

so strained trying to recov-er from the earthquake.

“Haiti had little infra-structure to begin with, so cholera was always a danger – the earthquake just made it more likely,” Dr. Vanderpool said. “I ac-tually expected this out-break earlier, like in June or even May.”

Cholera is contracted by drinking contaminated water or eating contami-nated food.

“People get their drink-ing water from the river, but if you saw this river you wouldn’t even want to go near it.” Dr. Vanderpool said. “They’re using it as their latrines, their live-stock are going in it, and it just looks nasty.”

Each month, MMDR sends a group to Haiti to provide medical service and spiritual guidance. Re-cently, David S. Vanderpool

(’10), the Vanderpool’s son and the International Proj-ects Manager of MMDR, went to Haiti as well.

“Because so many of the earthquake refugees are living in squalid con-ditions within tent cities, cholera is able to spread like wildfire,” Vanderpool said. “Cholera was basi-cally eradicated from the western hemisphere, and because of the lack of sanitation, constant hurri-canes stirring up the filth, and a lack of hygiene edu-cation, cholera is killing and will continue to do so in Haiti.”

More than 60 percent of people who contract cholera die if the dis-ease goes untreated, Dr. Vanderpool said.

“The best way to treat cholera is to get people more fluid,” Dr. Vander-pool said. “We treat them

with IVs, rehydration salts – which are Gatorade-like drinks – and also hook up water filters to five-gallon containers, so after about an hour the people can have five gallons of clean drinking water.”

MMDR is trying to raise money for relief in Haiti, and encourages anyone who wants to make a do-nation to visit its website, www.mmdr.org/home, and click on the “Donate to Haiti Relief” link.

Dr. Vanderpool encour-aged all ACU students to help and said even a $25 donation will go a long way in fighting the disease.

“The cholera vaccines are only about $50, and the water filters cost $25,” Dr. Vanderpool said. “Any dona-tion is really appreciated.”

Alumni join fight against Haiti cholera outbreakALUMNI

Matthew WoodrowOpinion Page Editor

contact Woodrow atmrw08a@acu.edu

contact Sands atjgs07a@acu.edu

Fashion show accepting leadership applications

ACU’s spring fashion show is accepting applications for leadership positions until Nov. 23.

The show’s organiz-ers are Whitney Puckett, senior Ad/PR major from Melbourne, Fla., Eliza-beth Coffee, senior Ad/PR major from San Anto-nio, and Preston Watkins, junior Ad/PR major from Manassas, Va. Applica-tions are due Nov. 23, and interviews will begin the

week classes resume after Thanksgiving break.

The fashion show pro-vides students the opportu-nity to build their résumés by helping to plan a campus event. Coffee said they want to bring talents from differ-ent departments together and help the students pre-pare for the interview pro-cesses they will encounter after graduation.

“It is a great opportunity for students to interview with their peers before they go into the professional market,” Coffee said. “They will be able to pres-

ent their portfolio and practice personal selling around stu-dents their own age.”

They will accept appli-cations for positions in ad-vertising, public relations, management, finance, fashion, visual communi-cation and graphic design.

Each team will consist of a manager and between three and five team mem-bers, Puckett said.

“We chose to have manag-ers and delegate the work so that students will have a lot of freedom to bring in their own ideas,” Puckett said.

Proceeds from the show will be donated to Eternal Thread’s Red Thread Move-ment, which provides em-ployment for girls who have been rescued from sex traf-ficking in Nepal, funds a safe house for victims and establishes border units along the Nepal-India bor-

der, according to the organi-zation’s website.

Puckett said the show ben-efits a nonprofit organization every year and gives students a chance to use their creativity and talents to benefit organi-zations like Eternal Threads.

“We always support some sort of nonprofit with the fashion show each year,” Puckett said. “Fashion can be used for good and purpose-ful reasons – it doesn’t have to be superficial or fake.”

Applications are available in the Department of Jour-nalism and Mass Commu-nication Office, Room 300 in the Don Morris Center. More information will be provided at the Red Thread Movement Chapel forum Tuesday night.

Jozie SandsOnline Editor

STUDENT GROUPS

Fashion can be used for good and purposeful reasons – it doesn’t have to be superficial or fake.

WHITNEY PUCKETT // senior Ad/PR major from Melbourne, Fla.‘‘ ’’

Courtesy of DAVID S. VANDERPOOL

Dr. David M. Vanderpool checks on a patient in earthquake-stricken Haiti. The Vanderpools are helping treat cholera patients.

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Honors faculty present at national conference

Several ACU Honors College faculty members attended the National Collegiate Honors Council conference last week in Kansas City, Mo. Dr. Victor McCracken, assistant professor of the-ology and ethics, and Dr. Kristina Campos, assistant professor of communica-tions, gave a presentation regarding ACU’s interdisci-plinary core curriculum to hundreds of national and international college fac-ulty and students.

“There are honors colleg-es and programs from a wide variety of schools, all the way from junior colleges to well-recognized state schools,” McCracken said. “We try to go every year because it’s a great place to learn what

their programs have to offer their students.”

McCracken and Cam-pos’ presentation, titled “Going General: The Future of Honors Education in an Interdisciplinary Univer-sity,” included a discussion about how the ACU Hon-ors College can continue to advance its students when ACU’s basic core curricu-lum is similar to those of most honors colleges.

“One of the big issues in honors education is ‘what makes it distinctive?’” Mc-Cracken said. “What makes it different than the education an honors student would get in regular classes?”

Dr. Joe Stephenson, assis-tant dean of the Honors Col-lege and assistant professor of English, said the presenta-tion provided an interesting discussion of how the Hon-

ors College is responding to changes in core curriculum and how it can both lead and follow other colleges in the process.

“They did a great job,” Stephenson said. “It was a very interesting presenta-tion. They presented along with some people from Western Kentucky who talked about a new core curriculum just for Hon-ors, so that contrasted with what Dr. McCracken had to talk about, how the college here sort of led the way and piloted the courses in the new core curriculum.”

McCracken said the model of interdisciplinary core curriculum, which blurs the lines between regular and advanced courses, is a model ACU feels all its students can gain from and recently

became the basic core curriculum.

“It is definitely innova-tive for ACU,” Stephenson said. “I don’t know any other school that has a core cur-riculum like ours and that, in fact, makes a special chal-lenge for Honors, to take this core curriculum which, in a way, is already sort of an Honors curriculum, and how to do something with it that is even more ‘honors’ than it already is.”

ACU was among many other honors colleges pre-senting at the conference that are members of the Council for Christian Col-leges and Universities.

“Every year at this con-ference there’s a gather-ing of honors directors and leaders from the other schools in the CCCU, and Abilene is one of the lead-

ers amongst that group,” McCracken said. “It’s really good company. It’s great to visit with other directors that are thinking that we are not only working with really great, intelligent stu-dents but we are working in a Christian atmosphere.”

For now, McCracken said the “million dollar question” is how the Honors College will advance the core cur-riculum to continue to chal-lenge Honors students and appeal to their interests.

“We attract students that are very curious and want to learn about many

different things,” Mc-Cracken said.

Dr. Chris Willerton, pro-fessor of English and hon-ors studies and former dean of the Honors College, was also recognized for his lead-ership in Honors programs last week. After serving more than 25 years as direc-tor and dean of the Honors College, the Great Plains Honors Council, ACU’s regional Honors council, awarded Dr. Willerton a plaque for his service.

Bailey NealPage Designer

FACULTY

One of the big issues in honors education is ‘what makes it distinctive?’

DR. VICTOR MCCRACKEN // assistant professor of theology and ethics‘‘ ’’

contact Neal atbmn07a@acu.edu

Lynn said faculty research is good for the university and its students.

“Not every research proj-ect makes it to the classroom directly,” Lynn said. “Engag-ing research keeps faculty on the leading edge of their field so you are developing as a professional and contributing to the body of knowledge in your discipline. These things keep us sharp and prepared to be better teachers.”

Jozell Brister, associ-ate professor of econom-ics, partnered with Lynn in research projects this year. She said Lynn is a renowned researcher with unique ideas and deserved the award.

“He is a top researcher,” Brister said. “He is published in lots of different areas and journals. His published list goes on for pages. He’s very meticulous and an original thinker, the quality of his writing is superb. It’s amaz-ing what he can do.”

Brister said Lynn pos-sesses skills that make him an excellent educator and an exceptional researcher.

“He is highly respected in COBA,” Brister said. “He is self-effacing, never ac-cepts the limelight, and you’d never know all the things he’s done. He’s a genuinely humble man. You don’t find people any finer than Monty Lynn.”

students will want to at-tend the last away game of the season, and he said riding the bus is cheaper than driving.

“Imagine 50 diehard Wildcat fans traveling on the road and coming back in glorious victory,” Shim said. “It will be a great col-lege adventure.”

SA has helped fund charter buses for away football games in previous years. SA Vice President Jared Elk, senior political science major from Savoy, said many students have shown interest.

In the past, two buses were chartered, but only one was available on Saturday.

SA Congress also ap-proved a motion during

Wednesday’s meeting to grant $214 to two students for expenses to the Na-tional Student Leadership Forum. The students re-quested $449.40, but $214 was all that remained in the conference fund.

Nathan Lloyd, fresh-man biology major from Georgetown, said he wasn’t surprised by Tues-day’s results.

“I like Rick Perry,” Lloyd said. “I like living in Texas. And Texas is a Republican state; I’m not surprised Perry won. I even think Rick Perry may have had a chance at being President

if it weren’t for the George Bush legacy. I think he’ll just stay governor for a re-ally long time instead.”

ACU Young Republicans president Aaron Escobedo, senior history major from

Lamesa, said the results of this year’s midterm elec-tions should serve as a referendum on President Obama and his party.

“This is what we were ex-pecting the whole time,” Es-cobedo said. “People are tired of it. They’ve realized after two years they want real change.”

Escobedo said the GOP saw major gains this year because the party returned to its core values, including fiscal conservatism.

Stewart McGregor, fresh-man Christian ministry and political science major from Arlington, is a member of Young Republicans and sup-ports the Tea Party Movement. McGregor, who watched the election results with the Young Republicans while wearing a tea bag around his neck, said he believed the tea party served the GOP well as a grassroots movement in the 2010 election.

“I believe it played a strong role for fiscal conser-vatism,” McGregor said. “It helped wake up America; it’s going to be a force in the next election.”

On the other hand, supporters of Bill White

were disappointed with election results.

Farron Salley, junior Ad/PR major from Fort Worth, said she thought White would close the gap more than he did. Salley said she was surprised with how Abilene residents voted, since White was in Abilene more recently than Perry and had more campaign signs visible throughout the city.

“I think Bill White was Texas’ best bet for a rise in the Democratic party in Texas,” Salley said. “He didn’t carry the state like I thought he would.”

ACU College Demo-crats president Rebecca Dial, sophomore political science major from Lex-ington, S.C., said she knew the GOP would retake the House, but also said she expected a closer guberna-torial race between Perry and White.

“There is a lot of anti-Perry sentiment and Bill White is the best candi-date we’ve had in a while,” Dial said.

Nikki Favors, a non-traditional student in the

Human and Professional Development program from Hamlin, said while she did expect Perry to win the governorship, she did not anticipate the results of the national elections.

“I feel a little like Kevin Costner’s character in the movie Swing Vote as far as national politics are concerned,” Favors said. “I have to say I was a little clueless.”

International students have their own perspec-tives on Tuesday’s elections. Daniba Dan-Princewill, ju-nior nutrition major origi-nally from Nigeria whose family now lives in Katy, said her sister, who was born in the U.S., is the only family member who could vote in this year’s election.

“Even though I cannot vote, my family and I still have a voice through her,” Dan-Princewill said.

Dan-Princewill said her family is Republican and is glad to see Perry win and the GOP regain the House majority.

contact Staff atoptimist@jmcnetwork.com

Continued from page 1

Republicans: Students anticipated election night victoriesELECTION

Motion: SA gives students chance to travel to game

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

contact Bailey atljb07a@acu.edu

Continued from page 1

GRANT STEPHEN // Staff Photographer

Rebecca Dial, junior political science major from Lexington, S.C., proposes a bill during Wednes-day’s meeting that will help fund a charter bus to take students to the football game in Canyon.

Lynn: Business professorearns national recognition

FACULTY

Continued from page 1

contact Craig atjrc07d@acu.edu

submit applications throughout the year. Now, applicants must submit the proper paperwork by Nov. 1 for early admission and Feb. 1 for regular admission.

All applicants will be in-formed by Nov. 19 of their acceptance to ACU.

Students who are de-ferred at the early admis-sions deadline can resubmit their applications in Febru-

ary. James said a deferral can often provide a “wake-up call” for the student.

“We had a number of examples of that last year,” James said. “Stu-dents who were deferred but really wanted to get in really buckled down on their school work and were eventually accepted.”

Lavender said the ap-proach has benefited prospective students and the university.

“Having two enroll-ment deadlines allows us to consolidate all of our com-munications at one time to students,” Lavender said. “It really gives us an early indi-cation of who is really seri-ous about ACU. It allows us to work earlier with students to help them through, spe-cifically, financial aid and scholarships.”

Early: Admission stats downFUTURE STUDENTS

Continued from page 1

contact Bailey atljb07a@acu.edu

ArtsNovember 5, 2010 Page 5

Alice Wright10 a.m.-5 p.m.Tuesday-SaturdayThe Grace Museum

ALICE’S GARDEN

Beverly Penn10 a.m.-5 p.m.The Grace Museum

Still Nature

Art Exhibits

Ruth Jackson, Bernice Landrum, & Linda Engle11 a.m.-5 p.m.The Center for Contemporary Arts

Here and There

Abilene Events

FRIDAY24fps International Short Film Festival7 p.m.Paramount Theatre

SUNDAYCinderella2 p.m.Paramount Theatre

ACU Events

HeyTellSocial NetworkingHHHI

Just in case you feel dis-connected from the people closest to you, HeyTell provides a quick and easy way to stay in touch. It is texting without typing, or is it talking without conversa-tion? Either way, HeyTell sends short voice messages to phone contacts. iTunes describes it as a “cross-platform” voice messenger, but more simply stated, think of it as a walkie-talkie app. Perhaps slightly un-necessary, the app does provide a great alternative to texting while driving by allowing the sender to relay simple messages with both hands still on the wheel. Simply download, choose a contact, and push the re-cord button to start talkng. Heytell is available for free from the iTunes app store.

ACU Percussion Ensemble & Steel Drum Band Concert8 p.m.Cullen Auditorium

MONDAY

Mother Teresa is Dead7:30 p.m.Fulks TheatreWilliam Performing Arts Center

TUESDAY

Mother Teresa is Dead7:30 p.m.Fulks TheatreWilliam Performing Arts Center

WEDNESDAY

SATURDAY24fps International Short Film Festival2 p.m. & 7 p.m.Paramount Theatre

App of the Week

Boston Brass, Guest Artist Series8 p.m.Recital HallWilliam Performing Arts Center

FRIDAY

FRIDAYOrfeo Ed Euridice-Opera8 p.m.Behrens AuditoriumHardin-Simmons University

Mother Teresa is Dead7:30 p.m.Fulks TheatreWilliam Performing Arts Center

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

contact Williamson atkkw07a@acu.edu

Around the World in 20 Minutes

When the Paramount Theatre opened in 1930, local newspa-pers hailed it as “West Texas’ most perfect theatre … em-bodying modern construc-

tion.” Although “modernity” is a term long since abandoned to describe the Spanish-Moorish interior architecture, domed ceiling and cozy seating capacity of this Abilene his-toric landmark, the word can still be used to describe the purpose and content of the mul-tipurpose venue.

Since it began 12 years ago, the 24fps In-ternational Short Film Festival has embodied this synthesis between preserving the past and pushing forward into the future.

The festival and competition, which re-ceived over 550 film submissions this year, was born from small beginnings, said Barry Smoot, director of the 24fps International Short Film Festival and the Paramount’s artistic director.

After the popularity and success of the hor-ror documentary, Blair Witch Project, directors at the Paramount wanted to provide local film-makers the opportunity to create and showcase similar films based on local legends or haunt-ings. In 1999, the Paramount hosted its first Film Festival screening such shows.

“We had such a great response from that initial idea, the next year we just expanded it,” Smoot said. “It went from being localized to statewide to regional to international about seven years ago.”

Now a truly international event, the fes-tival accepts submissions running under 20

minutes from any country and in any genre or language. Some have already gained acclaim, such as the Academy Award-winning French animation, Logorama. Other films have made appearances at widely-recognized festivals like South by Southwest, the Cannes Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival.

Smoot and a few others narrow down the im-mense number of submissions to 30 films that will run over the course of three viewing ses-sions this weekend. These films have already been viewed and scored by six remote judges (each selected for his or her presence in the professional film industry), as well as a panel of regional judges from around Abilene who col-lectively cast one vote in the final judging.

“It’s a little bit mind-numbing,” said Robert Leeper, the Paramount’s media consultant and one of this year’s regional judges. “When you get to this level, it gets hard to pick out which is best.”

Smoot said the wide range of films submit-ted makes it important to view the entries from both a broad base and for each film’s individual merit. He also said judges cover an array of per-spectives to make sure no film is unfairly cri-tiqued over another.

“We tell judges to elevate a film that speaks to you,” Smoot said.

Leeper, a self-proclaimed gearhead, said the technical filming aspects are what mostly at-tract his attention.

Both Smoot and Leeper agreed that many of this year’s selected films carry somewhat of a satirical edge, a spirited bite to them.

“There seems to be a lot of turmoil all over the world in the last year,” Smoot said. “I think that’s reflected in the demeanor or the voices of these young artists.”

Smoot said while the dark humor that per-vades films like the American short, Successful Alcoholics, leads viewers to laugh at situations when they really shouldn’t, it still ends with a meaningful message.

Yet shorts like Joshua Weigel’s, The Butterfly Circus, balance the dark humor with a sense of inspiration and beauty.

The festival itself is an interesting mix of contemporary subject matter and a historical backdrop, which helps elevate the profile of 24fps and the Paramount Theatre.

“We’re pretty continually surprised by the geographic spread and the quality of people that are finding out about the festival,” Leeper said.

While the three screening sessions are not categorized within any particular genre, the 2 p.m. Saturday matinee will show only family-friendly shorts. The 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday evening sessions may contain some adult con-tent. Tickets for each screening are $8, and a pass for all three is $15. To see all 30 films, view-ers will need to attend every session.

For more information on the festival and the films being screened this weekend, visit 24fpsfest.com.

Paramount Theatre hosts 12th-annual 24fps International Short Film Festival

3. Echo, directed by Magnus Van Horn4. Charlie and the Rabbit, directed by Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and Robert Machoian5. Logorama, directed by Francois Alaux, Herve de Crecy, and Ludovic Houplain6. The Armoire, directed by Jamie Travis7. The Kinematograph, directed by Tomek Baginski

By Kelsi Williamson, Arts Editor

1. Daisycutter, directed by En-rique Garcia and Ruben Salazar2. The Six Dollar Fifty Man, directed by Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland

1.

2. 3. 4.

5.

6. 7.

SUNDAYMcMurry Sunday Afternoon Jazz Jam3 p.m.Bynum Band HallMcMurry University

Mother Teresa is Dead7:30 p.m.Fulks TheatreWilliam Performing Arts Center

IMAGES COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT THEATRE

In the past few months the controversial “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy has once again made its way into headlines. The underlying premise behind DADT ap-pears, on the surface, under-standable. The policy forbids those who openly identify as gay from serving in the mili-tary forces because “it would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and dis-cipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of mili-tary capability.” Upon closer consideration, however, this premise falls flat.

Unit cohesion and build-ing trust are essential aspects of effective military units, but there is little evidence that homosexuals who serve in the military erode the ca-

pability of their troops. As Sen. Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a recent opinion piece, “There is no evidence that the presence of gay and lesbian colleagues would damage our military’s ability to fight. Our closest allies in NATO and other al-liances, including Canada, Britain, France and Israel, allow gays and lesbians to serve openly with no impact on readiness.”

The firing of gay men and women may actually hinder the military’s effectiveness more than anything. There are countless stories of cou-rageous men and women, like West Point graduate Lisa Young. Young served in the U.S. Air Force for 16 years, became a Chinook Pilot and

was selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel – until her homosexual orienta-tion was discovered and she was discharged. According to Aaron Belkin, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Palm Center at UCSB, the Penta-gon “has fired over 11,000 capable troops, including nearly 1,000 considered mission-critical and over 300 foreign linguists, just because they’re gay. This despite overwhelming evi-dence that letting known gays serve does not impair cohesion, recruitment or effectiveness.”

When it comes to reject-ing individuals who present a risk to unit cohesion, the military appears to have a double standard, since for

years the Pentagon has al-lowed convicted felons to serve in the military. Accord-ing to the Associated Press, the military “routinely grants waivers to take in recruits who have criminal records, medical problems or low aptitude scores that would otherwise disqualify them from service. Most are moral waivers, which include some felonies, misdemeanors, and traffic and drug offenses.”

Such was the case with Army Reservist Bob Gidding, a convicted felon who plead guilty to a charge of felony arson after he admitted to setting another man’s car on fire. Gidding was sentenced to five months in prison and three years probation, and was also prohibited from owning or possessing

a handgun. Gidding was de-ployed to Iraq before serving his prison sentence – even though the military knew of his recent sentence.

So a convicted arsonist barred from owning a hand-gun won’t create “an unac-ceptable risk to the high stan-dards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit co-hesion,” but an honored West Point graduate with a 16-year career in the Air Force will be-cause she’s gay?

The U.S. Military has every right to make cohe-

sion among troops a top priority. But that the mili-tary lowers its standards for felons who have clearly demonstrated behavior that erodes social cohe-sion suggests this policy is founded not on substanti-ated claims but on deep-seated and irrational fears. That is why this policy – along with the deep discom-fort that spurred its creation – needs to be re-examined.

OpinionPage 6 November 5, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79699

E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu

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Optimistthe

Military policy hinders effectivenessEDITORIAL

I liked candlelight devo because it was cool to see all of the lights and listen to the speaker.TYLER PINKERTFreshman business management major from Red Oak

I liked the service project. I got to know a lot of people and my group and I had a blast.

Science fiction futures unseen

COLUMN

Middle Class HeroBy Alan Cherry

Good news everybody!I have it on very good

authority that any day now the super science commu-nity will be-gin making all kinds of technolog-ical break-throughs. Science will bring us flying cars, 4-D movies and self-drying clothes.

In fact, Mattel should be only a few short years away from re-inventing the 1980s by intro-ducing us to the world’s first hoverboard.

I cannot wait to get my hands on one of those retro-looking bad-boys.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you can expect all of these wonderful things – and many more – to not only be introduced, but also be-come mainstream in less than five years. I couldn’t possibly be more excited.

At least, that’s what Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale and Steven Spielberg have raised me to believe in and hope for. I like their vision of the future. It has awe-some toys, time machines, instant fax machines and even televisions where you can watch multiple screens at once (unless your boss calls during dinner to fire you). That future looks ex-citing. It looks promising.

But as much as I love science fiction, all of my favorite stories keep let-ting me down.

Unless we get some visi-tors from Gilese 581 g here

in the next few months, we probably won’t be discov-ering alien life like Arthur C. Clark promised us we would in 2010: Odyssey 2. We certainly didn’t master interplanetary travel by the early 2000, or artificial in-telligence by the late 1990s like Isaac Asimov foretold.

On the plus side, we haven’t been attacked by Buggers or prematurely demolished in order to make way for a hypers-patial expressway either. Skynet hasn’t sent Arnold Schwarzenegger clones to wipe us out, Big Broth-er is not watching us and

Keanu Reeves will never know kung-fu.

We are not living in Huxley’s Brave New World, although his predictions seem to be increasingly, al-beit terrifyingly, accurate.

Instead of all the cool things we’ve been prom-ised, we have iPhones and smart cars and the Tea Par-ty – and I am disappointed.

So until science can get its collective act together and deliver me a hover-board and introduce me to an iron giant, I will be look-ing for the nearest Applied Cryogenics laboratory, set-ting the timer for 1000 years and waiting for a beautiful, purple-haired Cyclops to welcome me to the world of tomorrow.

contact the Optimist atjmcnetwork@acu.edu

Cherry

contact Cherry atarc07a@acu.edu

letter to the editor

Did you know there is a Queer-Straight Alliance in Abilene whose members include ACU students? No? Did you know that two weeks ago was Ally Week, conducted in opposition to ha-rassment and discrimination against queer people?

You probably didn’t, because the administration does not allow us to publicize our activities or conduct them on campus. We un-derstand the administration’s rea-soning and sympathize with their obstacles. It would probably be easier for them if queer students and their allies would go away or be quiet. But we cannot go away, and we will not be quiet.

ACU’s culture of silence on GLBTQ issues needs to end. It seems many in the student body have forgotten about

SoulForce’s visit and the prom-ise for more Chapel forums and discussion on this topic. But we have not forgotten. Dr. Beck’s Chapel conversation last Tues-day was a start, but there is still a long way to go before the si-lence is ended.

This culture of silence is toxic to queer students, because it tells them they are alone, that no one wants to hear from them, that their identities are shame-ful and must be kept secret. How many queer teenagers have com-mitted suicide in the past month because their classmates did not accept them? The culture of si-lence is harmful to straight stu-dents, because we are uneducat-ed and unprepared to conduct Christian service and leadership in a world that increasingly in-

cludes openly queer people. If ACU is to fulfill its mission, we must be able to discuss these issues openly between the stu-dents and the administration. We must be able and willing to learn from each other.

Did you know that there are dozens of queer students in ACU’s community? Did you know that they are your friends, your classmates and your neigh-bors? Did you know that they are your brothers and sisters, and that true Christian community is impossible where people’s identities are secret, shameful and silent? I believe this com-munity is necessary and pos-sible. Do you?

It’s time to find out. The silence ends now. Start the conversation by emailing qsa.abilene@gmail.com.

Ruth Riggan, senior missions major from Concord, Calif.

ACU should discuss GLBTQ issues openly

By Morgan DavisThe Funny Funnies

the issueThe “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy prohibits openly gay individuals from openly participating in the military.

our takeThousands of potential soldiers are unnecessarily ex-cluded from contributing to the U.S. military.

We are not living in Huxley’s Brave New World, although his predictions seem to be increasingly, albeit terrifyingly, accurate.

November 5, 2010 Page 7FROM SPORTS

vs.

Offense

Defense

SpecialTeams

OptimistPick

ACU and WT are two prolific offenses. Taylor Harris and Mitchell Gale both have numerous weapons at their disposal. But Gale’s efficiency this season puts ACU over the edge.

Both teams have rock solid defenses, but WT’s defense has returned five interceptions for touchdowns this season. Simi Kuli and Shad Baichtal lead a very good front seven for the Buffs.

With such an evenly matched game this week special teams will be the key, and part of that is field position. Mark Sprague has done a great job of reversing field position on punts for ACU.

31 28This is the biggest game of the season for both teams. ACU can lock up a share of the conference title with a win, while WT needs a win to stay in the playoff hunt. The team that has had the fewest turnovers has won five of the last seven matches and ACU is +12 in turnover margin this season.

Canyon: Wildcats ready

and Texas A&M-Kingsville. Both squads have a lot rid-ing on this game.

“Every time we hook up there is a lot on the line,” head coach Chris Thomsen said.

Besides the conference title, ACU and WT alike are looking to solidify playoff spots. The Wildcats have virtually clinched, sitting as the only team in Super Region Four without a loss. WT, on the other hand, is fighting just to stay in the top six in the region. The Buffs are currently sitting at No. 5 and need to win out to guarantee themselves a spot in the NCAA playoffs.

Statistically, the match-up between these two teams is about as muddied as it gets. Offensively, ACU is No. 3 in Div. II at 43.44 points per game, while WT sits just one spot behind at No. 4 in Div. II with 42.56 points per game.

Edmund Gates and Mitchell Gale are arguably one of the most potent quar-terback-receiver combos in the country. Gates leads the LSC in receiving touchdowns, and Gale is No. 4 in the coun-try in passer efficiency.

Gates, Gale and the rest of the ACU offense will have to contend with a fast, talented WT defense. Line-backer Shad Baichtal has been a nightmare for op-posing offenses. He leads the WT defense in tackles, sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback hurries.

The secondary is also load-ed with returning starters Tae Evans, Caleb Randolph and Curtis Jefferson. The three have combined for eight in-terceptions and 20 passes de-fended – more than the rest of the defense combined.

Taylor Harris leads a tal-ented corps of wide receiv-ers for WT. Stephen Burton is an NFL prospect and leads the Buffs in touch-downs, with eight already this season. Although Bur-ton may be the most physi-cally impressive receiver, he is not even the leader in re-ceptions or receiving yards – those belong to Tyson Williams. Harris has thrown touchdowns to eight dif-

ferent receivers this year, which poses a challenge for the ACU defense.

“Burton is a big guy who can run,” Thomsen said. “You have to worry about him, but there is an entire group of guys there that can hurt you.”

ACU will need to put together one of the best games of the season to pull out the victory in one of the most hostile environ-ments in the LSC.

Nearly 14,000 fans from both sides attended the matchup last time the Wild-cats headed to Canyon.

“Two years ago I thought I was in Div. I or something,” said senior defensive end Fred Thompson. “It was so high energy, and I loved it.”

With another confer-ence championship on the line for both teams, it should be just as rowdy and loud this time around.

FOOTBALL

contact Tripp atbjt07a@acu.edu

Continued from page 8

Sawgrass: ACU shoots solid third round for win69 by Sheppard, one of only two golfers to shoot under par that round. Three Wildcats were in the top five individually.

“It was a really tough course, and I had a few big

numbers, but other than that I played good and tried to lower my numbers during round two,” Shep-pard said. “Some players got some really big num-bers early on and became discouraged, but I just tried to stay focused.”

Carpenter was ahead by six strokes at 72 after the second round. Bouniol was tied for fifth at even par.

ACU cinched its second team title of the season, shooting 19 strokes ahead of its host, Queens Univer-sity. Barton College, Lander

University, and Florida Tech rounded out the top five.

Leading the tourna-ment from start to finish, Carpenter claimed his fourth individual win of the season with 210. Ty-ler Sheppard tied for sec-ond place with a 217, and

Bouniol tied in fourth with a 220. Wildcat Trey Sulli-van finished just outside the top 25 with a 230.

“This course was defi-nitely the most difficult course we have played on all season,” Carpenter said. “There are some very

tough holes that you have to stay focused on.”

The Queens Tourna-ment was the Wildcats’ fi-nal chance this fall to move up in the Nike Golf Poll.

GOLF

Continued from page 8

contact Jefferies atjmcnetwork@acu.edu

Awards: Eight honoredbe putting the rest of our season in jeopardy.”

The Wildcats will take on the Rambelles at 5 p.m. in Wichita Falls at the MSU soccer pitch.

SOCCER

contact Cantrell atjrc07f@acu.edu

Continued from page 8

LSC tourney at home

The ACU cross country team has had one num-ber in the back of its mind since the season began back in August.

That number is 19 – the number of consecutive years the purple and white have won the Lone Star Conference Cross Country Championship.

The Wildcats, ranked fourth in the region, will have the opportunity to increase that number to 20 this weekend when ACU hosts the 2010-2011 Lone Star Conference Cross Country Championships at Sherrod Park.

First-year head coach Chris Woods is fully aware of the streak and the ex-pectations that come along with being in charge of such a prestigious program.

“Well, I definitely don’t want to be that coach,” Woods said. “ACU has a great thing going on with their program here, as is evi-dent by all of the champion-ship banners. We’re excited for this opportunity and the challenge that it presents.”

The Wildcats drew a lucky straw in being able to host the tournament on their home course, which adds the built-in advantage of familiarity to the equa-tion for a 19th-straight championship.

“I feel as if we have an advantage because we know the course,” junior Anais Belledant said. “I feel really confident knowing that I have a knowledge of what to expect when run-ning on it.”

The team hosted the Naidamu Classic on Oct. 9, where the men’s team won and the women’s team took second place. Now the team is looking to build off of that mo-mentum as it heads into the meet this weekend.

“We had a great showing at the Naidamu Classic, so we’re really hoping to build upon that success at the conference meet,” fresh-man Will Mack said.

ACU is currently ranked fourth in the South Cen-tral Region and is second among LSC schools be-hind East Central, who is third. Eastern New Mexico, Cameron, and Texas A&M-Commerce are all ranked in the top 10 in the regional rankings as well.

“East Central always has a strong program with some very talented runners,” Woods said. “They always compete at a high level and bring their A-game.”

Woods said the team is mentally and physically pre-pared for the tournament.

“This is the most fit and mentally focused team I’ve been around,” Woods said. “As a coach, that shows how determined they are to suc-ceed, to me, and that’s some-thing that is rare. They make my job easy, and it’s a bless-ing to be in this position.”

CROSS COUNTRY

contact Shake atbxs09a@acu.edu

LSC Awards1st Team all-Conference Honorable Mention• Andrea Carpenter • Kendall Cooper• Ashley Holton • Elliot London• Julie Coppedge • Courtney Wilson• Lexi Sterling Freshman of the Year2nd Team all-Conference • Andrea Carpenter• Brie Buschman Player of the Year Academic Player of the Year • Andrea Carpenter• Anastasia Nelson

This is the most fit and mentally focused team I’ve ever been around.

CHRIS WOODS // men’s and women’s cross country head coach‘‘ ’’

Bryson ShakeAssistant Sports Editor

Two years ago it was like I was in Div. I or something ... I loved it.

FRED THOMPSON // Wildcats’ senior defensive end‘‘ ’’

SportsStandings

Briefs

n Quarterback Mitchell Gale and linebacker Kevin Washington were named the Lone Star Conference's Top Performers of the Week. Gale threw for 377 yards and four touchdowns while Washington’s 13 tackles, three of which were for a loss in the Wildcats’ 33-20 win over Angelo State.

n Shawna Hines was named the LSC South’s Offensive Player of the Week. Hines hit .370 over the weekend with 24 kills and averaged over three kills per set, helping the No. 21 ranked Wildcats stay a perfect 12-0 in the Lone Star Conference.

PlayerProfile

n Spencer Covey, sophomore kick-off specialist from Coppell and NCAA Division II leader in touchbacks, added three more touch-backs Saturday in ACU’s game against Angelo State, giv-ing him 25 on the season. Covey’s kicks neutralized an explosive ASU return unit that averaged 25 yards per kickoff return. The Coppell native red-shirted last year and was a two year letterman at Coppell High School.

Upcoming

n The No. 23 Wild-cat soccer team will play the winner of the Angelo State, A&M Commerce game at 5 p.m. Friday in Wichita Falls in the LSC Con-ference Tournament.

n ACU Cross Country will host the Lone Star Conference Cross Country Champion-ship Saturday.

n The No. 2 ACU football team will travel to take on WTAMU at 6 p.m Saturday.

November 5, 2010Page 8

Wildcats to meet Rambelles in tourney

ACU will take on Angelo State at 5 p.m. Friday after a first round bye in the Lone Star Conference Tourna-ment which began Thurs-day. The Wildcats entered the tournament as the sec-ond seed behind first seed Midwestern State.

Midwestern State fin-ished the season 10–1 in conference, earning the top seed and the rights to host the conference tournament.

The Mustangs also received a first round bye and will now play Central Oklahoma, after the Bronchos defeated Incarnate Word 3–1.

The winner of the MSU –UCO semifinals match will play the winner of the ACU –ASU game in the confer-ence finals.

ACU has had its best sea-son in school history, earn-ing its highest seed in the conference tournament this year. ACU is still seeking its first postseason victory and conference title.

“I think we have had an excellent season, and we have reached our goals as a team that we set at the beginning of the season,” Coach Casey Wilson said. “We have given ourselves a chance to cash in this week-end on all of our hard work so far this season.”

This weekend is impor-tant not only for the confer-ence tournament, but also because the results could determine if ACU quali-fies for the NCAA regional tournament as well. The

Wildcats would need to be in the top six in the region to qualify. The Wildcats currently sit in fourth, with Midwestern State one spot above them and Angelo State one spot below. Other LSC teams trying to jump in the standings are Incarnate Word and Central Oklaho-ma, who sit at seventh and eighth, respectively.

The winner of the LSC tournament earns an auto-matic bid into the regional tournament. Even though ACU has played its best reg-

ular season with a 14 –3 re-cord, they still have to play strong this weekend.

“A lot of things could happen this weekend,” Wilson said. “Just about everyone in the confer-ence tournament is hov-ering around the top 10 in the regional polls. We have to take care of business, especially by winning the first game on Friday night. If we don’t win that first game on Friday we would

Ryan CantrellSports Multimedia Editor

SOCCER

FOOTBALLTeam Div. Ovrl.ACUTAMU-KWTAMUE. CentralMSUENMUTarleton StAngelo St.UIW

5-04-14.-14-14-13-21-41-50-5

9-08-17-24-57-24-52-73-52-7

VOLLEYBALL

Team Div. Ovrl.ACUWTAMUAngelo St.MSUTarleton St.TAMU-K

12-012-011-18-57-54-8

24-322-816-1014-1321-810-14

WOMEN’S SOCCERTeam Div. Ovrl.MSUACUCen. Okla.WTAMUNE St.ENMU E. Central

10-1-09-2-06-4-14-6-13-5-32-9-01-9-1

15-2-014-3-010-7-18-7-37-6-55-13-05-11-2

see AWARDS page 5

ACU falls to West TexasVOLLEYBALL

A rowdy crowd and the pressure of the big game weren’t enough to pro-pel the Wildcats to vic-tory against the West Texas A&M Buffaloes.

“We talk a lot about how our wins don’t define us, and the same thing ap-plies for our losses,” said head coach Kellen Mock. “We’re a little frustrated, we’ll come back and be just fine.”

It was one of the largest crowds Moody Coliseum has seen for a volleyball game, but the Buffs proved to be the better team Thursday night.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many fans at Moody as there were to-night,” Mock said. “I can’t say enough about the crowd support.”

The Wildcats lost the first set, 24-26. The Wild-cats were up 23-18, but a run by the Buffs tied the game at 24. A few errors down the stretch, includ-ing a miss by Neely Borger on a kill at game-point, gave the Buffs the game.

“Today we weren’t quite as disciplined and didn’t com-municate as well as we want-ed to,” Mock said. “We didn’t perform up to the standards we set for ourselves.”

The Buffs also took game two, 25-21. WT took an early lead and never looked back as the two

teams traded points. The Buffs were better at the net in the first two sets, leading ACU in blocks 10 to three.

Game three also went to the Buffs to complete the sweep, 25-20. The Buffs

took advantage of poor hitting from the Wildcats, who only hit .058 in the third set.

For the game overall, ACU hit .185 and the Buffs hit .283. The win pushes

the Buffs’ conference re-cord to 13-0. This win, which is the Buffs’ 79th straight conference win, also means the LSC tour-nament will be held in Canyon next week.

ACU will play it’s last game against Eastern New Mexico at 2 p.m. Saturday in Moody Coliseum.

contact Gwin atagg07a@acu.edu

Rivalry renewed at WT

The ACU Wildcats look to continue a seven-year trend in the matchup against West Texas A&M this Satur-day, after coming off a 33-20 home victory over their rival, Angelo State. West

Texas A&M just saw its own huge victory over Incarnate Word, 49-10.

Both teams are vy-ing for at least a share of the Lone Star Conference championship, which adds to an already bitter rivalry between the two schools. With the win, the

Wildcats would move to 10-0, halt the Buff’s bid for a share of the conference title and only have to beat Southwestern to clinch the LSC. Should ACU lose, the Wildcats will move into a three-way tie with WT

Brandon TrippSports Editor

FOOTBALL

DANIEL GOMEZ // Chief Photographer

Mitchell Gale runs through the Angelo State defense last Saturday during a 33-20 ACU win.

see CANYON page 7

Carpenter wins fourth in a row

With strong showings at recent tournaments, the ACU golf team is climbing the charts, ranked fifth in the latest GolfWorld/Nike Golf Division II Poll.

“This is what you want,” said junior Tyler Shep-pard. “You definitely want to be ranked in the top 10 or top five right before the end of the semester.”

ACU vaulted five spots in the poll after finishing second among 15 teams last week in the Bruce Wil-liams Memorial Invita-tional at Dominion Coun-try Club in San Antonio. On Tuesday, the Wildcats won the Queens Invita-tional at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Verde Beach, Fla., with a three-day total of 876 on the challenging

Dye’s Valley Course. The ’Cats finished day one three shots behind leader Lander University, with sophomore Alex Carpen-ter scorching the first round with a 65 (-6) and taking the individual lead.

“I played just as well as I did last week, but I shot 65 in the first round, which is the best round of the year for me,” Carpenter said. “With the conditions the way they were, I am very happy with how I played.”

Bouniol and Sheppard were at 15th and 18th after round one, respec-tively. Bouniol shot a 75 (+4), and Sheppard shot a 76 (+5).

In round two the Wild-cats fired off a 289 and seized the team lead by 11 strokes behind a sizzling

Brenna Jefferies Sports Reporter

GOLF

Austin Gwin Sports Editor

see SAWGRASS page 4

DANIEL GOMEZ // Chief Photographer

Jennie Hutt (8) dives for a ball during Thursday night’s match against West Texas. ACU was swept 3-0 as the Buffaloes won their 79th-straight LSC conference game. With the loss ACU moved to 12-1 in conference play, while the Buffs went to 13-0.