the optimist - 11.02.12
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A product of the JMC Network of student media at Abilene Christian UniversityTRANSCRIPT
Frater Sodalis cebrated 30 nights of fright this Halloween with their haunted house “The Island Lost in Time.”
For 30 years, the men’s social club, Frats, has hosted a haunted house in the fall as a fundraiser for the club.
Wesley Racca, the fundraiser for Frats, said the Bermuda Triangle in-spired this year’s theme.
“It’s a place where anything could happen and everything could be there,” said Racca, senior Chris-
tian ministry and youth and family major from Odessa.
The haunted house added an 80-foot-long bridge and made the tour longer with different routes from last year, Racca said.
Racca said after hosting the house at Play Faire Park two years ago, they were able to return to the land on the east side of loop 322 they had previously used.
“We came into contact with the landlords, and we made a deal with them and were able to come back,” Racca said. “This year however, they sold the land. The new land-lord is excited about working with us in the future.”
Racca said 40 percent of the pro-ceeds will go to the landowners. Frats will use their profit to help with club dues, the end-of-the-year trip and formals.
“We also donate a monetary gift,” Racca said. “Last year we gave $500 to the Anabel Reid Memo-rial Fund. This year we’re not sure where we’re giving it, but we’re looking for a way to help out our community.”
Club members began prepara-tions for the haunted house in Au-gust by clearing the land and then started creating the experience at the beginning of October.
“Frats are just a bunch of good
guys who want to entertain people and help everyone have fun,” Rac-ca said. “We’re excited about doing it and continuing to do it for many more years.”
During this year’s haunted house, Garrett Lane, sophomore youth and family ministry major from Fresno, posed as a clown and a man about to be executed.
“I got the chance to dress up, wear a mask and scare people,” Lane said. “Who wouldn’t want that?”
Abilene Christian University
One and DoneSoccer team endsseason with 1-0 lossin LSC tournament
SportsPage 6vol. 101, no. 20 friday, November 2, 2012 1 SECTION, 6 PAGES
page 4
President Schubert writes a guest column about the Optimist’s endorsement
OPINION
NEWS
acuoptimist.com
See footage from the Homecoming Musical, 42nd Street
VIDEO
INSIDE
acuoptimist.com
Local voters refuse to answer class poll questions because of the Optimist’s endorsement
NEWS
Page 3
PULSE A Capella group looking for logo design
NEWS
Page 4
Melany Cox remembers her best friend, Anabel Reid, one year after her death in the bus accident
OPINION
Bagel Wagon revamped with modern look
Page 3
Page 5
Black team beats purple in annual preseason baseball scrimmage
SPORTS
Page 6
The sports staff predicts a weekend football loss
SPORTS
acuoptimist.com
Colorado State professor to assess campus ecology
NEWS
Page 3
SA discusses university opportunities, problems and more with task force
NEWS
ONLINE
flickr.com/acuoptimist
Check out more of our photos from Halloween events on our Flickr page
PHOTOS
curtis christian staff photographer
Wesley Racca, junior biblical text major from Odessa, toys around with the decorations as the men of Frater Sodalis prepare for the club’s haunted house.
contact jones [email protected]
marissa jonesmanaging editor
Frats scare in ‘Lost Island’
Pledging, and the noisy ritu-als that come with it, is over.
Zeta Rho pledges were the first to be let in, last Thursday night. Lacey Med-lock, sophomore physics major from Garland, is re-lieved to finally be in club.
“I’m happy I don’t have to do any more of the pledging stuff and that it’s just over and done with now,” Medlock said. “We’re in and it’s less worrisome and stressful. I had fun pledging, but I definitely don’t want to do it again.”
Sigma Theta Chi pledges officially became members Tuesday night and the girls were very surprised.
Ko Jo Kai, GATA, Gam-ma Sigma Phi and Frater Sodalis pledges all got in Wednesday night. With the
pledging experience finally over, some now-former pledges reflected on their pledging experience.
Angela Salvatore, soph-omore nursing major from Wethersfield, Conn., was ecstatic to be a part of Ko Jo Kai.
“Words cannot explain how excited, honored and blessed I am to finally be a part of Ko Jo Kai,” Salvatore said. “Pledging was a chal-lenging experience, but be-cause of it I grew so close to all of the Kojies and my sisters in my pledge class.
“Pledging was tough,” said Cede Patterson, sopho-more English major from Katy who pledged GATA. “But it definitely brought me closer to so many differ-ent girls and I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.”
Gamma Sigma Phi
elizabeth weissstudent reporter
Pledging reaches long-awaited endsocial clubs
see pledging page 5
Mandy lambright chief photographer
Tyler Eidson, sophomore marketing major from College Station, works through Gamma Sigma Phi’s Bid night activi-
ties. Five weeks later, pledging is over and Eidson is a Kinsman.
see frats page 5
A year after the death of Anabel Reid and of the De-partment of Agricultural and Environmental Scienc-es bus accident on Nov. 4, the university honored Re-id’s memory with a special Chapel service on Friday.
19-year-old Anabel, a sophomore environmental science major from Bec-ton, died after the depart-ment’s bus veered off the
highway and hit a con-crete culvert, nearly rip-ping the bus’ body from the frame. The 15 other passengers were taken
to hospitals immediately af-ter the accident, and some of them are still coping with injuries from the wreck.
Jan Meyer, assistant dean of Student Leadership De-velopment and executive
director of Christian Ser-vice and Leadership, took part in planning the Chapel service. She said the service was intended to pay tribute to Anabel while drawing meaningful worship com-ponents from people in-volved in the accident.
“We asked all of the people who were involved in the accident to give us some things that have been meaningful to them over the last year – songs, scriptures, thoughts – some things that have sustained them or some
messages they have person-ally received and that they want to share with the ACU community,” Meyer said.
Mandy Scudder, admin-istrative assistant in the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sci-ences, said this time was needed for students, faculty and staff alike, to pause and remember.
Students involved in the accident equested a video be made to show to the Cha-pel audience.
“They wanted the op-
portunity to share their story and their testimony of the journey that they have been on since the accident,” Scudder said.
A few other events are scheduled to follow Chapel.
The department will plant a tree in remembrance of Anabel Friday afternoon.
Scudder said once the department moves from the Zona Luce Building into the Hardin Administration Building over the Christmas
bus accident
audrey schaffnercopy editor
see anniversary page 5
Service remembers Anabel, accident
Reid
2 3 4 5friday saturday sunday monday
All Day - MLF Financial Information Session
2 p.m. Meet the Firms CPA Recruiting Event
All Day - Lone Star Conference Soccer Tournament
3 p.m. Faculty Recital - Susie Rockett, oboe
All Day - Lone Star Conference Soccer Tournament
All Day - Paycom in-terviewing candidates in Career Center
7 p.m. ACU Volleyball at TAMU-Commerce
All Day - Lone Star Conference Soccer Tournament
12 p.m. ACU Football vs West Alabama U
2 p.m. ACU Volleyball at Texas Woman’s U
8:30 p.m. Honors col-lege hosts Flat Tops and Scrunchies: A Total 90s Party
Police Log
74 23@acuoptimist
The Optimist
friday 11.02.12 2
Police log
Announcements
Students interested in join-ing The Wildcat Reign can sign up at thewildcatreign.com. The Wildcat Reign aims to provide students the ability to facilitate Wildcat pride on campus and serves as a link-ing point between students and Wildcat athletic events.
The ACU Roller Hockey Club Team is accepting new members who are interested in playing roller hockey. For more information on the team, you can post on the ACU Wildcat Hockey Face-book page or email [email protected].
ACU Swing Cats is hosting les-sons for beginner and inter-mediate levels of swing danc-ing Thursday nights in SRWC Studio B. Intermediate lessons are at 8 p.m, and Beginners are at 9 p.m. Social dancing be-gins at 9:30 p.m.
Leadership Summit is having an interest meeting Nov. 16 from 11 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. in COBA 201. Chapel credit will be provided.
Elevator Pitch registration is now open. Early registration is until Oct. 31 and costs $10. Late registration is until Nov. 6 and costs $20.
December 2012 Graduates should attend the Graduation Fair in the Living Room on Oct. 30 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for all graduation needs.
PULSE A Cappella is having a logo contest. All entries should be submitted to [email protected] as a JPG by Nov. 4. The winner will receive $75.
Wishing Well presents Slam and Jam, a night of music, slam poetry, coffee, tea and hot chocolate in Edwards Lobby Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
Summit Student Committee meetings occur the first Fri-day of each month. Students interested in joining can email [email protected].
Ethnos Cultural Show, Culture Shock, will be Nov. 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Cullen auditorium. Tickets are $10 at the door and $7 online.
10/24/2012 12:56 a.m. An ACU stu-dent reported a noise and a prowler. ACUPD officers checked the residence but found no one and no sign of attempt-ed entry.
10/24/2012 6:43 p.m. A female non-student reported having been as-saulted by a male guest. 10/26/2012 11:45 a.m. ACU ResLife officials asked ACUPD to store two boxes of firearms ammunition that had been found in a student’s dorm room.
10/28/2012 9:50 a.m. ACUPD took custody of a bag of marijuana found by a church member in the UCC parking lot at Washington & EN. 16th.
Volunteer Opp0rtunities
Chapel checkup
911 CALL 1ACCIDENT 1 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY 14ALARM 3ASSAULT 1ASSIST 5BUILDING LOCK/UNLOCK 11BURGLARY (RESIDENCE) 1CHECK BUILDING 97CITATION ISSUANCE 5DIRECT TRAFFIC 1DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE 1DISTURBANCE 1ESCORT 2FORGERY 1FOUND PROPERTY 2HARASSMENT 1INFORMATION REPORT 3INVESTIGATION FOLLOW UP 9
MAINTENANCE: UNIVERSITY ASSETS 1
MENTAL HEALTH CONCERN 1MONITOR FACILITY/LOT 3MOTORIST ASSIST: JUMPSTART 9MOTORIST ASSIST: OTHER 1MOTORIST ASSIST: UNLOCK 6NOISE VIOLATION 1OTHER 6PARKING VIOLATION 1PATROL VEHICLE MAINTENANCE 1PATROL VEHICLE REFUEL 9PROWLER 1PURSUIT VEHICLE 1 RANDOM PATROL 32REPORT WRITING 8SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 2SUSPICIOUS PERSON 3THEFT 2
TRAFFIC STOP 6TRAINING 4WELFARE CHECK 1
Police Tip of the Week:Reduce opportunities for thefts – never leave your backpack, laptop or cell phones unattended. It only takes a few seconds for someone to walk off with your belongings
The Center for International Education is looking for con-versation partners for international students to practice English, conversations and cultural learning. Partners meet for one hour at a time each week at a location of their choosing. For more information contact Laura McGregor at 325-674-2821 or [email protected].
St. John’s Episcopal School is seeking volunteers to paint metal playground equipment anytime Monday-Friday after 3 p.m. and Saturday anytime. For more information contact Rebecca McMillon at 325-695-8870 or [email protected].
Center for Contemporary Arts needs a gallery assistant to greet patrons, answer phones and answer basic questions about the Center and its programs. This opportunity is open Tuesday-Friday. The Center for Contemporary Arts is located at 220 Cypress Street. For more information con-tact Jessica Dulle at 325-677-8389 or visit: http://www.center-arts.com/
Rescue the Animals is seeking volunteers to take pic-tures and videos in preparation for the launching of their new website as well as maintenance of the site after the launch. This opportunity is open Monday, Tuesday, Thurs-day and Friday from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. For more information contact Kathy Walker at 325-677-7722 or [email protected].
The National Center For Children’s Illustrated Literature is looking for volunteers to greet patrons, assist with art activities, sell books and make visitors feel welcome. Help is also needed for special events like Artwalk and exhibit openings. The NCCIL is located at 102 Cedar St. For more information on times and dates contact Debby Lillick at 325-673-4586 or visit: http://www.nccil.org/index.htm
The Christian Ministries of Abilene: Food Pantry is search-ing for volunteers to greet and interview neighbors, do computer entries, shop with neighbors, take groceries to vehicles, bag, stock and pick up orders on Mondays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. The Food Pantry is located at 701 Walnut St. For more information contact Becky Almanza at 325-673-1234 or [email protected].
The Christian Service Center is seeking volunteers to help assist with filling requests for items such as clothing, bedding, kitchen utensils, etc. from the donation center, sort and organize donations and occasionally pick-up donated items. Volunteers are needed every weekday and the first Saturday of each month between 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. For more information contact Roberta Brown at 325-673-7561 or [email protected].
For more information on the program visit http://www.uccabilene.org/ministries/csc.htm
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 Ser-rault at 325-695-6311 or [email protected].
Meals on Wheels Plus needs volunteer drivers to deliver afternoon meals to seniors and adults with disabilities Monday-Friday between 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Drivers must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. Train-ing is provided. For more information contact Samantha Barker at 352-672-5050 or visit http://mealsonwheelsp-lus.com
The Salvation Army is looking for volunteers for a variety of needs including sorting and pricing items in the thrift store, helping in the kitchen and/or doing yard work. Times are flexible. Volunteers are needed throughout the week 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. The House That Kerry Built is looking for volunteers to assist in the day care of medically fragile children any day Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Contact Keith Loftin at 325-672-6061.
The International Rescue Committee is seeking volun-teers to work with refugees who recently moved to the U.S., teaching English, helping with homework and men-toring. Contact Susanna Lubango to make an appoint-ment at 325-675-5643.
The Covenant Place of Abilene is seeking volunteers to lead singing and/or play piano for residents. For more information contact Ann Erwin at 325-793-1144.
University Place is seeking volunteers to help with the resident birthday party for residents the third Wednesday of each month at 2:30 p.m. For more information contact Linda Tijerina at 325-676-9946.
Breakfast on Beech Street is seeking volunteers to help set up, prepare and serve breakfast to homeless/lower in-come folks any Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 5:30 a.m. or Tuesday at 5 a.m. B.O.B.S is located at First Christian Church on 3rd St. and Beech St. Service times must be scheduled in advance. To serve on Mondays contact Jody Depriest at 325-669-3312 or [email protected]. To serve on Tuesdays contact Allen Daugh-erty at 325-660-6949 or [email protected]. To serve on Wednesdays contact Jane Harvey at 325-695-0092
or [email protected]. To serve on Thursdays contact Margaret Beasley at 325-692-4149 or [email protected]. To serve on Fridays contact Rachel Brown at [email protected].
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.
Eternal Threads is seeking volunteers to help with pack-ing and organizing shipments, labeling products, errands and cleaning any weekday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. For more information contact Pam Early at 325-672-6000 or [email protected].
Christian Homes & Family Services is seeking volunteers to do minor landscaping such as raking, trimming bushes, minor apartment repairs and general upkeep Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. For more information contact Shaylee Honey at 325-677-2205 or [email protected].
The Abilene Public Zoo is seeking volunteers to help clean/feed animals, assist zookeepers and assist with educational classes any weekday any time between 12 p.m.-4 p.m. For more information contact Joy Harsh at 325-676-6487.
Hill Resources is seeking volunteers to encourage and entertain mentally delayed individuals Monday through Friday any time between 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For more infor-mation contact Michelle Espinoza at 325-673-3346 or [email protected].
The Oaks at Radford Hills is seeking volunteers to par-ticipate in activities, go on outings and provide social stimulation for residents any day at any time. For more information contact Michelle White or Sonia Serrato at 325-672-3236.
Rescue the Animals is seeking volunteers to work at the adoption center doing a variety of tasks including clean-ing, socializing and grooming the animals Monday - Sat-urday from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. For more information contact Mindi Qualls at 325-698-7722 or [email protected].
For additional volunteer opportunities visit: www.acu.edu/campusoffices/ccsl/ministry-service/volunteer-opportunities/
Weekly Stats For Week of Oct. 23-30, 2012 - Total Events: 257
Friday 11.02.123 campus news
Bagel Wagon opens after renovations
The new and improved Ba-gel Wagon opened its doors on Monday on the first floor in the Hardin Admin-istration building.
The space, which used to have very little coun-ter space and dim light-ing, now has more area to showcase food and bever-ages and better lighting to create a more welcoming atmosphere.
“We made an attempt to present the candy and snacks as best we could,” said Tom Arellano, senior food service director for Aramark.
The fresh lighting and organized shelf space has already drawn more stu-dents in to buy snacks and beverages.
The new refrigerators and counter space also allows for Aramark to in-troduce a wider variety of
food and beverage items. Items such as fruit cups, Jell-O, Lunchables, candy and sandwiches all are available as part of the con-venient atmosphere. Other new items include Java City coffee, cappuccinos from the new cappuccino ma-chine, medications, batter-ies and even razors.
The Bagel Wagon was remodeled in only three days over Fall Break.
“We took advantage of the students enjoying their break,” Arellano said. “We came in Friday, Saturday and Sunday and had it fin-ished.”
The counter tops were replaced with refrigerator space and more shelves and lighting fixtures were installed.
The Aramark staff has noticed positive student reactions to the Bagel Wag-on right away.
“They are astonished because they did it over Fall Break,” said Mary
Trimmins who has worked for Aramark for 12 years.
The new Bagel Wagon surprised students who have had classes in the Ad-min building all semester.
“It was very funny watching students walk by because their body would keep moving but their head would stop, and they would take a second look because it was something they weren’t used to,” Arel-lano said.
While the Bagel Wagon has not seen a huge jump in student traffic so far, Aramark is hopeful for the near future.
“There will probably be more students once they find out it’s here and has different stuff,” Trimmins said.
The Bagel Wagon ac-cepts bean bucks, credit cards and cash.
business services
Katie GreenePage 2 editor
contact greene [email protected]
Deanna Romero Staff Photographer
The guitarist for the Rocketboys performs on campus in the mall area on Monday night. The band members are ACU alumni and are now based in Austin.
PULSE looking for logo that hits right note
The PULSE A Cappella group is conducting au-ditions, but not for the reason you might think.
The A Cappella group is hosting a contest for a new logo to represent the singing group, and a $75 reward is up for grabs for the winning design.
Submissions will be accepted through Sunday
night, and the winner will be announced on the group’s Facebook page on Monday.
Last fall, a member of PULSE designed t-shirts for the group. When the idea of new shirts came up this year, the group decided that a logo to represent PULSE was needed.
Wes Rasbury, trea-surer of PULSE, said he hopes that the logo gives the group’s presence on
campus some consisten-cy and recognition.
“I’m a senior, and a lot of us are seniors, so I won’t really have much say after this year, but if we can get a logo, that kind of sticks,” said Ras-bury, senior youth and family ministry major from St. Louis, Mo.
“We’re really new, and people don’t know us, so if we could have some-thing that will get people to know us more,” Ras-
bury said. “That’s what we’re all about right now, is getting our name out there, so making a logo or a brand might help with that.”
Nick Tatum, president of PULSE, said the group is trying to create an identity that is market-able and memorable.
“As president and as officers, we are trying to create an identity that’s recognizable, so I think this is one step to estab-
lishing that,” Tatum said.Tatum, senior fam-
ily studies major from Plano, said the group is looking for a logo that is “simple, but at the same time something really memorable. In a sense, not something that is outrageous or cheesy, but something that could be utilized in a lot of dif-ferent mediums, like on a shirt, or an image on a Facebook group.”
There is no limit to the
number of entries per ap-plicant and all submis-sions should be emailed to Rasbury at [email protected].
For more information about PULSE and to see the winning design, visit their Facebook page or contact Tatum at [email protected].
organization
Brittany Williamsstaff photographer
contact willimas [email protected]
Honors College to host ‘90s dance
The Honors College is hosting a campus-wide ‘90s dance Nov. 3 from 8:30-11 p.m. in Bennett gym. There will be a DJ playing an assortment of ‘90’s music, decorations, a photo booth and refresh-ments. For those who miss the ‘90s, now is a chance to relive the glory days.
In previous years, Hon-ors has hosted a masquer-ade at the Paramount The-atre downtown. This year, coordinating the event was left up to the students who decided to mix things up. This is the first time events have been planned by the students and not by a hired worker.
“It’s a first for them, and it is a first for me,” said Claire Johnson, junior Ad/
PR major from Abilene.Johnson is the event co-
ordinator for Honors, and sees her job as an oppor-tunity to plan events stu-dents will appreciate and attend.
Since the events are now planned by the students, Johnson said it “adds to the affect that this is being done by students, for stu-dents.”
The DJ for this event will be ACU student Alec Van Beustring. In the past he has played ‘80s music and even classic rock, but this is his first time playing ‘90s music.
Beustring, junior busi-ness management major from Houston, said the music will include all the tunes students loved lis-tening to while growing up.
This ‘90s dance is called “Flat Tops and Scrunchies”
and will be open to all stu-dents, not just Honors. Stu-dents are encouraged to dress in ‘90s attire.
The ‘90s dance will be a throwback to childhood for all of the ‘90s kids, and it is a chance to make new memories from old ones.
This is an opportunity for the Honors College to make their presence known and show their fun side to students.
honors
Kirsten Holmanstudent reporter
contact the optimist [email protected]
Claire JohnsonJunior ad/PR major
from abilene
It’s a first for them, and it is a first for me.”“
SA shares ideas with Planning Task Force
The Students’ Associa-tion voiced about 100 concerns over diversity, funding, visitation and other campus issues to members of the Planning Task Force in their meet-ing on Wednesday.
In 2008, Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, and a group of administrators authored a document titled “The 21st Century Vision” that outlined the goals the university hoped to accomplish by 2013. Be-cause the document will expire next year, a group of faculty members have been assigned to a task force to create a new doc-ument for the next five years. This Planning Task Force is also responsible for meeting with various ACU-related groups to provide their suggestions to the authors of the doc-ument.
Corey Patterson and Stephanie Talley, mem-bers of the Planning
Task Force, met with SA members to allow them to share their opinions on a myriad of subjects regarding the university. Patterson, director of graduate recruiting, said he and Talley wanted to meet with SA before con-sulting other constitu-ents.
“We are in the process of writing a new vision,” Patterson said. “We’re taking a full year to gath-er data, analyze that data and craft a vision.”
Congress was divided into groups and encour-aged to write statements anonymously on four different topic sheets, which included ACU’s strengths, weaknesses, challenges and oppor-tunities. Students could also place a check mark next to statements they agreed with. About 100 unique statements were written between the four topics.
One common theme among the lists was diver-sity. Congress members wrote that they would like to see an increased
number of international and out-of-state students enrolled and integrated into the university. Sev-eral students were con-cerned with women’s roles at ACU. Other state-ments dealt with accep-tance, acknowledgement or inclusion of increased religious diversity, both within and outside Christianity, pertain-ing to both faculty and students. Conversely, ACU’s Churches of Christ heritage and environ-ment were also listed as strengths.
Likewise, students were also conf licted in their opinions of the Mo-bile Learning Initiative. Some members of Con-gress considered the Mo-bile Learning Initiative as a success, while others listed the future of the program as a challenge.
Another commonality was an issue with male-female visitation hours in residence halls. None of the statements advocated eliminating limited visi-tation, but an increase of hours was suggested as
an opportunity.All four lists contained
unique items. Some of ACU’s weaknesses as list-ed by Congress included the Cornerstone course; the lack of degree f lex-ibility; an insufficient number of bicycle racks and parking spaces for vehicles; total costs; the lack of competition with Aramark in the food court and the drainage system.
Congress said ACU could pursue opportuni-ties in not requiring soph-omores to purchase meal plans; allowing the use of Bean Bucks off campus; increasing departmental scholarships; working to improve school spirit and increasing the uni-versity’s contribution to research journals and conferences.
SA praised ACU’s teacher-to-student ratio and the quality of the fac-ulty; Sing Song; campus aesthetics and chances for students to engage in their faith on campus.
Lastly, Congress wrote that the university is
challenged by the lack of a 24-hour library; under-funding for student op-portunities and organi-zations; the expansion of campus size and the new ticketing system for ath-letic events.
Talley, instructor in the department of teacher education, said the new document may incorporate more input from constituents than the previous document.
“We will make sure your voices are heard,” said Talley. “If you said it, someone’s hearing it.”
SA also addressed two proposed bills. Stephen Martin, Mabee Hall rep-resentative, introduced a bill to provide up to $400 to pay for T-shirts for par-ticipating ACU students, alumni and faculty run-ning in the 2012 Dallas Marathon, a race being conducted on Decem-ber 9. J.P. Ralston, COBA representative, intro-duced a bill to provide up to $1,200 for Christmas Slam 2012, an event aim-ing for campus-wide par-ticipation at a basketball
game. Congress brief ly debated the amount of money being allocated to Christmas Slam, but ul-timately both bills were passed without changes.
Josh GarciaStaff reporter
contact Garcia [email protected]
Several representatives did not attend the meeting on Wednesday
Gabe ElorreagaSenior class vice president
Bryson Shake Junior class vice presi-dent
Chris Singleton Off-campus represen-tative
students’ association
With the one year anni-versary of the bus crash looming over the ACU campus, it seems appro-priate to assess the prog-ress that has been made by those who were af-fected by the one-vehicle roll that took the life of an ACU student last fall.
Witnessing the af-termath of an accident of this scale no doubt caught many students in
the ACU community off-guard, making this past year a learning experi-ence for many on how to handle grief.
After the initial chaos and confusion that came with the news of the ac-cident, the first coping instinct seemed to be try-ing to cover over the trag-edy, which created an air of silence around it.
Now, though many of
the physical hurts have healed, there is still a lot of emotional and mental struggles that have not gone away.
Not talking about the accident and avoiding bringing it up around vic-tims and those close to them only seem to make matters worse. Those af-fected, whether on the bus or not, need the sup-port of fellowship to help them heal. They need a safe way to communicate their struggles to oth-ers. If they feel awkward about bringing it up, or if they feel others will be uncomfortable if they mention it, they are being denied the opportunity to openly process what
they have experienced. If they are never presented with an opportunity to discuss it, they will have to process it alone which can leave many of their concerns or internal con-f licts unaddressed.
Community is an es-sential component of healing. It was the com-ing together of the ACU
community immediately after the accident that initially contributed to the healing process for all, and it is communi-ty that will continue to bring closure, tie up loose ends and enable victims to work out what hap-pened in a way that is re-assuring and healthy for them. That is why things such as dedicating Cha-pel to remembering the accident are important and helpful.
A hurting community that is conditioned to be silent about its pains will never heal completely. But a community that is open to talking about real struggles and praises can help spread the word of
needs that still haven’t been met. There may also be opportunities to share lessons learned that could help others who may be feeling the same way.
Though there is much rejoicing in ways in which God has brought healing after the accident, there are also many hurts that still need to be cared for and it is through an open and loving community that these hurts can be talked about and mended.
Abilene Christian Uni-versity does not endorse political candidates or parties, so some people reacted with surprise when our student news-paper, the Optimist, re-cently endorsed a presi-dential candidate. That provides a great oppor-tunity for me to explain what ACU does endorse: an education preparing students to make real choices and engage in in-dependent thought about important issues.
I’m a proud supporter of the Optimist, which for many years has been ranked among the top university newspapers in the nation. More impor-tantly, it serves as a living laboratory for students who are preparing to be-come professional jour-nalists. Newspapers from all sizes of communities customarily endorse po-litical candidates during election seasons, and our ACU student journalists did the same. The Opti-mist’s seven-person stu-
dent editorial board, as they have in other elec-tions, studied issues and positions, engaged in discussions and then be-gan the process of com-municating the edito-rial board’s opinion. In today’s world, I consider those experiences to be crucial if we are to de-velop journalists who can research, synthesize and effectively communicate with various audiences on a professional level.
I also welcome the discussion produced by this endorsement, both among our students and the broader community. When done in a spirit of
humility and respect, it exemplifies the best of a university education, where ideas can be tested, thoughts can be expressed and the process is often as important as the result.
I’m reminded of what our eighth president, Dr. John C. Stevens, said in his 1970 inaugural address, “There are no subjects on this earth, or in outer space, or in the metaphys-ical realm, which we can-not study on the campus of a Christian institution of higher learning.” He went on to say, “One of the objectives of a Chris-tian education ought to be to develop people who are efficient, capable and ambitious while at the same time being tolerant, courteous and respectful of others.”
It would be easy to shy away from diverse opin-ions about difficult sub-jects, but in so doing, we would remove from our students the opportunity to practice – in a safe en-vironment – the chal-
lenges and experiences that will shape them into these kinds of people.
At ACU, we honor the right to an individual opinion; such is founda-tional to American soci-ety. We commit to respect all individuals as created in God’s image, even if their views differ from our own. ACU is a great place, full of honorable, Christ-centered people who truly desire to make a difference. This political endorsement by the stu-dent editorial board of the Optimist, along with other academic discussions on campus, are part of our commitment to educat-ing students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.
Dr. Phil SchubertPresidentAbilene Christian University
EVAN’s marks evan marks
4FRIDAY 11.02.12Opinion
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Does it feel like it’s been a year?
Yes.And at the same time,
no. I still have f lashbacks to the exact moment when I found out I would never get to hug my best friend again.
This Sunday marks the one-year anniver-sary of the bus accident that ended one life and changed so many others, including mine.
I befriended Anabel Reid during the first se-mester of our freshman year. A little over a year later, we hugged goodbye after dinner one night. I didn’t know it would be our last goodbye.
But now, I don’t want my focus to be on the ac-cident or the aftermath. Instead I simply want to remember the sweet spirit of an incredible girl who I have thought about every single day for the last year.
There are so many things I want to tell Ana-bel. If I had the chance, these are the things we would talk about: my ad-ventures studying abroad last semester, her plans to work with people who need clean water and our plans to visit Africa. We would laugh about the latest shenanigans we had gotten ourselves into. I would tell her how much I’ve needed her this se-mester. Most importantly, I would tell her how much she means to me.
I would also tell her about the incredible im-pact she made on my life as well as the lives of many others. During the time I knew her, she was an inspiration to me. Even after her death, she still continued to make a difference.
Last March, the Anabel Reid Run for Water raised more than $30,000 to build wells for people who don’t have clean drink-ing water. I truly believe if Anabel saw that figure now, she would burst into tears of joy. But she would give all the credit to God.
During the nights after the accident, I found my-self sobbing on the f loor asking God one question: Why? I wasn’t angry at Him and I didn’t doubt Him for a minute. But I still wanted to know why Anabel was taken.
Finally, it hit me. Ana-bel wasn’t taken away. God allowed her to come home. She was ready and willing to be with her Savior. Instead of griev-ing on Sunday, there will be a party in heaven to celebrate Anabel’s new birthday.
The pain hasn’t gone away. The longing hasn’t gone away. Most impor-tantly, the love and mem-ories haven’t gone away and they never will go away. Though I lost one incredible friend, I’m still surrounded by friends who love me. We clung to each other after Anabel’s death, and, because we shared that terrible expe-rience together, our bond is stronger than ever.
Through this whole ordeal, I’ve learned some very important lessons. I’ve learned that God will never put you through more than you can bear. I’ve learned the true val-ue of friendship. And, as cliche as it sounds, I’ve learned to never take anything or anyone for granted. Nothing in this life is permanent, except the love of Christ and the promise of eternal life with Him.
I miss you, Anabel. And I love you.
contact the optimist [email protected]
contact COX [email protected]
contact the optimist [email protected]
EDITORIAL
LETTER
One year later, community brings healing
Schubert: Respectful discussion welcome
the issueGrief can often take the form of silence. Looking back at the bus wreck a year later, we can begin to assess the effects that the tragedy had on the campus and individuals.
our takeIf anything is clear, it is that a strong community who is open and willing to discuss events is the best way to help those involved gain spiritual peace and cope with the loss.
COLUMN
Looking back at Anabel Reid’s life
hashtagACU
@definetta@archerwithnobow@archerwithnobow @winsor_kate@DKeatonTucker @rachelthemayor
4:57 p.m. Oct. 31
12:11 p.m. Nov. 1
10:00 a.m. Oct. 3111:25 a.m. Oct. 31
11:19 a.m. Oct. 31
2:32 a.m. Nov. 1
for halloween im frida kahlo. not on purpose.
Life would be stressful if I didn’t only have to worry about swimsuit season, but Halloween costume season too. #modestishottest
There’s a guy walking around campus dressed up as a GATA. Yes. Just... yes.
There are far too many people dressed up for Halloween on campus today. We are in col-lege. #growup
Shout out to the guy rockin the horse head today.
YAYYYY IT’S NOT HALLOWEEN ANY-MORE NOW I CAN BUY CANDY CORN SUPER CHEAP
A hurting communitythat is conditioned to be
silent about its pains will never heal completely.”“
I want to remember the sweet spirit of an
incredible girl who I have thought about every single
day for the last year.”“
At ACU, we commit to respect all individuals as
created in God’s image, even if their views differ
from our own.”“
friday 11.02.125 news/sports
@acuoptimistThe [email protected] ACUOPTIMIST.com
The ACU offense is a balanced attack that can win a game on the ground and through the air. If the Wildcats’ rush-ing attack can get rolling early, ACU is almost impossible to stop, because they have too many game breakers on the
The Lion’s defense may be the best de-fense the Wildcats have seen all season, with a talented front four and a second-ary that specializes in taking the ball away. UWA has 17 interceptions and 30 pass break ups. West Alabama has a
outside. West Alabama has five players that have rushed for over 200 yards during the season, and their explosive rushing attack is enough to give any team trouble. Their dual-quarterback system will add some quirkiness to the Lion’s offense. One such quarterback, Gary Johnson, has registered seven rushing scores to go along with his 500 yards rushing. Other players to watch are throwing quar-terback Kyle Caldwell and running back Matt Willis.
very complete defense. The Wildcats lived on the edge last week, intercepting two passes in the fourth quarter in the red zone. Cornerback Justin Stewart picked off a pass to end the game, and the Wildcats will have to win the turnover battle again in this game to put their offense in a good position to score with some short fields.
Offense DefenseACUPICK:
ACU (5-4) at #13 West Alabama (7-2)Game Preview
UWAPICK:
into the big country. ACU is much better than their record shows, and if West Alabama is not ready to play from the opening kick off, they could be in for a rough surprise in Shotwell Sta-dium. ACU will be looking to play well in their last home game of the season and leave their fans with a smile on their faces.
Intangibles ACUPICK:
ACU will be looking to play spoiler this weekend and put West Alabama’s play-off chances in jeopardy and defend their home field. Meanwhile, West Alabama will have a long bus ride that could make them a little complacent rolling
Mitchell Gale and the Wild-cat seniors face a tough task when West Alabama comes to town on Satur-day. This is the final home game for ACU as a Division II school, and it’s going to take good play on both sides of the ball in order for them to pull out a win. The game will be close but count on the Tigers scoring late to pull away.
The Wildcats got a come-from-behind victory last week against Commerce, but it wasn’t pretty. The ‘Cats can’t have the same performance against West Alabama. It’s the last home game for the seniors so I suspect they will play with purpose including QB Mitchell Gale. Unfor-tunately, the Tigers are too talented to lose this one.
The loss of All-American linebacker Deon Lacey from West Alabama due to last week’s ejection can only help the ACU offense this week. The Lion’s defensive line will put the pressure on Mitchell Gale and challenge the O-Line all day. Solid coverage on the run will go a long way for the Wildcats who hope to hold West Ala-bama to a few touchdowns.
Being the last home game of the year, nothing would seem better than an ACU victory over West Ala-bama. With a 7-2 record, UWA owns the best pass defense in the nation which will force the ‘Cats to a heavy running game. Even with a lot of high en-ergy and emotion, it won’t be enough to overcome the Tigers.
Pick: UWA 28-21 Pick: UWA 35-21 Pick: UWA 28-14 Pick: UWA 42-21
Natalie Goin Edward Isaacs Taylor Langston
The Wildcats will be ready to play in their last home game of the sea-son, with a chance to ruin the Lion’s playoff hopes and dreams. ACU will be shorthanded on defense, but the offensive balance that the ‘Cats display will make this game a nail-biter for four quarters, but UWA has a ton of tal-ent to overcome.
Pick: UWA 31-28
Matthew Sloan Daniel Zepeda
Ken Collums show continues this Saturday
The Ken Collums Show will air at 10:30 a.m. this Sat-urday on KTXS. The show runs every Saturday during the football season at 10:30 a.m.
The Irish are fighting for a championship
I love college football. The passion, rivalries, confer-ences and atmosphere is unlike anything else in sports and no team en-compasses college football better than Notre Dame.
That is why, in the past few years, the college football landscape has felt a little off. It has been a while since the Fighting Irish have been relevant this late in the season.
And by relevant I mean national championship contenders.
When Notre Dame is good you can hear an ex-tra buzz in the air. They seem to make the college football world spin a lit-tle faster.
Not everyone is a fan of the Fighting Irish, but anyone who pays attention to collegiate sports knows the history behind the pro-gram: thirteen recognized national championships, 96 consensus All-Ameri-cans and 32 unanimous All-Americans (more than any other university).
Notre Dame is 8-0 this
season. They are ranked third in the Bowl Champi-onship Series (BCS) stand-ings and fourth in the As-sociated Press Top 25 poll.
If you were concerned about the Irish being a legitimate team this year, those concerns fell by the wayside after last weekend.
After No. 5 Notre Dame traveled into Memorial Stadium and dismantled No. 8 Oklahoma, 30-13, the team left little doubt as to whether they were back.
UND also proved, on national television, its de-fense can compete with the notorious defenses of
the Southeastern Confer-ence (SEC). The defense might even be better. The Fighting Irish completely perplexed the Sooners and held them to only a touch-down and two field goals.
OU averaged 44.67 points per game before they met the mighty Irish. Even more impressive is the fact that Oklahoma had pounded out nearly 200 rushing yards per game but had 15 yards on 24 carries against the golden helmets.
Sooner quarterback Landry Jones passed for 356 yards, however he nev-er came close to tossing a
touchdown pass. But, he did throw an interception.
One thing that makes Notre Dame’s defense so devastating is its ability to keep opponents out of the end zone. OU is the only team that has man-aged a rushing touchdown against the Fighting Irish this season.
Their D does all the little things to perfection. In other words, they do everything the University of Texas defense hasn’t done at all this year. For instance, line up correct-ly, take good angles to the ball, shed blocks and most importantly tackle.
The Irish’s last four op-ponents are the University of Pittsburgh, Wake Forest University, Boston Col-lege and the University of Southern California (USC). Southern California is the only team in that group with a winning record.
Although my Long-horns are not in the na-tional championship pic-ture, again, Notre Dame has risen back to the top which is exactly where they should be. So I say, “Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!”
column
contact isaacs [email protected]
gangnam styleedward isaacs
Pledging: Clubs receive members
pledges were very surprised about the timing of when they got in, and many mem-bers were not expecting it to happen last night either. Nolan Bryan, sophomore youth and family ministry major from Lubbock, en-joyed spending time with his new brothers.
“Pledging was a privi-lege, and I’m glad I got to go through it,” Bryan said. “I
wouldn’t change anything about these past weeks with my brothers for anything.”
Frater Sodalis pledges got into club a little later on Wednesday night, af-ter their last night of the Haunted House was over. Case Herndon, sophomore engineering/physics major from Temple, was happy to a part of club.
“I feel like pledging is in a good place right now,” said Herndon. “It is still difficult,
but it’s not so bad that you just don’t like the members once you get in. I don’t re-ally know what pledging was like any other year, but
I don’t feel like it could be much more effective than it was this year.”
Alpha Kai Omega and Trojan pledges were re-lieved to get into club on Thursday night. Galaxy and Sub T-16 pledges are hope-ful they will be welcomed into their clubs sometime on today.
social clubs
contact the optimist [email protected]
Anniversary: Students continue to recoverbreak, administrators plan to dedicate the student club room for Anabel.
The department also plans to create a wall tribute to Anabel, who was passion-ate about providing clean water to everyone.
“We want to have a wall space that will be more than just pretty picture of Ana-bel,” Scudder said. “It’ll be an informational, educa-tional story, giving tribute to Anabel, but it’s also going to be talking about water resources and giving facts and information about how many people go without clean drinking water – how many people die every day because they don’t have clean drinking water.”
From the window of the new room, Scudder said stu-dents will be able to see the tree that will be planted this afternoon.
Along with the tree-planting, Scudder said ACU’s Rhoden Farm will host a din-ner for those involved in the accident and their families.
“We will laugh a whole lot,” Scudder said, “but we’ll probably cry, too.”
Though the planned events to remember the ac-cident are coming to a close, the struggles for people clos-est to the accident are far from over.
“Students were broken,” Scudder said, “and so in many ways they still are, and they’re trying to recover and heal.”
Merissa Ford, junior agri-cultural business major from Maple Valley, Wash., spent six days in the hospital and was released from the hos-pital nearly a week after the accident with an extensive list of injuries. She suffered a broken vertebra, pelvis and both knees; she also chipped a tooth, bruised a lung, bit a
large part of her mouth and had to get stitches from a leg injury.
Ford, who admitted she does not like to slow down, was back in class on Nov. 11, one day after being released from the hospital, sporting a bedazzled-back brace.
Her injuries have com-pletely healed except for muscle tightness in her back.
Though it has been a struggle at times, Ford said she has already seen how the Lord has used this ex-perience to help others. She said that God, through this tough time, has shown her His incredible love, stressed the importance of open-ing up to form a close-knit community and given her the wisdom to see that God’s love is given freely.
bus accident
contact Schaffner [email protected]
Continued from page 1
Continued from page 1
Nolan BryanSophomore youth and family ministry major from Lubbock
Pledging was a privi-lege, and I’m glad I got
to go through it.”“
Football will face the University of West Alabama in their last home game of the year at Shotwell Stadium. Kickoff is on Saturday at noon.
The volleyball team will be on the road this weekend as it travels to Commerce to play Texas A&M-Commerce at 7 p.m. on Friday, and then to Denton to face Texas Woman’s Univeristy at 2 p.m.
The men’s basketball team opens its regular season at Dallas Baptist University Saturday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m.
Women’s basketball begins its regular season in Moody Coliseum against Texas A&M International University Nov. 10. The game starts at 7 p.m.
volleyball
standings
briefings
ex- factor
Upcoming
Senior Julie Coppedge was named All-Academic and First Team All-Conference by the LSC at Wednesday night’s annual awards banquet for her performance on the soccer team this year as well as her academic standing off the field.
Fan Appreciation Day will be this Saturday at the last home football game of the season. Prizes including four passes to Schlitterbahn Waterpark, $100 in gift certificates to Whataburger, and many more will be given away. Fans can sign up to win by emailing the word ‘win’ to [email protected] or tweeting ‘win’ to @acusports.
football
TeamWTAMUMSUTAMU-KTSUASUACUENMUUIWCommerce
Div.6-06-14-34-33-33-41-51-51-5
Ovrl.8-17-15-44-44-55-42-62-71-7
New York Jets wide reciever Clyde Gates played the best game of his NFL career on Sunday, recording seven receptions for 82 yards in a 30-9 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Former ACU wide reciever Raymond Radway is heading to Chicago, joining an injured Johnny Knox. Radway will become a member of the Bears’ practice squad.
TeamASUTSUWTAMUTWUCommerceTAMU-KACUUIWCameronMSUENMU
Div.15-113-312-313-410-76-96-105-103-133-131-14
Ovrl.22-320-622-419-619-814-1110-168-179-195-216-19
soccer
TeamWTAMUUIWASUMSUACUTWUENMUCommerce
Div.10-49-58-5-16-5-36-7-16-7-14-104-10
Ovrl.11-6-19-710-7-16-9-38-9-17-9-25-135-12
friday 11.02.12 6sports
Black team wins intrasquad series
The annual Purple/Black World Series champion was decided Wednesday as Black blew out Purple in a game-four series-clinch-ing 13-6 win.
“Both teams have played really well during our fall world series,” soph-omore Brady Rodriguez said. “There’s only been one blowout and one team hasn’t been dominating the other.”
The teams kicked off the World Series last Thursday Oct. 25. In the first game,
it was Purple who had the early start as they took game one in a come-from-behind fashion, 6-3. Purple was led by sophomore Tyler Eager’s three-run home run.
“Tyler has been swing-ing a hot bat throughout the entire series,” Rodri-guez said. “He had a couple home runs in the series and has really played well.”
In game two, Black would showed up to play, as James Roland’s two-run double was enough to give them the lead and ultimate-ly the win in a 2-1 Black vic-tory. The following game proved to be all Black as well, edging out Purple in a
close 7-6 victory behind yet another Eager home run, which gave Black the series lead two games to one.
“Both lineups have showed the ability to pro-duce a lot of runs,” ju-nior Emmett Niland said. “There’s a big emphasis in doing the little things right, bunting guys over, getting runners in scoring position and base running. These things really seemed to get better and better as the fall went on.”
Purple would go on to win the series in game four and take home the bragging rights as well as a steak din-ner. Junior Rodge Macy was
a big contribution in the win as he doubled, tripled and recorded four RBIs on Wednesday. Purple’s six-run outburst in the third inning propelled them into the lead and they never looked back.
“Seniors Chuck Du-arte and Rodge Macy have been irreplaceable in their respective lineups,” Rodri-guez said. “Chuck’s field-ing abilities give us pitch-ers a lot of confidence with a glove like his behind us. Rodge, on the other hand, has been phenomenal at the plate. He’s got a hot bat, and he’s producing runs.”
The coaching staff placed a great amount of
emphasis on the exhibition series, as they prepared the team for real in-game situ-ations.
“The main reason for our fall World Series every year is to get the feel of a “game-like” setting and situations in a very competitive atmo-sphere,” Rodriguez said.
“The fact that Coach Bonneau built up such ex-citement and publicity of this year’s Purple vs. Black is awesome. The series has missed that kind of impor-tance in the past few years.”
baseball
daniel zepedasports reporter
contact zepeda [email protected]
MSU ends team’s seasonThe Wildcats’ soccer sea-son came to an end on Thursday, when the Mid-western State Mustangs came away with a 1-0 vic-tory in the first game of the Lone Star Conference post-season tournament.
The ‘Cats fought for the fifth and final seed in
the tournament, coming back to win their last four games after the start of an uncharacteristic losing season.
But it wasn’t enough to make it to the second round of the tournament in Canyon.
The Wildcats outshot the Mustangs 12-10, but despite several opportu-nities, no one was able to follow through with a goal.
Junior forward Andrea Carpenter led the ‘Cats in shots with four total and three on goal.
Senior midfielder Julie Coppedge also had four shots with two on goal.
Sophomore midfielder Sarah Schoch, sophomore midfielder Megan Turner, freshman forward Lind-sey Jones, senior defender Lexi Stirling all had one shot each.
The game remained scoreless until the 57th minute when Maddie Fraser saw Payton Fookes open from the right cor-ner of the field. Fookes connected with a header in front of net slipping past senior goalkeeper Ar-ielle Moncure to make the score 1-0. It was her fifth goal of the year.
Moncure finished the match with three saves.
It was the third meet-ing between the Mustangs and the Wildcats this season. The first match ended in a 1-1 tie, and the ‘Cats beat MSU 2-0 last Friday in Abilene.
The Wildcats finish their season with a 8-10-1 overall record.
soccer
natalie goinassistant sports editor
contact goin [email protected]
Curtis christian Staff Photographer
Midfielder Julie Coppedge dribbles the ball in front of a defender at the Wildcat Soccer pitch. The Wildcats lost to Midwestern State University, 1-0 in the Lone Star Conference post-season tournament. The loss ends the ‘Cats season.
Shotwell to bid farewell to Division II
The Wildcats will play their last home game of the sea-son tomorrow when they take on the 15th ranked West Alabama Tigers at noon at Shotwell Stadium.
“Our guys know that West Alabama is a good team,” head coach Ken Collums said. “They are super talent-ed, they are probably relative to West Texas A&M.”
ACU is coming off of a nail-biter in Commerce, where the ‘Cats overcame a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to sneak back to Abilene with a con-ference victory.
The Tigers smacked around conference rival Delta State last week 37-7 to notch their seventh win of the season.
West Alabama features a dynamic rushing attack that has four players who have rushed more than 200 yards.
“On offense they’ll run the ball,” Collums said. “They are very similar to Midwestern in that they are going to lean on you and grind you. They do throw the ball about 20 times a game, so a little more than strictly running teams, but we’ll be ready.”
The Tigers have been a part of several blowouts so far this season, and their average margin of victory has been three touchdowns. However, ACU has had a flair for the dramatic all year, tak-ing part in six games that have been decided by seven points or fewer.
Something will have to give tomorrow when the two teams face off in a game where turnovers will play a key role.
The Tigers have 17 inter-ceptions this season. Otha Foster and Malcolm Bulter have each registered five picks, and UWA has several players that can take the ball away.
The ‘Cats are coming off of a game in Commerce that featured two fourth quarter interceptions, including a game winning interception by Justin Stewart that helped seal a Wildcat win. Mike Wallace has been a part of six turnovers this season, and may have to create a turnover to help put the ‘Cats over the edge.
“I like running with the receivers and getting to see if they are going to break down, in or out,” Stewart said. “It’s nice when we get in the red zone to be able to get my hands on them and control him.”
Although the game is a non-conference game, the stakes will be high for both the ‘Cats, who will be look-ing to get a signature win, and the Tigers, who could be playing for their post season lives.
football
matthew sloansports reporter
contact sloan [email protected]
mandy lambright chief Photographer
Receiver Taylor Gabriel jukes past a defender.