The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 85, No. 53, Ed. 1, Friday, May 2, 1997 Page: 2 of 10
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T W OPTIMIST Page 2 Wednesday April 30 1997
VTF-WPOTNTS
i
Optimist
MHBHBWI
Jeremy Parish Editor in Chief
Tiffany Kondrup Managing News Editor
Jessica Gray Viewpoints Page Editor
Rebecca Wilson Chief Copy Editor
Amanda Reiter Chief Photographer
Dr. Merlin Mann Faculty Adviser
Cade White Photographic Adviser
Jiki.u.M.'.i-.mifiErcii
Kent Barnett Advertising Director
Tony Bedard Staff Photographer
Becky Bowden Advertising Sales
Wyatt Bowden Advertising Sales
Amy Daugherity Online Editor
Kelly Enrlght Copy Editor
Jennifer Flerro Sports Wnter
Eunice Urn Staff Wnter
Brenda McOaln Ad Production
Julie O'Neill News Page Editor
Sidney Schuhmann News Page Editor
Jared Schroeder Sports Editor
Kim Sublette Advertising Production
Melanie Thomas Editonal Assistant
Michael Woods Senior Staff Photographer
abilene
christian
university
122 McGlothlin Campus Ctr.
ACU Box 27892
Abilene TX 79699-7892
E-mail: optimistjmc.acu.edu
The Optimist is a publication of the stu-
dents of the Department of Journalism
and Mass Communication of Abilene
Christian University 122 McGlothlin
Campus Ctr ACU Box 27892 Abilene
Texas. 796997892.
The journalism laboratory newspaper is
published twice a week September through
Apnl (except for during university holidays
in November December January and
March) Subscriptions to the Optimist would
be S30 for third-class mail and S7S for first-
class mail for the academic year.
The unsigned editorials are the opinions
of the students on the Optimist Editorial
Board and do not necessarily reflect the
policies or views of the university The
signed columns cartoons and letters to the
editor are the opinions of their creators and
do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of
the Optimist Editonal Board or the universi-
ty administration
uJ fs nJ 77" ( Doomsday ) ANo3ycr am .jm
Editorial
Staff expresses thanks
Good-byes vary according to attitude
Another school year has drawn to a
close and another Optimist staff
has put the wraps on a final issue.
The Management Board of the Optimist
would like to thank the student body of
ACU as well as the school's staff faculty
and everyone else who makes the ACU
community. As ever the Optimist is an
opportunity for everyone involved to
team and grow.
We as a staff have grown this year -.'many
of us had claim to no college
media experience before we began. Our
growth as journalists and as Christians
has occurred in one of the most public
forums available at ACU. This growth
could not have happened without the
patience input and encouragement of
the ACU community.
As we have sought to serve the school
with accurate timely information and
carefully considered opinions we have
appreciated feedback from you our read-
ers. Your advice criticisms and suggestions
have been an excellent measuring stick by
ISnSEBlSEEl
which to judge our development. An unfa-
vorable opinion is never easy to accept but
after the bitter taste of criticism is gone we
can re-think our actions and refine our
thoughts. The positive feedback we have
received has kept us going - many times
into the wee hours of the night.
Some of our staff members are moving
beyond ACU as are many or you.
Everyone who has been involved with
the Optimist this year as writer editor
advertiser or - most importantly - read-
er has been important to us. We appreci-
ate your involvement in this paper: often
difficult sometimes mistaken but
always created with the best of inten-
tions and the desire to serve.
As you leave ACU - or as you remain -remember
that you have been a part of
one of the most unique college Commu-
nities in the world. The Optimist staff
has been proud to chronicle the events
the issues and most importandy the peo-
ple of that community. May God bless
your lives always.
Well here we are at the end of the
semester." For me this marks the
end of my sentence - err experience - as
editor of the Optimist. More important-
ly the end of this semester marks the
end of my senior year.
Traditionally this is the column in
which 1 tearfully bid farewell to my
peers my friends my mentors and my
coworkers. "However always one to
buck tradition I've chosen not to end
my senior- year so sentimentally.
Perhaps my altitude would be differ-
ent if this were my last senior year...
alas.
Still many of my friends will be mov-
ing on to greener pastures like a job or a
wedding leaving me behind as a single
undergrad. Traitors.
Now raise your hand if you give a wet
slap about my influences experiences
and observations. Mom put your hand
down - you don't count as part of my
peer group. So is there anyone else? No?
That's what 1 thought.
Fortunately for you my faithful read-
'ers 1 can think of many other ways to
'end the year and reminisce without a
protracted trip down Memory Lane -none
of this misty-eyed stuff for me
thanks.
The anti-social way
"I'm glad you're leaving. Now 1 can
have a house to myself. Don't expect a
listed phone number."
The pessimistic way
"Still many of my
friends will be moving on
to greener pastures line a
job or a wedding leaving
me behind as a single
undergrad. Traitors."
Jeremy Parish
"At this rate you guys will see me still
in classes when you come back for your
10-year reunion. Until then..."
The high school yearbook way
"C yal Luv ya lotz! Don't ever change
- stay the same! Jeremy P."
The optimistic way
"You'll all probably find out you failed
a crucial class so I'll see you next
semesterl"
Note: This is optimistic for me not
you.
The Optimist way
"You're buying a subscription so you
can read my columns next year right?
Call Kent at Ext. 2463 for details!"
The Republic of Texas way
"Hey I'll get a passport and visit you in
Oklahoma next year."
The postanals way
"Huh? Wuzzat? Uh... mmkklh kjhgj
ghjfasx nmx m x z
The Cable Guy way
"Leaving? Hey great I'll be moving in
with you in a few weeks... be sure to
leave me your address."
The scavenger way
"Hey see ya. You leaving any good fur-
niture clothes computer equipment?
No? Just wondering."
The geeh way
"Give me your e-mail address and I'll
hack a free account on America Online
for you. Then we can stay in touch for
free!"
The Jeremy way
"Whoa the semester's already over?
Hey have a great life... um I've got to
finish these late projects now..."
The mushy sentimental way
1 really would like to thank everyone
for their patience with me this year. .To
professors for tolerating a very bedrag-
gled student... to friends for accepting
friendship in absentia... to the staff of
the Optimist for knowing the value of
teamwork... to the person who stole my
lawn gnome: I know where you live...
and to everyone else who had faith 3n
me.
Thanks.
As for the rest of you - that is those
who didn't have faith in me... thanks for
nothing.
And finally:
The ACU way
"Oh my GOSH! I'm going to miss ya'll
SO much! I'll see ya'll at your weddings
next month okay?"
Have a zany summer.
'He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."
gKinreara
Close of semester brings
poignancy appreciation
Ellen controversy thought-provoking subject
To the editor
I have a hard time understanding all
the hype over the show Ellen and this
weeks controversial episode. Yet it
interests me in the position that
Christians have taken concerning this.
For in it I see a situation that presents
itself with many questions of which
even I am uncertain.
See it seems to me that we as
Christians seem to address many issues
from the pulpit such as infidelity child
abuse alcoholism and various other
issues. Homosexuality on the other
hand is not addressed in churches.
(Though 1 will admit there are those
Christians who only in recent times
' have addressed this issue.) However
when we seem to boycott something in
the public it usually has to do with
homosexuality. Look at the recent boy-
cotts concerning Disney. Their movie
'Print about a gay Catholic priest is
what got the attention. Somehow I
would have thought their movie Pretty
Woman the cute little movie about the
; prostitute with a heart of gold would
;' nave got ten people's attention. I mean
r If 'people really wanted to boycott
' Dteaey concerning issues qf homosexu
ality they should send back their video-
tapes of the last few animated movies
Disney has put out.
Concerning the Ellen boycott 1 find it
odd that people are treating it like
Sodom and Gommorah live. Some peo-
ple even define it as a 'watershed event'
acting shocked that ills even being done.
First off did these people miss the les-
bian wedding on Friends? Or last weeks
Spin City which showed a kiss between
two male characters? The Married with
Children episode this last weekend had
Marcie's cousin coming out as a lesbian.
TV has been dealing with issues of
homosexuality for a long time and if
Christians didn't like it back then they
should have said something.
Also why is Ellen so bad for coming
out of the closet? I mean if you want to
gage the morals of her show next to Days
of Our Lives she's at least more moral. Yet
is it right to have a hierarchy of morals?
To having a moral gage similar to a tire
gage that measures how decent some-
thing is? Probably not but isn't that what
we do anyway? We can sit and watch
Must See TV Thursday and see two peo-
ple engaging in sexual relations and not
even bat an eyelash. Yet when Ellen says
shes a lesbian we all duck and run for
cover. We somehow feel more of a threat
about Ellen than we do about Days of Our
Lives. For some reason Ellen being a les-
bian could affect our children and yet
Days of Our Lives and Melrose Place
somehow have no effect
I think the real issue here is the fact that
we as Christians haven't spoken openly
about homosexuality. Somehow the old
adage about see no evil hear no evil is how
we treat the issue. Yet I hope Ellen forces
Christians out of the closet where
Christians say 'Yes it's something we
haven't dealt with.' 1 think it was our
silence and apathy that has led to this. Our
fear that somehow admitting homosexuali-
ty exists will send us all to Hell premature-
ly. There are probably many people who
would benefit if the church would at least
admit that it exists. If we the church would
open the door perhaps they would open
theirs. Just because we fail to acknowledge
the existence of something does not mean
it isn't there. The argument applies to both
God and homosexuality I believe there are
those out there (perhaps even in here) who
would benefit from it if we did.
Charles Jones
senior youth and family ministry major
Fort Worth
It's all over. This is it. The last issue of
53. The last day of too many.
As 1 go to my last classes today and
look forward to finals week four things
will be on my mind.
1. I am about to undertake one of the
biggest responsibilities of my entire life.
Sure that time in high school when I
got four goldfish was rough but they
were dead after two weeks. I have a feel-
ing my term as editor will last slightly
longer than a fortnight.
I pray for the strength to achieve what
I can and spur the staff toward the peak
of its incredible potential. But that's
another column one that's already been
written.
2. Way too many of my friends are
graduating and leaving.
The real world is a scary place but I
know that each of these grads will
achieve great things. I'll miss the hilari-
ous conversations with two of the best
Spring Break Campaign leaders to ever
take on the Windy City the late night
trips and the X-Files screenings.
I never thought that as a sophomore it
would be a big deal to see senior class
move on. I was wrong. God blessed my life
this year with amazing spiritual leaders. I
learned patience and I learned humor.
3. Finals week is the best week of the
whole year.
You might think me odd for saying
this but hear me out. All week long you
have one or two things to do everyday.
When you normally have so much to do
everyday that you schedule in bathroom
breaks this is quite a relief.
EiShlBiillE
"The past few days
have been a poignant
experience as Inave
constructed my last
page and written my
last column"
Jessica Gray
One of my favorite experiences in the
dorm is finals week. Water fights and
late night Diet Coke breaks; hours of
laughter and chases down hallways cre-
ated a week to remember.
4. I'm going to miss this page.
The past few days have been a
poignant experience as I have con-
structed my last page and written my
last column.
I will miss seeing how many columns I
can mention Diet Coke in - that's twice
for this one.
I will miss picking out a verse for the
Bread Box that might help someone
hungry for the right Word.
1 will even miss asking people to write
their columns. Well maybe I won't miss
that part.
This has been a great year. I greatly
appreciate the opportunity to serve the
student body through this page. I hope
we made you think a little about things
that might not have otherwise entered
your world.
Thank you for letting me into that
world.
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 85, No. 53, Ed. 1, Friday, May 2, 1997, newspaper, May 2, 1997; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101602/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.