The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, September 5, 2008 Page: 1 of 8
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Optimist
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Friday, September 5, 2008 :: Vol. 97, No. 5 :: 1 section, 8 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com
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Inside
This
Issue:
New group aims to help students
find ACU organizations to join
‘Traitor’ humanizes Muslim extremists
and their views on the ‘War on Terror’
Pg8 Ex-ACU track athlete accused of
steroid use in Olympics
A league of its! own
University probes
SA noose incident
By Michael Freeman
Managing Editor
A noose was discovered
in the office of Student
Congress President Daniel
Paul Watkins Wednesday,
prompting the university
to investigate.
Watkins would not
comment on the noose,
but he met with Dr. Royce
Money, president of the
university; Jean-Noel
Thompson, vice president
and dean for student life;
and other campus leaders
Thursday to discuss what
actions the university
should take in response
to the incident.
“We plan to pursue the
matter as a responsible
Christian community
should,” Money said.
The hangman’s noose
has been used as a rac-
ist symbol in the past to
invoke the memory of Af-
rican-American lynchings
during the Jim Crow era.
Money said he will
deliver a prepared state-
ment to the student body
in Friday’s Chapel.
E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu
Students to vote in
Congress elections
By Tanner Knauth
Student Reporter
As summer turns into fall,
Brandon Oliver begins scour-
ing the Internet, trying to find
obscure facts about players in
the National Football League.
Oliver is one of the thousands
of men and women across the
nation who search for the next
breakout player in the NFL.
Why? So they can draft him for
their fantasy football team.
“I’m looking for the next
Wes Welker,” said Oliver,
freshman undeclared major
from Waco.
Like Oliver, many students
will participate in a fantasy
acu
C0IT1: Log on to see a video of how fantasy football affects student life in the residence halls.
football league this fall.
The game is simple with
each league comprised of
eight to 14 teams and each
person acting as the manager
for his or her own team. A
league commissioner sets a
draft date during which all
the managers draft current
NFL players for their teams.
Each week one team is
pitted against another in a
head-to-head matchup. Scor-
ing is based on individual
and team statistics from ac-
tual NFL games. For instance,
if a player on a team scores
a touchdown, the manager
earns six points. At the end
of each week, the scores are
tabulated, and the team with
the most points is the win-
ner. Much like in real foot-
ball, managers can eventu-
ally progress to the playoffs
and be crowned champions
of the league.
Oliver and his friends have
been playing fantasy football
for the past three years. Oliver
said the most difficult psirt of
the game is to know his own
biases. As a Dallas Cowboys’
fan, he would like to draft as
many Cowboys as possible
on draft day. But this is not
a very good strategy, since all
the Cowboys would have the
same week off in which they
would not score any points
for him.
“It’s tough because you
have to draft guys on another
team who play against the
Cowboys,” Oliver said.
Josh Anderson, sophomore
See Fantasy page 4
By Daniel Johnson-Kim
Editor in Chief
Doors and sidewalks
throughout campus will
soon be littered with cam-
paign signs and slogans,
and that means only one
thing: Students’ Associa-
tion elections are here.
Students will decide
who will represent them
in the Student Congress
as SA elections begin
next week.
Elections for class
senators, academic build-
ing representatives and
residence hall representa-
tives will be Tuesday and
Wednesday. Students can
vote in the Campus Cen-
ter from 11:30 a.m. to
5 p.m., and if necessary
run-off elections will be
Thursday from 11:30 a.m.
to 5 p.m.
THE
flf
Voting for Students'
Association senators and
representatives wili be
in the Campus Center
Tuesday and Wednesday:
Days: Tuesday, Wednesday
Time: 11:30 am.-5 p.m.
:: Runoff Thursday if necessary
“Since every undergrad-
uate student at ACU is a
member of [the] Students’
Association, participation
in congress is important,”
said Sarah Pubs, student
body vice president.
Petitions signed with the
signatures of students of the
same classification or resi-
dents of the same academic
building or residence hall
See Election page 4
Expo Center
prepares for
fair, rodeo
By Michael Freeman
Managing Editor
If you recently have yearned for
funnel cake, Ferris wheels or calf
wrestling, then you are in luck. The
109th edition of the West Texas Fair
& Rodeo begins Friday at the Taylor
County Expo Center.
This year’s fair, themed “Horns,
Hides, Laughs and Rides”, will last
through Sept. 13. The fair will open
each day at 11 a.m. and close at 10
p.m. General admission is $6 for
adults and $3 for college students.
Tickets for the rodeo will cost $12.
“It’s a recreational thing,” said Ed
Brokaw, professor of agriculture and
environment. “Our club [Agriculture
and Environmental Sciences club] is
planning to get a group together to
See Fair page 4
ZakZeinert:: chief photographer
A Ferris wheel is constructed in the parking lot of the Taylor
County Expo Center for the West Texas Fair & Rodeo.
Security increased in halls
By Sondra Rodriguez
Student Reporter
Students are banging on
doors and stamping their
feet in frustration because of
a new residence hall policy.
Exit doors will be locked
24 hours a day, seven days
a week to ensure the safety
of students. This policy is
very different from last year
when doors were only locked
during curfew hours.
John Delony, director of
Residence Life Education
and Housing, said it is a
positive change that was en-
forced to protect students.
Anyone wanting to enter
a residence hall must swipe
his or her ID card at an out-
side card reader. If an ID
card is forgotten or lost,
Delony recommends call-
ing a resident assistant or
residence director for ac-
cess to the hall.
“The main benefit is stu-
dent safety,” Delony said.
“We’ve got the technology
in place, and it doesn’t cost
us any more money but it’s
just another safety measure
we can put out there.”
David Degge, resident as-
sistant in Edwards Hall, said
he agreed with the decision.
“Overall, it’s a positive
change,” said Degge, junior
music education major from
Highland, 111. “It’s going to
be easier for the ResLife
staff to ensure the safety of
the residents and to regulate
who is coming in and out of
the dorm during visitation
hours and freshman check-
in; it just makes it flow more
smoothly,” he said.
Sophomores are expect-
ed to struggle the most
with the new policy because
freshmen have no prior res-
idence hall experience.
Jordan Johnston, sopho-
more Christian ministry ma-
jor from Carrolton, said he
does not think the change
was necessary.
“I.think the school feels
safer for us, but we don’t
feel any different,” he said.
“We just have to do ex-
tra work now; we can’t cut
through Mabee from Ed-
wards anymore.”
Johnston favored the
former arrangement and
thinks “it just makes more
sense to lock the doors af-
ter a certain hour.”
However, Degge remains
confident the decision will
benefit residents in the
long run.
“There will be frustra-
tions,” he said. “But overall,
it’s a smart move.”
E-mail Rodriguez at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu
ACU
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
More from the
jNic/network:
Webcast
Log on to www.youtube.com/acu-
video to see Wednesday’s newscast
from the JMC Network Newscast staff.
This week’s weblsode highlights
SHADES’ tryouts and information on
upcoming events.
n_{i What should be the
"mine rpJi: main purpose of the
Students’ Association?
a. Talking to the administration.
b. Giving away free food.
c. Hosting events for students.
d. Representing the student body.
Department of Journalism an d Mass Communication :: Abilene Christian University :: Serving the ACU community since 1912
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, September 5, 2008, newspaper, September 5, 2008; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth903953/m1/1/: accessed June 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.