the optimist print edition: 02/03/2010

Colter HettichEditor in Chief

An organization that ad-vocates for the rights of “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and

questioning people,” will visit campus for the sec-ond time in four years this semester. Soulforce members will travel for almost two months on their tour of 13 univer-

sities in more than a dozen states.

Dr. Jean-Noel Thomp-son, vice president for Student Life and dean of students, said Soulforce contacted the university

and requested permission to stop at ACU on Apr. 9 as part of the 2010 Equal-ity Ride.

“This is an oppor-tunity for us to really communicate our core

values, and talk about their concerns and needs while showing the love of Christ,” Thomp-son said. “And this is a university. Our students should be able to deal

with tough issues.”ACU policy prohib-

its students from en-gaging in sexual activ-ity outside of marriage,

PAGE 5

Optimistthe

Another Man’s Treasure

b. No, it’s a bunch of guys avoiding injury.

Forecast InsideWILDCAT SOFTBALL,defending LSC South champion, begins its season against Texas-Permian Basin at home Thursday. Get our conference break-down.

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Online

Wed Thu Fri

37°40° 37°40° 36°55°

PRESIDENT OBAMAopposed the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in his State of the Union address Wednesday. This vital policy must stay in place.

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Did you watch the NFL Pro Bowl?

Visit acuoptimist.com to join the discussion.

PHOTO

The Week in Photos

LOUDandCLEAR

a. Yes, I always watch it.

c. ‘Lost’ started last night. Nothing else exists.

acuoptimist.comBREAKING NEWS, VIDEOS, PHOTOS, DISCUSSION AND EXCLUSIVE CONTENTVol. 98, No. 34 1 section, 8 pagesWednesday, February 3, 2010

STUDENT LIFE

Rain, freezing temperatures keep students guessingWEATHER

Abby AndersonContributing Reporter

On Monday, ACU will launch its ninth an-nual Sacred Relationships Week, focus-ing on this year’s theme Love & Respect. Students, faculty and staff, as well as the Abilene community, are invited to partici-pate in the week’s activities.

The Love & Respect theme is guided by the Bible verse, Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Sacred Relationships Week, sponsored by the ACU Counseling Center and Peer Health Educators, strives to initiate a loving and re-spectful awareness of every type of relation-ship people encounter in life.

The week, which runs from Monday to Feb. 12, will offer a variety of events, guest speak-ers and forums. Peer Health will present stu-dents’ artistic expressions, including works of poetry, photography, sculpture and dance, during the Night of Talent & Truth on Monday. Students can stop by the McGlothlin Campus

Jeff CraigSports Editor

A week of extreme weath-er came to a climatic end Friday, with icy condi-tions and a frigid north wind postponing classes until 10 a.m.

Temperatures on Jan. 22 reached a near-record high of 85 degrees in Abilene; temperatures on Friday struggled to reach the freezing point, prompting university officials to delay

the start of classes.ACU Chief of Police Jim-

my Ellison and his depart-ment work in conjunction with the offices of the pres-ident and provost, the vice president of student life and human resources to determine whether classes

should be postponed.“In this case we start

monitoring local and outly-ing roads at 4:30 a.m. We look at the conditions of streets, as well as bridges and overpasses because they ice up quicker,” Ellison said. “We look for travel

safety, and we see what TX-DOT crews and city street crews are doing.”

Ellison emphasizes that the decision to delay the start classes is not solely his own. He says that dis-coveries of ice, Abilene Independent School Dis-trict delays and input from other offices all play a role in the decision to delay start times.

Torrential downpours

see JUSTICE page 4

see FLOOD page 4

see ADVOCACY page 4

Cuisine for a Cause Students supportwomen in need

Soulforce to return to campusCAMPUS

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

See Huang, junior English major from Malaysia, serves spicy salad to April Lyons (’07) from Denton. International students prepared dishes from their respec-tive cultures to raise money for victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. Students cooked more than 40 pounds of rice for the dinner.

CULTURE LOCAL

Chelsea HackneyCopy Editor

Students in the Social Work Association are taking their education to the streets Sat-urday for a service project with Christian Homes and Family Services, a nonprofit agency that provides mater-nity care for women with unplanned pregnancies.

The volunteers will meet at 9 a.m. Saturday to paint and prepare apartments for women in the community who have sought maternity help from the agency.

“Christian Homes pro-vides a place to live and offers food, clothing and medical help. They will also connect women with adop-tion agencies so they have an alternative to abortion,” said Abby Rix, president of the SWA. “It’s a safe haven for women of all ages.”

Although Christian Homes sought out the So-cial Work Association, SWA Vice President Molly Mul-holland said it was a good opportunity for students to make a positive impact on the community.

“It’s something college kids can do,” said Mulhol-land, senior social work

Relationships week to focus on love, respect

see HEALTH page 4

Couple the rain with freezing temps, and it’s a recipe for disaster every time.DOUG WRENNAssistant Chief of the Abilene Police Department

KELSI WILLIAMSON Chief Photographer

Heavy rains caused the water level of Cedar Creek to rise, flooding Hair Street in Will Hair Park on Friday.

CALENDAR AND EVENTS

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

2CampusDay

11 a.m.Come to the Quiet

11 a.m.Small Group Chapel will take place in various locations on campus. For more information, go to www.acu.edu/chapel.

8-9 p.m.The Permian Basin String Quartet will perform in the Williams Performing Arts Center.

4 THURSDAY

The Optimist maintains this calendar for the ACU community to keep track of local social, academic and service opportunities. Groups may send announcements directly to [email protected].

To ensure an item will appear on time, the announcement should be sent at least 10 days before. The Optimist may edit items for space and style.

Corrections and clarifications of published news articles will be printed in this space in a timely manner.

AboutThis Page

17Chapel CreditedChapelsto date:

Checkup 56CreditedChapelsremaining:

Volunteer OpportunitiesThe Abilene Empty Bowls Project, a com-munity initiative to end local and global hunger, will take place from11 a.m.-7 p.m. Feb. 20 at Highland Church of Christ. For more informa-tion, call 673-5295.

The Noah Project needs volunteers to cov-er the domestic violence crisis hotline between 6 and 10 p.m. Monday-Fri-day. For more informa-tion, call Yvonne Myers at 676-7107.

Love and Care Minis-tries needs help with its clothing ministry and street feeds at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. or 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. To schedule a

time, call Terry Davis at 670-0246.

The Abilene Cultural Affairs Council needs volunteers for Gator Country, an animal pre-serve and rescue opera-tion from Beaumont , on Feb. 27 at the Abilene Civic Center. Volunteers will prepare breakfast, assist with two per-formances, serve as ushers and direct visitors through the Nature Trail. For more information, contact Angie Cook at 794-4426, or e-mail her at [email protected]. Volunteers must sign up by Feb. 15.

3 WEDNESDAY

11 a.m.Praise Day with Bryan Elrod

5 FRIDAY

AnnouncementsThe Chapel Office is still accepting dona-tions for the Haiti relief effort. Students can bring cash or check donations to the Chapel Office located in the basement of the Mc-Glothlin Campus Center. The Rabbit Hole, ACU Theatre’s Winter Drama, will be performed at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 11-13 and Feb. 18-20 in the Culp Theatre in the Williams Performing Arts Center. For more information or to buy tickets, go to www.acu.edu/theatre or call 674-2787.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is now available to staff, faculty

and students through the Counseling Center. For more information, call 674-2626.

Tim Wise, a nation-ally known anti-racism author and activist, will speak at 7 p.m., March 2 in Moody Coliseum. Wise will address racism and other topics, which students can find at unit-edbyfaithabilene.com.

The Call, a student-led worship, will take place Wednesday nights in the McGlothlin Campus Center Living Room. All students are welcome to attend.

An Invisible Children Chapel forum will take

place at 9:15 p.m. Feb. 25 in Moody Coliseum. Attendees will receive three Chapel credits.

ACU Today magazine is now available online. Students can access the publication at www.issu.com/abilenechristian or blogs.acu.edu/acutoday.

A Chapel forum will take place Monday from 2-3 p.m. in Cullen Audi-torium. Dr. Emerson Eg-gerich will give a lecture titled, Love and Respect. Attendees will receive two Chapel credits.

Jazz Night at Monks will take place every Tuesday from 9:30-11 p.m. For more informa-

tion, call 674-8274.

ACU’s 54th annual Sing Song will take place at 8 p.m. Feb. 19 and at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Feb. 20. For more information or to buy tickets, go to www.acu.edu/singsong.

The Virtuous African Heritage Sisterhood bake sale will take place from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Feb. 8, 10 and 12 in the McGlothlin Campus Center. Proceeds will go to the Spring Break Campaign to Atlanta, Ga.

February 3, 2010 Campus News

Shea RattanContributing Reporter

The Bean will serve more than food this spring. Students who head to the Bean to attend the annu-al spring fashion show, sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Enrich-ment, will have a chance to serve by donating clothing to help earth-quake victims in Haiti.

“People want to find a way to help but may just not know how,” said assistant producer Preston Watkins, soph-omore advertising/public relations major from Manassas, Va.

Admission for this year’s fashion show, titled A la Mode..., isn’t monetary; students are only required to bring two or more items of clothing. Producer Whitney Puckett, junior public relations major from Melbourne, Fla., said many people have already given money, but she wanted to give them a chance to donate something personal.

“I don’t want $5 in a bucket,” she said. “I want the shirt off your back.”

The show will be in three parts; the first will be what Watkins calls “formal with a twist,” the second will be selected items from The Campus Store, and the third will be donated clothing. The student models will

donate their own items and combine them with items donated by audience members to create new outfits, so those who attend should bring new or gently used clothing, Puckett said.

Rather than donat-ing the clothes directly to Haiti, the OME will sell the donations in a “yard sale” sometime after the show. The OME has partnered with Aramark and the non-profit agency Mobile Medical Disaster Relief to raise and deliver the proceeds to Haiti. Also, one-third of proceeds from sales of the select-ed Campus Store items will be donated.

Students who want to be more involved with the show can volunteer to do hair and makeup, help set up or clean up. However, the final – and simplest – way to get involved is by showing up, Puckett said.

“We just like people there,” she said. “We like people being a part of a good cause.”

The show is sched-uled to start at 6 p.m. March 1 in the Bean.

Fashion show raises money

HAITI

Whitney PuckettContributing Reporter

Clean, cute, and current are the three C’s at the semiannual consignment sale, My Sister’s House.

ACU alumnae Summer Walters and her sister Kate Stover established the upscale consignment business after noticing the lack of shopping op-tions in Abilene.

The store is for shop-ping lovers who want to “update their wardrobe without breaking the bank,” Walters said.

The sale resembles well-known consignment businesses throughout the state, for example, Dittos for Kiddos and Buf-falo Exchange. My Sister’s House is a semiannual consignment sale that

gives shoppers the option of selling higher-quality clothing and furniture.

Consignors receive 65 percent of the profit made from the items they sell, while 35 percent goes to the operating expenses of the business. Those who sign up to volunteer will receive 70 percent of their profits and will get to shop first. All university stu-dents are invited to bring their college IDs and shop the pre-sale March 25 at 7 p.m. and the half-price pre-sale March 26 at 9 p.m.

“It’s a really good idea, especially for the college crowd,” Walters said. “It also adds to the character of Abilene.”

The idea for My Sister’s House came together while the two were in college. Walters said they have al-

ways shared clothes and furniture. The sisters wanted to start a trade that benefits shoppers who ap-preciate quality clothing and furniture at a reason-able price.

“I wish I had something like this [when I was] in college,” Stover said.

Sigma Theta Chi, Ko Jo Kai and Alpha Chi Omega are three social clubs on campus who have chosen to volunteer and help con-sign for the sale.

“It’s a great way to get money for the nicer clothes that you want to

give away,” said Sigma Theta Chi member Sylvia Tucker, senior account-ing and finance major from Houston.

The sales will be March 25-27 at 181 Pine St. For times, consigning requirements and other detailed information, please visit www.mysis-tershousesale.com.

Old meets new at My Sister’s HouseCOMMUNITY


Thursday’s downpour was followed by icy temperatures on Friday.

contact Rattan [email protected]

contact Puckett [email protected]

It’s a great way to get money for the nicer clothes you want to give away.SYLVIA TUCKERSenior accounting and finance major from Houston

February 3, 2010From Front

all day Thursday preceded Friday’s icy conditions. Nearly 2.5 inches of rain were recorded at Abilene Regional Airport yesterday, closing roads and flooding campus. The Abilene Po-lice reported road closures on Treadaway Boulevard and several wrecks around the city.

“When it rains there are certain intersections that always maintain water,” said Abilene Assistant Po-lice Chief Doug Wrenn.

“Couple the rain with freezing temps, and it’s a recipe for disaster ev-ery time.”

National Weather Service Meteorologist Mark Cunningham said recent conditions could be attributed to the weather phenomenon El Niño. The NWS reports that Abilene typically sees 3.8 inches of snow in a regular winter, but an average of 7.4 inch-es of snowfall can be expected during an El Niño winter.

“Abilene has already seen more than 5 inches of snow, so that’s already above average for a nor-mal winter.”

Winter weather is proba-bly over, at least for a while, Cunningham said. He said the next weather front to move into the Big Country likely will be a rain event because of warmer condi-tions. The NWS calls for a chance of rain Wednesday and Thursday.

Center for popcorn and relationship-centered dis-

cussion Wednesday, and the Counseling Center and Peer Health Educa-tion will also be spon-soring a Love & Respect card-creation workshop Feb. 11.

Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, internationally renowned public speaker on the topic of male-female re-lationships and the de-veloper of the Love and Respect Conference, will be the guest speaker dur-ing Chapel on Monday. He will partner with his daughter, Joy Eggerichs, for a Chapel forum later that afternoon in Cullen Auditorium.

Steve Eller, certified EAP therapist and coun-selor at ACU, said with SRW running so close to Valentine’s Day, people often think the week’s focus is dating and mar-riage. Eller said this is not “romance” week but about building and strengthen-ing healthy, lasting rela-tionships.

Eggerichs, whose min-istry primarily provides resources and teaching

for couples in marriage, will be shifting his fo-cus toward relationships in general and modify-ing much of his material to better suit the goal of ACU’s Sacred Relation-ships Week.

“We feel [Eggerichs’s] ministry can reach anyone striving to live at peace and in harmony with ev-eryone,” Eller said.

As attention turns to the upcoming week, stu-dents are beginning to show interest in how it will benefit them.

Mary Catherine Cook, sophomore elementary education major from Abilene, said she will be interested to see “if I can really learn something from all of this and if this week will change how I in-teract with different rela-tionships in my life.”

Justice: Opportunities ariseLOCAL

Continued from page 1

Flood: More rain to comeWEATHER


Health: Relational growthSTUDENT LIFE


contact Craig [email protected]

contact Hackney [email protected]

contact Anderson [email protected]


Dakota Cooper, sophomore information systems major from Fayetteville, Ark., debates which dessert to choose from the Sigma Theta Chi Dessert Raffle. All proceeds of the raffle will go to support aid efforts in Haiti.

whether heterosexual or homosexual in nature, but Thompson said the uni-versity addresses infrac-tions with an “umbrella approach.” Thompson said the administration follows the philosophy of disci-pline, which is outlined in the student handbook, handling each incident con-fidentially and on a case-by-case basis.

Many ACU students who experience same-sex at-traction have met together

weekly with Dr. Sally Gary, assistant professor of com-munication, for the past seven years.

“It does a lot of good to open the conversation and be willing to listen to peo-ple’s hearts, and the pain that’s behind a lot of this,” Gary said.

Gary, founder of Center-Peace, said the issues sur-rounding Soulforce’s visit cannot be solved in a day, but the university is mov-ing in the right direction by welcoming the organiza-tion and offering construc-tive, respectful dialogue.

“The fact that I am full-time faculty but I also work with an independent min-istry that ACU supports, that is a great reflection of where we are,” Gary said.

Soulforce will spend Apr. 7-8 on Hardin Sim-mons University’s campus before arriving at ACU. Ja-son Groves, assistant vice president for marketing, said officials from the two universities have met and are discussing possible col-laborative efforts.

Advocacy: Discussion is keyCAMPUS


contact Hettich [email protected]

major from Roanoke. “We have a lot of energy and time, not necessarily a lot of money, so painting is something we can do.”

The SWA is a group of mostly social work stu-dents who, in partnership with faculty in the School of Social Work, introduce students to agencies and organizations where they can serve.

“Since there are already so many service oppor-tunities on campus and in the community, rather than creating more, we try to connect students with

opportunities that are al-ready available,” said Rix, senior social work major from Tinton Falls, N.J.

Although the project with Christian Homes is orchestrated by the SWA, students in any major are welcome to participate, Rix said. That goes for any of their service proj-ects throughout the year, she said.

Those efforts have in-cluded volunteering at the Empty Bowls Project and participating in the support group organized by the School of Social Work for children with Type I diabetes.

“As social workers,

we try to be focused on achieving social justice,” Rix said. “We’re all about providing opportuni-ties to be social change agents. We’re looking for anyone who has a pas-sion and a heart to serve their community.”

For students interested in volunteering Saturday, a caravan will meet at 8:40 a.m. Saturday in the park-ing lot between Mabee Hall and the Brown Library. Students can also go di-rectly to the Woodcrest Apartments at 3450 State St. Work begins at 9 a.m.

ArtsFebruary 3, 2010

Beki HamiltonContributing Reporter

W hen students move into their first dorm, apartment or house, they often find themselves emptying their pock-ets just to furnish or decorate their homes. But with endless antique and

secondhand stores in Abilene, students can purchase fashionable furnishings without the large price tag.

Ambler Plaza, which is just a short drive from ACU, is a dealer mall with 13 merchants. Each dealer has a small collection of unique pieces, ranging from antique furniture to cute collectibles.

The manager, Kathy Middlebrooks, said dealers get merchandise from all over, including auctions and garage sales.

“Those that know us come and check for anything they’re looking for because it may be in here,” Middle-brooks said. “I think what’s unique about us is if we don’t have it, we’ll find it for you or send you where you can get it.”

Another great feature of Ambler Plaza is its discounts. “We tend to discount at any given moment.

Most of the time you’ll get a discount if you ask,” Middlebrooks said.

Middlebrooks immediately makes customers feel at home with her small-town Texas accent and easygoing personality. She has an extensive knowledge of antiques and sells many items of her own in Ambler Plaza.

“It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “It’s kind of like a trea-sure hunt on a daily basis. Either we’re hunting for the treasure or the customer is.”

Rust and Roses is another antique store in Abilene. Just past Bike Town on South 1st Street, it is one of Abilene’s newest and cutest locations for great vin-tage merchandise. The owner, Sandra Hopper, has been in the business for years but just opened Rust and Roses in October in what was previously her hus-band’s body shop.

“What sets us apart is quality. It’s not your stan-dard junk shop,” Hopper said. “We have everything from things we dig out of barns to European pieces.”

Hopper has a picker in London who selects items she might want for the store; she travels to London every three months to get the pieces. Several large wardrobes and buffets in her store are from Europe. She also carries a wide variety of chandeliers, which are always popular with her customers.

Rust and Roses also offers several great benefits and discounts. College students don’t have to pay tax on any item purchased there, and every three months, the shop holds a drawing for a piece of furniture. Customers just have to go to Rust and Roses and reg-ister. Past giveaways have included a wardrobe from England and a vanity from France.

Even with so many quality pieces, Rust and Roses maintains reasonable prices and doesn’t sell anything for more than $1,000. They also keep a want book for customers looking for a particular item. Hopper takes the book with her on pickups so she can be on the lookout for pieces the customers are looking for.

Made from Scratch, located on Hickory Street, is run from a house listed in the Abilene Register of His-toric Properties that is more than 100 years old. The two women in charge of the antique store have been working together for many years and share a passion for antiques and collectibles. Made from Scratch is known for making alterations on items such as sweat-ers and baby quilts.

Owner Nancy Emery said they have recently been emphasizing “green crafts.” This includes recycling linens and saving old textiles to make into new items.

“No one else in Abilene does fabric restoration. We do lace and crochet work,” Emery said.

Made from Scratch runs sales several times throughout the year. The most recent gave buyers half off all items, excluding furniture. Between the sweet ladies who run the antique shop and the wide variety of adorable, fun merchandise, Made from Scratch is sure to please.

Next time you’re in the market for new furniture or home decor, try any of these three antique stores. You’re sure to leave with a few charming treasures that will brighten up any room.

DENS OF ANTIQUITIES

contact Hamilton [email protected]

Right: Rust and Roses is one of Abilene’s newest an-

tique shops and is located in a renovated auto repair shop on South 1st Street.

Below: Made from Scratch on Hickory Street offers a wide range of antique

knick-knacks. Photos by KELSI WILLIAMSON Chief Photographer


Above: Many of the items offered at Rust and Roses are imported from England and other European countries.



Top: Made from Scratch offers antiques as well as handmade dolls and children’s clothing. Above: Made from Scratch owner Nancy Emery mends a quilt in her workroom.

Opinion Februrary 3, 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: [email protected]

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Editorial and Management Board

Colter HettichEditor in Chief

Sondra RodriguezManaging Editor

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Optimistthe

By Aaron CavittMac-n- Tex

In his first true State of the Union address, President Barack Obama revealed the state of our union is ironically simi-lar to its state one year ago – minus some eco-nomic speed bumps.

Obama rebuked Re-publicans and Demo-crats for obstructing change, accusing Demo-crats of “running for the hills” and Republicans of voting against every-thing because they can.

“Remember this – I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I could do it alone,” Obama said. “Democracy in a nation of 300 million people can be noisy and

messy and complicated.” Of course the presi-

dent never suggested he could write legislation, vote as every congress-man and sign it into law. What he did “sug-gest” was that he had the drive and the ability to lead those legislators and representatives to bipartisan solutions. His address to the nation left his holster full of the change Americans hope they can believe in.

One particular item on Obama’s agenda should trouble the American people. For-mer President Bill Clin-ton introduced the “don’t ask, don’t tell”

policy in 1993 to follow through on promises to allow homosexual and bisexual people to serve in the military. The pol-icy prohibits recruiters and officers from asking servicemen and women about their sexual orien-tation. It also prohibits servicemen and women from engaging in homo-sexual sex acts or an-nouncing their sexual orientation publicly.

Many stigmas and stereotypes, including those against homo-sexual individuals, are harmful. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” allows homo-sexual and bisexual in-dividuals to serve, while

prohibiting their sexual orientation from being an issue.

A combat situation is not the appropriate place to attempt to weed out the overwhelming bias in the military against the LGBT community. The physi-cal, emotional and mental strain of warfare is terrible enough, without the addi-tional tension that would inevitably arise if sexual orientations were made public. The policy should not be seen as a slight to homosexuals, bisexuals, transexuals, heterosexuals or asexuals. It is a good-faith attempt to promote cohesion among team-mates – a cohesion that

could make the difference between life and death.

The eyes of the world are – and have been – on our military since the Iraq invasion in 2003. We have enough unre-solved military issues. If the LGBT community is still struggling to find a comfortable place in peaceful society on the

home front, how many more obstacles must servicemen and women overcome in a war zone? How much more dire would the consequenc-es of dissension in the ranks be?

Obama’s military policy raises problemsEDITORIAL

Texas secession would cause disasterCOLUMN

Self–Examination Ryan Self

Could and should Texas secede from the Union?

It’s an incredibly bo-gus question, and yet not one but two g u b e r -natorial c a n d i -d a t e s are pro-p o s -ing the idea.

“There’s a lot of differ-ent scenarios,” Perry said. “We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no rea-son to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that.”

Medina has been more blunt. According to the Dallas Morning News, “She says she won’t rule out pulling a page out of Civil War history with a move to secede from the nation.”

First of all, Texas does not have the au-

thority to secede on a legal basis. As the As-sociated Press points out, “According to the Texas State Library and Archives Commis-sion, Texas negotiated the power to divide into four additional states at some point if it wanted to but not the right to secede.” There is no provision in either the Texas or the U.S. Constitution allowing Texas to legally secede from the Union. Could Texas secede by force? Yes. It was called the Civil War, and that little experiment did not end well for those who at-tempted it.

However, it is an in-teresting question. If the State of Texas be-came the Republic of Texas, who would be-come our new presi-dent? Why, Chuck Nor-ris of course.

“I may run for presi-dent of Texas,” Norris wrote on his blog in March of last year. “That need may be a reality

sooner than we think. If not me, someone some-day may again be run-ning for president of the Lone Star State, if the state of the union con-tinues to turn into the enemy of the state.”

The transition from state to country would unlikely be a smooth one. On a local level, all students at ACU from out of state would have to apply for a study visa, and visiting relatives outside the boundaries of Texas would require a passport. A new cur-rency would have to be printed and distributed, which would likely be a painful changeover. Be-sides, the map of the United States would suddenly look really awkward.

While struggling to create a new infrastruc-ture for the new repub-lic, taxes would likely skyrocket because Tex-as would no longer re-ceive federal funding. MSNBC reports FEMA alone has sent nearly

$3.5 billion to the state since 2001 with an-other billion from the federal government to help with Hurricane Ike. That would come out of the state budget.

NASA, which pro-vides 26,000 jobs in the Houston area, would re-locate, along with many U.S. military bases across the state, costing thousands of jobs and several billion dollars no longer flowing into the Texas economy.

It makes a catchy bumper sticker, but the reality of Texas be-coming its own country would likely be a di-saster. When it comes to secession from the union, we can only hope the proposition turns out to be nothing more than an empty cam-paign promise.

THE ISSUEIn his first State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called for change in the “don’t ask, don’t tell policy.”

OUR TAKEAs far as military changes are concerned, eliminating the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy would only cause more tension among troops.

Email the Optimist at:[email protected]

contact Self [email protected]

Self

Dear Editor:

On Wednesday evening, we saw something extraordinary. We saw a president who has lost the confidence of the American people blame everyone but himself. He lectured the Supreme Court justices, complained about Senate procedure and pointed the finger of blame yet again at his predeces-sor. But the most disturbing lack of lead-ership was when he, as one of the biggest spenders in American history, gave the country a lecture about the dangers of spending too much.

Incredible! After President Obama in-creased domestic spending by 24 percent from the last Bush budget, he now claims he’s found religion and wants to control spending. If he were really serious about slowing down spending, he would cancel his $1.2 trillion nationalized health care plan. He would also cancel his cap-and-trade plan that will raise costs on every ho-meowner in America, and he would rescind his efforts to increase the debt limit to its highest level in history.

Of course, President Obama won’t do any of these things because he’s not serious about controlling spending. He won’t do it because he’s not a businessman and does not understand how the marketplace works.

I have been in small business for 38 years, and I know in business you can’t spend more than you make. That is why I would call for a reduction in spending to pre-Obama levels. This reduction, in addition to a new round of tax cuts, would generate growth in our economy, which will gener-ate revenue for our government.

The key to recovery is for the president and this administration to unleash our great-est asset – the drive and creativity of the American people.

These are simple concepts, widely under-stood by small business leaders and main-street Americans. But they are not well understood by politicians and lobbyists in Washington. That’s why if we want real change in Washington, we need to send real business leaders who will pursue national policy that makes sense and saves dollars.

Respectfully,

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

President scatters undeserved blame

ROGER WILLIAMS105th Texas Secretary of State and Candidate for United States Senate

February 3, 2010 From Sports

all-American catcher Jessica Shiery, who led the nations in wwalks last season. Despite the loss of Shiery, Wil-son anticipates a more balanced team in 2010, with a combination of youth and experience.

“We did lose Jes-sica Shiery, who was a two-time all-American for us and a tremen-dous hitter,” Wilson said. “However, I think we’ve become stronger throughout our lineup and become a better-hitting team.”

Additionally, the Wildcats will have to lean heavily on trans-fer talent. The Wildcats will be stronger up the middle this season with the additions of Shawna Barrow and Andi Anti. Barrow and Anti were teammates at Palomar College in San Diego County, Calif., before

transferring to ACU for this season.

“Transfers will play a key role for us this season,” Wilson said. “Shawna Barrow and Andi Anti played to-gether at their junior college, and they will come in and play sec-ond and shortstop for us. They are talented and good leaders.”

The Wildcats’ lone returning infielder is all-LSC third baseman Nancy Sawyers. In 2009, Sawyers finished third on the team with a .333 batting average and was second in home runs with 10. The Wildcats will also return two out-field starters in seniors Caitlin Nabors and Jenny Culp and reserve Erin Fudge.

A talented pitching staff will complement the Wildcat offense in 2010. The team re-turns two star play-ers in Jacque Gregoire

and Kim White but will count on contributions from others like fresh-man Shelby Hall. Gre-goire will again be the staff ace after compiling a 22-6 record in 2009. Gregoire led the Wild-cats in innings pitched and strikeouts.

Despite the skills her team possesses, Wilson thinks the intangibles make her group unique, in-tangibles she thinks have Wildcat softball headed in the right direction.

“This is one of the hardest working teams I have ever been a part of,” Wilson said. “They come out and give 100 percent every practice. When we get into games, they won’t freeze under the pressure; they’ll come out and be ready to play.”

Success: Gregoire leads talented pitching staff SOFTBALL


ZAK ZEINERT Staff Photographer

Freshman Shelby Hall delivers a pitch during practice Jan. 25. contact Craig at

[email protected]

NUMBERS GAMEJamie Meyer’s points-per-

game scoring average, which puts her first in the

Lone Star Conference. 20.1

“We had 25 turnovers that we overcame, and if we box out and get that last rebound, it is a big win for our program,” Copeland said.

The Wildcats have dropped their last five games and stand at 7-13 overall and 0-5 in con-ference. MSU improved to 19-1 overall and 4-1 in conference.

The game saw nine lead changes; ACU had an 11-point lead at one point. Thompson led all

scorers with 26 points. He shot six of seven from behind the 3-point line, just two away from the school record.

The Wildcats played solid defense and out-rebounded the Mus-tangs. However, ACU committed 25 turn-overs that led to 26 points for MSU.

Giordan Cole recorded a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Dustin Hei-man and Kevin White were also in double digits for the Wildcats, scoring 10 and 13, respectively.

Riley Lambert led the team in assists with four. He said the tough loss had some positive aspects.

“It just let us know that even though our record is not flashy, we can play with anybody,” Lambert said. “It showed us that, throughout the game, every little box out and free throw re-ally matters, whether it is early or late.”

Layup: Team loses heartbreakerMEN’S BASKETBALL


contact Cantrell [email protected]


Guard Dustin Heiman handles the ball during the Wildcats loss to Midwestern Saturday.

we had our past couple of games.”

Although the Mus-tangs are 0-5 in con-ference play, they have proved to be a tough op-ponent for good teams. Midwestern took a 4-1 Texas A&M-Kingsville team to overtime, and the trend continued against the Wildcats.

The trio of Jamie and Jody Meyer and Kat Kundmueller stuffed the stat sheet for the Wildcats in their 16th-straight Lone Star Con-ference South win at Moody Coliseum. Jamie led the Wildcats with 20 points, while Jody posted her 12th dou-ble-double of the sea-son with 19 points and 12 boards. Kat contin-ued her dominant play at point guard with 7 points, six rebounds, nine assists, a block and a steal.

“Kat did a much better job attacking on Saturday, creating some things for some other people,” Laven-der said. “Anytime she is putting up those kind of numbers, it

means we are scoring a lot of points.”

The Wildcats made a few runs to keep a lead throughout the game, but the Mustangs man-aged to keep it close until the end.

“We made some ad-justments at halftime, and we finally found our rhythm in the second half,” Lavender said.

Taking a 32-31 lead into halftime, the Wild-cats widened the margin to seven after scoring the first 6 points of the second half. That lead grew to 11 (48-37) after a 3-pointer by Kundmu-eller, but the Mustangs came back to make it a 3-point game at 52-49 midway through the second half.

However, the Wild-cats answered with a 10-0 run to put the game out of reach and take home the win.

The win is a big one for the Wildcats, im-proving their record to 13-7 overall and

3-2 in conference. Ev-ery home game in the conference is a must-win with so many good teams in the LSC South, and the Wildcats have taken advantage of ev-ery chance to play at Moody Coliseum.

“You have to try to steal a few games on the road,” Lavender said. “I’d love to finish the season with only two or three losses in the conference.”

MSU: Wildcats shoot 38.6 percent from field in win

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL


contact Gwin [email protected]

Sports February 3, 2010

THURSDAY

SoftballACU vs. UTPB, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY

Men's TennisACU vs. Oklahoma Christian, 9 a.m.

ACU vs. Trinity, 6 p.m.

SoftballACU vs. TAMU-Int'l, 11:30 a.m.

ACU vs. East Central, 1:45 p.m.

Track and FieldACU at New Balance Collegiate

ACU at Texas Tech Invitational

SATURDAY

Men's TennisACU vs. Midwestern St., noon

Women's BasketballACU at TAMU-K, 2 p.m.

Men's BasketballACU at TAMU-K, 4 p.m.

BaseballACU vs. Harding, 2:05 p.m

ACU vs. Harding, 5 p.m.

SoftballACU vs. SE Okla. St., 2 p.m.

ACU vs. Incarnate Word, 4 p.m.

HOME GAMES LISTED IN ITALICS

UPCOMING

n Junior guard Eddie Thompson was named LSC South Player of the Week for the first time in his career Monday.

n The football team earned the No. 8 spot in the season's final d2football.com poll.

n Lineman Tony Washing-ton was named first team all-America by d2football.com. Aston Whiteside and Tony Harp were named to the second team.

BRIEFS

STANDINGS

MEN'S BASKETBALLTeam Div.

MSU

ENMU

4-1

2-3

Tarleton St. 5-0 17-3

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLTeam Div.

Tarleton St. 4-1WTAMU 4-1 20-2

TAMU-K 3-2 16-4

Angelo St. 3-3 10-10ENMU 1-4 6-14

TAMU-K 1-4

19-1

7-1211-9

16-4

Ovrl.

Ovrl.

ACU 0-5 7-13

ACU 3-2 13-7

Angelo St. 4-2 12-8

TUESDAY

Women's BasketballACU 59, Texas A&M-Kingsville 55

Men's BasketballACU 79, Texas A&M-Kingsville 72

SATURDAY

Women's BasketballACU 73, Midwestern St. 66

Men's BasketballACU 77, Midwestern St. 78

HOME GAMES LISTED IN ITALICS

MSU 0-5 6-12

WTAMU 2-3 11-9

Sam BarteeSports Reporter

This weekend was a successful one for the Wildcats' track and field team.

Ramon Sparks posted the best collegiate triple jump mark in the nation Saturday, winning the event at the New Mexico Invitational at the Al-buquerque Convention

Center. He also finished sixth in the long jump.

Sparks' winning tri-ple jump was 53 feet, which automatically qualified him for the NCAA Division II indoor national championship meet. The mark is also the nation's best col-legiate triple jump this season. The previous best collegiate mark this season was 52-8

1/4 by Kyon Foster of Michigan State.

Desmond Jackson won the 60-meter with a time of 6.79 seconds. Andrew McDowell fin-ished third in the 60-me-ter hurdles in 8.07, af-ter qualifying for the final with an 8.00 in a preliminary heat.

Nick Jones finished second in the shot put with a mark of 54-2 1/2.

Jackson is on his way to a second-place finish in the 200 meters.

Wanda Hutson and Elizabeth Buyse posted provisional qualifying marks for the indoor championships in the women's 60 and pole vault, respectively. Des-tinee Nixon finished fourth in the triple jump, while Hutson was fourth in the 200.

The men's and wom-en's teams also com-peted in the Lobo Chal-lenge in Albuquerque on Friday, and both added more qualifiers. ACU will be back in action next weekend at the New Balance Collegiate Invita-tional in New York City.

Sparks posts nation’s best triple jump TRACK AND FIELD

contact Bartee [email protected]


The cold winter is start-ing to thaw, and the softball team opens its season Thursday – a sure sign spring is fast approaching.

The Wildcats are com-ing off the most suc-cessful season in school history and are eager to take the next step. The 2009 season saw the ’Cats win a team-record 43 games en route to a second-consecutive NCAA regional appear-

ance. They also captured the Lone Star Conference South Division; however, they have yet to win an overall LSC title.

Preseason polls pick the Wildcats to finish second in the LSC South, with Angelo State as the preseason favorite. Head Coach Chantiel Wilson is entering her seventh season as coach, and she thinks her team has the tools and the grit to compete in a stacked LSC field.

“The LSC is an ex-tremely competitive con-

ference,” Wilson said. “We know that we’ll have to go out and play every game like it's our most important game of the season. We are going to go out there and try and win the South just like we did last year.”

If the Wildcats want to win the LSC this sea-son, they will have to do it without some famil-iar faces. The team has only four seniors, after losing some key players to graduation, including

Ready for the next stepSOFTBALL


Senior outfielder Caitlin Nabors takes a swing during practice on Jan. 25. Nabors hit .307 as a junior and was tied for the team lead in stolen bases with seven steals.

’Cats look to repeat 2009 success

see SUCCESS page 7

The defending conference champions top the preseason polls, receiving 14 of 20 first-place votes. ASU has won three straight LSC titles and went 50-10 last season. The Rambeles advanced all the way to the national semifinals in 2009.

Lone Star ConferenceSouth opening rankings

The Wildcats won a team-record 43 games in 2009 and look to build on that success in 2010. The Wildcats collected five of a possible 20 first place votes in the preseason polls and will lean heavily on their pitching staff this season.

The Lady Buffs enter 2010 projected to finish third in the South and No. 22 in the nation. West Texas had its best season ever in 2009, winning 35 games. The team has 14 returnees from their talented 2009 squad.

The TexAnns are projected to finish fourth in the LSC South following a disappointing 26-22 record in 2009. TSU has nine new players and 11 returning players. Tarleton finished with an 8-11 record in conference play last season.

Texas A&M Kingsville is projected to finish fifth in the conference. The Javelinas will be led by Cassie Anderson who was picked as LSC South Preseason Player of the Year. She set an LSC re-cord with a 26-game hitting streak last year .

The Pioneers finished 26-25 last season but had just a 6-12 record in LSC play. TWU batted .291 as a team last season while holding opponents to a .262 average. TWU also drew the second-fewest walks in the LSC South last year.

No. 1 Angelo State

No. 2 Abilene Christian

No. 3 West Texas A&M

No. 4 Tarleton State

No. 5 Texas A&M-Kingsville

No. 6 Texas Woman's

No. 7 Eastern New Mexico

Eastern New Mexico finished last in the LSC South last year and are projected to do so again this season. ENMU finished only 2-15 in LSC South play in 2009. However, the Zias finished with a winning record last year at 24-23

Ryan CantrellAssistant Sports Editor

The Wildcats fell just seconds short of up-setting 10th-ranked Midwestern State, who scored as time expired to escape with a 78-77 victory Saturday.

Eddie Thompson hit a 3-point shot with 2.8 seconds left in the game to give the Wildcats a 1-point lead. The ensu-ing inbounds pass was

deflected out of bounds, leaving two seconds left on the clock. MSU had one last chance and put up a shot that missed but was tipped in by the Mustangs as time ran out.

Head Coach Ja-son Copeland said he thought the team did a lot of things right and had a good chance to win the game.

Wildcats show grit in last-second loss

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Austin GwinAssistant Sports Editor

The Wildcat women pulled out a much-needed win at home Saturday to snap a two-game losing streak.

ACU did enough to secure a victory, 73-66, against a Midwest-ern State team that wouldn’t quit.

“We stepped up our game,” said Head Coach Shawna Laven-der. “We played a lot better Saturday than

Wildcats hold off MSUWOMEN'S BASKETBALL

see LAYUP page 7 see MSU page 7


Danielle Hartley backs off a Midwestern defender Saturday.

SCORES

the optimist print edition: 02/03/2010

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