Colter HettichEditor in Chief

Ten minutes before voting closed Thursday, the withdrawal of Tony Godfrey, junior political sci-ence and English major from Burleson, decided the presidential race for next year’s Students’ Association president. Samuel Palomares, junior communications major from Elsa, will take office as president of the Students’ Association for the 2010-11 school year.

SA officers would not release Godfrey’s vote count because he was no longer a can-didate. Charles Gaines, current SA president, said turnout was “pretty consistent” among the three races, and students can accurately compare Palomares’ numbers to those of the other winners.

Godfrey also resigned as vice president Thursday after the Office of Student Life received reports of an off-campus incident that occurred Tuesday. Student Life de-clined to comment on the incident.

Jonathan Pendergrass, junior architec-ture major from Hershey, Penn., was pres-ent at the incident. Although the two have

Grant to benefit university, high school chemistry teachers

Career counseling available

a. Yes, I go every year.b. No, I don’t watch films. Not even short ones.c. What is FilmFest?

PAGE 5

Optimistthe

The Spin Zone

Forecast InsideABILENE CHRISTIANCollege and Abilene Chris-tian University are radically different places. Read how rules and policies have changed during the years.

Page 6

Online

Fri Sat Sun

51°74° 58°79° 59°77°

TIGER WOODS IS BACK. Former Optimist staff re-porter Hutton Harris checks in from the Masters with an update on the reaction to Tiger’s return.

Page 8

Are you planning on going to FilmFest?

Visit acuoptimist.com to join the discussion.

PHOTO

Honor Society Inductions

LOUDandCLEAR

acuoptimist.comBREAKING NEWS, VIDEOS, PHOTOS, DISCUSSION AND EXCLUSIVE CONTENTVol. 98, No. 48 1 section, 8 pagesFriday, April 9, 2010

MOBILE LEARNING

STUDENT SERVICES ARTS

Linda BaileyOpinion Page Editor

ACU isn’t the only school in Abilene planning to integrate the iPad into education. Dr. Kim Pam-plin, chair of the Depart-ment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and 20 teachers in the Big Coun-

try area are waiting for approval of a grant that will provide iPads to sci-ence classes.

Pamplin said the money comes from the state as part of the Teacher Quality Grant, a program designed to provide high-quality professional develop-

ment for, in this case, high school and middle school science teachers in and around Abilene.

Pamplin said the grant will not be official for a few more weeks, but he is confident in its chance

for approval. The grant will pay for top-of-the-line 3G iPads with a 64-gigabyte memory, as

well as the monthly fee for the data plan.

Pamplin said money was left over in the bud-get in Austin this year, and project directors were invited to submit requests for the remain-ing money.

Alan CherryContributing Reporter

With the end of the se-mester looming, many students may find them-selves considering the age-old question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Fortunately for some

students, the Career Center has answers.

The Discovery for De-ciding program started four years ago as a pi-lot program to help un-declared freshmen and sophomores choose majors. In the last two years, it has evolved into a program encompassing

all classes and majors.“If you don’t know

your major, we’re going to help you choose your major,” said Rachel Phil-lips-Buck, career counsel-or at the Career Center. “If you know your major, we’re going to help you

Soulforce to discuss gay rights over lunch

SPIRITUALITY STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Jeff CraigSports Editor

A group advocating the rights of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people is scheduled to vis-it campus Friday and meet with students, faculty and staff members.

The group Soulforce was on campus three years ago and requested to return this year for discus-sion with members of the ACU community. All activi-ties will take place in the LYNAY room in the Bob and Shirley Hunter Wel-come Center on Friday.

Soulforce members will eat lunch with some fac-ulty and staff at 11:30 a.m. and meet with staff in the Counseling Center from 1-2 p.m. Students will only be able to interact with the group during a discussion period from 2:15-3:15 p.m. The discussions will con-clude with a closed session with Dr. Jeanine Varner, provost, and Dr. Jean-Noel Thompson, vice president for Student Life and dean of students.

All meetings will take place in a single location to maximize discussion and minimize distractions, according to the Office of Student Life.

see SA page 4

see CAREER page 4

see iPAD page 4

I don’t know all they are capable of, but it’s something that we could really use and invent new ways to use in a class.DWAYNE NORTONScience Teacher at Albany High School and Member of the TMSA

KELSI WILLIAMSON Chief Photographer

Tony Godfrey, junior political science major from Burleson, speaks in Moody Coliseum on Tuesday. Godfrey withdrew from the race two days later.

Godfrey out, Palomares in

Sondra Rodriguez andLinda BaileyStaff Report

The 12 entries in FilmFest 2010: “Timeless” will be shown at a free screening from 2-4 p.m. Sunday at

the Paramount Theatre in downtown Abilene.

The awards gala, where categories will be presented and the Best Picture award will be announced, will take

Student films star in FilmFest contest

The surprise, last-minute withdrawal of SA candidate Tony Godfrey decided this year’s presidential election.

QUICK FACTS

This week, the student body elected the officers who will lead next year’s Students’ Association.

Presidentn 438 - Samuel Palomares

Vice Presidentn 414 - Jared Elkn 295 - Scott Adrian

Treasurern 447 - Chris Shimn 258 - Carson Henley

see REEL page 4

The university’s first campuswide undergraduate research festival will highlight the work of more than 75 students from various fields, including physics, chemistry, education, music, biology and agriculture, according to www.acu.edu.

Students will present their work to the public, and guests from other universities will speak April 13-15.

contact Craig atjrc07d@acu.edu

CALENDAR AND EVENTSFriday, April 9, 2010

2CampusDay

11 a.m. Praise Day in Moody Coliseum

4 p.m.ACU Baseball v. Cameron

5 p.m.ACU Softball v. Angelo State

8 p.m.Abilene Christian Opera in Cullen Auditorium

Texas section of the Mathematical Association of America meeting

12 p.m.ACU Softball v. Angelo State

2 p.m.ACU Baseball v. Cameron

8 p.m.Abilene Christian Opera in Cullen Auditorium

Texas section of the Mathematical Association of America meeting

10 SATURDAY

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 optimist@jmcnetwork.com.

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

58Chapel CreditedChapelsto date:

Checkup 15CreditedChapelsremaining:

Volunteer OpportunitiesThe 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 to help, call Terry Davis at 670-0246.

The City of Abilene’s Adaptive Recreation Services needs volun-teers to help mentally and physically challenged adults with activities be-tween 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Activities can include arts and crafts, exercise, ceramics, bowling, field trips, etc. For more infor-mation, contact Barbara Liggett at 676-6575, or e-mail barbara.liggett@abilenetx.com.

Abilene Hope Haven needs volunteers to pro-vide child care between 6:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. Monday through Thurs-day. For more informa-tion, contact Kathy Reppart (before 3 p.m.) at 677-4673 or Christina Spillers (after 3 p.m.) at 437-0611.

The Betty Hardwick Center needs volun-teers from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on any weekday. For more information, contact Katie Fawcett at 690-5128.

Breakfast On Beech Street serves breakfast to Abilene’s homeless community and is in need

of volunteers. Breakfast is served from 6:30-7:15 a.m. at the First Christian Church at 3rd and Beech Street. Volunteers must arrive at 5:30 a.m. Mon-days, Wednesdays, Thurs-days and Fridays and 5 a.m. Tuesdays. For more information, visit the First Christian Church’s Web site at www.fccabilene.org/outreach.html.

Meals on Wheels is looking for volunteers to deliver hot meals each week to seniors and adults with disabilities. Volunteers may work once a week between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more informa-tion, contact Elisabeth Rodgers at 672-5050.

The Alzheimer’s Asso-ciation needs volunteers any time 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Thurs-day. Volunteers must be present for at least one hour and will perform various office duties. For more information, contact Libby Connally at 672-2907.

The American Heart Association needs volunteers any time 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Vol-unteers will help with general office tasks and assist with mailings. For more information, contact Kay Alexander at 627-0070.

The Christian Service Center needs volunteers to fill requests for cloth-ing, bedding, kitchen utensils, etc., from the donation center. Vol-unteers may work from noon-4 p.m. Friday or Saturday. For more infor-mation, call Jim Clark at 673-7531.

The Food Bank of West Central Texas needs vol-unteers to sort and stock

food items between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. For in-formation or to schedule a group of six or more volunteers, contact Jan-ice Serrault at 695-6311, or email abfoodbk@camalott.com.

The Salvation Army needs volunteers Monday through Saturday. Volun-teers may help sort and price items in the thrift store, help in the kitchen or do yard work.

The International Rescue Committee needs volunteers to teach English and men-tor refugees. For more information or to make an appointment, contact Daina Juryka-Owen at 675-5643 ext. 16.

Hill Resources needs volunteers from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. any weekday to encourage and enter-tain disabled individuals. For more information, contact Michelle Espi-noza at 673-3346.

ACU for Abilene service day will take place April 17. The event, sponsored by SALT and the Chris-tian Center for Service and Leadership, will take place in various site around Abilene. For more information, e-mail vslc@acu.edu.

Find more volunteer opportunities by visiting the Service-Learning and Volunteer Resources Web site at www.acu.edu/slvr and clicking on Volunteer Opportunities, or visit the Service-Learning and Volunteer Resources of-fice located in the lower level of the McGlothlin Campus Center.

9FRIDAY

8 p.m.Filmfest 2010 at the Paramount Theatre

9 p.m.Nine O’Clock Worship service at University Church of Christ

11 SUNDAY

AnnouncementsEquine Assisted Psy-chotherapy is now available to staff, faculty and students through the Counseling Center. For more information, call 674-2626.

The Upward Bound Pro-gram is in need of stu-dents to serve as summer advisers. The program is looking for encouraging, energetic and respon-sible students to assist in preparing high school students for college. For more information, call 674-2529 or 674-2514.

HIGHway Bible study will meet at 9 p.m. Wednes-day in The Grove Club-house. All students are welcome to attend.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Chapel will meet the first Thursday of each month in Room 258 in the Foster Science Building. All ACU students who participate in BBBS are welcome to attend.

The Bible Bowl will be Saturday on the ACU campus.

The Meek Blood Center is sponsoring a blood drive April 16.

Filmfest 2010 will be at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Paramount Theatre. Tick-ets are availbe through Friday in the Campus Center or in the Office of Student Productions in McKinzie Room 121. For more information call 325-674-4864.

Beltway Park Church is sponsoring A Night of Worship with Leeland and Phil Wickham today. Tick-ets are $15 in advance and $10 for students or groups of more than 10; they are available at Beltway Park, Mardel and Lifeway stores or online at www.itickets.com/events/240228/Abilene_TX/Leeland.html.

Re-Fresh, the Fresh-man Devotional, is every Thursday at 10 p.m. in the Beauchamp Amphitheater. Freshmen are invited for a time of worship for fresh-men and by freshmen.

The Abilene Christian Opera Theater’s spring opera opens Friday at 8 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium. This semester’s show is Massenet’s Cendrillon, an interpretation of the classic Cinderella tale: a journey of enchantment, triumph and romance. General admis-sion is $12 for adults and $5 for students.

The ACU Career Center is sponsoring an informa-tion session about jobs with Hawkes Learning Systems, a company that develops educational programs for mathemat-ics teachers at the high school and college levels. For more information, contact the Career Center at 674-2473, or email at careers@acu.edu.

ACU for Abilene will be April 17th.

There will be a benefit concert for Haiti from 6-9 p.m. tonight in the University Park Club-house.

Freshman Formal will be April 16th. Tickets are on sale in the McGlothlin Campus Center; the cost is $25 for an individual or $40 for a couple.

The Student Social Work Association is sponsor-ing a meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 12 and 26 to help plan for Diabetes Day this fall. The meeting will be at Hillcrest Church of Christ. For more information, contact Darrell Jordan at 674-4886.

The Outdoor Club is sponsoring the fifth an-nual Red Dirt Adventure Challenge duathlon April 17. For more information or to register, visit www.acuoutdoorclub.org.

The Pruett Gerontol-ogy Center is sponsoring Careers in Aging Week. Booths will be displayed from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. this week in the McGlothlin Campus Center.

The ACU Percussion En-sembles and Steel Drum Band will perform a free concert at 8 p.m. Monday in Cullen Auditorium.

There will be an All-Club Rush at 5 p.m. April 12 in the campus mall area for those interested in pledg-ing a social club this fall.

The Campus Activities Board is sponsoring a Beach Bash from noon until 4 p.m. in the cam-pus mall area April 23.

April 9, 2010 Page 3Campus News

Kelsi WilliamsonChief Photographer

Math, computer sci-ence and information technology majors had the opportunity to learn how to add up and cash in their class experience through in-ternships with Hawkes Learning Systems on Thursday in the Bob and Shirley Hunter Welcome Center.

Hawkes Learning Systems, founded in 1979, is an educational software and publish-ing company based in Charleston, S.C. The company “concentrates on a complete ap-proach with integrated textbooks, intelligent homework software, and testing assessment software, in essence a

complete ‘System’ for teaching math,” accord-ing to its Web site.

This was the first time the Career Center

offered an information session about intern-ships specifically tar-geting math and com-puter science majors, said Bradon Owen, Ca-reer Center employer relations manager.

Owen said the Career Center likes to highlight specific internships to help students solidify their career interests.

“It helps them to bet-ter decide what it is they want to do once they graduate,” Owen said.

Hawkes Learning Systems is offering one internship in its mar-keting department, 10 internships in company product development and five internships in the information tech-nology department. The internships are all paid and will last for about

12 weeks this summer.April Davis, from

Hawkes Learning Sys-tems marketing and re-cruiting, said students must have a 3.5 grade point average or higher to be considered for any of the internships.

“We do have tons of résumés coming in,” Davis said.

Besides good ex-perience in their cho-sen fields, Davis said Hawkes Learning Sys-tem interns may have the opportunity for a full-time job after their internships end.

Class work pays off for studentsACADEMICS

Shea RattanContributing Reporter

The Department of The-atre’s final spring pro-duction stands in sharp comedic contrast to the department’s previous two shows. The large cast and a dizzying mix of historical and fantas-tical elements combine to make Shakespeare in Hollywood a funny, fast-moving farce.

Shakespeare in Hol-lywood, written by Ken Ludwig, is based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream and is technical-

ly classified as a 1930s screwball comedy. The show is mainly about two characters, Oberon and Puck, who are magically transported from their Shakespearean world to Hollywood where they end up playing them-selves in a movie.

Peter Hargrave, sopho-more musical theatre ma-jor from Amarillo, plays Oberon, who falls in love with the leading woman in the movie. He said he thinks the show is a good way to end the season, especially after the dra-matic winter shows.

“It’s a good contrast to the last two; people can come and just watch and have a good time,” Hargrave said.

Director Kari Hatfield, assistant professor of theatre, has directed productions at smaller universities in the past; however, this is her first

time to direct a play for ACU. She said she is ex-cited about the produc-tion as well.

“It combines the in-tricacy of Shakespeare and the fact that a lot of them [the cast] are play-ing people that actually lived makes it a good challenge,” Hatfield said.

The first-time direc-tor said she also has loved working with the cast and crew. Despite rehearsing from 7-11 p.m. most nights of the week, Hatfield said she loves everyone’s collab-orative spirit and the fun nature of the show.

“It’s definitely not one of those shows where you have to be all reverent because it’s Shakespeare. It’s actual-ly kind of making fun of the fact that Hollywood kind of exploited Shake-speare at the time,” Hat-field said. “We just hope

that people enjoy the show and word gets out about how fun it is.”

The show will run April 15-17 and April 22-24 in Fulks Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at the ACU Box Office in the Williams Performing Arts Center until 5 p.m. Friday, online at www.acu.edu/theatre or by calling the ACU Box Of-fice at 674-2787.

Shakespeare goes Hollywood in spring comedyTHEATRE

It’s definitely not one of those shows where you have to be all reverent because it’s Shakespeare.KARI HATFIELDDirector, Assistant Professor of Theatre

QUICK FACTS

The paid internships, beginning May 15 and lasting through August 15, are spread among three departments.

n Marketing: One intern-ship available. The intern will research, input information in databases and coordinate events.

n Product development: 10 internships available. The interns must be math majors and will test and edit Hawkes Learning Systems textbooks.

n Information technology: Five internships available. The interns must be sophomore engineer majors and will work with Hawkes’ small software programs.

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Wanda Douglass, resident at Christian Village, gets a strike while playing Wii Bowling at the Honors Gerontology Wii Party.

contact Williamson atkkw07a@acu.edu

contact Rattan atoptimist@jmcnetwork.com

Page 4 April 9, 2010From the Front

“I requested one iPad to share with teachers, to let them put their hands on it and see what they thought of it so maybe they could order one in the future,” he said.

However, the pro-gram director in Austin had a different idea. He suggested funding for all 20 teachers in Pamp-lin’s Texas Midwest Sci-ence Alliance.

The problem Pamplin said he and the other teachers are running is the same for most iPad users – they aren’t sure what the iPad is capable of. Pamplin says he en-visions using the iPad to surf the Web for les-sons, view video clips useful for the classroom and look into electronic

chemistry textbooks. Also, he said he thinks applications are being written for iPads about the periodic table and other chemistry and ed-ucation-specific apps.

The TMSA has been awarded the Teacher Quality Grant since 2002. Through the years, Pamplin said the grants have provided $1,000-$1,500 to buy new technology, such as PowerPoint, digital video cameras, laptops, projectors, probes, photography equip-ment and iPods. These technologies are used in science classrooms to help with labs and curriculum.

“It is really whatever kind of technology they can convince me they will use,” Pamplin said.

Dwayne Norton,

Albany High School science teacher and member of the TMSA, said because of all the technology they have received, people have come in to train them on the technology and show them things they haven’t thought of. He thinks the same thing will happen when they get the iPads.

“We’re pretty excited. I don’t know all they are capable of, but it’s some-thing that we could re-ally use and invent new ways to use in a class,” Norton said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun to have that chance.”

passed through the pro-gram this scholastic year. Most of the stu-dents are freshmen and sophomores, although a few older students have also taken advantage of the opportunity.

“It’s not just undeclared students who need help – it’s all of our students,” Phillips-Buck said.

Rachel Elam, career re-source assistant at the Ca-reer Center, is a recent ACU graduate and an alumni of

the Discovery program. She lauded the course, say-ing the program’s assess-ments helped to match her personality and skill set with an appropriate ca-reer choice.

The Career Center split from the Office of Career and Academic Development two years ago and moved into the Bob and Shirley Hunter Welcome Center. It offers a variety of services to students, including the CareerLink program, mock interviews and financial planning assistance.

“If we can get that

ironed out in the first se-mester, then you have three-and-a-half years to build your résumé, net-work, get interviews, etc.,” Phillips-Buck said.

Discovery for Decid-ing will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday. The cost to at-tend is $40, which can be charged to students’ ac-counts. Students interest-ed in signing up should visit www.acu.edu/ca-reercenter and follow the links for D!SCOVERY.

iPad: Fuses with scienceMOBILE LEARNING

Continued from page 1

Career: Exploring optionsReel: Filmmakers compete

SA: Candidate eliminated

STUDENT SERVICES

ART

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

contact Bailey atljb07a@acu.edu

contact Cherry atoptimist@jmcnetwork.com

place at 8 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre.

Tom Craig, director of student productions, said attendees can ex-pect a great show.

“People can expect to see some really great talent on screen both from the production end and the acting end of things,” Craig said. “We’ve got great writing,

editing, directing and production.”

The event will also feature original music by ACU students, three of whom will perform songs from several of the films. Performers include Aaron Carlile, Swing the Lead and Alex How-ard, and will take place at intervals throughout the show. Craig said the event is formatted much like the Oscars – awards, film and music.

Preston Woolfolk, senior political science major from San Anto-nio, and Anna Peters, master’s student from Houston, will host the evening gala. Tickets cost $5 per person and the event will last two hours.

been friends for sev-eral years, Pendergrass said Godfrey’s actions crossed the line.

“He just said some racially insensitive com-ments, and I think, being a leader, that’s some-thing you can’t do,” Pen-dergrass said. “You have

to be aware of all the cultures you’re going to be leading.”

Godfrey described the incident as a person-al matter between “two longtime, close friends.”

“Individuals outside our friendship took it upon themselves to make this matter public without the knowledge

of Jonathan or myself,” Godfrey said in an e-mail. “I hope that we can move past this and con-tinue to grow closer and learn from one another as a community.”

KELSI WILLIAMSON Chief Photographer

Students go barefoot in the McGlothlin Campus Center in honor of the TOMS-sponsored One Day Without Shoes on Thursday.

contact Staff atoptimist@jmcnetwork.com

contact Hettich atclh05d@acu.edu

ArtsApril 9, 2010 Page 5

From Justin Timberlake to The Beatles to The Magnetic Fields, the music industry has seen one big trend in recent years: an increase in vinyl production.

It comes as a surprise to much of the music-listening world that major record labels have once again begun releasing new al-bums on vinyl records.

Analog or hard copy recordings, which many thought peaked in popularity in the 1960s and ’70s, became virtually extinct after digital recording appeared in the 1980s. But recent studies by Nielsen SoundScan report the vinyl record as a relevant musical format is slowly making – or remaking – its mark on the same industry that once had it on the ropes.

There’s been much spec-ulation as to why vinyl presses are making such a resurgence; the answer is a combination of rea-sons – of consumers and record labels.

A report by Sound-Scan at the end of last year stated more than 2.2 million units of vinyl were sold in 2009, and mainstream retailers such as Walmart, Ama-zon and Best Buy have begun selling vinyl LPs on their Web sites. Stores like Costco and Urban Out-fitters have even introduced turntables to their invento-ries in the last two years.

A motivation at the forefront of the format shift originates in the audiophilic movement. The consumer target market known as “the audiophiles” is purely concerned with sound quality.

This group claims vinyl records allow for the best possible sound depth, allowing a listener to re-ally hear all the layers of sound on any given track, from the beat to the bass to the vocals. They believe hearing a record on vinyl is hearing the record the way musicians intended it to be heard.

During digital production, the music is compressed and therefore sub-tly altered, but the dimension of sound offered by vinyl records is deep and ominous – so say the audiophiles.

Another reason for the increased interest in vinyl is the perceived collec-

tor’s value of the record. Limited numbers of new vinyl presses draw con-sumers in by making them feel they own a piece of musical memorabilia.

Depending on band popularity, a record will get anywhere from 500 to 3,000 presses, fewer than demanded, to increase market value among collectors.

Collectors also find value in the artwork of the album sleeves and inserts that are often designed by prominent artists and

featured on high-quality, full-color prints.For many record labels, pressing vinyl albums is simply a diversification of a product line.

They have a market interested in investing in records, and they do their best to meet

that need. For them, it is a sales game.Sales of CDs and digital for-mats still far outweigh vinyl

sales, but record companies and press factories are still finding vinyl releases to be a profitable venture.

In 2007, shipments in-creased to 1.3 million units from 900,000 units moved in the U.S. alone, according to a report published by the Re-cording Industry Asso-ciation of America. For smaller and indepen-dent record labels, this increase represents a huge profit margin.

Last year, Universal Music Enterprises an-

nounced its plans to reissue 40 albums on vinyl, and War-

ner Music Group announced it will rerelease 30 albums on vi-

nyl, as well as press 12 of its new releases on vinyl.To meet the needs of an on-the-go

society, record companies have even begun to include digital download vouch-

ers with their vinyl records so consumers have the tangible hard copy as well as the por-

table music. Record labels are using such tactics to prove they have the consumers’ interests at heart.

Abbey Road and 69 Love Songs may have found many fans through their widely acclaimed digital releases, but their vinyl popu-larity stems from consumers wanting the best experience with the best quality. Buying vinyl records offers clean, beautiful music with the opportunity for music lovers to create memories – and record labels to make sales.

OpinionPage 6 April 9, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79699

E-mail letters to: optimist@acu.edu

Editorial and Letter Policy

Published by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication

Newsroom(325) 674-2439

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Photo Department(325) 674-2499

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Subscriptions ($40/year)(325) 674-2296

Editorial and Management Board

Colter HettichEditor in Chief

Sondra RodriguezManaging Editor

Kelsi WilliamsonChief Photographer

Lucas WrightArts Editor/Cartoonist

Brandon TrippSports Media Director

Hannah BarnesFeatures Editor

Linda BaileyOpinion Page Editor

Chelsea HackneyCopy Editor

Kimberly WolfordPage 2 Editor

Jeff CraigSports Editor

Multimedia Desk(325) 674-2463

Kenneth PybusFaculty Adviser

Cade WhiteFaculty Adviser

Christi StarkAdvertising

Optimistthe

By Lucas WrightPears

It is not unusual to hear students complaining about ACU’s “strict” poli-cies. The typical sources of discontent are Chapel poli-cies, freshman curfew and dress code. However, when examined next to former rules at Abilene Christian College, our policies today don’t seem so bad.

According to the 1929-1930 ACC Stu-dents’ Handbook, if a student missed three or more days of Chapel, one hour of credit would be deducted from the stu-dent’s work. Three un-excused class absence or “cuts,” also resulted in the deduction of one hour of credit.

Today, we’re required to attend Chapel 55 times per semester, and we’re al-lowed 18 “skips”. Addition-ally, we can take advantage of those “skips” and still meet our Chapel quota by attending Chapel forums.

The old handbook in-cluded a section titled Regulations for the Girls, which forbade women, ex-cept seniors, from riding in cars with men “without permission and a chaper-one selected by the host-ess of the dormitory.” A woman had to sign in and out every time she left and returned to campus, and each were given specific measurements regarding sleeve length and skirt

length – “two or three inch-es below the bottom of the knee-cap, according to the height of the girl.”

This policy extended into the 1980s and still women were forbidden to wear pants at ACC And forget about shorts during the hot summer months; they were so far out of the realm of modesty, women might be scolded for thinking about them.

Walk around campus today, however, and you’ll realize we take for grant-ed the policies that have been adjusted in our fa-vor, while we’re busy com-plaining about the rules with which we disagree.

Lynda Thornton, coordinator of adult education in the De-partment of Applied Studies, attended ACU from 1964-’68. She said she remembers the in-tensity of ACU’s former dress code.

“Pants did not seem to indicate you were a girl, and shorts – oh my word, nope,” Thornton said

She remembers men wearing button-up shirts – no tank tops – and no one complained.

Today, “students are encouraged to demon-strate by their dress and appearance a mature Christian attitude and the ability to discern propri-

ety,” according to the ACU dress code policy.

Thornton said visita-tion rules were also differ-ent.They would have one open house night each year where men could visit women’s dorms.

Today, men and wom-en can visit residence halls once a week from 6-10 p.m., as long as the resident assitant is on the hall.

Policy changes are just one of the many rea-sons Thornton says ACU students have it better than they think.

Our university has policies that may seem rigid, but the next time you put on a pair of shorts, remember it could be worse.

Old school rules offer new age perspective EDITORIAL

TV fathers illustrate moral decline COLUMN

Self–Examination Ryan Self

Ray Barone just cannot seem to do anything right. To be fair, neither can Jim Belushi, Tim Taylor or most of the fa-thers in s i tcoms and ad-vertising t o d a y . None of t h e s e men or their cartoon counterparts, like Homer Simpson or Pe-ter Griffin, ever seem to be able fulfill their fatherly duties without making a huge mess of things – a mess their wives always have to clean up.

We’ve come a long way since the days of The Brady Bunch or The Cosby Show where fathers were pro-ductive members of their families. In the early days of sitcoms, the woman of the family was the help-less one whose sole duty was to mind the kitchen

and look good for her hus-band. She was pretty one-dimensional. Thankfully, those days are over, and women are portrayed in a much more positive light. However, one has to won-der whether the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction.

Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor was perhaps the first father figure who just couldn’t figure it out. Tim would do something to upset Jill, either on his hit cable show, Tool Time, or at home. Confused, Tim would proceed to the back-yard where his sagelike next-door neighbor, Wil-son, would dispense ad-vice. After a comical back-and-forth session with his clad-in-plaid assistant, Al, he would come to a better understanding of his error and make amends.

So Tim might have been lovably slow at times. But at least he had plenty of redeeming qualities.

First, he actually went to work and was produc-tive around the house.

Most men in sitcoms today seem capable only of occu-pying the recliner in front of the TV while their wives handle the kids, the house-work and whatever mess their incompetent hus-bands have gotten them-selves into (see According to Jim; King of Queens; Yes, Dear; Everybody Loves Raymond; Still Standing; etc.). Nowadays, it seems all men are portrayed as overweight couch potatoes who somehow managed to marry much more at-tractive and independent women with much higher IQs than their husbands.

Interspersed between these sitcoms is advertis-ing that sends the same message: Men are inca-pable of taking care of themselves or their fami-lies. While these comedic portrayals of men can be entertaining, they can also be quite damaging.

According to Gender Issues in Advertising Lan-guage, “Television portray-als that help create or rein-force negative stereotypes

can lead to problems with self-image, self-concept, and personal aspirations. Young men learn that they are expected to screw up, that women will have the brains to their brawn, and that childcare is over their heads.”

Negative portrayals can be especially damaging to children who grow up without fathers because these children will grow up with a distorted view of what men and fathers are really like.

The earliest sitcoms may not have been the most realistic depiction of the typical American family life, but as far as depicting men as fathers, they were much better than what we have today. Men are smarter than that. I hope television networks will figure that out, but for now that seems as likely as Ray Barone figuring out how to take on his fair share of fatherly duties.

THE ISSUEACU’s history is full of antiquated rules and regulations concerning student life.

OUR TAKETaking a look at old rules should make us appreciate the rules in place now.

Childlike activity preserves sanity

COLUMN

LIttle LindaLinda Bailey

I went home last weekend to celebrate Easter with my parents and younger sister. I love my family with all of my heart, but my love for my h o m e -town runs about as deep as the dried-up riverbeds on the out-skirts of town.

But, my mom wanted me to come home, so I agreed. I thought it would give me a much-needed opportunity to finish a research paper and catch up on my sleep.

I pulled into our drive-way after more than four hours of driving and was immediately greeted by my mom’s smile and out-stretched arms. It was then I suddenly remem-bered that going home is like being a kid again. All weekend, my parents took care of me and my needs while I slept, ate and played.

Without asking, my mom washed and fold-ed the majority of the month’s worth of laundry I’d brought home, and my dad washed my truck, even spending extra time to shine up the hubcaps. I ate three hot, homemade meals a day; I hung out with my Aggie sister; and I even spent one evening playing catch with my dad in the backyard.

The childlike and care-free weekend reached its pinnacle Sunday af-ternoon. After returning from church, my sister and I started loading our vehicles in preparation for our drives back to col-lege. However, the Easter bunny made an unexpect-ed stop in our backyard.

Apparently, he hides eggs for the 18- to 21-year-old demographic these days.

I walked to the back-yard thinking the hunt would be mediocre at best. Due to harsh, Pan-handle weather condi-tions and a desolate land-scape to begin with, our huge backyard contains one tree, a cement slab for the patio furniture and a grill. However, the Easter bunny had a trick up his sleeve – the plastic eggs we hunted were col-ored and textured to look like things you naturally find in a backyard. Some were green and spiky to look like grass, some were dark brown with a rough exterior similar to a nut freshly fallen from a tree, and some were gray and rocklike. Not only did this catch me off guard, but they were ac-tually a challenge to spot in our barren yard.

After finding all the eggs, we went back inside the house, and I started loading up my truck, feel-ing a tinge of sadness at the thought of going back to my life in the adult, col-lege world full of respon-sibilities and obligations.

Transforming into a kid last weekend was just what I needed. When I’m at school, I can wear my colorful Keds, bows and outfits that don’t always match to revert back to child-hood, but being home, having my parents take care of me and feeling a sense of security and relaxation is keeping me sane.

Sometimes I need to act like a kid – I think I’ll appreciate it in five years when I have a real job and real bills and a month’s worth of laundry staring me in the face.

Email the Optimist at:optimist@jmcnetwork.com

contact Self atrcs06g@acu.edu

contact Bailey atljb07a@acu.edu

Bailey

Self

April 9, 2010 Page 7From Sports

Split: Wildcats lose second game in a heartbreakerSOFTBALL

the game. Peterson came off the bag because of the call, but after the umpires consulted, they called Peterson out at first for leaving the bag.

The game ended in an-other heartbreaking one-run loss; ACU is now 4-11 on the season in games decided by one run.

“I felt like we played two great games even though we won one and lost one; our pitch-ing was a great both games,” Wilson said. “Overall, I thought we played a lot better than we have and made some

good improvements.”The twin bill against

the Rattlers was a non-conference series. The Wildcats will resume conference play against Angelo State this week-end, starting with a dou-bleheader at 5 p.m. Fri-day. The final game will be at noon Saturday.

“We are going to ap-proach Angelo just like any other opponent. We know that they can hit and have two solid

pitchers,” said Head Coach Chantiel Wilson. “We just need to stay with our game and stay focused on playing and not worry about our op-ponent.”

The Wildcats have 14 games remaining before the LSC postseason tour-nament, and the hunt for consistency is becoming ever more pressing.

Continued from page 8

contact Cantrell atjrc07f@acu.edu

team, Rudy, Upset v. Man O’War (100-1 odds), Buster Douglas vs. Mike Tyson, Bob Knight vs. his temper, Tiger Woods vs. everyone and Matt Millen vs. the Detroit Lions.

I’m baffled at people’s reactions when a team like Northern Iowa de-

feats Kansas. That one victory was the No. 1 topic of discussion in the NCAA tournament. But why? One basket-ball team played another and won; that’s all. But people reacted differ-ently because nobody ex-pects a team like the NIU Panthers to even be in a tournament with the “big dogs,” much less win.

Another prime ex-ample, and my personal favorite, is the 2005 National Champion-ship football game. The USC Trojans, one of the most prestigious teams in all of football, were once again playing for a title. On the other end of the field were the Texas Longhorns, who had not won a championship

since 1970. All year, the Trojans were ranked No. 1 and Texas No. 2. Reg-gie Bush won the Heis-man Trophy, and Vince Young came in with a second-place finish. Few predicted a Longhorn victory in the Rose Bowl that January night.

The game was back and forth until the fourth quar-ter. With 2:09 left, USC was

on its way to a victory; all they needed was two yards on a fourth down to seal the deal. But the Longhorn defense held. The champi-onship came to a fourth-and-2 from the 8-yard line, Texas’ last chance at victory. With 19 seconds to play, Vince Young ran the ball into the end zone to put the Trojans in their place. Young finished with

200 rushing yards, com-pared to Bush’s 89.

The story of the under-dog will always be the one I relate to the most. Tru-ly, nothing is better than watching David kill Goliath.

And in my mind, the underdog will always be the favorite.

Upsets: Fans can better relate to underdog teamsCOLUMN

Continued from page 8

contact Goggans atzdg08b@acu.edu

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Third baseman Brianna Fowlkes applies a tag against St. Mary’s on Tuesday.

Alex and Adam Carpen-ter tied for 12th and 16th, respectively, in the individual standings.

Alex Carpenter also received high honors from the LSC athletic committee last week when he earned his sec-ond LSC Golfer of the Week award.

“It’s a really big hon-or,” Alex said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all. I am just glad I can help the team out.”

With three wins al-ready this season, Car-penter joins an elite club for ACU golfers. The only other ACU golfer to win three tournaments in a season was Jeev Singh, now a PGA Tour pro. Singh currently holds the record for the most wins in a season with five, but Carpenter has a chance to break that record this season. The

’Cats have three tourna-ments remaining: the con-ference, regional and NCAA national championships.

ACU currently sits atop the regional rank-ings, and with the LSC tournament only two weeks away, the Wildcats are hot at the right time.

The Wildcats’ next tournament will be the Lone Star Conference Championship Tourna-ment on April 19-20 in Thackerville, Okla. The Wildcats’ previous win this season was at the same course in Thacker-ville at the Red River In-tercollegiate Tournament, and the team hopes to du-plicate that February win in a couple of weeks.

“I love the course out there,” Alex said. “I be-

lieve our team can really perform well there again.”

The Wildcats hope their season will end with a solid finish at the NCAA Division II Nation-al Championship May 18-21 at the Sagamore Golf Club in Noblesville, Ind.

Triumph: ACU’s Bouniol finishes two shots back

GOLF

I believe our team can really perform well there again.ALEX CARPENTERFreshman Golfer

contact Gwin atagg07a@acu.edu

Masters: Golf great returns GOLF

Continued from page 8

Watching Tiger Woods in person is an experi-ence every true sports fan should have. Re-gardless of whether you approve of his actions off the course, he is the best at his sport and an athlete that comes along only once every generation.

As I walked the grounds here at Augusta National today, the atmo-sphere was tenser than usual. I wanted to see how the fans – or “pa-trons” as they are called here – would react to the return of the game’s greatest player on the most revered course in the world. As he ap-proached his tee shots, a silence reigned that usu-ally is not there even at a golf course.

I guess I expected those in attendance to treat him as if he had wronged them. But in-stead they revered him even more today than I have seen them do in the past.

If you have watched Tiger in person you know it is nearly im-possible to watch more than one shot up close to him because of his enormous galleries. People will wait for hours on a fairway or a green to see just one shot in his round. To-day was no different. In fact, these practice-round crowds may have been the biggest I’ve ever seen around Tiger in any tournament.

The atmosphere was full of more than excite-ment – it was curiosity. They all wanted to wit-ness how the “new Ti-ger” would react inside the ropes. I could tell even though the crowd knew the No. 1 player in the world had admitted to these mistakes, and he was not the person we as a sports nation

thought he was, they all wanted a reason to cheer for him again.

After a few holes of this hesitancy amongst the crowd, the cheers began to grow louder, and the familiar encouragement from the gallery begin to build with every hole.

After he sank his final putt of the day, Woods tipped his cap to the endearing Masters gal-lery and then hugged his playing partner Mark O’Meara as walked off the green to fans shouting,”Welcome back Tiger. We missed you.”

Golf fans may not be completely ready to for-give and forget Tiger’s mistakes, but the ma-jority of those here, it seems, are ready to give him a second chance.

contact Harris atsports@jmcnetwork.com

Continued from page 8NUMBERS GAME

The number of major champi-onships won by Tiger Woods, second-most victories of all time, behind Jack Nicklaus,

who has won 18.14

I felt like we played two great games even though we won one and lost one.CHANTIEL WILSONHead Softball Coach

SportsPage 8 April 9, 2010

Standings

TUESDAY

BaseballACU 12, Texas Wesleyan 3

ACU 6, Texas Wesleyan 0

SoftballACU 12, St. Mary's 8

ACU 4, St. Mary's 5

HOME GAMES LISTED IN ITALICS

Scores

SOFTBALLTeam Div.

WTAMU

TWU

6-3

4-2

Angelo St. 6-2 32-7

BASEBALLTeam Div.

SE Okla. St. 20-10Angelo St. 17-15 24-19

Cameron 21-9 23-12

TAMU-K 16-16 20-21

Tarelton St. 15-17 19-20

Tarleton St. 3-3

32-13

27-1318-17

24-15

Ovrl.

Ovrl.

ACU 1-5 16-23

ACU 21-7 34-8

ENMU 0-8 10-30

SW Okla. St. 13-16 19-20

TAMU-K 6-3 18-16

WTAMU 9-16Northeastern 13-19 15-24

East Central 8-16 9-20

ENMU 16-16 18-20

15-16

Central Okla. 8-20 11-21

FRIDAYBaseballACU vs. Cameron, 3:35 p.m.

ACU vs. Cameron, 7 p.m.

SoftballACU vs. Angelo St., 5 p.m.

ACU vs. Angelo St., 7 p.m.

SATURDAYBaseballACU vs. Cameron, 2:05 p.m.

ACU vs. Cameron, 6 p.m.

SoftballACU vs. Angelo St., noon

Track and FieldACU at Texas Tech

Women's TennisACU vs. St. Edwards, 11 a.m.

Men's TennisACU vs. St. Edwards, 11 a.m.

HOME GAMES LISTED IN ITALICS

Upcoming

Jeff CraigSports Editor

The men’s and women’s track and field teams debuted in the top 10 of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association polls released Tuesday.

The women’s team starts the outdoor season at No. 3, two spots behind Angelo State, which holds the nation’s top seed.

The men’s team begins ranked No. 9 in the na-tion. St. Augustine’s, the 2009 champion, ranks No. 1 in the men’s poll.

Both teams will be in Lubbock on Saturday for the Texas Tech Invi-tational. The 'Cats will battle NCAA Division I competition, including the Red Raiders, who are currently the No. 4 team in Division I, according to the USTFCCCA poll

Both teams won the national championship in 2008 and look to bring another title back to Abilene this year.

The men's and wom-en's teams have com-bined to win 57 national titles in track and field and 45 conference titles.

The Lone Star Confer-ence Championships are scheduled for May 7-9 in San Angelo. The nation-al championships are scheduled for May 27-29 in Charlotte, N.C.

TRACK AND FIELD

Wildcats debut in top 10 of national polls

n ACU outfielder Travis Latz was named Lone Star Conference Hitter of the Week on Wednesday.

n ACU pitcher Cameron Aspaas was named Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week on Wednesday.

n Friday is the deadline to sign up for intramural softball. The cost is $45 per team. Registration for tennis mixed doubles runs through Wednesday.

n After a solid performance in Austin at the Texas Relays last weekend, the track and field teams will be at the Texas Tech Invitational in Lubbock on Saturday.

n The women's tennis team ranked No. 1 in the first NCAA Division II South Central Regional poll released Wednesday. The men's team ranks No. 3 in the region.

Briefs

Handicapping the field

ALEX CARPENTERFreshman from Little Rock, Ark.

Tiger Woods or Rory Mcilroy

contact Craig atjrc07d@acu.edu

SOFTBALL

Ryan CantrellAssistant Sports Editor

The Wildcats split a doubleheader against St. Mary’s on Tuesday, tak-ing the first game 12-8 before dropping the sec-ond game 5-4.

In the first game against the Rattlers, the Wildcats used the long ball to put up four runs in the first inning, led by a two-run home run blast by Andi Anti.

The Wildcats kept the bats going when, in the bottom of the third, Can-dice Miller hit a grand slam to make the game 8-3. Andi Anti hit an-other two-run home run in the fifth inning to put the game away.

In the second game, the Wildcats were leading 2-1 in the sixth when the Rattlers scored on a dou-ble steal. The Wildcats had runners on second

and third with no outs in the sixth but could not break the tie. Anti struck out, and Missy Mendoza was tagged out at home trying to score on a wild pitch. Brianna Fowlkes then grounded out to end the inning.

Neither team scored in the seventh, but they both added one run in the eighth to force the ninth inning. The Rat-tlers scored two runs in the top of the ninth to

take the lead at 5-3. ACU answered with three straight singles, making the score 5-4 with the bases loaded and only one out. Ashley Peter-son reached on a field-er’s choice as Genevie Ramirez was thrown out at home.

However, before the next batter could come up to bat, Peterson was called out at first to end

Win Some, Lose SomeCOLUMN

Inconsistent Wildcats split series with St. Mary’s

Everyoneloves theunderdog

HEATHER LEIPHART Staff Photographer

Pitcher Brittany Rexroat winds up during the Wildcats' 5-4 loss to St. Mary's on Tuesday.

CattywampusBy Zane Goggans

Favoring the big dog is often the most logical choice, but favoring the underdog is the most

c o m p e l -ling one.

T h e story of the un-d e r d o g is a story we can all relate

to. We want the little guy to take down the biggest and the best is because we all feel like the little guy sometimes. When we see someone do great things who is not expect-ed to succeed, it gives us the idea we too can ac-complish bigger things in our own lives. The accomplishment of the little guy gives us a "take on the world” mentality.

Sports are the easi-est way for us to ex-press our feelings about the little guy. Honestly, what sports movie is not about an underdog? From Seabiscuit to Cin-derella Man, the under-dog seems to dominate the film industry and our imaginations.

Some famous under-dogs include Tom Brady, the 1968 New York Jets, the 1980 U.S. hockey

see UPSETS page 7see SPLIT page 7

Austin GwinAssistant Sports Editor

On a windy Tuesday af-ternoon, the Wildcats came from behind to win the UCO/Kicking-Bird Golf Classic.

Although the Wild-cats were down by four strokes heading into the final round, they rode on the shoulders of Tyler Sheppard's under-par

round to beat Cameron by six strokes.

“I was trying to stay patient,” Sheppard said. “I didn’t want to make anything worse than a bogey and just limit my mistakes. I putted re-ally well, and a string of birdies in the middle of my round really gave me confidence.”

Sheppard's 68 was the only under-par

round Tuesday; he finished fifth overall. Throughout Tuesday the wind gusted at near-ly 40 mph and wreaked havoc on the players drives and putts.

Cyril Bouniol was two strokes off the leader and came in second, firing a 54-hole total of 207. Frosh phenoms

Wildcats triumph at UCOGOLF

Hutton HarrisSpecial Contributor

From the 18th tower Thursday I took in the panoramic view of the Au-gusta National Golf Club, and it became clear to me we live in a forgiving soci-ety. The world’s greatest golfer and most talked-of athlete of our time, Tiger Woods, was ap-proaching the final hole

of his practice round when patrons who had been following him all morning welcomed him with a roaring ovation.

Fewer than five months ago, Woods was involved in a single-car accident that resulted in a citation for careless driving in front of his Orlando home the day after Thanksgiv-ing. Since the accident Nov. 27, Woods has been

publicly ridiculed and questioned about events in his personal life, in-cluding extra-marital af-fairs with up to 12 women during the last few years. This week, Tiger made his to return to the PGA Tour for the first time since these affairs have been made public at Augusta National for The Masters.

Tiger met with applauseGOLF

ACU golfers pick who will win The Masters

Carpenter

Johnson

Sheppard

Bouniol

TYLER SHEPPARDJunior from Midland

Ernie Els or Anthony Kim

MORGAN JOHNSONSophomore from Rowlett

Tiger Woods or Ernie Els

CYRIL BOUNIOLJunior from Laloubere, France

Ernie Els and Chad Campbell

Goggans

see TRIUMPH page 7

see MASTERS page 7