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Online Poll :How do you feel about the ACU Student Recre-ation and Well-ness Center?

a. It’s about time.b. What a waste of money.c. If they build it, students will come.d. When does construction begin?

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Pg. 3 InsideThis Issue:

ACU athlete wins NCAA heptathalon national title

The most altruistic meal of the day: Breakfast ministry helps homeless

Multicultural Enrichment office presents one-man show

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009 :: Vol. 97, No. 42 :: 1 section, 8 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com

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Cabinet members say SA moving past impeachmentBy Daniel Johnson-KimEditor in Chief

New Students’ Association President Sarah Pulis said the SA Congress is focused on looking forward and mov-ing past the impeachment of her predecessor Daniel Paul Watkins, which rose after

long-lasting issues among the Cabinet members.

In her first interview since she became SA President, Pu-lis, senior political science ma-jor from Longview, argued the impeachment was a legitimate process that was a final solu-tion to resolve issues of uneth-ical behavior, deception and

divisive actions by Watkins, senior political science major from Fredericksburg, Va.

“I think that the impeach-ment was the right decision, not only for our Cabinet, but our student body,” Pulis said.

The Students’ Association Congress voted 25-5-2 to impeach Watkins on March

4. In the impeachment hear-ing, which was closed to the public, Chief Financial Of-ficer Luke Cochran charged Watkins with failure “to lead the Students’ Association in a positive manner,” accused him of “disrespect for the Abilene Christian University community” and said he did

not “adhere to the ethical standards of conduct as not-ed in the Abilene Christian University Campus Policies.”

Cochran said Watkins also damaged a chair worth more than $250 and damaged a framed picture in the SA Con-gress office that would have cost more than $200 to re-

place. Cochran said rather than spend students’ money on replacing the frame, the Cabinet members chose to purchase a cheaper frame.

Watkins refuted the charg-es and declared the impeach-ment was unconstitutional

‘A Question of When’

Malagasy president resigns after coupStaff Report

Marc Ravalomanana, pres-ident of Madagascar, re-signed Tuesday, a day after soldiers overtook a presi-dential palace and the cen-tral bank in Antananarivo, Madagascar, and an opposi-tion leader commanded the army to arrest the island country’s president.

Ravalomanana, who visit-ed ACU’s campus twice and spoke at the May 2008 Com-mencement, announced he was dissolving the country’s government and handing power over to the military, which stormed the gates of the unoccupied palace Mon-day with several tanks and armored vehicles, according to the Associated Press.

Randy Rajoelina, the former mayor of the capi-tal city, has led weeks of protests against Ravalo-manana. Rajoelina, a for-mer disc jockey, accused Ravalomanana of corrup-tion and running a dicta-torship. Rajoelina declared himself the leader of a transitional government during the weekend and

said no public elections will take place in two years, according to the AP.

According to the Times of London, the majority of the country’s army was behind opposition leader Rajoelina, but several mili-tary personnel still were supporting the president.

By Michael FreemanManaging Editor

Testimony in the capital murder trial of former ACU stu-dent Brandon Dale Woodruff continued Tuesday in the 354th District Court in Hunt County after testimonies from current and former ACU students.

Prosecutors have alleged Woodruff killed his parents in October 2005; he has pleaded not guilty.

After nine days into the tri-al, Texas Ranger Jeff Collins, the lead investigator; Dr. Lynn Salzberger, medical examiner

ACU students testify in Woodruff murder trial

Some first year students fear weight gain, but ACU has a facility in mind that could make the “freshman fif-teen” a thing of the past.

The ACU Student Recreation and Wellness Center, SRWC, will cover 100,000 square feet of two stories. The eastern section of the Gibson Health and P.E. Center, includ-ing the double gym, single gym and racquet-ball courts, will be demolished or remodeled. Sixteen parking spaces between the Amphi-theatre and tennis courts will be removed to make room for the new center.

“We’re looking at the gaps in the total stu-dent experience, and there are some gaps,” said Phil Boone, assistant vice president for development. “[The SRWC] is the No. 1 prior-ity of the 21st Century Vision.”

At its core, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center is a tool the university thinks will attract, recruit and retain stu-dents, Boone said. He said many incom-ing and enrolled students expect access to a place on campus where they can workout

or play pick-up games of various sports; the minds behind ACU’s SRWC tailored the facil-ity to student needs.

“Student use is the No. 1 driving factor in these decisions, and the two things students said the most were free time and court space and ample use of cardiovascular equipment,” Boone said. “Basically, you walk in and always have a machine available. That really is the goal.”

Recreation centers that students enjoy today evolved over decades. In Trends in Collegiate Recreational Sports Facilities, Craig T. Bogar ex-amined the evolution process.

The University of Michigan constructed an Intramural Sports Building on campus in 1928. The $743,000 facility featured 13 squash courts, 14 handball courts and 3,000 lockers. The Intramural Sports Building is one of the earliest examples of an on-campus building dedicated to recreational sports.

Similar structures began popping up all over the country. In 1972, Title IX of the Education

By Colter HettichFeatures Editor

Rec Center takes top spot in implementation of vision

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer

Christina Cortinez, freshman elementary education major from Abilene, and other students exercise in the south exercise room in Gibson Health and P.E. Center. ACU is raising funds to build a new recreation and wellness center.

Courtesy of Tittle Luther Architecture

See Rec Center page 4

See SA page 4

See Coup page 4See Trial page 4

Early plans for the ACU Student Recreation and Wellness Center include a rock climbing wall that would be available for students to use.

The existing swimming pool in the Gibson Health and P.E. Center will be remodeled and a 5,000 square-foot leisure pool will be built in the SRWC.

At least one new “multi-functional” gym will be built for a total of 21,402 square feet of gymnasium space equipped for basketball and other sports and activities.

10,000 square feet of new aerobic space will be built on the second floor of the SRWC to meet a student demand for treadmills and other aerobic machines.

A “sunning area” will give students a place to work on their tan. The area will be built next to the new leisure swimming pool adjacent to the existing pool.

More than 9,000 square feet in the SRWC will be reserved to house weight lifting equipment that students can use on a regular basis.

Possible features of the ACU Student Recreation and Wellness Center

11:30 a.m.A Global IT Leadership interest meeting will be in the Campus Center Living Room. Lunch will be provided.

7-9 p.m.FilmFest will take place at the Paramount Theatre. Tickets cost $5 with a student ID.

3:30 p.m.The Abilene Reporter-News will sponsor a demonstration of its e-edition newspaper at Java City on Ambler Avenue.

7 p.m.Faces of America will be presented at the Paramount Theatre. The show is free to the public. For more information, go to www.facesandvoices.com or e-mail George Pendergrass at george.pendergrass@acu.edu.

3-5 p.m.Holi Festival of Colors will take place in the backyard of Smith Adams Hall. The event is free.

Calendar and Events

Friday18

Wednesday Thursday Saturday

FilmFest tickets will be on sale in the Campus Center until Friday at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $5 with a student ID and $8 for the general public. Tickets also will be available at the door. For more information, go to www.acu.edu/filmfest, e-mail filmfest@acu.edu or call 674-2069.

A Graduation Fair will take place in the Campus Center Living Room on Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Representatives will answer questions about loans, jobs and caps and gowns.

The Master’s in Global IT Leadership interest meeting will take place Friday in the Campus Center after Chapel. Free lunch will be provided.

The Women for ACU are accepting scholarship applications for the 2009-10 school year through Friday. The scholarship is up to $2,000 a semester. Applicants must be a sophomore or junior, have a GPA

of at least 3.0, be a male or female major in Biblical studies or a female in any major and an active student in the university. For more information, e-mail wacu@acu.edu.

Holi Festival of Colors, sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Enrichment, will take place in the backyard of Smith Adams Hall on Saturday at 3 p.m. The free event will feature color-throwing, a water balloon party, Indian sweets, Bollywood music and henna tattoos.

A Hip Hop and Christianity round-table discussion, led by Dr. Rhonda Collier, will take place Thursday at 7 p.m. in Zellner Hall. The event is open to anyone, and free pizza will be served. For more information, call 674-2728.

A Career Expo, sponsored by the Career Center, will take place April 1 at 9:30 a.m. The event will feature employers from across Texas and the U.S. To register to attend, go to www.acu.edu/careerexpo.

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Volunteer Opportunities

About This PageThe Optimist maintains

this calendar for the ACU community to keep track of local social, academic and service opportunities.

Groups may send announcements directly to jmcnetwork@acu.edu or to the Page 2 Editor at sar06g@acu.edu.

To ensure that 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.

Walk Now for Autism, sponsored by Autism Speaks, needs volunteers at the Abilene Zoo on April 4 from 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Volunteers will help with face painting, puppet shows, balloon twisting and maintaining air castles. For more information or to register, go to www.autismspeaks.org/walk_events/west_texas_walk_2008.php.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids Sake needs volunteers to work at a variety of tasks throughout the day. The event will take place at Abilene Bowling Lanes on Saturday from 8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. For more information, go to www.bbbs.org.

The Day Nursery of Abilene needs volunteers during its annual Mexican Dinner fundraising event March 28 from 3-9 p.m. in the west cafeteria of Abilene High School. Volunteers will help with tasks in the kitchen. For more information, go to www.daynurseryabilene.org.

The Salvation Army needs volunteers Saturday from 9 a.m.-5

p.m. to sort and hang clothes, take donations, organize shelves and mark items. Open-toe shoes are restricted. For more information, contact Cecilia Barahona at 677-1408, or send an e-mail to cecilia_barahona@uss.salvationarmy.org.

The West Texas Rehab Center needs volunteers for the Clay Shoot fundraiser April 4 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Volunteers will operate simple, automatic outdoor clay machines for shooters and help set up decorations for the awards dinner after the Clay Shoot from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Lunch will be provided, and volunteers may attend the awards dinner that evening along with a guest. For more information, go to www.westtexasrehab.org.

Find out volunteer opportunities by visiting the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center’s Web site at www.acu.edu/vslc and clicking on Volun-teer Opportunities. For more informa-tion or to sign up to help, contact the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout.

Announcements

ACU Police Tip of the WeekWarmer weather means great weather for exercising. To stay safe while exercising, use the Lunsford Trail and try to walk or jog with a friend.

Police LogEdited for space

Watch videos later this week about the Holi Festival of Colors and FilmFest.

Monday, Mar. 92:15 a.m. The ACU Police responded to an incomplete 911 call reporting an injured subject, but the police were unable to locate anyone.7 a.m. The ACU Police moved barricades to block driveways at the Bob and Shirley Hunter Welcome Center.9 a.m. The ACU Police recov-ered a stolen motorcycle from the Abilene Police.4 p.m. The ACU Police moni-tored a fire at Will Hair Park.5:25 p.m. Someone reported a fight in an alley, but the ACU Police was unable to locate any subjects.7:30 p.m. The ACU Police checked on a fire at Will Hair Park.

Tuesday, Mar. 1011:24 a.m. The ACU Police re-sponded to an incomplete 911 call, but everything was OK. 7 p.m. The ACU Police moni-tored a baseball game at the Crutcher Scott Field.

Wednesday, Mar. 1112:23 p.m. The ACU Police as-sisted the Abilene Police with gun shots fired near campus.2 p.m. The ACU Police gave the Abilene SWAT officers a tour of the campus. 6:15 p.m. Someone reported

a suspicious subject who was knocking on doors at Univer-sity Park apartments, but the ACU Police was unable to locate any subjects.

Saturday, Mar. 141:25 a.m. The ACU Police assist-ed the Abilene Police in attempt-ing to locate a subject involved in a hit-and-run accident.9 a.m. A burglar alarm sounded at the Brown Library, but the alarm was being tested.9:04 p.m. The ACU Police at-tempted to locate a lost wallet in Cullen Auditorium. 9:21 p.m. Someone reported dogs barking near campus, and the ACU Police contacted the owner. 9:23 p.m. The ACU Police is-sued a traffic stop on Wes-theimer Road; and a subject was arrested for having an outstanding warrant.9:40 p.m. The ACU Police checked an off-campus residence for students, and everything was OK.

Always report suspicious activ-ity to ACUPD at 674-2305 or 674-2911.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Page 3CAMPUS NEWS

Library Atrium will spice up scenery with kitchen renovations By Lizzy SpanoStudent Reporter

The Atrium’s kitchen in the Brown Library is undergoing renovation in an effort to en-hance the area’s functional use and appearance.

The Atrium, located behind the Learning Commons in the Brown Library, was constructed in 1984 and was one of the first atriums on campus designed for public use, said Dr. Mark Tucker, dean of library and in-formation resources.

The Atrium now is used daily to host functions and meetings and provide a quiet study space for students. In the past, it was home to re-ceptions, book author sign-ings, banquets, weddings, concerts and poetry readings, Tucker said.

The Atrium’s kitchen is a small area that acts as a place to serve food for events. Al-though food could not previ-ously be cooked in this space, it has been a convenient place to deliver and cater for large par-ties and functions, Tucker said.

The university is using $60,000 it received this year to make capital improvements to the Brown Library. Half of this will be used to remodel the Atrium’s kitchen, Tucker said.

“We’ve been trying to find the resources to remodel this space,” Tucker said. “We want

the library attrac-tive and hospitable, and the kitchen upgrade is an impor-tant part of that.”

Physical Resources is remod-eling the kitchen to be five times larger than before and also more attractive and functional, Tucker said. This includes new cabinets, flooring, plumbing, ap-pliances and workspace.

Mary Reyes-Baskett, director of campus aesthetics, will help to select paint colors to deco-rate the space once it is fin-ished. Reyes-Baskett’s role in-volves surveying the university

and looking for opportunities to enhance public university spaces, including office work-spaces, student community spaces and even the landscape and grounds, she said.

“[The Brown Library Atri-um] is an area where we see a lot of student traffic and stu-dent community and study groups that come there as an extension of the Learning Com-mons,” Reyes-Baskett said. “By improving these small areas of campus, we enhance the entire campus experience.”

Tucker said he is not sure when the kitchen renovation will be completed, but antici-pates eventually repainting and refurnishing the Atrium in the future, when finances are available.

One-person show challenges viewers’ cultural boundariesBy Sondra RodriguezPage 2 Editor

The Office of Multicul-tural Enrichment will pres-ent Faces of America, a free, 65 minute one-person show that explores the experienc-es of nine ethnically diverse Americans, at the Paramount Theatre on Thursday.

Faces of America is present-ed by Will & Company, a non-profit theatre ensemble based in Los Angeles. According to the company’s Web site, per-formances “include contempo-rary works that blend educa-tional and historical material with entertainment.”

In addition to Faces of Ameri-ca, the company performs other original works, including Ameri-can Voice, Portraits of Courage and A Pebble in My Shoe. Each of those shows address bound-aries and struggles surrounding different ethnicities.

Faces of America is per-formed by one person who portrays nine ethnically differ-ent characters.

The actor tells stories in-spired by real people and events that reflect each ethnic-ity represented in the show.

Vanessa Whitt, junior graphic design major from the Philippines, is the intern media specialist for the Office of Multicultural Enrichment and said the show will depict the ethnic diversity present in America today.

Creators and actors are em-barking on their sixth season to tour and perform for high schools and colleges nation-wide as “believers in art for so-cial change.”

This will be the first time Faces of America has per-formed for ACU students. George Pendergrass, director of Multicultural Enrichment, said he hopes students will

walk away from the perfor-mance with a “greater aware-ness of who they are.”

Pendergrass said he wants students to leave the perfor-mance with an understanding of who they are in relation to the people, cultures and races around them.

“This makes our planet a lot better,” he said. “And it sure makes our school a lot better.”

Whitt also said students will benefit from the show.

“We’ve got a pretty diverse community here at ACU but we still have a large percentage of students who aren’t culturally aware or involved on campus,” she said. “It’s a good thing to get out there – this is the coun-try you live in – embrace it.”

Although Pendergrass said he does not know how students will react to the one-person show, he said he hopes it will help eliminate racial and cultural barriers

that have polarized students in the past, while emphasiz-ing the positive elements each culture contributes to the world.

“What can I learn about dif-ferent cultures that will make the planet better?” Pender-grass said. “This is a great time for that.”

Students can see the free show at the Paramount The-atre on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Heather Leiphart :: staff photographer

An open wall surrounded by several building materials gives an inside look to the current kitchen renovations. E-mail Spano at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

E-mail Rodriguez at: sar06g@acu.edu

We want the library attractive and hospitable, and the kitchen upgrade is an important part of that.

:: Dr. Mark Tucker, dean of library and information resources

“”

Page 4 Wednesday, March 18, 2009FROM THE FRONT

Rec Center: Officials research other universitiesAmendments of 1971 allowed more women to participate in college recreation.

“On many college cam-puses, furthermore, physical education was no longer a re-quired part of the curriculum,” Bogar wrote. “As the demand grew for recreation, the trend on college campuses was to build centers that were primar-ily designated for recreation.”

Although University of Michigan built its facility for $743,000, the average turn-key cost of a recreation center is $19.4 million, a $5.2 million increase from 2004. The 2002 Kerr Downs Research Report found that National Intramu-ral-Recreational Sports Asso-ciation’s member institutions invested $11.69 billion from 1995 to 2000. NIRSA mem-bers spent $7.12 billion since 2000 on 91 million square-

feet of new and renovated recreation facilities.

Unfortunately, ACU is not exempt from fundraising dif-ficulties. If half the funds can be raised for the new recre-ation center, the university will finance the remaining bal-ance. The development office’s goal stands at $12.5 million, but plans have not been sent out for bids yet. The wavering economy has driven up the costs of many supplies and transportation, but Boone has seen the other side of the eco-nomic coin.

“Before, when everybody was busy, it was easy for them to say, ‘You want our work? It’s going to be expensive,’” Boone said. “Now, there are general contractors out there who want to do anything not to lay off their workforce.”

Boone heard of a school district in North Richland Hills that received bids for

a new recreation facility months ago, but after re-bid-ding the project, estimates dropped 18 percent.

“We have a goal to try and secure $12.5 million by the end of December,” Boone said. “If we don’t meet that goal, the next goal becomes the end of January. If not, then it becomes the end of February.”

If the university can break ground this month, Boone believes students can enjoy the SRWC as early as fall 2010. Architects have in-formed university officials that assuming a normal year of weather, construction will last 18-20 months.

Current students look for-ward to using the SRWC, but officials expect prospective students will appreciate it as much, if not more, than en-rolled students.

California State University, Fresno, opened its 92,000

square-foot Student Recreation Center in February 2006. Derek Walters, CSU’s Student Recre-ation Center director, told The Collegian that the center was almost immediately added as a stop on the tour for incoming and potential students.

“That really helped intro-duce new and incoming stu-dents,” Walters said.

The Collegian also reported “the $17.6 million center was originally funded by student fees and private gifts.”

Some university students in the United States have taken initiative to kick-start recre-ation center projects on their own campus.

In 2000, Sonoma State Uni-versity students voted for a Student Union fee increase that helped cover construc-tion costs. In September 2003, student leaders at Stephen F. Austin State University worked with the school’s Board of Re-

gents to propose a $120 fee. The student body voted in favor of the fee, 1,237 to 263. Texas Woman’s University was able to build new fitness and recreation facilities thanks to a student-approved fee.

Bogar noted that, “at private institutions, student fees have been an integral part of fund-ing facilities for many years; today, even state institutions have begun to assess student fees for recreational and fit-ness facilities.”

A student-initiated fee could not hurt, but the admin-istration will exhaust every option before implementing or raising any fees. No mat-ter how great the hurdles may be, the administration will not stop until the new recreational facility is operational.

“It’s not a matter of if; it’s when,” Boone said.

Continued from page 1

Coup: Students pray for situation

The president said he would not leave Madagascar, and statements from the presi-dent’s office declared the crisis a “military coup,” according to The Australian.

The opposition also took over the offices of the prime minister. More than 130 people have died in Madagascar, since Rajoelina began calling for the president to step down, accord-ing to the AP.

The European Union and African Union condemned the coup d’état. Both organizations said they would not recognize any new leader of the country imposed by force and threat-ened to withdraw international aid already committed to the developing nation.

Ravalomanana toured the

campus in February 2005 and visited the 24 students he sent to ACU as part of the Madagas-car Presidential Scholars Pro-gram, and again in May 2008 to witness the students’ gradu-ation. Ravalomanana received an honorary doctorate of law degree from ACU and praised the more than 20 students who came to ACU as part of the scholarship program.

The students walked across the stage once more, at a sec-ond Commencement for fam-ily and friends in Madagascar in July. Dr. John Tyson, vice president for development; Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, and several other members of the ACU adminis-tration, faculty and staff also traveled to Madagascar for the special Commencement in the students’ home country.

Ravalomanana’s relation-ship with ACU began in 2003 when he met Tyson, while the latter was visiting Madagascar as part of a delegation from World Christian Broadcasting, a organization that beams radio programming with Christian messages into Russia, China and the Pacific Rim. Ravaloma-nana was impressed by Tyson’s description of the university and has said ACU was the per-fect choice for the future lead-ers of Madagascar.

Several Malagasy students still attend ACU, and a prayer vigil for the former students, current Malagasy students and the country was scheduled for 9 p.m. in Chapel on the Hill on Tuesday evening.

Continued from page 1

SA: Pulis, Watkins transition with ease

because less than three-quarters of the SA Con-gress participated in the final vote. He said the charges were not impeach-able offenses, according to the SA Constitution and By-Laws, the governing documents of ACU’s stu-dent government.

Watkins said he was look-ing at ways to challenge the decision, but no such pro-cess currently exists in the SA Constitution.

“I’m relying on God to be on my side and deliver jus-tice,” Watkins said.

Cochran, junior account-ing major from Round Rock, refuted Watkins’ claim that the action was unconstitu-tional and said all of the Cab-inet members and SA advis-ers Dr. Jean Noel Thompson, vice president, and Dr. Jeff Arrington, dean of Student Life, agreed on the legality of the impeachment process.

“It was not personal,” Co-chran said. “The impeach-ment process was agreed upon by everyone, including Daniel Paul.”

Cochran said issues be-tween Watkins and other Cabinet members began during the first month of his term as SA president, and the impeachment was a last resort to resolve those is-sues after several attempts of reconciliation throughout the year.

Pulis confirmed there were issues between Watkins and other Cabinet members that stemmed from Watkins’ inappropriate behavior, but neither Cochran or Pulis would discuss specific ex-amples of Watkins’ actions.

“Because of the closed nature of the meeting and the fact that specifics were known to be confidential at the time, I don’t feel com-fortable disclosing that in-formation,” Cochran said.

Parliamentarian Caleb Archer, the only Cabinet member who voted not to continue the impeach-ment process, acknowl-edged that Watkins’ lead-ership style may have been “divisive,” but he thought impeachment was an un-necessary approach.

Archer said he is a close friend of Watkins, but his private relationship has not created tension in the SA Congress office after the impeachment.

Watkins cleaned out his former office Thursday eve-ning and said he has not been by the SA Congress of-fice and does not plan to at-tend SA Congress meetings in the future.

Cochran said he has pointed inquiring students to the stories that printed in the Optimist to find out what happened in the hear-ing. He said he has chosen not to privately discuss what happened in the im-peachment hearing.

Watkins said he has not had any negative encounters with faculty or staff and has not discussed the impeach-ment much. He said he has encountered some Congress members who voted to im-peach him, and they have discussed spring break more than the impeachment. He said he has smoothly made the transition back to life as a student who is not a rep-resentative of the student body and has confidence in Pulis and Congress to con-tinue to advocate for the student body.

“I’ve always thought of myself as a regular student, so it doesn’t feel incredibly different,” Watkins said.

Pulis said Congress will discuss when to con-duct a general election to replace the vacant vice president position.

Continued from page 1

Trial: Witnesses continue to testify

the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dal-las; Charla Woodruff, Bran-don’s sister; Michelle Lee, the mother of Brandon’s former girlfriend; current ACU student Lindsey Fer-guson; former ACU student Robert Martinez, and other investigators in the case have all testified.

Martinez testified March 10 and said he had asked Wood-ruff for a ride back to Abilene from Denton on the night Woodruff’s parents allegedly were killed. Woodruff was al-most an hour late in picking him up, Martinez said.

Ferguson, senior interior design major from Sunnyvale, testified Friday, saying Wood-ruff was popular on campus, according to the Rockwall County Herald-Banner.

“He was a very fun guy,” Ferguson said during her testimony. “He was very generous, very fun-loving.”

However, the prosecu-tion is trying to persuade the jury that Woodruff is a killer after calling multiple investigators to describe the murder scene of Wood-ruff’s parents, Dennis and Norma, including Tommy Grandfield, an investigator with the Hunt County Sher-iff’s Office.

“There was a lot of blood around the bodies,” Grand-field said.

Collins testified Monday and Tuesday and said he believed the brutality of the murders indicates personal motivation played a factor, according to the Rockwall County Herald-Banner.

“The injuries, especially the stab wounds to Dennis Woodruff, made it a very personal homicide, a per-sonal cause homicide,” Col-lins said Monday. “It is go-ing to be somebody who is close to the victims.”

Dennis was shot once in the head and stabbed nine times, while Norma was shot as many as five times from bullets fired from either a .44 caliber or .45 caliber gun, according to autopsy results. Salzberger said the shots were fired at close range, most likely inches away from the victims.

Although the murder weapon has not been found, Lee testified she had re-ported a .45 caliber revolver missing from her home in Rockwall just days follow-ing the murders.

The prosecution will con-tinue to call witnesses be-fore the defense makes its case, but when that may be is uncertain, said a secretary at the 354th District Court.

Continued from page 1

E-mail Hettich at: clh05d@acu.edu

E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.eduE-mail Johnson-Kim at: djj04a@acu.edu

E-mail the Optimist at:jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Page 5March 18, 2009

FocusWednesday

At 6 a.m., a line forms outside of a dimly-lit build-ing on Beech Street. While people wait outside, vol-unteers prepare pancakes, biscuits and gravy and ham inside for the homeless and less fortunate.

When walking in, the mood is somber, but people become more awake and social as the morning continues. But a smile usually is cracked when walking through the food line.

Weary and tarnished people sit at round, white tables that fill the room, talking together or sitting by themselves to enjoy the only meal they may eat all day.

Breakfast on Beech Street

When Jack Henderson visited his brother in Edmond, Okla., more than 10 years ago, he stumbled upon a ministry at his brother’s church, a ministry called BOBS which feeds breakfast to the homeless and less fortunate. When Henderson returned to Abilene, he approached three or four downtown churches and presented them with the idea of bringing something simi-lar to Abilene. Other organizations in Abilene that served a free lunch and dinner already existed, but no one was serving a free breakfast.

First Christian Church offered its fellowship hall. Beech Street borders the fellowship hall, and therefore the ministry became Breakfast on Beech Street, also called BOBS — just like the ministry in Edmond.

The breakfast is available to anyone in the community who wants a free meal.

Randy Halstead, who is the BOBS board and volunteer coor-dinator for Friday, said, “A large percentage of folks who come are homeless, living rough or working with a low income. The majority live in poverty and are trying to survive.”

First Central Presbyterian, First United Methodist, Episcopal Church of Heavenly Rest and First Christian Church were the four churches that began the ministry and provided volunteers for BOBS.

About two years later, Halstead began volunteering at BOBS every Friday.

“I would take volunteers with me every Friday, and after a while, I asked Highland Church of Christ if they would want to join and be a sponsor,” he said. “So Highland became the fifth sponsor of BOBS.”

The ministry operates on about $30,000 a year. About half of that is provided by churches and the other half by individual supporters and foundations.

Breakfast is served Monday through Friday, 6:30–7 a.m. Ev-ery day a different menu is served: omelets, biscuits and gravy, French toast, scrambled eggs and ham and pancakes. Juice, cof-fee and cereal are available every day.

A sack lunch is offered every day to anyone who wants one. Some people show up to BOBS for the sack lunch and do not eat breakfast. The lunch consists of a ham and cheese sandwich or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, an orange, cookies and a Scripture. They also can request to have two sandwiches, and most people do.

Halstead said generally 40-60 people come every morning. A blue notebook sits out at the beginning of the line for people to sign in every day. This way, BOBS can keep track of how many people are coming and get a general idea of how much food to buy. Thursday is the most popular day — biscuits and gravy are served and hardly any is left over.

Each day a different church works BOBS. Volunteers come from the designated church, along with other volunteers from the high schools, colleges or the community.

Halstead said the ministry features a lot more college volun-teers when school is in session.

“College students come just to volunteer, and others come for service hours,” he said.

Two primary ways people become aware of BOBS is word of mouth and by calling 211, which is an Abilene resource for rent, food, information, etc.

Other than BOBS, The Salvation Army is the only place to offer a free breakfast in Abilene. Other groups serve lunch and dinner, but breakfast is harder to find.

One morning, a man wearing a bright colored wind suit came into BOBS after arriving by a bus from Grand Junction, Colo. He said he had missed his next bus and was wandering around Abilene when someone was walking past him and told him to follow him for a free breakfast. At BOBS, he talked to all of the volunteers about his journey, where he was going next and how grateful he was for everything everyone did at BOBS. He said he did not know what he would have eaten if he had not have heard of BOBS.

That day he was going to try to get mon-ey and a bus ticket to try to get where his next job was.

The People

Tattered clothes, bright wind suits, old army jackets, Abilene Airport uniforms and orange construction vests cover worn, un-bathed bodies. Most will talk when they walk through the line, others will look down and avoid talking.

Some have construction jobs, mechan-ic jobs or work the overnight shift at the airport, while others wander around the streets of Abilene. Some have places to live and sleep, while others do not.

The regulars who come always have something to talk about.

Corky, who comes in at least every Thursday morning, always talks about the Zida truck that is parked in front of a house on Judge Ely. One morning he spoke about the truck and how it had gone to Dallas that weekend and then came back. No one knows why he talks about the Zida truck or how he knows if it leaves town or not, but his conversation about it never fails.

The stories that are told may or may not be true, but they provide something to talk about and someone to talk to.

Kelsey Nikoulas, junior family studies major from Nashville, Tenn., said, “I think the people feel a sense of community when they come to BOBS. Some go everyday and it gives them something to look forward to in going, not just for the food, but comfort and belonging.”

Zack works the night shift at the airport a couple of times a week. After getting off work, he comes to BOBS for breakfast before he goes home to sleep. He always is tired and worn out, but still is friendly, talkative and remembers most of the vol-unteers by name.

When Zack is asked how he is doing while walking through the food line, he responds, “I’m livin’.”

“The people make me feel welcome at BOBS when they remember me, my name and things about myself I have told them in the past,” Nikoulas said.

Sitting in a cream-colored, rectangle room, the people talk to each other about life and things that have happened to them. They also come back and forth from the food line, grabbing seconds, thirds and sometimes fourths.

The oddest thing about biscuits and gravy day is what the diners put on their biscuits and gravy — butter. In the line, right next to the salt and pepper is a plastic bowl of butter. Most people take the knife and put a slab of butter on top of the gravy, which already is on the biscuit. None of the volunteers know why they do this.

Before everyone leaves, they grab a sack lunch, usually re-questing two sandwiches, and walk out into their world of un-certainty.

But no matter what anyone is going through and no matter how little each person has that comes into BOBS, all of them talk about God and how great he has blessed them.

God Has Blessed Me

With poor living conditions, poor jobs and little or no mon-ey, most of the people who come to BOBS speak of God highly every week.

“I think they speak about God a lot because they totally rely on him,” Nikoulas said. “When we are blessed, we tend to say ‘thank you,’ but it does not seem like that big of a deal. But the people who come are going through hard times, and when they are blessed, they will always say something about it — they do it all of the time.”

One woman who used to come wrote her own songs and then sang them at BOBS. The woman, who was an African-American and open lesbian, sang her songs — part gospel, part rap — with conviction about God and how good he was. After she finished, she would sing another, also about God and every-thing good he had done.

The Volunteers

At 5 a.m., volunteers of all ages meet downtown to make breakfast for those less fortunate.

Whether it is for service hours or just serving others, BOBS has many volunteers every day. Some go once a month, some go once a week and others go as many times as they can.

Once volunteers have arrived, they are in charge of setting up the tables, cooking breakfast, making the sack lunches and setting up the juice and cereal. At 6:30 a.m., volunteers eat and sit around a table and talk, and sometimes sit in silence be-cause of how early it is. By 6:50 a.m., everyone takes their posi-tions to serve — plating the food, passing out the food and sack lunches and talking with the people while they eat.

Nikolaus, who has volunteered at BOBS every Thursday for about three years, goes back every week for the people.

“Now, I know the people and recognize them when they come in,” she said. “I want to keep a relationship with them and be a familiar, constant face in their lives.”

She loves saying hello to the people and being at the front of the line, while they are getting their food.

“Most are really friendly, and I love to talk to them because they make me feel welcome ... They smile and ask me questions instead of me just asking them questions,” she said. “They re-member things I have told them in the past.”

A volunteer’s life is really put into perspective when coming in direct contact with the less fortunate, especially when they are as grateful as they are.

“I learn to be grateful every time I go. They get up early and walk miles to get a free breakfast, when I can just walk down-stairs and pour a bowl of cereal,” Nikoulas said. “I have to get up very early to get there, and that one discomfort I feel, they have to feel everyday.”

Nikoulas’ younger brother, Walker Nikoulas, freshman engi-neering physics major from Nashville, Tenn., began volunteer-ing at BOBS because he heard about it from friends and his sister Kelsey.

“Our youth group used to give meals to the homeless on Thanksgiving,” he said. “I enjoy serving others.”

Walker, who usually stays in the kitchen and cooks, said the community draws him in, and he feels he should be serving like it says in the Bible, and making sandwiches repetitively.

Not only do volunteers get to know the people who come in to eat, but also the older volunteers and members of the church who come to serve.

One thing the Nikoulas siblings noticed about the people is how some seem happy and others seem to have given up.

“I think most are kind of ashamed about coming in. That might have a lot to do with the lack of eye contact,” Nikoulas said.

Walker said, “Some people sing and come to talk to others and have not lost their spark of life, while others are there be-cause it is a necessity.”

Volunteers give up their sleep and early mornings, but al-ways walk away feeling virtuous.

“There are definitely mornings when I leave feeling uplifted and blessed because I was there,” Nikoulas said.

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

Allen Daugherty, BOBS chairperson and team chief, addresses the breakfast crowd (left) and stirs some eggs in the kitchen (right).

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

Aaron Owen, ACU Physical Resources employee, passes out a sack lunch.

E-mail Snelson at: sas04b@acu.edu

At your ServiceIn such a volatile time, when uncertainty plagues every aspect of daily life, the homeless

and misfortunate of Abilene can count on at least one thing: a hot breakfast.

Story by: Sara Snelson, contributing writer

ViewsWednesdayPage 6

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Editorial and Management Board

Daniel Johnson-KimEditor in Chief

Michael FreemanManaging Editor

Sommerly SimserMult. Managing Editor

Laura AcuffOpinion Page Editor

Zak ZeinertChief Photographer

Grant AbstonSports Editor

Lydia MelbyArts Editor

March 18, 2009

Multimedia desk:(325) 674-2463

Optimistthe

Kirk Cameron never ceas-es to amaze me.

After watching Fireproof recently, I am absolutely

b e f u d d l e d why Holly-wood did not n o m i n a t e the Christian evangel ical actor for an A c a d e m y Award. His performance r e d e f i n e d the word “ex-traordinary.”

Who else could have

expressed only a handful of emotions, while his char-acter struggled to keep his fractured marriage from spiraling into a heart-wrenching divorce? Who else could have endured performing with inexperi-enced actors, almost all of which sported phony South-ern accents? And who else could have overcome work-ing on a movie with a plot so corny, so incomplete and

so unsatisfying it would have forced Roger Ebert to tears because he would not have had enough thumbs to turn upside-down, only to deliver the performance of the century?

Nobody could.Especially nobody star-

ring in any of the films being shown at this year’s FilmFest. Instead the stu-dent actors aimed much lower — like on the acting level of Meryl Streep or Tom Hanks. And the stu-dent directors, producers, sound technicians and cin-ematographers went even lower, capturing glimmers of Steven Spielberg or the Coen Brothers.

Still, the five-minute movies will be worth watch-ing. Students have worked tirelessly to produce, shoot and edit their films. Stu-

dents behind-the-scenes also have worked vigor-ously for this week’s show. In fact, they have worked more than in past shows because this year’s show is almost entirely produced by students.

FilmFest is going through its own set of growing pains. Unlike in the past, no ACU staff member led the effort in planning this year’s show, so students stepped in last June to accommodate other ACU students who have an interest in cinematogra-phy. FilmFest has been the only on-campus outlet for those interested students to express their creativity and talent. Yet as they have continued to participate in the annual film festival, support from the rest of the student body has waned.

Attendance at the first

FilmFest reached upwards of about 1,000 people, but about 500 attended last year’s show. The numbers for this year’s show should not be as low.

FilmFest will be Friday at 7 p.m. in the Paramount Theatre in downtown Abilene. Tickets cost $5 with a student ID, and with the price of admis-sion, attendees will be able to watch quality entertainment produced by their peers, some of whom used high-definition cameras and top of the line editing software.

The students’ efforts to keep the event alive and at a high level of quality should be applauded and rewarded.

So, this Friday, instead of renting one of Kirk Camer-on’s masterpieces at Block-buster, head on down to the Paramount Theatre to wit-ness a little shimmer of Hol-lywood in West Texas. This time, I’m sure Kirk won’t mind being “left behind.”

Don’t believe the old saying — silence is seldom golden.

But based upon the se-crecy and closed lips of the

majority of the Students’ Association C o n g r e s s m e m b e r s during and after the im-peachment of former SA President Daniel Paul Watkins, our campus lead-ers must be drinking the

cliché Kool-Aid.Despite the SA Congress’

constant claim that through-out the year it is transparent when it comes to the activity of our student government, its recent action to close Watkins’ impeachment hearing tells a different story.

Want to know which 25 Congress members voted to strip Watkins of his title, power and status as an ACU student leader?

Tough luck; there is no pub-lic record of which members voted to boot Watkins.

Want to know the five student representatives who were unconvinced Watkins deserved impeachment?

Maybe if you ask nicely, but there is no public record of which members voted in the minority.

Want to know exactly what the elected representatives heard and said during the im-peachment hearing of a leader more than 800 students voted to office?

Sorry, that’s private. Rather than alerting the stu-

dent body of the accusations against Watkins, members of the Congress, the executive cabinet and its administrative advisers, stripped students of the democratic right to hear the accusations against their elect-ed leader. By closing the hear-ing to the public, they decided the first impeachment of a student leader in the history of ACU student government was a private matter, and ultimately told the student body to trust they made the right decision.

Had it not been for a small number of Congress members who shared everything they could remember about the impeachment proceedings to Optimist reporters, the student body might not have known anything behind the decision to impeach Watkins. Those who talked realized openness was the best way to defend their decision.

Although SA Congress ad-visers Dr. Jean-Noel Thomp-

son, vice president and dean of Student Life, and Dr. Jeff Arrington, associate dean of Student Life, and other execu-tive cabinet members openly fielded questions from journal-ists eager to learn why Watkins was impeached, they refused to explain specifics of the charges against Watkins. Instead, they cited it was a legitimate process approved by all cabinet mem-bers, including Watkins.

Even if this process was le-gitimate, this “trust us” attitude is non-democratic. It is secretive and causes the community to assume foul play was involved.

By hanging to a “no com-ment” response when asked about specific examples of Watkins’ alleged irresponsible leadership, manipulation, dis-respect and unethical behavior that led to his impeachment, it causes one to assume there is something to hide.

Despite the pleas of those involved in the impeach-ment, in no way was this a private matter.

Watkins is the purest defini-tion of a public figure and was a public official on ACU’s cam-pus. Not only was he elected by the student body, but when media outlets across the coun-try reported on the hangman’s noose he said he found in his office chair in September, he became — for better or worse — a person those outside the ACU community attributed as a spokesman for this campus and its students.

SA Congress is an organiza-tion that must be open at all times. The Congress members are given thousands of dollars to spend and are often the stu-dent leaders who lead prayers in Chapel and have meetings with the university’s adminis-tration as representatives of the students. How are their of-ficial proceedings private? Why would they believe they can close their doors and not be suspected of foul play?

The only remedy of Con-gress and its advisers’ un-democratic decision to close the impeachment hearing is to hold a public forum where their constituents can ask questions of the Cabinet and Congress members who removed Wat-kins from office.

They must be open to all questions, and Watkins must be given the right to publicly defend himself against the charges. Anything less would be a spit in the face for the student body.

Secrecy fuels claims of foul play. Openness and honesty will prove Congress made the right decision.

Some tasks can be safely left for the last minute, such as shoestring-tying and Mother’s Day

card-buying — anything more important could only benefit from a little foresight. To all graduating seniors: commence-ment hair and makeup can wait until the last minute; your fi-nancial security cannot.

With corporate giants such as Caterpillar and Nissan slash-ing tens of thousands of jobs, the market looks tight. Blog-gers and columnists will offer tip after tip to students enter-ing the job market, but one timeless suggestion stands as true today as it did when our

great-grandparents gave it to our grandparents: save.

David Bach, columnist for Yahoo! Finance, offered college grads “Five Tips for a Great Life After Graduation” in a May 2006 column. He used most of his words to inspire courage and self-confidence, but the most important bit of wisdom Bach imparted is the most dif-ficult to adopt: save.

“If you start by saving just $10 a day … you’ll have $678,146 in savings 30 years from now, assuming a 10 percent annual rate of re-turn. In 40 years, you’d have $1,897,244,” according to fi-nance.yahoo.com.

Granted, Bach’s scenario as-sumes a high annual percent-age rate and about $300 con-tribution every month. It also assumes the account holder will not need emergency cash for the next 30-40 years.

Regardless of your monthly income and the strategy’s ide-alism, the principle holds true: the sooner you begin saving — no matter how little — the more you will have when you need it most.

Charles Schwab, chairman of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, said too many people are ob-taining mortgages they do not understand and cannot afford,

while others lack skills to keep a budget, understand credit or save for the future, according to the Associated Press.

“While there are many causes to the economic problems fac-ing the country, it is undeni-able that a lack of financial lit-eracy is a contributing factor,” Schwab wrote in the council’s January report.

Popular culture, not to the individual’s benefit, tries end-lessly to disprove any reason to save. The assimilation of Internet and television in our culture makes consumerism all the more appealing. The faster technology advances, the soon-er consumers can grab week-

old gadgets at reduced prices; but the true definition of “need” remains unchanged.

Buy what you need and oc-casionally purchase what you want — if you must. But learn from millions who have gone

before you and ended their ca-reers with a few grand in the bank: save as much as you can. You will not regret it.

Actions shroud SA Congress in secrecy

Students must ensure financial stability before graduation

Quality efforts for FilmFest deserve applause

E-mail Johnson-Kim at: djj04a@acu.edu

E-mail the Optimist at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

The issue:The struggling economy adds to the pre-existing challenge college graduates face to find jobs after Commencement.

Our view:While several aspects mark the best of post-graduation financial plans, the most important remains frugality. The solution:Students must anticipate the challenges caused by a dropping economy and begin saving money for life after graduation.

Colter HettichFeatures Editor

Kelline LintonChief Copy Editor

Cody VetetoChief Videographer

DeLaina ParkerBroadcast Manager

Sondra RodriguezPage 2 Editor

Kenneth PybusAdviser

Cade WhiteAdviser

Christi StarkAdvertising Manager

As a personal friend of Daniel Paul Watkins, I feel like I should mention a cou-ple things about the stories that have been present.

First of all, D.P. Wat-kins has been accused of

several “crimes” but the reporting has failed to go into detail about the crimes, and several people have asked about the ex-act crimes.

Being late for meetings

with a broken leg having to go down-stairs, etc. Plus the careless spending of the money, I am sure he did not carelessly spend the money, since it has to be okayed by Mr/Mrs Cos-grove before being spent.

In reporting articles, es-pecially this one, you have been pretty biased against him, showing the worst pictures of him at meet-ings and portraying him in a bad way, etc. Remember when you write articles,

you shouldn’t be biased in any way and should strive to give all the information.Letter to the Editor

James M. GreenB.A in Tuba Performance

May 2009

In response to Optimist articles regarding the impeachment

proceedings of former SA Congress President Daniel Paul Watkins

Impeachment proceedings inappropriately malign

E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu

By Michael Freeman

The Power of the Prattle

By Daniel Johnson-Kim

In Case You Wondered

Students have worked tirelessly to produce, shoot and edit their films.“ ”

six singles matches to give them the victory over the 33rd ranked Cardinals.

ACU scored two more vic-tories over ranked opponents, defeating No. 22 St. Edward’s and LSC opponent Midwestern State, ranked No. 34. The un-defeated weekend moves the women to 16-3 on the season and 3-0 in conference play.

“I think we did really well, and we proved that ACU is a dominant team in tennis,” Irene Squillaci said.

The men matched the wom-en’s undefeated record, go-ing 4-0 against the same four squads. The Wildcats scored one shutout over the weekend,

putting down Schreiner Univer-sity 9-0. ACU used its depth to take down the Mountaineers, using many of the reserves to complete the shutout. The closest match of the day for the Wildcats was an 8-6 win at the No. 3 doubles match, where Cody McCarty and Karl Bein took down the team of Chesnut and Franklin.

The next three wins for the Wildcats were all against ranked opponents. The men scored a 7-2 victory over No. 35 Incarnate Word, a 5-4 win against No. 23 St. Edward’s University and a 7-2 win over LSC opponent Midwestern State, ranked No. 29.

Despite dropping two of the three doubles matches against

St. Edward’s, the men battled back to take four of the six singles matches to win their closest match of the day. Juan Nuñez, the No. 35 ranked play-er nationally, won at the No. 1 singles in straight sets 6-3, 7-6. The Wildcats also won at the No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5 singles slots to take home the 5-4 win.

After the national team rankings were released March 4, the women stood pat, keep-ing the No. 7 spot, while the men, despite their 18-2 record, dropped three spots to No. 20.

The women will have the weekend off before traveling next week to play Division I opponent DePaul University and Dallas Baptist Univer-sity.

The men will be in action this weekend, taking on three Division I opponents in two days: Louisiana-Lafayette, La-mar and Southern Universities. Louisiana-Lafayette comes into the match against ACU with a 5-4 record and already has beaten Southern Univer-sity, which the Wildcats will play Monday. The third oppo-nent for the men will be Lamar University; the Cardinals come into the weekend at 6-6 and have dropped four of their last six matches.

“We have to stay focused,and know that every match counts on getting to nationals,” Nuñez said.

blanked them in the nightcap 5-3. Monday, the Wildcats came from behind to win 7-3.

Pitcher Kim Partin had a big hand in both victories Sunday as she earned the save in the afternoon duel against the Pioneers and got the win in game two.

Partin came into the first game at the start of the sixth inning, after starting pitcher Jacque Gregoire threw five innings, allowing three runs on six hits with two strike-outs to earn her 12th win of the season.

After the strong outing by Gregoire, Partin pitched two scoreless innings for the save, allowing only one hit and strik-ing out three.

In the second game, Partin pitched a complete game shut out, allowing only three hits and recording four strikeouts; Partin totaled nine scoreless in-nings in a row Sunday.

“[Partin] did an awesome job,” Wilson said. “She has re-ally stepped up for us and not tried to overpower the hitters with her pitching. She’s been very effective.”

Offensively, the Wildcats were led by infielder Melissa Rodriguez and first baseman Katie Cornelison. Rodriguez totaled four hits and two RBI for both Sunday’s games, while Cornelison had three hits and batted three home runs.

On Monday, ACU played the third and final game against the Pioneers. Down 3-2 going into sixth, the Wildcat offense came alive. With two outs, Cor-nelison singled and pinch run-ner Genevie Ramirez advanced to second after a single by Na-bors. Infielder Brianna Fowlkes followed with an RBI single to tie the game.

The next batter, outfielder Brooke Whittlesey, then hit a two-run double to center field and put the Wildcats up for good. In the seventh, Nabors put two insurance runs on the board after a bases-loaded single. Pitcher Kim White

got the win, improving her record to 4-1. With the victo-ry, ACU moves into a tie with Angelo State for the top spot in the conference.

“This early in the season, anything can happen,” Wil-son said.

Over the break, ACU was 2-2, losing both to Midwestern State on March 7, before taking two against Incarnate Word on March 10.

In the first win over Incar-nate Word, Partin pitched a complete game, and catcher Jessica Shiery finished 3-3 with a home run as the Wild-cats run-ruled the Cardi-nals 10-1. In game two, the Cardinals provided a closer contest, but White pitched a shutout to lead the Wildcats to a 4-0 win. Caitlin Nabors ended up with a game-win-ning RBI in the bottom of the second inning after sin-gling home second baseman Jackie Gentile.

ACU plays a doubleheader at home Friday against Texas A&M-Kingsville in a Lone Star Conference matchup. Game one starts at 5 p.m., while game two starts at 7 p.m.

Radway finished second in the 400-meter with a per-sonal best time of 47.70. Amos Sang also ran a per-sonal best in the 5,000-me-ter, placing fifth in 14:20.46. The 4-by-400-meter relay team, consisting of Jordan Johnson, Desmond Jackson, Harold Jackson and Radway placed second with a time of 3:14.88.

Overall, St. Augustine College placed first with 105 points. The Wildcats com-bined for 62 points to claim third.

The women’s team fin-ished with 21 overall points for eighth place; Lincoln won the competition with 100.5 points.

Kim Prather finished fourth in the 400-meter (56.14) and fifth in the 200-meter (24.61) and bet-tered her times from 2008.

“Kim ran her heart out and ran well,” Hood said. “She knocked around a little bit in the 400, or I think she would have

won.”Wanda Hutson came into

the meet nursing a strained hamstring, but still compet-ed and finished eighth in the 60-meter.

“To Wanda’s credit, she came out and still scored,” Hood said. “I think she finished the meet feeling very good about where she is now.”

Kelli Clements finished third in the shot put with a throw of 46 feet, 8.75 inches.

“This was bittersweet for Kelli,” Hood said. “She had her sights set so high that anything less than winning would have upset her.”

The women’s 4-by-400-meter relay team of Prather, Hutson, Destinee Nixon and Azraa Rounds finished fourth running the event in 3 minutes, 51.07 seconds.

The Wildcats now turn their attention to the out-door track season and will compete at the Dr. Pepper Invitational in Waco on Saturday.

down with our pitching, and it’s always been tough to play at East Central.”

Before entering the week-end, the Wildcats were coming off a tripleheader sweep on March 10 after defeating Mari-etta College 4-2 and winning two games against the Univer-sity of the Southwest, 14-2 and 15-2. Catcher Jordan Schmitt continued his hot hitting, go-ing 8-11 with five doubles, one home run and three RBI, giving him 60 career doubles to break the all-time LSC record of 58. Schmitt also tied former all-American outfielder Mike Elk-erson for the ACU career home run record with 27.

“He just continues to be consistent and hit the ball hard

with runners in scoring posi-tion, ” Bonneau said of Schmitt. “We had a lot of guys that hadn’t gotten at bats that got some playing time, which gave us some more rest before going on the road.”

The three wins pushed the Wildcat’s winning streak to seven, entering their weekend series with ECU. However, the Tigers jumped all over ACU in Saturday’s doubleheader, winning the first game 5-1 before scoring six runs in the final two innings to win game two, 11-10.

In game one, ECU starting pitcher Chasen Bennett shut down ACU’s offense, going five innings and allowing just one run on seven hits. The Tigers scored one run in the second and four in the third, keyed by

a two-run single by outfielder Jared Owen and a two-run dou-ble by first baseman Andrew Minnich to get the win. In game two, ACU fell behind 5-2 before scoring four runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 10-5 lead. But ECU responded, scoring three runs in the eight and three more in the ninth to sweep the doubleheader.

Schmitt led ACU’s offense, going 3-5 with 5 RBI in game two; center fielder Davis Page went 1-4 with 2 RBI; and short stop Willie Uechi went 4-5 with 2 RBI. Closer Brad Rutherford picked up the loss, allowing three runs off three hits in the ninth to move to 3-2.

“In game one, we didn’t hit and had runners in scoring position and had the bases loaded and hit into three dou-

ble plays,” Bonneau said after ACU left eight runners on base in game one. “In game two, we had 10-5 lead going into last couple innings and walked too many batters, and when you do that against team that puts ball in play, you know how it goes.”

In Sunday’s doubleheader, ACU bounced back, winning game one 7-6 before splitting the series with a 14-6 win in the series finale. With the score tied at five going into the sixth in-ning of game one, Page doubled home third baseman Steve Ca-millucci to give ACU a one-run lead; Schmitt doubled to score Page on the next at-bat to ex-tend the lead to two. The Ti-gers threatened in the bottom of the seventh after scoring to pull within one, but Ruther-ford came on to preserve the

win, striking out the final bat-ter with runners on first and second to earn his fifth save of the season.

Relief pitcher Corey Kelly got his fourth win of the sea-son, pitching two innings and allowing just one earned run in relief of starting pitcher Preston Vancil. Page and Schmitt had a game-high three hits, while Uechi and first baseman Bret Bochsler added two hits.

ACU exploded for 14 runs

on 20 hits in the series finale, led by right fielder Travis Latz and second baseman Chris Hall, who each had four hits. Schmitt, center fielder Thomas Bumpass and Uechi each add-ed three hits, as the Wildcats scored 10 runs in the first three innings to put the game away early.

Starting pitcher Cameron Watten improved to 2-0 on the season after going five innings and allowing no runs on three hits. Uechi and Bumpass each had a team-high 3 RBI, while Bochsler had two and Latz added two, one coming off his third home run of the year.

“It was a good thing to bounce back after getting swept,” Vancil said. “We’re not really used to [getting swept] but we showed up and were able to bounce back after two pretty bad loses. I think that was re-ally important for us, especially going into this weekend.”

The Wildcats will continue conference play Friday at 6 p.m. in a four-game series against Southeastern Oklahoma State.

Track: 10 athletes finishthird or better in meet

All in all, it was a successful year for the women’s team. The Wildcats finished 18-11 in the regular season, good for the No. 2 seed in the LSC South, and accomplished numerous milestones along the way. The team played in the highest scoring game in NCAA history Jan. 5 against Texas Woman’s, won nine of its final 11 games and even knocked off the LSC’s best team in the regular season finale against West Texas A&M. Lavender said she feels her team learned a lot this year and grew along the way.

“I feel that early in the sea-son we didn’t know how many games we would win or even if we would make it to .500,” Lav-ender said. “The way we played over our final 15 games showed a lot about our character; again, we learned how to win.”

The loss in the NCAA tour-nament not only signals the end of a great season of ACU bas-ketball but also closes the book on some ACU careers. Forward Kristee Davidson, guard CiCi

Davis and center Audrey Max-well-Lively have all played their final games with ACU. Maxwell-Lively will end her career as one of the school’s greatest players of all time. This season, she eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in the first game and was named all-Conference yet again. Reflecting back on her time at ACU, Maxwell-Lively said she would not change a thing.

“It has been a great place to play. I would not trade any of the experiences I’ve had or any of my teammates for any-thing,” Maxwell-Lively said. “I have learned a lot over the past four years, and it has been fun to watch us grow.”

The Wildcats look toward the future with much promise. They made the NCAA tourna-ment for the first time since 2005 and will return much of their team. Guards Kat Kund-mueller and Kelsey Darby are both only juniors, and sister forwards Jody and Jamie Meyer are in their junior year as well.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Page 7SPORT JUMPS

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Basketball: Lavenderreflects on ’09 season

Baseball: Wildcats score 14 runs in series finale against Tigers

Softball: Team now 21-9

E-mail Abston at: gda04b@acu.edu

E-mail Craig at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

E-mail Tripp at: bjt07a@acu.edu

E-mail Harris at: tch05f@acu.edu

E-mail Gwin at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer

Infielder Melissa Rodriguez makes a throw against St. Mary’s on Feb. 12 in the Wildcats 13-11 win.

Tennis: Women’s squad holds on to No. 7 ranking

By Jeff CraigSports Writer

A successful season of ACU women’s basketball came to an end Friday night at the hands of West Texas A&M in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament.

ACU qualified for the tournament by grabbing the South Central’s last at-large spot and the No. 8 seed in the bracket. The Wildcats’ sea-son ended with a 78-53 loss against WTAMU, which rolled into the tournament, having won both the regular and postseason Lone Star Confer-

ence championships and also in possession of the region’s No. 1 seed. ACU’s berth in the tournament marked the first time the squad had made the NCAA tourna-ment in four years, and head coach Shawna Lav-ender said she was proud of all her team had accomplished.

“I think that for our pro-

gram in general this season was a step in the right direc-tion of where we want to be ev-ery year,” Lavender said. “For our seniors, it was great to play in a regional tournament, and for our younger players, it was great for them to learn how to win.”

It looked for a while as if ACU might miss the NCAA Division II tournament af-ter being upset by Texas A&M-Commerce in the first round of the LSC playoffs. However, ACU’s excellent regular season paid off, giving the team enough credentials to qualify for the big dance. The Wildcats

were kept in Limbo until word came down the week-end before spring break that they had received an at-large bid.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, WTAMU proved to be too strong. The Wildcats shot just 34 percent from the field, while the Lady Buffs were able to put together many strong segments of play. West Texas closed out the first half on a 18-6 run and also had a 10-0 run in the second half on its way to knocking off ACU en route to the regional semifinals.

Baseball team splits series Men, women’s tennis teams go undefeated

By Chandler HarrisAssistant Sports Editor

Camille Vandendriessche, heptathlon, and Andrew Mc-Dowell, 60-meter hurdles, won their respective national title at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 13-14. The men’s team placed third, and the women’s team placed eighth in the overall competition.

“If you look at the competi-tion from an individual ath-lete’s perspective, it’s a mixed bag,” head track and field coach Don Hood said. “Some of the athletes overachieved, and others were disappointed. I thought we gave great effort, and I was really pleased. If the effort is there, then the perfor-mances will come.”

Vandendriessche, who is the two-time defending outdoor champion in the decathlon, won the heptathlon and became the first male athlete to win a multi-event competition at an indoor championship meet.

Vandendriessche began day two of the competition with a third place finish in the 60-me-

ter hurdles with a time of 8.60. Hood said Vandendriessche’s first day was very average, but the key was for him to not mess up enough to the point where he could not recover.

“Camille was a little bit frustrated because he didn’t perform his best the first day but he realized he was only 80 points behind and he figured with his second day strength that he would have what it takes to come back,” Hood said.

Vandendriessche did just that during the pole vault event. He vaulted a personal best 16 feet, 8.75 inches to score 941 points and take the lead. His vault was one foot, 3.75 inches better than the runner-up in the event.

“He just crushed everyone in the pole vault,” Hood said. “He worked so hard to do well in the vault. Once the pole vault was over, everyone was just concerned as to who would fin-ish in second place.”

Vandendriessche finished off his victory, placing fourth in the 1,000-meter run with a

time of 2:50.33, enough to win by 201 points.

McDowell also put on a stel-lar performance to claim the title in the 60-meter hurdles. McDowell ranked first after the prelims, running an 8.00. In the finals, he ran a personal best and school record 7.92 to cap-ture the national title.

“Andrew crushed everyone from the start,” Hood said. “He cleared the first hurdle and was a step ahead, and it

was just a matter of crossing the finish line.”

Hood said McDowell worked extremely hard in the weight room, and Coach Brown did a great job of preparing him for this event.

“He has a confidence about him to where he won’t beat himself; someone has to out-perform him,” Hood said.

Hood also was pleased with the performance of Cory Al-tenberg, who finished fourth

in the pole vault with a jump of 16-6.75. Gerald Chenyi and Ra-mon Sparks finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the triple jump. Julius Nyango fin-ished third in the mile and the 800.

“This was Julius’ last time to compete for us, and he will be sorely missed,” Hood said.

Nick Jones placed seventh in the shot put, and Ramon

By Grant AbstonSports Editor

Despite losing its first two games against East Central Uni-versity on Saturday, the Wildcat baseball team bounced back, sweeping Sunday’s double-header to earn a series split and remain atop the Lone Star Conference standings.

ACU (23-7, 16-4) fell three spots in Collegiate Baseball Magazine’s national poll to No. 8 but remains one game ahead of Angelo State for first place in the LSC. ECU fell to 11-17 over-all and sits in eighth place in the LSC with a 10-10 record.

“It was a tough weekend for us,” head coach Britt Bonneau said. “We were kind of up and

By Brandon TrippBroadcast Assistant

Just because it was spring break does not mean that the ACU tennis team took one. The men and women both rolled en route to a combined 8-0 record over the break. The Wildcats defeated Schrein-er and St. Edward’s, as well as Lone Star Confer-ence opponent Midwest-ern State and future LSC opponent Incarnate Word.

“We knew we would be playing over the break, and we just wanted to go out and play,” Juan Nuñez said.

The women began the

weekend with a 9-0 thump-ing of Schreiner University. The Wildcats won all three of the doubles matches, one by default, by a combined score of 16-1. The singles matches were just as lop-sided when the Wildcats re-linquished just one point in six matches.

The Wildcats looked just as dominant in their second match of the day as they did in the first, defeating Incarnate Word University 8-1. The women took two of three doubles matches and

SportsWednesdayPage 8 March 18, 2009

Standings

SCOREBOARD

Thursday

Track & FieldACU at ASU Spring Break Multis, 1 p.m.

Friday

Track & FieldACU at ASU Spring Break Multis, 1 p.m.

SoftballACU vs. TAMU-Kingsville, 5 p.m.ACU vs. TAMU-Kingsville, 7 p.m.

BaseballACU vs. SE Oklahoma, 6 p.m.

Saturday

Track & FieldACU at Dr. Pepper Inv., 10 a.m.

SoftballACU vs. TAMU-Kingsville, noon

BaseballACU vs. SE Oklahoma St., 2 p.m.ACU vs. SE Oklahoma St., 4:30 p.m.

:: Home games listed in italics

Upcoming

Friday

Women’s BasketballWest Texas A&M 78, ACU 53

Saturday

BaseballEast Central 5, ACU 1East Central 11, ACU 10

Sunday

BaseballACU 7, East Central 6ACU 14, East Central 6

SoftballACU 5, Texas Woman’s 4ACU 5, Texas Woman’s 0

Monday

SoftballACU 7, Texas Woman’s 3

n Center Audrey Maxwell-Lively was voted sec-ond team Daktronics All-Region for the 2008-09 season. Maxwell-

Lively led ACU in scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounding (10.3 rpg). She led the LSC in total blocked shots (61) and finished her career No. 12 on ACU’s all-time scoring list and fifth on its all-time rebounding list.

n Starting pitcher Kim Partin won LSC South Pitcher of the Week honors after pitching 12 consecutive innings without al-lowing a run and picking up two wins in ACU’s five-game win streak last week.

Scores

Standing Tall

Cats’ season ends with loss in regionals

Heather Leiphart :: staff photographer

Andrew McDowell, left, and Camille Vandendriessche, above, are shown practicing Tuesday. Each won their respective national title at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field National Championships on March 13-14.

Heather Leiphart :: staff photographer

ACU wins three LSC matchupsBy Austin GwinSports Writer

The Wildcats picked up two critical conference wins Sun-day and one Monday against Texas Women’s University at Pioneer Field in Denton to ex-tend their conference record to 5-1 and their overall record to 21-9. ACU beat the Pioneers 5-3 in the first game Sunday and

Two win individual titles at indoor championships

Track & Field

Basketball

Tennis

See Baseball page 7 See Tennis page 7

See Softball page 7See Basketball page 7

See Track page 7

BaseballTeam Div. OverallACUAngelo St.CameronCentral Okla.SE Okla.

SW Okla.

16-415-513-711-910-910-10

23-720-819-814-1213-1116-12

ENMU 10-10 14-12East Central 10-10 11-17Tarleton St. 8-10-1 12-14-1TAMU-K 6-14 9-16WTAMU 5-15 11-18NE State 4-15-1 9-18-1

SoftballTeam Div. OverallAngelo St.ACUWTAMUTAMU-KTarleton St.

TX Woman’s

5-15-15-45-42-43-6

26-321-921-819-917-1320-16

ENMU 2-7 16-13

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer

Starting pitcher Preston Vancil delivers a pitch against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Feb. 28. The Wildcats are 23-7 overall and 16-4 and in first place in the LSC.

Briefs

Lavender

Maxwell-Lively

WTAMU 78, ACU 53