The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 1, Ed. 1, Monday, August 26, 2002 Page: 6 of 12

                                
ViewsMonday
The Optimist "
Page 6
August 26 2002
Chapel change
motives good
m The Chapel
AflF reorganization
Uj which includes
Qp mandatory small
' group meetings and
forms for excess absence
appeals is a commendable
effort on the part of Campus
Life.
We applaud Campus life
and the university for trying to
Improve the overall quality
and effective-
ness of one of
the university's
traditions.
Some may
think the addi-
tion of man
datory group ihm
Chapels is un-
necessary but the time can be
a great alternative to "big
Chapel" and should offer
valuable time for departments
and special groups to bond in
worship.
While Moody Coliseum is a
hard place to get the attention
of 4000 students the schedul-
ing of the entire semester and
a theme could increase the
overall student interest in each
individual Chapel service.
OUR VOICE
With a semester theme stu-
dents will be less likely to
think of Chapel as a mandato-
ry daily meeting and more as a
series of valuable lessons that
tie together throughout the
semester.
The other changes to
Chapel could go either way.
Excuse forms and a more
select list of worship leaders
could either become tedious
and have little
impact or
could make all
the difference.
But part of
the blame for
Chapel's prob-
lems should go
to disrespect
ful students.
Something is wrong when col-
lege students can't sit quietly
for 30 minutes and disgrace-
ful when they show disrespect
to speakers and guests.
Criticism for the behavior in
Chapel shouldn't be directed
toward those in charge of
Chapel but to the students
themselves.
Change is good for Chapel
but it will take time to see if
these changes work.
It will take time
to see if these
changes work.
The Optimist still
strong after 90 years
m
Letter from
Ithe Editor
Paul A. Anthony
You hold an
historic issue in
your hands. Yes
the one that you are likely dip-
ping into the ketchup on your
plate right now It is a historic
issue of the Optimist.
Ninety years ago this
month Arthur Slater founded
Abilene Christian College's first
college newspaper and named
k the Optimist. The name hails
from a different era of journal -iun
when it was OK to inject
your personal beliefs into a
news story
when it was OK "
SbSshma We do have a
prescribed legacy to uphold
stance. o r
So while the
Optimist has
changed quite a bit from a four-
page tabloid with nothing but
text on all four pages to the 12-
page color photograph award-
winning broadsheet its name
has stayed the same and so in
tome ways has its mission.
We are no longer a paper
that puts little slogans like
"Smile Enjoy the day!" at the
lop and that's good. But vf e are
ttUl a paper dedicated to serv-
ing the student body. And that
la better.
Ever since Volume 1 Issue 1
nut off the presses in August
1912 the Optimist has with
varying Success been the
aource for student-run news
coverage. World War I the
Depression World War II
Korea Kennedy Vietnam
Reagan the Persian Gulf and
Sept 11 all have been cov-
ered from an ACU perspective
by dozens of Optimist staffs.
Now In August 2002 you
hold Volume 91 Issue 1. The
staff that is putting together
this version of your paper is
probably a little more road-
letted than previous staffs have
been.
Last year began with Sept.
II coverage. Four weeks later
the Optimist produced award-
Winning anthrax scare cover-
age. That was followed by the
Ight over the bell a flood in
Gardner two small explosive
devices set off on campus the
cancellation of classes because
of snow the cutting of two
departments and Easter
Sunday when five Nigerian
students died in an accident on
their way back to campus and a
pair of fires burned out a room
in Nelson and caused disrup-
tion at University Church of
Christ.
And in between all that
there was Welcome Week
Freshman Follies Home-
coming Sing Song Lecture-
ship SA meetings social clubs
and a host of other events.
And now we're back. For the
90th year the Optimist returns
to do it all
In My Words
Daniel Bmcroft
HIS VEAR. STUDENTS ARE REToRMIHA T ?mx amoS t-lFC
EoR&AtMZAT-teN NEW SOCIAL. CU6 RoUClES AH UPDATES
TO AtU's ONUMR NETWORKS' XMt apoioc
THOSE. UEREUAST
VEARS HEAD2-WES
G?C
again. Don't
ask why; I'm
sure the major-
ity of the staff
couldn't tell
 you why they
abandon so
much for the paper sleeping in
the office staying up till 2 a.m.
making the Don H. Morris
Center their second (in some
cases their first) home.
But regardless of reason -whether
it be love obsession or
some strange combination of
both here we are. Ready to
serve you once again like so
many staffs before us have
done covering all the big
events like Sing Song (and
maybe even reviewing them1)
and all the little ones too.
We do have a legacy to
uphold the Associated Colle-
giate Press has selected the
Optimist as an All-American
paper the past 26 years. But we
also hope to give you the best
most complete fair and accu-
rate news we can Faithful
Reader and we want to know
when we don't. Tell us when
we've messed up; tell us when
you don't like something we do.
I hope it won't be too often;
I'm going to try my best to
make sure it won't but no one's
perfect. All the same feel free to
write. As soon as you finish
wiping the ketchup off the bot-
tom of the front page.
Anthony a junior journalism major from
North Haven Conn  Is the Editor in Chief
of the Optimist. He may be reached at
paaOOaQacu edu
''"&
 ? 
fMuJfKitXXSmMmifStiil
ACU is a distinctive university
Guest Column
Dr Roycc Money
I remember
sitting in Cha-
pel my senior
year at ACU.
Nearby were faculty members
who had challenged taught
and encouraged me for four
years Surrounded by friends
who had become like family
we praised God together in rev-
erence and in joy.
Daily Chapel became a part
of my life during my time at
ACU and I missed it more than
I ever imagined when I gradu-
ated and moved out into the
world.
We began daily Chapel in
1906 the year the school start-
ed and it is one of our most
precious traditions. Students
who never fully appreciate it
become alumni who can't wait
to come back for the experi-
ence. They miss it. The world
offers nothing like it and they
long to hear the songs raised by
4000 voices and the heartfelt
prayers.
As we begin a new school
year I want to remind us all
that ACU is a distinctive place
with many precious traditions.
ACU is a place where faculty
members stretch your mind
and challenge you intellectual-
ACU is a
place where
staff members
stay late and
arrive early to
make sure your
computer labs
are up and run-
ning your
books arrive in
the Campus
Store your fi-
nancial aid is paid to your bill
and the trees and flowers look
beautiful for your arrival.
ACU is a place where daily
Chapel and Bible study are
woven into the university fab-
ric and where speaking about
faith is as normal as speaking
about math class or your
English homework.
ACU is a national leader in
I pray that you
will make the
most of your
experiences
this year.
Christian higher education
where students faculty staff
and alumni strive to change the
world in positive ways.
ACU is a place where the
faculty staff and alumni are all
pulling for you whether you're
a first-year student or a senior
about to attend
your last year of
classes.
ACU is a dis-
tinctive place
because you
are here. You
create the cul-
ture of ACU as
you interact
with other stu-
dents and join
together with
4000 voices each day to praise
God.
I challenge you this year to
enhance ACU's distinctiveness
by worshiping in reverence and
awe in Chapel by treating all
people with love and respect
by dressing modestly and
appropriately by giving 100
percent each day in the class-
room and by seeking out indi
viduals who may need your
friendship or help Those are
ACU traditions that set us
apart.
1 pray that you will make the
most of your experiences this
year. One day soon you will be
sitting in Chapel for the last
time as a student listening to
an amazing rendition of "The
Lord Bless You and Keep You"
and you'll realize that chapel
has become a precious tradi-
tion to you as well. You'll miss
it.
I welcome the more than
4600 students who have cho-
sen to come to ACU from
across America and around the
world. You make a difference at
this place and you are now
part of a great heritage that
stretches back for nearly a cen-
tury. Welcome to the 97th aca-
demic year of Abilene Christian
University!
Dr Royce Money is the President of the
University and may be reached by e mail
atmoneyrSacuedu
Much is done to welcome ACU newcomers
Column like
I see 'em
wJSRf Steve Holt
K Welcome Week
JB was a lot better
BSSSS"SaeiSS tUa cprnnrl tlmp
around.
As a leader that is.
Frankly I was pretty intimi-
dated by Welcome Week my
freshman year. Maybe it was
the mixers and activities that
forced normally shy people to
mingle and talk to the other
newcomers. It could have been
the fact that I only knew one
person my roommate.
But this year was different.
Gone are the jitters butterflies
uncertainties and fears only to
be replaced with a genuine
desire to guide ACU's newest
students through perhaps their
biggest transition.
Remembering how tough a
transition it truly is for some
motivated me
to treat every-
one with the
respect and in-
terest that I so
badly needed
just two years
ago.
I believe this
truth fuels Wel
come Week.
Why else
would more upperclassmen
than needed volunteer to be
peer and mentor group lead-
ers? Why else would they run
themselves ragged through five
days of back-to-back-to-back
activities?
The answer is that upper-
classmen can relate to how
these newcomers feel and
long to ease the
" transition.
They put Wel-
come Week
activities above
even their own
first year.
Upperclassmen
are here to help
VOU alone in VOUr class registra
social lives.
They give up
"" part of their
summers to be
Welcome Week chairs or on the
steering committee.
Sure a few might have ul-
terior motives for assisting
ACU's newcomers but they are
heavily outnumbered by sin-
cere upperclassmen who just
want to make new students'
first week a little better.
My 2002 Welcome Week
experience was better than my
2000 experience because I got
the focus off myself and onto
others.
Know this freshmen:
upperclassmen are here to
help you along in your first
year. In most cases we would
stop whatever we are doing to
help you. We love you we
empathize with how you feel
and we are glad you are here.
Holt a junior journalism major from
Memphis Tenn  is the Opinion Editor of
the Optimist He may be reached at
smhOOafflacu edu
In Your Words
In which ways did you feel Welcome Week helped you adapt to life at ACU?
WfS
(Mm!
H
rBrM
WisM
"I ve never been that far from
home before Welcome Week
is just a smoother transition to
give you a simulation of what
school is like "
Brandon Jones
freshman graphic design
major from Tjlrr
"Welcome Week has shown
me how valuable we are to this
school "
Juan Ouledo
freshman business manage-
ment major from San Antonio
"Adjusting to the dorm life has
been a lot of fun and I've made
a lot of fnends "
Katie Mehrhoff
Jrahman biology major from
Wealherford
"I ve met my teachers I know
the campus better and Im
already having fun"
Mallnda Shaver
frahman graphic design
major from San Antonio
"Moody Mornings have pre-
pared me for future chapels "
Tony Pounds
freshman business
management major
from Lexington
Editorial and letter policy
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of
W Opumltt and may not necessarily
rstact the views of the university or its
ministration.
Signed columns cartoons and letters
art the opinions of their creators and may
at necessarily reflect the viewpoints of
m Optimist or the university
The Optimist encourages reader
myoma through letters to the editor but
Wvet the right to limit frequent contrib-
utors or to refuse to print letters containing
personal attacks obscenity defamation
erroneous information or invasion of
privacy
Please limit letters to 350 words or
less A name end phone number must be
included for verification purposes Phone
numbers will not be published
Address letters to
ACU Box 27892
Abilene TX 79699
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The Optimist
Published by the Department of
Journalism and Mass Communication
Abilene Christian University
The Optimist Editorial Board and chief editors
Editor In Chief Opinion Editor Chief Photographer Faculty Adviser
Paul A Anthony Steve Holt Rafael Aguilera Or Cheryl Bacon
Managing Editor Copy Editor'
Jennifer McMichael Melissa Dossey
Sports Editor
Joel Weckerly
Ad Manager
Cassandra Lopez
Optimist contact information
Newsroom:
(915)674-2439
Sports desk:
(9151674-2684
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19)5)674-2499
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1915)674-2463
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