The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 46, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 1, 2009 Page: 1 of 14
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Optimist
Wednesday, April 1, 2009 :: Vol. 97, No. 46 :: 1 section, 10 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com
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Pg. 3 A Wish traMfon: April Fool’s issue reminds campus to laugh
.
Pg. 8
HSU to sponsor concert, t
Pg.8
IJM officer with ACU ties
Pd Swinging some more: Cats extend
inspirational speaker
kidnapped in Africa
winning streak to 14 games
Inside
This
Issue:
Students begin push for SA executive cabinet spots
Pg.7
Read each candidate’s credentials and
message to the student body.
s p9*6
Our Picks: Read the Optimist editorial
board’s choices for the SA elections.
By Michael Freeman
Managing Editor
Six students are vying for
the top positions in the 2009-
10 Students’ Association Con-
gress during the rest of this
week and early next week. The
Executive Officers Election
will be Tuesday and Wednes-
day, and the, candidates are
beginning to campaign for
the student body’s votes.
Daniel Burgner, junior po-
litical science major from
Yorba Linda, Calif.; Charles
Gaines, junior criminal jus-
tice major from Cedar Hill;
and Jordan Hancock, junior
political science major from
Abilene, are running for the
position of SA president.
Scott Adrian, sophomore
political science major from
Glendale, Calif., and Tony
Godfrey, junior English major
from Burleson, are running for
SA vice president, and Luke
Cochran, junior finance major
from Round Rock, is running
unopposed for SA treasurer.
“I think the candidates are
very promising,” said Sarah
Pubs, president of SA Con-
gress. “They all bring differ-
ent viewpoints and different
leadership styles to the table,
and I’m excited to see next
year’s Cabinet. I think they’ll
do great things.”
Students will have the
chance to hear from all of
See SA page 4
A Fashionable Feast
Hundreds eat,
give to support
global charity
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By Katie Gager
Student Reporter
The doors opened, and hundreds of
people poured Into the Hunter Welcome
Center as the International Students’ As-
sociation conducted its annual Food Festi-
val and Fashion Show on March 28.
Event organizers planned for 300 peo-
ple to attend. They said they were over-
whelmed when almost 400 people showed
up. The event raised more than $1,500,
which went to Eternal Threads, a local
justice mission that provides jobs and op-
portunities for women in "five countries.
“It went far better than I thought it would,”
said Laza Razafimanjato (’08), who organized
the event. “The food festival part was very or-
ganized, and we were able to serve more food
than we ever thought we could.”
Twenty-five student groups prepared
dishes from at least 19 different cultures.
Razafimanjato said he was reminded of
the story in the Bible when Jesus fed 5,000
people with only five loaves of bread and
two fish.
“We saw the size of the line, and we
thought we wouldn’t have enough food,” he
said. “However, in the end, we still had food
left over.”
Students who attended the event
said they were impressed with the food
and the organization throughout the
evening. Sarah Brooks, senior market-
ing major from Memphis, Tenn., said
she had no idea the event would be so
big and loved all of the food. Other stu-
dents said they recognized the unique
opportunity of sharing and learning
about different cultures.
See Feast page 4
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Zak Zelnert:: chief photographer
Melissa Mason, freshman psychology major from New York City, looks out into the crowd from the catwalk in the Hunter
Welcome Center at the International Students’ Association’s annual Food Festival on Saturday night.
North Abilene
Wendy’s under
construction
By Sondra Rodriguez
Page 2 Editor
Never again will students have to drive
across town to satisfy a Frosty craving. Abilene
will receive its second Wendy’s franchise near
the ACU campus within months.
The Ohio-based franchise dates back
to 1969 and was under the legacy of Dave
Thomas, who coined the term, “Quality is our
logo.” Today, the franchise has more than
6,000 locations worldwide, each complete
with items such as Old Fashioned hamburg-
ers, salads, chili and the signature Frosty.
Abilene’s first Wendy’s is located on South-
west Drive, and the upcoming restaurant will
be on Scottish Road, in front of Lowe’s Home
Improvement and near Jack in the Box.
The structure for the fast food restau-
rant is built, but Rick Trujillo, construction
worker for SealTex Hardware, said much
still needs to be done before it can open.
“We’ve got to do the porch, sidewalk and
the entire interior,” Trujillo said. “It’ll take
a few months.”
See Wendy's page 4
Clubs dress up
spring formals
By Tanner Anderson
Page Designer
Dollars, dresses and the date season are
here for the next few weeks with the arrival of
an ACU tradition: social club formals.
This year half the social clubs are traveling to
places outside of Abilene, while the others plan
to stay in town.
The women’s social club Sigma Theta Chi
was the first social club to enjoy its formal
in Austin on March 21. The women and their
dates listened to live music, watched their for-
See Fomals page 4
Money chooses Varner as new Provost
By Michael Freeman
Managing Editor
After more than three
months of interviews and de-
liberations, Dr. Royce Money
and the Provost Search Com-
mittee selected Dr. Jeanine Var-
ner to be the eighth Chief Aca-
demic Officer in ACU history.
She is succeeding Dr. Dwayne
VanRheenen, who announced
last October he will retire and
move to the West Coast to be
closer to his family.
“I have a great deal of con-
fidence in Dr. Varner,” said
Money, president of the uni-
versity, during a Faculty Sen-
ate Meeting on Wednesday.
Varner, who served as the
dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences, will be assuming
the role of Provost, beginning
June 1. She said she found out
about her new job Monday.
“My reaction was real
gratitude,” Varner said. “I
was happy to hear about it
and eager to share it with my
family. I’m just really grateful
for this opportunity that has
come my way.”
The Provost Search Com-
mittee, chaired by Dr. MaLesa
Breeding, dean of the College
of Education and Human Ser-
vices, narrowed the search to
two finalists earlier this month:
Varner and Dr. Rob Stewart, in-
terim senior vice provost for
Texas Tech University. Money
made the final decision on
whom to hire based on whom
he thought was most qualified
and would best adjust to the
new role of Provost.
“The whole process was
impressive to me,” Money
said. “I firmly believe that I
See Provost page 4
Zak Zelnert :: chief photographer
Dr. Cheryl Bacon, chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Com-
munication, and Dr. Kristina Campos, assistant professor of communication,
congratulate Dr. Jeanine Varner on being named the new school Provost after a
faculty meeting in the Mabee Business Building on Tuesday.
ACU
10%
10%
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
acuoptimist.com
Videos :: Podcasts :: Slideshows
Online Poll: SSSK
the SA Elections?
a. No. I don’t have time.
b. Maybe. It depends on the issues.
c. Yes. No more impeachments.
d. It’s nothing but false promises.
^acuoptimistoCom
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 46, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 1, 2009, newspaper, April 1, 2009; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth903939/m1/1/: accessed May 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.