The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, April 24, 2009 Page: 3 of 14
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Friday, April 24, 2009
CAMPUS NEWS
Page 3
New members prove successful for reconstructed debate team
By Lezlee Gutierrez
Student Reporter
The debate team reached
the national tournament
" this semester after rebuild-
ing from scratch.
The team members have
had a successful year de-
spite' the challenges they
had to face. The team had
no returning members from
last year, and it had to con-
struct a new team consist-
ing mainly of freshmen and
a few sophomores.
“The debate team was na-
tionally recognized last year,
so we had to try our hardest
to do the best we could with
a completely new team, but
we did well despite all ob-
stacles,” said Jason Allen,
co-coach and communica-
tion graduate student.
The team consists of
eight members divided into
teams of two.
Each team was given a
topic that is either policy-
oriented or value-oriented
15 minutes before the de-
bate. ACU was able to com-
pete in 10 tournaments
this year in areas including
Houston, Lubbock, Nebras-
ka, Mississippi, Louisiana
and California.
“Our main goal this year
was to rebuild our team and
put the community back into
the program,” said Jeff Craig,
freshman print journalism
major from Granbury.
Craig partnered with Keri
Gray to compete in the parlia-
mentary debate in Stockton, Ca-
lif., where they placed second.
It is rare for sophomores
or freshmen to reach nation-
als, which is comprised of
more than 200 teams. Jeff
and Keri were not phased by
this fact and placed 80th in
the nation.
This was Dena Counts’
first time to coach, as well
as Jason Allen’s first time
to co-coach, but given the
situation, they said they are
proud of the goals they have
accomplished.
Some of Allen’s responsi-
bilities as co-coach included
traveling with the team, at-
tending meetings, as well as
judging rounds.
The team is currently in
transition from reaping the
rewards to making sure next
year’s team is even better,
Craig said.
“Next semester we hope
to build from the founda-
tion we have set this year
and gain success with our
original goals in mind,”
Craig said.
The team is working on
recruiting members for next
semester so it may have a
variety of talents in each di-
vision, Craig said.
“It is more difficult for a
smaller university to have
such a successful program,”
Allen said. “It is more im-
portant for us to focus on
the quality of the new mem-
bers, not just the quantity.”
E-mail Gutierrez at- jmcnetwork@acu^du
Rushing:
Students
meet and
greet club
members
Continued from page 1
Kason Hart, president of
Galaxy and junior electronic
media major from Houston,
said Galaxy’s spring rushing
went well and the turnout to
the events had him looking
forward to the fall rushing
and pledging season.
“Springrushingis.. .agood
opportunity for our guys
in club to meet and get to
know the people that might
pledge,” Hart said. “We’re ex-
cited about pledging for next
year, and I’ve already met a
bunch of really great fresh-
man guys and I look for-
ward to seeing who comes
out and decides to pledge.”
Frater Sodalis’ president
Sean Smith said spring
rushing is a vital part of the
pledging process because
it is important for students
to know in advance what
clubs they are interested
in, and which they think
would be a good fit.
“You go into the fall
semester not knowing a
lot about the different
clubs, and after just a few
rushes, you have to de-
cide,” said Smith, junior
accounting major from
Spring. “Spring rushing
is just another chance to
get to know the different
clubs you’re looking into.”
Students who missed
spring rushing and would
like to know more about the
social clubs on campus can
find the social clubs’ link on
the ACU Web site under the
“Student Life” tab, or can
search for the social clubs
by name on Facebook.
“The potential pledges
and the club members
seemed to have a ton of fun
with the rushes,” Perkins
said. “With all the excite-
ment that’s been going on
with spring rushing, I feel
like it’s going to be even bet-
ter next year."
All students must be reg-
istered by 5 pm on Sep. 4,
2009, to pledge in the fall.
E-mail Melby at: Igm05e@acu.edu
Students race for exam
By Heather Leiphart
Staff Photographer
Swimming, biking and
a jog outdoors may sound
like just another lovely af-
ternoon, but for 10 students
it is a grade.
This semester’s triathlon
class has trained all semes-
ter in preparation for the
first Caveman Triathlon on
Saturday in Flower Mound.
The triathlon is the class fi-
nal for the semester.
The Caveman Triath-
lon, presented by Dallas
Athletes Racing, includes
a 275-yard swim, an 11-
mile bike ride and a 5K
run, which participants will
compete inside the Com-
munity Athletic Center at
Flower Mound.
The students will check-in
Saturday afternoon, spend
the night in the Dallas area,
then wake up hours before
sunrise Sunday morning for
the 7 a.m. race.
USA Triathlon has sanc-
tioned the race, and students
will need to buy a $10 one-
day membership to compete
in the sold out event.
Laura Dillman, instruc-
tor of exercise science and
liBSQ AROUND
Caveman Triathlon events at
Rower Mound:
Starting time of race - 7 a.m.
275-yard swim
11-mite bike ride
' 5Krun
health, said she anticipates
good results from the class.
“Whatever was their
worst event, that’s where
they’ve put their emphasis
training all semester," she
said. “We just did a post-
test Wednesday, and several
of them have improved by
two minutes on their mile
time. Many of them . have
improved in the pool, which
is typically most people's
worst event, and they’ve
gotten better on the bikes.”
Thunderstorms recently
have been forecasted for the
Dallas area over the week-
end, which may threaten to
postpone the competition.
In the event of fair weather,
results will be posted on the
event’s Web site, www.cave-
mantriathlon.com.
E-mail Leiphart at: hal08a@acu.edu
Backyard bash features
food, fun at Smith-Adams
By Katie Hoffman
Student Reporter
Hot entertainment and
cool refreshments await the
ACU community when ResLife
throws the Backyard Bash be-
hind Smith-Adams Hall from
2-5 pm. on Saturday.
This free event will feature
a 150-foot waterslide, dunking
tank, water balloons, hamburg-
ers, hot dogs and live music.
It also will have Cajun
Cones and Henna tattoos at
reduced prices.
The tattoos will vary in
price; they will cost between
$5 and $10, and all the mon-
ey they raise will go to an or-
phanage in India.
The waterslide, a tradition
at the Backyard Bash, is a wa-
ter-drenched tarp that will al-
low students to run and slide
down a grassy slope into a
water pit at the bottom of
the hill.
This event, although popu-
lar in the past, last made its ap-
pearance on campus in 2007.
Amanda Swan, resident
assistant for Smith-Adams
Hall, said she did not know
why the Backyard Bash fell
to the wayside, but the scope
and expense might have been
contributing factors.
“It used to be a pretty big
thing with about 400 students
coming out; we wanted to bring
it back,” said Chris Windsor,
residence director of Smith-
Adams Hall.
While Windsor said he is
excited about the forecast of
good weather, Swan said, “It
will be an active event with wa-
ter sports, so being covered will
be important.”
Windsor said he hopes the
Saturday event draws a large
crowd, including faculty and
staff participants.
“Whether you are a fresh-
man or a sophomore, if you’re
a junior, if you’re a fifth-year se-
nior, if you’re a graduate stu-
dent or if you’re an alumni,
just come on out,” he said.
E-mail Hoffman at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu
A
ALPHA
SCHOLARS PROGRAM
Thank You to All of the
Participants, Volunteers and
Sponsors who helped make our
Disability Awareness Week
Wheelchair Basketball
Game a Success!
• Ta Molly’s
• Logan’s Roadhouse
• 50’s Classic Car Wash
• Frontier Texas!
• Harold’s Pit Barbeque
• Abilene Christian Schools Cheerleaders
• Abilene Christian University Cheerleaders
• Abilene Christian University Women’s Basketball Team
• United Supermarkets
• Carino’s
• Rosa’s Cafe
• Premiere Cinema 10
• Gatti’s Pizza
Strum Up The Volume
Jozle Sands :: staff photographer
Andrew Duge, senior marketing major from Corpus Christi, plays guitar for the crowd at the Beach Bash in the
Mall area Friday.
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, April 24, 2009, newspaper, April 24, 2009; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth904110/m1/3/?q=%22Places+-+United+States+-+Texas+-+Taylor+County+-+Abilene%22: accessed July 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.