Volume 114 Issue 1
ACUOPTIMIST.COM | Monday, August 24, 2026 | 1
A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912
PHOTO BY JOSHUA VARNER | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Freshmen cheer from the Wildcat Stadium student section at Gameday 101.
Traditions Hall opens after housing challenges BY TAYLOR HARRISON NEWS REPORTER
ACU is expanding housing options and reopening the former Mabee Hall, now named Traditions Hall, as increased demand places pressure on students seeking on-campus and temporary housing. Kevin Campbell, senior vice president for operations, said the university began planning additional housing after it saw more students interested in remaining on campus. More than 120 students were on the waitlist for University Park Apartments this year. “Once we started real-
PHOTO BY JOSHUA VARNER | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Newly renovated lobby inside Traditions Hall is ready for students to move in. izing that there’s going to adding housing here on be a lot of housing pres- campus,” Campbell said. sure, we started designThe renovated Tradiing and thinking about tions Hall will be hous-
ing for upperclassmen who have had trouble being placed into the University Park Apartments. The former Mabee Hall closed in the fall of 2024. In addition to new and renovated housing, adjustments have been made for current housing, including letting sophomore students live in freshman residence halls and upperclassmen live in sophomore halls. Sienna Fae Velasquez, a junior finance major from Midland, said finding housing off campus was difficult enough that she considered living in her parents’ RV. “I kid you not, down to
even trailer parks,” Velasquez said. “That is how bad the temporary housing was. I could not find a spot anywhere.” Velasquez said Residence Life initially offered her housing in Traditions Hall. She said a Residence Life employee told her the reopened building was intended as a temporary solution. Velasquez expressed concerns about its condition, including mold, and worried about whether the hall would be ready for residents. Campbell said Traditions Hall’s previous closure was unrelated to health concerns. Instead,
he said the former Mabee Hall did not have enough common space, and its renovation costs would have been substantial. Campbell said the university deep-cleaned Traditions Hall, reinstalled thermostats and replaced boiler equipment, creating a new hot-water system. About 55 to 60 students will live there this fall. Velasquez said she preferred University Park Apartments and remained on its waitlist, but Residence Life ultimately placed her in Barret Hall. She said she did not initially apply to live SEE Rent AT PAGE 2
‘True, meaningful, different’: ACU launches rebranding campaign BY LESLIE CARRIGAN EDITOR IN CHIEF
On Wednesday, Marketing launched a new brand for ACU, focused on expressing what is “true, meaningful and different” about the university. Marketing began research for the brand in 2024 by interviewing over 500 individuals and focus groups of students, faculty, staff and community members to hear their thoughts on what ACU is. Sharon Ayala the vice president for marketing said that in their research they concluded four pain pillars that make up ACU: established, relational,
courageous and transformational. These four pillars then influenced every aspect of the rebranding process. Ayala said that the goal of rebranding is to provide a framework for how the school presents itself to the world through shared language and tools such as taglines, design guides, color palletes and more. “We’re updating all of our prospective student materials and brand communications,” Ayala said. “That’s our first priority and then we’ll start rolling through all of our other touch points. This will be a multi-year process, just because there’s a
lot of cost to updating in brand. There’s things literally in stone on campus that have to be updated.” One of the new taglines is “immeasurably more,” Ayala said, which comes from Ephesians 3:20. Ayala said that one of the struggles with rebranding the university is that people often have a mentality that to understand ACU you just need to try it out, however this is a hard thing to sell to prospective students. “Immeasurably more, the tagline is meant to get out ahead of that,” Ayala said. “Immeasurably more is about the fact that ACU is the kind of place that’s so full of surprises and
unexpected opportunities, kind of in every category, in every way and the experience that happens here is so much more than what students expect.” Ayala said that as far as she knows there has never been an official branding of ACU. She said she hopes that this will provide better guidance and consistency across the board. For example she said that one of the most common shirt colors she sees on ACU shirts is lavender, however the school never chose it as an official color. The brand will now include several shades of purple to match what those connected to the school actually want.
LOGO COURTESY OF TODD MULLINS
Updated ACU seal serves as an example of the school’s new brand. Dave Fymbo, the creative “ACU is not changing.” director said the rebrand pro- Fymbo said. “We’re just vides consistency across the changing the way that we’re board so the school can bring showing up to the world, in back alumni and attract fu- a way that hopefully everyture students. body can rally behind.”
Annual Opening Assembly begins 2026-27 school year BY ALLISON MCCALL NEWS REPORTER
The school year will begin Monday, with Opening Assembly at 11 a.m. in Moody Coliseum, with the year’s parade of flags featuring a record 151 flags that represent the states, territories and countries that make up the ACU community. This year’s guest speaker is Luke Norsworthy, senior minister of Westover Hills Church of Christ in Austin
and an ACU alumnus. The ceremony will also include the annual Parade of Flags, performances from the Big Purple Marching Band and ACU Choirs, and President Phil Schubert’s declaration that the school year has begun. Craig Fisher, associate vice president for advancement and alumni relations, described Opening Assembly as the university’s “ceremonial
kickoff ” to the academic year. “It’s a time we gather all of our students. We invite our community and leaders in our community to come and help us in a time of worship–in a time of celebration–to kick off the school year,” Fisher said. Fisher said this year’s record-setting Parade of Flags reflects ACU’s growing community, with flags representing states, territories
and countries of students, faculty and staff from the Abilene and Dallas campuses and both residential and online programs. Student body president Josh Hamm, who will read a Bible passage during the ceremony, said Opening Assembly unites students before the semester begins. “It sets the tone for the school year and reminds everyone that, no matter all the different areas of cam-
pus that we exist in, we’re all doing this together,” Hamm said. The Big Purple Band has rehearsed for the ceremony since band camp began. Laura Evans, the band’s president, said members prepare traditional selections including “Olympic Fanfare” and “Old Hundredth.” “This performance is unique because it is the only performance of the
Big Purple where we are seated,” Evans said. “I hope the music creates the energy of anticipation and encourages people going into the school year.” Opening Assembly begins at 11 a.m. Monday in Moody Coliseum, where students, faculty, staff and community members will gather to officially open the 2026-27 academic year.