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Volume 112 Issue 1

ACUOPTIMIST.COM | Monday, August 26, 2024 | 1

A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912

BY STEVEN INFANTE | PHOTOGRAPHER Incoming students compete in a game of tug-of-war during annual mentor group olympics

119th academic year set to begin with Opening Assembly BY LESLIE CARRIGAN MANAGING EDITOR

The school year will begin on Monday with the Opening Assembly. The Opening Assembly will consist of a reading of Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill, singing, music performed by the Big Purple Marching band, Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, announcing the start of the school year and an address by Justice

Jeff Boyd, a member of the Texas Supreme Court who graduated from ACU in 1983. The Opening Assembly allows the ACU community to unite together as school starts to celebrate the upcoming year and bless the students, said Craig Fisher, the director of alumni relations. “It’s an excellent opportunity for us to celebrate the beginning of a year and to do so with praise and

worship and with honoring and blessing our students,” said Fisher. “It’s a great opportunity for our alumni to come back and to watch and be a part of that. We livestream it, so that many folks that are all over the world that are part of ACU can still experience it.” Opening Assembly is coordinated by the Office of Alumni Engagement and the Office of the President as a way to signify the importance of the assem-

bly, said Dr. Ryan Richardson, vice president for student life. “The very first Opening Ceremony Chapel has largely been planned through our Office of Alumni Engagement and the President’s Office,” said Richardson. “Because Opening Assembly is kind of a time for our entire community to be together, to acknowledge before God that we’re starting this new semester and so it

transcends student life, it’s a bigger deal than that.” The Opening Assembly will begin with the traditional parade of flags, during which each student participant will carry a flag representing the state or country they are from. This year’s parade will make up of 46 state flags, 51 flags representing countries and, for the first time, a flag will represent the Navajo and Cherokee Nations. Fisher hopes the students

Study Abroad trips to depart as Montevideo nears closure BY LESLIE CARRIGAN MANAGING EDITOR

As 44 students prepare to leave for their semester study abroad in Leipzig, Oxford and Montevideo, the Office of International Programs and Study Abroad has adjusted the length of the semester trip and is exploring locations in Spain to replace the South America program. The trip to Oxford will led by Dr. Shelly Sanders, professor of English, and will take 23 students. Fifteen students will join Dr. John Boyles, an associate professor of Bible, missions and ministry, to Leipzig, and the Montevideo trip, which will include five students, will be

led by Dr. Omar Palafox, assistant professor of intercultural studies. This semester’s trips will be 12 weeks instead of 14 weeks like trips in the past, said Mark Barneche, executive director of international education and study abroad. “So our students in our current immigration status need to limit their stay in country to under 90 days and so our stay in country now is 89 days,” Barneche said. “What has been our policy in the past with countries has not been strictly in keeping with local immigration law and so we’re trying to bring that more in alignment with local law.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF STUDY ABROAD Kenzie Winters visits the Cotswolds on her study abroad trip.

The hub site in Montevideo will close after this semester because it was not growing and too few students participated, Barneche said. “We made the decision to close the Montevideo

program based around the ability for that program to grow meaningfully,” said Barneche. “So the facility in Montevideo was quite small, and as a small facility, the total occupancy of students

that it could take never really made financial or operational sense and so we’ve decided to go to another location where we think there’s a high capacity of students who could join that program in a place that students really want to go and sort of understand.” The location in Spain was chosen as a replacement for Montevideo because of its location, popularity and the quality of Spanish spoken, Barneche said. In the spring, Study Abroad also introduced language lunches on the first Wednesday of every month to bring together students who speak a common See DEPART, P. 6

New campus ministers to highlight Chapel on ‘Renewal’ BY ASHLEY HENDERSON EDITOR IN CHIEF

The Office of Spiritual Life will begin the school year with a leadership structure and a new theme. After pausing the search for a new university chaplain, Dr. Ryan Richardson, vice president for student life, began to look at two people already involved in ACU spiritual formation. “I started to notice that between Nathan Kranz and Avory Rosenhuff,” Richardson said, “we have two phenomenal campus ministers who are full time on our campus, who are both finishing up or pursuing their master’s degree in religion.” Kranz will finish his master’s of divinity in December, and Rosenhuff is pursuing a master’s in

spiritual disciplines. Together, the two will fulfill the typical responsibilities of a chaplain but will now be called campus ministers. To assist in the organization and worship of Chapel, the office hired ACU alum Mace Ratliff as the coordinator of Chapel production. “Nathan and I are kind of the ministers that work with speakers on how to be a part of our renewed vision when they come to speak,” Rosenhuff said. “It is Mace’s job to be handling the production and worship teams for that weekly schedule. Not only that, but he’s going to build out a discipleship program for the people that help volunteer with our office.” Along with the restruc-

turing, spiritual formation will be following a new theme: Renewal. The word came to Kranz and Rosenhuff after a time of reflection and prayer. “The spiritual definition of renew is rejuvenation of the spirit,” Rosenhuff said. “We just feel like with everything post-COVID, we’re really wanting to get students excited about being in fellowship with one another. This word felt exciting and fresh, and it gave ode to the fact that we are renewing our spiritual formation experience on campus with our office.” Referencing Romans 12:2, which says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” the theme

will be heavily emphasized throughout the year, including analyzing what it means to ask God to renew the ACU campus, city and relationships. “Every single thing we do at Chapel is going to be directed toward how might we be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we may discern the will of God.” The organization of Moody Chapel will often follow the schedule of guest speakers on Monday and Wednesday along with the tradition of Praise Day Friday. Richardson encourages students to regularly attend these Chapels that feature the ACU community at large. “Even though students can go to their small

groups and get [chapel credit] other ways,” Richardson said. “I want to see Monday specifically as an emphasis, as something people prioritize.” Outside of Chapel, the office provides other resources for students, such as connecting students with a local church or a nonprofit to serve with. The office is working on a scheduling system that will help provide students with opportunities for one-on-one conversations with campus ministers. “I think often, we kind of get caught up in the Chapel credits,” Rosenhuff said, “and I don’t want that to let us lose sight of the amazing connection we can have with one another. We want to do life with students.”

will feel encouraged by the knowledge that people worldwide support them on their journey as ACU students. “I hope they take away the realization and the excitement of what an amazing community I believe Abilene Christian is,” said Fisher. “We are from all over the world, and we’re here together to learn and to grow together and to experience what ACU has to offer.”

NEWS

Recently renovated Mabee Hall welcomes first-time freshmen PAGE 2

FEATURE

Freshmen describe their journeys to ACU PAGE 6

SPORTS

‘It’s a philosophy’: Wildcats launch new air raid offense PAGE 8