Issuu

Volume 111

ACUOPTIMIST.COM | Thursday, May 9, 2024 | 1

Issue 4

A student publication of Abilene Christian University since 1912

BY STEVEN INFANTE | PHOTOGRAPHER Seniors gather on the steps of Beauchamp Amphitheatre for Senior Candlelight Sendoff.

Seniors receive Mr. ACU, Miss ACU, other honors BY LESLIE CARRIGAN MANAGING EDITOR

Student Government Association announced Mr and Miss ACU at the Senior Candlelight Sendoff on Sunday. Alli Dimmit, senior political science major from Naples, Florida, received the Miss ACU award. Dimmit shared she was grateful to receive the award from her fellow students. “I just feel really honored,” she said. “I’m just thankful it gives me a chance to talk to people that I wouldn’t have talked to otherwise because people have come up to me and just said congratulations, and I

say thank you, but then it opens that door.” Parker Carson, senior biology major from Turkey, won the Mr. ACU award. Carson said he was surprised to receive the award because he never thought he would go to school at ACU. “I tell all my friends that ACU is part of my testimony,” he said. “[Mr. ACU] is not something I really cared about at all or even wanted, but I love ACU just as much as anyone.” Both Dimmit and Carson are involved heavily around campus. Apart from being part of the honors college, Lynay, and doing re-

search, Dimmit served as the SGA president for the 2023-24 school year. “I’ve done a lot of different things in SGA,” she said. “I’ve been freshman class president. I was a sophomore senator, and then I was chief of staff on the executive team during my junior year. “It’s given me a lot of like-minded friends who want to advocate for others, and it’s also provided me with the most opportunities to practice serving and practice leadership.” Carson is a member of Galaxy, has participated in research, and works

as a volunteer at World’s Backyard. “World’s Backyard has been a really impactful experience for me and my time here,” he said. “Just getting to reach out to the community, spending time with students at ACU but also in different places in Abilene and getting to administer and share the gospel and just love people around Abilene.” The Mr. ACU and Miss ACU awards recognize two seniors for their character, involvement, and service. Student Life also awarded seniors with the Spring 2024 Honor Awards.

NEWS

Honor Man Blake Hoybach Honor Woman Alli Dimmitt Trustees Award Audrey Dykhoff Darcy Stiefer Erin Hodgson Meeyah Davis B Sherrod Scholarship Evan Babb Matthews Mills Juan Mendoza

Debate team excels at IPDA

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FEATURE

Dean Adams Achievement Award Alyssa Phillips Jaylynn Ward Shiori Iimuro Carson Zimmerman

Student Life pauses search for new chaplain BY ASHLEY HENDERSON EDITOR IN CHIEF

Five months after the departure of former university chaplain Cyrus Eaton, the Office of Student Life is still not close to finding his replacement. Dr. Ryan Richardson, vicepresident for student life, said that while the chaplain search committee has looked through resumes and conducted interviews with potential candidates, the committee decided to pause and reconsider the spiritual needs of students. “We just felt like as a committee that the decision of who’s going to come and help steward this process of

spiritual care on our campus is too important to rush,” Richardson said. Describing it as a “season of discernment,” Richardson said the university may make changes to the position, including shifting the chaplain’s job title to “minister” or something similar. Despite the potential change to the title, Richardson said the role’s core priorities will remain the same. “We have to have ministers in that space who are able to navigate the gospel message without getting enamored by political divisiveness,” Richardson said. “In other words, people who are able to help our students see that the gospel transcends

anything that might take our attention off of Jesus.” Eaton spent more than five years in the position and served as the university’s first chaplain, coordinating Chapel and mentoring students. He left the role in November to take a job as next gen pastor at Ethos Church in Nashville, but his time in the role still shapes students’ attitudes toward the job. Isabelle Brenning, sophomore marketing major from Parker, Colorado, said she thinks it is difficult to find someone who can live up to the expectations set by Eaton during his time as chaplain. “Everybody knew him

because he was so involved,” Brenning said. “He just loved the students – the way that he was able to connect with them on a personal level. She said hiring someone who already knows about the campus culture but also loves it would be beneficial. “When I think of a chaplain,” Brenning said, “I think of somebody that just loves the Lord and loves his people because that’s what one of God’s commandments is: to love God and love people.” Ty Szydlowski, freshman agribusiness major from Argyle, said students need someone they want to listen to and who can deeply con-

nect with them. That could be accomplished by hiring an alum. “Someone could walk up on stage and say some really good stuff, but those kids have no idea what kind of person that actually is,” Szydlowski said. He said he hopes to see a chaplain who can tell students, “I’ve been in your shoes.” “So having a constant and stable kind of person to be there and give those talks and draw from their experiences to be able to relate to the students,” he said. Richardson said he believes the role will be filled by the start of the fall 2024 semester.

Wildcat Rewind

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NEWS

40th annual Kirk Goodwin Run

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SPORTS

Renovated Sikes Hall to become new Mabee Hall for freshmen BY KARA NICHOLS NEWS WRITER

With the official closure of Mabee Hall, the renovated Sikes Hall will take on the title of Mabee Hall. Abilene Christian University’s new Mabee Hall will be open to house freshman women and men students in August 2024. This hall is the third and final installment of the Freshman Village project. Initiated in 2020, a series of residence hall renovations occurred on the south side of campus on East North 16th Street. Beginning with the reconstruction of McDonald Hall, now Bullock Hall, the Sikes Residence Hall is the last remodeling on the agenda. With the generous help of the Mabee Foundation, come the fall semester of 2024, the refurbished residence hall will debut as the new Mabee Hall. There will be several updates to the Sikes building, which was built in 1977.

BY DANIEL CURD | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Scaffolding lines the Sikes Lobby of the new Mabee Hall.

Kevin Campbell, senior vice president for operations, revealed that there will be a complete renovation of the interior with new flooring, lights, a paint job, and an elevator to make the three-story

building wheelchair accessible. Another major addition is the creation of new common spaces, which Campbell acknowledged has not been a strong suit for Sikes. “Sikes has lacked com-

munity space that the new residence halls have,” said Campbell. “That new lobby will create a common space for students to hang out.” Renzhi (Bob) Jin, junior psychology major from Al-

len, is one student grateful for the common spaces provided by the original Mabee Hall. A former resident, Jin lived in the residence hall during his freshman year from 2021 to 2022. “I lived on the first floor on the North side,” said Jin. “The people were kind, and I really liked the first floor for studying and making friends. I hope the remodeling will provide the same opportunities for the new residents.” The Mabee Foundation celebrates 75 years of funding influential institutions such as children’s hospitals and theological seminaries. Their first gift to the university was the Mabee Hall in 1952, a residence hall for male freshmen. Its renovation and relocation is their latest donation, and they are thrilled to continue the Mabee legacy on campus. ACU also looks forward to continuing honoring the Sikes name in the new hall’s lobby.

New faces join Wildcats for second UAC season

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SPORTS

Wildcats to face GCU

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