The mission statement of the Optimist is, “To serve Christ by being fair as we aim to accurately report information to the campus, alumni and surrounding community.”

Our mission statement is short yet thorough. The Optimist is not the public relations department of the university. While we do all share a love for this university, we also share a love for pursuing the truth. The truth can be uncomfortable and hard to hear at times, yet we shouldn’t shy away from it if the alternative is being fed a steady diet of nice things we like to hear. 

Furthermore, this university is not an island. We exist inside of a larger community, which includes Abilene and even the world. In the same way in which there are many organizations on campus focused on the world outside of ACU, we believe it is important to inform students on the happenings of the wider world.

We do this for two reasons: First, when you leave ACU, your circle of influence will exist beyond a three-mile radius on the north side of a small West Texas college town. Second, we focus on events outside of our campus, because they have ramifications for students now and in the future. Local crime matters. Who your U.S. senator for the next six years is matters. Decisions made by the Abilene City Council directly affect our lives here. Even if you’re on your way out, you should still care about the Abilene you’re leaving behind.

During this school year, we will strive to not pass the buck onto the larger community. We promise to provide relevant content concerning the “real world” while clearly presenting the ramifications on students. We strive and aim to be more than a social calendar of “fun” events occurring on campus.

Because at the end of the day, we’re all just humans (hopefully) trying to make a positive impact on the world around us.