On November 8, Texas voters will reconsider and vote on a series of constitutional amendments. One of these amendments is Proposition 3, in which the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board seeks voter authorization to issue bonds for the purpose of funding student loans. This loan is known as the College Access Loan. The CAL program offers a ... [Read More…]
Budget cuts to be proposed to Board of Trustees
Faculty and staff are waiting to hear the university's plan to cut costs over the next two years. Because of this year's lower freshman enrollment, Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, and his Senior Leadership Team expect to propose more budget cuts to the Board of Trustees for fall 2012. The next board meeting will take place Nov. ... [Read More…]
Volunteer discovers value within service
When I was a freshman, I lived on campus. Okay, technically everyone is supposed to live on campus their freshman year. But when I say live on-campus I mean eat, sleep, watch TV, hang out and do homework all on-campus. Students, like me, tend to get stuck in the ACU bubble and forget that there is an entirely different demographic outside of our ... [Read More…]
University to adopt block tuition
The university will implement a block tuition plan beginning in fall 2012, Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, told members of faculty and staff yesterday. "It not only improves the affordability of a degree, but it provides additional flexibility for students," said Schubert. Under the new block tuition plan, students can take a ... [Read More…]
Campus mourns loss of beloved art staff member
Beverly Rama, who served as an administrative coordinator and adviser and compassionate counselor to students in the Department of Art and Design for nearly a decade, died Sunday. She was 52. Jack Maxwell, former chair of the art department, worked with Rama for several years and reacted to her passing with "a sense of deep loss." "I have known ... [Read More…]
Artsy majors deserve respect
I am a graphic design major. I came into college as a speech pathology major, which - don't get me wrong - is an amazing field. I just could not see myself doing it every day for the rest of my life. When I made the big switch, I realized I was going from a scientific, clinical profession to a purely creative one. So I began taking art classes. ... [Read More…]
Student Success Program shuttered
In the wake of lower enrollment numbers, the university during the summer closed down the Student Success Program, an academic division designed to provide remedial courses and specialized assistance to students struggling in their standard university courses. The program offered up to four credit hours in two courses, Learning Strategies ... [Read More…]
What’s in a name? In mine, an umlaut
When I was a little kid, I was painfully shy. I never wanted to be the center of attention, so I'd cry every time friends and family sang "Happy Birthday" to me. I was afraid to speak aloud in class, so my kindergarten teacher would let me whisper my answers in her ear. And my name? Oh, my name. It was different than everyone else's. When I ... [Read More…]
Decreased enrollment forces cuts in budget
A shortfall in the number of freshmen and financial aid cuts by the state of Texas has led the university to cut several million dollars from its budget this year. Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, addressed the budget and enrollment issues at a meeting with faculty and staff on Wednesday. Schubert and other members of the ... [Read More…]
SA selects officer positions
The Students' Association finalized its 2011-12 cabinet last week, with the selection of its chief development officer, chief financial officer and chief communications officer. Rebecca Dial will serve as CDO, Heath Bracken will serve as CFO and Helga Sierra will serve as CCO. SA Executive President Connor Best, junior political science major ... [Read More…]