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You are here: Home / Leslie Carrigan

Gallery: Football defeats Lamar in first round of FCS playoffs

December 3, 2025 by Leslie Carrigan Leave a Comment

The Wildcats beat Lamar University 38-20 on Saturday at Wildcat Stadium in the first round of the FCS playoffs. Javon Gipson, redshirt senior wide receiver from Richmond, recorded two touchdowns and nine receptions for 164 yards. The win marked ACU’s sixth at home this season, completing an undefeated home slate. The Wildcats will travel to ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Multimedia, Photo Galleries

Bring back philosophy

November 21, 2025 by Leslie Carrigan

"Faith and Philosophy" books in the Brown Library. (photo by Leslie Carrigan)

The word “philosophy” may conjure up many different ideas. For some, it is rich, ancient, old men lying around and asking questions with obvious answers. For others, it may bring to mind people sitting in microbreweries and coffee shops wearing beanies with no job as they ask irrelevant questions about the meaning of life. For those looking to ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Opinion

Fire in WPAC leads to more flooding

November 12, 2025 by Leslie Carrigan

A fan caught fire in the Williams Performing Arts Center late Tuesday night, leading to more flooding after a pipe burst earlier this week. Late Tuesday night, one of the dehumidifiers caught fire. The dehumidifier was there to help dry instruments from a burst pipe that flooded the practice rooms and instrument storage rooms on Sunday. Although ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: News, Showcase

Hotel prices rise in Abilene amid data center construction

October 31, 2025 by Leslie Carrigan

Over the last year, Abilene occupancy has risen 19% compared to last year, leading to rising hotel prices.  As construction of the new Lancium and Crusoe Data Center has begun, the influx of construction workers has caused a rise in hotel occupancy, said Robert Lopez, vice president of the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We’ve had a ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: News

Campus Center incident leads to uncertainty

October 31, 2025 by Leslie Carrigan

The university's policy regarding tabling in the Campus Center remain uncertain to some students after an incident at the ACU for Life table that led to a petition calling for the protection of free speech on campus. The issue stems from an Oct. 13 incident in which staff members in the Advising Center confronted students at the ACU for Life ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: News, Showcase

University receives honors from U.S. News and World Report

October 15, 2025 by Leslie Carrigan

The University ranked in six categories nationally in the U.S. News and World Report this year. The school ranked: 11th in Service Learning 13th in First-year Experience 11th in Learning Communities 36th in Study Abroad 254 in Undergraduate Nursing 329 in Best University Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the University, said he is ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: News, Showcase

Popping the ACU bubble: Why students should study abroad

October 8, 2025 by Leslie Carrigan

Four thousand nine hundred miles from campus, I sat at a table with one of my best friends and  15 other students I had never met before. Everyone had different accents, was studying different topics and came from different parts of the world. On my left, two people spoke German, and on my right, people discussed the latest football match. Our ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Opinion

‘People over projects’: Missions week connects students to service

October 3, 2025 by Leslie Carrigan

The Halbert Center for Missions and Global Service will conclude the annual Missions Week on Friday. Missions week is an annual week-long event for a variety of activities to connect students with Christian missions work locally and around the globe, said Jonothan Stein, the global service coordinator. “It’s an opportunity for God's mission ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: News, Showcase

Freshmen curfew causes more harm than good

September 30, 2025 by Leslie Carrigan

*Note: The original version of this story stated that residents under the age of 21 were not required to obey a curfew, but it has since been edited to say over 21. You've made it. You are all grown up and ready to head out on your own as an adult. Ready to start what many may call the best four years of your life. That is, unless it is your ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Editorials, Opinion

Student tests positive for tuberculosis

September 24, 2025 by Leslie Carrigan

A student has tested positive for tuberculosis.  After receiving a notification from Abilene Taylor County Public Health on Monday, the university sent an email to students to alert them of the situation. Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease affecting the lungs. The main symptom is a cough lasting more than two or three weeks, coughing up blood, ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: News, Showcase

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acuoptimist The Optimist @acuoptimist ·
11h

Sing Song 2026 Awards Class Division:

Overall Award:
1. Mixed
2. Seniors
3. Freshman White

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acuoptimist The Optimist @acuoptimist ·
11h

Sing Song 2026 Awards Women’s Division:

Overall Award:
1. Ko Jo Kai
2. Sigma Theta Chi
3. Tri Kappa Gamma

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The Optimist is with ACU Journalism and Mass Communication.

1 week ago

The Optimist
The Optimist staff won several awards and competed at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association 2026 convention in Denton this weekend. Students participated in live contests and submitted work from the past year into the competition.Here are the results.- 1st place: Live print news writing, Ashley Henderson- 1st place: Live print sports writing, Roman Raffaeli- 2nd place: Live tv announcing, Zion Webb- 2nd place: Live news photo, Daniel Curd- 2nd place: Newscast, Optimist Staff- Honorable mention: Documentary (video), Makayla Clayton- 2nd place: Documentary, JMC documentary production class- 3rd place: General news, Callie Leverett- Honorable mention: General column, Zion Webb- Honorable mention: Sports reporting (video), Roman Raffaeli- Honorable mention: Live sports action photo, Daniel Curd- Honorable mention: General news video story, Ashley Henderson- Honorable mention: Photo illustrations (Daniel Curd & Optimist staffStudents also received awards for their work through KACU and ACUTV.- 1st place: In-depth news reporting (audio), Ashley Henderson- 1st place: General news audio story, Baylie Simon- 1st place: Live sports coverage (video), Roman Raffaeli & London Gray- 2nd place: Live sports coverage (video), Josiah Wonnell & Londyn Gray- 3rd place: General news audio story, Ashley Henderson- 2nd place: Sportscast (audio), Daisy Strine & Zion Webb- 3rd place: Sportscast (audio), Daisy Strine & Zion Webb- 3rd place: Feature reporting (audio), Baylie Simon- Honorable Mention: Feature reporting (audio), Josiah Wonnell#acuoptimist #abilenechristianuniversity #studentmedia #tipa2026 ... See MoreSee Less

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2 months ago

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Sororities and fraternities began New Member Orientation with Bid Day, officially starting the pledging process this weekend.Originally scheduled for last week, the start was delayed due to winter weather that brought snow and ice to campus. Clubs and their sponsors gathered at designated locations on and off campus to complete tasks assigned by their officers.To view the full photo gallery, visit acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio. #acuoptimist #abilenechristianuniversity #greeklife 📸: Daniel Curdacuoptimist.com/2026/02/gallery-clubs-begin-new-member-orientation-after-weather-delay/?fbclid=PA... ... See MoreSee Less

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Optimist Newscast Feb. 28, 2024

Our top stories today include a recap of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, the ... [Read More…]

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