By Adam Nettina Aside from egregiously misrepresenting the concern many people have over the issues created by the so-called "bathroom-bills," Mercedez Hernandez has shown a fundamental disregard and contempt for the real problem of allowing individuals to use a public restroom of their non-biological gender. It is not only an issue that opens up ... [Read More…]
Guest Column: Voting is like pizza – everyone should take their own slice
Abbey Moses, president of College Democrats, and Rachael Shudde, president of College Republicans, address the student body on why they should vote. Following the national elections in 2014, the United States Census released the Current Population Supplement where it was found that only 19.9% of individuals aged 18-29 turned out to vote. If the ... [Read More…]
Letter to the editor: Men’s and Women’s Basketball, the jewel of ACU athletics?
As a proud alumnus of our dear Christian college, I'd like to reminisce about the good 'ole days in Moody Coliseum. I'd like to hearken back to a time when the ACU basketball programs put on a show and the stands were packed with cheering fans. The only problem is five years ago our basketball teams couldn't beat a drum with a metronome. But ... [Read More…]
Letter to the editor: In defense of WHO, preventative medicine
Last week, the Optimist Editorial Board published a response to the World Health Organization's (WHO) press release concerning the carcinogenic effects of red meat. I was greatly disappointed with this response--not so much for the difference in opinion but more so for the content of this response. First, I would like to clarify the WHO's ... [Read More…]
A letter from the fans
First of all, I would like to say that I have no problems with anybody on The Optimist staff. My disagreement with the column in question in no way expresses my feelings toward Collin or Daniel. I have had many conversations with both of them about ACU Athletics and oftentimes see eye-to-eye, and this column does not change what I think about them ... [Read More…]
Letter to the editor: There is no war on police
By Taylor Crumpton Last week, The Optimist's Editorial Board released an editorial piece entitled "War on Police Will Not Solve Anything". The author did an excellent job of combining the nationalistic feelings inspired by September 11 with the recent loss of an Abilene Police Department officer, crafting an editorial piece that displayed ... [Read More…]
Letter to the editor: Editorial inaccurate in implications
By Adia Johnson There was an anonymously written article published on police brutality on September 11, 2015. I, along with many other African American students, found the article offensive and would like to meet with you to discuss our reasoning and to take measures to prevent similar future articles. In order to touch on why we thought the ... [Read More…]
Letter to the editor: SA still a value to students despite less student involvement
The Optimist Editorial Board thinks that the best leaders on our campus "have better places to be" than the ACU Students' Association. We disagree. SA is blessed with the unique opportunity to serve the entire student body in a multitude of ways. Most importantly, SA serves as the voice of the student body to both the University administration and ... [Read More…]
Yikkity Yak, don’t come back
Pretty please with a cherry on top, stop putting any posts into the Optimist that come from the social media sensation "Yik Yak." You're not helping anybody, you're not representing our students well, and you're certainly not "reporting" when you put Yaks into the paper, regardless of whether they are good, bad or ugly. Speaking for our campus, ... [Read More…]
Yaks create a level playing field for all ideas
There has been a lot of talk about Yik Yak at ACU since it's grown in popularity, as well as some fairly adamant comments about whether "yaks" should be featured in the Optimist. Some feel that the yaks can be mean and because the Optimist is publishing a few yaks a week, they are endorsing and encouraging this type of hateful and immature ... [Read More…]