Last week, the Optimist’s Editorial Board published an opinion piece about ACU tradition and student stress, and I found the article problematic for a variety of reasons. First off, valuing tradition is a totally separate issue from academic stress and Sing Song pressure. If the Editorial Board really believed that tradition is responsible for ... [Read More…]

Last week our church posted an open letter on our website that has been distributed widely through social media. As we imagine there are many intended recipients who have not yet seen it, we are sending a portion of the letter to the Optimist in hopes that it will reach everyone who needs to read it. The letter reads in part: To the dearly ... [Read More…]

For many years, the ACU community has facilitated constructive and open conversations regarding what it means to be good stewards of God’s gifts, including sexuality. Over the past week, there have been online discussions regarding same-sex relationships and the university’s posture toward people who identify as LGBTQ. As a Board of Trustees, we ... [Read More…]

As a black American student at ACU, I already have some contradictions about the school and stances taken on subjects like discrimination. The disappointing part of this article is that a white, upper-middle class male is telling black people how to deal with police brutality without any background or credible sources on what is happening in black ... [Read More…]

As a senior club member, I took issue with some of the comments made in the “Pledging procedures should change” letter to the editor published on August 28. I agreed with the title and I don’t have to be a fan of the changes to recognize the need for constant evaluation and accountability in such a large system. The issue came when the author ... [Read More…]

I write today in the hopes that you will share this message with your readers. Whether they agree with me or not is less important, although I do hope it will bring about a new discussion on campus relating to ACU’s policies towards LGBT students. Unlike most who have chimed in on this subject, I’m uniquely qualified to do so. As a ... [Read More…]

Bright Ntambara is a junior political science and global studies major.  Going forward The Optimist should refrain from the business of endorsing candidates for SA’s executive positions. In light of recent endorsement by ACU’s The Optimist of Danny Burke for Student Association president, pertaining to the Student Association’s elections, I ... [Read More…]

Morgan Jennings, senior accounting major from Abilene, served as SA Executive Treasurer for the 2015-16 school year. The Optimist has a habit of tarnishing the reputation of Students' Association. I was lucky that during the year my own election coverage was written, the tone was generally more positive than what was released on Tuesday. ... [Read More…]

Bri Close is a senior advertising/public relations major from Lexington, South Carolina.  Dear Optimist Editorial Board, After reading some of the editorials last week I wanted to express why I’m a Republican, who’s also pursuing a career in politics, who is voting for Hillary Clinton. When the primaries began over a year ago it was so ... [Read More…]

Dear Editor, With the November elections fast approaching, it is time to take a stance on “political” issues. Taking a stance and choosing for whom you will vote often weighs heavy on someone’s standards, values and morals. In our ever-changing political climate, it is easy to say: “I’ll vote for the lesser of the two evils." This means we often ... [Read More…]