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Friday at the Greens

September 22, 2022 by Sheridan Wood

A typical Friday night in the home of Susan and Art Green is filled with aromas from a smorgasbord of different foods and lively chatter in multiple languages.  Over the past 20 years, Susan and Art Green have welcomed international students from Abilene’s universities into their home for weekly dinners. Art’s role in the Friday night dinners ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Features

Students share ups, downs of the first week on campus

September 20, 2022 by Special Contributor

Mass interviews of 111 ACU students, conducted by Media Writing classes who asked what was the best and worst moment of the first week of classes. Kayleigh Morris, freshman business management major from Leander (Photo by Anna Gray Davenport) "What was your best moment of the first week of classes?"  "Probably meeting a lot of ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Features

Staff works hard to maintain ACU properties in record-breaking drought

September 8, 2022 by Sheridan Wood

If you drive out to Lake Fort Phantom, you will probably notice the dry, brown plants on your way. And if you're a regular, you'll also notice that the water is significantly lower this year than it has been in the past few years. The summer months of 2022 were some of the hottest on record, with daily temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and a ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Features, Showcase

ACU Remembers: Memorializing dearly missed members of the community

August 26, 2022 by Sydney Varner

Dr. Andrea Stefano  Dr. Andrea Di Stefano passed away June 6, 2022 while visiting his family in Italy. Di Stefano, an adjunct professor of history and global studies, held a Doctor of Research from the Università degli Studi di Teramo in Italy. Before moving to Abilene in 2016, Di Stefano worked in two leading museums in Italy and taught for the ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Features, Obituary, Showcase

Director team works together to welcome new Wildcats

August 26, 2022 by Sheridan Wood

Every year, new Wildcats gather the week before their first ACU classes to meet new friends, get acquainted with campus and learn the school’s traditional songs. And every year, a group of motivated students makes it happen, with hopes to give the incoming freshman class a fun and welcoming week to begin their college experience.  A team of ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Features

New ACU business owners seek to serve the Abilene community

August 26, 2022 by Sheridan Wood

Over the past few years, Abilene has been expanding with new businesses and infrastructure, several of which are owned and operated by members of the ACU community. In 2022, three of Abilene’s newest businesses run by ACU staff and students have opened – or are in the process of opening – and take ACU’s mission of service into the local ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Features, News

Ron Hadfield, moving forward after 39 years

May 11, 2022 by Sydney Varner

After 39 years, one of ACU’s well known storytellers, Ron Hadfield, is taking a step back into a more relaxed and remote role.  Hadfield has served as director of operations while working for the university, serving under three presidents and wearing many different hats along the way including working as the editor of ACU Today Magazine, ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Features

Where to eat out in Abilene

April 30, 2022 by Special Contributor

Belle’s Chicken Dinner House Location: 2002 N. Clack St. Hours: Thursday-Sunday 11 a.m. to -9 p.m. Type: Comfort Opened: February 2009 Menu item most known for: Fried chicken What you’ll pay for . . . The cheap: Fried chicken tenders (Meat only): $7.99 The usual: Fried chicken: $15.99 The extravagant: Chicken-fried steak ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Features

FilmFest: ‘Ruby Letters’ lets grandfather help overcome a breakup

April 12, 2022 by Special Contributor

BY KAYLEE KAHN AND JOSEPH CHAPA MEDIA WRITING REPORTERS Two first-time directors created Ruby Letters to tell the story of a young man and the letters he has from his grandpa on how to overcome the struggles of a recent breakup. “Wholesome love story about overcoming obstacles,” said one of the co-directors, Holly Reichling. The ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Features

FilmFest: ‘Lake Fort Phantom’ works to combine horror, laughs

April 12, 2022 by Special Contributor

BY LONDYN GRAY AND JAYTON PIMENTAL MEDIA WRITING REPORTERS Rather than competing for an award at FilmFest, the crew of The Legend of Lake Fort Phantom simply wanted to create a story about an Abilene hotspot. Director Elizabeth Dzina, a junior multimedia major from Dallas, said the film is “kind of like a spoof thriller” about a group ... [Read More…]

Filed Under: Features

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acuoptimist The Optimist @acuoptimist ·
2 Dec

BREAKING: The internet is now up and running after a short campus-wide outage.

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7 Nov

The Optimist and ACUTV partnered together to produce a 3-hour live election show on Tuesday night. A team of 25 students worked for weeks preparing while doing research and interviews with guests like Dr. Phil Schubert and Rep. Stan Lambert.

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"Ending my college education early was always the plan for me, but the things that I have been able to see, experience and examine about ACU’s community were not. I have found immense growth in ACU over the past three and a half years, but ACU still has a long road to climb if it wants to keep catering to students as the world changes around them." To read more of this article visit acuoptimist ... See MoreSee Less

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