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Blending in is not on the agenda

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Buenos días mis amigos, y saludos de Uruguay. It's only been a little over a week since my study abroad group landed in Montevideo, but it feels like a lifetime. With plenty of midday naps, an abundance of coffee and an herbal drink called maté, time passes differently on this side of the equator. The strange thing is, it's easy to forget I'm ... [Read More…]

The Yik Yak effect: students speak out

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"No login, no password, no traces; simply anonymous." That is the motto of Yik Yak, the messaging app that allows students to make anonymous posts to be seen by anybody using the app in the surrounding area, or, in our case, on campus. We have received two letters to the editor in response to the Optimist's decision to print yaks in the ... [Read More…]

Spider-Man has my heart

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I love superheroes. My car is named "The Batmobile," I have every superhero-themed piece of clothing (from a Superman onesie to Spider-Man socks and sweatshirts) and I've even seen Spider-Man the Musical. My parents bought me tickets for my birthday this summer to Dallas Comic Con. The fact that it was my 22nd birthday, and not my 12th, is ... [Read More…]

Yikkity Yak, don’t come back

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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

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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…]

Goodbye, old friend

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"Robin Williams. What a concept." So said Billy Crystal at the Emmys Monday night, as one of dozens of public figures to give a tribute to the late legend since his passing. Williams was one of many celebrities acknowledged in the memorial segment of the show, including Lauren Bacall, James Garner, Don Pardo, Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney, ... [Read More…]

Your basic back-to-school essay

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Elementary school had a lot of things going for it. Maybe the best part, besides recess and pizza Friday's, was that teachers didn't expect third-graders to be able to do anything besides spell basic words, write in cursive (both of which aren't used anymore) and go to the bathroom on their own, so at the beginning of the year, they'd assign essays ... [Read More…]

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