David Guerra's Archive

ACU Staff, Faculty, and Students are encouraged to join ACU PD for a Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) course on Thursday April 10, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM in Onstead Packer Biblical Studies Room 117.

Law enforcement officers and agencies are frequently requested by schools, businesses, and community members for direction and presentations on what they should do if confronted with an active shooter event.  The Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) course, designed and built on the Avoid  Deny  Defend™ strategy developed by ALERRT™ in 2004, provides strategies, guidance and a proven plan for surviving an active shooter event.  Topics include the history and prevalence of active shooter events, the role of professional guardians, civilian response options, medical issues, and drills.

Join us and meet your Auxiant and Fairos Team, and Benefits Analyst Elsa Dunson. We will be having two virtual Q&A sessions with our Auxiant and Fairos team on April 14th at 9am and 12pm. Auxiant is the third-party administrator that pays ACU’s medical claims and administers the plan. Fairos can help you find healthcare providers, provide a medical advocate if needed and assist with balance bills. There will also be an opportunity for individual meetings for those interested. Follow the links below to join the meeting. Please reach out to HR with any questions!

April 14th 9 am Virtual Session

April 14th 12pm Virtual Session

The ACU Staff Senate Service Committee is deeply concerned about the destruction and loss of life resulting from the recent earthquake in Myanmar, and suggests a couple ways that our campus might be engaged. David and Karen Eubank, founders of the Free Burma Rangers have spoken at ACU Chapel three times in the past eight years and are deeply involved in humanitarian work in Myanmar.  In addition, the Highland Church of Christ supports Eden, an effective ministry in the capital city that is doing significant earthquake relief around the country.  (To make a contribution through Highland, mark ‘MYANMAR’ in the memo line.) For more information on how to help in Myanmar, contact Larry Henderson (hendersonl@acu.edu).

Staff Senate would like to remind all staff that the optional CompassPro for Staff Initiative ends this year’s collections on 5/31. There are many activities you can claim points for retroactively, so get in Suitable’s CompassPro soon and see if you can earn the 24-25 Staff Community Involvement badge to be eligible for rewards upon completion and recognition at fall’s Staff Pre-Session. For more details on the initiative, what incentives are available, and how to get started visit this page on the Staff Senate website. Some upcoming events/tasks you can be involved in are:

• All Staff Chapel May 13th in Chapel on the Hill at 11AM
• Athletic Events
• ACU Theatre & Music performances
• Retirement ceremonies for colleagues
• Graduation
• Voting for Staff Senate 25-27

You can still let us know if you attended or helped with other events such as Sing Song, Moody Chapel, small group chapels, etc. Congratulations to Jeremy Richmond, Susan Hardcastle, Lucy Dawson, Jeff Brawley, Titus Vesel, and Jarrod King for winning prizes so far this semester for their engagement with the app! If you have any questions about this initiative, please contact Anne Hocking (akc16c@acu.edu).

To the Abilene campus staff: It’s time to cast your ballot for the June 2025-May 2027 staff senators! Each year, the Abilene campus staff elect 10 new senators to represent them on the Staff Senate. Please review the candidates and cast up to 10 votes. You may only submit one ballot, so carefully review your submission. Voting will remain open through Friday, April 25th. Cast your vote HERE.

Please plan to attend the 17th annual ACU Undergraduate Research, Creativity and Innovation Festival on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in the Hunter Welcome Center from 8:00a.m. to 6:00p.m. Undergraduate students from ACU, surrounding universities, and local high school students will present papers throughout the day; poster presentations will be from 11:30a.m. to 1:00p.m. The Top Scholars Presentations will be from 4:30p.m. to 6:00p.m. Additionally, the Undergraduate Research, Creativity and Innovation Festival will host an Excellence in Oratory Forum on Monday, April 14th, 2025, in the ACU Library from 5:00-7:30p.m. These events are free and open to the public. The program is available on the event website. If you have any questions, contact the Office of Undergraduate Research at uresearch@acu.edu.

April 7th through April 11th is Severe Weather Awareness Week. City of Abilene Emergency Management will participate in the annual National Weather Service (NWS) tornado drill taking place on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at 10 am. During this time, Abilene Emergency Management will send a city-wide Tornado Drill notification via their CodeRED mass notification system. ACU will not host a university-wide tornado drill, but we do ask that you please visit the NWS Safety website and NWS Tornado Safety website for weather preparedness resources. If you have any questions please contact Risk Management at risk@acu.edu.

ACU’s All-State Choir Camp will be June 25-28, 2025! Choir camp offers high school students the tools and experiences they need to be successful in the TMEA All-State Choir audition process. It will focus on all aspects of choral musicianship, including leadership, service, community-building, and being a well-rounded singer. The exceptional staff makes Choir Camp both challenging and fun. Campers can expect to strike a balance between work and play, learning the TMEA music and learning to love music for its own sake. Read more and register at acu.edu/choircamp. Early Bird pricing ends May 1.

On March 3, a random selection of employees received an invitation to complete the Great Colleges to Work for survey. If you were one of those employees and have not already, we encourage you to take this opportunity to share your honest feedback. The extended deadline for the survey is April 4.

Please join us as we wish Zach Snyder “Bon Voyage” as he is leaving ACU to begin a new adventure in Spain. We will have a reception with light refreshments on Tuesday, April 1 from 12:30-2:00 PM in the Student Life Den in the lower level of the Campus Center. At 1:00 we will be sharing some parting words in Zach’s honor.