wednesday
October 19, 2011
Vol. 94 • No. 20
www.therambler.org
The Rambler The voice of Texas Wesleyan University students since 1917
Antonio Wicker, music major, finds inspiration through guitar.
Paul Gill packs pancakes away to win contest.
Arts & Entertainment, page 4
Campus Feature, page 5
Students become more finance savvy Rachel Peel
rlpeel@txwes.edu
In the Freshman Success Experience class that all freshmen are mandated to take, students get a glimpse on how to budget their personal finances. Joe Brown, dean of freshman success and professor of theatre and communication, uses his class to open the eyes of incoming freshmen about finances. “As an adviser, I also strongly en-
courage the freshmen to take the personal finance class that is part of our GECC to help make them more aware of common sense things they need to know for financial life skills,” Brown said. Brown said in his class he also talks to students about their own credit cards and what the interest rate is on those cards so they do not start to take advantage of the cards and their credit scores. L.R. “Mac” McLain, director of major gifts at Wesleyan, agrees with
Brown it is important to manage and monitor credit card debt. “It seems to me banks and other financial services companies do students a great disservice, by making credit too abundant,” McLain said. “It’s pretty easy to not realize how much credit card debt you are building up.” McLain has been at Wesleyan for more than 30 years, and is a chartered financial analyst. “Before we know it our credit card balances are very high,” McLain said.
“Interest rates on credit cards are extremely high and our economy is not doing good right now, but you would never know that by looking at credit card interest rates.” McLain said another financial tip students should use, is to have a savings account. McLain recommends putting six months of living expenses in a savings account in case of an emergency. “Most college students are just making enough money to just get by,” McLain said. “But if they are making a little more than enough money
Blu Cru supports breast cancer awareness
to get by, it’s never too early to start a savings and investment program.” McLain suggests students make a monthly budget of all their expenses and to monitor that budget to see if the spending is in line with the budget. Dr. Carol Johnson-Gerendas, assistant professor of communication and program coordinator of liberal studies, also emphasizes budgeting in her ACS class.
Finance, page 3
New email system solves issues, then creates new ones Alejandra Garcia
agarcia@txwes.edu
Meisa Keivani Najafabadi | Rambler Staff Members of the Blu Cru support the Lady Rams volleyball team and breast cancer awareness at the match Oct. 14 against the University of Texas at Brownsville Lady Scorpions. Members of the organization donned pink, painted-on bras and clothing in support of breast cancer awareness month. The Lady Rams lost the match 3-0. Their next match is scheduled for Oct. 21 against Texas College in Tyler.
Staff at Wesleyan are proud to say Wesleyan has a new upgraded email system. Kendra Ketchum, IT development director, said the email system was changed from Ram Mail to University Mail on Sept. 28. Ram Mail was replaced because it no longer fit the needs of staff, faculty and students. The new email system is generated by Microsoft Exchange 2010. Ketchum was one of the several people to have initiated the upgrade. She said over the past two years, staff at IT noticed an increasing need for a new email system. Focus groups and site surveys were conducted for students to voice their opinions on what needed to be improved at Wesleyan and many of the students agreed an updated email system could be helpful. Ketchum said the email upgrade was a positive change and students will really benefit from University Mail. “I think it better prepares them for what is out there in the real world,” Ketchum said. Ketchum said University Mail is a great tool for students because it has many helpful features, such as a unified global catalog that allows the user to search anyone at Wesleyan, a calendar that students can use to organize themselves, the ability to connect the email to a mobile device and a bigger space capacity. Ram Mail contained 10 megabytes while University Mail contains one gigabyte,
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Cultures introduced through Irish Exchange Program Stephanie Randall
slrandall@txwes.edu
For students who are looking for a chance to study abroad, the international studies program has a solution. With the Irish Exchange Program at Texas Wesleyan, students can experience education in a different environment. The program began almost 20 years ago and has provided students with a diverse experience. Staff in the School of Business are currently looking for new applicants to participate. Students in the program traveling to Ireland are required to pay tuition at Wesleyan. All other commodities like room, food and other necessities are required for the student to pay. Applicants must be current sophomore and junior students to participate in the Study Abroad Program in this particular program under Study USA.
Study USA, formerly known as Business Education Initiative, is a program that allows students from the United States to study in Ireland as well as students from Ireland to study in the U.S. Students have the choice to attend one school out of the five offered for the exchange program. Those schools include: Queens University Belfast, University of Ulster, St. Mary’s University College, Stranmillis University College and Belfast Metropolitan College. There are a few limitations to apply for the program. All applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. Students must also be nominated by Wesleyan faculty to apply. The application process consists of an application, nomination form, transcript of the current year, a 500-word essay describing the applicant’s education objectives and two letters of recommendation. All applications must be post marked before February
1, 2012 and sent to the school the student would like to attend in Ireland for review. The faculty at Wesleyan said they enjoy the positive effect the program has on students coming to Wesleyan from Ireland and those going to Ireland from Wesleyan. Dr. Hector Quintanilla, school of business administration dean, said the program provides a great opportunity for students. Quintanilla said all the students that come to Wesleyan have been a great addition and had a positive impact on the faculty as well as students. “The program allows students to be out of their comfort zone and learn about different styles of learning from a different perspective,” Quintanila said. Dr. Sandra Hart, professor of marketing, agrees with Quintanilla. Hart said the program is outstanding and very competitive, and more students should be involved.
IRISH, page 3
Erica Estrada | Rambler Staff
Stop in at the Morton Fitness Center to sign up for group fitness classes! For more information, call 817-531-7589.
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October 19, 2011
Opinion
The Rambler | www.therambler.org
Downtime just as important as work
a 30-minute show and then getting back into the hustle and Shauna Banks bustle of life and school. I mean Editor-in-Chief stretching out in that recliner, sbbanks@txwes.edu with a bowl of apple wedges and a Diet Dr. Pepper and perusing what’s stashed away on the good ol’ DVR. Maybe it’s a solid block of There’s nothing more entertaining the soap operas you can’t seem to than catching a dramatic soap star stop watching, or the return of Tim stare, watching Triple H pedigree the Allen to primetime television. Whatcurrent good guy and finding out ever the choice, it always seems to you actually do know the answer to hit the spot and provide a mindless the final Jeopardy question – all in escape we all need every few days in one sitting. Yes, DVR is a glorious order to retain our sanity. thing. Of course, I admit not everyone’s Nevermind the fact that a term idea of downtime includes cozypaper might be due in less than ing up with the remote to watch the 24 hours, and two midterms have tube. I often find myself snuggling mysteriously appeared on a stu- into bed early with my Sony Reader dent planner, slated for just two (e-book reader) to read something I days away. actually want to read as opposed to We’re all guilty of occasionally a mind-bogglingly boring textbook (okay—more like often) deciding I’ve had to spend an outrageous our favorite shows are more impor- amount of money on for a class. tant than finishing work in a timely I still insist that if any female stumanner or studying just a bit longer dent was ever given a test asking trivfor the test we know we haven’t read ia questions about the Sookie Stackfor. However, I don’t think this is the house and Twilight novels, there’d be most horrible thing. a lot more passing grades. Go Team As adults and college students, Eric and Team Edward! sometimes a little downtime is just Then there’s that type of downthe ticket to a stress-free all-nighter of time we all need when we’re not acstudying or completing an assignment tually down. Maybe we’re out on a in the blink of an eye. And by a little hot date with our significant other, downtime, I don’t mean watching just or maybe we’re out with the ladies
to talk about said significant others and any other piece of gossip that strikes our fancy. For the younger crowd, throw in a few sweaty clubs and margaritas made with far too much tequila. Overall, it doesn’t matter what any-
one does when they’re taking part in what they’ve deemed their own personal downtime. All that matters is the fact that we’re all actually taking that time for ourselves. It not only cuts down on stressfilled outbursts at and away from
home, but presents opportunities for much happier days to follow. Also, if your life ever depended on knowing who got voted off Dancing With The Stars or who won the American League Championship Series, you’d definitely live.
Campus in need of outside area to take break Rachel Peel Community Editor rpeel@txwes.edu
We all have those times when we have 20 minutes to kill between classes on a nice spring or fall day, when we prefer to be outside resting in the warm sun instead of cooped-up in the arctic library. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a place to sit down during those instances? College campuses across the United States have designated park-like areas that allow students and faculty to just take a moment and smell the roses. Our campus has very few areas to sit down and rest in between classes besides inside a building. For nature lovers like me, this would help relieve some of the pressures of college life just to take a moment out of the day to breathe in some fresh air. Now that colleges are transforming their campuses to be more student friendly, it would be a good idea to
add some picnic tables, flowers and a few more water features to attract incoming students to Wesleyan. A park-like atmosphere located in the mall area in front of the Eunice and James L. West Library or the OnealSells Administration Building would give students a place to relax and unwind with a good book. According to www.healtharticles. in, the fresh air helps a person to step away from everything and to refocus naturally. Just a few minutes outdoors can help someone regain the focus and work more effectively. Not only are there mental health benefits from being outdoors, but for some students more sitting areas would be beneficial. I know there are students out there who also need to just sit down for a moment before moving on to another class. Some areas, like in front of the Brown-Lupton Student Center, have plenty of tables and benches to enjoy lunch outdoors. Along the right side of the mall next to the Oneal-Sells Administration Building there are no
The Rambler Shauna Banks, editor-in-chief Eliana Mijangos, sports editor Rachel Peel, community editor Jordan Twine arts & entertainment editor Alejandra Garcia campus feature editor Jonathan Resendez, multimedia editor Meisa Keivani Najafabadi, photo editor Erica Estrada, cartoonist Wendy Moore, faculty adviser Dr. Kay Colley, faculty liaison Frederick Slabach, publisher
Meisa Keivani Najafabadi | Rambler Staff In a select few areas on campus, lone benches offer a place to sit between classes. Currently there are no benches or tables in the most common area on campus where most events are held-- the mall outside the library.
benches or trees to provide a serene environment for studying outdoors. There should also be more picnic tables outside of Dora Roberts Dining Hall. More students could enjoy
Thumbs up to Paul Gill and Gary Jones, winners of the pancake eating contest in Dora’s last Thursday. You guys can really pack those things away!
Thumbs up to the Blu Cru for their display of support at the volleyball game last Friday night. You guys took “going pink” to the next level. The painted-on man bras had us laughing and cheering along with you at the same time.
Thumbs up to the Texas Rangers and their complete obliteration of the Detroit Tigers last Saturday night. We fully expect you to score four wins to clinch your first-ever World Series title.
Thumbs up to the pleasantly plump raccoon that roams the campus. We like to think your name was Zorro in another life, and appreciate the glimpse of wildlife you provide for us each morning. However, we find it our duty to remind you that crossing Rosedale at snail speed is probably not the best idea.
“We are not afraid to follow the truth ... wherever it may lead.” — Thomas Jefferson
Address all correspondence to: Texas Wesleyan University
The Rambler
1201 Wesleyan St. Fort Worth, TX 76105 twurambler@yahoo.com (817) 531-7552 Advertising Inquiries: (817) 531-6525
their breakfast or lunch outdoors if they wish. For a nature-loving student such as myself, the implementation of more seating in and around the
Mall area, near Ella C. McFadden and the Armstrong-Mabee Business Center should be considered and if implemented, would be greatly appreciated.
Thumbs down to the fact that Texas Wesleyan doesn’t have an official escort service to take students to their cars after night classes, when it’s pitch dark outside. Yes, we know campus security offers this service, but we find that waiting outside 20 minutes in the dark for them to come escort us is no different than walking to our car ourselves. Risk of mugging is pretty much the same.
Thumbs down to the lack of fast food joints around campus. Can’t we at least get a Taco Bell or McDonalds? The new Golden Chick off of Rosedale impresses us, but as poor college students, we need something with a 99 cent menu to get us through the day sometimes.
Thumbs down to the lack of healthy food choices in the sub. First you rob us by charging 2-3 times what the items are actually worth. Then you don’t even offer us many choices for things without 20+ grams of fat or 30 grams of sugar. We refuse to pay two bucks for half a cup of fruit that’s been sitting for days.
Member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press, Student Press Law Center, College Media Advisers and College Newspaper Business and Advertising Managers. Opinions expressed in The Rambler are those of the individual authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Texas Wesleyan community as a whole.
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Please send all news briefs to twurambler@yahoo.com. Submissions due by noon Friday to see brief in the following week’s issue. Letters to the editor: The Rambler, a weekly publication, welcomes all letters. All submissions must have a full printed name, phone number and signature. While every consider-
ation is made to publish letters, publication is limited by time and space. The editors reserve the right to edit all submissions for space, grammar, clarity and style. Letters to the editor may be subject to response from editors and students on the opinion page.
The Rambler | www.therambler.org
News
October 19, 2011
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Big Read initiative explores classic novel Kelsi Holland
knholland@txwes.edu
Faculty and staff in the School of Education at Texas Wesleyan are making strides in uniting the surrounding Polytechnic Heights community with the university through The Big Read. Big Read is an effort to promote literacy in the Poly community and raise awareness of reading beginning in February 2012 Twyla Miranda, professor of education and director of graduate studies in education, has been working on promoting Big Read on campus. Miranda said faculty, staff and students at Texas Wesleyan received $11,700 from the National Endowment of the Arts to use as a tool to help raise awareness of literacy in the community. With Big Read, every junior class in the Fort Worth Independent School District will be reading The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Miranda said
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“By the end of the week, they recognize if they have spent a lot of money on eating out or if they have spent it on random things,” JohnsonGerendas said. “I know every time we do that [keep track of
IRISH
this book is centered on the Great Depression and relates to the hard economic times we face today. “The objective of this program is to bring our community together,” Miranda said. The kick-off for Big Read will start late February 2012. At the time this article was written the name of the event was undecided. “The kick off will be a chance for people to get involved and help the Tarrant Area Food Bank,” Miranda said. “This is truly a need because the food bank is running out of nonperishable items as well.” After the kickoff event takes place, there will be a series of events beginning in March and ending in April consisting of book discussions on The Grapes of Wrath, tutoring for high school students, video conferences, plays and more events to come in the planning phase. “I hope to help raise the awareness of literacy for the community, high school
spending] every semester in the fall, they [students] come back and go ‘I didn’t know that I was spending so much money on clothes or food’ or just junk food instead of real food or gasoline.”
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“The program is a strong asset to your resume and exposes students to experience different backgrounds,” Hart said. Dr. Tom Smith, market-
ing and mass communications professor, said students can learn a lot from the experience. “The program introduces students to new ideas
students, and at Texas Wesleyan,” Miranda said. “I hope we all can promote the Wesleyan community and a community-wide read.” Neto Diaz, freshman theatre major, and participant in the event agrees the program is beneficial to the university and the community. “It’s great. It’s directed towards high school students of FWISD and impacting Texas Wesleyan University as well,” Diaz said. “It’s a great cause and I appreciate the promotion of literacy in the community.” Laura Alexander, sophomore political science major, also is a participant and is excited about the events to come. “I think it will impact our community and campus tremendously,” Alexander said. “It’s something practical we can do to promote awareness of literacy and help with the Tarrant Area Food Bank.” Erica Estrada | Rambler Staff For more information, contact Miranda at tmi- Faculty at Wesleyan are joining forces with the Polytechnic Heights community to promote literacy through The Big Read initiative, which will focus on John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. randa@txwes.edu. Johnson-Gerendas said she then talks to the students about strategies for re-aligning what they spend money on. “So awareness is kind of the first step,” Johnson-Gerendas said. “First to document it and then come up with a plan, it’s really helpful for them to see.” and cultures, aspects they haven’t seen before,” Smith said. “[It] makes more people think about visiting because of the great opportunity the students have experienced.”
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providing more space. Ketchum also said with all the new features included, students will be very well equipped. “Take advantage of that opportunity and use it,” Ketchum said. “Use it for everything you can.” Jessica Watton, junior exercise science major, said she is glad to be rid of Ram Mail. “It’s definitely about time,” Watton said. “It’s something Wesleyan really needed.”
Nathan Bassetto, freshman paralegal studies and finance major, said the upgrade was for the better. Bassetto said he forwarded everything to his personal email when Wesleyan still had Ram Mail and when he first saw Ram Mail, it made him think Wesleyan was not technologically advanced. He has high hopes for University Mail. Some students however, prefer Ram Mail and do not
see a need to upgrade. Alyssa Delgado, sophomore business management major, said she liked Ram Mail. “It was easy to use,” Delgado said. “It did the job.” Blanca Romo, junior accounting major, said the more space availability on University Mail is a valuable tool. Romo said she thinks this change should have been done sooner and it is now more convenient to use. “I think it’s definitely better,” Romo said.
A��� � E������������ Guitar serves as outlet for student art 4
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THE RAMBLER | www.therambler.org
October 19, 2011
Jordan Twine
jetwine@txwes.edu
For some, research, logic, reasoning and other rightbrain thinking, drive them to pursue careers in medicine, psychology and history. For others art, music and creativity inspire them to become musicians, thespians and artists. For senior music major Antonio Wicker, left brain thinking gave him no choice in the matter. In turn, he channeled this into music, using his guitar to express his creativity. Wicker said he was always drawn to music but it took him a few tries to find the perfect medium for his abilities. Wicker originally wanted to play drums but instead learned cello in the sixth grade. After a few years, Wicker said the cello still was too restrictive in terms of where he wanted to go with his music and picked up a guitar in the ninth grade. “I’ve always loved music but for me it was about finding the instrument that was easiest for me to express and convey myself through, and for me that’s guitar,” Wicker said. Wicker attended the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts and during his junior and senior year he started writing his own music. Wicker said his music encompasses a wide range of style.
“I like funk, reggae [and] Latin jazz like bossa nova,” Wicker said. “I have such an eclectic taste in music that I listen to and it carries over into the music I create.” Wicker said he is influenced by several guitarists, but one in particular inspired him to grab an axe in the first place. “Hendrix was one of my first influences and really got me going on guitar,” Wicker said. “His ability to emote through the guitar; it just doesn’t sound like he’s playing notes. It sounds like an extension of him.” Wicker said his decision to study music at Wesleyan was because his teacher in high school said the university had a good music program. Wicker said he learned a lot from Lou Carfa, adjunct instructor for guitar, bass, keyboards, MIDI and jazz ensemble. “He’s a monster. His musicianship and the degree to which he’s inside the music are ridiculous,” Wicker said. “On top of that he’s a great person.” David Rai, junior computer science major, is Wicker’s roommate and said he enjoys his friend’s music. “He definitely has a different flavor,” Rai said. “I do see him making it big.” Eric Montez, junior accounting major, said he is also a fan of Wicker and sees big things happening for the musician. “Every time I think of
Erica Estrada | Rambler Staff Senior music major Antonio Wicker shows of his guitar skills on the steps of the Nicholas Martin Performance Hall. Wicker plans to take a trip to Spain in the spring with other students and faculty in the music department to finish his senior year.
Antonio I think of a guitar. It’s kind of his personal icon,” Montez said. “For anyone that hasn’t heard him play I would recommend hearing him play
anything improvised.” Wicker is set to graduate May 2012, and has plans of maybe joining a live band on a six-month cruise ship before returning to school to earn his
master’s degree. “Going to school for music has made me more of a musician as a whole as opposed to just a guitarist,” Wicker said.
In the meantime, Wicker continues to compose and record, and plans on going to Italy in the spring with the music department to wrap up his senior year.
Tim Allen’s new sitcom shows softer side
Rachel Peel
rlpeel@txwes.edu
Instead of promoting the sexier side of power tools and grunting, Tim Allen’s new sitcom Last Man Standing shows the softer side of men, but with a more modern twist than Tim “the tool man” Taylor, Allen portrayed in his ’90s sitcom Home Improvement.
Allen’s character in the new sitcom is Mike Baxter; marketing director for Outdoor Man, which greatly resembles the Bass Pro Shop. Baxter is a father in his 50s whose wife Vanessa is played by Nancy Travis from the movie Three Men and a Baby. Baxter has three daughters, Kristin (22) played by Alexandra Krosney—a single mother, Mandy (17) played by Molly Ephraim and Eve (14) played by Kaitlyn Dever—who was once Baxter’s
little soccer playing tomboy, but now a budding teenager. With Baxter’s wife Vanessa re-entering the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom for several years, the pilot episode opens with Baxter coming home from a trip to Alaska and his wife breaking the news about her new promotion. The promotion requires her to work longer hours and for her husband to take on more duties around the house with the girls.
In the next scene, Baxter journeys to his manly job after being away on a marketing trip from Alaska, filled with men, to find out that his boss Ed, played by Chicago Hope’s Hector Elizondo, has grounded Baxter from any future travels for marketing until he can increase Outdoor Man’s web presence. Baxter, unaware of how to use the Internet, gives the audience quite a laugh as he tries to learn from his daughter’s blog how to promote the
store through blogging. Baxter of course has all the qualities and material things that supposedly define a true man. There’s his high paying marketing job, making fun of Mandy’s boyfriend—who does not know how to change a tire and gets mani’s and pedi’s, all the way down to the green ’50s model Ford F150 he drives. Of course you can’t sit through a show with Tim Allen unable to laugh at his random crazy outbursts we
all grew to love and remember from his Home Improvement days. Allen brings Tuesday night sitcoms back to life with his quirky sense of humor and his interesting twist on comedy. I thought it was a good mesh between random male dominated humor and shows the true side of men, only their wives see and not the male chauvinistic attitude men use when they are around other men. Last Man Standing airs at 8 p.m. on CBS.
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The Rambler | www.therambler.org
Campus Feature
October 19, 2011
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Late-night breakfast brings in students
Erica Estrada | Rambler Staff Paul Gill, freshman criminal justice major, celebrates his victory. He won the Dining Services’ pancake eating contest at 11 p.m. Oct. 3 in Dora Roberts Residential Restaurant.
Erica Estrada | Rambler Staff Collin Beck, freshman pre-law major, along with other students, participated in the pancake eating contest at Dora’s. Resident assistants and Dining Services’ partnered together to provide a pancake eating contest. The two winners of the contest, Paul Gill, freshman criminal justice major and Gary Jones, junior political science major, received a $25 Best Buy gift card, courtesy of Aramark.
Wesleyan student finds inspiration in stained glass art Paige Jennings
pejennings@mail.txwes.edu
Her work is in art shows, antique malls, homes and businesses all around the metroplex. What most do not know about Texas Wesleyan student Cindy Stringer, is how she got her humble beginnings and how her education now plays a role in her business life. Stringer said she has always been fascinated with art, and first explored stained glass in high school after a teacher taught a hands-on arts and crafts class. Stringer said after leaving high school, she went to work for a certified public accountant, got married and did stained glass for a hobby in her spare time. After having two children, she decided to take a break from work and focus on her family. When tragedy struck and her husband died, she was left alone with their children and decided it was a good time to make a profit.
“I had been doing stained glass for several years by that time, mainly for family and friends,” Stringer said. “When my husband died I thought that it was the perfect opportunity to make this into a business.” Stringer’s business, Classic Glass, started small, mainly through word-of-mouth. Her work spread to art shows, antique malls and homes all over Dallas-Fort Worth. Stringer said when she started selling a lot in craft malls, she expanded and started advertising in the yellow pages and handing out business cards. Stringer said when her business took off it was not the only surprising thing in her life. Her previous boss from her high school working days, Lonny Jones, called and asked her to come back to work for him. Jones said Stringer worked for him 25 years ago. “I thought a lot of her then and I still think a lot of her today,” Jones said. “She is a single
mom who wanted to go back and get an education and I thought that was excellent.” Jones said he kept up with Stringer throughout their time apart and that she has faced many challenges and done well for herself and family. Stringer said she attended Tarrant County College to get her basics out of the way, because she had never been to college after high school. Stringer said after knocking out her basics at TCC, she transferred to Wesleyan to become a certified public accountant. Kelly Burton, junior radio and television major at Wesleyan, attended class with Stringer. “Cindy was awesome to have classes with,” Burton said. “She is the kind of person who truly wants to learn and get as much out of a class as possible, no matter how long it takes.” Stringer said after she finishes getting her CPA, she will continue to work for Mr. Jones and expand her stained glass business.
Cindy Stringer | Courtesy Cindy Stringer, senior accounting major, operates her own business Classic Glassic in her spare time. Her business consists of creating and selling stain glass windows. She said she enjoys making her art and is looking to expand her business.
Students discover opportunities involving math science Stephanie Randall
slrandalll@txwes.edu
For students who enjoy math and computer science studies, Texas Wesleyan is now home to the Dimensions Club. The Dimensions Club is an organization for math, computer science and physics majors. Members gather and eat a free lunch the second Tuesday of every month. Guest speakers come to club meetings
and talk to members about the challenges and benefits they have to look forward to in their careers. Many students on campus are involved in this program and find it helpful in preparing them for their future jobs. Monica Maldonado, sophomore math major with a secondary certification, said Dimensions Club gives her an idea of what to expect in her field of study. “We get to learn about
people in our careers and what they experience in and out of college,” Maldonado said. After listening to guest speakers’ stories, students get to ask questions, which are intended to help further their careers. Some guest speakers are Wesleyan alumni. “Knowing that people have been in my shoes helps me encourage myself to keep on going,” Maldonado said.
Dr. Jane Moore, professor of mathematics, computer sciences and physics department chair, said the program is a major boost to students’ knowledge for future jobs. Moore said the Dimensions Club is a positive environment and the students gain advice to help them succeed later in their chosen careers. “Students gain connections, learn about the success in their field of study as
well as meet other students and have a great lunch,” Moore said. Luis Aguirre, senior mathematics major, was last year’s president of the club. He said he enjoys going to the meetings. “The club helps discover more possibilities in mathematics and computer science,” Aguirre said. Maria Salguiero, senior mathematics major, agrees with Aguirre. Salguiero said the club
gives her insight for her field of study and she enjoys the lunch provided. Salguiero said students really benefit and encourages anyone interested in math and scienc to join. “It helps us open a bigger window of opportunity and helps us decide what career we want to go into,” Salguiero said. The next meeting is set for 12:10 p.m Nov. 8 in Ella C. McFadden Science Center Room 106.
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Community Professor dedicates time to teach youth
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The Rambler | www.therambler.org
October 19, 2011
Jessica Pounds
jpounds@txwes.edu
As students, faculty and staff walk around the campus of Texas Wesleyan University they will find the grounds have been kept clear of debris and the landscaping has been maintained. When stepping outside of the campus, however, the environment seen is a different story. Established in 1852, the Polytechnic Heights neighborhood currently houses more than 12,000 residents, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Within the past few decades the area has become run-down with trash scattered throughout the neighborhood. However, there are some Texas residents who are trying to make a difference by cleaning it up. Dr. Carol Sullivan, associate professor of accounting at Wesleyan, has dedicated her free time to restoring luster to the Polytechnic community. “I am specifically interested in improving the neighborhood around the university to make it more appealing for administrators, faculty, staff and students,” Sullivan said. “I consider this area to be a gold mine overall; however, people have to take the effort to see the value to create more value.” Sullivan said for her the biggest focus now is to tackle getting trash removed from sidewalks and grass areas surrounding Texas Wesleyan. To accomplish this, she organized a group of children and teenagers to assist her from Logan Elementary, Dunbar Middle School and Dunbar High School in the Fort Worth Independent School District. Sullivan said the group of about 30 students, called “Weekly Wonder Workers,” meets every Friday afternoon
at 4 p.m. for several hours to fill bags with trash. They meet at a pre-determined location within the community and the students begin by each grabbing their own trash bag. The remainder of the time is spent picking up mostly fast food containers, glass bottles, paper and cardboard from the ground. When their bags are full of trash Sullivan gives each student a $10 weekly allowance. “I consider it a good investment in terms of teaching children good work habits, good business practices and good community involvement,” Sullivan said. “My hope is that the children learn that it is normal to have good family relationships, to do well in school and to work hard to make the world a better place.” Picking up trash is part of a three-year process that Sullivan has planned. “I want to teach the children to clean up the neighborhood the first year, teach them some basic landscaping/gardening techniques the second year and teach them to at least paint a house their third year,” Sullivan said. Betsy Price, mayor of Fort Worth, said she thinks Sullivan’s project is great for the community. “Dr. Sullivan’s desire to enhance the community is fabulous,” Price said. “When you fix a smaller problem, like trash, it can lead to a decrease in bigger problems, like crime. People are less likely to litter in areas that have been cleaned; it instills pride in the residents and it simply makes neighborhoods stronger as a whole.” This summer Sullivan purchased and restored a home on Avenue J that had been abandoned for five years. She found it listed on the city of Fort
Worth’s foreclosed auctions section on the Internet, placed her bid and won the house for only $500. When her renovations were finished, she sold it to a Polytechnic resident for $13,000, which was the amount of money she put into the house. She said she thought her time and labor costs were her service to the community. “My goal when buying the 1925 home was to simply take a liability in the neighborhood and turn it back into an asset with a some time and effort,” Sullivan said. “Everyone seemed very happy with Photos by Jessica Pounds | Courtesy the results of that service project, and I may even use Dr. Carol Sullivan, associate professor of accounting, poses with her neighboorhood clean-up the example in my account- group, Weekly Wonder Workers. All of the students shown in this photo joined Sullivan to help ing classes one day, because clean-up Polytechnic Heights community around Texas Wesleyan. turning a liability into an asset is a very important busi- versity, said Sullivan’s proj- mitted to the neighborhood those people who puts heart ness concept.” ects are important assets to and she is always going above and soul into her passions Dr. Fred Slabach, presi- the school and community. and beyond the call of duty,” without any expectation of dent of Texas Wesleyan Uni“Dr. Sullivan is very com- Slabach said. “She is one of recognition or reward.”
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7 S����� Ram soccer suffers 2-1 loss in conference THE RAMBLER | www.therambler.org
Emma Fradette
ekfradette@txwes.edu
The Texas Wesleyan men’s soccer team played Oct. 15 in Houston versus St. Thomas University. The Rams took a tough loss to St. Thomas 2-1. The first half started out with STU on top. The Rams gave up a goal within the first minute of play and allowed a second goal 15 minutes after. The Rams were down 2-0 at halftime. Senior forward Kyle Fritz said the first half did not start out great. “We need to get out to a faster start when we play,” Fritz said. “We can’t come out flat.” The Rams started slow in the second half not scoring until mid mark. Sophomore midfielder Ivan Kovacevic received a free kick and scored
October 19, 2011
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making the final score 2-1. The Rams took five shots on goal and had three offside calls for the game. “We didn’t come into the game mentally focused,” Christian Sotelo, senior defender, said. “They got up early and when we finally started playing we closed the game one goal down.” Senior forward Ricardo Aguilera said the team will learn and move on from this game. “We had both negative and positive moments,” Aguilera said. “We’ll learn from both and definitely move on to win out and go to the conference tournament.” The Rams will pick up again at 7:30p.m. Oct. 20 Meisa Keivani Najafabadi | Rambler Staff at Martin Field against Thiago Borges (5), senior defense, hustles for a ball against Our Lady of the Lake University Sept. 29 at Martin Field. The Rams Southwestern Assem- took a 2-1 loss Oct. 15 on the road against the University of St. Thomas. This game put the Rams 7-5 overall with two ties and blies of God University. 4-2 in conference with one tie. They will face off against SAGU 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at Martin Field.
Davis pushes to prove herself in RRAC through work ethic
Stephanie Randall
slrandall@txwes.edu
Not many students say they enjoy running miles on a daily basis, but for Jessica Davis, sophomore criminal justice major, it is part of her everyday life. Davis is a Dallas native whose hobbies mainly consist of running. Before coming to Wesleyan, Davis attended Northwood University in Cedar Hill. She then decided to attend Texas Wesleyan where she red shirted for the 2009-2010 season. Davis said the red shirt season was essential to her because now she feels she
has a lot to prove. “I can see the difference from the way I ran last year to this year,” Davis said. “I feel I need to prove something and I have to make up what I didn’t get a chance to show last year.” Davis said she found her love for cross-country in a unique way. She started off as a three-sport athlete playing soccer, softball and volleyball. Then, in her junior year high school while training for soccer, the cross-country coach expressed interest in her skills. Davis said the coach gave her an ultimatum because the track and soccer sea-
sons conflicted. “I just fell in love with the sport,” Davis said. Davis said this will be her third year ever running cross-country and track since her junior year in high school and she has many goals for the upcoming season. Her teammate Lauri Gutierrez, sophomore runner, also agrees Davis will do great this season. “Jessica has already accomplished a lot, she has been named the Red River Conference runner of the week three times in a row,” Gutierrez said. Davis received Red River Athletic Conference run-
ner of the week this past meet in the 5K run at Wesleyan, finishing eighth out of 38 runners with a time of 15:19. “She works hard and has great leadership skills,” Gutierrez said. “I look up to her with hopes to one day be as great a runner as she is.” Davis said her main goals are to be an All-American at nationals, place in the top 10 and be a conference champ. “I plan to give 110 percent and nothing less than that and be very coachable,” Davis said. Davis said she plans to keep practicing hard to
achieve her goals. Head cross-country and track coach, Natnael Amare agreed with Davis about the goals of the team. “My hope and our goal as a team this year is to pretty much win the conference championships with a perfect score and also for us to be ranked in the top twenty-five before we go to nationals,” Amare said. Amare said the team’s goal is also to finish at the national championships in the top 15 in the nation. “I think we have proved we can accomplish that by running in the Oklahoma State meet and finishing sixth out of 32 teams.”
Meisa Keivani Najafabadi | Rambler Staff Jessica Davis, sophomore runner, holds a goal to win RRAC conference for her team and herself.
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Sports Volleyball takes 3-0 loss to RRAC No. 1
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October 19, 2011
Eliana Mijangos
emmijangos@txwes.edu
The Lady Rams faced off against their rivals University of Texas at Brownsville, No. 1 in the Red River Athletic Conference, on Oct. 14 at the Sid Richardson Student Center for dig pink day. The Lady Rams suffered a 3-0 loss to the Lady Scorpions. The Lady Rams showed their support for breast cancer awareness by holding a silent auction for all jerseys and T-shirts. All the proceeds collected went to the SideOut Foundation’s Dig Pink program. The Lady Scorpions came out strong with defense early to go with a 9-1 run in the first set. Capitalizing on Lady Ram errors, UTB won the set 25-12. Meghan Finley, freshman middle blocker, put the Lady Rams on top in the second
set with a kill before the Lady Rams allowed UTB to take a 4-0 run bringing the score to 9-5, Lady Scorpions up. Lynsay Buell, sophomore middle blocker, brought the deficit closer with a kill that took the Lady Rams down 1310. The Lady Scorpions once again took a run going 5-0 to take the win 25-17 for the second set. We came out in the first two games with our tails tucked between our legs,” Stephanie Dominguez, sophomore setter, said. “Finally, in the third game we came out as the team I know we are. It was not enough to push out the win.” The Lady Rams came out strong in the third set with Dominguez getting an ace to bring the score to 3-0. The Lady Rams refused to settle for a tie at 9-9 and took a 5-0 run to take a 15-9 lead. At 2121, the Lady Rams refused to lay down pushing forward for
the 24-23 lead. UTB pulled out the win with an ace to take a 26-24 win. “I think we came out shaky,” senior defensive specialist Marissa Rangel said, “But in the end we were able to play at the same level as UTB.” This game marked a 40game winning streak for the Lady Scorpions against Wesleyan starting with games Nov. 7, 2008. “We are a young team, but that’s no excuse for losing to UTB,” Dominguez said. Angelica Arroyo, sophomore setter, topped off the loss with 21 assists with Dominguez rolling in 13 digs. Finley led her team with eight kills while Katherine Rosenbusch, sophomore middle blocker, finished with seven kills on 18 swings. The Lady Rams will travel to Georgetown to partake in the Southwestern University tournament starting Oct. 28.
Meisa Keivani Najafabadi | Rambler Staff Above: Elena Vannaman (3), freshman defensive specialist, goes up for a kill against the University of Texas at Brownsville Oct. 14 at the Sid Richardson Student Center for the Dig Pink game. Left: Katherine Rosenbusch(18), sophomore middle blocker, tries to deflect a kill while Bailey Bunting(14), freshman middle blocker goes for a dig. The Lady Rams took a 3-0 loss.
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