wednesday
November 6, 2013
Vol. 97 • No. 12 www.therambler.org
The Rambler The voice of Texas Wesleyan University students since 1917
Rosedale Ceremony
Wesleyan Veterans
11/15/2013
Campus,
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Oct. 18 gas leak raises questions about how Wesleyan’s WEMS alert system operates
Everyone on campus did not receive a text alert from WEMs when a gas leak occurred on Oct. 18. Rosy Perez
rperez1196@txwes.edu
The Oct. 18 gas leak raises questions about Wesleyan’s emergency alert system. On Friday, Oct. 18. at approximately 1:30 p.m., an email went out to Texas Wesleyan students, faculty and staff alerting them about a gas
Opinion,
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leak that led to the evacuation of the Dan Waggoner Hall, Dan Waggoner Hall Annex and the Nenetta Burton Carter Building. “Security found out about the gas leak when we heard the fire truck coming,” said Wesleyan Security Manager Blake Bumbard. Text alerts for such emer-
rperez1196@txwes.edu
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current text is updated, you are enrolled in the alerts. One professor on campus mentioned that her cell phone and office phone were constantly informing her about the situation. Another student said she kept receiving several emails saying the problem had been fixed on Oct. 21. “People are automatically
an explosion. To ease the minds of those on campus, Wesleyan offers voluntary training for professors and staff members about what to do in emergencies. There also is an emergency booklet in every department or building that outlines what to do during various situations. Some of the benefits in enrolling in WEMS for these future alerts are so that you can have multiple numbers on your accounts. You can put your cell phone number, home number and even parents’ numbers in the loop for WEMS. For many students whose parents are in different parts of the country or even international, this could give them peace of mind and notifications when there is an emergency on campus. Many have urged IT and WEMS to send out a text alert test, so students can avoid confusion next time and make sure that their current numbers are up to date. A test alert for the texts also could add a better sense of first warnings for future campus security concerns. Changing cell phone numbers also is quite common among college students, espcially when coming in from another state. Making sure your number is right is beneficial to WEMS and those getting alerts. Let The Rambler know what measures need to be taken by commenting online at www. therambler.org or send us a note on Facebook.
Ann Elms heaps scholarships on students for over eight years, including students at Texas Wesleyan Rosy Perez
“The Christian view concerning marriage is foremost a doctrinal perspective...”
gencies are offered at Wesleyan if you are registered for them, but some students who were registered never received texts about what was going on at the school. In one class of about 25 students, just five were registered for text alerts. Out of those five students, none of them received the alert. However, as long as your
Courtesy of Kristi Taylor
enrolled in the Wesleyan Emergency Management System,” said Service Desk Analyst Abbey R. Wilson. An email that was sent to students Oct. 18 said that WEMS would inform students as soon as the buildings were safe to go back into that day. Many people said they did not receive this notification. At 3:16 p.m. Wesleyan did post on Facebook that the issue had been resolved. Another concern with students was why the whole school was not evacuated. Bumbard said one of the reasons the school was not evacuated was because the gas leak was contained. Another reason why students did not receive a text alert was because it was faster to contact the people in the buildings that were threatened. If you want to opt out of WEMS, go to your Ramlink. Click WEMS Opt-Out, and check the box. Now that the dust has settled and questions have been answered, students can understand why text alerts never were sent out when the gas leak occurred. “It was an outside leak not an inside leak,” Bumbard said. “It was basically a punctured line in that area, and that’s why just those buildings were evacuated around that area -mainly because of the smell more than anything else.” Several people interviewed on campus also pointed out that there are inexpensive gas detectors available to plug into walls to warn of gas leaks. Though there was not a disaster, many were concerned that a small spark could cause
Since 2005 Ann Elms helped 15 students go to college with full ride scholarships, and Texas Wesleyan is near the top of the listings. Some of the other schools attended by those students are the University of North Texas, the University of Texas at Arlington, University of Houston, and many others. In 2005, Elms started to work with the Circle of Winners program for the Northside Inter-Church Agency after the agency had received a Community Youth Development grant. This grant would allow students to “work” for college money. “It was a God deal, “Elms said. The grant was a God deal to Elms because it allowed students to earn money for college, apply for scholarships and teach the students interviewing techniques for when applying for jobs. Students are interviewed
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by Elms and have the chance to explain to her what they wanted to do in life and how being in the program would benefit them. Students then go to NICA about four times a week to volunteer. When Elms met Patricia O’Neal, owner of O’Neal Oil and Gas, at a Rotary Club meeting things began to click for the Circle of Winners program. O’Neal told Elms she wanted to meet the Circle of Winners’ participants. When O’Neal met the first group of winners, she promised the students she would pay for their college educations. Elms helped various students from straight-A students to teen mothers. Among the teen mothers is senior Political Science major Lizbeth Lopez who is attending the University of North Texas. “A lot of my mentors kind of were disappointed and judged me,” Lopez said, “but Ann was disappointed. At the same time, she spoke to me and told
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Courtesy of Ann Elms f Ann Elms has helped fund scholarships for over 15 people in the past eight years.
me this is just another obstacle you can overcome,” Lopez said. During the week students like Lopez go to various schools where they tutor students, make crafts and build relationships. During the weekend students help organize the pantry, apply for scholarships and during the holiday season
pass out turkeys and gifts for children. With the love pouring out her eyes and a smile on her face, Elms talks about Lopez and becoming teen mothers. “Just because you have a child doesn’t mean that you can’t get an education; in fact, you need one even more,” Elms said.
Elms doesn’t just go through the obstacles of her students. She also went through an obstacle of her own in May of 2009. While camping and judging motorcycle races in Oklahoma, Elms suffered a stroke. Turning to her husband with a pale look on her face, she
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