The Rambler Vol.99 No.2

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WEDNESDAY

February 11, 2015 Vol. 99 • No. 2

www.therambler.org The voice of Texas Wesleyan University students since 1917

INDEX Opinion 2 News 3 Campus 4,5 A&E 6 Sports 7,8

Campus AROUND

Homecoming voting begins Feb. 22 Ryan Grounds

rrgrounds@txwes.edu

Wesleyan students can vote for the homecoming king and queen starting on Feb. 22.

An email will be sent out to students from Dean of Students Dennis Hall that will include a link allowing students to vote.

Voting will continue through Saturday, Feb. 28.

“Go and vote,” said SGA President Tyler Mendez. “It’s your right as a student and as an American, so go vote.”

The 2015 Homecoming basketball games begin at 3 p.m. with the Lady Rams playing Southwestern Assemblies of God University.

The King and Queen, and the Homecoming Court, will be announced before the men’s game against Southwestern begins at 5:15 p.m.

All Wesleyan alumni who attend will receive a free Tshirt, and there will also be free BBQ in the SUB from 4 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.

Theatre Wesleyan presents “The Survivor” beginning Feb.18

Student workers cash in on raise Valerie Spears vlspears@txwes.edu

Minimum wage has vanished from Texas Wesleyan.

All Wesleyan student workers and 20 faculty members received an increase from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour on Jan. 11, Strategic Communications Manager Ann Davis said. Beginning in December 2014, student workers were also allowed to work 20 hours per week instead of 15.

The university agreed to provide the raise to compete with outside jobs, which were paying more than minimum wage and giving students more hours, Davis said. On average there are between 90 and more than 100 student workers at Wesleyan each semester.

Shannon Watterson, 25, a senior studying psychology, has been a Career Services student worker since the fall 2013 semester. She is happy that she got the raise right before graduation.

“It would have been nice a few semesters ago,” she said. “But having it before graduation gives me financial stability now that I am going into the work force.”Watterson believes that

 RAISE, page 3 Information courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

New fire pit area christened on cold night Ryan Grounds rrgrounds@txwes.edu

The recently constructed fire-pit was officially broken in on Thursday night when the Lambda Kappa Kappa fraternity hosted a tailgate party

for the Rams basketball team.

“I think that the fire pit is awesome,” said criminal justice major Matthew Rodriguez, 19. “I’m in Lambda Kappa Kappa, and we are looking forward to using this area for many events this semester on campus.”

Rodriguez and about 20 other Wesleyan students gathered to warm themselves by the pit. The pit houses two propane-generated fire pits and a new grill that is built into the the tan stones.

“I love this new area,” said education major Robin Stilhimer. “It is

Michael Acosta rmacosta@txwes.edu

Theatre Wesleyan’s fourth production of the 2014-2015 season takes audiences into the heart of the Holocaust – the Warsaw ghetto.

“The Survivor,” which runs Feb. 18-22 at the Thad Smotherman Theatre, was written by Susan Nanus and based on a memoir by Holocaust survivor Jack Eisner, who as a teenager resisted the Nazis in Warsaw.

In the play, Jacek (Cameron Byerly) is the ringleader of the group. The cast also includes Travis Jones (Yankele), Jakeb Lowey (Lutek), Clarissa Murillo (Halina), Jacob Myers (Rudy), Kaila Saffle (Mala), Dean Phillips (Sevek), Crystal Salazar (Hela), Colton Mallory (Markowsky), Jacob Sanchez (Rubenstein), and Aleksei Barerra (Franek).

“The Survivor” debuted at the Morosco Theatre in New York in March 1981.

Showtimes for Theatre Wesleyan’s production are Feb. 18-21 at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 21-22 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students with ID, faculty and staff. General admission is $10. The box office opens Feb. 16 and will be open from 1-5 p.m. Reservations are available at 817-5314211.

Photo by Jessica Liptak

Wesleyan students beat the cold last week by gathering at the new fire pit during a basketball tailgate party.

great to have an area on campus to have events on campus.”

Last semester, Wesleyan’s Student Government Association voted to build a fire pit in the center of the residence halls area, next to the tennis courts.

Mendez met with with Dean of Students Dennis Hall and Pati Alexander, vice-president, enrollment & student services, about the cost of construction and materials.

“They both agreed that Student Life would pay half of the costs if SGA agreed to pay the other half,” Mendez said.

In addition to the new grill and fire pits, the area also has electricity and power outlets for charging phones or laptops.

“I’m extremely excited about the fire pit,” said SGA Vice President Abby Borghee. “I think it is going to bring together residence life and commuter students, by having really cool events on campus.”

Students wishing to use the area will need to contact Student Life to reserve the time they desire. Propane tanks are available upon request.

“I think that with our enhanced security that safety won’t be an issue,” Borghee said.

A fire extinguisher will be placed in that area as a safety precaution.

Wesleyan, Ranger College sign agreement Valerie Spears vlspears@txwes.edu

Located west of Fort Worth and Weatherford, Ranger College is a long way from Texas Wesleyan, but for students looking to transfer here, the distance just got a lot shorter.

Thanks to a new agreement, students from Ranger will have a smooth transition when transferring to Wesleyan, said Allen Henderson, Wesleyan’s provost and senior vice president.

The new “articulation agreement,”

which was signed by Wesleyan and

“The students get free tuition, and they won’t lose credit hours.

That really helps the students.”

-Allen Henderson

Ranger officials on Jan. 8, gives students a chance to see which classes will transfer to Wesleyan, which helps prevent needlessly retaking classes.

The agreement ensures that the style of teaching at Ranger follows Wesleyan’s, which guarantees that most classes will transfer, Henderson said.

Community colleges within the state of Texas are required to have common course numbers and

 RANGER, page 3

2 | Wednesday | February 11, 2015

Opinion

TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.

Free tuition is not exactly “free,” even under Obama’s new college plan Erica Estrada Photo Editor eestrada@txwes.edu

President Barack Obama announced on Jan. 8, that he wants to make the first two years of community college free for those who work hard. First, I question what exactly defines who works hard? I am not saying I am not completely opposed to this idea.

I am indifferent. As someone who paid out of pocket every year to finish my college education, I feel Obama’s plan leaves those who worked hard to pay off school feeling like, “Well, what about us?” Even after taking out all my grants and loans, I am still left with a balance of around $2,000 each semester to pay without my parents’ help. Community college is already inexpensive, but a four-year intuition is not. I think the money should go toward four-year institutions instead, especially since they are more competitive to get into.

The way I see it, by the time I graduate college I will possibly be left paying taxes to pay for this plan if this gets passed, on top of still having to pay for my student loans. I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way. Also, I would hope those who receive free tuition do not just throw their education away by dropping out because then our money gets flushed down the drain.

Those who actually paid their way, received scholarships or have parents that pay may feel more pressure to perform better. My fear is that some of those who go to community college for free may not feel there are any consequences if they drop out because it’s not their money and they did not work for it. Therefore, I feel if anyone were to go to community college for free it should be because they earned it. According to https://studentaid.ed.gov/prepare-for-college/ tests, most community colleges have open enrollment, meaning it’s not mandatory to take the ACT or SAT, which means anyone can get in as long as they have their high school diploma.

Illustration by: Erica Estrada

Yes, anyone. Alas, the most positive way I can look at this is two ways: One, I hope all my work experience and learning how to manage my time and multitask will pay off. Two, I hope the next generation of students that truly work hard will not have to work as hard as those of us that had to pay their way out of pocket to get through school, and will be better able to focus on their studies. This will also not only help others, but will also help better our society and nation to advance, which is something I am for.

Find your passion by listening to yourself Victoria Johnson Content Producer vjohnson@txwes.edu

What is passion? Passion is often associated with love or relationships. As many before me have said, in order to find love in another person, you must be willing to look inward and find what you love about yourself.

Taking it to the next step, passion is not limited to what you find attractive in another person. In order to truly understand passion in another person, we must identify what we are passionate about in ourselves. Passion is the very thing in our lives that excite us and leave us gasping for breath in their wake. With the right tools, passion can be identified by simply adjusting our perspective.

In order to understand what you are passionate about, you have to understand what passion is. Passion is simply an intense emotion towards a person or thing. You can be passionate about anything- Golden Girls, working out, baking, and the list goes on. There’s a sense of unvarnished beauty in it all. Being passionate about something is being able to admit that

there is something in the world that pushes you to the end of your seat. Whether you care to admit it or not, there is something out there that leaves you breathless when you talk about it. There is something out there that you’re obsessed with and could teach a whole class on if you had the opportunity to.

But every beautiful story will always face a series of unfortunate events. What seems like such an easy concept is suddenly complicated. Somewhere in the history of mankind, there was a decision that determined it was unacceptable to be passionate about particular things. For example, society has decided that wearing Asics sneakers is just not cool anymore. At one time, Asics were all the rage! In fact, Uma Thurman’s character The Bride in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies wore colorful Asics to match each outfit depending on who she was going to assassinate. Not only do they come in slick colors, they are extremely comfortable. Now, the only acceptable sneaker to wear is Nike and they have to be matching your Nike shorts, with matching white Nike socks, and some kind of “Just Do It” T-shirt.

How revolutionary.

The issue here is not wearing Nikes. The issue is the conception of this shift in society’s interest. Instead of one or two people liking Nikes, it seems the whole planet is obsessed

The Rambler Print/Web Content Producers: Victoria P. Garcia, Sachiko Jayaratne, Valerie Spears, Brianna Kessler, Victoria Johnson, Jessica Liptak, Michael Acosta

“We are not afraid to follow the truth ... wherever it may lead.”

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with having a small check mark on every article of clothing they own. Where’s the originality? If you are going to be passionate about workout clothes, can they at least be something that isn’t carefully researched and designed to attract even the dumbest people in today’s market.

Let’s look at Wesleyan. While we still attend a small, private university, Wesleyan allows students to discover the parts of themselves they didn’t realize existed. Though our school does not offer all the organizations that UTA may offer, this does not mean that Wesleyan is any less beneficial.

With various social and educational organizations, students are given the opportunity to dabble in anything that catches their interest, ultimately discovering what they are truly passionate about. In fact, through these organizations, students are able to choose a major and career path that will lead to ultimate job satisfaction in the future.

The point is, you don’t have to have the future figured out right now. Under no circumstances are you required to know all of your likes and dislikes and be able to name them in chronological order. However, at this point in life, we should be able to be honest about the odd hobbies we like and the music we dislike.

The dilemma here is that in a matter of sec-

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onds, as a generation, we figured out the negative effects that follow when we turn off the part of our brain that light up when we discover something new. The amount of time we’ve spent following the masses has been wasted when it could have been easily used to develop a new app or create a new recipe.

Your passion defines who you are. Passion is what proves you are more than just a walking dollar sign at this university. That very passion is the reason why you will be successful in your future.

Unlike math, there is no equation to find your individual passion. The best way to find your passion is to become submerged in various things and listening for what speaks to you. If that means you have to take a painting class and completely fail at it, that’s fine.

If that means trying various recipes until you find what your “secret ingredient” is, then take that leap of faith. Perhaps you’re a daredevil and your passion comes from jumping out of airplanes. Just like finding someone you love and care about, finding something you’re passionate about takes patience and dedication.

But the wait is worth it. The only person who can determine what you are passionate about is you. And if you think discovering your passion might be difficult, imagine the work it will take to regain it once it’s gone.

Rams up Thumbs up to Homecoming being two weeks away.

Thumbs up to spring break being less than a month away.

Thumbs up to the student worker raise.

Thumbs up to Valentines Day.

Rams down Thumbs down to the business students having large classes in small classrooms.

TheRambler.org Channel 25

Thumbs down to service issues with electonics in the library basement.

Thumbs down to the loud air conditioning in the PUMC. Thumbs down to students not getting their refund checks on time.

Wednesday | February 11, 2015

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News

TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.

RAISE

continued from page 1 students should work on campus so they can gain work experience whileputting education first.

“An on-campus job is really a preparation for your life,” she said. “They also understand when you need to take time off for studying because they believe education comes first.”

Watterson experienced difficulties in her schedule when working at Olive Garden from 2009 to 2014. She enjoys the oncampus experience because of the flexible hours and easy access to a job. “Walking across campus is a five minute walk,” she said. “It’s a lot faster than a 30-minute drive and never knowing if you will get off in time for class.”

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics for Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington, Wesleyan’s $10.10 wage is higher than most food industry jobs, including cooks and baristas. The highest wage for common student jobs was $12.73 for receptionist (see chart).

Robyn Bone, director of Career Services, is glad that Wesleyan has given the raises. She believes students should have an on-campus job to get hands-on training instead of working a job that doesn’t give them practical experience.

“Students should be able to get a job on campus because it gives them professional development,” she said.

International students also will be able to get experience with the United States style of business without trying to look for outside jobs to help them pay for expenses, she said.

In addition, students looking for internships are representing Wesleyan, and by getting student jobs before hand, they can have a better understanding of the professional workforce, she said.“Our hopes in Career Services is that students are taking the student worker knowledge and using it in their career,” she said.

agreement has created interest within the community college.

He believes Ranger will see an increase in enrollment as the word gets out.

“Our students are really excited about it,” he said.

Many Ranger students have been looking into transferring to Wesleyan because of the chance to get free tuition, he said. Tarleton State University offers a similar agreement, but without the scholarship opportunities.

“I think the main selling point for Ranger was the Smaller.

Smarter. scholarship,” he said. “The students get free tuition and they won’t lose credit hours. That really helps the students.”

Jeffrey Green, Wesleyan’s assistant director to transfer admissions, said part of the agreement is to build relationships between the two colleges to help students.

“You can write things down and have it in print,” he said. “But if students aren’t aware of it they don’t know about it.”

The process without this agreement is harder for students,

he said.

Many four-year universities and out-of-state universities do not have articulation agreements because of the competition for students from community colleges.

“There are times when students come from schools that don’t have those,” he said. “In general, their classes don’t transfer as well.”

The transfer process at Wesleyan is easy compared to other schools, he said.

Wesleyan has the capability to give transfer students the attention they need because of its small size.

“I do say with a lot of pride that we are one of the easiest schools to transfer to in the area,” he said. “When we put [Smaller. Smarter.] in the marketing campaigns and billboards, it’s not just the classroom, but it is also beneficial to our offices, especially the admissions office.”

es, community colleges and trade schools on their responsiveness and significance to high-demand, high-growth science, technology, engineering, and math professions, according to the company’s website.

Wesleyan was among over 1,600 schools that participated in the extensive survey process, which evaluated the university’s program alignment to job demand, diversity among STEM programs, and graduate success in STEM careers, according to the company’s website.

“The war for STEM talent is on, and the battles for that talent begin in the classroom, with America’s largest renewable pool of STEM talent — graduating students,” according to the company’s website.

“This recognition is important because these jobs are in high demand, and we work hard to ensure our graduates are competitive,” said Dr. Marcel Satsky Kerr, dean, School of Natural and Social Sciences, in an online article at txwes.edu.

Wesleyan’s class size allows students in these fields hands-on training and plenty of lab time.

Dr. Bruce Benz, chair of the biology department at Wesleyan, said the STEM fields are the highest in demand among the country in terms of need and employment.

“Solutions to world problems come from innovations in those areas,” Benz said. “We are doing great things here at Wesleyan in our STEM education by offering hands-on training to our students to allow them to compete in the competitive STEM job field.”

Wesleyan has been doing amazing things in the science field for decades and this new achievement credits the university’s hard work, Benz said.

“This new recognition has the potential to draw new students and faculty into Wesleyan,” Benz said. “The recognition that was awarded to us was timely, appropriate, and will be worn with pride.”

RANGER

continued from page 1 names, Henderson said.

Wesleyan has formed articulation agreements with 11 community colleges in and around the Metroplex.

The Smaller. Smarter. scholarship has been the main driving force to form the articulation agreement, he said.

“That scholarship is pretty impressive,” Henderson said. “Basically their tuition is covered, but they still have books, fees, and other expenses. That really helps them.”

It is harder for students to go to a private university from a community college because of high cost, Henderson said. One of the reasons Wesleyan has a lot of transfer students is because the scholarships make tuition the same or lower than public universities prices.

“We are actually one of the best affordable private schools around,” he said. “Plus, they won’t get the same opportunities going to bigger universities.”

John Rhine, Ranger’s transfer and career advisor, said that the

Wesleyan selected as STEM approved college in national survey Brianna Kessler bnkessler@txwes.edu

In December 2014, Victory Media selected Texas Wesleyan University as one of 1,600 STEM-approved colleges around the country.

Dr. Christopher Parker, a microbiology professor at Wesleyan, said the fact that Wesleyan is STEM approved is great. It allows students to apply what they learned in science, technology, engineering, and math in the real world.

“STEM is applying critical thinking to real world problems,” Parker said. “It is problem solving in action.”

Victory Media is a veteran-owned business that helps brand and promote corporate America and higher education through digital and print media, according to the company’s website.

The 2015 list is the first of its kind to rate universities, colleg-

Dining Services New Counter Seating

Onyesonam Nolisa finishes a practice session with optimism for the season.

Photo by Paula Justice

Increased Seatings, 2 drink stations, expanded breakfast bar New Breads at the Deli -Focaccia -Ciabatta Self Serve Hot Dogs & Pizza are back!

Ice Cream Station - New Grille works open daily Coming soon - Self Serve Dessert Case

4 | Wednesday | February 11, 2015

Campus

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Don’t forget the story of St. Valentine Valerie Spears vlspears@txwes.edu

Valentine’s Day – a day to celebrate love, gorge on chocolate, and cuddle your kitten. It can be overwhelming walking into the retail stores, but the after Valentine’s Day sales are always worth it. Beyond all the commercialization of the day comes the true reason behind Valentine’s Day, St. Valentine.

I believe that we should spend some time on Valentine’s Day focusing on the beautiful story of how he married young couples, even when it was deemed illegal.

According to Catholic Online, St. Valentine faced persecution under Emperor Claudius II, was thrown in prison and beaten, and eventually beheaded on Feb. 14 on or around the year 270.

Claudius believed that marrying young couples caused his army to lose battles because the young men wouldn’t fight as hard knowing their wives and children were at home.

The traditions of celebrating Valentine’s Day began within the Catholic Church because St. Valentine risked his own life for love, which granted the monk the title of being a saint. Since then, many cultures throughout the world have picked up on the holiday, leading to the more modernized day devoted for love.

I think we often lose focus of the real reason we have Valentine’s Day, as we do with most holidays.

It has become a powerful economic force that leads to strong retail sales. While this can help the economy, it almost ruins the true meaning. Single people watch all the happy couples exchange gifts and end up despising Valentine’s Day instead of recognizing the man who died to save the marvelous gift of marriage.

However, who wouldn’t want to revel in the over-commercialized romantic gestures?

Valentine’s Day is a great reason to go out and have fun, especially in the beginning of the semester. Have a night where all the Nicholas Sparks’ scenes become your reality. And if you’re single, go out and find other single people.

There are plenty of singles fantasizing about a nice evening out. You could even take your cute little puppy out to share a plate of meatballs.

Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, go have a nice day out.

Plan to go get a pedicure, or go sky diving. Do something wild and crazy that you wouldn’t normally do, because hey, you might as well have fun on a holiday.

Or you can be a little risqué and go see 50 Shades of Grey.

The day is yours to go and have fun being single or with your significant other.

Baseball

Feb. 14 vs. Doane Feb. 15 vs. Doane Feb. 24 vs. Dallas Christian

Basketball

Feb. 12 vs. St. Gregory’s Feb. 19 vs. Southwestern Christian

Softball

Feb. 13 at Gateway Park Feb. 14 at Gateway Park

www.ramsports.net

Spoil whoever you love -yourself, your mom, your boyfriend or girlfriend, or your kitten, it doesn’t matter. Everyone loves someone or something, so do what you love, as long as you don’t get arrested.

If you don’t have any money, there are plenty of sappy movies on Netflix, romantic places to walk in Fort Worth, or make a feast at home.

You could spend time in downtown – have a picnic in the Water Gardens, take selfies next to the beautiful flowers in the Fort Worth or Dallas botanical gardens, or ride the train to Dallas. If you are spending time with kids, Pinterest has plenty of ideas for Valentine’s baking and arts and craft ideas to keep them entertained. Whatever you do, get out of your normal routine and appreciate the feeling and freedom of love.

But just remember, while the teddy bears, box of chocolates, romantic dates, and red roses are a great way to show your significant other how much you love him or her, it shouldn’t just be about buying the best gifts and writing sappy love notes. We live in such a free society, unafraid of showing who we love.

We have come such a long way from the year 270; we now are open to loving whoever we want without the fear of being prosecuted.

We should give thanks to the sacrifices that have taken place throughout history by many men and women for freedom, including St. Valentine.

Wednesday | February 11, 2015

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Campus

TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.

Valentine’s Day:

The ultimate fool’s holiday for couples Victoria Johnson vjohnson@txwes.edu

People run around with the idea that if they are in relationship they are going to get spoiled rotten or worse, if they are single they will be forever alone.

The issue with Valentine’s Day isn’t that people are single; the issue is the idea that if you are single, there is something wrong with you.

And the people who are single on Valentine’s Day seem to be miserable and too lonely to ever fall in love while people in relationships are perceived as ethereal beings sitting on Cupid’s high court. Guess what? Who cares?

I’ve been single and in a relationship on Valentine’s Day and there was absolute nothing different. I wasn’t hoping for flowers or a teddy bear. It felt like another day with the same amount of responsibilities I had any other day. Instead of hoping for some clichéd gift that will be quickly forgotten, I looked at the bigger picture.

On Valentine’s Day it’s expected that you will receive chocolates and/or a romantic date that proves you are completely and hopelessly devoted to the other person.

The reality of Valentine’s Day isn’t even about love or caring about the other person, it’s about gifts and how well you can

convince the public how happy you are. Even if the relationship is going downhill.

It’s safe to say that Valentine’s Day is a scam.

While some people still celebrate the day as a way to show their loved one how much they mean to them, the rest of the world has decided to cash in on these hopeless, uninformed individuals.

Jewelry companies, candy companies, and floral companies have probably determined that shallow couples believe the only way to prove they love each other is by the amount of money they spend on the other one.

Thanks to this concept, the up-charging of various items is as easy as swiping a card, and large corporations are laughing all the way to the bank.

It’s pretty much agreed that Valentine’s Day is perhaps the largest corporate scam next to Black Friday and consists of mainly one of two things: some guy has been having an affair for the last three months and needs to make both women feel loved when he can’t decide himself or the relationship is going to end unless there is a Tiffany’s box involved.

Let’s put it in plain terms: Stop celebrating Valentine’s Day in hopes of receiving something. It has nearly the same concept as Christmas, where you should focus on giving instead of receiving, but there are a few differences.

If you are only excited for Valentine’s Day because you want

chocolate-covered strawberries or an obnoxious gift of any sort, then you are the reason the corporate pigs still laugh and drink whiskey on a yacht.

If you are envious of all your friends because they are in thriving relationships, don’t be.

Valentine’s Day is the one day out of the year where couples pretend they are happy so everyone will gawk and say, “They are so cute.”

There should be no difference between Valentine’s Day and any other day of the year.

If you are in a relationship, you should be celebrating your significant other’s existence and dedication to you daily instead of spending a large sum of cash once a year. Relationships take work, and the work will easily go unnoticed if you only do it at the beginning of the year.

As for the single folks in the world, you do not need someone to buy you chocolate or take you out on a date for Valentine’s Day to prove that you are wanted and loved. Loving someone does not have to be romantic.

For those who are not in romantic and superficial relationships, this day is a perfect time to look at the platonic relationship you have with friends and family. You can make Valentine’s Day count, not through what you receive from someone, but from your actions and words. It takes $0 to tell someone how much they mean to you.

6 | Wednesday | February 11, 2015

Arts Entertainment

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Sigma Alpha concert features three American composers Sigma Alpha Iota fraternity is hosting its 10th annual concert featuring works by American composers.

The free American Concert is at 5 p.m. on Feb. 22 and is expected to last two hours, said Crystal Sanchez, the fraternity’s vice ritual president. The concert will be at First Presbyterian Church, 1000 Penn St. in Fort Worth.

The annual event focuses on expressing the culture of American music and will feature music by Leon Stein, Oley Speaks, and Ernesto Navarro.

“Our mission is to encourage, nurture and support the art of music,” Sanchez said.

In preparation for the event, SAI held open auditions for Wesleyan music students, Sanchez said. The chosen students will perform with Wesleyan singers and earn scholarship money that will go toward their tuition.

The three chosen students are vocalists Emily Maples Davis and David Walter and saxophonist Andrew Weliver, Sanchez said. Hayley Eaker received an honorable mention.

Sigma Alpha’s goal is to spread awareness of American composers and the role they play in the culture of music, Sanchez said.

“It’s nice to study music from your own country and from American composers,” Sanchez said.

A few of the many music pieces that will be featured are Stein’s Sonata for Tenor Sax, Mvt. 1, The Road to Mandalay by Speaks and Odeon by Navarro, Sanchez said.

Victoria Garcia

vpgarcia@txwes.edu

Music Department presents Faculty Recital On Thursday, Feb. 5, the Texas Wesleyan Music Department faculty, including featured performers Dr. James M. Lind, Julie McCoy, Keith Critcher and Karen Hall, as well as the Alumni Brass Quintet, performed classical brass music in Martin Hall.

Top right (left to right): Hall, violoncello, McCoy, soprano, and Lind on trumpet perform Eternal Source of Light Divine from Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, HWV 74.

Left: Hall, violoncello, plays Eternal Source of Light Divine from Ode from the Birthday of Queen Anne, HWV 74.

Right: McCoy, soprano, sings Eternal Source of Light Divine from Ode from the Birthday of Queen Anne, HWV 74.

Bottom: Lind plays Suite for Trumpet, Prelude Air Dance.

Photos by Erica Estrada

Religious Life

Texas Wesleyan University

Prays well with others

Common Meal Free lunch and discussion When: Tuesdays @ 12:15 Where: PUMC 312 Univerity Chapel Live Music & Worship When: Tuesdays @ 12:15 Where: PUMC 312

Wesleyan Music Sigma Alpha Iota Presents: An American Music Concert

February 22 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

1000 Penn St. Fort Worth, TX 76102

Junior Recital - Hayley Eaker February 26 at 5:30 p.m.

Martin Hall

Wind Ensemble Concert with Guest Composer Tom Bough March 3 5:30 p.m.

Martin Hall

Faith seeking understanding

Wednesday | February 11, 2015

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Sports

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Cheer and dance teams receive Title IX recognition

Photo courtesy of Texas Wesleyan Athletics

The Wesleyan dance and cheerleading teams are competing as varsity emerging sports under Title IX regulations for the first time this spring.

Brianna Kessler bnkessler@txwes.edu

Texas Wesleyan University declared the cheerleading and dance teams as varsity emerging sports in November 2013.

But it’s only this semester that they’re competing as sports against other universities and, according to head cheerleading coach and dance team coordinator Carolyn Ikens, receiving the respect they deserve.

“We get a little more respect being a competition team,” she said. “I recruited for competition cheerleaders and prepared the team for this change.”

The teams spent the summer and fall of 2014 training and preparing for the 2015 season, which runs from January to March.

On Jan. 23, the dance team won second place in its first competition. The team competed in Belleville, Ill. against teams from Stephens College, Missouri Baptist, and five others.

Dance and cheerleading were formerly con-

sidered recreational sports, but moved from being part of student life to the Athletic Department as a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Title IX sport on June 1, 2014.

After several attempts by the NAIA to make Wesleyan’s cheerleading and dance a sport Athletic Director Steven Trachier and President Frederick Slabach approved the pronouncement for the 2014-2015 school year.

Trachier said he is very excited to see the teams competing.

“Our goal is to grow the school and the sport,” he said. “We wanted to be on the ground floor of this movement, to make it be recognized as a sport. We will see a ton of schools apart of this in the near future. We have known for years that It takes a high degree of athleticism to be in cheer and dance.”

This decision to become a Title IX sport was not easy, said Ikens.

“We had the decision to stay a recreational sport or to compete,” Ikens said. “It has been a big adjustment this year. There have been a lot of changes and rearrangements but overall it has been a good year.”

Cheerleader Kayla Middleton said she can feel a difference in the way the cheerleading team is treated by some people and departments.

“We are taken more seriously now than when we were just an organization,” she said.

“In the future I see the team expanding and getting more recognition from other departments on campus.”

The team now has to conform to new NAIA criteria, which in addition to reporting to the Athletic Department includes attending three regular competitions and one qualifying competition this semester, Ikens said.

“We hope for nationals in March,” she said.

During competition, the dance team performs a routine consisting of pom, jazz, and hip-hop, while the cheer team performs group stunts, jumps, pyramids, and dance for exactly two minutes and fifteen seconds. Both teams are judged on a 100-point system.

The teams meet for practice and work out three days a week and once a month with a group of Army veterans in order to stay in shape for competition, Ikens said.

Due to the competition schedule, the teams can only attend two basketball games a month, she said, which is hard for some to understand.”

“We are no longer a traditional team which is what most people see,” she said. “The team will be considered a sport equal to other sports.”

There are two types of teams in cheer and dance, traditional and competitive, and next year Wesleyan hopes to have both to accommodate the need to both compete and be at sports events, Ikens said.

The teams are scheduled to leave for their qualifying competition in Salina, Kan. on Feb. 26. and will compete on Feb. 27.

Middleton is happy about the teams becoming recognized as varsity emerging sports and believes the change will give people a more positive view of cheerleading.

“Many people just thought that cheer and dance is something that is done for fun but it actually requires just as much work as the other sports,” Middleton said.

New players and coach prepare for softball season Ryan Grounds rrgrounds@txwes.edu

The Lady Rams softball team is preparing for the 2015 season with 11 new players and a new assistant coach.

The 11 new players include six freshmen and four juniors.

“We lost six seniors last year but we are also returning a huge chunk of our starters,” said head coach Shannon Gower.

The returning starters include pitchers Amanda Windham, a junior psychology major who was 6-8 last year, and Amber Marlett, a senior athletic training major who went 14-6 and was named a first-team all conference player.

The Lady Rams open the 2015 season this weekend at the Cowtown Classic at Gateway Park. The team’s first game is 11 a.m. Friday against Doane College.

“With all the new players comes learning curves for all involved,” said senior Kendall Kizer, who plays second base. “The returners have to transition from being the learners to being the teachers.

“The transition can be rough, but I think our newcomers have transitioned well. The new coach adds a man’s side of things to the game.”

In December, the Lady Rams hired assistant coach Matt Wilkins, who coaches pitchers and

outfielders.

“I have known coach Gower for almost five years,” said Wilkins, who previously coached at Southwest Christian School in Fort Worth.

“I like the atmosphere in which coach Gower has built the program.”

Wilkins said his goal is to push the pitchers mentally for anything that a game could bring them.

“The strategy is more in their mental approach to each pitch than anything else, so if they can be able to think outside the box then I am confident that they will be very hard to beat,” Wilkins said.

The Lady Rams went 24-26 last season and 15-17 in conference play to finish fifth in the Sooner Athletic Conference. An SAC 2015 pre-season coaches’ poll ranked them fourth out of eight teams.

Gower said she feels excited, prepared, and just ready to get the team on the field. She said that the overall strategy this season is to stay healthy and mentally strong, work hard and be prepared for every opponent.

She said the team is taking it one game at a time and one pitch at a time.

“I’m excited about the new mixture of athletes we brought in this year as well as the new implements we are adding,” said Gower. “I feel prepared because now we know fully what the Sooner Conference entails. “

Upcoming Lady Rams’ softball games at Gateway Park Friday, Feb. 13 @ 10 a.m.

Friday, Feb. 13 @ 3 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14 @ 10 a.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14 @ 12 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14 @ 3 p.m.

Doane College Belhaven University McPherson College Tabor College University of Houston Victoria

Etiquette Dinner F E B RUA RY 20th 4p.m. - 6p.m.

For more information, contact Career Services at 817-531-6512 or careerservices@txwes.edu or visit txwes.edu/career

8 | Wednesday | February 11, 2015

Sports

TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.

Basketball teams continue to thrive

Photo by Jessica Liptak

Merv Lindsay, 21, looks for Mario Monroe, 33, and Sam Akano, 23, to be open against Wayland Baptist University on Feb. 5.

Michael Acosta rmacosta@txwes.edu

The Texas Wesleyan men’s and women’s teams are playing some of the best basketball in school history.

The men started the season 12-0, and at one point were ranked No.12 in the National Association of Collegiate Athletics.

The 12-0 start was the second best in school history, second only to the 1940 team, which won its first 19 games.

As The Rambler goes to press, the men are 14-8; last year’s team was 12-9 at this point of the season.

Men’s head coach Brennen Shingleton attributes his team’s fast start to preparation and unselfishness.

“I’ve never had a group committed to preparation as far as the conditioning and they were ready,” Shingleton said. “I think the 12-0 start had a lot to do with unselfishness. We had a lot of guys give something up in order to make us successful.”

Shingleton said the biggest difference between this year and last is this team’s ability to

be coached, and the fact that they play for each other.

“Every time we are backed in a corner, they fight, and they fight for each other,” Shingleton said.

Shingleton isn’t too concerned with his team’s 3-5 conference record because, he said, the conference has so much depth, and anything can happen on a daily basis.

With the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament coming up in March, Shingleton isn’t really worried about any team, because he believes that the Rams could have won every game they have played this season.

“If we can string a couple of games together, we can really make a run at this thing,” Shingleton said. “We can match up in a lot of different ways and play a lot of different styles. It’s fun to watch.”

At the same time, the women’s team is 15-8, as compared to 9-13 a year ago.

At the beginning of the season, the Lady Rams were ranked No. 6 in the Sooner Athletic Conference, and scored a major upset win on Jan. 10, when they beat Oklahoma Baptist University, who at the time was ranked No. 5 in the country.

Photo by Erica Estrada

(Left to right) Liz Handy, guard, passes to Stacey Darnley, guard, around a Wayland Baptist University defender.

Women’s head coach Bill Franey said that better players are one of the reasons that this team has had more success, as well as the tough non-conference schedule that the team has played.

“We played a couple of Division 1 teams, such as TCU,” Franey said. “Those teams won, but I feel like it made us better. We have good players, but we’ve only lost a few seniors so we’re deeper than we have been in the past.”

With the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament approaching in March, Franey sees Oklahoma City as being a tough and dominant team. He compares them to Duke University of the NAIA. “They are ranked No. 2 in the country, and they have a player, Marisha Wallace, who was the preseason Big 12 player of the year a season ago at Oklahoma State,” Franey said. “They are the measuring stick that everyone wants to be like.”

Franey said the seven seniors on this year’s team want to go out on top, and also want to be the first Wesleyan women’s team to win a game at the NAIA national tournament. He is extremely proud of his team because of the win over Oklahoma Baptist, 77-59 on Jan. 10.

At the time, the Bison were ranked No. 5 in the country.

“A win like that really helps our team get more on the map,” Franey said. “It will also really help boost our resume when it comes time for the NAIA national tournament.”

Franey said he is particularly proud of seniors Amy Easley and Stacy Darnley, junior Oni Nolisa, and sophomore Katelynn Threats, who have really “carried the load” for the Lady Rams all year.

Threats is leading the Lady Rams in scoring with 14.8 points per game, while ranking No.9 nationally in field goal percentage at 54 percent.

While Franey’s team is stocked with seniors, Shingleton’s team is much younger, with only two seniors out of 13 players, However, like Franey, Shingleton is proud of how his squad is working together.

“The record is one thing, but the process that we’ve been going through is even better,” Shingleton said. “We’re going to have some guys that will maybe have the opportunity to do this for a little bit as a career, but most of them are going to be college athletes, get a degree, go on and hopefully be proud of this place.”

Join a tradition of excellence.

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The Hatton W. Sumners scholarship provides up to $3,500 per semester toward tuition for outstanding students during their junior and senior years. Preference is given to those studying political science, pre-law, history, or social

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Application Deadline: February 17, 2015