March 7, 2012

WEDNESDAY March 7, 2012

Vol. 95 • No. 7

www.therambler.org

T�� R������ The voice of Texas Wesleyan University students since 1917

Wii takes fitness to a whole new level for dance fans.

Theatre major nominated for best actress.

Campus Feature, page 6

Sports, page 6

Coach needs compatible kidney donor Emma Fradette

ekfradette@txwes.edu

Tim Bellmon, men’s assistant basketball coach at Texas Wesleyan, is struggling with his health, and Texas Wesleyan faculty, staff and students have an option to offer him some aid and spread awareness.

Bellmon is 43 years old and was diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in 2007. He

needs a new kidney, and the doctors are only looking for living donors.

According to unckidneycenter.org, FSGS is a kidney disease in which some segments of the kidney filters are scarred. When the filters are scarred, they are not able to properly filter blood. Unfortunately, most people diagnosed with FSGS will go into kidney failure, and a kidney transplant is what’s needed to treat it.

Treating this disease is not easy,

and for those who have FSGS, it soon becomes a priority in their lives. Between the years of 2007-2010, Bellmon was on dialysis until February 2010, when he received a kidney transplant.

“Since the transplant in 2010, my kidney is failing again, and I am back on dialysis,” Bellmon said. “I went back on dialysis in November 2011.”

Bellmon said the dialysis consists of being hooked up to a machine

for nine hours a day while it cleans and drains the body in four different stages.

“I have to be on the machine nine hours a day every day,” Bellmon said.

“I get no days off.”

Bellmon said he has a 9-year-old son named Tyson who will turn 10 March 29. If Bellmon can get a living donor transplant, it could benefit Tyson, too. Bellmon said if he finds a match for a new kid-

ney, he hopes it will work this time.

“Hopefully it is a success this time, and he won’t have to see me go through dialysis anymore,” Bellmon said. “He is the reason I keep fighting the battle every day.”

Ryan Glanzer, senior guard for the Rams men’s basketball team, said Tyson is a great little kid who looks up to his father.

 TRANSPLANT, page 3

Drug testing draws closer to approval Katherine Williams

kswilliams@txwes.edu

Erica Estrada | Rambler Staff Dr. Stacy Russell Thorne, English professor at Tarrant County College, expresses her gratidude to Dr. George Kuh after his lecture about bridging the gap between students and teachers’ relationships. The teaching symposium took place in Lou’s Pavilion Feb. 28.

Guest tries to bridge gap between faculty, students Joshua Dunk

jkdunk@txwes.edu

On Feb. 28 Texas Wesleyan hosted a teaching seminar featuring Dr. George Kuh, a higher education specialist, to discuss ways to bridge the gap between students and teachers’ relationships.

Kuh, chancellor’s professor emeritus of higher education at Indiana University, said he wanted the seminar to review what matters to student success, examine some key indicators of quality such as student engage-

ment and illustrate the kinds of policies and high-impact practices that channel student and institutional effort toward educationally purposeful activities.

“There are many teaching practices that if we use them more often and more effectively, more students would get out of their education what they want,” Kuh said. “They will be better prepared to live a self-sufficient, economically-productive life.”

Kuh is the founding director of the Center for Postsecondary Research and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). His

research interests include assessing student and institutional performance to improve student success.

Currently he directs two major projects, the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment and the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project.

Kuh said he believes teachers have been underutilizing practices that have already been in place to enrich student learning and promote educational achievement.

 TEACHER, page 3

Power outage cancels classes for some Eliana Mijangos

emmijangos@txwes.edu

Students, staff and faculty at Texas Wesleyan experienced a power outage and cancellation of some classes March 5 due to a blow out from a main electrical line TXU energy supports.

Luke Nicoles, supervisor of facilities, said this blow out caused a ground fall burn in a pit located in the courtyard outside of the Eunice and James L. West Library. They had to drain this pit before replacing three wires.

“There is no way to know what caused it other than it happened,” Nicoles said.

Nicoles said the campus is run off of three main breakers and they were able to get two up by Mon. and the last one by Tues.

This outage affected all of the main buildings on campus including the Administration building, McFadden Science Center, Brown Lupton Campus Center Food Court, Dan Waggoner Hall, Armstrong-Maybee Business Center, Polytechnic United Methodist Church, the Jack and Joe Willa Morton Fitness and Sid Richardson centers as well as Otho. C. Armstrong Hall.

 OUTAGE, page 3

Meisa Keivani Najafabadi | Rambler Staff Luke Nichols, facilities supervisor, works to remove water from a pit where a ground fall burn occurred, causing a widespread power outage on campus.

KICKBOX

Mondays 12:00pm and Tuesdays 7:00pm

The Texas Wesleyan Athletics department may soon require drug testing for all student athletes.

Steven Trachier, Wesleyan’s athletic director, is currently trying to get the policy passed.

At the time of press for The Rambler, the policy was set to be presented to the Student Life Committee on March 6.

Trachier said if they approved, it would be presented to the Texas Wesleyan Board of Trustees at noon the same day.

The trustees are the final level of approval. If both committees approve, the policy will go into effect as written. Either committee can recommend changes to the language.

Trachier said there will be a drug education class to go along with the drug testing.

“It is not just about the testing. It’s about the education of consumption as well,” Trachier said.

Consequences have not yet been established for those who test positive.

Trachier said if a positive test comes up, his goal is to get the student help.

“I can’t 100 percent say what the consequences would be, but I can say if positive, that person would have to sit out half of their competitive season [if the testing proposal is passed],” Trachier said.

Trachier said the money for the random drug testing will be funded by the athletic director’s operating budget, and the cost is expected to be around $5,000, Tracier said in an email.

Head men’s basketball coach Terry Waldrop said he stands behind Trachier’s suggestion for the drug testing.

Waldrop said almost every National Collegiate Athletic Association university athletic program has a drug policy.

“I am very pleased to see Texas Wesleyan University Athletics under the leadership of Steve Trachier move toward this, as it will be a great benefit for our student-athletes and our institution,” Waldrop said.

Student-athletes have had different opinions about the random drug testing. Some are for the new policy.

Bre’Untay Reed, senior business management major and Lady Rams basketball player, said she thinks the drug testing is a good idea; that it is just going with the guidelines.

“I feel the drug testing is a wonderful thing for athletes that are on scholarship,” Reed said.

Reed said she considers playing sports like a regular job.

“This sport is like basically your job, and you can’t do illegal drugs on your job,” Reed said. “Your schooling is being paid for, so why do it [drugs] with schooling?”

To find out more about athletic drugtesting policies go to NCAA.org and search drug policy.

2

|

March 7, 2012

Opinion

The Rambler | www.therambler.org

Wesleyan in need of more organizations Rolandra West Staff Writer

rdwest@txwes.edu

Often teens anticipate that the life of a college student is full of wild parties and sorority-life fun.

It is a given that when becoming a college student, fun becomes a major priority and class is just a setback, at least for some. Once I had a semester or a year of wild and outrageous fun, I was burned out.

The question is what is next? What else is there to do besides filling up my schedule with partying? Many colleges provide student activities and organizations that are supposed to pique our interest. People always say there is a group or organizations out there for everyone, truth is there isn’t here at Wesleyan.

Honestly, for a private school such as Texas Wesleyan with an estimated enrollment of 3,048 students, it is hard to please everyone with a group or organization suited just for them.

However, I do believe there could be additions to these organizations we currently have.

Outside of academic and religious organizations, Texas Wesleyan’s list of special interest/social organizations could be renovated and publicized way more often.

Many students at Texas Wesleyan

know of the most familiar organizations/special interests such as cheer squad, Social Rams, student government and the top sororities— but what about the League of United Latin Americans Citizen (LULAC), Black Student Association (BSA)? These groups may be known to few at Wesleyan but I’m sure most Wesleyan students have not seen or heard of these organizations.

Personally as an African-American student I have never heard of the Black Student Association. I have heard of LULAC, but it hasn’t been publicized as much as many other up and coming organizations. These low-profile organizations should be restored and publicized around campus, because they have dwindled away. These organizations should solicit more members or put up fliers to help further the efforts of making a happier student body.

Before even adding any other organizations, the ones we do have should be taken care of and recognized in order to move forward with any new ideas of what should be added to the 15 organizations at Wesleyan.

I have noticed that Wesleyan has an organized group for both AfricanAmerican students and one for Latin Americas, (whether it is active or not) but Wesleyan currently has no diverse association for students to unite together. I believe a Diverse Culture association would be a wonderful addition to the social organizations.

Yes, Wesleyan has an International

Club that encourages various cultures, but we do not have a club that represents all nationalities that believe in the strength of diversity and maintaining friendships with any race. I truly believe there are students who would be interested in such an organization.

Besides cultural-based organizations, Wesleyan is missing an open expression organization. When I say open expression I don’t mean opinions on what is being done at Wesley-

an or what is not, but a form of spoken word and poetry.

Wesleyan is known for liberal arts programs like theatre, choir and music, but what about a club for those whose interests set best with expressing themselves through writing or even through photography?

Wesleyan also used to have an art department. Instead of bringing back the department itself, a club could be organized for those who like to use

their freedom of expression through visual art, poetry and spoken word.

As a college student, I believe the college experience is always greater when you are enjoying yourself on campus, whether it’s through school -related activities or social events.

They all make the years and time go by faster. Before you know it you have made tons of friends, filled and perfected your resume, and gained a degree all at the same time.

Hopes soar for devine 9 to settle in Ram territory does not have divine nine frats or sororities. Disappointment overcame me. I kswilliams@txwes.edu really wanted to join.

After asking students on campus “Why don’t we have any divine nine?” I realized that it is not Wesleyan staff, student and I remember coming to Tex- faculty’s fault. One of the divine as Wesleyan spring 2012. As a nine chapters could be estabtransfer student I looked for lished if enough people got towhat kind of activities I could get gether to start one. involved with.

One student in a sororWhen I attended Texas South- ity at Wesleyan mentioned that ern University I wanted to be in when it comes to meetings, not the sorority Delta Sigma Theta. enough African-American stuAt first I heard from a classmate dents show. that Wesleyan had divine nine, I think if we could get more which are the African-American participation we could start a fraternities and sororities. chapter or two. Not all schools Eventually I heard Wesleyan have all nine of the divine nine.

Katherine Williams Staff Writer

It’s usually just two or three.

The most known frats for divine nine are Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma’s.

The popular sororities are Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Zeta Phi Beta.

If we had enough participation we could bring the majority to Wesleyan. I know in our conference Jarvis Community College, Wiley College and Paul Quinn University have some of the divine nine at their schools.

One of my classmates suggested that she and I start a petition.

We started one two weeks ago and have found at least three interested students.

Where are all the AfricanAmerican students who want to

make a life-long connection?

Who wants to help people through service projects and have social activities?

I am one of those people. I think it is important to have at least one African-American organization on campus to represent the 13 percent of AfricanAmerican students at Wesleyan.

This is what my classmate Candace Johnson, a senior mass communications major, and I are trying to achieve. We are going through the motions.

First, get as many names as we possibly can to start a frat/ sorority. Student Life requires a group of people come to them with at least a six interested people.

Since we are a small school it

will take that many students to start a frat/sorority.

Once the petition is presented to Student Life, a student must fill out a campus organization form. Some school organizations and have weekly, monthly or yearly duesl.

It has to be approved by the Student Government Association [SGA]. If the form gets passed, the committee will submit it to National Pan-Hellenic Council, Incorporated.

The Pan-Hellinic Council is the people who oversee the African-American fraternities and sororities If you are down with being a part of a system and a familylike organization, help out. One person can make a difference.

...and you can take that to the Bank (s)!

Fundraising becomes inescapable phenomenon for Americans what person with even a fraction Shauna Banks of a heart can say Opinion Editor/Columnist no to tiny 8-yearsbbanks@txwes.edu old’s donning silly turquoise vests chocked full of badges, giving you great big toothy It’s that time of year when grins as they con you into I feel like I’m forever dig- buying just one more (or five) ging around in my purse for boxes of Girl Scout cookies. I $3.50. Not for anything too know I sure can’t. important—just a box or I had to go to Walmart twice two (or four) of thin mints in one day a couple of weeks and samoas (wait, I forgot, ago. To avoid buying even now they’re called “caramel more cookies in my second delites”). Because after all, trip, I had to pull the old cell

The Rambler Shauna Banks, news/opinion editor Stephanie Randall, sports editor Meisa Keivani Najafabadi, photo editor Erica Estrada, cartoonist/photographer Tristian Evans, staff writer Rolandra West, staff writer Joshua Dunk, staff writer Katherine Williams, staff writer Wendy Moore, faculty adviser Dr. Kay Colley, faculty liaison Frederick Slabach, publisher

phone trick on the unsuspecting little ones. There’s nothing that deters a Girl Scout more from asking you to buy a box of cookies than if you appear to be on your cell phone for an important call.

But with all that said, I keep wondering how we’ve become a society so obsessed with selling things to others and fundraising for something or another at every waking moment.

When I was much younger, it seemed we only ever had that once-a-year fundraiser with the glossy catalogs. My

“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

mother groaned each year I brought it home, knowing she’d be paying out the wazzoo for wrapping paper that costs only $.99 at Walmart, and tins of peanut brittle no one really wanted to eat.

These days, we’re hit with fundraisers on a daily basis— throwing everything from gourmet lolly pops and fancy chocolate bars to Boy Scout popcorn and magazine subscriptions at us.

With such a tough economy still affecting America, I find it amazing that children and adults can even sell close

to the amount they need to make this profitable. I surely miss the days of bake sales, car washes and giant garage sales for donations to raise money for a particular trip or cause.

Overall, I think if students were not forced to care so much about fundraisers and encouraged to worry more about their academic achievements, perhaps grades would become a higher priority for some. At the very least, establishments should not allow people selling products in their doorway to block every

entrance to a store and guilt people into buying whatever’s for sale.

Just once I’d like to be given the option to walk out of Walmart thin mint and trefoil free. Not only is that easier on everyone’s wallet, but also easier on each person’s waistline. Because let’s face it, no one can ever eat just one. Even the recommended serving size of two cookies seems too insignificant to stick to most times. And boy, don’t even get me started on the Boy Scouts’ overpriced (but delicious) popcorn.

Member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press, Student Press Law Center, College Media Advisers and College Newspaper Business and Advertising Managers.

R ambler Contribution

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.

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.

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-

The Rambler | www.therambler.org

News

Griffith featured in recital

Meisa Keivani Najafabadi | Rambler Staff Texas Wesleyan faculty member and flutist Meg Griffith performs in her faculty recital at 7:30 p.m.

March 2 in Martin Hall. More information about future Texas Wesleyan Music performances can be found at txwes.edu.

TEACHER

be more willing to try the things that are different from the way we were taught, so that more students today can benefit from it,” Kuh said.

Mary Landers, instructor of mathematics at Wesleyan, said she took away from the seminar the importance of the high-impact practices.

“I teach developmental math with mostly freshmen students, and I am going to try to incorporate some of that thought in what I do in the classroom,” Landers said. “I know math is really hard, but if

TRANSPLANT “He is around pretty much every day, which is great for us players, because we get to play around and joke with him,” Glanzer said.

Glanzer said the disease has affected Bellmon and his family tremendously.

“It is a very serious disease, but on that note, I believe that it has made them a lot tougher,” Glanzer said. “To me, I do not see how he does what he does every day. He is an inspiration to the whole team and to anyone who knows his story.”

Bellmon’s doctors are only looking for living kidney donors.

Bellmon said in order to be a proper donor, someone has to fill out and pass an application process, have the right blood type, go through extensive physicals, and other tests may be necessary.

“My blood type is A positive,” Bellmon said. “Three family members have tried but none of them were a match.”

Brennen Shingleton, associate head basketball coach at Texas Wesleyan, is a close friend of Bellmon’s and said he lost his best friend two years ago to cancer, so having another friend that struggles with health issues on a daily basis is an eye-opening and humbling experience.

“I really think Coach B’s health is-

OUTAGE

continued from page 1

Kuh emphasized the highimpact educational practices throughout the seminar as a blueprint for the entire program itself.

The high-impact practices include: first-year seminars and common intellectual experiences, learning communities, writing-intensive courses, collaborative assignments, undergraduate research, diversity and global learning, service learning, communitybased learning, internships and capstone projects.

“We, as faculty, need to

March 7, 2012

it helps them do better in math, it will inspire them to do better in their academics overall.”

Kuh also said Wesleyan faculty need to get students involved in seminars like this one because having different perspectives at the table is very important.

“Students typically end up with the best ideas in terms of how to respond to problems that affect them,” Kuh said. “Institutions should be confident about having more students involved in these types of discussions.”

“It’s a bad situation, but at least we get a break from a lot of academic work,” Ricardo Aguilera, junior business marketing major, said.

The Residence Life department was also affected, with a power outage in Elizabeth Means Armstrong Hall, Stella Russell Hall and Dora Roberts Dining Hall.

|

3

continued from page 1 sue has made me pay attention to what’s more important, value what I have, not what I need, and also really just stop and listen,” Shingleton said.

Shingleton said Bellmon is a source of strength and he is one of the toughest guys he knows. He said Bellmon is tough, compassionate, insightful and competive.

“It is hard sometimes to forget that Coach B has a condition that he has to address every day, but he never makes excuses; he never has a bad attitude, and more important he doesn’t play the victim role ever,” Shingleton said.

Shingleton said Bellmon is a great role model, not only for his son, but for all the guys who come through the basketball program at Wesleyan.

Shingleton said Bellmon shows him what is important in life.

“Just when I think I’m tired or I make an excuse for a result I don’t like, he shows up in my life and puts it all in perspective,” Shingleton said.

Bellmon said he hopes to spread awareness of his disease, his situation and hopefully find someone who could be a potential donor.

If anyone is interested, tcan contact Bellmon at txwesbball@yahoo.com or call UT Southwestern Transplant Program Kidney and Liver Clinic at 214-645-1919 or toll free at 866-433-4225.

continued from page 1 “The bad thing is we have no electricity, no air conditioner and the dorms are kind of boring,” Aguilera said. “Luckily, Dora’s came through with food.”

For administrators, their concern is in the material lost through computer crashes.

Michael Smith, support specialist, said he did trou-

ble shooting on all Drobo hard drives.

“I plugged the hard drives into my personal mac to see what I could pull from them, but one started smoking and several others were bad,” Smith said. ”No material has been able to be recovered.”

All classes were scheduled to reconvene March 6.

Don’t waste time. “Like” The Rambler on Facebook.

Campus Theatre major nominated best actress

4

|

The Rambler | www.therambler.org

March 7, 2012

Mary Long

melong@txwes.edu

Kristi Taylor, junior theatre major at Wesleyan, has been nominated by the Column Awards for “BestFeatured Actress for a Non-Equity Play,” for her role as Mrs. Hawkins in Treasure Island at the Plaza Theatre in Cleburne, Texas, last year.

The Column is a company that presents Column awards to members of the Dallas/Fort Worth theatre community each year. They are presented by category. The Column sends critics to shows at professional and community theatres, and then publishes reviews written by the same critics.

Taylor is an online subscriber to The Column. All who are subscribers to The Column are able to vote on their favorite actors and designers at the end of the year for the formal award ceremony, the Column Awards.

More than 200,000 votes went into choosing the top six nominees in each category this year.

“I think it is an honor to be nominated for such an award,” Taylor said.

“I never thought that this would happen. It was just another fun show and role for me.”

Taylor is currently performing in Fiddler on the Roof at the Plaza Theatre in Cleburne, Thursday-Saturday through March 10.

G. Aaron Siler, director of operations at Plaza-Theatre in Cleburne, said Taylor is friendly, dependable and never complains when performing any duty for a production. She does everything from acting and working on sets, to helping with props between scenes.

“I have worked with Kristi in several different shows now, and she is an absolute delight,” he said in an email.

“Not only is she a joy to work with, but she is always looking at ways to improve the show in any way possible.”

Taylor was also a part of the run crew for the current Texas Wesleyan Theatre production, Charley’s Aunt, which showed until March 4.

Connie Whitt-Lambert, professor of theatre at Wesleyan, said Taylor is a leader in the program.

“Since becoming a Theatre major, Kristi has been an active part of every production, both on stage and backstage,” she said in an email. “And, even though she’s also active in local theatres, as is evidenced by her recent nomination for a Column Award, her off-campus activities never interfere with her departmental participation or her academics.”

Taylor’s theatre career first began in her high school in Lake Jackson, Texas; where she ran the technical side of the productions, including the sound, lighting and scenic designs.

After attending Brazosport Community College in Lake Jackson, Texas, Taylor moved to Fort Worth where she met a friend who attends Wesleyan. Taylor decided to join the theatre program at Wesleyan. After auditioning, Taylor was cast in her first show as an elderly Russian woman in The Anniversary, a play by Anton Chekhov.

Taylor is scheduled to graduate May 2013, with a bachelor of arts in theatre, with an emphasis in performance. She is an active member of the theatre fraternity Alpha Psi Omega.

Taylor said her favorite role at a Wesleyan show was Rona Lisa Poretti in the show, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee musical in April 2011.

Jeremy Jackson, senior theatre major, has known Taylor for several years.

“We were friends before Kristi started studying theatre at a university,” Jackson said. “I’ve noted that she has grown as an actress and theatre practitioner.”

Taylor can be seen on stage or behind the scenes at both Wesleyan and Cleburne theaters. For information on tickets to Theatre Wesleyan productions, call 817-5314211. For information on tickets to the Plaza Theatre in Cleburne, call 817-202-0600.

Other Interests:

Music. Taylor loves to sing and searches for songs to perform for either a situation or just for fun.

Writing. Taylor has written a novel, “Memoirs of a Crazy 1stTime Author.”

Tap dancing. Taylor is looking for a tap dancing class.

Painting. Taylor has painted 10-12 paintings, which her parents have hung at their home. The paintings include both charcoal drawings and pencil drawings.

Piano. Taylor said she plays a little bit of piano.

Film. Taylor enjoys creating film with friends She was involved in a horror film last year and is looking to expand her career to film work as well as stage performance.

Playwriting. Taylor currently takes a playwriting class where she was assigned to write several plays.

Kristi Taylor | Courtesy Above: Kristi Taylor performs during Annie Get Your Gun. Below: Taylor practices her lines in costume for Fiddler on the Roof, a rpoduction Taylor is starring in at the Plaza Theatre in Cleburne, Texas through March 10.

The Rambler | www.therambler.org

Campus

Camping class lights up

Students learn survival skills, get college credit Joshua Dunk

jkdunk@txwes.edu

Imagine starting the day cooking marshmallows from a fire created during class. Wesleyan offers an outdoor education and camping class that did just that last week.

The class goes through many different techniques from how to survive outdoors to camping procedures. Jon Myers, professor of education and kinesiology, teaches the outdoor education and camping class. Myers said he thinks it is important for people to take care of themselves in case there is a disaster.

“A big part of the class is learning survival skills: starting a fire, finding shelter, how to get food, and stay hydrated,” Myers said.

Grant Hensarling, senior marketing major, is part of the class and has participated in multiple camping and hunting activities. Hensarling said self-sufficiency and basic survival skills are key essentials that everyone needs to know.

“This class helps me go over the basics to refine and make sure I have them down,” Hensarling said.

“For me it’s more about helping other people learn to not die in the woods.”

In addition to on-campus training, the class will take students on a camping trip to Lake Mineral Wells National Park April 20-22.

Kayla McCray, junior mass communication major, said the camping trip will be interesting.

rdwest@txwes.edu

“I am not a camper. I have never been camping in my life,” McCray said. “Everyone is ready to see how I am going to react, but because of the class I think I would do a lot better than people expect. I know how to start a fire so food and keeping warm won’t be a problem.”

This is the first semester the class has been offered.

Myers said the biggest problem is that most people do not know the class exists.

“Only 12 students signed up, and it would be lucky to have 25 to sign up so we can extend the course,” Myers said.

If the class is extended, more students can participate in the class during more class periods.

|

5

Students learn steps to start organization Rolandra West

Name | Rambler Staff Rob Tutt (left), sophomore criminal justice major, and Nicole Terral, senior exercise science major, build a fire together during their 10 a.m. outdoor education and camping class Feb. 28. Class members will use their newly-learned skills in an April camping trip.

March 7, 2012

If students are interested in starting an organization at Wesleyan, Michael Chaney, coordinator of student activities and volunteerism, has got the answers.

Wesleyan has [how many] organizations currently that range in interest from religion to social, academic to greek, and a lot in between. However, students may not find an organization that fits their exact interest. This instance is where starting a new organization could help unite a group of people with like interests.

Chaney said the first step to starting an organization is to pick up a new organization packet in the Student Services office in the Sid Richardson building.

The packet includes slots for the minimum of six interested members who are willing to join and sign the chartering pledge sheet. Chaney said the form is for the members to say they are genuinely interested in the organization.

The next step is to write the constitution and by-laws with certain clauses that need to be included, which are explained in the packet. A faculty/staff adviser must also be enlisted to oversee the student organization.

Chaney said once the paperwork has been turned in he gets the organization prospect to Student Government Association within about a week, and the process goes from there. Chaney said the SGA president puts the organiza-

tion proposal on the agenda for the next scheduled meeting, so it can be approved.

“Once you have all of those pieces of the puzzle put together, you turn the packet in to myself and I hand it over to SGA president,” Chaney said.

“The organization must have one to two members present at the SGA meeting so that the organization can be recognized by student government.”

Chaney said once the organization has been recognized, he gets the dean’s signature, and the organization becomes officially recognized.

The length of the process is entirely up to the members of the organization, Chaney said.

It depends on how long it takes to turn in paperwork and get the six interest members.

Ashley Sivley, sophomore religion major and member of Alpha Tau Kappa, said ATK became official this past fall.

“It was really difficult, definitely harder than we thought it would be,” Sivley said. “We never expected to have to fight so hard for everything. But it was more than worth it. It made everyone come together, and we all became so close through it.”

Currently I Am Second, a global sector, has been in the process of becoming an organization at Wesleyan.

JoAnna Duncan, junior education major, said I Am Second started about three years ago as a religious organization. The organizer only planned on the organization being a Fort Worth organization, but it has gone global.

“The reason why the organization is so popular is be-

cause the material that they give you online to go through is really well thought out and planned,” Duncan said. “They give you a Bible passage each week, and your group will go over and read it, and there are six questions that you have to answer.”

The purpose of the Bible passage essentially is to see what goals members are going to set for themselves according to the passage. Each member checks in with each other throughout the week to see how everyone is doing with the goals, Duncan said.

“When I first got the packet and they told me everything I needed to do, it was a little bit overwhelming,” Duncan said. “Just because you have to write a constitution and by laws, just all of this politicial stuff that I’m just not good at.”

Duncan said Chaney and Chris Windsor, assistant dean of students, were a big help with getting I Am Second on board.

Duncan said when she went to present the organization to SGA she was really nervous, but she started to settle when she was welcomed by Bradden Van Noy, SGA president.

After the presentation, votes were made, and I Am Second was unanimously voted in as an organization at Texas Wesleyan.

“Through the discussions we [I am Second members] have, it builds amazing friendships,” Duncan said. “Even before we got approved, we had 11 members, so now that we have been approved, we hope to get the advertising and get more members.”

6

|

March 7, 2012

A��� � E������������

THE RAMBLER | www.therambler.org

tristian’s top ten

In the last installment of Tristian’s Top Ten, I wrote about my all-time favorite top 10 movies. In this installment, I’ll list 10 movies I truly believe people will still be watching 20 or 30 years from now.

Top 10 movies people will keep on watching Tristian Evans

tkevans1098@txwes.edu

The Social Network — This future classic, written by master scribe Aaron Sorkin, chronicles Mark Zuckerberg, and his creation of the social media phenomenon, Facebook. While it doesn’t exactly portray Zuckerberg as a likeable person, the writing is superb. Decades from now when the “Age of Social Media� is being discussed in classrooms, this movie will definitely be shown to give all of our descendants an idea of our generation.

1

Black Swan — Natalie Portman stars in this psychological thriller about a shy young woman who is so desperate to get the starring role in her ballet company’s production of Swan Lake, she decides to take a walk on the wild side and discover a dark side of herself she never knew existed.

Everything from the directing to the acting will ensure this movie has a place in DVD and Blue-Ray collections for decades to come.

2

Inception — This movie has one of the coolest high concepts I have ever encountered. “What if corporate spies could enter dreams to steal secrets?� Director Christopher Nolan, who also wrote the script, said in interviews that he originally envisioned Inception as a horror film.

I think all fans of this movie can thank a higher power that he didn’t go along with that original idea. Inception is one of those movies that demands that you pay attention to every little detail and keeps you guessing until the end. Especially the ending. This movie will definitely be engaging and frustrating audiences for years to come.

3

Potter and the Deathly Hal4 Harry lows — The conclusion to the Harry Potter films that was years in the making, Deathly Hallows parts 1 and 2 brought a satisfactory conclusion to the franchise. After decades of waiting, we finally see Harry and his loyal allies make their last stand against the forces of Voldemort. And, since it is a war story, we see some of our favorite characters die. Be that as it may, the message of good triumphing over evil was the underlying theme of not only this movie, but the entire franchise. I think this is a message that will always resonate with viewers.

The Dark Knight — After years of campy and downright awful Batman movies, Christopher Nolan, of Inception fame, took the Batman franchise in a grittier, morally gray direction. This is a rarity; it is actually 10 times better than its pre-

5

Advertise with the Rambler.

decessor, Batman Begins. Batman faces off against the Joker and Two-Face, two of his most deadly foes. While Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart both give chilling performances in their respective villainous roles, they also make you somewhat sympathetic to their characters.

Man — Whether you’re a Jim 6 Yes Carey fan or not, this is a comedy that is truly entertaining and funny. Carey stars as a down-on-his-luck average Joe, who, after taking a self-help seminar, says yes to any opportunity that comes along. As one could guess, this leads to a lot of hilarious moments. While there is a serious message of living life by your own rules, this is just one of those movies that you can watch and be simply entertained.

No Country for Old Men — This crime thriller stars Josh Brolin as a man who finds a bunch of money in a Texas field, and the violent game of catand-mouse he plays with a merciless and psychotic hit man, played by Javier Barden.

As I mentioned before, good acting and good writing definitely help to make a movie a future classic. And this one has those in spades.

7

The Hangover — Now, usually I like my movies to have themes and a serious message somewhere in them.

While this has none of those, in my opinion of course, it is still one of those funny films that friends can get together to watch and laugh their heads off. While this might not fit the usual definition of a classic, future generations will definitely get plenty of laughs out of it.

8

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — this thriller starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara is one of those action thriller movies that has you on the edge of your seat, guessing until the very end.

Mara’s portrayal of the disturbed but badass Elizabeth Salander is one that will impress audiences for years to come.

9

Juno — This comedy starring Ellen Paige as pregnant teenager, Juno MacGuff, is definitely one I imagine people will be watching decades from now. It manages to strike a perfect balance between being funny and serious at the same time. It may be the only movie out there about teen pregnancy the whole family could enjoy.

10

Join me next time when I will rank the top 10 novels of all time, which include characters such as a boy wizard, a teen gladiator and a terrorist who starts a subculture of underground fighters.

Shauna Banks | Photo Illustration

Gaming good for exercise, fun times GAME REVIEW Shauna Banks

sbbanks@txwes.edu

Becoming and staying fit is by far one of the most challenging things a person can undertake in a lifetime. Not only is it a pain in the rear to lose weight and build muscle, but also time consuming to choose and stick to the exercise program that works for a particular person.

Infomercials are sometimes motivating to watch at 2 a.m. when Married with Children syndicated episodes have died down for the night—but those wonder machines and gizmos don’t always cut the mustard.

Most times you just have to pick an activity you may enjoy and stick with it.

Cue my Nintendo Wii, and a slew of fitness games made specifically for this console.

For some crazy reason, when I bought the thing, I thought Dance Dance Revolution would be a great way to get in that hour of exercise I wanted each day. In the same fitness game family is the series of Just Dance games, which never fail to disappoint, and Zumba Fitness, which blows my mind every time I play it.

Dance Dance Revolution Let’s concentrate on Dance Dance Revolution for a moment. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t actually have to have the step-mat (the mat with the arrows) to play it. If you’ve already snagged the

Wii balance board from a different game, then you’re good to go.

Having also bought the mat, I can safely say those without the balance and coordination of a tightrope walker, should stick to the balance board. The steps in balance board mode are much easier to follow and allow you to concentrate on moving faster to burn those calories, rather than watching and tripping over your feet the entire time.

No one really likes to see the “miss� bubble pop up every other step do they?

Even if you’ve never played a game before, that small word reappearing so many times can be the cause of death for motivation.

Just Dance For those of us who really just want to dance the calories away, without having to worry if our feet move completely in sync to the music, any of the three Just Dance games are the way to go.

My only criticism between Just Dance 2 and Just Dance 3 (released last year) is that the exercise mode no longer exists on Just Dance 3— which means players cannot track how many songs they’ve danced or how many calories they may have actually burned. However, on the mid- to high-intensity dances, you can burn a little over 200 calories every 30 minutes. Not bad since the game is so entertaining that it never really seems like a workout.

Zumba Fitness I recently bought Zumba Fitness four weeks ago. Perhaps I just need to give it a little more time, but it’s definitely not growing on me. I feel like I’m moving around quite a bit during each song, but the movements are so random and tough to get used to, that I never quite feel like I burn as many calories as I’d like to by the end because I’m too focused on trying to execute the moves correctly.

Then again, if a person is already in pretty decent shape and has a good grasp of Latin dance, I can see where this fitness game might be a tad easier.

Those just jumping into it like myself, and with a little more extra time on their hands would probably be best served by first completing the tutorials mode of the game first to learn the moves to each dance. It all just takes a lot of time and patience—which are both things I can never seem to find enough of.

In the end, if you have the dance skills of Michael Jackson, go for Dance Dance Revolution for a nice workout and bucketful of fun. If you’re trying to get a good amount of cardio in while also jamming to some oldies (but goodies) mixed with modern pop music, any of the Just Dance games are your cup of tea.

If you’re just a dance machine, and also want to learn how to perform different Latin dances, then salsa your way to fitness with Zumba Fitness.

therambler.org HAS A NEW LOOK.

LOG IN TO CHECK IT OUT!

Get NOTICED! Call (817) 831-7552

9 1

9 5 4 8

5

2 7 5 8 2

4

1 8

6 8 5 7 9 4 3 4 8 5 4 3 2

Š Puzzles provided by sudokusolver.com

8 7

Sports

The Rambler | www.therambler.org

March 7, 2012

|

Softball undefeated title in RRAC Emma Fradette

ekfradette@txwes.edu

The Texas Wesleyan softball team played against Langston University in a three game match March 2-3 and swept all three games 8-0, 6-2 and 4-0.

The Lady Rams played the first two games Friday night against LU and began the first game with a quick three run score.

Makelle Akin, senior outfielder, hit a triple in the second inning followed by a hit from Raven Moreno, junior utility player.

The Lady Rams scored a run putting the team up 4-0.

LU remained scoreless as the Lady Rams put three more runs on the scoreboard in the fourth inning improving the score to 7-0.

The Lady Rams played great defense giving up no runs to the Lady Lions and finishing the game 8-0.

Courtney Orebaugh, senior outfielder, said the team came to play this weekend.

“I think we did very well,” Orebaugh said. “I feel like we just keep getting better as the season goes.”

Moreno said the team did a great job, especially with playing such a scrappy team.

“We did not let them get to us and just played our game out,” Moreno said.

Marissa Rangel, senior outfielder, said the team’s effort was strong and the team played well.

“I think we played great. Our hits came together, and our defense was phenomenal,” Rangel said.

The second game played against LU started with the Lady Lions scoring a run early, but the Lady Rams answered back with a run in the bottom of the inning tying the score 1-1.

Within the next two innings, Wesleyan scored two more runs putting the Lady Rams up 3-1.

Hopie Perez, senior shortstop, hit a single in the fourth inning to help bring the Lady Rams to a score of 6-1.

The Lady Lions scored only one more run before the Lady Rams finished the game 6-2.

7

Beltran, sophomore pitcher, hit a single to follow.

The Lady Rams finished the game again keeping LU off the scoreboard with a score of 4-0.

Boles said although the Langston team was scrappy, Wesleyan did not let LU get into their heads.

“We have read several books on keeping our mental game strong and benefitted us by not letting Langston take our momentum away, so we could still rally to pull out a win,” Boles said.

Moreno agrees with Boles and said the will to win kept the Lady Rams focused.

“There were a few moments that bothered us; however, we really kept it together by coming together as a team,” Moreno said.

“We really wanted to beat them, and that helped us.”

The Lady Rams remain undefeated in conference, 6-0.

Orebaugh said the team needs to keep up the hard work.

“We need to just go in every game staying humble and with just as much intensity as the last,” Orebaugh said.

The Lady Rams will pick up again at 3 p.m. March 16 against Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla.

Lady Rams vs. Langston

Erica Estrada | Rambler Staff Taylor Hodge (8), senior right-handed pitcher and first baseman, warms up her arm before the game against Langston University March 2.

Chelsea Boles, sophomore catcher, said she was impressed with the team this weekend.

“We pulled through by scoring frequently when we got people on base,” Boles said. “We also had

the usual solid defense and good pitching.”

The Lady Rams played LU one more time Saturday, and Wesleyan scored in the third inning gaining one run giving the Lady

Rams a 1-0 advantage.

The Lady Rams continued to push scoring the rest of their runs in the sixth inning.

Christina Kelley, senior first baseman, hit a double, and Alexis

Player

ab rr h rbi

Akin, Makelle cf

3

2 1 0

Moreno, Raven 2b 3

2 2 1

Kelley, Christina dh 4

1 1 0

Beltran, Alexis p

3

1 3 2

Cline, Lindsay 3b

2

1 1 1

Perez, Hopie ss

2

1 0 1

Hodge, Taylor 1b

2

0 0 1

Jester, Kali c

2

0 0 0

Notley, Hallie lf

3

0 2 2

Totals

24 8 10 8

Runnin’ Rams tear up the track, race toward Nationals Emma Fradette

ekfradette@txwes.edu

Erica Estrada | Rambler Staff Ramiro Garcia, sophomore long distance runner, Anagabriel Segovia, freshman long distance runner, and Nancy Lozano, freshman long distance runner practice together for their meet on March 3 and March 4 at Poly high school track.

The Texas Wesleyan men’s and women’s track teams participated in two different places over the past weekend, running at University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas and at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas.

Bobby Hawes, sophomore distance runner, ran at UIW and won the 1500m race.

Hawes said there was decent competition with only one other runner from Wesleyan running at UIW, Andrew Herrera.

Hawes said overall the meet was a success.

“It was a great meet, and we ran at night,” Hawes said.

“I only won the race by three seconds and got a cool shirt for it.”

Hawes said as Nationals approaches, he needs to run a 3:57 or better in the 1500m run to qualify.

“We showed we belonged by running with our competition.”

Jessica Davis junior distance runner

Jessica Davis, Lauri Gutierrez and Maria Aguayo ran for the Lady Rams at the UIW meet as well.

Davis, junior distance runner, is pleased with her team’s performance.

“We showed we belonged by running with our competition,” Davis said. “We all ran a personal best, and this is what we needed to show our true talent.”

Davis said the Nationals for the women are getting closer, and she believes the women can make it there.

“All we need to do is reach for it, and we are all putting out best foot forward to get there,” Davis said.

Germesha Shelton, fresh-

man runner, participated in the Lon Morris event and said all those who ran for Wesleyan on Saturday ran well.

“On Saturday we all ran well.

We just have to continue to all do our part as a team,” Shelton said.

Both teams continue to push it in practice and get better as the season progresses.

“It is definitely getting harder, because coach knows we all have talent,” Davis said. “We are all showing up at practice because we all want it, and we are all competing for that top spot.”

The men’s and women’s track teams will run again March 8 at the Tarleton State Invitational in Stephenville, Texas.

Lady Rams fall to Lady Pilots in conference tournament semifinals Stephanie Randall

slrandall@txwes.edu

The Texas Wesleyan women’s basketball team suffered a 67-54 loss to the Louisiana State University Lady Pilots this past weekend in the semifinals of the conference tournament in Waxahachie, Texas.

The Lady Rams finished the season with a 25-7 record overall and a 19-5 record in the Red River Athletic Conference.

Bre’Untay Reed, senior guard, said the game was a big disappointment.

“We knew LSU-S was a great team,

and if we didn’t come out and play to the best of our capabilities, the results would not be in our favor,” Reed said.

Reed said the overall season was great, especially winning 20 plus games.

“As a senior this is not the way I wanted to end my season. We won big games and lost a few we should have won, but we just didn’t have anything tangible to show for the kind of season we had,” Reed said.

The game opened with three straight three point shots from the Lady Pilots, who had a 15-point run

against the Lady Rams.

The Lady Rams slowly closed the margin to within five points, until the Lady Pilots had another 6-point run that put them on top to control the game. The Lady Pilots led 33-22 at the half.

Courtney Turner, junior guard, said this game was a big game that determined whether the Lady Rams went to nationals.

“We could have done a lot better defensively and made more of our shots,” Turner said.

Turner said overall the season was good though.

“What we didn’t do this season was give up,” Turner said. “We still gave it our all,” she said.

With a lot of ground to cover, the Lady Rams opened the second half with intensity, hitting the first two shots of the half. However, the Lady Pilots were not going down without a fight.

The Lady Pilots scored 7 consecutive points on the Lady Rams, putting the margin in double digits 40-26.

The Lady Rams fought back to cut the margin down, but the Lady Rams were unable to stop the Lady Pilots’ momentum. The Lady Pilots

won the game 67-54.

Octavia Mullins, senior forward, said the team did not play to its full potential.

“I don’t know if it was nerves, fatigue or just not our game. We could have done a lot of things different,” Mullins said.

Mullins said overall, she thought the team had a great season.

“A lot of the seniors stepped up, and every day a different person made clutch plays.

“Even with us seniors leaving, I think the team is left with a solid foundation of talent,” Mullins said.

8

|

S�����

March 7, 2012

THE RAMBLER | www.therambler.org

Basketball waits for at-large bid to Nationals Stephanie Randall

slrandall@txwes.edu

The Texas Wesleyan men’s basketball team fell short in an 84-77 loss to the Louisiana State University Pilots this past weekend in the conference tournament in Waxahachie, Texas.

The Rams are currently ranked twentieth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, with a record of 25-7 overall and 19-5 in the Red River Athletic Conference.

At the early minutes of the game, the Rams and the Pilots were going head-to-head for points.

The game continued to stay close until a 12-point run by the Pilots put the Rams down half way through the first half. Three point shots by Stephane Mudiay, senior forward, and Oscar Griffin, junior guard, kept the Rams within reach of the Pilots at the end of the first half.

Mudiay said he thought the team played really well the last 10 minutes of the game.

“We picked up our intensity and had a few runs, but missed free-throws really hurt us. We just came up short,” Mudiay said.

As the second half opened, the Pilots continued their momentum, and started the biggest lead of the game at 65-48 half way through the second half.

The Rams stepped up on offense and defense and cut the lead within six, with a threepoint shot from sophomore guard Jazz Holman.

Holman said the game was a hard fought game.

“We fought for it but came up a little short. Now all we have to do is wait and see if they make it to Kansas City. It all depends on the brackets,” Holman said.

With minutes left in the game, Griffin knocked down

another three-point shot, putting the Rams within three points of the Pilots.

Mudiay added to Griffin with a couple of free throws keeping the Rams within three with 43 seconds remaining.

A missed three-point shot by the Rams forced them to foul with 11 seconds remaining.

The Pilots hit both free throws and ended the game on top 8477.

Brian Talley said that it was a tough loss for the team.

“There was probably some things we could have done better as far as defensively,” Talley said.

Griffin led the team with 27 points. Eric Frederick contributed 25 points and 13 rebounds. Mudiay finished adding 12 points to the game.

The Rams will now wait to see if they receive an at-large bid to make it to the 75th annual NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.

Steohanie Randall | Rambler Staff Eric Frederick (1), senior forward, plans to charge into the paint for a two-point shot during the March 3 game against Louisiana State University Shreveport Pilots at the conference tournament.

Baseball team sweeps SAGU in weekend play Emma Fradette

ekfradette@txwes.edu

The Texas Wesleyan baseball team played three games against Southwestern Assemblies of God University March 2-3, sweeping all three games 21-3, 9-1 and 6-2.

The first game on Friday was a high scoring game with the Rams winning the game 21-3 over the Lions.

Dillon Wilson, senior pitcher, said over the weekend the Rams played very well.

“I feel overall the games went really well,” Wilson said. “We just need to keep pushing ourselves to get better, and just keep taking it one game at a time.”

Derek Vaughn, junior redshirt pitcher, said it feels great to be on

the other end of the sweep.

“We definitely worked on the areas we lacked during the Brownsville series, and the hard work showed in our series this weekend,” Vaughn said.

The next day, the first game started early with the Rams getting a run in the first inning. In the second inning, the Rams scored off a walk and an error, scoring four more runs to take the lead 4-0.

The Lions scored one run in the fifth inning but the Rams added to the score with two, bringing the score to 6-1.

Joseph Lassiter, senior second baseman and outfielder, hit a single along with Jordan Fuller, junior outfielder, to give the Rams two more runs and an 8-1 lead.

The Rams won the game 9-1.

“FEE

LING

MAR CH S

Alex Padilla, junior catcher, said the Rams have been swinging the bat really well, but there are still things to be improved.

“We are still making mental mistakes in pitching, and defensively got to make the routine plays, but other than that we took care of business,” Padilla said.

Padilla said practice is the way to make these improvements.

“The more reps we take, the better we will be, and the game is mostly mental, so if we tell ourselves to do it, it will get done,” Padilla said.

The last game of the weekend started off with a run for the Rams

by Stephen Niedwiecki, senior first baseman.

In the second inning, the Lions earned one run, tying the score 1-1

LUCK

PECI

Y”

AL

Lucky Morton Members!

FREE Boot Camps

Fitness

S

“Like” us on Facebook!

CAMP

March 19 - 23

ab rr

h

rbi

Jockers, Taylor cf

3

2

1

1

Soberanes, Christian ss 4

0

0

0

Barnes, Justin dh

2

1

0

0

Padilla, Alex 1b

3

2

2

0

Robinson, Hunter 1b

3

1

1

0

Lassiter, Joseph 2b

4

1

2

1

Horton, Joel 3b

3

1

1

0

Howeth, Jake cf

3

0

0

0

Wilson, Dillon p

0

0

0

0

Winter, Vincent pr/dh

1

0

1

1

Fuller, Jordan lf

3

1

2

1

Totals

29 9

Pick up a copy every Wednesday on newsstands across campus.

10 4

G R

O .

ER

Y TA

CLOSED March 10, 11, 17 & 18 OPEN March 12-16 10am—2pm

Hours BOOT

TH

ED

Spring Break

A R E

RM

FREE T-shirts

V

Player

L B M

FO

FREE Memberships

T I IS

IN

Each week IN MARCH we will be giving away PRIZES to random

but not for long, because the Rams came back scoring three more to take the lead 4-1.

In the fifth inning, Brian White, junior catcher, hit a double scoring another run 5-1.

Although the Lions scored one more run, it was not enough to beat the Rams who won the game 6-2.

The Rams are 6-3 in conference.

Wilson said the Rams just need to remain focused on the future.

“We just need to focus on what is ahead of us and not look back on our losses,” Wilson said. “I feel that we will be successful in the end and be right where we want to be when our conference tournament starts.”

The Rams will return at 2:30 p.m., March 7 against University of Dallas at La Grave Field in Fort Worth.

Rams vs. SAGU