April 24, 2013 Vol. 97, No 7

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5% tuition hike set for 2013-2014

Holland secures SGA president

Santiago Munoz

Rolandra West

smunoz@txwes.edu

Students at Wesleyan will pay higher tuition starting summer 2013, but the office of marketing and communications said the increase will come back to the students in a positive way.

John Veilleux, vice president for marketing and communications, said a 5 percent tuition increase will take effect at the beginning of the new academic year.

He said the increased tuition will help provide more accommodations for students and keep Wesleyan more competitive with scholarship offerings.

“As the cost to go to school increases, it’s very important that we remain competitive in the market in terms of what institutions are offering students to bring them in,” Veilleux said. “Yes, there’s a tuition increase but there’s going to be a correspondent increase in the amount of scholarships we award to students with need.”

Anthony Gandara Jr., junior history major and U.S. military veteran, said the increased tuition will make him revise his school plan.

He said it’ll become a financial burden for him and some of his veteran student friends.

“With the increase in tuition, it’s going to bring change or conflict to my financial game plan that I already established from when I just arrived at Texas Wesleyan,” Gandara said.

He said many people have a misconception that veterans get help that covers everything, but that’s not necessarily the case.

“There’s much misconceived thoughts of veterans and their tuition that just because they get help it covers everyhting, but that’s not the case,” Gandara said. “As far as for me and a couple other veterans that are just hang-

 Tuition , page 3

Campus,

Wesleyan’s new ad campaign gets national recognition

page 5

rdwest@txwes.edu

Screen shot courtesy of Rambler TV Kelsi Holland, Student Government Association president elect, describes her platform for her presidency during the April 16 debate between Holland and Kendal Carnley (left). Holland was announced the winner of the election April 19.

Kelsi Holland, junior sociology major, is now Texas Wesleyan’s 92nd Student Government Association President for the 2013-2014 academic school year.

Holland said she found out she was elected the new SGA President on April 19 at 9:30 a.m. in the SGA Chambers.

Holland was running against Kendal Carnley and won the election with 58 percent of the votes, 169123.

Holland said she will be offically sworn into office on Tuesday, April

23. Holland said there are plenty of things she would like to accomplish during her presidency, but there a few she would want to get done right away.

“I would like to have more open communication with the administration to the student population,” Holland said. “I want to promote campus unity for Texas Wesleyan, and also have a few campus wide community service projects which will help serve the Polytechnic community.”

Holland said she would also like to

have bigger and better events for the students at Wesleyan sponsored by student organizations.

Holland said she is more than thankful for the opportunity, and she would like to thank everyone for her support.

“I want to thank the student body of Texas Wesleyan for electing me to serve them,” Holland said. “I take it as an honor and a selfless service to fullfill my duties as SGA President.”

Holland said she is excited to start the many projects SGA will help carry out.

For decades many believed Texas Wesleyan had been considered the metroplex’s “best kept secret”, but the Marketing and Communications Department has succeeded in unveiling Texas Wesleyan with the Smaller.Smarter. advertising campaign.

Texas Wesleyan’s advertising and admissions campaign, Smaller.Smarter has won five awards in the 2012 Collegiate Advertising Awards and won awards at the 28th Annual Educational Advertising Awards. Advertisements of Texas Wesleyan can now be seen in more than 20 movie theaters including AMC, Cinemark, Movie Tavern, Rave, Royal Theaters and more.

John Veilleux, vice president of marketing and communications, said these national awards only prove what everyone now knows, that the campaign works.

“What works is a campaign that really communicates Texas Wesleyan’s strengths,” Veilleux said. “I think our Smaller. Smarter. campaign is definitely doing that.”

Veilleux said quantitatively the campaign is working, and the applications for admission are about 105 percent.

“At the end of the day, that is what will tell me whether or not we have a successful campaign: Are we really

 Campaign, page 3

Psi Chi psyched about regional research awards Erica Estrada eestrada@txwes.edu

Several Psi Chi members received the Regionals Research Award from Psi Chi: The National Honor Society in Psychology on April 7 at the Southwestern Psychological Association convention.

The convention and presentation took place at the Omni Hotel in Fort Worth. The Psi Chi members involved were Felipe Alvarado, Axel Leos and Serena Gutierrez.

Felipe Alvarado, senior psychology major, said the presentation took much preparation throughout the year.

The presentation was titled

“Demonstration of Probability Leads to Increased Levels of Self-Control.” The study looked at how someone can raise levels of self-control, which is important for success, when someone has an understanding of how probability works.

“We ran the experiment for most of Fall 2012, with the assistance of Dr. Jay Brown, our research adviser,” Alvarado said. “We prepared the PowerPoint presentation to be presented in the Biology Symposium that same semester.”

Alvarado said they had the data for a fair amount of time and were able to have a full understanding of the

study beforehand.

Dr. Jay Brown, Associate professor of psychology and faculty liaison for the minor in international studies, said he is proud of his students receiving the award. He said he is also proud of the Psi Chi members because they received an award at the Psi Chi conference during the SWPA conference. Through the Psychology Department Undergraduate Research fund, he was able to fund 10 students to attend the conference to give support to the the three presenters.

“Our Psi Chi has been very active in the last few years,” Brown said. “We’ve really

been involved as an organization. They’ve been doing a lot of service work.”

Serena Gutierrez, senior psychology major, said she was proud of the awards and that the presentation has enhanced her experience for her major.

“It has helped strengthen my choice to study psychology,” Gutierrez said. “Learning ideas and theories in class is great ,and we have really great teachers in the psychology department.”

Gutierrez said seeing results from their own work makes the experience more realistic.

“It’s exciting to have a theory, conduct an experiment,

and have the results support your ideas,” Gutierrez said.

“The SWPA conference was amazing too. Not only did we conduct an experiment and get results, but people were interested in our results and what future implications it could have.”

Alvarado was also excited about the awards they earned.

“There is a sense of pride, but it is more of a group pride,” Alvarado said. “This was team work, and I feel happy that we also made Dr. Brown proud as he trusted us to be part of his research team. It is exciting to walk into the Psychology office and see our certificates. It keeps me motivated.”

Author speaks to Wesleyan about Christianity, death penalty Alejandra Garcia agarcia@txwes.edu

Ram Jam gives students break during UCD April 10 For More Current News, check out TheRambler.org

At 7 p.m. on April 11 inside the sanctuary of the Polytechnic United Methodist Church, Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, visited Texas Wesleyan to discuss the death penalty as part of the 2013 Willson Lectures.

The Willson Lectures began in 1946 as an opportunity for people in the community to learn more about Christian service and values. The topics of the lectures include ministry, missionary work, social service work and Christian education.

Other events were held for interested students and faculty to participate in, including a luncheon and dialogue with Prejean and a screening of the film adaptation of Dead Man Walking.

Prejean discussed her expe-

Alejandra Garcia/Rambler Staff Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Wallking discussed her views on the death penalty and had a book signing after her lecture April 11.

rience writing the book and serving as a spiritual adviser to inmates on death row.

Prejean said she grew up in Louisiana where subjects like the death penalty were not on

people’s mind. She described her sudden awareness of the death penalty as a spiritual awakening.

“When we wake up, we begin to question things,” Prejean said. “And I woke up.”

Prejean said contrary to popular belief, it costs more to execute inmates than a life sentence in prison without parole.

Costs include the original trial, appeals process, separate housing for death row inmates and the actual execution.

According to the Texas Death Penalty Fact Sheet (statistics as of March 15, 2013), Texas has executed more inmates than any other state.

Crystal Sade, junior criminal justice major, said the death penalty is a topic of discussion in her major classes.

“You have to look at both sides,” Sade said. “I feel [Prejean] has grown so much by learning

about the world around her.”

Sade also said the money spent on executing inmates could be put to better use, such as education or helping children suffering from abuse.

Marisol Castrellon, junior business major, said the people have the power to make a change, and she thinks Prejean is making a difference.

“I like the fact that it was a Catholic perspective,” Castrellon said. “It is something I hadn’t thought of before.”

Castrellon said she learned about the Willson Lectures in her religion classes and decided it was a subject worth learning about.

“It is important for students to come to events like the Willson Lectures so they can form their own opinion on the topics,” Castrellon said. “It’s important to be informed.”

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Alumni reconnect at 2013 reunion Victoria Slaten

vslaten@txwes.edu

Once again Texas Wesleyan alumni gathered to return, remember and reconnect with all the good times they had at Wesleyan.

On April 18-20, Wesleyan alumni had an eventful weekend full of memories, dinners and old friends.

Gina Phillips ‘97 MSP ‘07, director of development and alumni relations, said it’s just a really fun time for people to come back.

Phillips said the weekend consists of several events including a baseball game, an alumni dinner, a group photo, an annual musical, and an all-alumni gathering.

Phillips said the musical always sells out, and the theater can seat 200. Phillips said there are usually

150 people at the alumni dinner and the lunch.

Phillips said they try to involve the alumni in the events as much as they can.

Phillips said they ask some alumni to chair events.

“What we try to do is get these people to call their friends and say come to the reunion because we want to build participation and get people back to campus,” Phillips said.

“But also a piece of this is to raise money for the university.”

Phillips said they want to increase the alumni giving percentage, and hope to by targeting a smaller audience.

DeAwna Wood ‘05, assistant director of alumni relations, said there have been a few changes this year from the previous reunions.

Campaign effectively communicating Texas Wesleyan’s strengths, and are Texas Wesleyan’s strengths resonating with our perspective students in terms of applying to the school and not just applying but coming here?” Veilleux said.

Veilleux said the motive behind starting the Smaller.

Smarter. campaign was always that Wesleyan was considered a best kept secret that not enough people knew about.

Veilleux said according to research, only two out of 10 people knew about Texas Wesleyan in the metroplex.

“The motive was to improve the awareness; we want to tell people not only immediately around Fort Worth or around the school but we really want to tell all of Fort Worth, the entire county,” Veilleux said. “We believe that we can develop a strong regional reputation by com-

“We’ve added the Gold event for graduates of the last decade and the baseball game,” Wood said.

Wood said alumni who have reached a milestone anniversary are honored at the reunion.

“We invite all alumni, but we honor eight classes,” Wood said. “And the eight classes that we honor are those who celebrate their 5, 10, 20 year, 25, 30, 40, 50, and 60 year.”

Wood said the object of the 2013 reunion is for the alumni to return, remember and reconnect with Wesleyan and their fellow alumni.

“At the dinner is where we have the silent auction,” Wood said. “That is the alumni board who hosts that. The proceeds go to the Alumni Association account which funds student

scholarships for legacy students.”

Wood said the students who received the scholarship award this year and were recognized at the allalumni gathering are Spencer Baker, Emily Burch and Samantha Max. Glen Tuggle ‘85, incoming vice president of the alumni board of directors, said the scholarship process is very thorough, and all the favoritism is taken out of the application process.

“One of the efforts we’ve really tried to make is to increase the endowment for scholarships so we can increase the awards,” Tuggle said.

Tuggle said the board hopes to add a third endowment by the end of December with the help of the Texas Wesleyan Alumni.

Veilleux said the marketing department will continue the campaign in the fall. The methods and strategies used this far will stay the same.

Janee Alexander, junior English major, said the Smaller.Smarter advertisement campaign keeps the prospective students guessing about what all Wesleyan has to offer.

“We may be a small university, but we offer way more entities than majority of the larger universities,” Alexander said.

Trent Sandles, senior business major, said he feels the advertising campaign has done an excellent job with marketing.

“They really found a perfect spot for Texas Wesleyan; not only is the university smaller but smaller is also smarter,” Sandles said.

Sandles said the advertising campaign has been extremely effective in broadening the university.

“We have seen over 1,400 undergrad applicants and have accepted over 500,” Sandles said. “That is more than what we have had in years past and I definitely think that it had something to do with the marketing of commercials and billboards throughout the DFW area.

continued from page 1

municating to people who we are and what we do.”

Veilleux said the marketing team wants Wesleyan to be a destination school for people who want and need the small class environment.

Veilleux said what sets Wesleyan apart from any other school is it is not a big school.

Veilleux went to the University of North Texas and his English classes consisted of more than 300 students, which was a completely different experience from the small classes that are provided at Wesleyan.

“We are a small school that really delivers students that hands-on learning, that oneon-one effective teaching that takes place between a professor and the student, small class sizes; teachers who really care, and teachers who challenge [students] to think critically and who have time to meet with students,” Veilleux said.

April 24, 2013

tuition

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continued from page 1

ing on by a thread, by what we are receiving from the military, it’s tough and this is going to make it a little harder. It’s bittersweet.”

Timothy Reece, international programs assistant and Alumni, said that as a former student at Wesleyan he can relate to the frustration students are experiencing due to increased tuition.

He said he hopes Wesleyan allocates the additional revenue correctly.

“I do think that it’s frustrating for students to see that; I’ve been through that frustration, and I hope, and I trust that the higher administration is going to use the funds wisely,” Reece said.

“There’s a lot of areas that this money has got to go to; and so the way that it’s allocated, it’s gotta be done in a way that’s gonna be best for the whole university so it could remain competitive.”

Laura Hanna, director of communications, said the increased tuition will help add more academic positions.

“In the library for instance, they’re going to be adding two new clerks, eight parttime tutors, a tutor coordinator, and an academic program liaison,” Hanna said.

“And there’ll also be a couple of other positions added in the business office, which every student has to deal with the business office at some point, so that’ll be additional services there.”

Veilleux said the increased tuition will also help cover indirect costs, such as salary raises for professors and staff.

“If you want to keep great faculty you have to give them a raise,” Veilleux said.

“We didn’t do that last year, but that’s one thing we’re doing this year in September.

There’ll be raises for faculty and staff.”

Faculty raises will just take a fraction of the money collected from the tuition

increase, he said.

“Those are the type of things that those dollars go to, not just fixed costs but indirect costs,” Veilleux said.

“If you think about some of the faculty that you like, in order for us to keep them, we have to offer them competitive salaries.”

Reece said as a staff member he realizes that the increased tuition plays a minor part in the overall school budget.

“Now as a staff member, I can kind of see the necessity for it,” Reece said. “The budget... it’s a complex situation.

It’s got a lot of facets to it, and the tuition is only one element of the whole situation.”

Some of the extra tuition revenue will help students feel safer on campus, Veilleux said. Some of the money will go toward upgrading security and surveillance around campus.

“We did get a bid to enhance the security presence on campus with cameras, so you’re going to see the first phase of those going up next year, and that’s going to be directly attributable to some of that increase in tuition,” Veilleux said.

He also said the school will add a student life activities coordinator, which is part of a new position to help improve the student experience.

“Some of the things students talk about is wanting to enhance student life on campus, particularly for the folks who live on campus,” Veilleux said. “This position would be built directly for the purpose of really enhancing campus life.”

Gandara said the tuition increase is more beneficial for those students who are transferring in rather than those who are currently attending Wesleyan.

“It’s more suitable for people not here yet that plan on coming here,” Gandara said.

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April 24, 2013

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Students should prioritize finals before partying

Rolandra West

rdwest@txwes.edu

If you are like me, you have been counting down the days until the semester is over. We start planning

out our summer vacation, filling our schedules up with fun activities, or our over achievers are signing up for summer class. But one thing we quickly forget when counting down the days until summer vacation is the semester is NOT over, and we still have finals and projects to complete.

If you aren’t doing so well in a class and you are barely passing or have an extremely low B, you might want to think twice about partying it up all week before that

big final.

Although that doesn’t give students who are passing their classes with As a chance to slack either. I wouldn’t want to take that chance.

A lot of professors are smarter than we give them credit, they know how we think because they have been there themselves. So most finals or final projects are worth more than any other assignments that are given.

If you are the type of per-

son that has to study ahead for every test, then it would not be smart to cram a lot of information into your brain the night or morning before your exam.

Now some people are just annoyingly absorbent.

They don’t need to study and can still make a good grade on their tests. Now, personally I know I’m not that kind of person and you shouldn’t lie to yourself if you know you are not this kind of person.

Essays and projects at the

end of the semester should NOT be put off to the last minute because not only are we rushing to get it done, most of us aren’t truly proof reading the work we’ve done.

I like to get a decent amount of sleep; I couldn’t possibly spend the entire night until late the next morning writing a six-to-10 page paper.

I urge students to plan accordingly with all of your other assignments at least a couple weeks or a month

ahead of time. By planning ahead you get a chance to do things in portions instead of having to produce all of that information at once.

If you like your sleep, this will work for you and your sleeping habits.

Once all of your projects and essays are done and you have rocked your tests, then it’s time to celebrate.

You can have all the fun you want but I’d advise that you do it safely.

‘Gone with the Wind’, my not-so-secret obsession

Alejandra Garcia

agarcia@txwes.edu

I have watched many a good films in my lifetime, but none can and never will surpass the best movie of all, Gone with the Wind.

For those of you who don’t know, Gone with the Wind is a movie released in 1939, directed by Victor Fleming (the same great director who brought us The Wizard of Oz) starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.

It won 10 Academy Awards that year including best picture.

Gone with the Wind takes place in Atlanta, Georgia during the Civil War. Certainly it is not a realistic portrayal of the Civil War, but entertaining nonetheless. The story follows one southern girl through the many trials and tribulations she faces as a result of the war; invasion, death, starvation, and deprivation of all sorts.

Like many marvelous mov-

ies, Gone with the Wind was first a book. Margaret Mitchell, American journalist and author, wrote the novel in 1936 and won the much-coveted Pulitzer Prize in Fiction in 1937.

I was a senior in high school when I first saw this movie. Just flipping through the channels trying to find something to watch other than bad sitcoms and reality TV, and there it was.

I can’t remember what channel exactly, probably AMC. I didn’t know much about the movie then, but I thought “ah, what the hell. There’s nothing else on. I’ll just watch it until I get bored.” Then an hour passed, then two, then three, then four. I never once got bored. This movie held my attention from beginning to end.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not the romance that draws me into this movie (although let’s be honest who wouldn’t fall for Rhett Butler’s charm.

Oh that gorgeous scoundrel!)

Rather it is Scarlett’s unyielding desire to not only survive the war-crazed period, but also to regain the life she and her family abruptly lost.

It is a story from riches to rags to riches again. She refuses to live in a world that offers

Alejandra’s Gone with the Wind collection featuring the novel, sound track, poster and other memorabilia.

so little to her quality of life, as she so elegantly quotes in the movie, “As God as my witness, I will never be hungry again.”

Well said Scarlett, well said.

Many of you reading this might think it is strange for a 22-year-old to love a movie

made more than 70 years ago.

I agree, it doesn’t make any sense. But stranger things have happened. The movie critics hit it right on the dot when they said this story was a timeless tale.

It was this movie that in-

spired my fascination with Old Hollywood. After having watched Gone with the Wind I went in search of other movies during that time period.

Actors like Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elvis Presley,

Alejandra Garcia/Rambler Staff

Bette Davis, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor brought so much to the silver screen. I am amazed by everything I’ve seen them in.

I can watch these movies all day long. And it all began with the best one of all.

Wesleyan smokers should be more considerate of non-smokers

Victoria Slaten

vaslaten@txwes.edu

No big surprise. Everyone knows smoking is harmful.

According to Livestrong. com cigarette smoking is the No. 1 cause of preventable disease and death. Cigarette smoke

damages every organ in your body as soon as you inhale. The more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes can cause serious diseases and death.

According to the American Cancer Society, secondhand smoke is responsible for 46,000 deaths from heart disease of non-smokers and 3,400 deaths from lung cancer of non-smokers each year.

Pregnant womens’ exposure of secondhand smoke can cause birth and pregnancy complications. Reports by the U.S. Surgeon General said every expo-

T�� R������ Visual Editor: Alejandra Garcia

Digital Media Editor: Candace Johnson Rambler TV Director: Kelsi Holland Faculty Adviser: Wendy Moore Faculty Liaison: Dr. Kay Colley Publisher: Frederick Slabach

sure to secondhand smoke is harmful.

Nonsmokers are unfairly exposed to lungs full of secondhand smoke every day in public and on Wesleyan’s campus.

The amount of smoke on campus is an issue. Sometimes I have to hold my breath as I walk to class to avoid choking on smoke as I walk by a group of smokers.

If they smoke in the designated smoking areas, they are not breaking any rules; however, I believe there

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

— Thomas Jefferson

Print/Web Content Producers: Erica Estrada, Emma Fradette, Victoria Slaten, Rolandra West Interns: Tristian Evans, Santiago Muñoz TV Content Producers: R’Relle Duncan, Ryan Grounds, Martika Cook, Alejandra Garcia

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

Wesleyan community as a whole.

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should be less designated areas so the nonsmokers will not have to suffer every time they step outside of a building on campus.

Additionally, smokers should be considerate and not smoke when walking to class. The worst thing is to be stuck behind someone who has just lit up and is walking in front of you on the sidewalk with a trail of smoke following them.

One could argue if you don’t like the smoke, don’t be around it. But smoke travels and pollutes the

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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.

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air and it may not even be close.

You can tune out someone who is being annoying and loud, but you can’t tune out not being able to breathe.

If people want to mess up their own air that is fine, but when they start messing with the air other people breathe, that is inconsiderate and unfair.

And now a less commonly known hazard from smoking in addition to firsthand and secondhand smoke, is thirdhand smoke, which is harmful to children the most.

After the cigarette is put out, there is still the toxins left which settle on furniture, clothing, or whatever was around while the cigarette was lit.

So people who are exposed to places after someone has smoked in them are involuntarily exposed to third-hand smoke.

Obviously people are still going to smoke, but they should think about the people who will be affected by their actions before they automatically light that cigarette.

thumbs up Thumbs up to the spring carnival held on April 14th by Social Rams.

Everyone had a blast.

Thumbs up to the Annual Fort Worth Arts Festival downtown April 18-21.

Thumbs up to the theatre department for selling out all performances for Into the Woods.

thumbs down Thumbs down to the tuition hike. The tuition is steadily increasing but why are the scholarships not increasing?

Thumbs down to the turmoil that has gone on throughout the United States this past month. The victims are in our prayers.

Thumbs down to the bi-polar weather this month.

Please pick a tempertaure, hot or cold.

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Campus

April 24, 2013

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Students gather in biggest spring carnival turnout Erica Estrada eestrada@txwes.edu

On April 14 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Texas Wesleyan’s Resident Life held their 3rd annual Spring Carnival.

This year marked the biggest student turnout. The carnival took place outside of Stella Russell and Elizabeth Means ArmstrongHalls.

Baron Yarborough, senior business major, said every year the carnival gets better with more people and different attractions. This year students had a variety of activities to choose from.

“I think this is the best turnout food-wise. [Also] student participation is really up, and I really like the feel of this one,” Yarborough said.

“We have have a whole lot of smaller

activities and also a good amount of big ones just to keep students having fun right before finals.”

Colin Halicki, senior music major, agrees that the carnival had an excellent turnout.

“This has been the best one by far,” Halicki said. “This is a great time to do it because there is no rain out here so there is no need to cancel it.

The way they’re distributing tickets for prizes; better chances for everyone to have. I think I put at least 50 for the electronics.”

Yarborough and Kendall Carnley, junior political science major and president of Social Rams, said Resident Life helped set up the event and the Student Government Association helped fund the carnival.

The money was put toward the the

raffles and prizes, Yarborough said.

Carnley also said the budget was beneficial since it helped to have more money to fund more activities, which helped keep students actively involved throughout the event.

“As president of Social Rams, I get to see a lot of events,” Carnley said. “I get to see how many students come, how many stay for the whole event or how many just come, eat the food, and leave.”

He said the carnival had an amazing retention rate this year.

“You have students that stayed for multiple hours during all the different events, staying for the raffle, eating the food, and then continuing to stay for the prizes and events,” Carnley said. “That’s something you don’t see often.”

Erica Estrada/ Rambler staff Students assembled in the campus courtyards on April 14 to enjoy the 3rd annual Spring Carnival held by Resident Life. The carnival was held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Above left: Students had a variety of attractions to choose from. (From left to right) Kaden Arnsberg, freshmen business major, Jonathan Bravo, freshman exercise science major, Meghan Finley, sophomore athletic training major and Alex Hendee, sophomore biology major, played Spike Ball.

Above right: Victoria Johnson, freshmen mass communication major enjoyed a whirl on the gyroscope ball. Johnson said she had a good time attending the Spring Carnival..

Lower left: Baron Yarborough, senior general business major, sat in the dunking booth. Yarborough serves as resident assistant in Stella Russell Hall and helped in planning the Spring Carnival..

“I’ve been to all three of them [previous carnivals].” Yarborough said. “Every year it gets better. We always have different attractions.”

Lover right: Mohammed Gadini, student from The Language Company located inside Stella Russell Hall, climbed to the top of the inflatable palm tree attraction.

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Ram Jam festival brings fun, games, good time

Victoria Slaten vaslaten@txwes.edu

After a long morning of listening to lectures during University College Day, students at Texas Wesleyan University needed a way to unwind and relax before the second half of lectures.

The Social Rams planned and put on Ram Jam on April 10, complete with free food and activities for students to enjoy, when they took a break from University College Day. Michael Chaney, student activities coordinator, said “The purpose of Ram Jam is to have a very amazing social event to kind of culminate the semester and partner up with University College Day.” Chaney said Ram Jam is a festival that has been going for more than 10 years.

Chaney said when Social Rams was started on campus last year, Ram Jam was given to them to plan.

“They’re the masterminds,” Chaney said. “I’ve worked with them on helping them find some vendors and decide what to do with the budget.

But ultimately they’ve been the ones that have made the selections.”

Chaney said Ram Jam had to be moved inside BrownLuptin building due to weather conditions.

Kendal Carnley, junior political science major and Social Rams president, said Ram Jam provides a fun atmosphere for students to enjoy at the end of the semester.

“Ram Jam is an event during University College Day that gives students a break from all the lectures,” Carnley said. “It gives them something to do in the middle of the day.”

Carnley said the activities at Ram Jam were a mechanical bull, a slam dunk inflatable, a

jousting area where students could go head-to-head with jousting sticks, combination pool and a miniature golf area, and an illusionist. Carnley said there is free food, tshirts, and sunglasses.

Carnley said Ram Jam usually has live bands, but this year Social Rams decided to spend their budget on different entertainment.

“What we have found is that it’s more of a background noise, and students don’t really pay attention to it,” Carnley said. “What we decided to do this year is to put more money and more effort towards events and different items to give away.”

Carnley said Ram Jam would not have happened without Chaney, the Social Rams adviser, and the Social Rams.

“My entire Social Rams team has really put a whole lot of effort not only into Ram Jam but into all the events we’ve put on this year,” Carnley said.

Grant Milam, freshman marketing major, said the atmosphere at Ram Jam was exciting, and everyone looked like they were having fun.

Milam said he did every activity at Ram Jam, and he liked the jousting and the illusionist the best.

Milam said even though Ram Jam had to be held indoors due to rainy and windy weather, it was still a successful event.

“I don’t think the weather effected it in a negative way,” Milam said. “People came from lectures, and it kept people inside instead of outside in the rain.”

Milam said Ram Jam was fun, and he liked that it brought everyone at the university together to socialize and have a good time.

Victoria Slaten/ Rambler Staff Above: Students had the chance to practice medieval jousting in a modern way.

The object of the game is to knock the opponent’s costumed head off using jousting sticks. Other Ram Jam activities included an inflatable basketball hoop, a photo booth, combination minature golf and pool, and a mechanical bull. Illusitionist and Texas Wesleyan alumnus, Mike Ince, walked around the festival and performed illusions for students.

Below: Knycole Smiley, freshmen psychology major, rode the mechanical bull during the Ram Jam festival. Ram Jam was held from noon to 2 p.m. on April 10 in the Brown-Lupton Sid Richardson Center. Ram Jam occurs every year hosted by Michael Chaney, coordinator of student activities, volunteerism and organizations, in partnership with the Social Rams organization. The Ram Jam festival was included as part of University College Day so students would have a break between presentations.

Read It or Not 2013

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April 24, 2013

Pop Culture Junkie Tristian Evans tkevans1098@txwes.edu

Pop Culture Junkie says goodbye to fans, heads for graduation Hello, fellow pop culture junkies. Seeing as how I’m graduating, this will be the last installment of Pop Culture Junkie written by yours truly.

I’ve truly enjoyed writing this column, which began as Tristian’s Top Ten, when I started at Texas Wesleyan last spring. This column gave me a platform on which I could write about movies, comic books, films, trends, etc. and for that, I have been truly grateful.

As I prepare to enter the big bad real world, I question if my wide range of pop culture knowledge will serve any purpose.

I mean, if I one day end up writing for Entertainment Weekly, which I truly hope will happen, then yes, it does serve a purpose.

But in the more immediate future, the answer is probably no.

However, it this question made me think about how far people like me, who have an obsession with things that were once considered by most people to be nerdy and geeky, have come.

Perhaps, one’s love of comic books and movies and films is still considered a bit nerdy. But I feel now days, the success of successful superhero films and other science fiction and fantasy based movies, TV shows, books, etc. proves more and more, people are willing to let themselves get lost in a fictional world that is both fascinating and impossible. They are more willing to watch trashy reality shows to distract themselves from everything that is going on in their lives.

Although I realize there are still people who are ashamed to say they read comic books, or read science fiction and fantasy novels, or watch trashy reality TV shows, I would like to hope one day, shame will not exist. People should be free to enjoy any and every form of entertainment and be themselves.

This column was me expressing a part of myself in which other people may believe to be silly or nerdy or geeky. I’m okay with being called any of those terms, I am who I am.

And, I would like to hope, something I’ve written has inspired you to be you. Whether you’re a comic book reader or a reality TV junkie, and even if you’re none of those things, my point is, be yourself and never let anyone convince you otherwise.

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‘Into the Woods’ ignites viewers’ inner child PLAY REVIEW

Do you believe in fairly tales?

Texas Wesleyan theatre does.

Wesleyan’s 59th Annual Musical, Into the Woods, directed by Ben Phillips, shared a mix of fairy tale favorites April 18-21.

Once narrator Chris Willmer began the story, I was on the edge of my seat. I was so anxious to know what may happen next.

It brought me back to my childhood.

The set design was very creative. Once the house lights went down and the stage lights came up, the “once upon a time” story book transformed into the beautiful set of Into the Woods.

I’m not a fan of musicals but Wesleyan actors caught my attention. The play was quirky, fun and quite mysterious, which the audience enjoyed.

The musical was a combination of all of your favorite fairy tales. Rapunzel, Jack and the Bean Stock, Little Red Riding Hood and my all time favorite, Cinderella, all made appearances. Each character in the story

found themselves going “Into the Woods” to capture that magical ending you find in fairy tales.

Inside the set was an ensemble of beautiful actors. The two standouts were the Witch, played

by Emily Newcomb, and the Wolf, played by David Vaughn.

The Witch was wicked and conniving, something I couldn’t help but to be drawn to. I loved her the moment she appeared on stage. From her voice to her creepy mask, Newcomb did great embodying her character, especially with that devilish laugh,. She nailed it.

As for the wolf, he did great at making the audience laugh during his solo performance. He was amusing and had me smiling from ear to ear.

Along with those two, another set of actors grasped my attention. Jacob Sanchez, the Baker, and his wife, Cassandra Beltran were delightful throughout the play. You could feel and see the chemistry between the two throughout their duets. They sounded great together.

The costumes were well put together, they were designed as if they were cut out a story

book. The costumes and props, brought life to each character, especially little red riding hood played by Jessica LaVilla. Her bright red hood showed the innocence her playful character portrayed.

Behind the set was a live orchestra, which enhanced the magical feeling of the play. From

the tones they played to the cues they hit, the orchestra helped perfect each actor’s performance.

Overall, Texas Wesleyan’s Theatre did an amazing job this weekend.

Into the Woods gets my two thumbs up and a round of applause. They reassured me fairy tales do have happy endings.

International students just want to have fun Santiago Mnoz munoz1367@txwes.edu

Once study time is over, partying, exercising and relaxing is what many international students at Texas Wesleyan prefer to do during their leisure time.

Rakan Alaquil, freshmen business major, said he likes to go back to his dorm room and watch TV, read and exercise for leisure.

“On the weekdays, after finishing my classes I go home; sometimes I watch TV or watch some TV shows that I like, or sometimes I prefer to read some books,” Alaquil said. “And On the weekend, sometimes I hang out with friends. ... I go to clubs or bars in downtown Fort Worth.”

Alaquil said international students should explore the American culture during their free time by hanging out with American students.

“On the weekdays, I recommend them to explore the American culture here by hanging out with the American people, and get along with them.” Alaquil said. “On the weekend is different from person to person, but I recommend them to go to parties, clubs, go out and have fun.”

Ray Al Malki, freshman business major, said he and his friends like to attend dance clubs and

Lupe Salas/Rambler Staff Mohammed Althabet, freshman international student, texts his friends while watching TV in the dorm lobby of OC Armstrong Hall. The lobby was converted from a speech classroom over the Christmas break to accommodate an influx of students needing housing.

bars in downtown Fort Worth on weekends because it provides an outlet to release school stress and the opportunity to socialize with other people.

“Usually we go to the club Saturday night to dance with other friends and release stress,” Malki said. “I recommend other international students to go hangout

with other friends and go to restaurants or a nice club, or anything!”

Nourin Maredia, graduate student in counseling psychology, said she enjoys bar hopping in downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas on the weekends.

“I usually just hang around in

downtown Fort Worth and go to bars, and sometimes in Dallas too,” Maredia said.

She said during the weekdays, after classes and homework have been completed, she likes to hang with friends and exercise.

“I like to hang out with friends and then go to the gym,” Maredia said.

check out more up-to-date coverage on

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April 24, 2013

7

Former player turned coach for Lady Jazz Emma Fradette

Emma Fradette ekfradette@txwes.edu

Wesleyan sports successful, fans show support Throughout the 2012-2013 athletic season, the Texas Wesleyan athletic programs have thrived. Both men and women’s teams have had successful seasons, and that has created memorable moments, not just for the student-athletes but for the students as well.

All teams, up to now, have finished with winning seasons. Some teams have won in their competitions for the Red River Athletic Conference; others have even competed in nationals. Either way it goes, the Lady Rams and Rams have really given the Wesleyan athletic department something to be proud of. The studentathletes worked extremely hard to accomplish these things and it says a lot about Wesleyan’s program.

Wesleyan’s coaches have done an amazing job recruiting good athletes in all sports and it has shown throughout the year.

The students at Wesleyan have also shown support for the teams. I remember going to the soccer games and even though it was cold outside, students showed up with blankets and coffee, cheering on both teams to victory.

As a student-athlete up until last season, I can say most people don’t understand how important fans are. Fans can help change the momentum of a game in seconds. Once the fans start really cheering and getting loud, the team normally gets “amped” or “hyped” and that alone can change the pace of a game.

It will be interesting next year to see the competition change as the Rams and Lady Rams enter the Sooner Athletic Conference, SAC. I believe Wesleyan teams will compete just fine, and can even make a statement next athletic year.

Although I will be graduated, I will definitely come back to catch up on games and check out the new competition. Good luck teams and finish strong!

ekfradette@txwes.edu

She shoots the basketball in Texas Wesleyan’s Sid Richardson Center during an important game for the Lady Rams and the crowd goes wild as the ball swishes through the net.

Brittany White, former senior on the women’s basketball team, just made it into the 1,000 point club.

White was a player for the Lady Rams program for three seasons and became the 12th member to join the Lady Rams 1,000 point club. She finished her senior season with 1,025 points. White graduated in May 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology.

White has since landed a job with the Bowles Life Center in Grand Prairie, Texas and has recently picked up a job which has allowed her to give back to the local youth.

White has become the head coach for the Lady Jazz, a local girls’ basketball team out of Arlington, Texas. The Lady Jazz consists of girls around the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex, all girls are eighth and ninth graders.

Regina White, Brittany White’s mother, couldn’t be more proud of Brittany’s new coaching job.

“I am proud of Brittany and all the things she has accomplished,” Regina White said. “Becoming a basketball coach and watching how committed she is with her girls makes me proud to see her determination to teach the girls to play at the next level.”

White said she learned a lot from Wesleyan and wants to bring those lessons to the Lady Jazz.

“What I took from TWU is hard work and to be a good leader,” White said. “I try to teach my AAU basketball team to never give up. I learned at TWU that giving up is declaring your own premature defeat.”

Photo courtesy of Lawrence Idiata Jr. Above: Lady Jazz wins a whole tournament in the local area.

Right: Brittany White, Wesleyan graduate and former player on the women’s basketball team, is now the head coach for the Lady Jazz.

White became the coach in February 2013, with the help of Lawrence Idiata Jr., founder of the team.

Idiata is 24 years old and is currently studying kinesiology at the University of North Texas.

Idiata said he wanted to start the team because he always wanted to make an impact on the youth.

“My vision was to build a positive relationship with these young athletes while using their competitiveness as an avenue to motivate them to achieve their goals,” Idiata said.

Idiata said athletics is a way to teach kids important tools they can use for the rest of their lives.

“Athletics, today plays a big part in children life it teaches them teamwork and responsibility,” Idiata said. “Also it helps build character and personality in many children.”

Idiata and White both agreed creating the Lady Jazz would be a great way to give back, and teach girls valuable life lessons through athletics.

“Together, as an organization we will work to inspire athletes to give back to the community with various volunteer opportunities,” Idiata said. “We will strive to develop each athlete’s talent and help them reach their full individual potential, by increasing their knowledge and fundamentals in the game of basketball and more importantly, life.”

White said she loves coaching the Lady Jazz and since the organization has started the team is 15-3.

“The Lady Jazz has won three tournaments, and also got second place in two other basketball tournaments,” White said.

White said the team will be traveling plenty over the

summer, including going to Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana. White said she hopes she can continue to coach such a good group of girls, while helping them the same way Wesleyan athletics helped her.

“I want them to learn how to communicate on the court, if you make a mistake don't hold your head down and dwell on what happened keep playing,” White said. “Make up for the mistake.

Hard work and dedication leads to success and to never give up.”

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UCD

April 24, 2013

Students exchange knowledge, ideas UCD offers curiosity for students

The Rambler

www.therambler.org

University College Day

Shane Donovan sddonovan@txwes.edu

Two students gave a presentation about Syria in the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Science and Technology Center during UCD on April 10.

Jessica Soto, senior political science major, and Charlien Trotter, senior political science and prelaw major, presented a project of theirs for University College Day. The project was about the Syrian conflict and if the world should get involved.

“Should there be an intervention in Syria?” Soto asked at the end of their presentation.

Mansour Alshughayan, freshman accounting major, watched the presentation and answered her question by saying, “The world community should intervene… I am from the Middle-East, and I know a lot of people from Syria, It’s a serious problem.”

Trotter highlighted those serious problems in their presentation, Syria has been under a state of emergency since 1962.

“The United Nations put out an estimate of 70 thousand casualties in the civil war of Syria. Many of those casualties are women and children who get caught in the crossfire between rebel and government attacks.” Trotter said.

Soto spoke about sovereignty and the lack of world involvement. She told the audience that the United Nation has legal reasons to intervene but has been reluctant to act.

The group also showed a short video at the end of the presentation about the Syrian civil war and how it is affecting and taking innocent peoples’ lives.

“Right now we would like to issue a warning, we are about to show a video that is very graphic and disturbing. If you feel like you should leave the room, please do so before we start the video,” Soto said before they showed the video.

Soto then closed their presentation by saying, “I know that was a graphic video but that’s reality.”

Above photo by Erica Estrada/Rambler Staff Clara Slaughter, senior general business major, demonstrated her poster presentation about the Japanese character, Hello Kitty. Poster presentations were held in the West Library from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. during University College Day April 10.

Screen shot left courtesy of Rambler TV

Check out Rambler TV’s video on UCD on their Youtube channel or find a link at therambler.org.

NASA scientist uses life lessons to inform students at UCD

Rosy Perez rperez1196@txwes.edu

Ginger Kerrick, a NASA scientist, spoke to Texas Wesleyan students about her life obstacles and how she got to the position she is in now during University College Day April 10.

She explained about how her father’s death impacted her future and how determination can take you anywhere you dream.

“I’m not an astronaut I’m a scientist,” Kerrick said while walking into the lecture hall.

Kerrick started her speech by telling the story about her father’s death and how it influenced her life/career. On a

Friday the 13th when she was a teenager, Kerrick and her mother were going to pick up her father’s check and when they got there he was dying of a heart attack.

“Changes the way you look at the world at that age,” Kerrick said.

She then started to inform the audience about how after her father’s death her mother left her in charge of the finances to show her that there was no money for college and if she wanted to go she had to work hard to get there.

“I learned to never give up and keep going no matter what obstacles are in front of you,” Steven Fersing, freshman business management

major, said after Kerrick’s speech.

Kerrick explained how she didn’t have money to go to college so she wrote letters to a chairman and how he called her and invited her to the campus.

The chairman of the university found her three scholarships and two jobs. Kerrick said she couldn’t resist being a college student and had a good time.

Karlos Steel, a senior history major from University of North Texas, said “I understood what she meant about partying because I myself went through that.”

Due to her having a good time, her grade point aver-

age of 4.0 quickly went down.

When it was time to meet with the chairman she let him know that she would try harder and asked if there was a third job available.

Fersing said, “I am amazed at her ability to keep going.”

She had overcome her father dying, having a low grade point average, and now president was in her way but she was determined to go so that she could be an astronaut.

Eventually Kerrick started an internship but she wanted more because she was in a “65 degree room with three people over the age of 60.” She wanted to be in the co-op office and eventually she got there because she never gave

up.

Her dream of becoming an astronaut quickly faded away when they found kidney stones in some of her xrays. NASA had just adopted a new rule saying anyone with kidney stones couldn’t go to space.

In 1993 after she graduated, there was a hiring freeze and she couldn’t find a job. She continued to go to school and every Friday she would call to see if the hiring freeze was over.

“She sounded so goofy when telling the story about calling every Friday, I couldn’t stop laughing,” Steel said.

She later mentioned how

she had a Russian co-worker and how he was always arguing with her. Later she found out that the reason was because there was a language barrier.

Steel, a formal Army member said, “I understood the Russians frustrations because I have frustrations now that I am out of the Army it’s hard sometimes.”

After all this she still found a job working with NASA. She managed to create a job for herself while at NASA and has been there.

A fellow student in the crowd asked, “What’s next for you?” Kerrick simply stated that she was open to anything.