wednesday
November 20, 2013 Vol. 97 • No. 13 www.therambler.org
The Rambler The voice of Texas Wesleyan University students since 1917
2013 Review
Rams SAC Review
Campus,
Sports,
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Library staff spreads holiday cheer with gifts Rosy Perez
Rperez1196@txwes.edu
Jessica Liptak | Rambler Staff President Frederick Slabach (second from left) and area officials broke ceremonial ground on the next phase of the Rosedale Renaissance project Friday, Nov. 15, before a large crowd of onlookers and construction personnel.
Rosedale breaks new ground Erica Estrada
eestrada@txwes.edu
Friday morning, Nov. 15, the official groundbreaking of Rosedale Renaissance took place adjacent to the Armstrong-Mabee Business Center. A multitude of supporters from Texas Wesleyan students, faculty, and those of the community gathered to witness Wesleyan history. Local dignitaries such as City Manager Tom Higgins, Tarrant County Commissioner Roy C. Brooks and City Council Representative Dennis Shingleton came in celebration for the groundbreaking. The ceremony began with the welcoming of Kenneth H. Jones Jr., chairman of
the Wesleyan Board. Following the welcoming was the opening prayer by the university Chaplain Rev. Dr. Robert K. Flowers. The national anthem was sung by the Texas Wesleyan Chamber Singers directed by Dr. Jerome M. Bierschenk, director of Choral Activities. Texas Wesleyan President Frederick G. Slabach announced the groundbreaking as the official start of the Rosedale Renaissance Project. “Today we mark the beginning of a Renaissance,” said Slabach. “The revitalization of our home here in East Fort Worth will bring real, lasting change and build the foundation for a vibrant economic future. There is no doubt that today
marks the beginning of a new era.” Slabach explained the revitalization in four parts: East Rosedale Street Improvement project; laying groundwork for economic growth, Business Accelerator; Business School faculty and students help local entrepreneurs start and grow businesses; Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church Service Center, welcoming more than 25 new members of the Texas Wesleyan community; and Campus Entry and Clock Tower, opening Wesleyan to welcome prospective students, visitors and local community to campus. Slabach gave remarks and recognition of donors. “This project represents
a true public, private partnership involving many governmental entities, non-profit organizations and individuals committed to the Wesleyan Village area,” said Slabach. “These four projects stand together to signify the rebirth and emergence of this area as a growing economic center in the city of Fort Worth.” Fort Worth Mayor Pro Tem Zim Zimmerman also assisted with the groundbreaking and reiterated the importance of the development for the community and growth at Wesleyan. Zimmerman spoke in place of Mayor Betsy Price, who was unable to attend due to recent surgery. The groundbreaking was spaded by four different areas of the project.
AlGhussein pursues U.S. education Gates Lopez
dglopze@txwes.edu
Hafiz AlGhussein: pursuing Wesleyan educational dream in U.S. A young man from the Middle East, Hafiz AlGhussein, could be a role model for anybody because his determination to become a successful businessman and to help the community is admirable. AlGhussein, known as Fez to his friends, is a long way from his native home of Khobar, Saudi Arabia. But after 17 For More Current News, check out TheRambler.org
years of living with his family, he made the decision to pursue a general business degree with a minor in political science in the United States. “I came to America because I realized that I could get a great education and gain work experience that I may not be able to get in my home country,” AlGhussein said. Since his arrival at Texas Wesleyan three years ago, AlGhussein has become much more than a business student. During AlGhussein’s freshman year, he was a part of the table tennis team, the soccer team and a part of the Social Ram. “I really enjoyed being a part of an athletic team that works together to make Texas Wesleyan successful in its sports program,” AlGhussein said. ”We don’t have these opportunities to play sports for a university back home.” During his time with the Social Ram, AlGhussein helped organize events such
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as the Wesleyan Talent Show and the Resident Life Carnival. AlGhussein said he is proud of his work in helping to organize the program called LEAD, an organization for leadership for anyone at the university With his interest in helping the University and student body, he realized that there was an influx of foreign students coming to the university that might need assistance in adjusting to new surroundings. “I started tutoring in math in the Academic Success Center because I realized there are a lot of Saudi Arabians at the school that needed help understanding how to do math and learn the English system,” AlGhussein said. During AlGhussein’s second semester at Wesleyan, he found another new interest scuba diving. “How many Saudis do you know that are actually certified scuba divers?” he asked.
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AlGhussein said he started with the open water dive class, which taught him the basics of scuba diving. By the end of the semester, AlGhussein was on his way to Huntsville, Texas, to get certified. After getting his certification, scuba training got more intense with courses in rescue diving and advanced diving that taught AlGhussein dangerous scenarios that can occur in scuba. “It’s a rush, and it’s not easy,” he said. “There are situations where your life could be at stake because you’re dealing with underwater breathing.” AlGhussein is now a junior, is still a part of the Academic Success Center and still tutors Saudis as well as anyone else who needs help. Building on his civic involvement, AlGhussein joined the Student Government Association as well. AlGhussein described his
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During the holiday season while children are writing letters to Santa, the staff at the Eunice and James L. West Library are helping the Meals on Wheels clients put smiles on their faces. For the past eight years the Star Tree for gifts for older area citizens also has been placed at the library for willing participants. Originally the staff at the library took turns serving the clients of Meals on Wheels year round - not to mention this was all done on their own time. While sharing the route, the staff learned that every year towards the end of the year every client receives a small gift. The West Library staff then decided to make a Star Tree since many help children with gifts and they needed to help the elderly. In 2004 the library collected 98 gifts, and this has since grown to 354 gifts in a matter of eight years. “We usually have between 400-500 gifts, so we do about a fourth of the Tarrant county area gifts,” said Sheri Parker, coordinator of library operations. As children many Wesleyan students asked for cell phones, iPods and computers while never thinking of how others were celebrating or think where their next meal was coming from. Parker noted that the clients of the Meals on Wheels sometimes live alone and have pets to keep them company. Some of these clients even share their food with their
pets, so the library’s Star Tree has stars to pick up and buy pet food to give to someone. “We do have regulars who get really into it like Joe Brown always buys dog food, so certain people are really committed to the tree,” said circulation assistant June Johnson. Other kinds of gifts that are needed are socks, lotions, fleece covers, monetary donations, and gloves. All these gifts can be found for less than $10 each at Walmart and other area stores. For some Wesleyan when they were growing up, organizations helped our families during the holiday season such as the Salvation Army Tree. Children whose parents might not have the means to buy gifts can apply and hope to receive help and gifts for their children. If you received help earlier, you now have the opportunity to give back. By picking up a star, you are bringing joy to someone’s life. “I just loved talking to the people,” said Parker. “They are so sweet, and they are so thankful. It’s such a little thing to give an hour of your time. and they are very thankful to have the meal and the help and really the contact with someone else because some of them don’t really have any family.” When you go to the library and pick up a star, you can look at an instructions’ sheet attached that tells you what to do. After you choose your star, be sure to bring the un-
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Students, faculty compete in tree decorating contest Mariah Bosilikwa
mbosilikwa@txwes.edu
Get ready to see the West Library, decorated and lit up in 50 different little Christmas trees representing their own themes. This is a start of a new tradition at Texas Wesleyan: fun and new joyous participation from students, staff, and faculty. Even though the deadline of picking up a tree from the West Library has passed, the participants - individuals or groups - had until Monday, No. 18, to return their trees. The trees will be displayed at the Reference Area counter for all the school to see until De. 4 when the top three finishers will be announced. “The Christmas tree decorating contest came about
because we do the Meals on Wheels giving (Star) tree, every year with the Meals on Wheels clients,” Sheri Parker, coordinator of operations of the West Library said, “We just wanted to use the Christmas theme and get everybody into the Christmas spirit by decorating Christmas trees. “We’re using it as a kickoff for the Meals on Wheels giving tree.,” she said. At the end of the contest the participants may either pick up their tree between Dec. 5-13, or they can donate their tree to be purchased. Donated trees will be sold for $15, and all proceeds will be given to Tarrant County Meals on Wheels. For more information contact the West Library circulation desk at 817-531-4800.
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November 20, 2013
Career Fair aids Wesleyan students in finding jobs Joy Woods
jmwoods@txwes.edu
Everyone goes to college in hopes of landing a better job upon graduation, but with everyone having that same mentality and many people being qualified for few positions, searching for a job has proven to be somewhat difficult. However, Texas Wesleyan, along with other universities across the Metroplex, tried to make finding a job for recent alumni as easy as possible. On Nov. 7, there was an Alumni Career Fair that took place in Grapevine, Texas, starting at 6 p.m. Over 34 schools in DFW and surrounding areas had students in attendance. Robyn Bone, director of Wesleyan Career Services and Career Counselor, said, “This year there was a doubled amount of Wesleyan students.” This event is held in Grapevine once a semester, so students graduating at the end of each semester have an opportunity to hand out their resumes and get face time with companies and different businesses that are local. “There were over 50 companies in attendance along with over 300 students,” Bone said. The
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variety of companies gave the people in who came out more chances to possibly land a job in their field. A former Wesleyan student, Adam Winkenweder, who graduated in August 2013 was also in attendance at the fair. “The event was well put together with lots of potential career opportunities,” he said. “Although I didn’t find a good one for me, I am sure someone did. I have been to several veteran career fairs, and those were not as nice as this one.” He is a business management graduate, and that field is broad and has many people in pursuit of jobs needing that degree. Unfortunately, he was not able to find placement, but the event is still a chance for a person to get exposure and be seen as many businesses as possible. With the fair being held every semester, career services is looking to hold an event on this side of town, so more Wesleyan and TCU students can be in attendance. This event is a staple for graduates since there are companies searching for new hires, and it gives them hope to push across the jobs’ stage.
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position as the representative for the School of Business Administration, which sets meetings with other organizations on campus. AlGhussein also helped organize the planning and construction of the volleyball court. He continues expanding his horizons and is now taking a project management class to move toward a professional project management license. After getting is license, he hopes to use his credentials to improve his chances for getting a job. The Wesleyan junior also said he hopes to soon start a paintball club with other students. He believes the club would be a good way to network, build friendships and have a good time with classmates and friends. After graduation, AlGhussein said he hopes to go back to Khobar to work in the oil business for Saudi Aramco. He hopes to use this job experience back home to come back to America to get deeper in the oil business. One of AlGhussein’s roommates, Nikolaj Brons Piche, a junior accounting major, also has enjoyed meeting AlGhussein.
“Fez is a really caring guy,” Piche said. “I have a lot of respect for him and love having him as a roommate. I think it’s really impressive for him to be one of the first Saudis at the school. He is always concerned about other people and never seems to have a selfish thought. All around, Fez is a wonderful person to know and be around.” Abbey Borghee, sophomore political science major, works with AlGhussein in the Academic Success Center where she sees him tutoring students. “Fez is very beneficial to the Academic Success Center because of his ability to cross the language barrier with the international students,” Borghee said. “He is assertive, but at the same time, he is compassionate towards the students.” Texas Wesleyan has benefited from having AlGhussein as a student for the last three years. His involvement with the university has helped contribute, in part to the success of various business and sports programs, as well as community relations.
Erica Estrada | Rambler Staff Student Sortia Burnham trimmed the first tree for The Christmas Tree Decorating Contest. The winner was selected on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
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wrapped item back to the circulation desk before Dec. 10. “As of now, we still got a little ways to go so each morning when I come in before I unlock the library I restock,” said Johnson. Remember that some of these gifts are very inexpensive and take little time to purchase. If you feel that you
cannot make it to the store, the circulation desk is also accepting monetary donations. While looking at the tree, you will see that some clients of Meals on Wheels just want normal everyday things such as socks and gloves. Gloves and similar items at Walmart are in the $6-15 price range. College students know
money can be hard to come by, but you can skip Starbucks for a day and purchase a gift that could bring warmth to the hands and feet for the Meals on Wheels clients. “I think it is great that students, faculty and staff come together to help people in need, “said junior English major Janeé Alexander.
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Opinion People should give service year round 2
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November 20, 2013
have met through programs such as Angel Tree. There rarely is ever Joy Woods a mean spirit around this time of jmwoods@txwes.edu year, even those who may not celebrate Christmas or may not even be religious find it in their heart to give back. And all this is fine and dandy, but what happens when this seaChristmas season is the time that son passes? What happens to those suddenly everyone gets in the spirit families who could not eat? Do they to give or even get out and volun- only get to eat around Thanksgivteer. ing and Christmas? Do people only Food banks receive a large care about others for two months of amount of donations, and children the year? receive gifts from people they never Yes, as students it is hard to have
extra money to buy things for others; however, volunteering does not cost anything, well maybe time, but still nothing. Volunteering even looks good on your resume, yet why do we barely do it? There is something that one feels when one gives back. To see that glimmer in the eye of the young child or even serving that homeless person a meal at the shelter, that feeling should be felt all year around not just around Christmas. Our campus is directly across the street from a Boys and Girls Club,
but how many of us students actually volunteer there? Many organizations on other campuses across the country require students to have community service. In the grand scheme of things, that is what the majority of college Greek organizations were founded on, but not on this campus. Many other Student Government Associations require its members to have service hours, and they even put on campus wide service projects, not this campus. Why? Yes, students become busy with the year and things they have to ac-
complish, and some are just ready to graduate; however, how can one be too busy just walk across the street to Boys and Girls Club or even Poly High School for 30 minutes or even an hour just to sit and talk or tutor. Those little things go a long way. We as a campus are in a prime location to make a major difference in the community, to set an example to the children and teenagers in the surrounding areas, but will we? Not just during Christmas, but year-round, will we take time out of our lives to make a difference in someone else’s?
Growing technology vs. gun control Paula Justice Guest Columnist
prjustice@txwes.edu
While technology seems to be the go-to babysitter of the 21st Century, it’s about time we face the truth. It’s not doing as good of a job at raising children as we had hoped. That good ol’ notion of parents and community (the village) raising children seems to have been much more effective. Today’s news headlines are littered with reports of school shootings. We blame gun control.
We read about growing numbers of teens committing suicide. We blame this on school/cyber bullying and inadequate educators. We say stricter gun laws and armed guards in schools are measures to reduce violence. Last month, tougher gun laws certainly would have affected the 12-year-old Nevada shooter. Or the 11-year-old in Washington State would have had less than 400 rounds of ammunition if gun laws were tightened. In December 2012, the 20-year-old in Connecticut would not have massacred 27 people if we had better gun laws.
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Maybe something on their gun license applications would have caused them to be denied. If we had armed guards in our schools, the presence of more guns would prevent gun violence. And guards would prevent a 14-yearold from quietly killing his teacher with a box cutter and stuffing her body in a recycling bin. A 12-year-old girl commits suicide. Checking her Facebook page after her death reveals that cyber bullying was the culprit behind her death. The alleged bully, a 15-year-old girl, if convicted, will live a happy,
prosperous life because our society is forgiving and emphatic to felons rehabilitated by our wonderful justice system. Who are we kidding? Eventually we are going to have to fess up and admit that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Grand Theft Auto, Doom, World of Warcraft, and readily available bombmaking instructions on the World Wide Web (and the like) have failed as babysitters. Social media sites do not offer step-by-step instructions on respect or positive coping skills. Violent video games entertain
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and occupy teens. They also allow them to steal cars, rape women, kill pedestrians, and gun down cops. Currently, a person has to be 21-year-old to apply for a gun license. Current or future gun restrictions do not apply to any recent school shooting. New gun control laws, anti-bullying videos, and armed security guards in schools will not teach today’s young people self-esteem, respect, or manners.
thumbs up Thumbs up to the ceremonial groundbreaking for the next phase of the Rosedale Renaissance. Thumbs up to West Library employees and the Meals on Wheels volunteer program. Thumbs up for the new signs in front of all every facility on campus in recent weeks.
thumbs down Thumbs down to those who do not observe the crosswalks a pedestrians on Wesleyan Street. Thumbs down to people racing cars on Collard Street and making loud noises in the neighborhood. Thumbs down to people driving the wrong way and causing near-accidents on Rosedale Street.
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Campus
November 20, 2013
The Rambler
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Rperez1196@txwes.edu
As we all know, this semester started off with Texas Wesleyan gaining $73.2 million dollars for the selling of the Law School. In a previous issue of The Rambler President Frederick Slabach said: “I think the transaction with Texas A&M involving the Law School will have a very positive overall effect on Texas Wesleyan University because of the resources that it brings to bear for us here.” One of the things many wondered was where was the money going to go.
Some students such as senior English major John Ortega thought some of the money should go toward the endowment fund and fixing the sidewalks where many incidents had occurred and injured students. Since Aug. 15, several things have changed at Texas Wesleyan as more than half of the endowment was paid. “Funding the endowment is the only good thing we have done,” Ortega said. “Parking lot issues still need attention.” After the Rosedale Renaissance groundbreaking ceremony Nov. 15, students will be seeing the new campus bell tower design as
The Rambler
2013 in Review
Sale of Law School to A&M brings many reactions Rosy Perez
www.therambler.org
well. “The bell tower will further complicate parking issues,” Ortega said. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t build it. We already need a real solution to the parking problem, and Wesleyan needs to build a parking garage before starting projects that will require losing lot space.” For senior business management major Trent Sandles, it is just a matter of asking questions. Sandles who has been to open forum meetings said: “President Slabach is great with answering literally every question in his box.” If you have any question you are able to sub-
mit it anonymously to President Slabach, he will address it at the end of those upcoming meetings. Students should feel free to ask him questions regarding the spending of the law school money. Going back to a previous issue of The Rambler, The Board of Trustees will be meeting in November to see how much of the funds of the endowment will be spent. Now that it is November, maybe the students will get a chance to know how the money will get spent and be able to give them our opinions about the spending.
Campus
November 20, 2013
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Changes bring new residence hall offices, renovations in ‘13 Austin Iba haiba@txwes.edu
Texas Wesleyan has undergone major changes due to the exponential growth of the student body on campus in 2013. Due to the large growth of students on campus, there has been limited office space and limited classroom space. Many offices that were once offices and classrooms have now became dorm rooms. “We had to move folks around to the new dorm rooms that were once offices and people were moved to different buildings,” said Campus Security Director Blake O. Bumbard. The Campus Security also was affected by the student growth on campus as well, they had moved from their previous location to their
new location at OC Armstrong Hall since July 2012. “It’s been better,” he said. “We were down the road. Now it’s more convenient, and we have more interaction with the students on campus.” Their only plans if they ever had to move again were for the some of the new buildings scheduled to be built in the future. There might be a new location for security. Besides Campus Security, students on campus were also affected by new dormitory rooms in 2013 as well but in a bigger way. They get to have more interaction with other people in their dorm rooms than they ever thought. Larissa Ramirez, who lives in Armstrong Hall, has gotten to make new friends. “I meet a lot of people I never thought I would think I would meet,” she said.
Another student who also lives in OC Armstrong Hall, Nurun Nabi who is a computer science major from Bangladesh, got the chance to meet new people from different countries and different cultures, and they all had the chance to try each other’s foods. As for the future of the current dorms rooms, many are undergoing renovation. “The Elizabeth and OC Armstrong Halls are undergoing renovations since this summer,” said Sharon Manson, the director of residence life. “They got a donation from the Armstrong family of $700,000.” The first thing that you are going to notice is the shades on the windows at OC Armstrong Hall around Christmas time. Next will be the electrical system, which functions the heating and cooling of the buildings.
“This is going to be a real advancement because the electrical system has not changed much since the day the OC building was built in 1957,” Manson said. “The landscaping is going to change as well for both the front of the Elizabeth and OC Armstrong Halls. There are also going to be major changes inside the buildings as well. Renovations of flooring and closets, they are going to redo both of the kitchens in the OC and Elizabeth buildings. They are going to get new cabinet appliances, paint the walls, etc.” Wesleyan is undergoing numerous changes, from the many offices turned dorm rooms and dorm rooms into offices to the new renovations of the OC and Elizabeth Armstrong Halls to the new construction for Wesleyan’s future.
Tabitha Buentello/Rambler Staff
Timeline of major events about the history of School of Law
Groups clean up many cigarette butts, refresh grounds Rosy Perez Rperez1196@txwes.edu
Many things have changed this semester at Texas Wesleyan starting with the new smoking policy implemented in 2013. Dr. Joe A. Brown, dean of freshman success, had gathered students at Texas Wesleyan to clean up cigarette butts around campus in the beginning of the year. Last year there were more students who came to Wesleyan who smoked, and some international students did not know the litter rules, which is understandable.
Brown had asked the Saudi Students Club and others if they could volunteer and pick up cigarette butts with gloves and buckets. If you walk around campus, you can see plastic bags that hold the cigarette butts to show what they picked up off the ground and floors. After the cleanup the school even got more ash trays last spring for the campus, so students could use them. “We picked up about five five-gallon orange Home Depot buckets of cigarette butts that day,” said Brown. When students come to Texas Wesleyan, there are cultural differences, but after the
cleanup students were able to monitor themselves to make sure that they are doing their part to keep the university clean. In an earlier edition of The Rambler, staff member Erica Estrada mentioned that she was amazed when her friend held on to a cigarette butt. “I hold onto my cigarettes because I don’t like adding to the litter,” said Estrada’s friend. Now that Brown has helped the students understand the cultural aspect of cleaning up the butts, has it changed? “I feel it (cigarette litter) has gotten better,” said senior business major Murtadha Alkha-
baz. When the new smoking policies came to a change, so did the system of fines. If you have friends coming to Texas Wesleyan next semester, be sure to show them the designated smoking areas by downloading a map at www.txwes.edu. Don’t mess with Texas, and clean up those cigarette butts. Sources: The Rambler, Dr. Joe Brown, Erica Estrada, Murtadha Alkhabaz
Above are major events that occurred at Texas Wesleyan in 2013.
Tabitha Buentello/Rambler Staff
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Arts Entertainment
November 20, 2013
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Freakers Ball 2013 presents musical oddities Dakota Baggett
dabaggett@txwes.edu
review Freakers Ball 2013 was Oct. 25, and for all you that missed out, this was the lineup of groups was: first “Even the Dead Love a Parade”, “Love & Death”, “Gemini Syndrome”, “Beware of Darkness”, “Fiver Finger Death Punch”, and finally “Korn”. The show took place at the Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, and from the outside the venue doesn’t give off the vibe that it would be a good place for a metal concert. At 4:30 p.m. when the concert started, the parking lot was still mostly empty with pockets of people hanging out by their cars getting lit before the show. There were all different types of attendees that night, there were fraternity boys, what looked like high school kids on dates, older people, who judging by their long hair and T-Shirts, they were really only there to see Korn. At about 8 p.m. the parking
lot filled, and all the rock fans started migrating towards the entrance. The lobby of the building looked like a typical sports stadium; there were concession stands serving ballpark food and beer. When you make it through the costumed attendees and long-haired freak crowd and make it to the auditorium, there are two projector screens on either side of the stage, a small pit area at the foot of the stage and a couple sections of floor seating - although these seats weren’t being utilized because most people were standing. Then there was a second level that was farther back but at stage level, and finally there was a balcony that hung over the second level. While the first and second levels were almost completely full, the balcony was fairly empty. There were complaints from passersby about the pit being too hard to sneak into unlike other venues. It was an entirely enclosed venue, so there was no smoking in the building, but there was a small smokers’ section
outside on the side of the building, and during intermissions this area became extremely crowded. At about 8:30 p.m. the theatre really filled up when Five Finger Death Punch was getting ready to take the stage, which was one of the two big name bands that were playing that night. From the balcony it was difficult to see the band and to hear the lyrics, it could have been the sound mixing, or it could have been that the venue had poor acoustics for that kind of music. 5FDP put on a good show, other than being difficult to hear, and they played at least three cover songs, including the one that made them famous, “Bad Company”, originally preformed by Bad Company which drove the crowd wild. Also they covered an LL Cool J song, “Mama Said Knock You Out”, which was a nice rock tribute to an older hip-hop song. They even had a few of the Rock-Zombies, the people that violently throw their head front and back and sort of do an odd dance with just
their upper body, on hand. After the band left the stage, there was an intermission for people to refill their drinks and empty their bladders; the lines for the restrooms were a nightmare just to look at, but the one entrance and one exit setup seemed to streamline the process. After the intermission, a couple of radio personalities from 97.1 the Eagle came on stage pitched some advertisements while still more ads ran on the screens next to the stage. When the lights went down and Korn was about to take the stage, the crowd once again went wild. This was the first time since 2005, when the group broke up, that its lead guitarist was back in the band. Even though the pit was fairly small, it seemed to double in size, but from the balcony it was apparent that this was an optical illusion because about half the crowd on the floor had seats behind them, they were just choosing to stand. It was also apparent that
the balcony people didn’t care about the no outside drinks rule because bottles of booze brought from home started tipping upward; there were even two fans in the back that lit a funny-smelling cigarette and were passing the little orange dot of light back and forth between each other. Korn took the stage in costumes, and the front man, Jonathan Davis, looked like Rick James. The lead guitarist, Brian “Head” Welch, wore a masquerade mask that had an extremely long nose and seemed to be modeled after a long beaked bird. The other guitarist, James “Munky” Shaffer, wore a maid’s costume complete with makeup and had his long dreads pulled into pony tails. The bassist, Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu, wore a zebra print cape, giant glasses shaped like stars, and a top hat, and the drummer, Ray Luzie’s costume was hard to see, but it looked like he was wearing the scarecrow mask from Batman. They all looked like they had raided a cheap Halloween
store only hours prior to them taking the stage. Korn seemed to rock harder than the other bands. The music was loud fast, and has plenty of bass, but their beat is fairly simple to follow, their songs don’t have many slow moments - only a few here and there to give the RockZombies’ necks a chance to rest. By this time they seemed to be about a third of the crowd. While it was hard to hear the lyrics they did play most of their older songs that made them famous in the ‘90s most notably “A.D.I.D.A.S” and “Shoots and Ladders”, complete with the infamous bagpipe intro played by the front man. Korn left the stage and never came back to play an encore, which was quite sad. The bands were worth seeing but the venue was bad for this type of music; metal is not meant to be so clean and comfortable. Not saying that it was a terrible place to see a show,, but it was too corporatized, and just not a good place for loud, angry, vulgar music.
Theatre Wesleyan shows off acting talents in ‘33 Variations’ Dakotta Bagget
dabagget@txwes.edu
Thursday, Nov. 14, was opening night for Theatre Wesleyan’s second production of the season, “33 Variations”. The play is focused on two people that share a passion for music, and they even share similar struggles in their lives, but the interesting part is that these two are separated by over 200 years. The play focuses around Ludwig Van Beethoven, played by freshman theatre major Timothy Crabb; and
Katherine Brandt, played by senior theatre major Jessica LaVilla, who is a modern day musicologist and has a passion to understand the famous composer. The link that ties them together is music but also the fact that both characters have physical disabilities that they overcome. Director and Associate Professor of theatre Bryan Stevenson says there are many reasona why he chose this play. “I was intrigued by the music and the people,” he said. “The play is intriguing and challenging because of the music and the relationships of
the characters. The way the author wrote this play, the show flows seamlessly, time periods melt together, and worlds overlap.” To think of a play about Beethoven it would be impossible to get away without having his music in the show, so of course there will be a piano on stage, with a live pianist Dr. Bruce McDonald. Senior technical theatre major and costume designer for the play, Katie Dean, also explained how hard the costume department has been working. “The two time periods did make it
more challenging,” she said, “but the most difficult part was how many costume changes there were for each character. The play takes place over the course of a year, so there were several costume changes for each character. “Deciding on the wardrobe for each character takes lots of research and collaboration with the director,” Dean said. “We had to decide what kind of style each character would have if they were real people, and then stay true to that individual style throughout the entire show. “There are seven characters and
about 10 costume changes each,” she said. “All of the costumes are still not done. We’ve been working on them since the cast list was first posted and our work won’t be done until opening night. And even then things will undoubtedly have to be repaired and replaced through the run of the show. The show continues Nov. 21-22 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. The Law Sone Box Office will open Monday-Friday from 1:30-5 p.m. and one hour before curtain on performance days. For reservations, call 817-531-4211 or 817-531-5867.
Arts & Entertainment Calendar November 20 Guest Artist Recital Dina Duisen, piano 7:30 p.m. Martin Hall
November 26 Wesleyan Singers Dr. Jerome Bierschenk, director 7:30 p.m. Martin Hall
November 22 . Guitar Fort Worth: Classical Series Bryan Burns, guitar 7:30 p.m @ Martin Hall
December 3 Wesleyan Chorale Dr. Jerome Bierschenk, director 7:30 p.m. @ Martin Hall
December 7 cholarship Auditions 10:00 a.m. Martin Hall
December 8 Greater Fort Worth Community Band Christine Beason, director 3:00 p.m Martin Hall
Jan 2-13 2014 Viva Brazil! Travel & Enrichment Class to São Paulo & Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
December 7 FW Symphony Orch Brass Ensemble Holiday Concert 6:00 p.m Martin Hall
December 12 Jazz Ensemble Concert Lou Carfa, director 7:30 p.m. Martin Hall
January 25 Guest Artist Recital Boaz Sharon, piano 7:30 p.m. Martin Hall
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Wesleyan Religious Life
December 3rd at 7:30 p.m
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Wesleyan Chorale Concert Dr. Jerome Bierschenk, director Martin Hall
December 7th at 6:00 p.m.
FW Symphony Orchestra Brass Ensemble Holiday Program Martin Hall
“Faith Seeking Understanding”
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The Rambler
Sports
November 20, 2013
7
Wesleyan makes smooth 2013 transition to SAC Takoia Larry tlarry@txwes.edu Just as things seemed good in the Red River Conference, 15 years later more excitement comes into play when every sport at Texas Wesleyan moved into the Sooner Athletic Conference. According to the NAIA collegiate website rankings, the Sooner Athletic Conference is at the top for competitiveness. “The primary reason for the move was the proximity to the member institutions, said Athletic Director Steve Trachier. “The universities were a little bit closer than the Red River Conference schools. “For many of our sports, they had to go out to Brownsville and play or even out to Shreveport, and the drive was pretty far and students would miss class time,” Trachier said. “It was expensive in terms of traveling and hotel rooms. The Sooner (Athletic) Conference is tighter geographically, so there would be less time missed for student athletes and fewer nights staying in hotels.” Being in the Sooner Conference saves money, but there were some hidden costs that administrators weren’t aware of before the switch from con-
ference to conference. Tracier said the team is going to save money, but there are some hidden costs officials were not aware of. “The officiating fees are a little higher than we had anticipated - more than what we had been paying. But we will save on traveling,” Tracier said. “Overall it will represent a cost saving to us, not a great one, but a little bit of a cost saving.” Team members said they were filled with excitement to find out Texas Wesleyan athletics moving to the Sooner Athletic conference. “We were excited as a team to be in the SAC, said Alex Hendee, junior outside hitter on the volleyball team. “The competition is high, and every game makes you a better athlete and stronger team; every match is a challenge.” No team has shown any negative feelings about the switch from the Red River Athletic Conference to the SAC. “I feel it’s a good switch for all the sports,” said Cody Marlow, sophomore center back defensive player on the soccer team. “There’s not as much travel to where studentathletes miss class. “We all get better recognition for the na-
Sports Boxes Volleyball (19-18, 10-6 SAC) - Nov. 15
SW A. of God 19 25 23 20 Wesleyan 25 17 25 25 3-1 Victory Leaders - Points: Alex Hendee 16.5, Katherine Rosenbusch 11.6 Kills: Hendee 14 Service Aces: Hendee, Rosenbusch 2
Women’s Baketball (3-4 0-0 SAC) - Nov. 12 Wesleyan 74, Wiley 69 Wesleyan 32 42 - 74 Wiley 35 34 - 69
Leaders - Points: Takoia Larry 32, Kashay Barnes 15 Rebounds: Takoia Larry 15, Caitlin Boal 10 Assists: Kashay Barnes 11
tional ratings.” Athletes say the Red River conference was nice to play in, but the competition level wasn’t dependable. Some teams were weak while other teams played with energy. “I don’t mean to undermine any team from the Red River.,” Hendee said. “There were undoubtedly competitive teams in that conference. I wish them the best in their season; however, I think that every sports team this season has/will notice the competition level of the Sooner Conference to be higher than Red River. “Instead of there being one or two teams that blow away everyone else, it’s a fight for every game, no matter the opponent. There are three, Students and fans cheer on the four and five really good, solid teams. “Easily the Sooner Athletic “A conference champion- Conference, if you look at ship in the Sooner will require men’s golf, four of the seven playing at your team’s top lev- top ranked teams with us beel every game,” Hendee said. ing one of them are from the “Nothing will be easily earned Sooner Conference,” Trachier or given to you. With this said. “That’s pretty salty, there competitive level, every win are ranked teams in every profeels like an accomplishment.” gram in the Sooner ConferThe Sooner Conference is ence, which also would mean at the top of rankings when this is another advantage with it comes to comparison moving into the conference. If of toughness between the you don’t win the conference Sooner Athletic Conference here, there’s a chance that you and Red River Conference,” could get an at-large bid to Trachier said. compete at the national tour-
Men’s Basketball 4-1, 0-0 SAC)
Wesleyan 94, Mid-America Nazerene 92 Mid-Am. Naz, 32 60 - 92 Wesleyan 34 60 - 94 Leaders - Points: Rilwan Bakare 26, Jorge Redmon 20, Dallas Jones 20 Rebounds - D. Jones 9 Assists: Jervon Hooks 6
Jessica Liptak/The Rambler Rams’ basketball teams in the year of new SAC competition.
nament just because of the conference that we are in.” Texas Wesleyan athletes think the new conference with bring out their competitiveness. “The competition is not as spread out from top to bottom, which makes for better and closer standings with not as many mistakes being able to be made,” Marlow said. “When our coach told us we were moving to the SAC, our mindset was that this is our chance to show the coun-
try what the Texas Wesleyan men’s soccer team is, and now they know.” Administration said moving to the SAC conference opens many doors to the national championship for each team because of how they compete. I think we will have more teams invited to national competition because of the conference we are in,” Trachier said. For more updates go to ramsports.net.
Women’s Soccer (12-5-2, 5-4-1 SAC) Wesleyan 4, Okla. Baptist 2 Wesleyan 2 2 - 1 Okla. Baptist 1 1 - 2
Men’s Soccer (13-6-1) (6-4 SAC) St. Gregory’s 1, Wesleyan 0, Wesleyan 0 0 - 0 St. Gregory’s 0 1 - 1
Women’s Cross Country
Goals - TWU: Alexis Michaelkovich 3, Jessica Watton 1 Saves: TWU: Nikki Lockwood 8
Goals - TWU: None St. Gregory’s: Stephen Cummins (46:53) Saves: TWU: Arturo Sanchez 5
Recent meets
Nov. 9 - Sooner Athletic Conference Championships, Shawnee, Okla. - T2 of 9 NAIA Championship. Lawrence, Kan. - Saturday, Nov. 23 Top 2012 Individual NAIA Finisher: Jessica Davis, 30 of 320, time: 18.50.
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Sports Ram sports wrap up fall season play
8
The Rambler
November 20, 2013
David Hagen dmhagen@txwes.edu
Texas Wesleyan’s various sports teams have been busy over the last few weeks with some teams starting their respective seasons and other teams finishing their current campaigns. The women’s basketball team got underway in early November and is currently 3-2 and in the last game Takoia Larry had a career high and a double-double to boast from Kashay Barnes to earn a 74-69 win at No. 22 nationally Wiley College 1-1 last Tuesday. The Lady Rams already have surprised a few teams early on in the season, and head coach Bill Franey has been impressed. “This win was a real team effort,” he said. “The girls just wouldn’t quit. It took both defense and execution to beat a well-coached ranked team that had a big crowd behind them. This is a win the girls will savor.” The Men’s team has also had a solid start at 3-1, the only loss came against Our Lady of the Lake by a tightlyfought 107-102 score. In their last game and a 71-60 win over Paul Quinn College, the Rams outshot the Tigers 5035.6 percent from the floor and 52.4-28 from three-point distance. Texas Wesleyan also dominated the glass 47-26, and Jones finished with a teamhigh 17 points to go with seven rebounds. Jorge Redmon had 15 points, and Rilwan Bakare finished with nine points and nine boards. Coach Brennen Shingleton’s motto: “Just play as hard as they can play and become a team has guided the Rams and gotten them and helped in the early season. On the flip side of things, the Wesleyan women’s soccer team (12-5-2) suffered a 2-0 loss at 18th- ranked Oklahoma City University (15-4) in
semifinal action of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Nov. 12 in near freezing conditions in Oklahoma City. The Lady Rams came out as the aggressor in a game where OCU outshot Wesleyan 8-3 in the first half, but the score held at just 1-0 at the break. “I’m proud of our girls,” said head coach Josh Gibbs. “We were shorthanded, but they kept fighting to the bitter end. It is so sad to say goodbye to two of the greats in Jess [Watton] and Leah [Valtman]. They are giants in this program and it has been a true honor to be their coach.” The Texas Wesleyan men’s soccer (13-6-1) team had similar fortune in a Nov. 11 game as their season ended in the SAC tournament semifinal conference match with a 1-0 loss to St. Gregory’s University (10-7-1) at Martin Field. Earlier the Rams defeated Oklahoma City U. 3-0 on Nov. 8 in the first postsesason SAC event ever on the Wesleyan campus. The two teams paid tribute Nov. 11 to U.S. veterans who served and continue to serve our country during the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner.” The teams also played as evenly as any game at Martin Field all year, with Wesleyan controlling the ball and having clearer chances in the first half before the teams went into halftime tied 0-0. But the second half started off poorly for the Rams as they conceded a goal just after the break that they never recovered from. Even with the Rams throwing everything forward on both sides, SGU emerged with a hard-fought 1-0 win. The women’s volleyball team has finished the regular season strongly by making the field for the SAC tournament. The tournament was hosted by Oklahoma Baptist University Nov. 15-16. Wesleyan (18-17 overall en-
tering postseason, 10-6 SAC) was the third seed and took on sixth-seeded Southwestern Assemblies of God University (15-15) in the opening round Nov. 15. The Rams and Lions split a pair of meetings this season with both teams winning on their home floors. SAGU won 3-1 in Waxahachie on Oct. 10. The Lady Rams took a 3-1 Senior Night win in the Sid Richardson Center on Nov. 8. Texas Wesleyan also led the all-time series between the two programs 20-6 prior to the postseason match. Moving on to the Texas Wesleyan women’s cross country team who, the group will make its fourth straight appearance in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national championship on Nov. 23. The Association announced the field of 32 teams and qualifying individuals last on Nov. 11. After a second-place finish in the Sooner Athletic Conference Championship on Nov. 9, the Rams fell to No. 19 in the NAIA Coaches’ Poll. That was enough to secure the eighth of nine at-large bids to the national meet. In its fourth season, the Wesleyan program has never failed to reach the national meet. Yazmin Hernandez became the first Ram to run at the meet in 2011. The following two seasons, the Lady Rams qualified as the Red River Athletic Conference champion and finished 28th in 2011 and 24th in 2012 as a team. Jessica Davis posted the best individual finish for a Texas Wesleyan runner last season when she placed 30th among 320 runners with a time of 18:50. This season, the Rams have posted six top-five finishes in seven meets, including three team wins. The lone anomaly was an eighth-place finish in the University Division of Oklahoma State University’s Cowboy Jamboree. The 2013 championship
Sports scoreboard Women’s Cross Country Nov. 9
Sooner Athletic Conference Championship
Nov. 23
NAIA National Championship
2nd of 9 Okla. Lawrence, Kan.
Women’s Basketball (3-2, 0-0 SAC) Nov. 26
Tarleton State University
Stephenville
7 p.m.
Women’s Soccer (12-5-2, 5-4-1 SAC) Nov. 9
Okla. City U. - SAC semifinals
L, 2-0
Women’s Volleyball (18-17, 10-6 SAC) Nov. 15 Nov. 2223
SAC Tournament - SW Assemblies of God NAIA Tournament first rounds
10 a.m. TBD
Men’s Cross Country Nov. 9
Sooner Athletic Conference Championship
Nov. 17
NAIA National Championship
7th of 7 Lawrence, Kan.
Men’s Basketball (3-1, 0-0 SAC) Nov. 23
University of St. Thomas
San Antonio
2 p.m.
Men’s Soccer (13-6-1, 6-4-0 SAC) Nov. 11
Saint Gregory’s
SAC semis
L, 1-0
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Jessica Liptak / Rambler Staff The Rams in action recently against Southwestern Adventist at Sid Richardson Center.
field includes 32 teams and another 103 qualifying individuals. Three SAC squads will be making the trip. No. 10 Oklahoma Baptist received an automatic bid as the SAC champion while No. 16 Oklahoma City U. received an atlarge bid. The meet will be held at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kan. The women’s 5,000-meter race is scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. The Rams’ men’s cross country also finished the season with a seventh-place team finish at its inaugural SAC championship Nov. 9 at Shawnee, Okla. Ryan Yazzie finished the 8K course in 27:28
for 23rd place as the Rams’ top competitor. With the baseball season fast approaching the NAIA has released its 2014 Preseason Baseball Coaches’ poll, and the Texas Wesleyan squad checked in at No. 20. The Rams are coming off a 42-18 campaign in 2013. The team finished as the Red River Athletic Conference tournament runner-up and advanced to the final of the National Tournament Opening Round before falling on the road to the No. 1 team in the country and eventual National Champion, Faulkner University. The Rams will be
hoping to do just as well in the new SAC campaign. More good news came for the Wesleyan women’s basketball team as for the second week in a row, Takoia Larry has been named Sooner Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week. Larry was selected again for her performance during the period of November 11-17. Larry, a 5-9 senior guard from South Bend, Ind., averaged 21.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in three game this week , and hopes to carry on her impressive performances for the Lady Rams this season.