November 07, 2012 Vol. 95, No. 17

wednesday

November 7, 2012

Vol. 95 • No. 17

www.therambler.org Senior soccer players strive to attain after graduation.

Sports, page 8

The Rambler The voice of Texas Wesleyan University students since 1917

Dr. Jeffrey DeLotto proves greater than the average professor.

Campus, page 4

Slabach dances the night away Rachel Peel

rlpeel@txwes.edu

A suit, dress shoes and well-kept hair were replaced for one night by platform shoes, bell-bottoms and big hair as President Fred Slabach and his wife Melany Neilson slipped on their dancing shoes to raise money for the Fort Worth Sister Cities International organization Nov. 1.

Slabach made an appearance in his dancing costume on Oct. 25 in the faculty assembly to help motivate faculty members to donate funds to the annual Wesleyan fund.

“Apparently it was quite a shock to the faculty when I walked in,” Slabach said.

“They all got out their camera and started taking photos.”

According to the Fort Worth Sister Cities International website, the organization was incorporated in 1985 after a group of volunteers performed research to bring the dream of a strong, non-profit, citizen diplomacy organization to life in the city of Fort Worth.

Slabach said his goal was to raise $1,000 in votes for Sister Cities, and if the faculty gets to that amount, Slabach will make a personal additional contribution of $1,000 to the annual fund.

“We are just trying to make some additional energy and excitement about the Wesleyan annual fund by doing this,” Slabach said.

Joe Ramirez, vice president and chief operating officer of Fort Worth Sister Cities said

 Slabach, page 3

Housing dilemma invokes mixed feelings Rolandra West

rdwest@txwes.edu

Meisa Keivani Nabajafadi | Rambler Staff President Fred Slabach and his wife Melany Neilson dance to Kool & the Gang’s song Celebration on Nov. 1 at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in downtown Fort Worth during the Mayor’s Annual Dinner benefitting Sister Cities.

Texas Wesleyan University’s student body has continued its increase with an addition of not only traditional freshmen, but approximately 92 international students. Wesleyan will be receiving even more international students over Christmas break for Spring 2013.

The problem is where exactly will the new students live, and if Wesleyan will be able to accommodate their needs, all the while attempting to keep current students happy.

Joe Brown, dean of freshman success, said Wesleyan may not be able to accommodate every incoming student with housing who may be interested in living on campus.

“There is a rumor going around that the mass communication and the Rambler office, will be converted into housing rooms. As best I know as an old time faculty, at this point there is simply no place they can move us or the Rambler without alternative buildings. Maybe down the road our space could become housing, but right now this wing will probably remain here.”

Brown said he believes the amount of students Wesleyan has received thus far has had a good effect on campus life;

 Housing, page 3

Aries literary journal provides creative opportunities Tristian Evans

tkevans1098@txwes.edu

Texas Wesleyan’s student journal, Aries, gives budding writers within the Wesleyan community, and outside of it, the opportunity to have their works published.

Professor Price McMurray, faculty adviser for Aries, said it was started back in the 1980s, and has changed and evolved over time.

“I think one of the biggest changes over the years is that it’s gotten bigger,” McMurray said. “It draws submissions from all around the world even.”

McMurray said even though Aries is open to everyone and gets submissions from all around the world, over the years, there have been fewer submissions from students and faculty of the university.

“I think the original intent was to have more local [submissions],” McMurray said.

“And we’d be happy to have that, to get more people who are a part of the Wesleyan community to send us stuff.”

Anyone, whether they are a Wesleyan student, faculty or staff member or not associated with the university at all, may submit a piece of work.

Submissions can be fiction or non-fiction, short story, oneact play or essay.

Each must be no more than 4,000 words in length. Up to five poems may be submitted and black and white photography and art can also be submitted.

McMurray said Aries publishes every spring around April or May. All submissions have to be in by Jan. 1.

“The students who are the editors then go through [the submissions] and select the ones they want to include,” McMurray said. “Then we do the editing and the layout.

And with any luck we get it done by the end of the semester.”

McMurray took over Aries last year, and said his reason for doing so was because he felt it was important to give the Wesleyan community this opportunity whether the opportunity be for the interns working on the journal, or the students submitting in the hopes of having their work actually published.

“I think for students it’s a good learning exercise,” McMurray said. “You actually have to make a decision. You have to decide whether or not if the piece is good. It’s a different type of teaching opportunity.”

McMurray said when students work as interns on the journal, they get a sense of satisfaction out of helping to put it together.

Dr. Linda Carroll, professor of english, said she thinks students get a wonderful opportunity with Aries.

“Aries has earned an international reputation as a firstrate journal, and Wesleyan

Copy of the 2012 edition of Aries

can be proud that we have such a fine publication,” Carroll said. “Students should submit their creative work to Aries because it allows them an opportunity to have their work evaluated in an objective process by members of the editorial board, which are students.”

J.K. Netsch, a Wesleyan

alumnus who still participates in the production of Aries said she got involved with Aries as a student because she wanted an intership that was relevant to her field of study.

“I have stayed with Aries because I am passionate sbout the journal and want to see it succeed,” Netsch said.

Netsch said Aries is im-

Tristian Evans | Rambler Staff

portant because it provides students with hands on experience when it comes to working on a literary journal.

Students, faculty and staff interested in submitting to Aries can contact McMurray at pmcmurray@txwes.edu or visit the Aries website at http:// ariesjournal.wix.com/aries for more information.

THE RAMBLER | www.therambler.org

HOUSING more students are attending events on campus.

“When you have more residential population, you have more energy in the cafeteria, more students coming to events,” Brown said. “Right now our international students that are here want to experience the American way.”

Brown said the international students are discovering our [American] traditions just as we [Americans] are discovering their traditions.

Sharon Manson, housing director, said Wesleyan could possibly add 200 more international students not including the possibility of 50 ESL students.

“We are getting numbers [international students] from international programs but their numbers, and the number of students that have actually committed and applied are very different,” Manson said.

Manson said the actual number of students that have

SLABACH

continued from page 1 applied for housing so far are very few.

“You have to plan for the worst and hope for the best,” Manson said.

Manson said the housing department has already started making more room by moving out what used to be storage rooms on the second floor of OC Hall. They were used by student organizations, the provost office and the Student Government Association’s president’s office.

“We are going to clean all of those rooms out and we are going to put beds in there,” Manson said.

Manson said the housing department has spoken with the student organizations about taking those rooms.

“We know that those rooms are very important to student organizations. They have their ritual stuff, and their organization things in there,” Manson said. “We’re between a rock and a hard place; it doesn’t

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make sense to turn people away when there are rooms being used basically for supplies.”

Manson said housing has changed out seven of those rooms, and the housing department plans on changing about 10 more.

“If these groups [international students] do materialize, then we do need to start thinking about what next fall will hold. With the increase in sport programs, there are a lot more students just here in Texas that are excited to go to Wesleyan,” Manson said. “It’s not just international students we’re accommodating. It’s just Wesleyan has caught on fire with people,” Manson said.

Manson said there is no solution yet on where these students will go.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen over the summer to OC Hall,” Manson said.

Manson said it is difficult to say what could possibly

November 7, 2012

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happen to the Rambler office on the first floor of OC Hall.

“It’s not as simple as just taking the rooms back; the Rambler has to have a place to go as well as the faculty,” Manson said. “It sounds great to turn OC back into a residence hall, but it is being used in some very vital spaces. It is not just a click of the fingers.”

Amanda Moten, senior history major, said there are a lot of assumptions that the only thing student and Greek organizations are losing is a place to hold storage.

“In reality we are losing our offices, the place where we conduct meetings, and effectively plan and often conduct all that we each do,” Moten said.

Moten said the organizations understand that Administration is not stripping them of all of these things intentionally, but it has become problematic.

Moten said the importance

of Greek organizations and student organizations aren’t being fully downsized but will be left with half of what they had to begin with.

“Compromise ideally is key, but as of now, there does not appear to be much room for compromise,” Moten said. “It appears forgotten that these aspects of college life offer prestige to the campus and university as a whole, and it is these Greek and student organizations that encourage retention and student involvement.”

Tyler Mendez, junior political science major and vice president of Student Government Association [SGA], said he feels strongly about the offices that are being turned into dorm rooms.

“Obviously I have committed some time in that building [OC Hall]. I have meetings as well. It’s like a second home to us [student organizations], and we are

being stripped of our second home in a way,” Mendez said. “It sounds like they have already made the decision without going by us. I feel like we have an opinion.

We are all student body, and those are our spaces, so I feel like we are being treated unfairly.”

Mendez said the student organizations are going to try to get their voices heard respectfully. SGA and other organizations are still trying to decide how to approach this situation.

“We don’t want this to be an attack. For me, I want to push the fact that I want to stay in that building at least until the end of the semester, because I don’t think it’s fair for them to just boot us out,” Mendez said.

“I understand the president [Slabach] has some hard decisions to make, and this is one of them. I don’t think he knew it was a problem until now.”

Slabach said Wesleyan has worked with the Fort Worth chapter for a number of years.

One year the Fort Worth chapter assisted a student in the graduate education program with funds to go to Italy to see where Maria Montessori was from.

Slabach said the Wesleyan Chamber Singers impressed the mayor of Guilyang so much that he requested their presence at the Guilyang signing agreement in China and paid for all of their accommodations while they were in China.

“They just had a fabulous time,” Slabach said. “It was apparently quite extraordinary.”

Jerome Bierschenk, director of choral activities, said the Wesleyan Chamber Singers

have been participating with the Sister Cities organization the past six years.

Bierschenk said the ceremony is proceeded by the Wesleyan Singers singing the national anthem, singing the other country’s national anthem and putting together some type of special music as part of the program.

Bierschenk said when the Wesleyan Chamber singers were in China, they were treated extremely well.

“They just treated us like we were very special guests,” Bierschenk said. “They treated us like royalty really.”

Bierschenk said chamber singers put on a concert with another university that was there and had a tremendous time.

Bierschenk said the Sister Cities were very involved with the communications with Guilyang and with the university. They helped organize the event, organize the schedule and helped with passports.

‘It was quite a bit of work in that regard, “Bierschenk said.

Bierschenk said it speaks highly of the president and his wife, and how willing they are to do whatever it takes to help Wesleyan move forward.

“I would imagine that some of that is to say thank you Sister Cities for helping us organize this and have this opportunity,” Bierschenk said.“I think it also says a lot about him as a person and his willingness to connect with the community and to connect the university to the community.”

continued from page 1

that the event was a huge success.

“Everyone did a great job,” Ramirez said. “It was a lot of fun, and that is the main thing, that everyone enjoyed themselves.”

Ramirez said Slabach raised $700 for the organization in votes. For every person who made a $10 donation to the organization a single vote was allowed be cast on one of the 16 couples who participated in the event.

Ramirez said the highest amount of funds raised was $6,000 by Travis DeVault, Sister Cities board memeber.

Slabach said what Sister Cities does is identify cities in countries around the world that they would like to pair up with and be “sister cities.” They

“Everyone

did a great job,” Ramirez said. “It was a lot of fun, and that is the main thing, that everyone enjoyed themselves.”

Joe Ramirez

vice president and COO of Fort Worth Sister Cities do this primarily for cultural exchanges, but there is also a certain amount of business exchange.

The sister cities chapter is responsible for working with the city to try and identify various cities throughout the world that would like to be sisters with developing programs around that city.

They then try to have cultural exchanges bringing people from that city to Fort Worth, and then people from Fort Worth go there.

Slabach said he thinks the Fort Worth chapter has about seven or eight sister cities they work with. One of them is in Italy and another is in China.

Love us or hate us. www.therambler.org

Morton Fitness Center Staff showed their Halloween Spirit

Kat Fournier (Red M&M), Cris Ortiz (Top Gun’s “Maverick”), AAron Whaley (Clown Bank Robber), Oscar Lazarky (Mit Romney), Garrett McFadden (Doll Mask Killer )

Morton Fitness Center Director: AAron Whaley 1210 S. Collard St Fort Worth, TX 76105

awhaley@txwes.edu 817 - 531 - 7589

Let us know.

The Rambler @ Texas Wesleyan University

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THE RAMBLER | www.therambler.org

Millions suffer from disorder to achieve perfection super skinny and you say to yourself, “I wish my body looked like that.” Women ekfradette@txwes.edu and men in today’s society are dieting and losing weight, but how much is too much?

According to www.anad. org, the National AssociaYou are sitting at home, watch- tion of Anorexia Nervosa and Asing television after eating dinner. sociated Disorders website, more During commercial breaks, I bet than 24 million people suffer from you can lose count of how many eating disorders in the United times you see a commercial deal- States alone. Eating disorders ining with weight loss and dieting. clude anorexia, bulimia and binge I also bet you can see women eating. Men and women are both and men in the media who look affected by eating disorders every

day, and that includes college students.

91 percent of women, who are currently in college, have admitted to dieting or watching their weight. 25 percent of college women have had an eating disorder at some point. What is even more shocking is 95 percent of all those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 26.

According to the www.anad. org, Men make up 15 percent of all eating disorder cases . I think the media is playing a detrimental role in the spread of eating disorders and extreme dieting because

skinny women and men is all we see. Sure there are a few shows that include “plus-size” actors and actresses or those who are at their healthy weight but the majority of them aren’t.

69 percent of women have said images in magazines have altered their perception of what the perfect body is supposed to be, and almost half of those women will lose weight because of those images according to www.anad.org.

Now I’m not saying all dieting and all weight loss is bad, because it can be healthy in certain circumstances, but statistics

say most college students don’t lost weight to be healthier. Eating disorders will take the lives of 5.2 percent of all those who have them. It may not seem like a high percentage but when 24 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder, 5.2 percent is a lot.

I think society needs to become more socially accepting of all different body types and embrace everyone.

No body type is the same. We are all different, and pressuring women and men to be skinner in an unhealthy manner is wrong can have serious consequences.

Back in December 2011, a Maryland teenager, Anais Fournier, drank two Monster tkevans1098@txwes.edu energy drinks within a 24hour period and died. Fournier had a preexisting heart condition before she drank the energy drinks. Last month, A couple of months ago, a girl her family filed a lawsuit against who couldn’t have been older than Monster for failing to warn about 10 or 11, walked into my job at the product’s dangers according to the Tarrant County College South the Medical Daily.

Campus bookstore and purchased While my heart goes out to her a Monster energy drink. At first, I parents for their loss, I can’t help assumed she was possibly buying but question the logic behind it for one of her parents or maybe their decision to sue. The girl an older sibling, but after hand- knew she had a pre-existing heart ing me her money, she opened the condition, but drank the MonMonster and took a sip. sters anyway. Even if there wasn’t I wanted to tell her she was way a pre-exsisting heart condition, too young to be drinking that, common sense should tell one but instead, I gave her the change that drinking two energy drinks with her receipt and sent her on almost back to back is never a her way. I personally don’t believe good idea. children should be allowed to conI seriously doubt this was the sume energy drinks such as Mon- first time the girl had a Monster ster, but since I wasn’t her father energy drink. Monster puts labels or older brother, I didn’t believe it on the cans that say the drinks are was my place to say anything. not for children. Is it really Mon-

ster’s fault the girl did not use her common sense, and chose to ignore the warning? I don’t believe this company should suffer,

because the girl chose to ignore the warning and ended up paying with her life.

She was old enough to know

that it was not healthy for her.

I’m pretty sure these drinks where made with adults, not children, in mind.

Emma Fradette Content Producer

Children, energy drinks do not mix well,tragedy ensue Tristian Evans Content Producer

TV character is for children, not for political statements Victoria Slaten

vaslaten@txwes.edu

Big Bird, once an innocent children’s character, is now the weapon for political gain.

After GOP nominee Mitt Romney promised to decrease funding to PBS while still declaring his love for Big Bird, the Obama campaign used this as ammunition against the Romney campaign. The Obama campaign released a commercial with the recognizable Big Bird mocking Romney.

The creators of Big Bird are unhappy with the way

their character is being portrayed on the commercial, and have requested the commercial no longer be aired. I don’t blame them.

When did children’s characters end up in the middle of politics? Big Bird and other children’s characters are supposed to be used to help children. When children think of Big Bird they should think of him going on a picnic with his friends of Sesame Street, not the big yellow bird that is in the Obama commercial helping to mock Romney.

This is not the message that Big Bird was supposed to bring to people. It is bad

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enough to make fun of the opponent, but to use a children’s character to do it is hitting an all time low.

I think we should “think of the children.” This saying might be overused, but what it says is true.

Did anyone even think about what affect this commercial has on the children of America? Many young children’s idols are the characters on Sesame Street.

What are we doing to their heroes if we are using them as political weapons? And where does this end? When every child’s hero is used for political gain? Let’s keep politics out of the Street.

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

— Thomas Jefferson

Photo Editor: Meisa Keivani Najafabadi Digital Media Editor: Jonathan Resendez Rambler TV Director: Kelsi Holland Faculty Adviser: Wendy Moore Faculty Liaison: Dr. Kay Colley Publisher: Frederick Slabach

Print Content Producers: Joshua Dunk, Tristian Evans, Emma Fradette, Rachel Peel, Rolandra West

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

R AMBLER Contribution Please send all news briefs to twurambler@yahoo.com. Submissions due by noon Friday to see brief in the following week’s issue.

Opinions expressed in THE RAMBLER are those of the individual authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Texas Wesleyan community as a whole.

Letters to the editor: THE RAMBLER, a biweekly publication, welcomes all letters. All submissions must have a full printed name, phone number

TV Content Producers: R’Relle Duncan, Taylor Gill, Ryan Grounds, Martika Cook

Address all correspondence to: Texas Wesleyan University THE RAMBLER 1201 Wesleyan St. Fort Worth, TX 76105 twurambler@yahoo.com (817) 531-7552 Advertising Inquiries: (817) 531-6525 and signature. While every consideration is made to publish letters, publication is limited by time and space.

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thumbs up Thumbs up to the organization participation during Mummies on the Mall. Thanks for showing up and making the event a success!

Thumbs up to the maintenance department for cleaning up the cigarette butts around O.C. Hall.

Thumbs up to the upcoming Holiday Break. It’ll be nice to relax before Finals descend upon us!

thumbs down Thumbs down to the temperature in the library. It is almost winter now. We don’t need the AC on full blast.

TheRambler.org

Channel 25

Thumbs down to the tuition increase for the next semester. No one likes to continue to have to pay more every year.

Thumbs down to student organizations complaining about losing their rooms. Some schools just give organizations mailboxes, and we should be happy to give students a place to live.

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THE RAMBLER | www.therambler.org

DeLotto brings world perspective to students Rolandra West

rdwest@txwes.edu

Dr. Jeffrey DeLotto, professor of English at Texas Wesleyan for 25 years, proves to be a man of many worlds. Some would say he lives a double life as a professor, husband, writer and traveler.

Most of his students can’t even begin to imagine the man behind the desk as anything more than a professor. Neither can they see him climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or hitch hiking for fun. But little do they know, he comes from a far- from- average background.

DeLotto said he has traveled within the Middle East, including places such as Syria, Israel, Egypt and Jordan, where he taught.

“I lived in Bulgaria for a year.

Other than Egypt, I also went to Tanzania and stayed there for a while,” DeLotto said. “I tried climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, I was not successful.

I’ve also traveled most of the European countries, as well as Mexico and Canada. So I’ve been around.”

DeLotto was born in Virginia and grew up in South Florida. As a kid, DeLotto often found himself in the principal’s office, and soon after finishing high school was sent to military school.

DeLotto was a writer before he even knew it. He had an art and eye for detail at a very young age from his experience as a child and much further on.

“I was a pretty bad kid, and sometimes I was willfully bad, and because of that I was frequently disciplined by my parents and my school. A number of times in elementary school, I was put outside of the classroom,” DeLotto said. “While I was out there, I had an inquisi-

tive mind, so I found myself looking at the texture of the insulation or the texture of the paint, or the concrete, and even a trail of ants. I think it developed in me an appreciation for minute detail. I think it probably started the development in me as a poet and a writer.”

Although DeLotto spends most of his time as a professor and a father, his creative mind is explored by his poetry and writing.

“Sometimes I write because I am inspired,” DeLotto said.

“Early on I wrote because I wanted to express myself. I think most frequently I write because I can. Most of my classes know this. I don’t like writing. I enjoy when someone else gets something meaningful from my writing. The actual act itself is not that fun.”

DeLotto said part of being a writer is reading, and his mother encouraged him to read anything.

“I probably didn’t read what I was supposed to read in school, but by age 11 or 12, I was reading James Bond novels to westerns then historical novels,” DeLotto said. “It developed in me a savoring of the life of the imagination. It was a fairly easy step to go from that to writing.”

Rachel Peel | Rambler Staff While pursuing his college career, DeLotto said he Dr. Jeffrey DeLotto, professor of English, signs and personalizes each copy of his book, Voices Writ in Sand to students and faculty members at his book signing Oct. 16. DeLotto offers various perspectives to college students with his unusual life experidropped out at one point.

“When I dropped out of col- ences, from hitch-hiking in Florida for fun to teaching in Jordan. lege I was sort of lost. I really didn’t know what I wanted to to writing something that was a professor, especially within true.” in some of my classes, but I do,” DeLotto said. “I started meaningful for me to produce.” the English department.

Bailey Williams, junior can in his.” traveling a lot, hitch hiking and DeLotto said this was the “People pay me a rea- psychology major, said she Catherine Bentley, junior I met various people in various reason he went back to college. sonable amount of money enjoys taking DeLotto’s psychology major, said Deprofessions.”

He wanted to learn different to tell them what I believe classes.

Lotto is the only English DeLotto said he discovered viewpoints in the world. to be the truth, and that’s “I think he is really in- teacher she really likes. writing to be meaningful to DeLotto received his bach- a pretty wonderful posi- volved. Sometimes I feel “I like how he gives us him at the age of 19. elor’s degree at Florida Univer- tion to have,” DeLotto said. like I never know what he’s freedom on what we can “So I started doing some of sity and his doctorate in British “The truth about writing or going to say or do next,” write about,” Bentley said. my own writing to express my- literature at Florida State Uni- what I consider to be beauty Williams said. “He is very “He applies a lot of these self,” DeLotto said. “That was versity. or whatever. They pay me easy to pay attention to. skills to where you would the first time that I really went DeLotto said he enjoys being to say what I believe to be Usually I can’t pay attention use them in the workforce.”

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DORA’S Hours: Monday - Friday 7 am to 7:30 pm

Saturday - Sunday 11 am to 2:00 pm 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Will Timmerman and Staff Cordially Invite You To

President’s Thanksgiving Carving Date: November 20, 2012 Time: 11:30am to 2:00pm Join us for a Thanksgiving feast with turkey carved by President Slabach.

@ Texas Wesleyan University Dining Services

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Wesleyan alumnus writes upcoming play Pop Culture Junkie Tristian Evans Content Producer

tkevans1098@txwes.edu

Reality TV stars bank the bucks Today’s reality television stars are very smart people. Okay, not really.

But, you have to admit, a lot of them are smart enough to capitalize on their 15 minutes of fame and use it to build a brand.

Look at Snooki from Jersey Shore.

While she has admitted to reading only a couple of books her entire life, she has written a couple of New York Times bestsellers and has a plethora of other products.

Bethenny Frankel, of the Real Housewives of New York fame, has built not only a million dollar beverage empire, but now, after a successful test run this summer, she has a talk show that will air weekdays starting next year.

Now, like me, you may not want to sacrifice your dignity in front of millions of people just for your 15 minutes of fame. But, thanks to the plethora of media that exist today, everyone can get themselves out there to the world and begin to build a brand.

There are many filmmakers, actors and comedians who are uploading videos to YouTube to get their work out there and start to make a name for themselves.

Many aspiring radio personalities are using free radio Internet platformssuch as BlogTalkRadio to build an audience, and many aspiring journalists are blogging and starting their own news websites, and aspiring novelist’s are selfpublishing.

The point I’m trying to make is we happen to live in a day and age where we don’t necessarily wait for an opportunity to be handed to us. We have various platforms where with a little hard work and luck, we can create the opportunities without having to make a fool of ourselves in front of the world.

For more Pop Culture Junkie go online to www.therambler.org.

Check out other Pop Culture Junkie columns online:

Tristian Evans

tkevans1098@txwes.edu

Imagine opening a piece of mail that informs you that very soon, you will die.

The protagonists of Theatre Wesleyan’s second play of the semester, Certificate of Death, find themselves in such a situation.

Certificate of Death was written by Wesleyan alumnus Walter Wykes, and was the winner of Theatre Wesleyan’s 2009 Playmarket Competition.

Wykes said he got the idea while watching the Wizard of Oz, and listening to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album. “I got the idea for the play while watching Dark Side of the Rainbow,� Wykes said. “You watch The Wizard of Oz without sound and play Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. It’s pretty cool.� “The album seems to be scored to the movie,� Wykes said. “In the scene following the tornado, the munchkins present Dorothy with a Certificate of Death for killing the witch, but without the [movie’s] sound you lose that context, and it just seems like they’re presenting her with a Certificate of Death and dancing around all gleefully, and Dorothy looks very confused. That got me thinking.�

Connie Whitt-Lambert, professor of theatre and director of the play, described it as a mixture between a tragedy and a comedy. “The play is incredibly unusual,�

Whitt-Lambert said. “It is about a certificate of death. People start receiving these for unknown reasons. For example, the two main characters in the play, Stan and Eugene; each receives a certificate of death.�

Whitt-Lambert said one character receives a certificate for a parking ticket and the other for unpaid bills. “They set about trying to fix it, and in the process of trying to fix it, they encounter many other people who have received [certificates of death]. They all band together and create this little society on their own,� WhittLambert said. “Unfortunately, some pretty severe consequences happen because of the actions

they undertake.�

Whitt-Lambert said the play, which is more than five acts, starts out as a comedy but turns serious as the story progresses. Whitt-Lambert said she considers it a thought-provoking piece. “There is a very strong underlying theme of spirituality and religion,� WhittLambert said. “It should, I hope, make people look at their lives and go ‘what if Jesus where here; what if Buddha where here; what if [the audiences] holy entity was [on earth]?�How would we be treating him or her?�

Whitt-Lambert said. “If we thought it was another person?�

Whitt-Lambert said there are many surprises in store for the audience, from the story, to the way the theatre will be arranged. WhittLambert said it is an unusual scenic design that is perfect for the play’s script. “When the audience walks in, I told my set designer, I don’t want them to know where to sit,�

Whitt-Lambert said.

Whitt-Lambert said she is very excited about this play and hopes the faculty, staff and students will turn out to support the play. “I hope everyone will leave really talking about the message,�

Whitt-Lambert said.

Wykes said it feels great to have Wesleyan performing his play and still enjoying its message. “It’s great to have the play produced at Wesleyan,� Wykes said. “I have a lot of great memories from my college days at Wesleyan, and it’s nice to come back in a different capacity and see that the department lives on.�

Eduardo Aguilar, senior theatre major, said he enjoys playing his character Carpenter and has a few things in common with the character. “I think that my character and I are similar in the sense that we’re both good-hearted people,�

Aguilar said. “We are easy going and down to earth, and it’s great playing him.�

Aguilar said his character does

something that will surprise the audience, which made the role fun.

Brittany Adelstein, junior theatre major, said when she auditioned for the play she was confident. “I love auditions,� Adelstein said. “I auditioned for that role because it was one of the female roles that I felt I could bring humor to. [Miriam] is hilarious.�

David Vaughn, senior theatre major, portrays a character known as the Vagrant who is a bit of a con-man. “At auditions, as I was reading for many different parts, the Vagrant stuck out to me,�

Vaughn said. “As I was reading it alone, I had a very silly character in mind. But as I was reading it out loud in auditions, I noticed that the Vagrant had so much more dimensions in him, so I immediately grew interested in this character.�

Vaughn said he loves the challenge of playing the character because the Vagrant is nothing like him.

Kristi Taylor, senior theatre major and Whitt-Lambert’s assistant director, said she is ex-

cited to be working on the play. “I loved the script,� Taylor said. “It is witty, funny and entertaining.�

Taylor said this is her first time serving as an assistant director, and she has enjoyed the process of working with WhittLambert on this play. “Connie and I are very similar. We have a clear vision of what we want, and we work well together to achieve it,�

Taylor said. “She is a very patient person, and takes the time to help me understand exactly what needs to happen at certain key times throughout the play.�

The play will be presented in the Thad Smotherman Theatre in the Law Sone Fine Arts Building from Nov. 8–18.

Tickets are $8 for general admission, $6 for all Wesleyan faculty and staff and $4 for all students with ID. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday Nov. 6. The box office will be open Tuesdays to Fridays 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and one hour before curtain on show days.

For reservations please call the Wesleyan Theatre box office at 817-531-5867.

mixed by house DJ and club co-owner, Daniel Aguirre, also known as DJ Danny West. “This club is unique because it’s not a ‘douche-y’ clichĂŠ club or bar,â€? Aguirre said. “Diversity is what makes Barcelona unique.â€?

Aguirre said on Tuesday Barcelona hosts a hip hop night, and on Friday they host a Salsa Night. Saturday and Sunday are a mix.

Established on May 5, 2012, this bar welcomes patrons until

it reaches club safety capacity.

Rakan Aqio said he likes the music at Barcelona. “I go every Thursday because it’s Ladies’ Night,� Aqio said.

Barcelona has a full bar and full staff that Aguirre said he is proud of. “I have the best team ever,�

Aguirre said.“Everyone is excited to work here, to be here, and to spread the word about this club.�

Jeff Cunningham, a bartender at Barcelona, agrees with

Aguirre that the club is an exciting place to work. “I really like this club,� Cunningham said. “It’s interesting, multicultural and has a lot of personality.�

Barcelona night club is located at 515 Houston St. (at the basement level). For more information or reservations, call 682231-1515, or visit their website at www.barcelonafw.com. You can also find the club on Facebook at Barcelona Bar, or follow on twitter @barcelonafw.

Courtesy of Theatre Wesleyan

Barcelona club brings world rhythms to dance Ryan Ellison

rdellison@txwes.edu

From Salsa and Bachata to beat box battles, poetry slams, and hip-hop night, Barcelona night club hosts a variety of events.

Downtown Fort Worth is home to one of the newest nocover nightclubs, Barcelona.

Open on select weekdays and every weekend, this club opens its doors to all demographics.

A vast variety of tunes are

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Wesleyan

PRESENTS at Martin Hall

November 9, 2012 at 7:30pm Guitar Fort Worth Classical Series @ Wesleyan Mark Appling, guitar November 13, 2012 at 5:30pm Junior Recital Rebekah Smith, French horn & Jayme Vaughn, mezzo-soprano November 13, 2012 at 7:30pm Senior Recital Kylie Wrinkle, soprano November 15, 2012 at 7:30pm Senior Recital Maegan McCarthy, soprano November 20, 2012 at 7:30pm Opera Scenes Workshop Concert Enchanted

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The Rambler | www.therambler.org

DNA sequencing experiment heeds good results

Rolandra West

rdwest@txwes.edu

Many students believe their heritage includes only what they have been told, but little do they know Texas Wesleyan’s biology department offers them the opportunity to trace back their heritage farther than they could imagine.

Dr. Bruce Benz, professor and chair of biology at Texas Wesleyan, involves his students in experiments that open up their minds to biology. In his plants and human affairs biology class, there is one experiment he is known for in particular; which is the DNA sequencing of students that can trace back the students’ descendants .

Benz said he has done this experiment in two of his classes, Anthropology and Plants and Human Affairs. It has been most successful in the Plants an Human Affairs class.

“I genuinely look forward to learning more about my family’s history as well,” Amanda Moten

senior history major Benz said there are two objectives when performing this experiment.

“The first is a simple evaluation of Hardy Weinberg equilibrium to demonstrate evolutionary change,” Benz said. “The second is to provide students the opportunity to determine their racial heritage and geographic origin by tracing descent through the maternal line.”

The experiment consists of extracting DNA with a swab from cheek to cheek by the students, then the mitochondrial part of the DNA

is amplified and taken to ETON bioscience lab to be sequenced. After it has been sequenced, it comes back to the students in order for them to find out where their ancestors descended.

Benz said the sequencing can also be done in the lab at Texas Wesleyan, but the results take much longer than at ETO bioscience lab.

Benz said sometimes the experiment is unsuccessful because of the DNA swabbing performed by the students. Benz said many students have to do the swabbing more than once in order to get a good sample of DNA. “We could do the extraction in different ways, we could do a blood draw or a quick blood spot but that has problems too. I mean, it is a bio-hazard in a big way. We would hate to pay for disposal if we didn’t have to. Second, not everyone likes to get their finger stuck,” Benz said.

Benz said he is working on

Students experience unique challenges

a new protocol so he is able to do this particular experiment in his other classes, and so will the other faculty in the department. Benz said the faculty including himself would like to make it a widely available laboratory experiment.

“University of California at Berkley tried to do it for their entire freshman class and ran into all sort of administration problems, and that’s because their freshmen class is 7,000 students,” Benz said. “It would be difficult even if it was possible in the best of all words to get that done right.”

Amanda Moten, senior history major, said she is excited to get the results of her DNA sequencing back.

“I genuinely look forward to learning more about my family’s history as well,” Moten said. “I find it amazing that we have classes available that literally involve us as students, in the real world

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applications of science.”

Moten said this course and Benz have enhanced her understanding and appreciation for how vast and incredible the field of science is.

Benz said Wesleyan President Fred Slabach had his DNA sequenced as well.

Benz said Slabach’s DNA was sequenced within two weeks.

“I told him what the students were doing. I suggested that my students extract his DNA to be sequenced, and he chuckled,” Benz said.

“I don’t think he thought I was serious. So that summer I sent my students over to him and asked them to get a swab [of DNA] from President Slabach, and he didn’t say no.”

Slabach said the best part of the experiment to him, was getting a chance to talk with Benz’s students who got the DNA from him.

“I was very impressed with their knowledge and ability,”

Be heard.

Slabach said. “Also it was a lot of fun to see the parts of the world my ancestors came from.”

Slabach said the results showed his ancestry from different parts of Europe.

“I don’t want to make it too much of a workload for Dr. Benz and his students, but if you have an opportunity to have your DNA sequenced for ancestry it is a lot of fun,” Slabach said.

Benz said he feels as if the experiment is interesting and also an aid to students.

“Where did you parents come from? Where did your grandmother’s grandmother come from? I find that fascinating and I think most people do themselves,” Benz said.“I think that when we teach them how they can trace genealogy with DNA, we provide a learning opportunity that is unique. For science to do that for the students of Wesleyan there is no reason not to.”

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Sports Column ekfradette@txwes.edu

Represent your university with class not trash As we all know, Texas Wesleyan has implemented a new drug and alcohol testing policy for the student-athletes, and it started this year.

The first round of testing has already been completed, and there will be more to come as the sports and seasons change.

As a former student-athlete I used to do my share of drinking alcohol, but due to current events that have taken place on other college campuses, I can see why we have chosen to start testing student-athletes.

Casey Pachall, Texas Christian University’s quarterback, was suspended indefinitely this year for drug and alcohol charges. Pachall received a DWI Oct. 4 after a routine traffic stop. This wasn’t Pachall’s first offense either.

Last year, when TCU had its huge drug bust, Pachall admitted to using marijuana when he failed a drug test.

Texas isn’t the only state having issues with student-athletes. Louisiana State University dismissed its star cornerback, Tyrann Mathieu, after he failed a drug test back in August. Mathieu still remained a student at the university but was arrested Oct.25 for possession of marijuana in his apartment.

College can be fun at times and of course there are always parties, but athletes should know there are also boundaries they shouldn’t cross with their coaches or their university.

When representing a university through athletics, student-athletes should want to represent it in a positive way. Children also look up to athletes of all types, so set a good example people! You never know who is watching.

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Women’s hoops to face Aussies

Emma Fradette Emma Fradette Content Producer

Sports

ekfradette@txwes.edu

Texas Wesleyan’s women’s basketball team is playing against an overseas team, first time ever for the program.

The Lady Rams will play against the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) women’s basketball team at 7 p.m. on Nov. 7 in the Sid Richardson Center for their season opener.

Bill Franey, head women’s basketball coach, said the Australian team has a reputation for developing players to play for the Australian national team, and to compete in the Olympics as well.

Franey said this game can help prepare the team for upcoming games and eventually nationals.

“They are bigger than most of the girls we will be playing against,” Franey said. “It’ll look a lot like the games we will see at nationals and although these girls are tall, I know our speed and quickness can benefit us.”

Audrianna Simpson, sophomore business administration major and guard, is a returner from last season and said she is proud to play the AIS women’s basketball team.

“I feel as though it is both an accomplishment and an honor,” Simpson said. “With the team we have, it will allow us to bring our A-game but yet stay grounded at the same time.”

According an AIS release, the head coach wanted his players to experience hard competition and good basketball.

“They sent an email to me asking to play against us, and I thought it would be a great opportunity for us to play them,” Franey said.

The media release also stated that the head coach of the Australia team wanted to play schools in Texas and California because these states pro-

Emma Fradette | Rambler Staff

Courtney Turner, senior guard, goes up for a lay-up during the women’s basketball practice.

Toeisha Cooper, junior guard and forward, is ready for the rebound. The team is preparing for the game against the Australian Institute of Sports women’s basketball team set for 7 p.m.

Nov.7 at the Sid Richardson Center. This game will be the season home opener for the Lady Rams. duce a lot of female basketball talent.

The AIS will play nine games in its basketball tour playing against universities in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Raven Alexander, senior business administration major and guard, said she is ready for the game.

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“To me, it’s sort of a humbling experience because this will be the first time our school has been scheduled to play an overseas team,” Alexander said. “It will put in perspective how talented we really are.”

Franey said the team lost a lot of players last year, and this game will allow the new players to come together for the first official game of the season.

“We graduated seven seniors

who ate up a lot of minutes,” Franey said. “We are just trying to get the girls to work together and get better for conference.”

Alexander said the Lady Rams have been practicing for their games one day at a time.

“We try and make our practices as game-like as possible, to make sure we are going to the highest level we can,” Alexander said.

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Soccer seniors finish with more goals in mind Rachel Peel

rlpeel@txwes.edu

From Martin Field to the Police Academy to the United States Air Force, seniors TJ Romaguera, left forward, of the men’s soccer team and Aubree Gallego, goal keeper for the women’s soccer team, plan to take what they have learned on the soccer field to the workforce.

Romaguera has been at Wesleyan for three years and has been playing soccer since he was 4 years old. He said his experience at Wesleyan has been wonderful.

“It’s been good,” Romaguera said. “I just liked the fact that I could just make the 15 minute drive everyday and be able to stay at home with my family.”

Romaguera’s first two years at Wesleyan he played centermid, and this year he moved to left forward.

Romaguera said this year the team is very diverse, and that having a diverse team will help him in the future.

“Our team is extremely diverse,” Romaguera said. “I think I can take that away, be able to interact with a bunch of different types of people.”

Romaguera said the team has about seven or eight different nationalities represented. They have teammates from England, South Africa, Mongolia, Brazil, Russia, Serbia and Bosnia.

Tyler Powell, head men’s soccer coach, said Romaguera is one of the two remaining players on the team since he took over the team in 2010. Powell said Romaguera has been a huge asset to the team.

Powell said he has not had any problem from Romaguera, and he is a good leader and the captain of the

soccer team.

“He takes ownership of things because that is some of the things we are constantly preaching,” Powell said. “You can talk about luck all you want, but one of the things we talk about is you make your own luck.”

Powell said another positive thing about Romaguera is that he shows up and goes to work.

“If you ask him to do something, he does it. You ask him to make sure something is taken care of, he takes care of it,” Powell said.

“You don’t have to think that it’s not going to get done.”

Powell said as a coach, some of the things he hopes his players will take to the business world after they leave Wesleyan are discipline and ownership.

“Nothing is ever easy,” Powell said. “You always have to start at the bottom and you’ve got two choices; you either do what is asked of you or gripe and moan about it, and basically the one that is going to do the most, faster, moves up the ladder quicker.”

Powell said Romaguera is always at practice on time, and he works hard when he is here.

“TJ is a senior, so obviously he will be missed,” Powell said. “You can always replace a player with talent. You can’t necessarily replace personality, and I would think that we would be lucky if we got somebody like him, to replace him.”

Ivan Kovacevic, junior forward and senior business management major, agrees with Powell that Romaguera is a unique individual.

“He is a very motivated guy,” Kovacevic said. “The

Gallego said she got into soccer at 4 years old because her older sister played, and her dad used to coach. Gallego said she did not play competitive soccer until she was a freshman in high school.

“I just decided to go with the family,” Gallego said.

Gallego said her favorite thing about soccer is winning.

“I love the connection that I make, the friends that I make. Every team I have ever been on we have been best friends,” Gallego said.

“People have sororities and fraternities. I don’t need that. I’m in a group already,

Joshua Dunk

skills and be competitive,” Liptak said. “The staff of the First Tee of Fort Worth was always encouraging and wanted the best for me, and gave me the opportunity to go to four national academies throughout high school.”

Liptak has been a member of the First Tee of Fort Worth Junior Advisory Committee since 2009 and a member of the Program Committee since 2010.

“They teach you the game of golf, and specifically life lessons on how to be a good citizen,” Liptak said.

Millikan said when he talked to Kevin Long, director of the First Tee of Fort Worth, Long praised Liptak on her work for the organization for eight years, and the rest was history.

“Jessica was an amazing student and participant in the First Tee,” Long said.

“Liptak was a bright student who worked very hard and was certainly popular and well respected amongst her peers.”

Long said Liptak’s interest in golf has grown since she started at the First Tee of Fort Worth. He said her family was not a golf family, but since she was a part of the organization, that allowed her to grow up in golf.

Liptak said she loves playing golf for many reasons.

“I love that it is an individual sport, and I get the chance to be outside and play in courses all over the country,” Liptak said.

“Golf is also useful because it is a sport you will use your whole life. It is also extremely challenging mentally. How you handle

yourself on the golf course is a reflection of how you handle yourself in your everyday life.”

This season, Liptak notched a fourth place finish among 135 golfers in the North Texas Junior Professional Golfers’ Association Tournament, NTJPGA. Last season she was selected to attend the First Tee Hank Haney International Junior Golf Association, IJGA. According to their website,www.thefirsttee. org, each year the First Tee selects approximately 50 participants to attend the academy in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina to receive instruction on all aspects of the golf game from IJGA instructors.

Millikan said it is an honor to recognize Liptak as the first member of the Texas Wesleyan women’s golf team.

“Not only is she an extremely talented player, but her involvement in the community and in the advancement of junior golf makes her the perfect example of the kind of young ladies we want leading our new program,” Millikan said.

Liptak said she loves her teammates and can’t wait for the Spring tournament season.

“It has been great getting to know all of my teammates over the last couple months,” Liptak said.

“We all are very different and bring different strengths and skills to the team.”

Liptak and the women’s golf team will swing into season again on Feb. 18, 2013.

They will play in the Claud Jacobs Collegiate tournament.

Rachel Peel | Rambler Staff Ivan Kovacevic (left), senior business major and junior forward TJ Romaguera, senior criminal justice major and midfielder, practice for the upcoming conference tournament. The Rams men’s soccer received an automatic bid into the semifinals, and their game is at 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 9 at Martin Field.

most motivated guy on the team I think.”

Kovacevic and Romaguera have been playing together since 2010. He said there is nothing negative about Romaguera, only positive.

“One of the biggest things about him is that he is always positive, no matter what,” Kovacevic said.

Kovacevic said they [Romaguera] both try to look out for each other all the time, because they play in similar positions.

“To me or him, it doesn’t matter as long as we score,” Kovacevic said. “We were always good playing together.”

The Morton Fitness Center participated in the Martin Boys & Girls Club 2012 Dodgeball Tournament to benefit Breast Cancer Awareness on October 27th.

(L-R): AAron Whaley, Patrick Stanley, Christopher Arocha, Oscar Lazarky, Garrett McFadden, Brian White, Phillip Chavez, Cris Ortiz

“The Dodgefathers” consisting of Morton Fitness Center Staff and Texas Wesleyan Students won the title and brought home the Championship hardware where they plan on making the Championship Trophy a permanent home at the Morton Fitness Center.

Morton Fitness Center Director: AAron Whaley 1210 S. Collard St Fort Worth, TX 76105

Romaguera plans to go into the field of criminal justice as a detective or a police officer upon his graduation in May 2013.

Aubree Gallego, senior exercise science major and goal keeper, has made a name for herself at Wesleyan in the women’s soccer program.

Gallego attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and William Penn University in Iowa before transferring to Wesleyan in 2011.

Gallego said she transferred to Wesleyan because her family lives in Arlington, and all her friends had attended Wesleyan.

and I love that feeling.”

Gallego said some of the things she will take from the field to the business world are leadership and the way to react to different circumstances.

“We have fans that scream some of the craziest things,” Gallego said. “They are trying to distract us, but controlling your emotions and learning how to deal with people and situations that are in front of you.”

Josh Gibbs, head women’s soccer coach, said he has enjoyed having Gallego on his team because of her great sense of humor and leadership skills.

“She is such a special kid,” Gibbs said. “You can be a little harder on her than some other players, because she is so competitive.”

Gibbs said Gallego always strives to be better and better every time she competes.

“It’s always a real joy to coach somebody like that,” Gibbs said. “It’s a little rare to find a player that is so motivated and hard on herself,” Gibbs said. “She is really funny; she is the goofiest kid I have probably ever coached.”

Gibbs said there is not one thing fake about Gallego.

She is comfortable in her own skin.

“It lightens the mood and really keeps practice going,” Gibbs said. “I mean she is a very special individual. She has always been just herself. I think that is fantastic.”

Gibbs said good day or bad day athletes can always work hard.

“If you do all the things well that are not on the stat sheet, you will win the game,” Gibbs said. “Don’t be afraid to work hard.”

awhaley@txwes.edu 817 - 531 - 7589

Jessica Liptak makes history as Wesleyan’s first women’s golfer

jkdunk@txwes.edu

From her time as a member of the First Tee of Fort Worth, a vibrant youth development organization reaching young people on golf courses, to the first signee of women’s golf at Texas Wesleyan, Jessica Liptak, freshman mass communication major, has started the semester with a new beginning.

In early December of last year, the athletic department announced its expansion to include women’s golf beginning in the 20122013 school year.

Kevin Millikan, assistant athletic director, is currently in his 16th year of service at Wesleyan and is now heading the new women’s golf program. Millikan previously served 10 seasons as head men’s golf coach, and seven seasons as athletic director. He also currently serves the department as director of new sport development.

“When we had decided to start the women’s golf program, I immediately started to find kids from our area and all over to start the team,” Millikan said. “Jessica’s name was one of the first that came out to me because of her long-time participation with the First Tee of Fort Worth.”

Liptak said she learned how to play golf through the First Tee of Fort Worth and has been playing the game for about 10 years now.

“When I was younger, I just did it for fun and didn’t practice outside of class, but once I reached high school, I really tried to improve my