WEDNESDAY
May 7 , 2014
Vol. 98 • No. 7 www.therambler.org
The Rambler The voice of Texas Wesleyan University students since 1917
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CETL continues award-winning ways Paula Justice
prjustice@txwes.edu
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, logging in to a computer, checking emails, fulfilling requesting… Sounds like a typical day at the office, right? Wrong. For Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, it’s always a new day of finding and mastering technologies that may potentially enhance Texas Wesleyan’s instructive abilities in the classroom. Dr. Nakia Pope, director of CETL, probably will not be a guest star on Scandal, but he and his team of gladiators: Lisa Hammonds, M.Ed., instructional designer, Adeline “Addy” Meira, M.S.Ed., instructional technologist and Pressly Smith, administrative assistant, represent the force behind faculty and staff technological development and support. According to Pope, CETL’s focus is to serve as a technological filter for Wesleyan’s faculty and staff. CETL works to sift through technology and identify tools that engage students and encourage critical thinking both in and outside the classroom. They achieve this goal through a continual process of latest technologies. Some tools used around the Wesleyan campus include Blackboard, Twitter, and a number of other websites and apps Hammonds’ primary role is assisting faculty with designing online or web assisted courses through Blackboard and other educational sites. Meira’s focus includes social
media, mobile devices, and apps in the classroom. She features an “app of the week” on CETL’s webpage at www. txwescetl.com. Smith, currently working on a Master’s in education, runs the office by keeping the other gladiators in line and on schedule. Each semester, CETL offers faculty and staff workshops, as well as individual appointments, geared towards classroom technology development. Workshops and activities include assessment management assistance, plagiarism assistance, an academic book club, and other services listed on the CETL website. The Summer Institute and Fall Kick-off are main events that happen just after spring graduation and before the start of fall semester. The daylong events are open to all faculty and staff for development and training. And critical thinking is at the top of the agenda for the next five years. “The way we’re going about that is by working with faculty to help them bring more critical thinking into the classes that they teach,” Pope said. The spring 2014 semester marks the first semester in the five-year plan, in which faculty from each school and graduate program has worked with CETL to deliver new methods of teaching that inspire critical thinking to the classroom. “A really good thing about Wesleyan faculty is that they do a lot of this already,” Pope said, “in terms of asking their students to think critically
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Anh Nguyen making impact on Wesleyan stay David Hagen
dmhagen@txwes.edu
The Academic Success Center, which is based in the West Library on campus, serves an important role of helping students pass their classes and there are many student workers who give up their free time in helping students succeed. One of these unsung heroes is Anh Nguyen who is a sophomore accounting major and who is actually from the capital city of Hanoi, Vietnam, and has been in the United States for nearly two years. Nguyen decided to come to America when she was in high school, and she joined a group called VietaBroader, which the website vietabroader.org states is a “nonprofit organization that provides Vietnamese students with training and guidance to encourage students to study abroad” and to help “Vietnamese youth with knowledge and a support network for their academic and professional developments.” She also explained that the organization really helped the transfer happen. “(Students) help each other to find a school and apply for a scholarship” she said. It also gave her a good insight of how life in America would be. “We can get information from the organization from students who have already studied here” Nguyen said. She also had a foot in the door when it came to speaking English because her father
Anh during a recent trip to Chicago in front of the famous The Cloud Gate.
works for the United Nations, and that allowed her to practice the language before arriving in the States. “I went to an English Center to study for English,” she said, and that helped her brush up on her skills she had learned from her father. After being asked the differences between the education in Vietnam and the U.S., she smiled. “In Vietnam it is cheaper, and here (Texas) I had to pay over $20,000 for one year,” she said, “because I studied in a public school, we would only pay $1,000 a year.” But she thinks the money is worth paying because the classes are “much more difficult,” which allows her to
Ease student stress by “breaking it down” Sachiko Jayaratne
sjayaratne@txwes.edu
The new dance class “Breakdown,” also a form of fitness work, was conducted and supervised on Wednesday, April 23, by Wesleyan freshman Raven LeMon. She came up with the superior movements that were taught in her class, and her motivation from the course encouraged many students at Texas Wesleyan to take the class. “Well, my goal in this class, is basically to teach Latin culture and different cultures from around the world that students here wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to,” she said. Her development of “Breakdown” came with immense For More Current News, check out TheRambler.org
learn more skills and gain new knowledge. When she finishes with her degree, she already has plans. “I don’t want to work in finance,” Nguyen said. “I want to work in accounting because this is my favorite (subject), so I think I will work for an accounting firm (once she graduates and finishes her masters program).” The workers in the Academic Success Center also give her special praise. One of her co-workers who is also an International student Hafiz Ghussein (originally from Saudi Arabia) has only praise for her work. “She a very smart girl,” he said. “I enjoy working with
sjayratne@txwes.edu
“We are trying to bring a sense of community to our residence hall…Definitely the goal is to just break those barriers…” These are the voices of some of the Wesleyan resident assistants who hosted a spring event in the Stella Hall lobby. March 25 was National Waffle Day. The local RAs took advantage of this national holiday to bring students toRosy Perez/Rambler Staff gether. And Stella Hall RA Latin culture dance class “breaking it down”takes place at Mortion Fitness Center. Kendal Carnley said the importance of having gatherings hard work and commitment. it was a beautiful, expressive learn to dance, or how much brings out the positive effect She has spent hours at the gym and energizing way to use the time it would take to learn a of building congenial comprior to the day of her class power of dance to regenerate simple step such as Salsa? panionships. striking on moves while add- hearts and souls. The word “breakdown” “There are so many national ing unique attempts, which “It’s a great way to get your came up to Raven because she holidays people just have no she discovered just by listen- mind off of things, at the end gains contentment therefore idea about, no clue,” Carnley ing to music in that instant. of the day it’s in the middle of breaking down different com- said, “so we picked one that She has shown the ability to the week and it’s about having ponents of the style of any type we thought would be fun.” improvise just by the ring of fun and learning new steps” of dance and how she would Fellow Stella Hall RA Tori something that falls in to any Kaleen Washington, who like to teach her students how Johnson also explained some category of music, whether it’s eased her way throughout to learn a basic step. of advisors’ challenges with slow or fast. the session and is a freshman Carlos Daniels, a student students. Students who attended mass communication major, who joined the class said: “I “As an RA a lot of times I Lemon’s breakdown session said. think this class is really fun, have seen students don’t want declared that stress can be Some may wonder why it’s I enjoyed it a lot. It’s a good to come too close they’re alleviated with many of the called “Breakdown.” It is a way afraid.” Johnson said. dance moves. And many said to see how fast students can DANCE It’s true that the RAs are
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her, and she even helps me when I can’t solve a mathematical problem while I’m tutoring and (she) just loves to help others.” Her boss Kelly Anderson and ASC coordinator who has only been working there for few weeks states that Nguyen is a key employee. “She’s a quiet force,” Anderson said. “Don’t let her quiet nature deceive you because she is a great tutor, and students come in daily requesting her help with math.” Please visit http://youtu. be/IcP3j3Lxn4Q for a photo slideshow and the full interview with Anh Nguyen.
Wesleyan’s resident assistants save day Sachiko Jayaratne
Newscast Sports Access The Weekender Wesleyan People
Courtesy of Ahn Nguyen
working hard in order to attain their targets of prioritizing the residence life of students. One of the students truly appreciated the gesture. “Waffles are a very beautiful thing,” she said, “and we don’t give them enough attention. They are beautiful gifts from God (to the residents).” Another popular event accommodated by the RA was sand volleyball and burgers. On March 27 the West Village RAs organized a special occasion at the sand volleyball courts. The RAs efforts towards the student program was assisted by beautiful weather. “Every month we all are required to do some formative event to kind of get with our residents,” Alex Hendee, a west village RA, said, “and get to know more about them and do something fun, so we thought that the weather was nice, and it’s getting a little warmer. We thought that we’ve got to use the sand courts and play some volleyball.” Morgan Kirkpatrick, anoth-
RA, page 3
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and helping their students develop those skills.” For their skills in finding and sharing tools of academic excellence in January 2014, Wesleyan President Frederick Slabach presented CETL with the President’s GEM Award “for their outstanding service to faculty and staff, and ongoing contributions to the success of our University.” In March, at the 25th annual International Conference on College Teaching and Learning, CETL ranked among the Top 10 centers in the country and received the Exemplary Center Award. In April, CETL received a BestIn-Track award for its work, “Gamification and Faculty Development: Practices from a Pilot Program.,” at the Sloan Consortium’s seventh annual emerging technologies for online learning international symposium. As proposed at the Sloan symposium, CETL has initiated a badge system to award faculty and staff who partici-
RA
pate in educational activities. There are multiple way to win badges in various categories. And in this game, everybody wins. When faculty is properly equipped, they in turn pass those skills to students who take those skills into the ever-changing workplace and the world. CETL’s Socratic path of success is well defined. “We never think that we [CETL staff] have it all figured out,” Pope said. The group’s constant goal is continual development of Texas Wesleyan’s faculty and staff for the enrichment of Wesleyan students. “Our job is to bring all this [educational technology] together, in one place, where faculty and staff can go for help when they need it,” Pope said. “We are a service group to faculty and staff. We definitely work really hard to listen to faculty and staff, to figure out what they need, and to provide that for them.”
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er West Village RA mentioned the popularity of the occasion. “We just wanted to put on a fun little event,” he said, “and give some people some food and something to do while it’s warming up.” Students who attended the bash noted that it was a great way to socialize and by meeting up with new people around campus, and it also encouraged the level of compatibility. Nikki Lockwood, a goalie on the Texas Wesleyan soccer team expressed similar excitement about the proceedings. “I think the event’s great,” she said. “It’s nice seeing everybody come together and
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hanging out and eating burgers and playing volleyball. It’s fun, a lot of fun.” The Wesleyan students congregated together and enjoyed the weather while crediting the RAs’ contributions toward the event. Wesleyan RAs even with their busy schedules have managed to bring the residence life groups together for community gatherings. “It’s warm,” Chris Willmer, a sophomore theatre major, said. “It’s a nice day, and there are a lot of good people out here some good hamburgers. And it’s a lot of fun. It’s a good way to invite spring to our lives.”
May 7, 2014
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Brian Franks of Wesleyan facilities details updates, improvements over summer 2014 Paula Justice
prjustice@txwes.edu
While Wesleyan Rams are counting down the toward the end of the semester, Texas Wesleyan’s campus improvement project, administered by Brian Franks, director of facilities operations, continues with plans to transform the historic campus into one that has an overall cohesive look and improved functionality. According to Franks, $2.3 million is the combined cost of current improvement projects, not to include the East Rosedale Street improvements. With the proceeds and contributions from the sale of Texas Wesleyan’s law school, the Armstrong family, and 2014 budget savings, facilities plans to continue tackling campus concerns of safety, aesthetics, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing issues. The Wesleyan community already is seeing signs of the improvement projects with the $1.25 million changes to the O.C. and Elizabeth Armstrong Halls, which Franks expects to be finalized during the summer. Also over the summer, Dora Roberts dining hall will undergo a $700,000 facelift that will feature major infrastructural changes. Also across Wesleyan’s campus are outdoor tables and benches, waste receptacles and new greenery. Landscaping crews have planted new trees in areas across. Rams returned from Easter break to find the east side of the library void of trees. But according to Franks, they required some special attention. “They were actually dying,” Franks said. “Bradford Pear tree’s [that lined the side of the
library faceing Student Life] life expectancy is 25 years. They were installed in 198687 with the construction of the library. The trees were starting to rot from the inside [and] it actually became a safety issue.” Franks expressed that campus safety is a top priority in the plans for campus improvement. Appearance of the campus is also high on the bar. “We are utilizing some of the Texas adaptive type plants…[to] create a consistent look so that each building isn’t standing alone, and we have this nice, clean look across campus” Franks said. But some areas of Wesleyan’s campus improvement project have presented some difficulties and require some amended planning – namely, Polytechnic United Methodist Church. “That building [the church], of all buildings, has been a challenge due to its age and the lack of major renovations to some of the infrastructure,” Franks said. According to Franks, “a major, unrepairable leak” in the church’s original steam heating system delayed plans to increase the HVAC efficiency. The leak caused a domino effect near the beginning of the semester that began with discontinued use of the heating system. In turn, Franks said, facilities provided nearly 60 space heaters in an attempt to warm the building. But that created yet another unforeseen problem. “The space heaters are electric powered so that created additional issues that only compounded the problem,” Franks said. “We had breakers tripping [power outages], so
we were going through [and moving] a space heater from here to there just to accommodate the electrical system in the building.” An intricate plan to update PUMC’s steam HVAC system is still in place. The full design, which Franks expected in the week of April 28, will lead to pricing. Franks expressed that a portion of the available funding is designated to PUMC’s HVAC repairs. “It will be a major undertaking,” Franks said. “But that’s what we’re gearing up for. We are shaping the project so that it can be accomplished during the summer.” Campus wide elevator repairs and improvements are also on the summer schedule. Items including motion sensors, door glides, and other updates to the elevator cabs are scheduled. In regards to accommodations for the time of elevator repair, Franks said: “As long as it’s a reasonable request, we’ll do everything that we can to meet that request.” Some plumbing repairs have already been made to prevent a recurrence of last summer’s flood in PUMC. “There was a domestic water line break [in PUMC],” Franks said, “so rather than just putting a band aid on it, within the limited budget … they did expand the repair beyond the damaged area. There’s still a tremendous amount of plumbing that’s running through that 1951 structure that is original to the building.” With PUMC’s age in mind, Franks with Wesleyan’s maintenance team have added preventative inspections to the list of priorities in the hope of diminishing future plumbing
issues. Franks encourages students, faculty, staff, and visitors to use the “Campus Improvement Idea Form,” located on the Wesleyan website, to share any recommendations and/ or concerns about Wesleyan improvement projects. Although the page requires users to leave a name and email, Franks said he alone receives the messages, and the requirements enable him to reply and address comments and concerns. “What I would like to do is, within a week…be able to reply with a response,” Franks said. General maintenance requests, however, such as a blown light bulb, require a maintenance work order, accessible through a link on the facilities homepage. “That involvement, that feedback - from faculty, staff, students - helps us to understand what the needs are around campus,” Franks said, “and it helps us build.” Students, faculty and staff can expect a new look and feel of the intentionally small Wesleyan campus in the coming fall semester. Meanwhile, students can let their voices be heard by offering feedback to help Wesleyan remain smaller and smarter.
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A year in review I have mixed feelings about all the improverperez1196@txwes.edu ments because fixing the sidewalks is great, and planting all these plants not As the semester comes to so great. Do I think an end, one must ponder they are great improvewhat went on throughout ments? Yes, but first we the spring. need to fix the technology I said a couple things the at the school along with the school could do better such one-ply paper in the rest as text alerts, staff training rooms. and campus improvements The improvement to and although the school the benches and the mall has not nailed it they are are small details that should trying. come at the end soon. It’s I was only at Wesleyan sort of like preparing a for a year and a half, and cake: you have to bake the in that year and a half I saw bread before you add the lots of things change some icing. good some bad. When it came to all Let’s talk about the good those trees near the resifirst because I was surprised dence halls, I think they how the school took charge may just be covering some of campus safety. This se- of the fronts of the buildmester security manager ings. I would have hoped Blake O. Bumbard held for the university to update training for staff and fac- the buildings. By the way, ulty that is now mandatory I believe there are plans to to go over the emergency update the dorms and Doprocedures here at Wesley- ra’s diner starting this suman. I was so excited when I mer. heard about the training. About those new The other event that oc- sprinkler systems, I have curred at Wesleyan was the mixed feelings because fact that the school decided aren’t we dealing with wato upgrade the Wesleyan ter restrictions? Emergency Management Overall, I give the System alerts. If you still school administration a haven’t signed up, you need round of applause for doing to do that immediately. everything it did this year I signed up and receive and especially for trainmy text alerts, phone calls ing the faculty and staff on and emails when some- emergency procedures. thing has occurred at school. You never know what can happen, and you want to be prepared. Next came all these campus improvements. Rosy Perez Content Producer
Wesleyan degree becomes worth more than just piece of paper the other half. Those around you may have the audacErica Estrada ity to say: “A degree is just a Content Producer piece of paper that says you eestrada@txwes.edu can finish something and that you can probably read and write better than most people for hire.” And so you ask yourself, Does a bachelor’s degree even was it worth it? Well, let’s reflect mean anything anymore? based on the effort of work you have You’re either overqualified for done… what it seems, a pay rate $8/hour job Does the person you may know or “Must have two master’s degrees believe that this “piece of paper” (will accept Ph.D. instead), five ran- you proudly call a degree - that you dom off-the-wall certifications that worked a very long and hard four no one has ever heard of, 25 years years for- achieving a bachelor’s in of experience in a related field, and making a difference in the world; as be fluent in 3 languages other than it’s so simply put: it only says that I English.” can probably ‘read and write better You may soon feel like working than most people for hire’? four-plus years to get a degree that That is like saying a wedding ring makes you over qualified for half the has no worth (which we all know is jobs out there yet under qualified for not true when it holds value money-
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wise and value toward your marriage). Now it’s beginning to sound ridiculous, right? Many graduates also have put forth the time and money to earn their degrees just as couples who work hard to be able to keep their relationship leading to marriage. To relate, that is also like someone saying your graduation ring has no value other than it being a molded piece of jewelry of sterling silver or gold. Yet, you’re thinking to yourself: there is no way it represents solely that. For that reason, it is quite insulting to belittle people who push hard, work hard and are proud of their accomplishments in going forward and attending college- even if it’s only one semester or fourteen semesters, it shows much more than just your ability to ‘read and write better’ to a workplace. And for those who cannot attend
college, do they have the extremely valuable trade jobs and careers that those of “us” with these said “pieces of paper” don’t have? Well, I fully understand and respect their hard work and that the world only functions properly and effectively with all kinds of people. I have respect for everyone and those accomplishments - no matter how big or small. One learns dominance in an interview by continuing your education - and continuing your education (no matter how long it takes or how you do it-reading books, researching, closing your mouth and opening your ears, etc...) shows dedication and disciplineand that is the value- don’t let anyone belittle your accomplishments. You did what you love - and it will pay off. The right place is waiting for you. Give it time. From time to time you may have
“We are not afraid to follow the truth ... wherever it may lead.” — Thomas Jefferson
Editors-In-Chief this week: David Hagen
Address all correspondence to: Texas Wesleyan University The Rambler Print/Web Content Producers: 1201 Wesleyan St. • Fort Worth, TX 76105 Dakota Baggett, Austin Iba, Paula Justice, twurambler@yahoo.com Rosy Perez, David Hagen, Sachiko Jayaratne (817) 531-7552 TV Content Producers: Jose Najar, Jocelyn Hernandez, Ryan Grounds
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the “a degree is just a piece of paper” argument with several people. However, the degree itself might just be a piece of paper, yet that piece of paper represents thousands of hours studying, writing papers, reading, pulling all-nighters, crying, ripping your hair out, studying some more, and busting your butt all the time. It also represents all the friends you’ve made, awesome experiences you’ve had and life lessons you’ve learned. Understand while some may end up getting careers not pertaining to what they studied, others have. People get degrees of all kinds for many reasons. Let’s not forget those who have degrees, worked hard for them, and then they directly pertain to their everyday lives. All in all, there is much more symbolism to the degree you’ve earned than it being a “piece of paper.”
thumbs up Thumbs up to Texas Wesleyan’s Spring 2014 graduates and a relaxing summer following their hard
work.
Thumbs up to the Psi Chi’s Puppy Party for finals. Thumbs up to the campus improvements including the new plants by the Eunice and James L. West Library and to the upcoming renovation of Dora’s cafe, installment of security cameras in the Sub and a few parking lots coming this summer.
thumbs down
Thumbs down to students who cram at the last minute for final exams. Thumbs down to professors who don’t give out final exam reviews to help students study. Thumbs down to those who do not take finals seriously and are an interruptive distraction to others in the dorms or library.
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David Hagen (Photo) and Claudia Ikeizumi (Photo Illustration)/Rambler Staff Wesleyan’s Austin Hogue has made a nationwide impact with some of his stand-up comedy routines.
Hogue becomes stand-up comic Austin Iba haiba@txwes.edu
Austin Hogue is a graduating senior and is majoring in advertising and marketing, but his passion is stand-up comedy. Hogue has performed standup comedy in the past. The very first time was in Monroe, La., when he was 19. It was an open mike kind of stand-up. He was only permitted a short routine, but he kept everyone laughing for 20 minutes. That is what inspired him to do more. “The best advice that I can give about telling jokes is to know your crowd, read your crowd, and don’t be scared to throw out a joke,” he said. “Some of the jokes might not be good, but you’ll find out when you try. You’ll never know until you do. “Also if you are in a stand-up,” Hogue said, “use the microphone or microphone stand as a prop;
use it more than just a microphone. All of the best comedians do it.” Hogue is trying to stray away from stand-up comedy because he is currently working on an animated series called “Green Oaks” and wanted to use his jokes in the show to get a wider demographic audience. Green Oaks is an animated television show based on four friends in the Fort Worth area, talking about their week, in a flashback. The show will implement both marketing and comedy - something that has rarely been done previously. For example, before a commercial break the friends will have a commercial of their own in the show. “We think it is a great idea to spark creativity and bring a new aspect to television that will set us apart from other shows,” Hogue said. Hogue and a three of his
friends have been working on the show for four years. Together the four are local DJs at Times Square in Fort Worth. Each one adds this own expertise to the group. Hogue also writes the script while the others, including Zach Burke and Benjamin Danklin, provide the audio engineering, marketing and animation. All lend their voices to the animated characters. Hogue’s repertoire includes 46 specifically different voices for the show. “In my belief I have the best audio engineers in Texas, and they are UTA (UT-Arlington) graduates,” said Hogue. “All of us here have unique talents. Hopefully, these unique talents will mold us together, and you’ll see us on TV in the near future.” After graduation, Austin Hogue plans to put further work into the show and then finally get in on the air.
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SGA election results posted to student body From Staff Reports
Results from 2014-15 voting for officers of the Student Government Association, 2014 Miss and Mr. Wesleyan were revealed by the SGA to the student body via a group email in late April. SGA officers for the upcoming academic year are as follows: President Tyler Mendez; Vice President Abbey Borghee; Treasurer Hafidh Alghussein; Senior Representative
Meghan Finley; Representatives at Large Trey Hunt, Claudia Cubias, and Zurra Hemani; Representative of the School of Natural and Social Sciences Deborah Kimbuta; Representative of the School of Arts and Letters Logan Rodgers; Representative of the School of Business Nadim Hirji; Representatives of the School of Education Victoria Thorton. Mr. Wesleyan for 2014 is Jeremy Hunt, and Miss Wesleyan is Zohal Nayeb.
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Arts and Letters Distinguished Alumni Awards reception honors Wright and Henderson as winners of inaugural honors Dakota Baggett dabaggett@txwes.edu
On April 24 Texas Wesleyan’s School of Arts and Letters held a reception in honor of this year’s two recipients of the inaugural 2014 Distinguished Alumni Awards. The event took place at Lou’s Place; catered by Blue Mesa, the building was full of other distinguished alumni, faculty, and even some A&L students. All who attended were treated to good food and drinks form the dean’s office and Arts and Letters staff. The 5:30-7:30 p.m. gathering included much fellowship and many remembrances, and Arts and Letters Dean Dr. Steven Daniell began the formal program with introductions and thanks to sev-
eral individuals and groups. He explained all the prerequisites that one has to meet in order to receive the award. Some of the primary stipulations (see criteria below) were: having been graduated for at least 10 years, maintaining Wesleyan connections, success in public service, and career success. The first recipient of the award was art major Jennifer Oliver Henderson (Class of 1996). Kit Hall gave a short introduction, and then first presented her with a gift; a painting, and a paint brush that was used by Mary Apple; then she was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award, which was an original acrylic plaque. Henderson is the founder and owner of J.O., a public relations and marketing agency with a special emphasis on publiciz-
ing non-profit organizations. The dean took the podium again and gave another introduction, but this time he explained that Joe Brown, dean of freshmen students and longtime Wesleyan theatre professor, was traveling and could not make it to the dinner but made a special introduction via videotape for the second recipient of the night. Brown previously recorded his introduction, and it was played on the projector and produced several moving moments for the awardees and crowd. Tamlyn Rae Wright (Class of 1992) was the second recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award. After wiping her eyes as a result of Brown’s touching introduction, Wright and her son Arlo stepped up to receive the award. Wright has won three
you are at Wesleyan all you, have to do is get on Beach Street, go south and you will be there in a matter of 5-10 minutes. After the main course you should indulge yourself in a desert. I never had tried tiramisu until that day and for $4.75 you can’t afford not to try it. It was a wonderful concoction of a coffee tasting treat. Another great Italian restaurant that I have constantly gone to is Nizza Pizza located near 7th Street in Fort Worth. I have a hard time deciding on what is the best food choice there because everything is so delicious.
I recommend trying the Stuffed Pizza for sure! When I first tried it I couldn’t help but think this is real pizza. Another thing on the menu that I recommend is the Spaghetti with meatballs. The prices are what a college student can afford and not to mention they have dollar slice Tuesdays! • Nizza Pizza (401 University Dr., Fort Worth) • What to get stuffed pizza or spaghetti with meat balls • Located near 7th street • Mammamia Italian Grill (1000 West Magnolia, Fort Worth) • What to get Parmigiana • Located near Beach street
Rambler rates area Italian food
Rosy Perez
rperez1196@txwes.edu
I always have had a taste for Italian food especially pasta and pizza. If you are looking for a nice restaurant that caters to a college student’s budget, look no further than some of Fort Worth’s top locations. Mammamia food catered to my test buds wonderfully. I had the parmigiana entrée, which was breaded chicken served with a good helping of spaghetti and soup or salad. The price for all this was only $10.25. That is about what students spend normally on lunch. If
Traditional decor inside Mamma Mia Italian Grill & Pizza on W Magnolia Ave, Fort Worth. I good place to go for Italian standards, Neapolitan & deep-dish pizzas, sandwiches & chicken wings David Hagen/Rambler Staff
national Emmy Awards for Primetime Outstanding Art Direction for Variety, Music or Nonfiction Programming and two Art Directors Guild Award for her work as art director for the Academy Awards live programs. She has donated one of her Emmy Awards for display on the second floor of the Oneal-Sells Administration Building on campus. The Arts and Letters website explained the criteria and philosophy behind the inaugural awards. “The School of Arts and Letters at Texas Wesleyan established the Distinguished Alumni Awards Program in 2013. The purpose of this annual Distinguished Alumni Award is to recognize outstanding alumni for their individual achievements, contributions to their fields or
Religious Life
Prays well with others
Paula Justice
prjustice@txwes.edu
Dr. John Gregory Gullion, associate professor of criminal justice and sociology, has been a moving force for over a decade and is the recent recipient of the Texas Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees Teaching Award. And because of his dedication to Wesleyan’s criminal justice students, Gullion is among “outstanding educators,” from across the nation, who were recently nominated to receive the U.S. Professor of the Year Award. While he is admittedly attempting to wait patiently for news concerning the recent nomination, Gullion is not in it for the accolades. His motivation and passion can be summed up in one word – change. “[The greatest moment of Gullion’s career was] the realization that the only way I could really produce change for criminal justice was by going back to graduate school and teaching people about criminal justice,” Gullion said. “It’s my hopes that I create sort of a network of change through my students versus just being a single person taking on a whole system.” Like many freshmen college students, Gullion began his collegiate career not knowing his purpose in the professional world. It was during his
junior year when he would discover what would become his legacy. He credits a single professor, who, according to an article in Los Angeles Times, “was an authority on youth gangs, hippies and drug addicts whose rough-andtumble early years gave him insights others lacked,” for influencing his path. “Really, I had no clue what I wanted to do as an undergraduate until I hit the end of my junior year and ended up taking an intro to CRJ class,” Gullion said. “I had a professor by the name of Lewis Yablonsky. It started out with that one person.” Gullion then began the journey of becoming a critical criminologist with a passion for people who were indeed alive but never had a chance to live with a true sense of purpose and without fear. Along the journey Gullion went on to pursue a doctoral degree in sociology with a minor in criminal justice. Still, he recalls some of his earliest interactions with some of Los Angeles’ toughest criminals. “One of the worst moments was being on the streets of Los Angeles and interviewing kiddos that were eight, nine years of age, and them making statements to suggest ‘the only reason you’re alive and breathing right now is because I’m allowing it,’” Gullion recalled. “And even at age eight, they had guns. [That ex-
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“Faith Seeking Understanding”
standing Service to Industry or Profession – Candidates should have demonstrated outstanding voluntary service to his or her community or outstanding service to his or her industry or profession. - Texas Wesleyan University Loyalty and Support – Candidates should have demonstrated a pride in their alma mater through contributed time, talent, and/or resources. Their interest in and loyalty to Texas Wesleyan University should be evident. - Integrity and Character - Candidate must have the highest standard of personal integrity and character. After the two awards were presented, there was more time for congratulations, small talk, finger food, soft drinks, coffee, and wine.
Gullion nominated for U.S faculty member of year award
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professions, service to their community, and demonstrated loyalty to Texas Wesleyan University. The Distinguished Alumni Committee will work with the Alumni Office to coordinate the recipient’s visit and installation celebration. During the inaugural year (2014), one alumnus or alumna from among the Performing Arts and one from the Humanities will be honored with this award. Selection Criteria included: “Qualified candidates for the Distinguished Alumni Award must have proven accomplishments in the following areas: - Professional Attainment and Achievement – Candidates should have attained prominence in his or her field or profession. Their work should have a demonstrated impact. -Community Service/ Out-
18th Annual Wesleyan/Highlander Jazz Festival Concert Martin Hall
perience] was the realization that it’s literally like being on another planet. As a member of the Los Angeles Police Department’s gang unit, Gullion served as a gang intervention researcher. But, it didn’t take long for him to decide that interpreting gang graffiti would not be his method of trying to win a battle wherein an entire system needed to be reconfigured. “After three years, I was ready to move on and do something else,” Gullion said. “That’s when I decided to go get my Ph.D. So [now], I look at the problems in criminal justice, as far as how it’s structured. [The criminal justice system] obviously has its pluses and advantages and it obviously has its negatives too.” He took a few moments to print something for a student. Seconds later, someone else requested his attention… Then, someone else required his attention in regards to female serial killer typology. And without missing a beat, Gullion continued to explain his mission of building an army for justice. “It’s my hopes that if we can talk about these negatives and address [them] and come up with solutions,” Gullion said, “Then, when my students graduate, that’s going to be their mindset.” For more infomation about the award, access therambler.org.
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Sports
May 7, 2014
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Amber Milano teaches self-defense for safety survival at Wesleyan Sachiko Jayaratne SJayaratne@txwes.edu
Sachiko Jayaratne Sjayaratne@txwes.edu Amber Milano, instructor of a Wesleyan self-defense program is a well experienced teacher who has been teaching American Taekwondo for over 10 year, recently during free period at the Sid Richardson Center held a special instruction session for students who have been subjected to situations where self-defense techniques were needed.
The seminar provided assurance of one’s safety and survival by being able to utilize an assortment of security and defensive measures. It also emphasized training to overcome stressful situations and fear by using different techniques, which help people to be more aware of their surroundings. Milano helped students stimulate confidence, especially in females, so that they can move around more independently without feeling helpless. She also mentioned
the various types of movements that could be possible during an attack. She also mentioned that front chokes, reverse chokes, wrist grabs, headlocks, and pony tail grabs just in case they are on their way to the dorms or in a parking lot anything that can help them protect themselves in any way possible. With security concerns around campus, various crimes and a recent armed robbery attempt, the meeting was a good way to discuss
self-defense and techniques. Students who attended the session agreed that the values of self-defense reflected further on their level of skills in order to protect them and concurred that the program was ideal for their needs. Joe Mc Watt, a student who has been engaged in judo for more than 14 years, commented that the program was interesting. “I liked it,” he said. “It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot, I have experienced self defense myself, and I enjoyed it.”
Another male student shared his thoughts about program. “I’ve taken martial arts before,” he noted. “I’ve taken self-defense classes before but it’s been a long time, and this class really helped me reinforce some of the stuff I learned a longtime ago” Milano also emphasized that learning how to defend against possible safety situations which are imminent can drive up the level of confidence of an individual. This program emphasized on the
possible attacks that could occur on campus, and she ended the program by sharing her thoughts and values and educating the Wesleyan students about her own experiences. “We’re hoping that if the students learned anything at all,” she said, “even if it was just something as simple as don’t talk on your phone on your way out to your car or be more aware of your surroundings and not as distracted as we are typically today” Milano said.
There was a strong turnout once again in the annual alumni soccer match that took place at Martin Field on Saturday 26th April with the match being played at a high intensity. The alumni team came out as the eventual winners, who had three graduating senior players in Ross DeWet, Ivan Kovacevic and David Hagen on their team. Photo by Rick Lopez
Sports Boxscores
Men’s Outdoor Track May 22-24 NAIA National Championships
G. Shores, AL All Day
Baseball (27-26, 15-12 SAC) May 3
Oklahoma City University
OKC, Okla.
May 4
Southwestern Assemblies OKC, Okla.
L 0 - 12 W 25 - 5
Men’s Golf May 13 - 16
NAIA Championship
LPGA International
72 Holes
Newspaper job position is open with
Check out therambler.org Women’s Outdoor Track May 22 NAIA National Champion-24 ships
Gulf Shores, AL
All Day
Women’s Golf May 20 - 23
TBD NAIA Champion- Wilderness Ridge ship Lincoln, Neb.
72 Holes
Softball (24-26, 15-17 SAC) May 1
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City
L 2 - 11
May 1
Saint Gregory’s University
Oklahoma City
L0-8
May 2
Southwestern Christian University Oklahoma City
L3-5
THE RAMBLER
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Sports
May 7, 2014
The Rambler
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Rams Sports Season Roundup Jose Najar jnajar@txwes.edu
The Wesleyan school year is coming to an end, and so are most of the sports. The men’s golf team has extended its season into the 63rd annual NAIA Golf Championship at the LPGA International Golf Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., May 13-18 with a national-record 53rd appearance in the nationals. The No. 5 nationally Rams (Wesleyan has been as high as No. 3 this season) received a regional at-large bid as part of the field of 29 teams and will be seeking its seventh all-time NCAA team golf title. Coach Bobby Cornett’s squad is one of three Sooner Athletic teams competing for the crown along with No. 1 in the nation and SAC champion Wayland Baptist and 2012 and 2013 NAIA men’s champ Oklahoma City U., which is ranked third in the country. OCU has won the most team championships in men’s golf history with nine while the Rams are second with six
titles. Wesleyan has won nine individual gold medals and has been No. 2 in the NAIA a record 10 times. Leading the men’s efforts are Shawn Hensley who shot a 215 (2-over-par) for seventh place individually in the recent SAC tournament and Colby Webb, Calvin Clyde and Nikolaj Brons-Piche who tied for 13th in the SAC finale. The team added the program’s 206th tournament victory in school history with the top spot at Cal-State San Marcos’ Cougar Invitational. Of course, the coed table tennis team set another school and NTTA record with a 11th consecutive 2014 NTTA team championship at Monroeville, Pa., neat Pittsburgh. Wesleyan also hosted the U.S. Table Tennis National Team Trials. Coach Jasna Rather’s squad received national recognition in the Wall Street Journal and won a critical men’s doubles final against Mississippi College to clinch the team crown. Wesleyan’s second ranked doubles team of Zhedi Bai-Razvan Cretu
downed MC’sJunyu XiaoZeshengHuang for the crucial point. 2013 men’s individual champ Emil Santos downed the Choctaws’ Li for another key point. Men’s table tennis MVP was Yahao Zhang while women’s MVP was Claudia Lie Ikeizumi who also won the women’s 3D Award. Men’s 3D Award went to Emil Santos while the Coaches’ MVP Award was shared by Bai and Cretu. Accoring to research by Wesleyan athletics, the 11 consecutive team titles is the fourth-longest streak in college history. The women’s golf team, which placed third in its inaugural trip to the SAC Championship, was awaiting word on a possible at-large bid to the NAIA Nationals in just its third year of varsity competition. The Lady Rams have been ranked as high as 18th nationally in 2013-14 and are paced by Stephanie Kalapach (eighth individually in the SAC), Deborah Dover (12th in the SAC) and Alexis Belton,
The annual sports banquet featured Ross DeWet of soccer winning the trainers’ Golden Crutch Award for the men while Morgan Johnson of softball was the women’s winner. David Hagen/ Rambler staff
The baseball team ended on a winning note with a 25-5 win over conference rival SAGU in the recent SAC tournament. Austin Iba/Rambler Staff
team Most Valuable Player and the No. 1 rated African American college golfer in Texas. Among the other sports Wesleyan basketball ended the season with an overall record of 15-16 under second-year head coach Brennen Shingleton. They were 8-12 and ninth in conference play. The Rams as a team were ranked No. 4 nationally in assists per game and No. 7 in rebound margin at 7.3 per game. The women’s basketball team also ended at 15-16 in all games and 9-11 in conference (sixth place) under head coach Bill Franey. The team was No. 3 in the NAIA with 5.3 blocked shots per game and in and total blocks with 163, The men’s and women’s track teams both scored points in the SAC Outdoor Championships at Shawnee, Okla., and had some solid showings in the WT Classic hosted by West Texas A&M. Brenda Filipe and Antony Kimaiyo have approached national qualifying times. Kimaiyo set a school re-
cord in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:00.50 after wind adjustment. Filipe ran a personal record and placed second in the 5,000-meter run at 18:26.83. The Rams ran at the Texas Tech Invitational and hope to will have a few more chances to post qualifying times for the NAIA Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 22-24, in coming days. The men’s soccer finished the 2013 season at 13-6-1 overall. Their 13 wins were one shy of the school record while they set a new singleseason mark with eight shutouts. The team notched a conference record of 6-4, finished third in the SAC standings, and reached the SAC semifinals. Head coach Tyler Powell already has released the schedule for the 2014 season, and it features six contests against teams who received mention in the 2013 NAIA Postseason Coaches’ Poll. The women’s soccer team closed 12-5-2 overall and 5-41 in the SAC and joined the men’s team in winning their first-ever matches in the con-
ference tournament in November 2013. Wesleyan women’s standouts juniors Staci Popejoy, Jordan Stellato and Paige Wheaton were named National Scholar-Athletes by the NAIA-Daktronics scholar-athletes’ program.
The Rams baseball squad blasted Southwestern Assemblies of God 25-5 in round-robin play at the SAC tournament in Oklahoma City May 4 and closed the season at 27-26 and sixth in its first season in the Oklahoma-based conference. Jake Howeth led the team with a .409 batting average, five home runs and 36 RBI whole pitcher Sam Martin was 8-1 overall with a 2.29 earned run average. Lady Rams softball ended the year at 24-26 overall and 15-17 in the SAC while upsetting NCAA Division I team Incarnate Word of the Southland Conference 5-3. All-SAC second baseman Kendall Kizer batted .351 with three homers and 25 RBI to top the offense while All-SAC pitching ace Am-
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