WEDNESDAY Jan. 25, 2017 Vol. 101 • No. 1
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OPINION
Monge helps club life thrive Hannah Onder hlonder@txwes.edu
Wondering what’s to come from Rambler this semester? New editor-in-chief Shaydi Paramore talks about her goals for spring 2017.
NEWS
Thinking about starting a new club on campus? Learn the details on what is needed to create a club and get advice from club leaders.
CAMPUS
Marching to the beat of a different drum The women’s march in Washington, D.C. prompted more than 600 marches to occur.
A&E
SNCKPCK makes a postive impact through art Daniel Alexander, a full-time artist in Conneticut, roots the start of his career in Fort Worth.
SPORTS
Mens basketball sets high goals for the current season
The team’s determined and cohensive attutide has secured them a top spot in the SAC conference.
ONLINE
Trafficking event raises awareness
Interact and learn with Tarrant County’s LaTasha R. JacksonMcDougle.
Dr. Alison Simons really wanted a club on campus that took on social justice issues. Naturally, she brought up this idea to her students. “It started from my interest but it couldn’t have got going unless we had students that really wanted to help,” said Simons, an assistant professor of sociology who is one of two faculty advisors of the Social Justice League. “Especially sociology students because a lot of us do non-profit community service-type things. “It was only logical to start it within us and try to help in our community. We are in a community that is disadvantaged and has vulnerable populations so the more we can do to help the better.” Simons had her idea and her students but as for the process of actually starting up the club, she had no idea. “It was difficult to try and get it started,” Simons said. “I didn’t know the procedures that we had to go through so I literally gave that to Laura and the students to go through the process. David Monge was so helpful with it and he really has helped us immensely with getting it up, getting all the constitutions and getting everything done.” Monge, who became the Coordinator for Student Organizations and Greek Life a little over a year ago, simplified the process of creating an on-campus club, including providing templates for writing club constitutions and people
Infographic by Hannah Onder A graphic of how to make a student club at Texas Wesleyan University.
to help organize a fledgling club. This has been very helpful in creating more clubs on campus, according to Simons and other club organizers. And this has led to an increase in student club activity. Monge said around 10 campus clubs started in the past year, including Love Your Melon, which focuses on helping with pediatric cancer; and a new fraternity, Delta Sigma Phi. There are 34 clubs on campus, according to the Student Life page at txwes.edu. “I think it’s (the process of creating a club at Wesleyan) a lot easier especially compared to any other institution,” Monge said. “You just need five people, a document explaining the rules of your organization, and a faculty or staff advisor.” Not only have clubs sprung up on campus, but some older clubs have seen a spike in activity. Monge believes that this is due to the resources for clubs becoming more visible with his simplification process. “When I started a little over a year ago one of the first things I did was try to simplify these processes as much as possible so you’re not having to jump through all this red tape to do simple things,” Monge said. “Like if you want a room you have to reserve a space for example. That’s a lot of information you need to know in order to do this one simple thing. So I was like, OK, I can do all of that if they submit their proposal to me. I will take care of whatever else.” When rebranding the Philosopher’s Lounge into Nerd
CLUBS. page 3
Patel picked for Willson lecture Nicholas Acosta
nacosta4@txwes.edu
Dr. Eboo Patel, nationally known for his interfaith discussions, will visit the Texas Wesleyan campus in February. Patel is the 2017 Willson Lectureship speaker. The lectureship is an endowed speaker series established in 1946 by J.M. Willson, and Mrs. D.M. Willson and their family, according to txwes.edu. Patel’s Feb. 7 visit will include the lecture, a luncheon at Lou’s Place, a workshop, receptions, and a book signing. The lecture will be held at Martin Hall and is open to the public. Dr. Mark Hanshaw, associate professor of religion and the associate dean of the School of Arts and Letters, has known Patel, a member of President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Faith Council, for years and worked with him on various projects.
“Eboo Patel has really been an instrumental figure especially over the past decade,” Hanshaw said. Hanshaw had mentioned Patel and his work to Texas Wesleyan University President Frederick Slabach, who got a chance to meet Patel last summer. “He’s a very impressive individual and he really knows what he is talking about,” Slabach said. Slabach is recommending students and faculty read Patel’s book Sacred Ground, which is available in the university’s bookstore, in preparation of his visit. “We’ve had some pretty thoughtful, provoking and really interesting people and I think Dr. Patel is going to really fit in with that great lineup of speakers for the Willson lecture,” Slabach said. The Willson lecture series has previously brought figures such as Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi; Naomi Tut, the
Photo courtesy of Texas Wesleyan University Dr. Eboo Patel will speak to the public at Nicholas Martin Hall on Feb. 7.
daughter of Archbishop Tutu; and Ndaba Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, Hanshaw said. “The Willson lecture was established in order to bring prominent figures to our campus to discuss issues related to culture, religion, and generally issues affecting our larger society,” Hanshaw said.
Another member of the Willson Lectureship planning committee is Ann Davis, director of communications with the Office of Marketing & Communications. Davis, who has been on the Willson committee for the past two years, said she had never heard of
PATEL. page 3
Enactus gives work experience Dalise DeVos
dndevos@txwes.edu
Texas Wesleyan students are gaining business experience while making a difference in their community through Enactus. Enactus is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring students to improve the world through entrepreneurial action, according to enactus.org. “I believe it’s more than entrepreneurship because it has a social responsibility part attached,” said Dr. Gokcen Ogruk, assistant professor of economics, who helped
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found the Wesleyan chapter in the fall of 2014. “The students come
ect that’s socially responsible.” Enactus’ Wesleyan chapter be-
“Students should join because they get real life experience. The joy of helping others and being able to learn as you go is the best experience you can get.” - Christa Gjedde together, but they create a proj-
@theramblertwu
gan its first project, the Poly-
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Wes Gardens, in December 2015. “The main idea was to make a connection between students and locals by working on the garden,” she said. The students who participated in this project also went on to compete in the Enactus 2016 Regional Competition, where they received the “Rookie of the Year” prize, Ogruk said. “So you start a project, and the impetus is to bring about change and solve the social problem, but inside of that, the team will go to a competition with other universities in your region,” said Dr. Meghan Wright, assistant professor of economics and fellow Enactus faculty
ENACTUS. page 3
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2 | Wednesday | January 25, 2017
Opinion
TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.
Should online shares be selective? EDITORIAL
The ability to connect with the masses through social media has changed the world. For many people, the constant need to check or post on social media has become an essential part of our day-to-day plans. According to digitaltrends.com, people in the U.S. check some type of social media account a staggering 17 times a day. Nearly 20 percent of time spent online is spent on checking social platforms. The constant need to check and update social media platforms has been so extreme that many illegal or traumatizing events are being posted to popular sites. In early January, a video was released on Facebook live of an 18-year-old white man being beaten and tormented by four black adults, according to cnn.com. After the suspects were caught, Facebook announced the video was pulled for “celebrating and glorifying crimes.” The original content was shareable because it raised awareness of the incident and informed local law enforcement about what had happened, but it was later deleted because people found it offensive. The fact is, this was not the first time brutal footage has been broadcast to the world. According to mirror.com, crimes, including murder, stalking and robbery, being broadcast on social media sites were reported to law enforcement at a rate of one every 45 minutes in 2015.
A similar event happened on June 15, 2016, when a video of a man being shot in front of a house was livestreamed on social media. Authorities arrived to the scene 14 minutes after the video was released and later used the video as a clue to the tragedy. With the increase of gruesome or disturbing live content being shared on Facebook Live, Facebook is considering creating a clock team to continuously review live content being posted that “violates the community standards,” according to qz.com. But without the videos being shared, wouldn’t we know more about people doing gruesome things that break the law? Instead of Facebook and other social media platforms focusing on creating control groups to monitor the sites, the sites should focus on creating educational programs concerning cyberbullying and the dangers of social media. This is especially true because of the substantial amount of children under the age of 13 having access to electronic devices, internet and social media platforms on a daily basis. So many people under the age of 18 use social media, and steps need to be taken to keep them safe. The need to inform and educate social media users is substantial, especially with llustration by Shaydi Paramore the 82 percent of young adults that have seen, heard, or have been subjected to some type Studies show that people check their social media shares up to 17 times a day. of “online hate” in the past year, according to should and shouldn’t be posted. few years because of a photo gallery of you at telecompaper.com. Education programs should stress the idea a party. By creating more educational programs and that people need to think of the consequencDon’t post something that could hurt you in introducing those programs to children in el- es that can occur from sharing a certain post the long run, because it could be there for the ementary school, children will be ‘educated or video, whether it be losing a friend from a rest of your life. in what is considered cyberbullying and what hateful post or not being able to get a job in a
New Rambler editor hopes to inspire Shaydi Paramore Editor in Chief ssparamore@txwes.edu
The relationship between the faculty, staff and students of Texas Wesleyan University and the Rambler Media Group continues to grow and strengthen. This is my second semester at both Texas Wesleyan and the Rambler, and I have noticed the way the Wesleyan community looks at the Rambler has changed for the better. More people are excited and interested in reading the articles written online or in the bi-weekly newspaper. People are commenting on and sharing more Rambler stories on social media sites.The relationship between the Rambler and members of the Wesleyan community continues to grow and be beneficial to both parties. As the new editor-in-chief, I have many goals to make this semester one of the best for the Rambler to increase the positive outlook the campus has toward us, and increase the amount of readers, viewers, and followers on social media. Accuracy is an essential key to each and every story written or recorded. With the sea of information the public gets on a daily basis through news media sites, social media, and radio stations, accuracy can be hard to come by. The Rambler hopes to take the next step to assist students, staff, and faculty with accurate news on a daily and bi-weekly basis. Implementing more social media and multiple multimedia aspects in stories is a great way we hope to gain more interested followers.
By using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram more frequently, we are able to grasp a larger audience and gain more interested followers. We hope to implement the social media site Snapchat this semester to give viewers the chance to get an inside look at what it takes to be a Rambler staff member and the hard work we put in on a daily basis. More multimedia will help us cultivate readers that are interested in learning about an event or topic through a video, infographic, or audio slideshow, rather than reading a textbased article. We understand some readers are interested in learning about the events we cover but after a hard day of class work or studying a person can become tired of reading throughout the day. By using multimedia, we are able to give our audience much more than a text story. By creating a podcast show, we are able to give students the chance to gain more insight on the opinions and the views of the staff members who are hard at work at the Rambler. We have so many great, hardworking staff members who spend countless hours informing the campus of important events both on and off campus, but readers don’t really get the chance to see what goes into creating a story or editing a video. By creating our “Under the Shade Tree” podcast, readers can get an-indepth look at the hard work Rambler staff members put in. A new edition of “Under the Shade Tree” is available at therambler.org every Friday. Like all good news publications, we want to cover news that readers need to know; as a college news organization, we want to let students know about things that are happening on campus and in student life. We hope to impact the lives of students on campus, so if they feel a need for a topic or issue to be brought to the attention of President Frederick Slabach and
Photo by Guadalupe Sanchez Editor-in-chief Shaydi Paramore works hard at preparing the weekly budget for an upcoming issue.
Wesleyan’s administration, we can give them that voice. We can impact not only Wesleyan students, but also members of the surrounding Polytechnic community, those following our social media, or even your average person who one day just decided to pick up a Rambler newspaper. This semester, I hope to have our staff uncover many more stories that trigger people to speak up if they have a concern. Last semester, our editor, Dalise DeVos, did this when she wrote a column called “The Monster That No One Else Hears.” She wrote about the difficulties of having a mental issue and trying to get through a day while having that little voice in your ear that tells you, “You can’t do it” or “Just stop trying.” She gave a voice to the 40,000,000
“We are not afraid to follow the truth... wherever it may lead.” — Thomas Jefferson Print/Web Content Producers:Shaydi Paramore, Sachiko Jayaratne, Karan Muns, Nicholas Acosta, Dalise DeVos, Grace Fisher, Calvin Johnson, Hannah Onder, Guadalupe Sanchez, Tina Huynh
Editor-In-Chief: Shaydi Paramore IMG Director: Dalise DeVos Rambler TV Director: Sachiko Jayaratne Letters to the editor: T he R ambler , a biweekly publication, welcomes all letters. All submissions must have a full printed name, phone number and signature. While every consideration is made to publish letters, publication is limited by time and space. The editors reserve the right to edit all submissions for space, grammar, clarity
Digital Media Editor: Calvin Johnson
Editorial Board: Dalise DeVos, Nicholas Acosta, Shaydi Paramore, Grace Fisher, Guadalupe Sanchez
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adults that suffer with some type of anxiety disorder each day. Some of those, I assume, are on our campus. I hope by covering topics that are much more personal, we are able to speak up for the little guys and let them know their voices are being heard. We are the voice for the thousands of students at Wesleyan looking for change, greatness, and for someone to speak up for them. All in all, I hope to make this a semester we get people on the Wesleyan campus to continue speaking up for what they believe. This may not be the best semester the Rambler Media Group has, but it’s definitely going to go down in the books as one of them. I hope to make that impact.
Rams up Thumbs up to Dr. Eboo Patel’s visit on Feb. 7. Thumbs up to new classes at Morton Fitness Center. Thumbs up to a student play being selected for an off-stage performace in NYC. Thumbs up to the men’s tennis team announcing its first recruit.
Rams down Thumbs down to crazy Texas weather. Thumbs down to Lenee Griffin leaving. Thumbs down to library printer service fees. Thumbs down to the Dallas Cowboys being kicked out of the playoffs.
Wednesday | January 25, 2017|3
News
TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.
CLUBS
continued from page 1 Central last year, former Wesleyan student sophomore education major and Nerd Central president Jacob Chesney found Monge to a key asset in the process. “I talked almost every single time with him whenever I did anything,” said Chesney, an education major who is returning to Wesleyan in the fall of 2017. “Whether that was changing information on the school website, being involved in an event on campus, or having this room for us to meet in, all of that I have talked to David Monge about. He’s super helpful.” Chesney found that the level of difficulty when rebranding a club depends on what you’re changing about the club. “If you’re rebranding the club because you want the general idea to change the mission statement then it can be really hard,” Chesney said. “That requires a lot of self-evaluation and sometimes that means you lose a lot of people or you just dissolve the organization and
then make a new one instead of rebranding.” In Chesney’s case the fix was more simple than that. “Sometimes it’s something like with us where we had our mission statement and we knew what we wanted to do but there was something missing,” Chesney said. “We found those couple of missing links and that was like the name and our constitution – our constitution was very shabby. We got those two things fixed and we were ready for business.” When rebranding a club or just making a club in general, Chesney says the most important thing is to know your goals for the club and to talk to people about them. “If it’s at this university talking to student engagement, talking to administration, talking to professors, and just talking to people about what you want to do and getting ideas for how you can reach your goal, that’s always the best thing,” Chesney said. “I’ve had a lot of people
that work here help me get Nerd Central to where it needs to be. Either they were making phone calls for me, giving me ideas, or they were just getting rooms for me or whatever.” Dr. Eddy Lynton, the advisor for the Black Student Association, also agrees that it’s important to have a good support system. He believes that combined with a group of students running the club are key factors in keeping a club active. “I think the current membership has done an amazing job attracting people into the group and welcoming all groups and individuals into it by trying to create a fun environment,” Lynton said. According to Lynton, the Black Student Association has always been active but as of the last semester, it has been extremely active. “Right now it’s hosting one of the groups responsible for the human trafficking awareness event,” Lynton said. “Last semester it did the police and community event. It’s
trying to bridge students and the community and it’s trying to educate them about being a part of the community.” Another element that helps clubs thrive on campus is the professors. According to Lynton, professors are usually pretty motivated to help if students can find their passions and show commitment. “Faculty here are really pro student and I like that a lot,” said Lynton. Lynton believes the willingness of the professors to get involved along with the simplifying of the processes in Student Life has helped the clubs on campus reach great heights. “I’m impressed by the number of clubs that are on campus,” Lynton said. “For the number of clubs on campus for a school this size we have pretty much something for everybody.” If you want to start a club on campus, visit the Student Engagement office, room 137 in the Brown-Lupton Campus Center.
“Eboo Patel has really been an instrumental figure especially over the past decade.” - Dr. Mark Hanshaw
preciate how important today’s issues are, and how to use their background to help them into leadership positions in their future endeavors. “I think common ground begins with understanding,” Hanshaw said. “Common ground can never be arrived at absent understanding.” Dr. Eboo Patel will speak at Martin Hall at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7. His presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, go to txwes.edu.
PATEL
continued from page 1 Patel before the announcement of his visit, but after looking up his work with on Obama’s Inaugural Faith Council, believes his visit is a great opportunity for students and faculty. “He’s featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and was the commencement speaker at Wake Forest last year,” Davis said. “He’s a nationally known leader in interfaith cooperation and I think it’s really good that he’s coming to Texas Wesleyan.”
The Interfaith Youth Core website says that Patel founded the non-profit organization on the idea that religion and philo-
sophical traditions should be a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division. Hanshaw said he hopes students will ap-
get real-life experience,” Gjedde said. “The joy of helping others and being able to learn as you go is the best experience you can get.” Although Gjedde, who heard about the organization through Wright, has only been involved with Enactus for four months, she is now project manager of the group’s latest project, a partnership between Enactus students and Sherry White, founder of Trulee, a local company that makes “bliss bites,” which are sweet treats made from superfoods. “I like how we are about to help a real company with their business and marketing plan,” Gjedde said. “We are getting real-life experience with a real company.” White shares Gjedde’s enthusiasm.
“We are very excited about our partnership with the Enactus students and know that their contributions will help continue to drive our business forward as we grow,” White said. The Trulee project is just one of three projects that Ogruk plans to introduce to the 24 students enrolled in the special topics course created specifically for the organization, but she hopes some students will continue work on the community garden as well. Students are also welcome to bring their own ideas, Wright said. “They’re not limited to the projects that we have, or that we’re currently just getting started,” Wright said. “But they can jump on one of those, or, if they’re coming to the course because they want some experi-
ENACTUS
continued from page 1 advisor. “You compete against each other, and you’re judged on how big of an impact your project is bringing from the economic, the social and the environmental pillars.” The students are judged by middle-management of companies, some of which are Fortune 500 companies, Wright said. “There’s so many internships, and then job opportunities, that are at these competitions,” she said. “We have had students get hired onsite for internships and full-time employment.” One such student is senior business management major Christa Gjedde, who was offered a job for after graduation from an Enactus conference. “Students should join because they will
ence starting something they’re passionate about, they can surely bring that to the table.” Students don’t have to be enrolled in the course, or be a business major, to be involved, either, Ogruk said. “We are interested in students from computer science, mass communication - any field that have an interest in having a business in the future,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be just business students.” Students interested in joining Wesleyan’s Enactus chapter should contact Dr. Gokcen Ogruk at gogruk@txwes.edu or 817531-4840 or Dr. Meghan Wright at mcwright99@txwes.edu or 817-531-4840.
4 |Wednesday | January 25, 2017
Campus
TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.
Women march around the world Shaydi Paramore sspramore@txwes.edu
After the 1.5-mile hike, march- done.” Guests also included state and the next day found that more ers were entertained and inspired Rep. Senfronia Thompson; author than 40,000 additional people
On Saturday morning, crowds of by recognized civil rights advocates, Lizzie Velasquez; and award-winnin were interested in the event. people wearing pink hats and femi- artists, and entrepreneurs, according singer/songwriter, Gina Chavez, acnist gear and brandishing signs to the website of Austin television cording to KUVE.com. made their way to the the Texas State station KVUE. Capitol to take part in the Women’s
March.
Those who were unable to contribute to the Washington, D.C. march
Saturday’s march ended peacefully took it upon themselves to create
“Well, I don’t know about you, my with no arrests and more than 45 sister marches in their hometown or fellow nasty women warriors, but I people transferred to area hospitals country, according to cbsnews.com.
After march co-producer Kim have had enough,” said former state for medical complaints, according to Taylor led a countdown to the senator Wendy Davis. start of the event, cheers of “Love
Davis made sure to showcase the
KUVE.com.
An attendee in Phoenix, Ariz. was shocked by the size of the city’s
The idea for the marches occurring march.
trumps hate” and “My body, famous pink shoes that she wore worldwide started with a Facebook “My friends and I went to make my choice” filled the air as an es- during her filibuster against a re- invite. sure that women are being repretimated 50,000 people started strictive abortion bill in 2013, ac- Shocked by the November presi- sented as equals to our male counthe march, which began and ended cording to KVUE.com. in front of the capitol building.
dential election results, a woman by terparts,” Ruby Sky wrote in an
“I am wearing my pink shoes to- the name of Teresa Shook took to email. “Additionally, marching for
“I’ve done this type of work with day,” Davis said. “Not as a sym- Facebook to create this year’s march equality and justice for all. And my friends who are involved with bol to remind myself of what I on Washington, according to wash- 20,000 people is impressive for the ACLU [American Civil Liberties have done, but to remind myself ingtonpost.com. She originally in- our red state. I’m proud.” Union], so I’m used to the marches,” of the hard work you have all vited 40 of her friends to the march, said march attendee Molly Hodge.
An attendee at the Washington, D.C. march, Laura Carter, came all
Hodge attended the Austin rally
the way from Arizona.
because she felt the number of peo-
“I wanted to be counted, in a real
ple attending was important.
and physical way, among the citizens
“I didn’t realize how big it would
who stand for our democratic values
be, but I’m super excited,” Hodge
of equal justice and freedom
said.
for all,” Carter wrote in an email. “I believe we must take a stand for affordable health care, LGBTQ rights, a healthy environment, and women’s rights (be-
The Austin event was one of more
than 600 marches around the world, from Australia to Germany, that drew more than five million people, according to re-
cause they are human rights) today
uters.com.
and every day.”
Austin attendee Nanci Decker said
Carter attended the march along-
the event should be used to speak up
side her daughter and best friend.
for civil rights, instead of slandering
“I wanted to be here in our nation’s
President Donald Trump.
capitol, as a way of honoring Presi-
“See, I don’t believe we should go
dent and First Lady Obama, and
that far,” Decker said while pointing at a “F*** Trump” sash. “We
show Donald that I am vigilant and I am watching,” Carter
shouldn’t allow ourselves to use
wrote.
curse words and steep low when
fighting against the injustice.”
Pre-Professional Program Here’s to a GREAT semester! Good luck to our February LSAT takers!
Celebrate your Rams Feb. 7-11 with Homecoming week activities, including: • “Ram Fan Photos”
Stop by the Campus Mall during free period on Tuesday, Feb. 7 to take fun photos with Willie the Ram!
• “Dribble’ n’ Nibble” For More Information Regarding the Pre-Professional Program, E-mail preprofessional@txwes.edu
Follow us @txwes3pr
Stop by Stella Russell Hall from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10 to grab some snacks and hang out with our Basketball teams to help them get amped for the big game!
tt isi
iny
ll l For a fu ist of activ it i e s, v
M.D. Anderson
Are you ready for Homecoming ‘17? omecoming om/h 17 c . l ur
Wednesday | January 25, 2017 TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.
More than 670 marches occurred worldwide. At least 3.3 million people participated in marches in the U.S.
|5
Campus
An estimated 50,000 people attended the Austin march. There were marches on all seven continents.
Source: elitedaily.com
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Call us at: (817) 451-8222 OR visit us online at: smokeysbbqtx.com
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6 |Wednesday | January 25, 2017
Arts&Entertainment
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SNCKPCK is a treat for listeners Guadalupe Sanchez
“It started out just me having fun making art for my friends,” Alexander said of his art. “But gsanchez3@txwes.edu when 2011 came, I was like, I gotta find a way As an anxious and reserved boy growing up to make money. I then set it up for people to in Fort Worth, Daniel James Alexander grew come to have good experiences while supportup making music and videos for his friends. ing me.” He wasn’t looking for a nickname, but he Now a 23-year-old full-time artist living in got one on the first day of class his freshmen Connecticut, Alexander’s work ranges from year at Burleson High School, when he made a children’s books to clothing to paintings to speech about himself. mixed-media; he makes his full-length albums “I just got up and decided to make a speech available for free on iTunes and Spotify. His art and I said I like to eat snack packs,” Alexan- can be ordered at snckpck.com. der said. “Nothing happened but in two weeks He also gives his fans inspirational quotes some kid asked for a pencil. While he was ask- such as “Hey, have a great day” or “If you’re ing me for a pencil, he was trying to figure out having a bad hair day, it’s still a good day” via my name but then said, ‘Oh, you’re that kid that such social media platforms as Twitter, Tumblr likes eating snack packs, so I’ll call you snack and YouTube. pack’ and it was my nickname all throughout Alexander’s videos have been shown at conhigh school.” temporary art venues such as VIDEO Like Because of copyright laws, Alexander took ART in Bordeaux, France. out the a’s from the word snackpack. He said his music has also been played on SNCKPCK was born. college radio stations across America such as “Once I started making shirts, I took out the LASR at Pacific Lutheran University in Taa’s and just kinda ran with it,” said Alexander, coma, Wash. and KZUU at Washington State who graduated from the University of Texas University in Pullman, Wash. at El Paso in 2013 with a degree in multidisciIn 2013, Alexander made the decision to replinary studies. lease all of his music for free. All of his creative output would now be available to be distributed as freely as possible. “I didn’t want to make my art for money, so I made the decision to make my music for free,” Alexander said. “As long as you’re supporting me, I’m happy.” When asked about how his success came, Alexander said there really wasn’t a moment where he realized he “made it.” “For me, personally, I’ve just kind of been doing it every day,” Alexander said. “It has grown Photo courtesy of Daniel Alexander rapidly at one time but it was just happening Daniel Alexander, also known as SNCKPCK, day to day. I do it because I like people and smiles after his first concert in Connecticut. I really like to help people. I really wouldn’t
Photo courtesy of Daniel Alexander Daniel Alexander’s merchandise can be found and purchased online at snckpck.com.
want to do anything else.” Alexander believes the Internet played a huge role in his career. “If I did not have the Internet, I would be a totally different person,” Alexander said. “I don’t know if I would be making art. I would not know any of this stuff if it weren’t for the Internet. I have no clue how people in the ‘80s and ‘90s had a fanbase. I don’t even know who would listen to my music, maybe my mom.” Elektra Michelle, a 17-year-old server in North Carolina, said she first heard SNCKPCK a long time ago on Twitter. “I wasn’t doing well,” Michelle said. “His positivity was nice to hear, I guess. I’m definitely surprised he isn’t already more well known.” Haley Lucero, a 17-year-old student in California, said she’s been a fan for at least three years. “I feel like his art has evolved slightly but he’s still positive,” Lucero said. “His message attracted me because it was a time where I had no positivity in my life and he was that source
for me.” Alexander said the best thing for artists trying to pave their way into the world is to not be afraid and take risks. “Be yourself,” Alexander said. “Don’t be afraid to be wacky and crazy, if that’s what makes you happy. If you want to be a crazy artist that lives off their art, then do it! It’s your life.” Alexander said he hopes he can continue with his art and making the world a better place. “I just want to continue doing what I’m doing and make a living off it,” Alexander said. “A lot of people think it’s not possible to do what I’m doing but I would be miserable trying to do something I’m not happy doing which is why I want to give a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has bought stuff from my store. They’re the reason why I’m able to do my art every day. Instead, I would be wasting my time doing something that I hate.”
Are movie remakes a good thing? Guadalupe Sanchez
gsanchez3@txwes.edu
Selena Morales, a Texas Wesleyan sophomore liberal studies major, said she’s excited about movie remakes because they might be better than the original. “For example, I loved Beauty and the Beast and it was my favorite movie as a child,” Morales said. “Recently, they made another one but this one is different. It’s real people, better quality, and enjoyable for adults.” Morales said movie reboots really depend on the franchise and how popular it was. “Most remakes are from original movies that were very popular,” Morales said. “Remakes are good because you have more than one of the same movies to watch. You get the best of both worlds and from there you can base your opinion from there.” Movie fans who look forward to remakes/reboots of old favorites should be very happy in 2017. Remakes of Beauty and the Beast (which opens March 17), Baywatch, The Mummy and Power Rangers have been announced, as has a retooling of the King Kong legend, Kong: Skull Island, starring Tom Hiddleston and Oscar winner Brie Larson. There will be a LEGO Batman movie, and another remake of The Ring. The Spider-Man franchise is being rebooted in July with SpiderMan: Homecoming with Tom Holland as the web-spinning high school student, and there is yet another Fast and the Furious sequel, The Fate of the Furious, due to open on April 14. Remakes of old favorites or reboots of old franchises often do very well at the box office. Last year, the latest Batman reboot, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, made more than $330 million despite mostly negative reviews, and a remake of The Magnificent Seven earned more than $93 million, according to boxofficemojo.com. Richard Haratine, visiting theater professor,
said reboots have made their mark. He thinks people are mildly entertained but mostly unimpressed. “Maybe it wasn’t very effective back then and the filmmakers are giving it another shot,” Haratine wrote in an email. “I rarely think that a reboot is going to be better than its original. What it will primarily do, besides being a little prettier to watch, is make an effort to show how relevant the themes and subject matter are to us today . . . hopefully.” According to The Guardian newspaper, 2016’s highly anticipated remake of 1984’s Ghostbusters, with four of today’s most popular female comedians, became known as the the last straw for remakes, earning only $128,344,089 in the United States. The Guardian article said that critics described the film as “geek culture gone wrong,” and since then remakes have not picked up the same level of interest from older audiences. The film has become known as “a symbol of everything that’s wrong with Hollywood filmmaking.” Haratine wrote that while most reboots are Photo courtsey of IMDB.com simply a new presentation of an older film, the updating of time and place, and such techni- Dan Stevens (left) and Emma Watson perform in the film remake of Beauty and the Beast. cal aspects as editing and special effects, are where the new thrill and excitement of a re“Basically, I think when people go to see a re- more modern and more relatable,” Martinez make will come from. boot of a movie,” Brown wrote in an email, “it said. “But for some movies they need to know “It’s exciting to see if the original can with- may be because of the stars that have been cast when to leave it alone. Like the new Ghoststand the test of time and be brought back and in the newer version or because the technology busters. What happened?” still move us the way it did then,” Haratine has gotten so advanced that the newer version Martinez said it makes her furious that stuwrote. “It’s a group of nostalgics who want to has so many visual effects that the technology dios can sometimes alter a remake of an old revisit their early days and it’s a younger group becomes the star of the movie rather than the favorite so much. In the upcoming Spiderwho want to see what their parents were up to. actors.” Man remake, for example, Aunt May is much I might go so far as to sayhat some people buy Brown said he watches more live theater pro- younger than in previous versions of the film, tickets to these movies because they want to ductions but observes that it may be the new and Uncle Ben is still alive, when in past rerevisit their childhood. We’ll see how long they technology that has made it easier to produce makes he has been dead. make Hollywood money.” more remakes. “The new Spider-Man movie just infuriates Joe Brown, dean of freshman success, said Jazmin Martinez, a freshman biology major, me,” Martinez said. “How is Aunt May like finding new movie material is always a chal- said she has mixed emotions about the whole thirty? It’s not like all the other movies nor true lenge but some reboots attract a younger au- subject. to the comics. Don’t try to play something off dience rather than sticking to familiar ground. “I like how for some movies they make them at what it’s not.”
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Sports
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Rams’ attitude leads to winning season Karan Muns kemuns@txwes.edu Texas Wesleyan’s men’s basketball players expect to excel in their upcoming games and the conference tournament because of what head coach Brennen Shingleton said is the culture of this year’s team. “We are a new team,” Shingleton said. “We’ve got great leadership and more importantly I think this team is by far the most unselfish team I’ve been around.” The team, which is currently ranked No. 1 in the Sooner Athletic Conference and 12th in the nation among the NAIA Division I men’s teams, won five games in a row between Dec. 31 and Jan. 14. Because the Rams lost several starters last season, returning members have really had to step up and fill leadership roles, Shingleton said. “We’ve got Naiel Smith, [who] is the leader in the nation in the assisting game, and we’ve got guys that are scoring really well,” he said. “We’re balanced.” Shingleton believes that his team excels at “pouncing on their opponents.” The team takes the season week by week and really focuses on the next game in front of them, he said. “If we keep crawling up the rankings and taking care of our business the goal is to win another conference title and go from there,” Shingleton said. Shingleton thinks the leadership and work ethic are largely responsible for his team’s success so far this season. “You don’t have to do a whole lot of coaching. These guys are really kind of just locked in, and they seem to be really cohesive,” Shingleton said. Shingleton thinks the attitude of the team has changed dramatically since last season, but the players still are motivated to win games. “The difference being with this particular group is they have an uncanny ability to want to be coached,” Shingleton said. “It’s almost as if we kind of have to taper back the amount of information that we give.” The 2016-2017 team will practice for hours at a time and not give it a second thought, Shingleton said. “The difference being between this group and last year’s group was last year’s group was more of a management position job,” Shingleton said. “We really had to make sure the pieces of the puzzle fit. This group the puzzle fits. Now, we’re just trying to make sure we get the most out of it.” Shingleton believes that the team is “unselfish to a fault” and that they need more constructive criticism at practice. “We really have to find guys to say ‘you need to do more’, ‘you need to be more assertive’, ‘you need to be more proactive’, those kind of key words, and we didn’t have that kind of problem last year,” Shingleton said. The team has so much potential that Shingleton said he is looking to maximize the skills of each player and push them to be the best they can be. “It’s an amazing deal because nobody’s really ball hogging,”
Photo by Karan Muns Senior guard Naiel Smith, a liberal studies major, makes a 3-point basket at Wesleyan’s game against Bacone College.
Shingleton said. “Everybody is trying to do what’s best for the team.” The team’s unselfish attitude is apparent to anyone and can be seen in every game they play, he said. “It’s a little unnerving as a coach because you’re waiting for the ball to drop; you’re kind of waiting for a problem to solve and this and that and this group doesn’t have it,” he said. Shingleton thinks it is fun to watch this team compete because of how cohesive they are and how well they work together. “We’re still kind of gradually trying to find our break-out moment, and find out how good we can really be,” Shingleton said. “And to be honest with you I don’t think we’re really close. I think we’ve got a lot of work to do, but the good part about it is we’re winning while we do it and not losing.” Forward Peyton Prud’homme, sophomore mass communication major, is excited to finish the season with his team leading the conference. “We’re first in conference. It looks like we’re going to make the tournament. I think we’re going to win it,” said Prud’homme, who is not related to Wesleyan head football coach Joe Prud’homme. There are still plenty of opportunities to watch the Rams at home so Prud’homme urges Wesleyan students to come support the team. Prud’homme thinks that this team is exciting to watch because many players have stepped up as leaders. “Honestly, our top eight guys really produce a lot of minutes on the court and then we have really good bench too,” Prud’homme said. In addition to practicing for hours on end, the team has been watching film of their opponents, as well as their own film, to
develop new strategies and improve their skills, Prud’homme said. The team has been preparing for upcoming games and working hard to stay healthy for the rest of the season, Prud’homme said. “We’ve been pretty injured lately. A lot of guys are beat up and hurt, but we haven’t really had many guys miss games,” Prud’homme said. “We’ve had a couple miss games, but for the most part we’ve just kind of been playing pretty beat up, but that’s just part of the game.” The team has high expectations for this season and they are very driven to win another title, guard Praneeth Udumalagala wrote in an email. “Our expectations are pretty straightforward and that is to win every game we play. We take it one game at a time, and eventually we will achieve our goals of winning the conference championship and then nationals,” wrote Udumalagala, a junior business management major. Udumalagala thinks the team’s success is due to the program’s continued excellence and motivation. “I’m not sure if we have done anything different [this year]. Every season we do our best and our coaches prepare us. It’s nothing short than performing our best, giving our 100% everyday as a program in and out of the gym,” Udumalagala wrote. Udumalagala believes that the season is off to a great start but it’s too soon to compare the success of last year’s team to this year’s team. “So far it’s a great start for our season, and I’m sure that it only gets better as the team is looking good and strong,” Udumalagala wrote.
WBB vs Mid-America Christian University 6PM MBB vs Mid-America Christian University 8PM
SB vs Ottawa Univer- Baseball vs Ottawa sity 12PM University 12PM & Baseball vs Ottawa 2PM University 1:30PM & 3:30PM
SB vs Oklahoma Wesleyan
Baseball vs Jarvis Christian College
University 11AM
12PM & 2PM
SB vs McPherson College 1PM
SB vs Bethel College 1PM SB vs
Baseball vs Jarvis Christian
University of Houston-Victoria 3PM
College 2PM
WBB vs University of Science
SB vs Columbia College 5PM
and Arts 3PM MBB vs University of Science and Arts 5PM
8 | Wednesday | January 25, 2017 TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.
Lady Rams show improvement Kayla Prachyl klprachyl@txwes.edu
Texas Wesleyan University’s women’s basketball team has made significant progress this season. The Lady Rams (11-5, 4-2 SAC as of Jan. 14) have almost doubled their wins compared to this time last season, when they were 7-11, 2-3 SAC. Head coach Bill Franey said this is largely due to the health of his athletes. “Last year everyone got hurt,” Franey said. “We lost seven players to injuries -- four starters, and the other three were the first back-ups off the bench. When your best players are healthy it makes a big difference.” Over the Christmas break, the Lady Rams clinched two wins in Florida before losing to Midwestern State University on Dec. 31 and then bouncing back with a fourPhoto by Kayla Prachyl Ashlie Bruner (left) prepares to throw the ball into play during the game against Bacone on Jan. 12, 2017.
game winning streak. Franey said there are several key players contributing to the team this season, including forward Katelynn Threats, the only two-time All-American in program history and the Sooner Athletic Conference Player of the Week for Dec. 26 through Jan. 1; and guard Ashlie Bruner, a junior college transfer from West Los Angeles College and record holder for most steals (11) in a single game, the team’s 104-68 win over Crowley’s Ridge College. “Katelynn is leading the conference in rebounds, I think she is third in the conference in scoring, and she is on her way to a third All-American,” Franey said. “Ashlie Bruner is leading the conference in assists, and averaging double figures every game.” Threats, a senior criminal justice major, agreed that a key difference in the team’s success this season is the lack of injuries. But the heart and chemistry of her teammates is important, too. “The girls really want to be here,” Threats said. “They want to play, they want to give it their all, they
want to win some games and they want to take us to nationals.” Threats expects the team to continue to play as they have been all season, and expects to continue to recover from her past knee injuries to finish her career with a bang and, she hopes, be named an All-American for the third time. “Of course one more All-American is a goal of mine. However, that is not my priority when I step on the court,” Threats said. “My main priority is to help my team get to nationals.” Bruner, a junior early childhood education major, said that playing with Threats and junior forward Bailey Broadnax has made things pretty easy. “Bailey’s excitement and Kay’s will to win make things better and make things more fun,” Bruner said. There are still a lot of games to be played before the SAC tournament begins Feb. 28, but Franey and the players feel good about where they stand right now. “I definitely plan on winning conference and getting to the national tournament,” Bruner said.