WEDNESDAY April 26, 2017 Vol. 101 • No. 7
www.therambler.org
OPINION
Wesleyan improves infrastructure Shaydi Paramore
ssparamore@txwes.edu
Will history repeat itself soon? People worry that the Trump administration’s recent actions may lead to anther world war in the near future.
NEWS
UCD attracts students, staff, and alumni with presentations. This year’s event contained presentations, a keynote panel and speaker, Ram Jam, and a film.
CAMPUS
Alumni Reunion included several events. The weekend consisted of the All-Alumni Breakfast, Wesleyan 5k Race, and Blue & Gold Game.
A&E
Anthony Harper ll has had an amazing journey. Harper ll talks about how he got started at Wesleyan and where he plans to go.
SPORTS
Gold Line dancers break into Texas Wesleyan. The dance team will be debuting alongside the football team in the fall of 2017.
ONLINE
Scrimmage excites football fans. Ram football fans came out to see the first game in 75 years.
Graphic by Shaydi Paramore Wesleyan’s infrastructure project will save enough water to to fill 11 Oylmpic-sized swimming pools.
Texas Wesleyan President Frederick G. Slabach said last week that the 2020 Vision created for the facilities department is right on track. Speaking at a 2020 Town Hall meeting at the Baker Building on April 18, Slabach said he wants the facilities to reflect the quality that is presented and preserved at Wesleyan. “What we really wanted to try is to take our strategic 2020 plan and taper each one of the major goals and then get a report from the appropriate division,” Slabach said. “One of the things we have in our strategic plan is that we want our facilities to be first grade. We made major advancements many years ago and Brian (Franks) and his crew have done a phenomenal job in really enhancing the campus.” Franks, Wesleyan’s executive director of facilities development and operations, said that five years ago facilities began a utility conservation initiative to track the amount of utilities used on a daily basis. “We are on the very very tail end of implementing all the details that were associated with the projects,” Franks said. “We’re starting to actually track our utilities and progress and that our utilities have actually decreased significantly.” The initiative originally came into
play when the department decided it was time to update its systems, Franks said. “It all stemmed, originally, from when the university had very large backlog of deferred maintenance and mechanical systems that were towards the end or beyond the end of their lifecycle,” he said. The problem was finding the funding for the project, Franks said. “Donors don’t normally like to put their name on something you can’t see, like a boiler,” Franks said. “The department was approached by a design-waste contractor to assist with creating the utility conservation system. Whatever we do on campus. Whatever utility improvements were made we have to be able to offset the utility cost in such a way that it would pay for all of the equipment, so it’s self-funding.” Four years ago, the facilities department was contacted by a waste contractor interested in helping with the design of the new system, Franks said. “We were in a tough situation, because we wanted to continue to enhance campus aesthetics and all of that,” he said. “But on the back end of things, we weren’t really conservative of our utility usage. We knew we needed to do something and this was probably five years ago and we knew that we needed to take a pretty good swing at some major replacements
ENVIRONMENT. page 3
Students display their research at UCD Hannah Onder hlonder@txwes.edu
Dr. Sherree Wood attended her first University College Day on April 19, 30 years after graduating from Texas Wesleyan. “I’m here today as a friend,” Wood said, “because miss [Jessica] Davenport won the award that was named for my husband last spring [at the Texas Wesleyan Award ceremony].” Davenport, a senior criminal justice major, had invited both Wood and her husband to her presentation, “Are the Current Strict Immigration Policies Endangering the Lives of Undocumented Latina Victims of Domestic Violence?” This was just one the 133 presentations presented by students at UCD. This semester, UCD included not only presentations, but a performance from the Wesleyan Chamber Singers, Ram Jam [a gathering of student organizations’ booths and free lunch at Dora’s], a keynote panel and speaker [Emily Snow, Mike Leslie, John Henry, Claudia Castillo,
and Everson Walls], and a showing of the documentary Tickling Giants. “I think [UCD’s] a really good idea,” Wood said. “It’s extremely good for students to get up in front of other students and faculty and make presentations, because it gives them a grounding on their research where they feel more comfortable. You can understand the subject, but until you teach that subject you really don’t understand it. This gives them that opportunity.” Wood wasn’t initially aware of the uniqueness of the day, but after attending two presentations and learning some new things she was glad Davenport invited her. Davenport was excited to share her topic. “I was nervous, because it was my first time presenting,” Davenport said. “I was also excited to share the research, because it’s a subject I’m passionate about. I wish I would have covered more areas because it involved so broad a topic.” Davenport said she grows her passion from her own experiences and hopes to raise awareness for her
Photo by Hannah Onder Students dance to the Cupid Shuffle at Ram Jam in front of Dora Roberts. Dining Hall.
topic of domestic violence against undocumented immigrants. “Like I said, because I was a victim at one point, I knew that I wanted to focus on domestic violence, but I needed to narrow it down to a group,” Davenport said. “It was Latinas after seeing what we all had to
witness in the news with this new presidency. I definitely wanted to address how it affected them and I just thought it was something that we should be aware of.” Davenport’s favorite part of UCD was getting to see what all the other majors were passionate about.
UCD. page 3
Department awarded national accreditation Gloria Andrade-Borja
giandrade-borja@txwes.edu
Texas Wesleyan University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has earned the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology accreditation. Other than Wesleyan, only 62 other universities in the United States have been awarded this accreditation, according to txwes.edu. Dr. Ricardo E. Rodriguez, dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences, said the accreditation recognizes the quality of the programs and of the students. “Texas Wesleyan’s department
is the only one in the [Dallas Fort Worth] metroplex that has received accreditation,” Rodriguez said.
riculum to the ASBMB guidelines to show the departments are teaching all the required material.
“Texas Wesleyan’s department is the only one in the metroplex that has received this accreditation.” - Dr. Ricardo E. Rodriguez Dr. Phillip Pelphrey, associate professor of chemistry and department chair, worked alongside Dr. Terrence Nuemann, assistant professor of chemistry, to map Wesleyan’s cur-
“Dr. Pelphrey and Dr. Neumann have been working on it for several years,” Rodriguez said. “There is quite a few steps they need to go through in order to apply.”
Pelphrey said Neumann, who wrote the majority of the proposal, originally brought the accreditation to his attention. “I am not a biochemist by trade and was not aware of that organization,” Pelphery said. “So Dr. Neumann did the bulk of the lead work and dealt with the formatting of the work.” Pelphrey considers this type of accreditation a huge benefit to the students. “Outside employers or schools would look at the fact that they come from an accredited program [or pro-
CHEMISTRY. page 3
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Opinion
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Will Trump start another world war? EDITORIAL
On April 4, at least 58 people were killed in a chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun; this led President Donald Trump to fire missiles into Syria two days later, according to cnn.com. As a result, people in the United States have started to question whether history will repeat itself and there will be another world war. On the other hand, it’s too early to predict what the administration can do next for the interest and security of the United States since America is, after all, the world’s police. Trump is focusing on getting rid of the Assad regime, rather than thinking of Syria’s people, like the Obama administration did, which is why there is such an uproar around the world. Obama thought of the Syrian people and refugees from that country instead of focusing on getting rid of Assad, and was criticized heavily as a result. His administration’s concern for taking care of the Syrian people brought many refugees to the United States. Americans were upset that the refugees could bring terrorism to this country. Trump’s missile attack, on the other hand, seems to be a matter of security. The United States is the most powerful country in the world, but it seems to be tied with China and Russia. The problem, really, is that there is such a big movement of refugees in Europe that the continent is starting to face security problems that it has never faced before. This has caused an uproar in America because Europe is sort of a model for the United States, so America
Photo courtesy of pixabay.com Things could get ugly for Americans as President Donald Trump pursues a foreign policy that’s becoming more and more aggresive.
protects Europe. World War I and World War II happened for very specific reasons, and firing missiles was not among them. When Trump ordered the April 6 missile strike, he only did this because he felt that the Assad regime would get the message that the United States is watching and will intervene if it has to. World War I was fought over world power. In World War II, the Allies fought against Hitler’s quest for global expansionism. Right
now it would be ridiculous to even declare war against Syria, because Syria doesn’t pose a threat to the rest of the world. All of it just seems coincidental. It’s history being told another way. All things considered, the entire Trump/Syria conflict mimics history but it’s coincidental that this is happening. The United States has a president that is against refugees and feels the need to prove to the rest of the world that he has all the power, even though he has vowed
to Americans that he would not bother Syria in any matter. Trump is trying to get rid of authority in other countries instead of thinking of the people in them. Of course, this would not have happened during the Obama administration, but it’s still extremely early to predict what can happen next. While everyone likes to predict what might happen next, the best thing people can do is wait and see.
Our obsession with animals on the internet Nicholas Acosta Content Producer nacosta4@txwes.edu
On April 15, at 9:55 a.m., 1.2 million people tuned into the livestream of April the giraffe giving birth to her new baby boy. The days leading up to the birth were met with great anticipation from across the internet, but why? What started out as just a Facebook livestream of a pregnant giraffe became an internet sensation, but why did a pregnant giraffe from New York capture the attention of so many? Animals seem to capture the attention of many people. Just look at Grumpy Cat or even Harambe the gorilla as they took the web by storm. What gave April such a large audience, though, most likely had to do with the anticipation of the birth. When the livestream first went up two months ago, it had a tagline of something along the lines of “watch April the giraffe give birth at the Animal Adventure Park in New York.” Most people probably saw the stream on Facebook and began to watch and wait for the birth, but when minutes turned into hours until the next day came, people discovered she had still not given birth. As more and more people began to watch the stream, so too did the stream appear on everyone’s news post with many shares and likes.
Like a fire, it grew and grew until any person on Facebook had no choice but to view the giraffe. It wasn’t long before internet memes began to show up about the giraffe; then new organizations began to cover the giraffe with some even hosting their own livestreams. Even when the livestream was taken down on YouTube for being “sexually explicit” for a short while, it didn’t stop people’s attention as the restored stream garnered more attention than before. Then, Toys “R” Us began sponsoring the stream and Animal Adventure Park began to sell April the giraffe T-shirts and even started a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $142,000. April has grown more popular than anyone would have anticipated, and all because each day she didn’t give birth the more the anticipation grew. People love suspense, so much so that we will go beyond movies and seek suspense in our everyday lives. April gave people suspense as they waited for her to give birth and people were willing to spend hours out of their day to watch for the exact moment of the birth. According to Google trends, giraffes were the most searched animal on google for the month of March and one of the top three searches overall. People were probably trying to find out how long giraffes are pregnant and quickly found out that giraffes are pregnant for about 13-15 months. Photo courtesy of pixabay.com With numerous news articles from The With more than a million people taking time out of their day for a baby giraffe, our love for aniWashington Post, USA Today, CNN, ABC mals, especially cute ones, is abundantly clear. News, and many others and the livestream birth -- that is, until the next trending animal will probably diminish to the wider audience, now ended, perhaps now people can go about story. but to those at the park, she will forever be a their lives without wondering if April has given With the new calf born, April’s popularity star.
“We are not afraid to follow the truth... wherever it may lead.” — Thomas Jefferson Print/Web Content Producers:Dalise DeVos, Sachiko Jayaratne, Karan Muns, Nicholas Acosta, Shaydi Paramore, Hannah Onder, Calvin Johnson, Grace Fisher, Kayla Prachyl, Guadalupe Sanchez, Matt Smith, Tina Huynh
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Rams up Thumbs up to football season tickets going on sale. Thumbs up to the table tennis team winning five out of six titles at the MS College Table Tennis National Championships on April 10. Thumbs up to the Fort Worth basketball pep rally hosted by Mayor Betsy Price. Thumbs up to to classes being completed in two more weeks.
Rams down Thumbs down to the crazy amount of sugar in the new Starbucks unicorn drink. Thumbs down to upcoming finals. Thumbs down to explicit music being played in the mall last week during free period. Thumbs down to civilian casualties in the Syrian missile strike.
Wednesday | April 26, 2017|3
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ENVIRONMENT continued from page 1
so we put out a request for qualifications. Waste Service was the contractor. We actually got to go hard and heavy in the design of what the system could possibly look like so it went from there.” With the help of Waste Service, the department was able to completely revamp components on campus, Franks said. “It’s really hard to say exactly what we did, because there are literally thousands of components that were upgraded and replaced,” he said. The biggest component and most energy-efficient project was the creation of the heat and power plant, Franks said.
UCD
“We want our facilities to reflect the quality that we present here at Wesleyan.”
- President Frederick G. Slabach
“Its called a co-generation system,” he said. “That’s really where we see the most significant amount of savings in our utilities.The cogene system is actually a naturally gas power generator that traps any heat that is expelled from the system.” With the new system, the amount of energy
used for heating and cooling across campus will decrease dramatically, Franks said. “So we use those heating needs across campus for heating and air conditioning,” he said. “We also have an absorption chiller, so in the summer months we actually run that hot water through the absorption chiller and it converts
“It was mind-blowing how many people showed up and I really appreciate it,” Matthews said. “A lot of my friends showed up.” One of those friends that showed up was sophomore paralegal studies and religion major Jacqueline Rodriguez. “I came because of extra credit and one of my friends [Matthews] is presenting,” Rodriguez said. “I think the serial killers are going to be really interesting.” Rodriguez said this was her first time at UCD and that she may present at next year’s event. “This year I was kind of scared to do it, because last year I didn’t come to University College Day,” Rodriguez said. “I got the option to present today instead of writing an essay, but I was kind of scared so I wrote an essay. Next year I might present instead.” Rodriguez said she’d like to see more adver-
tising before next year’s event. Sophomore music major Rachel Tomlinson agrees. “I was a little confused by what the day was,” Tomlinson said. “Honestly, I didn’t understand what was to happen, what we need to do as students who are not presenting, and I was confused because I didn’t know what we were supposed to do. There was a schedule online, but it didn’t explain well what was going on.” Tomlinson is hopeful that UCD will be explained better next year, and she did enjoy the presentation she went to. “I thought it was very informative,” Tomlinson said. “It was Nicholas’s [Squyres] and he did a presentation on the art of screaming. I thought that was very interesting, out of the box, and awesome.” Senior accounting major Audrey Showalter, who is working on earning her MBA, did a presentation on academic cheating. She also
Prater hopes this accreditation will contribute to an increase in students interested in Wesleyan’s chemistry and biochemistry programs. “It’s a big recruiting tool to be able to say that we have this nationally accredited program,” Prater said. ences. “This is huge deal for us to say we have this accreditation,” Prater said. “A lot of prospective students when they are looking at colleges and
universities, they look to see if you have an accredited program.” Prater hopes this accreditation will contribute to an increase of students interested in Wesleyan’s chemistry and biochemistry programs. “It’s a big recruiting tool to be able to say that we have this nationally accredited program,” Prater said.
it into cold water, then we use it for cooling. That’s really the heart of the operation.” Dr. Terrence Neumann, assistant professor of chemistry, believes the projects can drastically increase savings in the long end. “The projects that can be environmentally friendly often also saves money,” Neumann said. “So in the case of the power plant, they’re going out and trying to save money. Yes, the upfront cost is a lot but when you take in consideration the amount over the next five or 10 years it’s a significant amount of savings. My understanding of it is that by putting out a little bit of money this is going to help in the long term.”
continued from page 1 “I guess that I’m glad that the university provides this day,” Davenport said, “where everybody’s able to present everything that they’ve been researching that they’re passionate about, just as much as I am with my subject and that they’re able to educate people about them.” For senior criminal justice major Katie Matthews, that thing was serial killers. “My thing about this presentation is that people at Wesleyan have their ideas about how a serial killer looks like,” Matthews said. “What I’m trying to say is no, they look normal so don’t be fooled by someone’s mask of normalcy. Serial killers could be anybody.” Matthews was surprised that she had a full house show up for her presentation on Kansas serial killer Dennis Rader, known as the B.T.K. Killer, for “bind, torture, kill.” She enjoyed watching the reactions of audience members when presenting the material.
CHEMISTRY
enjoyed the variety of learning that takes place at UCD. “My favorite part is kind of seeing what all the other students are working on,” Showalter said. “If you read the program there are so many different ideas, different philosophies going around, and different things to learn
Photo by Hannah Onder Junior forensic accounting major Anthony Harper II runs a booth at Ram Jam.
continued from page 1
grams]” Pelphrey said. Dr. Katherine Prater, associate professor of chemistry, agreed with Pelphrey on how beneficial the accreditation is and that it is a huge boost for the School of Natural and Social Sciences. “This is huge deal for us to say we have this accreditation,” Prater said. “A lot of prospective students, when they are looking at colleges and universities, they look to see if you have an accredited program.”
Photo by Gloria Andrade-Borja Dr. Phillip Pelphrey, associate professor of chemistry, assisted with the accreditation.
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Campus
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Traditions continue at the Alumni Reunion Shaydi Paramore ssparamore@txwes.edu
Alumnus David Floyd joked about the decades of alumni that attended the All-Alumni Breakfast last Saturday. “The decade roll call,” Floyd said, “it’s always been a lot of fun. We always want to give a recognition for the decade with the best representation.And we always give a wonderful gift for the decade with the most representation.Now the best gift we’ve given so far was a few years back when we gave everyone Donald Trump haircuts.” Last Saturday, Texas Wesleyan and the Alumni Association invited all alumni to reconnect with one another, revisit fond memories and continue traditions made at Wesleyan, according to txwes.edu. Alumni from every decade participated in multiple events around the campus and Fort Worth including the AllAlumni Breakfast, Wesleyan 5K, the Blue & Gold scrimmage and Urinetown: The Musical Alumni Night Performance & Afterglow. After braving the harsh winds and cold weather, alumni gathered together at Lou’s Place to reminisce on the traditions made. “This is always about traditions,” Floyd said. “This weekend is about traditions and Wesleyan is all about traditions.” One of the traditions being that of the Golden Anniversary recognition, Floyd said. “This is a Wesleyan tradition in its sixth year,” he said. “Even though we all weren’t there, we can all inclusively go back to ‘67 as we recognize these 1967 graduates.” At the time, cost per semester was $18 an hour, Theatre Wesleyan’s musical was Gypsy and Wesleyan was in a construction boom, Floyd said. “At TWC, things were happening,” he said. Another tradition that goes hand-and-hand with the Golden Anniversary recognition is the Ambassador of Golden Shears award, Floyd said. “People don’t know it’s coming ‘til their name is announced,” he said. “I like to affectionately call it ambush. To say our recipient was involved in student engagement is an understatement.” The recipient of the ambassador’s award was Ann Marge, who was once a Baptist Student Union member, a member of Beta Epsilon, a thespian, involved in women’s athletic association, a former Alumni Board member, Ram Club member, a 1979 Alumni of the Year, a 2011 Athletic Hall of Fame recipient and much more, Floyd said. “On a personal note, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve came to Wesleyan basketball games and seen our recipient sitting in the gym bleachers and more times than not with
Photo by Shaydi Paramore Recipient of the Ambassador of the Golden Shears Award, Ann Marge, speaks with fellow alumni at the All-Alumni Breakfast last Saturday.
her good friend, Patsy Clifford,” Floyd said. “While researching, I read that our recipient said Wesleyan felt like home and had been good to her. And we as Texas Wesleyan alumni are glad that she feels this way and she has been good not only to us but also to our university.” A true ambassador and representative from Wesleyan, Burge was awarded the Ambassador of the Golden Shears Award, Floyd said. Burge declined to speak about the honor, but Clifford was happy to say a few words. “We were talking about making friends,” Clifford said. “Ann and I became friends in 1951 and we’ve been friends ever since. Talking about the basketball games, we even had lifetime passes and we had reserved seats that were reserved for Cliffords and Burges. Anyway, she has meant a lot to the university. Not only in name but in action.” Another tradition is the announcement of new inductees into Alpha Chi, said Dr. Bruce Benz, professor of biology. “One of the objectives he at the university is the pursuit of academic excellence and it’s always been my pleasure to acknowledge the accomplishments of [those] that are graduating. Benz announced six new members of Alpha
Photo by Shaydi Paramore DeAwna Wood announces winners in the individual categories and overall excellance at the second annual Wesleyan 5k race on April 22.
Chi, including students Zahraa Saheeb, Kime Sims and Andrew Anderson. “Although the national chapter acknowledges those that are in the top ten percent, in the tradition established by Dr. Bobby Deaton to create the new chapter on campus that he would only acknowledge the top one percent,” Benz said. “And it’s not only that they are the real cream of the crop but they had to have completed most of their hours here [at Wesleyan].” A crowd of 2,500 Rams crowded into Farrington Field to watch Wesleyan’s football team return after a 75-year hiatus, according to ramsports.net. “The crowd is great today,” Vice President for University Advancement Jim Lewis said at the Blue and Gold Game. “I didn’t know how many to expect, but it’s great,you know, for a scrimmage. We had a great crowd, especially given the weather, and all and the spirits have been very good. People have enjoyed it. We heard the alumni sing the alma mater and our choir sing the national anthem. This is almost like a real football game. I’m excited. Additional reporting by Rambler TV director Sachiko Jayaratne.
Photo by Shaydi Paramore Dr. Jerome Bierschenk recieved an award at the Wesleyan 5K race last Saturday.
Photo by Shaydi Paramore Awards were given out to runners for best in their categories and overall excellance at the Wesleyan 5k.
Student Life presents the... M.D. Anderson
Pre-Professional Program Good Luck on Finals!
& Congratulations graduates! Contact Ashley Coen, ATCOEN@TXWES.EDU, for 3PR questions & Information! follow us @txwes3pr
to be held during free period on Tues., May 2, in Lou’s Place. Please join us in showing appreciation for those who exemplify what it means to be a Ram! Seating is limited: RSVP at tinyurl.com/RAMMYSRSVP
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Campus
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Photo by Matt Smith The intrasquad scrimmage showcased the football team’s hard work. The team will begin the 2017 season on Sept. 2 with an away game against McPherson College in Kansas.
Photo by Matt Smith The Gold Line Dancers, the new drill team, performed during the halftime show last Saturday. .
Photo by Matt Smith Alumnus Darien Edwards attended the game last Saturday to support the Ram football team.
Photo by Matt Smith Cheerleaders performed at the Blue and Gold Game at Farrington Field last Saturday.
Photo by Matt Smith Wesleyan’s new drumline performed cadences during the scrimmage game in the stands.
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” -Louis Armstrong _______________________
April 27 @ 7:30 pm Jazz Combo Lou Carfa, conductor __________________ May 2 @ 7:30 pm Wesleyan Chorale Concert
_______________________ May 6 @ 8:00 am 21st Annual TCC/Wesleyan Jazz Festival
_______________________
Visit Martin Hall.
6 |Wednesday | April 26, 2017
Arts&Entertainment
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It’s time to bring back the pep
Photo by Kayla Prachyl Dr. Paul Sikes, Jasmine White, Isis Litteken, Jamie Ford, Javy Careaga and Dr. Mia Hessel (from left to right) at drumline tryouts.
Kayla Prachyl klprachyl@txwes.edu
A new football program is not the only thing Texas Wesleyan University is preparing for the fall of 2017. A new pep band and drumline will also start regularly performing at various campus events and are already rehearsing, according to Dr. Mai Hessel, adjunct of music. The two groups held their first rehearsal on March 28. “We expect this group to be both diligent and dedicated,” junior music major Tyler Simpson wrote in an email, “both of which have been demonstrated a number of times since we began a couple of weeks ago. Only two rehearsals are required a week, but the current members have all agreed and insisted upon meeting for extra rehearsals.” The drumline gave its first public performance at the Blue and Gold Game last weekend, where the group performed a number of cadences composed by Simpson and Hessel.
Simpson wrote that both the pep band and drumline will be featured at all home football games, select basketball games, and other events. Beginning in the fall, there will also be a class offered for pep band and drumline members to gain course credit, which should help grow diversity in the Department of Music. “Students that grew up in the ‘marching band atmosphere’ will become more attracted to the campus,” Simpson wrote. “As a whole, the establishment of both programs provide even more options for current and potential Wesleyan students to express themselves via the arts.” These are not Wesleyan’s first drumlines and pep bands, wrote Dr. Paul Sikes, assistant professor of music and director of bands. “The pep band and marching band were around through much of the history of Wesleyan, but somewhere along the way, kind of disappeared,” Sikes wrote in an email. “We’re simply bringing back one of the wonderful tra-
ditions of the university and I feel very fortunate to be a part of it. To have the opportunity to play an important role at the school is really great.” Sikes wrote that the pep band will be performing in the stands for most of the football season. There are high hopes for expansion in the years ahead, and the band will begin marching once it reaches 100 students. “We will be recruiting throughout the summer for band members,” Sikes wrote. “Auditions will be held the week before classes begin with rehearsals starting that same week. We plan to have regular rehearsals throughout that first week, and then have regular rehearsals each week once school begins.” Sikes hopes the band will be an integral part of the university, and something that everyone will value. “I hope this first group leaves a legacy and tradition of excellence and service to the university,” Sikes wrote. Simpson wrote that he and Dr. Jerome
Bierschenk, Department of Music chairman, began talking about establishing a pep band and drumline a little more than two years ago. Once the final decision to revive the football team was made, the need for a pep band and drumline was more plausible. Bierschenk then began talking about the pep band and drumline with university President Frederick Slabach, and recruiting began in the fall of 2016. Simpson wrote that music is the only activity that uses both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously. “Students who perform in these groups are utilizing the side of the creativity, as well as the side of the analyzation and logic, both at the same time,” Simpson wrote. Hessel wrote that she is extremely honored to be part of this process, and that she is excited for what the future holds. “I just started the first percussion chamber ensemble in the fall of 2016,” Hessel wrote. “I have written some cadences for the Wesleyan drumline for the scrimmage game. I can see the excited vibes in the process, and I see the school and music program improving at a rapid pace.” Hessel wrote that the current drumline only has one Wesleyan percussion student, while the rest of the members are wind and string players. “I’m hoping that the opportunity to play in a drumline and pep band will recruit more incoming students,” Hessel wrote. “Having performance opportunities and being exposed to people outside of the music program is a great opportunity to spread our name and existence. Performing at sporting events will be a great opportunity for visibility in the community, and once we have more people involved we can consider adding a marching band or compete for indoor drumline competitions.” As drum captain and center-snare, Simpson is taking in each step of the process. “Personally, I am beyond humbled to have had such involvement in the development of this program,” Simpson wrote. “It is not every day that one can enroll as an undergraduate at a university that is now 126 years old and be provided with the opportunity to impact the campus in such a large and everlasting way! I take comfort in knowing that the drumline will be yet another Wesleyan tradition that will grow to be something bigger than myself and its current members, something great.”
Harper: From shy kid to outgoing leader Hannah Onder hlonder@txwes.edu
Anthony Harper II wasn’t sure he wanted to be a Boy Scout after going on an overcrowded, pointless camping trip. If it wasn’t for his mother, Diana Harper, pushing him to stay in by switching his troop, he would have been content staying home playing with Lego bricks. While Harper, a junior forensic accounting major, still jokes about going back to collecting Legos one day, he wouldn’t have gotten to being where he is now, an important role model and leader at Wesleyan, without God, his family, the Boy Scouts and other organizations. “I’m glad she made me (stay in Scouts),” Harper said. “I went on to become an Eagle Scout and everything. I enjoyed my experiences especially after joining the troop in Fort Worth. It’s how I got involved (with people).” Harper, who was homeschooled until college, said he spent his first year at Wesleyan as the quiet kid, completely different from the guy that smiles and waves at everyone from graduating seniors to incoming freshmen. “I would talk to people if they talked to me, but I was never really the one that engaged in the conversation,” Harper said. “I feel like the want to make that change early that year is what encouraged me to be like, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ and smile at people to where it just kind of became a habit.” The Boy Scout troop that Harper joined in Fort Worth was smaller than the one he had been in when he was 12 and living in Dallas, and this brought him out of his shell. “I moved to the troop in Fort Worth at the age of 14 and that’s where I stayed,” Harper said. “Honestly, that’s where I got my first experience knowing my personality in a way. The one in Fort Worth was a smaller troop. I got to know people and I got to learn more personally. I grew up and I enjoyed it.” Thinking back to his experience with Scouts, Harper said he was crazy for initially wanting to go to a larger school than Wesleyan, even after he already had a scholarship for Wesleyan from the Ben Hogan Foundation. “I was a student thinking nothing happens, it’s boring, and didn’t even want to come here even after I got my scholarship,” Harper said. “It was crazy, but, when I went to Go Wesleyan Day and orientation, I started to meet them (friends Alex Lopez, Darrian Smothers, Jeremy Hunt, Ricky Hull, Tre Adams, and Lyndsey Bessinger) and see how they made their lives here at Wesleyan. It was really cool and the key to that was all of them being super involved on campus. I was like, ‘Wow, I want to be like that.’”
Harper took a page from their book and is now involved on campus as an RA at Stella Russell Hall, orientation leader, Ram Camp leader, Ram Squad member, president of the Accounting Society, Black Student Association member, football player, and a member of the Golden Sheers. “I applied to be an RA and orientation leader, because I looked up to individuals that were in that positions already and I thought I could do it as well. Then (I applied to) Ram Camp, because I enjoyed being in Ram Camp so I just wanted to give back that experience to (incoming) students.” Harper said his goal when he graduates and moves into his career in finance is to give back to all those who have helped him along the way. “In five years, I’ll try to be an alumni, have a family, and just be giving back,” Harper said. “I hope and plan to be in a really good financial standpoint, so I can give back to organizations (and places) that got me where I am: my Boy Photo by Hannah Onder Scout troop, the First Tee of Fort Worth, WesJunior forensic accounting major Anthony Harper II plans to give back after graduating in 2018. leyan, and the Ben Hogan Foundation. I have places where I feel like I don’t really owe them but I’d like to honor what they gave to me by “I remember just days after he left, he called one and everyone. He is a part of the Ram giving back.” to check up on me,” Simpson wrote. “After Squad, always showing support for his peers at Senior English major Kime Sims, who hearing that I was not doing well at all, he told various sporting events. He can often be seen watched Harper become even more outgo- me that he would call me later. An hour lat- offering academic assistance to his peers that ing than her when they were both orientation er, he called back instructing me to open the he shares classes with. Lastly, he has high selfleaders, said he is already giving back now. door; I did, and there stood Anthony with a standards morally and academically.” “I feel like Anthony pays back to the school fully packed bag, a Wii-U for brawl, and the Another element Simpson wrote that Harpwith everything that he does whether that’s willingness to ride out the next week with me er brings is excitement, which makes him a getting involved in organizations, Ram Camp, in our room.” good leader. or orientations,” Sims said. “I think he’s doing a Matthews said she tries to follow in Harper’s “Anthony brings the hype,” Simpson wrote. great job at it and letting people know that he’s footsteps in terms of caring for others. “No matter what the subject is, Anthony can there like the people that gave him that.” “He can be compassionate and very nice,” motivate anyone, from succeeding academiFor senior criminal justice major Katie Mat- Matthews said. “Whenever he sees somebody cally to showing up and participating in an thews, who said Harper was like a little brother he’s like, ‘Hey, so and so, what’s up?’ He’s very event on campus.” to her, he’s one of the first people she goes to if outgoing and I kind of follow his lead on that Sims said one of the reasons Harper is a good she has a problem. whenever I see somebody. I just try to be out- leader is because of his humbleness and the “He can be a little turd, but he really does going like he is.” teamwork he works to promote when leading. have a good heart,” Matthews said. “For inCameron Bennett, who is also involved in “I think Anthony is a good leader because stance, there was one time I was just really up- numerous organizations and leadership posi- he’s a team player,” Sims said. “He doesn’t want set and crying. I went down to his room and tions on campus, sees Harper as one of his big- to move on until everyone is at that level. He he actually talked with me and prayed with gest leadership influences. wouldn’t want (people) to just win, he’d want me that God would help me through it. There’s “He is a huge role model to me and he’s kind (people) to win together. I think that’s one of been several times where I thought the whole of set the standard for what it means to be an the best qualities about him as a leader, beentire world was going down around me and African American leader on this campus,” cause he cares, but also wants it to be a group he’s usually the first one I go to. I don’t know Bennett said. “He’s also been a person I’m run- effort. He wants it to be the experience, not the why, but usually he is whenever I have a prob- ning next to, to try to keep moving with him.” end result.” lem. He’ll calm me down.” Harper has also set the bar for Simpson Harper said he credits all the choices he has Junior music education major Tyler Simp- when it comes to being an RA, lifeguard, and made to get him on his current path to God. son, who considers the Harpers an extension Wesleyan student in general. Simpson wrote “I was confused with what I’d do and where of his family, wrote in an email that he agrees that he even credits Harper for getting him to I’d go,” Harper said. “I put it in God’s hands. that Harper helps to support people. Simpson, apply to those positions. He’s lead me down these different paths and who was Harper’s first roommate at Wesleyan, “I actually base the kind of RA that I want shown me where to go. I’ve kind of just been experienced Harper’s willingness to support to be, as well as my moral goals, on Anthony chilling and going with the flow. It’s really been others after a bad break up at the end of a se- Harper,” Simpson wrote. “He is beyond close working out.” mester. with his residents, taking time to talk to any-
Wednesday | April 26, 2017
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Gold Line Dancers prepare for season Marisol Amaya amamaya@txwes.edu
The Texas Wesleyan dance team has been given a new name as well as a new image. The dance team will now be the Gold Line Dancers and be a drill team for the new football team. Sophomore biology major Arlyssa Moaning said the team is making the transition to becoming a drill team because drill teams go along with football. “Think about the Apache Bells or the Kilgore Rangerettes,” Moaning said. Moaning said she doesn’t think there will be a big change transitioning from being a dance team to the Gold Line Dancers, but there will be a change in appearance. “I think we will look more uniform,” Moaning said. “I hope that we can bring some school spirit and more excitement for game day.” The team is holding its first audition at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Sid Richardson Center, according to txwes.edu. Moaning said she is looking forward to participating in the halftime performances and competitions the most. “I’m looking forward to being a part of the Gold Line Dancers,” Moaning said. Sophomore theatre major Torris Curry said that the team decided to change the name because they wanted a fresh start. The team hopes to have 15-20 dancers and will include both men and women. “The [current dancers] who try out have a chance of being on Gold Line, but nothing is guaranteed,” Curry said. Curry said that the team will be getting new uniforms as well. “We are changing to full gold outfits,” Curry said. “I am looking forward to the entire experience, the games, practice, and the team bonding.” Curry said that being on the dance team this year was fun so it should be even more of a blast next year. “It should be a fun thing overall,” Curry said. Senior athletic training major Taylor Tyler is on the dance team but is upset she won’t be able to be a part of the Gold Line Dancers. “I am graduating this upcoming May, but I am excited for the dancers that will be on the team,” Tyler said. “They will get to represent the school during competition and perform for football games.” Tyler said that since she’s been on the team all she’s wanted was to see it grow into what it will become next fall.
Photo by Marisol Amaya The Gold Line Dancers will perform at the football games next season. The team’s first audition is on Saturday at the Sid Richardson Center.
“I wish I could stay one more year just to be a part of the team,” Tyler said. Tyler said that she thinks the Gold Line Dancers will be a brand new team. “It will be nothing that Texas Wesleyan has ever seen before,” Tyler said. Tyler said that Gold Line Dancers’ head
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coach, Emily Snow, has been working hard to recruit dancers to the team. “With coach Snow, I think the dance team will be structured the same way every team on campus is,” Tyler said, “and the dancers will be held to the same standards that the rest of the athletes on campus are held to, mainly in re-
gard to commitment. The dancers will be led by a wonderful coach.” Tyler expects this to be a great dance program. “I’m excited for this team,” Tyler said. “I definitely plan to come back just to see the Gold Line Dancers perform.”
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Rams looking to secure another title Matt Smith mxsmith@txwes.edu
Texas Wesleyan University may receive yet another national title this season courtesy of the baseball team. Last year, the Rams won the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) regular season title with a conference record of 19-5 before being knocked out of the conference tournament via a loss to Wayland Baptist University, according to ramsports.net. “Unfortunately, when we got to the post-season tournament out in the opening round, we had some people with sore arms in our pitching staff,” said head coach Mike Jeffcoat, “and we didn’t play well as we had played earlier in the season and we had came up short.” But this year, with an overall record of 32-11 and a conference record of 13-5, the team has a good chance of going beyond winning the SAC. “We haven’t beat ourselves very often,” Jeffcoat said. “We did some things to beat ourselves, either didn’t execute offensive plays or did not play good defense or pitch well. Your walking batters, hitting batters – but so far, we’ve done a very good job of playing fundamental Photo by Little Joe baseball.” The team is No. 2 in the SAC stand- Luis Roman, senior third baseman, is leading the Rams offense with 13 home runs, four triples, 61 hits, 52 runs batted in and a .752 slugging percentage. ings and 16th in NAIA’s Division I. The SAC tournament is May 5-8; the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round is May who was named SAC Pitcher of the Week on by getting hits versus giving them a free base “Last semester, before coming to Texas Wes16-19, followed by the NAIA World Series on Feb. 27 and March 5 said the batters are the with walks. leyan, I was hitter, then became a pitcher only May 26 to June 2 in Lewiston, Idaho, according team’s greatest strength. “We don’t have a ton of strike-out power because I wasn’t hitting like I was hitting this to rampsorts.net. “It’s a lot easier to have fun when you’re win- right now, but when we [do] fill up the zone year,” Ramon said. “That was a really big obJeffcoat feels this year’s players are dedicated ning versus when you’re losing, for sure,” Lo- and throw a lot of strikes, we have a really good stacle, trying to bounce back – and I’m happy to getting as far as they can in the season, and pez said. “Right now, I think our offense is a lot staff. What we do is get guys out. We have a that it’s [worked out].” perhaps securing a title. better than it was last year. We got one through really good defense and they do a great job beLike Jeffcoat and his fellow players, Roman “I think we got a core group of guys who are eight hitting over .300, that’s really good, even hind us.” has faith in the team going far this year. not just satisfied at winning more than what for a college lineup. We got guys that are gonna Some of Wesleyan’s success is owed to new “We have the team, we have everything that we lose. But ya know, actually trying to go deep wanna swing the bat and really do some dam- faces. Jeffcoat said senior third baseman Luis it takes to get there,” Roman said. “We have reinto the post season,” Jeffcoat said. “Could this age with guys on [or off] base.” Roman, junior outfielder Kiki Menendez, ju- ally good pitching, we have really good hitting, year’s team do it? Ya know, they have the poLopez said the pitching staff isn’t perfect, but nior second baseman and right-handed pitch- we have a great defense, and the big deal is that tential. Hopefully, our hitters will continue to like the batters, does a great job as well. er Caden Williams, and junior right-handed we can hit. Our lineup is just really good, one swing the bats well and improve, and the pitch“I think for the pitching staff, we’ve been pitcher Brad Sugg are all new players this year through nine is great hitters. I think we’re very ing staff will continue to improve with each walking too many guys, a lot of the runs we’ve that are doing well. capable of going to the World Series.” week; [it] really gives the team a chance to gel given up have come off walks or hits by pitchRoman, who’s from Keiser University in The Rams’ next home game is against Southin post-season play.” es,” he said. “Even if the guys are gonna get hit, Florida, had to readjust himself as player when western Christian University at Sycamore Park Senior right-handed pitcher Alex Lopez, you’d rather them score with them earning it he came to Wesleyan. at 3 p.m. on Friday.
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