THERAMBLER
THE VOICE OF TEXAS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS SINCE 1917
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
TheRambler.org
Dementia is more than a November “issue,” pg. 8-9 Check out the basketball preview, pg. 6
Vol. 103 No. 9 | Fall 2019 @TheRamblerTWU
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OPINION
TheRambler.org
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Photo by Elizabeth Lloyd Make sure to follow these three important steps during an active threat scenario.
The Rambler 1201 Wesleyan St. Fort Worth, TX 76105 Phone: (817) 531-7552 Email: twurambler@yahoo.com Editor-In-Chief: Ashton Willis Rambler TV Director: LaTerra Wair IMG Director: Hope Allison Print/Web Content Producers: Jacinda Chan Hope Allison Arely Chavez Tina Huynh Elizabeth Lloyd Hannah Onder Ashton Willis LaTerra Wair Advisers: Dr. Ngozi Akinro Dr. Jenny Dean Dr. David Ferman Faculty Liaison: Dr. Kay Colley Publisher: Frederick Slabach Letters to the Editor THE RAMBLER, 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 and style. Letters to the editor may be subject to response from editors and students on the opinion page. RAMBLER Contribution Please send all news briefs to twurambler@ yahoo.com. Submissions due by noon Friday to see brief in the following week’s issue. The opinions expressed in THE RAMBLER are those of the individual authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Texas Wesleyan community as a whole.
ABOUT THE COVER Illustration by Jacinda Chan.
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Be active, not reactive: Come to active shooter trainings on campus these trainings. This is an example we can learn Only four people, including myself, from regarding our level of premade it to the first training on Oct. paredness for active shooters. 15. RUN, HIDE, FIGHT are the The good news is that there are two three main tropes of safety in an more active shooter trainings schedactive shooter scenario, and in a ELIZABETH LLOYD uled to take place this semester in HIDE situation like Nielson’s the ejlloyd@txwes.edu first thing we want to do is deny the McFadden 111 at the following dates: @TheRamblerTWU Thursday, Nov. 7. shooter access to us. Tuesday, Nov. 12. We do this by locking and barhe split-second decisions Each training takes place during ricading the door before hiding as we make during high-stress free period from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 situations have the power to well as making sure any cell phones p.m. are silenced. save us or let us die. The more students, faculty, and This is one of many key maneuThis was the case for Columbine staff that make it to these trainings vers taught at the regular active art teacher Patti Nielson, who was in the unlocked library where most shooter trainings, which are held by will help increase the safety of our campus. Wesleyan’s campus security. of the students died the day of the Every person on campus has a civic These trainings teach key points shooting. duty to be prepared for these types of regarding not only what to do Too afraid to get up, lock the emergencies. door, and catch the attention of the during an active threat, but also As Director of Safety and Security active shooters, Nielson stayed still what to do beforehand. Chris Beckrich said during the trainMental scripting and situational and silent in her hiding position ing: “Security is everyone’s job.” awareness are effective techniques and the shooters gained access to So, let’s do our part of the job and the room, killing 10 students inside. which can go a long way in these come out to these trainings, because “Psychological trauma took away life and death scenarios. However, we never think these massacres these tips and tricks are only as her ability to act,” Jarrod Cumba, a 10-year member of the Fort Worth useful as the people that show up to will happen to us until they do. Fire Department said during Texas Wesleyan active shooter training, which took place during free period On issue 3 photo credits for pg. 16 should have on Oct. 15. gone to IMDb.
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opinion
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Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Minors offered at Texas Wesleyan 1) General Business 2) Biology 3) Chemistry 4) Computer Science 5) Criminal Justice 6) Mathematics 7) Physics 8) Political Science 9) Pyschology 10) Sociology 11) History 12) Comparative Religious Studies
13) English 14) Mass Communication 15) Music 16) Philosophy 17) Religion 18) Spanish 19) Theatre 20) Christian Ministries 21) Exercise Science 22) Recreation Diving Management (SCUBA) 23) Coaching
Cartoon by Hannah Onder Students with minors can stand out against others with the same degree because it can provide extra skills or insights. Texas Wesleyan offers 23 minors across four of the five schools on campus.
Students should swap elective spaces for minors HANNAH ONDER
A
hlonder@txwes.edu @hannahonder
s students are deciding their classes for the next semester, there’s usually a question of whether or not they want to minor in something. While most universities, including Texas Wesleyan, don’t require undergraduate students to declare a minor to graduate, it can still be helpful to choose one.
Schedule reasons for minors
Most students have extra space in their schedule for electives; this is an opportunity to fill some of that space with a minor. Minors can provide students a guide for classes to take, just like a major. Minors can also be helpful for students that are locked into taking a specific major due to scholarships or finances. For example, a student on scholarship to major in a STEM subject could minor in music if they have an interest in that topic and want to take more classes on it.
Or if a student was majoring in biology to become a doctor but had a passion for music, the student could minor in music to fulfill the passion while still studying for a more financially stable career path.
Practical career reasons for minors
Choosing a minor can also have some career benefits in addition to offering the chance to study a topic outside of your major. Many students choose a minor to help them stand out against other students studying in the same field. For example, a marketing major may decide to minor in mass communication to show they have extra knowledge in dealing with media than the average marketing major. Having the extra experience allows the student to stand out. Students can also benefit from a minor when it provides them an extra skill. For example, a journalism major living in Texas would benefit from a Spanish minor because it would give them the advantage of obtaining sources that can only speak Spanish. Having that extra skill can also make students more viable in the job market.
Also, sometimes students don’t always have a job in what they majored in. Therefore, by minoring in a different field, students receive a wider range of knowledge and the experience of working in a field outside of their major.
Factors to consider before declaring a minor
There are some factors that students should consider, such as finances, usefulness, and timing, when deciding whether to declare a minor or not. Some students decide not to take a minor because they want to graduate as early as possible to save money. For example, some students may decline to take a minor in order to graduate in three years instead of four. However, if you’re planning on taking four years of college, there’s usually space to work a minor into your schedule. It just takes planning to make sure you’re in the right classes at the right time. Nobody on the cusp of graduating wants to be blindsided by a class offered only in certain semesters. Another thing to consider is the usefulness of having a minor with your degree. Some people could argue intern-
ships or certifications are more important to secure before graduation than minors depending on what major and what minor combination it is. For example, if you’re a math major you may have hard time justifying the usefulness of a theatre minor to your career versus an internship working with data, though it should be possible if the classes and internships are scheduled properly. The last factor to consider is timing. Declaring a minor as a sophomore or junior gives students more time to work the minor classes into their schedules. If students wait until their senior year to declare a minor, it may be hard to take all the classes you need in so little time. Therefore, it’s important to not wait until the last minute to pick a minor, if you want flexibility in your schedule to do things like internships and certifications. While there are some factors that can discourage people from taking a minor, there are several benefits to having one. So, if students have the finances to fit a minor into their undergraduate degree, they should.
NEWS
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Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Student Veterans Organization re-emerges at Wesleyan ARELY CHAVEZ
achavez5@txwes.edu
T
@Arelyc66
he Student Veterans Organization, or SVO, is looking for a fresh start at Texas Wesleyan this semester. SVO President Jonathon Perkins said the organization wants to raise awareness about what they do on campus. “Our goal is to bring all the veterans together to where they have an environment to be able to have support and a feeling of belonging,” Perkins said. “Also to be able to talk about information that pertains to veterans like VA claims and the different programs available to them while in college, which we have Chapter 31 and Chapter 33 along with a post9/11 bill so there’s a lot of options that they can go through.” Perkins, a junior business major, also said the SVO wants to get more students involved with the organization. “We also work with students,” he said. “One of our biggest concerns is students don’t understand that just because our organization says that we’re Student Veterans Organization, that also includes the students.” Perkins said that the organization has two sides it covers: veteran members and student members in the organization. “Basically, for a veteran member is saying that we’re able to vote and that’s because we’re all veterans who have been honorably discharged,” he said. “Then we have the student-affiliated part which is the student body.” Perkins also mentioned that the SVO constitution says a student has to know a veteran, refer a veteran, or speak to a veteran about joining the organization to become a member. Perkins wrote in an email that the organization is holding its annual Veterans Day luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday in Lou’s Place. The guest speaker is former Marine and Success Champions owner Donnie Boivin. The cost to attend is $7 and space is limited to the first 75 people that RSVP. Payments can be made to Maria Cardenas in the Financial Aid office. Donations are also accepted through their Facebook page @txwessvo. Perkins said his goal is to see more people join the organization in order to
have more interactions with one another. “You talk to them, you welcome them in, let them know about the organization and make them feel at home whether they show up one time or they show up many times,” he said. The SVO has four members: Perkins, Secretary Kyle Parker, Treasurer Jonte Cox, and Cardenas, the organization’s advisor. There is a $25 membership fee to join. Parker said the organization seems to be in a good standing. “I think with who we have on our executive board we’re heading in the right direction,” Parker said. “We’re trying to keep our sights on a good future for our organization.” Parker, a junior history major, said his goal for the organization is to make a better connection with Wesleyan students. “My goal is to interact with other veterans,” he said, “whether they’re students, alumni, family members, anything really. With the organization on campus it makes it easier for us to find out exactly what the school can do for us.” Cardenas, a financial aid counselor, said she joined the organization even though she is not a student because of her passion for the veterans. “I’m a staff and I decided I was going to join because I love the VA,” Cardenas said. “My heart is with the veterans. I was never a member until now.” Cardenas’ goals for the SVO is to help in any way possible. “I would like to see us have banquets for the veterans and when they graduate to have a celebration,” she said. “I would like to see more students be aware that we do have this organization and that it’s going to be as powerful as it can be if everybody joins and helps out.” Cox, a junior liberal studies business major, said he is a veteran himself and handles all financial needs as treasurer. “Five years in the Army service experience,” he said. “I handle all of our organization’s finances and basically all the transactions made I record.” Cox also stated his goal for the SVO as a whole. “I have a vision for the organization,” he said, “that later down the line even when we’re not at Texas Wesleyan that there will be a financial support for the Veteran’s Organization so we can at-
Photo by Arely Chavez Student Veterans Organization executive members Kyle Parker, Jonathon Perkins, Jonte Cox, and organization advisor Maria Cardenas (left to right) promote the organization during the Wesleyan 5k on Oct. 19.
tend events, hold our meetings, and induct more members into our organization without everybody stressing about where our finances are and where they’re gonna be.”
The Texas Wesleyan Student Veterans Organization meets noon to 1 p.m. every Friday at Ben’s Triple B. For more information, go to Facebook @txwessvo or email SVO@txwes.edu.
news
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Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Rams can be part of campus recycling Yet students question if it is happening
R
ight now our next steos are focused on making the campus community aware that the university does recycle and
what can be recycled,”
-Alyssa Cavitt, facilities operations director
ELIZABETH LLOYD
R
ejlloyd@txwes.edu @TheRamblerTWU
ecycling contamination poses the biggest challenge to successful recycling on campus, according to Facilities Operations Director Alyssa Cavitt. Because Texas Wesleyan uses a “single stream recycling program”, it is crucial that students, faculty, and staff are aware of exactly what can and cannot go inside of the recycling bins, Cavitt wrote in an email. According to txwes.edu, here is what can and cannot be recycled on campus. Recyclable: Paper Cardboard (except pizza boxes) Plastic containers Aluminum Tin Steel Glass Trash: Styrofoam Food wrap Liquids Food Tissues Paper towels “If we can reduce contamination, then we can recycle more material, which will increase our diversion rate,” Cavitt wrote. “The diversion rate is calculated by the tonnage of recycling material divided by the
total tonnage of waste material that is collected.” Student morale concerning recycling efforts on campus seems to be low. “Honestly, I feel like people really don’t care that much,” junior music major Evan Piland said in an interview. “I think people don’t care because they just don’t think about it and they’re just so preoccupied with their classes that they see a bin with plastic in it and they just throw it in there, whether it’s plastic or paper, or even sometimes metal. I see that happen all the time in this department. People throw soda cans and stuff.” Senior music education major Jasmin White agreed with Piland’s sentiment while addressing rumors among the student body. “I’ve personally heard rumors that it goes in the same bin; everything just goes in the same place. I don’t know if it even happens,” White said. Cavitt wrote that increasing awareness of recyclable vs. non-recyclable materials could potentially increase student engagement with recycling on campus. “Right now our next steps are focused on making the campus community aware that the university does recycle and what can be recycled,” she wrote.
Graphic by Elizabeth Lloyd Remembering the benefits of recycling may serve as an encouraging reminder to recycle as much as possible.
SPORTS
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Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Rams shoot their way into the 2019-2020 season ARELY CHAVEZ
T
achavez5@txwes.edu @Arelyc66
exas Wesleyan’s men’s and women’s basketball teams practiced long and hard before beginning the season. Head men’s basketball coach Brennen Shingleton said his team consists of four returning members and 12 new members. “We only have four guys back from last year’s team,” Shingleton said. “We’ve got a bunch of new guys that have worked really hard, and this team has developed an identity of being unselfish, playing the right way, being excited about practice and all the good things that typically lead to a good season.” The Rams were 14-16 last season, including 9-13 in conference, according to ramsports.net. Shingleton also said his main goal is for the team to be focused and united. “We just need to kind of stick to who we are early on and obviously we’re trying to figure out some things offensively and defensively,” he said, “but more importantly making sure that this team has really got great depth.” Guard Samuel Lorenzen said the team is very strong this season and is preparing efficiently. “Just competing every day and practicing really,” Lorenzen said. “We’re all so tight together. I’ve never been on a team where every position and every guy starting from the first guy all the way over to the last is really tight and close-knit. It’s a fun group to be around.” When Lorenzen, a junior liberal studies major, and Shingleton were asked who the team’s biggest opponent would be, they both said it was the
team itself. The Rams’ first game of the season was Oct. 31, when they beat the University of the Southwest (New Mexico) 73-62. They played Jarvis Christian College on Monday. Both were home games. Something new this year to Wesleyan is the addition of a men’s D-Team, according to ramsports. net. Shingleton wrote in an email that the D-Team is comprised of hungry young basketball players that are taking advantage of an opportunity to continue to play college basketball at a pretty high level. “The Men’s Basketball D-Team help the regular men’s basketball team practice at times and an advantage to having the team is for the regular players to play against one another.” Shingleton also wrote they have a full schedule and practice five times a week. “They are coached by my staff and former players,” Shingleton wrote. “They have worked really hard and are excited about the opportunity to compete for Texas Wesleyan.” The women’s basketball team is also working hard to prepare for the season. Head women’s basketball coach Steve Trachier said his team also has new players that he is trying to incorporate every day. “We’ve added some new players and they’re pretty good,” Trachier said, “but any time you add any new players that are gonna be role players on the team, you have to integrate them in to the things that you do. Additionally, we’re putting in new things based on the talent of the new players coming in.” Trachier said that, as of right now,
he is simply trying to get new players familiar with playing together as a team and making the pieces of the parts fit in order to win games. The Lady Rams were 14-17 last year, and 11-10 in conference play. “Our goals are always the same: to win games,” he said. “And those are lofty goals, but those are our goals every year. Now there’s no guarantee we’ll stay injury free, but if we don’t have any major injuries to any players, we’d like to think we have a chance to be a pretty good team this year. We want to win enough to where we qualify for the national tournament and have a chance to win for a national championship.” Some of the previous members returning that Trachier mentioned include guards Nicole Gleason and Evie Whorley. The Lady Rams started their season with an exhibition game against Tarleton State University on Photo by Arely Chavez Saturday. Guards Payton Sallee (left) and David ShepCenter and senior exercise sciard make some shots during practice. ence major Jordan Brightwell said her goal for the team is to make it to nationals. “Personally, I’d like to stay healthy,” Brightwell said. Guard and senior liberal studies major Destiney Winkfield added her team goals as well. “Well, since I’m new here I would say for us to get chemistry pretty quickly and reach our full potential Fresh Start and use our talent to go as far as we Every Monday can in the season,” Winkfield said. Carter Conf. Room 7:00 pm The Rams’ next home game will be against Bethel College (Kansas) Common Meal on Friday and Our Lady of the Lake Every Tuesday University on Saturday. PUMC 3rd Floor 12:15 pm The Lady Rams’ next home game will be against Huston Tillotson Chapel University on Nov. 19. For more Every Thursday information, go to rampsorts.net.
Graphic courtesey of canva.com
PUMC Chapel 12:15 pm
sports
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Soccer kicks their way toward the end of their season JAMES MCBRIDE
H
jhmcbride@txwes.edu @TheRamblerTWU
ead men’s soccer team coach Cole Sweetser said that the Rams should make this week’s Sooner Athletic Conference tournament, despite having a season plagued by injury. Sweetser believes the team’s play has been inconsistent with what the coaches are asking the team to do; there are moments of greatness, followed by moments where the team shows its inexperience. The team has been plagued this season by multiple injuries. “We have continued to shuffle the lineup around,” said Sweetser, “and having to ask a lot of the younger players to step up and grow up quickly, when they might not be ready to do so.” He added that it is a growing process with all the players finding their role in the team’s system, along with the players around them adjusting, to play better together as a unit; however, the
team has a great foundation. “Now the goal is really trying to add depth across the board,” said Sweetser, “to help us deal with injuries and eligibility.” The Sooner Athletic Conference tournament is Saturday through Nov. 14, according to ramsports.net. The team that is the highest seed will be the home team. Claudio Barraza, a senior finance major and a team captain, believes that the style of play at Wesleyan is better than other schools in the state. He attended a college in Jacksonville, Texas, before coming to Wesleyan. “The fitness, techniques, and tactics are way better here,” said Barraza. Assistant coach Dejan Milosevic said the Rams are competing to finish in the SAC top five, but they have been slowed by injury, with six or seven players out right now. But he also said that the Rams have a bright future with a lot of raw talent. “The talent is there,” said Milosevic. “It is just now a matter of them being able to mature as a team.” Milosevic believes that as more of the
players mature over the season and the offseason, they will start to step up into the roles that are being asked of everyone on the young team. “Right now,” said Milosevic, “we are waiting on some of them to step up and take that leadership role on the team.” Sweetser said that this year will be a very important recruitment class. Because the Rams will lose only one senior, Barraza, the goal is to add more depth and combat injuries, as well as find more height on the back line and a pure scorer who can also provide a lot of assists. He also wants more height on the back line. “Now it is just adding depth at all positions across the board,” said Sweetser, “but our biggest need is replacing Claudio.” While this is Barraza’s last season to play college soccer, he plans to stay at Wesleyan, finish his degree and come back to help coach the team next season. “Whoever will be the next captain,” said Barraza, “I’m sure they are working hard.”
Photos by James McBride Claudio Barraza (No. 9) plays the ball in a game against Southwestern.
Eddy Rodriguez, Julius Ciganito, and Anthony Silva huddle up at practice.
CAMPUS
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N
Dementia is not jus
ovember is Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, but for many families it takes The sad part about this illness is that there is no cure and it impacts the In fact, it is estimated that more than 50 million people are currently according to beingpatient.com. In the United Kingdom, Alzheimer’s is U.S., it ranks sixth. This disease is known as a slow disease, since on average people diagnosed. Jase Box, a senior at Martin High School, said his grandfather years. “It is hard to see someone that you love so much struggle there is nothing you can do,” he said. Box said that he has learned so much from this disease it soon. “It really has opened my mind about what this poisonous it is,” Box said. “I think that finding a cure for peace to so many families.” Many people refer to Alzheimer’s as a woman’s disease, dementia are women. This does not mean however, that disease. Dementia comes with a lot of expenses. The average cost receive care during their lifetime is $350,000, according to Alzheimer’s doesn’t just affect the patient though; it affects as well. More than 17 billion hours of care is provided every year by of this being from family members. Women account for 63%, According to agingcare.com, around 30% of the caregivers die for. Elderly caregivers are even at a 63% higher risk of dying and watching over, according to brmmlaw.com. Many times, they suffer frustration and sadness that they feel. According to Louise Harris, Alzheimer’s disease is one of the hardest things to witness. “I have seen people go through a variety of illnesses, but this one by she said. “It is hard to watch someone just lose their mind and know one of the most important things to remember is to not take what they they act like a complete stranger that you don’t recognize, but you have to might be their physical body, but the soul is not the person that you know.” Nikki Harris, a woman caring for her dad, said that dementia is hard to “Unless you physically go through it and experience every single day, then Harris said. “Many people don’t have a good understanding of it because they disease.” Harris said that she wants more people to become aware of the disease and see the “Some might just see it as a disease for elderly people, but they don’t know all of the affects the entire family and not just one person directly.”
Graphics
CAMPUS
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Wednesday, November 6, 2019
st a November “issue”
s by Ashton Willis
place all year round. brain directly. battling this disease all across the globe, actually the leading cause of death and in the
I See Yellow; You See Green
can live three to 11 years after being has struggled with dementia for with a disease and know that and hopes there is a cure for illness really does and just how this can really change and bring because two-thirds of people with men are not susceptible to the for someone with this disease to asccare.com. caregivers and the family involved caregivers, with more than 85% especially if the patient is a partner. before the person that they are caring can take on the signs of those they are from depression as a result of the guilt, a woman caring for her sick husband, far is the worst one that I have seen,” that there is no cure.” Harris said that say personally. “There are days where remember that it’s not them,” she said. “It understand. it can be hard to wrap your head around,” have little to no knowledge about the effects of it. people that it takes a toll on,” Harris said. “It truly
My mind goes fast, my mind goes slow. Sometimes it goes places that I don’t know. Often, people try hard to explain why we are different… But no one knows. When I wake up in the morning, I see yellow and you see green, but does that really mean anything? You try so hard to bring together all of the thoughts going on up there, but my thoughts are scattered everywhere and are often up in the air. While yours are in a calmer place, mine are often out in space. Don’t worry though; there is a place for both you and me. It is a place where when I see yellow and you see green, that really doesn’t mean much of anything. It doesn’t mean that life for me is somehow bad, because the gift you have given me makes me glad. You spend your precious time to give me a productive mind; and that gives me peace some of the time. So, as time goes by, I hope the world will see, that God made you and also me. We know not what the reasons are for the differences in how we are. But somewhere in the sky there is a star that looks down on both you and me, no matter if I see yellow and you see green. Poem courtesey of Louise Harris
A&E
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Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Wesleyan displays four permanent art collections HANNAH ONDER hlonder@txwes.edu
T
@hannahonder
exas Wesleyan concluded its most recent art exhibition, “HOPE” by Martin Brief, on May 2. While Wesleyan hasn’t had any centralized art collections at the Bernice Coulter Templeton Art Studio since then, it doesn’t mean the campus hasn’t had any art in the last six months. Texas Wesleyan’s permanent art collection is displayed throughout campus in both public and office spaces. The collection is made up of four different categories and consists of artwork done by American, European, Early Texas Artists, and former faculty and student artists, according to txwes.edu. Most of the artwork is donated and works to show off historically significant and contemporary art.
General Collection
The General Collection contains master prints by European artists Salvador Dali, Georges Ruoualt, and Marc Chagall; several prints and paintings from American artists including Charles Marion Russell; Porfirio Salinas; William Robinson Leigh; and works by former faculty and students.
Early Texas Art
The Early Texas Art Gallery contains art pieces done by Kelly Fearing, Bror Utter, Emily Guthrie Smith, and Blanche McVeigh. All of them were on Wesleyan’s faculty and members of the Fort Worth Circle.
TXWES President’s Portraits
The TXWES President’s Portraits consists of James Spurlock’s “Presidential Portrait Project.” It’s a collection of paintings of Texas Wesleyan University presidents dating back to Rev. J. W. Adkisson in 1891 and up to Harold G. Jeffcoat in 2010.
Roger Tory Peterson Print Collection
The Roger Tory Peterson Print Collection consists of five prints featuring birds and nature. The Bernice Coulter Templeton Art Studio will be having its first exhibition under Rueben Gonzales, visiting assistant professor of art and the studio’s coordinator starting Nov. 11. The exhibition, “Chronicle,” will feature work from Jeremy Biggers, an artist based in Dallas. The artist reception is tentatively set for Nov. 14 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the studio.
Photos courtesy of txwes.edu (Top left) The piece is Print 3 in the Roger Tory Peterson Print Collection. (Top right) TXWES President’s Portraits‘s painting of Harold G. Jeffcoat , who served from 2000 to 2010, is located on the third floor of the Eunice and James L. West Library. (Bottom left) Early Texas Art’s “Untitled” watercolor piece was painted by Kelly Fearing in 1947 and is located in Oneal-Sells Adminstration Building in the President’s Conference Room. (Bottom right) The General Collection’s “Buffalo Family” sculpture created by Charles Marion Russell in 1921 is located in the Oneal-Sells Adminstration Building in the President’s Office.
Texas Wesleyan University Career Services presents
Mentor Luncheon Series OUR
FIRST
LUNCHEON
WILL
BE
HELD
ON
Tuesday, November 12 12:15PM-1:15PM IN
THE
Martin University Center Andrews Hall Join us for a luncheon with career professionals from the Fort Worth community for an opportunity to network and learn more about how to establish connections in your future career.
Please RSVP no later than November 6, 5PM For more information or any dietary restrictions please call (817)531-6553 or contact Jesse Pyle at pyle@txwes.edu.
a&e
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Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Maleficent sequel does not live up to the original HOPE ALLISON
T
heallison@txwes.edu @TheRamblerTWU
he first Maleficent movie was indisputably amazing. It broke many “Disney norms” when it came to princesses and villains and really helped show that people are complex. “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” (PG, 119 minutes), however, is predictable, unrealistic, and just downright boring. I don’t mean unrealistic in the sense of fairies flying around. I understand what fantasy is, but I also believe the characters’ decisions should have purpose. A lot of things that happen in the movie are contradictory, and the motivations behind character decisions were weak at best. Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson) proposes to Aurora (Elle Fanning) at the start of the movie and what ensues is Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and Phillip’s evil mother battling over reign of the Moors, the kingdom where the fairies live. It seems like the creators of this movie hoped that great costumes, graphics, and actors could make up for a lousy script. After Phillip’s mother, the evil Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer),
tries to kill Maleficent, she is saved by an army of winged, horned creatures called Fay, which is what Maleficent is. This seemed out of place and with no real purpose. We have never before been aware that there are more creatures like Maleficent, much less an entire army of them. They came out of nowhere. This new “Maleficent” was released Oct. 18, not long before Halloween. Maleficent’s costumes, while beautiful, seem hyper-sexualized, much like many Halloween costumes are. I can’t help but wonder if the purpose was to make Maleficent be seen as an ideal Halloween costume for many women, perhaps as an attempt to make more money and sell more Maleficent-related stuff. The addition of an army of Fay could also be so couples costumes are a possibility. The story was so predictable I knew what was going to happen at the end by the first 15 minutes. At one point it actually made me mad the characters in the movie were not noticing obvious things that were happening. At one point, Queen Ingrith curses her husband and then blames it on
Maleficent. It is so obvious that Maleficent didn’t do it and it is frustrating when obvious facts are overlooked for the sake of the story. This “Maleficent” had a different actor playing Prince Phillip than the original film. I assume this is because they waited five years to make a sequel. I am a much bigger fan of the old actor (Brenton Thwaites) than Dickinson. This replacement was distracting. I wouldn’t have known it was meant to be the same character if I hadn’t paid attention to the name. All in all, “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” was not worth the cost of the tickets. I can’t imagine even a child sitting through the whole movie and liking/understanding it. I think Disney was so eager to get another Maleficent movie out that they didn’t care much about the story. Bad scriptwriting is what killed this movie for me. The entire movie is made with the intention of making the most Photos courtesy of imdb.com money as possible, NOT trying Michelle Pfeiffer stars as Queen Ingrith in the second Maleficent film. to create a quality film for an audience.
Elle Fanning (left) and Sam Riley (Diaval; right) star in the film along with Angelina Jolie (center).
Angelina Jolie stars as Maleficent in the film.
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ASHTON WILLIS
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@anwillis@txwes.edu @AshtonWillis1
scape rooms have become very popular across America over the last couple of years. Although this is very interesting to Americans, the question is, what are escape rooms and where did they come from? The first concept of an escape room was first created in 2004 in a video game called “Crimson Room” by by Toshimitsu Takagi, according to lockacademy.com. This game features players trapped in a crimson room and forces them to solve riddles to escape. What Takagi didn’t know was that this would be the start of something great, because in 2007 the first real-life escape room opened. Takao Kato (founder of the Japanese company SCRAP) got his inspiration for this by watching a fellow student play the escape game online. In the game, players would be trapped in a room with a certain theme and have to solve puzzles in order to escape within a certain amount of time. This created a rapid domi-
Will you be the next one to “Escape”? no effect and before too long escape rooms were emerging everywhere. They spread throughout Asia and eventually went on to Europe. Once the game reached Europe, Attila Guyrkovics really helped the concept take off in Hungary. In 2011 he went on to become the founder of ParaPark and became an icon for this game, according to entertainment.howstuffworks.com. The rapid increase didn’t stop there, as it eventually made its way to the United States in 2012. SCRAP opened the very first American location in San Francisco. Since then, the game has continued to grow and there are more than 2,300 escape rooms in the United States. The game has continued to spread, and it is estimated that there will be even more rooms in the future. The presence of escape rooms on social media has continued to grow. Instagram alone has seen a 13% increase with escape room hashtags and photos, according to usatoday.com. On average, an escape room
site has about six different rooms for customers to check out, with more than 62% of them offering three or more rooms. This number has drastically increased within the last couple of years due to the continued growth, according to blog.xola.com. It is estimated that each individual escape room site makes more than $300,000 per year. This shows that there has definitely been an increase in reservation profits. Thanks to technology, customers are able to book a room online now. Based on a recent study, more than 70% of all booking are done online. According to a study done on oveit.com, around 37% of people who participate in escape rooms are over 21, 19% are under 21, 11% are for date nights, 14% are intergenerational and 19% are corporate groups. Grab your friends and sign up for an escape room, although it will cost you around $15-$30 to do so. They are a great way to bond with friends, family and even your colleagues.
Graphics by Ashton Willis Escape rooms have become a popular trend for Americans as they continue to rapidly grow.
Statistics courtesey of oveit.com
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International students embrace Thanksgiving in America Arely Chavez
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achavez5@txwes.edu @Arely66
or most students, Thanksgiving break means time off to spend with family and give thanks. But for Texas Wesleyan international stdents, the holiday does not contain much significance. Senior psychology major Aadesh Shah said Thanksgiving was a brand new experience for him when he first came to America several years ago. “Is it like a real thing?” Shah, who is from India, asked himself. “Back in my country we don’t have anything exactly like Thanksgiving.” Shah embraced the holiday thanks to connections he has made at Wesleyan. “Since my first year I lived in dorms,” he said, “I didn’t have really much of a family over here in Texas, so I didn’t really got to know what Thanksgiving was, but then later on I made new friends, I met the American locals over here. So they invited me to their house, you know, for Thanksgiving.” Shah said he had fun during Thanksgiving and took in many new experiences. “It was kind of really fun to see, you know, what American values are,” Shah said. “It’s like one day where everybody meets, everybody shares their story [of] what’s going on in their lives and everything. So I think that like my experience overall has gotten like improved to be very honest.” Shah also mentioned that a family gathering during Thanksgiving Day can have its surprises. “There are definitely sometimes where like the family reunion kind of thing doesn’t really go well,” he said. “There’s always some kind of conflict, but at the same time it’s also fun to see, especially me coming from a very different culture to learn and to understand and to actually experience what Thanksgiving is about and how it’s done.” Shah said that in India, people have something similar to Thanksgiving called Diwali. Diwali is “generally a time for visiting, exchanging gifts, cleaning and decorating houses, feasting, setting off fireworks displays, and wearing new
Photo by Arely Chavez Senior psychology major Aadesh Shah embraces American traditions and holidays while at Texas Wesleyan.
clothes” according to brittanica.com. “I would more relate if I have to I would say [to] Diwali,” he said. “It’s actually more than Thanksgiving to be honest but like the main motive of celebrating that moment is to join together, celebrate you know the moment and cherish and celebrate whatever we did. It’s basically just a get together being with family and making traditional food.” Freshman biology majors Bev Nkomo and Ruth Urbina said they come from different backgrounds that do not celebrate Thanksgiving, but they do have different traditions for similar holidays, such as Christmas. Nkomo, who is originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, said her family shares many traditional dishes during Christmas, just like during Thanksgiving. “From what I’ve heard here Thanksgiving is mainly about food and family, right?” Nkomo said. “We make different things like pumpkin, cabbage, different salads.” Urbina said her hometown of La
Ceiba, Honduras celebrates many different holidays like Christmas, but not Thanksgiving. “Back home we celebrate a lot of Christmas, we get together for like a whole month,” Urbina said. “What we have to make is tamales and buñuelos. That’s what we make, or sometimes papaya in piloncillo.” Tamales and buñuelos are traditional dishes mostly found in Latin America, while “piloncillo” is Spanish for brown sugar. Urbina also said she has never spent Thanksgiving in America because she is in her second semester, but hopes to make plans soon. “I came in spring, so I have never spent Thanksgiving here,” she said, “but what I was planning to do is to travel or go somewhere else, maybe go visit my aunt that is in Orlando and spend time with her. And if not, if I stay on campus, spend them with Bev or my friends from campus. Maybe we can do something like have a dinner or go eat somewhere.” Overall, both Nkomo and Urbina
agreed that Thanksgiving is a holiday that is very family oriented. Nkomo said Thanksgiving makes people appreciate family and friends. “Most of the time we just do random family gatherings and stuff,” she said. “It’s very nice.” Urbina said Thanksgiving revolves around family. “I just feel this celebration is very nice because you get to reflect to things, what you can do better,” Urbina said. “When you have family close, you should just take advantage of that because you don’t know. You’re not always going to be close to them.”
Texas Wesleyan’s Thanksgiving break is Nov. 25-29, according to txwes.edu. The university is open until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
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Wesleyan students embrace comics James McBride
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jhmcbride@txwes.edu @TheRamblerTWU
he West Library, in conjunction with Dr. Cary Adkinson and Dr. Eddy J. Lynton opened the Comic Book Room on Thursday to debut the newest collection donated to Texas Wesleyan. Adkinson, an associate professor of criminal justice, said that he and Layton (who no longer teaches at Wesleyan) would donate their collection of comic books, from publishers such as DC, Image Comics, Marvel, and many others, including action figures and other items comic related. “This was all done in an effort to encourage students to come to the library and just read,” Adkinson said. According to Elizabeth Howard, director of the Eunice and James L. West Library, this process was started in late 2018 and included the long
process of cataloging the collection and putting it in bags with protective bags so it could be presented to the university.” “Students will have the chance to do comic research,” said Howard, “or they can just come to the room and enjoy this extensive collection.” The collection contains a wide range of titles, including comics dating back to the 1940’s, with the majority of the collection coming from the 1990’s and 2000’s; there are first editions and first appearances, and celebration issues, said Collection Management Librarian Natasha Zinsou. “We have a wide range of titles,” said Zinsou. “We have Batman and Superman titles, and a wide smattering of others.” Adkinson believes this would be a perfect time to open the collection and have it be in conjunction with Halloween, because it was a great opportunity to promote the event with a costume contest. “So Natasha and I are here to judge
Students look through the comic collection at the West Library.
the contest, also,” said Adkinson. Jordan Purnell and Taylor Ross, both senior criminal justice majors, decided to attend the event because they are currently taking Adkinson’s Comic Book and Crime class, and wanted to dress up and take advantage of an extra credit opportunity. They won the events costume contest. “Why not have a little fun and dress up?” said Ross. Because of them taking the class with Adkinson this semester, they were able to have a sneak peek at the collection, and believe that it will be a great thing for the university, because it is a nice quite room to just enjoy this form of art, according to Purnell. “I really like it,” said Purnell. “It has some really great comic books in it (the collection).” Adkinson believes this is a collection that will only grow over the years, as more people find out about it, and decide to donate their collections.
Photo by James McBride Jordan Purnell and Taylor Ross dress as the Joker and Harley Quinn and win the costume contest, at the Comic Room, in the West Library, on campus, Thursday.
Natasha Zinsou and Dr. Cary Adkinson discuss the costume contest at the West Library.
The Comic Room opens to the public at the West Library on the Texas Wesleyan campus.
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