The Rambler Vol.101 No.11

WEDNESDAY Oct. 18, 2017 Vol. 101 • No. 11

www.therambler.org

OPINION

The horrors of being a reporter.

Between juggling interview appointments, editing appointments and schoolwork, Hannah Onder reflects on the difficulties of being a reporter.

NEWS

The Thomas H. Law Scholarship recipient is named.

Stephanie Varuska reflects on how her family support pushed her to go to college.

CAMPUS

Are tattoos right for the workplace?

Students reflect on the meaning of their tattoos and if they will hurt their chances of obtaining a career.

A&E

Photo courtesy of Josh Lacy Even though the Rams lost five seniors that were on the 2017 NAIA National Championship team, the squad hopes for another national title.

Champs haunted by the past?

Ashton Willis

anwillis@txwes.edu

After winning the 2017 NAIA National Championship, Texas Wesleyan men’s basketball team is looking ahead to defend their title this season.

Head basketball coach Brennen Shingleton believes that this group of players has what it takes to repeat.

“We are going to be everybody’s best shot this year and every team we play is going to want to say, ‘Oh, we beat the team who won nationals,’” he said. “Does that mean we’ll do it again? I have no idea, but I wanted to put the pieces in place so that I felt like we could.”

The Rams beat the Life University Running Eagles 86-76 in Kansas City in March to capture the NAIA crown. It was the first time the team had won the national championship since 2006.

Losing five seniors left the team with a challenge, but the impact that those players left can

pprudhomme@txwes.edu

Staff in the Nenetta Burton Building have prepared their mascot for Halloween.

SPORTS

Trachier takes on a new role.

 NAIA. page 3

There is a special place in Tahlor Stefek’s heart for recycling.

When the freshman biochemistry major and softball player was 15, her little brother, Noah Robert Sanchez, was losing his fight with cancer.

After he died, the family heard of a program called “Lids for Kids” at the hospital in San Antonio where he had been treated.

Created by the American Cancer Society, the program gave cancer patients a free chemotherapy treatment for every liter of plastic lids that were collected.

These days, Stefek participates in Texas Wesleyan’s Blue + Gold=Green campaign, which puts

recycling bins all over campus and promotes recycling.

“There has been a widespread of promotion to recycle recently here at school, thanks to the Blue + Gold=Green campaign,” she said.

in an interview.

“In the year and a half that I have been here at Wesleyan, the Blue + Gold=Green committee has done some serious strategic placement of recycling bins around campus,” Gresham said.

In a news release on txwes.edu, Gresham “In the year and a half that I have been here at says recycling has Wesleyan, the Blue + Gold=Green committee has Wesleyan’s done some serious strategic placement of recycling reduced carbon footprint by 436 bins around campus.” tons in the past year.

- Jimmy Gresham “That is the equivalent of taking 85 passenger cars off the road The organization also sells recycling bins, said  RECYCLING. page 3 Jimmy Gresham, director of facilities operations,

Family support goes a long way Sam Bastien

skbastien@txwes.edu

Steve Trachier plans to work double duty this semester as the athletic director and women’s basketball head coach.

ONLINE

Missed Ram Rally?

Rams got a chance to preview the basketball season at Ram Rally.

complicated, Shingleton said.

“We got more kids interested in our program, but it also made us work harder because we had to go down the checklist and stay true to who we are,” Shingleton said.

Even though recruiting was easier this year, nothing dramatic needed to change, Shingleton said.

“I knew exactly what I wanted and I didn’t have to bend my ways or change my values, because at the end of the day, what is a new recruit going to do that we haven’t done?” he asked. “I told them this is the way we do it here, if you want that challenge and if you want to embrace that opportunity then that’s what you can do here. If you don’t want to adhere to that culture, there’s other places you can go.”

Junior chemistry major Shaun Rost feels the new recruits can help the team enormously.

Rams revamp recycling program Peyton Prudhomme

Who is Buffy the Mascot?

be beneficial to this team, Shingleton said.

“The guys that were here last year gave us a tool to learn from,” Shingleton said. “They showed us what was right and showed us what you do when you’re accountable for your actions and more importantly the team.”

Senior mass communication major Jeremy Crane believes that even with the loss of several seniors, the team still looks strong.

“We’re experienced and we have guys like Branden [Jenkins] coming from top schools like LSU to come and give us whatever advice he has,” Crane said.

Crane also believes that with the new team and some time on the court, the Rams will exhibit good chemistry on and off the court.

“What we need is court chemistry, you know that just comes with playing and practicing so we’ll get there eventually for sure,” Crane said.

The recruitment process this year was like how it has been in the past, but it was also a bit more

Photo by Chuck Greeson/Marketing and Communications

Stephanie Varuska giving her granddaughter a taste of the college life.

When most people think of a college student, they likely imagine a 18-to-22-year-old coed bounding though the quad on the way to their dorm from a lecture hall.

But Stephanie Varuska defies that image.

Varuska is a 49-year-old senior double majoring in marketing and management and was selected as the 2017 Thomas H. Law Scholarship recipient in August.

“I wish that I could share it with everyone that’s helped me get here,” Varuska says.

Varuska, a mother of two and a wife, commutes 45 minutes from Aledo to study marketing and man-

agement at Wesleyan. After being inspired to return to college by her husband, Christopher, Varuska decided Wesleyan was the place she needed to be.

“I enrolled at Wesleyan in the fall of 2014,” Varuska said. “My first day here on registration I met the man that changed my life and that was Dr. Tom Smith. It was his encouragement that got me to where I am today.”

Smith, Varuska’s advisor and professor, taught marketing and mass communication at Texas Wesleyan for 27 years before retiring in the spring of 2016.

Smith remembers Varuska well

 VARUSKA. page 3

2 | Wednesday | October 18, 2017

Opinion

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Concertgoers shouldn’t live in fear EDITORIAL

On Oct.2, the nation awoke to startling news that a mass shooting had occurred.

While members of the nation peacefully slept through the night, tragedy struck Las Vegas.

When Stephen Paddock opened fire on participants of the Route 91 Harvest music festival, panic began to spread through the concertgoers. According to cnn.com, concertgoers believed the sounds of gunfire were fireworks, but as the bodies began to fall, the realization of what was really happening kicked in. Fifty-nine people, including Paddock, who killed himself, died and 546 were injured.

The Clark County Sheriff Department has found no motive behind Paddock becoming the deadliest mass shooter in US. history, according to cnn.com.

Earlier this year a similar incident occurred at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, according to cnn. com. On May 22, minutes after Grande performed her set, a loud explosion blasted through the arena area leaving 19 peo-

ple dead and 50 injured. When the bombing occurred, Manmusic and band capture you in a way that makes you feel a chester residents began to notice the familiarity of the event. part of a different culture. Surroundings doesn’t matter. Being Because, two years earlier, another bombing had occurred. in the moment with the music is the only thing that matters.

During a performance in Paris by the American band Now more than ever people need to have joy in their lives Eagles of Death Metal, multiple gunmen raced into the venue, and concerts give you that joy. killing 89 people and injuring hundreds more. With this speThat is why people will not stop attending concerts. cific killing spree, the Islamic State asserted responsibility.

The shooting that occurred is not the first killing spree at a music concert and it won’t be the last.

But that will not stop avid concertgoers.

According to billboard.com, 32 million people attended some type of music festival in 2015. That same year, Austin City Limits was named as having the largest number of participants with 450,000 people in attendance.

And those numbers will continue to go up.

A concert is much more than just having the chance to see your favorite band live in concert. It’s about being able to meet new people and being able to interact with people that have similar taste in music and interests as you.

You don’t think about the possibility of a shooting or bombPhoto courtesy of pixabay.com ing occurring; you are focused only on the moment.

On Oct. 1, Stephen Paddock opened fire on country music To a concertgoer, people that surround you aren’t strangfans, leaving 58 people dead and 546 injured. ers. They’re part of a united front, like a family, to you. The

Reporter work is scarier than it seems

It’s just taking pictures. That’ll be easy.

Whether it’s yearbooks or newspaper, reporters in general don’t just have the “easy” job of taking pictures. Even the people that know there’s actually writing included in the job may not realize the horror stories student reporters deal with all the time. Before we get into the truly gruesome ones, let’s start with some simple everyday ones. All college media reporters are also students. They have the same algebra homework, English essays, and history reports that everyone else has, plus their stories.

Now, some people may think that’s just writing another English essay -- what’s another hour or so? -- which is right to a degree. What that statement’s lacking is the process of getting to the point where writing is just like another paper. Before any writing can occur, there must be story ideas, which are just like coming up with an essay topic that has to approved by a teacher or in this case an editor; however, this idea must be relevant and timely to the area you’re reporting for and it must be something you can get at least three live sources for. While we’re talking about sources, every reporter needs at least three people as sources that they, ideally, decide on the day thes tory is assigned. This is because sources must be contacted and interviews must be set up to make deadlines.

Typically, when writing for The Rambler print newspaper, students have a week to get their stories together, so interviewing needs to happen as soon as possible. Getting those interviews is a whole different level of terror that will be explained later. Assuming the three interviews are set up and everybody showed up at the time and place that was agreed on, reporters are also in charge of writing their questions. The questions a reporter asks will either make or break a story. Reporters have to get most if not all their information from their sources, so if the questions don’t prompt the needed responses there will be no story. This leads into the three types of people interviewers run into: the one-worders, the answerers, and the talkers.

Most people are answerers, so they’ll answer exactly what is being asked and only that. The gems are the talkers that will answer your questions and beyond that, adding in information the reporter may not have thought to ask or may not have known to ask. The worst are the one-worders, who will answer the question in one word without elaborating, which is why it’s necessary for questions to be open-ended. After the interviews lies my personal horror of typing out the interviews or transcribing them. Now, it may be pointed out that you could write the responses to your questions, but have you ever tried

Photo by Shaydi Paramore After spending hours on interviewing people and transcribing interviews, Hannah Onder enjoys curling up with a good book.

to write down people talking?

Even when taking notes people abbreviate, they don’t write the exact words said by their professor, so therefore my preference is to record interviews. That way the words are one hundred percent accurate to what was spoken. Back to the transcribing: It’s not just one interview, either, it’s at least three.

For every interview I type out it usually takes one hour per ten minutes of recording. Most of my interviews average out to about ten minutes, so at minimum it usually takes three hours to transcribe everything in order to start the writing process.

Finally, you get to the part which can be compared to writing an English paper, though I prefer not to make the comparison, since it is someone’s life story we’re writing about. That of course adds the pressure of doing it right. The next thing is to go back to all that typing you just stared at for the last three hours.

The madness continues.After the interviewing, transcribing, writing, photographing, and designing, there’s promotion. The last thing you want is all those hours of work wasted by having no one read yourstory. That’s around ten hours per story of your life that you don’t get back. Therefore, reporters need to distribute newspapers around campus and share them around social media, so that’s at least another 30 minutes of posting and walking you need to do. Now we’re done ... for one story.

Usually Rambler reporters write at least two stories per week. There are those three-or four-story weeks too, when things get really lively on campus. I did promise some truly harrowing stories of being a reporter. Most of those come from getting the interviews. One common scenario is when

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

— Thomas Jefferson Print/Web Content Producers:Shaydi Paramore, Sachiko Jayaratne, Karan Muns, Hannah Lathen, Hannah Onder, Grace Fisher, Tina Huynh

Editor-In-Chief: Shaydi Paramore IMG Director: Grace Fisher

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Rambler TV Director: Sachiko Jayaratne

Editorial Staff: Hannah Onder, Shaydi Paramore, Hannah Lathen

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The editors reserve the right to edit all submissions for space, grammar, clarity

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you plan to meet with somebody at a certain time at a certain location and then they don’t show up.

One extreme personal example was when I talked to a person face-to-face an hour before an interview, and then I sat there thirty minutes before I got the communication that the person was no longer on campus and would prefer an alternate time. I then showed up at the alternate time to find the person still not there, and I had to wait another ten minutes before the person arrived. I wasn’t frustrated about changing the time of the interview, but rather the fact it took so long for that person to communicate their issues with me. Another common issue is getting in touch with someone. If people don’t want to interview they should just tell me up front instead of making me run around thinking they’re not getting my communication. Journalist sdeal with this type of thing on a daily basis, and each reporter has their own set of stories.

Now don’t misunderstand, we put up with all this stuff because we are passionate about what we do. We love our work, so we’ll do whatever it takes. Now that you do know some of the challenges student reporters face, please don’t make it overly complicated for them if they reach out to you.They want to tell your story to the best of their ability, but the added hurdles waste time and effort.Even with all the hardships, the job of a reporter is worth it when you come across the lit-up face of a person finally getting to share their story. It’s just an uplifting feeling to be there listening to their story and knowing you’ll get to help spread it to the masses. It makes all the terrible moments worth it, especially when you see people’s faces as you hand them thepublished copy.

Rams up Thumbs up to midterms being over.

Thumbs up to Wesleyan alumni presenting their work at Authors Day. Thumbs up to the first football homecoming in 75 years.

Thumbs up to a chance to win ticktets to Hangman’s House of Horrors at The Rambler’s Halloween event.

Rams down Thumbs down to flu and cold season.

Thumbs down to midterm week.

Thumbs down to car burglaries continuing on campus.

Thumbs down to the shooting that occured in Las Vegas.

Wednesday | October 18, 2017|3

News

TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.

NAIA

continued from page 1 “They will be huge for us,” Rost said. “Right now, we’re building a team culture with them as we prepare for the season.”

Shingleton feels that the team this year also looks very strong and has some definite strengths.

“We shoot the ball really well, we’re deeper this year than we have been in the past,” he said.

Even though this team will be completely different from last year, the potential to win again is still there, Crane said.

“It’ll be a different team and we’ll probably play a little bit different, but we still have the same potential to do the exact same thing as last year,” Crane said.

Even though the season has not started yet, the best thing for this team to do is look at what lies ahead, Shingleton said.

“Everyone is still kind of riding that wave of feeling special,” Shingleton said. “I have to tell them and even myself, that’s past, that’s over,

it’s up to you now to kind of do your own thing.”

Right now, the team really needs to see if

than you talk right now, you might learn.”

Shingleton believes he can keep the same coaching style, and he feels there is only one real way to prepare the team.

“The only way “We are going to be everybody’s best shot this year I really know to prepare them is and every team we play is going to want to say, ‘Oh, transparency; I really like to we beat the team who won nationals.’” clear the air. think guys - Brennen Shingleton Ineed honesty and directness,” they are ready to commit and if they are willShingleton said. “I want them to understand ing to be unselfish, Shingleton said. it’s great to feel successful, it’s great to be part “My assistant coach kind of coined this of something special, but it didn’t just hapanalogy that I really liked,” Shingleton said. pen.”

“They’re going to have to unpack their bags. I The best way to prepare the players is to think the real challenge is going to be are we make them feel uncomfortable and put them completely bought in. Stop talking so much in situations they aren’t used to, Shingleton and start doing attitude. If you listen more said.

“I tell them, ‘You haven’t even put a jersey on yet, we haven’t even had any kind of adversity,’” Shingleton said. “We’re still feeling good about ourselves, we haven’t gotten uncomfortable. Everyday my challenge for them is to get uncomfortable.”

The upperclassmen, especially players who were on the team last year, are definitely going to have to step up, Rost said.

“I understand what it takes to be successful here,” Rost said. “I’m going to do everything I can to be a positive influence on the team.”

The ultimate goal would be to win a national championship, especially for the seniors, Crane said.

“I don’t want anything more in this world right now then to finish my college career as a national champion,” he said. “All of the seniors on the team want to go out with a win.”

The men’s first home basketball game is Nov. 2 against Southwestern Adventist University at 7:30 p.m. in Sid Richardson Gym.

RECYCLING continued from page 1

for a year,” Gresham is quoted as saying in the release.

The softball team is involved in “Lids for Kids,” Stefek said, there are plans to start participating in Blue + Gold=Green.

“Our whole team is involved in ‘Lids For Kids,’ even our

coach, so the support has been overwhelming,” Stefek said.

“Our team has been collecting lids all year and I know that we can make a difference in someone’s life by being able to help them pay for chemotherapy treatment.”

Students have noticed the increased attention paid to recy-

cling.

“Last year, I never saw anything about recycling at school,” said Kiki Mendez, senior exercise major and baseball player.

“This year it is like everywhere I turn I see a recycling bin and that is awesome.”

VARUSKA

continued from page 1 Varuska was confident that she had the support from her husband and two daughters, Chelsey and Blayne, who are also pursuing bachelor’s degrees.

“I really just wanted them to go to school so I decided that the true way to do that would be to go to school with them,” Varuska said.

“I started taking one summer class with my oldest daughter and I just fell in love with the process.”

Family support is extremely important in the Varuska household.

Both of Varuska’s daughters have been right by their mom’s side throughout her time in college.

“It’s taken a family,” Varuska says. “My husband was really the one that encouraged me to enroll and it has taken a village to get here.”

Varuska mentions how Wesleyan’s Smaller.

Smarter promise has impacted her experience throughout her time.

“I’m not just a number here,” Varuska said.

“I feel like my professors have had the opportunity to get to know me.”

Another one of Varuska’s professors thought she was well deserving of the scholarship.

“Stephanie was an amazing student,” wrote Dr. Heida Reed, professor of business administration. “She is one of those students who is always on top of her work and is always willing to go above and beyond in helping her fellow students.”

During her free time, Varuska tries to spend as much time with her three-year-old granddaughter who she says is truly her inspiration.

“I don’t want her to ever face the struggles that I did by not having the proper foundation,” she said.

Varuska will graduate in May 2018 and plans to attend graduate school to receive her master’s in analytics from University of Texas in Dallas. Eventually she plans to receive her doctorate so she can inspire other students as her professors have done for her.

Photo by Chuck Greeson/Marketing and Communications Varuska smiles proudly after receiving the news that she has just received the scholarship.

“I’ve been so inspired by my professors,”

Varuska said. “I would like to pay it back.”

4 |Wednesday October 18, 2017

Campus

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Do tattoos hurt your job chances?

Sam Bastien skbastien@txwes.edu Among many young adults, the popularity and interest of getting a tattoo has been growing rapidly for the past couple of decades.

According to the National Institute of Health, 73 percent of people got their first tattoo between the ages of 18 and 22, prime college age. And an estimated 40 percent of millennials have a tattoo, according to a Pew Research Center report.

This may suggest that young adults are not overly concerned with the possibility of having visible tattoos that may affect their chances at landing their dream job after graduation.

Senior liberal studies major Kiki Menendez has two tattoos and is not concerned with the possibility of a future employer not hiring him as a result.

“Tattoos aren’t as big of a deal as everyone thinks they are,” Menendez said. “It [tattoos] doesn’t change who you are as a person; they are just a form of self-expression.”

Menendez said his tattoos have a deeper meaning. He has a tattoo of a baseball with the stitching of a breast cancer symbol in honor of his mother, Allison, who is a breast cancer survivor.

The baseball is also a way of expressing that baseball is a true passion of his.

“I think if you wanted a tattoo that was hard to cover up and wanted a corporate job, then maybe you should reconsider,” Menendez said. “But for the most part I think tattoos should be easily accepted.”

Menendez isn’t the only one with this type of attitude toward tattoos in the work force.

According to Lynne Swihart, director of agency operations at the Balcom Agency, a Fort Worth marketing/advertising agency, views on tattoos can differ from one company to another.

“More traditional companies and careers like accountants, bankers or lawyers may have a differing view [on tattoos],” Swihart wrote in an email. “But as a creative group of individuals [at Balcom], we encourage appropriate self-expression.”

In a recent Twitter survey of 33 Texas Wesleyan University students, 64 percent said they were not concerned with the placement of their current tattoo(s) due to their potential employment after graduation.

Junior exercise science major Parker Robinson also uses tattoos as a form of self-expression. Robinson has a tattoo on his left bicep of the Bible verse 2 Corinthians 5:7.

“It serves as something that keeps me going and pushes me forward every day,” Robinson said. “It’s also my favorite Bible verse.”

Though college students may not be concerned with their chances of landing a job after graduation because they have tattoos, they are taking into careful consideration where they ink up.

Photo by Shaydi Paramore Rambler Integrated Media Group Director Grace Fisher shows off her tattoos, which are placed on the back of her neck.

Both Menendez and Robinson chose the placement of their tattoos because they could easily be covered up.

“I thought about where to put my tattoo because if it is too visible you might not get the certain job that you want,” Robinson said.

Rylee Cox, a junior history major, has three tattoos and wants to pursue a career in teaching. Based on her career choice, she chose the positioning of her tattoos based on the ability to easily hide them.

“I want to get a good job after graduation so I knew I needed to be smart with where I got my tattoos,” Cox said. “I got them in places easy to hide that only I can see or other people can see if I wanted them to.”

Cox, like other students, believes that a person’s tattoos don’t dictate the quality of their work or skill set.

“Our society is changing and more and more people are getting them [tattoos],” Cox said. “Tattoos are slowly, but surely, becoming more acceptable in the professional world.”

Photo courtesy of Rylee Cox Rylee Cox has a tattoo of a mandala on her right leg that she drew herself. Due to her wanting a career in education, Cox chose to have her tattoo on her leg to hide it.

Wednesday | October 18, 2017

|5

Campus

TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.

Photo courtesy of Kiki Mendez Kiki Mendez shows off his tattoos, which represent his love for his mother and for baseball,. The tattoo is also in honor of his mother for being a breast cancer survivor.

Graphic by Shaydi Paramore According to piercingmodels.com, 41 million Americans have at least one tattoo and spend $1,650,500,000 yearly.

Photo by Hannah Onder Earlier this year, Shaydi Paramore got matching tattoos with her fiance, Robert Clary. The matching tattoos are of a buck and doe with the words ‘Forever’ and ‘Always’ in each other’s handwritng.

Meetings are once a month.

IABC is a networking group to help find opportunities for jobs, volunteer hours, and internships.

Contact Kayla Prachyl for more info.

Kayla Prachyl, IABC President klprachyl@txwes.edu

6 |Wednesday | October 18, 2017

Arts&Entertainment

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Buffy guards psychology department Hannah Onder hlonder@txwes.edu What if Willie the Ram wasn’t the only mascot at Texas Wesleyan?

If you’re wandering the halls of the Nenetta Burton Carter Building, you may come face to face with a festive, hairy, severed javelina pig head by the name of Buffy.

“Buffy has been here [Nenetta Burton] since we moved in,” said Dr. John Hall, professor of psychology. “When psychology was in Dan Waggoner, she was there since probably 1990s. She’s been around a long time.”

Buffy, the mascot of the psychology department, arrived at Texas Wesleyan with Dr. Laura Schneider, who taught psychology at Texas Wesleyan from 1995 to 2005. Buffy was jokily gifted to her during her undergraduate years and remained with her through graduate school and her teaching years here.

“She was a classmate of mine at TCU, but a year behind me,” said Dr. Marilyn Pugh, an associate professor of psychology. “She came to work at Wesleyan the year after I did, and she brought Buffy, a taxidermized javelina, which is a wild pig native to the Southwest.

It was so outrageous and ridiculous that we decided to make it our department mascot.”

Schneider left Buffy with the department when she left Wesleyan in 2005.

“Schneider left in 2005 because she got married and moved away,” Pugh said. “She didn’t feel the need to take Buffy, since she had an army captain.”

Ever since Schneider left, Buffy has been in Pugh’s care. Pugh keeps up the tradition of dressing Buffy for the seasons.

“Buffy has a Mortar Board graduation hat she sometimes wears near graduation,” Pugh said. “She had a lot of Christmas, Easter, and Halloween stuff in a box in a closet. The most extreme was when he had the apparent severed leg of a child in his jaws for one Halloween with a denim pants leg and tennis shoe. I was really temped to dye it in red paint and have it dripping, but I thought that may be a bit much.”

Pugh even made Buffy a Wesleyan ID that hangs from her neck.

“I found a javelina picture on the internet, some Wesleyan stickers, and a judicious amount of clear packing tape to make it look shiny,” Pugh said. “I’m sure I had a lanyard, probably the official one, since I don’t wear my ID on a string. When they first issued

Photo by Hannah Onder Buffy, the pig head mounted on a wall in the Nenetta Burton Carter Building, is the mascot for Wesleyan’s pyschology department and has been there since 1995. Students can check out Buffy in her Halloween costume for this year.

them, they told us to wear them at all times and that lasted about three months. Now nobody wears them, except Buffy. She’s the only in the department that complies with the rule.”

A favorite costume of Hall’s was the Easter one, when Buffy had a stuffed Easter bunny between her jaws. He appreciates Pugh’s efforts.

“It’s pretty much been Dr. Pugh [that does the costumes],” Hall said. “She’s been masterful at it.”

Hall, like Pugh, believes that Buffy is an important department tradition. He even joked that the department may have to disband without her, since she’s technically tenured, having been around for more than

two decades.

“Absolutely [Buffy is part of the tradition of Wesleyan’s psychology department],” Hall said. “It’s not that we think about her every day, but I can’t imaging walking into this building and Buffy not being there. I can’t imagine through Dr. Pugh’s efforts if she [Buffy] didn’t transform at the various holidays and seasons. It’s just unimaginable.”

Hall and Pugh both think most psychology majors like or are neutral toward Buffy.

“I think the psych majors mostly either embrace or ignore Buffy,” Pugh said. “They do ask about it. If they bring family or something you can see them introducing people to Buffy.

I think they either completely ignore Buffy or they sort of enjoy that we have something

ridiculous that is just ours.”

Even though Buffy is a huge part of the psychology staff, some students never really notice her.

“I don’t like or dislike [Buffy] and I’m not a super fan [either],” senior psychology major Raul Resendiz said. “I guess I’m neutral.”

Hall said the reactions to Buffy have varied throughout the years.

“There’s been a lot of reactions over the years, but I think most students, especially our students in the department, come to identify with Buffy just like we do,” Hall said.

“I think almost everyone’s been favorable, but some people aren’t, and that is what makes it Buffy even more special.”

Wednesday | October 18, 2017

| 7

Sports

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Trachier takes on new role as coach Ashton Willis

anwillis@txwes.edu

Texas Wesleyan Athletic Director Steve Trachier is ready to work double duty this season.

After the announcement of women’s head coach Bill Franey’s retirement, Trachier decided to take on the role of women’s head coach for the 2017-2018 season.

“My first love has always been coaching and I am now able to return to my roots,” Trachier wrote in an email.

Balancing the role of being athletic director and women’s basketball coach will definitely be a challenge, Trachier wrote.

“Fortunately, Associate Athletic Director Ricky Dotson is capable of handling the heavy lifting in the office,” Trachier wrote.

Trachier believes that even with the loss of some key players the team is still looking strong. The first game of the season is Nov. 1.

“We are strong on the perimeter,” Trachier wrote. “We did lose a three-time All-American at the post position and replacing those points and rebounds will require a team effort.”

Senior and exercise science major Bailey Broadnax is excited about having Trachier as the new head coach.

“While he has set some pretty high goals for us, with hard work we know they are achievable goals,” Broadnax wrote in a text message.

She believes that Trachier has already helped them improve by implementing things for them to do during the off-season.

“He made sure the gym was available to us throughout the summer, as well as sending us off with workouts to be completed daily,” Broadnax wrote. “Because of that we are in the gym every day getting better.”

Trachier was also faced with the challenge of having to recruit several new players this year.

“I searched for good players who are also strong in the classroom,” Trachier wrote.

Trachier believes there are several new recruits who will help the team out this season.

“Evie Whorley, Lexi Burns, Tomi Sanchez, Karah Sicurella, and Jasmine Steele will all be heavy contributors,” Trachier wrote.

Trachier is thrilled about getting to coach this particular group of players.

“They are all good people who are here to get an education,” Trachier wrote. “I love working with athletes who are selfPhoto courtesy of Josh Lacy motivated, and this group of women are certainly that.”

The women’s basketball team are preparing for their first game on Nov. 1 against Wiley College in Marshall,TX. Senior and psychology major Alycia Louallen believes wrote.

While winning games is an important goal to have, there is Trachier can help the team make great strides but is definitely Trachier believes, however, that preparation does not just one thing that Trachier wants the players to achieve no matter not taking it easy on the girls. come from the players. how the season plays out.

“I am excited to have coach T as a coach; I believe he will “If we are prepared for everything other teams throw at “If these ladies walk across the stage and get a diploma from make a difference in the program,” Louallen wrote in a text. “It us, then we have a chance to be successful,” Trachier wrote.

President Slabach, I’ll sleep well at night knowing I did my (the program) includes a lot more conditioning compared to “Preparation comes from the coaches.” job,” Trachier wrote. previous years, and it will definitely pay off in the long run.”

Trachier has two main goals that he would like to see the The women’s basketball team’s first home game is Nov. 20 Louallen believes that the team also has more depth this team achieve this season. versus Texas College at 6 p.m. season.

“Get our seniors to the NAIA National Tournament and to “We will have more guard play this year considering that have a cumulative team GPA above 3.00,” Trachier wrote. we have a lot more shooters compared to last year,” Louallen

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Sports

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Lady Rams beat Oklahoma City University

Photo by Delana Lopez The Lady Rams celebrate after beating Oklahoma City University 2-1; this was the first time the team beat OKC on the road.

Delana Lopez dmlopez@txwes.edu

Earlier this month, the Lady Rams made history.

For the first time, the women’s soccer team beat Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma.

Josh Gibbs has been the team’s head coach for 12 seasons, and he has been craving this win more than most.

“It’s always good to win any SAC game,” Gibbs says. “They’re all important. At City is tough though. We have always been competitive with them, but never able to win at their place.”

The game was scoreless heading to halftime. The Lady Rams weren’t great in the first half and they knew it. Gibbs said he gave it to them straight about not winning at Oklahoma City before the game.

“I told them it was a personal goal of mine that lined up with our team goal. They responded well, especially in the second half,” Gibbs says.

The team was trying hard, but just not scoring. Heading into the second half with the score 0-0 allowed the Lady Rams to go into the second half with a clean slate, one more shot to give it their all.

“I think the collective light switch just came on for the players, and they knew what they had to do,” Gibbs said. “They settled into our style of play and performed fantastically. I was very proud of the performance, but moreso the lack of panic.

That is what made me proud.”

Senior education major and captain of the team Sami Moore says the win was certainly a memorable one for her.

“It really pumped me up even more and is going to keep the team’s momentum going,” Moore says. “Josh deserved to get a win against OKC at OKC and I am so glad I got to be on the team that did that.”

Moore knew the Lady Rams didn’t have a great first half, so as the captain she talked to her team getting them to calm down and just play the game.

“We started to play with our feet and had a lot more chances up top with our forwards,” Moore says. “This was a team effort.”

The Lady Rams scored twice in the second half, including a goal by Tameir Grosvenor, and held OKC to one goal.

According to Moore, this win has built confidence as the team heads deeper in conference play. Before the game, the Lady Rams were 6-2; they are currently tied for second in the Sooner Athletic Conference.

“It shows us how well we play together. I am so proud of everyone and how hard we worked as a team!” Moore said.

Grosvenor, a freshman biology major and the team’s leading goal scorer, went into this game just the same as she would any other.

“I go into every game the same; working my hardest and giving my all,” Grosvenor says. “I never know what can happen.”

After seeing what this team capable of, Grosvenor is excited to see what the rest of the season holds.

“It feels great to part of the team. I’m excited for the rest of the season,” Grosvenor says. “I feel like this is OUR season.”

This win brought more than a victory for the team and the coach.

“It is very special to me,” Gibbs said. “I love and respect their coach (Brian Harvey) more than just about anyone I’ve ever coached against. He has always been great to me.”

The Lady Rams’ next home game is against Wayland Baptist University at 5 p.m. on Oct. 28 at Martin Field.

Graphic by Karan Muns These are the Lady Rams’ 2017 statistcs as of Oct. 12.