Rambler 09.19.07 by The Rambler

The Rambler

The students’ voice since 1917

Fort Worth, Texas

September 19, 2007

NEWS BRIEFS

You’ve been

Party with Ms. Stella All students are invited to the free Stella Russell Hall balcony party from 9 p.m. to midnight Sept. 20 for the musical stylings of DJ T-Thurm, free food, drinks and a chance to win a PlayStation PSP hand-held entertainment system.

News Briefs

Discount movies Wesleyan movie buffs can get discount tickets to AMC theaters through the student life office. Tickets are $6.50 each and are good for any movie at any time.

Vol. 99, No. 3

served

The Lady Rams volleyball team shows its stuff at the first annual Wesleyan-Hughes volleyball classic, which kicked off the volleyball alumni reunion Sept. 14. Players like Sandra Ayala (left) joined in to support the Becky Hughes endowment. Hughes was an acclaimed Wesleyan coach that served from 1979 to 1991. Photos by Kevin Keathley

You really need a facial... A Coldwater Creek spa package is being raffled off Oct. 23 between games 2 and 3 of the volleyball match. The package is valued at more than $200 and includes a two hour and 30 minute essential facial, Swedish massage and “tempt your toes” foot treatment. Fliers are posted around campus. Tickets are $20, available from any volleyball player or coach. Got paintball? Student Life is looking for students interested in an all-day paintball extravaganza Sept. 21. Sign-up lists are posted around campus and at least 15 people are required. Contact the Student Life office in the SUB for more information. Gay-Straight Alliance The Wesleyan Gay Straight Alliance meets every Friday at 12:15 in room B17 in the Eunice L. West Library basement. All students, faculty and staff that support human rights are encouraged and invited to attend. See you at the chapel Chapel is held at free period every Tuesday in the Chapel of Polytechnic United Methodist Church, followed by a free lunch. The Sept. 25 speaker is Jerry Chism, pastor of Arlington Heights UMC. Baptist Student Ministry TWU’s BSM invites you to come hang out and share a meal with other Wesleyan students. Baptist Student Ministries participates in ministry activities on campus, in the community and around the world. Meetings with free lunch are Wednesdays at noon in the Carter Conference Room, on the second floor of the Sid Richardson Building. Make your mark now The Rambler is now hiring writers and photographers. Get paid and have fun helping produce Wesleyan’s oldest news publication. Regular meetings are at 12:15 p.m. every Thursday in the lobby of Stella Russell Hall.

Wesleyan gets millions for bilingual education SHAWN R. POLING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Things keep looking up for the education department. Wesleyan was selected to receive a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Professional Development program to benefit the bilingual education program. This grant award comes shortly after receiving a $2 million Title III grant from the Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions program over the summer. “This is the eighth grant award that Wesleyan has received since the early ’90s to meet the needs of the non-English speaking children of the Metroplex,” said Carlos Martinez, dean of the school of education. “The number of bilingual teachers produced by Wesleyan is so great that is difficult for me to visit a school in the Metroplex and not run into a former student.” The funds will be used by the Wesleyan-Tarrant Country project, whose main goal is to “provide quality training to prepare 175 (about 35 per year)

pre-service and paraprofessionals to increase the number of certified teachers meeting the linguistic, cultural and academic needs of English Language Learners (ELL students) in the 13 partner school districts,” according to a press release issued by Wesleyan. The participating partner school districts include Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Lake Worth, White Settlement, EagleMountain Saginaw, Castleberry, Mansfield, Birdville, Everman, Burleson and Irving. The bulk of the award will be used as scholarship funds for Wesleyan bilingual education majors, but some will be used to provide professional development training sessions for teachers, principals and administrators from the partner school districts. Some university faculty will function as presenters of the professional development training sessions, along with state and local experts. “This grant award demonstrates the continued confidence that the U.S. Department of Education and local school districts have with Wesleyan’s ability to produce quality bilingual educators to serve the growing number of non-English speaking students in the Metroplex,” said Martinez.

Summer sun, no island fun Wesleyan student returns from scientific internship in the Bahamas ZAINAH USMAN & SHAWN R. POLING PHOTO EDITOR & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Although most people go to the Bahamas for fun in the sun, senior liberal studies major Adam Harrison traveled to the legendary islands for a very different reason. “Many people think I was there to party and have fun,” said Harrison. “Even I did at first, but I worked my butt off.” Harrison was one of a few students who won an internship in the Bahamas with the Perry Institute for Marine Science, a non-profit organization committed to protecting the world’s oceans through research and education, according to its Web site. The goal of the internship was to provide real world practical application of the knowledge and techniques he learned in scuba courses at Wesleyan (His minor is recreational dive management). The internship gave Harrison a chance to fill scuba tanks, gas boats, clean loading areas, check compressors, repair docks, paint/operate boats and unload cargo flights, just to name a few of his responsibilities. He ended up making a total of 78 dives. “Lots of extended energy and long, hard days,” he said. “It was enjoyable but tough.” During his three months on Lee Stocking Island, an island in the Bahamas, Harrison was also expected to participate in a variety of tasks and experiments, some not directly related to scuba. “I gained an enormous wealth of knowledge about a wide variety of marine life,” Harrison said. “I learned many of the methods that scientists use to study marine

See Bahamas, page 2

Photo courtesy of Adam Harrison

Adam Harrison and others experimented with black lionfish during his internship on Lee Stocking Island. The pictured lionfish is one that Harrison helped capture. During his stay, a black lionfish attacked one of the scientists Harrison assisted.

News

2 September 12, 2007

The Rambler

Bahamas, from page 1

life in the field.” One of the experiments was a feeding experiment with black lionfish. Although it is a predatory native to the Pacific Ocean, they have appeared in the Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas. “We basically wanted to see what kind of fish they would eat and which kind they wouldn’t,” Harrison said. In addition, Harrison worked with geologist Dr. Robert Ginsburg to study stromatolites, calcium structures that have been forming on bacteria for 3.5 billion years. He also maintained oceanographic data station for CREWS (Coral Reef Early Warning System) to predict environmental changes and how they affect coral. Although much of Harrison’s days on the island centered around water and marine life, he also learned a few things from the people and creatures living above ground. For the most part, residents on the island were very poor and lived their lives very simply. “I gained an appreciation for all of the things that we take for granted here in the U.S.,” said Harrison. That message really hit hard when he helped to save a man’s life. One morning, during the normal internship activities, the group received a distress call from a nearby island saying there was a man in need of medical attention after suffering a heart attack. Because Harrison’s group was on the only island in the vicinity with an airstrip and portable oxygen, he and another intern boated to the nearby island. As it turns out, Harrison was the most medically-trained person on any of the islands, and he spearheaded the task to rescue the man. He managed to get the man on oxygen, boat him over to the main island and load him onto a plane. Later he learned that the man had two clogged arteries and would most likely have died had it not been for Harrison. “I met the man briefly before we flew back to the states,” Harrison said. “I got a great goosebumpy sense of accomplishment when he thanked me for what I did. I’m not trying to sound too cliché here, but that’s what it’s all about.” Now that he’s back at Wesleyan and reminiscing about his days on the island, Harrison is amazed by all the new experiences he had. He handled the controls of an airplane in flight, trimmed coconuts with a machete, hunted lobsters and water skied, among other things. Harrison also shared his experience of tense moments: watching a colleague get stung by a lionfish, running out of gas on the high sea and surviving scuba equipment malfunctions under 50 feet of water. “I think most important of all the things that I gained during the three months I was on LSI,” Harrison said, was the “new long-lasting friendships and experienced camaraderie that developed stronger and faster than anything I have known previous.”

Photos courtesy of Adam Harrison

During his internship and stay on Lee Stocking Island, Adam Harisson spent most of his time around the docks and boats, above, or underwater. Harisson (below, right) caught a black lionfish, a species that Harisson and others used in various scientific experiments.

Congress passes financial aid bill to boost Pell, reduce loan interests ROCHELLE MCCONKIE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE/ UWIRE

Some

bosses want your

soul at The Rambler we just want your words (and there’s no need to wear prada)

www.txwes.edu/rambler twurambler@yahoo.com

The U.S. Congress recently passed a bill that will boost college financial aid to $20 billion, taking money from government-subsidized lenders to increase Federal Pell Grants and decrease fixed-interest rates for student loans. “It’s giving more money to the neediest students,” said John Curl, director of financial aid at the University of Utah. “In-state students would be receiving funds which would be more than their tuition charges right now.” Through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which Sen. Edward Kennedy said is the biggest increase in student aid since the GI Bill following World War II, the maximum Pell Grant would rise from $4,310 to $5,400 in the next five years. Students receiving Pell Grants would see an immediate increase of $490 in the first year. “The increase will be marginal, but it will make a difference for students,” Curl said. During the 2006-2007 school year, more than five million Pell Grants were awarded nationwide. The act will also cut interest rates on government loans for undergraduate students from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent by 2011 and CAP loan payments so students won’t have to pay more than 15 percent of their monthly income. A loan-forgiveness program will be implemented for borrowers who work more than 10 years in public service, such as public school teachers, social workers or nurses. More than $500 million will be given to minority schools, such as historically black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions. “Low-income and middle class students will benefit the most because it increases need-based grants and gives borrowers more rights and makes paying back easier,” said Pedro de la Torre III, a manager for Campus Progress, an activist organization in the Center for American Progress supporting the legislation. The funding increase will come from federal money previously given to banks that acted as student lenders. Kennedy and Rep. George Miller sponsored the reconciliation bill, which must now be signed by President George Bush to become law. Bush is expected to sign the bill. Some Republicans criticized the bill for not including measures to stop improper lending practices and because it did not include proposed revisions to the FAFSA form, which they said was confusing. Sen. Mike Enzi, a member of the education panel, told The Washington Post the bill “is only a Band-Aid solution without the important bipartisan reforms.” On the Senate floor, Kennedy praised the act’s efforts. “Our Senate bill provided all these benefits at no cost to the taxpayer by cutting the outrageous subsidies the government gives to lenders. We gave that money to students, where it belongs,” Kennedy said.

Opinions

The Rambler

September 19, 2007 3

Petraeus and Crocker fail to identify Iraqi problems “Ugly Betty.” “The Hills.” “The Flavor of Love 3.” “The NBA.”

Tim Keating Sophomore Exercise Science Major

Robert Fountain Sophomore Exercise Science Major

Which TV show are you most looking forward to this fall season?

Stefanie Blowers Junior Business Major

Marco Gallegos Senior Spanish Major

he top American military commander in Iraq, Gen. Yet in spite of all of these inconsistencies, Petraeus and Crocker David Petraeus, and the American Ambassador to claimed success for the surge, and Petraeus recommended a drawdown of Iraq, Ryan Crocker, faced 16 hours of often pointed troop levels to pre-surge levels by the beginning of 2008. President Bush questions from Congress about the state of affairs in gladly assented. Iraq. Both men pointed to progress in the military and While the administration is touting the return to pre-surge troop levels political situation in Iraq but failed — or refused — to as a troop drawdown, it is in fact nothing more than a return to the statusanswer key questions about the duration of America’s quo ante that existed in 2006 when voters turned out a Republican military presence and about the crucial domestic politi- Congress largely in disgust with the lack of progress in Iraq. cal situation in Iraq. Petraeus refused to discuss troop levels beyond the beginning of next ZACH All in all, the scene Sept. 10-11 on the Hill was year, and, in fact, said he needed another six months to determine whether DAVIDSON reminiscent of Gen. William Westmoreland saying in another drawdown is feasible. That means 130,000 American troops will 1967 that there was “light at the end of the tunnel” in be in Iraq until at least next March! respect to the military situThe question that Petraeus is refusing to answer – ation in Vietnam. “Tell me how this ends” – is the same question he himWhat stood out most – self asked rhetorically in 2003 when he led the 101st airas a Sept. 10 story in borne division into Iraq. The failure to answer that quesMcClatchy newspapers tion, and the baffling optimism in spite of almost all of pointed out – was what the the facts, is inexcusable and more than a little puzzling. two men testifying did not The final question then, as one assesses the longsay, or their penchant for awaited testimony this week and America’s hopeless misconstruing the situation. position in Iraq, is who is to blame for the mess we are In just one example, in? While it is easy to blame Petraeus, Crocker or Bush Petraeus remarked and disand the pliant members of Congress who went along played a chart demonstratwith this misguided war, ultimate blame must lay upon ing that sectarian violence Courtesy of McClatchy Newspapers the ultimate source of power: citizens. in Baghdad between It is easy to forget now how widespread support Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker avoided December 2006 and for this Iraq misadventure was in 2002 and 2003 and the answering the “big question” of how the war in Iraq will end August 2007 had toxicity of the discourse over the war. The minority of while addressing Congress Sept. 10-11. decreased. What neither he us who believed it was a mistake in the lead up routinenor Crocker mentioned was the change in ethnic composition in the city ly had our patriotism questioned. More pertinently, war supporters inferred from “majority Sunni Muslim or mixed to majority Shiite Muslim.” and often explicitly claimed that we had not learned the “lessons of 9/11.” Both men also omitted from their testimony that, according to the However, remaining bitter about the past will not help the United International Organization for migration, “86 percent of Iraqis who have States remedy those mistakes in the future. It is vital now that we the citifled their homes said they’d been targeted because of their sect.” Both of zens demand an end to this tragic blunder in Iraq. The most immediate these facts belie the contention that ethnic tensions in Iraq are on the way to bring about an end to the war is to refuse to appropriate funds for decrease. Petraeus and Crocker’s highlighting of the decrease in ethnic any purpose other than bringing troops home as fast as we can in a manner tensions echoed arguments of the administration (for which both men are that leaves them safe. We owe it to our soldiers to remove them from grade-A water carriers) that the troop surge that began last winter has been harm’s way in a situation on which they can have increasingly less impact. a smashing success. We also owe it to the Iraqis to allow them succeed or fail in the project of Yet even Petraeus’ own statistics don’t support him. As the McClathy statecraft. The answer to Iraq’s problems is political, not military. story mentioned, Petraeus failed to explain why the greatest drop in “ethno-sectarian” deaths “occurred between January and February, before Zach Davidson is a junior political science and history major and is a staff writer for The Rambler. the surge began.”

War on poverty drafts college students into the fray Decline in U.S. poverty rates calls for community investment, not a pat on politicians’ backs

e are college students. We shop at Wal-Mart, Ross, Half-Price Books, Marshalls and, occasionally, even Goodwill. Why? We are poor. Right? Perhaps we are more fortunate than we realize. The United States population RACHEL took notice this month as the HORTON Census Bureau released the news that U.S. poverty rates declined for the first time this decade. The fall from 12.6 percent in 2005 to 12.3 percent in 2006 is three-tenths of a percent, but a decline is still a decline. This translates into approximately 36.5 million people in poverty out of a total U.S. population of 301,139,947. “Well,” you might say to yourself, “that’s awesome!” and continue to move on to your next class. But what does that really mean for you and me? College students are frequently accused of living inside a bubble. We spend most of our time on a campus which functions as a mini-city. There is a convenience shop to serve our Ramen Noodle needs; we have a bookstore to serve our academic, school supply and school spirit needs; the library functions as a study and help center; the cafeteria provides cooking that makes you love your mother more; and there’s a gym to ensure physical fitness. Colleges even have their own government system in place. Why should three-tenths of a percent matter to us? In his 1964 State of the Union Address, President Lyndon B. Johnson formally declared a “war on poverty.” He mobilized the legislature to take immediate action, and this resulted in a variety of programs we see today. Programs such as Medicare, Head Start and the Job Corps were all results of the “war on poverty” tactics enacted by the Johnson Administration. As Johnson wisely noted in his address, however, “poverty is

a national problem, requiring improved national Graham. “It ultimately limits growth for both organization and support. But this attack, to be [the school] and the neighborhood.” effective, must also be organized at the state and In the past, Wesleyan has supported multiple the local levels and must be supported and endeavors to improve the standard of living for directed by state and local efforts.” Fort Worth’s low income neighborhoods. A 1999 Rates and statistics are simply a way in report from the mayor of Fort Worth on the Arts which to measure the success and progress made Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County in this on-going war. And no matter how many described the important role Texas Wesleyan federal programs exist to alleviate the poverty played in assisting the Arts Council in renovatcondition, the frontlines ing and renting an abandoned buildare ultimately going to ing, which later became the be in our backyard. Eastside Neighborhood Arts Center. The Center for Since its establishment, it has Public Policy Priorities served as a daytime rehearsal space in Austin reported that a for dancers in the TWU school of family of four living in fine arts. At all other times, the cenArlington or Fort Worth ter plays host to countless other would need to earn classes, rehearsals and art performabout $46,000 a year to ances, which benefits the eastside make it without public neighborhood. These classes and assistance. The performances expose children and American Community adults to art and culture that would Survey noted that this otherwise be unaffordable. average family of four Ultimately, the primary issue is living below the poverty meeting the needs of the communiline accounted for about ty as a whole within a set income. 102,846 people in Fort Demosthenes, a notable Courtesy of Google Images Worth alone. So what Athenian statesman of the fourth does this mean for Texas The poor’s low standard of living century, once said that “small can be aided by student efforts. Wesleyan’s backyard? opportunities are often the beginDr. Erika Graham, professor of economics at ning of great enterprises.” The students of Texas Texas Wesleyan, noted that because the neighWesleyan have a small opportunity in their own borhood surrounding the school is low income backyard. Three-tenths of a percent, however “there is absolutely no retail, no place to shop positive, is undoubtedly a small drop in a fairly because…retail looks at income.” large bucket. But when we take seriously the Graham went on to note that while things “war on poverty” and act within our abilities for like coffee shops and bookstores would be of the betterment of the community as a whole, interest to the students, it would serve students perhaps we may make the difference needed to almost exclusively and would not serve to enrich add one more family to the list of those living the neighborhood as a whole. above the poverty threshold in Fort Worth. “In the long-run, Texas Wesleyan forfeits job The effort starts here. opportunities for its students and cannot enrich Rachel Horton is a freshman political science major the neighborhood [by attracting retail],” said and is a contributing writer for The Rambler.

Rambler Ratings

The Rambler Founded in 1917 as The Handout Harold G. Jeffcoat, Publisher Kelli Lamers, adviser Zainah Usman, photo editor Jack Walker, sports editor Skyla Claxton, advertising manager

Shawn R Poling, editor-in-chief Tiara Nugent, managing/college life editor Colleen Burnie, entertainment editor Amanda May, Web editor Member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.

Opinions expressed in The Rambler are those of the individual author only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Texas Wesleyan community as a whole. Letters to the editor: The Rambler, a weekly publication, welcomes all letters. All submissions must have a full printed name, phone number and signature; however, confidentiality will be granted if requested. 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 opinions page. "We are not afraid to follow the truth...wherever it may lead." -Thomas Jefferson Address all correspondence to: Texas Wesleyan University, The Rambler, 1201 Wesleyan St., Fort Worth, TX 76105. Newsroom: 531-7552 Advertising: 531-7582 Fax: 531-4878 E-mail: twurambler@yahoo.com

Thumbs up to Wesleyan ground maintenance crews for giving our campus a sharp look. Thumbs down to Applebee’s for removing the Apple Chimichanga from their menu. -- Jimmy Juelg

Thumbs down to AMB214 whose screen projector has been broken for months.

Thumbs up to all who participated in rush events.

Corrections Dr. Tim Bruster is not a Wesleyan alumnus. He was identified incorrectly in a Sept. 12th news story. Alpha Kappa was misidentified in a rush event photo Sept. 12. Choral Conductor Dr. Jerry Bierschenk’s name appeared incorrectly in the Sept. 5th issue.

The Rambler regrets these errors.

College Life

September 19, 2007

The Rambler 4

Extra, extra ... or do you not read all about it?

People wander from printed news sources, preferring to utilize various electronic avenues ERIC DOUGLAS STAFF WRITER

You’re walking to class one day and you see about 10 people standing in front of the library talking. Only about seven of the people have seen, read or heard some sort of news source in the past day, according to a report from The Pew Research Center for People and the Press. About a year ago, the research center released a study entitled Online Papers Modestly Boost Readership: Maturing Internet News Audience Broader Than Deep, which reported on the current state of how Americans gather their news. This report cites the fact that 81 percent of Americans access some sort of news during their busy day but that they differ on where and when they get their news. The report from the Pew Center also went on to say that on a normal day 57 percent of people will watch their news on the good old television while 36 percent will hear their news on the radio. Another 23 percent read their news on the Internet, while only 40 percent now read their news from a

newspaper. read books on a normal basis (much to the dismay of some “News? I read it sometimes on my Yahoo! home page if professors. something looks interOverall, the traditional methods of esting or watch it on news gathering (television, radio, print) the TVs in the library,” have all fallen in the last decade while said Michael Franklin, the Internet’s base of people who seek it a senior general busias a news source has grown. According ness major. “But, for to alexa.com, a Web information and the most part, I don’t reporting site, the top two most visited get any news most sites in the last week were, in order, days.” Yahoo and msn.com. Both sites give a To put the numbers majority of their home pages to different in perspective, the sections of news. report states that an The falling numbers in where our average 63 percent of news comes from are attributed to peoPhoto by Kevin Keathley our country’s popula- Zach Davidson, senior political science and history ple under 30 who go to many different tion watches television major, obtains his news briefing from the latest edition of sources to get their news – if they boththat has no news con- Time magazine. er being informed at all. tent, 44 percent do After all, 27 percent of this age some sort of physical activity regularly and only 38 percent group doesn’t receive any news most days.

Student volunteers have potential to change the world TIARA NUGENT MANAGING EDITOR

literally our own community,” she said. “As a community located within a needy community, many feel it is our duty to help.” Low-on-funds college students living the hectic life may feel their potential to aid is limited, but a glance at the Student Life calendar reveals two Saturday projects looming on the horizon. Both are small time commitments but promise great returns. First up on the Student Life service calendar is Cowtown Brush Up Oct. 6. Cowtown Brush Up, a nonprofit neighborhood revitalization program that has been restoring community pride for the past 16 years through new coats of paint and yard tidy-ups. What began as a small operation giving 33 houses a facelift has now spun off the city of Fort Worth, churches, businesses, schools and hundreds of citizens renovating roundabout 1,778 homes. Benefits are enjoyed all around: deserving home owners receive a fancied up house, volunteers have the chance to invest in their community, and donors obtain a sense of satisfaction knowing their surplus isn’t being hoarded but rather spent well. Join the giving spirit of Fort Worth and turn out in your work get-up Oct. 6 to beautify

To some, volunteering is part of college life. Perhaps a class grants extra credit for it, a sorority requires it or your religious organization promotes it. Maybe, it just feels good to make a difference in the world, no matter how insignificant the gift of time and effort may seem. Jenny Houze, coordinator of student activities and volunteerism, expresses great excitement about the numerous upcoming activities and volunteer opportunities at Texas Wesleyan. While several campus organizations are getting ready to participate in outreaches like Boo at the Zoo – a Halloween event held at the Fort Worth Zoo – there are many other activities geared for the Wesleyan body to embrace. At many larger campuses, volunteering is not such a priority, Houze comments, but at Wesleyan, all that’s different. Courtesy of Google Images “At Texas Cowtown Brush Up allows neighbors within the community an opportunity Wesleyan, most stuto help one another out while giving their homes a facelift. All supplies are dents and faculty donated by various businesses, churches and schools. alike feel like the campus is a home. It is because we are small that we are so close with each other; we are

Ever dreamed of being a printed author?

Today is your day. Publish your self-expressions in The Rambler. twurambler@yahoo.com

Cowtown. Ever remembered that loose policy you made for yourself concerning class attendance back in the freshman days and wished you could change it? Well that may be impossible, but iDream, iLearn, iWin, second-up on the service calendar, offers you, the college student, a chance to mentor high school students and hopefully help them avoid that same mistakes. Held this year on Oct. 13, iDream, iLearn, iWin presents Wesleyan and other area college students the chance to visit with local Fort Worth high school students about the college experience, college success and their potential as individuals. During this Saturday conference, high schoolers and their parents will attend workshops and enjoy a meal and entertainment as well as browse through booths set up by local universities and colleges. Families can also obtain answers to all their financial aid questions, making this event a one-stop education shopping. Many of the students addressed will potentially be the first in their families to attend college; it is therefore important that they view high school graduation as an exciting springboard to higher learning and accomplishments. Seize this opportunity to guide and stimulate American youth, looking on the occasion as an honor and privilege. Who knows – that sullen, unkempt, tongue-pierced kid slouching around the back may grow into our next mayor, governor, congressman or president, and you can play a small part in achieving that win. For additional details regarding any one of these events or campus volunteerism in general, stop by the Student Life office or e-mail Jenny Houze at jlhouze@txwes.edu. Each day comes only once. Make yours count.

Being positive affects others’ lives, not just your own Have you ever known someone who brightened a room by leaving it? You know, the one who never has anything nice or positive to say. How sad it must be to be that person and not even know your own sourness. Think about what that means: There are people out there who make a room brighter when they leave. As you go through your days, I want to encourage you to be the bright spot. Be the one whom others want to be around. It is not always easy to be positive, especially when life around you is crumbling, stress is at an all-time high and there doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel. But here’s your challenge: Be positive anyway. You may not feel good at the time, but when you make others feel good I promise you will feel good, too. I heard once that, as a Christian, you should always remember that your actions and words will influence JULIE others because you may be the only Bible that they ever “read.” That means that to others, you could be the DAVIS walking definition of Christianity (or any other faith) and people will define that faith by what they see in you. That is not to say that we all don’t have the right to have a bad day now and then. It just means that by limiting your negativity, you will be happier ... and so will the people around you. Julie Davis is a senior English major and is a staff writer for The Rambler.

Quick Quotes “Sometimes a player’s greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team.” -Scottie Pippen NBA Forward 1987-2004

Upcoming Events Coming Up This Weekend on Campus . . . Sept. 21 Woman’s Volleyball vs. Bacone @ 7 p.m. Men’s Soccer vs. Texas College @ 6 p.m. Women’s Soccer vs. Texas College @ 4 p.m. Sept. 22 Women’s Volleyball vs. Our Lady of The Lake@ 3 p.m. vs. Wiley @ 7 p.m. Sept. 23 Men’s Soccer vs. St. ThomasHouston @ 6:30 p.m.

Log on to: www.ramsports.net for the latest game information and profiles of your favorite Wesleyan Teams and Athletes

Numerology 101

Matches in three days, for the Lady Rams’ volleyball team. The squad went 5-1 over the weekend in the WesleyanHughes Volleyball Classic.

Number of digs compiled by senior libero Ashley Mock in a match against Wayland Baptist, a school record.

Consecutive penalty kicks netted by junior midfielder Seth Mullins in three years at Wesleyan. He has yet to miss from inside the box in his college career. Two have gone for goals this season.

National Collegiate championships won by the Texas Wesleyan University Table Tennis Team last spring. They were: Co-Ed Team Event, Women’s Team Event, Women’s Singles, Women’s Doubles, Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles.

of those titles, which Mark Hazinski can lay claim to, are Men’s Singles, Mixed Doubles, Men’s Doubles and the Team Event.

Shots registered by the Lady Rams’ soccer team in a 6-0 pummelling at Martin Field against St. Gregory’s University.

Sports Sowing their oats

September 19, 2007 5

The Rambler

Goals by junior midfielder Brianna McKernon in a four minute span, in the Lady Rams’ 6-0 pummelling at Martin Field against St. Gregory’s University.

Baseball future still in the air for current and former Rams players Baseball League. Elmore knocked six home runs and was selected to play in the league’s mid-summer all-star game. Hicks homered four times in his brief stay with the Heat before leavFrom the hot corner to the bullpen, baseball careers carried on over ing the club mid-season to join Diaz in San Angelo. Hicks drove in three the summer for several departed and returning Wesleyan players. Wesleyan alumnus and former pitcher Ryan Riddle stands as the runs in nine appearances for the Colts. Former outfielder and kinesiology major Victor Burgos rounded out lone player to sign with a major league affiliated club. He went undrafted but signed with the St. Louis Cardinals who assigned him to the Class the group of players who moved on to professional ball. Burgos returned to Fort Worth this fall as a member of the St. Joseph’s Black Snakes. The A Batavia Muckdogs. After getting roughed up in his first appearance, Riddle was an Black Snakes compete with the Fort Worth Cats in the American effective hurler, recording 18 strikeouts in his final 20 innings pitched. Association. Returning players Riddle’s competed in prestigious battery mate, summer leagues as well, Josh Vander Hey, hoping to lay the groundaslo a Wesleyan work for future professionalumnus and foral careers. mer business Brandon Frazier and management Ryan Jacobi patrolled the major, went outfield for the Rams last undrafted as season, and both roamed well. With a year out of state to play over the of collegiate elisummer. gibility remainJacobi, a sophomore ing, he decided to business major, traveled to pursue a master’s New York and joined the degree and play Niagara Power, while at the University Frazier was a Wisconsin of New Orleans. Woodchuck representing Vander Hey Photo courtesy of Ramsports.net Wesleyan in the joined the In April the Wesleyan varsity baseball team won its first Red River Athletic Conference title in 28 Northwoods League’s allMineral Wells years. star game in Minnesota. Steam of the “Hitting with wooden bats was a tough adjustment, but in the secTexas Collegiate League last summer and hit three home runs, racking up 19 RBIs. On defense, the backstop threw out 18 potential base-steal- ond half of the season I was able to pick it up and start hitting like I could,” Jacobi said. ers. Pitchers Hayden Lackey and Aaron Wimpee headed to a higher eleA senior-laden infield produced three players who landed on rosters vation, joining the Fort Collins Foxes and Parker Express of the at the independent level. Mathematics and education major, Jason Diaz made the transition Mountain Collegiate League in Colorado. Some went far, but none as far as Taylor Miller, a sophomore studyfrom third to second base as a member of the San Angelo Colts of the United Baseball League. Diaz scored 23 runs and posted a .382 on-base ing pre-law, who spent his summer in Anchorage, Alaska, competing for Athletes in Action. percentage. “I actually played in a game that ended at 2 a.m., and the sun was “Some guys at the next level are a little bit jealous to see younger guys come in and have success right away,” Diaz said. “I was just happy still up,” Miller said. “I spent all my free time fishing with other guys from the team.” playing baseball and living with an amazing host family.” The well-traveled returning core will join a host of new recruits next Billie Hicks, who studied mass communication at Wesleyan, and Ross Elmore, former history major, continued to turn double plays for a spring to defend the Red River Conference championship. few months, as both signed with the Texas Heat of the Continental

BRYCE WILKS STAFF WRITER

Lady Rams win big, conference honors for Mock and Darling JACK WALKER SPORTS EDITOR

The Texas Wesleyan Lady Rams’ volleyball team is sitting pretty after putting in a great deal of work at the Wesleyan-Hughes Volleyball Classic Sept. 14-15. The Wesleyan women took five out of six matches at the Wesleyan event, dropping their final contest in exhausting fashion to Lubbock Christian in the decisive fifth game of the competition. All in all, the squad played an astounding 24 games, losing only five. The Lady Rams went three consecutive matches without surrendering a single game, sweeping John Brown University, Belhaven College and Lindsey Wilson, according to Ramsports.net. The Red River Athletic Conference Athletic Web site named senior libero Ashley Mock the player of the week Sept. 17. This is the second time this season that Mock has been recognized for her outstanding performance in a given period of time. She shattterred the school record for digs in a match after registering 51 against Wayland Baptist. The prior

mark set was 40. Mock helped lead the Lady Rams to a 6-1 record in the past seven games. Also gaining the first honors of her young collegiate carreer was freshman setter Evoni Darling. The freshman biology major from Grapevine, Texas, averaged 11.5 assists per game for the week of competition. She was named the Red River Athletic Conference’s setter of the week for her part in balancing the Lady Rams’ attack. For three matches Darling posted 50 or more assists, including a season-high 58 set-ups against Wayland Baptist. After a seesaw beginning to the season, the Lady Rams are improving after every match. A pair of their recent successes were against regionally ranked opponents in Southwestern Assemblies of God and John Brown University. These victories proppelled the Wesleyan women to the fourth-ranked slot in their respected Region VI, according to the NAIA Web site. The Lady Rams’ volleyball team has just less than a month until the Red River Athletic Conference tournament, which determines who will compete for the conference in the national tournament.

Sports Performance of the Week Junior Mitch Hendon: Men’s Golf Wesleyan junior finance major Mitch Hendon is having a stellar season so far this fall. After finishing second to teammate Paco Sarcho in the collegiate flight of last week’s Fort Worth City Championship, the two reversed roles after play was complete at the Charles Coody Intercollegiate Classic in Abiliene Sept. 11. Hendon’s first round 66 was the seventh lowest round in the program’s storied history. Hendon followed that up with a 69 to finish with a final tally of 135, giving him his first collegiate victory. Saracho finished one shot off the pace in second with a closing 67 to post a total of 136. According to Ramsports.net Hendon and Sarcho’s two-day totals matched the fourth and sixth best tournament scores in the history of the team. “It was great for Mitch to get his first win and have those two go one, two after they finished first and second last week,” Athletic Director and head golf coach Kevin Milikan said. “This was a pretty good way to start the year.” Indeed it was a great way to start the year. The team topped a large competitive field primarily composed of NCAA Division II squads, paced by Hendon and Saracho and supplemented by junior Kevin Doskocil (tied for eighth), freshman Drew Koonce (tied for 61st) and Johnathon Dickerson (tied for 64th). The men’s team is currently ranked 14th in the country according to the NAIA Web site. At press time the men’s golf team was competing in The Territory Classic, hosted by Cameron University at the Territory Golf Course in Duncan, Okla. -Jack Walker To vote for the Sports Performance of the Week e-mail twuambler@yahoo.com with your vote. Subject: Sports Performance of the Week.

Entertainment

6 September 12, 2007

The Rambler

Barash plays scholarship benefit concer t 40 years ago. He began his musical career in the Soviet Union as a violin soloist. In 1979, he and his family came to the United States where his career began to pick up speed. His life, however, appeared to make a turn for the worse when, after five years of perWith school well underway, many students find themselves forming in the United States, Barash injured his left stretched thin. Whether it be from sports, academics or anything else hand in a major car accident. The injury rendered him that may come with college life, we all find ourselves a little out of unable to continue his musical career. As a result, breath at the end of the day. Perhaps it’s time for some of us to stop Barash turned his focus toward business, which, after and smell the roses. The Music Scholarship Benefit Recital featuring years of hard work and perseverance, he deemed sucMikhail Barash, world class violinist, is the perfect way to do this. cessful for both himself and the companies he owned. Barash will perform selections from his newly released album Retired from the business world and cajoled by his For Us, which includes pieces from various composers, such as Fritz wife, Barash returned to music some 22 years after his Kreisler, Johannes Brahms and even his wife, Alla Barash. The life-altering accident. Since then, Barash has recorded recital takes place at 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at Martin Hall, but be prepared two solo albums, the first of which, For You, was to come early, as the hall is anticipated to have every seat filled. recorded for his wife. The second, For Us, is a continu“It will be an affair to remember,” said Dr. John Fisher, chair of ation of the warm and amorous music he brought forth the music department. There is no official dress code for the event, in For You. Barash has also performed all over the but producers are calling it an upscale event and said one would feel world, including his most recent performance of the comfortable in a tuxedo or evening gown. Valet parking will also be Paganini Violin Concerto in Klagenfurt, Austria, in July. offered. It was met with overwhelming approval and praise. Open to the public, there is no admission fee for the concert, but Fisher said he is ecstatic about the upcoming perdonations are accepted. The concert is ultimately a fund-raiser for the formance. Texas Wesleyan Music Scholarship Fund, so if you enjoy the per“It brings in such an opportunity – a chance to make formance, a contribution to the fund will help nurture students abilia connection with a gentleman who is of world class ties so that one day they too will be able to delight and inspire. stature,” he said. Photo courtesy of Mikhail Barash Barash has contributed to the scholarship fund himself by donating Barash, a member of the Wesleyan board of trustees, is also Barash has indeed provided a prime opportunity for his CDs, which will be available for purchase the night of the con- a world renoun violinist. students, alumni, faculty and anyone else who enjoys cert. classical music of the utmost quality. So take a break Barash, who was recently added to the Wesleyan board of trustees, is performing for from the grind of campus life and revel in a performance of classical music that intends to Texas Wesleyan as a part of his recent return to music, a passion of his that began more than both rejuvenate the mind and move the soul.

ERIC WONG STAFF WRITER

Jazz fest brings music home COLLEEN BURNIE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Photo by Jillian Jones

Theatre Wesleyan performs two one-act plays at 7:30 p.m. Sept 19-22 and 2 p.m. Sept. 23.

Theatre Wesleyan produces one act2 COLLEEN BURNIE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR The plot: a small town post-Vietnam. The people: just your average Joes trying to live their life. What makes it interesting: It’s people from a Texas town. Theatre Wesleyan’s fall productions, Laundry and Bourbon & Lonestar, are two one act plays that invite you into the world of regular people as they laugh their way through their personal struggles. The goal of the productions is to make you laugh with them. “I play Hattie, a ballsy, brassy character,” said junior theater major Whitney Park. “It is a departure from who I am in real life. It’s fun to play.” Park plays one of the three women in the first one act play, Laundry &Bourbon, a tale of love, fear, self-righteousness and how we

T HE W EEK A HEAD To submit an event for the calender, e-mail twurambler@yahoo.com.

Saturday On Campus:

Wednesday On Campus:

deal with life’s inevitable struggles, specifically the struggles of love and marriage. “I think the stories are very relatable,” said Park. “They are even set in a real Texas town.” The two shows are actually separate plays. However, they are connected through related characters, which are discussed in each play. Lonestar follows the conversation of Roy, a Vietnam veteran, and his younger brother, Ray, who discuss the glory days, the war and what really matters in life. “The shows are black comedies in that the issues that they are dealing with are real, but the plays are fun,” said Brynn Bristol, instructor of theatre and costumer for the production. The production runs Sept. 19-22 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. in the Thad Smotherman Theatre. Contact the box office for tickets at (817) 531-4211.

Thursday On Campus:

Friday On Campus

* The Rambler staff meeting: * Methodist Student Lobby of Stella Russell Hall, Movement meeting: Poly UMC, noon, free lunch served. 12:15 p.m.

* Gay Straight Alliance Meeting: B17 basement of the library, 12:15 p.m.

* Baptist Student Ministry: Sid * Faculty Assembly: Science Lecture Theater, 12:15. Richardson Building, noon, free lunch served * Lonestar and Laundry & Bourbon: Thad Smotherman * Lonestar and Laundry & Bourbon: Thad Smotherman Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

* Lonestar and Laundry & Bourbon: Thad Smotherman Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday On Campus:

* Lonestar and Laundry & Bourbon: Thad Smotherman Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

* Lonestar and Laundry & Bourbon: Thad Smotherman Theatre, 2 p.m.

* Women’s volleyball vs. Bacon College: Gym, 7 p.m.

* Women’s Volleyball vs. Our Lady of the Lake University: Gym, 3 p.m. * Women’s volleyball vs. Wiley College: Gym, 7 p.m.

Monday On Campus:

Tuesday On Campus:

Louis Armstrong once said of jazz, “Man, if you have to ask what it is, you’ll never know.” For hundreds of thousands of people throughout decades, jazz is the music of life, and for the fifth consecutive year, Jazz by the Boulevard will bring that smooth sound of life to the lawn of the Kimbell Art Museum for all to hear. The festival is designed not only to display the varied sounds and styling of jazz, but it also serves as a fund-raiser to help beautify the area off Camp Bowie, expose Fort Worth’s Cultural District and draw some attention to the work that has gone into keeping the city a center of cultural activity. “I think what’s unique about this event is that it has a specific purpose,” said Producer Donna VanNess. “Besides being a fund-raiser for Camp Bowie, we aim to promote and educate about the heritage and roots of jazz in Fort Worth.” Two stages will be set up the entire weekend featuring jazz musicians from all over the nation. Some of the headliners include Arturo Sandoval, George Duke, Joshua Redman Trio, David ‘Fathead’ Newman and Marcia Ball. There will also be local groups and amature groups playing all day long. In the spirit of preservation, the Jazz Archives will be on hand to display the rich jazz history that Fort Worth holds. According to the Jazz by the Boulevard Web site, jazz musicians such as Ornette Coleman, Dewey Redman, Charles Moffett, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Ray McKinley, Tex Beneke, Prince Lasha, John Carter and Julius Hemphill call Fort Worth home, along with many other notable musicians. “For the past five years the Fort Worth Public Library has worked with Jazz By The Boulevard to develop a collection of archives to preserve and promote the cultural legacy of great Fort Worth jazz musicians and to pay tribute to their lives and work,” reads the Web site of the origin of this historical endeavor. The permanent jazz archives collection is housed at the library and has grown to house personal papers, recordings, photographs, oral histories, journals, scrapbooks, films, charts, scores, instruments and personal artifacts, some of which will be displayed at the festival. The city of Fort Worth’s cable production company is currently documenting conversations with local musicians such as Sumter Bruton, Johnny Case and Curley Broyles, discussing the Fort Worth music scene, past and present, and reflecting on a “life in jazz.” Along with the concerts and history, Ridglea Music is sponsoring an “instrument petting zoo” to provide children an opportunity to experiment with different instruments including trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, flute, trombone, guitars and some percussion instruments. There will even be local teachers and directors there to teach the children how to play. While jazz music plays on both event stages, local chefs will “display their mastery of the culinary arts,” according to event planners. The chefs will offer insight into entertaining and “chef secrets” to “gourmet magic.” Local wine experts will also be on site to instruct event goers how to properly pair wine. If the gourmet culinary magic isn’t for you, don’t worry. Carts full of festival food will be in tow with everything from funnel cakes to Cajun delights. The sponsors ask that you not bring in outside food or drink and, instead support the vendors that make it possible for an event like this to be free. The fifth annual Jazz by the Boulevard begins at 5 p.m. Sept. 21 and runs through 8 p.m. Sept. 23.

Gallery Night Liberal studies major Suzette Rangel and Wesleyan alumna Jill Foley (below) enjoyed the festivies at this fall’s Gallery Night. Spring Gallery Night dates and times are to be announced.

* Student Government * General Assessment Training: NBC 102, 12:15 p.m. Meeting: Carter Conference Room, noon * DVD releases: Knocked Up, Gods and Generals, Patch Adams and Gothica.

Photos by Thomas A. Boylan

Fall Gallery Night in Fort Worth was a fun-filled evening for participants and artists alike. Senior art major Amanda Winkelman (above) is shown enjoying one of the many paintings by Leslie Lanzotti in the newly renovated gallery at Artspace 111.