WEDNESDAY
October 28, 2009
Vol. 92 • No. 21 ONLINE:
www.therambler.org
The Rambler
The voice of Texas Wesleyan University students since 1917
Student Life’s haunted hallway in full effect College Life, page 4
Sexy costumes evoke mixed reactions A&E, page 5
Historic graveyard receives recognition
Laura Rosser | Rambler Staff Stella is getting a firepit.
SGA enacts measure to beautify campus
Jonaathan Resendez
jlresendez@mail.txwes.edu
Polytechnic Cemetery was recognized as an historic graveyard by the Texas Historical Commission in a celebration last week. Jonathan Resendez
jlresendez@mail.txwes.edu
Although graveyards are somber places, a celebration was held Oct. 21 for Polytechnic Cemetery. Tarrant County court officials, representatives of the Tarrant County Historic Commission and Daughters of the Republic of Texas were all invited as Poly Cemetery received a historical marker from the Texas
Historical Commission commemorating it as the 100th Historic Texas Cemetery. “This is a big deal,” Brenda Matthews, Wesleyan history professor, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram last year when plans for the marker were announced. “I’m really excited.” The cemetery held its first funeral in 1867, before Texas Wesleyan even opened its doors, according to the Star-Telegram.
Descendants of those buried in the cemetery were scheduled to be present for the dedication. According to a press release from the THC, Texas Wesleyan history faculty members and students began researching the Polytechnic Cemetery in 1997. By 2002, students under the instruction of Dr. John Matthews, history professor, successfully mapped the cemetery. Although they were able to un-
Laura Rosser | Rambler Staff
cover some information, exactly how many people were buried in Poly cemetery remains unknown. Gerron Hite, cemetery preservation coordinator for the Texas Historic Commission, told the StarTelegram that the lack of records is common for old cemeteries. “Many of them don’t have a burial list,” he said. “They don’t think about the future.”
In keeping with its hopes of making Texas Wesleyan a more visually pleasing environment, the Student Government Association passed proposition B.G. 2 this month. The proposition is a part of the SGA’s “Adopt-a-Spot” kick-off. According to the bill, the program is designed to stimulate campus beautification in numerous locations. “It’s going to be a great thing to add to residency life,” said Mindy Pospichal, SGA treasurer, of the “Adopt-a-Spot” initiative. Proposition B.G. 2 allocates $475 for the renovation of an area immediately south of Stella Russell Hall, west of the sports court. The money will pay for a tree swing and outdoor fireplace, as well as several decorative stones to create a rock garden effect. While a majority voted the proposition in, some did not want it pass, saying that the bill lacked structure. They also said obtaining permits and whether or not it was in a smoke-free zone could present issues. Jonathan Attaway, SGA secretary, is pleased it passed. “It has the potential of bringing new levels of awareness to the organizations,” he said, “and how they can change the campus for the better.”
New board offers funds to enhance student life Daniel Bravo
dmbravo@mail.txwes.edu
The Campus Activity Board is Texas Wesleyan’s newest student organization where individual students or student organizations can participate in funding and/or planning oncampus events. What makes CAB different is that members are not obligated to be a part of a student organization to participate. They simply need to be interested in being a part of the on-campus social. CAB was responsible for last year’s Homecoming Tailgate and the Halloween party as well as a couple of on-campus dances. “I joined CAB last semester because I was new on campus and I wanted to be involved [with] an organization,” said Amaya Howard, a sophomore political science major. “I heard about some of their previous events and was interested.” CAB will serve two functions, planning and carrying out at least one social event per month and managing a budget for student organizations to request funding for their own events.
“I am not a member of any
other organizations so I am fully dedicated to making CAB events successful.” Amaya Howard
sophomore
The budget used for CAB is funded by Student Life, according to Michael Chaney, CAB facilitator. According to Chaney, who is also director of volunteerism and student organizations, student organizations or students who seek funding for an on-campus event that is open to the student body must fill a proposal form and attend a CAB meeting. The Board will then vote on whether or not the event will receive funding for their event and if so, how much.
MONEY, page 4
Annette Torres
BESO earns grant money
The Texas Wesleyan University Bilingual Education Student Organization was granted a $500 scholarship by the Bilingual/ESL Educators Association of the Metroplex to fund participation in the BESO Institute at the Texas Association of Bilingual Education Conference in Houston.
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Opinion
October 28, 2009
The Rambler | www.rambler.org
Halloween Hypocrite
Laurence J. Sheehan
ljsheehan@mail.txwes.edu
Like most people, I love Halloween. It’s the time of year I get to act like a child and no one judges me. Yes, I am a 6-year-old trapped in a 27-year-old’s body. I take the Toys-R-Us theme song to heart. Remember: “I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys-R-Us kid, with millions of toys to choose from that I can play with…” and so on. However, as a grown up man-child, I do have some
“I’m a dork 365 days of the year, and if there were 365 more, I’d still be a dork,”
Laurence J. Sheehan
problems with the direction Halloween has taken. The hypocrisy of the holiday breaks down like this: First, I keep referencing it as a holiday, as most people do, but as we celebrate it, it’s not. It would be like saying that for Thanksgiving we are
going for beers, wings and to watch the Cowboys game. Secondly, I bet you don’t know the origin of Halloween. It is actually an ancient Celtic festival to celebrate summer’s end called Samhain. According to www.his-
Letter to the Editor A lot here to agree with. The main thrust of the article (Modern Media Mess, Oct. 21) is spot-on! “Pack-journalism” is a well-documented phenomena. The 24-hour news cycle is a major reason that it has gotten so out of hand. The problem used to be getting all the important stories in very limited news programs and publication space (i.e. the daily paper and 30 minutes in the evening and at night). Now there is continuous coverage, and the issue becomes what fills it. The filter is turned the other way, and otherwise insignificant stories become wall-to-wall time-fillers, while more important and less interesting news gets slighted with increasing regularity. Also, the corporate, for-profit model of media companies must share significant blame. News channels compete for ratings the same way any other television station does. They put the emphasis on what keeps viewers tuned in, not necessarily what they need to know to be well-informed. I personally argue that this represents a signal failure of their role in society, but the answer is more discriminating viewership. Dollar votes are the best way to bring change. As with so many public problems, more awareness is a central key to solving the problem. To quote the famous poet John Donne, “Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.” I do worry about the message that criminal prosecution sends to parents. When it comes to the safety of one’s child, can one truly “overreact,” especially to a criminal degree. If it was a real hoax, then the parents should be severely punished, especially if it was a ploy to enter the vast wasteland that is reality television. -Zach Davidson BS 2008 Please submit all Letters to the Editor to: Laurence J. Sheehan ljsheehan@mail.txwes.edu
tory.com, the costumes come from a tradition of the ancient Celts who believed during Samhain the borders between this world and the next become thin. Spirits from the other side would cross over, and if you were dressed up, the spirits would assume you are already a spirit and move on somewhere else. If not, they would haunt you. Thirdly, it’s more the day that even the classiest, sophisticated women dress like sluts. And we approve this. As a society we acknowledge
that this is your one night only pass. My only reason for disapproval is again, the hypocrisy. If you can’t wear a short skirt 364 days of the year, then why wear one this one night? I’m not going to lie, I do love looking at those short skirts, but we give a pass this one night when walking out in public with a painted chest and pasties is accepted. Why can’t we have that every night without a woman being called a slut? Because we are hypocrites. I’m a dork 365 days of the
year, and if there were 365 more, I’d still be a dork, dress like a dork, walk like a dork. I am all dork and proud of being who I am. Last year I was Pauly Bleaker from Juno for Halloween. Not a ghost, a werewolf or anything else the “cool guys” are wearing. To bring it all together, Halloween is a fun day. Go, dress up, trick or treat, party, do your thing, but remember when you look around this Oct. 31 that you are celebrating hypocrisy on multiple levels.
Keep it clean
Constant sanitation key to fighting H1N1 Stephanie Mejia
smejia@mail.txwes.edu
Since the abrupt outbreak of the H1N1 virus last April, sanitation is an issue that has gained more attention on college campuses. As students were diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, schools around the nation closed to prevent the risk of spreading among staff, faculty and students. Texas Wesleyan was one of them. Prior to the outbreak of the H1N1 virus, Texas Wesleyan had already taken precautions to keep students clean. The installation of hand sanitizers near the entrances of most buildings, including the Brown-Lupton Campus Center and the Nenetta Burton Carter Building is a sanitary measure that encourages students to keep their hands clean after touching doors. Since doors are
frequently touched, they are common sites for the spread of bacteria. The possibility of a flu or H1N1 outbreak on campus can be related to a lack of personal hygiene, as well as inadequate cleaning procedures. Yes, custodians are hired to keep our facilities clean, but our health also depends on our decisions about personal hygiene. We can protect ourselves from becoming sick by simply washing our hands with soap and water or by using sanitizers like the ones currently installed across campus. We can also protect ourselves from the spread of germs by sneezing or coughing into a tissue and then disposing of it properly. If tissues are not available, it is advisable for students to sneeze or cough into their
elbows instead of using their hands. There are some areas of Texas Wesleyan that could use greater sanitation efforts. The computer labs in the basement of the Eunice and James L. West Library, as well as classrooms with computers, should have disposable wipes available to students. After using the computers, students should be able to clean the keyboards. Several students use the computers throughout the day, and if the keyboards are not disinfected frequently, there is a possibility for the spread of germs. If we see facilities on campus that are not as clean as we would like, we should say something about it instead of ignoring the problem. Texas Wesleyan is our university, and we should keep it clean in efforts to prevent a potential outbreak of H1N1 this season.
Dreamstime.com
The Rambler Founded in 1917 as The Handout Publisher: Harold G. Jeffcoat
Jonathan Resendez, news editor Laurence Sheehan, opinion editor Conner Howell, college life editor Joakim Söderbaum, sports editor Chuck Fain, entertainment editor Laura Rosser, photo editor Rachel Horton, multimedia editor LaShawnda Mayhorn, social media director Daniel Bravo, advertising manager Kelli Lamers, faculty adviser Dr. Kay Colley, faculty liaison
Member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press, Student Press Law Center, College Media Advisers and College Newspaper Business and Advertising Managers. Opinions expressed in The Rambler are those of the individual authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Texas Wesleyan community as a whole.
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Please send all news briefs to twurambler@ yahoo.com. Submissions due by noon Friday to see brief in the following week’s issue.
Letters to the editor: The Rambler, a weekly publication welcomes all letters. All submissions must have a full printed name, phone number and signature. While every consideration is made to publish letters, publication is limited by time and space. The editors reserve the right to edit all submissions for space, grammar, clarity and style. Letters to the editor may be subject to response from editors and students on the opinion page.
What is your Halloween costume this year?
Jackson Duran, senior biology
Meghan Winton, senior biology
“Jack Sparrow.”
“Bumble bee.”
Saba Whipple, senior mass comm
“Party girl.”
“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 twurambler@yahoo.com To contact T he R ambler (817) 531-7552 Advertising Inquiries: (817) 532-7582
Angel Maldonado, junior mass comm
“Vampire.”
Marques Hamilton-Griffin, senior mass comm
“Bruce LeRoy.”
3 Campus Businessman provides insight The Rambler | www.therambler.org
Daniel McGrary
dcmcgrary@mail.txwes.edu
Texas Wesleyan’s newest inductee to its Business Hall of Fame shared his message of success to a packed house in Martin Hall Oct. 20. Vernon Bryant, president and chief executive officer of Southwest Bank is this year’s recipient of the Fort Worth Business Executive of the Year award, and he had words of advice for students. “Ethics, reliability, good work habits and planning are all very important,” Bry-
October 28, 2009
ant said. “Also, don’t be afraid of change. Everything will change with tomorrow’s business environment, and you need to be poised as a proactive participant and leader.” Bryant passed on knowledge gained throughout his career of leadership in the banking industry, including the role of ethics in the business world, his view of the industry and the current economic recession. He spoke for nearly an hour and then answered questions from the audience about the banking industry, the reces-
“I am confident that Texas Wesleyan can attract larger numbers of area professionals to its MBA program.”
Vernon Bryant Jr.
Southwest Bank President & CEO sion and the economy. “I thought that his main topic, being ethics in the banking industry, was extremely relevant to what is happening right now,” said Dr. Tom Smith, marketing pro-
fessor. “People are concerned with what is happening with the recession, the government bailing out the large banks, and all that.” Bryant is a member of Wesleyan’s board of trustees and
Office of Communications
also spoke about the university. He said he sees a bright future for the school’s busi-
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ness programs. “I am confident that Texas Wesleyan can attract larger numbers of area professionals to its MBA program, especially considering the competitive nature of the business environment in which we operate.” He also said he intends assist with the growth of the business programs. “As we move forward,” he said, “I plan to become very actively involved in the future success of these, as well as Texas Wesleyan’s other programs.”
Online advising now available for some Kimberly Saleh
ksaleh@mail.txwes.edu
Laura Rosser | Rambler Staff
Keeping the beat Students drummed along with Kumaasi African Ensemble during International Week festivities Oct. 20.
In Brief...
Poly parade The community is parading to Wesleyan for activities Oct. 31. University President Hal Jeffcoat and other representatives from Texas Wesleyan will take part in a parade that begins at 10 a.m. at Polytechnic High School. The parade will proceed down Rosedale to the quad where community leaders will speak, and family games and activities will continue until 1 p.m. Sen. Wendy Davis instigated the celebration when Poly High improved its state test scores after years of low scores and the threat of closure by the state. Care packages The Sports Medicine Society is collecting
MONEY
items for military care packages to be sent to soldiers in Iraq in November. The group is seeking donations of any kind to fill these packages. Suggested items include tall white sox, medicated lip balm and cleansing wipes as well as money for the group to purchase items. For information or to make a donation, visit the training room located in Sid Richardson or call 817-531-7590. Got yogurt? Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month by saving lids to save lives. The group is collecting Yoplait yogurt’s pink lids through Nov. 6. Drop boxes are located in the SUB and the library. For
every lid turned in, Yoplait donates 10 cents to breast cancer research. Halloween events New Student Programs is hosting a pumpkin carving contest at noon Oct. 29 in front of the SUB. Bring your already-carved pumpkin to enter or stop by and vote. The music department performs its annual Halloween concert. Musicians are in full costume for this family event under the direction of Bryan English at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in Martin Hall. Admission is free. Campus Activities Board hosts Monster Bash at 9 p.m. Oct. 30 in the SUB. The event will include free food, video games, DJ and a costume contest.
continued from page 1
A cap is set at $250. However, Chaney said, not every event will receive the maximum amount. By next fall, Chaney plans to make it mandatory for every student organization to attend the first meeting of every month in order to remain active and eligible to receive funding for future events. The only exception would be members of the United Greek Council (fraternities and sororities). Chaney said he hopes that with CAB, organizations and students can help spread the word of events and stay connected with one another about future events while promoting student life. The group meets every Thursday at 3 p.m. in the Carter Conference Room.
CAB is still a work in progress and is looking to fill a seven-member board by next meeting. Currently, two cochair positions are the only ones filled by Howard and Esther Kantai, former members of the now defunct Student Activity Council. Howard said her main focus
for the upcoming semester is to increase the amount of student interaction of activities on campus. “I am not a member of any other organizations so I am fully dedicated to making CAB events successful,” she said.
Sophomore and junior business students will be the first to pilot the new e-advising program this fall at Texas Wesleyan. The e-advising program will allow students to create an online course planning worksheet, which will allow students to plan courses for the next two semesters. The worksheet can then be submitted to advisers. The course is then displayed for approval for advisers in Ramlink. Students will also be able to have their degree plan audited and see how many hours are needed for graduation through the e-advising system. “About 60 other universities
are currently using the e-advising program,” said Patricia Quiñones, advising specialist. The program is also being launched with the school of education. According to Quiñones, if the pilot is successful, “the idea is to have the entire campus using the program by 2012 or sooner. It is a good program and offers a good advantage to students and faculty.” But not all students see the advantage. “I would rather meet with my adviser than use e-advising,” said Cristin Thorne, business major. “I feel more comfortable with talking to someone who knows about all of the business classes and can give direct input.” Dr. Thomas Bell, professor of business administration, said, “E-advising is a use-
ful tool to aid students in the planning process; however, students should still come and meet with their adviser to make sure the courses are being offered at the desired time. The tool just enhances the advising experience but does not replace it.” Discovering how the e-advising process enhances the advising experience is why the school of business is piloting the program. “E-advising is still a pilot study,” said Dr. Hector Quintanilla, dean of the school of business. “We need to find out if it benefits the students first.” In the mean time, depending on its success rate, business sophomore, junior and senior students will be able to use the program in Spring 2010.
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October 28, 2009
College Life
The Rambler | www.therambler.org
International afFair
(directly above) Oliviu Vasilca and Thomas Bosco pose by their Romania display. (left) Dirk Nowitzki and sauerkraut mark Germany’s place at the fair. (directly below) Josephine Okoth stands in front of her display ready to serve her Kenyan spiced tea. (below) Hasan and Allah serve humus and pita bread while talking about their home in Palestine.
Laura Rosser | Rambler Staff
Scaring the student life out of you Student Life’s haunted hallway is in full swing, and more Halloween events are on the horizon. New Student Programs is hosting a pumpkin carving contest at noon Oct. 29 in front of the SUB. Bring your carved pumpkin to enter or stop by to vote. Campus Activities Board is throwing a Monster Bash at 9 p.m. Oct. 30 in the SUB with free food, DJ, video games and a costume contest.
SGA, Dora’s team up to serve student needs Josephine Okoth
jnokoth@mail.txwes.edu
Photos by Conner Howell | Rambler Staff
Research got you searching? Get help researching your paper at the West Library’s Reference Desk.
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Services Available: Monday-Thursday 8 am - 8 pm Friday & Saturday 8:30 am - 5 pm Sunday 1 pm - 8 pm or e-mail: reference@txwes.edu
The Student Government Association wants to bring change to Texas Wesleyan. “We want to ensure all students appreciate being at Wesleyan,” said Heath Scott, president of SGA. “The main objective of SGA is ensuring school spirit among students, campus security and general school beautification” Scott said. Scott, a junior political science major, said his desire is Andie Massingill | Rambler Staff to be the best president SGA SGA President Heath Scott meets with students. has had by prioritizing the students’ needs. said SGA has taken the caf- Nickerson said are SGA’s pur“The issue that we are fo- eteria issue to the school ad- pose. cusing on now is finding a ministration after a couple of “Without consideration of solution to the cafeteria issue suggestions from students on the presence of students and after complaints from some having the operating hours of their needs, there would be no students, mostly school ath- Dora’s extended to accommo- SGA,” Nickerson said. letes, regarding the Dora’s date everyone. SGA is focusing on convetime schedule,” Scott said. The cheer team is one group nience issues as well as beauSGA is considering lobby- affected by the hours, and they tification, school spirit and ing for hours to be extended approached Joseph Barnes, security. A ram statue is curat Dora’s Residential Restau- director of dining services, rently awaiting installation rant. with the help of SGA. and other measures have been Kasey Cantrell, a junior fi“We have our practice un- taken for convenience and nance major and the Stella til late,” said Melanie Mudu- safety. Russell Hall representative, kuti, cheerleader and fresh“This semester, the SGA proposed the issue to SGA af- man representative on SGA. achieved one of its goals by ter receiving a couple of com- “When we asked for a special getting the basketball court plaints from two golf players program which would get us lighting hours extended after about them not getting food all getting our food, the re- requests were forwarded to after practice. sponse was amazing., Mudu- us,” Scott said “By the time the players get kuti said. SGA is now advised by Engback, Dora’s is always closed, She said they will soon have lish professor Dr. Carol Johnso they never get their food,” someone getting food for all son-Gerendas. Cantrell said. the cheer group members. “I’m pleased to take up the Ida Nickerson, chair of the “We appreciate that,” Mudu- position of the new adviser food committee and a sopho- kuti said. and would like to help in evmore political science major, It is issues like this that ery way,” she said. SGA meetings take place at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Brown-Lupton Campus Center. Meetings are open to all. Officers also invite students to stop by their offices in O.C. Hall in rooms 202, 204 and 221. “Wesleyan is capable of doing so much if all students work together to have all their issues solved amicably,” Scott said.
Arts & Entertainment
The Rambler | www.therambler.org
October 28, 2009
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Hot for Halloween
Costumes range from frightening to foxy Chuck Fain
cmfain@mail.txwes.edu
Halloween means several things: accepting candy from strangers, toilet paper in trees and dressing up. While there’s always the tried and true wolf man, maniac killer or zombie, others use current events, tragic celebrities and sex as their costume muse. Here’s a list of some popular, provocative and thought-provoking (maybe just provoking) costumes that people are wearing this year. Michael Jackson/Farrah Fawcett/Billy Mays OK, maybe Billy Mays doesn’t have the star power that Michael and Farrah had, but he gets lumped in this category because of the proximity of his death in relation to the other two. With the recent wave of celebrity deaths, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Walter Cronkite walking around. My prediction is the Michael Jackson costume will be most popular. He was the thing of dark fairy tales when he was alive, and now, in death, he’s even creepier. Plus it’s just fun to dress up like Michael. Have you ever worn one sequined glove around? Try it for a day and tell me you don’t like it, I dare you. Next popular would be Billy Mays. Not only is the costume easily constructed (blue shirt,
pants, some crappy infomercial product), it also has a pretty high comedy potential – always a plus. Barrack Obama/George Bush/Bill Clinton Politicians have been a popular choice for Halloween costumes since, oh, let’s say the Nixon administration. Though he was perhaps the initial inspiration for presidential Halloween masks, the tradition continues as the work of a lot of politicians scares a lot of people. There are those frightened of Obama’s health care plan, there are those frightened of Bush’s wars and general dopiness, and there are, apparently, those who are still frightened by Clinton’s infidelity. And, like Clinton, there are those who are just scared of Hillary (also a popular costume this year). Swine Flu I’ve seen several variations of this topical costume, from a doctor’s outfit with a pig nose attached, to a pig mask with a stereoscope. This is perhaps the scariest costume out there right now. Not that pigs dressed as doctors are all that scary (they’re adorable, actually), but this costume reminds us of the H1N1 monster that plagues our lives, threatens to ruin our days, or worse – kill us. For ease of construction and impact of message, you can’t beat the flu. A sexy (fill in the blank) Thank god for Halloween. It’s the time of year when girls who wouldn’t normally expose themselves, expose themselves. From a sexy Catholic school girl, to a sexy Photo courtesy of costumesupercenter.com Twister board (right hand blue!), We all knew there was something special about Robin. women’s Halloween costumes have
A Paranormal Prodigy comes to a theater near you would scream, try to comfort themselves and then demand silence. It was almost masochistic. Some people literally jumped out of their Rabbits could not breed fast enough to keep seats. I saw, and appreciated, much more of pace with the growing fan base of Paranormal the film’s composition.Every great composer Activity. knows that silence is an important instrument. The surprise thriller, already No.3 at the box The Paranormal sound team composed a office, has many critics hailing it the defining masterpiece. Rather than a gushing abunhorror film of our generation. dance of blood and gore, the gripping terror Filmed in just a week on an estimated budis accented by excruciating silence and ... well, get of $11,000, it has already the rest you’ll have to discover grossed more than $33.5 for yourself. Simple, everyday million. sounds manipulated (or not) eview The film began its journey so that you can never be sure as an entry to Screamfest and nor predict what will happen. now is showing in 760 theaters. Taken for Many people claim – and I can attest – what it is, Paranormal Activity is a damn good that the scariest part is trying to go to sleep movie. afterwards.Writer-director Oren Peli admitUnfortunately, there is a down side to all ted in interviews that if they had not found this attention. As the hype escalates, expectathe right actors to play the couple plagued by tions are placed on the movie to be something paranormal activity, the whole project would other than it is. As a result, many excited have fallen through. Thank heaven they found theater-goers are leaving unsatisfied. Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat. One can’t This was my initial experience, so I decided help but praise these actors; the chemistry and realto give it another shot.Despite knowing exactly ism between the two is so organic they draw you what was going to happen, as tension mounted into a state of suspended belief. my hairs stood on end, and I couldn’t help but To learn more about the film, visit the ofobserve the reactions around me. ficial movie Web site at www.paranormalctivThe room was strategically overwhelmed ity-movie.com with waves of fear. As each wave hit, the house
Photo courtesy of flim.com The good ol’ Michael Myers costume, Mom’s favorite.
thrown a little sex onto everything. Even characters that were never intended to be sexy, like a nun or Batman’s Robin. Not that I think that anything’s wrong with that, a little cleavage makes everything better. It’s just a little weird initially when you see a sexy version of Robin; though it’s also affirming because you always knew that costume would look better on a girl. Photo couresy of bizrate.com The scariest costume of them all.
Open Nightly Oct 23 - Oct 31!
Michael Rudd
mrudd@mail.txwes.edu
R
Photo courtesy of Paramount Picutres
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M AR T H E IG
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Just another Paranormal night at in bed.
p r e s e nt s
DATES: Open Nightly Oct 23-Oct 31 TIMES: 7 pm til 12 am Fri’s & Sat’s til 10 pm all other nights PLACE: I-30 & Forest Park Blvd One mile west of downtown Fort Worth 817-336-HANG • www.hangmans.com
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Sports
October 28, 2009
The Rambler | www.therambler.org
Rather receives long-lost Olympic medal Daniel Bravo
dabravo@mail.txwes.edu
Wesleyan table tennis head coach Jasna Rather received a replacement Olympic medal Oct. 24 at a ceremony at Wesleyan’s Sid Richardson Center. The replacement medal took the place of a lost bronze medal Rather won in the 1988 Summer Olympics, which were held in Seoul, South Korea. That summer, Rather was representing her home country of Yugoslavia in the women’s doubles table tennis event. She took home the bronze with teammate Gordana Perkucin but would soon find her home in political turmoil.
Rather fled her home country in 1995, leaving behind the Olympic medal in her hometown of Foca, Bosnia, in the home of her grandmother. Her grandmother passed away shortly before war broke out. Armies were quick to take possession of the home and all of its belongings. “I have no idea where the medal might be today,” Rather said. She continued to play table tennis in Japan before permanently relocating to the U.S. in 1996. She obtained Renee Greer | Rambler Staff a bachelor’s degree in po- President Jeffcoat presents the new medal to Rather. litical science from Oakland University in Michigan and before becoming head coach featured members of the earned her master’s in edu- in 2006. 2009 National Intercollegiate cation from Texas Wesleyan The ceremony, which also Champions receiving rings
honoring their championship season last spring, was held during the annual Texas Wesleyan Open. Members of the student body, faculty and staff as well as local media were in attendance for the emotional ceremony, at which Texas Wesleyan President Harold Jeffcoat spoke and explained how he made numerous phone calls to the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee in search of answers for the lost medal. “There’s no way our table tennis coach won’t have her Olympic medal,” Jeffcoat said. Eventually he was able to get in contact with someone who had a cast of the 1988
medal and quickly had a replacement sent. Rather isn’t sure what to do with her new medal but will probably keep it on campus, possibly on display. “All I know is that I plan not to lose it,” she chuckled. For video from the event, visit www.therambler.org.
“There is no way our table tennis coach won’t have her Olympic medal.” Dr. Harold Jeffcoat
University President
Trick and treat by Wesleyan cheerleaders Daniel Bravo
dabravo@mail.txwes.edu
Ask any member of the Wesleyan Cheerleading team and you will learn that the term “off season” is not in her vocabulary. As the soccer teams begin conference play and the basketball teams gear up for their season openers, the Wesleyan Cheerleaders don’t get a break. “They work very hard and long hours to accomplish what the crowds will see,” said Coach Carolyn Ikens-Owen. This year’s team has two captains in sophomore elementary education major Mariah Hill and sophomore psychology major Melody Doddy. The team has been practicing stunts, flips, yells and cheers since mid-July when the team traveled to San Marcos and participated in the Texas State Universal Cheerleading Association camp.
While at camp the team earned numerous camp awards and ribbons and also had the opportunity to bond as a team. “Every evaluation we had earned us the highest blue superior ribbon award,” Hill said. “Our squad really came together and truly has one voice.” The squad consists of 21 members, 11 of which are new additions to the team. Since last year, the team has been working on adding another element to their squad: men. Male cheerleaders, which are nothing unusual at other universities, were something the cheerleading team lacked in recent years. Last year, the team had three male members in senior Jason Simpson, senior Pierre Ard and sophomore Oscar Lazarky. With the addition of Taylor Pokluda, junior, and Jeremy Beck, freshman, the
team is now up to five male members, who bring an extra dimension to the team. “They show tremendous talent and skill,” Hill said. “We have improved our stunting ability and now are able to do elaborate stunts such as our flip stunt, one-leg stunts and one-man stunts,” said Hill. Ikens-Owen agrees with Hill. “They add a much-needed strength effect and make the squad much louder when they cheer,” she said. “I am very fortunate to have such great guys on the team. They all work very hard and take their positions on the team seriously.” This year, fans can catch Laura Rosser | Rambler Staff the Wesleyan cheerleaders Wesleyan cheerleaders show their support by handing out Halloween candy. cheering at both the men’s and women’s home basketball also performs at events such “The ability level of the experience, whereas in the games. They also attend vol- as Ram Camp and President’s team is much higher than last past it was less.” leyball, soccer and baseball Picnic. year and recruiting has helped For more information on games throughout the year. Ikens-Owen expects big tremendously with getting the Wesleyan cheerleading Aside from cheering at things from this year’s squad this higher quality,” she said. squad, visit www.txwes.edu/ sporting events, the squad because of their experience. “Everyone on the team has studentlife/cheerleaders.htm.
7-7 Flag Football Standings Name Pickles
Wins Losses TP Scored TP Against 6 0 200 24
Byes 0
BOHICA
3
3
56
35
0
TapOut
3
3
97
107
0
1 L's
3
3
88
123
0
Twisters
1
5
7
56
0
Pink Dragons
1
5
28
48
0
Wesleyan Week-in-Sports • The Lady Rams Volleyball team (12-14, 6-4 RRAC) split a pair of matches on the road Oct. 24. They beat Bacone 3-2 (25-11, 22-25, 21-25, 25-13, 15-11) in conference action before losing 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-11) to John Brown. • The Lady Rams Soccer team (11-5, 4-2 RRAC) posted its seventh shutout for the season when picking up a 3-0 win on the road against University of the Southwest Oct. 24. Goalkeeper Katy Houchin set a school record with her seventh shutout of the season. The previous record (six) was set by Brittany O’Brien in 2008. The Lady Rams are only one shutout short of matching the school record of eight set last year. With 11 wins so far, the Lady Rams are only three wins shy of the program’s highest (14) set in 2005. • The Rams Soccer team (10-6, 2-4 RRAC) defeated University of the Southwest 3-0 on the road Oct. 24. The Nabassi scored his eighth goal of the season when he secured the overtime win for the Rams. At 10 wins, the Rams are only three wins away from matching the program-high 13 wins from the 1993 season.
The Weekly Sports Quote “Strangely, in slow motion replay, the ball seemed to hang in the air for even longer.”
David Acfield Former Cricket Player
Fantasy Football Pig Skin Pick'Em Leaderboard Name Pts. Jeremy Newton 68 Cara Lumpkin 64 Michael Greer 63 Rachel Loftin 62 Phillip Blockinger 62 Fabiola Duron 62 Oscar Lazarki 61 Terry Waldrop 59 Jason Simpson 59 June Johnson 58 Daniel Bravo 58 Sandy Gonzalez 58 Ryan Amador 57 Trey Bomar 57
Upcoming Sports
Game
Time/Place 5:30 p.m. Martin Field
Thursday
Men’s Soccer vs. SW Assemblies of God University Women’s Soccer vs. SW Assemblies of God University
Friday
Volleyball vs. Texas College Volleyball vs. Jarvis Christian College
4 p.m. Tyler 7 p.m. Hawkins
Saturday
Volleyball vs. Wiley College Men’s Soccer vs. Huston-Tillotson U. Women’s Soccer vs. Huston-Tillotson U.
11 a.m. Marshall 5:30 p.m. Martin Field 7:30 p.m. Martin Field
7:30 p.m. Martin Field