WEDNESDAY
September 23, 2009 Vol. 92 • No. 16
ONLINE:
www.therambler.org
The Rambler The voice of Texas Wesleyan University students since 1917
Kanye West conspires to improve ratings Opinion, page 2
LULAC reaches out to community College Life, page 6
Autograph, please?
Contributors sign books, share at UCD reception Jonathan Resendez
jlresendez@mail.txwes.edu
More than 50 students, faculty and administrators wined and dined last week during the ceremony honoring the authors of University Scholars: Proceedings of University College Day, 2008. The book, published by Texas Wesleyan University Press, is the final product of student and faculty projects on various topics. Last year, 14 students and four faculty members’ pieces were published on subjects ranging from neuroscience and education to diversity in South Africa. “A lot of the themes I teach in my diversity class could be seen throughout my travels in Africa,” said Patsy Robles-Goodwin, whose experiences were published. Dr. Stacia Neeley, assistant professor of language and literature, served as editor for the 2008 edition. She said the highlight of the evening was listening to how everyone went from the project for University College Day to the actual piece. “It was a big love fest,” she said, referring to the students’ and teachers’ praise of one another. The authors set to appear in the 2009 edition were also announced at the reception.
Laura Rosser | Rambler Staff Alumni Martin Garcia and Tiara Nugent and senior Renee Rosser sign copies of the UCD publication as President Harold Jeffcoat looks on. Contributors were honored at a reception Sept. 17.
Wesleyan prepares for H1N1 Jonathan Resendez
jlresendez@mail.txwes.edu
With scattered outbreaks of swine flu popping up nationally and locally, Texas Wesleyan’s office of Human Resources is preparing for the worst. Department heads and supervisors have received memos advising them to purchase and encourage the use of sanitary wipes as well as report any flu-related employee absence in an effort to spot early warning signs. According to the Wesleyan flu response procedure guidelines, students, faculty and staff who show flu-like symptoms and have a fever should remain at home and out of contact with others. They should do so until the fever subsides without the use of fever-reducing medication. If the threat of an outbreak is imminent, the office of student life will distribute packets via e-mail, U.S. mail or hand delivery providing information from local health authorities on preventative and safety measures to follow. According to the memo, faculty, staff and students are to report absences due to the flu to either the office of the provost or office of human resources. Students affected by the flu will be given a reasonable amount of time to complete their coursework, according to the memo. The CDC advised that targeted groups for the H1N1 virus are people age 24 and under, pregnant women and others who, due to other health issues, are susceptible to the flu. “I’m not worried at all. The symptoms are exactly the same as the regular flu so I’m really not that worried,” said Blake Circle, law student.
Parisian scores with writing Andie Massingill
admassingill@mail.txwes.edu
Loic Morvannou is living his American dream, even though he grew up in Paris, France. Morvannou has been fascinated with foreign culture, especially America, all of his life. “Americans aren’t afraid to try,” he said. “They are more open-minded than the French.” Morvannou is hoping to give his goal a try. Combining his great passions of writing and basketball, he hopes to find a job writing about basketball and possibly coaching too. His first step in achieving these goals has been to start blogging on www.basketsession.com for Reverse magazine, based in France. On this blog, Marvannou reports his experiences in America, including everything from student life to the drills he runs in his daily basketball practice. He also blogs about his encounters with America and its culture. He’s becoming more and
“I am very proud of her. She has really found her way. I will find mine too.” Loic Morvannou Sophomore
more familiar with that culture. This is Morvannou’s third time here. He traveled through San Diego, Las Vegas and Los Angeles last year and Miami the year before. Attending Texas Wesleyan now as a freshman, Morvannou is on a one-year scholarship playing shooting guard for the Rams junior varsity basketball team. “I am here to learn the language and play basketball,” he said. Playing basketball is an accomplishment in itself since Morvannou was born with an ailment that resulted in six surgeries on his feet before the age of 3. He wore special shoes and braces until he was 12. “I worked very hard at rehabilitation and therapy as a child and take really good care of myself now,” he said. Having played basketball in France since he was 7, Mor-
vannou likes how Americans play basketball with brute strength and physical force instead of the strategy used in the French game. “I try and combine my strategy with my strength when I play basketball here,” he said. “Soccer is the biggest sport in France, but basketball is second. We did not have school teams, but we played on city leagues.” Morvannou likes the mentality that is required to keep up with the American games and practices. “It is a huge advantage to be able to work out every day and really work on your skills,” he said. “We didn’t have that opportunity in France. I like the coaches here too. They make you take the sport to a higher level.” While he had already completed a business degree when he graduated from high
Andie Massingill | Rambler Staff Loic Morvannou (left) said he prefers the open-mindedness of America to France.
school, Morvannou knew that he wanted to do something besides have a career in business. Morvannou said his real passion is writing. He is fascinated with many forms of writing and wanted to combine that interest with basketball for his career. Studying journalism is a part of the 16 hours he is taking while at Wesleyan. Although English classes
were required in France as a part of the school curriculum, “I mostly taught myself the language by listening to American music and watching American movies,” Morvannou said. Despite his preparation, English is still a challenge for Morvannou. “I hope to begin thinking in English instead of French,” Morvannou said, “because listening to the teacher and
having to quickly translate in my head gets a bit confusing. “It is easier to understand the teachers because they talk a bit slower than the students and use less slang words.” With three options for schools in America, Morvannou chose Texas Wesleyan over Kentucky and West Virginia because he preferred attending a school that was
LOIC, page 4