The Rambler Vol. 101 No. 2

WEDNESDAY Feb. 8, 2017 Vol. 101 • No. 2

www.therambler.org

OPINION

Homecoming week arrives Hannah Onder

hlonder@txwes.edu

Fake news is scarier than you think After the 2016 election, the amount of published fake news has skyrocketed.

NEWS

Basketball shoots for great last homecoming The homecoming commitee has revamped the week to center around the basketball teams.

CAMPUS

Love is in the air Not sure what to do this Valentine’s Day? Check out our quiz to find some great ideas..

Infographic by Hannah Onder The 2017 schedule includes several activities leading to the games.

The third production of the season starts on Feb. 9..and runs through Feb. 19.

SPORTS

Football looks ahead to spring scrimmage The team works on building mental toughness with 5 a.m. practices in preparation for the April scrimmage.

ONLINE

Meet the candidates for king and queen

Student Life will provide cocoa while students learn who is running for Mr. and Ms. Wesleyan.

 HOMECOMING. page 3

Home-schoolers adjust to college Nicholas Acosta nacosta4@txwes.edu

A&E

Theatre Wesleyan’s new play aims for laughs

Junior mass communications major and basketball player Jeremy Crane is looking forward to his first homecoming at Wesleyan.

“I’m excited for it because at my high school all the homecoming stuff was centered around football,” Crane said. “So I think it’s cool being a part of a small school that kind of looks forward to big basketball games.”

Crane doesn’t know exactly what to expect but he hopes for free food, an excited crowd and the Rams and Lady Rams to emerge victorious in their games against the University of Science and Arts.

According to David Monge, the coordinator for student organizations and Greek life, the week leading up to the Feb. 11 games has been revamped to encourage more access to activities and more of a focus on basketball.

“We’ve added tons of activities in the middle for people to do,” Monge said, “so now it should be more of an experience.”

Monge said a committee made up of members of Student Life, the Student Government Association, alumni relations and athletics has been planning the event for months.

“I think a lot of events themselves are similar, but we moved timing,” Monge said. “For example, on Friday there use to be a party at night in a residence hall. We were finding that it was great to do something for residence life but they were really the only ones that could come unless you knew about it and knew how to

get in there.”

To improve the event, Monge said, the committee moved the party to the daytime to make it more accessible to students and made the centerpiece of the event the basketball teams. The committee has been working to make sure the basketball teams get their spotlight by letting them judge the door contest and have the winning spirit banner behind their bench.

“This is the last year that homecoming will be centered around the basketball teams so we wanted to honor that,” Monge said. “It’s only the basketball teams (in this homecoming) because in the fall it will be our first football homecoming.

There are two (homecomings) this year, which is going to interesting.”

While Crane is sad to see homecoming leave basketball he’s good with the transition if it makes the majority of students happy.

“I mean Texas is a football-oriented state so whatever gets the main majority of students excited,” Crane said. “I think they’re probably taking it in the right direction but they should have some type of special event for basketball to keep people excited for the games.”

Athletic Director Steve Trachier says it’s common to have football and homecoming paired together.

“I like the idea of having homecoming at a football game but I also don’t want to take away from the history of our basketball program having hosted homecoming for so many years,” Trachier said. “We’re going to

Imagine sitting in a classroom waiting to take your SAT, a test that will help determine what college you will attend.

But you begin to have a panic attack as you realize that this is the first time in your life that you have sat in a classroom.

This is what happened to Wesleyan freshman mass communication major Amanda Roach, who was home-schooled from pre-K through high school.

“I’m sitting there just dying, and the clock is just going and I’m thinking, I’m about to bomb this and not get into college,” Roach said of the attack, which happened in October 2015.

While most students making the transition from being homeschooled to college classes don’t have panic attacks, the adjustment can of-

ten be jarring.

“The first two weeks of class, I was still coming in each day thinking, this teacher is going to bring up something that I have never heard of and everybody else is going to be like, oh we learned that in sixth grade,” Roach said.

According to the National Center of Education Statistics, 3.4 percent of all school-aged children were being home-schooled as of 2011.

The NCES also estimated that in 2013 there were between 150,034 and 200,045 home-schooled students in Texas, second only to California.

Wesleyan typically gets between 10 to 15 applications each year for home-schooled students and enrolls three to five each year, said Djuana Young, associate vice president for enrollment.

“I think the student coming in from home schooling is the same as any other student coming in,” she

Photo by Nicholas Acosta Freshman mass communication major Amanda Roach was homeschooled before starting at Texas Wesleyan in the fall of 2016.

said. “Home-school students tend to be more involved with clubs, sports and service organizations.”

Roach said that Wesleyan’s small

 HOME-SCHOOL. page 3

Housing Draft creates dorm changes Hannah Onder

students for residence life, “usually a

hlonder@txwes.edu

Freshman music major Jasmin White is at a crossroads with living on campus with the changes coming to housing in the fall of 2017.

“I’ve discussed with my roommate about possibly commuting,” White said, “because the reason I decided to stay in Stella was because of the cheaper price.”

According to housing staff, the Board of Trustees is talking about raising housing prices six percent in the fall.

“It happens each year typically,” said Sarah Ouimet, assistant dean of

INSTAGRAM @the_rambler

in the upcoming semester, said Jeri

“If we are able to create these communities we can move forward with things like live and learning communities or leadership, live and learn communities.”

- Sarah Ouimet five to six percent increase.”

Housing also plans to have Stella Russell Hall be a majority freshmen dorm and make Elizabeth swap out its single dorms for double dorms

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Jones, coordinator for residence life.

“Studies show and we feel having a freshmen community is better for the freshmen,” Jones said. “We have programing in the building (Stella)

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that are built specifically for freshmen only so they get to build a bond with other freshmen that are in their same class. Through the four years, they build friendships that will last forever.

“The other reason is we’re going to be just as full next year as we were the beginning of this year and we need the extra bed space (in Elizabeth).”

The changes to Stella and Elizabeth are the first part of residence life’s new Housing Draft project that begins in March, Jones said.

“We’re not just changing things to

 HOUSING. page 3

WEBSITE

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2 | Wednesday |February 8, 2017

Opinion

TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.

Fake news is scarier than you think EDITORIAL

With the outstanding amount of fake news and alternatives facts being spread through the media, it can be hard to figure out if the media is sharing truthful information.

In 2016, fake news became the biggest issue in the political campaign.

On a daily basis, it seems like some type of new information was being released on the most recent Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton scandal. From the fabricated stories of Pope Francis endorsing Donald Trump to Hillary running a secret underground child sex abuse ring, the number of fake stories increased by 1.4 million between August and election day,according to buzzfeed.com.

For example, the story “Pope Francis Shocks World, Endorses Donald Trump for President, Releases Statement” by endingthefed.com had more than 960,000 Facebook shares, comments, and reactions, according to buzzfeed.

The most popular factual story shared at the time of the election was “Trump’s History of Corruption is Mind-Boggling. So Why is Clinton Supposedly the Corrupt One?” by thewashingtonpost.com had a shocking 111,000 fewer shares, according to buzzfeed.

So when it comes to the media, how can people distinguish fact from fiction?

It’s all based off a person’s information, where are they gathering it, and if they believe the information is true.

First, the reader needs to decide if he or she believes the article is factual and how much of

Photo illustration by Shaydi Paramore In 2016, fake news and alternative facts made readers question where they gather their information and how to combat against fake news.

the article is factual.

If a reader feels even a tenth of the information is incorrect, he or she should take the time to check the facts and research the article, according to businessinsider.com. By researching, you can see most information is reproduced onto multiple sites, which causes some information to become incorrect, according to howstuffworks.com.

By finding the original link, a reader can dive into the facts more and find out where the information is gathered from.

Information on news sites should be free of bias. But with more than 15 trusted news websites being considered liberal and about ten news sites being considered conservative, the idea of a unbiased site has become lost, according to businessinsider.com.

The goal of posting fake news is to attract tons of readers to a particular site. By using eye-catching headlines or images, a news site can gain more readers even if the article is false. The more eyebrow-raising a story is, the

greater the chance the story isn’t real.

One of the greatest ways to see if a story is real or fake is by comparing it to reputable news sites or by comparing the writer to other reputable writers, according to factcheck.org.

Read the direct quotes carefully to find out who said it. If multiple quotes are from multiple anonymous people, there’s a chance those people don’t exist, according to factcheck.org.

But the best way to fight alternative facts and fake news is by more news media outlets sharing more factual news stories.

Workaholic: Nothing to be proud of Shaydi Paramore Editor in Chief ssparamore@txwes.edu

The constant need to work can become addictive.

Between having two caretaker jobs, being editor of the Rambler Media Group, planning a wedding, and being a full-time student, I have the constant need to be in motion.

At times when I think I can finally settle and relax, the need to work becomes so overwhelming that I have to stop what I’m doing to work.

It’s kind of like that saying from Stephen King’s The Shining: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

But the need to constantly work, feel overwhelmed and be in a stressful situation is necessary for my day-to-day schedule.

My to-do list is never-ending, because the minute I believe I completed my list I remember ten other things I need to do.

Not only do I remember the million things I do, I can never remember how much of a priority each thing is, to the point that I literally have to stop myself from working on “unimportant” things to figure out which things are important.

I strive to be in high-tension, stressful situations.

By pressuring myself to complete my to-do list, I slowly become a wiser and more productive person. I get excited about the fact that I have more things to add to my resume or use in my portfolio.

I’m able to be step closer to being more pre-

pared for my future career in design work.

Slowly, the need to be the best becomes consuming.

I have always had extreme insomnia, but it increases with the amount of stress I have from jobs and projects. I stay awake at night reminding myself of the difficult jobs I have to do or the ways I can make a design more interesting.

Sleeping for an hour or two becomes unnecessary.

Why sleep when I can finish my assignment for class? Why sleep when I can be at work?

Next thing I know, I’ve been to school, worked two jobs, finished all my assignments and drove to see Robert, my fiance, and I haven’t slept in 36 hours.

Without sleep, I become much more irritable, feel angry at myself, start unnecessary arguments with Robert and lash out at people.

I start to become burned out and have many negative feelings toward my job at the Rambler office. I feel prepared to quit college and my job and give it all up, but I can’t.

But the need to continuously work and achieve my highest goals is essential for me.

Without it, I slowly become depressed by lying around and tend to have a sedentary lifestyle.

My anxiety increases more because I began to feel like a failure.

Illustration by Shaydi Paramore But at times I do need to understand the Editor-in-chief Shaydi Paramore balances multiple jobs and college life at Texas Wesleyan. importance of slowing down and taking a mosts becomes like a mantra.

Netflix, start to create to-do lists with priority step away from my busy schedule.

“Take time for yourself.” “Read a book.” “Call checks, spend more time with my family and It causes me to struggle with relationships with certain friends or family. It causes argu- Robert and talk to him for an hour.” I have to fiance and to stop volunteering for a million ments between my fiance and I and makes me repeat these things to myself every morning jobs. while writing my list.

You shouldn’t be proud of being a workaholfurious at myself at times But does all that happen? Most likely not. ic, but having the ability to take time for yourIs being thebest at something so important This is the stuff that pushes me to overcome self and step away from your job is something that I have to give up everything else? my issues. to be proud of.

No, it’s not.

I have to give myself time to relax and watch I have to tell myself this every day, and it al-

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

— Thomas Jefferson Content Producers:Shaydi Paramore, Sachiko Jayaratne, Karan Muns, Nicholas Acosta, Dalise DeVos, Grace Fisher, Calvin Johnson, Hannah Onder, Guadalupe Sanchez, Tina Huynh

Digital Media Editor: Calvin Johnson

Editor-In-Chief: Shaydi Paramore

Publisher: Frederick Slabach

IMG Director: Dalise DeVos Rambler TV Director: Sachiko Jayaratne

Editorial Board: Dalise DeVos, Nicholas Acosta, Shaydi Paramore, Grace Fisher, Guadalupe Sanchez

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Member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press, Student Press Law Center, College Media Advisers and College Newspaper Business and Advertising Managers.

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Rambler Contribution Please send all news briefs to twurambler@yahoo.com. Submissions due by noon Friday to see brief in the following week’s issue.

Adviser: Dr. David Ferman, Dr. Ngozi Akinro Faculty Liaison: Dr. Kay Colley

For weekly news and sports updates, check out Rambler TV.

Channel 25

Rams up Thumbs up to homecoming week.

Thumbs up to Cassandra Ifie being named the new reference librarian.

Thumbs up to the Super Bowl.

Thumbs up to filmmakers doing a documentary on Rams football.

Rams down Thumbs down to six more weeks of winter.

Thumbs down to the last basketball homecoming.

Thumbs down to few spots on the New Orleans spring break trip.

Thumbs down to the travel ban.

Wednesday | February 8, 2017|3

News

TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.

HOMECOMING continued from page 1

try to do a celebration game somewhere in our basketball season as well.”

Trachier doesn’t feel the transition to incorporate football with homecoming will affect basketball too much.

“I think basketball is going to remain one of the most popular sports,” Trachier said. “I’m thinking we’ll always have a great turnout.”

Trachier said he believes both teams have the potential this season to go to nationals, especially the men’s team. He expects great things

HOME-SCHOOL

“I think basketball is going to remain one of the most popular sports. I’m thinking we’ll always have a great turnout.”

- Steve Trachier

Both Crane and senior liberal arts major and basketball player Dion Rogers are excited to play the game.

Rogers feels the seniors will be most impacted by it.

“It could be emotional I guess for the seniors,” Rogers said, “because it’s going to be our last homecoming.”

For more information on Texas Wesleyan’s homecoming activities, go to txwes.edu.

from the upcoming homecoming games.

“Our homecoming games are always well at-

tended and there’s always a lot of excitement,” Trachier said.

unfriendly people.

“They have public schools for a reason,” Aguilar said. “It lets you get ready for the outside world; it makes you interact with people.”

Aguilar said home-schooled students having a tough time adjusting should hang in there.

“You may meet some mean people, but you are also going to meet some really great people,” Aguilar said.

Joe Brown, dean of freshman success, wrote in an email that home-schooled students tend to do well and adjust into the college main-

stream.

“The home-school system in Texas has become such a strong organization and system with its curriculum and now fine arts and sports support,” Brown wrote.

Brown wrote that he used to worry about home-schooled students’ social adjustment into traditional college classrooms, but not now.

“The students seem prepared and ready to have a successful college experience,” he said.

Roach said that time management is a prob-

lem she has encountered at Wesleyan.

“When you’re home-schooled it’s a lot of self-propelled, like today you might feel like doing two math lessons, but tomorrow I might not want to do any,” Roach said. “When you’re home-schooled you learn at your own pace.”

Roach’s advice to other home-schooled students is to go into your classes with a positive mentality.

“If you go into class saying this is fun, I enjoy this, I’m making new friends and learning new things, then it’s more enjoyable,” Roach said.

“If we are able to create these communities we can move forward with things like live and learning communities or leadership, live and learn communities,” Ouimet said. “So, when you’re living together and you’re learning together that has helped with the GPA, being able to graduate in four years as well as feeling connected and making those lifelong connections. I can’t think of a lot of cons other than it is change.”

Junior music major and Stella resident assistant Alli Perez has found the biggest worry residents have with the changes is money issues.

“Most of the people that live here and have been living here with room grants that only cover this building,” Perez said, “so the fact that they would possibly have to pay the difference to live somewhere else kind of worries them.”

Housing is aware that easing students through the transition will probably be done on a case-by-case basis, Quimet said.

“We don’t want to put any undue stress on any student,” Ouimet said. “Especially a stu-

dent that is returning on campus. It’s really important to us for students to have that ability to experience residential life so we don’t want to put up any unneeded barriers to that.”

Although Perez is concerned for current students, she’s hopeful for the new arrangement for freshmen.

“I like the idea of putting all the freshmen in one dorm together because my freshmen year it was kind of hard to be social and start meeting people,” she said.

White also agrees that Stella has that welcoming atmosphere that could be good for freshmen, although she worries about class interactions with the seclusion of the freshmen to one dorm.

“I think that keeping them together with only freshmen would make them only talk to freshmen,” White said, “so it might seclude them from the other classes.”

While White’s worry is a possibility, Perez is hopeful the transitions will go successfully.

“I really hope that everything that is changing ends up going really smoothly,” Perez said,

“and helps make housing and on-campus living a better experience for not only freshmen but everybody.”

continued from page 1

classes make the university a good fit for home-schoolers.

Rachell Aguilar, a junior mass communication major, said that she has done both homeschooling and public schooling and found that homeschooling and college are not drastically different.

“By the time you get into college, you mostly do your work at home anyway,” Aguilar said.

Aguilar said that a negative she has found in public educational spaces is the increased competition among students, as well as some

HOUSING

continued from page 1

Photo by Hannah Onder Junior psychology major Paola Estrada reads a Housing Draft flyer with meeting dates.

o u y d n ine e h w w it h e v lo

us !

W e

say hey let’s change,” Ouimet said. “It’s not necessarily making it easier or harder for us. It’s in hopes that it’s easier for the students.”

Housing plans to change the dorm and roommate selection process for the upcoming semester as well by having the students make decisions in the week before spring break.

“In March right before spring break you would form a group of four people and you’d come in with a form that we’ll be emailing out to you guys,” Ouimet said. “You go on and you’ll be able to pick your actual placement.

We’re hopeful that with that you guys have a little more time to actually choose who you’re living with and where you’re living and know that’s a little more set in stone.”

Housing also plans on giving priority pickings in the dorms to seniors, followed by juniors, sophomores and then freshmen.

“We’re hopeful that there’s going to be some kind of class identity change,” Ouimet said.

Their goal is to get classes separated out into a specific building together in order to create different communities on campus.

The WEE offers:

Dora’s offers:

Grille Works Burgers, fries, chicken sandwiches, breakfast and more!

Self serving stations for salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza by the slice, yogurt, cereal, coffee and more!

Artisan Pizza Made-to-order pizzas!

Two drink stations!

The Mexican Grille Street tacos, burrito bowls, fresh salsa and more!

Plus delicious smoothies served on Fridays!

Show us some love! http://txwes.campusdish.com

Happy Valentine’s Day!

4 |Wednesday | February 8, 2017

Campus

TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.

Valentine’s Day can celebrate friends, family Shaydi Paramore ssparamore@txwes.edu

Valentine’s is no longer a day we focus on sappy romance between lovers.

Now it’s a day to celebrate and cherish the love you have for your friends, family and yourself.

“I buy myself flowers, chocolates and take myself out for a movie and a meal,” Samantha Tolon, junior radio and television major at Texas A&M Commerce wrote in an email.

Why sit alone and be upset about being single when I can enjoy time for myself? Tolon wrote.

“I don’t know if that’s normal, but it beats crying at the house over a guy that doesn’t exist,” Tolon wrote.

Tolon is one of the 14 percent of American women that purchase gifts for themselves on Valentine ’s Day, according to stasticbrain.com.

And with 50 percent of adults being single on Valentine’s Day, the number of women and men buying gifts for themselves will surely increase, according to thedatereport.com “If no one else will do it, I’ll do it for myself,” Tolon wrote.

Paola Estrada, a Texas Wesleyan junior psychology major from El Salvador, plans to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her friends.

“We’re probably going to meet up and I’ll give them both gifts from me,” Estrada said.

Estrada and her friends decided to celebrate the day with secret Valentine’s gift giving, similar to the way they celebrated in elementary school in El Salvador.

“In school, everyone would draw names and find out who was their valentine,” Estrada said. “It’s not that different [from American Valentine’s day], if you don’t have a partner then they do a secret Valentine’s Day with friends.”

Most Americans use Valentine’s Day to spoil their significant other, but in El Salvador, the focus is on friendship and cherishing one another.

“They’re not so competitive with others,” Estrada said. “Everyone is happy with what they get.”

The most important detail is the amount of thought you put in your gift, Estrada said.

“One time, I gave someone a teddy bear that looked like a Garfield

figurine and flowers,” Estrada said.

“It was my best friend, so I knew she liked Garfield. She was so happy and it made me happy, too.”

Senior theatre major Ambrosia Hagler at Trinity Valley Community College is hoping to use the day to express her love for her friends, too.

“I usually bake cookies for everyone,” Hagler said. “Everyone uses the day to hang out with their significant others and go on dates. I use it as a day to spoil myself and friends.”

Hagler hopes others will use Valentine’s Day as a day to express love to other people and not just their boyfriend or girlfriend.

“Valentine’s Day isn’t just a day of love for one person, but for everyone in your life,” Hagler said.

Fourteen percent of American women purchase their own gifts.

Fifty percent of American adults are single on Valentine’s Day.

M.D. Anderson

Pre-Professional Program Thinking about graduate or professional school after graduation?

Looking for insight into the application process?

Connect with us in 3PR! Join us for a panel on Feb. 14, regarding Time Management and Test Anxiety.

NBC 112 during free period

Faculty/Staff vs. Student basketball game!

Come watch or sign up to play!

February 9th during free period

In the Sid W. Richardson Gym

See you there!

contact Ashley Coen, atcoen@txwes.edu, for more information!

Follow us @txwes3pr

visit tinyurl.com/homecoming17

Wednesday | Febraury 8, 2017|5

Campus

TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.

Our guide to a happy Valentine’s day

Start Here.

Favorite type of gift?

Chocolat e?

F

s? r e w lo Favorite social media?

? r e t t Twi

Instagram?

Do you love surprises?

Is Valentine’s Day a big deal for you?

o. It HalN lmar ’s a day.k card

Netflix an mantic date o R d i ce night with your cream ki nd of signficant other. night.

Absolute ly not!

Of course!

Fun ideas for a single’s Valentine’s Day

Go bowling with friends.

Watch The Notebook on repeat.

Go to the arcade, get tons of tickets and spend them on a giant teddy bear.

Have a movie marathon(or two) with your pals.

Pamper yourself!

Go to the nail salon, soak your feet, get your nails done and gossip the day away.

! e g Hu

Sing your heart out to Beyonce at karoake.

Go skating.

Catch up on a Netflix series and the gym and work pig out on pizza. Hit on that rocking body.

Images courtesy of freeimages.

Texas Wesleyan is bringing back IABC!

A resume critique will kick off the chapter FREE When? February 23 @12:15 p.m.

D!!

O O F Place To Be Determined - STAY TUNED! For Questions please email Gracie @gjweger@txwes.edu

6 |Wednesday | February 8, 2017

Arts&Entertainment

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Wesleyan show promises laughter Guadalupe Sanchez gsanchez3@txwes.edu

Theatre Wesleyan will continue its 201617 season with its production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, which opens on Thursday.

Vanya, written by Christopher Durang and directed by associate professor of theatre Jeanne Everton, was the winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play.

The themes and characters of Anton Chekhov’s original plays -- including The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard -- are what inspired Christopher Durang to write the comedy that Theatre Wesleyan is producing, according to theatre business manager Jacob Sanchez.

“The director is an admirer of playwright Anton Chekhov’s works,” Sanchez said.

The play is about middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia (played by Colton Mallory and Kimberly Owen) sharing a home in Bucks County, Pa., where they bicker and complain about the circumstances of their lives.

Suddenly, their movie-star sister Masha (Jasmine West) swoops in with her new boyfriend Spike (Tristen Brown). Old resentments flare up,

eventually leading to threats within the family.

There are also other characters, such as sassy maid Cassandra (Holli Price), who can predict the future, and an aspiring actress named Nina (Crystal Salazar), whose prettiness somewhat worries Masha.

Sanchez said audiences can expect Theatre Wesleyan’s production to transport them into the home of Vanya and Sonia as their sister Masha returns home with her boyfriend Spike.

“Audience members will be able to relate to all of our characters in one way or another, even as those characters endure some of the more bizarre circumstances,” Sanchez said. “Audience members will be able to enjoy a fun-filled night at the theatre.”

Everton said audiences will love the funny nature of the play.

“Every character has a set of specific characteristics,” Everton said. “A lot of times Christopher Durang takes characters to extremes. There is the quiet thoughtful man, the woman who suffers from low selfesteem, another who is a celebrity and full of herself, and then there’s this young man

named Spike, who is not a member of the family, which causes everybody’s situation to go a little crazy because of his appearance.”

Everton said the play is relatable in that it reminds audience members of their own families.

“It’s a funny family,” Everton said. “Everybody’s got a failing one, everybody’s smart, and when they come together, just like siblings, they fight. My favorite thing about this play is that the brothers and sisters fight just like families fight. People love each other, but by virtue of the fact that they love each other, they feel free to fight if they have a difference of opinion or if one thinks that another is not doing the right thing, so I think it’s very relatable.”

Jalan Calloway, a theatre fan and previous liberal arts major at Trinity Valley Community College, said when she sees a production like Theatre Wesleyan’s she is attentive to how characters will fulfill their roles and appearance on stage.

“I’m really interested in how characters look according to a play,” Calloway said.

“Not perfectly down to the minute costumes or makeup but enough to know that I’m watching a play

about Vanya.”

Calloway also said that costumes are what she pays attention to the most in a production, as well as how actors interact with their surroundings.

“If they can sell me what’s going on and keep me emotionally invested,” Calloway said, “then that is what usually interests me because when I was working on a production, I tried to make sure everyone knew their cues and was able to mime props so that audiences feel emotionally invested as well.”

Everton said the production will not change lives but will keep audiences laughing.

“It’s just funny and audiences won’t be bored,” Everton said.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike opens Feb. 9 and runs through Feb. 19. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. except for Feb. 19, when there will be a 2 p.m. matinee. All performances are at the Thad Smotherman Theatre. Tickets are $10 general admission and $5 for Wesleyan faculty and staff, as well as seniors, and available at 817-5314211 or via the Theatre Wesleyan website. All Texas Wesleyan students can receive free tickets through the Student Theatrical Experience Fund (STEF).

Photo courtsey of Jacob Sanchez Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will open on Feb 9 in the Thad Smotherman Theatre.

Wednesday |February 8, 2017

|7

Sports

TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.

Rams getting ready to put on the pads Karan Muns kemuns@txwes.edu

Texas Wesleyan football is gearing up -- for spring practices, an intersquad scrimmage in April and, of course, the 2017 season.

The team is practicing in the afternoon Monday through Thursday and at 5 a.m. on Fridays and will start practicing in pads on March 28, said head coach Joe Prud’homme. “[The morning workout is] to instill toughness,” Prud’homme said. “It’s got different components to it but it’s different every week.

We’re trying to instill a mental toughness and physical toughness that we want to play with.

We want them to understand that there are sacrifices that have to be made in order to do this. Getting up at five and being here at five and doing that workout is not easy. I don’t pretend it is.”

The team is excited to begin tackling, running plays and preparing for their scrimmage, tight end Logan Butler said.

“We are really excited about it. I mean I’m really excited about getting pads on and just start hitting. It’s like being a kid in a candy factory,” said Butler, a sophomore biochemistry major.

The team’s uniform, made by Adidas, will be revealed at a Thursday press conference.

“That’s for a lot of boosters and things of that nature want to see it first,” Prud’homme said.

The team’s intersquad scrimmage will be held at 3 p.m. on April 22 at Farrington or Clark, Prud’homme said.

The team is extremely self-motivated, Prud’homme, and the closer to pads and actual games the more excited the players are getting.

“They know pads are coming and it’s more like football,” Prud’homme said. “It’s tough to go through a year without playing and everybody else is and stay at that heightened alertness and awareness is tough.”

The 2017 season begins with an away game against McPherson College on Sept. 2; the Rams’ first home game is Sept. 9 against Millsaps College.

The season was originally going to be 10 games, but Wesleyan added a game with Oklahoma Panhandle University to the schedule. The teams play at 2 p.m. on Nov. 11 in Goodwell, Okla.

“We picked up Oklahoma Panhandle State [University] joined our conference so that was

Photo by Karan Muns Tight end Logan Butler runs during practice last fall. The sophomore played for head coach Joe Prud’homme at Nolan Catholic High School.

the eleventh game so it changed a little bit,” Prud’homme said.

Prud’homme and his coaching staff have been scouting the other teams in the Central States Conference.

“We went and watched them during the season,” Prud’homme said. “We saw several of them play so we got a feel for what we’re going to be competing against.”

The schedule looks good but traveling so often will be a challenge for the Rams, Prud’homme said.

“The traveling piece is going to be pretty challenging,” Prud’homme said. “We’ve got a DII on our schedule first year which I think is pretty ambitious but I feel good about it.”

Prud’homme said that running a startup program with 100 players is challenging.

Twenty-six athletes sent letters of intent to Wesleyan on Jan. 30, National Signing Day. The athletes come from Texas, Oklahoma and Ohio, according to ramsports.net.

“And now you add in all the factors of what all we’ve got to do to get ready for practices,”

Prud’homme said. “The equipment piece, the storage of the equipment, managing our practice schedule, ‘Where are we going to be?’

‘How are we going do it?’ and the transportation issues.”

Before the pads go on in March, the players are practicing skills within their position groups, lifting weights and running, said fullback Zack Lanham.

“We’ve been in two places,” Lanham said.

“The reason why is that the grass gets torn up because of the cleats so until we have a sufficient play to practice with turf and or more than one field in one location we’ll keep alternating.”

The team has been practicing on the mall and at the practice field across from the Law Sone Fine Arts Center, Lanham said.

“We’ve been in two places. The reason why is that the grass gets torn up because of the cleats so until we have a sufficient play to practice with turf and or more than one field in one location we’ll keep alternating,” Lanham said.

The team will have an 18-day period for the

offense and defense to practice in pads, Lanham said.

“We will most likely be staying away from tackles on the legs stuff like that because this is just to get us back in that feel of aggression so [there will be] a lot of hits up high,” Lanham said.

The program is a lot to keep together, especially considering that the team does not have its own facilities, Prud’homme said.

“I never would have thought at the beginning of my career that I’d be doing this,” Prud’homme said. “A startup college program.

But I do find it very exciting and rewarding so far. And I do believe that we’re going to have something people are proud of.”

Prud’homme wants the Rams to be a Metroplex team, not just a Fort Worth or Polytechnic or Tarrant County team.

“It’s not just this little area of Fort Worth where we’re going,” Prud’homme said. “I want it to be everybody want to come see us play.

That’s in the back of my mind on a lot of decisions that are made.”

A PPLICAT ION DE A DLI N E : F E BRUA RY 2 4 , 2 017

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For more information or to pick up an application, contact the Office of Financial Aid at 817-531-4420.

8 | Wednesday | February 8, 2017 TheRambler.org | For news throughout the day.

Rogers leads Rams to success

Photo courtesy of Little Joe The senior guard from New Jersey is a transfer from Delaware State University. He leads the Rams with 19 points per game and was named the SAC player of the week for Jan. 16-22.

Matt Smith mxsmith@txwes.edu

Texas Wesleyan University’s men’s basketball team sits atop the Sooner Athletic Conference, and senior guard Dion Rogers, the team’s top scorer, is a major reason why.

Rogers, 22 and a liberal studies major, leads the team in scoring with an average of 19 points per game; he also averages five rebounds and 4.1 assists, according to ramsports.net.

But, he says, being the team’s leading scorer is nothing new to him.

“It’s not that big of a deal to me,” Rogers said. “Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve been sort of the top scorer at some point. Maybe not my freshman year, but by my second year, I’m usually the top scorer wherever I go.”

After high school, Rogers first attended Essex County College not far from his home in New Jersey; after that he transferred to Delaware State University for a semester, and then to Wesleyan. This is his third semester here.

Rogers scored a career-high 33 points on Jan. 21, when the Rams beat Oklahoma City University 98-76. Two days later, he was named the SAC player of the week for Jan. 16-22.

“I had already made my career high this year, so I didn’t know if I was going to get higher than that,” Rogers said of the OCU game. “But I did, I was kind of happy I did it. I haven’t really been in a slump this year. I’m glad I’m doing well.”

Head basketball coach Brennen Shingleton said Rogers is a very good all-around player.

“Points are a major thing, but it keeps balance too,” Shingleton said. “Because not only do people have to guard him, but when they do put emphasis on him, it makes other people get open as well. He’s a really good on-the-ball defender and he’s a sneaky rebounder.”

Shingleton said Rogers also has a quality personality.

“When you speak chemistry, he’s a major part of the formula,” Shingleton said. “He’s very unselfish, humble, and he’s just a team guy.”

Rogers said he wasn’t really challenged on the court until he started playing college ball. But that’s not to say his time playing in high school was wasted.

“My experience at North Brunswick (Township High School) as a player has been comfortable,” said Rogers. “Coach already knew who I was when I was in middle school, he was coming to my games. When I got to high school, as a freshman I started varsity and each year we got better and better, and we accomplished a lot of goals in my senior year. So it helped me.”

North Brunswick head coach Edward Breheney said Rogers was a “complete joy” to have on the team.

“We knew about Dion from junior high on and he made an immediate impact on our program,” Breheney said. “He’s absolutely one of the greatest persons we had come through our school.”

Breheney said Rogers improved a great deal in his four years as a starter at North Brunswick.

“He always had the physical skills,” Breheney said, “but by the

time he left us he could figure out how to get his own points and how to get off his teammate’s [points] as well.”

Like Shingleton, Breheney noted that Rogers’ personality is a major factor in his success.

“He’s very comfortable with his teammates - very unselfish player,” Breheney said. “I would characterize Dion as a humble person and a very intense competitor at the same time. He took coaching very well.”

At the same time, Rogers admits that he does have his flaws.

“The trait I could definitely improve more on is being vocal – as leader, I lead by example [but] I’m not really a vocal leader,” he said. “So I could definitely improve on that.”

Rogers said he that he plans to continue playing after graduation, or going into criminal justice.

“I haven’t given it that much thought,” he said about his postgraduation plans. “Thought about being a police officer, maybe? I’m kind of betting on this basketball thing.”

Rogers said he might play overseas.

“If I get a NBA workout or something like that,” he said. “You know, that’ll be good for me. But yeah, overseas.”

For now, Shingleton needs Rogers to keep up his role as a leader.

“I really want him to grasp this next six to eight weeks, finish the season strong, have the best second semester a senior could have,” Shingleton said. “That’s where I see his future, short term.”

February 8-25

Support the Rams!

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Baseball vs Jarvis SB vs Oklahoma Christian College Wesleyan Uni12 PM & 2PM versity 11AM SB vs Bethel College SB vs McPher1 PM & vs University son College 1PM of Houston-Victoria Baseball vs 3PM Jarvis Christian WBB vs University College 2PM of Science and Arts SB vs Columbia 3PM College 5PM MBB vs University of Science and Arts 5PM

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SB vs University of

TT vs NCTTA Texas Division All Day

Baseball vs UT-Dallas 2PM

WBB vs Saint Gregory’s University 6PM MBB vs Saint Gregory’s University 8PM

SB vs Grambling State University 11AM SB vs University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2:30PM

Arkansas-PIne Bluff 10AM Baseball vs McPherson College SB vs Lindenwood Universtiy-Belleville 12PM WBB vs Wayland Baptist University 1PM Baptist University

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SB vs Louisiana State University 12PM Baseball vs McPherson College 12PM & 2PM

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Baseball vs Our Baseball vs Our Lady of the Lake Lady of the Lake University 2 PM University 12PM & 2 PM WTennis vs Howard Payne University 1PM

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“Diversity: Building Success for a Touchdown”

12PM & 2PM

MBB vs Wayland

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University College Day

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Good luck Rams!

Mark your calendars for University College Day on Wednesday, April 19 — a day when we come together to celebrate the intellectual and community life of Texas Wesleyan.

Accepting proposal submissions now through March 1!

For more info or to submit a proposal, visit:

http://tinyurl.com/ucd2017