WEDNESDAY
October 14, 2009
Vol. 92 • No. 19 ONLINE:
www.therambler.org
The Rambler The voice of Texas Wesleyan University students since 1917
Cowboys overenthusiastic after win Opinion, page 2
The life and times of Willie the Ram Sports, page 6
Revenue up, raises feasible Jonathan Resendez
jlresendez@mail.txwes.edu
Recession or not, some Wesleyan faculty and employees will receive up to a 3 percent raise this year, according to Bill Bleibdrey, senior vice president of finance. The salary raise is due to better-than-expected enroll-
ment and an increase in revenue, Bleibdrey said. Pay raises weren’t originally expected for the 2009-2010 school year, he said, because of uncertainty of how the current economy would affect school enrollment. “We had to be very cautious,” he said, referring to promising raises at the begin-
ning of the fiscal year. The raise, scheduled to take effect by the end of the month, is retroactive to June, the beginning of the fiscal year. Wesleyan President Dr. Harold Jeffcoat said faculty is subject to a performance review before a raise is issued. The performance measures in each department depend
on the nature of the work, he said. Some may receive more than a 3 percent raise while others won’t receive one at all. “We reward those who are the top performers,” he said. “We don’t want to reward those who are just going through the motions.” The raises are usually expected. Bleibdrey said
salary increases are common every year, with 2002 or 2003 being an exception. Wesleyan’s pay increase comes at a time when other schools in the country are facing opposite troubles. The University of WisconsinMadison’s Badger Herald
jlresendez@mail.txwes. edu
While the 2008 presidential election churned out young voters in record numbers, the upcoming November elections may only produce a trickle. Apart from voting for local officials, voters will cast their ballots in favor of, or against, 11 different propositions ranging in topics from universities to public beaches and municipal issues such as city taxes. Jessica Rodriguez, junior chemistry major, wasn’t aware of the upcoming elections. “I hadn’t heard anything about it,” Rodriguez said. “If I knew more about it, I would probably go and vote.” Kenisha King, assistant voter registration supervisor for Tarrant County, said it is not unusual for people to be unaware when local elections occur. “A lot of times, people are not aware of elections going on,” King said. “It’s that or they don’t understand what’s on the ballot.” National elections generally garner more
attention than local elections according, to the voting and democracy research center. Ashly Spencer, senior education major, believes that voting at a local level is just as important as voting at a national level but some people don’t agree. “It’s not as big of a deal for people,” said Spencer, whose interest in voting was sparked as a child by her father who worked in Washington. Rockthevote.com is a Web site that promotes voting at both the national and local level. According to the site, the organization’s mission is “to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country.” According to Rock the Vote, there was a nearly continuous downward turnout trend in younger voters since 1972 until 2004. “Turnout among 18-29 year olds was up significantly in 2004 and 2006 and more than doubled in the 2008 primaries,” according to the organization.
VOTE, page 3
Daniel McGrary
dcmcgrary@mail.txwes.edu
Business students and other
RAISE, page 3 members of the Wesleyan
Will students rock the vote? Jonathan Resendez
Business expert to speak on campus
Renee Greer | Staff Photographer While some students plan to make their way to the polls Nov. 3, others remain ambiguous.
community will hear from the newest member of the Texas Wesleyan Business Hall of Fame Oct. 20. Southwest Bank Chief Executive Officer and President Vernon Wilson Bryant Jr. will speak at 9:30 a.m. in Martin Hall. “It is because of Mr. Bryant’s great leadership in Texas banking, in addition to his many other contributions to the local community, that make him such a great choice for the Executive of the Year Award and induction into the Business Hall of Fame,” said Dr. Hector Quintanilla, dean of Wesleyan’s school of business. The Hall of fame is a partnership between Wesleyan, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Worth Business Press that honors individuals based on achievements. A board composed of former hall of fame recipients makes the selection for new inductees. Members of the Hall include W.R. “Bob” Watt, head of the Fort Worth Stock Show, and U.S. Rep. Kay Granger. Bryant, who has been known as a leader in the Texas banking community for nearly 30 years, headed TexasBank from 1989 until 2000, when he left to become CEO of Southwest Bank. He became a member of the Texas Wesleyan board of trustees in June. He is also a board member of the Van Cliburn Foundation and the First United Methodist Church Foundation, as well as the chairman of the Tarrant County United Way Campaign. Bryant will be formerly inducted into the hall of fame at a black tie dinner at the Fort Worth Club Oct. 27. Proceeds from the event fund scholarships in the school of business.
Long-time community activist supports Texas Wesleyan Renee Greer
rmgreer@mail.txwes.edu
Renee Greer | Rambler Staff G. Alfred Brown has spent more than 20 years serving the community.
G. Alfred Brown Jr. sits in his favorite seat in the Dora Roberts Dining Hall almost every day with a partial smile on his face as he takes in what he calls great scenery. But who is he, some ask. Brown is many things to many people, including a donor and friend of Texas Wesleyan. He recently gave the school of education a financial donation to make possible the teleconferencing of classes between the main campus and the Burleson site. The education school is close to his heart. In 1962, Brown was an education major at Texas Wesleyan University. “I live to help,” Brown said. His desire to give and to serve things near and dear is something he acquired from his parents. Throughout his life, Brown was inspired by their example. Brown’s mother, Opal John-
son Brown, was a volunteer at Harris Hospital for more than 50 years and gave guidance to several other places of service and need, according to the Central Link United Methodist official publication. His father, Dr. G. Alfred Brown, was a Methodist minister who left a long list of accomplishments. He earned five college degrees, was the previous superintendent of Fort Worth Independent School District in an interim appointment and was the representative of the Central Texas Conference for several years. Brown said he was heavily influenced by his parents’ devotion to serve God and was determined to do good as he saw his parents do. In recognition and in memory of the lives of his parents, Brown established the G. Alfred and Opal Brown Ministerial Scholarship that was awarded for the first time this year, according to
“I’ve never been married and never had children, but 280 kids call me dad.”
G. Alfred Brown
Wesleyan friend and donor
the official publication for the Central Texas Conference. Brown spends most of his days offering help to a community that offered him so much when he was a younger man. He has volunteered in the Fort Worth ISD for more than 20 years. He received the Man of the Year award in 2001, and he continues to be active in the surrounding public schools in the Fort Worth area. “I’ve never been married and never had children, but 280 kids call me dad,” Brown said. He said that his payment for volunteering is the hugs and
love he receives when he walks into some of his kindergarten classrooms. He doesn’t forget the older kids either. Polytechnic High School endured some challenges this year, facing possible closure after years of poor standardized test scores. Brown fought on the front lines supporting them all the way. “I want to see the schools like Polytechnic High School stay open,” said Brown. “I was able to watch Polytechnic High pull through till the end, and I was
BROWN, page 3