Vol. 103 No.7

THERAMBLER

THE VOICE OF TEXAS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS SINCE 1917

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

TheRambler.org

Ben Merritt shares his ‘Chopped’ experience pg. 5

Explore Arlington’s Esports Stadium pg. 8-9  Check out 5 places to eat on campus pg. 15 @TheRamblerTWU

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Vol. 103 No. 7 | Fall 2019 RamblerTV

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OPINION Wednesday, September 18, 2019

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‘What’s the tea?’

TheRambler.org

JACINDA CHAN The Rambler 1201 Wesleyan St. Fort Worth, TX 76105 Phone: (817) 531-7552 Email: twurambler@yahoo.com Editor-In-Chief: Ashton Willis Rambler TV Director: LaTerra Wair IMG Director: Hope Allison Print/Web Content Producers: Hope Allison Jacinda Chan Arely Chavez Tina Huynh Hannah Onder Elizabeth Lloyd LaTerra Wair Ashton Willis Tyreeyana Herrera-Otkins Advisers: Dr. Ngozi Akinro Dr. Jenny Dean Dr. David Ferman Faculty Liaison: Dr. Kay Colley Publisher: Frederick Slabach Letters to the Editor THE RAMBLER, a biweekly 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.

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.

The 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.

ABOUT THE COVER Illustration by Jacinda Chan.

jwchan@txwes. @JacindaWChan Imagine it’s 2019, you’re scrolling through Twitter and you see the word “tea” being tossed around but not being referred to as the beverage.

It’s OK if you’re feeling outdated; it happens to the best of us. I’m about to explain all about the “tea” and why millennials are saying it.

If you’re ever on Twitter or Instagram or just watching videos on YouTube, chances are you’ve probably seen the word “tea.”

Between the drama of our lives and the beauty community on YouTube, there’s always tea being spilled somewhere in the world.

So what is “tea?”

According to urbandictionary. com, tea is “the best kind of gossip, typically shared between friends.

It’s a bonding tool for people of all ages. Tea is usually about

someone you know, but can also extend to celebrities random internet scandals, etc.”

Tea can also mean a piece of sensitive and possibly highly soughtafter information or tidbit.

You might’ve seen the word tea used in sentences like, “What’s the tea sis?” or “Spill the tea” or “The tea is piping hot.”

Where did “Tea” come from?

The phrase “tea” was popularized from the drag queen culture, specifically from the black drag culture, according to the internet and merriam-webster.com.

According to merriam-webster. com, the popular internet slang dates back to the 1991 publication “One of the Children: An Ethnography of Identity and Gay Black Men”

by William G. Hawkeswood.

“Straight life must be so boring. Because everyone conforms.

These gay kids carry on.

They give you the wrong colors at the wrong time.

They give

you dance and great tea [gossip],” said Nate, the subject of the book.

T or tea received its popularity in 1994, in John Berendt’s nonfiction bestseller “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” Berendt interviews The Lady Chablis, the drag performer from Savannah that became one of the first to be accepted, according to merriamwebster.com When asked about her dating life, she responded by saying she avoids men because they usually get violent when they “find out her T.” “Yeah, my T. My thing, my business, what’s goin’ on in my life,” she says.

Tea Today The drag culture has continued to grow in popularity, especially with American television shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The phrase “tea” is being used all over the internet.

Now we see the phrase “tea” often accompanied by the widely popular meme of Kermit the Frog sipping a cup of tea. And an abundance of drinking tea reaction GIFs, the more popular ones featuring Wendy Williams, Rihanna and the rapper Dreezy.

Whether you have sipped, served or spilled the tea, make sure it’s piping hot.

Illustration by Jacinda Chan

opinion

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Wesleyan needs more flexible dining hours Editorial A new semester is beginning at Texas Wesleyan, but this one is coming with a very big change.

The Nick and Lou Martin University Center is opening; this building has been built to benefit students, and with this has also come some new food places.

Many students have been anxiously awaiting this new addition to the university, and although there are some great additions, they come with some concerns.

The Martin Center will now have a Which Wich, Starbucks, Zora, Premium Pies and the newest addition, Gina’s Cafe. This will give faculty, staff and students additional food options on top of Dora’s and the West Express Eatery.

This is great because it gives students plenty of options and a variety of places to eat at on campus. However, this might not be as great as it may seem.

While the hours during the week are very flexible for the students on campus, the weekends are a different story.

Most of the places in the Martin Center are either closed on the weekends or are only open until lunch on Saturday.

Since many students are stuck on campus on the weekends, this

makes it difficult to have food options at that time.

These new eateries need to have longer hours, mainly on the weekends. This is crucial for the students who will be getting the most use out of the building.

When students go off-campus to eat, this also means that the university is missing out on potential revenue. If the food places in the student center are not open for dinner, then students might take their money elsewhere.

This problem goes even further than the new student center, as Dora’s has some questionable hours too. It is open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Monday-Thursday and 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

There are multiple factors that go into Dora’s needing to stay open later, as this is the only affordable option for many students.

Another issue with the dining hours at Wesleyan are that athletes that practice off campus might run into issues.

For example, if an athlete’s practice runs late, he or she might not be able to make it back for dinner.

Students who have night class have a diffi-

cult time as well because their classes can run as late as 9:30 p.m.

International students are suffering the most from this. Most of these students are stuck here during holidays, and many don’t have cars.

During spring break, Thanksgiving, Christmas and various other holidays, Dora’s has always remained closed.

The students who are stuck on campus have no choice but to either spend money or starve.

Students who have night classes also might face this dilemma because their night class occurs right in the middle of dinner time.

One idea that Wesleyan could try out is to expand dining hours for a semester. This would give a good idea to see if this was benefiting the students or not.

Another option would be to have at least some of these places open during the holidays or on the weekends. This would at least give students somewhere to eat while on campus.

Wesleyan really needs to consider at least trying out one of these ideas. It could definitely benefit and improve the university as a whole.

None of the places to eat on campus are really serving the needs of the vast majority of students.

Photo courtesy of txwesdining Instagram Hours of the new Which Wich in Martin Center are posted on social media for Wesleyan students, faculty and staff.

NEWS

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Photos by Rueben Gonzales These two photos, “Untitled (Black Diamond)” (top) and “Untitled (The Climb),” (right) are from Rueben Gonzales’ photographic exhibition called “Counterpoint the Climb” showing from Oct. 5 to Dec. 14 at the MYT Art Studio and Gallery at 3740 S. University Drive.

Gonzales paints a new vision for the art gallery HANNAH ONDER hlonder@txwes.edu @hannahonder

Growing up, Rueben Gonzales knew he wanted to be surrounded by art and make a career out of it.

“I’ve always wanted to be in the art world and teach, so I’ve kind of been building my resume and my portfolio and my professional experience with the idea that I would settle myself with art as my career and profession,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales initially came to Texas Wesleyan as a creative services manager in marketing in communications for a year and half before leaving to work on his Master of Fine Arts degree in photography at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.

He’s now come full circle, returning to Wesleyan as a visiting assistant art professor and the new coordinator of the Bernice Coulter Templeton Art Studio.

“I really fell in love with this school and my team, and the only reason I left was to go back to school,” he said.

1)

He worked in Wesleyan’s marketing and communications department for a year and a half.

2)

“I needed to be able to balance school full time with a full-time work schedule that would work for me. Always with the idea in my mind that I would eventually come back to the school if the position would arise.”

Gonzales’s application rose to the top of the application pool for the job due to his great recommendations from people he worked with in Wesleyan’s marketing and communication department, his MFA from a preeminent art school, his prior teaching experience, and his experience and connections from working at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, said Dr. Steven Daniell, the interim dean of the School of Arts and Letters and assistant provost.

“We’re just thrilled to be able to get him back on campus in this position,” Daniell said. “I think the students are really going to enjoy having his courses and the university community is going to really enjoy the exhibitions he’s able to bring people in to do.”

Gonzales said he’s teaching three art classes this year: two sections of Basic Art and one section of Beginning

Photo by Hannah Onder Rueben Gonzales, the new visiting assistant art professor and coordinator of the Bernice Coulter Templeton Art Studio, poses in his classroom on the second floor of the gallery. “I’m happy to be here at Texas Wesleyan and I hope that I can make popular change and growth and be a part of something good,” Gonzales said.

Drawing.

“I think what’s really interesting about teaching students that are not visual arts majors is that a lot of them are at different levels of their capabilities in art,” Gonzales said. “A lot of them see this as a chance to kind of breathe. It’s like art therapy for them and I think that’s really important.”

One of Gonzales’s art students, senior general business major Lucas Salazar, said he looks forward to his art class.

“Before I was kind of scared taking art, but after a couple of classes with him, he made me feel pretty comfortable taking the class,” Salazar said. “If you’re feeling stuck about anything, you can just ask him, and he’ll look at your art and explain.”

Salazar also said thinks he’ll do well with the galley.

“He has a real big love for art,” Salazar said. “He has a huge passion for art, and

5 facts about Rueben Gonzales

He has an MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design.

3)

His art focus is in photography. He’s not very good at metal sculpting.

4)

he can definitely spread that passion towards others.”

Gonzales said he wants to bring in more local artists from the DFW area and more art variety.

“I wanted to bring in photographers, painters, installation pieces. I want the breadth of what we do to be larger and I want students to be able to make work if they want and put on a show as well,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales said he wants to make the gallery more open to students outside of art and get more people on campus involved with it.

“I just want to be able to continue to present this space and exhibitions to make it as much as a centerpiece as the new student center,” Gonzales said.

“I want people to be talking about this place all the time.”

He worked at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth as a social media associate.

5)

He knew he always wanted to be in the art world and be a teacher.

news

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019

From ‘Chopped’ to Rosedale, Merritt does it all

ELIZABETH LLOYD @ejlloyd@txwes.edu @TheRamblerTWU

Ben Merritt knows how to keep a secret.

The owner of Ben’s Triple B: Biscuits, Burgers, and Brews knew he had won the Food Network’s “Chopped” for a year and a half before it was announced on July 11.

“I had to keep a secret for a year and a half, so that was tough,” said Merritt, who also owns Fixture – Kitchen and Social Lounge.

On the night of the episode premiere, Merritt was at Fixture while two watch parties were held, one at each of his restaurants.

“It was loud, it was chaotic, the bar and patio were packed and everybody was rooting me on,” Merritt said. “The thing is, I already knew what happened.”

Merritt said that he was able to show more emotion after they announced his win at the viewing party than he did on the show.

“On the show I was trying to be very humble and respectful,” he said.

Photo by Hannah Onder Ben Merritt working in Triple B’s kitchen.

Triple B’s was also packed on the night of the watch party, according to Wesleyan student William Van Horn.

“The place was locked in on the TV, watching as he went through each round,” Van Horn wrote in an email. “When the judges were making their decision the room was quiet when it was announced. Everyone in the room cheered and clanked glasses.”

Merritt says he has been cooking since he was a child and that he loves to eat and knew there are only two ways to eat for free: being a food writer or being a chef.

“I’m not good at writing so I looked into culinary school,” he said. “I ended up having a really good palate so that’s where all of a sudden the cooking started going.”

Fixture is Merritt’s first restaurant; he thinks Triple B’s could be turned into a franchise.

“It would be nice to have five restaurants and go to each restaurant each

day of the week,” he said, but adds that opening a second restaurant has been “way harder” than opening the first one.

Fort Worth-based food critic Malcolm Mayhew wrote in an email that, while it is always cool when a chef reps the city well, the “Chopped” win doesn’t validate Merritt’s culinary skills because his food does that for him.

“I’ve eaten at both of his restaurants on multiple occasions and each time I’ve had an enjoyable experience. He also made me love something I thought I’d never care about: beets. His are coated in cornstarch and cut into bite size portions.

You dip them in spicy aioli and pumpkin seeds accented with lime and chiles,” he wrote.

Mayhew praised Triple B’s, saying that he likes it because it is the direct opposite of Fixture.

“It’s simple, basic food done very well,” he said.

“The east side needed a good burger joint.”

Photo by Hannah Onder The buffalo chicken b (front) alongside the chicken bacon ranch biscuit (back) are available.

Photo by Hannah Onder Triple B’s serves up cold mixed drinks alongside tasty wine and beer.

Photo by Hannah Onder Ben Merritt in the kitchen after cooking and plating a burger at Ben’s Triple B.

SPORTS

TheRambler.org

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

ARELY CHAVEZ

achavez5@txwes.edu @Arelyc66

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Lady Rams hit their way into 2019 season

Head women’s volleyball coach Jessica Ransom says her team has to prove themselves every day this season.

“I think we do a great job of that,” Ransom said.

“Nothing is just handed to anyone.”

Last year the Lady Rams were 24-11 overall, and 17-3 in conference, according to ramsports.net. This was the Lady Rams’ second year in a row to earn a bid to the National Tournament Opening Round, and the team is hoping to improve even more this year.

Ransom said that the freshman and transfer players are bringing diverse skills to the court.

“We have a great combination of talent in both our freshman and veterans, transfers and returning players, so it’s a good mix,” Ransom said. “We are working through rotations and getting comfortable playing next to each other.”

Ransom said the team was “where we want to be” as

the season started. The Lady Rams went 2-2 in August at the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference’s KCAC Fall Fling, beating York College 3-0 and the University of St. Mary 3-1, according to ramsports.net. After that, the team recorded wins against, among others, Our Lady of the Lake University (on the road) and Jarvis Christian College at home.

Ransom not only gave the goals she wishes for the team; she also discussed what she hopes the players will accomplish as Wesleyan students.

“This season we have a few goals for our program,” Ransom said. “First is to be successful students in the classroom. Second, we want to compete. Hard.

We truly support and encourage one another, but are extremely competitive at the same time.”

Outside hitter Madison Lopez is extremely grateful for the team this year.

“There is a lot more height on our team this year

Photo by Tyreeyana Herrera-Otkins The Lady Rams will take on Southwestern Christian University at home on Sept. 20. For more information, go to ramsports.

than what we had last year so I definitely think, like, we’ll be really good offensively and defensively,” Lopez said. “I don’t think we’re weak in either position. I think we’ll be pretty strong this year.”

Lopez, a senior education major, also explained how important teamwork will be this season.

“I think this season our teamwork is tremendously different from last season,” Lopez said. “We definitely work a lot better together on and off the court.”

Senior liberal studies major Brenda Pargas, who is also a setter for the Lady Rams, shared how excited she is for the new season.

“It’s both of our last year on the team,” she said of herself and Lopez. “We’ve had a lot of rough bumps last year with a lot of injuries, so this is definitely our year. We’re looking good, a lot of new girls, young girls, but I mean we go hard every practice and we’re getting there.”

sports

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Former player takes over as head coach

Former Texas Wesleyan student, golfer and assistant coach Shaun Hensley has become the new men’s golf head coach.

Growing up in Stephenville, Hensley didn’t set out to be a coach.

“I started playing golf as a kid,” he said. “Stephenville is a very small town, so we had a nine-hole golf course that my buddy’s dad owned and so we just grew up playing out there every summer.”

Hensley graduated from Denton High School and in 2013 attended Texas Wesleyan to play golf for Bobby Cornett.

He posted a personal low score of 69 at the 20132014 Sooner Athletic Conference Championship; he tied for 8th in that tournament, according to ramsports.net. He was named as The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Scholar Athlete his senior year.

Graduating with a political science degree at Wesleyan in 2015, Hensley applied for law school but was waitlisted. This would lead to his coaching career.

Hensley said that after finding out he was waitlisted, “I signed my first contract to start coaching at Ranger [College] and then a day after that I found out

I got into law school.”

But having made his commitment to Ranger College, he stayed as a coach.

“I knew once I got into coaching that I would like it,” he said. “I come from a long line of coaches in my family. They’re all football coaches and basketball coaches, none of them are golf coaches, but I was very familiar with the coach’s life and playing college golf.”

His love for golf and his family’s history in coaching led him to where he is today. Being a former student-athlete at the college level, Hensley feels he can relate to the players.

“I think it’s comforting for them to know that somebody might know what they’re talking about and has hit the same shot that they’re trying to hit,” he said. “I think I’m a good sounding board for them to bounce things off of.”

Hensley feels he’s already being acclimated to being the new head coach after having the experience as a former assistant coach.

Although being a head coach requires more of the business aspect, he feels that he and Cornett “have the same mindset towards winning and how we go about that.”

Photo by Jacinda Chan Sophomore Will Gilster (left) at the tee box with head coach Shaun Hensley preparing for a tournament in Lemar, Iowa.

TheRambler.org JACINDA CHAN jwchan@txwes. @JacindaWChan

“The biggest challenge is just keeping the program going in the right direction,” he said. “It’s such a legacy, seven national championships and over 200 and something wins, over 90 All-Americans, they’re big shoes to fill, most daunting task, thankfully he’s still here to help me along the way.”

Earlier this month, the Rams won the 2019 Texas Intercollegiate, according to ramsports.net, finishing two under par with a three round score of 862.

Hensley’s goals for the team this year “are the same as any year: win as many golf tournaments as possible, but most importantly stay in the top five of the national ranking and just keep growing and the guys keep achieving their own personal goals and being there to help them with that.”

Sophomore Will Gilster finished third at the Texas Intercollegiate. He said that although he’s a “little sad” about having a new coach, “both coaches are great to be around and learn from.”

“It’s great to have him around because he has a lot of knowledge and experience when it comes to golf,” he said of Hensley.

CAMPUS Wednesday, September 18, 2019

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The Esports Stadium in Arlington is more than 100,000 square feet; the arena can hold 2,500 fans.

CAMPUS Wednesday, September 18, 2019

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Esports reaches ‘new levels’ in Arlington ELIZABETH LLOYD ejlloyd@txwes.edu

P

arker Anderson will never forget his first visit to Esports Stadium Arlington.

Anderson, captain of Texas Wesleyan’s Overwatch team, went to the facility twice last summer to play in two Starcraft II events called “Last Hit” and, he wrote in an email, the atmosphere was lively; playing at an offline event is both indescribable and unforgettable.

“The whole arena felt alive and filled with other people who loved the game just as much as I do,” the junior management major wrote.

He noted that, while the arena has brought in more esports activity and fostered kinship in the local community, “in order for esports to keep growing locally and beyond, the community will need to branch out and bring in the people who ‘don’t get esports’ at the moment.”

Esports Stadium Arlington opened in 2018 and is located near AT&T Stadium in north Arlington. According to its website, esportsstadium.gg, at 100,000 square feet it is the largest dedicated esports facility in North America, and offers recreational gaming and live events. There is a gaming center, where people can play recreationally and practice, and an arena seating 2,500 people for competitive live events.

Texas Wesleyan’s Overwatch team will be competing in the Battle4Texas live event held during the weekend of Sept.

21 at the stadium, according to Eugene Frier, executive director of the TXWES Esports Program and Recreation.

This will be their first event to attend as a team at the arena, although many students

have been to the stadium for recreational activity, Frier wrote in an email.

“The atmosphere is fantastic and helps facilitate great events,” he wrote. “It is a hub for activity.”

In the future, he added, “the arena will have a similar effect to the Texas/Oklahoma/ Arkansas/Louisiana region that our new Martin University Center is going to have on campus. It is a hub for activity. It is a flag planted in the ground to let me rally around. It is a place to go for events or just to connect with others. The Esports Stadium in Arlington is the place to be for esports activity in the area and has already drawn in international events to our region!”

Jacob Williams, captain of the FIFA team, has never been to the stadium, but wrote in an email that he is looking forward to attending an event there soon.

Williams agrees with Anderson in that the arena has been a major advancement in the esports community, but he wrote that further advancements can still be made in the DFW area.

“Having a centralized arena for all things esports is a huge advancement in what we in the esports community are attempting to accomplish,” he wrote. “We were in need of a location to put us very literally and metaphorically on the map. I feel the DFW area could use some form of popular advertisement of esports.

Many people are interested in esports but do not know how to get involved. A way to promote these ways would be awesome.”

Photos by Hannah Onder This is the inside of the Esports Stadium in Arlington. The top photo is a view of gaming stations outside of the stadium area, and the bottom photo is a close-up of the gaming computers.

A&E

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019

ASHTON WILLIS @anwillis@txwes.edu @AshtonWillis1

This is

“It” fans started heading to the moment we have all been Two” was released on two weeks After 2017’s “It,” many fans course, whether or not it would be The new film (169 minutes; rated as scared as you were in 2017. Directed by James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Skarsgard as Pennywise, “Chapter Two” finds the with each other.

This all changes when Pennywise resurfaces and try to take him down once and for all. This won’t be from the group’s past.

“Chapter Two” is full of twists, turns and even some you are part of the movie; you get to experience all the The film got a 7.1 out of 10 rating on imdb.com and a bad for a horror film, but I found them a little low. I would the plot is very good – I felt satisfied with the outcome – The movie might not have as many jumps and scares as of your seat and wanting more. It’s a definite must-see and right?

It the theaters earlier this month because waiting for has finally come: “It Chapter ago. wondered if there would be a sequel and, of as good.

R) is worth watching, but don’t expect to be Andy Muschietti and starring Jessica Chastain, Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean and Bill Losers’ Club all grown up and out of touch the Losers musreturn to Derry, Maine and easy and will mean bringing back memories comedy. The film will make you feel like emotions along with the rest of the cast.

64% on Rotten Tomatoes; these ratings aren’t have given it an 8 out of 10 or an 80%, because and it’s a good ending to the story. the original, but it will still keep you on the edge a great sequel to “It”. I mean after all this is “It” . . .

It Chapter 2: Rating out of 10 stars

Graphic by Ashton Willis

a&e

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Rambler Staff of fall 2019 Jacinda Chan- Content Producer “I’m just here for a good time not a long time.” Between golf and The Rambler I feel like I get the opportunity to do two things that I love.

Tina Huynh- Rambler TV If you asked me to trade pho for anything, the only deal I would accept is a free lifetime subscription of Adobe Premiere

Arely Chavez- Content Producer I’m here to learn and grow through experiences and mistakes. Wish me luck!

Hannah Onder- Content producer and Rambler TV Everything we do has a story behind it. I like being the one to help share the experience in creative ways.

Hope Allison- IMG Director I’m not really sure how I got here, but I enjoy the creative freedom I have with the Rambler to create.

Tyreeyana Herrera-Otkins- Rambler TV I simply like to create things and tell a story. Thanks to Rambler TV I can do what I love and get paid for it.

Elizabeth Lloyd- Content Producer I am passionate about fostering social awareness however I can. Working at The Rambler provides me the oppurtunity to pursue that.

LaTerra Wair- Rambler TV Director Everything we do has an imapct. Therefore, I try and make my impact as pleasant as possible. By directing Rambler TV I feel I can help spread my influence while also doing what I’m passionate about.

Ashton Willis- Editor-in-chief

I love getting to manage a staff that works hard and puts in the time to complete the issues. Being on The Rambler has allowed me to learn, improve and make friends.

Photos by LaTerra Wair

LIFESTYLE Wednesday, September 18, 2019

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lifestyle

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019

5

new places to eat at Texas Wesleyan HANNAH ONDER hlonder@txwes.edu

1)

Last April, Ben Merritt opened Ben’s Triple B: Biscuit, Burgers, Brews on Rosedale across the street from the Baker Building. Triple B’s is open every day from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The restaurant serves creative biscuit, burger, and salad combinations with potato sides, desserts and a bar. Ben’s Triple B’s bar also has happy hour Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and all day Sundays.

The location features an outdoor patio, a jukebox, and a few arcade games. Ben’s also live streams Wesleyan’s football games every Saturday on the restaurant TVs. Last month, The Nick and Lou Martin University Center opened with four new dining places on campus: Which Wich, Premium Pies, Zoca, and The Coffee Shoppe. These options are located in Gina’s Café, which features a variety of seating and charging areas for students.

@hannahonder

I

n the last six months, the Texas Wesleyan dining environment has changed drastically.

Instead of students just having Dora Robert’s Dining Hall, West Express Eatery and a Subway as their only options, there’s now five new food places that students can walk to.

2)

Which Wich serves a variety of sandwiches, pizzawiches, chips, desserts, and shakes. It’s open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Which Wich also features ordering cards that customers can fill out and give to the counter when paying.

3)

Premium Pies allows students to customize personal pizzas as well as order a side of breadsticks or Caesar salad. It’s hours are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

4)

Zoca features Tex-Mex and allows students to create their own bowl and add a side of beans, rice, chips, or churros. It’s open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays. Zoca also serves customizable breakfast burritos and breakfast bowls from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Monday through Friday.

5)

The Coffee Shoppe, also known as Starbucks, allows students to order espressos, frappuccinos, refreshers, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and pastries. It also features a grab and go section with fruit cups, parfaits, and sandwiches. The Coffee Shoppe is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Photos by Hannah Onder and graphics courtesy of canva.com

LIFESTYLE

TheRambler.org

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

ARELY CHAVEZ

achavez5@txwes.edu @Arelyc66

International student Adel Atieh says he hopes to make American friends while at Texas Wesleyan University.

“It’s very easy to make international student friends, but it’s hard to make American friends,” Atieh said. “If I was an American student, I would be the one who would want to make international friends because, as international students, you would not have the courage to ask the American students to hang out.”

Atieh, a freshman business management major, came to Texas Wesleyan from Jordan after joining and completing the program with The Language Company on campus to learn English.

“I didn’t know that I would come to Wesleyan the first time,” Atieh said.

“So I studied the language at The Language Company on campus, finished my classes there, and they told me I could register to the university.”

Atieh said he does not know how to start to make American friends because he is used to people asking him to be friends.

“Now I have to adapt to making my own friends,” Atieh said.

Many international students come to Texas Wesleyan to study abroad and

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Wesleyan welcomes international student from Jordan find a career in America. The same goes for Atieh.

“I don’t have many goals in the studying field,” Atieh said, “but if I am able to work in America, I will work here.”

Atieh said he enjoys the diversity of America and its “easy ways of living”.

“There’s no difficulty in finding a place, a car, or a driver’s license,” Atieh said. “Nothing is hard and that’s why it’s easy.”

University Communications Specialist Nephtaly Rivera wrote in an email that the international student enrollment statistics for this term will be ready by the middle of September. The latest international student enrollment statistics are from the fall 2018 semester. Sixty-eight percent were male and 32% were female. The top countries of origin at Wesleyan, among others, were China, India, and Vietnam. Overall, 7% of the population on campus during the fall of 2018 was international students.

Atieh is not only happy about being at Texas Wesleyan, but he said he also enjoys exploring Fort Worth and cities around in the area.

“I’ve visited many places like the Stockyards of Fort Worth of course,

and downtown is amazing!” Atieh said. “I’ve been to Oklahoma for one day, but I prefer Texas of course. I went to McKinney too in the north of Dallas. It’s amazing small city and there’s many traditional shops and store there.”

What Atieh said he misses most about his home country is his family and the food. When asked about what he did not like about Wesleyan, the food on campus was his first response.

“I don’t like the food in Dora’s because it’s very different kind of food from my country, that’s why,” Atieh said with a laugh. “But I will be okay with it by next month.”

Atieh also added that he misses mansaf the most. According to migrationology.com, mansaf is “a dish of rice, lamb and a dry yoghurt made into a sauce called jameed” and is “considered the national dish of Jordan.”

“We have plenty of food in our country, but the famous one is mansaf,” Atieh said. “Anyone who would know information about Jordan would know this traditional dish.”

Joe Brown, associate dean of freshman and professor of theatre arts and communication, wrote in an email

that there is a diverse group of international students this semester.

“This semester a large group of new international students are from Vietnam and China,” Brown said, “but we have several countries represented.”

Studying abroad brings forth many challenges for international students, and Atieh said he experienced this firsthand in his classes this semester, especially in his sociology class.

“I have a challenge in my sociology class; it’s the hard one for this semester,” Atieh said. “The professor give the class PowerPoint slides to make it easy, but when I asked how I should study he told me I should read the book and the book is very big! That’s what is hard is reading the whole book. Like chapter one is almost 35 pages.”

Overall, Atieh is enjoying his life at Wesleyan and in America. When asked what his favorite things on campus were, he talked about the dorms and living on campus.

“The most thing that I like is the Stella Dorm and the life in the dorm,” Atieh said. “It’s very easy because if you live in the university you do not cook or clean anything. Everything is clean and you just sleep there; that is a very easy life.”

Photos by Arely Chavez

Adel Atieh says he is adjusting to life at Texas Wesleyan and in the United States.

lifestyle

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019

ASHTON WILLIS @anwillis@txwes.edu @AshtonWillis1

Keeping your summer bod during the school year It’s the start of a new semester and that means a lot more school and a lot less time to do the things that we had plenty of time for in the summer.

Many people want to have a “summer bod” and some might even achieve it, but the fact is, when school starts this can all go away.

You might feel too overwhelmed with school or work, so you begin to neglect the one thing that you tried so hard to maintain this summer, your fitness. It can be easy to get so caught up in your school schedule that you put this aspect of your life at the bottom of your priorities.

And as many times as you convince yourself that you will go to the gym, let’s be honest. Sometimes you don’t make it happen.

People mistake working out as more of a task and something that takes a lot of time, when really it can be something quite simple and easy. Working out doesn’t just keep you from gaining weight throughout the school year; it also allows you to feel good and get ready to deal with the stress that school throws your way. By getting into a routine and taking a few minutes out of your day to focus on your body, you can prepare yourself mentally and physically for the new school year.

Yoga is a great way to relax and take time for yourself, especially if you have a hectic day ahead. On top of that, it keeps you in good shape and can take as much time out of your day as you want. It can be just 20 minutes of a simple yoga workout that you can do right in your dorm, or a class taken at the Morton Fitness Center. The great part about it is that it is up to you.

Another great option is to go on a quick run. Running a big lap around the outside of the campus equals about a mile and is an awesome way to stay in shape.

Just a simple 10-minute run can give you the energy and motivation you need to get through the day.

Going to the gym or the fitness center is also a great way to keep up with your fitness. The great part about it is that with free access to a gym right on campus, you can go whenever you are free. Whether it’s the morning, afternoon or evening, you can work out when it is convenient for you. The options are immense as well, ranging from lifting weights to running on the treadmill or even cycling on one of the ellipticals.

Don’t wait to focus on your fitness. With these options and many more you can keep or get that “summer bod” in no time.

Graphics by Jacinda Chan and Ashton Willis

The Rambler Wednesday, September 18, 2019

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TheRambler.org