The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 8, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Page: 3 of 6
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The Rambler I www.therambier.org
Campus
March 10, 2010
MEXICO continued from page 1
people live and play helps stu-
dents understand immigrants
in the U.S.
"Students often express how
their experiences in Mexico
broadened their understand-
ing and increased their appre-
ciation for the people of this
country' he said. "They have
expressed their amazement at
the way Mexican families dis-
play their emotions, respect
and family unity in the home.
Some of their preconceived
ideas are dispelled."
Gomez said studying in
Mexico allows students to
see the riches, grandeur and
poverty of Mexico, something
which cannot be shown in a
classroom.
"In the classroom, they
couldn't see or understand
why there are so many street
"If they close for siesta you're not get-
ting your product. Just have a beer."
Dr. Amy Bell
associate professor of Spanish
vendors in Mexico—some as
young as 5 years old," he said.
The trip also creates a sense
of community which helps
students perform better aca-
demically and can increase
their chances of earning a de-
gree, she said.
"Once you feel that con-
nection, you're more likely
to graduate," Boisvert said.
"Research suggests that study
abroad helps students persist
to graduation in a four-year
degree."
Dr. Amy Bell, associate pro-
fessor of Spanish who leads
the trip, attests to the benefits
of studying abroad. As both of
her parents are retired profes-
sors of German, she said trav-
eling abroad is "in her blood."
"I've been going on pro-
grams like this since I was an
undergraduate," she said. "It's
the best thing."
Bell said living with fami-
lies helps students think, act,
eat and drink like them. Past
experiences have resulted in
HOMELESS continued from page 7
The lack of freedom and
sleeping on a mat every night
is a constant reminder of not
having your own home and
warm bed, she said.
"It's definitely harder for
women to be homeless," Red
said. "The PNS is very unsafe
for women; there have been
rapes and murders inside the
building."
According to the Mayor's
Advisory Commission on
Homelessness, in Fort Worth
there are approximately 6,378
people who are homeless over
the course of a year. Of that
amount, 52 percent have dis-
abilities, which include ad-
diction and mental instability.
Approximately 3,800 people
are homeless right now.
Red said she has been an
avid reader since she was 5
and is thankful that she never
got involved with drugs and
rarely drinks.
"My only addiction is coffee
and cigarettes," Red said.
For Max, addiction, among
other things, was paramount
for his decline into homeless-
ness.
"A lot of it was my own
making," he said. "I created
a lot of problems for myself
from my teenage years on. I
came from a family that was
very dysfunctional. They had
run rampant for generations
from alcoholism and all kinds
of abuse."
When Max turned 18, he
ventured into the world with
no guidance or emotional or
financial support.
"I didn't have a lot of so-
cial skills," Max said. "I didn't
know how to be someone's
friend. There are a lot of things
that led me into alcoholism
and addiction."
For Max, the past 20 years
of his life consisted of jail
time, treatment facilities, and
his own personal demons. He
kept himself from overcom-
ing his struggle for decades.
Asking for help, Max said,
was the biggest hurdle and he
spent the entire year of 2006 at
the Presbyterian Night Shel-
ter.
"As a man, I've got to make
my own way," Max said. "I
thought that it was my re-
sponsibility to get myself out
of it since I got myself into it.
I finally realized that some-
times you have to ask for help,
and that was hard. My pride
wouldn't let me. I thought
that I didn't need anyone's
help."
The breaking point oc-
curred several years ago when
he was convicted and incar-
cerated for a crime he didn't
commit. Max said his lifestyle
put him in the wrong place
at the wrong time with the
wrong people.
But things began to change.
"I had a public defender,
and she looked me in the
eye and said some key things
that I know made me realize
that God was involved in this
meeting between she and I,"
Max said. "She said she could
get me the minimum sen-
tence, and when I got out, I
needed to go to a treatment
center."
When he was released from
jail, he made an unsuccessful
attempt at rehab and imme-
diately relapsed. Soon after,
he encountered a previously
homeless friend who was do-
ing well, and he became Max's
mentor.
"He taught me how to ap-
preciate life again, and things
just started happening- in-
credibly good things would
fall into my life," Max said.
Soon after, Max found and
maintained a job in down-
town Fort Worth and met an-
other person who was instru-
mental in helping him get into
college.
He became friends with a
frequent customer, who gave
him $2,500 to pay an out-
standing debt to Wesleyan,
which he obtained from a
90 Years of Leadership
1920
sss
sga
STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION
2010
Contact us at
phone: 817-531-7550
email: stugov@txwes.edu
visit us at
oc hall 202 and 204
Travelers visit an ancient Mexican temple while in Cuernavaca.
lifelong friendships.
"It's always the same fami-
lies, so evidently it's a positive
experience," Bell said. "Other-
wise, the families would say,
no mas.
Students accustomed to
strict schedules are in for cul-
ture shock.
"If you're used to everything
International Programs
being done on time, that's just
not the way," Bell said. "If they
close for siesta you're not get-
ting your product. Just have a
beer."
"I thought that it was my responsibility
to get myself out of it since I got myself
into it."
"Max"
previously homeless Wesleyan student
failed attempt at college in
2002.
Max said he had severe
apprehensions about going
back to college. He was wor-
ried about what people would
think and felt as though he
wouldn't fit in, but he knew he
was ready.
Not caring what others
think was one of the most
important lessons his mentor
taught him, Max said.
"He said, 'Whatever they
think of you, whether it's good
or bad, is none of your busi-
ness. That's not the deal we
have, your business is to stay
clean and sober today and let
God take care of the rest.' That
was so huge for me," he said.
Max is now a mentor for
several men who battle addic-
tion, and he counsels at treat-
ment facilities and hospitals.
He hopes to attend law school
after graduation.
In October 2008, Fort
Worth enacted a 10 year pro-
gram to end homelessness
called Directions Home: End-
ing Chronic Homelessness in
Fort Worth, Texas.
According to the Perma-
nent Supportive Housing pro-
duction program model for
Tarrant County, the city will
spend $66.7 million on con-
struction for 662 permanent
emergency housing units,
which includes facilities to
serve people with addiction
and mental health issues.
The brief states that Tarrant
County spends more than $30
million a year facilitating the
homeless. Directions Home is
an initiative that will also pre-
vent homelessness, which will
be less taxing and expensive in
the future.
To help, visit www.ahome-
wthhope.org.
TUITION continued from page 7
Hollis also said the price
increase could provide some
students with the opportunity
to receive more financial aid.
While some of the money
will go toward providing
more Internet access and in-
vesting in expanding some of
the doctorate programs, other
funds will cover cost increas-
es in faculty health insurance.
"Our medical insurance
rates for all the employees
went up 18 percent this year,"
Bliebdrey said. "So all of the
sudden, that additional rev-
enue from the price increase
has to cover things like insur-
ance cost increases."
Wesleyan President Dr.
Harold Jeffcoat agreed that
the "astronomical" increase
in health insurance rates is a
top priority.
"There's just not another
way to do it," he said. "For the
first time in recent memory,
we're asking every employee
to pay a portion of their own
health insurance."
Faculty and staff of the uni-
versity pay 5 percent of their
medical insurance premium
for insuring themselves, Ble-
ibdrey said in an e-mail. Ad-
ditional costs are borne by
BOOKS continued from page 1
serving the community," Al-
exander said. "It's good for
people to understand that
there is a school in the com-
munity that provides all types
of things outside of just teach-
ing."
Mortar Board placed col-
lection boxes in strategic lo-
cations throughout the cam-
pus, including the library and
student union building.
Mortar Board will collect
books through March 29 and
will present the books to the
school at the Mortar Board
induction ceremony and lun-
cheon March 30.
Unused books will be re-
cycled or sold to Half Price
employees if they choose to
insure a spouse or family
member.
Student Government As-
sociation President Heath
Scott said raising tuition to
cover faculty healthcare is "an
unfortunate evil that must be
dealt with."
"It is my hope though, that
we shift the main burden off
the backs of the students and
spread it evenly among all
members of the Wesleyan
family' he said. "A 5 percent
tuition hike will be hard for
a lot of my fellow students to
handle."
Books, depending on their
condition, and the money will
be used to purchase books
that are needed, Wade said.
Wade hopes to make the
drive a yearly event, ideally in
the fall.
"This will be a good way to
rally the kids together and get
them out of their stupor from
summer," Alexander said.
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Resendez, Jonathan. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 8, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 10, 2010, newspaper, March 10, 2010; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201299/m1/3/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.