The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 13, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 29, 2000 Page: 4 of 6
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4 The Rambler November 29, 2000
Campus Life
'Senioritis:' campus urban legend or infectious reality?
When I began my long journey back to
the world of higher education almost five
years ago, (How is that possible?) 1 heard
the whispered warnings of impending
doom
I was told, in
hushed conversations,
that no one was
immune from the
attack. There was
nowhere to run and
nowhere to hide.
1 listened to stu-
"dents who spoke fear-
fully of the dreaded
disease "Senioritis."
1 promptly (and ————
contemptuously) put the idea on the Urban
Legend shelf alongside the famed
) Candy man myth.
You know the one-if you gaze into a
mirror and whisper, "Candyman,
Candyman, Candyman," a homicidal crea-
ture from beyond the grave will appear
behind you, then slice and dice you into
, Reese's size pieces.
1 admit it! I laughed at their advice. I
was like the dumb chick in every horror
DONNA
HANEY
flick who ignores the shouted warnings not
to go into a dark room.
1 walked through my days in a daze,
faithfully going to every class and turning in
every assignment on time, if not early.
I even did extra credit assignments,
whether 1 needed to or not. 1 was the perfect
student and was confident 1 was well
beyond the reach of Senioritis, if, in fact
such a thing existed.
What a naive creature I was! One day, 1
can't say exactly when, it was as if 1 had
gazed into my foggy bathroom mirror and
whispered, "Senioritis, Senioritis,
Senioritis."
I am its victim! It has me in its clutch-
es! I'm fighting in true horror movie victim
fashion, but will I survive?
Before it carries me away, 1 have to
warn other students. It's coming and it's
coming for YOU too!
Senioritis isn't classification specific. It
worms its insidious path everywhere. It
creeps up behind juniors, sophomores and
even an occasionaf unsuspecting freshman.
Before its victims can utter a word of
protest, it has dragged them kicking and
screaming to a frat party or for a "study ses-
sion" at Bennigans, anywhere but a class-
room or a desk overflowing with home-
work.
Even more frightening, if you ask most
professors, they also wrestle with Senioritis
from time to time. However, they are much
more adept at fighting off the demon than
we are.
How can you tell if Senioritis has
invaded you or your friends? There are sev-
eral distinct warning signs.
First, you tend to begin 90 percent of
your school related sentences with the
phrase "In the grand scheme of things..."
Such as "In the grand scheme of things,
when I am an accountant, who will care that
I didn't turn in my humanities portfolio?" or
"In the grand scheme of things, will my
clients really care that I missed five days of
world religion class?"
Second, when you are talking to the
uninfected (thus far) and they are freaking
out because they got a B+ in Dr. John Hall's
class, your eyes will automatically roll and
your lips curl up into a sneer.
Oh, you might fight it! You try to feign
sympathy, but you can't help it. When you
open your mouth to offer some phony words
of comfort, out pops, "Come on! In the
grand scheme of things..."
Third, you reach the erroneous conclu-
sion that your presence truly isn't required
in all of your classes.
After all, once you've had the first
legitimate (yeah, sure!) absence and blown
all chances at Dr. Marilyn Pugh's extra cred-
it perfect attendance points, what difference
does it make?
The demon wants you to think this
way! It is a 'divide and conquer' strategy.
Think about all those bad guys in the slash-
er films.
They never attack the entire group.
They wait till some dim-witted victim wan-
ders off alone. Then the slicing and dicing
begins. There is safety in numbers.
The final sign, the one that tells you that
you are beyond all help and all hope, is
when you gaze into that mirror and hear
yourself mutter, as if in some trance, "A 'D'
means a Diploma."
If that happens, you might as well just
surrender. Senioritis has you in its deathgrip.
Is there any hope? Is there a safe place
to hide? Is there a cure once you have been
contaminated by Senioritis?
Dr. Pugh, chairman of psychology and
"expert Senioritis Buster" gave this advice,
"We recognize the signs of Senioritis
because we pretty much have it too. But you
have to fight back!"
She said, "Write on that bathroom mir-
ror 'My GPA does count! Professor recom-
mendations do count if 1 want to go to grad
school.'
Keep focused on your goals and
remember that we know if you diligently
pursued |your education] till the end or if
you barely met minimum requirements."
But you know...now that I've had some
time to think about it a little bit, maybe there
really isn't a problem. Senioritis probably is
just an urban legend.
It probably doesn't really exist, at least
not in the Wesleyan world of academia. You
have absolutely nothing to fear.
You know, in the grand scheme of
things
Donna Haney is a senior (still) majoring in
education and Campus Life editor for The
Rambler.
with
just a:
ing V
Weir
be a i
Dondoko Taiko drummers bring the beat of
Japanese culture to Wesleyan
David Slater
STAFF WRITER
If you thought that the world was coming to
an end or that there was a freak earthquake on
Wesleyan's campus on the evening of Nov. 13,
you would not be alone.
Rest assured, however, there was, in fact, an
earth shuddering, awe-inspiring performance by
Japanese drummers in the Law Sone building as
part of the International Week entertainment.
The group from Fort Worth known as
Dondoko Taiko, literally translated to the sound
and type of drum used in the show respectively,
put on a display that had the 20 or so members of
the audience mesmerized.
The presentation
consisted of a number
of upbeat and passion-
ate pieces of music,
some of which had been
composed by members
of the group them-
selves.
The performers
were both male and
female and there were a
great variety of age
groups on display rang-
ing from elementary
school children to mid-
dle aged adults.
After the 30-
minute routine 1 spoke
to John Simmons, the
group's leader, about
his involvement in
Dondoko Taiko.
I was surprised to
hear that the group had
only been in existence
for a short time.
"The group consists
of about 12 of us and
was formed in February
of 1998. We are affiliat-
ed with the Fort Worth Japanese Society,"
Simmons said.
"Dondoko Taiko gave their first public per-
formance in the spring of.the same year and play
annually in the fall and spring festivals at the
Fort Worth Botanical Gardens."
"We have even traveled to Shreveport to
participate in a ten day festival they have out
there" remarked Simmons.
The drums on display varied greatly in size
and also ranged in price from home made efforts
to expensive instruments.
"The smaller drums were hand crafted while
the larger ones cost anything between $3,500 and
$6,000. The largest drum is called the Big Otaiko
and is our most valuable" commented Simmons.
"We rely heavily on the funding from mem-
Pholo courtcsy ol Monlsernit Rslcs
Dondoko Taiko, a Japanese drummer organization, performed Nov. 13 in the
Law Sone auditorium as a part of International Week, sponsored by the
International Club.
bers' donations to help buy our equipment and
most of the larger drums were donated by large
Japanese companies in the Fort Worth area," he
said.
The group practices once a week. I was
amazed to hear that most new members do not
know anything about drumming upon their
arrival into the organization.
"Most people you saw play this evening had
no previous experience drumming before they
joined. We are always looking for new members
that are interested about learning more in the
ways of Japanese culture," Simmons stated.
Believe it or not, Fort Worth is actually
twinned with a town in Japan, as Simmons
explained, "The whole group hopes to travel to
Japan next year and visit Ft. Worth's sister city,
Nagaoka."
The Dondoko Taiko
drummers are a non-
profit organization and
put on their perfor-
mances in an effort to
share the culture of
Japan with the people
of Texas and are always
available to play.
Those students, staff
and faculty who made
the trek to the Law
Sone that bitterly cold
evening were left in
amazement at the
power of the perfor-
mance they had seen.
If you would like
more information about
the availability of the
Dondoko Taiko, or if
you are interested in
becoming a drummer
yourself, contact
Simmons at his office
weekdays at (817) 424-
2183 and prepare to be
amazad.
Searching for the 'perfect' Christmas gift
It s that time of year again. I always go into
the Christmas season with mixed emotions. 1 am
excited about the wonderful time of year with
food, gifts, family and friends.
Unfortunately, there
are the two weeks before,
when people are anything
but wonderful to each
other, as they flock to the
malls, gift shops and my
personal favorite, Walmart.
The traffic is horrible,
there is nowhere to park.
the checkout lines extend to
eternity and those strollers
hitting the back of your
heels can be a bit unnerv- —_____
ing.
On top of all that, you are faced with the
challenge of picking out the perfect present for
that special someone.
We are all faced with this problem every
year, yet some of us never get any better at it.
The main thing to remember when selecting
your gift is that you shouldn't buy gender orient-
ed gifts for the wrong gender.
In other words, if she doesn't like to fish,
fight the urge to buy her a new rod and reel just
because it looks so darn good in your hands!
PETTY
Believe it or not, the ladies do pick up on this
scandalously disguised offering. Be strong, fellas,
even though this is tempting!
When faced with the question of how much
to spend, I have the solution.
First, remember that you can't ever tell how
much your significant other will splurge on your
gift. And the ladies who say they don't want the
expensive things are lying!
So, how do you solve these dilemmas? Well,
if you have the money, spend it. Don't short your
sweetie during this time of year.
If you can scrape together the money to buy
her something extravagant, then do just that.
Someone once told me that money is nothing
more than painted paper. It helps to think about it
like that when you are giving a bunch of it away
at one time.
That may not be of much help to those of us
who can't seem to balance that checkbook and
end up with positive numbers, but that's another
column.
If you can't decide what will make her heart
flutter and score you major brownie points, I have
suggestion that will blow your minds.
Just think about who she is and what she
likes. Believe it or not, when you think about
your partner and her interests, the answer will be
right in front of you.
When it's all said and done, there are only
Wesleyan's It's a Wonderful
Life: A Live Radio Play
returns to Circle Theater
Kathryn Keaton
STAFF WRITER
No Christmas season is com-
plete without Frank Capra's classic
It's a Wonderful Life.
This year, viewers do not have
to settle for only the film version.
They can witness the joys and tears,
the romance and laughter firsthand
as Wesleyan repeats h's a Wonderful
Life: A Live Radio Play adapted by
Connie Whitt-Lambert, associate
professor of theater.
Whether you go for the good-
natured, the sweet, the mean, or the
loveable, there is a character in this
classic for you. You won't watch
it...you'll live it.
The scene that puts a smile on
my face is Mary as a little girl whis-
pering in George's deaf ear, "I'll
love you, George Bailey, 'till the
day I die."
The scene that makes my eyes
mist is in George's visit to the
revised past. George is shown that
he saved the pharmacist from a
future as a drunken, broken man;
unable to forgive himself an honest
mistake that cost a life.
The play will be directed by
Wesleyan alumnus, Mike Skipper,
who has produced Damn Yankees,
On the Waterfront, and Civil War on
Broadway; and co-produced by Dr.
Robert Pevitts, dean of Wesleyan's
school of fine and performing arts;
and Claudia Stepp, alumna and
member of the board of trustees at
Wesleyan.
Freshman Devlin DeCutler
describes the production as a "play
within a play" that tells two stories:
that of It's a Wonderful Life, and that
of the characters performing the
radio show.
During "commercial breaks"
and other pauses in the main pro-
gram, the character of the radio
"actors" will develop and enhance
the understanding of interaction
back in the radio play.
A portion of the proceeds from
the program will be used to support
The WARM Place, a non-profit
organization that provides free grief
counseling to children and families
who are coping with the death of a
loved one.
It's a Wonderful Life: A Live
Radio Play will be performed Dec.
13-15 and 19-22 at 7:30 p.m., Dec.
16 and 17 at 8:30 p.m., and Dec. 16,
17, and 23 at 4 p.m.
All performances are at Circle
Theatre at 230 W. Fourth Street in
downtown Fort Worth.
Tickets are $20 for adults and
$10 for students and seniors.
Discounts are available for groups
of 10 or more.
For more information and tick-
ets, call (817)877-3040.
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romise
two requirements for the perfect gift: sincere
thought (duh!) and a little time.
The perfect gift doesn't have to be a mushy
and lovey-dovey thing. It can be corny or senti-
mental as long as it shows that you're thinking of
her.
Because these gifts are only limited by your
time and energy, you're a winner either way.
If you choose to spend the dough, then you
will be appreciated for the sacrifice. Or, if you opt
for the more economically sound route, I have no
doubt that a heartfelt gift will certainly be equal-
ly appreciated and probably rewarded.
One final warning... Watch out for a gift of
clothing. The wrong size, either way, could leave
you snuggling with the dog on Christmas eve.
Ladies, there are a few rules that apply when
you are shopping for your man. We are much sim-
pler, so the list of 'don't's' is much shorter.
Don't buy anything pink. Stay away from
The White Candle Barn and Bath & Body Works.
That's pretty much it. Stick with these and you
should be fine.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hunting! I'll
see you in line at Walmart.
Luke Petty is a freshman majoring in sports man-
agement and a staff writer for The Rambler.
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Wright, Shelly. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 13, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 29, 2000, newspaper, November 29, 2000; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth253243/m1/4/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.