The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 7, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 10, 2004 Page: 1 of 8
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Texas W g
The
TEXAS Wl
t! t f h M
I V E R S I T Y
MAR 1 0 2004
bier
The students' voice since 1917
March 10, 2004
Fort Worth, Texas
Vol. 91, No. 7
News Briefs
Distinguished Toastma-
ster guest at Wesleyan
Wesleyan's Toastma-
sters will present Sarfaraz
Nazir 12:20 p.m. March
25 in the Carter Confer-
ence Room of the Brown-
Lupton Campus Center.
Nazir, internationally rec-
ognized as a speaker, pres-
ident of SN Presentations
and Distinguished Toast-
master will present, "Your
Road to a Better Future:
The Seven Dimensions of
Personal and Professional
Suc-cess."
Regular Toastmasters
meetings take place
Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. in
room 124 of the Arm-
strong-Mabee Business
Building.
For more information,
e-mail texwes toastmas-
ters@yahoo.com or con-
tact Texas Wesleyan
Toastmaster's president
Raun Shepard at
(682)472-1067.
Goostree Symposium
Fifteen student schol-
arships are available to
fund attendance at the
luncheon for the Goostree
Symposium entitled, "A
Woman's Voice... and the
power of her silence." The
symposium is scheduled
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
April 1. To apply, send
your name, telephone
number and e-mail
address, along with a
100+-word statement, an
original poem or an artis-
tic expression that shows
why you are interested in
this year's topic.
Send applications to
Dr. Elizabeth Alexander at
ealexander@txwes.edu or
drop them off in her mail-
box in Library 210 before
4 p.m. March 26.
For more information,
contact Dr. Stacia Neeley
at sneeley@txwes .edu.
Art Nights
Wesleyan's Depart-
ment of Art will host "Get
off the wheel" 7 p.m.
March 11 in Studio Three
of the ArtHouse. Professor
Peter Colley will intro-
duce different ways to cre-
ate with clay.
For more information,
contact Peter Colley at
(817) 531-4973 or pcol-
ley@txwes.edu.
Wesleyan Chapel
Chapel speakers for
the remaining weeks of
March include Wesleyan
student Chad Mills on
March 23 and Rev. John
Robbins of Trinity United
Methodist Church on
March 30.
Wesleyan's bond rating drops one notch
Sharesa Alexander
STAFF WRITER
Texas Wesleyan's long-
term debt rating was down-
graded Feb. 10 from Bal to
Ba2, with a stable outlook,
according to
Moody's Investors
Service reports.
According to
Moody's Web site
at http:www.
moodys. com,
"The purpose of
the Moody's rat-
ings is to provide
investors with a
simple system of ————
graduation by which relative
creditworthiness of securities
may be noted."
Moody's graduation of
Louis
McLain
creditworthiness are indicat-
ed by nine symbols ranging
from "Aaa" down to "C"
with Aaa representing the
least credit risk and C repre-
senting the greatest credit
risk.
According to
Moody's,
"Obligations rated
Ba are judged to
have speculative ele-
ments and are sub-
ject to substantial
credit risk."
Moody's numerical
modifiers of one,
two and three can be
compared to that of a
school grading system.
Louis McLain, chief
investment officer at
Wesleyan, said "It's like
we're in a class and you've
got an 88 and I've got an 85.
You would be a Bal and I
would be a Ba2. It is that
slight of a difference."
This downgrade is one
of two demotions since Jan
25, 2001 when the rate was
at a moderate credit risk of
Baa3.
Moody's report states
that the Wesleyan bond rate
downgrade is primarily driv-
en by further declines in
financial resources and tight-
ened operating performance
in fiscal year 2003.
It goes on to explain,
"[Wesleyan's] unrestricted
resource levels declined fur-
ther, to a negative S5.8 mil-
lion, in part driven by a $3.3
million increase in the uni-
versity's accrued pension lia-
bility, spending on informa-
tion technology initiatives,
and weaker operating per-
formance."
The bond rating affects
$9 million of Wesleyan's
outstanding series 1997A
bonds according Moody's.
According to William
Bleibdrey, vice president of
finance and budgets at
Wesleyan, the issuance of
the 20-year 1997 bonds was
to raise money for the build-
ing of the Wesleyan Law
School.
"Since they are tax-
exempt public bonds, there
needs to be a rating that goes
along with them so that out-
siders who buy the bonds
See Bond rating, page 2
Media coordinator hired to support, produce, train
Whitney Fowler
NEWS EDITOR
Richard Massey, hired as Texas
Wesleyan's new media services coordi-
nator Feb. 16, is already busy on the
job, he said, equipped with a vision to
revamp the production studio, mod-
ernizing equipment, for a department
that, according to Massey, should
begin to experience some growth.
Massey's position, originally
under Information, Communication
and Technology (ICT), now serves
under the provost, continuing to func-
tion as a media production support
service, primarily aimed at instruction-
al support said Dr. Allen Henderson,
interim provost at Wesleyan.
The administration is still "finaliz-
ing the boundaries and responsibili-
ties" of the position, Massey said.
Massey works as the engineer for
Wesleyan's production studio and is
also stationed in the Faculty Resource
Center with the Jason Neal, director of
academic technology and web devel-
opment on the first floor of the library.
There, Massey said, he assists Neal
in training faculty, not only fulfilling
needs, but educating faculty and
"empowering] them with skills."
Henderson said that he wants this
area "to be a center to support faculty
and students in terms of instructional
needs that are related to technology and
media."
Massey, a 1996 graduate of
Wesleyan and now an adjunct theatre
Photo by Whitney Fowler
Richard Massey, hired as media services coordinator,
examines one of the cameras in Wesleyan's Studio A.
instructor, said that he serves students,
"especially as it relates to the curricu-
lum needs of the Mass Communication
department."
"I'm running around solving prob-
lems," which includes everything from
fixing a broken projector to training a
professor how to use Microsoft Power
Point, Massey explained.
He is currently working on a
request from the theatre department to
produce some audio fcr
the upcoming Grease
musical, and has pro-
duced a media presenta-
tion airing campus
announcements on chan-
nel 24 - one of the uni-
versity's three cable
channels.
The biggest chal-
lenge, Massey said, will
be reconstructing
Wesleyan's production
studio.
He said that it has
already been approved to
purchase a computer that
would replace the switch-
er, decks, mixers and the
graphics computer in the
production studio.
Massey plans to paint the two tele-
vision studios black and install sound
baffling. In Studio A, Massey said that
he plans to pull up the carpet and paint
See Media, page 2
Food service to resurrect 'all-you-can-eat' meal plan
Whitney Fowler
NEWS EDITOR
Twelve Oaks Catering
will reintroduce the all-you-
can-eat buffet plan at Dora
Robert's Dining Hall the
week of March
22, following
Texas
Wesleyan's
spring break
vacation, Vice
President of
Enrollment Pati
Alexander
reported.
"The admin-
istration and the
owner of Twelve
Oaks Catering
heard [the stu-
dents'] concerns
over changes in
meal plans over
the fall,"
Alexander
explained. The current plan
charges students by the serv-
ing - a plan launched last
year that stirred a negative
student response -
Alexander said.
Twelve Oaks will revert
to charging one price - $5.95
- for unlimited servings dur-
ing each meal. Students will
be allowed single servings
each time through the line
Photo by Whitney Fowler
Students dine at Dora Roberts Cafeteria last fall. Twelve
Oaks Catering said they will switch hack to all-you-can-
eat buffet by the time students return from spring break.
but can return as many times
as needed.
According to Alexander.
it was Twelve Oaks who
approached the administra-
tion with the idea to go back
to the all-you-can-eat con-
cept. as they realized it was a
big student concern, and
John Jones, owner of Twelve
Oaks, "deserves all the credit
for coming to the table with
the recommended changes."
Economic
reasons caused
Twelve Oaks to
initially aban-
don the one-
price buffet
meal plan,
Alexander said,
when the cam-
pus only housed
230 students.
"Had they
known we had
been full last
fall," Alexander
said, the buffet
service would
have been
offered.
"I'm thrilled that they
agreed to go back to the all-
you-can-eat concept."
Alexander said. It is "a good
faith effort on part of the
ed in serving the students,"
she explained.
Not all students voiced
approbation regarding the
change.
"I weigh 102 pounds -
I'm not going to eat $1,300
worth of food especially
when it doesn't have that
much taste," said freshman
Amber Tate, an education
major.
The benefit of switching
back, freshman Stephanie
Sewell, an exercise and
sports studies major, said,
"depends if you're trying to
spend all your money."
"It will be good that we
don't have a limit," Sewell
said, but "it will be bad
because if I get a kabob, it
will be $5.95."
Marc Nettles, a junior
mass communication major
said, "I'll know I'm getting
my money's worth. Instead
of paying $6 for a meal I'll
only eat two bites of, now
I'll pay that one amount and
be able to try something
owner who is really interest- else.'
Student-led
petition to
promote
Espinosa
underway
Nici Sandberg
STAFF WRITER
Two Texas Wesleyan
students are trying to make a
difference in the School of
Arts and Sciences by start-
ing a petition to elect Dr.
Miriam Espinosa as dean.
Michael Ratliff and Lisa
Hill, both political science
majors and pre-law seniors,
decided to give one of their
mentors support through a
petition and a letter written
to Dr. Harold Jeffcoat, presi-
dent of the university.
Alex Vorse, a senior
music major, said that
Espinosa has been to twice
as many fine arts events as
Dr. Judith Kirkpatrick, the
former dean of the Arts and
Sciences, had been to the
whole time she served as
dean.
There are professors
who also support Espinosa
for dean. Dr. Marian Haber,
a mass communication pro-
fessor, said, "[Espinosa] is
very capable, very serious."
Ratliff and Hill have
been involved in the pre-
professional program for
three years "under
[Espinosa's] leadership" and
"have the utmost respect for
her," Ratliff said.
Espinosa is the director
of 3PR, the pre-professional
society on campus. She said,
"I'm flattered and honored
but it's up to the Faculty
Council."
Espinosa said that she
does not know if the petition
will help her get the "won-
derful position" but that it is
still a nice gesture.
Espinosa also said that
she did not know much
about the petition, but that
the search for a permanent
dean would not start until
after spring break.
Currently, Espinosa is
the interim dean of the
School of Arts and Sciences.
She is also a candidate
for the nomination as of now
and said "it would be an
honor to serve the arts and
sciences school."
Alexander said that
Twelve Oaks is still address-
ing some customer service
issues. "We're pleased with
their willingness to make
changes," she said.
The $25-per-day limit on
carry out items will still
apply, which is supposed to
help students avoid running
out of meal plan money too
soon, said Alexander.
For more information
about the new meal plan
changes, students are invited
to attend a forum sponsored
by Wesleyan's Student
Government Association
12:15 p.m. March 11 at the
Stella Russell Hall first floor
lobby
j / .*.
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Nettles, Marc. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 7, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 10, 2004, newspaper, March 10, 2004; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth253315/m1/1/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.