The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 5, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 23, 2005 Page: 3 of 8
eight pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
The Rambler
Opinions
February 23, 2005 3
t Fowler
Iher
I assis-
; Hall,
feed-
H any
lem.
wit-
cats,
to the
bopula-
jeve in
[indeed
Imimals
lal for
hed that
|rth city
do not
or pets
ircum-
upervi-
)h-Orr.
it ion to
that .of
nes are
vorking
to call
to the
Pi-4873
Control
Campus
Comments
What do you know about
Wesleyan's Homecoming
festivities?
Whitnee Lowe
freshman
undecided
"Well, 1 don't really know except that
they have homecoming nominations.
I've heard it around school because
some of my basketball friends
wanted to be nominated."
Elisha Stockton
freshman
psychology
"Nothing. I saw a poster up for it,
and I didn't read it."
Jennifer Arellano
junior
education
"1 helped one of the fraternity guys
paint a window, but other than that,
not much."
Kay Kayembe
junior
biology
"1 know that it hasn't been
publicized properly."
Travis Maudlin
senior
business administration
"Nothing."
Homecoming week:
Wednesday, Feb. 23: Camouflage day
Thursday, Feb. 24: Spirit day and basketball games
with a free throw contest, musical chairs
and a cheerleaders performance
Friday, Feb. 25: Pajama day
Saturday, Feb. 26: Homecoming at basketball games
announcement of king and queen, banner, window and
spirit winners as well as the Dunbar High School band
Throughout week: Spirit stick events
Photos by C'nristinc Pcircc
The Rambler
Founded in /V/7 as The Handout
Harold (i Jeffcoat. Publisher
Kelli Lamers. Adviser
Whitney Fowler, editor-in-chief
Sici Sandherg. new s editor Phil McNeary, can,pus life editor
Jillion Jones, photo editor Marc Nettles, sports editor
Alejandro Morado. aihcrtising manager Jad B Saxton, entertainment editor
Hat hel Carter, business manger Christine Peine, opinions and managing editor
Member of the Associated C ollege Press and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.
Opinions expressed in The Rambler arc those of the individual author only and do not neces-
sarily reflect the views of the Texas Wcsleyan community as a whole
Letters to the editor The Rambler, a weekly publication, welcomes all letters. All submis-
sions must have a full printed name, phone number and signature; however, confidentiality will be
granted if requested.
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.
l etters to the editor may be subject to response from editors and students on the opinions
page
"We are not afraid to follow the truth , wherever it may lead." Thomas Jefferson
Address all correspondence to:
Texas Y\1**lcyan University, The Rambler. 1201 Wesleyan St., Fort Worth, TX 76105.
Newsroom: 531-7552 Advertising: 531-7582 Fas! 531-4878 E-mail:
(nuramblcrtaviitwMQm
Rambler Ratings
Thumbs down to the people who are
feeding stray animals on campus. Find
them a home rather than leaving them
with a full belly but still homeless!
Thumbs down to the incompetent
idiots that cannot clean up after them-
selves in the SUB. Custodians and
other students are not your mothers!
GEC Committee goes back to drawing board
Student questions purpose of proposal
The current General Education
Curriculum (GEC) was adopted in
1978. In the belief that this curriculum
was outdated and in need of modernizing,
the GEC Committee proposed a new GEC.
Now that the committee must go back to the
chopping block after not receiving approval
on the proposal from the Academic
Affairs Committee, we can see that
the GEC Committee is well mean-
ing, yet mistaken. The current cur-
riculum is not only adequate to
meet the needs of today's college
student, but is indeed preferable to
almost any new GEC proposal.
Any proposal to change the
GEC is a solution to a problem that
the student body has not raised.
In my time at Wesleyan, I have
never heard a student complain
about the GEC, and since the proposed
changes have become public, I have heard
virtually no support from the student body
for those changes.
Jessica Krizek, president of the Student
Government Association, asked interested
students to comment on their opinion of the
proposed changes to the GEC. In response to
the student comments and reactions, Krizek
said, "I know that one of the biggest con-
cerns expressed to mc from the student body
are the deletions of the sophomore and junior
English classes. Students are already poor
writers, and these upper-level English classes
have proven to improve the writing skills.
"Another concern is that students will be
able to bypass several vital classes such as
government, history, psychology and sociol-
ogy. Students are greatly concerned that the
current degrees students are receiving are
going to be diminished in value.
Zachary
Davidson
"If students are able to graduate not
knowing a thing about their government, the
history of what the country stands for and
not being able to read or write, what good
are our degrees?
"Also, Texas Wesleyan is a private,
Christian, liberal arts university, and by tak-
ing out some of the religion and
humanities classes, we are becom-
ing more like all the other universi-
ties. We should cherish the charac-
ter and stamp of the university for
what it has stood for over the past
century and not try to change it to
be like every other school."
I say, "ditto."
Look at the fact that it is not
only the students who generally
oppose this change, but also many
■ members of the faculty. One can
reference the Feb. 9 issue of The Rambler to
find members of the faculty and the student
body go on record against the prior proposed
changes.
The proposed elimination of certain
classes as requirements and the reduction of
required hours in other areas prevent the for-
mation of a well-rounded student. The 3300
English courses equip students with the skills
to transition from a student writer to a pro-
fessional writer within their future career
environment, and this is an indispensable
skill.
Let us leave the curriculum at a higher
regulated level and continue to pursue our
school's mission statement "to develop
informed, responsible and articulate citi-
zens."
Zachary Davidson is a sophomore political sci-
ence major and is a staff writer for The Rambler.
Napoleon Dynamite
Will geeks and nerds take a stand?
There are those movies that define a
generation, and there are those movies
that define just how pathetic a society
is that it would cling to them. For both sides,
these movies tend to reflect a particular sub-
culture: from fraternities in Animal House, to
popular girls in Heathers, to the mafia in The
Godfather trilogy and stupid people
with Dumb and Dumber. (You can
choose which side each of these
movies fall on.)
The question that has been on
my mind now for months as people
quote a red-headed-fro boy, his
brother Kip and friends Deb and
Pedro, is whether or not Napoleon
Dynamite will become the movie
that people will look back to define
our college generation. Just like
cult classics, there is one core subculture
presented: the nerds and outcasts of public
high school. Then comes the endless quoting
that goes along with the classics, and we
even have people who dress like Deb walk-
ing around (but I hope it's because they
missed the memo that it's 2005).
In some ways, it is scary that we as col-
lege students (and even other youth) will
quote odd comments such as "Who's the
only one here who knows illegal ninja moves
from the government?" and "Tina! Come get
some ham!" simply because it's what every-
one else is doing.
On another level, it's scary bccausc this
movie is about a high school nerd in a not-
quite-coming-of-age movie and reminds me
far too much of my high school years. Tall,
lanky, nerdy guy who can dance - this
sounds like my best friend from high school,
0E
■Mey are.A'-*-
lyov* Ar\ct
. nAvf ',5 coery-
1 one 'in
black f
WVia
Christine
Peirce
Matt. Girl who is slightly awkward, doesn't
pick up on many radars as "cool," yet not
completely dorky with her own style -
sounds like me in my high school years.
Hispanic friend who has small lines and
brings in culture - ours was in the form of an
Asian named Phillip who, yes, was just as
intriguing as Pedro.
So, in many ways, this movie
cries to me as a great remembrance
of my past, which wasn't so long
ago. For those who quote the
movie yet fit none of the molds in
any way and never went through
that kind of life, I have to wonder
if they actually understand the
movie, or if it's just off the wall
enough to make them feel cool for
watching.
Furthermore, what makes the movie
great? We have no profanity, no sex and the
only thing you see here is "bullying" that
really is on the level of a Disney movie.
Why is the next generation of leaders in
America not screaming out for their typical
horror movie or Sex-in-the-City-style
romance? Is America really crying out for
clean movies? Or are they about to go racing
in the opposite direction the next time some
profane and risque movie like Anchorman or
Starsky and Hutch comes out?
Whatever it is, Napoleon Dynamite has
its funny moments, but the truth is, so does
life, and quoting others is never as great as
being yourself - and that's the center of the
Napoleon Dynamite philosophy.
Christine Peirce is a senior mass communication
major and is the opinions and managing editor for
The Rambler.
U,M HI
Jad B.
Saxton
To those who have
assumed pregnancy:
'Get some
flippin'
tact'
Real life scenario: I'm
shopping one day, and a
sales person is doing his job,
trying to sell me his product.
In an effort to make conver-
sation, he says to me, "I see
you have a baby on the
way." I, knowing that I am
not with child, politely
express my feelings with a
few expletives that aren't fit
for print.
Could the people in this
world
please
get some
flippin'
tact? I
mean
seriously,
don't
assume
things
that
could
possibly, —————
if not true, be extremely
offensive.
Yes, I do have a little fat
around my mid-section, but
not enough to warrant a
baby. I'm a size four for
God's sake! I'm so sick of
this unreasonable Mary-
Kate Olsen standard. Do I
really have to be a size neg-
ative four, anorexic to con-
vince you that I'm not preg-
nant? Get real! I think the
world is going crazy with
this skinny standard.
Unfortunately, this was
not even the first time this
scenario had occurred. Or
the second. But the first two
times, I was much heavier.
Even though I was over-
weight, however, I still think
people, mainly complete
strangers, should keep their
mouths shut.
And if you're thinking
that guys are to blame
because they're just stupid
jerks, please know that the
first two culprits of this vic-
timization were of the
female persuasion.
Girls, you should know
better because you know
that you would not want to
be asked that question
unless you were well into
your third trimester. And
guys, this type of statement
rivals, "Is it that time of the
month," with the top worst
comments a person could
make.
I'm just trying to make
clear the age-old motto,
"Think before you speak."
Is that so hard? Just take a
moment when you are
thinking crazy thoughts to
calm yourself down before
you hurt someone's feelings.
Also, get a grip on what
it means to look and be
healthy. I should not be
expected to look like an air-
brushed photograph of Paris
Hilton in my everyday
appearance.
I have some flaws, yes,
but not ones worth throwing
in my face. And certainly
not imperfections that
couldn't be brushed out in a
magazine spread if I was on
the cover of Cosmo.
Become acquainted with
real beauty and please, get
some flippin' tact!
Jad B. Saxton is a senior
vocal and music major and is the
entertainment editor for The
Rambler.
"i
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Fowler, Whitney. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 5, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 23, 2005, newspaper, February 23, 2005; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth253339/m1/3/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.