The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 3, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 9, 2000 Page: 1 of 4
four pages : ill. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.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:
t A a LL & i v h a s i r_x
The students' voice since 1917
February 9, 2(XX)
Fort Worth, Texas
Vol. 83, No.3
■
W ■
News Briefs
University College Day 2004)
University College Day will
lake place Feb. 15. This year, its
theme is "Sharing, the Liberal Aits
Experience." Students and profes-
sors participating will present works
from their different disciplines.
Presentations will take place at
X a.m., 9:25 a.m., 10:50 a.m., 11:50
a.m. and 1:30 p.m. For more infor-
mation, contact Dr. Deborah Diffily,
chair of the University College Day
committee, al ext. 4960.
Art .Exhibition
1'he Wesleyan art department is
presenting its spring x2 Exhibition,
featuring new works by Dallas artist
Karen Crandall Simpson, in the East
Room of the West Library now
through Feb.. 29.
The exhibition is showing 7:30
a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through
Thursday; 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fri-
day; 9 a.m. to X p.m. Saturday; and
2-10 p.m. Sunday.
Play Festival
The Wesleyan fine arts depart-
ment will present a play festival on
Feb. 10-12 at the Firestation The-
atre, which will feature a series of
four 10-minute plays which are writ-
ten by students and'directed by stu-
dents in an advanced directing class.
For more information, contact
the School of Fine and Performing
Arts at ext. 6583.
Mitchell-Reed Lecture Series
The spring Mitchell-Reed Lec-
ture Series is being held to involve
and inform students, faculty, and
staff.
At noon on Thursday, Feb. 24,
Brenda Taylor will present "The
influence of the Left on New Deal
Art" in the East Room of Dora's
Cafeteria.
For more information, contact
Dr. Margaret Patoski at ext. 4920 or
Dr. Dene Scoggins at ext. 4919.
Graduation convocation
Graduation ceremonies for May
graduation have changed.
Robing, ceremonies will be held
Friday, May 12 at 11 a.m. at Poly-
technic United Methodist Church.
Graduation convocation will be
held at 7 p.m. at Will Rogers Audi-
torium, 3401 W. Lancaster Ave.
flooding for the law school will
remain as scheduled at 2 p.m. on
Friday, May 12 at First United
Methodist Church in downtown Fort
Worth.
For more information, contact
Kristi Taylor, coordinator of presi-
dent's events, at ext. 4401.
Dillow House restoration
Service organizations Alpha Phi
Omega and Gamma Sigma Sigma
will meet at Dillow House Feb, 19 to
clean up the grounds surrounding
the building. Dillow House,
declared an historical landmark by
the city of Fort Worth, is also the
university alumni house.
It's restoration will be an on-
going project and all are welcome to
participate. Interested parties may
calf Chris Garrett tit 251-9157, page
him at 833-5511 or call 540-0428.
Simply Worship Cafe
Polytechnic United Methodist
Chuah will hold Simply Worship
Cafe, a service in which Wesleyan
students will participate. Feb 10 at 8
a.m. in the Polytechnic CMC fel-
lowship hall The service will fea-
ture a, live band and refreshments.
For more information, call
Polytechnic UMC at 534 0278
Law school dean search
The Wesleyan School of Law
has invited four dean candidates to
campus The committee will hold an
open forum at 4 p m . Feb. It) for the
first candidate. R.S.V. P at ext. 4405
by Feb.9.
Recalling Heritage
Photo courtesy of Terry Moon
Terry Moon, a former Wesleyan maintenance worker, donates a Texas flag to President Jake B.
Schrum Friday, Jan. 28. Though Moon said he never attended their courses, the donation was made in
the name of former Wesleyan professors Glynn and Elnora Wilcox. "My heroes have always been pro-
fessors," Moon said.
Moon said his costume is a combination of those of the Lone Ranger and "Frito, Tonto's lesser
known brother."
On-campus daycare proposal stalls
Facilities complications halt Student Life, Student Government Association effort
Shelly Wright
OPINIONS EDITOR
Administrators and repre-
sentatives from Student Life
and the Student Government
Association are still working
on a proposal for a daycare
center to supervise children of
Wesleyan faculty, staff and stu-
dents.
Work on the proposal
began last semester with a stu-
dent-interest inventory. Results
of the inventory are still
unknown, despite hopes of
Student Life that results would
be determined before Christ-
mas break last semester.
Vice President of Student
Life Skip Applin said last
semester eight Wesleyan stu-
dents signed a form stating that,
they need day care for their
children.
Since then. Student Life
and the SGA met with directors
of the Fort Worth YMCA in an
attempt to fulfill the needs of
Wesleyan staff and students.
Applin said that, due to the
schedules of students and staff.
Wesleyan's needs might be
more complex than what the
YMCA can provide.
Applin said some students
want a daycare center where
they can drop their children off
for a few hours and pick.them
up after class. However, this
may not be possible with the
YMCA.
Applin
said, "It seems
that there is dis-
continuity
between what
students want
and what the
centers pro-
vide."
Applin
said if arrange-
ments cannot be made with the
YMCA, it may be possible to
develop an in-house daycare
center. However, establishment
of an on-campus center would
require that liability and cost
measures be investigated very
carefully.
According to director of
Student Life Peter Phaiah,
location is a concern in estab-
lishing a campus daycare.
Phaiah said, "We, at this
time, have no physical struc-
tures to put it in, or it would
have been built by now."
Phaiah said it may be pos-
sible to develop a center in the
Boys' and Girls' Club [on
Rosedale Street] across the
from Wesleyan. However, it
could not be
"...There is a definite
need for a daycare. The
question is whether there
is enough student and
faculty interest."
established
for 15
months due
to leasing
a rtange-
ments.
- Peter Phaiah
Phaiah said
insurance
and security
would also be issues in devel-
oping a center off-campus.
According to Phaiah, some
parents do not want to drop
their children off in the neigh-
borhood surrounding the .cam-
pus.
Phaiah also said financial
matters are a concern in build-
ing a daycare. Phaiah said a
center could be built if a dona-
tion would be made. However,
when you only have so many
dollars, it is necessary to ques-
tion what takes precedent.
Phaiah said, "It's a situa-
tion that there's a definite need
for [a daycare]. The question is
whether there is enough stu-
dent and faculty interest."
Many students said they
believe a campus daycare cen-
ter is a good idea. Junior psy-
chology major Tracy . Williams
said a daycare center would
benefit students with children
because, due to extended fami-
lies, many relatives are unable
to keep their children. Williams
said she would be unable to
attend Wesleyan if her children
were not enrolled in school.
Williams said, "I couldn't
go [to school] if mine were
younger. In fact, I think it
would be a great idea."
Senior international busi-
ness major Amy Suchockj,
who has a 3-year-old daughter,
said, "It's really hard for me [to
attend school], especially when
she's not feeling well."
Intensive English seeks conversation partners
Cesar Villalpando
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Intensive English
department is looking for stu-
dents who are fluent in English
to participate in the conversa-
tion partners program.
"The conversa-
tion partners pro-
gram is a way foe
Intensive English
students to practice
their lessons m a
non-formal setting,"
said Sharon Graham.
academic coordina-
tor of Intensive Eng-
lish,
Graham said 15
Intensive English
students have requested part:
tier* and they need at least thai
many English speaking volun-
teers to help these students
Sharon
Graham
practice.
"It's a very positive, hum-
bling experience.'' said Dr.
Thorn Chesney. assistant pro-
fessor of English. "The world
is getting smaller and we really
need a reminder of that."
Chesney has participated
with the conversa-
tion partners pro-
gram for the last
year.
"Volunteers
w ould only be need-
ed to meet with
Intensive FInglish
students on a weekly
baMs fot about 45
minutes," said Gra-
ham. "The 45 min-
utes can be strung
out throughout the week, of
course."
The initial meeting is set
up by Graham and is usually
when she gives guidelines and
suggestions for future conver-
sations, but otherwise the
meetings are very informal,
said Graham.
"The only problems I've
encountered are when I use
idioms." said Chesney. "I have
to repeat myself several times
until they understand what I've
said Of course my partners
actually want me to use con-
temporary English and slang."
This would help with daily
conversations outside of for-
mal settings, said Chesney
"Our volunteers have
enjoyed helping in conversa-
tion partners, and we get good
feedback from Intensive Eng-
lish students as well." said Gra-
ham.
'The program was very
useful to me. Mv partner
helped me- with everything.
especially with my grammar,"
said Mi-Ae Yoon, a former par-
ticipant in the program.
"I thoroughly enjoyed the
experience. It was probably
one of my best experiences
while at Wesleyan," said Wes-
ley Hutchins. a recent Wes-
leyan graduate. "I can't recom-
mend participating highly
enough. If someone becomes a
speech partner, they will gain
more experience than they can
imagine/'
•"•It's very satisfying for me
knowing that I helped someone
to be able to communicate with
others in a new language." said
Chesney. "1 highly recommend
to everyone — student*, faculty,
and staff - to anyone who has
a desire for a global connection
to participate in this program."
m
Dave Voskuil
Overall
enrollment
up 2 percent
Dustin Fockler
EDITOR IN CHIEF
The university's enrollment is up 2 percent com-
pared to enrollment last spring. Dave Voskuil, vice
president of enrollment, said, though such a relative-
ly small increase does not appear significant, Wes-
leyan's current enrollment situation is "more a main-
tenance issue than a growth issue."
The increase, from 2,704 students in Spring
1999 to 2,753 in Spring 2000, included a 26 percent
rise in graduate school enrollment. It also included a
7 percent increase in full-time student enrollment at
the Wesleyan School of Law, though total enroll-
ment there remained the same.
The enrollment increase also included an over-
all decrease of 1.8 percent in
undergraduate enrollment.
"I would have liked to
see our undergraduate enroll-
ment a little higher," Voskuil
said, though he also empha-
sized the importance of
smaller class sizes. "We don't
want to lose the intimacy of
the classroom," he said.
Voskuil said the enroll-
ment numbers can be attrib-
uted to growth in the distance learning program and
higher retention from fall to spring this year, com-
pared to the same period last year.
Dr. Joy Edwards, director of the distance learn-
ing program, which allows graduate students teach-
ing full-time to earn master's degrees, said the pro-
gram has picked up 90 new students since Fall 1999.
The program now has an enrollment of 115.
Edwards said the program's growth is a result of
its extension to other states. Students in Mississippi,
Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana and Okla-
homa can now,earn degrees through Wesleyan's pro-
gram. However, Edwards said students from Texas
still outnumber out-of-state students, 2-to-l.
Dr. Thomas F.
Armstrong,
provost and senior
vice president,
echoed Voskuil's
emphasis on the
distance learning
program's role in
the enrollment
increase.'
"It represents
that we've gone out of state."
Voskuil said this season's stronger retention is
related to "good advising of our students."
Voskuil said there are no specific plans as of yet
to bolster retention in the future. "There are other
things [we will be] looking at during spring budget
preparation," he said. "We hope to have something
more tangible soon."
Voskuil said the administration will pay atten-
tion to issues such as parking and security, about
which he said students are consistently concerned.
Armstrong also attributed the increase to "law
school enrollment turning around in the aftermath of
accreditation."
Voskuil said he felt similarly about the law
school enrollment shift. "My sense would be the full
accreditation would change the dynamic."
Richard Gershon, law school interim dean, said
the law school's "full approval and reputation in the
community" has made it more attractive to potential
students.
"I think we're attracting students from Okla-
homa City University [and| St. Mary's," Gershon
said.
Gershon said the law school has already seen
900 applications for fall enrollment, a number the
school did not reach last spring until July. "We're
way ahead." he said.
Gershon reiterated the role of accreditation in
students' increasing attraction to the law school.
"Full-time students can go anywhere; I think that
says a lot about us."
Despite the apparent increase in what Gershon
called "traditional students," he said, "We're still
very much committed to non-traditional program."
Voskuil said the university is not ready for sig-
nificant increases in enrollment. "We have some
needs, facility-wise, if we want to grow."
Voskuil said Wesleyan's situation is a unique
challenge. "Balancing size and maintaining quality
becomes a sometimes difficult puzzle," he said. "But
we're continually working."
"/ would have liked to
see undergraduate
enrollment a little high-
er... [but]we don't want to
lose the intimacy of the
classroom."
- Dave Voskuil
m
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.
Pfaffengut, James. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 3, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 9, 2000, newspaper, February 9, 2000; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth287746/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.