Vernon Bryant Asks for Wesleyan’s Support

Vernon Bryant has earned many titles: Fort Worth’s 2009 Executive of the Year, Wesleyan Trustee, and Chairman and CEO of Southwest Bank. But the most important title he has this year is Campaign Chairman of United Way of Tarrant County. To help kick off Wesleyan’s United Way campaign, Mr. Bryant visited both the historic campus and the School of Law earlier this week. He spoke from the heart when he noted what a great feeling it is to help those less fortunate. Suzy Soloman, from United Way Tarrant County, also spoke. She noted that while a donation is the most common method of supporting our neighbors in Fort Worth and Tarrant County, volunteering one’s time is also appreciated.

      Already, pledges have come in from faculty and staff. Now it’s your turn to join the team leader, Lynette Morones and the campaign manager, Dr. Allen Henderson, to create a goal of long-lasting changes.  Make your pledge today. LIVE UNITED—GIVE, ADVOCATE and VOLUNTEER.

Send your pledges to Lynette Morones, Grants and Research Department

Call Lynette at 817-531-7521 if you have questions about your pledge form. Call Sara DeLeon in human resources at 817-531-4403, if you have questions about payroll deductions.

"Celebrating the Spirit of Poly” Venue Changed to Parking Lot D

On Saturday, Oct. 31, Senator Wendy Davis will host this special event that begins with a parade at Poly High School and proceeds to our campus. Due to the heavy rains, the event will now take place in Parking Lot D. Parking Lots B and C will also be closed.

      Those with Saturday classes should plan on parking in Lots A, L, N, or other lots off of Wesleyan Street. The campus will be easily accessible via East Vickery and Wesleyan. Collard Street will be closed during the parade and should be avoided until after 1 p.m. to ensure the safety of all participants. All intersections on Rosedale will be closed during the parade.

      President Harold Jeffcoat will participate in the parade, which begins at 10 a.m. and will proceed down Rosedale to Parking Lot D. Davis, Jeffcoat, and a number of elected officials and community leaders will address the crowd. The event will end at 1 p.m. and bus traffic will be heavy at this time.

      The celebration is open to everyone at Wesleyan . . . and especially Poly High alumni. Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff will help as volunteers during the event. If you’d like to volunteer, email Lynette Morones.

In the event of rain, the celebration will be held entirely at Poly High School.

Jazz and Wind Ensembles Present a Spooky

Evening of Music

Head over to Martin Hall this evening for the annual Halloween concert. The Wesleyan Jazz and Wind Ensembles will present a haunted evening of instrumental music, including beloved jazz standards and classic symphonic works, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, in Martin Hall. Directed by Bryan English, director of instrumental studies, the ensembles will perform the music of Igor Stravinsky, Gustav Holst, J.S. Bach, Duke Ellington, and others.

      There will be special musical guests throughout the evening and a cake and punch reception afterwards. Awards will be given for outstanding costumes, and families with children are encouraged to attend.

The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call the music department at 817-531-4992.

Gear Up with the Rams!

Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball fans can now gear up with awesome Nike apparel! Choose from an array of T-shirts, polos, shorts, and hoodies ranging from $15-40.  Proceeds will benefit Texas Wesleyan University Men's Basketball, which will tip off the season on Friday, Nov. 6. Rams fans can simply log on to www.impactsportsforms.com and enter the organization code: TXWESLUMBTX. 

Get your Texas Wesleyan Men's Basketball gear now through Wednesday, Nov. 11. Show your Rams Pride! Click here to view Texas Wesleyan's impactsports flyer.

Table Tennis Coach Receives Olympic Medal, Team Gets Championship Rings

Head Table Tennis Coach Jasna Rather helped assist President Harold Jeffcoat in presenting Championship rings to those members of the Wesleyan Table Tennis Team who attended the NCTTA Collegiate Nationals this past April. Rings were presented to Mark Hazinski, Chance Friend, Aldis Presley, Oliviu Vasilca, James Segrest, Evan Anderson, Christopher Wellborn, Ines Perhoc, Tina Hung-Yu Chen, Pam Fontaine, and Kristen Thorn. Team manager David Livings, coach Keith Evans, and head coach and player Jasna Rather were also presented with their 2009 Championship rings.

      President Jeffcoat then presented Coach Rather with a duplicate of her 1988 Olympic Bronze Medal. Dr. Jeffcoat, a member of the USA Table Tennis board of directors, gained authorization from the International Olympic Committee to have the duplicate made. At the presentation, he related how the Swiss foundry that produces the official medals was able to locate the original 1988 die. A duplicate was cast and delivered to Dr. Jeffcoat. A crowd of Wesleyan supporters and members of the public on hand for the Open Tournament broke into enthusiastic applause and cheered when Rather received the replica of her long lost medal.

      Congratulations to Coach Rather and Fort Worth’s Championship DYNASTY, the Texas Wesleyan University Rams Table Tennis Team!

      To read more about Rather, check out the Fort Worth Star-Telegram article that was published on Saturday, Oct. 24: http://www.star-telegram.com/college_sports/story/1707558.html. To watch a video of the championship rings and Olympic medal presentations, go to http://www.therambler.org/sports/rather-receives-long-lost-olympic-medal-1.2041627 on The Rambler site. Click here to view photographs from the event.

Wesleyan Sponsors Burleson Opportunity Fund

The Burleson ISD, the City of Burleson, and Hill College@Burleson have introduced the Burleson Opportunity Fund to provide graduating high school seniors in Burleson with full-tuition scholarships to Hill College. Because Hill College students often go on to earn their 4-year degree at neighboring Texas Wesleyan@Burleson, we’ve become a Platinum Sponsor of this great initiative.

      You can help fund the scholarship, too—and have a great “date night” in the process! Join in the fun of “Burleson’s Rising Stars” on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Click here and get the VIP treatment, just go to the 100% digital movies, or become a sponsor! Hurry! VIP tickets are limited and must be purchased before Oct. 30. See you at 5:45 p.m. at Premier Cinemas in Burleson!

Sexuality & Social Change in Azerbaijan - a Talk by Edita Ruzgyte about Recent Trip

Edita Ruzgyte, adjunct professor in counseling, just came back from Azerbaijan (former Soviet Union), where she lectured in Khazar University, led round table for physicians and psychiatrists in Public Health and Reform Center, and trained leading psychologists in a Baku psychology clinic (the capital of the country). She also continued her research in the area of sexuality and social change.

     She will be showing the pictures and sharing her experiences from the trip at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, in room 102 of the Dan Waggoner Annex, located behind Dan Waggoner. Join her for an interesting talk and a light snack.

UCD 2010: Do You Have a Suggestion for a Keynote Speaker?  

University College Day will be Tuesday, April 13, 2010. The committee has chosen as the theme for this year: "What’s it have to do with me? Personal Passions and Professional Pursuits.” The committee is now exploring options for a keynote speaker and would like your help. The qualities they are looking for are represented in a person who:

               --projecting where they see the world going and how our students can prepare for the future

Congressman Burgess Holds Town Hall Meeting at Wesleyan

Congressman Michael Burgess held a Town Hall meeting at Texas Wesleyan last weekend to give community members a “Washington update” on health care reform and other legislation before the Congress. A crowd of about 300 were welcomed by President Harold Jeffcoat after an opening flag ceremony presented by the Poly High School Color Guard. Congressman Burgess discussed health care and other legislation currently before Congress before opening a dialogue with an enthusiastic audience. He addressed issues ranging from climate change, job creation, immigration, and the overall economic climate. To view a streaming video of the Town Hall, click here. Prior to the forum, Congressman Burgess spoke with student volunteers on their communications preferences. He noted that the preferred method is clearly text messaging, and offered everyone the opportunity to text him at 467468, subject “MCB.” 

    Special thanks go to our student volunteers, security, facilities, IT teams—and everyone who helped deliver a warm Wesleyan welcome to our fellow Fort Worth residents and dignitaries.

Bilingual Organization Receives Scholarship Funding

The Texas Wesleyan University Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO) was granted a scholarship of $500 by the Bilingual/ESL Educators Association of the Metroplex (BEAM) to fund their participation in the BESO Institute at the Texas Association of Bilingual Education Conference in Houston. BESO members: Rocío Aguayo, Yvette Pérez, Martha Juarez, and Elisha Calva represented the Texas Wesleyan University student organization at the BESO Institute.

    Patsy Robles-Goodwin, director of the Bilingual/ESL Education Program and Annette Torres Elías, Assistant Professor in the School of Education, and BESO co-sponsors, presented a bilingual session at the TABE conference titled: Reciprocity Between Reading and Writing for Spanish-Speaking Students in Dual Language Programs.

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