This story has been updated with a video of the press conference and information from a  former player.

Texas Wesleyan President Frederick Slabach announced Thursday morning that head baseball coach Mike Jeffcoat no longer works for the university.

Speaking at a press conference at  the Baker Building, Slabach said Jeffcoat will no longer be coaching “due to the discriminatory remarks made to a potential player from the state of Colorado and for another factor that we had been investigating for the last week.”

The announcement came less than 24 hours after an email Jeffcoat sent to Gavin Bell gained national attention. In the email, Jeffcoat writes that Wesleyan is “not recruiting players from the state of Colorado. In the past, players have had trouble passing our drug test. We have made the decision to not take a chance on Student athletes from your state. You can thank your liberal politicians.”

The email went viral. Stories were written or broadcast on ESPN, FOX31 Denver KDVR, and The Denver Post, among others.

“I want to reiterate today that the comments Mike Jeffcoat made are in no way a reflection of Texas Wesleyan University or its values,” Slabach said. “We do not tolerate discrimination. We value inclusiveness. We value education, critical thinking and supporting student athletes that are here for the love of the game.”

Slabach also said that Jeffcoat lost his job due to “NAIA violations that occurred on his watch.”

“We can tell you that we have self-reported to the NAIA and that the violation has to do with the eligibility of players,” Slabach said. “We can tell you that it is not Title XI or discriminatory factors.”

Slabach said that it has not yet been decided who will take Jeffcoat’s position or who will be the interim coach. The team plays a doubleheader against the University of Dallas on Saturday at Sycamore Park, according to ramsports.net.

Jeffcoat became the Rams’ head coach in 2002 after playing in the Major Leagues for 10 years, including stints with the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins and San Francisco Giants, according to ramsports.net.

Athletic Director Steve Trachier said the comments Jeffcoat made “do not reflect our recruiting practices or athletic values. We value our student-athletes. Almost a quarter of our undergraduates are student athletes. They’re here to get an education and play because they love the game. We have amazing athletes at Texas Wesleyan and coaches who care about the kids. We recruit kids that love to play and want to get a college degree. We are about academics here.”

Several of Jeffcoat’s former players said that the email is not as offensive as some things he has said to the team.

Dylan Measells, who played several positions for the Rams, wrote that the email “isn’t even the most offensive/most politically divisive comment or action he’s said or done. Players have been going to the AD for years about Jeffcoat. I want to make it clear that Jeffcoat’s comments and actions do not reflect the rest of the coaching staff. They absolutely didn’t agree with the comments or actions and how some other things were handled.”

*  Updated information below.

Former Rams shortstop Casey Moses wrote in a text that his “experience with Jeffcoat hasn’t been the best.”

“I had a great experience at Texas Wesleyan though due to the players and Coach Garza,” Moses wrote.”When I saw the email that was sent to the player I was not shocked at all. This is a mild statement compared to some of the things he has stated his opinion on. The email is unfair to the players and to the school itself. Because I know the past two years I was there Jeffcoat really did nothing on the coaching side of the game. When I think of Texas Wesleyan, I think of Coach Garza. He has ran that program since he has been there.”

Two of Jeffcoat’s current players, Parker Robinson and Dusty Cloud, declined to discuss the situation.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available. 

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDTUKL88idc%5B/embedyt%5D

 

The football team is in the offseason but the coaches and players have kept busy, head coach Joe Prud’homme said. So far, the coaching staff has recruited 47 men for the 2017-2018 season.

Prud’homme said the program was looking for, “lineman (who are) serious about school, football, and are mentally and physically tough.”

Prud’homme did not give any specific names but said he is excited about “several of the lineman and a few of the defensive players.”

The football team’s twitter has helped recruit several players and is a pretty common methodology for recruiting in general, Prud’homme said. Most players sent the film of their best plays through email or twitter, Prud’homme said.

“We are pleased with all the signees and all of our returning players,” Prud’homme said.

New recruit Tanner Polley, a high school senior from Sanger High School said he chose Wesleyan mainly for academics.

The “impressive pre-med program, the opportunity to play four more years of football, and the campus” all persuaded Polley to choose Wesleyan, Polley said.

“My recruiting process started after Coach Linley got in contact with me,” Polley said. “We texted back and forth for a couple weeks, and eventually I went on a campus visit. Then the day before National Signing, I made up my mind to go to Wesleyan.”

He is excited to be on the offensive line but isn’t concerned about what position he’ll play, Polley said.

“I want to contribute in any way that will make our team successful,” Polley said.

Polley said he can’t wait to get back on the field because his last season at Sanger High School was not as successful as he had hoped.

“I can’t wait to see how last year’s team blends with the new players we recruited,” sophomore running back Da’vonte Mitchell-Dixon said. “Hopefully, we blend very well.”

Mitchell-Dixon said his biggest goal for himself is to help the team in any way possible in order to win.

“Whatever the coaches ask of me, I’ll do it,” Mitchell-Dixon said.

He is excited for the new recruits because it just means that the team is growing and improving, Mitchell-Dixon said.

When asked what the new recruits need to know about the team Mitchell-Dixon said, “That we are all a family. We are here with open arms and we can’t wait to create a new bond that will make us unstoppable on the field.”

 

Texas Wesleyan’s men’s basketball team beat John Brown University 90-78 on Tuesday night to advance to the semifinal game of the Sooner Athletic Conference basketball championship tournament.

The Rams (21-9, 14-6 SAC) will play Southwestern Assemblies of God University at 6 p.m. on Friday in Siloam Springs, Ark. If they win that game, the Rams will play in the tournament championship game on Saturday at 1 p.m., according to ramsports.net. The Rams beat SAGU twice during the regular season.

Tuesday’s win saw Ryan Harris score 28 points and Branden Jenkins score 13; the team led through most of the game. The team is now ranked No. 15 in the 2017-18 NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, according to naia.org.

The victory came four days after the Rams clinched the Sooner Athletic Conference regular season title for the third year in a row with a 78-75 win over Central Christian College on Friday; they share the title with Oklahoma City University.

“Well, we just won the toughest league in the country at our level,” head coach Brennen Shingleton said.

By winning the SAC regular season title, the Rams claimed the number one seed in the conference and an automatic bid to defend their title in the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship, according to ramsports.net. The national tournament will be held in Kansas City, Missouri on March 14-20.

“(Our goal moving forward is) to continue to win and get better, embrace this opportunity and more importantly enjoy the experience,” Shingleton said.

In addition to the Rams, two other SAC teams were ranked in the NAIA poll: Oklahoma City University is at No. 9 and Southwestern Assemblies of God University is at No. 24, according naia.org. All three teams advanced to the semifinals with Tuesday wins.

Shingleton said the Rams need to improve on focusing and concentrating during games.

“Our biggest strengths are our ability to get up and down the floor,” Shingleton said. “When we are locked in we are extremely fast and have the ability to make teams really have to adjust to us. Our weakness is we lack focus at times, maturity and concentration.”

Sunday night’s 77-74 loss to Oklahoma City was hard fought, but the team learned from it, Jenkins said.

“Looking forward we are focused on the conference tournament. It’s a quick turnaround but we’re used to it and this is the most important part of the season,” Jenkins said.

The team isn’t dwelling on past mistakes or lost games, Eric Johnson said.

“We aren’t looking back. We got the regular season finished and we are going to build off of that,” Johnson said. “It’s post season basketball which means we have to be totally locked in.”

The last two seasons the Rams advanced to the semifinal game in the SAC tournament. But they haven’t won the SAC championship title during their four years in the SAC, according to ramsports.net.

The tournament can be watched live or followed by live stats on the tournament’s home page at jbuathletics.com., according to jbuathletics.com

The tournament bracket can be found on ramsports.net.

The Rams will play Southwestern Assemblies of God University on Friday at 6 p.m. in Siloam Springs, Arkansas in the Bill George Arena on John Brown University’s campus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Juwan Jones makes three-point shot in the quarterfinal game against John Brown University on Tuesday.

Video by Karan Muns

 

The men’s basketball team has been heating up at just the right time, said head coach Brennen Shingleton.

After a so-so beginning, the Rams greeted 2018 with eight wins in a row, according to ramsports.net. More recently, the team won three games in six days earlier this month, defeating Southwestern Assemblies of God, Bacone College and John Brown University.

At 20-8 and 13-5 in conference play, the Rams are ranked No. 20 in the NAIA Division I/Coaches’ Poll as they prepare for the season’s final home game on Thursday against Central Christian College.

“Well, we’re getting better at the right time that’s for sure,” Shingleton said several weeks ago. “We knew that we were going to struggle early in the first semester just because we had so many new guys and then also with some injuries and some guys out.”

The team has a lot of good leaders, but they’ve had to overcome several obstacles this season, he said.

“A coach would love to have all of his pieces of the puzzle ready to roll,” Shingleton said, “but other guys step up and make do with that.”

Over winter break the basketball teams were the only people on campus, and it brought the team closer together, Shingleton said.

“I think we’re learning how to win, which is helpful,” Shingleton said. “I think winning hides a lot of demons. I think our leadership is getting better as we speak.”

The team has limited the duration of practices, and they always warm up and stretch before practice, Shingleton said.

The team takes the season on in pieces. They focus on one game at a time.

“Our goal is to go two and 0 every week,” Shingleton said. “We have to really pull them back and say ‘Fellas, there’s nothing more important than Saturday’s game.’ Our goal is to win the next game.”

Even though the team is focusing on one week at a time they’ve still got their eye on another run at the championship, Shingleton said.

“If we can make it to the national tournament everybody’s goal I hope is to go and win the thing, not just participate,” Shingleton said.

The team tries to be selfless in the way they play. When a player is selfish, it’s because they want to win not because they want to make themselves look good, Shingleton said.

“The good thing is we’re in a three-way tie for first place,” he said. “We should just continue to chip away at this thing and see what happens.”

Shingleton said his biggest goal as the coach of this team is to sit back and watch them play.

“I hope they’re humble and have a respect for the game,” he said, “but I want them to play with a little chip on their shoulder and some edge.”

The season had a rocky start because the team had to try to live up to the success of the 2016-2017 Rams, Dare Brazeel said.

“The season has been up and down but we are headed in the right direction,” he said. “Eight and one in 2018; if we keep heading in this direction we will be fine.”

The Lady Rams have struggled this season, going 7-19 overall and 5-13 in conference play in an injury-plagued season.

“The season has been a little bit of a roller coaster ride,” head coach Steve Trachier said. ”It started out we lost, to injury, our all conference post player. We lost her for the season and that put us in a difficult spot but we have a good core of players.”

Injuries are just a part of every sport but it’s still difficult to deal with, Trachier said.

“Any time the players see a leader kind of go down, so to speak, emotionally, it’s a little tough,” he said. “I talked to them about trying to be pragmatic about everything that happens and not fall into the trap of emotional highs and emotional lows.”

The team comes to every practice and every game ready to play no matter what the odds, he said.

“The one thing I like about this group, they compete, no matter what the odds, they compete. As long as you’re willing to go into every game and fight that battle you’ll be okay,” he said.

It’s more fun to win than lose but sometimes the team gets dealt a bad hand and they have to fight through it, he said.

“Overall, I really like the players that we have,” he said. “I think we have a good core to build on for the future.”

Trachier said he missed coaching and the lifetime relationships it allows him to build.

“It’s amazing. Basketball is basketball,” he said. “There’s nothing new. When I started coaching I recognized everything that’s going on. Basketball is all about execution. It’s interesting as much as things change things stay the same. It’s been a pretty easy transition.”

Trachier said he is loving coaching and could see himself doing it for a while.

“The kids on my team are just really, really good kids,” he said. “They are fun to work with and fun to be around. I’m really enjoying it.”

The season has been hard on the team, but they have tried to pitch in when a teammate is out, Whorley said. The team and Trachier create a positive uplifting environment at every game and practice.

“They’re all like big sisters to me, and I love every single one of them,” she said.

The Rams play Central Christian College at 8 p.m. on Thursday; the Lady Rams play CCC at 6 p.m. For more information go to ramsports.net.

In 2014 Jenkins played at Lee College. He didn’t play in 2015. In 2016 he had an especially good year at Lee College averaging 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

2016-2017 played for head coach Johnny Jones at Louisiana State University, according to ramsports.net. He missed the first 11 games because of an injury. He played in 18 of the 20 remaining games.

 

Branden Jenkins was named the Sooner Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week two times in a three-week period, according to ramsports.net.

The first award the guard received for his 44 points against Oklahoma City University on Jan. 6; the Rams won 106-92; he was also named the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for Jan 1-7 for the same performance, according to ramsports.net.

The second was for averaging 27 points per game and seven rebounds per game in the wins against Southwestern Assemblies of God University and Southwestern Christian University on Jan. 15 and Jan. 20.

Jenkins said he was “locked in” during the OCU game and that led to his great game.

“Don’t get it wrong, I’m locked in each and every night, but I woke up that morning with dominating on my mind and that’s what I did,” he said. “I appreciate my teammates for helping me with that and coach putting me in the right position to be successful. I had fun that night. That’s what it’s all about.”

Jenkins left Louisiana State University, where he played during the 2016-2017 season, because he wanted control over his basketball career.

“Coach S (head men’s basketball coach Brennen Shingleton)  gave me the opportunity to come here and show what I can do on and off the court,” Jenkins said. “Taking school seriously, and also becoming a better person and player. I love it here, the fans the community; it’s a great place to focus and simplify your life.”

Jenkins feels he brings a lot to this team through leading and encouraging everyone in the program.

“I’m a leader, a brother,” he said. “I owe it to those guys for giving me the chance to lead and make mistakes and through it all they stand right beside me. I encourage one through 15 all the way down to the manager, Alec (Daniels). I treat everyone the same. I’m not this cocky guy because of where I came from. This is my family.”

Wesleyan has helped Jenkins learn how to win and become a better player, he said.

“This place shows you what you’re really made of with so many guys that can play,” Jenkins said. “So every day it’s a challenge. Coach S is a great mentor to me as well as a great father figure. He wants the best for all of his guys and I needed that. So I’ll always be a Ram. Rams Up!”

Jenkins said his main goal for the season is to get better. He wants to learn the game and get the opportunity for the team to play for something bigger than themselves.

“We care and we hate letting each other down,” he said. “We play for each other. Anything else is an extra, so we’re pretty close.”

Jenkins is an easygoing, charming guy, Shingleton said.

“He fits in really well,” Shingleton said. “He’s a dynamic guy and a big-time athlete. He’s a very good basketball player. The thing that Branden has done well is he has kind of let go of everything in the past and really tried to form himself into a good college player here. I think that’s helped him.”

Jenkins works day to day and it helps that he has great men for teammates that encourage him to get better daily, Shingleton said.

“He’s obviously a dynamic player,” he said, “and he’s on a good team so that helps him. It’s scary to say it, but I don’t think we’ve seen his best basketball yet. We are still on him every day about holding back.”

This team is unique because there isn’t one guy that really stands out, Shingleton said. They all fit together and complement each other’s abilities.

“He’s kind of created a way in his head to take advantage of this opportunity,” he said. “I really appreciate that as a coach, but he’s kind of finding himself right now. That’s a good thing because we have a lot of basketball left to go.”

Shingleton said Jenkins’ personality is right where it should be; he is selfless and driven.

“He’s reliant on his teammates and maybe not many people know that,” he said. “He searches sometimes for encouragement, and we all do.”

Jenkins has stayed consistent and learned to win as a member of the Texas Wesleyan team, Shingleton said. It’s tough because after each season there are only a handful of returning players, and they have to carry on the previous team’s legacy.

“So when new guys come in and they’re supposed to play and are expected to contribute they have to now figure out what works here,” Shingleton said. “And Branden’s been really good with that. At times he bucks the system a little bit. But that’s okay; it’s a good thing to do.”

Jenkins is great with his teammates; they support each other in any way they can, Shingleton said.

“He’s a charming guy. He’s fun to be around, so that helps him for sure,” he said.

Jenkins has a tremendous work ethic and will do whatever he can to help the team, forward Dare Brazeel said.

“Our team chemistry is really good,” he said. “We all enjoy each other and have each other’s backs.”

Everyone on the team contributes with their best ability, Brazeel said.

“Branden helps the team by just doing what he does best, which is defend and score,” he said. “He guards the other team’s best player every night while averaging 22 (points) a game.”

The History Program has been making an effort to be more active, assistant professor of history Dr. Alistair Maeer said.

Texas Wesleyan is hosting the second annual Medievalists and Early Modernists of North Texas and Oklahoma undergraduate conference in February; the program has also added a public history certificate and will be offering eight-week courses soon, Maeer said.

“What makes (the conference) so unique is that there are very few organizations in the nation that are catered specifically for the regional exchange of information between small and big universities specifically for undergraduates,” he said.

The first MEMNTO conference was held at Southern Methodist University, he said. Wesleyan’s MEMNTO will be held on campus at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 17, Maeer said.

“MEMNTO is a conference and an organization designed specifically for undergraduate students to share their knowledge, interests, and perspectives of medieval and early modern history,” Maeer said.

Anyone that had a research paper based on the time period between the fall of Rome until 1650 could have applied to present at MEMNTO. Twenty-four applicants from multiple universities in the Metroplex area and Oklahoma will be participating, Maeer said.

“(The presentation topics are) going to be loads of different things from loads of different perspectives from English majors to art majors,” he said. “What makes it so cool is that Wesleyan is a small school, so we have a really strong history program. We’ve got English; and we’ve got religion and we’ve got all these things, but we don’t have everything.”

A small team of professors can’t teach every topic, but MEMNTO allows the students to experience new ideas in the same field in an engaging way, he said.

“SMU has art history and one of their art historians teaches medieval studies, so her students are going to present,” he said of Dr. Danielle Joyner. “We’re just going to have this amazing array of interdisciplinary undergraduate work. It’s an opportunity for our students to learn from other students and also from their faculty.”

Joyner is going to lead a workshop at the conference about understanding and deconstructing medieval imagery and the medieval concept of time, Maeer said.

The conference was created by Joyner; Maeer; Dr. Margaret Cotter-Lynch from Southeastern Oklahoma State University; and Dr. Kelly Gibson at the University of Dallas. The conference has continued to grow, and the founders hope to start an online undergraduate journal as well.

“Imagine if we could share the faculty knowledge and faculty resources,” Maeer said. “We took four Wesleyan students to SMU. We got to look at medieval manuscripts, honest to God medieval manuscripts, and go to a conference hosted by SMU all because we’re a part of this undergraduate kind of research consortium.”

Maeer said when he first arrived at Wesleyan he couldn’t believe all of the museums and libraries that are close to campus. The department then came up with the idea to add another class to their curriculum and that created a public history certificate opportunity.

“Which might sound daunting but really what it is it’s an applied studies opportunity for any student at Texas Wesleyan,” Maeer said. “If you’re in the humanities or the sciences and you really like museums, archives or libraries, but you just kind of want to work at a museum, then the public history certificate is designed specifically for those people in mind.”

The public history certificate gives students an applied knowledge and field experience that will give them a leg up when applying for jobs, Maeer said.

“If that had existed when I was an undergraduate,” Maeer said, “I would have jumped on it. What’s really cool about this (is that) master’s programs in public history have become exceedingly popular in the last ten years, but there are few if any public history certificates for undergraduate students. It’s just a great opportunity for Wesleyan students.”

In the next few years, Wesleyan will offer this program and will allow them to translate what they are learning in the classroom to the workplace, Maeer said.

History major Alanna James said her professors do a really good job of encouraging their students to participate in conferences.

“The history professors are really good at wanting us to expand our skills and this was a really cool thing Wesleyan is doing because a lot of schools don’t recommend their undergraduates to go out and do conferences,” James said.

James said the reason she wants to present is because she is proud of her paper; she also wants to improve her public speaking skills.

“We had our history meeting last week and they’re trying really hard to amp up the history major,” James said. “We’re getting a public history certificate and eight-week history classes. It’s growing and it’s trying to expand. They’re trying to get more types of classes and (get more) people to go to conferences. You don’t even have to be a history major to present. I love all of the professors here and I think they deserve to have more students to share their knowledge with, so I’m glad it’s growing.”

Lane Kelly, a sophomore history major, said he is most excited for the conference since it will be his first time presenting a history paper; he also wants to hear Joyner lead her workshop.

“Each presentation should be somewhere around 10 to 15 minutes,” Kelly said. “There is not a definite time yet since we do not know how many people will be attending and we do have to fit all the speakers in the time window.”

Head football coach Joe Prud’homme said Tuesday that the team is excited to use the off-season to improve.

The team plans to use the off-season for “getting bigger, stronger, faster and more disciplined and installing a new offense and sharpening up the mental dimension of the game,” Prud’homme said.

The Rams’ goals are a little bigger than just getting better at football, he said.

Their biggest goal during off-season is “[to come] together and ramp up a sense of urgency for the upcoming season and to add to the core of the team and developing more leadership,” Prud’homme said.

He said he was “not sure” when the schedule for the 2018 season would be released. According to wbuathletics.com, the website for Wayland Baptist University’s athletic program, Texas Wesleyan will play WBU in Plainview on Oct. 27.

On Monday, the team did height and weight measurements; the rest of the week is devoted to strength training, running back Da’vonte Mitchell-Dixon said.

The players are eager to start working out together again, Mitchell-Dixon said.

“I’m glad to be back with the team,” he said. “This team is my family and always will be.”

The team hopes to use the off-season to get stronger and faster so they can apply that to games next season, Mitchell-Dixon said.

“We are going to work on being the best we can be to compete,” he said, “and make this next season way better than it was last year.”

Mitchell-Dixon hopes to use the off-season to strengthen his injured shoulder.

“As long as I approach everything with a positive attitude,” he said, “I’ll get positive results.”

Hard work bonded the team together last season so they’re excited to get back to work, quarterback Justin Arth said.

“It feels great to be back with these guys that I worked hard with all season long,” Arth said. “There’s no feeling like the feeling of brotherhood and a bond created when giving everything we have to accomplish the same goal.”

The team is using the off-season to change up their offense, Arth said.

“We will be installing an all-new, fast-pasted spread offense that will help us simplify the game and score a ton of points each and every game,” he said. “Other than that we, as a team, will be getting in better shape, physically and mentally, to perform well on the field and bring home some wins next season.”

The team has its heart set on improvement, he said.

“My goals for this off-season are to constantly become one percent better than the day before,” he said. “Anything from mastering the offense, to getting bigger, faster, stronger and more consistent in order to help this team achieve our goals this next season.”

The Blue and Gold game will be played in April, Mitchell-Dixon said.

“It will be similar to last year,” Prud’homme said, “definitely a scrimmage set up with the Blue and Gold game.”

The team doesn’t know the exact date yet but the players are excited for the Blue and Gold game.

“I expect it to be competitive,” Mitchell-Dixon said.

The Rams love the Blue and Gold game because it’s a chance to challenge each other to get better, Arth said.

Fernando Luis Santillan was born a Mexico citizen to his parents Esteban Santillan Ceniceros and Carolina Salas Reyes. His brother, Esteban Santillan Jr. was born a United States citizen to the same parents. 

“So, my brother was born in El Paso, Texas because my mom decided to have him there and for me, she had the same plan,” Santillan said. “She stayed nine months in El Paso with one of my uncles and then on December 15, 1995, she decided to visit my grandma and that was the day I was born in Mexico. So, my brother is an American citizen and I’m Mexican.” 

When Santillan was growing up in Mexico he knew Spanish and then learned Portuguese as his second language, he said. Santillan attended Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso Texas and was required to take English as a second language classes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I went straight to high school, which was different, because everyone in El Paso is bilingual so if you don’t know English you can speak Spanish, and when I came [to Texas Wesleyan University] it was so hard because my English wasn’t that good. And I don’t know; it was so hard to communicate.” 

Santillan Jr. didn’t have to apply for a student visa to attend college in the United States but Luis Santillan did. 

“To get a visa you have to apply in the United States Embassy in Mexico,” Santillan said. “You have to do your application online and then they give you this number but you have to go and pay.” 

In order to start the visa application process, the applicant has to pay between $500 and $700. Then the United States Embassy schedules an appointment to meet with the applicant and they have to pay another fee between $1000 and $1500, according to mx.usembassy.gov. 

“They ask you all these questions like, ‘What are you going to do? Where are you going to go to school?’” 

After the appointment, the embassy can either accept the applicant or deny them. 

“But, if they deny it you don’t get your money back,” Santillan said. “You don’t get your money back and you have to apply again.” 

The entire process takes between three or four weeks and typically takes place after the visa applicant has applied and been accepted to American colleges, according to mx.usembassy.gov. 

“It’s not hard it’s just a lot of money that you spend,” he said. “You have to apply to college before and then if you want to work in the US you have to apply for work [visa] first too. 

“[The embassy has] to accept you and [the employers] have to say that they’re going to pay for your work visa if you want to have a work visa which is more money. It’s more time and it’s hard to get someone to employ you because no one wants to pay more money for you.” 

Santillan said facing discrimination has gotten easier the longer he has been in America. 

“I feel like my freshman year I got so, not bullied or anything, but like I can feel like people are talking shit about me or something like that. But now I don’t even care.” 

Santillan ignores the negative comments he sometimes hears but discrimination against his family or his whole country is too big to ignore. 

“I hate when people are like ‘Oh this Mexican chick’ and really she’s Cuban or Colombian like no that is so different,” he said. “Even the language is different. Like to me they speak weird; Americans and Canadians have the same language but a different accent and some words aren’t the same.” 

Even when he’s around people that love him Santillan feels pressured to be a model citizen, he said. 

“It’s hard because every time I wake up it’s like I have to be the best citizen,” Santillan said, “because if I do something wrong I can get deported. Like if I don’t stop at a stop sign or something like that they can pull me over and just yea…” 

The culture in Northern Mexico and Texas aren’t extremely different but Texas has a more diverse population, Santillan said. 

“The laws are almost the same,” he said. “It’s just like the food and the people. The people are white, black- we’re not used to that. In the city where I live it’s more mixed or white. We don’t really see black people or Asians but that’s it.” 

After graduation in May 2019, Santillan plans to either stay in Texas or move to Georgia to attend law school. 

“I don’t really know what’s going to happen with this whole Trump thing,” Santillan said. “If things are going to get worse or they’re going to get better, but I think if I hold my student visa I’m going to be fine.” 

After graduating from law school Santillan plans to stay in America and apply for jobs. He wants to get dual citizenship and split the year living between Mexico and America. 

“I want to have dual citizenship so that if something goes wrong here I can go back home and still work and still be able to buy a house and things like that.” 

Santillan dreams of working for the United Nations. Dual citizenship would allow him the opportunity to represent Mexico or America. 

Susporiea Harris, Santillan’s fiance said his Mexican heritage enriches her life. 

“Overall, I feel like he’s a normal person,” Harris said. “His accent reminds me all the time but I don’t really feel any different. 

“Although now with everything going on, I’m not really afraid of deportation, but I know how real it is. My friend’s boyfriend just got deported so it’s hard to think about.” 

Harris is always encouraging Santillan to be a safe driver and to always use his blinker. 

“[Deportation is] not something that I think is going to happen but it’s something that could happen,” Harris said. 

Harris has already taken to Santillan’s Mexican heritage by trying authentic Mexican food. 

“I love Mexican food. He takes me to places that look sketchy,” she said, “but the food is so good. You can really taste the difference from like Tex-Mex.” 

Harris said Santillan is proud to be a Mexican. 

“He thinks we’re patriotic but he has so much pride in Mexico like you can’t say one thing wrong,” she said. “But I like that though; that’s good.” 

Matt Mayfield, Santillan’s roommate, believes their cultural differences bring them closer together. 

Santillan is a dependable and trustworthy friend that would sacrifice anything for his friends’ happiness, said Matt Mayfield Santillan’s roommate. 

“Friendship with Luis is something that can last a lifetime,” Mayfield said. “No matter where our paths take us I know we can always be there for each other.” 

The cultural differences between Mayfield and Santillan allow them to form a strong bond through shared experiences, Mayfield said. 

“Luis being from Mexico allows a cultural mix-up for a city-boy from Atlanta like myself. Trying different foods he makes, understanding what matters to each other, and even bonding over our differences makes our relationship awesome.” 

Mayfield said Santillan can easily cheer up his friends and gives great advice. 

“Now, it’s my senior year,” Mayfield said, “and I’m not only roommates but also like brothers with Luis.” 

 

The Oklahoma Panhandle State University Aggies (7-3, 6-2 CSFL) were relentless against the Rams on Saturday, beating Texas Wesleyan 65-6.

In their final game of the season, the Rams (0-11, 0-8 CSFL) didn’t score until late in the fourth quarter, when Cole Maxwell caught a 30-yard Erik Richards pass, according to ramsports.net.

“I️ feel like a great moment of the game is when Cole scored for us,” running back Da’vonte Mitchell-Dixon said. “It showed that we wouldn’t stop fighting no matter what the score is and I️ love that.” 

“People should remember that this season was an important part of history for Texas Wesleyan University,” quarterback Erik Richards said. “This is the inaugural season that brought a new sports team to the university that will hopefully bring new graduations to the school.”

The moments the Rams spent on the field were the most important part of the season because it gave them experience to use in the future, Richards said.

“The moments most important to the team were spent on the field,” he said. “As we all know our team was young and those guys getting to be out on the field playing in actual college football games will help them tremendously in the future.”

Things that held back the Rams:

1. Injuries.

Injuries hold back the team because they cause the players to be benched instead of on the field, Richards said.

“The injuries have definitely held us back,” Richards said. “All five of our starting offensive linemen were out for the last few games and through the season, a lot of guys, including me, spent time on the sidelines due to injury.”

The injuries caused a lot of changes in personnel throughout the season, not just against the Aggies, linebacker Tristen Blake said.

“The injuries definitely hurt us this year,” Blake said. “We had to move some people around so we could keep playing and we ended up having to have people that start on offense or defense go on more special teams than what they were already on.”

Injuries have been the most harmful factor the Rams face this season, Mitchell-Dixon said.

“Half of our receiving core went down with injuries and half of our defense too,” he said. “If we didn’t have these injuries, we could be seeing a different season favoring us.”

2. Fighting.

“I️ feel like our team was deflated when we started arguing and fighting with them early in the second quarter,” he said. “Us having one of best players be kicked out of the game for fighting killed us big time.”

Running back Jermarcus Jones was kicked out of the game, he said.

3. Small mistakes and execution.

There wasn’t one moment that lost the Rams the game against OPSU; it was a lot of small plays that added up, Blake said.

“There really wasn’t a big moment in the game, it was just a bunch of little things,” Blake said.

Richards thinks that if kickoff had gone differently the game would’ve been more of a competition.

“The most important part of Saturday’s game was the opening kickoff when we got the onside kick,” he said. “However, we weren’t able to capitalize on the drive and quickly lost the momentum to OPSU.”

The Rams are eager to play Oklahoma Panhandle State University (6-3,5-2 CSFL) in Goodwell, Okla. on Saturday.

The team will do well in this, the season’s final game, if they can play well during the whole game and not just the second half, head coach Joe Prud’homme said.

The Rams have to do three things to be competitive in Saturday’s game.

1. Execute.

The Ram’s offense, defense, and special teams have to play well during the entire game for the Rams to be competitive, Prud’homme said.

“[The Rams are trying to improve] execution, and taking advantage of opportunities and playing well in all three phases for four quarters,” he said.

2. Perfect the fundamentals.

“[We’ve been] working on fundamentals and preparing for their schemes,” Prud’homme said.

The Rams have had an emphasis on perfecting their fundamental plays and abilities all year. The fundamentals are so important because they are the base for everything the team does, Prud’homme said.

The team is trying to improve at each practice, quarterback Kane Hardin said.

“[We’re] just continuing to get better every day and trying to master our craft we realize it’s our last week, so we want to go out swinging,” Hardin said.

3. Be intense.

The Rams didn’t have the intensity they normally have during games, running back Da’vonte Mitchell-Dixon said.

“The team could have given more effort. Just like last week, we came out like we didn’t care if we won or lost and that was the deciding factor,” he said.

It felt like the team just couldn’t get the job done, Mitchell-Dixon said.

“I honestly feel like we couldn’t do anything well,” Mitchell-Dixon said. “We were being outplayed at the very end. They just wanted it more than us.”

The Rams will travel to No Man’s Land Stadium to play the Aggies Saturday at 2 p.m.. Live stats and video are available to watch at opsuaggies.com.