Written Work

Applications of dating 101

Karan MunsLeave a comment

Dating apps like Tinder and Bumbler allow people to connect and be more upfront with each other. Tinder started in 2012 and Bumble started in 2014. College students use these apps to get in on the hook-up scene, find dates for events or even find true love. The way each person uses the app is entirely up to the person using it, which is why it’s becoming increasingly more popular among college kids.

The article “What are you doing on Tinder? Impression management on a matchmaking mobile app” focuses on the reason why anyone would use Tinder.

Sports teams, fraternities, and sororities have events you’re supposed to bring a date to.

Zack is an active member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity that has events often. Most of the events require the members to bring a date.

“Not everyone is looking for love,” Lanham said. “I don’t have enough time to devote to dating and women deserve better than what I could give them right now,”

Zack is also a member of the Texas Wesleyan cheer team and the team usually brings a date to the banquet at the end of the year.

Lanham recalls walking into the Baker building without a date. He takes a deep breath and wipes his hands on his pants. He shakes hands with his other fraternity members, “Where’s Jade?”, one man asks glancing around the room.

“She uh, she couldn’t make it. We kind of broke up,” Zack replied.

He glanced down at his black dress shoes shining in the light and smiled in a sad sort of “I’m okay way,” before sitting down to repeat these same two phrases the entire night.

Alyssa Hutchinson a sophomore biology major uses Tinder as a way to meet more people than just Wesleyan students.

The reason she likes the app is that it gives more options than just the few thousand people Wesleyan has to offer.

“There just wasn’t anybody here that I felt attracted to,” she said. “Wesleyan is such a small school and so many people are taken that the dating pool is too small.”

Walking down the hall Hutchinson can’t help but notice all of the team T-shirts. Huddles of athletes in jeans clutter the halls of the science building. She shrugs and continues to walk to her car glancing around but no one catches her eye. She sighs and gets in to drive home away from all the jocks.

“Tinder just lets me meet more people that have the same interests as me,” she said. It’s hard to know if someone is a good fit just from casual conversation but Tinder finds matches for you.”

It’s easier to meet people on Bumble or Tinder because everybody on the app is interested in meeting new people and dating, junior religion major Luis Santillan said.

Santillan had a lot of bad luck in one particular month every woman he approached had a boyfriend or girlfriend, wasn’t interested in dating, or just didn’t have feelings for him. That’s when he tried Tinder.

“I was just down on my luck,” Santillan said, “but Tinder gave me a chance to meet a lot of people that were looking for a guy like me.”

It was a step in the right direction for Santillan who eventually met his fiancé on Tinder. It made it easy to find eligible people so he could stop being the guy that hit on everybody else’s girlfriend he said.

 

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Thiebaud teaches through research

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Many people take the same route to being college professors: they go to school, get a doctorate, and get a job.
Dr. Robert Thiebaud didn’t. The Texas Wesleyan assistant professor of exercise science was going to be a computer science major just because he liked it, but switched to exercise science at Brigham Young University because it was taught in a more cohesive way than the computer science classes he was taking.
“I just kind of decided I wanted to switch and try something different,” Thiebaud said, “but I still liked science. I also liked exercise. I love sports. I just went to the counselor and they told me about exercise science. I loved it and just stuck with it.”
Thiebaud, affectionately called Dr. T by many of his students, said that he worked at several different physical therapy clinics, decided they weren’t a good fit for him, and then decided to pursue a master’s degree in exercise science at BYU.
As a graduate student, Thiebaud could teach activity classes and conduct research.
“I started doing it, and I really enjoyed it,” Thiebaud said. “Learning about new things is always fun. When you have questions, you can actually go and try to find the answer.”
Thiebaud said he owes some of his credit to the mentors that shaped him through graduate school.
“They got me to go to a conference,” he said, “and kind of just built on from there until I decided that, ‘I’ll do this Ph.D. and do research because it’s fun.’ I enjoyed it.”
Thiebaud earned his doctorate degree in exercise physiology at the University of Oklahoma in 2014, and began teaching at Wesleyan the same year. He said that at Wesleyan professor’s focus on teaching but are also expected to continue to do research. He combines the two and uses his personal experiments to teach students outside the classroom.
“That’s the fun part, I think, is to get students involved in the research,” he said, “so they can see all the stuff that they’re learning in class and how it can be applied to different scenarios.”
Thiebaud said research studies teach students more than just science; they also teach problem-solving skills, because no experiment can be conducted perfectly.
“Seeing them progress and enjoy the experience and then having the students actually present some of that research at conferences is exciting,” Thiebaud said.
Thiebaud finds experiment ideas through his own interests and his students.
“I always try to make [the experiment] more towards interests that I have, that I’ve done previous research on,” he said. “But the FitBit study that I did that wasn’t necessarily my area of research. It was a question some students had so I thought, ‘Hey, let’s do a project and figure out how accurate they are.’”
Thiebaud has been impacting students at Wesleyan since 2014, according to txwes.edu.
“Dr. T has shown me what it means to be an all-around good professor,” said senior exercise major Jacey Patton. “Not only has he been an incredible teacher, he has also helped in preparation for life after graduation whether that is graduate school or working in the field.”
Patton said that assisting Thiebaud with research has taught her many things besides just research methods.
“Conducting research has been very beneficial because it also taught me about myself,” Patton said. “I have been able to apply what I’ve learned in the classroom and have seen the aspects of research that I truly enjoy. It has shown me that I would like to continue conducting research and pursue higher education.”
Thiebaud typically invites students to be lab assistants, she said. Since Patton has always loved to learn, she jumped at the chance to help conduct research.
“I knew that I would have the ability to learn skills that would carry over into other aspects of life,” Patton said. “I was able to learn the process of conducting a research study and what it takes to conduct one of good quality. I was very excited to have the opportunity to put what I had learned into action.”
Lab assistants have a lot of responsibilities like testing equipment and gathering supplies, she said.
“I also help prepare the individual(s) participating in the research,” Patton said. “This includes things like placing electrodes in their proper place, fitting the equipment to the participant, making sure that they are aware of everything that will happen, and ensuring that they are comfortable throughout the testing. I also help in administering the test. This includes time-sensitive data collection, informing the participant of what will happen next, and making sure that the equipment functions properly throughout the protocol.”
Chandler Henderson, a senior exercise science major, said Thiebaud is very intelligent and makes being in the classroom fun. Thiebaud gives quizzes and homework to prepare students for tests, and he’s always open to students stopping by for help if they’re struggling with the material.
“I like that he takes an interest in each student,” Henderson said. “I like that he cares about his students and what he is teaching. He is a great man and a great professor.”
Oscar Peña, also a senior exercise science major, said he enjoys Thiebaud’s classes because he is passionate about learning, even though he has a Ph.D. Peña.
“He isn’t full of himself despite being a pretty smart guy,” Peña said. “He’s open to learning about new things and this kind of goes hand in hand with being passionate about teaching. If a student has a question about a particular subject and he isn’t able to answer it he will look into it and follow up the next class.”
Thiebaud tries to teach critical thinking, teamwork, and science using several different methods, Peña said.
“He is open to constructive criticism and suggestions on his teaching approach,” Peña said. “In doing so, he’s made it clear that his prime objective is making sure that every student is able to thrive in his class.”
Peña also said that Thiebaud has a great sense of humor and outlook on life that shine through in the classroom.
“I enjoy that he’s caring and that he puts in grades fairly quick,” Peña said. “He tells you what he expects, what you need to do to be successful, and helps you as best as he can. What else would you want from a professor?”
For more information about Thiebaud’s studies, email rthiebaud@txwes.edu.

Battling cancer and college

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Dalton Martin, a super senior at Texas Wesleyan University, might seem like an average college student on the surface but he is anything but average.

Every day Martin gets up, brushes his teeth, showers, gets dressed and eats breakfast. If it’s a weekday he packs his black Nike backpack, grabs his keys and heads out the door of his small but cozy apartment to go to school.

He’s double majoring in mass communication and physics. On top of that, he chose to add a minor in criminal justice. Anyone can tell that Martin is a very intelligent passionate guy.

He plays on a recreational softball team, hosts parties, and lives with his best friend Luke Zrostlik.

Martin tries to stay busy and live his life to the fullest, even when life gets difficult.

Martin beat leukemia when he was 12 years old but in early February of 2016, when he was 21, he was rediagnosed with chronic malignant myeloid leukemia.

“It’s a lot to deal with but you can either choose to be a baby about it or continue on with your life and make the best of it,” Martin said.

Most people that go through cancer treatment take a friend or family member with them for comfort. Martin chooses to go to his treatments alone. He hated feeling like the people that went with him were pitying him.

“I had hoped I wouldn’t have to deal with this again; it sucks but I’ll get through it,” Martin said.

Being a cancer patient in college isn’t easy. While Martin can host parties, he can’t drink any of the alcohol he buys for his friends until he’s healthy again. Every now and then he has to skip one of the softball games he loves to participate in because cancer takes such a toll on his energy levels. The games are only every other weekend so missing one game can keep him off the field for a month.

“Playing softball was one of my favorite things to do before I got diagnosed again,” Martin said. “I don’t see a reason to stop playing just because my leukemia came back.”

Martin isn’t defined by his cancer. He has cancer but he isn’t cancer. Martin is a hilarious, fun-loving, crazy-smart, great human. He tries to keep his focus on all of the things he is instead of the disease he has.

“There’s not a point in being sad and complaining about it all the time,” he said. “All that does is make me miserable so I just try to enjoy every day as much as I can.”

College is difficult to begin with, especially with two majors and a minor, and most would think that making good grades and fighting cancer would be impossible but Martin makes it seem almost effortless, Zrostlik said.

“He doesn’t let it get him down,” Zrostlik said. “He’s one of those people that just chooses not to get bummed out about his situation.”

Martin and Zrostlik are always goofing off and doing all the things most college guys do like watching sports, playing video games, and throwing the ball around.

Every now and then Martin will have a bad day when the side effects of chemotherapy are too much to handle on his own but otherwise, Zrostlik doesn’t notice that Martin is sick.

Martin doesn’t try to win sympathy from anybody and pity is one of his least favorite things ever, Zrostlik said.

“He’ll punch you in the arm and tell you to stop being a baby if you ever get too serious about his cancer,” Zrostlik said. “He doesn’t want people to feel bad for him just because he’s sick. He hardly ever asks anybody for favors. He’s his own person with or without cancer.”

Before his cancer came back Martin’s friends could count on him for everything, his close friend Steven Frederick said. That didn’t change after he was re-diagnosed. Martin is the kind of person that will drop everything just to help out a friend.

When Martin walks into a room everyone notices. He has this big bright smile that lights up when he talks. He’s quick-witted and cracks jokes, most of the time at the expense of others, all the while brightening the lives of those around him. His friends roll with the punches and try to get Martin back but they can’t easily match his quick comebacks.

“Cancer didn’t change who he is,” Frederick said. “He’s still Dalton. His illness doesn’t change anything about him; he’s still one of our closest friends and cancer doesn’t change any of that.”

It doesn’t matter to anybody that Martin has cancer. He’s still one of their best friends and a hilarious, great person, Frederick said.

“Cancer isn’t who Dalton is,” Frederick said. “Dalton is one of our best friends. He’s really smart, super funny, and a great person.”

The making of Dalton Martin- A timeline

Immigrate to Educate

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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.”


 

Black Student Association hosts “Officer, May I?”community event

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The Black Student Association invites Texas Wesleyan and the Polytechnic community to join them next Tuesday at a community outreach event at Martin Hall.

The event, “Officer, May I?,” will focus on overcoming division between the police and people of the community. It is free and will run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. A reception will follow at Lou’s Place.

“The event is geared toward how to become friends again with the police,” BSA Vice President Trezjon Cothran said.

BSA hopes to help cultivate a better relationship between the public and the police, said Dr. Eddy Lynton, the BSA’s sponsor and assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice.

“It’s about the connection between individuals and the people that are supposed to be there to serve and protect them,” Lynton said.

BSA has arranged for a former Fort Worth Police Department officer, current FWPD officer, and a Wesleyan trustee to come and speak to the Wesleyan community, BSA President Josh Rivers said.

“We’re getting three different perspectives: ‘What is being taught to the community?’ from a professor, ‘What should be done?’ from the officer, and ‘What rights do the people actually have?’ from the trustee,” Rivers said.

Dr. Wafeeq Sabir, who has 25 years of experience with the Fort Worth Police Department, will be sharing some of his personal experiences.

“What we’re hoping for is that he’ll provide students, faculty and staff with techniques, tips and tricks that they can use to deescalate situations,” Lynton said.

Lynton believes that Sabir’s presentation will help people relieve some of the tension that occurs in interactions with the police.

“This is a positive event. It’s not a ‘Let’s beat up the police!’ type of event,” Lynton said. “That’s not the intent at all. It’s about how do we fix where we’re at right now? How do we go from where we’re at to a better tomorrow?”

Also participating in the event are Glenn Lewis, a Texas Wesleyan grad and attorney who is on the university’s board of trustees; and FWPD Sgt. Billie Price, who is also a Wesleyan graduate.

BSA hopes to impact as many people as possible with this event, Rivers said.

“Our target audience is basically anyone that can be affected, from Wesleyan students to high school and middle school students and their parents,” Rivers said. “These are the people having to answer the questions of ‘What do I do? How do I come home? How do I feel safe?’ We want to help prepare them for that line of questioning.”

Rivers expects that this event will be set up like a town hall meeting.

“It’ll start off with a 30-minute presentation, which will include our basic rights and scenarios of what to do and what not to do when interacting with the police,” Cothran said.

After the presentation, Cothran said, the event will allow time for a question and answer discussion.

“That’s a time for everyone to just ask questions and receive knowledge respectfully,” Cothran said.

Rivers feels the people need a chance to ask questions in order to better understand the way the police serve them.

“There’s a lot of questions that we want to answer,” Rivers said. “We probably won’t answer them all.”

BSA hopes that everyone will try to attend their community outreach event because it affects a large group of people, Lynton said.

“The situations that are occurring are incredibly tragic,” Lynton said. “Often times, it seems to escalate based on a myriad of events.”

BSA understands that fear on both sides is what often leads to misunderstanding, but this event is supposed to help conquer some of that, Rivers said.

“I’m pretty sure we aren’t going to save the world in one day,” Rivers said, “but this can be an effective stepping stone to make a community.”

BSA holds”Officer, May I?” community outreach event

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Texas Wesleyan’s Black Student Association held “Officer, May I?” in Martin Hall on Tuesday.

The event was attended by about 70 guests, including Texas Wesleyan University President Frederick Slabach.

“Officer, May I?” was meant to educate people on how to interact with police in a way that is safe for everyone, BSA Vice President Trezjon Cothran said.

“Tonight’s event was very significant for our campus and community,” Cothran said. “It was informative, educational and tremendously needed.”

This event was important because it’s BSA’s first step to help lessen tension between police and the public, Cothran said.

The event featured a panel including Wesleyan Board of Trustees member Glenn Lewis, Fort Worth police Sergeant Billie Price and Dr. Wafeeq Sabir, a retired police officer. There was also a question and answer section.

“Although we cannot change the world, we look forward to changing the community with the hope of receiving the proper recognition to make that impact expand,” Cothran said.

If a person is in a situation where he or she is interacting with a police officer that they don’t feel is being handled appropriately, they should first attempt to speak to the sergeant that supervises that officer, Price said.

“If you can’t get anywhere by speaking with the officer’s sergeant then once you’ve been arrested and get out, make a formal complaint to the internal affairs department,” Price said.

Lewis said the event indicates that police interaction with the public is a problem. In a free country like America no one should need to be told how to act.

“You have to have special training to be a police officer,” Lewis said, “but you don’t have to have special training to be a citizen in a free society and a lot of these things you’ve been hearing about today are just common courtesy.”

Lewis thinks that if a person would not fight his peers then the person should not fight law enforcement, either.

“We have to work on our relationships,” Lewis said. “ Nobody should be afraid of police officers and police officers shouldn’t be afraid of you.”

Some officers are afraid of civilians because they perceive something about them without knowing that person, Lewis said.

“Most of it just amounts to treating each other with respect and common courtesy,” he said.

Price suggested sitting down and discussing in groups what the problem could be between police and civilians.

“[It’s important to find] out what their rights are as a citizen and then find out what the police can and can’t do,” Price said.

Sabir suggested that dinner might be the best way to start a conversation.

“If you want to have a discussion with someone, the best way to get them to open up is to have food,” said Sabir, who gave a 30-minute presentation about how to interact with police officers.

Sabir reminded the crowd that just because someone acted a certain way in a Youtube video and something bad happened to them doesn’t mean his tips aren’t useful.

“These are still some general rules,” Sabir said. “You need to understand that we live in a very complicated and often times uncomfortable society, but these are things that generally will get you home at night and get you back to your loved ones.”

Football team holds first practice

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Texas Wesleyan’s football team held its first practice Tuesday on the campus mall.

The team endured an almost three-hour practice, but head coach Joe Prud’homme felt it was a good “kickoff” point for the team.

“It’s a starting point,” Prud’homme said in an interview during practice. “It’s a little warm, it’s the first time they’ve done it, and it’s the first time they’ve ever been out here together.”

The 116-player team ran through warmups quickly, then began a series of rotating workout and conditioning stations to gain strength and stamina. Thirty to 40 people watched, including university President Frederick Slabach.

“They got after it,” Prud’homme said, “their attitude was good, and their enthusiasm was up.”

Strength training and conditioning are the team’s main focuses for the fall, so that by the time they need to scrimmage in the spring, the groundwork is already there, Prud’homme said.

“Our conditioning level has got to go way up,” Prud’homme said, “but it’s only the first day. I kind of expected this.”

Many players were taken aback by the heat, said fullback Zack Lanham, a criminal justice major.

“I think a lot of players were in for a big surprise,” Lanham said. “It’s hot outside, the coaches worked us, and we have a lot of work to get to done.”

But the players and coaches were excited to begin working out together, and even welcomed spectators to watch, like Jeremy Johnson, a sophomore at Cedar Valley College.

“I decided to come up and take a look,” Johnson said. “I’m very excited. I can’t wait to actually get in pads and make something happen.”

Johnson came to watch the practice to see if Wesleyan is worth transferring to.

“The main reason is to be able to go down in history at Texas Wesleyan,” Johnson said.

Prud’homme said he expected the players to be polite and respectful to all of the spectators in order to create a positive image for Wesleyan football.

“You’ve just got to set a high bar, and they’ve got to be the ones to meet it – and they want to meet it,” Prud’homme said.

The spectator turnout was great and everyone was excited for the practice, Prud’homme said.

“Thanks to everybody that came out,” Prud’homme said, “and everybody that showed a lot of support for us.”

A football team that lifts up Wesleyan is a high priority for the program, Prud’homme said.

“We know that it’s our job to do a good job of representing the school,” Prud’homme said. “We just want to have something everybody is proud of.”

According to a schedule provided by Prud’homme, the team will be practicing every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on the mall for the remainder of the semester.

The team will begin its 2017 season on the road in Kansas on Sept. 2; the first home game will be 2 p.m. on Sept. 9, when Wesleyan plays Millsaps College, according to a scheduled released Friday. The full schedule is available at txwes.edu.

New football team holds first meeting

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Texas Wesleyan University’s new football team’s head coach, Joe Prud’homme, held the team’s first meeting Tuesday afternoon in the McFadden Lecture Hall.

Football has been controversial at Wesleyan, but the program should speak for itself by producing well-rounded athletes, Prud’homme said.

“I want a program that Texas Wesleyan is proud of,” Prud’homme said.

Prud’homme held the meeting in order to get the team acquainted, and let them know that he has high expectations for them as students, athletes and people, he said.

“First of all you’re going to be a student, athlete second; but you’re going to represent us, you’re going to represent each other,” Prud’homme said. “It is critical the way you carry yourself, people judge all of us by one of us.”

The team will begin practicing on Tuesday, Sept. 6 and will practice Mondays through Wednesdays and Fridays on the campus mall. Practices will be 2 p.m. until 4:30 p.m., Prud’homme said. The players will also be in the weight room this semester, focusing on gaining strength and stamina.

In the spring, the team will begin practicing plays at Herman Clark Stadium in Fort Worth.

The assistant coaches support all of these high expectations along with performing typical coaching tasks, Prud’homme said.

The players are expected to be polite and courteous of everyone they come into contact with and behave responsibly at all times, offensive coordinator Paul Duckworth said.

“The fact is we are a clean program,” Duckworth said. “We are a drug-free, alcohol-free program.”

It’s extremely important to the whole staff that the football players strive for greatness and live up to expectations on the field, in the classroom, and in their everyday lives, Prud’homme said.

“I like the standards and expectations the coaches have,” student coach Andre Dawkins, sophomore education major, said. “I think it’s what will make the program great.”

Fullback Zack Lanham, a sophomore criminal justice major, said the program is supposed to make the players more mature.

“This program is meant to take boys and turn them into men via academics, character, and overall integrity,” Zack Lanham, a sophomore criminal justice major, said. “It’s time for us to grow up, enhance our skills, and put our bodies to the test, for most of us, at the highest level possible.”

Most of the players are used to being held to a higher standard on the field and off, said tight end Logan Butler, a sophomore biochemistry major.

“The rules are pretty fair and common. If you break it, you should expect to pay for it,” Butler said.

Prud’homme said the high expectations don’t just encompass the athletes’ character but their football abilities as well. He wants the players to be great people, but also excellent football players.

“We expect you to play this game the way it’s meant to be played – smart, aggressive, and relentless,” Prud’homme said. “When we hit spring it’s time to compete.”