Come by the Students for John Kerry table in the West Mall on the UT campus today, tomorrow and Friday for a chance to take a swing at our George W. Bush piñata!!!
This Wednesday (9/15), Thursday (9/16), & Friday (9/17), S4JK will be on the West Mall registering voters with our favorite presidential piñata!! At about 1pm each day you can take a whack at Dubya for only $2!! Who knows what goodies will come flying out!!
The Reliable Source column of the Washington Post weighs in on what I blogged the other day - the intent by the College Republican National Committee to exploit the 9/11 anniversary to sign up Republicans and bring conservative speakers to campus:
How to be popular on campus: Despite claims from both sides of the political fray that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks should never, ever be politicized, the College Republican National Committee hopes to build membership in the new school year by promoting 9/11 observances. "You can ensure your CR chapter starts the new year as the leading group at your school," the group's Web site states, "by becoming involved with Young America's Foundation's 9/11: Never Forget Project." Past participation with the nonprofit conservative organization has helped chapters "boost [their] standings" and get better speakers, such as conservative loyalists Bay Buchanan and Dinesh D'Souza.
Young America's Foundation suggests, among other things, holding a moment of prayer at home football games to mark the anniversary and will provide free posters, buttons and other materials. But it's in no way, shape or form political, Patrick Coyle, director of campus programs, assured us.
"We're using this in a way to get the members active," he said. "The reason why we started this program in the first place is that a lot of schools weren't doing anything for the anniversary."
This year, the foundation Web site says, its 9/11 speakers include Dave Bossie, a certified Bill Clinton antagonist who has written a book called "Intelligence Failure: How Clinton's National Security Policy Set the Stage for 9/11." A nonpolitical title if we've ever heard one.
If either the UT College Republicans or the UT Young Conservatives of Texas chapter exploits 9/11 for partisan political purposes, I'll be there with a lot of others to call them out on it.
Apparently, that's hypocritical, because I haven't criticized Michael Moore for doing the same thing. Perhaps, I should have spelled it out for Chris and said:
If either the UT College Republicans or the UT Young Conservatives of Texas chapter exploits the 9/11 anniversary for partisan political purposes, I'll be there with a lot of others to call them out on it.
Ok, so I should have included those two words in the original post, even though I thought that it should have been assumed, given the title (and thrust) of my post, "College Republicans to Exploit 9/11 Anniversary". Hello. If Michael Moore exploits the 9/11 anniversary to increase his book or F 9/11 sales, I think that would be inappropriate. If conservative groups use the anniversary for political purposes, I'll also feel that that is inappropriate.
Both the left and the right has appropriately questioned the months and years leading up to 9/11/2001, and the actions by the Bush administration following that day. The left has attacked Bush for his failure to take our security threats seriously before 9/11, and his actions following 9/11 that have made America less safe and secure by dividing America and alienating our allies, whose help we need to fight international terrorism. The right has questioned President Clinton's approach to fighting terrorism, and the Bush campaign has run ads touting Bush's leadership following 9/11. Agree or disagree with it, but it's fair game. However, using the anniversary of 9/11 to advance a partisan political agenda is inappropriate for either side.
Because ya know, the Austin Review and Contumacy just aren't enough for the other side. They need a conservative daily to counter the liberal Daily Texan. Whether the Daily Texan is liberal depends almost entirely on that year's editor. I'm causiously optimistic about this year, but the past couple of year's the Texas has had libertarian or conservative-leaning editors. Calling the Texan liberal when they had assinine editorials supporting third-party candidates against Elliott Naishtat and Lloyd Doggett - both of whom have been champions for UT. They also endorsed State Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos's Republican opponent that year, when Barrientos has been the leader in the state senate for a student regent.
Anyway, here's what the Austin Chronicle has about the new paper:
On Sept. 2, the ex-advertising director of The Daily Texan will launch a new weekly broadsheet newspaper called The Austin Student, which will go forth to do battle with the Texan and other area student publications. It will be distributed free on the campuses of UT, Austin Community College, Concordia University, St. Edward's University, and Huston-Tillotson College, according to publisher Evelyn Gardner, who spent 16 years pitching ads for the Texan. (Though the Texan editorial staff is made up of students, its business side is not.)
Gardner resigned from the Texan in May after butting heads with Texas Student Publications director Kathy Lawrence (who declined to comment on Gardner's departure). She was soon joined by Texan account executive Donna Settle, who is the advertising director of the new paper, which hopes to "offer advertisers a one-stop shop to reach the college students of Austin."
While Gardner emphasizes that the Student is not targeting the Texan or any other publication, she also makes it clear it will attempt to set itself apart from the political coverage and opinion, particularly of the left-leaning variety, that has long been a hallmark of student papers. "We're going to cover issues that relate more to students on a personal level," Gardner said.
That would include everything from first-person stories from students to a religion page, spotlighting features and columns by local religious leaders. Students are "begging" for a more conservative voice on campus, Gardner says. "UT has a reputation for being a liberal school, and I think that is unfounded."
To help emphasize the new choice for this underserved legion of Bush-loving free thinkers, the Student's red, white, and blue boxes with the Texas star will soon appear next to every one of the Texan's campus news racks. "We will cover every site the Texan has, all 70 locations," Settle said. By the end of September, Gardner says, the Student, between all its distribution points across Austin, will reach 35,000 in free circulation – which would, perhaps not coincidentally, push it past the circulation of the Texan, renowned as the most widely read college newspaper in the country.
At the very least, Gardner vows the Student will do a better job of covering student government, the Greek scene, and on-campus issues than does the Texan. The Student also won't rely on news wire services, an oft-touted criticism of the Texan, she says.
I'll be sure to check it out with a critical eye when it appears on the scene.
The College Republicans want to use the tragedy of 9/11 to bring more conservative speakers to college campuses. The College Republican National Committee boasts of this on their website:
This program significantly boosted the standings of several CR chapters last year. For example, the CR chapter at Western Michigan University organized a moving candlelight vigil that drew over 600 students. The success of this event allowed them to host several conservative speakers on their campus including Dinesh D'Souza, Bay Buchanan, Reginald Jones, and Alan Kors.
The CR's are using Western Michigan University as an example of what they would like to see nationally. 9/11 shouldn't be about politics. It should be about everyone, all of us, Democrats, Republicans and Independents remembering the loss that we all suffered on that day. I hope that Republicans at UT will break from the national CR organization, choose to avoid partisan politics on 9/11, and join with the rest of us in respectfully remembering our shared loss of that day. To do otherwise would be unfortunate and shameful.
Seth Tanner of the College Democrats of America blog, Smart Ass adds his two cents as well:
"With recent polls showing Senator Kerry with a 2-1 lead among young voters, it is no surprise that the College Republicans are getting desperate," CDA National President Grant Woodard said. "But for them to exploit 9/11 to promote their organization is a disgrace. If they want to hold a memorial they should hold a memorial, not a membership drive."
CDA encourages its leaders to alert members and campus publications about this despicable project so they know what to expect next month. "Let's make sure everyone sees this project for what it really is," Woodard said.
Agreed. If either the UT College Republicans or the UT Young Conservatives of Texas chapter exploits 9/11 for partisan political purposes, I'll be there with a lot of others to call them out on it.
There's black people, and then there are African-Americans
Matt Yglesias covers an NYT article which suggests a bit of a dilemma for those of us who are supportive of campus affirmative action; more black people are getting admitted to top-tier universities, but fewer of them have deep roots in America (e.g. fewer of these students are the great-great-great-great-great granddaughters of your great-great-great-great grandfather's slaves), because admitted students are disproportionately immigrants or second-generation Americans.
Back to the dilemma -- is affirmative action supposed to be about broadening campus diversity and increasing the educational value of a college education (the rationale most oftened used to defend campus programs)? Or is it a round-abouts way of making up for generations of racism against descendants of slaves?
In the former case, then a large number of black immigrant students ought not be a problem - after all, immigrants certainly can share interesting life experiences and bring new ideas to the forefront in ways that your average kid from South Houston might not. On the other hand, if it is the latter, then campus affirmative action programs may not be as effective as previously surmised.
On the other hand, though, it may be possible to set aside this debate in a few different ways. Matt Yglesias also suggests switching to a class-based affirmative action system (which, if you squint really really hard, Texas's top-ten percent program represents).
Update: FWIW, SG prez Brian Haley's op-ed in today's Houston Chronicle supporting a cap on the top-ten percent rule is here.
We call on the Legislature to end all state funding of higher educations grants and scholarships. Until such action has occurred, we call on the Texas Legislature to adopt legislation that will ensure the state-supported grants and scholarships be made available to all Texas high school students, including privately educated students.
On the other hand, Texas Democrats want to restore the funding for higher education that was gutted in the 2003 budget which led the way towards tuition deregulation and increases of tuition rates by roughly thirty percent at state universities:
Post-Secondary and Adult Education: [...]
Texas Democrats pledge to:
Support restoration of funding cut in 2003 so that tuition and fees may be rolled back to affordable levels, expansion of the Texas Grants Program to reduce the debt burden on our children; adequate compensation, security, professional status, and benefits for all faculty; and research funding to spur economic development;
[...]
Support efforts to place a voting student regent on the appointed Board of Regents of each state-supported four-year institution of higher education.
The final plank here is a shameless plug. I lobbied for it's inclusion at the Platform Committee of the 2002 Democratic Convention in El Paso, and I'm pleased that it remained in the 2004 Texas Democratic Platform.
I just wanted to briefly congratulate the new University Democrats officers. We had our officer elections last night with contested races in all but one race (including five candidates for President).
The new president is Marcus Ceniceros who has not served as a University Democrats officer before, but he's been to about every event this semester, and he's committed to the organization, and I'm looking forward to working with him.
Beth Olson was elected Vice President in a three way race (Andrew D. was one of the candidates, and lost to Beth in the runoff). I've been friends with Beth for two years and I'm looking forward to working with her as well.
I won't mention all of the officers, but I'd like to congratulate Karl-Thomas, who was elected Membership Chair. I hope he knows what he's getting into. Usually we have to beg someone to be membership chair, but this year it was a close contest between Karl-Thomas and the current membership chair. It's a rather thankless job, as the membership chair must set up and take down (or find someone to do it for them) our table on the west mall every day.
Anyway, congrats to all of the new UD officers and here's to a successful fall semester!
I'm famous.. or something like that. The Daily Texan ran a front page story on our gay marriage debate today:
The argument over gay marriage came to campus Tuesday in a self-moderated debate between the University Democrats and the Young Conservatives of Texas.
[...]
"Gay marriage is harmful to society," said Aaron Gibson, government junior and YCT member. "Statistics prove that homosexuals have shorter life spans, and that they have more disease, and as a society, we shouldn't continue to condone that kind of behavior and especially institutionalize it in something like marriage ... the country doesn't support it."
Alison Puente, government sophomore and member of the University Democrats, said even though the national trend does not favor gay marriage rights, it is only a matter of time.
"The definition of marriage has adapted over time," Puente said. "We've gone from allowing women to be equal partners in the marriage to allowing inter-racial marriage. Allowing gays to marry is another natural progression in the evolution of the definition of marriage."
Gay marriage has been at the front lines of the political battlefield since last year when same-sex marriages were legalized in Massachusetts.
Byron LaMasters, government senior and University Democrats member, said gay marriage was simply asking for equal legal rights for gay and lesbian couples under the rule of law and that it should not be a religious issue.
"The government should not categorically deny the benefits and rights of marriage to an entire class of people," LaMasters said.
In a more conciliatory tone, one YCT member said that although marriage should be limited to heterosexual couples, there should be some provision for all citizens to have access to the rights of marriage, independent of sexual orientation.
"Personally, I'm against [gay marriage], but I'm all for civil unions," said Michael Endres, economics freshman.
Endres said it was important to make legal routes for people in love to have access to their rights as citizens.
Both groups did agree that there was no forthcoming solution and that the dialogue was a positive, necessary exercise.
"It's really an opportunity for people to hear two very different perspectives on the issue of gay marriage," said Dean of Students Teresa Graham Brett.
University Democrats to Host Town Hall Meeting on School Finance
This is a busy week for us. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is our gay marriage debate and on Wednesday, we'll host a town hall meeting with Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, State Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin) and State Rep. candidate Kelly White.
Here's the press release from Senator Eliot Shapleigh (D-El Paso):
April 19, 2004
Dear Friend:
I invite you to attend the University of Texas-Austin Democrats Town
Hall Meeting on Public School Finance, on April 21, 2004, 8:00 p.m.,
University Teaching Center 4.102, to discuss my 21st Century Texas
Education Excellence Fund. The Governor has called a special session on
school finance, and I want to give all Texans the opportunity to
participate in the dialogue for viable solutions to this very critical
issue facing our state today. Please forward the attached flyer and map
to co-workers, friends and family. Thank you for your interest.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please call
Brie Franco at (512) 463-0129.
I'll be one of the three University Democrats debate participants on Tuesday. I'd encouage anyone here in Austin to attend. I'm really looking forward to it. Here's our press release:
The University Democrats at UT-Austin will debate the Young Conservatives of Texas (UT chapter) on the issue of gay marriage equality on Tuesday, April 20, 2004. The debate will be held on the University of Texas campus in Garrison 1 at 7:00 PM (map here).
The University Democrats support marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples, and strongly oppose the hateful rhetoric of the Bush administration and the proponents of the Federal Marriage Amendment. With the recent proposal of a constitutional amendment and the actions supporting marriage equality in San Francisco and Massachusetts, the University Democrats feel compelled to address this important civil rights issue. One of the University Democrats debate participants, Former UD President Byron LaMasters agrees. “The institution of marriage has constantly evolved in America to become more inclusive, and give greater equality to both individuals in a marriage. A century ago women had few rights in marriage, and in some cases were considered property of their husband. A generation ago, interracial marriage was illegal in many places. Today, we continue the fight for fairness and equality to give gay and lesbian couples the same equal legal rights of civil marriage.”
The University Democrats and the Young Conservatives of Texas have met in the past to debate important issues of the day. Last fall the organizations debated U.S. foreign policy in a well-attended debate. The University Democrats is a student organization at the University of Texas representing student interests within the Democratic Party and working to help elect Democrats at a local, statewide and federal level. We look forward to this debate and other debates in the future on issues of interest to young people.
Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister of Israel, will speak on Monday, April 19, 2004 at 7:30pm at the LBJ Auditorium. Passes are free and will be available beginning Wednesday, April 14 at the Student Events Center ticket office located on the 4th level of the Texas Union (weekdays 8am-5pm).
Passes do NOT guarantee admission.
Due to security precautions, please arrive early for seating.
All bags and items will be subject to search. For the sake of gaining quick and easy admission, we strongly recommend that patrons enter the LBJ Auditorium bearing as few personal belongings as possible.
This lecture is sponsored by the Student Endowed Centennial Lectureship, Jewish Community Center, Texas Hillel, the LBJ School Center for Ethical Leadership, the College of Liberal Arts and the Student Events Center Distinguished Speakers Committee.
Ehud Barak is the most decorated soldier in the history of the Israeli Defense Forces. After reaching the rank of Lieutenant General, Barak gradually moved into the political realm and in 1995 was appointed Minister of the Interior under Yitzhak Rabin. When Rabin was assassinated, Barak became Minister of Foreign Affairs under Shimon Peres. In 1996 Barak was elected to the Knesset, and in 1999 he was elected Prime Minister, replacing Benjamin Netanyahu. He served as Prime Minister until 2001.
Barak holds a B.Sc. in Physics and Mathematics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (1976), and an M.Sc. in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford University, California (1978).
For questions about passes please call the Student Events Center at 475-6630.
Tuition at the University of North Texas will increase by 24 percent next school year, in large part to cover state budget cuts in the face of rising enrollment costs.
UNT regents voted 7-2 Friday to increase undergraduate tuition to $123 per semester credit hour -- a $24 per-hour increase. A full-time Texas student taking 15 credit hours will pay $1,845 a semester, up from $1,485 this school year.
Costs for room and board will also rise at the Denton campus.
The state no longer provides funding based on enrollment, so public universities are turning to students to make up the difference -- an option provided last year when the state Legislature deregulated tuition at state schools.
[...]
The University of Texas at Austin raised tuition and fees 26 percent from fall 2003 to fall 2004. Charges at UT-El Paso increased 28 percent. Most resident undergraduates at the University of Texas at Arlington will see a 17.5 percent tuition increase from fall 2003.
[...]
Student leaders, unhappy about the news, intend to study the effect of the increase on students. Plans are to give a report to regents this summer, said Jesse Davis, 20, president-elect of the UNT student body.
Some students will probably enroll at community colleges to save money or drop out of the university, Davis said.
The increase in cost of higher education at Texas universities is outrageous. No new taxes was a joke. Tom Craddick and the Republicans in this state have raised taxes on students and middle class families by an extraordinary amount through tuition deregulation. Other students aren't so lucky. For students that can't afford to pay more, many are forced to drop out of school or enroll in community colleges. I hope that this serves as a wake up call for students to get involved. Regardless, we'll be sure to remind students here at UT who raised their tuition rates come November.
Just so you guys know, I lost big time tonight in the SG elections. There were a lot of improprieties and we'll keep appealing some of the decisions up the pike but its pretty clear that even if the other side hadn't cheated they probably would have won. I lost 70-30 and everyone else on the ticket I worked for lost also. It stinks, but I wasn't expecting much better- the way these things work, the establishment always wins and we weren't the establishment. Thanks for the support all of you guy gave, I'll try and win next time I run for something.
Seeing as this is a blog aimed at Texas news and brought to you from the heart of Texas, it is only appropriate that we commemorate the day when in 1836 several brave men sat down and declared our independence as a republic in Washington-on-the-Brazos. After several weeks of bloody fighting that culminated in the Battle of San Jacinto in late April, 1836 Texas defeated the dictator Santa Anna and was a free and independent republic for almost 10 years before joining the Union. Almost nothing makes me prouder than the fact that I can call myself a Texan and I love this state despite all its shortcomings. Happy Independence Day friends!
SG President: Brent Perdue - Books Not Bombs 1 year At Large: Ben Durham - Reprezent 2 year At Large 1: Zach Neumann - Reprezent 2 year At Large 1 with year remaining: Andrew Dobbs - Reprezent Liberal Arts Rep: Ali Puente - Reprezent Daily Texan Editor: Ben Heath
I've never really gotten involved in Student Government elections. Most students don't vote (last year turnout was higher than it had been in a long time - about 20% - 10,000 or so votes cast, because of Internet voting for the first time). And most students that vote typically vote for their friends. Most of the people in SG (student government) are (in my opinion) in SG to pad their resume. So, basically I'll vote for my friends and for people that I know are Democrats or liberals, but that's basically it. I'll definitely vote for Andrew and the other two University Democrats on the Reprezent ticket (Zach Neumann and Ali Puente). If you are a UT student, be sure and vote for the three of them. I'm also voting for Ben Durham, because he's a good liberal.
I won't be voting for Reprezent on the top of the ticket. Even though the Reprezent Presidential candidate (Patrick George) voted for the Iraq War Resolution (a SG resolution passed last year opposing the war in Iraq), and the resolution supporting the Lawrence decision, Patrick George is the son of conservative former state representative Kenn George (R-Highland Park) - who is substantially bankrolling the ticket. The Reprezent Vice-Presidential candidate Matt Stolhandske has previously been involved with the Young Conservatives of Texas, so I won't be voting for him either. Although, having said that, their ticket is running on a relatively progressive platform, and I believe that Patrick George will be a decent SG President. I'm just not personally interested in helping pad the resumes of Republicans (even Republicans like George that go out of their way to tell us that they're liberal on social issues).
I won't be voting for any of the Focus candidates after their frivolous sexual harassment complaint against Andrew. Andrew distributed a flyer on campus with a picture of students in swimsuits floating down a river at the student government retreat. Part of the Reprezent platform is to cut funding for things like the student government retreat, and give that money to student organizations and scholarship funds. So, the purpose of the flyer was to point out that our student fees to student government are going to fund retreats for SG when they could be used to fund student organizations. The picture was taken in a public place, and it was public record. The flyer was approved by the elections board, but two girls claimed that pictures made them cry. It's a swimsuit silly. Get over it. It's part of the game. If the two girls aren't mature enough to deal with something like that, then shouldn't be running in the first place.
I received an email earlier today that C-SPAN will be on the UT campus tomorrow. I may try and stop by around 2 PM if I have a chance after one of my government midterms.
CSPAN will be on campus on Friday, February 26th. They will have a bus parked near the LBJ school from 10 AM to 3 PM. They will be giving tours of the bus and are willing to spend as much time as you'd like with you so come on out!
The Texas A&M chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas have established a new scholarship for students who have "overcome institutionalized discrimination and/or the stigma imposed by policies giving preference to particular racial or ethnic groups." (read "Whites only need apply"). The Daily Texan reports:
The Texas A&M University chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas is offering $10,000 in scholarship funds to protest affirmative action.
The money will be distributed through an essay contest in which applicants must write about how they or their family members have "overcome institutionalized discrimination and/or the stigma imposed by policies giving preference to particular racial or ethnic groups."
YCT-A&M chairman Matthew Maddox said the contest has two purposes.
"For one, it's designed to help students who've been affected by affirmative action policies," Maddox said. "Second, it's a form of protest against affirmative action around the state."
They claim that the schoolarship is not "white only" although it's hard to imagine how non-white students could be recipients of such a scholarship by their organization. The article continues:
YCT-A&M communications director Mark McCaig said the timing is mere coincidence and reiterated that this scholarship is equal opportunity.
"We're not asking for the race of the applicants. So at first glance it is impossible for us to use race," McCaig said. "If their story, from a minority perspective on affirmative action, is better than a white applicant, then they will win the scholarship."
This all, of course comes one day after the College Republicans at Roger Williams University established a "Whites-Only" scholarship. The New York Times reports:
Only students who can truthfully answer yes to the following question may be considered for this award: Are you a student of noncolor, Caucasian descent (white)?" reads the application for the scholarship, whose winner, it said, would receive $50. "In 100 words or less, write why you are proud of your white heritage and explain what being white means to you."
The scholarship, Mr. Mattera said, was intended as a parody of scholarships available only to minorities. It was conceived this summer, he said, after he learned the university had compiled a list of such scholarships.
"If you are a white student on campus, you don't have anyone helping you, there is no one compiling a list of scholarships just for you," he said. "Why is it that only students of color have this?"
White students on campus don't have anyone helping them??? WTF!?!? Why is it then, that white students are disproportionately represented at almost every major university? Why is it that Whites have better jobs, make more money, and why is it that an equally qualified White person is more likely to get a job than an equally qualified Black person? Institutional racism is alive and well in America, and while affirmative action is an imperfect long-term solution, it's critical to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans.
In other related YCT idiocy news. They held a "Straight Pride Day" on the West Mall on the UT campus today. I just walked by and laughed, got myself a Rainbow sticker from the gay group celebrating "Straight Appreciation Day" next to them and then bought a $1 Vagina-shaped chocolate from the people promoting the Vagina Monologues, before sitting down at the University Democrats table and having a good laugh at it all. The Orange Jackets did a presentation of the Vagina Monolouges last year and it was hilarious. I'll try and go again this year.
Alright guys, I am kinda embarrassed about electioneering, but I figure I might as well. I am currently running for Student Government as a 2 Year at Large Representative (with 1 Year Remaining) for the Reprezent ticket. That means that everyone on campus can vote for me on March 2nd and 3rd and I'm going to need all the help I can get. My opponent is a member of one of the top GOP families in Austin- her mom is President of the Austin Republican Women, her dad gave $3850 to Ben Bentzin's State Senate campaign and her brother is a staffer for the GOP lawmaker who authored tuition deregulation. Our website will be up soon and I'll link to it then, but if I could have the votes of all our UT readers, I'd really appreciate it. SG can seem silly and meaningless but we have a lot of money that we oversee and a lot of influence on important issues plus I will be representing the entire campus- the largest campus in America, a population of 50,000 people. Just to compare, that's about 8% of the population of the state that Howard Dean was governor of for 11.5 years before running for President and about half as large as a Texas state house district. I consider it a big deal so I'd appreciate your support.
The other Reprezent candidates are good people too and I'd encourage you to support them as well.
Andrew Dobbs- 2 Year At Large with 1 Year Remaining.
Update:Our website is up. It's a little rough around the edges, but it'll keep improving as time goes on.
Rep. Fred Brown, R-Bryan, says voting in favor of tuition deregulation last year was a mistake.
"I was a big supporter of tuition deregulation, and I'm almost embarrassed now to tell people I was," Brown told the Fort Worth Star Telegram. "I don't know what to tell people now except for it was a dumb move on my part."
After returning home during the legislature's winter break and receiving a few angry phone calls from tuition-paying parents, Brown and other state legislators are doing their best to condemn the tuition hikes.
Don't blame me for your tuition increase seems to be the mantra of many state representatives.
Former Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder will be speaking at the University of Texas next week. Wilder, a Democrat, was the first and only African-American governor since reconstuction:
L. Douglas Wilder, former governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, will be the keynote speaker for a symposium that will explore ways that universities can better prepare students for life in a diverse society.
Wilder, the nation’s first African American governor since Reconstruction, will join delegations from seven universities, as well as key leaders from the private sector, the military and government.
“Educating for a Diverse America: A Summit and Symposium” will take place on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin on Jan. 29-30. The symposium is one of several events on the campus commemorating the 50th anniversary of the landmark school desegregation case, Brown v. Board of Education.
The Houston Chronicle ran this story yesterday about "legacy admissions" at Texas A&M. It's a form of affirmative action that disproportionally helps white students"
Blood ties to alumni, sometimes known as the other affirmative action, are the deciding factor in the admission of more than 300 white Texas A&M University freshmen annually, according to data provided by the school.
Such students -- known as "legacy admits" -- equal roughly the overall total of blacks admitted to A&M each year. Only a handful of black students a year are admitted because of legacy points.
"That's a lot of kids being advantaged because A&M is where mommy and daddy went," said state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston. "Clearly, if you want to go to A&M, it pays to be a legacy applicant rather than black. I wonder why no one's sued it on those grounds."
[...]
A&M's program is drawing particular fire because university President Robert Gates recently announced the university, now free from a court ruling prohibiting racial preferences, won't consider race in admissions. Coleman and other black legislators cited a seeming contradiction between Gates' rhetoric that students be admitted strictly because of merit and a program they say perpetuates class distinction and white advantage.
Now, I'm not entirely opposed to legacy admissions. For many schools, it's necessary to keep up funding:
Although they also say legacy programs build a sense of community, most schools are candid about acknowledging that long-term financial support is the primary reason for preferences. Ashley said alumni parents of rejected applicants tell A&M they're going to stop donating money or not follow through on plans to give, though he has no idea how often they make good on such threats.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court, ruling in a Michigan case, held that universities can use race as a factor in admissions policies, provided that quotas aren't set. The decision effectively lifted the Hopwood restrictions, set by a federal appellate court and an interpretation by former Attorney General Dan Morales, that had banned racial preferences from higher education in Texas for several years.
Some universities, including the University of Texas at Austin and Rice University, quickly took steps to reinsert affirmative action into future admissions policies.
A&M said no to racial preferences in admissions, despite that campus' striking lack of diversity, but will attempt to open the door a bit to increased opportunity by strengthening outreach efforts in predominantly minority communities and offering new scholarships. The university also has a new vice president charged with promoting diversity.
Increased outreach efforts? They need to do better than that. I'm proud of UT and Rice for taking the necessary steps to provide more opportunities for minorities to make up for the institutional inequities of the current system (legacy admissions, etc.). Hopefully Texas A&M will at some point, but I won't count on it.
There are few things that truly rile me. But the (probably inevitable) $720 proposed tuition increased really gets me. Or to be specific, the total and complete lack of leadership at virtually every level of government on this issue.
The two biggest howlers have come in the last few days. First, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is now playing dumb, expressing "concern" over UT's plan to raise tuition without indicating sorrow, remorse, or even comprehension of the fact that this rate hike is the byproduct of the Legislature's neglectful attitude toward higher education in general and the Republican-backed tuition deregulation bill specifically.
(We could be snarky and point out that Dewhurst's sudden stupidity is either indicative of legislative amnesia or blatant political hypocrisy, but we'd prefer to be classly like Kuffner and Greg Wythe).
To add injury to insult, UT student government honcho Brian Haley is caving to the UT Regents:
University of Texas Student Body President Brian Haley has a reminder on his wall that the students he represents don't want a tuition hike. But faced with the alternative, Haley says he and many students now support the plan the university system is expected to vote on Tuesday.
"At the time we were against the university setting its own rate," said Haley. "But what we've discovered is that the state is not going to be giving the adequate funding we need to the university."
I like Brian -- I voted for him -- but there are somethings you must always oppose on principle (even if it means going down with the ship). And this is one of them.
Moreover, I seriously doubt that there are "many" students who are enthusiastically cheering for higher tuition. Talk about misrepresenting the student body! It's really a shame, and needless to say I hope freshmen VOTE in next year's student government elections, and give Haley a piece of their minds in the process.
I'm so steamed right now I could start quoting Isaiah ("...[our] rulers are rebels and companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe and chases after rewards...")
As a freshmen, I got "indoctrinated" about this crazy theory that the media end up caving into right-wing interests because they've got the money and the "flak" to veto anything they don't like.
Bob Jensen, associate journalism professor
David Edwards, government professor
Clement Henry, government professor
Jennifer Suchland, assistant government instructor
Thomas Garza, associate professor of Slavic languages and literature
Stephen Bronars, economics professor
Harry Cleaver, associate economics professor
Edmund Gordon, professor of anthropology and African American studies
Penne Restad, senior history lecturer
Gretchen Webber, assistant sociology instructor
It's interesting how YCT said that they'd include all professors that promoted an ideology - conservative or liberal. Yet, they seem only interested in attacking liberal professors.
Of the ten on the blacklist, eight are liberals, one is anti-Israel and one is conservative. While the liberals are hashly attacked, the token conservative on the list is only given a light slap on the wrist:
Instructor: Steve Bronars
Department: Economics
Course Evaluated: Introduction to Microeconomics
Spring 2004 courses: Dr. Bronars acknowledges that one of the reasons he teaches economics is to get more people to agree with his opinions on it. He champions the free market system and believes in minimal government intervention. Although he may try to offer a liberal perspective on economics early on, he will admit that his class focuses instead on efficiency. He is very good at teaching economics, but sometimes his opinions are the main things that shine through in his lectures. You probably wouldn't take a free market economics class if you didn't already believe in capitalism, but Dr. Bronars may try to do the thinking for his students without challenging them to question why they feel the way they do.
None of the liberals on the list receive that sort of treatment. Here's a sampling:
[...]
Jensen introduces the unsuspecting student to a crash course in socialism, white
privilege, the "truth"; about the Persian Gulf War and the role of America as the world's prominent sponsor of terrorism. Jensen half-heartedly attempts to tie his rants to "critical issues" in journalism, insisting his lessons are valid under the guise of teaching potential journalists to "think" about the world around them.
[...]
Dr. Edwards allows his hatred of conservatism and capitalism to permeate his entire curriculum.
[...]
Gordon implied that if you're black and conservative, you're not black enough, and you're not doing what's in the best interest of the black community. He's called himself a radical and displayed a political agenda of changing students' minds toward a far left ideology. Most of what's taught consists of how blacks were and are oppressed, which would seem to deprive students of other important elements of black culture.
[...]
Although during class discussions Suchland allows dissenting ideas, all of the course readings greatly accentuate oppression and exploitation in the U.S. along race, class, and gender lines. If you believe in the American Dream and that the U.S. is a land of great opportunity, nothing in the readings from this
class will confirm that belief.
[...]
Dr. Restad's goal is not to encourage objective inquiry into the history of this nation, but rather to indoctrinate students with highly subjective, emotional reactions to historical events.
While, some of these are probably fair attacks, a lot of them are pretty cheap. It makes sense that a course on African-American history would focus on oppression of African-Americans, because, well from the time African Americans were brought to America in the 17th century until the Civil Rights Act - they were, by law, (constitutionally 3/5ths) second class citizens. Naturally, the majority of an African-American history class would emphasize the reality and effects of Black oppression. The next professor is critisized for "accentuat[ing] oppression and exploitation in the U.S. along race, class, and gender lines" and that "if you believe in the American Dream and that the U.S. is a land of great opportunity, nothing in the readings from this
class will confirm that belief." Is it not possible to believe both? I think that it's important to understand the exploitation and oppression of underprivledged races, classes and women in America in the context of believing in American opportunity. They aren't mutrally exclusive. And to suggest that recognizing inequalities in America is contradictory to believing in the American dream is quite biased. It's YCT. What do you expect?
Welcome to higher education, twenty-first-century style, where the most important course offered is not listed in the college catalog. It's called Class Struggle, and it pits the men in suits--administrators and trustees--against the men and women who keep the school running: maintenance workers, groundspeople, clerical and technical workers, housekeepers, food service workers.
A poll came out yesterday saying that 61% of college students approve of President Bush. What I don't get is that these students approve of Bush, but think that he's hiding things (i.e. lied) about Iraq and the vast majority of students are worried about finding a job after school (it's the Bush economy, stupid). Anyway, here's the story:
President Bush has more support among college students than the general public, according to a new poll that also says students have lost trust in Bush over the last year.
The poll done for the Harvard University Institute of Politics found that 61 percent of college students approve of the job done by Bush — about 10 points higher than the president's approval rating in several recent polls of the general population.
But the students indicated they also have concerns about the president's policies, with 86 percent saying the Bush administration has been hiding something or not telling the truth about Iraq (news - web sites).
Seven in 10 students said they think it will be difficult finding a job when they graduate.
Students are funny, aren't they? I think that a lot of Bush's approval among some students is that they see him as a leader (even if he's a failed one) whereas there's a lack of a coherent message coming from the Democrats. On the Iraq issue for example, our presidential candidates range from Dennis Kucinich on the left wanting a full pullout of Iraq now to Joe Lieberman who pretty much ditto's the administration position on Iraq. I think there will be more clarity once we choose a nominee, but this poll is still troubling. I think that while the left is more active on most campuses, the vast majority of students are apolitical and don't pay much attention to national politics until election time (if at all). So, I'm not too worried now. If at this time next year students say they still like Bush, then I'll probably be more worried.
Reaganomics taught us that when you cut spending, and lower taxes, the economy will magically recover. There will be more jobs, more personal spending, more production, etc.
Effects of reduced custodial services in some areas of the University are quite obvious in classrooms on campus.
Glass bottles, gum wrappers, half-empty coffee cups and potato chip bags litter the floor of a University Teaching Center classroom - a room with 10 trash cans and one recycling bin, all conveniently located around the perimeter of the room.
"That place is filthy," said Olga Perez, an advertising junior who takes an management information systems class in the room. "I think it's kind of embarrassing."
Is this how Republicans are improving our economy?
Since Sept. 4, the frequency of custodial and maintenance procedures performed by the Physical Plant has been reduced due to a $3 million budget cut and 144 fewer staff positions.
The University-wide hiring freeze and the Employee Retirement Incentive allowed Physical Plant to meet its budget without layoffs, Director of the Physical Plant Ernest Hunter said in August.
When planning the new schedule, Physical Plant leaders expected their biggest problem would be the most significant reduction, which calls for custodial staff to clean offices and office suites only once per week and asks office occupants to empty their own trash occasionally.
But classrooms may be a larger problem than individual offices.
"[The Physical Plant's] biggest challenge has been in the classroom," said Rhonda Weldon, director of communications for Employee and Campus Services.
There are 260 general purpose classrooms on campus. The trash and recycling bins in the classrooms are emptied daily, but trash and messes outside of these containers are cleaned up only once a week.
Weldon said the increase of litter in classrooms is the result of a misunderstanding.
Reaganomics is Voo-Doo economics. While the legislature is in special session, its time that the legislature restore funding for education and higher education. Republicans balanced our state budget on the backs of children, students and the poor. They're divesting the state government from our number one state resource: education. And they're throwing working people out of work while they're at it. What a shame.
On a similar note, the UT YCT chapter handed out fliers today calling Umer Zaman is a terrorist. Zaman is not a known terrorist. He is a Pakistani student suspected of transcript fraud. He's wanted for questioning by police, but has not been charged with any crime. I would agree with the Daily Texan that this is an example of "heinous example of racial profiling at its worst". This is how racist / xenophobic people and organizations think. He's an Arab. His transcript was a fraud, so Ah-hah! He must be a terrorist! Lock him up! Umer Zaman may very well be a terrorist, but there's no evidence of it, and YCT is simply spewing racist and xenophobic hysteria by its actions. Here's the full editorial:
We strongly urge the Young Conservatives of Texas to cease posting or handing out "wanted" posters with Umer Zaman's picture, and condemn any future attempts to do so.
Creating such posters unfairly and irresponsibly suggests Zaman is wanted by a law enforcement organization.
No information suggests Umer Zaman is a terrorist. Zaman was never connected to a terrorist organization or accused of aiding any sort of terrorist plot.
Zaman is an international student from Pakistan who disappeared after UT officials confronted him with charges of transcript fraud. Linking Zaman to terrorism represents an overt attempt to villainize him for his background.
The distribution of flyers only creates an atmosphere of fear and paranoia. Casting Zaman as some sort of dangerous figure is a heinous example of racial profiling at its worst.
While federal officials admitted to the Texan they were interested in the Zaman's case, that interest does not mean officials want Zaman in custody.
The production of "wanted" posters sets a dangerous precedent for students who believe they possess the right to vilify and demonize those not yet convicted of a crime. And the implications of that abuse of power don't stop at just one nationality or ethnic group.
A student organization attempting to take the law into its own hands harms both those innocent until proven guilty and the student body as a whole. With the Campus Fusion event just on the horizon, student groups should be looking to extend and diversify their goals and membership rosters, rather than seeking to alienate others.
If the Young Conservatives of Texas believe in condemning those who possess similar traits to known terrorists, the University will become an unwelcome place for students of all backgrounds, nationalities or religions.
Once again, we strongly suggest that the YCT not continue to create and distribute "wanted" posters.
I'm sorry, but this just isn't funny. It's racist. There are ways to make political points. I'm all for a open and honest debate on affirmative action. I support affirmative action, but I can understand and respect a conservative arguement against it. But I'm sorry, I won't accept a blatantly racist ploy like this. The Dallas Morning News reports:
The sign said white males had to pay $1 for a cookie. White women: 75 cents. Hispanics: 50 cents. Blacks: a quarter.
The event Tuesday at Southern Methodist University was no PTA bake sale.
It was a conservative student group's attempt at making a political statement, and it caused such a stir that SMU shut it down after 45 minutes.
The Young Conservatives of Texas chapter ran its so-called affirmative action bake sale to protest the use of race or gender as a factor in college admissions. Conservative groups have held similar sales at colleges around the country since February.
The bake sale didn't raise much money, in case anyone cared:
For the record, the SMU sale was a flop, at least financially. The group ended up selling just three cookies, raising $1.50.
This year's Republican budget cuts have left students out in the cold. The Daily Texan reports:
After two weeks of convening behind closed doors, the president's tuition advisory committee is trying to inform the public of the information it has gathered.
Kevin Hegarty, co-chairman of the committee, spoke to SG members Tuesday about the budget crisis and answered questions from students afterward.
"We felt it was important to get input before we start talking specifics," said Kevin Hegarty, vice president and chief financial officer.
The Tuition Policy Committee was appointed to recommend revised tuition policies to UT President Larry Faulkner for the spring semester. Faulkner will submit a campus proposal to UT System administrators by Nov. 1.
Members of the committee said they felt it was better to hold closed meetings while brainstorming but told students they would eventually present their ideas in open forums. The first open forum on spring tuition rates will be held next Wednesday.
In the meeting on Tuesday, Hegarty said the University needs additional revenue to repair infrastructure and keep salaries competitive.
He attributed the University's financial troubles largely to a lack of funding by the state Legislature.
"The state has abandoned higher education, and you have picked up the tab," Hegarty said. "That is no secret."
Republicans can gloat that they balanced the budget without raising taxes. That's a farce. Defunding public universities is a tax on students. Defunding child health care is a tax on children and low income families. Defunding public schools and other servies are a tax on local governments. Make no mistake about it, the Republican legislature has raised our taxes.
UT Enrollment Down Overall, Minority Enrollment Up
For the first time since 1996 (I believe) enrollment at UT is down. It's a good thing, because we've been slightly overcrowded, especially with the recent Republican budget cuts. Here's the story:
Enrollment at The University of Texas at Austin dropped 1.6 percent, from 52,261 to 51,438 this fall, but the university remains the nation’s largest single-campus institution.
This fall’s enrollment includes 38,392 undergraduate, 11,553 graduate and 1,493 law students. The number of entering freshmen is 6,544, a decrease from last year’s record high of 7,935. Undergraduate transfers have decreased (from 2,137 to 1,644), as have new graduate students (from 3,474 to 3,337).
The nation’s second-largest campus, The Ohio State University, had an enrollment last fall of 49,676. Ohio State has not yet released its preliminary fall 2003 totals.
University-wide, the proportional representation increased for African Americans to 3.4
