If you can't say anything nice...
First, I am appalled at The Daily Texan's claim to act as "public servants." The only service I have seen in the last three years on this campus has been one of a slanted and crooked publication misrepresenting student viewpoints and, on so many cases, even misquoting students to serve itself as a publication.
Second, I am disturbed by the endorsement made specifically by Ben Heath in regard to the vice presidential race, when it was stated that it was a shame that Colby had a better chance at winning than I did. The use of my name to slam a person for whom I would give four months of my life again and again to see that she get elected is nothing short of a low blow. I have ultimate faith that Colby Hanks was and still is the best candidate for vice president.
I would also like to publicly thank Katy Herbeck for her service to the student body. Shoving pictures of grieving students on the front page with intention to belittle candidates who have just lost something that they care deeply about is incredulous. I am glad that you chose not to exercise your rights in a respectful manner, the exact issue for which you always challenge conservative groups on this campus. You have the right to do what you did, but you lost my respect.
Finally, to those who protested YCT Friday, get a grip. Grow up and get some facts before you react. YCT acted very maturely in realizing the possible misconstrued nature of an event that they didn't even plan. Respect the fact that they respected this campus too much to perform an "Illegal Immigrant Hunt." You all acted like children yesterday.
Matt Stolhandske BHP PPA junior
Liberals embarrass selves
A small group of students attempting to use free speech on the West Mall Wednesday afternoon were never heard. They had a legitimate right to be there. But sadly, at least on this university, it seems free speech is only for the popular.
The members of the Young Conservatives of Texas were merely celebrating Texas Independence Day. Yet they endured such abuse that at one point the police had to intervene to protect their physical safety. Even the University helped silence them. They had secured the West Mall steps well in advance but were told that it had mistakenly been double booked for that day. Of course, when your electronic system prevents double bookings, this is impossible; but nevertheless, YCT was cancelled.
Instead, the protestors were the ones that ended up using the steps. The University also singled out a YCT member to prove that he was a student, but made no such efforts for the protestors, many of whom were non-UT students.
But, of course, you would never have learned any of this from reading the Texan. Sadly, you must get the other side of the story from the Firing Lines. Were it not for this eyewitness, you would have missed out on one protestor lamenting, "I almost got to hit someone today."
Stephen Whaley MIS senior
More students should vote
As the results were announced one by one Wednesday night, I, like all the other black-shirt-clad Ignite supporters around me, grew more angered and frustrated minute by minute. However, what angered and frustrated me even more was the appallingly low voter turnout that plagued yet another election here at UT-Austin.
Out of a university population of approximately 50,377 (Fall '04), apparently only 8,606 found the time to click a mouse button a few times and select student leaders for the 05-06 administration. Nevertheless, many of the 41,711 students who apparently didn't have two minutes to spare either Tuesday or Wednesday still manage to find time throughout the year to become interested enough in the happenings of Student Government to write a Firing Line condemning it or criticizing it for doing this or not doing that.
To all of those people, I say this: Unless you vote, you have no business condemning or criticizing anything Student Government does or does not do. Of course you have the right of free speech, but any reasonably intelligent person knows that if you don't take any active steps to fix a perceived problem then you have no right complaining about that problem.
You don't like the platform issues of SG campaigns? Start your own campaign to champion those issues or contact a current campaign and insist they do so. You don't agree with a resolution or bill SG is debating? Come to the meeting at which it is to be discussed and sign up for open forum and voice your opinions; don't wait until the bill is passed and then write a Firing Line calling for the abolition of SG. You don't like the people running for office? Then form your own ticket to give students another option or encourage others to do so.
Regardless of what your criticism of SG is, there are avenues of change open to you, such as voting in SG elections, and unless you take advantage of these, you have no business condemning the few students on this apathetic campus who do take an active role in determining their own future. It is time for the students of this campus to step up and get involved, regardless of political views or affiliation. I don't care who you vote for, just vote, or forever hold your peace.
Elliott Reep Chairman, SG Student Services Committee Ignite supporter
Web Exclusive Firing Lines
Less democracy, more authoritarianism
I graduated in December, so I was spared the annual hassle of getting accosted on the West Mall by SG candidates and their supporters.
As I listened to friends complain about these zealous overachievers it became apparent to me how pointless SG is. The fact that no one cares, with the exception of those who are running and the people associated in some way with a ticket (usually because they hope to become candidates someday), is evidenced by the extremely low turnout rates.
Most students at UT come to campus for just a few hours a day to go to class, study or workout. They could care less about having there voice heard or getting money for their clubs or whatever else SG claims to accomplish over the course of the year. If they did care, they would take the 10 seconds out of their day to vote.
As long as the University is still standing when they show up most students are satisfied. The SG candidates' failure to realize this lack of interest shows that they are not only annoying, but they are out of touch with most UT students. As the situation stands, SG represents the voice of students they don't understand to a university administration whose job it is to make UT the best university it can be.
I say get rid of SG and leave the task of improving UT to the professionals over in the main building.
Jared Vitemb History graduate, Dec. 2004
Cheerleaders, like, stuck up.
In Thursday's "Sports Illustrated: On Campus" insert, Texas Cheer was given the opportunity to debunk any negative stereotypes propagated in the recent film "Man of the House" and completely failed.
After tackling a question of their intelligence with the clarification that cheerleaders are "silly, not stupid," Laura Binggeli further incriminated herself with this gem: "Cheerleaders have really good style. We had a party downtown a while ago, and just about any boy would have dropped dead if he'd seen how good we looked."
So for the record: UT's cheerleaders aren't stupid, just conceited.
M.T. Elliott Journalism senior
Aristotelian physics obsolete
If you ever really had a teacher that told you that the "natural tendency" for an object is to fall to the ground, I hope you will bring this issue up with the appropriate school board. The concept of "natural motion" died out with the Aristotelian view that there were only 5 elements. The only "natural tendency" that any object has is inertia.
Mike De Palatis Physics junior
Texan underappreciates Texana
I am severely disappointed with your lack of coverage of the anniversary of Texas independence on March 2. I cannot believe such an important historical and cultural date was not even mentioned in passing by your newspaper.
I read your publication every day. I want to commend you for the coverage or all kinds of cultural festivals and holidays of the wide array of diverse people on this campus and in this city. I enjoy the opportunity to learn about such things as Muslim holidays, as I am not Muslim. I also enjoy reading about the many celebrations of civil rights leaders such as MLK and Cesar Chavez, since I am always interested to see what is important to other people at my school.
However, as a fifth-generation Texan, my cultural heritage is important to me, and you missed an opportunity to educate the greater community about it. Think of all the students from out of state that did not know Texas was once its own free and independent country. This is truly sad since anybody, no matter what race, religion, or creed, can become a Texan and share in this rich cultural heritage. Hell, one of the most famous Texans I or anybody else has ever heard of, Davy Crockett, spent less than one year in this great land.
So, I sincerely hope you learn from this and take into consideration the importance of this great day for me and all other Texans. If you do not know anything about it, I encourage you to go to the Bob Bullock museum and learn about it. That way you can remember Texas Independence day, remember the Alamo, and most importantly, remember the large number of students and readers that care about these events.
Thank you, and God Bless Texas!
Michael Spurlin Advertising graduate student
Texan crossed line with photograph, I
First and foremost I would like to make it clear that I am an Ignite supporter. I am writing in today to first of all thank Katie Herbeck for the courtesy that she extended to the candidates of the Ignite ticket Wednesday night.
I consider myself of the same school of thought as Ben Heath and the Texan staff regarding my role as a journalist but cannot disagree more with the outburst provided at the announcement of last nights election results. I do, as a journalist, believe in the First Amendment of the Constitution that provides us all with the right to freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances, but last night I believe a line was crossed. Arguably that line is still being defined in today's society, but last night here on our campus, in UTC 2.112, that line could not have been more clear.
What was asked was that the photographer stop taking photos. He was never asked to leave, but instead to give our candidates some breathing room. With the lens that this photographer had quality pictures could have been taken from five feet away. There was no need for the photographer to be forcibly making his way to the center of that circle to snap photos of such high passion and drama, and if your argument is that he should have, then I believe you've tarnished the good name of this paper and put it in line with that of so-called supermarket tabloids. I understand this paper is the "paper of record" for this campus but I do believe that more could have been done to accommodate the wishes of this ticket without jeopardizing your First Amendment rights.
Perhaps something for those planning to run for Student Government next year is roping off the media to avoid a similar situation next year. It's probably not the ideal solution for the press or for the winning ticket, but it is a compromise that avoids the mockery of what happened last night. We extend 20 feet of "safe space" for voters at all polling locations and maybe the same should be looked into for candidates on election night.
The press does have a right to snap its photos and to write its stories, but it does not have the right to infringe into the lives of everyday people and of everyday students who walk the forty acres of this campus and who ran for Student Government to illicit change. They may have been "public figures," but at the end of the day we are all still students. Last night, we were 40-plus students who won a small victory, and your photos do not tell that side of the story. As the "paper of record" I wish that it had.
Jesús J. Castillón Journalism and communication studies senior
Texan crossed line with photograph, II
Daily Texan, you're right. You are the free press and you can take photos of public candidates.
However, as you prove time and again, you lack judgment. I'm not sure what types of pictures you were attempting to take at the election results, but if they resembled those on Thursday's paper, then leave the camera at home. Before I even knew about the incident at the meeting, I thought, why do I need to see the heartbreak of the Ignite candidates? Why do I need to see hopes and dreams being extinguished? Depicting a little dismay or the unity of the losing party would have been good enough. I know it's not your responsibility to protect their feelings, but have some respect for them. There are enough depressing things happening all around us, we don't need to see more when we open the paper.
And the disrespect continues. The Texan looks like a crybaby on the editorial page of Thursday's paper. Even though Katie Herbek should have thought about her actions beforehand because she's on the ESB, I still respect what she did. It's not like she attempted to destroy your camera or harm you. She was trying to protect those involved. But the heartless of the media fail to see this. Grow up, Texan. We know you have the right to take photos; there's no need to waste your viewpoint section on it. I'd rather see the radical, mindless political cartoons you love to print.
Shea Suski Economics senior
Liberals embarrass selves
This letter is in response to the story I read in the Texan about YCT's Texas Independence Day celebration that was overshadowed by a group of reactionary leftists. Why do you cowardly students fear the ideas of YCT so much? Why do you attempt to silence them by intimidating and harassing them? Are you threatened by their ideas so much that you will label them racists, Nazis and KKK supporters? Instead of shouting and name-calling, why not go to their table and debate their ideas? Oh wait, I forgot, in the market place of ideas, socialism failed. I guess that is why the left uses such tactics to silence its opponents. Well, guess what; YCT and groups like it are the wave of the future on college campuses. So, get used to it and come up with some better ideas than collectivism and P.C. drivel. You are going to need it, because you cannot stop the onslaught of right-wing activism now, or in the future.
Brendan Steinhauser UT alum 2004
YCT rocks, liberals suck III
Ryan Carney's letter ("Get YCT of my campus," March 3) is a perfect example of the hypocrisy that surrounds the notion of free speech in today's society. Carney disagrees with both the verbal and the symbolic speech of YCT. But rather than attempting to expose the alleged ignorance of YCT's ideas by exercising his own right to free speech, Carney instead advocates the censorship of YCT's speech by wishing for them to leave campus.
So, I guess today's concept of free speech is that open discourse and controversial symbolic displays are the backbone of an enlightened society and a noble concept worth defending; unless, of course, you disagree with the speech, in which case the speech is "a pestilence, an annoyance to any educated person," and the speaker should be suppressed and exiled so as not to offend your delicate ears and challenge your fragile sensitivities. Right?
I suspect that a few fascist dictators throughout history would whole-heartedly support such a concept.
Jon Apgar UT alum
More students should vote, II
It was a sad day for me, Ignite had a good number of candidates, but not that appealing to the 8,000 or so voters. It was the saddest day in the sense of what percent of voters really voted. Students should be aware that college is the start of their lives and voting is one of the main aspects of a life in a democratic society.
Not voting pretty much clearly says that we are not interested who governs us or makes decisions for us. It was no big deal. There were no lines to stand in; there were booths to look for. It was just a simple Web link which took less than five minutes for me to vote.
It is a sad day for Ignite, but it is more sad for a democratic presence in UT.
Mansoor Sheikh Russian, East European, Eurasian studies freshman
More students should vote, III
I would like to commend UT students for electing such qualified people to sit in the Student Government assembly next year. I hope that students looked passed the T-shirts and A-frames and noticed the leadership and achievements of the elected candidates.
At the same time, I urge all of you to not let your involvement in SG stop here. SG has the power to improve student life: You can get money for your organization, complain about how there are too many people on the E-bus, or make a suggestion about how to improve online class registration. And for the 42,000 of you that didn't vote, I encourage you to take a more active role in your school. There are opportunities here that you will never find elsewhere.
Stacy Gurevitz 2004-2005 Natural Sciences Representative, Student Government Biology senior
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