Stand-up government
Although I congratulate the Student Government in passing legislation aimed to improve student participation, I don't believe that this is the way for them better the system.
Banning the ticket system seems to be a good proposal. However, this will hurt independent students who wish to ally with other independents running for SG position. In my opinion, the solution will be to offer administrative help to students wishing to create a ticket. It's time to share the secrets of the ticket system. Limiting campaigning to a designated time also hurts the students' ability to garner support. Asking for votes shouldn't start until the actual campaign period, but asking for support is different; it should be allowed. As long as the ESB continues to be controlled by SG, I don't think sufficient reforms will take place.
That said, it makes me happy to see that students care about this and that something is being done. Nevertheless, I believe that current SG leaders lack innovation!
Who is willing to take a stand?
Pedro Ludwig Barragán Garza UT alum
Home-schooling misconceptions
Home-schooling in America is fundamentally broken and balances precariously between family privacy and insuring a student's contribution to society, post education ("Learning away from home," April 14). People aren't born with an innate understanding of social constructs or cultural framework. These subtle nuances require interaction, which public schools provide. Considering that nearly 75 percent of home-schoolers are sheltered for religious reasons and most teaching resources are provided by subtly religious organizations, the perceived role of ideology is not a misconception at all.
Parents aren't tested as educators, nor must they keep attendance records. Only sub-minimal requirements must be taught and standardized tests are voluntary, making it notoriously difficult to tell if children are being properly educated. Obviously, the students' situations mentioned were special cases. Their parents would easily qualify as educators, they've been given the opportunity to develop social understanding through things like field trips, and they've chosen to further their educations and contribute to society. Don't assume all home-schoolers fit a certain personality profile, and recognize the potential for children to receive either an extremely skewed education - or very little education at all.
Charlie Matthis UT alum
Vagrant vengeance
$48,000 dollars for researching homelessness and panhandling? ("UT team to study panhandling," April 15.) Ridiculous! Unless the benefits to the surrounding area exceed the cost, this is a useless endeavor. I could tell you right now what the research will not say, but fits most vagrants to a T. They are lazy, have chips on their shoulders and don't care any longer for their personal quality of life. They are often drug users, alcoholics and criminals. They would rather stand on the sidewalk with an outstretched hand than work. Some keep pets, regardless of their ability to feed them. They are a blight on any and every city unlucky enough to attract them. And finally, they are and always will be looked down on by society, as they deserve. In the greatest capitalist democracy in the history of the world, there is no reason for people to be homeless. In America, jobs are for the taking. One need only apply themselves ... literally.
Edward Oden YCT vice chairman Government sophomore
Be the first to comment on this article!