North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 38, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 26, 2008 Page: 5 of 6
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Wednesday. March 26.2008 Page 5
O
Views
Matt Goodman
Views Editor
ntdailyviews@yahoo.com
Speak your mind
Send your columns to
ntdailyviews@yahoo.com
SGA revote hazard
to students'voice
Editorial
The Student Government Association Election Board
announced Monday it would hold a revote for next year's
student body president. Citing a number of issues with both
campaigns, this snafu could yield a different result from last
week's election.
The kicker: we may never know whom the students origi-
nally voted into office.
Looking back, both campaigns put months of effort into
informing the student body about the elections. Facebook
groups were created, posters were placed and the informa-
tion was spread. Last year, 4 percent of the NT student body
voted; it is worrisome that this revote could yield even less.
Officials will not release the numbers of how many
students voted last week. All we know is that one party won
more than half the votes and the other did not. Specifics
pertaining to numbers of voters could not be released, even
without the results tacked on.
The issues presented are minor violations of SGA bylaws.
Both parties have been accused of placing posters too close
to general access labs. Bylaws state they must be at least
100 feet away from them. Jeff Kline is accused of messag-
ing members in his Pit Crew Facebook group to vote for
him while he was working in the Dean of Student's office as
well.
Because of these violations, the Election Board is setting
a new precedent of a revote, which could severely downplay
student involvement in the most important campus election.
It is important that the number of students that voted is
released to show the effectiveness of the revote. If fewer
students get online and vote the second time around, then
even less of NT's student body has been represented. The
Election Board is risking taking the voice away from many
students for minor violations; we hope it understand the
responsibility in this case.
Since the bylaws were violated, something needs to be
done about correcting the mistakes. A revote is too rash a
decision, especially when student representation is at stake.
And how will students be notified that they need to
revote? The Daily has run two stories in the past two days,
but what about those who did not see them? If the revote is
administered, every student should at least be emailed about
the decision.
Those on the Election Board owe it to students to sit
down and discuss ways of getting the word out. If a smaller
number of students turn out for the revote, then it will be a
failure and a poor precedent to set for the future.
U
c
i " Senior citizen
impersonates
officer
GILBERT, Ariz. (AP)— A
70-year-old man was arrested
on suspicion of impersonating a
police officer after he allegedly
pulled over a real officer while
driving a black and white car
equipped with flashing lights,
authorities said.
The incident led to the arrest
of Charles Grubbs, 70, after he
reportedly pulled over Gilbert
Police officer David Bishop for
speeding on Saturday.
The car Grubbs was using
was so convincing that Bishop
thought for a moment that
Grubbs was on the job, Gilbert
police Sgt. Mark Marino said
Monday.
"The officer wrote in his
report, 'I thought I made a
mistake and this appeared to
be alegitimate law enforcement
officer,'" Marino said.
He added that Bishop
worried after he baited Grubbs
to stop him by driving in excess
of the speed limit.
But when Grubbs got out of
his car, Bishop knew he wasn't
legitimate.
"[Bishop] identified himself
as an officer and this other guy
went, 'Oops,'" Marino said of
Grubbs.
For impersonating a police
officer, Grubbs could be looking
at felony charges, Marino
said.
Grubbs was arrested on
suspicion of impersonating a
police officer and then released,
pending a review of the case by
the Maricopa County Attorney's
Office.
Grubbs told ABC-15 News
he didn't pull over Bishop, but
he chased him down because
he was going 65 mph in a 45
mph zone.
Grubbs couldn't be reached
for further comment Monday.
Gilbert police said they have
received reports of a car resem-
bling a police unit seen around
town.
Bishop was heading to work
when he spotted the black and
white vehicle.
It was equipped with front
and back flashing lights, a radio
antenna and air horn.
Man arrested for money smelling
like marijuana
STURGEON BAY, Wise.
(AP)— The musty smell of a
man's money led to his arrest
on possible drug charges.
The 21-year-old Sturgeon
Bay man tried to deposit
money smelling of marijuana
at a bank here last week,
according to a Sturgeon Bay
police report obtained by the
Door County Advocate.
The $4,000 in bundled bills
did not smell like burned
marijuana but had a musty
odor of ground sweet leaves,
the report said.
The smell was so strong
and distinct that a teller put
the cash in a plastic bag.
Sturgeon Bay police tested
it for marijuana, and it came
back positive, the report
said.
The man was arrested
when he returned to the bank
to make a withdrawal. Police
later found bagged marijuana
at the man's home.
"All the pieces just came
together," Police Chief Dan
Trelka said.
The man is being held in
the county jail on a proba-
tion violation, while the Door
County district attorney's
office reviews his case. It will
be up to the district attorney
to file formal charges.
State reps fail to hear tuition concerns
I left at 4:30 in the
morning to get to
Austin and came back
knowing there is some-
thing wrong with the system
in Texas.
A few weeks ago, I took the
time to see my state represen-
tative, Tan Parker, regarding
the issue of tuition deregula-
tion. "Tuition Dereg," as it is
called in Austin in the halls
of the Capitol Building, is an
issue I've discussed on multiple
instances, including in this
paper.
Trying to do my part to stop
the train wreck, I took all of
the complaints I had bitterly
snapped out earlier and
presented them in a some-
what diplomatic manner to
Rep. Parker.
I mentioned that since House
Bill 3015 passed on September
1, 2003, tuition increased an
average of 50 percent across
Texas universities when figuring
in inflation, including at NT,
where there will be a 7.9 percent
tuition increase next year.
I threw in that the coauthor
of the bill, Fred Brown, who
is still on the committee for
higher education, called tuition
dereg a "dumb move." I let it
slip that since the bill passed
to reduce the budget deficit, the
power to control tuition at Texas
public universities has changed
hands from the public in the
form of government to a board
of regents at each university,
despite the fact that the regents
are an unelected body.
I might have mentioned the
fact that though 20 percent of
the increases have to be for
programs for lower-income
students, this means the
middle-class is stuck with the
biggest burden of all, consid-
ering upper-class families can
afford it no matter what.
I asked if he would be willing
to support a bill that threw out
deregulation altogether or at
least one that put a cap on
increases.
Rep. Parker, who seemed
sympathetic to
my situation,
assured me that
he would look
carefully at
future bills that
would deal with
the issue.
To say the least,
I was skeptical.
Still, a week later, I received a
call from Parker's office, asking
me if I would like to come to
Austin to testify before the
committee on higher educa-
tion about tuition deregulation.
I skipped the obvious snarky
reply and simply said I'd be
honored.
Fast-forward a couple weeks:
I'm in my car driving to Austin
at 4:30 in the morning because
I have to be there at the start
of the meeting at 9:30. After
making the required stop in
West, I still make the beginning
of the meeting after talking with
Parker's staff.
I fill out the affidavit that
says I'm going to talk about
whatever the meeting is about,
which includes a wide variety
of subjects, including student
outreach programs, among
other things. I talk with the
clerk, who says she can't link
it directly, so I'll have to wait
until the end of the meeting to
talk about tuition dereg.
It'll be in the "Public
Testimony."
Fast-forward again, this time
through about eight of the most
tedious and boring hours you
have ever imagined.
The clerk comes to the back of
the hall where I'm sitting with a
friend of mine. "I'm sorry, you
can't talk about tuition dereg
today. She'll cut you off. It's not
on the agenda for today." The
"she" that the clerk refers to is,
of course, the chairperson of the
committee, Geanie Morrison.
This is the same Geanie
Morrison who wrote HB 3015.
The same Morrison who,
when five bills were presented
to the committee last session
regarding tuition dereg,
Brandon Cooper
refused to even
talk about any of
them, despite the
fact that a few of
them had already
passed through
the senate.
Yeah,
that Geanie
Morrison.
My friend asks if I'm okay. I
tell her I'm not. I tell the clerk I'll
talk about a few other issues and
that I'll try to link it all together.
Another half-hour passes while
I wait for the president of UT to
whine about the top 10 percent
rule. I'm invited to the front.
I mutter about a few issues
that I noticed throughout the
day. Then I mention that if legis-
lators really want to enhance
diversity, if they want more
minorities in school, if they
want more "outreach" as they
call it, they might try keeping
the tuition from skyrocketing
in Texas.
I'm cut off. Morrison knows
where I'm headed, but as far as
she's concerned, she's headed
home. She won't let me discuss
the issue at all, even if I link it
to the things discussed during
the meeting. She cuts me off
repeatedly.
No one on the committee
backs me up, even Fred
Brown, who knows I'm right.
She threatens to adjourn the
meeting on me, and I leave in
the middle of her sentence after
asserting that what she had
done was extremely undemo-
cratic.
So what had she done? For
one, she made a 20-year-old
kid drive to Austin, wear a suit
that doesn't fit and wait for eight
hours, knowing full well what
he wanted to discuss, only to
send him off 30 minutes before
he was about to talk.
She refused to discuss one
of the most important issues
in higher education, if not the
most important. She blamed
the office of Tan Parker for the
"miscommunication," despite
the fact that there indeed was
no miscommunication; she
lied.
She asserted that it was my
fault for not calling her office
beforehand, even though Rep.
Parker's staff had called to ask
specifically which meeting was
the best to discuss the issue
at and was told by the clerk
of the committee (also on
Morrison's staff) that this was
the meeting.
She claimed that I was
not really invited, despite
the informal invitation from
Parker's office.
When I walked out of the
office, I was told in no uncertain
terms by Parker's staff that what
I was just told by Morrison was
a crock of unprintable matter. In
short, Geanie Morrison would
rather go home than discuss
her mistake.
Students should be asking
the same question that I am
asking: when are you going to
talk about tuition deregulation,
Morrison? When are you going
to confront the problem? You
won't discuss five bills, won't
talk to a concerned citizen who
drove from Lewisville to Austin
and won't allow the situation to
be discussed. I was told that it
would be discussed at "another
meeting." The agendas for all
of the other interim meetings,
however, mention nothing of
the sort.
Now that it has been a week,
I've cooled off some. I received
a phone call from Rep. Parker
apologizing for the entire inci-
dent, despite the fact that it was
certainly not his fault. He and
his staff deserve much credit
for getting me there in the first
place.
Still, I can't help but be
further incited to press more
on this issue. I've had my taste
of political defeat in the past,
and it will not stop me now.
Morrison, you have not heard
the last of your mistake.
Brandon Cooper is a Lewisville
RTVF junior. He can be reached
at runfellow@gmail.com.
Stick Figure P/um Head
fstill thiwk Sf you make fun of owe relP\
qiow you should make fun of themall.
It's just fair:
0k, let s do that then. J
We can start with
by Bryan
Hey Odin!
Hey Odin, you're the
god of wisdo m J
righ tíjní
That hurts.
Oooooooooooooooo
&
o, not really. You see
I can take a joke.
& Ld
| [ If you're so smart j
' V then why are you /
* ( so fat? J
/In
A
Winning won't be easy for Rangers in 2008
I want the Texas Rangers
to win. There, I said it,
even though there aren't
many people who share
my sentiment.
The bigger question is will it
happen? Will the Rangers, who
begin their 2008 season Monday
in Seattle against the Mariners,
win enough games to make the
playoffs? Probably not.
I hate to say it, but it's most
likely the case. Because I'm this
newspaper's sports editor, I have
to put my fandom aside. I have
to be impartial as I judge all
the deciding factors to come
to my ultimate decision, which
is unless everything goes right
for the Rangers, there will likely
be another playoff drought in
Arlington this October.
Let's examine why.
The biggest reason, which has
plagued the organization since
the dawn of time, is a lack of
pitching. The Rangers just don't
have it this year.
Aces Kevin Millwood and
Vicente Padilla, who combined
for a dominant 31 wins in 2006,
were only half as good in 2007
when the two combined for a
disappointing 16 wins.
These two arms are the best
the Rangers have, and unless the
pendulum swings back to their
impressive 2006 form or better,
then you can count the Rangers
out before Memorial Day.
Look back at when the Rangers
were one of the best teams in
baseball in the late 1990s. In
1996,1998 and 1999 the Rangers
were the AL West Division
Champions. They haven't been
to the playoffs since.
The thing that got it done for
Texas in that four-year stretch
was a stable full
of strong, reliable
arms. Starters
Rick Helling (20
wins in 1998),
Aaron Sele (19
wins in 1998
and 18 in 1999)
and closer John
Wetteland (42 saves in 1998
and 43 saves in 1999) were the
primary reasons Texas had such
success before the turn of the
century.
But that was then and this is
now. The rest of the 2008 Rangers
potential starters, Brandon
McCarthy, Jason Jennings, Luis
Mendoza and Kason Gabbard,
range from the injury-prone
to the unproven to the inexpe-
rienced.
And who will catch this
motley crew of pitchers?
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who
was acquired in a July trade,
split time at first and behind
the plate the last half of last
season. He may be rusty starting
this season, but give him time
because he's one of the best
catching prospects in base-
ball.
Then there's the outfield.
Marlon Byrd and Nelson Cruz
have been the subjects of
recent trade talks, which is a
shame because Byrd displayed
substantial defensive range and
powerful offensive production
last season. The injured and
often angry Milton Bradley
will join Josh Hamilton as the
Rangers' guaranteed Opening
Day outfielders.
That brings us to the highlight
of the season: Josh Hamilton,
the potential Rangers' savior.
Hamilton was the first overall
Richard C. White
pick in the 1999
MLB draft, but a
drug habit post-
poned his major
league career.
Years later a clean
and changed
Hamilton finally
made it to "the
show" in 2007 with the Reds.
In headlines across the nation,
Hamilton was touted as the
popular feel-good story of the
season.
The Rangers traded for him
this winter, and now most base-
ball analysts are predicting a
powerful, stat-stacked offen-
sive season from him in Texas.
Hamilton could provide that
spark the Texas offense needs to
stay consistent all season.
Across the diamond, with
the exception of first base, the
infield remains the same as it
did last season. Ian Kinsler is
still at second with All-Stars
Michael Young at short and
Hank Blalock at third. First
baseman Ben Broussard, whom
Texas picked up as a free agent,
completes what should be a solid
and productive, but not quite
outstanding infield.
Then there's the greatest
Rangers pickup of the season.
He may be 61 and a little past
his prime, but doggone it, he's
still Texas' only Hall of Famer
and he's still Nolan Ryan.
The sentiment in local media
circles and among the fans is
that the hiring of Nolan as the
Rangers new club president gives
the team instant credibility. It
also gives a temporary pass to
owner Tom Hicks and the orga-
nization for at least one year if
not more.
Besides, notmany local colum-
nists and beat writers expect
Texas to compete this year, so
it's an easy pass to give for that
and many other reasons.
As far as legends go, Ryan is
ours, and in the big scheme of
things, he is widely considered
as the best modern day pitcher
as well as one of the top five
pitchers of all-time. So yeah, I
do give the Rangers a pass in
'08 if they struggle in an unpre-
dictable AL West. After all, if you
can't give Nolan Ryan a pass,
then who does deserve one?
This is Ryan's first foray into
the front office, so give him
time to adjust, or more accu-
rately, give the front office time
to adjust to learning from a true
living legend of Nolan Ryan's
stature.
Still, as I consider the reasons
why Texas won't make the play-
offs, I can't help but think about a
century's worth of baseball under-
dogs coming out of nowhere to
either win it all or come very close
to it.
Consider last season's Colorado
Rockies. Even in late September,
they weren't taken seriously as a
playoff team, let alone a World
Series team, but they were just that
as they became the improbable
National League Champions.
In sports, anything can happen
because history has shown that
anybody can beat anybody any
given day, and that gives me hope
for the seemingly tough season
ahead.
Richard C. White is an English
senior from Arlington and sports
editor of the Daily. He can be
reached at richieatunt@hotma 11.
com.
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North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 38, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 26, 2008, newspaper, March 26, 2008; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145563/m1/5/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.