North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 100, No. 3, Ed. 1 Tuesday, September 4, 2012 Page: 4 of 6
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Page 4
Views
Tuesday, September 4,2012
James Rambin, Views Editor
ntviewseditor@gmail.com
CamtiUts
CMat
How did you spend
your day off this
Labor Day?
"Hung out with the lady frienc
R,aley Ntvei
Bu.sliA.ess sofkomore
'I worked in the library from 2
until 7 [p.m.]."
Phlll-p Whitney
Pre-radb, television, and
film sector
Practiced flute and did some
homework.'
Meg Ta-pley
Perfomtc? nee freshtoaiiA,
"I went to the movies and
cooked dinner, because later on
in the semester I won t have this
much free time."
Si/wgdhfl T^eddij
Computer science graduate
student
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The Editorial Board
and submission policies:
Chelsea Stratso, Alex Macon, Hol-
ly Harvey, Brittni Barnett, Joshua
Friemel, James Rambin, Jessica
Davis, James Coreas, Therese Men-
dez, Daisy Silos.
The NT Daily does not necessar-
ily endorse, promote or agree with
the viewpoints of the columnists
on this page. The content of the
columns is strictly the opinion
of the writers and in no way reflect
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umns or letters to the editor, send an
e-mail to ntviewseditor@gmail.com
Staff Editor al
Freeze should raise student eyebrows
As their summers crash to a halt and
students feel the pressure to gas up their
brains and bravely plow forward into a new
semester, it appears that the I "XT admin-
istration hasn't gotten the memo. Many
of you are already aware of the univer-
sity-wide hiring freeze CNT President
V. Lane Rawlins chose to implement on
the first of August this year, and it doesn't
take much effort to see the ways this deci-
sion will effect the university at both the
administrative and student levels. Let's
face it - this measure by the administra-
tion s not a surprise when you look at
this university's financial history over the
past few-years.
Once we voice the common complaints
about huge football program fees and
sweeping plans for a new student LMon
driving up tuition, it's important to look
at the state-level decisions that create
these issues in the first place. (iov. Rick
Perry and the Legislative Budget Board
for Texas universities have ordered wide-
spread cuts throughout Texas state agen-
cies, which includes a 10 percent cut in
funding for public universities. Make
no mistake - this decision is shamefully
conclusive evidence that voters in the
Texas legislature care more about the
state's bottom line than the future of
education, but the university's response
to these cuts is a far more pressing issue
for UNT students.
The problem lies in an administrative
culture that would rather increase class
sizes, cut the budget to student health
services and freeze or eliminate "non-
essential" campus employee positions than
reduce the scope and infrastructure devel-
opment of our football program or plans
for new campus buildings. The funding
slashes across nearly every department
at this university are Visible everywhere
this year, from reduced class time and the
elimination of free tutoring in the foreign
language department to a downsized
student counseling program. The most
unfortunate - and woefully unnoticed -
budget reduction is probably the cuts deliv-
ered to the LTNT Library system, with a
decrease lastyear of more than #1.5 mill ion.
.Pot only do these financial stresses reduce
the ability of the library system to keep
their research collections current, they
also impact specific services like the
library's capacity to keep class textbooks
on file for students to study at the library.
The fact that this university's administra-
tion believes they will achieve a top-tier
research status by reducing their research
abilities isn't just laughable: it's offensive
to even student who works and learns
under the I INT name. Sports programs:
and new buildings may help TMT reach
top-tier status, but without investing in
our students' minds, the administration
could harm the reputation of this school.
Columns
Remember
teacher sacrifices
during strike
Last Thursday, more than 700 delegates
of the Chicago Teachers Union (CXt|5
voted unanimously to strike for the first time
in 25 years. Members of the OTIJ - more
than 32,000 teachers, paraprofessionals
and retirees - voted nine to one authorizing
a strike to take place as early as Sept. 10.
The day Chicago's teachers hit the picket
line will be the culmination of a nationwide
debate that's been going on for more than a
year now, but education professionals and
support staff nationwide are conflicted on
whether this strike mily represents progress.
The ( 1 I published a report in
February titled "The Schools Chicago's
Students Deserve," in which union dele-
gates spell out their vision for public educa-
tion in Chicago. The document argues that
schools need more funding, better teachers,
smaller classes and additional support struc-
ture to breakout of a cycle of disappointing
performance.
The (:Tl also criticizes an element
of racial segregation between schools
competing for funding, as well as a school-
to-prison pipeline that exists on a practi
cally institutionalized level within inner-
city schools.
Even an uninterested student can see
that the Chicago Public Schools system is
run more like a business than an institution
of learning, a statement well-illustrated by
the factthat Chicago's school district doesn't
have a superintendent, but a CEO.
In Chicago's schools, parents are treated
like customers and students like commodi-
ties. Desks are not filled with students but
machines, and students are expected to
regurgitate textbooks and pencil marks on
standardized tests in lieu of critical thought
or real learning.
If this sad fact sounds familiar to readers,
it's probably because that's how most schools
in America are run today. Our public educa-
tion system doesn't create independently
thinking citizens* since performance is
often dependent on rote memorization
nstead of creative thought. It seems that a
good student is often expected to be a good
parrot rather than anything else.
Chicago's teachers are brave and abso-
lutely correct to say that Chicago's 400,000
students deserve better/The (T1 knows
that teachers must first change their class-
rooms before they can change students' lives.
Their strike is a stand for the underserved
students of Chicago, but it's also a call for
change throughout America.
America desperately needs better
schools, and neither the Republican nor
Democratic parties have delivered on prom-
ises that ring increasingly hollow. As college
students, we all owe a great debt to the
teachers who got us this far, Now the CTU
wants to take Chicago - and eventually
America - further.
The Chicago teachers' strike is good
for America, so let's stand with them in
solidarity.
Clinton McBride is an international
studies senior. He can be contacted at
CMcBride@gmx.com
Greek life is a
pathway to
academic success
As another semester begins here at
UNT, another hallmark of this great
university can be seen - if you're looking
in the right places, that S. The frater-
nities and sororities present on this
campus have once again thrown open
their doors to greet those Who choose
to take the plunge into the longstanding
American tradition of going greek.
Speaking as a greek man, I can
honestly say that the decision to go
greek was one of the most rewarding
decisions I've ever made,, second only
to my choice to attend LTNT. I would
encourage even student who might be
Sitting on the fence about the subject
to take the plunge and rush, because
t's a college experience truly unlike
any other.
Rather than list off the numerous
facts and figures about how successful
greek men and Women are once they
graduate and enter the working world,
I'd like to talk about what we're doing
on this campus and how were making
the university a better place. For
example, if you take a look at Apogee
Stadium, you might consider that this
marvelous piece of modern architecture
wouldn't be there if not for the funds
provided bf greek alumni.
UMT consistently raises more
money for new campus projects from
greek alumni than non-greeks. This fact
remains true for the recently completed
Business Leadership Building and the
new Student Memorial Union that is
about to be constructed. Greek life isn't
just interested in raising money for the
School, however. Last fall alone, greek
students volunteered for a total of more
than 6000 hours at various organiza-
tions around Denton and raised more
than liti,000 for various charitable
organizations, includ ing the American
Heart Association, YouthAIDS, and
Push America.
Even if we remove all the money
from the equation, greeks still continue
to dominate in scholarship. Last fall,
the all-undergraduate men's GPA
at TJNT was 2.62, while the greek
men's GPA was 2.64. The greek GPA
s consistently above the all-campus
GPA, because we constantly push
our brothers and sisters to excel. We
constantly strive to be greater than
what we ever were before.
Participating in greek life doesn't
just look good on a resume; it provides
access to a brotherhood, a sisterhood
and a bond that lasts for a lifetime.
Fraternities and sororities symbolize
all that we wish to accomplish in our
lives, and they represent the struggles
we all face as we grow. Why we cling
to them, no one can explain, but in the
end, we are all stronger for it.
Nicholas LaGrassa is an emergency
administration and planning senior. He can
be reachedatNicholasLaGrassa@my.unt.edu.
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Stratso, Chelsea. North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 100, No. 3, Ed. 1 Tuesday, September 4, 2012, newspaper, September 4, 2012; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth291782/m1/4/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.