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from Volume 50 Issue 1
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New, controversial laws stir up mixed feelings among Texans
By CLAIRE LAWRENCE On Sept. 1, 666 new laws were passed in Texas that cover a range of topics, including abortion rights, constitutional carry, vaccination passports and public school curriculum. I’ll break down a few of the laws that stuck to me the most. These are laws that not only affect my personal demographics and the lives of those around me at St. Edward’s University but also raise discourse between those on both sides of
the political spectrum.
Vaccine Passports
It’s no secret that Gov. Greg Abbott disapproves of several COVID-19 restrictions many other states and countries enforce. He’s stated on social media that wearing a mask and deciding to get vaccinated is a “personal responsibility.” With SB 968, the controversy takes it a step further. With this new law, vaccine passports are now prohibited in Texas. This means businesses cannot legally enforce customers to prove their vaccination status.
This law is interesting, to say the least, because there are states like New York where the laws are the exact opposite. As someone who works part-time in a restaurant and is not required to wear a mask, I feel more vulnerable to the virus. I thought once more states began to enforce vaccination passports, Texas would follow suit, and my job would
be a safer environment. Abbott clearly has other plans.
Constitutional Carry
House Bill 1927 states Texans are allowed to carry a handgun without taking any training courses or obtaining a license as long as they are 21 years old or older. Abbott stated this was not a law that protected gun rights, but rather a law that “instills freedom” in our state.
The debate on gun control has been going on for as long as I’ve been alive. I grew up running active shooter practice drills. Although I am very fortunate to have never experienced the tragedy of a school shooting, it’s a large fear I’ve constantly sat with. This year alone, Texas students experienced 135 school shootings, and it’s only September. The school year just started up again, so who knows how much that number will grow before the year ends, especially with this new law. It feels as if our governor is completely disregarding those numbers for the sake of making Texas feel more “free”, and a law like this one may have a direct impact on schools all across the state.
Critical Race Theory
When I was in the 5th grade, I remember doing a group project where we had to research a social study topic and present it to our class. The topic we picked was “Abolitionists”. At the time, I had no idea what that word meant; however, I walked away from that project with more knowledge of race than ever before.
With House Bill 3979, kids entering 5th grade may never gain the same insight I did at that age, nor will students in middle and high school be taught about how race and racism impact[ed] our country. This law only allows for a specific collection of documents to be taught, and teachers are also no longer allowed to assign anything that pertains to political activism.
GRAPIC BY GRACIE WATT/ HILLTOP VIEWS
New laws effective Sept. 1influence issues including abortion, Body-Worn Cameras, Medical Marijuana etc.
Read the full story on hill-
topviewsonline.com.
Classes back in person despite rise of COVID-19 cases across Austin
By ISABELLA BASS
After almost 18 months of remote learning and online classes, students and faculty are finally able to return to campus for in-person classes . While this is good news, there are still many regulations in place with Austin returning to Stage 5 COVID-19 limitations. Despite that most students are vaccinated, masks are still required indoors and social distancing rules are enforced. . With the growing number of COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant, extra safety precautions are necessary.
St. Edward’s put several COVID-19 restrictions in place in an attempt to keep the students and faculty as safe as possible. Face masks are required indoors for everyone unless they have a health exemption, regardless of their vaccination status. The university required students and faculty to submit proof of vaccination or a valid exemption prior to the start of the semester. Those who are not fully vaccinated are required to be tested for COVID-19 once a week.
These regulations are a positive thing, but it does raise concerns for me that cases will continue to increase. Despite our efforts, the chances of the virus spreading are still higher the closer we gather.
While many classes are inperson, some faculty members have chosen to opt out of in-person teaching and remain fully online.
“I chose to teach online because it provides a sense of freedom to us as a learning community,” liberal arts and sciences professor Sarah Hogue said. “I also noticed that many more students have the opportunity to participate in class because online formats offer avenues of participation that we don’t have in an in-person classroom.” “I have developed a flipped classroom approach in which students view lectures outside of class time at their own pace, and then we use our synchronous learning time to apply concepts and put them into action using real-world scenarios, cases, and issues,” Hogue said. “This
approach promotes student involvement and supports everyone in understanding concepts in context.” This reasoning makes sense and shows there are several reasons some professors opted out of in-person teaching, not just reasons related to their health and the pandemic. With the current state of affairs, it looks like the status of the pandemic won’t greatly improve any time soon. Things were looking up after the increase in COVID-19 vaccinations, but the rise of PHOTO BY CHRIS PEDONE/ HILLTOP VIEWS After two and a half semesters of online classes, students walk on-campus at St. Edward’s University to their in-person classes. Even though classes are back in session, guidlines including mandatory masks are required to be worn while on-campus. new variants of the virus has caused things to regress. This is disappointing, but the best thing we can do is continue to follow COVID-19 guidelines to stay as safe as possible. It is exciting to be back on campus, and we can only hope this won’t lead to more COVID-19 outbreaks.
16PHOTO ESSAY
BACK HOME ON THE HILLTOP
by Chris Pedone
Gone are the days where class is taught through Zoom meetings. Gone is the fear of losing connection during online classes, or the random interruptions or our precious pets barking or crawling on your lap when you are webcam. After a year and a half, students finally are back on campus and learning in person with the use of careful planning and safety precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Jo’s Coffee is open from 7am-6pm on weekdays in both Ragsdale and Doyle Hall, and on weekends, the Ragsdale location is open from 9am-5pm.
Campus is filled with students walking between classes, grabbing coffee, or catching up with friends during breaks. Students perform research and work in the laboratories of John Brooks Williams North Science center after over a year of virtual studies.
