NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 11 CAMPUS CARRY
LETTER
President-Elect, Vice PresidentStudents should consider implications behind campus carry Elect: Let’s make it happen, UNT By Preston Mitch Staff Writer @Presto_Mitch Next fall UNT will be decidedly different than ever before. It will mark our first full year of having the Union, now the campus-wide lifesaver for sleep deprivation, and we will also become the site of a reinvented Boulevard bridge, which means that our bus routes can normalize again. Most importantly, it will be our first semester where campus carry swings in full effect, to begin on Aug. 1. From that point forward, it will be legal for any licensed gun owner to bring their concealed weapons to campus, to equal amounts of dismay and excitement from within our populace. Despite whatever opinion you have, or if you even own a gun, it is imperative to UNT’s safety that students understand the implications of bringing their guns to campus. Campus carry laws only allow for the presence of guns, not the ethics of them. In this case, it’s important for us to analyze how necessary it is to take guns out of our homes. Since group mentality spreads almost virally, a handful of friends “packing heat” will surely inf luence another ensemble to do the same. Carrying a gun to feel
powerful is asinine. If you are someone who lacks the constitution to subdue a criminal by the use of lethal force, why the Hell should you think your valor will Nonprofit organizations across the country operate in favor of these laws, chief ly the Students for concealed carry that advocates under the practice of self-defense. Although I have implicit faith in our student body’s sanity, there are many alternatives to gun use. If there is a sinister stalker trailing your every move, there are $40 pepper blasters that travel 13 feet every tenth of a second. Believe it or not, Smith & Wesson sells its own tactical pens, which can cause considerable damage to an assailant. Besides, why carry a handgun when a Swiss
pocket knife doesn’t leave as much of a mess? Above all dangers, campus carry increases the likelihood of school shootings. Studies have shown that crimes committed in Utah and Colorado went up by 50 and 25 percent after their carry legislations. Not the least of those crimes include sexual assault, another UNT issue that can potentially exacerbate in the fall. In spite of every scenario possible, gun’s will soon be prevalent on our campus. After that, it is our courtesy to the students and faculty that we conceal our weapons astutely. In that context, leave this legal privilege alone and keep your guns off the premises.
By Grant Hale and Barrett Cole Note f ro m E d itor: A pplic a t io n s for S t u d en t G over n m en t A sso ci a t io n ex ec. p osit io n s for th e 2 016 -17 s ch o ol yea r a re n ow open, a n d c a n be a ccessed th rough th e S GA website. Q u es t io n s a n d co m m en ts c a n be d irected to b oth G ra n t H a le a n d B a r ret t Cole. Fel low Underg r aduat e St udent s of U N T, Si mply by b ei ng st udent s at U N T we a re a l l memb er s of t he St udent G over n ment Asso ciat ion. We a l l have a pa r t to play i n ef fe ct i ng p osit ive a nd la st i ng cha nge for b ot h ou r ca mpus a nd com mu n it y. St udent gover n ment is not a sp e ct ator sp or t. It is a pro c ess t hat re qu i res ever yone to b e engage d a nd i nvolve d i n order to ma ke ou r voic e hea rd. We b el ieve st udent s deser ve to k now what is happ en i ng on ca mpus a nd t he de cisions b ei ng made t hat a f fe ct t hem. We wi l l set t he exa mple for st udent pr ide a nd engagement by promot i ng scho ol spi r it a nd t r ad it ions. U lt i mat ely, we wa nt to help ensu re t hat, a s memb er s of t he U N T
Courtesy | Wikimedia Commons
Barrett Cole com mu n it y, we a l l have a say i n what happ ens at ou r u n iver sit y a nd t hat st a r t s wit h havi ng a col le ct ive a nd u n i f ie d st udent b o dy. O u r d ia log ue of cha nge st a r t s wit h you a nd ha s a l ready b eg u n. Issues conc er n i ng sexua l a ssau lt a nd ca mpus sa fet y, mea n i ng f u l conver sat ions ab out ca mpus t r a nsp or t at ion a nd e ducat ion rega rd i ng t he ca mpus ca r r y p ol icy a re just a few of t he t h i ngs you have broug ht to ou r at t ent ion. T h is is t he pro c ess of st udent gover n ment at work, a nd it is ou r si nc ere hop e t hat t hese conver sat ions on ly cont i nue to g row.
Grant Hale not hesit at e to reach out wit h you r quest ions a nd conc er ns. We hop e you a l l have a g reat su m mer a nd we lo ok for wa rd to se ei ng you back i n t he fa l l. G o Mea n G re en!
U N T P roud, G r a nt Ha le SGA P resident - Ele ct G r a nt. Ha le@u nt. e du Ba r ret t Cole SGA Vic e P resident Ele ct Ba r ret t.Cole@u nt. e du
We a re i nc re d ibly excit e d to se e where t h is next yea r t a kes us! We a re here to ser ve you a l l, so plea se do
GRADUATION
Reflecting on college: was it worth it? By Sidney Johnson Staff Writer @Sidjohn87
The time is finally here. Years of financial uncertainty and sleepless nights are coming to an end, at least collegiately speaking. I’ve gained valuable knowledge in my time at University of North Texas that will give me a one-up in the rat race that ensues after graduation. What used to be a distant goal is now a tangible and sobering realization: I’m graduating college. If I were to list things I’ve learned in my three years at UNT, time management would top the list. The late night parties were fun, and a great way to meet new people with similar interests – but
I’ve found that often times those interests don’t extend beyond drinking and partying. Those nights of pong, punch and procrastination became cumbersome, a realization any responsible student eventually has. Waking up dizzy at 6:30 a.m. to write a 10-pager you’ve neglected while running on two hours of sleep is a miserable task. Deadlines don’t often bend, but your will to reach them must. There are plenty of hardships that shadow the working student whose parents can’t afford the assistance offered to others. I empathize with the ramen noodle dieters, the fast food napkin thieves, the weekly plasma donors, the pawn receipt savers and whatever else many do to get
by. Then to be thrust into peaking student loan debt, a rising cost of living and stagnant wages nationwide after graduation: cue the fight for $15. I certainly haven’t had it the worst, but I lived the beautiful struggle of college life in its entirety and am grateful for the experience, no matter the gray hairs I’ve acquired – literally. Now the greater question: Is that $25,000 piece of paper worth four years of constant anxiety? Are those late nights studying or early morning crams justified once we grace the stage to the roars of our adorning family and friends? Some believe not, and I can’t say they’re wrong. There are plenty of well-paying professions without degree
requirements: technicians, postmasters, web developers, etc. I chose the path of a journalism degree because my parents had their college careers cut short when I was born, so I felt compelled to
succeed in my undergraduate education for them as much as myself. Every trial and error has lead me here – writing to you – and will hopefully push me much further. The competitive job market is
scary, but so was the big-bad university after graduating high school, and that turned out pretty good in this case. Mama, your son made it through – just like I promised.
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