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Opinion
September 22, 2010
The Rambler | www.therambler.org
Selfish stunts offensive to all “Peace-loving people from around the globe should
Rachel Peel Staff writer
rlpeel@mail.txwes.edu
The American people have spoken: we will not stand for moral injustice in our country. On Sept. 11, 2010, Terry Jones, the pastor of a small Florida church, made the tough decision to call off the planned burning of the Quran. The stunt was to be held on 9/11 in remembrance of those Americans lost nine years ago. The events of 9/11 will forever haunt my mind. Everyone will remember that day and exactly what they were doing when the two towers were attacked. I agree we need to honor the lives lost in the attack, but the pastor’s plan was not an act of love, but of hate. If Jones had fulfilled his plan to burn the Quran, it could have sent a negative message to other religious groups about Christians. Just as some people position al Qaida as the face of Islam, the bad judgment of
be proud of themselves for joining together to protest an act that was morally corrupt.”
Jones burning the Quran would have painted Christianity in the wrong light. Burning any book is intolerable, but to burn a holy book would automatically give countries harboring ill will for America the upper hand and give further justification for their disdain. If this pastor had followed through with his plan, we would have witnessed a moment in American history that we might one day regret. America would not be known as the land of the free and the home of the brave, but the land of persecution. Battles have been fought over religion since the dawn of time. This act would have been an act of terrorism on Islam. We would then be no better than al Qaida, an organization that threatens others with its radical actions. America was founded on freedom of religion and
freedom of speech. Although we have the right to burn books, that does not make the act morally correct. We should uphold the ideals and beliefs our founding fathers set before us years ago. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” These words are from the Lord’s Prayer. Forgiveness is a decision we sometimes struggle to make, but if we are to be forgiven, we must first forgive those who have hurt us. Prayer is the path we should take, not violence. Has violence ever solved a problem? I think not. As a country, we should respect the ideas and sacrifices of those who have come before us. As a Christian, my answer is to pray for those who are lost, for those who have sacrificed so much and for our freedom. Sept. 11 was one of the
darkest days in American history, but we should not judge those responsible, for their punishment will come when they meet their maker. We should remember those of al Qaida in our prayers. The decision to call off the burning of the Quran was a smart move on Jones’ part. Peace-loving people from around the globe should be proud of themselves for joining together to protest an act that was morally corrupt. This shows me that there is still hope for the human race, and that no matter our differences of race or religion, our world will one day embrace peace. Although Islam is not my religion of choice, I believe they are peaceful people who should have a right to express their religious beliefs without fear of persecution, just like the rest of us.
Attendance policy limits flexibility
“This means students cannot cut class for music Jonathan Resendez Editor-in-chief
jresendez@mail.txwes.edu
Prodigies, slackers and students who have a life outside of academia are potential victims of an unfair attendance policy that lurks in the Wesleyan catalog. According to the undergraduate catalog, “When a student has a number of unauthorized absences equal to the number of days the class meets per week, the student may be dropped from the class roll by the instructor of the class.” Technically, the rule means that a student who misses the second and second to last day of a Tuesday-Thursday class for unauthorized reasons could get dropped at the instructor’s discretion. While most instructors don’t possess the cold heart required to exact such a punishment in said scenario—millions of other scenarios exist. The existence of the rule is a bigger threat than the punishment that
or art festivals or a lazy day with the old lady, common occurrences for students of all ages, without potential repercussions.”
accompanies it. An unauthorized absence is a failure to attend class for reasons not involving school sports, student government, student development or fine arts. This means students cannot cut class for music or art festivals or a lazy day with the old lady, common occurrences for students of all ages, without potential repercussions. Even authorized, schoolrelated absences are limited to five for a MondayWednesday-Friday class, three for a Tuesday-Thursday class and two for a class or lab that meets once a week. Again, no instructor is go-
ing to drop a hyper-involved student with an A average who misses class because he or she is out winning the university awards. The unfairness caused by this scenario, however, is the bigger issue. Students thoroughly knowledgeable on a subject shouldn’t have to attend class for fear of a strict rule likely aimed at underachievers. Likewise, the underachievers shouldn’t have to fear losing credit hours because they didn’t attend a class as regularly as the students who will someday teach it. If a student is guaranteed an A or only wants a C, class should be a choice—Wes-
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leyan gets paid regardless. Making good grades in a class is still possible after missing more than three or five days. Even learning, which is the point of college, is still possible provided a student reads and comprehensively goes over the material. For many of us, basic knowledge over a broad range of subjects and superior multitasking skills make us contenders in the job market. And proper time management sometimes involves acquiring knowledge in ways besides listening to a person talk for 50 minutes and copying definitions out of a textbook. I’m not condoning skipping class, and I have suffered the repercussions of truancy. And yes, most students aren’t going to learn if they don’t show up. Still, the archaic rule can give weight to some arbitrary disciplinary decisions.
Staff Editorial
State funding for higher education must take priority The recent report ranking Texas Wesleyan as a Tier I Regional University was good news for our entire college community. Sometimes it seems like bad news is always in the shadow of good news. In this case the bad news is that Texas legislators will be faced with tough decisions about state funding for higher education when they meet in January. The Texas Constitution requires that the Legislature budget for no more than the amount of revenue that the comptroller certifies will be available. Gov. Rick Perry and his staff have no choice but to slash the budget, and funding for Texas colleges will likely be one of the cuts made. Nearly every institution of higher learning has seen enrollment numbers soar over the past two years. If anything is clear, it’s the need for more state funding, not less. As students attending a private school, we shouldn’t need to worry about such things. That is not necessarily true. Although state funding has a smaller impact on private schools, there is an impact. Tuition Equalization Grants are critical to many students attending private schools. As members of the larger community of North Texas, we should be concerned about the impact these cuts would have on the University of North Texas Health Science Center as well as other important research institutions. If Texas makes cuts in funding for colleges and universities, we all lose momentum. The education of our population has never been more important than it is right now. The global economic down-turn is uncovering some embarrassing details about this country’s standing among educated societies. We are playing catch-
up in fields such as science, engineering and even in medicine. According to a study by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, only 17 percent of Americans view U.S. scientific achievements as the best in the world. If America is going to remain at the top of the heap, our focus has to be on quality education at all levels. Funding for this important research work has to come from the government. Public-funded institutions across the state are already making cuts and sacrifices due to budget pressures. We do not need to be reminded that tuition has recently increased at Wesleyan as much as it has at any state school. When lawmakers come together on Jan. 11 to prepare the next budget, they will face a shortfall of more than $21 billion and a constitutional mandate to balance the budget without raising taxes. There is certainly fear among educators that funding for colleges is in the cross-hairs. This is not the time for Texas to back off on its financial commitment to higher education. Reduced funding will almost certainly result in tuition increases and an overall reduction in the quality of educational programs across the state. The economic climate in Texas, whether good or bad, will impact the quality of life for the Texas Wesleyan community. Funding for higher education is a key component in making sure we compete and succeed in these challenging times. We have an obligation to make sure our lawmakers know how important this issue is to Texans. There has never been a better time to send state lawmakers a message about the future of higher education in Texas.
What do you think about Wesleyan’s attendance policy?
Jeanette Martinez, sophomore kinesiology
“I don’t have an issue with it, but some think class should be optional.”
Samuel Griffith, sophomore music
“It’s a hard policy, and I don’t think it’s fair, but Im going to be here every day anyway.”
Rachel Daniel, junior exercise science
“They are enforcing it more than they used to. Only the athletes get extra time off.”
Address all correspondence to: Texas Wesleyan University
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Moneke Smallwood, senior exercise science
“We pay to go to school, so I don’t think they should have that policy.”
Collier Jennings, sophomore education
“I honestly think it’s fair. Missing class is a waste of time and money for all parties.”