OPINION {The Paisano} Editorial Editor-in-Chief: Katy Schmader
Assistant to Editor: Erin Boren
Managing Editor: Stephen Whitaker
News Editor:
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{Staff Writers} Bridget Gaskill, Christina Coyne, Randy Lopez, Alex Camacho, Shelby Hodges, Stephanie Barbosa, Council Royal, Julia Brouilette, Paulina Rivero-Borrell, Nick Castillo, Beth Marshall
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{Contributing Writers}
7 April 30, 2013
Ban on texting a step in the right direction for safer roads
With a vote of 98-47, the Texas House of Representatives recently passed a bill banning texting while driving. Should the bill become law, it would make Texas the 40th state in the U.S. to pass legislation outlawing texting and driving. Gov. Rick Perry has threatened to veto the legislation, claiming, “The key to dissuading drivers from texting while driving is information and education, not government micro-
management.” Banning texting while driving is less micromanagement and more common sense. In 2011, at least 23 percent – 1.3 million crashes — of auto collisions involved cell phones. San Antonio already has a law in place banning texting while driving. The city is in good company – texting and driving has already been banned in El Paso, Austin and Universal City. According to a 2011 Virgina
April is about to turn into May and with it comes the end of the school year, and for some, the end of their college careers, at least for now. It is a great time of year as it means summer is close at hand, even if that means more classes. We all have to graduate sometime. Whether it’s a four-year plan or a five-year (my case), eventually, there comes a point where you must accept the fact that the end is near and you’re a few weeks away from becoming a UTSA alumnus or alumna. If you are like me and are nearing that point of departure from undergraduate to gradu-
ate, there’s not a lot I can say other than good luck in your job search. If, however, you are not graduating in a few weeks, you will still be a proud student of UTSA in the coming semester. I hope you are active in something on campus because in the time that I have been here (since August 2008, minus a year elsewhere), this campus has changed exponentially in terms of involvement from the student body. The beginning of football as well as the success of other sports at UTSA has helped, but it also has been made possible by exemplary students and faculty. The university is only as good as its student body and our university is getting better by the day, even if the fountains on campus remain dry (can anyone remember water in the
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driving, the individual could be charged with a $100 fine for the first offense and a $200 fine for the second offense. There are some exceptions, including using the GPS feature, or using a device in an emergency situation. The proposed law is a good decision with fair repercussions. Texas should ban texting while driving and Rick Perry, would be wrong to veto the legislation.
Education is not enough. Texas drivers need to face consequences to their actions, and the fair fine will prevent drivers from making decisions they may regret. Don’t Text and Drive Texas. It can wait.
Commentary Take advantage of what your university has to offer while you’re here
Julian Montez, Philip Taele, Eric Mondragon, Jasmine Rodriguez, Pete Torres, Renee Rendon, Mary Caithn Scott, Chance McDevitt, Chris Rodriguez, Mark Zavala, Aaron Zachary, Crystal Poenisch, Rico Martinez
{Advisor}
Tech study, 77 percent of young adults are very or somewhat confident that they can safely text while driving, but according to TxDOT, distracted driving was linked to 90,378 crashes in 2012. This number cannot be directly correlated to texting specifically, but texting is one of the contributing distractions. But how could such a ban be enforced? The new bill stated that if a driver is caught texting while
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Sombrilla fountain?). We have done a good job in terms of fan support at the first two seasons of UTSA football, but we have a long way to go before we fully lose the stereotype of being a commuter school. The challenge that I am laying down to you, fellow Roadrunners, as I write my last words for this newspaper are to remain active in the university, not just by going to athletic events but also by experiencing some of the culture offered by your alma mater. Every semester, great speakers come to our campus. Take advantage and go listen. Listening to other people share their ideas will help you in the long run. For example, last fall the English department hosted the current poet laureate of the United States, Natasha Trethewey, who gave a
reading on campus of her latest work. That may not impress all, but it is one of the many benefits that UTSA has to offer. If listening to speeches isn’t your thing, there are countless organizations on campus that you can get involved in to share in the excitement of being at an up-and-coming university. There is plenty to do here as a student; you just have to be proactive and get involved in what interests you. Don’t let friends talk you into one organization or out of another. They will have their college experience and you can have yours. Finally, even though the quality of officiating is often not the best, the intramurals offered at the Rec are another way you can be an active part of the life at UTSA. There is no reason for anyone to say they can’t find something on campus.
This university has something for everyone, especially more Starbucks than anywhere outside of Seattle (that last part isn’t true, but it’s not far off). The next few years of your life can be enjoyable if you allow them to be. In one, two or four years, when you get ready to walk across the stage and you look back on your college experience, will you be one of the students who just attended for the degree or will you be one of the students who was active in the university and helped make it one of the best in the state. Get out there and get active, do not let opportunity pass you by! Stephen Whitaker Managing Editor
Letter to the Editor
Gun-free zones are a lie A “Gun Free Zone” is a lie. It is a lie propagated by those who are out of context with bad people, but nevertheless try to protect us with symbolic, feel-good efforts. A “Gun Free Zone,” supposed to keep us safe, but is in fact a “Killing Zone” for bad people. These bad people are individuals focused on exacting retribution through mass killings. They plan to kill as many as possible, become famous, then end their lives with a last bullet, hoping to make some grandiose statement about their tortuous plight in life. Bad people will not be deterred by symbolic, feel-good bans. Instead they will be attracted to and embolden by the prospect of an unfettered challenge to their righteous slaughter. Sandy Hook, Columbine and Virginia Tech were visited upon by such bad people. These bad people exacted their retribution through mass killings and morbidly benefited from the lie of a “Gun Free Zone.”
This is the context of a bad person’s belief system, and it is on these grounds and in this context our university system must answer the threat: a threat best answered by another gun. A gun used to confront, to prevent harm and preserve life. At issue then is whether Texas public universities, will allow individuals, let’s call them “good people,” who already possess a Concealed Handgun License (CHL) to do what they already do in their normal day: carry a concealed weapon. These individuals are trained in firearm safety and gun laws. They have undergone extensive background checks and proficiency tests, and add to the collective safety of us all by being able to pose a deterrence threat to those who would perpetrate violence. That deterrence threat is exactly what will keep the campus safe. So would our campus be awash in guns if we allowed concealed carry? Not hardly. Statistics show that only .15%
of individuals over the age of 21 acquire permits. Extrapolating this to UTSA’s population of 7,000 staff members and 10,000 21-year-old-plus students means that about 25 individuals would have CHL’s. Active carry rates among this group average about five percent, so at best we might have 1 or 2 people actually carrying a weapon at any time across the entire campus. This seems to me to be a very small risk to gain a tremendous amount of safety. Michael D. Noll Adjunct Professor College of Business Department of Real Estate Finance and Development
Commentary The welfare debate continues in Texas Recently, the Texas Senate passed a bill that will require select recipients of welfare to be drug tested. Along with this, another bill is being created to do the same for those receiving unemployment benefits. Whether drug testing will help or hinder those receiving the aid, it has created a huge debate between different political views and social advocacy
groups. Some believe that testing should be done because people are not using the aid for its intended purpose of providing food, clothing and shelter but are potentially using it for their drug habit, and the taxpayers who assist in paying this aid are thus then being taken advantage of. The opposition believes that laws such as this one are degrading those with low incomes, immediately labeling them as drug abusers and scapegoating the entire population of recipients. The assumption that people
who receive welfare or other governmental assistance use drugs at a higher level than the general population is unjust and erroneous. Singling out any specific group of recipients proves that the state and government are demonizing the poor and needy. This is unjust and unfair. Equality is not being upheld when passing such a bill in a rushed and rash manner. If there are worries of how taxpayer money is being spent, then anyone receiving any form of aid should be tested; this would include students that
receive pell grants, elderly receiving social security benefits, pregnant women receiving health benefits, government employees that receive any type of benefit at no additional cost or with a reduction in taxes paid—the list goes on. Where do we draw the line? Should there be a line? Going to a higher, stricter level would then draw up a bigger debate of where and when does the drug testing stop. What drugs are tested? Should alcohol be considered when testing? How about cigarettes? At what level is someone con-
sidered an abuser of any substance? In the end, the ones who are usually receiving aid and at risk of becoming hurt if the aid is removed, are children, the elderly and the poor. Have we become a society that sees nothing but evil and wrongdoings in people who have fallen burden to hard times and tribulations? Marcia Perales Intern