4 | The University Star | Monday, August 31, 2015
OPINIONS
UniversityStar.com
THE MAIN POINT
More public institutions should take after UT statue removal decision I
n the wake of recent tragedies, the University of Texas is doing away with Confederate commemorative statues, figures and symbols and all other public grounds need to follow suit. On August 13 University of Texas at Austin officials announced that they would be removing the statue of Confederate president Jefferson Davis, foolishly located in the middle of campus for everyone to bear witness. For all the Confederate lovers out there, they are not taking away the statue entirely, but they are relocating it to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History—a place where such a statue belongs. Too long students of color—specifically those of African ancestry—have had to endure the lasting, taunting figure of a man that would have them in chains instead of at an institution
of higher learning. The fact that any institution would memorialize a figure like Jefferson Davis sheds light on America’s culture of indifference to its large, enduring population of nonwhite inhabitants. Aside from the issue of race, the statue is a clear celebration of American antagonism, as the Confederacy Davis represents was in obvious opposition to the very union existing today. In Germany, no matter how historically significant, they would never have a large statue of Adolf Hitler for everyone to bear witness to. The Confederacy is a dark part of our history and the Civil War cost over half of a million Americans their lives—it is a part of history. Therefore, as a part of history, it should be preserved in the proper historical setting of a museum or history building as UT has decided to finally do. Immortalizing Davis
as an honorable person in the face of people Davis thought he was superior to is the epitome of insensitivity. Yes, these people died in a war on home soil, but they were not fighting for America, but against America. Also, they fought to own people—that is not a commendable stance, nor should it ever be. More places need to take the precedent now set by UT and rename schools honoring these American criminals while dismantling the undue honor placed on these figures of racial and cultural animus. While it is noteworthy that UT has decided to relocate the statue of Jefferson Davis, their refusal to budge on their statue of Robert E. Lee and other Confederate leaders is reminiscent of a culture bent on offense and antagonism. It shows that many institutions will sell the minority body of their
BIRMY MICHELLE STAR ILLUSTRATOR
constituents down the river before they take a stance in dismantling pervasive ideas of supremacy and bigotry. The removal of Davis, while stalled for the time being, is a step in the right
direction. But this is not a sprint—it is a marathon. So, while it is a great step, there are still a thousand more that need to be removed before everyone can breathe a sigh of relief. It has been
150 years since the Confederate States of America was destroyed, so it is high time the Confederacy and its lingering culture is permanently dismantled.
The Main Point is the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. Columns are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the full staff, Texas State University Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Texas State University or the advertisers.
UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY
Students should utilize counseling center to ensure success
Haley Smutzer OPINIONS COLUMNIST @awkward_adverbs
A
transcript tells a story. Scanning through the years, a transcript reveals the hardships faced by students. A straight-A honors student might experience a single semester ridden with cringe-worthy Fs. An average student might withdraw from all of his or her classes for an entire year. Similar, drastic inconsistencies are often common when evaluating student records. Some particularly hollow individuals, unwilling or unable to analyze critically, might instantly attribute these dissatisfactions to laziness or immaturity on the part of the pupil. These individuals might think such students are just not ready for the college experience, but that is far from the case. This is where a primary resource comes into play—the Texas State counseling center. It is crucial that students realize they are not alone in the stress of life and there are people to help them through the universal hurt of being human. Attending to the welfare of both their physical and mental health should be a
top priority for all college students. The counseling center is a resource often left unused by many students, specifically underclassmen. Students are often unprepared for the emotional difficulties they are likely to face during these years away from the comfort of their homes. Mental health is usually the last thing on a student’s mind as he or she is ushered into life at a university. For some students, a loved one may die, parents might divorce, sexual orientations may be questioned and then transformed, unexpected pregnancies may appear and sensitive decisions might follow complex situations. The list of possibilities to send someone over the proverbial edge are endless. Couple those life problems with a new environment and it is clear why assessing mental health should be a top priority. However, it is imperative students take advantage of the many resources the counseling center has to offer and take control of their mental health and happiness. After all, the counseling center offers completely free services provided by trained professionals in the field of psychology and psychiatry for all students to utilize when need be. Not attending to individual mental health can negatively impact students in severe and often limiting ways. “Mental health is important to anyone in general,” said Kathlyn Dailey, counseling center director. “For our
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students it can really impact how they do academically and just their whole college experience.” Every year, students are forced to withdraw from both individual classes and the university entirely due to mental health issues. Withdrawing from a class or university for any reason can be disadvantageous to future plans, and it can be challenging to remain committed to an academic plan, once removed. If students realize Texas State has a counseling center that is taking active steps to reach out to the study body, then withdrawal numbers would go down. According to a 2012 study by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 64 percent of college students who experience mental health concerns in college end up dropping out. Whatever the circumstance, all students should be encouraged to seek assistance from the counseling center and to remain attentive to their mental health. “Whether you’re having difficulty transitioning to college, feeling overwhelmed by stress, experiencing depression or anxiety, or worried about someone else… we’re here to help students deal with life’s difficulties so they can be successful in college,” Dailey said. Success in college is the reason we are all here in the first place, so do not be afraid or embarrassed to seek help to ensure success. —Haley Smutzer is an English junior
Texas State construction completion date—never
Mikala Everett SPECIAL TO THE STAR @mikala_maquella
H
ome of the Bobcats? More like home of the endless construction. Texas State has been inundated with seemingly endless construction since I got here, and I have frankly had enough. So, I was standing in line at Blimpie’s the other day when I struck up a conversation with a stranger about construction. Said stranger mentioned they had been studying abroad for a year in Japan and expected construction to be done by their return. We simultaneously rolled our eyes and had a good laugh while nearby people glanced around, bewildered. Since my arrival, Texas State has constantly been under construction. The construction has caused many unnecessary detours and a multitude of potential disasters, such as walking into a fence or driving into a hole—at least on my part. There are so many rumors floating around
about the various projects that no one truly knows what is going on. It faintly reminds one of high school. Instead of the gossip being about which cheerleader is sleeping with which football player, everyone wants to know what food places are going to be in Jones. Exciting. On Texas State’s Planning, Space Management, & Real Estate webpage, students can find more information regarding this tedious construction. There are various projects underway that do not have a definite or even estimated due date. In fact, as of August, only two of the 26 listed projects have been completed on the Project Status Report document, meaning the university will not be free from construction obstruction any time in the near future. What a pity. I am sure, minus the construction hindering the ambience, the university used to host a beautiful campus. I guess the beauty the school has to offer will be reserved for the minds of long-gone nostalgic alumni because, for people actually going to the school, serene is not the first word that comes to mind. While the information may be readily available, there needs to be greater transparency for students on campus to know exactly what is going on
around the institution they are paying to attend. It is their university, their place of residence for the next four years and they deserve that much. Aside from being burdensome on students, the construction projects are costing the university quite the pretty penny. The projects represent well over $650 million in current and future investments. That is a lot of loot that is funding this slothful construction, and I am sure there are valid reasons why some projects are taking so long. Yet, students are none the wiser to any of these projects continuing to inconvenience their fluid college experience. It is wonderful that Texas State is growing and expanding, and the current and future construction projects reflect that, but the mass of construction hinders a lot of the experience of college life. I would not be surprised to come back to visit the campus in 2038 and still find construction between Flowers and Commons Dining Hall. It is almost like it is going to drag out for as long as possible, like Hollywood did with the Twilight series. Texas State construction’s estimated completion date: August 2038?
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—Mikala Everett is a marketing sophomore
The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University and is published every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the spring and fall and every other Wednesday in the summer semesters. It is distributed on campus and throughout San Marcos at 8 a.m. on publication days with a distribution of 6,000. Printing and distribution is by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. Copyright Monday, August 31, 2015. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The University Star are the exclusive property of The University Star and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the editor in chief. The first five issues of each edition of the paper are free. Additional copies of the paper can be purchased at 50¢ per copy. Contact The University Star office at (512) 245-3487 to purchase additional copies.
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