4 | The University Star | Tuesday, March 10, 2015
OPINIONS
UniversityStar.com
THE MAIN POINT
University should continue to adopt green initiatives
I
mplementing green initiatives ranging from alternatively fueled vehicles to solar panels can be beneficial for Texas State and society at large. According to a March 3 University Star article, Texas State will implement Compressed Natural Gas vehicles, also known as CNGs, in the university fleet after the enforcement of a statewide mandate. Accordance with the mandate will not go into full affect until May, but the new law requires statefunded public universities to have at least 80 percent of their vehicles on an alternative fuel source. The inclusion of these vehicles solidifies Texas State’s commitment to going green, and hopefully the effort will prove to be viable. Texas State has made previous attempts to go green but none on such a grand scale. For instance, dining facilities such as Jones and The Den have gone green after officials eliminated Styrofoam containers. These attempts have proven successful, but only minimally so. The inclusion of these alternately sourced vehicles is an apt and formidable step in the right direction.
CNG fleet vehicles are a good example of tuition funds going toward something meaningful and tangible. Devoting time and money to resources Bobcats can see come to fruition is great for administrators and students. This may seem like a steep departure, but the world will be thankful in the long run. Simply put, adopting additional environmentally friendly devices will prove to be a beneficial decision. The option of installing solar panel charging stations was introduced to President Denise Trauth earlier in the academic year, according to a Sept. 25, 2014 University Star article. Unfortunately, Trauth declined the offer. Committing to green initiatives and the betterment of the environment should be a top priority on the list of the administration. Officials should not invest money, time and resources in wasteful sources such as the annoying motion sensor toilets placed in many buildings on campus. Replacing motion sensor toilets with the greener option, such as the type available in the School of Art and Design, would prove
to be a sound investment. The toilets in the Joan Cole Mitte building have signs instructing visitors on which way to flush, depending on their specific needs, in order to better conserve water. No longer will students have to endure random movements causing motion sensors to accidentally activate on hightech toilets used throughout campus, which wastes water. This green alternative could save the university a portion of funds spent providing water to campus facilities while improving the environment. Reallocating funds toward greener alternatives is something all students can agree with and would actively benefit from. Environmentalism is a better cause than the overfunding athletics receives, which takes students actively being interested in order to see some kind of worthwhile payback for the distribution of their tuition. Attempting to decrease both wasteful behavior and spending
JORDAN GURLEY STAR ILLUSTRATOR
can go a long way. Going green has proven to be initially expensive, but it proves to be worthwhile in the long run. The sooner Texas State as a collective body decides
to lead other universities from the front on environmentally conscious issues in order to better preserve the planet we inhabit, the better.
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 or Texas State University.
SEXUALITY
Gender-neutral pronouns should be used, respected
Kirsten Peek OPINIONS COLUMNIST @kirsten_peek
“
There ze goes There ze goes again Ze calls my name, Pulls my train, No one else could heal my pain” -A hypothetical gender-neutral adaptation of “There She Goes” by The La’s
The concept of gender-neutral pronouns may be confusing for some people to wrap their minds around, naturally. It takes time for these identifiers to become an ordinary part of one’s everyday vocabulary, but for those that fall outside or in between the gender binary, the inclusion of these terms should be fully embraced. Gender-neutral pronouns have proven beneficial when the gender of an individual is unknown or unclear or when an individual does not feel comfortable being addressed with masculine or feminine pronouns. Common genderneutral pronouns are singular “they,” “their” and “them” as well as newly coined “ze” and “zir.” “Gender-neutral pronouns are needed because people don’t always classify binary anymore,” said Pamela Holmes, social work
sophomore and member of Bobcat PRIDE. “Some people feel they are more on a spectrum. If they don’t want to identify as a ‘she’ or ‘he,’ why should they if it’s not how they feel?” Genderqueer is an all-encompassing term for people who identify as anything other than man or woman. This may include people who are genderfluid, genderless or transgender. It is important to note there is a difference between sexual orientation and gender identity. For many people, it is difficult to fully understand the concept of being genderqueer. This is due to the fact that most people have never experienced it or come into contact with genderqueer people. Society has rarely questioned binary gender norms, so the immediate reaction is to erase the need for an “other” category. Regard-
less of personal familiarity with the variety of gender-neutral pronouns, the important part is respecting an individual’s wishes on how they are addressed. “I use whatever pronoun people want me to call them,” Holmes said. “Usually I’ll just ask if I’m not sure. Or I’ll say ‘them’ if I feel I am not in a position to ask.” The gender that a person feels internally is not a choice, and there are many ways to express masculinity, femininity, androgyny or even something completely outside the binary. Expecting a gender-neutral individual to choose a binary pronoun makes as little sense as trying to force a left-handed child to write with their right hand. “Society, in general, is becoming more open to exploring gender identity,” Holmes said. “Our generation is a lot more open-minded
and accepting than older generations. I think younger generations understand that people need to identify however they feel.” Respecting the pronouns of individuals is crucial. It is not the place of society to question the way an individual identifies even if it does not conform to societal norms or expectations. Just as all humans expect others to respect how they identify themselves as individuals, the gender identity, or lack thereof, should be respected as well. The English language is constantly evolving, and there is no reason why it should not incorporate newly formed gender-neutral pronouns. —Kirsten Peek is a journalism senior
TECHNOLOGY
HISTORY
Google DeepMind wave of the future
Alamo ownership dispute a non-issue
Nabil Hourani SPECIAL TO THE STAR @nabil_hourani
P
eople should not fear advancements in artificial intelligence or fall back on the "I watched I, Robot" criticism. In 2014 Google purchased DeepMind, one of the most premier artificial intelligence (AI) companies. This is a huge step forward in developing some of the most sophisticated AI machines society has ever seen. Google DeepMind's mission statement is to combine some of the best techniques from the way machines learn and the systems of neuroscience to build powerful, all-purpose learning algorithms. In layman terms, DeepMind’s mission is to create systems that can teach themselves. DeepMind was founded in 2011 by some of the most prominent AI scientists in the field. Google is the best company to help advance and develop the DeepMind program in a positive direction. Since purchasing DeepMind, Google’s company
executives have been fairly quiet about the projects being developed. However, it was revealed earlier this year they have created a program that can master several old arcade games. These self-teaching algorithms can make the computer create its own winning strategies to theoretically beat any human in a number of games. What makes this system an even more impressive accomplishment—compared to other attempts at creating AI—is the fact that it was not pre-programmed with any knowledge of the rules of the game. It was able to play the game, teach itself and master it without any human aid. Google has proven to play an important role in the development of AI with its purchase of DeepMind. Although the game-mastering software is impressive, there is still a long way to go in developing these AI machines. Google is no stranger to developing self-functioning machines. Self-driving cars are still an ongoing development Google and car companies are creating to revolutionize the way people live life and use machines. Granted, understandable fears exist about what AI could do to society. Some of these fears will likely always remain. People may wonder if AI will become so advanced that it will begin to question why it continues to serve humans at all. Detractors may feel DeepMind moves society one step
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closer to making this robotic doomsday scenario a reality. However, people do not need to overexaggerate these ideas of AI machines. Instead, they should look more optimistically at some of the great accomplishments society can achieve with this advanced technology. Using this self-teaching AI technology, Google DeepMind can help people get closer to having computers create answers for questions regarding things like cures for diseases and solutions to deep societal issues. The talk of robots and AI has been around for decades— both on how to create it and what it could actually affect in society. It has come to the point now, with Google DeepMind, that society will get to see some serious progress in the developments of AI instead of just hearing the rhetoric. Now, whether or not the thought of this kind of technology scares people, its development is inevitable. People must embrace the idea that AI software may become more prevalent and available in the years to come. Instead of automatically thinking of a worst-case scenario involving killer robots in the future, people should attempt to understand the kind of groundbreaking discoveries that lie on the horizon and the potential they embody to make society a better place. —Nabil Hourani is a public relations senior
Jeffrey Bradshaw OPINIONS COLUMNIST @jeffbrad12
“
Remember the Alamo!” Those words will be shouted once again when Texans take up arms against the United Nations (U.N.) when the organization comes to invade. Well actually, the U.N. is not trying to take over the Alamo, but no one told Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, that. On Nov. 25 Campbell filed Senate Bill 191, which states the Alamo will never be owned by anyone but the Texas government. She wrote this bill in response to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that nominated the San Antonio missions, which includes the Alamo, as a World Heritage Site. According to a Feb. 25 Foxsanantonio. com article, Campbell changed her stance on the Alamo recently. There are absolutely no negative reasons for the Alamo and various other San Antonio mission sites to become UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Actually, there are only benefits. The Alamo would become more popular if it were chosen as a World Heritage Site, and this would encourage more tourism in San Antonio and the state of Texas. According to UNESCO.org, whenever a location becomes a World Heritage Site,
there is a increase in the level of protection and conservation for the location. So, not only would the Alamo become more popular, creating more money for the state, but the monument would also get more experienced conservationists to help preserve treasured parts of history. The Alamo is not getting any younger and is something all Texans should see. The added conservation and funding that comes with becoming a World Heritage Site would keep the doors of the Alamo open for everyone to experience. This is not the first unnecessary bill Campbell has authored. She also proposed legislation allowing employer discrimination against the LGBTQIA community based on religious freedom, so who knows what she is doing up in Austin. I am not saying every bill she has offered is a bad one, but this one is particularly irrelevant. “There was somewhat of a paranoia that the United Nations could somehow gain possession or have the authority to demand Texas give up its ownership of the Alamo,” said Richard Henderson, senior political science lecturer. I do agree with Campbell when she said the Alamo should never be owned by anyone but Texas, but the U.N. never wanted to own it. Campbell’s bill seems to focus entirely on the Alamo, ignoring the other San Antonio missions up for nomination by UNESCO. This goes to show just how little Campbell looked into this non-issue before writing a bill about it. This bill should not be voted on because the State government has better things to be concerned with. The Alamo and the other San Antonio missions would only benefit from becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Campbell should never have stood in their way. I’m glad she has decided to not start another battle of the Alamo. —Jeffrey Bradshaw is a political science sophomore 601 University Drive Trinity Building, Room 101 San Marcos, TX 78666
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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 Tuesday, March 10, 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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