Last week, Student Government passed the “The Faculty and Student Resolution Act of 2019.” The resolution proposed to ban Turning Point USA’s Texas State University chapter from campus. Ultimately battling the right of free speech, this decision ignited immediate backlash from the student body, city residents and even Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
The proposed resolution to ban TPUSA gained national attention, claiming the goal of the legislation was to censor free speech. Governor Abbott respondedto a video taken at the Student Government meeting on Twitter. He said he questioned if schools like Texas State were deserving of taxpayer money. While his reaction was understandable, it was completely premature and rash.
Texas State University has a reputation of giving all kinds of speech a platform. It’s a place where the students can freely voice their concerns and fight extra hard for what they believe in. The TPUSA debacle is a flawed example of that, but it doesn’t diminish the worth of the university and what it stands for.
Texas State is a unique and respectable university that has educated and continues to educate many different generations into hard-working employees within their respective fields. This institution creates many opportunities for thousands of students who want to further their education and make their dreams come true.
Removing taxpayer funds from an institution who diligently works towards creating exemplary people wouldn’t prove a point. It would directly hinder opportunities for the students who need it the most and there is no excuse for questioning if Texas State should receive taxpayer money.
Faculty, alumni and students from Texas State are contributing new knowledge across the world. For example, advertising graduate DeMornay Harper was honored as one of the nation’s top 50 multicultural college seniors by The American Advertising Federation’s Most Promising Multicultural Students program, which took place February 11-14 in New York.
Each Bobcat has a story that emerges through the aid and resources Texas State provides. In fact, English professor Aimee Roundtree is making her markby using text-mining to analyze large volumes of fire department records in order to find insights that can make Texas communities safer. These examples demonstrate the characters Texas State has helped guide to success and innovation.
In terms of the proposed resolution, as of April 11, President Alison Castillovetoed the decision to ban TPUSA from campus. The issue has been handled and essentially laid to bed, but the fact that this controversy raised concern and question to the kind of institution that Texas State evokes is unacceptable.
Texas State is not a flawless university and it has never claimed to be, but the faculty and staff work tirelessly in order to create an environment that will make the community and students proud.
Earlier this year, Forbes magazine named Texas State University among the nation’s “Best Employers for Diversity,” ranking higher than well-known corporations, such as Google and JP Morgan Chase. Obtaining this honor was only one of the many accomplishments this institution continues to receive.
Texas State is no stranger to its fair share of controversial moments, but with controversy comes growth and resilience.
– Laura Nunez is an advertising sophomore