The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 178, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 18, 2007 Page: 3 of 10
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Opinion
()ctobcr 18, 2007
THE ) TAC
Page ^
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
it was recently
brought to the attention
ot The J-TAC staff that
some members of the
Tarleton Jazz Knsem-
ble TT weie displeased
with a lcview written
by Darnel Connell last
week It was also noted
that the wrong per-
son was identified in
the story's photo cap-
tion For this mistake, I
Apologize, as it was my
responsibility to check
and approve (he photo
caption. I regret not be-
ing moie careful in my
■research ot the photo's
background.
In the case of the
review that frustiated
a portion of our read-
ership, 1 do not teel
the need to apologize
foi the opinions ot the
writer, the "leal writ-
JOANNA
HENSLEY
er " 1 le wrote, and wc published,
his opinion Contrary to the be-
liefs and opinions ot those who
were displeased, this is an opin-
ion with approximately 15 years
of musical experience behind it
lust as some students teel that
the writer's review of the perfor-
mance was hastily-judged and
unfair, 1 feel that it is unfair to
assume that Mr Connell's opin-
ion is without basis Two wrongs
have yet to make a right
Beyond the hull
feelings, 1 would like to
c leat up the fact that this
was an opinion piece
Peiformers at any level
should be able to ac-
cept or at least stomach
criticism as the arts aie
very subjective To take
away the right to have
an opinion is to squash
individualism.
We at 77ft' J-TAC al-
low opinions because
we believe in them The
opinion page is meant
to serve as a center of
open dialogue for ihose
who want to be read
and heard All opinions
are welcomed and ap-
preciated. Thank you
for voui concern and the
expression ot youi per-
spective We look tor-
ward to the letters and
viewpoints to come.
Do you attend Texan football
games?
No, I don't attend Yes, every game
football games, home and away.
Yes, every
home game.
Yes, some
home games.
kennelh Hnst'tidnie/I he [-TAC
q Poppycock
by Daniel Connell
W '.
Ahli...a cold glass of
tasty criticism.
ASK SHANE
Question:
I heard that the new purple bikes tor "peddle push" are going to
have locks on them. Is that true? How will students be able to get the
keys? Thanks!
Answer.
That is not tiue, the bikes are never to be locked up I hey aie free
to use and should be accessible to any and everv student who v\ ishes
to tide them lhe idea behind Purple Pedal Push is that a student can
puk-up a bike, whether it is leaned on a building oi on a bike rack, and
ride it to his or her destination
SHANE HENRY
Students,
I also have some very exciting news in regards to next week's Homecoming activities I'he Student
Government Association is bringing back the old tradition, "Snake Dance "
Tins year's Snake Dance will be different from the past The cheerleaders will lead the line and the
Hornet oming C ou rt will help- After the Yell Contest winners aie announced, the student body will "snake"
from Wisdom Gym to the Trogdon House, whete we will watch and cheer foi the I )rum Beating! Please
come join your fellow lexans Wednesday night, Oct 24, for the return of our old tradition, Snake Dance!
Bleed Purple,
Shane Henry
The J-tac
Managing Editor
Chai Read-Walsh
News Editor
Joanna Hensley
Production Manager
Mike Cedeno
Sports Editor
Reed Baize
J-TAC Staff
Daniel Connell
Nicole Dodd
JoLynn Elkins
Kelsey Fitzgibbon
Ashley Fuquay
Rebecca Hoeffner
Shawn Hughes
Tyler McCollum
Johnathon Parker
Katy Thompson
Marcy Waters
Graphic Artist
Kenneth Brisendtne
Advertising Manager
Christina Coleman
Advertising Assistant
Amanda G'Shields
Student Publications
Director
Jim Looby
Content of this publication
; is copyrighted material
: of The J-TAC. Written
permission must be grant-
ed for reproduction of any
' portion of The J-TAC.
Visit online nt
unvw Ihejtcn < onl
Thy J-TAC is published on
Thursdays during the fall and
spring semesters with tho
exception of University holidays
and examination periods
Office: Barry B Thompson
Student Center, Room 20
Telephone: (254) 968-9056
Fax:(254) 96H-9709
E-mail; )tac@tarleton edu
Mailing Address:
The J-TAC
Office of Student Publications
Box T-H440
Stephenville, TX 76402
Editorial Policy
The deadline for submission
of opinion/editorial works is
noon of the Monday before
publication Letters to the
editor should be typed and
signed Letters can either
bo hand-delivered, mailed, or
sent via email to
jtac_opinion@t9rleton.edu.
Please include a phone num-
ber, student ID number, clas-
sification and major Anony-
mously signed letters or letters
signed under a pseudonym or
"pen name" will not be pub-
lished
Letters should be limited to
250 words The J-TAC reserves
the right to edit letters for con-
tent, length and grammar The
J-TAC also reserves the right
to refuse to print any letter
deemed to be in "bad taste "
Opinions expressed in The
J-TAC are not necessarily those
of Tarleton State University or
The Texas A&M System
Writing exam less than proficient
ttttt*
sttiix-,
KATY THOMPSON
}usl a semestei ago, I took the Writing
Proficiency Exam, which 1 had ten avoid-
ing I w.is not afraid that I would tail it,
quite the opposite, because I felt that it was
a total waste ot mv time and energy lo sit
down tor an hour to prove to "the powers
that be" that T was competent in muling
comprehension and writing skills. As far as
I was concerned, I had done it before, when
I took not one, but Iwo AP tests in English,
and made a tour and a five, which exempt-
ed me trom taking any English courses
at Tarleton i had also taken and passed a
|imior-level English couise that involved
writing a ^t-page paper about Renaissance Literature I was and
still am employed by The j TAC as a writer. I've won numerous
awards for mv literary skill and knowledge That meant notliing
to the administration who feared 1 was illiterate, inarticulate, and
unfit to gamer the words " Tarleton State University" scrawled
across mv degicc
Why was I taken so lightly7 Because many alumni had been
frustrated thai their hard-eamed Tarleton diplomas were deval-
ued by the shortcomings of fellow graduates who could not read
or write The university responded with an exam to be taken
before graduation to prove that you have rudimentary skills in
reading and writing Skills that should have been tested before
high school graduation via standardized testing and in the col-
legiate dassioom via papers ot the reactionary, explanatory, and
even research varieties. What comment does it make about the
ngorousness of any one or .all departments ol the university that
students are not tested in the sub|ecls ot reading or writing on a
daily basis in class? What class exists thai has no reading assign-
ments7 Kven my physical education classes have required a pa-
per, winch ln-turn required me to do research. How do you not
test reading comprehension when you give tests? Even multiple
choice questions involve you reading and comprehending the
question at hand Given the slate required core curriculum, even
a math oi science major musl take classes that require thought-
provoking papers and essays across a plethora of departments
English, philosophy, history, communications, political science,
and P K
Moie shocking than the tact that we are sub-
jected to such a test, is the number ot people
who fail it, including competent published au-
thors, because ot the way the test is scored
Just like Willi any standiudi/ed writing exam,
writers who follow rigid formulaic structure
are lauded, and writers with creativity are of-
ten ignored or even given lower scores for their
uncommon tactics In the ical world it will be
these writers that win Pulitzer, and even Nobel
pn/es in literature, poetry, and |oumalism, yet
these people aie the ones who are unconven-
tional enough to tail a standardized writing test
When I took the test, mv style was modified to short and choppy
sentences, my verbosity was paiicd down to a mere five meticu-
lously woided paragraphs, my passion for run-on sentences was
squelched entiiely tor an houi and a half so that I might be able
to pass a test. Guess what, I passed, but 1 can't help but wonder
it f would have passed with mv typical linguistic panache.
Kather than requiring students to take a standardized exam,
theie is always the option to solve the problem by applying more
rigorous academic standards for incoming freshmen At one
point this c ampus focused on quality and not quantity, and prc>-
duced distinguished alumni who hold l arleton in high enough
esteem to be angered when they see it lamished bv the current
low standards foi admission. What has changed since Barry 15.
Thompson and Dick Smith lauded Tarleton7 What are numbers
if there is a 40 percent attnlion rate amongst freshmen7
I'his raising ot standards is something I find myself advocat-
ing moie and mote as I imh closer to the day that I will begin
searching lor what I will do with my lite. It is also something
that others should hnd themselves gravitating towards as they
continue their Tarleton educ ations Perhaps the best wav to truly
bleed purple is to do so nol where everyone can see it by going
lo games and big events, but instead to take Ihe institution that is
Tarleton serious!)' and lo do what you can to make it a more re-
nowned and prestigious campus so that people who have never
set foot on the campus can teel as proud otTaileton as those of us
who are going here do
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The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 178, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 18, 2007, newspaper, October 18, 2007; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth142162/m1/3/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.