Skip to main content

Editorial: Welcome to Patriot Weekly’s First Issue

 


(Source: James Hescock)

Hello and welcome to Patriot Weekly’s first issue! I am James Hescock, publisher of Patriot Weekly and UT-Tyler alumnus. I started blogging in 2016 when I saw what appeared to be an information gap between the student body and leadership on-campus.

For instance, I found everyday students were often unaware of important decisions happening in their name, such as fee increase proposals, tuition increases and other policy changes. I started my blog to both inform students and to share my views on campus issues. Patriot Weekly is an attempt to continue this effort and to close the information gap I perceive exists between students and important campus news.

In Patriot Weekly, I hope to spread important news, but also share this space with other campus voices who have important messages to share with the student body. So, if you have something to say that you want to share with other students, then I hope you will consider writing a guest essay for Patriot Weekly. Please feel welcome to contact me at the email address in the information card below.

While all students gain an education at UT-Tyler, I think many do not realize that, aside from their educational journey, UT-Tyler is also the location of a community of students who share common goals and whose journeys connect together. For example, they share common interest in a functioning library, student housing and recreational center, but they also all share the financial cost of these interests in student fees.

The student body is one community, or one constituency, in the larger campus community. I hope this newsletter empowers the student constituency to act competently and independently in the campus affairs that affect its life.

Thanks for reading!

 X: @Jhescock12

*Patriot Weekly is a production of James' blog, The Campus Conservative.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Editorial: Three Types of Campus Activism Work

  (Source:  "Justin Whelan" by Kate Ausburn via Flickr ) Within the university context, there are three communities: students, faculty and staff. However, once one has a basic understanding of how these communities work together to govern the university (a.k.a., the "shared governance" model), then one can still find it difficult to identify how one can participate in shaping the university to reflect his values.  Therefore, this article will introduce three types of activism work that I have noticed in my years observing campus activity. I hope these types will illuminate a path for the reader of greater participation within his campus community and towards influencing the institution for his values. So without further adieu, let us introduce the three basic forms of campus activism.  In my observation of campus advocacy over the years, I have noticed three types of campus activism: compliance work, legislative work and public education work.  An effe...

Editorial: An Introduction To University Governance

( Photo : ''Court Gavel - Judge's Gavel - Courtroom'' by wp paarz via Flickr ) In my previous articles, we spoke of our fictional heroine Molly who took the proper steps to advocate for university change successfully. We used her story to illustrate how the policy change process at a university works. Afterwards in the next article, we analyzed how her story illustrated important elements in the policy change process, such as how every stakeholder has a priority list and how a successful advocate will know how to either appeal to or influence this list.  Most recently, we noted how even with all the tactics in the world, it is a cause that gives one’s advocacy meaning. Now in this article, we will explore the university’s internal governance system, which is the context in which a student’s advocacy occurs. At the end of this article, the reader should have a better grasp of the advocacy environment within higher education. Metaphorically speaking, the reader will...

Editorial: Understanding The Athletics Fee Increase Referendum

  ("Money - Savings" by 401(K) - 2012 via Flickr) What is the student vote happening from March 20 to March 22? There is a proposal to increase the mandatory Intercollegiate Athletics Fee on the student ballot for the March 20 to March 22 spring 2024 election. There is also an election for student government executive officers.   Why is the athletics program seeking a fee increase? The athletics program is asking the student body to take financial responsibility for its unexpected NCAA Division II expenses after it transitioned to NCAA Division II at the University’s direction without the available funds in 2018. The proposed fee increase is to transfer the financial responsibility to students so the University can spend its current $2.4 million annual subsidy to the athletics program on other priorities. ( Patriot Weekly’s summary.) Why did the athletics program transition to NCAA Division II without a financial plan? Allegedly, the decision to transition the program fro...