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.

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Student Government Election This Week

(Logo. Source: Student Government Association at UT-Tyler.) The Student Government Association (SGA) at UT-Tyler will conduct its fall senatorial elections this week, from Wednesday, September 18 at midnight to Friday, September 20 at 5 p.m. Students can vote via a link student government sent to all students Wednesday via their patriot email. Voting closes Friday at 5 p.m. While two senate constituencies are already filled (College of Arts & Sciences and College of Nursing), many others have open seats and are available for write-in candidates. Candidates for Liberty Landing senator are: Ally Barnes, Mishelle Tessy George, Vivek Kiran Ballakur. Liberty Landing has two (2) open positions in the student senate. Victory Village has two (2) open senate positions but no candidates. Freshman class senator candidates are: Adaylia Krispli, Ally Barnes, Daisy Ontiveros, Hayden Allen Cobern, Kaela Young and Nicole Stefanski. Freshman class has two (2) open senate posi...

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: Student Enrollment Claims Unfounded

(Source: James Hescock) On Sept. 11, the University of Texas at Tyler claimed credit for the institution's historic student enrollment growth in a press release titled “UT Tyler Celebrates Largest Enrollment in Institutional History.” However, this publication found these claims to be unfounded given that the University is not even measuring the causes behind student enrollment. In the Sept. 11 press release, UT-Tyler President Julie V. Philley, M.D. responded to the news of historic enrollment and credited the institution and its efforts for making the historic growth happen. She said, “I want to thank our admissions team, faculty and staff for their dedication to supporting our students, as well as our recruitment and retention initiatives.” However, according to a Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) response this publication received on Sept. 17, the University returned no documents that measured why students choose to enroll at UT-Tyler. In other words, when the ...

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