James A. Ryffel donated $6 million to the M.J. Neeley School of Business on March 22. On March 31, Ryffel was elected to the TCU Board of Trustees. Coincidence? Nope. Now before you get all cynical on us and start saying that seats on the Board of Trustees can be bought, save your breath. They can. But maybe that isn't so bad. The people that are elected as trustees are those individuals who both significantly contribute to TCU financially and those who can provide leadership. TCU is a private university. Thus, it heavily depends on private contributions. Without those contributions, TCU can't survive. Board members provide much of the money the university needs through their own gifts and use of networking to solicit money from others. Because board members are selected for their ability and willingness to donate large sums of money, members tend to be from the business community. A question, therefore, is that if the vast majority of the board members are from the business community, how does that affect the budget and TCU's priorities? Well, it probably won't. The budget reflects the priorities of the chancellor and the cabinet, while the job of the board is to ensure the university has enough money to fund everything. The board is trying to diversify, but the process is slow. While the board is to be commended for trying to adequately reflect TCU and the community's population, we need to keep the pressure on to continue to seek out those individuals who can better represent TCU while contributing to the university.
Seek ye first the kingdom of love 'The Lost' may be found through acceptance, not by believing dogma The Church is going to hell. Yes, my brothas and sistas, the Church has earned a one-way ticket straight to hell and damnation because God is love, and the Church has just lost that lovin' feelin' these days. Instead of offering acceptance and comfort, the Church is passing more judgments than Judge Judy on steroids. The homos are going to hell. Marrying them would mean that there might be a possibility that God could actually love homosexuals (God forbid) - that they might get into our nice pale pink and baby blue heterosexual heaven. But really guys, the debate over homosexuality is just not that hard to understand. Simply ask yourself: "Am I willing to walk up to a homosexual student on campus and say, 'God doesn't love you. You're going to hell because you're gay.'" Well, then why are you letting your church do it? Women ministers are going to hell. God created woman solely to be barefoot and pregnant. Women just aren't good enough to preach God's love to men because the Bible tells me so, dadburnit. In this case, I must say that the Bible is just a little "old school." (Oopsie. That was a teensy-weensy bit sacrilegious.) If we can accept the fact that the "slaves obey your masters" verse is outdated, then why can't some churches accept the fact that women in the 21st century are more than a walking uterus? Why are women offended at sexism in every other aspect of society but silent when the church is essentially saying, "What? No penis? Well, then you're just not good enough to preach the word, little lady. You're not good enough for God. Go home and start poppin' babies." The rest of the world is going to hell. Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus - they all just think their thousands of years of history are a real-live faith, but they're just sore losers because Christ won the grand prize on the "Who wants to be a Savior" game show. Goodness guys, heaven's going to be one hell of a boring place if Christians are the only ones there. It would be like living eternally with the Brady Bunch. Besides, what would you talk about for all eternity if everyone believes exactly the same things? So, no offense intended guys, but I'm all about having a little of real-world diversity in my heaven, a little bit of Buddhism, Hinduism or whateverism to put a little spice in my eternal life. I'm going to hell. I challenged you to think about your faith, and you're offended! I'm one of "the Lost," and I need you to pray for me. I need you to show me the way to heaven. You know I'm wrong because the Bible tells you so. Your church tells you so. Your parents tell you so. Homosexuals are innately sinful. Women aren't allowed to preach. Buddhists can't get into heaven because they don't have Christ. But guess what, my brothas and sistas? GOD IS LOVE. And heaven isn't called the Alpha Omega sorority where God wears "Go AO" pins and sits with his "exec" of favorite Christians coordinating his version of Rush - the Final Judgment. God isn't going to flash pictures of each rushee on a screen and ask the Christians if they think the person is good enough for pledging into heaven. God doesn't care what the Christians think or what the Church decrees. Because God's got grace. He can let whomever into heaven that he good-and-well pleases. So, if my calculations are correct, you've got just as good of a shot at heaven as Hitler, Judas Iscariot, Ellen DeGeneres or the Nirvana-seekin' Hindu next door. God's da' man. And the Church needs to shut up and stop nosin' in his business. Therefore, my dear friends, the Church is going to hell for trying to take over the Final Judgment. Pray for it the way you pray for "the Lost." Question its statements the way that Jesus questioned the teachings of the Pharisees. Search for the acceptance buried in the dogma because God just ain't a happy camper with a church full of Judge Judy's bustin' in on his turf. And remember that amazing grace of God - how sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me (and you). I once was lost (by condemning), but now I'm found (by God's grace). Was blinded (by dogma), but now I see. Love one another, my friends. For the love of God, LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Jennifer Klein is a senior English major
from Henrietta, Texas.
Is female chauvinism dead? Recently feminists throughout the United States met in Baltimore, Md., to talk about the rights and fights of women. The militant outcry of the feminist movement may have subsided in recent years as women have made some great strides in being recognized for their abilities. There are so many women to admire. Some preach in our churches, some teach in our classrooms and some reach new heights in medicine, philosophy, business and science. Many women are mothers who create wonderful homes and raise great kids. There are so many remarkable ladies who exemplify what anthropologist Ashley Montagu said is the "natural superiority of women." Chris Ernst is my hero. Maybe she should be the heroine of every female athlete on this campus. In 1976, Ernst was a two-time Olympic oarswoman on the Yale University rowers' team. Yet, no women at Yale had locker room or shower facilities. They practiced daily in the New Haven, Conn., winter but had no place to clean up. The male athletes at Yale had state-of-the-art locker rooms. On March 4, 1976, Ernst did something dramatic to benefit women's sports. She invited a school newspaper photographer to her coach's office where she appeared with 18 of her teammates stripped to the waist. On their backs were written the words: Title IX. This is the designation of a law passed in 1972 that mandated that male and female athletes must be treated equally. There was little compliance with the law until Ernst's photo appeared on the first page of the Yale Daily News. Subsequently, the picture was in newspapers across the country. The huge rise in the equity stock market over the last decade has been influenced by Abby Joseph-Cohen. An Orthodox Jew, she rarely sees the end of the trading week on Fridays because she is home for the Sabbath. As head of the Goldman Sachs investment committee, when she speaks, the stock market reacts. Why is Joseph-Cohen such an influence on the stock market? Her undergraduate degree in mathematics from Cornell University and a woman's intuition have given her credibility. Make no mistake about it, women are better stock market investors. Go into Tandy Hall any weekday and the men are watching CNBC on the monitors and fretting. The women give the television only a quick glance because they are long-term investors. Kathleen McGrath is a role model. Cmdr. McGrath is the first woman to command a warship for the United States Navy. An individual of character, she has had to endure decades of harsh treatment from the macho men as she honed her skills. She had a male mentor pave her way, but McGrath had the perseverance to stay on track and excel in the Navy. McGrath has a successful marriage and two schoolchildren, plus she is a top naval officer. Only 14 percent of those serving in the Navy are women and only 6 percent of the admirals are women. This will change. Good teachers are the backbone of this nation. On this campus there is a legacy of wonderful educators. On the wall of the Mary Couts Burnett Library is a gallery of honored college educators, including Betsy Colquitt, Toni Craven and most recently, Linda Hughes. I admire a young high school teacher, Emily Moore. Moore graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with an incredible résumé of accomplishments and honors. After successfully completing her student teaching, a job interviewer told Moore: "You have such a good degree. Why waste it on teaching?" The interviewer was suggesting that Moore could receive much more money and prestige with her Ivy League degree. Moore replied, "Who would you rather have teaching your children?" Students should have the best, the brightest and the most enthusiastic people teaching in our schools. Education is not a dead-end career. It is consequential to the future of the world. It is good to be a feminist in the new millennium. Men and women alike should stand up, demanding equality for each person regardless of race, color, gender, religion or sexual orientation. Each of us is called to bring out the best in other people. God created us all equal, and we should be treated as such.
David Becker is a graduate student from
Pueblo, Colo. |
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