Letters to the editor
Hostile act against homosexuals sparks support for gay community at TCU and Brite Divinity

I wish to express my support for members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community of TCU and Brite Divinity School in light of the overtly hostile act represented in the removal of 75 pink flags from the Sadler Hall lawn on Thursday.

This act should remind us that it is a tragic reality that persons within our own community wish that homosexual persons would disappear from view. Therefore, the university’s memorial to the Holocaust has done more than simply call to our minds those who suffered and died as a result of the heinous acts of a previous generation.

In light of the removal of these flags, this display now serves to remind us of the fact that deep within the soul of humanity, there still abides the capacity to write off entire groups of people. And this capacity exists within our own university community.

Worse yet, the act could be interpreted as an after-the-fact attempt to justify the Nazi elimination of homosexual persons. The desire to “erase” an entire group of people simply because members of the group share one particular human characteristic is illustrative of just how deadly the depths of human sin can be.

May God forgive those who harbor this desire, because only God is capable of the depth of forgiveness such a desire requires.

— Mark G. Toulouse,
dean and professor of American
Religious History at Brite Divinity School

Equal rights are vital on campus, homosexuals should stand firm, continue contributions

I read the lead story Friday, “Holocaust Flags Missing: 450,000 Gay Victims ‘Erased,’” with sadness and anger. As a 21st century community, TCU must become better than our prejudiced past. As African-Americans, Jews, Hispanics and women have emerged strongly on our campus, now gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people are increasingly open and vocal about who we are. We have the right to be here. We have the right to respect. We will not allow our ancestors to be forgotten, and we will not stop advocating for our equal rights, and the equal rights of all others who are marginalized because of who they happen to be.

Cowardly acts cannot repeal the shameful history of the Holocaust against Jews, gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses and gay folk. Neither can cowardly acts intimidate gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people into silence and invisibility today.

We are contributing members of the TCU community. Our talent, faith, energy, cooperative spirit and zest for living help make this university a worthwhile place to learn and grow for everyone.

People of conscience will speak out against shameful deeds meant to demean and scare people in the sexual minority. If good people do not speak out and act in support of gay men and women at a time like this, the TCU community will have taken tragic steps backward into the errors of the past. It is time for the “better angels of our nature” on this campus to awaken and act.

— Stephen V. Sprinkle,
director of field supervision
and ministry at Brite Divinity School

Flat-rate tuition coverage should be more objective, explore benefits of new University policy

I must admit that the Skiff’s “campaign” to turn the campus against the administration’s new policy of flat-rate tuition has been impressive. One-sided negative advertising has never been better executed.

But wait, this is supposed to be journalism, right? A fair representation of the facts, giving voice to all sides of a particular issue? That may be how it works in the real world, but it seems that the editorial board of the Skiff is content to take stabs at the administration until its heart is content. The board complained that the evil administration, surely out to stick it to each and every TCU student, “saw the benefits” but “didn’t see all the potential problems” of flat-rate tuition.

The Skiff needs to look in the mirror and realize that it has overtly focused on negative aspects of the policy from the beginning without giving the same attention the multitudes of benefits the policy has to offer. Benefits like encouraging academic exploration, encouraging students to get double-majors, making it cheaper to graduate in four years and bringing TCU into line with the private universities that currently occupy the “next level” that TCU wishes to attain. The nerve of the administration to try and improve this university!

I am sorry, but I support Chancellor Michael Ferrari’s administration on this one, and I am certain he knows just a little bit more about how to successfully run a university than the know-it-alls on the Skiff editorial board.

— Brian Estrada,
junior international relations major

Editorial policy: The content of the Opinion page does not necessarily represent the views of Texas Christian University. Unsigned editorials represent the view of the TCU Daily Skiff editorial board. Signed letters, columns and cartoons represent the opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board.

Letters to the editor: The Skiff welcomes letters to the editor for publication. Letters must be typed, double-spaced, signed and limited to 250 words. To submit a letter, bring it to the Skiff, Moudy 291S; mail it to TCU Box 298050; e-mail it to skiffletters@tcu.edu or fax it to 257-7133. Letters must include the author’s classification, major and phone number. The Skiff reserves the right to edit or reject letters for style, taste and size restrictions.