Editor:
I want to thank The Ranger, especially Opinion Editor Jared Solis, for the outstanding article, “Veterans volunteer time to honor fallen soldiers.” I found this article very insightful to those who are unaware of what these hard-working volunteers, also retired veterans, do for our deceased military men and women.
The volunteers are known as the Memorial Services Detachment. The MSD provides full military burial honors to all deceased. I was shocked to learn full military burial honors are provided only to deceased active-duty personnel because of cutbacks in the 1970s. A full military burial honor consists of the presentation of the folded-flag to the next of kin, the playing of Taps and three volleys of rifle fire.
I was a member of the SAC ROTC program under the leadership of Sgt. Michael Trujillo. I come from a military family. My relatives have served in most of the wars and have been stationed around the world. I have a brother serving in the U.S. Air Force. I plan to have a career in the U.S. Air Force.
I believe all men and women who have fulfilled their duty should be given full military honors. These brave souls have sacrificed so much of their blood, sweat, tears and family life to protect each and every American.
We all have different opinions and viewpoints on the topic of war; however, we would not be here today if it wasn’t for our brave military. I deeply appreciate the sacrifice, duty and honor of the U.S. Armed Forces and the MSD volunteers.
Great job, Jared Solis and The Ranger.
Margie A. Bautista
Business Administration Sophomore
Stretch each program to higher standards
Editor:
I was pleased to read your editorial in the Oct. 26 issue pertaining to academic standards at the Alamo Community Colleges. It is especially important that you expressed the significance of maintaining high standards and concern that standards might in some way be diminished as a result of new initiatives within the district.
Therefore, I am pleased to re-emphasize and clarify that the efforts being made to implement the board’s strategic plan are very much focused on establishing high standards that each of our colleges will achieve.
One of the philosophical underpinnings to this approach is the belief that every student, regardless of the particular college within the Alamo Community College system he/she chooses to attend, should achieve the same high standards.
One of the key priorities of the board’s strategic plan is developing mechanisms that will benchmark our instructional and student performance against college peers with the best results in the nation. The approach will, we expect, have the impact of establishing increasingly higher standards against state and national benchmarks. Thus, rather than lowering standards, the goal is to stretch each of the programs within the Alamo Community Colleges to achieve higher standards and greater student success.
To implement this, a number of strategies are being pursued. For example, Dr. Federico Zaragoza, vice chancellor for economic and workforce development, is chairing a new committee that will determine the academic and workforce standards system to be utilized. Another, chaired by Professor William Lisenby, Chair of business information solutions at St. Philip’s College, will recommend ways to ensure student access to technology and evaluate the impact on teaching and learning strategies.
We are pursuing several other important and proven strategies including Achieving the Dream, College Connections, and increase in student support systems and greater research and analysis through our new Pathways Program that will improve P-16 curricular alignment and reduce barriers to student achievement.
I encourage The Ranger to continue to follow these efforts, to continue to call for higher standards, and to support our initiatives by utilizing the resources available through the Alamo Community Colleges, including our excellent faculty, counselors, staff, librarians, and our tutoring and testing centers, as well as other assets that are in place to support student success.
Dr. Bruce Leslie
Chancellor
Poor seating for larger students
Editor:
After several years of observation and talking to many students on campus, I have come across a multitude of students, like myself, that would like for your campus news to publish and participate in an on-campus survey.
We want to make the persons in charge of equipment purchasing for SAC aware of the great need for desks that fit normal, larger-framed adults. I have personally been unhappy about not having a desk that was big enough for my body to sit in. I have literally left classes in pain in my lower back. In most of the classes, there are old-fashioned desks that could have been used in elementary or high school classes.
We need to get rid of the desks that have the table hooked to the chairs and no way to adjust them. I had to go to disability support services with a doctor’s note and be humiliated asking for a desk that fits. I am not alone. I have personally witnessed youth and older adults that were so self-conscious that they have literally quit school rather than be that miserable or have to pander for a bigger seat.
The stadium seats in the visual arts department were the worst idea the school has come up with since the seats in McAllister auditorium were installed. Even trimmer students are packed too tightly together until they can’t hardly write or move their book around without knocking some other students’ stuff off.
Another thing that could help is removing the seats from each class that are not being used in the middle of a semester from all the withdrawals. That would give us more elbow room up front right near the teacher and we could have better classes.
Some students are not even fat, like me, but are just buff larger men and adults with buff bodies. After all weren’t we rated the fattest area in America? The fat isn’t going to leave quickly so why not help us out?
SAC should afford each student a separate table and a chair that isn’t hooked together. People who are paying for their education shouldn’t have to beg for adequate seating arrangements!
Susan McNeil
Graphic Arts Sophomore
Exercise more, eat less
Editor:
Coming from another country, I see a big percentage of the population obese. All of the healthier food and snacks programs are great, but they are not all we need to lower the percentages.
There are more things to do, something as simple as walking. How many times have you gone to a store and spent about 10 minutes driving around the parking lot trying to find The Spot, the one near the entrance? And we have all these drive-through services, when you have to go to the bank, there’s no need to get out of the car with the drive through window. It’s just so convenient, as well as the drive through box to drop off the movies we rent. How many fast-food restaurants have drive through windows? There are restaurants that do not even have dining inside; you just order and they bring it to your car. How comfortable is that? Well, I have to admit, it is convenient and comfortable, but when we use these services, we leave out a little bit of exercise that can help us feel a little healthier and look that way, too.
Eating less fast food and doing a little bit of exercise is the way to go. That does not mean that you need a subscription to a gym. Just by walking a little bit every day and going up stairs instead of using the elevator, you can meet your goal. If we all try, we can lower the percentage and have a healthier Texas.
Ylenia Burris
Radio-television-film Sophomore