UT admissions; illegal immigration

UT admissions

Whoever wrote the Wednesday editorial “Big names, no big deal at UT Austin” must have been one of the 73 below-average students.

The assumption seems to be that we should expect the use of money, power and privilege to give an advantage over those who don’t have access to money, power and privilege. This is Texas, right?

Whether it’s for 73, 10,000 or one, it’s too many.

I’m thankful there are people like Wallace Hall who are willing to stand up, show some courage, blow the whistle, call foul and try to make the playing field of opportunity a little more level for all of our Texas students.

— Rex Carey, Midlothian

So the Editorial Board thinks the good-ol’-boy way of getting underqualified students into UT is “no big deal”?

Seems to me that I heard of a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court about something very similar.

— W.B. Slaughter, Fort Worth

The thinly veiled premise in the July 21 news story “UT insiders used clout to influence admissions” is that it is somehow scandalous for community leaders and persons of influence to write letters of recommendation for aspiring college students.

I find the premise ridiculous at best, but more so highly offensive.

Through the years, I have held various positions of leadership in the community, including those of elected official, pastor, educator, financial supporter, volunteer, friend and father. In each of these roles I have been asked to write letters of recommendation for high school students seeking to better themselves and their society through higher education.

I’m outraged to think that anyone would take exception to my willingness to give written endorsement to a young lady or gentleman in whom I believed.

If it is now scandalous for those of influence and position in the community to compose letters of recommendation, I ask the reporters to heed their own warning and refuse any young person who should ask them for such.

— David W. Barnett,

Richland Hills

Illegal immigration

Bud Kennedy’s July 19 column quoting U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez’s comments regarding illegal immigration did not truly represent the issue.

I agree that we need to put the people who are here illegally and have established roots in our state “on the books,” as Gutierrez suggests, to determine exactly who is here.

This is very important. But, at the same time, we need to ensure that Texas businesses are not allowed to hire people who aren’t “registered.”

Gutierrez also says the process of registering children born in Texas to mothers here illegally needs to be faster and easier. If we’re going to continue this, I agree, but I think we need a constitutional amendment to have this law changed.

Mothers are breaking our law to have their children born here. We then reward them for being successful in breaking our law. Tens of thousands of these babies are born in Texas county hospitals each year and immediately become eligible for Medicaid.

— John T. Johnson III, Arlington

This story was originally published July 27, 2015 at 4:57 PM with the headline "UT admissions; illegal immigration."