Response to “Hustle and Heart”

Letter Submitted By Tom Freeman

October 6, 2015

Dear Oracle: Thank you for the article on HSU's Dulincia Keeener.Truly she is a student athlete in every sense of the word.  I had her as a student in two history classes, and she did a great job in both.  She has also been one of the best basketball players in recent HSU history, as well as an ou...

Response to “Do Your Pants Hang Low?”

Submitted by Tiffany Carter, second year graduate student

September 24, 2015

Dear Editor, I am writing in regards to the article “Do Your Pants Hang Low?” I do not think this sign should have been put up on campus, especially in the student’s center. This topic should have been brought up in discussion at an assembly or throughout student organizations before it was posted over campus. If the faculty thinks that this is a major issue then the Dean of Students could have sent out an email, again to start conversation. I feel like this would have started a discussion over campus about sagging pants instead of it feeling as if it is directed towards a specific race.People around campus get offended by sagging, yet girls can walk around campus in shorts that their butts hang out and shirts that are way too low cut. I see more skin on campus than I do on the beach. Why is that not being addressed? I find that more offensive than sagging; however since Henderson does not have a dress code, students can wear what they want. The sign stated that, “The Following Would Not Be Tolerated: Profanity, Excessive Loudness, Rude Behavior, Sagging Pants.” Profanity, excessive loudness, and rude behavior should all be addressed because it is disrespectful to others. The only issue with that is, everyone’s opinion of profanity, excessive loudness and rude behavior are different. Who determines what is excessive and rude? My definition of rude behavior would not be the same as the guy sitting next to me in the computer lab with his music spouting out profanity with every other word and being super loud.Lastly, I do not see how this is a racial issue. Sagging originated in prison to show other inmates that they are sexually available. It is meant as a sign of “sexiness.” It has nothing to do with a specific race. If you look up prisons online, you can see who is incarcerated. There are whites, black, Asians, Chinese, Hispanic, Indian and every other race. So no, this cannot be pinpointed to a specific race. If this poster would have been put up two years ago, I do not think this would have been an issue. Since there is a lot of racial tension going on in the world today, I think that people are defensive and automatically think “racism.” I do not see that as the issue with this sign.Katelynn Hardage

Response to “Saggy Pants”

Submitted By Lynley Billingsley, senior education major

September 24, 2015

Dear Ms. Skinner,I am writing in response to Dylan McNiel's article "Do Your Pants Hang Low." As an employee of Henderson State University and a graduate student, I interact with students in a professional setting, as we in the classroom. While I do not like to see sagging pants on campus or any other place, I feel that college students are adults and should be treated as such.To post a sign displaying rules or expectations reminds me of grade school. I cannot understand why signs were used as a means to communicate these expectations to students. I certainly cannot understand why the signs were hung in the student center. Why were these expectations not added to the Code of Conduct? Why were these expectations not disseminated in an email like changes to the Code of Conduct?All of the discussion I have heard about the signs focused on sagging pants. What about the other items addressed on the sign (profanity, excessive loudness, rude behavior)? The use of profanity while talking to a group of friends in the student center would probably elicit a different response than the use of profanity while discussing a grade with a professor. Who decides when loudness is excessive? Who determines what is considered rude behavior? One’s view on rudeness, profanity, and excessive loudness depends on that individual’s perspective.It is the university's stance that the intended purpose was to invoke a "discussion of appropriate behavior." Where and when were such discussions supposed to take place? If and when these discussions happened, how would these discussions be used to solve the problem? After discussion, if the student body as a whole decided that sagging pants were not inappropriate, would the policy still stand?It is my opinion that hanging the signs before talking about the issues was not the right way to address the issues. Even in elementary school, teachers express and explain expectations to their students. Since the signs were hung in the Garrison, are students only expected to abide with those guidelines in the Garrison? What about the classrooms? Would it have been a better idea to address the issues in areas where teaching and learning occur, and to address issues as they arise (with the student who is actually disrupting the learning process)? I just do not believe that signs are the answer to ongoing problems with behavior. I think the university should express student expectations to the student body in a manner other than posting two signs in the student center. I think that issues within the classroom and other professional settings should be handled as the issues arise.It is my hope that the university achieves its, in the words of Chad Fielding, “goal to empower our student to be productive and positive contributors to their workplace and communities”, and that the university would engage its students in serious conversation about the expectations for students. Erica Brown

Response to “On Your Best Behavior”

Submitted By Emeka Nnoli

September 24, 2015

Dear Editor, Since the start of Fall semester, the management of the Henderson State University (HSU) have disseminated a lot of information to the student and faculty. Besides the information on "Saggy Pant," which generated a lot of bad press, the school's information update on the new student co...

Response to “Code of Conduct”

Submitted By Erin Mitchell, physical education sophomore

September 24, 2015

Dear Editor,I wish to respond to the article, “On Your Best Behavior” by Carmin Wills. This article is discussing the changes in the Code of Conduct that apply to using or in possession of marijuana. I completely agree with the change because it will make our university more of a professional at...

Response to “Going Green”

Submitted By Elizabeth Kelly, MLA graduate student

September 24, 2015

Dear Editor,     This is a response to the article published August 24, 2015 Volume 109, Issue 1 titled “Going Green” by James Leigh. As a new graduate student at Henderson I find the issue of sagging pants to be perplexing. Equally important to the sagging pants issue is the campus’ going ...

Letter to the editor: Syria column response

Joshua McIntyre

October 16, 2013

Dear editor,This is a response to your article last month titled “Why so Syria,” in which you advocated Obama’s plan to go to war with Syria.It doesn’t seem like you’re seeing this with the same historical or moral context that many such as myself do, so I wanted to bring up a few points that...

Dear Editor: ‘I am a Reddie’

March 12, 2012

What is a Reddie? Why are we Reddies? For as long as I have been a student here at HSU — and I started as an undergraduate in 2007 — these questions have been asked. The questions may stem from a snotty taunt of “What’s a Reddie? Clap, clap, clapclap clap” from across the street, or they ma...

Dear Editor: Student calls for new mascot

March 5, 2012

Coming to Henderson or starting school here, everyone is told of the “Reddie Spirit,” which is “mascot” of Henderson. It is not our motion to “change,” but to add on to this Henderson tradition of the “Reddie Spirit.” Most people know the story of the birth of our “Reddie Spirit,” ...

Dear Editors:

February 6, 2012

I first encountered Dr. Jacobs during my first semester at Henderson (Fall 2008).  He was being honored at the Founder's Day ceremony by being inducted into the Henderson Academy of Scholars. He was giving a talk to the biology department, and a couple of friends and I decided to go. I can't remember...

Letter to the Editor: Greeks reach out to ‘Boys and Girls’

Cris McGough

October 3, 2011

I would like to take a minute to share some positive comments about the Henderson greek community. This past Friday the Boys and Girls Club of Clark County helped celebrate Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play. We reached out to the greeks at Henderson State University for volunteers. I am very happy to sa...