| OPINION
| November 9, 2004
Editorial/Our View
The Talk of the Campus
Students should take advantage
of hearing guest speakers on campus
UTA has had the honor of hosting numerous
guest speakers from around the world.
Most of the time, the presentations are free for students and only
a few dollars for others. Students are paying thousands of dollars
to attend this university, and they should take advantage of the
once-in-a-lifetime chance to see these leaders and hear what they
have to say. Just going class will get you the grades, but attending
these talks (even if the subject isn’t your major field of
study) is a great way to enrich your education.
Warren Faidley has been described as “the country’s
only full-time professional storm chaser.” He will speak Thursday
about his experience photographing tornadoes and hurricanes. His
work has appeared in movies, magazines and on TV, and the audience
can see much of this work in a slide show and media presentation
accompanying his talk.
This past spring, Desmond Tutu, a 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner
and leader of non-violent resistance against South African apartheid,
spoke to a crowd of 2,700 at Texas Hall. The man who many consider
responsible for ending European colonial rule in Africa shared his
vision of peace and brotherhood for the world here at our school.
And he’s not alone. Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian poet and playwright
who received the Nobel prize in literature in 1986, lectured in
the spring about his life experiences, including his imprisonment
due to political oppression in Nigeria. Earlier this semester, famous
ex-hacker Kevin Mitnick discussed avoiding identity theft and other
security issues. Leaders in women’s rights, education and
science have visited UTA as well.
These are people who are nationally and even internationally recognized
for their contributions to the world — surely there is something
in each of these talks everyone can find interesting.
These are just a few examples of the individuals with years of experience
and research in their field, numerous awards and national recognition
who have spoken at UTA. We should all thank EX.C.E.L. Campus Activities
and other organizations for putting together these events and show
our support and broaden our minds by attending these events.
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Editorial round-uP
The issue:
Nationally recognized storm chaser Warren Faidley will
speak here Thursday.
We suggest:
Students should take advantage of the opportunity to
see him and other great speakers for free.
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