| OPINION
| SEPTEMBER 28, 2005
Editorial/Our View
Who Knew?
Someone didn’t tell us about
our rivalry with UT-Dallas
UTA and UT-Dallas have had a standing rivalry that both university
presidents have been trying to suppress and that students have known
nothing about. If the question, “What rivalry?” comes
to mind, don’t worry. You are not alone.
President James Spaniolo and UT-Dallas President David Daniel switched
campuses for a day Sept. 19 to settle the notion of a rivalry and
because the two presidents plan on collaborating on a number of
projects.
Rivalries are usually something entire schools are aware of, take
part in and are usually between two somewhat equal factions. UT-Dallas
had a little more than half of UTA’s enrollment in fall 2004
at 14,092 students.
The rivalry was probably unknown to students because UT-Dallas doesn’t
seem like UTA’s ideal rival and because it was caused by issues
in which students weren’t involved.
There are several speculations as to where the rivalry came from.
Daniel Woodward, communication assistant for the Office of the President,
said it began with the establishment of UT-Dallas in 1969 when UTA
worried it would take students, professors and UT System funding.
Another speculation is that the rivalry was the result of the actions
of UT System Chancellor Mark Yudof in 2003. In an interview, Yudof
said he was looking at UT-Dallas to be the next flagship school
for the UT System.
In response to Yudof’s interview, state senators Chris Harris
Kim Brimer and state Representative Toby Goodman said they lost
confidence in the UT System’s commitment to UTA as a first-rate
institution, according to the April 4, 2003, issue of the Arlington
Star-Telegram. Goodman then drafted a House bill that would end
the university’s membership to the UT System. Nothing came
of it.
A rivalry between the two universities doesn’t seem sensible
in the first place because the universities aren’t sports
rivals. UT-Dallas is primarily an engineering school, and, even
though both are in the Metroplex, they aren’t next door to
each other.
Well, at least we had a rivalry for a little while, even if we didn’t
know about it.
|
|
Editorial
round-up
The issue:
President James Spaniolo and UT-Dallas President David
Daniel are trying to suppress a rivalry between the
two universities by collaborating on projects.
We wonder:
What rivalry?
|
|
|
