Editor’s note: From the election of a mascot to the re-election of a governor, these are among our favorite quotes from the past several days.
“It’s certainly good to have someone who’s [an] expert at Supreme Court practice.”
— Harry Reasoner, a partner at law firm Vinson & Elkins, on UT’s decision to hire an outside law firm for its upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The case, Fisher v. University of Texas, calls into question the constitutionality of the University’s top 10 percent admissions policy. Latham & Watkins will be paid almost $1 million.
“This has the potential to be a localized health care reform [initiative]. … I’m really excited about this and think it’s going to be a big deal for this community.”
— Frank Rodriguez, a board member of Central Health, on the Seton Healthcare Family’s pledge to pay $250 million toward a new medical school and teaching hospital in Austin, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The new hospital would replace University Medical Center-Brackenridge, which is currently owned by Central Health and operated by Seton.
“The impression that one receives is of reasonably coherent core standards augmented by an excruciatingly long and tedious list of minor, questionable additions wrapped in stilted and garbled language.”
— Ze’ev Wurman, a former adviser to President George W. Bush, on the new math standards for public schools, according to The Texas Tribune. Many business leaders contend that the standards, approved by the State Board of Education on Friday, are not rigorous enough.
“I’m certainly going to give that the appropriate consideration. My instincts are very positive towards it right now, but we’ll wait until after the legislative session to make that announcement.”
— Gov. Rick Perry on whether he would consider running for governor again, according to CBS. Perry is the longest-serving governor in the state’s history.
“There is a big deal. Right now, at this moment, it’s [important] for future generations so they can look back at us students and say we had a voice and were able to choose what the mascot was going to be.”
— Frank Orozco, a student and employee at UT-Brownsville, on taking part in the process to pick a new mascot for the university, according to The Brownsville Herald. After a bitter divorce between the university and its junior-college counterpart, UT-Brownsville has put the selection of a mascot to a student vote from the student body. The finalists for the mascot are: ocelot, vaqueros, jaguarundi, parrots and bull sharks, one of which will replace the previous mascot of Scorpions.