When I read the Daily Texan article “Ahmadi Muslim students at UT Austin organize blood drive” [published in September 2012], I was excited because more readers would be informed about the true Islamic value that is giving back to community and protecting the sanctity of life. Through articles like these, readers will be exposed to a different side of news about Islam. Most media depict Islam as a mad man with  a gun who oppresses women or a totalitarian Muslim leader who forced the religious law to become the law of the nation. Most importantly, the number one job and obligation of a journalist is to inform people with fairness. Thus, an article about a persecuted Muslim sect that organizes a blood drive to save life in response to terrorism fulfills the obligation of a journalist. As an Ahmadi Muslim, I’m proud that there are reporters who care about featuring the story of a minority group who is facing injustice.

— Khalida Jamilah, English freshman at UC Berkeley

I was mystified to read about the report by the National Association of Scholars [written about in the Texan], which claimed that there was a “dominance of race, class and gender” in introductory American history classes at UT. One of [the authors’] suggestions, to “depoliticize history,” was quite naive, as the report itself had a clear political bias, intending to minimize discussions that included experiences of many different groups in America, and instead, to continue the Texas general education from first grade onwards of teaching the mainstream “intellectual, political, religious, diplomatic, military, and economic historical themes.” In an extraordinary twist of logic, the report even claimed that by attempting to address minority voices in the history of the United States, we “shortchange students by denying them exposure to … the American story, as a whole,” and we “become imprisoned within a narrow interpretation.” Clearly, this more accurately describes our previously pallid view of history, and not our more enriched, vibrant one that we are finally exposed to today in our first discussions of race, class, and gender. 

 — Angela Hsu, Computer science sophomore

Why is there an ad for University of Michigan on the [Daily Texan] website, and why is it displayed so many times? It’s both ironic and disconcerting.

— Maggie Ellis, Asst. District Attorney, Travis County