Once again, the UT administration is guilty of using student and state funds to subsidize one-sided political agendas. This time, the UT Department of Radio, Television, and Film co-sponsored a private fundraiser for the Texas Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (TARAL) at Dobie Mall. The fundraiser featured a screening of Jane, a documentary that glorified the (then illegal) mass extermination of 12,000 innocent unborn children via underground abortions. An advertisement for the event read:
"From 1963 through 1973, a group of ordinary women did an extra-ordinary (!!!) thing. They formed JANE, an underground Chicago-based women's health service that facilitated and performed nearly 12,000 safe, illegal abortions. From all walks of life, through rumor, hearsay, or on the advice of ministers (who?!?), medical students, and even police, women somehow knew who to call when they had run out of options -- they called JANE."
The only pleasant experience of the evening was being able to see my friends from the Women's Resource Center at the movie, cheering on the systematic slaughter of innocents and perhaps learning new techniques in fetal dismemberment.
Student and state funds ought not to be used to fund any type of political agenda, especially considering that the administration is drowning in fiscal irresponsibility.
While UT misuses our student fees by supporting political special-interests, the administrators report to us that there isn't enough money to keep our school functioning efficiently. They tell us that there is a lack of funds to increase staff salaries. They claim that there isn't any money to re-establish the Texas Union Film Program. There isn't enough money to revoke the recent fee increases in the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Communications. There isn't enough money to add additional Capitol Metro shuttle routes, and there sure isn't enough money to build a new student union without demanding $29/semester/student in fees. With an alleged lack of funds to support our staff, prevent fee increases, or keep worthy student programs alive, should UT administrators have the luxury of using our money to subsidize political organizations of their choice? Surely not.