Tag Archives: UT

No injunction for campus carry

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So much for that. A federal judge has denied three University of Texas at Austin professors’ initial attempt to keep guns out of their classrooms under the state’s campus carry law. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled that the professors, … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

UT and AG ask for campus carry lawsuit to be dismissed

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty standard procedure. The Texas Attorney General’s Office and University of Texas at Austin on Monday asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit brought by three UT-Austin professors seeking to keep guns out of their classrooms despite the … Continue reading →

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Paxton responds to campus carry lawsuit

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about what you’d expect. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday called a lawsuit brought by three University of Texas at Austin professors against the state’s campus carry law “frivolous” and said the professors have no valid reasons for … Continue reading →

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Behind The Tower

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Fifty years have passed since Charles Whitman went on an infamous killing spree at the University of Texas. Now a group of historians at UT have taken an in depth look at Whitman and his actions, and tried to answer … Continue reading →

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UT will not push UIL on transgender athletes

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunate. Despite objections from LGBT advocates, UIL’s longstanding informal policy is set to become official August 1 — when it takes effect as an amendment to the league’s constitution. The amendment, initially approved by UIL’s Legislative Council last year, wasoverwhelmingly ratified … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over campus carry

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Three University of Texas at Austin professors sued their university and the state on Wednesday, claiming Texas’ new campus carry law is forcing the school to impose “overly-solicitous, dangerously-experimental gun policies” that violate the First … Continue reading →

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The Scalia effect on current cases

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib highlights a few cases pending before the Supreme Court that could be affected by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Texas abortion law On March 2, the court will hear oral arguments in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, … Continue reading →

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On to the benefits

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Now that same sex marriage is the law of the land, Texas employers need to make sure that the spousal benefits they offer apply to all spouses. “If an employer provides benefits to anyone who is currently married, they must … Continue reading →

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Moving on to the benefits issue

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And as we move on to other fights, the terrain changes. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott opened the door for state agencies to withhold benefits from same-sex couples Friday, hours after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. In a letter … Continue reading →

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Houston’s transit deserts

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Kinder Institute’s Urban Edge blog: A new study suggests that despite METRO’s launch of several highly-touted and publicized improvements, the agency is still struggling to address the needs of some communities that depend heavily on transit. With operations … Continue reading →

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How will campuses handle campus carry?

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good question. When it comes to guns on campus, University of Texas System Chancellor William McRaven is in a bit of an awkward position. A month ago, the former Navy admiral was one of the most vocal opponents of legislation … Continue reading →

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Austin B-Cycle coming

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Took ’em long enough. Service will launch Dec. 21 with 110 bikes and 11 stations, including one sponsored by the Chronicle. The full project will be completed by March 1, 2014, with expanded stations planned to service the UT-Austin campus, … Continue reading →

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The “illegal immigrant” hunt

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Who could have ever predicted that this would be a bad idea? A conservative student group at the University of Texas announced Monday that it plans to organize a mock immigration roundup on campus this week as a way to … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Perry goes on a veto spree

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full list. Among the victims are the omnibus ethics bill HB217, thus giving Allen Blakemore his fondest wish; two bills aimed at reducing the number of standardized tests some students must take, one of which will make William … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why not a university?

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Tory Gattis has an interesting suggestion for that 136 acre tract of land east of downtown. This parcel of land could be the last opportunity for Houston to add a major college campus to the city.  We should consider something … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The UT admissions lawsuit

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t paid much attention to the latest lawsuit over the University of Texas’ admissions standards and practices – as with school finance lawsuits, I’ve lost count of how many there have been in my lifetime – but there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Fighting identity theft

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The U of Texas is studying it. Identity theft is a cradle-to-grave problem that costs U.S. businesses $50 billion and affects at least 10 million consumers each year. At least 1 million children’s identities are stolen over the course of … Continue reading →

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The other elephant in the room

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Patti Kilday Hart writes about the Supreme Court taking up the issue once again of UT’s admissions policies. The Supreme Court’s willingness to consider the case signals that it may once again weigh in on how university admissions officers do … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

From the “More things you need to be slightly paranoid about” department

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing like a new domain suffix to remind you of the potential for creative malfeasance. The University of Kansas is buying up website names such as www.KUgirls.xxx and www.KUnurses.xxx. But not because it’s planning a Hot Babes of Kansas site … Continue reading →

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From the “And I wish for a pony, too” department

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, you know that annual UT-A&M game that’s not going to be played again any time in the near future? Let’s bring it to Reliant Stadium! Why not have Texas and Texas A&M meet at Reliant Stadium every Thanksgiving? It … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Shunning A&M

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not just the UT-A&M football game that’s on the endangered list. The SEC-bound Aggies have said they’d love to keep playing UT as a non-conference foe, but Longhorns athletic director DeLoss Dodds has said the school’s football schedule is … Continue reading →

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RIP, UT-A&M

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Tradition, schmadition. This Thanksgiving one of college football’s oldest and most storied rivalries will be put on indefinite hold when Texas and Texas A&M meet for the last time as Big 12 foes. The Aggies wanted to continue the series … Continue reading →

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Who’s number 14?

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As the SEC welcomed Texas A&M as its 13th member, commissioner Mike Slive says they have no immediate plans to invite a 14th. Slive said the SEC wasn’t looking to expand, but that A&M was too attractive of an option … Continue reading →

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UT will start conference shopping

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More dominoes. University of Texas President William Powers Jr. was given the authority Monday to explore changing conferences, and Texas will seriously consider trying to join the Pacific-12 and the Atlantic Coast conferences if not other possibilities, sources close to … Continue reading →

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Can this conference be saved?

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your latest Big XII speculation. Several reports indicate that Texas would be willing to share its Tier I revenue provided through the Big 12’s television contracts for football to help preserve the conference. That would not affect the $15 … Continue reading →

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Are you ready for the Sooner Network?

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, why not? Reporters were given a tour Tuesday of the university’s SoonerVision HD production rooms that have been expanded through $5 million in improvements in recent years. With fiber-optic cables connecting the school’s athletic venues to side-by-side control rooms, … Continue reading →

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Why not start the Aggie Network?

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Kirk Bohls raises an interesting point. It’s hard to blame Texas for having the wherewithal and desire to start its own network and reap $15 million a year off it for the next 20 years. It’s not the Longhorns’ fault … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

NCAA officially nixes high school programming on the Longhorn Network

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So much for that. The NCAA made official Thursday what most suspected would happen: It won’t allow programming involving high school athletics on university- or conference-affiliated television networks. That means the new Longhorn Network’s plans to carry about 18 high … Continue reading →

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No high school games on the Longhorn Network

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

For now, anyway. The Big 12’s athletic directors unanimously agreed to a moratorium on high school content delivered on institutional or conference media platforms for a minimum of one year, the league announced in a release Monday. League athletic directors … Continue reading →

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It’s “The Longhorn Network” for a reason

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Branding, y’all. It’s called branding. And I don’t mean what they do to cattle. Though I suppose that is sort of what’s happening here, now that I think about it. Opponents’ views of Texas’ new cable network venture with ESPN … Continue reading →

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News flash: Rick Perry fails to tell the truth

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m as shocked as you are. Contrary to his public statements distancing himself from a brewing controversy in higher education, Gov. Rick Perry continually pressed his appointees to university boards of regents to promptly adopt “reforms” that critics say are … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

What about the jobs?

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With all of the public sector job cuts coming, will the private sector pick up the slack? This Statesman story paints a picture that I think is a tad bit too optimistic. Government employment, which includes local school districts and … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How does college tuition in Texas compare to other states?

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In a previous post, John left the following comment: Out of curiosity how much does a year at UT/A&M cost? How does that compare to Ohio St/Michigan/Cal/UVA/Washington etc. I would think this is a good time to do the revenue … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Furloughs and pay cuts: Not just for school districts

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

For public universities, too. Francisco Cigarroa, chancellor of the University of Texas System, asked state senators on Wednesday for flexibility to cut pay for faculty and staff and mandate furloughs to cope with budget cuts topping 20 percent. […] Kicking … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments