Our state senator recently wrote a guest column for the El Paso Times.
In it he stated that the new UTEP president “is not representative of this community”.
What is he saying?
Is it because she is from out of town? Is it because of her political party affiliations? I hope that he does not mean that her ethnicity should disqualify her.
He further stated that he looks forward to working to see “that the campus remains free, open and embracing of El Paso’s diversity.”
It seems to be that these two points contradict each other. Doesn’t diversity require variety in who works there?
It is troubling to me that the senator chose to vent publicly instead of through channels. What do we gain when our state senator openly attacks our university president simply because he thinks she is not representative of our community?
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
I have long gotten the impression that not representative of our community is code speak for not Mexican enough since “our community” is 85% Hispanic and that segment is predominantly of Mexican heritage. The sad thing is that I think statements like that and a view that Mexico is the center of the universe, hold us back and are a turnoff for folks who aren’t of Mexican heritage. Look at LA, SF, Chicago. They all have diverse ethnicities who proudly celebrate their heritage, but those cities don’t strongly identify with any one heritage. Their strength is their welcome to all approach. I like the new UTEP President’s credentials and think her different perspectives and network might be good for our community. After all, the leaders who are “representative of our community “ don’t seem to know how to do anything but tax and spend.
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It sounds like he is making a reference to her race. As for the 85% Hispanic community, look at the EPISD school board. Does it look 85% Hispanic? What does that say.
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EPISD school board is 85% stupid. That’s its problem. Why they don’t axe Cabrera is beyond me.
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85% stupid. Made me laugh
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It looks to me as if y’all ain’t been paying much attention to the news about this lady! The mention of diversity is clearly a reference to the reported history of bias demonstrated by her against LBGQT folks, and why can’t our elected representative voice his concerns in public? Isn’t that why we choose representatives? He did not say anything about ethnic diversity, but maybe your own prejudice is getting in your way.
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LBGTP folks are about 4.5% of the general populace (per 2017 Gallup) and there is no reason to make them a special criteria for anything, especially choosing a university president. They can bake their own cakes and close the door behind them.
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Some in El Paso only want a ‘closed shop’ environment, which is really a shame. If you look at Beto and Escobar’s education bios, believe they, plus many others have gone to some pretty fancy higher educational institutions OUTSIDE El Paso.
BRUTUS: On page 9A of today’s El Paso TIMES, there is a short clip titled “Property tax bill clears Senate over backlash by big cities.”
This might be a TOPIC for tomorrow, since it’s an effort to CAP yearly property tax increases to 3.5% for cities and 2.5% for school districts.
Could not find this article on the TIMES website, but did find it at the Texas Tribune and other Texas newspaper websites.
Since some posters on your website have such galactic ‘shit fits’ over local taxes; it might be HELPFUL for those Texas legislators OUTSIDE El Paso pushing this bill, to hear from El Paso taxpayers who like the idea. Also let the Texas Governor and LT. Governor know.
Of course our local elected officials are ‘scared shitless’ over this initiative! Remember: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
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Good gawd…Wilson’s a Trump appointee. That alone should disqualify her to have anything to do with running a border city university with a particular kind of student she knows nothing about.
She not qualified. Period. Just because she spent a couple of years running a university with one-tenth the student body in some Godforsaken midwest state I can’t remember doesn’t make her a good fit for UTEP and our particular situation. She has no idea how education works (or doesn’t) on the border. Her students were 85% white which is altogether a different animal.
Wilson has serious political baggage she’s dragging into UTEP. The kind of baggage that has the words “corrupt” and “worst” but no local media had the courage to bring that up and inform El Paso at large about those particulars. Dealbreakers.
She voted against financial aid to back and Latino students. The list goes on. I for one appreciate State Senator Rodriguez for putting himself out there and calling this what it is.
Today’s post is not only ignorant…it sounds like somebody has an axe to grind but they’re trying to do it with a really dull blade which will get them nowhere.
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“a Trump appointee. That alone should disqualify her.”
This is a silly comment.
Who else should we disqualify? Trump voters, Trump’s “friends” on Twitter, People who have stayed at Mar-a-Lago???
The only criteria should be qualifications.
I agree that the Regent’s process was not transparent. I’d also like to know more about the alleged corruption. However, disqualifying people because of their political affiliations is just a leftist form of red-baiting.
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Trump appointees either find themselves without a job in short order or justify accepting his offer as a step up their career ladders. El Paso is nothing like Trump country…i’m just pointing that out as another reason she doesn’t represent our community. Anyone with common sense knows she represents the money in El Paso. And most of us know who that is.
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Short answer to your question, Chico, would be “all of the above.” If you still think, after all this time, that there is one redeeming quality of anything decent in life associated with that son of a bitch, then you are part of the problem.
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Wow, Dungan. That’s a lot of hate, particularly for this the holiest of weeks. Peace be with you.
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Right, Chico!! I’m glad the right never attacks or disqualifies individuals because of their political affiliations. 🙄
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Both sides attack. No disagreement there.
Both sides can say nasty things as well. I agree.
I’m pausing at the intensity of the comment: “If you still think that there is one redeeming quality of anything decent in that son of a bitch …”
Call me naive, but I think all humans have at least one redeeming quality of something decent … Trump included.
If others post with the same level of distaste, right or left, I wish them peace as well. My comment is not intended to be sarcastic. It’s not worth it to hate so intensely.
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Chico, I’m good with all of that.
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Anonymous,
Can’t reply to you below. Have a great Easter.
Chico
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Your post underscores the real fear. She might not continue UTEP’s tradition of low academic standards and preferential treatment for the Hispanic majority in this community. God forbid if UTEP stopped being the ultimate safety school.
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FYI, UTEP happens to rank pretty high nationally in academic areas. But, then, you don’t seem to pay much attention to news.
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Yeah, its 2019 ranking of 230 out 301 public universities by US News & World Report is impressive. It’s got a 100% acceptable rate as of last fall’s measurements and a 30% graduation rate after 6 years. In short, the ultimate safety school.
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That should say acceptance rate. I hate autocorrect.
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Her students were 85% white which is altogether a different animal.
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Code for they can read.
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Using your logic, a Latino from the border would never be considered or hired for the presidency of a university in the midwest or northeast with a student body that is predominantly white or black. I think that’s called discrimination.
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It’s because she voted to not give federal money to colleges with a large percent of Hispanics, it’s because she voted against immigrants, it’s because she voted against gay rights. So, therefore, a bitch.
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