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Editorials

  • Apply for FAFSA early

    Although summer is fast approaching, remember money is available for students who are attending classes. It is important to remember this because so many students believe there is not enough financial help available to go to school. Use every opportunity that you can, financial aid assistance is available all month; if students need help in filling out the applications, visit student financial services.

  • Counseling services offered

    College students have plenty of stress trying to balance work and school. Some students also have children to care for. The student’s journey to pursuing a higher education is not easy. If it was, everyone would have a degree in something. Our counselors recognize the troubles and stress students face and provide access to counseling groups to students in need of support and guidance.

  • SGA needs larger sample

    The Student Government Association announced March 18 a plan to survey 200 students for opinions on a one-textbook per course policy the district seems intent on implementing. SGA leaders then carried 366 combined voices to the Alamo Colleges board of trustees on March 26.

  • To drop or not to drop?

    April 19 is approaching. Do you know what that means? April 19 is the last day to withdraw from a class. Do you find yourself wondering: Should I stay in this class past the drop date and risk failing? This is a good time to check your grades, especially midterm grades.

  • Audit student activity fee

    The Student Activity Fee Committee is an advisory body made up of five students and four faculty or staff members who make decisions for clubs and organizations on the expenditure of $50,000 of $400,000 annual revenue. In the March 25 issue, The Ranger reported that of the $50,000 allotted for this fiscal year, $16,031.

  • Last call for graduates

    Today is the deadline for students to apply for graduation and participate in commencement exercises at 10 a.m. May 11 at Joe Freeman Coliseum, 3201 E. Houston St. To graduate, students must apply online though their ACES account and meet with a counselor or faculty adviser for a degree audit.

  • Donate goods, time

    Many students take advantage of the Phi Theta Kappa food pantry at 602 W. French Place. We are grateful they have this resource to turn to. The question is: What have the rest of us done to give back to the community? The food pantry is an agency of the San Antonio Food Bank and people can sign up to volunteer or conduct a food drive for the food bank.

  • Allow leaders to lead

    Should the president of this college be allowed to make decisions about the budget? That sounds like a dumb question, right? The president of an institution is its top officer and therefore decides and signs off on expenditures. Unfortunately, the question is not hypothetical, and that has become a real problem.

Viewpoints

  • Lacey_4-15-13

    Development classes motivated me to survive, succeed

    When I began my pursuit in spring 2011 to earn an associate degree in journalism, I was enthusiastic about the challenges and learning the basics of journalism, different writing styles and improving my grammar. I knew I had the talent, so I was devastated when my class schedule included READ 0303, College Reading and Critical Thinking, and MATH 0300, Basic Mathematics.

  • michael_peters_3-29-13 by Vincent Reyna

    Media access put me in the Big League

    When I found out I was covering Big League Weekend for The Ranger, I knew I had to take full advantage of it. A lifelong sports fanatic — and baseball being one of my favorites — I was excited to see the game from a perspective that most fans never will.

  • Duarte Mug

    Tram link to higher ed

    Ever since I joined The Ranger in fall 2011, I decided that Texas State University would be my first choice as an in-state school when I was ready to transfer. My plans were simple: I would graduate in May with an associate degree in journalism, transfer to the university in the fall and complete my upper division requirements in two years.

  • Schuler Mug

    Tobin Lofts at SAC offer many amenities at a great value

    Since 2006, I have been a licensed sales agent. In the last three years, most of my team’s rental customers chose properties in the historic neighborhoods of Downtown, Tobin Hill, Monte Vista, Mahncke Park and Alamo Heights. Rents are up. Demand is up.

  • Carlos Ferrand Mug

    In love, time is the most precious currency

    You have probably heard people say love doesn’t cost a thing. Well, they‘re right and they’re wrong. If you only put a monetary value on love, then yes, love doesn’t cost a thing. Love doesn’t have a minimum monthly payment or a membership fee. You may be able to impress someone with money, but you can’t hold onto them with it.

  • Riley Stephens Mug

    Settlement can’t replace damages to habitat, wildlife

    As I read about the U.K.-based oil company BP settling for $4.5 billion for damage to all forms of industry along the Gulf of Mexico caused when the Deepwater Horizon well cap blew April 20, 2010, I wanted to ask company officials why the leak happened in the first place.

  • Garcia mug

    Believe in yourself, follow your dreams — and enter contests

    I was born in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, a small town where people believe that if you are born poor, you will die poor. Since I arrived in San Antonio 20 years ago, I was determined to break the cycle and prove that with hard work and dedication, dreams can come true.

  • Espino mug

    Viewpoint: No need for paper to be an American

    I was born in Mexico City 23 years ago, but in the summer of 2001, I became a Mexican-American. From the moment my family and I stepped in this country, I loved and embraced everything about it. It became my home. The attacks of 9/11 hurt my heart as it did any other American. 2 comments

Letters to the Editor

  • Letter to the Editor: Apology for blurred perspective

    Editor: After the delivery of a letter of complaint to the college, the Alamo Colleges police and The Ranger in February, I was informed of facts that have significantly altered my views. I no longer believe that the officer’s actions in regard to two couples in Loftin Student Center were of homophobic intent, nor do his actions appear to have been discriminatory in any way.

  • Letter to the Editor: Arming employees only way to protect school children

    Editor: Have you noticed that shooters target locations that prohibit concealed handgun carry? You should also notice that most of the shooters are cowards that give up quickly or shoot themselves when they receive a little resistance. Why don’t these nuts go into a police station or a bank to do their mass killing? They may be mentally challenged, but they are not stupid.

  • Letter to the Editor: Redesigned library needs more tables for studying

    Editor: Concerning the library, I must admit that I am unhappy with the new arrangement. One day, I arrived on campus and went to where the library was previously located. The entrance doors were covered with thick yellow tape that read “do not cross.

  • Letter to the Editor: End financial aid delays

    Editor: This is a letter to the president, chancellor and board of trustees of the Alamo Colleges to hear and act upon the pleadings of those students at SAC who undergo the long process of verification to receive their financial aid funds. This is a letter in regard to the lack of duty from the financial aid staff and department members.

  • Letter to the Editor: Strong financial support needed for education

    Editor: Many thanks to Students United for the DREAM Act for inviting me to speak. I enjoyed the opportunity to participate with students and to work together to bring more awareness to the DREAM Act. Civic involvement like this should last a lifetime.

  • Letter to the Editor: Students learn less about influence on U.S. history

    Editor: A frequent complaint we hear in San Antonio is that history classes do not sufficiently cover the influence of Spain and Mexico on the history of the United States. In HIST 1301, United States History 1, and Texas History classes I’ve taught at this college, I have assigned students to read a good historical novel written by Tina Juárez, a Hispanic Texas educator.

  • Letter to the Editor: Spice up ‘The Sandwich’

    Editor: I’m 54 so I was a teenager when the music on “The Sandwich,” the new morning show, came out. Hearing the long Pink Floyd songs, we get sleepy again. Hot Mustard’s show, “The Sauce,” was awesome with blues music you heard nowhere else. Cold Turkey can do the same with classic rock on “The Sandwich.

  • Letter to the Editor: Altercation not clear at Oppenheimer

    Editor: I have a question regarding the front page story in the Oct. 1 issue of The Ranger (“Altercation spills out of Oppenheimer”). What misconduct actually occurred on the first floor of Oppenheimer that caused an altercation? Why were so many valuable resources used and to respond to what? Your article never clarifies what actually happened on that day.

MetaMedia

  • Follow-ups give readers fresh perspective

    By definition, news is new information of a sequence of events in a perpetual state of change. While some stories have an ending, most don’t, and it’s up to journalists to keep track and follow up on changes of those events, whether it be the hiring (or firing) of an employee, a new policy adopted by the Alamo Colleges board of trustees or something as simple as the cancellation of an event.

  • Write the editor

    What do you think about today’s news? Media outlets are always looking for feedback. Whether the news you want to address came from The Ranger, WOAI radio, CNN or the Podunk Daily Blog, you can express your thoughts in a letter to the editor. These letters, a long-standing tradition of media organizations, give readers a chance to respond to news items or the way they are covered — and occasionally how they are not covered.

  • Meet your deadlines, so we can meet ours

    To keep the public up to date, journalists aim for accuracy, but that cannot stand alone; deadlines have to be respected. Before newspapers, people relied on word of mouth for information. Anyone who has played Telephone knows word of mouth is anything but accurate.

  • To err is human, to correct is vital

    Accuracy is one of the most important aspects to journalists in producing the news. The only way for a journalist to gain trust and keep it is accurate reporting. Unfortunately, mistakes sometimes make it into print. A reporter may misspell a name, use an incorrect title or even misquote a source.

  • Perspective is key

    Journalists connect the dots in a story when they look at everyone’s perspective. When people say, “There are two sides to every story,” they are wrong. There are actually more than 7 billion, at least one for every human on the planet. It is a reporter’s job to figure out what actually happened, which requires talking to numerous sources. 1 comment

  • Journalism drives change

    After reading an article in the Feb. 11 issue of The Ranger about Peer Educators facing a condom shortage, members of the San Antonio AIDS Foundation helped distribute free condoms on National Condom Day Feb. 13. This is a prime example of the purpose of journalism — to inform the public and incite change within the community.

  • Photogs don’t give away photos

    Simply put, Ranger photographers on assignment cannot promise copies of photos from an assignment. A photojournalist on Ranger business shares the copyright with the news organization. Like most newspapers, The Ranger protects information it works hard to capture.

  • Beware of watchdog

    By definition, a watchdog is a watchful guardian or someone who watches carefully to detect illegal or unethical conduct. Reporters are the eyes and ears of a community. They attend meetings of government agencies to sniff around for signs of waste or abuse of public monies.