So there have already been posts from @quite-actually-a-nacho and @nemoneynicket , but a public university cancelled a drag show despite that action violating both the student contract and the first amendment.

Here’s the petition and the explanation from the poster of said petition.

“The student body of West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) is calling for the reinstatement of the charity performance "A Fool's Drag Race" to be held on campus. The shunning of this performance constitutes an indirect attack on the LGBT+, feminist, and activist communities of the WTAMU student body by targeting an event that is meant to support an LGBT+ charity.

Several of West Texas A&M University's student organizations have been actively working for several months on a drag show production called "A Fool's Drag Race". The main aim of the drag show was to raise funds for the Trevor Project, an organization that addresses suicide prevention for LGBT+ youth. All proceeds from the show would be going towards the Trevor Project.

On March 20, 2023, the president of WTAMU, Dr. Walter Wendler, canceled this show. In an email addressed to the WTAMU student body, titled "A Harmless Drag Show? No Such Thing", the reasons he gave for canceling the show were that he viewed drag as something that promoted "derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny", citing religious texts and personal religious beliefs (in an email which was addressed to a public, non-religiously affiliated university), and comparing drag to blackface performances and other derogatory works. Not only is this a gross and abhorrent comparison of two completely different topics, but it is also an extremely distorted and incorrect definition of drag as a culture and form of performance art. Furthermore, as Section 1.3 of Rule 08.99.99.W1 WTAMU Expressive Activity on Campus states, "The university may not take action against a student organization or deny the organization any benefit generally available to other student organizations at the university on the basis of a political, religious, philosophical, ideological, or academic viewpoint expressed by the organization or any expressive activities of the organization." By suspending this drag show, Dr. Wendler is violating university policy.

We, the students of WTAMU, hope to bring this issue to Dr. Wendler's attention and urge him to reinstate the drag show on-campus. We are holding this drag show whether we have his support or not, but his extreme lack of compassion for the LGBT+ and activist student population on campus shows with this latest e-mail.

The university president’s statement can be read below.

As a prospective student of this university, I cannot express how disappointed I was when I heard about this. To compare drag shows to blackface is appalling, and to cite religious beliefs when you are the head of a public university is embarrassing at best.

Though the petition has already reached its original goal, we still need more support, especially because an opposing petition was started.

For Better Or For Worse

With COVID in the rear view, it’s high time we find a new topic to talk about. To worry about, fret over, ponder what it will do to humanity. No, I’m not talking about the next pandemic, the next killer virus, although some might think this is pretty much the same thing. I’m talking about ChatGPT and its variant AI large-language model content generators.

ChatGPT first hit the mainstream media last November, and quickly gained steam. So many people wanted to test it out that there was often a wait list just to get in. Access is now more readily available, as are competitors like Google’s Bard.

What is interesting is how various entities and individuals have voiced concerns or embraced it, as disparate as night from day. For example, one of the chief concerns in the Screenwriters’ Guild and SAG/AFTRA strikes centers on intellectual property and the fear that deep fakes and AI-generated scripts and other works could all happen with AI. Who needs authors and actors when a machine can do all of the heavy lifting?

Next up is the growing number of media outlets worried sick about AI. They have banned AI in their newsroom, and gone so far as to block the GPTBot that crawls the web munching on knowledge. It is that crawling that allows ChatGPT and the others to continually get smarter and smarter.

And then there’s our university, West Texas A&M. Over the summer, a committee formed by the Provost helped craft three AI “statements” that faculty could (and should) include in their Syllabi for this semester. The options ranged from no AI to some AI to AI-all-the-time in a prof’s class, albeit with some caveats. For the record, I chose the latter, with details to be explained in the coming weeks as exams and group projects come due.

But last week our President, Dr. Walter Wendler, dropped a surprise on everyone. Starting in Fall 2024, WT will observe a no-cost, no-text policy in its course offerings, with a few exceptions granted under special circumstances. The President says that students will save, on average, $1280 a year by not having to buy text books.

And how are profs to teach a class without a text, you might ask?

Simple. I mean maybe not so simple. It involves a combination of subject matter expertise from the prof who will need to provide lengthy lectures, internet links to publicly available supporting material, and AI-generated lectures.

You read that right. We are being asked to use ChatGPT and other AI sites to let machines write course material. I never, ever could have seen this coming when I was in grad school 40 years ago.

But wait just a sec here! And I’m talking to my MBA students right now. How are weekly Units structured? Yep. My original lecture, with companion audio file, a slew of links, and an AI-generated lecture. It’s almost like I was reading Dr. Wendler’s mind, although I swear I wasn’t. Really.

Bottom line: My MBA students are experiencing the class of the future right now. This is where we are heading. I chatted with the Provost about it as well, and he agreed. I’m just glad that I have written lengthy lectures for five of my six courses over the years, and update them as needed. I can easily convert the other courses to the new format, and then get down to writing material for the one remaining class. That said, any prof who hasn’t committed his or her expertise to text is going to have an uphill grind soon, and anyone fresh out of grad school is going to find themselves in the deep end of the pool.

As for using AI, there are concerns about its proper usage. ChatGPT, like any search engine, can easily suffer from the GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) problem. If you do not know how to frame your query, you will get pathetic results. When I ask ChatGPT to “Write a Lecture,” I have to fill the query with all the necessary key words, or else I get junk.

These are indeed very interesting times. Everyone from Hollywood to the news room is scared to death of AI, and here we are at WT, plunging head long into it. I have heard some faculty expressing deep reservations. The important part for profs is to remember that the AI component is only one piece, and should not be the main course. Think of our own lectures as the pot roast, and the internet links and AI text the mashed potatoes, carrots, and celery. Anything less is a haphazard job.

And I for one am glad to have stumbled onto the model before it was released. I didn’t have insider information and I wasn’t prescient; I was just lucky. This is going to be a learning period for us all, and I welcome my students to provide feedback. I want this to be the best possible learning environment for everyone.

Let’s talk about it, good, bad, and ugly. But let’s not fear the technology. The machine is not coming for us.

Dr “I Can See Tomorrow From Here” Gerlich

Audio Blog

HEY FOLKS help my friend and their college fight to get the WTAMU Drag Show back after it was unfairly cancelled by the president based on personal religious beliefs (while affiliated with a non-religious university) and erroneous comparisons and misconceptions!

A university in the US is attempting to shut down a student-organized drag show. The drag show is to raise money for the https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ Sign this petition to let them have it!

WT Shuttle Bus

WTAMU Shuttle Bus (Buff Transit) is one of the many things not taken advantage of on campus. As being a student, it can be challenging to get to classes on time, especially with those 10 minutes between each class.

In my recent couple days, I have ridden the shuttle and it has truly cut down my time by those 10 minutes. I mainly have taken the bus from the Ag Building to the Fine Arts Complex.

Typically, the bus only takes a few minutes to get to the stops and then it takes you directly to the building you are needing to go to.

The bus drivers are very kind and very understanding of your time. The bus is typically pretty quiet and very efficient. I have noticed there is 2-3 passengers at a time. The passengers are typically talking with friends or on their phones waiting for their stops.

Taking the bus to classes has really become a game changer in my everyday life as a student. I recommend it to all students. More information about the buses on campus is on the WTAMU website or this link. With the routes in the picture.

i love @taylorswift . like, i genuinely dont know if i would be here without her. my first memory of her music was when i was 6. im from a small, homophobic town in texas. we were visiting San Antonio at the time. It was 2011 and i had just got my first MP3 player. the first songs i downloaded were Pink Friday by Nicki and Speak Now by Tay. i LOVED mean. it was my shit! i grew up as a hispanic “obese” child. i was always bullied and told id never grow up to be a background dancer or just a good dancer in general. i hated myself, but taylor helped me. even if i was just 6 years old, taylor helped me through the hardest thing in my life at the time. i then remember listening to mine, sparks fly, and back to december. when RED came out, i remember being around 8 or 9 and rewatching the everything has changed music video. every day when i got home from school, id turn on the TV just to blast that song and WANEGBT. then as i got older, 1989 really helped me get prepared for middle school. it taught me to shine and that life is about making those connections and to not be scared whenever i got to middle school. when REP came out, HOLY SHIT I WAS HYPE! my mom got me tickets to see Taylors reputation tour but things happened and financially we werent ok, so we sold the tickets. i was crushed. but once i hit age 14/15, folklore came out. i am a professional dancer, working on my BFA in dance at WTAMU in Canyon Tx. ive been dancing since i was 4, and folklore helped me express all of my emotions because damn i related to folklore so much. whenever i get angry, sad, or feel lost, ill put on my tears ricochet and just dance. i cant do that with every artist, but taylor always knows. i admire her strength and her passion because i know how it feels to be so passionate about your craft. she saved my life. after all attempts at leaving the world, i turned to her music and her interviews. she makes me feel like i am worth something.

#taylorswift #taylornation @taylornation

A university president canceled a drag show & compared it to blackface. Now students are suing.

The president of a Texas university faces a federal lawsuit after he canceled a campus drag show scheduled for March 31. Last week, West Texas A&M University president Walter Wendler sent a letter to students, faculty, and staff announcing that student LGBTQ+ group Spectrum WT’s upcoming event benefitting the Trevor Project had been canceled. In the letter, Wendler characterized drag as “derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny” and compared it to blackface. --- Related Stories Undercover cops found nothing lewd at a drag show but DeSantis is trying to punish the venue anyway The agents reported no “lewd acts.” The state filed a complaint anyway. --- On Friday, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Spectrum WT seeking an injunction forcing the university to allow the event on campus, Law and Crime reports. The suit claims that Wendler admitted to censoring the show and that doing so violates the Constitution.   “No amount of fancy rhetorical footwork or legal wordsmithing eludes the fact that drag shows denigrate and demean women—noble goals notwithstanding,” Wendler wrote in his letter. “A harmless drag show? Not possible. I will not appear to condone the diminishment of any group at the expense of impertinent gestures toward another group for any reason, even when the law of the land appears to require it.” BREAKING: FIRE just sued West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler for violating college students’ First Amendment right to hold a charity drag show on campus. https://t.co/msuGKvrLbC pic.twitter.com/nlXu98QmXt— FIRE (@TheFIREorg) March 24, 2023 “That ‘law of the land’ is the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the lawsuit states. “And our Constitution prohibits public officials, including public university presidents, from silencing Americans because a public official dislikes certain points of view.” In a March 24 statement, FIRE noted that Wendler has not only violated the First Amendment but also a campus free speech law signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in 2020. That law explicitly states that “The university may not take action against a student organization or deny the organization any benefit generally available to other student organizations at the university on the basis of a political, religious, philosophical, ideological, or academic viewpoint expressed by the organization or of any expressive activities of the organization.” “College presidents can’t silence students simply because they disagree with their expression,” FIRE’s attorney Adam Steinbaugh said in a March 24 statement. “The First Amendment protects student speech, whether it’s gathering on campus to study the Bible, hosting an acid-tongued political speaker, or putting on a charity drag show.” “President Wendler has made it clear to us that he knows what his legal obligations are, but he chose to ignore them, and we are thankful to FIRE for taking up our case to protect our First Amendment rights,” Spectrum WT president Bear Bright said. “Hopefully, this lawsuit will not just help us the LGBTQ+ students here at WTAMU protect our rights, but also help protect students’ rights across the U.S.” FIRE attorney Conor Fitzpatrick called Wendler’s action “textbook viewpoint discrimination.” “Wendler’s personal opinion on drag shows does not override the Constitution,” Fitzpatrick said. “The show must go on.” http://dlvr.it/SlbbKy

If y'all could take a moment and sign this petition to reinstate a drag show that was unfairly cancelled by the president that was to take place on campus to raise money for the Trevor project. As well for the removal of present Walter for he went against the students freedom of speech as well as campus policy:: Section 1.3 of Rule 08.99.99.W1 WTAMU Expressive Activity on Campus states, "The university may not take action against a student organization or deny the organization any benefit generally available to other student organizations at the university on the basis of a political, religious, philosophical, ideological, or academic viewpoint expressed by the organization or any expressive activities of the organization."

The president of my old university is trying to cancel a charity drag show at said university, citing personal opinions and religious reasons (at a state-funded university) and mostly just being super queerphobic and misogynistic

Canyon and WT continue to use Bird Scooters after positive semester

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/birds-news/canyon-and-wt-continue-to-use-bird-scooters-after-positive-semester/

Canyon and WT continue to use Bird Scooters after positive semester

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) – After a semester with Bird Scooters, West Texas A&M and the City of Canyon is looking to continue having them available on campus in the fall.

The scooters we’re first introduced in the spring semester and have been used by students on campus and residents in Canyon.

“I think it’s provided some students opportunity to have an economical way to zip around campus,” said John Behrens, Assistent City Manager of Canyon. “I’ve seen couples riding around, people just riding around enjoying it and them I’ve seen some what I would call high school kids riding around town.”

The scooters are available on WT’s campus and around the City of Canyon.

“We’ll get a call every now and then, hey you know there’s some scooters out in our neighborhood. We’re like great, that’s what they’re there for,” said Behrens. “We encourage those residents or the kids that live in that area just to give that a ride and give it a try.”

Amanda Lawson the WTAMU Student Government Advisor says the only drawback so far has been not having enough scooters available because of the high demand.

“We’ve seen students be able to use them if they’re running late and don’t have time to wait for a shuttle bus from the First United Bank Center to get to class on time, students that do have longer trips across campus like from our AG Science Building over to the classroom center,” says Lawson. “It’s a great way to get to class.”

WTAMU Student Government has worked with the City of Canyon to implement the scooters into the community as a way to benefit students by helping them get to class, run to the grocery store and explore campus.

“The students seem to really enjoy them, they’re fun,” says Lawson. “They take them for practical reasons but also a lot of times we’ll see students talking about meeting up to go ride scooters across campus just for fun!”

Students lives have also been made easier by the addition of the the Bird Scooters this last semester and they are excited that the scooters are here to stay.

“Bird has just provided a easy way of transportation around campus because there’s a lot of walking between buildings,” said Zyna Juma, WTAMU Student Government Senator. “Using bird has allowed me and a lot of other students to just commute in such an easy manner.”

All the money raised from the Bird Scooters will be used on campus to supply students with feminine hygiene products.

Copyright 2022 KFDA. All rights reserved.

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Data Driven

I have long been fascinated by how people do things, and specifically how they consume products. There’s always more ways than one to do anything. Just ask the folks who make Ziploc bags. They learned after the fact that people were using them for many applications other than just shoving a sandwich inside them.

It is in understanding the user experience that manufacturers and developers can fine-tune their offerings, as well as learn what the most important aspects of a product are. Assumptions made by managers, engineers, and new product teams are often rendered laughable once real customers are left to their devices.

The same holds true even for social media platforms. Pew Research just conducted one of how US users spend their time on TikTok, the Chinese-owned app that has drawn the ire of 34 states. In Texas, we cannot use TikTok on any state-owned device or network. Some have concluded this also means a state agency, such as a university, cannot advertise on TikTok, even though that is where their target market is hanging out. And, as conveyed in a recent email to faculty and staff at WTAMU, it extends even to personal devices that are used to do state business, such as accessing work email and the Blackboard app.

Ouch. That one may have to undergo a little legal scrutiny. I don’t use it, but I cringed when I saw what I perceive to be over-reach.

But back to the TikTok study, which included a survey of 2745 users as well as 869 more who volunteered to allow their accounts to be observed. By virtue of the study’s design, this is an opt-in sample, which, while revealing interesting findings, cannot necessarily be generalized across all 150 million US TikTok users. A random design would be needed for that.

One of the bigger takeaways—and no surprise, mind you—is that 25% of users create 98% of the content. I have observed the same phenomenon across other social media platforms. That’s another way of saying that the vast majority of users are consumers, compared to the creators in the smaller group. Furthermore, it means that most users check in to their TikTok accounts for other uses, such as information and entertainment. I have seen a funny variant of this on Facebook, when someone posts a comment to a controversial subject by saying, “I’m just here for the comments.”

There were another significant findings in that only 52% of users have ever even posted a video, and are more likely to simply watch the “For You” feature, meaning they allow TikTok to push content. This is the preferred means, as opposed to looking at accounts they follow.

This echoes the entertainment aspect of TikTok, as well as other social media sites. It fills my Facebook, Instagram, and Threads feeds. If the provider can make their site even just a little bit stickier by pulling us into content it thinks we will like, then it means they can sell more advertising. Remember, these are all advertising platforms masquerading as social media sites. Don’t believe me? Facebook’s ad revenue is estimated to be $171 billion this year.

While the study provides insights, it might be more relevant to dive into specific demographic groups, which definitely skews young. For example, 60% are between 16 and 24, while 80% are between 16 and 34. Only 25% are between 25 and 44, which, although it is an overlap of the other data, shows the drop-off by age. Narrowing the focus would provide more granular information, especially as it pertains to generational cohorts like the Millennials and Gen-Z. Even though Gen-X and Boomers are distinct minorities among TikTok users, they too should be studied to determine what usage differences, if any, exist.

The broader lesson is that we must always be in pursuit of this kind of knowledge, no matter what products or services we sell. There’s gold in the numbers. It’s up to us to mine and refine it.

Dr “Data Nerd” Gerlich

Audio Blog

5 Online MBA Programs in the US That Don’t Require GRE

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a standardized test often required in graduate schools for admission. The majority of the graduate schools in the United States require a minimum GRE score in their admission process. Fortunately for many aspiring MBA students, there are plenty of online MBA programs that don’t require the GRE or will waive it under certain conditions.

We’ve picked five business schools in the United States that offer an online MBA program that doesn’t require the GRE.

George Washington School of Business

The online MBA programs at the George Washington School of Business are delivered through various digital formats such as podcasts, videos, and animation. This program is also completely virtual, allowing students to learn at their own pace as long as they can submit requirements on the specified due date.

The online program has six-credit hours per semester beginning in the Fall, Summer, or Spring. With 32 core courses, 12 electives, and three selectives, the program generally takes three years to complete.

Applicants can apply for the GRE waiver if they provide a resume, copies of their undergraduate transcript of records, and an essay outlining why they believe they should be exempted from the GRE requirement.

West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) offers an online MBA program through the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business. Students can choose among the four concentrations under this program: Management, Healthcare Management, Marketing, and Computer Information Systems.

Depending on the student’s chosen concentration, this online program can take 31–49 credit hours. The program can be completed at an accelerated pace in 12 months, but it generally takes up to two years to finish the course.

Applicants can request for the GRE waiver if they have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher in a 4.0 scale.

Northern Illinois University College of Business

The online MBA program at the Northern Illinois University College of Business is designed with a career-oriented curriculum, concentrated in practical applications of knowledge. Students can choose between the part-time and full-time program within eight-week courses.

The program has seven core subjects including Global Supply Chain Management and Digital Transformation Strategy, as well as three electives. The program can be completed in as short as 18 months for full-time students, and up to three years for part-time students.

GRE is not required during the admission process, but an applicant may choose to include it if his/her undergraduate GPA is below average.

Concordia University Wisconsin

The online MBA program at Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) is delivered with a student assistant service called Online Student Success Advisors (OSSA). This platform assists in the distance learning process including guidance in navigation and learning.

The program has 13 predetermined concentrations including Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management. The program has 39-credit hours of self-paced learning.

The online MBA program at CUW does not require the GRE for admission.

California State University, Long Beach College of Business Administration

The online MBA program at the California State University in Long Beach is the same as the curriculum in their on-campus MBA, but distant learners have access to the university’s academic resources.

Applicants can choose between two tracks: the Part-time Program, which can be completed in four years; and the Full-time Program, which can be completed in only two years. Core subjects in the program include Managerial Accounting and Marketing Concepts.

Applicants who completed their undergraduate degree in an AACSB accredited school with a 3.0 GPA or higher can apply for a GRE waiver.

Many U.S. business schools offer an online MBA program without the GRE. Flip through more of our articles here at MSM Unify to learn more about online MBA programs that don’t require any standardized tests.

This June, I’ll be teaching a class on how to write relatable #YAlit during #wtamu’s #WestTexasWritersAcademy. If any of you are #aspiringwriters living in or around the #amarillotexas / #canyontexas area, be sure to register for the weeklong event; there’s something for every genre—insightful courses offered by award-winning and #bestselling #authors who can put you on a path toward your own successful career. ••• Also, there will be #authorsignings the final evening, where you can stock up on the instructors’ #books and get them personalized. Hope to see some of you there! * * * #litfic #bookevents #writerslife #writingtips #aghoward #authorsigning #writing #aghowardbooks #authorlife #authorsofinstagram #westtexaswritersacademy #writersofinstagram #writingcommunity #writerslife #WTWA2020 #amwriting https://www.instagram.com/p/B71f030ghEe/?igshid=105j8cl2e0kqm

It’s that time of year again, when students flock back to Texas Tech University for a little more education. In honor of that, we’re sharing some of our favorite images from TTU history. Since last year’s Red Raider men’s basketball squad had a very, very good season, here’s a shot of their forebears, the 1927 basketball team in a composite photo made for the La Ventana yearbook. Their first game was in 1926, an 18-9 victory over West Texas State Teachers College (now West Texas A&M University just up Interstate 27 in Canyon).

 Need more historical TTU photographs? Look no further: https://southwestcollection.wordpress.com/