Our faculty members, graduate students and staffers write thoughtful, sometimes provocative, opinion columns on a variety of topics throughout the year. Here are notable selections from Texas Perspectives, a wire-style op-ed service produced for media outlets by the university. Columns appearing on the service and this webpage represent the views of the authors, not of The University of Texas at Austin.
1. We Need to Stop Obsessing Over Tech Start-Ups
“When it comes to celebrating entrepreneurship, our society, led by Washington and Wall Street, has become fixated on the technology industry, funneling money and support primarily into tech startups. That myopic focus is misguided. In contrast, most aspiring entrepreneurs dream about starting Main Street companies, such as those in retail and services.”
– Matthew Kammer-Kerwick, research scientist in the Bureau of Business Research, and Robert A. Peterson, vice president for research and director of the IC2 Institute, for the Washington Post.
2. Obamacare Survived. So Now We Need to Address the “Medicaid Gap.”
“Many Texas lawmakers have doggedly opposed all aspects of Obamacare since its passage five years ago, perhaps hoping the law would simply go away. But now it is time for the law’s opponents to take a more pragmatic approach and embrace those parts of the law that can help ordinary Texans afford needed medical care.”
– Sam Richardson, assistant professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, for the Dallas Morning News, Austin American-Statesman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, San Angelo Standard-Times, San Antonio Express-News and The Rivard Report.
3. “Star Wars” is Changing the Gender Essentialist Narratives, But More is Needed.
“The problem with Abrams’ comment is that it powerfully perpetuates the notion that geek culture was, and still is, “a boy’s thing.” And within this cultural formulation, geek culture is not just a masculine preserve; it is an oft unspoken but always implied white, straight, cisgendered male preserve.”
– Suzanne Scott, assistant professor of Media Studies, for the Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Corpus Christi Caller-Times and the Austin American-Statesman.
4. The Clean Power Plan: Let the Litigation Games Begin
“We can look forward to years of legal challenges to the Clean Power Plan. That is a shame, because the EPA has gone out of its way to craft a plan that offers states time and flexibility, a plan whose benefits dwarf its costs and aims at goals (a cleaner energy mix) that are tremendously popular.”
– David Spence, professor of Business, Government and Society, and Law, for the Huffington Post, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Rivard Report and the McAllen Monitor.
5. Athletic Departments, Coaches, Athletes and Non-Athletes Across the Country Should Learn from Missouri
“What happened at Mizzou goes beyond the economics of college football. What we witnessed was a student-led initiative that evolved into a student-athlete-supported initiative that turned into a coach-endorsed movement.”
– Daron Roberts, founding director of the Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation, for TIME, Austin American-Statesman and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
6. Black Women are Obama’s Most Loyal Voters — And His Most Ignored Constituency
“While Obama has finally drawn attention to our concerns, his policies have done little to address them. Instead, he has treated issues affecting black men as synonymous with those affecting the entire black community.”
– Kali Gross, associate professor and associate chair of the African and African Diaspora Studies Department, for the Washington Post.
7. Changing Tables, Shifting Roles – On Father’s Day
“Men are reporting record levels of work-family conflict, something working women have struggled with for years.”
– Aaron B. Rochlen, professor and training director of the Counseling Psychology, for the Treasure Coast Palm, Amarillo Globe-News, Houston Chronicle, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, San Angelo Standard-Times, Corpus Christi Caller-Times and the Austin American-Statesman.
8. Texas Must Do More to Create Inclusive Affordable Housing
“The largest metro areas in Texas now lead the nation in terms of economic segregation. This is bad for Texas and our children.”
– Heather Way, clinical professor of Law, for the Texas Tribune, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, San Antonio Express-News, Houston Chronicle, Corpus Christi Caller-Times and the McAllen Monitor.
Keep browsing op-eds and follow @TexPerspectives.
Media interested in subscribing to Texas Perspectives can email Matt Pene. Reporters, use the UT Experts Guide to find experts on everything from business and politics to world cultures and science.
