By: Ralph Barrera, KTXT News
TEXAS TECH: Speaker of the Texas House Joe Straus came to visit Texas Tech yesterday to discuss higher education and new innovations for the University’s Water Resource Center. Although he spoke about these innovations to Texas Tech, the speaker was able to address another issue that has hit Texas Tech recently and that is the problem of sexual assault cases on University campuses.
FRULLO: ” I think the best things about Joe, is that he brings a conservative approach…he allows the members to work well, and has been a real good friend to the South Plains and to Texas Tech…and I will no introduce you to speaker Joe Straus.”
Rep. John Frullo of District 84 accompanied the Speaker to a conference room located in the chancellor’s wing at Texas Tech. Chancellor Robert Duncan was unable to attend the meeting because he was down south visiting the State Capital addressing budgets for the University.
Speaker Straus spoke on the importance of higher education and how it supports the Texan citizens.
STRAUS: ” strengthening higher education and stressing the importance of academic research will be a top priority”…”helping more of our students graduate on time and making our financial aid programs more efficient and effective…Texas Tech is a very important part of the education fabric of our state.”
After the Speaker spoke about his visit to campus Straus opened the floor to Q and A by the media and a question was brought up about California recently approving the Yes means Yes law . The new law will try and improve how universities handle sexual assault and rap accusations to clarify the standards, requiring an affirmative consent from the subject. This topic is an ongoing discussion recently here on Texas Tech’s campus with a recent fraternity promoting such behavior and the case of Timothy Cole who was a student wrongfully convicted of sexually assaulting another student. He was later exonerated by Governor Rick Perry, unfortunately after he died serving his sentence.
STRAUS: “our approach in Texas is typically to trust local authorities to address these issues… you get a mixed reaction from campus leaders…most of them I’ve talked to say that our campus level: law enforcement and counseling efforts could be better than anything the state could bring to us. We are certainly opened minded and know how serious this issue really is at every campus and every part of our country.”
For the now the University is handling these issues with the best resources available and their priority is to the safety of their students while they get an education. I am Ralph Barrera, KTXT News.
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