Special to El Run-Rrun
It was 2005, some 15 years since the University of Texas and Texas Southmost College formed the UTB-TSC "partnership" in 1991.
That so-called partnership had proved disastrous for the college district and for its community college students. Under the UTB-TSC university-community college hybrid, President Julieta Garcia, with a cadre of willing yes-men and yes-women on the board, tuition had skyrocketed to near university levels, its four-year completion level stood at a dismal 16 percent, and the UT System had plans to swallow the community college and strip it of all its real estate, buildings and financial assets.
Each year, new student fees were raised to meet university levels. By 2015, these fee increases had depleted most students' Pell grants and they had been spent on mandatory "remedial" classes they were all required to take to remain at UTB-TSC. Many dropped out and saw their chance to get a college education disappear.
There was then-Dean of External Affairs (and proud Tex-Ex) Tony Zavaleta struggling to explain to The Collegian reporters that the UTB-TSC partnership was not funded by the Permanent University Fund like other UT System entities. It was, he said, and "autonomous" component of the oil-and-gas wealthy university.
"Most people think of UT Austin and they think that UT Austin is phenomenally wealthy nd they think that UTB-TSC is a little baby of UT-Austin so therefore the parents are feeding the baby and we have this access to a lot of money, " Zavaleta said. "That's not true. We are part of the UT System, but we are an independent and autonomous component of the UT System."
And so, in 2005 – after years of fee and tuition increases that Garcia and her minions heaped upon local students Hilda Silva – then-vice president of student affairs at UTB-TSC – appeared before the public announcing that yet more increases in fees were in the offing to make ends meet.
"The state doesn't have more money for us, so we are not expecting new money," Silva told the Brownsville Herald's Idelfonso Ortiz. She said the university tried to keep the fee increases to a minimum since students were already facing additional fees from the recreational fee referendum where students agreed in 2004 to pay an additional $79 each semester to build the center.
Fee increases, she said, were to go into effect in the Fall of 2005 like the Statutory Tuition Fee, the Designated Tuition Fee, the Graduate Tuition Differential Fee, the International Education Fee, and the Med Fee. A 12-hour student was facing tuition and fee costs of nearly $1,400 not counting the costs of books and labs.
Both Zavaleta and Silva were willing water carriers for Garcia to the point that when the UT System advanced the idea of taking over the real estate, building and and bank assets, neither made a peep of protest. Only a majority of a new board composed of Trey Mendez, Rene Torres, Kiko Rendon and Adela Garza stood up to Garcia and her cadre and said "no."
Now Hilda Silva wants to get elected as a board member of the community college she and Zavaleta were willing to destroy. And while now distancing herself from the UT System she says that the board's culture "needs tweaking" and that her only involvement now is "teaching a class twice a month."
We almost lost TSC to the UT System through Garcia aided and abetted by the likes of Zavaleta and Hilda Silva. Do we need to let the fox into the henhouse again? Say "no" to Silva.
Fortunately, we have a candidate running against her who is not only thoroughly qualified, but is a Porter High School graduate, attended TSC and earned an eight-year doctoral graduate degree in Pharmacy from the University of Texas. Her name is Dr. Norma Lopez-Harris (her brother Luis, by the way, is also a medical doctor) who wants to help TSC continue the march to its former greatness before the "partnership."
An independent-minded professional, she was recruited to run for the board by the late TSC trustee Ruben Herrera, who endorsed her shortly before his untimely demise. Herrera, who devoted his life to TSC, made no bones that she could bring vigor and intelligence to the board. We concur.
Early voting ends Tuesday, June 11. Election day is Saturday, June 15.
CLICK ON LINK FOR EARY VOTING LOCATIONS FOR RUNOFF:
14 comments:
zavapatas needs to go take a bath in your own water paid by us the tax payers pinche MAMON y LAMBISCON. ALL THE ZAVAPATAS ARE MAMONES Y LAMBISCONES. FACT
they all yodel at the same time MAMONES. DEEP IN MY PANT POCKETS I HAVE Y'ALS FERIA YODOLEI HO!
Yeah I remember this. UT basically wanted us to finance them.
Now we know who the "REAL RATAS" were and as to why they held such prestigious title positions in the creation of the entity of UTB-TSC partnership. No SHAME whatsoever, demanding that the students pay for their creation of this ËNTITY" to hide and generate grant monies that the oil and gas companies had agreed to pay in the 1986 Getty Agreement to the true heirs. The grant monies generated from this agreement was to have been placed in a Trust Fund along with $50 million that the 30 oil and gas companies agreed to pay the declared heirs until they came forward. These grant monies generated from the Getty were not part of the permanent University grant Fund and Zavaleta acknowledges it. These bastards created these new entities to enrich themselves to hide and use the unclaimed mineral heirs trust fund monies to create these entities. Zavaleta himself also acknowledges that these grant monies were an automatic component of the oil and gas wealthy university. Silva, Adela, Rene Torres, Kiko Rendon and yours truly former Mayor Trey Mendez as newly board members knew this. No wonder Trey Mendez was in the front line to apply for grant monies. Life is a bitch when you get caught. This is my opinion.
Question: isn’t Gowen a Zavaletta?? If so, my friend says it all runs in the family.!! All these candidates are the same, they all have their hidden agendas. They all pretend they care for their constituents/community , but in reality they only care about themselves and how they can advance their political careers( which translates to more $$$$). Cameron County/Brownsville is a big circus and all the clowns are out in force trying to get elected.
TSC is a sinking ship. Adela should use her broom to sweep up instead of using it to fly around campus micromanaging everything.
Hilda Silva sided with JJ De Leon and lost all respect. Then, TSC Current Board Member, Zavaleta also bent over for JJ De Leon so his wife could get a job. Zavaleta wants a little bit of control and JJ De Leon lo tiene Bien embrujado. JJ De Leon has been paying anyone and anything to smear his opponents. JJ De Leon even paid Hilda's campaign signs so she now owes him votes. Segun JJ De Leon's secretary, Hilda wants to get rid of a lot of the old UTB staff still working for TSC. Hilda Silva wants to get rid of the TSC President and put a puppet. Hilda Silva was never of any help for UTB/TSC. She prided herself as being Julieta's assistant and lap dog. Zavaleta too is desperate for anything he can grab. He wants to add his Curandero book to all BISD schools and classes at TSC. Zavaleta had a history of being with a lot of ladies in UTB and then lo amararon.
Voters keep UTB people out. No Hilda Silva or JJ DeLeon, aka The Botox Rata.
The sad part of this story: so many students that did not have an alternative to get their degree. Some went to Harlingen, others went to local career schools..... so much talent lost.
UT was about academics, 4 year degree plans, and many of our local students just wanted a two year degree.
Students that were failed by UT....please forgive this institution...they did not know the needs and wants of local students.
They brought students fro Europe, athletes from all over the world etc
What could Silva and Zavaleta do about this ???
Too many macho men who are misogynist. Remember we all have mothers and maybe even daughters. But I agree. A woman's place is in the home. Too many professional women is bad for the macho men. Women need to take a break.
Please do not underestimate the GREED of these Bastardo's, they knew than and they know now damn well what they were doing. What a shame that Zavaleta's historical knowledge about all the Texas history on who the true heirs to these large land grants were and still are but took advantage of this true injustice. The issue here was on how to take advantage of the grant monies and screw the students by increasing the students' tuitions. This quality of life only benefitted the deep pockets of these greedy bastards. Thank you Mr. Montoya for allowing us victims of such greed injustice to vent out against these so-called leaders. This is my opinion.
June 12, 2024 at 9:28 AM
MY FAMILY LOST 10,000 ACRES IN HIDALGO TO GREEDY GRINGOS AND COCOS. THEY BURNED THE DEEDS AND OPEN THE SALE OF OUR LANDS TO THE HIGHEST GRINGO BIDDERS CASE CLOSE. GRINGOS AND COCOS RUN EVERY STATE OFFICE HERE IN TEXAS I SEE NO JUSTICE EVER....
You reap what you sow, quitters get no-where. No hope no justice, just plain give up. That is indeed your choice. We ancestors to large land grants have hope and historical court documentation where our ancestor great-great grandfathers were under oath giving testimonial evidence that Richard King stole the land from the true heirs and claimed as his. Read The State Of Texas- Richard King VS. The Heirs and Assigns of Narciso Cavazos. In 1861 Our great-great grandfather was giving oral testimonial recollection and evidence of how they are the true heirs of the land grants that Richard King claims as his. El Mesquite and El Regalado ranches were our ancestors' lands. This testimonial proved that Richard King "STOLE" the land and how he would handle any persons who would go against him and his empire. The land was granted back to the family, but the state of Texas had never bothered to inform the recent primary heirs. This is my opinion.
will somebody donate una pinche plancha a este idiota baboso, or give him a freshly cleaned dirty shirt pero planchada. PINCHE ESTUPIDO
TELL THAT LADY NEXT TO YOUR ASS TO IRON YOUR STUPID CAMISAS PINCHE PENDEJO.
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