Dr. Rawlins' Letter to the Editor

KRAM1 · December 16, 2011

Did you guys read the entire letter? Really good stuff from a really good leader for UNT. I see absolutely nothing negative about it, and am in no way "confused" by this letter to the editor. Come on folks, read it and give it more than superficial thought....

VideoEagle · December 16, 2011

I wish I could buy VideoEagle trinkets and baubles of varying size and expense in exchange for some of his posts.

A craft beer someplace is always nice!

GTWT · December 16, 2011

Excellent letter. Subtle letter. Hence, the difficulty some GMG posters have in understanding its message.

Green Mean · December 16, 2011

People care about UTA? UTA is the..."I got rejected from every school but don't want to go to Community College" school.

Um no not really

SilverEagle · December 16, 2011

Excellent letter. Subtle letter. Hence, the difficulty some GMG posters have in understanding its message.

You know,"down the corridor of years", I've found that well crafted letters can be like poetry and/or art. They can be open to interpretation by the individual reader(s),and they can (and in this case SHOULD) cause people to read the whole document and not dismiss it after the first two sentences. And then afterward discuss it's meaning.

As long as we're being discussed, we aren't being ignored. And we've spend toooo many years suffering that fate.

I would like to encourage everyone to please join Dr. Rawlins as he takes the high road in his journey to improve our actual, as well as our perceived situation in the metroplex regarding the state of our athletic program.

FirefightnRick · December 16, 2011

Some people might enjoy talking about their school being in third place. I'm not one of those people.

I'm also not sorry if that offends anyone.

Rick

meangreenbob · December 16, 2011

Some people might enjoy talking about their school being in third place. I'm not one of those people.

I'm also not sorry if that offends anyone.

Rick

Ditto!

UNT90 · December 16, 2011

Excellent letter. Subtle letter. Hence, the difficulty some GMG posters have in understanding its message.

I understand and approve of the reason behind the letter, I just don't get what is accomplished by bringing SMU or TCU into the mix.

I'm looking for a hidden benefit for UNT and coming up empty. If your smarter than me (completely probable), please let me know. By PM if necessary.

KRAM1 · December 16, 2011

Don't see that Dr. Rawlins is talking about UNT being in 3rd place. I think some are speculating and providing their own "reading" of the content. So be it...some see a glass as half full, others see it as half empty.

But, one thing is for certain...a never ending truism...no matter what happens at, with or to UNT, some will alsways see the negative side. It's just one of those little things that is UNT.

SilverEagle · December 16, 2011

Don't see that Dr. Rawlins is talking about UNT being in 3rd place. I think some are speculating and providing their own "reading" of the content. So be it...some see a glass as half full, others see it as half empty.

But, one thing is for certain...a never ending truism...no matter what happens at, with or to UNT, some will alsways see the negative side. It's just one of those little things that is UNT.

Yeah, that's why I've always advised people to iron those $100.00 bills before going out on the UNT campus to hand them out.

I don't tend to see the glass half full (especially if I don't see a pitcher or faucet in the immediate vicinity), but I damn sure don't care if my $100 is wrinkled.

Green Mean · December 16, 2011

Don't see that Dr. Rawlins is talking about UNT being in 3rd place. I think some are speculating and providing their own "reading" of the content. So be it...some see a glass as half full, others see it as half empty.

But, one thing is for certain...a never ending truism...no matter what happens at, with or to UNT, some will alsways see the negative side. It's just one of those little things that is UNT.

UNT hasn't earned the benefit of the doubt. Nothing wrong to question everything. If you stop questioning then get introduced to the dark side.

KRAM1 · December 16, 2011

UNT hasn't earned the benefit of the doubt. Nothing wrong to question everything. If you stop questioning then get introduced to the dark side.

You know, I hear you, but if it were just questioning that would be one thing...but it is far beyond "questioning"...it is always assuming the negative. That isn't questioning. I would say that many of those on here who are negative all the time have not earned the benefit of the doubt either because everyone knows that they will always assume the negative. They must be joys to be around most the time if they approach their whole life and everything around them the way they approach UNT.

And, you don't think Dr. Rawlins has earned the benefit of the doubt? That man has done more in a shorter time to move UNT forward and to show UNT is a positive light than any one human being and certainly any UNT President in a great deal of time. If that isn't 100% apparent to folks, well, they just aren't paying attention or they want to "assume" negativity with all things UNT.

GTWT · December 17, 2011

I understand and approve of the reason behind the letter, I just don't get what is accomplished by bringing SMU or TCU into the mix.

I'm looking for a hidden benefit for UNT and coming up empty. If your smarter than me (completely probable), please let me know. By PM if necessary.

This has nothing to do with being 'smart'. We are, after all, spending our leisure time arguing about a game - that puts us on par with 18 year-olds playing on-line fantasy games.

As for our president mentioning TCU & SMU - if we're going to be lumped with Metroplex schools, I'd rather it be TCU & SMU rather than UTA, Texas A&M Commerce, and the other 4-year community colleges. It was a good letter. It touted our advances and it encouraged readers to see us in the same light as other DFW institutions that are making progress.

Good Job Dr. Rawlins.

rcade · December 17, 2011

Yeah, lets make it perfectly clear to all the local recruits that we are not in a major conference but if you want to play in one you might try smu or tcu.

Do you think any recruit didn't know this fact until Rawlins told them?

rcade · December 17, 2011

As for our president mentioning TCU & SMU - if we're going to be lumped with Metroplex schools, I'd rather it be TCU & SMU rather than UTA, Texas A&M Commerce, and the other 4-year community colleges. It was a good letter. It touted our advances and it encouraged readers to see us in the same light as other DFW institutions that are making progress.

Agreed. The purpose of the letter is to position UNT with TCU and SMU as the three big sports schools in DFW, rather than see us lumped in with UTA, UT-Dallas and the other four-year schools in the area.

Harry · December 17, 2011

Agreed. The purpose of the letter is to position UNT with TCU and SMU as the three big sports schools in DFW, rather than see us lumped in with UTA, UT-Dallas and the other four-year schools in the area.

Agree 100%

the green rokemi · December 17, 2011

I thought our mantra was "the leading university of the metroplex"? This letter comes across as the younger brother trying to play with his older brothers. That said Dr Rawlins is pitching a perfect game at this point I will give him the benefit of the doubt and see how this plays out

Green Mean · December 17, 2011

You know, I hear you, but if it were just questioning that would be one thing...but it is far beyond "questioning"...it is always assuming the negative. That isn't questioning. I would say that many of those on here who are negative all the time have not earned the benefit of the doubt either because everyone knows that they will always assume the negative. They must be joys to be around most the time if they approach their whole life and everything around them the way they approach UNT.

And, you don't think Dr. Rawlins has earned the benefit of the doubt? That man has done more in a shorter time to move UNT forward and to show UNT is a positive light than any one human being and certainly any UNT President in a great deal of time. If that isn't 100% apparent to folks, well, they just aren't paying attention or they want to "assume" negativity with all things UNT.

I wasn't questioning Rawlins' letter as I understand his greatness and what he's provided our university. As for the letter....meh...I could do without it but at the same time I could see its purpose. I was just stating that it is alright for people to question this letter and everything else this university does. Because people may do that doesn't mean they're always assuming it in a negative manner. Just my thought I guess.

filmerj · December 17, 2011

Don't see that Dr. Rawlins is talking about UNT being in 3rd place. I think some are speculating and providing their own "reading" of the content. So be it...some see a glass as half full, others see it as half empty.

But, one thing is for certain...a never ending truism...no matter what happens at, with or to UNT, some will alsways see the negative side. It's just one of those little things that is UNT.

That's the problem with reading, or any media for that matter, hell let's throw in art, it's all open to interpretation. No matter what the intention of the author, director, artist, one's own personal experiences play a part in one's interpretation.

Edited December 17, 2011 by filmerj

GrayEagle · December 17, 2011

One quality that I noticed was sportsmanship. Years ago it was quality word but it has apparently lost it's value today. Perhaps Dr. Rawlins, being from that generation, was trying to express a little courtesy and compliment TCU and SMU on their achievements. At the same time I read that "you may have beat us there but we're turning the corner and will catch up." We are terrible sports. We criticize virtually everything that either accomplishes which makes them even snobbier and us look sour and jealous.

The paragraph about basketball was completely ignored by our readers. In it, he expressly mentioned North Texas as the basketball leader in the Metroplex without any kudos to another Division I team.

Lighten up. Our president's letter was not written to demean us or say that we will always be in third place. Tearing down SMU and TCU will never elevate us. We elevate ourselves by beating them (whenever we have the opportunity) or their constituents (when they won't play us). However, for now we should not worry about them or what they have accomplished; only what we will accomplish.

untjim1995 · December 19, 2011

Some people might enjoy talking about their school being in third place. I'm not one of those people.

I'm also not sorry if that offends anyone.

Rick

You know, in football, you haven't even been able to talk about our school being anything above 8th until this year in the SBC. As many have posted, this was a nice message to CUSA that we are included with SMU and TCU (for now) as FBS members. Those two schools have both been invited, joined, found success, and then bolted CUSA--how nice is it to actually tell that CUSA office in town that we want to be like them, which is why we will continue to improve in football. And, oh by the way, our basketball program is better than anything those two ever produced for your conference, which is HIGHLY DEPENDENT on men's hoops (see Memphis, UTEP, and Tulsa as examples). This might very well be the first public salvo that has been fired from UNT to CUSA about deserving membership in their conference. And make no mistake about it, we do deserve it, and CUSA will be making a mistake by not inviting us over to fill the void in the DFW market.

Edited December 19, 2011 by untjim1995

Green Mean · December 19, 2011

You know, in football, you haven't even been able to talk about our school being anything above 8th until this year in the SBC. As many have posted, this was a nice message to CUSA that we are included with SMU and TCU (for now) as FBS members. Those two schools have both been invited, joined, found success, and then bolted CUSA--how nice is it to actually tell that CUSA office in town that we want to be like them, which is why we will continue to improve in football. And, oh by the way, our basketball program is better than anything those two ever produced for your conference, which is HIGHLY DEPENDENT on men's hoops (see Memphis, UTEP, and Tulsa as examples). This might very well be the first public salvo that has been fired from UNT to CUSA about deserving membership in their conference. And make no mistake about it, we do deserve it, and CUSA will be making a mistake but now inviting us over to fill the void in the DFW market.

If those are really the reasons why CUSA would dismiss us then F'em