Dear editor,

Although eating meat is a huge part of Texas’ traditions, it’s important to realize the times have changed. It’s very difficult to find “healthy meat.” In fact, most meat comes from diseased animals. If you’re eating meat in Texas, especially beef, chances are you’re getting way more than you’ve paid for.

Last Monday’s The Shorthorn article titled “Leaders ask for tips on diversity” begins “Administrators want to know if UTA is a welcoming environment for traditionally underrepresented groups.”

Presumably, this means minorities. The administrators really are out of touch, then.

In early April, an onslaught of pamphlets about making “compassionate choices” piled in my notebook. What did I take away from the Mercy for Animals pamphlets, booklets and starter kits? Stop buying meat from factory farms.

I agree with protesting factory-farmed meat, but that doesn’t mean we should never consume another animal. There are three reasons a person becomes vegan: environmental, health-related and ethical. There are other ways to address these without sacrificing your love for steak.

Oozeball represents the campus community better than any other event. Even students who aren’t signed up should go experience the muddy event.

The mud volleyball tournament started in 1990, making it one of UTA’s most beloved and longest-running traditions. Traditional four-year students graduating this spring will be the same age as Oozeball. We’ve grown together.

Regardless of rather or not you plan on pursuing a career in the medical field, the public policy questions surrounding health care costs affect us all a great deal.

Students should remember this and take an active role in both preventing high costs by living healthy lifestyles or taking preventative medicine, but also by considering how policy makers and insurance companies can sequester the growing costs.