Hooray for Teenage Paleness!

Reading Michael Vilaythong’s commentary, I must say I completely agree with him and the House. Legislation had to be passed to keep tanners under the age of 16 from indoor tanning, proof of the ridiculous levels of superficiality Texans have reached. Shouldn’t 16 year olds stress over their first loves or obtaining driver’s licenses rather than adding color to their acne-infested faces? Though it seems a bit silly to ask teens for parental permission or doctor’s notes in order to gain access to a tanning bed, maybe it will reduce young teen visitation. Because the younger teens begin at the tanning beds, the threat of skin cancer increases. Decreasing the amount of tanning sessions will decrease the chances of getting skin cancer. 

Just as Michael said, the arguments against this should not be merited at all. Protecting the overall health of Texans is being attempted, if the teenage paleness is the price, oh well! I’m naturally tan and twenty, so I really don’t care!  

Lack of Transfers cause Concern

Texas universities are concerned about lowered numbers of transfers of students attending community colleges. Many students of community colleges are opting to obtain their associates degrees at their respective junior colleges rather than transferring to a 4 year college. And while states have developed statewide programs to ease student transition from two year to four-year schools, the U.S. Department of Education has reported that only 26 percent of U.S. community college students transfer to four-year institutions. A campaign has been unveiled, Transfer 101, which is designed to boost the number of transfers to 4 year universities. The University of Texas System, Texas A&M University, and Texas Association of Community Colleges are supporting this campaign. The campaign is designed to encourage more community college students to pursue baccalaureate degrees. Government and education leaders have set a statewide goal of increasing the number of university graduates going into the workforce.