October 30, 2008

To the Aggie Family:

One of the fundamental and most important rights that we have as Americans is freedom of speech -- and this is a right that we firmly support here at Texas A&M University. As a native of Cuba, I personally understand the consequences of not having the right of free speech, or the many other freedoms that we, as Americans, so often take for granted.

The recent actions of the small group of students at Rudder Plaza claiming to make a political statement concerning the presidential election have been widely interpreted as being much broader—and certainly contrary to the core values of Aggies everywhere. Here at Texas A&M, respect is one of our core values that are fundamental to being an Aggie. We should always respect each other, each other’s opinions, and express our own opinions in a respectful way.

Political disagreement is to be expected, particularly as election day nears, but it can—and should—be addressed in respectful dialogue. This was certainly the case when the Texas Aggie Democrats and the Aggie College Republicans conducted a joint program earlier this week under the auspices of the Student Conference on National Affairs (SCONA), which is sponsored by the Memorial Student Center.

Aggies have a long and proud tradition of honor and respect for one another, for our school and our state and nation—and are so recognized and admired. We must do nothing to tarnish our reputation.

I strongly encourage everyone in the Aggie Family to respect the opinions of others, especially if you disagree with them. Even more importantly, I urge you to express your opinions and ideas in a respectful way, as they can serve to enrich the educational environment here on our campus. Let’s respect each other, for that is what Aggies do.

Elsa A. Murano, PhD
President