Daily Campus

Not only does our Declaration of Independence state these words, these words should be upheld today. This applies to one, person , a group, any race , creed, rich , and poor.

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their CREATOR, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.--
It is sad, just as the individuals proclaim in earlier posts about Garry Vodicka and the lawsuit with SMU , but sad if your belief is to remove Mr. Vodicka and the tenants that live in University condos at all costs, not remembering the above historic context. The other fact is that Garry Vodicka didn't just come out of nowhere, he graduated from SMU with a Law degree. He is Alum .

Gerry Jetton

While I agree that the Daily Campus should have been more aggressive in pursuing the actual depositions, I too wonder how much the reputation of SMU is going to be damage by it's strong armed tactics. And frankly, I suspect that having a library for a President that is such a manifest failure will be far less prestigious that some in the university believe. I also worry greatly about the security implications. It is hard to imagine a more attractive terrorist target that the George W. Bush Presidential Library. As far as I'm concerned, we'd be far better off to let Baylor have the library and use the funds to upgrade academic programs instead.

Mike C. Miller (SMU 1981), Attorney at Law
Marshall, TX

It is sad that a once great university who had the full support of the surrounding community has had to resort to bulling tactics to get what they want. It seems the entire character of the university changed about 20 years ago.

John Wesley

Southern Methodist University continues to move closer to the top tier of higher learning institutions with strong leaders and generous benefactors, and the prospect of a presidential library with accompanying schools of public and foreign policy should excite anyone who holds or hopes to hold a diploma from SMU.

As a legitimate institution of journalism at SMU that can break such incredible news as a $35 million donation to the university, The Daily Campus owes it to Ray Hunt and the SMU community to thoroughly report on the issue. The DC should either obtain the depositions with information about the ongoing legal struggle between Gary Vodick and the University, or explain to its readers that what they are reading is based on unverified hearsay.

The DC should not merely rely on Vodicka's accounts of the depositions. If the depositions are sealed, then the DC ought to think long and hard about the reliability of the information gleaned from Vodicka's accounts of the depositions.

In the third paragraph, we're told that Vodicka shared certain depositions with The Daily Campus and we're also reminded that Vodicka has a legal axe to grind with SMU. By the end of the piece it's quite clear that Vodicka did not give the depositions over to the DC. Instead, it seems Vodicka gave the DC his version of the court records.

The reader is left to sift through almost absurd he said, she said explanations of complex events from a single, unreliable source.

Attempts to verify facts with President Turner, Leon Bennett and Ray Hunt are admirable, but they only take us half way home.

Through interviews or through the actual depositions, we need to hear directly from the parties involved - without Mr. Vodicka's grudge clouding the story.

The Daily Campus is an independent newspaper with the same journalistic duties and the same rights as the Dallas Morning News or the New York Times. As a concerned alum and fan of the DC, I encourage to protect the integrity of your newspaper and exercise your right to find the truth.

Please don't let Vodicka use the DC as a free megaphone in his "battle" against SMU. He is but a small part of a complicated set of issues that, when finally resolved, will have a lasting impact into the next 100 years of Southern Methodist University.

Remember the independent and responsible legacy of the Daily Campus. And remember that generous families like the Hunts, leaders like President Turner and readers of the DC deserve the respect afforded by responsible journalism.

The SMU community deserves to know all sides of the story in proper context during this thrilling time in the history of our University.

Michael L. Dorff
CCPA
Class of 2006

Michael L. Dorff, Alum
Washington DC
michaeldorff@hotmail.com

What's sad is people trusting this Vodicka character, who came out of nowhere, instead of our University, which has stood the test of time. Journalists can twist anything, but the University and its supporters are acting in the best interests of the community at large. If we lose the library to Baylor because of a debate over nearly-condemned apartments, more than just SMU will miss out... all of Dallas will. I applaud Mr. Hunt for his continued generosity, of which I am a beneficiary. Thank you for your leadership and integrity.

Cristin, Hunt Scholar Alum
San Francisco, CA