Dr. Schovanec Talks Mental Health Issues and 21 Gun Salute
Wednesday on KFYO Mornings with Dave King and Matt Martin, The President of Texas Tech University Dr. Lawrence Schovanec joined Dave and Matt to talk about Tech Athletics, Coach Beard, Veterans Day and 21 gun salutes, a gifted building given to Tech by Exxonmobil in Midland, mental health issues on campus, and more.
Dr. Schovanec started the discussion by talking about the recent success of Texas Tech Athletics. As far as attendance goes he says that the recent games have had a good turnout, and he encourages people to attend the upcoming games. He also spoke on the success of Chris Beard, and Texas Tech being ranked #5 in the nation, saying "What Coach Beard has achieved in terms of talent he's bringing in, it's wonderful."
One topic that Dr. Schovanec was asked to talk about was the recent controversy at the University of Virginia in which they cancelled the planned 21 gun salute for Veterans Day for fear that it would frighten students. Dr. Schovanec explained that he is very proud of what Texas Tech offers for military veterans in terms of programs and opportunities, and while they do not have a 21 gun salute at Texas Tech, if they did, it would never be cancelled for fear of scaring students.
Schovanec also talked about his concern for students being upset by things easily and not wanting to have difficult conversations. He explained that a college campus is the perfect place to have the kinds of difficult discussions that many seem afraid of these days. He went on to say, "I think there is a lot of issues there that relate to how students grow up today, and we have to make sure that we have an environment where they can engage in difficult discussions with people that don't necessarily agree with their points of view."
Watch the full interview with Dr. Lawrence Schovanec in the video above.