TU's good news has been front and center lately. Glance at some of The Towerlight's recent headlines: "Groundbreaking $45 million for TU." "Governor's budget includes funds for Towson enrollment growth." "Towson regains momentum."
Then notice the headline above-the-fold in Friday's Diamondback, the student newspaper at College Park: "Towson enrollment to rival university's." After reminding readers that UMD is the "long-time top dog" in the university system, the reporter mentioned "Towson's growth does not challenge this university's position as the flagship campus."
On the newspaper's Web site, an anonymous reader felt the need to declare this: "Towson is gay and they will never be better than us."
Maybe we won't be better, but we may be bigger, and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich is laying the foundation. He praised Towson last Monday as he stood on the lawn of Stephens Hall and announced $44 million worth of funding for a new College of Liberal Arts complex.
"It is great to be here. It is great to be home. And I feel very much at home on this campus," Ehrlich said. "-I've been accused of being a little prejudicial toward Towson, given my relation with the school, and I may be found guilty of that charge."
Senate President Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), a College Park alum, definitely believes Ehrlich is guilty. Sunday's Washington Post said UMD boosters "saw serious inequities" in the governor's capital budget recommendations. According to the Post, Miller called the budget a "slap in the face of all academia connected with College Park."
Towson received $44 million for the CLA complex and $1.3 million for infrastructure improvements, while College Park received less than $4 million. The governor said Towson (and other schools like Salisbury and Coppin) have been shortchanged in past budget cycles.
Millions of dollars in construction funding isn't the only gift the governor is giving to Towson. His congressional papers are already stored at Cook Library, and on Monday he said he wants to present Towson with his gubernatorial papers as well.
And where was the governor on Saturday afternoon? He wasn't at Comcast Center, taking in a Terps game -- he was at Towson Center, sitting courtside with President Robert Caret, watching the Tigers beat Drexel.
At the capital budget announcement last Monday, Ehrlich admitted that he only became friends with Caret when the president returned to Towson in 2003. When the governor (sometimes called "Bobby Haircut") referred to Caret as Bobby, a new duo was born: "Bobby and Bobby."
Feedback: E-mail editor@thetowerlight.com, call (410) 704-5141, or visit http://www.thetowerlight.com/pages/letter/
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