Unfair Park from p6 torture on the first offense. The Dallas County District Attorney’s Of- fice has its own animal cruelty division. “There is extensive, well-documented re- search that confirms the strong correlation between violence to animals and violence to people, which is why it so important to have a unit that specializes in the prosecution of these offense,” the DA’s office says on its website. In Dallas County, punishment for animal cruelty ranges between up to one year in jail with up to a $4,000 fine, and 10 years in the penitentiary with up to a $10,000 fine. ▼ EDUCATION COLLEGE ‘CARTEL’ U RICE UNIVERSITY IS A MEMBER OF A GROUP OF ELITE UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE U.S. ACCUSED OF PRICE- FIXING, A NEW LAWSUIT ALLEGES. BY MICHAEL MURNEY niversity administrators at a net- work of elite colleges across the U.S. have worked together to form a “car- tel” that, as a group, drove up the cost of ad- missions and excluded financial aid students since at least 2003, a new lawsuit alleges. Among the schools accused of participat- ing in the alleged scheme is Rice University in Houston. Rice is one of 16 colleges that “by their own admission, have participated in a price- fixing cartel that is designed to reduce or eliminate financial aid” as a competitive threat to their admissions prices, according to court documents filed in Illinois federal court earlier this month. The so-called cartel of universities was successful, and they “artificially inflated the net price of attendance for students receiv- ing financial aid,” court documents said. The plaintiffs in the suit are Sia Henry, Mi- chael Maerlander, Brandon Piyevsky, Kara Saffrin and Brittany Tatiana Weaver, all for- mer students at one of the defendant schools. In a statement, Rice said: “After review- ing this lawsuit, we believe it is without merit. Rice University is proud of its finan- cial aid practices and we are prepared to vig- orously defend them in court.” The lawsuit boils down to a dispute over whether the network of schools take the fi- nancial position of their applicants into ac- count when assessing applications. A law called the “Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994” gives universities a pass from antitrust laws if they use a “need- blind” admissions process that doesn’t con- sider applicants’ finances. Rice and the 15 other institutions claimed to be need-blind. The lawsuit alleges, however, that the network didn’t just leave out students who needed financial aid; they allegedly devel- oped a formula for determining whether ap- plicants could pay full price or not, and used that same formula to assess applicants at each school. By using this formula, the schools in the 88 group successfully “artificially inflated prices,” overcharging more than 170,000 financial aid students by “at least hundred s of millions of dollars,” according to court documents. “In critical respects, elite, private univer- courtesy texas.gov sities like Defendants are gatekeepers to the American Dream,” lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote. “[The schools’] misconduct is there- fore particularly egregious because it has narrowed a critical pathway to upward mo- bility that admission to their institutions represents,” court documents said. “The burden of the cartel’s overcharges falls in particular on low- and middle in- come families struggling to afford the cost of a university education and to achieve suc- cess for their children,” plaintiffs claim. Rice University is a private, non-profit in- stitution with an $8 billion endowment; 64% of its student body are from families in the top 20% of U.S. incomes, while only 4.9% are from the bottom fifth. ▼ POLITICS LOCKING HORNS I AHEAD OF THE MARCH PRIMARY, THE RACE FOR TEXAS AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER IS HEATING UP. BY SIMONE CARTER n his white cowboy hat and creased blue jeans, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller was starting to get red in the face. Earlier this month, during a candidate fo- rum, Miller asked Cooke County Republi- cans for their vote. He’d earned an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, after all, and was ready to serve an- other four years. But his primary opponent, southeast Texas Rep. James White, had an ace up his sleeve, which he slammed on the table dur- ing closing remarks. White told the room of Republicans that last year one of Miller’s top political consultants had been arrested for allegedly participating in a hemp-licensing bribery scheme. Miller wasn’t having it. He stood up and put his hand on White’s shoulder, who un- ceremoniously ended his attack after being told his time was up. During his tenure in office, Miller has at- tracted controversy for his flashy conserva- tive edge and social media savvy. Now, opponent White is billing himself as an ethi- cally sound solution to Texas’ embattled ag- riculture commissioner. Over the years, Miller has made numer- ous eye-grabbing headlines. In 2015, he shared a meme suggesting that America should nuke “the Muslim World.” He was also accused of misusing taxpayer money to finance a trip to Okla- homa, where he received a “Jesus shot,” an injection which purportedly cures all pain for life. During Black History Month in 2018, Miller posted a shining tribute on Facebook to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. And shortly into his term as commissioner, he pardoned cupcakes as an act of defiance of new federal school-lunch guidelines. “I also pardoned pies, cookies and brownies,” he said on Shoot the Bull, his offi- cial state podcast. Regardless, Miller commands a robust lead among the most likely Republican pri- mary voters: 34% say they’d back him, with 3% going for White, according to polling re- leased in November by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation. (Another 61% said they weren’t sure how they’d cast their vote.) “My understanding is Sid Miller is defi- nitely the strong favorite,” said Dr. Christo- pher Macaulay, an assistant political science professor at West Texas A&M University. On top of its responsibility for the state’s agriculture, the Texas Department of Agri- culture administers school lunch and break- fast programs for students. Still, this is the kind of race where most of the Texans who will pay attention are those who are in- volved in agriculture and are rurally based, Macaulay said. Dr. Thomas Marshall, a political science professor at the University of Texas at Ar- lington, said Miller has some baggage. Edi- torial boards will likely dredge up past scandals during the race and many may ulti- mately favor White. Miller harkens back to the “rustic age of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller Texas politics” where one could be a flam- boyant character, Marshall said. That fact likely drives a lot of more “mainstream” Re- publicans crazy. “He’s always been one of those colorful throwbacks to lively Texas history, which we don’t really see very much,” he said. Jason Vaughn, president of the Houston Young Republicans, said he’s been friends with White for a long time. As a small beef farmer, White actually works in the indus- try. He’s also served six terms in the state House and chaired the committee to pass constitutional carry. White has insider knowledge of the agri- culture industry, which affects a massive part of Texas’ budget and ecosystem, Vaughn said. Under the incumbent, fees have increased and are more frequent, which is one of the reasons why Vaughn is personally endorsing White. On top of that, the hemp license-selling scandal should be a major issue for Texas voters, Vaughn argued. That, along with the higher fees, makes him concerned for the in- dustry. “This is not Chicago,” Vaughn said. “We shouldn’t have to bribe officials and consultants to get stuff done.” ▼ ELECTIONS THE LITTLE DIFFERENCES U.S. REP. LOUIE GOHMERT HOPES TO BEAT INCUMBENT KEN PAXTON IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY FOR TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL. BY SIMONE CARTER R epublican attorney general candidate Louie Gohmert is ready to save the state from the libs. (That is, if he can beat incumbent Ken Paxton.) “The leftwing agenda is invading Texas!” the East Texas congressman wrote in a re- cent post on his campaign’s Facebook page. “From mask mandates, to school board ty- rants, to weaponized migration, to courts MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 JANUARY 20–26, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | MOVIES | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | SCHUTZE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.comdallasobserver.com
