Texas Civil Rights Review

Category: Uncategorized

  • Media Mis-Impressions

    Harvey

    Kronberg notes that several headlines in Texas (and apparently on television, too) announced the death

    of Robin Hood after yesterday’s ruling. So while media outside the state ignored the story, media in

    Texas misrepresented it. But it was not difficult to see this one coming. Most pre-ruling reports

    about the trial lumped all the plaintiffs together into an anti-Robin Hood pack, without distinguishing

    between property-rich plaintiffs and property-poor intervenors. “It’s broke,” was the usual depth

    of analysis given to the school funding crisis. Then, after weeks of mostly empty press galleries, it

    was a perfect storm of media yesterday. Should I mention the name of the television reporter who

    actually closed his eyes and seemed to fall dead asleep behind the cameras? Naw, that would be too

    cruel.

  • TheBatt: Diversity Rally Draws Hundreds

    ‘Defeat ignorance, support diversity’
    Hundreds of students, faculty and

    staff
    attend rally to promote diversity
    By Anthony Woolstrum
    Published: Thursday,

    February 19, 2004
    —–Caption—–
    Michael Jackson (left), class of 1988, and Thomas

    Spellman, class of 1986, hold hands in front of the Academic Building in support of the march Wednesday

    afternoon. The march through campus was organized by the members of the Faculty Committed to an

    Inclusive Campus and included a rally at Rudder Fountain. (Photo by John C. Livas / The

    Battalion) “Aggies are diverse; we are diverse.”

    This statement and others were

    chanted Wednesday afternoon as hundreds of Texas A&M faculty, staff, students and members of the Bryan

    -College Station community gathered for a rally sponsored by the Faculty Committed to an Inclusive

    Campus (FCIC) to promote diversity on campus.

    “We have to make sure that we represent

    Texas A&M to the outside community the way we want to be represented,” said James Anderson, vice

    president for diversity.

  • Vo Report

    Houston IndyMedia

    We got a

    very brief report today on developments in the fight to keep Hubert Vo in the Texas Legislature. The

    Vo camp received a list on Tuesday of alleged “illegal voters” which they are now reviewing, one name

    at a time.

    “We got the list and we’re dismissing a lot of the names so far,” says our

    source. “Now it’s the old accounting thing. You look at a name, check it out and say ‘no good, no

    good,’ or ‘maybe there is something here.’ It’s taking longer than we

    expected.”

    About the conference call today between the disputing parties, our source

    says only that, “it went fine.” We’ll ask for another update Thursday.

    Democrat

    Hubert Vo won a close election to the Texas House of Representatives
    and is now fighting a

    challenge that is scheduled for hearings before the legislature
    early next year.-

    gm

  • Resegregation at A&M, 1994-2003

    CHART BELOW
    Enrollment Ratios 2000-2004
    for Texas A&M University
    by

    Race/Ethnicity & Gender
    See “Read More”

    First Time Student Ratios by

    Gender / Race / Ethnicity
    (Fall Semester)
    Category 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
    Total 6,685 6,760 6,949 6,726 7,068
    Female 3,497 (52.3%) 3,476 (51.4%) 3,665 (52.7%) 3,532 ( 52.5%) 3,643 ( 51.5%)
    Male 3,188 (47.7%)

    		 3,284 (48.6%) 3,284 (47.3%)

    		3,194 ( 47.5%) 3,425 ( 48.5%)
    White 5,389 (80.6%

    )

    		 5,544 (82.0%) 5,758 (82.9%

    )

    		5,538 (82.3%) 5,640 (79.8%

    )

    Black 173

    (2.6%)

    		 198 (2.9%) 182 (2.6%

    )

    		158 (2.3%) 213 (3.0%)
    Hispanic 669 (10.0%

    )

    		674 (10.0%) 664 (9.6%)

    		692 (10.3%) 865 (12.2%)
    Asian/Pacifc Island 251 (3.8%

    )

    		222 (3.3%) 230 (3.3%)

    		234 (3.5%) 267 (3.8%)
    Am. Indian 35 (0.5%)

    		37 (0.5%) 27 (0.4%) 27 (0.4%) 38 (0.5%)
    International 47 (0.7%) 48 (0.7%) 56 (0.8%) 67

    (1.0%)

    		40 (0.6%)
    Other 121 (1.8%) 37

    (0.5%)

    		 32 (0.5%) 10 ( 0.1%

    )

    		5 ( 0.1%)
    Source OISP/ep/F2000

    (p.76)

    		 OISP/ep/F2001

    (p.67)

    		 OISP/ep/F2002

    (p.80)

    		 OISP/ep/F2003

    (p.82)

    		 OISP/ep/F2004

    (p.95)

    Note: Between 1994 and 1998, the ratio of:

    –Black first time students fell steadily from 4.8% to 2.7%

    –Hispanic first-time students

    peaked at 14.7% then fell to 9.1%

    –White first-time students increased steadily from 76.3% to

    82.0%

    Source: OPIR/ip/Profile98(p.8)

    Okay maybe we’d like to see a second thing: systematic reporting of enrollment

    ratios; without ratios, the raw numbers have little civil rights significance.–gm
    [2004 numbers

    updated Dec.]

  • Student Senate "Diversity" Team Splits Rally

    SGA severs ties with FCIC due to diversity
    By James Twine
    Published:

    Friday, February 13, 2004

    The Texas A&M Student Senate severed ties with the Faculty

    Committed to an Inclusive Campus (FCIC), due to differences in race-based admissions

    ideals.

    The two organizations had scheduled a Feb. 18 diversity march before they

    realized their agenda differences, said Student Services Chair John Mathews.

    Although

    both organizations support diversity, the FCICsupports race-based admissions and SGA opposes race being

    a factor in admissions criteria, Mathews said…. The Student Senate has authorized its diversity

    team to organize a march of its own to be called Aggie March for Merit, beginning at 3:15 p.m. on Feb.

    18.

    The SGA march supports the admissions policy instituted by Gates as well as the

    progress it will represent for diversity at A&M.

    Mathews said he was disturbed because

    the FCIC withheld information from SGA and others.

    “So many people had united for this

    cause, and to now realize that FCIC was cause, and to now realize that FCIC was hiding behind this

    secret agenda is upsetting,” he said.[sic]

    The bill commended Gates’ admissions

    policy.

    “(Gates’) admissions policy will lead to greater diversity at A&M, and we

    fully support his bold decision to affirm the dignity and worth of every person by making individual

    merit the only criterion for admission and refusing to institutionalize discrimination on the basis of

    race, legacy, sexual orientation or any other demographic characteristic unrelated to individual

    merit,” according to the bill.