Demographer studies the fastest growing state
earn Texas population predicted to surpass N.Y.
me into office i
it’s 10.1
willing byTomDobrez
Battalion Reporter
Jf recent population trends
^■itinue, it won’t be long bef ore
,'T( .is passes New York and be-
’ ■' 11,(1 'or2.6otr manes the second largest state in
the country, a demographer at
7Y\.is A&M University says.
■ Dr. R.L. Skrabanek, sociolo-
H professor here since 1949,
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ring.
says, “It is a sure bet Texas will
pass New York in total number
of people before 1990.”
Texas, the nation’s fastest
growing state, has grown from
the sixth largest state in 1960 to
third in 1982.
Skrabanek, who has written
close to 200 articles on popula
tion, said the main reason of
ie study group
fclans Austin trip
by Connie Edelmon
Battalion Reporter
exas A&M University’s
Stu-
Government Legislative
Study Group and other student
leaders will be traveling to Au
stin Tuesday, the day of the gen
eral election.
■As part of the trip, sponsored
by the Association of Former
Students, the group will be
amending the winning candi-
Hes’ victory celebrations.
■The group, formed last year
on to play? by ihe Student Senate, was cre-
as usual Audited to help represent Texas
u ■ here to furilieB^^ i" 11 ' 1 t ' sts 111 state govern-
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ough to voie.'
es care of the 1
more questioi
a nap. What
the A meric;
t-term plitical
>ur problems
■Student leaders Mike Lawshe
and Fred Billings said that the
group wants the University to
have an impact on state legisla
tion and needs students to help
do it.
Lawshe, the director of the
legislative group, said they work
closely with ihe student body,
Texas A&M administration, the
Association of Former Students
and — they hope — the Legisla
ture.
The group plans to gather
information and do research on
upcoming bills concerning high
er education, faculty raises and
tenure, a possible tuition in
crease and the possibility of a
student serving on the Texas
A&M System Board of Regents.
diversity on way
to United Way goal
by Angie Kerr
Battalion Reporter
■Wilh one week of f undraising
to go, Texas A&M University is
Hfvvay to its $100,()()() United
Way goal.
■ Dr. Malon Southerland, assis
tant vice president for student
services, said the University
w|)uld reach its goal.
■ “1 feel that we have had a very
|itstanding beginning and mid
dle period to the campaign,” be
said. “The key to any drive of
this nature will be the conclud-
ii|g efforts by all of those that are
Basting, and in particular, the
individuals who are making
pirns to participate and make a
gif'
■So far, Texas A&M has col
let led $51,260.23. Employees
hive been surprisingly gener-
ons, Southerland said. The Col
lie of Business Administration
employees pledged $8,245 — a
$26 per capita gift. And 142 em
ployees in the division of Stu
dent Services have given
$3,537.12 — a $1 1.23 per capita
pledge.
Athletic Department em
ployees have given $1,078.50 —
a per capita pledge of $9.80.
The Residence Hall Associa
tion raised $385 at their annual
“Almost Anything Goes” com-
petition on Oct. 14. Several
dorms have been collecting
change as well.
Mosher Hall raised $760
from dorm fundraisers, includ
ing car washes and slave sales.
RHA President Stacy Graf
said she’s delighted with the
dorms’ response.
“With just a little encourage
ment from RHA the individual
dorms just ran away with it,” she
said.
Late Night Happy Hour
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October 31
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The liatenii’hciii
505 ITiivcrsity Drive. College Station
growth is migration from other
states. Texas is experiencing
growth comparable to that of
California in die 1960s, he said.
According to the 1980 Cen
sus, Texas added 3 million peo
ple to its total population during
the 1970s. Ol this number, 1.8
million had migrated from
other states. The other 1.2 mil
lion is attributed to immigration
and more births than deaths,
Skrabanek said. On the whole,
the ’70s migration accounted for
60 percent of the total popula
tion increase.
The 1970 figures show a big
ger population increase than the
decade before. During the
1960s, Texas’ total population
increased by 1.6 million people.
This accounted for only 21,000
new residents, 13 percent of
whom migrated from other
states.
Estimates released by the
Bureau of Census on the 1980
population trends show little or
no decline in Texas’ grolth,
Skrabanek said. In the fifteen-
month period between May
1980 to July 1981, Texas added
over 500,000 people to its popu
lation. Skrabanek said that so far
in the ’80s, Texas has added
more people than all 22 North
ern states combined.
Skrabanek said that Texas’
current rate of increase com
bined with New York’s decrease
in the ’70s will mean Texas’
population will exceed New
York’s in a matter of a few years.
As of July 1, 1981, Texas’popu-
people
while New York reported 17.6
million. The nation’s population
leader is California with 24.2
million people.
But Texas’ total numbers
aren’t the only census statistic
showing a significant change,
Skrabanek said. The average
age of persons living in Texas
has increased in the past 80
years. In 1900, the median age
of Texans was 19, but now the
average is 28.2. Skrabanek said
this is due to the decrease in the
number of births between the
years 1961 and 1976, and the
increase in life expectancy. The
national average age is 30.
Skrabanek said although the
number of families has re
mained constant, the size of the
family has decreased in Texas
and across the nation.
Another area of significant
change in population demog
raphics lies in the ratio of
females to males. In 1870, there
were 115 males for every 100
females. But today, there are 97
males to every 100 females.
Texas figures are very close to
the nation’s figures on male to
female ratios. Skrabanek said
there are more females than
males in America and Texas be
cause the life expectancy gap be
tween men and women has in
creased. On the average, women
live eight years longer than men.
The gap was only two years at
the beginning of the century.
The 1980 Census also re
vealed significant data concern
ing population distrubution.
For the first time since 1930, the
number of people living in rural
areas across the country has not
decreased. In Texas, rural
population has increased. Skra-
banek said that for the first timfe
in many years, the rural areas of
the state are sharing in the
population growth as well as the
cities.
Even though Texas is ex
periencing rapid growth in both
rural and city areas, Skrabanek
said he doesn’t see it becoming
the nation’s population leader.
“California continues to in
crease at a rate comparable to
Texas and its big lead in num
bers makes it hard for me to see
Texas surpassing California in
my lifetime,” he said.
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