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needs in Texas and the nation is a welcome
tend that is long overdue. Jessie Jackson,
currently the Democratic frontrunner in the
1988presidential race, has brought attention to
the issue, as he wooes the support of white
constituents.
Over the past few years, Texas A&M has
boasted the state *s highest minority retention
rate, but it is only recently that the
administration has made noticable strides in the
recruitment of minorities. And the efforts have
paid off. This year black enrollment increased
by 29 percent and Hispanic enrollment is up by
26 percent
But even {hough these numbers are
impressive, we sSl have quite a long way to go.
Our main story is a comprehensive status report
on minorities at A&M. We look at where
they've been, where they are nowand where
they are headed.
We've also taken a look at two minority
former students who have soared to the tops of
their fields. Mayor Henry Cisneros of San
Antonio said in a recent Texas Monthly article
that A&M was probably the toughest place for a
minority to be in school when he was here in
the late sixties. But Cisneros made it through
A&M and is one of the most popular up-and-
coming politicians in the state of Texas. Fred
McClure served in 1976 asA&M’s first and only
black student body president He's held a
number of prestigious governmental positions
since then, including special assistant for
legislative affairs to the president of the United
States. These two men are certainly worth a
second look
A symposium was held Tuesday evening to
discuss the Hispanic drop-out rate, an issue that
the panelists said affects us all. Some interesting
and controversial points were made at this
discussion, and we've got the highlights.
Finally, in our weekly student survey we
asked students this week how they feel about
Predictably, we received mixed reactions.
At Ease Staff
Editor
Assistant editor
Senior staff writer
Staff writers
Reviewer
Photographer
Karen Kroesche
Lydia Berzsenyi
Melisa Hohlt
Staci Finch
Leslie Guy
Tom Reinarts
Dean Saito
Courting minorities
Texas A&M is working hard to increase minority
enrollment, and has experienced a fair amount of
success recently. But there is still a lot of work to be
done if the administration is to reach the goals it’s set
for the University. Look inside for a status report on
minorities at A&M.
Spotlighting former students
Although being a minority student has its share of
disadvantages, some former A&M students, classified
as minorities, have taken the state and nation by storm
with their determination to succeed. This week, we
highlighted two old Ags who can serve as examples for
all of us, regardless of our race or ethnic background.
Dropout dilemma
At a symposium Tuesday, distinguished panelists
discussed the problem of the Hispanic drop-out rate.
They didn’t agree on the cause of the problem, but
offered unique and pointed solutions.
Aggienizing Answers
Some students are upset that there is specific funding
available to minority students, while others feel that this
is more than fair. This week we asked students how
they feel about this issue, and the answers are divided
almost equally.
Movie review
Arnold Schwarzenegger has a new movie out, ‘The
Running Man, ” but Tom says Schwarzenegger is the
ususal one man army hero figure. Look inside to see
Tom’s reaction to this new action film.
Album review
Tom says that “Saturday, ” the newest release from the
Austin-based band The Reivers, doesn’t offer enough
diversity and that the lyrics are sometimes unclear.
Read on to find out how Tom ranked the album.
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