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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 1990)
The Battalion BLACK HISTORY MONTH Tuesday, February 6,1990 i Students celebrate Black History Month By SEAN FRERKING Of The Battalion Staff African-American students at Texas A&M are celebrating Black History Month with a series of events that focus on the African- American’s role in American society. Black History Month, held an nually in February, is four weeks of celebration recognizing the achieve ments of African-Americans in the United States and around the world. Kevin Carreathers, coordinator of A&M’s Multicultural Services Cen ter, said Black History Month in creases public awareness by featur ing African-Americans and their history. “The purpose of Black History Month is to educate people about the accomplishments of people of African descent,” Carreathers said. Carreathers said many African- American accomplishments fre quently are overlooked. While most African-American students on the A&M campus are aware of what Black History Month represents, Carreathers said, few others realize the significance of the celebration. Florence Rice, faculty adviser to the MSC Black Awareness Commit tee, agreed with Carreathers. Rice said Black History Month celebrates and recognizes the often-ignored ac complishments of African-Ameri cans. Carter G. Woodson intiated Ne gro History Week in 1926. Wood son’s dream to recognize the impor tance of African-Americans in U.S. history evolved into Black History Month in 1976. The month is used by organiza tions around the area to promote African-American awareness. For example, the Black Awareness Com mittee and the Opera and Perform ing Arts Society are presenting The Boys Choir of Harlem on Feb. 15. The concert celebrates the best qual ities of the African-American com munity, Rice said. Graphic by Norzaini Mufti She said the boys choir, founded in 1968, is internationally renowned. It is directed by Dr. Walter J. Turn- bull and features an ensemble of 35 boys. In addition to the choir, other events are planned to emphasize the history and accomplishments of Af rican-Americans. American history from an Afri can-American perspective will be discussed Feb. 27 in a presentation titled “We Are the Dream.” The presentation, sponsored by the Black Awareness Committee, will feature David Smith, a spokes man from the Ford Motor Com pany. Smith will talk about the fu ture of African-American students and their careers, Rice said. Another event during Black His tory Month is Kappa Alpha Psi’s first Greek Olympiad. The event, featur ing performances by African-Ameri can fraternities and sororities from several Texas universities, will be held Saturday in Rudder Audito rium. For more information on Black History Month programs, call Felicia James at 845-1133. Center focuses on minorities By Of By SELINA GONZALEZ Of The Battalion Staff Education is the best weapon against discrimination, and Kevin Carreathers, Multicultural Serv ices Center coordinator, is doing his best to arm the students, fac ulty and staff of Texas A&M. The center provides activities for A&M minority students and educates other students, faculty and staff of minority students’ needs and concerns. Carreathers worked in the stu dent services department at tradi tionally black colleges and at pri vate Methodist schools before coming to A&M seven years ago. “I wanted the opportunity to work at a large major institution and Texas A&M gave me that chance,” he said. Carreathers said his goal is to help people appreciate the con cerns and needs of minority stu dents. “For instance, some faculty may not understand the personal importance of the extendecj fam ily to some Blacks and His panics,” he said. The center works to educate faculty about this importance through workshops and specific programs. “Sometimes they (faculty) don’t understand their (minorities’) learning and writing styles and instead of helping them see the differences they try to deny them their freedom of expression,” he said. “Most Blacks and Hispanics are human relational-type people — they’re more expressive in their writing and in their language. Sometimes a conflict can arise in a class when the expression goes beyond what is expected.” The center provides many op portunities for minority students to get involved at the University. “We want to help develop the full potential of all students — academically, personally and so cially,” he said. Kevin Carreathers Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack Carreathers said he wants to encourage all students to get in volved in student activities by showing them the benefits of in volvement. He said that he plans “to con tinue striving to make this institu tion the best for all students to at tend.” Students who have taken ad vantage of the center’s services have found it to be helpful, he said. “It disturbs me that there are a lot of students out there who haven’t taken advantage of what J ab I nc we have to offer,” he said, have some sound programs place to help any student.” One of the programs sp® sored by the center is the Unive sity Awareness of Cultural To|( therness (U-ACT) program. ACT works to educate studs leaders about the benefits ofeil nic diversity and a multicultut environment. Kevin Buchman, student b® president and U-ACT membt said the program focuses ondi ferent concerns and needs ofi® nority students. The prograt unites ,the Memorial Studer, Center, Resident Hall Assort tion. Committee for Awareness^ Mexican-American Culturt Black Awareness Committee,Sn dent Goverment, fraternities an* sororities. “Racism is not a blatant prof, lem here at Texas A&M, by jsu wherever it exists, there’s a nett for education,” Buchman said, Carreathers said that althoud A&M has succeeded in retainir,; minorities, there is still worktoki 1 C done. , ‘yli I * “We have a good prograr here, but until we look at this11 sue of retention from a systema® and functional point of view, »t will still have some trouble,"Car leathers said. “We brag about our retentioE rate as being the top in thestatt but we’re only talking about fron the freshman to the sophomotf year,” he said. “The true reten tion figure is the graduation n te.” Discrimination does occurbotl inside and outside of the Univer sity classrooms, Carreathers said “Minority students in a da could be extremely frustrate when they never get called up. after trying to be recognized 5 ■ m< raising their hand,” he said. Students also have witnessed racial slurs in and out of the class room, he said. ; ■ Carreathers said about l,2M | tb; African-Americans and 2,7lp 11 ispanics attend A&M. K fr< I Ui aii ai pr: wh die Frats, sororities sponsor events for Black History Monti ~ By DAPHNE MILLER Of The Battalion Staff In recognition of Black History Month, the four African-American service fraterni ties and sororities at Texas A&M will spon sor special events. Eight African-American service fraterni ties and sororities exist in the United States. Four of those are recognized at A&M. Alpha Phi Alpha will host an African and African-American history program at the end of the month. The program will focus on chapter alumni who contributed to the Civil Rights Movement. Terris Burton, a senior marketing major from New Orleans and Alpha Phi Alpha president, said his fraternity hosts pro grams and provides services throughout the year. The fraternity hosted the Miss Black and Gold pageant in January and took under privileged children to a symphony last week, he said. They provide other services such as tutoring elementary children and cleaning highways. “Our fraternity’s motto is ‘First of all, ser vants of all, we shall transcend all,’ ” Bur ton said. “We try to instill that in the minds of our pledges.” Alpha Phi Alpha’s local chapter consists of 26 members and was founded Sept. 15, 1985, by Kevin Carreathers, who is the coordinator of the Multicultural Services Center. Faculty adviser is Dr. Carlos Hodges, a surgical resident in veterinary medicine at A&M. Famous alumni include Dr. Martin Lu ther King Jr., entertainer Nat King Cole and Jesse Owens, 1936 Olympic gold med alist in track. Kappa Alpha Psi will have its annual Kappa Week starting Friday and continu ing to Feb. 18. The week includes a Greek Show on Saturday to raise money for schol arships for high school seniors. The Greek Show, similar to a talent show, will involve Greeks at A&M, Lamar University, Stephen F. Austin State University, Southwest Texas State University and the University of Texas. Eric Lewis, president of Kappa Alpha Psi and a senior bio-engineering major from Houston, said he wants to reiterate that the Greek Show is not limited to black fraterni ties and sororities only. The show is for all Greeks. “During Kappa Week, we re-emphasize brotherhood by getting together and host ing public parties,” Lewis said. “Our frater nity focuses on promoting achievement.” He said they promote achievement by giving food to the needy, tutoring, cleaning highways, participating in the Brazos Valley Big Event and giving scholarships. A&M’s chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi was founded on Feb. 7, 1987. Famous alumni include Thomas Bradley, mayor of Los An geles, Wilt Chamberlin, former L.A. Lakers player and Gayle Sayers, former Chicago Bears running back. Faculty adviser is George Worton, director of affirmative ac tion at A&M. Alpha Kappa Alpha, a black sorority, will have a black history program Feb. 28 and will donate a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to A&M. Demetra Andrews, president of Alpha Kappa Alpha and a senior marketing major from Houston, said sorority activities in clude adopting a school, visiting senior citi zens’ homes and participating in the “Big Hug” to raise money to build homes for runaways. Alpha Kappa Alpha has 18 members in its chapter at A&M and was founded Apr! 14, 1985. ( C Phylicia Rashad of “The Cosby Show 1 an alumnus. Faculty adviser is DjuarJ Young, financial aid counselor. I ^ Delta Chi Theta’s focus is to engagejBJ ei cultural, educational and public service ail tivities. They participate in activitiessudi2| fr ( Big Sister Program, in which each girl 011 dopts” an elementary school child. Tkfl also have a ball to raise money forscbl sai arships. Another activity is the Can Darij r e| where the admission price to the dancefl tk two canned food items. cei I Sti President of Delta Chi Theta is Tina Hal “ ll kins, a business analysis major from Dirl . canville. Faculty adviser is La Verne Yoml tlc a coordinator in the education departno Famous alumni are actress Lena Hoitl poet Nikki Giovanni and Camille Con s . tc daughter of actor Bill Cosby. R tI0 MSC JORDAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS PRESENTS THE CHANGING ROLES OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN Tuesday, February 6, 1990 7:00 p.m. Room 308 Rudder Speakers: I. Dr. Galiz Kuruogln, Lecturer at the University of Texas Oriental Languages Department speaking about Middle East Women. II. Dr. Katherine Dettwyler, Professor, Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University speaking about the Women of Mali, Africa. INTERNATIONAL FACULTY LUNCHEON February 6, 1990, 11:30 - 12:30 MSC Cafeteria Conference Room 110 (Near the cash registers) Speaker: Dr. Mike Messina, Assistant Professor, Department of Forestry Science speaking about New Zealand. LADY AGGIE BASKETBALL R.H.A. ATTENDANCE CHALLENGE II Texas A&M vs. T.C.CI. TCJESDAY,FEBRCIARY 6TH @ 7:30 P.M. G. ROLLIE WHITE COLISEUM THE RESIDENCE HALL THAT BRINGS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF RESIDENTS TO CHEER FOR THE LADY AGGIES WINS A FREE PIZZA PARTY COURTESY OF PIZZA HUT! SUPPORT YOUR HALL AND THE LADY AGGIES! (WINNERS OF CHALLENGE I — McINNIS HALL) ★ PRESIDENT MOBLEY ★ WILL BE THE GAME’S HONORARY COACH!