T A M U
1
J
1
ilnejuili-
ci 14,y
nits of I
ition on
ibled vets
amilies,
'k
latioiuM
lion,*™!
res to fa
luch asta
eniorcn
premi*
ed-carefii
lefils, sii
5S.
s truste
necessa
are trust!
■year sa|
anced-k
jlicans
;s charge:
roughkt
o guar:
Film's participants
share its effects
By Rachel Barry
Tar Bah align
F our A&M students have brought back
to campus a better understanding of
the effects race has on their daily lives.
The students participated in the making
of Skin Deep, a documentary about racism
on college campuses that is showing
tonight at Rudder Theater.
The film was made by Francis Reid, who
has been nominated for an Academy Award
for her documentary Straight from the Heart.
The four students, along with 19 other
students from across the country', were inter
viewed individually about their feelings and
beliefs on racism. All 23 students were then
brought together in California for a weekend
retreat where they had roundtable discus
sions about racial issues.
Duane Thomas, a senior industrial engi
neering major, said he expected to hear a lot
of different views at the retreat and to see a
lot of emotional speaking.
“1 didn’t expect to come up with any solu
tions or major points of action,” he said. “I
came to have the opportunity to understand
other people's point of view and to see how
different issues affected different people.”
Tammy Early, a Class of ’95 computer sci
ence graduate, said she was excited about
the opportunity to participate in the film.
She said she comes from a background
where there wasn’t an understanding of dif
ferent ethnicities, but that she wanted to
change that.
See Skin Deep, Page 7
p k e j u d i c e
Students look to promote ethnic harmony
By Rachel Barry
The Battalion
A:
&M is becoming as rich
in diversity as it is in tradition, and
.racism is an evident
growing pain.
Duane Thomas, who
participated in the
making of Skin Deep,
said the problem of
racism on the A&M
campus may stem
from people ignor
ing events tied to
the issue. He said
some people are
afraid to deal
with racism be
cause it has been
such a touchy sub
ject for so long.
“If they actual
ly have to face up
to it, they may
find that they are
racist and they
are wrong, and
then they will
have to change,” he said.
“By nature people are reluctant to change.”
“People need to accept that racism does exist on
campus, and they need to talk about it and discuss
where it is coming from,” he said.
Thomas said educating people and providing posi
tive reinforcement can help people open their eyes to
accepting new ideas and attitudes.
“People at least need to have an understanding of
other people and cultures and be willing and able to
work with those individuals,” he said.
Thomas said some people’s racist attitudes are not
the result of personal learning experiences.
“A lot of it isn’t from direct experience or interact
ing with other people,” he said. “It is from hearsay or
misconceptions that have been perpetuat
ed, and they haven’t dared to chal
lenge their attitudes or change
those attitudes, they have just
accepted them as their own.”
Octavia Evangelista, po
litical action chair for the
National Association for
the Advancement of
Colored People and a
junior political science
major, said she wants
to see people at A&M
recognize contribu-
. tions made by differ
ent races, religions
and ethnicities.
“A&M wasn’t devel
oped by pure whiteness,
so maybe we can appreci
ate these religions and eth
nic groups (that helped de
velop A&M),” she said.
Evangelista said there is
something missing when she walks across
campus and doesn’t see images of minorities. She
said she is working on trying to get more statues and
pictures of minorities on campus.
With her participation in the NAACP, Evangelista
said she is trying to make the campus more con
ducive to minorities.
“I feel like A&M has a lot of catching up to do,”
she said.
The NAACP works to make A&M more repre
sentative of minorities through its 12 point plan
of action. The plan includes expanding minority
scholarships, improving graduate rates for mi
norities and increasing the amount of images of
minorities in the MSC.
Chris Alvarado, an August graduate of psy
chology and history, said racism at A&M contin
ues because people have the attitude that they
can get away with it.
“Overall the feeling is that nothing will be done
about it because it is a social ill,” he said.
Alvarado said the racial problems at A&M
are cyclical, with a different issue coming up
every semester.
One thing Alvarado said could help overcome
racism at A&M is getting students more involved
on campus.
“The student body needs to beef up their voice,” he
said. “They don’t realize how much power they have.”
He said that because the former students have
such a strong pull on campus, it is hard for students
to change the attitude and the reputation of A&M.
“A&M needs to change from being a school of for
mer students to a school of current students,” he said.
Dmcmmim
a t A&M
This article is the third in a series that
will run through Friday and explore
different kinds of discrimination students
experience at A&M.
'1
{
iirkey,
t,
tyf,
aicrv°i
1pm
r Tara ^
Heather f'"
aotham, ^
chel Ba")
Si Lisa Ns 1 "
on, Erin
i Brown.
& Lydia
)0NI5ft' ^
yn Callo" ) '
stesH^
jse
s, Abb' 6 '
versity i"
Hines
'br®5
, for c' J ,
rnaldat^
::k up
year an* 1
1845-2& 1
fall a nd
ns (exCP 1
nc l das*
Texas ^
< 7<4e G«z**&uU &cUle£ (2/tUta>
Historic tour makes only Texas stop at A&M
By Amy Protas
The Battalion
East will meet west on the Rudder Auditori
um stage when The Central Ballet of China
performs this weekend.
The ballet company hasn’t been allowed
to dance outside of China since the Tianna-
men Square massacre nine
years ago. Now, people
have the opportunity
to see the dance troupe
at A&M.
The ballet is spon
sored by the Opera and
Performing Arts Society.
College Station is the
only Texas city that will
be visited on the group’s
current 34-city tour.
Wu Zhenrong, the
ballet mistress, said
coming to Texas
gives the Central
Ballet a chance to
exhibit its talents to
a different culture.
“This is really a
good opportunity,”
Zhenrong said. “We
like to think of it as a
w'-
cultural exchange. The Houston Ballet came to
China (last year), and now' we can show what
we learned from observing the western style.”
Founded in 1959, the Central Ballet is the
premier and biggest dance company in China.
Zhenrong said it is often referred to as the Na
tional Ballet of China to reflect that it is the
most treasured dance company of the country.
The company will be performing three
times this weekend in an evening show on
Friday and Sunday and a matinee on Sun
day afternoon.
On Friday and Sunday night, audiences will
see The Red Detachment of Women. Detach
ment, which premiered in 1964, depicts a girl’s
struggles during the 10-year civil war on
Hainan Island.
Karen Allen, MSC OPAS student committee
chair and a senior biomedical science major,
said the ballet gives students a chance to ob
serve a part of China’s past.
“This is the first time The Red Detachment
has been performed in the U.S.,” Allen said.
“It’s really an exciting part of their culture. It
shows how communism got started. It’s such a
fascinating piece.”
The ballet is a Chinese work and is not part
of the company’s classical repertoire. Allen said
it will be unique because people can always see
a classic ballet like Giselle or Swan Lake any
where, but that it’s a rare opportunity to see a
Chinese ballet.
In addition to The Red Detachment, there
wall also be performances of Don Quixote (Act
III), New Year’s Sacrifice, Pas De Quatre, and
Before the Wedding Chamber.
"It's a really exciting part of
their culture."
— Karen Allen
MSC OPAS student committee chair
Before each performance, there wall be a lec
ture sponsored by the Patricia S. Peters
Lagniappe Lecture Series. The lectures are free
to anyone wdth a ballet ticket.
Patricia Wehener, an OPAS employee,
said the talks will answer questions about
the ballet.
“People from the ballet wall be there to an
swer questions about the company and the per
formance,” Wehener said. “It should be really
interesting.”
Zhenrong said the ballet members are eager
to perform again for American audiences.
“Americans show things in their hearts,”
Zhenron said. “They are more enthusiastic
than Chinese audiences who don’t applaud as
much. We love American audiences.”
No, we aren’t having a really big shoe.
We’re having a really big show. It’s so big
that we had to break it up into two nights.
Come see Freudian Slip this Friday and
Saturday at 9 p.m. in Rudder Forum. Tickets
are $3 and they go on sale at 8. Doors open
at 8:30. So, get there early!
improvisational comedy-
It’s never the same show twice.
Skin Deep
A Film Examining Collegiate Racial Issues
Featuring 4 Aggies
Followed by a panel discussion with:
Frances Reid, the Film's Director, and
two Texas A&M Former Students.
Free Screening!!
Thursday, October 12, 1995
7 PM
Rudder Theatre
For More Information call 847-8478.
Sponsored by: Multicultural Services, RHA, Student Govern
ment Association, MSC CAMAC, MSC Black Awareness Com
mittee, and MSC Film Society
ui/tA c{iecd/A/t/e*epSeAfe, cadd845-7575 to 7/^form af g-our-
Me- r-etfuegtgot'^icatSoir tAr-e*, fsj day*pr/or-
to tAe eM-e-gt to e-gajde- u* to agg/etyou to tAe. Aegt o^ oar- aA/'A/t/e*.
AGGIE RING ORDERS
THE ASSOCIATION OF FORMER STUDENTS
CLAYTON W. WILLIAMS, JR. ALUMNI CENTER
DEADLINE: October 18, 1995
Undergraduate Student Requirements:
1. You must be a degree seeking student and have a total of 95 credit hours reflected on the
Texas A&M University Student Information Management System. (A passed course, which is
repeated and passed, cannot count as additional credit hours.)
2. 30 credit hours must have been completed in residence at Texas A&M University if you
successfully complete one semester at Texas A&M University prior to January 1,1994.
60 credit hours must have been completed in residence at Texas A&M University if your first
semester at Texas A&M University was January 1994 or thereafter, or if you do not qualify
under the successful semester requirement. Should your degree be conferred with less than
60 resident credits, this requirement will be waived after your degree is posted on the Student
Information Management System.
3. You must have a SLQ cumulative GPR at Texas A&M University.
4. You must be in good standing with the University, including no registration ortranscript
blocks for past due fees, loans, parking tickets, returned checks, etc.
Graduate Student Requirements
If you are a December 1995 degree candidate and you do not have an Aggie ring from a prior
degree, you may place an order for a ‘95 ring after you meet the following requirements:
1. Your degree is conferred and posted on the Texas A&M University Student Information
Management System; and
2. You are in good standing with the University, including no registration ortranscript
blocks for past due fees, loans, parking tickets, returned checks, etc.
If you have completed all of your degree requirements and can obtain a “Letter of Completion"
from the Office of Graduate Studies, the original letter of completion may be presented to the Ring
Office in lieu of your degree being posted.
Procedure To Order A Ring:
1. If you meet all of the above requirements, you must visit the Ring Office no later than
Wednesday, October 18,1995, to complete the application for eligibility verification.
2. If your application is approved and you wish to receive your ring on December 13, 1995,
you must return and pay in full by cash, check, money order, or your personal Visa or
Mastercard (with your name imprinted) no later than August 4,1995.
Men’s 10K-$309.00
14K - $422.00
Women's 10K-$174.00
14K - $203.00
Add $8.00 for Class of ‘94 or before.
The ring delivery date is December 13, 1995.