The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, February 13, 1996, Image 3

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n a month that celebrates the diversity and histo
ry of the African-American culture, the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored Peo-
e is setting aside a week for one of the country’s
n presik ^ an< d largest civil rights organizations.
Tonight, Cary Cauly, the Brazos County Com-
issioner, will speak on disunity
thin the African-American corn-
unity.
Freddie Fountz, Texas A&M
AACP vice president and a
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ularly important to him
cause he sees the
rks at Silfrican-American commu-
the CMl ty divided every day.
“What I would like to see
improved relations be-
feen African-American stu-
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tuntz said. “We need to work
igether to accomplish common
jals. The African Americans in
le community think the students
link we’re too good. We all need to realize
lat everyone is the same.”
NAACP week will also feature an AIDS presenta-
on. Speaker Ann Boney will give a speech titled
we Must Embrace Each Other,” and there will
etwo movie nights.
Lovely Murrell, press and publicity chair for the
lAACP and a junior anthropology major, said
lAACP week will give the University a chance to
etter understand the NAACP.
This is a way for people to come out and get to
now the organization and what we stand for,” Mur-
ellsaid. “Instead of just offering a list of things that
lave happened in African-American history, we
(anted to make it different. We are going to focus on
(here we need to go as people.”
Octevia Evangelista, NAACP political action
hair and a junior political science major, said
February African-American students need to become more
ware and active within the organization and
he University.
“Students need to be aware of their surround-
acknowl- ings and how it affects them, especially with the
t at 21 locial climate on this campus,” Evangelista said,
also is African Americans have been extremely apa-
uicidein ihetic about what’s around us. Through the
fNAACP, we help people become more aware
i wasaf-
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eath oi
through education and involvement.”
A problem that can plague any organization is in
difference toward involvement until something ex
traordinary or controversial occurs.
Fountz said students should be involved at all
times, not just for convenience.
“I think NAACP is misunderstood on this cam
pus,” Fountz said. “People don’t come out unless
there is a big problem on campus. I want to give
African Americans on this campus a wake-up
call to what’s going on. We can’t keep fight
ing and treating each other like dirt.”
One of the goals of the NAACP is to
implement the 12-point plan. The
plan includes objectives like getting
more minority scholarships under
the President’s Achievement
Award and hiring more African-
American faculty.
Fountz said the 12-point plan
is one of the principal reasons he
joined the NAACP.
“I joined the NAACP because I
wanted to make a difference for
African Americans and all minorities
here,” Fountz said. “I want to see the
12-point plan implemented and to help
that happen. The only way to deal with prob
lems at this university is to come together and
work to solve these problems.”
Another project the NAACP is working on is the
Matthew Gaines statue. Gaines was a former slave
who became a Texas senator in 1871. He was instru
mental in helping pass the Morrill Land Grant that
granted the land for A&M.
Evangelista said $5,000 has been given by the
University for the statue, but over $250,000 is
still needed.
“The Rudder statue went up really quick,” Evan
gelista said. “It’s really hard to get the money, but
we need to all work together to get it. Gaines was a
Republican senator, and the College Republicans are
also working to get the statue built.”
Evangelista said it is important to have the
Gaines statue to reflect the diversity of A&M’s past.
“One of our goals is for the images of A&M to be
inclusive of all minorities,” Evangelista said. “I see a
lot of white faces, but not my own faces. If we can
get the Matthew Gaines statue, it will set a prece
dence for the University.”
Fountz said he is glad A&M will have a chance to
know about Matthew Gaines.
“I’m glad TAMU is going to find out things about
it’s origins,” Fountz said. “The school needs to give
respect to others who helped found the University.”
Ambassadors strive to create cultural
awareness, acceptance across campus
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Officers and members of the Ambassadors represent the Department of Multicultural Services.
By Amy Protas
The Battalion
O n a campus that has had its
share of racial tension, get
ting students to understand
and appreciate multiculturalism
may be a next to impossible goal.
Ambassadors for the multicul
tural department strive to do
'list that — to create both a cul
turally diverse and culturally
aware campus.
Ambassadors act as liaisons
between all the organizations in
the Multicultural Department,
the school and the community.
Kevin Carreathers, director of
Multicultural Services, said de
mand on the department from
outside organizations convinced
him to create the Ambassadors.
T would often get phone calls
from a variety of departments,”
Carreathers said. “They were
looking for students to serve on
Panels and speak to various orga
nizations. I decided to go ahead
and have a group of students
there already educated about the
department, instead of having to
go down a list and look for stu
dents to send.”
In addition to manning panels
and speaking to organizations,
Ambassadors host luncheons with
Texas A&M President Ray Bowen
before football games and give
campus tours.
Chris Gaines, an Ambas
sador and a sophomore civil en
gineering major, said the group
is significant because many
people do not understand what
the department does.
“Ambassadors serve as public
relations between the department
and the University,” Gaines said.
“A lot of neat things happen that
people pass up because they don’t
know they’re there. The depart
ment is tucked away in the
Memorial Student Center, so peo
ple miss out on a lot.”
Lindsey Maxwell, an Ambas
sador and a freshmen biomedical
science major, said education
about multiculturalism will help
all students in the future.
“It is very important because
when students get into corporate
work, it is going to be totally
multicultural,” Maxwell said. “If
we don’t learn it now, we never
will. Multiculturalism is impor
tant here and everywhere. We
have to appreciate and work
with other people.”
Michelyn Washington, an Am
bassador and a sophomore ac
counting major, said learning
about other people is part of a col
lege education.
“Ambassadors are important
because people need to learn
about new things,” Washington
said. “People come to college to
learn new things and gain new ex
periences. If people are exposed to
multiculturalism here, they will
appreciate other cultures when
they are in the working world.”
Ambassadors also try to edu
cate students about multicultur
alism in order to lessen racial ten
sion on campus.
Maxwell said in order to ac
complish that goal, people must
work together.
“I feel it takes everyone on
campus to resolve the racial ten
sion,” Maxwell said. “Everyone
has to get involved and be sup
portive. People have to do
things, not just say things.”
Gaines said one’s ethnic back
ground does not matter because
everyone should help in under
standing diversity.
“I looked around, and I sensed
a lot of racism on our campus,”
Gaines said. “Fm white, and I
thought I could make a differ
ence. I wanted to show other
whites it’s OK to want racial
equality. When I’m in the de
partment, I don’t see a lot of
whites. Ambassadors represent
the whole department, and I
wanted to do something with the
whole department.”
Gaines said he wants to show
the campus that everyone can
work together and get along.
“People think to accept and re
late to minorities, you have to be
where they’re from,” Gaines said.
“You just have to be a human be
ing to relate. Ambassadors has al
most every race, and I want to
show the campus even though
people are different, they’re still
human beings.”
Washington said Ambassadors
can be an example of unity of di
verse cultures.
“We have people from various
backgrounds on campus,” Wash
ington said. “I think we’re a prime
example of how people from differ
ent backgrounds and cultures
can come together.”
Pow wow celebrates
Native-American lore
NASA
Lyndon Alec was Head
Man Dancer at the
NASA Pow Wow.
Photo by Rony Angkriwan
By Kristina Buffin
The Battalion
N ative Americans from Ok
lahoma and Texas trav
eled to College Station
this weekend to take part in the
fourth annual Pow Wow spon
sored by the Native American
Student Association and Ameri
can Indian Science and Engi
neering Society.
For the first time in four
years, the pow wow was a two-
day event. The event started
Friday night with gourd danc
ing. Head Gourd Dancer Ernie
Kauahquo, who is a Kiowa-Pon-
ca from Oklahoma, said he ac
cepted the position because of
his friendship with one of the or
ganizers of the dance, Head
Lady Dancer Amber Clark.
“I like this dance because it is
a nice gathering,” Kauahquo
said. “I’ve been to other US AO
(University of Science and Arts
of Oklahoma) events in Okla
homa, and I go there and here
because I support my friends
that are involved. They did a
great job; they had a great
turnout and treated us well.”
Friday night did not attract
as many people as NASA had
hoped, but master of cere
monies Alva Roughface said
he knew Saturday would be
bigger because people were
used to the NASA pow wow
being on Saturday.
“It was iffy at first, but as
it went on, it got better,”
Roughface, who is a Ponca
from San Antonio, said. “This
is kind of way out, and people
want to come, but they can’t
make it on Friday. As time
went on, people came from
San Antonio and Dallas and
we got more of an audience.”
For many participants, pow
wows are an opportunity to
gather with friends to socialize.
“We go to Oklahoma every
weekend for dances,” Daniella
Vickers, who is a Kiowa, said.
“Some people who are sick
come, and the music lifts them.
The drum has significance and
does a lot for people, so it com
mands a lot of respect. It is more
of a social event.”
The main reason NASA puts
on the dance and hosts Native
American Week is to make the
community and the A&M cam
pus more aware of Native-Amer
ican culture and issues.
“This is the third year that I
have been here,” Roughface
said. “They have held this for
four years, and it has made the
community more aware of the
Native-American culture. I
think that it has made the stu
dents more aware as well.”
For the first time since the in
ception of Native American
Week, the week-long festivities
and programs had to be
scrapped because of budget cuts.
Instead, the inter-tribal council
decided to host a two-day dance.
“I think the dance went well
with the overall participation
and organization,” Sandra Medi
na, adviser for NASA, said. “I
know that the other events in
the past were very important
and would have contributed to
the program. But because we
couldn’t bring in the speakers
and certain resources, we could
n’t accomplish what we had in
the past.”
Medina, along with the inter
tribal council, hope that as the
program continues, it will only
become bigger and serve the
campus and community in
terms of education.
“I thought it was very impres
sive and everyone seemed to en
joy the program,” Medina said. “I
wish more people could have
come, but people do not know
what they are missing. In years
to come we hope to do bigger and
better things to help educate the
University and the community.”
Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion
Native-American singing was a popular festivity at the NASA Pow Wow.