The Special History at TAMUC
Table of Contents Page 1 ASSET Page 5 African Student Association Page 7 Corey Battle: Photographer Page 9 Scholarship Opportunities
The Special is an online magazine produced by journalism students at Texas A&M-University Commerce. Content and production are the responsibility of the students. The Special is produced during the Fall, Spring and Summer terms. Contact: The Special, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Box 4104, Commerce,TX 75428 Staff : Brenda Perez, Mia Johnson, Rachel Cohn Faculty Adviser: Fred Stewart (fred.stewart@tamuc.edu)
ASSET
By: Brenda Perez
F
ifty years after Texas A&M University-Commerce was desegregated, some of the first African -American alumni are fighting to keep memories alive. Shortly after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Joe Tave formed the African American Student Society of East Texas, ASSET. Tave was a political science major and graduated from East Texas State University, now A&M-Commerce, in 1969. He was a believer in non-violence; with 90 members of ASSET, he led a series of nonviolent demonstrations on the university campus. ASSET was a means for black students to protest and demonstrate to promote their civil rights movement on campus
The initial goal ASSET had was to change the way of life on the university campus for the first black students since desegregation a few yeas prior. On May 8, 1968 ASSET submitted their own Declaration of Rights to President Whitley Holladay in which they listed the grievances the African-American students on campus had towards the running of the university. In their Declaration, ASSET expressed that they were not demanding anything, they understood that the university had the power to make the final decision but they were recommending changes that would improve life for the black students on campus.
Black Culutre Week 1969 (Courtesy Darrly Peace)
The Declaration of Rights created by ASSET recommended that the university hire three faculty members that were between the ages of 23 and 30, they expressed their desire that the university “end the Old South Week on campus” and “withdraw approval of Kappa Alpha frat for racist attitude.” ASSET stated that athletes should be provided with tutors and that more careful attention be made to the schedule of athletes so they could compete and study. They requested to have one speaker of their choice in the Forum Arts
program. A request for courses to be added in the curriculum that were related to “black people.” Literature that represented a sample of black authors was requested as well. Other grieveances included equal housing opportunities and work opportunites. May 13, after reading the Declaration of Rights, president Halladay, Tave, three faculty sponsors and the dean of students met to discuss the declaration submitted by ASSET. President Halladay ac-
Black Culture Week at Texas A&M University-Commerce 1969
knowledged that the university needed to work on certain issues and that others had already been addressed. A week of meetings and tension followed; Tave was removed from campus at one point, by faculty, because of the amount of threats on his life. President Halladay addressed the issues stated by ASSET and recommended that each dean look into each specific request.
(Photo courtesey of Darryl Peace)
Alpha Kappa Alphas Black Culture Week The universtiy began looking into hiring AfricanAmerican professors. Adminsitrators also began allowing more black students into the work study program. Today, Tave, along with other members of ASSET and A&M-Commerce alumni are forming the ASSET 125 Iniative. The overall goal of the ASSET 125 Iniative is to keep alive the memory of the struggle to gain equal education opportunities for the black community. Members of ASSET want to share their experiences with the students and community on their lives before the doors were opened for them to progress. “The ASSET 125 Iniative would be a series of events set up with speakers,” Darryl Peace, director of alumni affairs, said. “We would set it also as a question and answer panel for students.” The idea is that sharing their life experiences will allow students to understand better the efforts that paved the way for their educational opportunities.
(Photo courtesy Darryl Peace Men like Dr. Dave Talbot who was instrumental in forming the Omega Psi Phi, a black fraternity, but also set up scholarships for students on campus. Women like Glenda McKissic who was the first African-American Homecoming Queen in 1969. This was at a time when African-Americans only made up five percent of the population. Out of 6,902 students on campus, only 325 were black. The ASSET 125 Iniative is being organized by Darryl Peace, Noah Nelson, Devin Girod and will include students, alumni and faculty and staff, along with other members of the community, who will help bring influential African-Americans to speak at the university. The hope is that this can be done more than once or twice a year. It is a part of history that members of ASSET know should never be forgotten.
Photographs clockwise: Joe Tave, President Halladay, Glenda McKissnic Homecoming Queen, Page from The East Texan in 1968, Phi Beta Sigma (Courtesy of Darryl Peace )
AFrican Student organization Leaders on campus
ASA African Student Asso-
ciation [ASA] is the oldest running organization actively promoting culture, traditions, and peace on campus.
Members of ASA (Photo courtesy of Mia Johnson )
Members of ASA (Courtesy of ASA) Texas A&M University-Commerce has a diverse campus with many multicultural groups. Students work together to unify and embrace their culture. “ASA isn’t just exclusive or favored toward the African students,” Brendon Mdluli said. “In actuality, if any person is willing to learn and engage themselves in the African culture, they would be ideal candidates for joining this organization. It’s recognized and established at many other universities such as the University of North Texas, Texas Tech, University of Texas-Dallas, Texas State and many other schools across the country.” According to their Mane Sync page, the purpose of ASA is to create a culturally enlightened community by promoting collaboration amongst African students
and the student body as a whole with the ultimate goal of contributing back to Africa and encouraging awareness within the A&M-Commerce community and the greater Dallas- Fort Worth area metropolis. They welcome all people from Africa, connected to Africa and/or interested to matters concerning it. With the help of social media, ASA has established a platform through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Mdulili and Dr. Augustine “Chuck” Arize, meet with members weekly on Wednesdays to discuss upcoming events and important topics. “This year, we’ve hosted a lot of different events that are fun and help us recognize traditions that help us achieve the goals in our mission statement,” Mdluli said. “Some of these events include ‘Africa N You’ and ‘Taste of Africa.’”
A majority of ASA members include students with African heritage who take pride in their culture; but it doesn’t end there. Most students join because of their interest in African culture and tradition. According to their social media, members work closely together uniquely contributing to events. “One thing that people actually do not know about ASA is that we have a magnitude of talent just within the organization,” Mdluli said. “We have some designers, singers, dancers, choreographers, and sound engineers and producers just to name a few. We all help to promote each other and offer a lot of support to one another. We are very close knit.” ASA continues to promote academic excellence and hold true to their mission statement.
Cortney Battle: Photographer
D
By: Brenda Perez
rawn to Texas A&M UniversityCommerce for the art program, and in his last semster, Cortney Battle is ready to show his photography skills.
Cortney Battle, (Photo Courtesy of Cortney Battle )
Battle showing a few of his prized photographs, deep in shadow yet able to bring what little color they held to life; a great contrast of dark and light. With an eye for the extraordinary, Battle has been graced with signing his own work for Greg Milano who owns a studio in Dallas. “We had our work critiqued by his assistants and afterwards Greg asked me to sign my work and he kept it,” Battle said. He remembers the evening as one of the proudest moments in his time at Texas A&M-Commerce. Battle comes from Brookston, Texas about 10miles west of Pa ris. The only one in his family to study photography, he had little experience in the field. “I was in high school watching America’s Next Top Model and I began to think about it,” Battle said. “ When I came to college I wanted to do something related to art
and I chose photography.” When asked what artwork he is proud of, Battle quickly admits he is his own hardest critic, but there is one piece, Dahlia, that he is “extremely proud of.” He now begins to experiment more with colors and tris to get out of his comfort zone, something he is used to, growing up being one of the few black kids at school. “I think that allowed me to see the bigger picture,” Battle said. “It has allowed me to see beyond people’s skin.” And it is something that Battle brings out in his artwork. Talking about the future, after graduation in May, Battle expressed his desire to have his own gallery. But his passion of photography lies mainly in fashion. Working for a fashion magazine
where he could let his artistic side really open up would be another dream come true. Although he was afraid in the beginning, time where he says he started from the very bottom, he knows he would not be happy if he had chosen anything different. He had advice for anyone starting on a new journey. “Don’t be afraid to question what you see, question everything and don’t be afraid to be unique, don’t be afraid to fight.”
“Don’t be afraid to question what you see, question everything and don’t be afraid to be unique, don’t be afraid to fight.”
Battle
Photographed by Corntey Battle
Scholarship Opportunities T
here are multiple scholarship opportunities for African-American students, whether they are a starting freshman or are completing their degree. These opportunities include the Ivory Moore Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships, the Rosie Sorrell scholarship, Dr. David A. Talbot Senior Fellowship Endowment and the Dr. David Talbot Memorial scholarship. The Ivory Moore Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarship, were created in honor of educator and co-founder of the Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education, Ivory Moore. This scholarship is available to full-time African-American students enrolled in a two-year institution, four-year institution, or graduate program in Texas at the masters or doctoral level. Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and be recommended by a faculty member or university administrator to qualify. A 500-word, double spaced in 12-point font essay, a current photo of the applicant, a current official transcript, and proof of enrollment is also required when submitting an application over the topic of how the scholarship will help them. The scholarship provides $500 for students going to a two-
year institution and $1,000 for students who are going to a fouryear institution or are in a graduate program. According to Dr. David Brown, professor of early childhood education, there are two scholarships honoring people who spent more than 30 years teaching, the Rosie Sorrell Scholarship and the Rhonda Smith Scholarship. The Rosie Sorrell scholarship is an annual award scholarship for undergraduate students attending Texas A&M UniversityCommerce full-time and majoring in elementary education. Applicants must have a 2.5 GPA minimum and must submit a 500-1,000-word essay describing their view of the teacher in the classroom environment. The amount of money awarded varies from $200 to $500 and the number of awards varies as well. There are two scholarships for students created by the first black professor of Texas A&MCommerce, Dr. David Arlington Talbot, who worked in the department of counseling and as director of the Counseling Center and worked as a social worker for the New York Department of Social Welfare. These two scholarships are the Dr. David A. Talbot Senior Fellowship Endowment and the Dr.
By: Rachel Cohn
David Talbot Memorial scholarship. The Dr. David A. Talbot Senior Fellowship Endowment is a scholarship set up by the Dr. David Talbot Memorial for doctoral students in the counseling department. According to the scholarship office, “applicants for this scholarship must meet the academic requirements as set forth by department guidelines and [they] recommend calling the Counseling Department for guidelines.” Applicants also must submit a resume, a copy of their transcripts, and a 1-2 page essay on the applicant’s professional goals. Failure to meet the requirements of this scholarship will cause it to be revoked.
Dr. David Talbot with his wife (Photo courtesy of Darryl Peace) Out-of-state residents who are awarded this scholarship may be entitled to the non-resident tuition exemption as outlined by the Texas A&M UniversityCommerce Policy on Non-Resident Tuition Exemption for Competitive Scholarship Recipients. The award for this scholarship varies. The Dr. David Talbot Memorial scholarship is a need-based scholarship for students who have shown constant improvement throughout their high school years and show an aptitude to do well in college. Applicants must be an African-American male, seeking acceptance into a college or university, have a cumulative 3.0 GPA minimum, a U.S. citizen, available for a phone or in person interview, and be willing to show proof of financial need.
The award for this scholarship is $2,000 a year with $1,000 a semester paid upon proof of enrollment to a recognized college or university. According to the office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, those interested in any of these scholarships can apply for a scholarship through the scholarship portal through MyLeo.
Mason Brewer (Courtesy Darryl Peace)