Spring Break
A&M leaders promote University to incoming Hispanic students
By: Travis Robinson
Issue date: 6/6/07 Section: News
"Here at [Texas] A&M we don't just educate your mind, we educate your soul," said Student Body President Conner Prochaska. This may be familiar to students who've heard Prochaska's campaign speeches last spring, but it was a new concept to the crowd of nearly 300 incoming freshmen and their families as they gathered for the inaugural Hullabaloo Step-off at the Ripley House in downtown Houston.
Put on by the Texas A&M Hispanic Network, the Hullabaloo Step-off was the third step in a three-step process aimed to inform, attract and enroll Hispanic students at A&M. The first step was recruiting and educating prospective students in the winter. The second step was to encourage them to apply and then enroll during the spring, said Hector Cavazos, one of the Texas A&M Hispanic Network's directors.
"This is the first year we've done this final step," said Rene Enriquez, another director of the network. He said they hope to retain some of the students that, for whatever reason in years past, they have lost.
"This final step," Cavazos said, "is a celebration of their acceptance and enrollment at A&M. This is to help them further understand what A&M is all about."
All major entities of A&M life were represented from Student Life and Fish Camp to Aggie Mom's Club and the Corps of Cadets. But perhaps most important, says Enriquez, is representation from financial aid.
It's not just convincing the students, either. Many times it's convincing parents to allow and encourage their children to go beyond high school.
"Many don't know the resources available to them and that's what we're trying to show them tonight," Enriquez said.
The list of speakers included Prochaska, A&M President Ed Davis, Vice President for Student Affairs Dean Bresciani, and the Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity Tito Guerrero.
President Davis, the keynote speaker, began by saying that often times a small number of people can become the tipping point for change. Davis said that he believed the Texas A&M Hispanic Network would prove to be just that for A&M.
Put on by the Texas A&M Hispanic Network, the Hullabaloo Step-off was the third step in a three-step process aimed to inform, attract and enroll Hispanic students at A&M. The first step was recruiting and educating prospective students in the winter. The second step was to encourage them to apply and then enroll during the spring, said Hector Cavazos, one of the Texas A&M Hispanic Network's directors.
"This is the first year we've done this final step," said Rene Enriquez, another director of the network. He said they hope to retain some of the students that, for whatever reason in years past, they have lost.
"This final step," Cavazos said, "is a celebration of their acceptance and enrollment at A&M. This is to help them further understand what A&M is all about."
All major entities of A&M life were represented from Student Life and Fish Camp to Aggie Mom's Club and the Corps of Cadets. But perhaps most important, says Enriquez, is representation from financial aid.
It's not just convincing the students, either. Many times it's convincing parents to allow and encourage their children to go beyond high school.
"Many don't know the resources available to them and that's what we're trying to show them tonight," Enriquez said.
The list of speakers included Prochaska, A&M President Ed Davis, Vice President for Student Affairs Dean Bresciani, and the Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity Tito Guerrero.
President Davis, the keynote speaker, began by saying that often times a small number of people can become the tipping point for change. Davis said that he believed the Texas A&M Hispanic Network would prove to be just that for A&M.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com