A&M President Michael Young says the allegations are being taken seriously and he deeply regrets the pain and hurt feelings of the high school students.
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About 60 students from a southwest Dallas charter school reported they were taunted by students on campus during a visit Tuesday.
“The initial confrontation began when a white female student approached two female African American Uplift Hampton students to ask their opinion of her earrings, which were Confederate flag replicas”, said Royce West, a Texas senator from Dallas who was informed of the incident by the chancellor of A&M.
Texas A&M officials on several tiers responded swiftly to the incident.
Young, president at the university since May, wouldn’t comment on whether the A&M student being investigated was in that group or was the other student with the earrings.
“Some positive and constructive suggestions came from that discussion and I have charged my respective Vice Presidents to engage with student, faculty and community leaders where appropriate”, Young said.
Joshua Lewis, a Texas A&M student who serves on the university’s Black Student Alliance Council, said he’s never had racial slurs directed at him, though other students have told him they have had them.
Texas A&M is one of the state’s biggest and most prestigious universities and is about 90 miles outside of Houston.
Ortega said the students had a chance to meet with teachers and administrators in a small assembly Wednesday to discuss how the situation made them feel.
West said though A&M has made the effort to recruit minority students from urban schools and has established outreach centers in Dallas and other cities, “actions such as what took place Tuesday can undo whatever good has been done” and further the belief that the A&M campus environment has been hostile to black students who are not athletes. “While the actions of a few certainly do not represent our institution as a whole, it is the responsibility of all of us to stop any incidents that could be considered hateful”.
“If you’re not going to tolerate this type of behavior, then you’ve got to make a statement”, West said.
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“While we appreciate the swift response of the Texas A&M leadership, it is my hope that we broaden the conversation ant colleges locally and across the country about increasing inclusion and cultural awareness programs so that all students can feel safe and welcome regardless of their ethnicity”, Bhatia said. At Uplift, we are laser focused on fulfilling our mission of 100% college acceptance of our graduates (many of which are the first in their families to attend college), and 70% earning a degree within 6 years. Our country and our future can only be stronger through these students’ successes. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.
