University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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STUDENTS ASSOCIATION Group initiates study program Students working together to solve a problem said chairman Patsy Barrera of the Monday night studying program established by the Minority Affairs Committee. Recognizing that more than 50 percent of all minority students were put on scholastic probation after their first semester the committee in- stituted the service, initially staffed by Golden Key Honor Society members. The committee, said Barrera, was dedicated to the recruitment and retention of minority students. The various sub-committees tackled such issues as the university ' s accessibility for disabled sudents and meeting the special needs of international students. The committee set up both a Disabled Students sub-committee and an Inter- national Students sub-committee to study these issues. The latter sub- committee, our attempt to help our in- ternational students adapt to universi- ty life, said Barrera, addressed the issue of expanding the current availability of study-abroad programs and sponsored two conferences informing international students of job opportunities in their native countries. During a Monday night studying period, Olga Tapia-Geitz and Yvonne Guajardo discuss ways to publicize the new Minority Affaire program. Photo by Doug Layton MINORITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: FIRST ROW: Carol Lynne Patter- son, David Paul Chen, Marc Helmuth Moebius, John Louis Molinar, Yvonne Marie Guajardo, Troup Brian Coronado, Patricia Ann Barrera. SECOND ROW: Maricela Garcia, Claudia Carolina Bohorquez, Thea Elaine Williams, Ronald Wayne Reed, Stephanie Lynn Goodman, Cisselon Simone Nichols, Renata Ann Gowie. THIRD ROW: Joe David Colunga, John Lenell Smith Jr., Maricela Fernandez Garcia. 206 Students ' Association

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STUDENTS ' ASSf ION 1 projects of Senate committees. It also worked to fill committee positions with student volunteers. The role of the Administrative Group was to aid, assist and coordinate the dif- ferent branches of the Students ' Association. The 1984-85 Administrative Office was restructured to run as a public cor- poration, said Schlosser. New positions opened for specific jobs public rela- tions coordinator, art directors, jour- nalists, volunteers. Further, each pro- ject of the Students ' Association com- mittees was overseen by an administra- tive coordinator. The Students ' Association ac- complished many goals. For the first time in nine years, the University shut- tle bus system was expanded to service buses to new areas in the fall of 1985. The Texas Student Lobby, another part of the Students ' Association, represented students on the drinking age bill in the State Legislature. It worked to amend the bill to lower the drinking age once the threat to raise federal highway funds goes down. The Student Lobby was also able to influence the tuition increases. As a result of their work a ! plan and additional established. The Students ' Association was also a catalyst behind giving students a choice about the Rec Sports Referendum which would increase student fees to build more recreational sports facilities at the University. One major function of the Students ' Association was to utilize the Student Services Fee effectively for UT students. This fee was divided among The Daily Texan, the Health Center, Rec Sports, the shuttle buses, the Om- budsman, the Students ' Association and the College Councils. The Students ' Association also pro- vided programs such as Students for Rape Elimination (SURE) and the Alcohol Awareness Task Force. SURE expanded its campus escort service to the Perry-Castenada Library and the Undergraduate Library and ex- perienced increased usage. My own personal reward was foun- ding and co-chairing the Alcohol Educa- tion Task Force, said Trey Monsour, vice president. The Alcohol Awareness Task Force held alcohol education conferences, pro- vided alternative transportation pro- grams and sponsored the Safe Drink- ing, No Driving campaign through the Sixth Street Merchant ' s Association. These accomplishments illustrated Monsour ' s concept of SA as the um- brella organization for all other organizations on campus. Newly-elected president and vice president Rodney Schlosser and Trey Monsour confer dur- ing their inauguration ceremony. Photo by Car- rie Robertson EDUCATION Belinda Ladabaum ENGINEERING Patricia Barton Steve Barrett Mark Lebovitz FINE ARTS Mark Petr GRADUATE BUSINESS Ronald Reed GRADUATE SCHOOL Tammy Cornwell Jesse Crowll Jr. Christy Notel Bernie Roth LAW SCHOOL Nathan Wesely LBJ SCHOOL Lynda Lankford LIBERAL ARTS Laura Cottam Jim Loeffler Mindy Roth NATURAL SCIENCES Samara Lackman Michelle Lindsay Jody Scheske NURSING Veronica Garcia PHARMACY Noemi Herrera SOCIAL WORK Alicia Villarreal-Rieman Student ' Association 205

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STUDENTS ' ASSOCIATION v Committee actively responds to student problems and issues by LAURA ROSSMAN We go from the campus outwards, said Lynda Lankford, co-chairman of the Citizens ' Affairs Committee. As a non-partisan student interest group, the committee based its endorsements Texas Student Lobby representative Meg Brooks negotiates a compromise tuition bill to protect all students. Photo by Robert Cohen ' Mayoral candidates Mike Poulson, Mae Marion, Ron Mullen, Frank Cooksey and Max Nofziger discuss current local topics for the April 6 election. Photo by Kevin Gutting CITIZENS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: FIRST ROW: Marcela Maria Uribe, Kelly Lynne Lowry, Lynda Lee Lankford, Patricia Denise Getz, Lynn Cecil Prager. ROW TWO: James Clay Crawford, Sherman Anthony Burton, Ann Margaret Montgomery, Chris T. Flynn, Lin C. Morriset, Anna Margaret Brooks, William Maurice Christian, Eliseo Ruiz III. Photo by Karen Messerman strictly on responses to questions on student issues, such as tenant-landlord problems and student participation on Austin boards such as the Public Utilities Commission, said Lankford. She added that testifying before com- mittees through its affiliation with the Texas Student Lobby was the commit- tee ' s most important function. One of the most successful projects undertaken by the committee was a voter registration drive. Lankford estimated that some 12,000 voters were registered, contributing to an increase in voter participation on campus. The committee ' s scope of interest in- cluded both local political issues, such as the shuttle-bus expansion and single-member districts and community service projects such as the committee ' s Holiday Food and Clothing Drive. An initial investment of $243.00 for adver- tising and donation boxes placed in the Union and in campus libraries reaped $10,000 worth of donations that were distributed to needy Austin families at Christmas. Lankford explained the community-service commitment of the largely politically-oriented committee, saying that you can ' t continue to make demands upon the community without also serving it. Members of the Citizens ' Affairs Commit- tee encourage students to register for the Presidential election. An estimated 12,000 students were registered. Photo by Tommy Tompkins Students ' Association 207