Elmer Aragon

Template:TOCnestleft Elmer Aragon

Third World Coalition

A coalition of four minority groups may decide not to seek a $1 fee assessment for next year because of fears that other sources of funding may be cut if the assessment passes! members of the'group said last night. ,

The group, the Third World Coalition, will meet today with Dean of Student Affairs James Lyons.

Clarifications it receives at the meeting will deter mine whether it seeks the assessment, said' Nancy Takahashi of the COP and the Asian American Students Association.

The office has provided several thousand dollars each year for the Asian American Art Series, Black Liberation Month. Cinco de Mayo and the Stanford Powwow in recent years. The ethnic organizations that sponsor these events comprise the Third World Coalition.

But Jonathan McGee of the Black Students Union said "there is concern in the black community that Dean Lyons will use the assessment as an excuse to cut already existing funding."

If the University budget is tightened, funding for minority groups will be cut first, said Elmer Aragon of MEChA. "They are not going to cut money from the football team," he said.

Fred Tejada of the Asian American Students As sociation also participated.

MEChA

Getting people of the Chicano community to gether is one of the major goals of the Barrio Systems Project, one of the many MEChA-based programs organized on campus.

"We try to provide some important services that these people otherwise wouldn't receive," said Xavier Becerra, a sophomore from Sacramento, one of the four program coordinators of the Barrios Systems Project.

The project reaches youngsters, teen-agers and adults in the East Palo Alto community. Each coordinator organizes activities for his respec tive group. Becerra is coordinator of the chil dren's group.

Every Saturday about 20 Stanford students act as tutors to pre-schoolers and youngsters 6 to 13 years old, helping with reading, math, and English skills. Becerra and others drive to East Palo Alto, pick up the kids, and hold about a four hour learning session at Ravenswood Recrea tional Center in East Palo Alto.

"We try to keep the program on a one-to-one basis, and find out what each child needs help in," said Becerra. "They may bring their homework with them and we'll try to help solve any problems."

The Barrio Systems Project has an annual Thanksgiving food drive and a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

"Our goal is to encourage high school Chicano students to apply to colleges and universities in California said project director Elmer Aragon, a sophomore from New Mexico.

Another section of Project Motivation works with students at Sequoia High School in Red wood City. Evelia Rodriguez, one of three counselors who work with Latino students at the school.

Setting up the program at Sequoia took about two months. The counselors had to introduce themselves to the teachers and let students know why they were there.

"There was a tremendous amount of resistance," said Adrian Ortega, a freshman from Los Angeles. "The school, teachers, and students were very conservative, and there were some misunderstandings.

References

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