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Texas A&M Football

McMillian opens up about Sherman era, recruiting & SEC move

May 14, 2012
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Notes from Charles McMillian interview

* Is currently trying to break into the high school coaching world, whether it be in a coaching position or an athletic director position. He always talked about working with high school kids no matter where he was, because he believes it’s all about the youth in the community. As a high school coach, it’s easier to impact kids’ lives because you can spend more time with them and mold them more.

* The expectations of the team last year were deserved. The team had made strides, and it’s hard on you as a coach when you go 6-6 when 12-0 was a possibility. There are things as a staff that could have been done better, but it was still heartbreaking. In his opinion, the coaching change did not happen due to the team going 6-6 because everyone could clearly see the team was on the rise.

* Going into the 2011 season, you felt great about the defensive backs on the team because everyone was healthy. After Steven Campbell and Coryell Judie went down, Lionel Smith said he was coming back for his fifth season on campus. Ever since he got to A&M, he tried to kick Smith off the team because Smith was the laziest player he ever coached. Smith was determined to prove him wrong, and was able to make an impact in his senior year. After losing Campbell and Judie, the corner position should have still been solid, but Dustin Harris wasn’t able to perform up to his ability all season due to injuries.

* One way to understand if a high school recruit really has what it takes to play at a higher level is by assessing his mental capability on the field. If a kid is able to answer about what was going on while he was on the field, whether it be the type of defense ran or different coverages, you know you have a guy with good football IQ.

* When he got to A&M, he wondered how you go about rebuilding a program that shouldn’t need rebuilding. The staff he was on started from the ground up and tried to build a new foundation for Texas A&M football.

* Terrence Frederick was consistent his whole career at A&M, minus a couple of games at the beginning of his freshman year. He would tell pro scouts when they would come by that, he wasn’t sure how fast Frederick was, but he knew Frederick was a football player. He worked out Frederick while at TCU during a camp in Katy, and eventually ended up coaching him at A&M. Frederick probably should have gone a round earlier in the NFL draft, but should excel in the Steelers defense.

* While at TCU, he recruited the same area that he did at A&M and was able to maintain relationships with the coaches in the Dallas area which helped him a lot. Before he got there, the coaches in that area didn’t have any respect for the A&M program or the coaches that ran it. Coach Sherman did a great job of breaking that disrespect by writing letters to each individual coach and talking to them one-on-one to gain that respect back. Sherman and his staff were able to put A&M back on the map with a bunch of high school coaches and reopened the door for the current staff to do well in recruiting those areas.

* When the stories about A&M’s possible move to the SEC started popping up, the coaching staff paid no attention and did their best to focus on what was happening on the field.

* In his opinion, by making the jump to the SEC without the talent level necessary, the question becomes, will Sumlin get the time needed to increase that talent level to where it needs to be. He doesn’t think it will take three years to get there, but more around six to eight years to get the recruits needed to compete in the SEC. People need to have patience, and need to know that this transition won’t happen overnight.

* Back when he grew up in Bryan, everything was held to a higher standard than it was in College Station. Since that time, it has completely flipped and College Station is seen in higher regards. He has stayed in the area in order to help youth who need a male role model do what is needed to have success in life. He wants the community of Bryan to get back to where it was academically and athletically while he was living there.

* He believes that Coach Sumlin can come in and take the A&M program to where it should be. The higher ups will have to give him the time to get the job done, however. If A&M would have stayed in the Big 12, Sumlin probably would have won the conference. Sumlin has hired a great staff, but now they need the tools to work with.

* The SEC will have trouble adapting to the offense A&M will run, because most defenses in that league are built to stop the run. When there are four wide-outs on the field, a linebacker can’t be matched up in man, and therefore they have to play more zone coverage which opens up space on the field.

* He coached Marcel Yates at Boise State and realized that Yates was going to make a good coach after Yates hurt his knee and was able to observe the game more. Yates would find things the coaching staff missed and would help improve the team in that way. The most important thing for Yates to do at this point is to get the younger guys to learn the defense because there is plenty of talent at the corner position.

* Sherman was focused on 2011 and not on the SEC move, which was why he seemed to be complacent about the issue. He believes A&M needs to get more majors that are conducive to athletes in order to recruit against schools like LSU which have more options, which is something Sherman was working on. He doesn’t think Sherman was against the SEC move, but he wasn’t totally in favor of it either. However, the staff was prepared to do whatever was best for the school. It comes down to whether or not you can compete in a new league, and at that moment, the staff did not believe they were ready to compete due to a lack of depth and the battle to become better in recruiting.

* Toney Hurd Jr. was a great recruit who came in at 5’8’’ and 205 lbs. He was a little stiff due to his weight being solid muscle, but he since then lost some weight and has been able to get some of his speed and skill back. Playing the nickel position will really help him out, and size shouldn’t be an issue because of how physical and tough he can be.

* Howard Matthews made some freshman mistakes last year and cost the team several touchdowns because he would run up and try to stop the run when he was supposed to be a middle third safety. The old staff thought he would eventually grow into being a linebacker, but now that A&M is in the SEC, that remains to be seen. The real question with him is whether he will put in the work to live up to his potential, because he doesn’t always work the hardest in practice.

* If Steven Campbell can get his strength back, he has the potential to be a major factor on the field.

* Steven Terrell is so smooth and so fast, but sometimes has an issue with playing with confidence. If he can gain confidence and get more physical, he can be a great safety for the team.

* When he talked with Sumlin in early January, he told him he needed to go after Devante Harris. He is excited about Harris because of how fast he learns and how physical he can play. If Trey Williams can get in the weight room this summer and put on a little more muscle, he can really help the running game. He’s also excited about Thomas Johnson because he is a superb football player with great hands and can be used in many different ways.

* As a coach, you don’t want to take a bunch of small guys, but if there is a guy who can help the team win a championship, then you have to go get him. Some coaches get set on trying to find a player with prototypical size and speed, and by doing so, miss some of the other great high school players.

* In order for A&M to be more appealing to high school recruits, the negative comments that get thrown around on the internet need to stop because the players and their parents read those. In his opinion, the Bryan-College Station area has some things to overcome in terms of race perception. However, with the hiring of Kevin Sumlin as A&M’s first African-American head coach, he believes that stigma will decrease and kids that are on the fence about A&M because of that issue will start to join the program more and more.
Discussion from...

McMillian opens up about Sherman era, recruiting & SEC move (w/ notes)

22,302 Views | 73 Replies | Last: 12 yr ago by BCO07
outofstateaggie
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AG
Leap Day=sock

Take the Party Propaganda somewhere else.
whatthehey78
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AG
quote:
Confirms my opinion about several things. How badly Fran hurt Ags in recruiting, how much Sherman did to build it back, how we should have given Sherman at least another year, how the Air Raid is an offense that gives us a chance in the S E C, and finally how the impatience of many who post on this board are deeply hurting A and M football!


And fortunately, some opinions form a minority.

whatthehey78
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AG
quote:
All I heard in that interview is the loser mentality that has plagued the program for 13 years. Goodbye, Chuck, and good riddance.


I concur, wholeheartedly.

Leap Day William
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quote:
Leap Day=sock

Take the Party Propaganda somewhere else.


That is rich coming from outofstateaggie, aka Mrs. Sherman or some other relative of our former coach.

All you do is bash A&M like the bitter relation of a failed coach would.

Just like McMillian you want to blame everyone else for your failures.

Hell, even McMillian's former DC didn't even take him to Fresno State.


outofstateaggie
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AG
quote:
quote:
Leap Day=sock

Take the Party Propaganda somewhere else.


That is rich coming from outofstateaggie, aka Mrs. Sherman or some other relative of our former coach.

All you do is bash A&M like the bitter relation of a failed coach would.

Just like McMillian you want to blame everyone else for your failures.



Do you actually believe what you just typed?

El Guano Loco.

Wow.
Leap Day William
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Actually I never believe what you type.

Never trust the bitter internet rantings of some Ag (supposedly) who loved Sherman more than A&M.



[This message has been edited by Leap Day William (edited 5/15/2012 1:14p).]
czar_iv
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quote:
Definitely interesting, but 6 yrs plus seems long and is a little worriesome
You guys must be in some fantasy world; how in the world are we going to go into SEC and start winning when we couldn't win the Big 12? I hope that it is only 6 years. Moving to the SEC is a better long-term plan; in the short-term, we will get beat ALOT.

RT @PajayyWasHere: Can I Ask What Exactly Is An "Aggie" .--Sure! An Aggie is quite simply the best thing anyone can strive to be!
Bird Poo
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quote:
Hell, even McMillian's former DC didn't even take him to Fresno State.



This.
I need to take a shower
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Some of you are truly living in a dream world. I have had countless people tell me they think the dame thing...they feel A&M is a whitey, hillbilly school. How many black teenagers with no ties to A&M are fans? I don't know of one. The internet does play a big part in recruiting. WAKE UP!! We have the 2nd largest sports forum in the world!
ntxVol
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IMO, it will probably take 4 more recruiting classes brfore you have enough depth to even sniff a conference championship.
viva torrente
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quote:
I have had countless people tell me they think the dame thing...they feel A&M is a whitey, hillbilly school.


This is pretty easy to combat if you are worth a damn as a recruiter. A bad recruiter will cry about it.

We are about to enter a conference filled with land grant schools in towns smaller and more conservative than Bryan-College Station, in states with a more notorious and recent history of racism than Texas.

Yet somehow these schools do not have any trouble recruiting. In fact, some are among the very best in terms of recruiting every year.

quote:
The internet does play a big part in recruiting. WAKE UP!! We have the 2nd largest sports forum in the world!


Every internet forum is negative. Yet none tend to rally around the school or its team like texags does (see the various polls supporting the school, players, and students).

Have you ever been to another school's messageboard? They are vicious compared to most of what goes on here at texags.

Again, a good recruiter doesn't let this hold them back. However, bad recruiters use it as an excuse.
outofstateaggie
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quote:
of some Ag (supposedly)


I'm not an Aggie because I do not agree with something the administration has done?

Whatever you say, comrade. You keep those maroon blinders on and follow that Party line.
PhiAggie
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quote:
I can see how Sherman was looking at it. His offense, statistically, ranked as one of the best in the nation. Bad decisions at crucial moments brought about all the calls for a new OC.


What does it matter what it ranks if it doesnt produce wins? We had 150 yards more than ou and we still lost.
outofstateaggie
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quote:
What does it matter what it ranks if it doesnt produce wins? We had 150 yards more than ou and we still lost.



I agree. I was just speculating as to why Sherman might have argued against the need for an offensive coordinator.

Again, I think this was one of the most interesting points made during the interview. That just comes across as plain stubbornness on Sherman's part. A stubbornness that was evident in his play calling. He had his game plan and seemed to refuse to deviate from it. That's what the card said, so that's what he did. No flexibility. Pride precedes the fall.

[This message has been edited by outofstateaggie (edited 5/15/2012 2:16p).]
chipotle
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The only thing I almost agreed on was the 6 year thing. If we're successful in the next few years(meaning a gradual ascension with 7-9 wins in the next few years) it will be at least 4-6 years before we're competing for the SEC title.
I need to take a shower
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Again "dream world". One black coach at aTm talking on the phone with a recruit for 45 mins is not gonna change a life time of preception. Not even having Sumlin on board as a HC will do it over night. Its gonna take lots of time and changes.

Go look on line for images of the 12th Man. You'll see lots of white students and white corps members. Same goes for tv exposure. Farmers fight, Ol' Sarge, agriculture based school, the list goes on. Recruites and their familes do read these boards. All the over the top love for guys like Mark Dodge, Jordan Peterson and Ryan Swope. Then add in some of the stuff I've seen just here lately. People piling on Jeff Fuller and quick to trash a player in that other thread when they weren't even sure who the thread was about looks "typical". I'm refering to the guy who posted he talked to a player here recently and the player didn't like the new coaches. Everyone assumed it was a db of ours. Quick to assume and began trashing him. All but helps our recruiting and perception. For years these kids are surrounded by people they love and trust that tell them negative things. They also know that recruiters are "selling" the program. They have to try and deciper what's true and what's BS. Again...changing percetion takes more than a recruiter or two
Leap Day William
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quote:
I'm not an Aggie because I do not agree with something the administration has done?

Whatever you say, comrade. You keep those maroon blinders on and follow that Party line.


You are one to talk. You only spew your hatred of the current regime because you are related to the former HC.

You are bitter because your husband/dad/grandpa/brother was .500 here over four years and rightfully shown the door.

I support A&M over any coach. Your agtag should be replaced with a shermantag. Then everyone would know where you really stand.
viva torrente
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quote:
Again...changing percetion takes more than a recruiter or two


Bull****. We have had lousy recruiters who do not know how to deal with it.

Are you saying Mack Brown could not recruit here due to perceptions? Or Nick Saban?

Give me a break. They would smash the misconceptions within a month.

The "white" corp is run by a Mexican-American and the student leader for it next year is African-American.

The "white" student body is almost a quarter minorities if not there already.

Bryan-College Station has a higher percentage of its population that are African-American than Austin.

We allow the perception excuse to be used by coaches who are not particularly good at their job. Sumlin and Co. have somehow managed to turn the SEC momentum into a top ranked recruiting class despite all those misconceptions about B-CS. He has been on the job all of six months. Do you think the previous staff would have done the same?

And I want to know how A&M is more racist than any non-HBCU in Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, or Mississippi.

You could not credibly make an argument that A&M is any more racist than tu. Go look up their issues with race.

The difference is tu has had coaches who can recruit. A&M hasn't had that in quite a while.

[This message has been edited by viva torrente (edited 5/15/2012 3:08p).]
Kentatm
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quote:
quote:I have had countless people tell me they think the dame thing...they feel A&M is a whitey, hillbilly school.


This is pretty easy to combat if you are worth a damn as a recruiter. A bad recruiter will cry about it.

We are about to enter a conference filled with land grant schools in towns smaller and more conservative than Bryan-College Station, in states with a more notorious and recent history of racism than Texas.

Yet somehow these schools do not have any trouble recruiting. In fact, some are among the very best in terms of recruiting every year.


He did not sound like he was complaining about it at all. He was simply stating a given fact.

However much YOU want it to be, its NOT easy to combat a stereotype that has been implanted in the minds of kids since they were growing up. It does not matter if it is true or not. If the idea is persistently pushed (and it is by many non Ags) people will believe it.

Sure, you may be able to change the kids mind but at the end of the day you are still starting off with a negative image that other schools do not have to deal with. You are already behind and the game hasn't even started. That DOES cause an issue with recruiting.

Then, when you combine the racist image other schools push to harm us with the hiring of Fran you had us being more of a safety school for guys who didn't get offered by Mack or Stoops instead of being an equally desirable destination.

I can't emphasize enough how damaging it was to have guy who was persona non grata with coaches in East Texas (according to multiple HS coaches I covered and spoke w/in the Tyler/Longview area at the time) and Dallas (McMillian). To top it off, at TCU Fran was accused by black players of being racially biased and/or outright racist and he wasn't really defended that strongly by his other former players.

Having to fix all that damage is tough. To say that it was tough is not really an excuse. It is no different than saying Baylor faces an upward battle in recruiting b/c its often viewed as a Baptist looney bin and has lesser facilities. Hell, the way people go on about how awful Baylor is here, you'd think it was some sort of cesspool where criminals and idiots went to school. Well, if a kid grows up mainly reading TexAgs opinion of Baylor, what do you think they will initially believe about it?

Also, to make a blanket comparison of A&M to other SEC schools in this regard does not work considering how many more options kids in Texas have vs kids living in Mississippi or Alabama.


quote:
Every internet forum is negative. Yet none tend to rally around the school or its team like texags does (see the various polls supporting the school, players, and students).

Have you ever been to another school's messageboard? They are vicious compared to most of what goes on here at texags.

Again, a good recruiter doesn't let this hold them back. However, bad recruiters use it as an excuse.



sorry. thats a load of bull

so what if other message boards may also be as vicious?

that has nothing to do what is said here by posters.

You are also ignoring that this is one of the biggest fan boards on the net. That means everything we do here is magnified compared to other team sites.

When parents Joe Shmoe and Peggy Buckaloo pop onto this board to do a little research on how the fan base feels about the direction of the program sees tons of hate for the players and coaches it can cause a parent to have second thoughts. Even if the ratio of negative to positive is the same as smaller sites it will seem as if there is more more hate here than elsewhere simply b/c of the massive volume of posting at TexAgs.

Again, he never says the message boards were the downfall. he said they can be a negative that could be avoided simply by fans not acting like Veruca Salt with her hair on fire channeling Chicken Little.

If one recruit was lost b/c a parent came onto this site and saw a bunch of dipsticks being hateful and vile, its one to many. No ifs, ands, or buts.




[This message has been edited by Kentatm (edited 5/15/2012 3:28p).]
viva torrente
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quote:
Sure, you may be able to change the kids mind but at the end of the day you are still starting off with a negative image that other schools do not have to deal with. You are already behind and the game hasn't even started. That DOES cause an issue with recruiting.


How did we get to the point where such a message has become the norm?

Because we have had poor recruiters dealing with it. tu has had a host of racial issues, but somehow no coach can use it effectively against mack, except maybe stoops.

We have let it be used against us because none of fran or sherman's staffs were particularly good recruiters.

quote:
If one recruit was lost b/c a parent came onto this site and saw a bunch of dipsticks being hateful and vile, its one to many. No ifs, ands, or buts.


Yet somehow tu (ever been to whornfans) or any of the other schools never seem to use this excuse. Trust me whornfans, orangebloods, etc, are way more hateful than this site when it actually comes to the team, coaches, and its players.

Again, good recruiters deal with this. They get down and dirty and throw the mud back.

We have had general ineptness with fran and a bunch of NFL minded goodie two shoes with sherman.

Sumlin is recruiting fine. A good recruiter could sell the truth about A&M.

The last two staffs were really bad at it.
I need to take a shower
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You named some of the very biggest names in College football (coaching). Get real! Of course they could recruit at aTm because they have a loooong proven track record. We don't AND we have things going against us like "perception". Even our former basketball coach said he had his back against the wall in the recruiting world because we're an Ag first school with limited programs. Why is it so hard for some of you to see this???



The answer: because it makes you feel better to believe what makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside
viva torrente
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quote:

You named some of the very biggest names in College football (coaching). Get real! Of course they could recruit at aTm because they have a loooong proven track record. We don't AND we have things going against us like "perception".


Now I know you are a troll. No one but trolls use aTm, atm, etc.

First you are harping on about racism, but then you go on about degree programs.

quote:
Why is it so hard for some of you to see this???


Why is it so hard for you to see that A&M's problem is the perception that the program sucks not racism?

Oh it is because you are troll trying to push the A&M is racist narrative.


I need to take a shower
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Hey smart guy, I'm on my phone. Its just easier to type aTm
I need to take a shower
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T.u does not deal with the racists perception that aTm does. Stop fooling yourself.


All of you that are turning a blind eye to this perception issue are contributing to the problem as much as the rival coaching staffs
viva torrente
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A&M. It took me two seconds, troll. I'm on a phone too.

tu doesn't have to deal with it because their coaches can recruit.

[This message has been edited by viva torrente (edited 5/15/2012 4:26p).]
Jerk Stanley
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What's with that goofy clock?
cc10106
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You know what's great about A&M's recruiting improvements under Sumlin? Besides adding needed depth, it will allow for better competition at each position, which will hopefully motivate any lazy players that get PT but take plays off to not feel so entitled to said PT. What Chuck said about some of the players is a reflection on the staff too. It makes more sense how the team didn't seem to respond in tough situations because there was a disconnect going on.

[This message has been edited by cc10106 (edited 5/15/2012 7:09p).]
i have screenshots
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Our secondary was terrible while McMillian was here. There were some decent players there too, but they were always getting burned.

Why don't we just invite Darnell to come on the radio and make excuses for his tenure.
Bunk Moreland
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the sad thing is _arnell wouldn't have made excuses and would have been a better interview than Chuck.
czar_iv
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AG
quote:
All I heard in that interview is the loser mentality that has plagued the program for 13 years. Goodbye, Chuck, and good riddance.


If that is all that you heard, that is the reason A&M will continue to have a negative perception to the black community. Maybe, the next generation of Ags will hear more.


RT @PajayyWasHere: Can I Ask What Exactly Is An "Aggie" .--Sure! An Aggie is quite simply the best thing anyone can strive to be!
czar_iv
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AG
quote:
tu doesn't have to deal with it because their coaches can recruit
so there has never been a coach at A&M that can recruit? A&M has a perception issue when it comes to race. Im not saying A&M is better or worst than the school in Austin in that regard because I know they are not, but there is definitely a perception. McMillian came right out and told the truth. The problem is the fans and A&M administration dont really want to address it. At least, Chuck was honest about it.

RT @PajayyWasHere: Can I Ask What Exactly Is An "Aggie" .--Sure! An Aggie is quite simply the best thing anyone can strive to be!
Bunk Moreland
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quote:
than the school in Austin


this may be why I'm most excited about Byrne/the old guard leaving....this **** reeks of not confronting the problem. They are the univesity of texas. they are tu. I hope like hell our new coaching staff is recruiting straight up against those mother ****ers, and I hope our new AD....if he ever feels the need to reference them...refers to them as tu instead of "the school in austin"
dreyOO
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Should have asked mac:

would that still be 6-8 years if your coaching staff hadn't **** the bed and instead won the conference like they should have?
viva torrente
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quote:
so there has never been a coach at A&M that can recruit?


Maybe pre-mack and stoops, well over a decade ago.

But for some reason race issues never seem to stick in austin. They have had yct protests and affirmative action bake sales, their mlk statue was vandalized, they have had racist greek parties, had dorm named after a kkk member, statues saluting confederate heroes, a tu football player wanted to assassinate obama, etc.

Hell there was a time in the last decade where apd had shot a relatively high number of minorities.

The problem is our recent staffs have been stuck on using this as an excuse (and McMillian came across as using it as an excuse) rather than fighting back.


aglaes
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AG
I think the race perception can be overcome, but I do think we need to do something to address the academic choices available.
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