Houston, TX: The University of Houston Cougars Athletic Alliance (UHCAA) is hosting a Dallas/Ft. Worth UH Alumni Reception on Thursday, July 16, 6 p.m.- 9 p.m. at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, Inc. (TBAAL Room T203) to honor the UHCAA 3rd Annual Golf Challenge Co-Chairs: Ten-time Olympian, Carl Lewis and President ExxonMobil Foundation, Gerald W. McElvy and to thank UH Board Regent/Alum Calvin Stephens. The Reception is an opportunity to gather and celebrate all DFW University of Houston Alumni, and to learn more about the UHCAA’s “Quest for Philanthropy” towards scholarships. Come prepared to sign up your foursome! All DFW University of Houston Alumni are invited to the Roadshow to not only re-connect with old and new Cougars; but, to build new alliances, participate in the efforts of pursuing Tier 1 status for the University which enhances the value of your degree, and learn more about the goals of UHCAA. Open to the general public: no charge to all UH-affiliated guests and their guests ($10 charge for non-UH affiliated guests- offset by contribution to Golf Challenge). Cash bar. Attire is business or summer chic. TBAAL is located at 650 Griffin (Corner of Canton and Akard Streets), Dallas, Texas 75202 ...

Eric Johnson may be new to politics, but he seems to already have one of the key elements down: fundraising. Johnson reports that his campaign raised over $60,000 in monetary contributions between June 5 and and June 30, 2009. Eric Johnson is the guy on the right "I am humbled by the level of support we received from our friends and family," says Johnson who co-founded the Si Se Puede Political Action Committee with his wife Nakita. "I think a lot of people genuinely appreciate the fact that I have been working for years on issues that are important to the residents of House District 100," he says. In addition to the $60,000 in monetary contributions, Johnson's campaign received nearly $5,000 of in-kind contributions in June. And he's using a familiar strategy from the 2008 campaign, a large number of people contributing small amounts. Over 300 individuals have supported Johnson thus far, and 70% of those individuals contributed less than $100. Eric Johnson is running against Democratic incumbent Terri Hodge for the Texas District 100 House seat.

Yesterday we learned that the president of my alma mater (Class of '96) Elsa Murano resigned.  She had been in the lead role in Aggieland since January 2008. Dr. Murano had received a poor review from A&M System Chancellor Mike McKinney for her work as leader of the university. Here is the Bryan-College Station Eagle's recap of the appraisal. On a scale of 1 to 5 -- 1 being poor and 5 excellent -- McKinney gives Murano a 1 for "team player," 2 for "honesty/integrity" and a 3 for various personal attributes such as "acceptance of new ideas," work ethic, judgment, loyalty and creativity. The review is broken up into five parts: leadership, management, constituent/customer relations, communication skills and personal attributes. Under the last two, she received no better than a 3, and nowhere in the review did she receive "excellent" marks. The majority of the attributes -- 23 -- were ranked as average, and 13 were below average This never seemed like a good match.  Not because Dr. Murano was the first Hispanic president (Dr. Murano was born in Havana) or because she was the first woman to lead the university.  And Murano had a long history with the school, first ...

AUSTIN, TX - 33 year old attorney and community volunteer Eric "EJ" Johnson hand delivered papers this morning to the Texas Ethics Commission to begin raising funds to run for the Texas House of Representatives from District 100 in Dallas. "I've gotten to know Eric Johnson through his work on Barack Obama's presidential campaign and from working with him on issues related to our youth.  Not only is he a strong leader with high moral standards, he is also dedicated to improving the lives of the people in our community.  I truly believe that Eric Johnson is the right person at the right time for this job ," said Dr. Juanita Wallace, president of the Dallas chapter of the NAACP.  Dr. Wallace, along with several other supporters, accompanied Mr. Johnson to Austin and will serve as Mr. Johnson's campaign treasurer. Eric Johnson Mr. Johnson promises to provide the residents of District 100 with strong representation in Austin.  In particular, Mr. Johnson is committed to working tirelessly to ensure that every child in District 100 receives a quality education and has the opportunity to pursue a college degree.  Currently, nearly 30% of District 100 residents between the ages of sixteen and nineteen are high ...

One of the bright spots of my trips back and forth to Paris, Texas has been meeting Jesse Wallace. Jesse is a Paris High School student who is active in extracurricular activities and in his church -Solid Rock Baptist. Sometimes when you see people you just know. The first time I saw Jesse, he was giving a speech during Black History Month. His words were well thought, his delivery was spot on, and he exuded a maturity that was far beyond his years. After the service, I made a note of seeking out Jesse and his parents to let each of them know how great of a job I thought he did. As fate would have it, I followed Jesse giving his speech again the next day when I delivered the keynote address for the Paris High School Black History Program. Jesse and I have kept touch via email since I left Paris last. We've had a dialogue on writing -style and content- and I've encouraged him to work on it like a craft. This morning my mom had sent me an email that contained a column from Mr. Wallace that ran in the Paris News. ...

Texas Governor Rick Perry has issued a disaster proclamation for the entire state of Texas in relation to the spread of swine flu.  This will allow Texas to access additional resources, including 25 percent (850,000 courses) of the Texas allotment of antiviral medication from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Strategic National Stockpile. The governor has echoed the suggestion of other health officials in how to best deal with the H1N1 virus (swine flu): •Stay home when you are sick to avoid spreading illness to others. •Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or a tissue and properly dispose of used tissues. •Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. For additional information on the swine flu, please visit: www.dshs.state.tx.us/swineflu www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ To reach the Texas Department of State Health Services press office, contact Doug McBride, DSHS Press Officer, 512-458-7524 or 512-532-4950. ### UIL Schedules Altered Due to Swine Flu Media Contact: Kim Rogers Phone: 512) 471-5883 Fax: (512) 471-6589 Email: uilpr@mail.uil.utexas.edu Date: 04/29/2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUSTIN, TX— On the recommendation of Dr. David Lakey, Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, and in consultation with Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott, the University Interscholastic League is altering its schedule of events due to the outbreak ...

Paris, Texas seems to be the gift that keeps on giving as it relates to Howard Witt andthe Chicago Tribune.  Might it have something to do with Lamar County D.A. Gary Young?  Here is Witt's latest offering from my hometown in regards to Aaron Hart, a mentally challenged young man who received a 100 year sentence for sexual assault of a boy in Paris. Last September, the 18-year-old man was charged with sexually assaulting a 7-year-old neighbor boy behind a tool shed in the small east Texas town of Paris. A relative of the victim said she walked outside and saw Hart with his pants pulled down, standing next to the boy. Police read Hart his Miranda rights and he quickly admitted his guilt. On Feb. 11, Hart's court-appointed attorney entered guilty pleas to each of five related felony counts, a jury recommended multiple sentences and a judge then ruled that the prison terms be served consecutively, for a total of 100 years. Except that now, less than two months after Hart was sentenced, every court official who had a hand in the case seems to agree that he doesn't really belong in prison for what amounts to the rest of his life.  ...

On Thursday April 9, D.R.E.A.M. Act will host a symposium at SMU's Hughes-Triggs Student Center. The day long symposium (8am-5pm) is called Challenges and Opportunities: Conversations about Immigration, Education, and Public Policy. The DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act was first introduced in U.S. Congress in 2001 through a bi-partisan group of Representatives and Senators. It would provide legal residency to students who came to the U.S. as children and desire to seek higher education or serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. Since its introduction, the political environment concerning more expansive immigration policies have resulted in a stalemate regarding passage of the DREAM Act. It is estimated that each year in the U.S. about 65,000 students who graduate from high school would qualify to benefit from the DREAM Act. The symposium will bring academics, students, educators, business leaders, promonents, policy makers, and opponents together to dialogue about the issue. Immigration expert Frank Sherry, Founder of America's Voice -a national immigration policy and advocacy organizations- is the Keynote Speaker. To register, email your name, school/title, email address, phone number and contact information to fsalazar@smu.edu by April 3rd. A $10 registration fee for professionals will be taken at ...

Here's an article that I wrote regarding Texas' Top 10% rule which appears in Sunday Morning's Paris News. Is the diversity achieved by the top 10 percent rule in Texas Higher Education really that diverse? That’s one of many questions I’ve been asking myself as I ponder whether or not the state’s Top 10 Percent Law has achieved its original purpose. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to participate in Orange and Maroon Legislative Day, an annual time for rivals from the University of Texas and Texas A&M University to lay aside their differences and advocate on behalf of higher education in front of state legislators. Even as the spirit of cooperation abounds, I’m sure the Aggies and Longhorns would squabble over which school gets top billing if the acronym for Maroon and Orange Legislative Day wasn’t MOLD. This year, one of the hot topics in Austin was the Top 10 Percent Law, which guarantees Texas students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school class automatic admission to any state-funded university. The University of Texas is lamenting the fact that in the 2008-2009 academic year 81 percent of Texas high school graduates entering UT were ...