Excellence Comes in Many Flavors

From the time Richard Tapia began his career in education, he knew he wanted to reach out to minority students—especially Mexican Americans— to show them that they could achieve whatever they put their minds to.

Tapia, the Noah Harding Professor of Computational and Applied Mathematics, knew the difficulties they faced and the possibilities ahead because he already had traversed this road. He emerged from the barrios of Los Angeles to earn a Ph.D., teach at prestigious universities across the nation, and earn national honors and awards for his work in science and engineering.

“I felt that my job was to give back and guide those who were similarly situated,” he says. “I’ve been there. I navigated the waters.”

His desire to show others the way led him to create a student group at Rice that recently celebrated its 30th anniversary: HACER or the Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice.

Begun in 1972 under the name RAMAS, Rice Association of Mexican American Students, the organization had three objectives: to provide support to Mexican American students at Rice and let them know there were other people like them on campus who had similar concerns and problems; to recruit Hispanic students from high schools throughout Texas; and, says Tapia, “to teach and share with the Rice community who we are, what’s important to us, and our perspectives.” But according to Tapia, the overall goal was “to show the Rice community that excellence comes in many flavors.”

Immediately the club became a tight-knit group, holding a variety of events and activities, including La Posada, a traditional Mexican Christmas celebration and one of the biggest of the club’s events even today.

Although it was among the first Hispanic campus-based groups to go beyond academic fellowship, RAMAS wasn’t the first organization at Rice for Hispanic students to connect with one another. In the 1920s, Los Buhos gave students a venue to practice their Spanish-speaking skills. Other clubs, such as Sigma Delta Pi, followed but still were focused primarily on scholastic achievement.

In 1924, Mexican businessmen in Houston created a social and cultural organization for Mexican Americans—Club Mexico Bello. Despite the fact that it was an off-campus club, some Rice students became active members, including Primitivo Niño ’28, who was a founding member.

But having an on-campus support group like RAMAS became an important element to the Rice experience for Hispanic students. “RAMAS was a life raft for us, an oasis at the school,” says Donald Niño ’79. “For many of us, it was the first time away from home. It helped to get together with a group of people who were brought up with a similar background. You have an immediate connection.”

Slowly the student population at Rice became more diverse, in part because of the recruiting efforts of RAMAS members, who were playing a larger role in drawing minority high school students to Rice. By 1984, members of the club included not only Mexican American students but also students of other Latin American backgrounds. The decision was made to change the organization’s name to reflect the broader cultural background of its members, and RAMAS became HACER—Hispanics Associated with Cultural and Educational Revitalization. The name later was changed to Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice. Club activities grew to include bringing Hispanic music, food, and films to campus; participating in the universitywide International Night banquet; and performing community service and outreach projects.

Members of the Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice

Now HACER members include Mexican Americans, Cubans, Venezuelans, and Latinos of all types, says Heather De La Garza, current HACER president. The organization continues to work to educate the Rice community, offering an opportunity for immersion into a culture that goes beyond what books and lectures can offer. It also hosts a leadership retreat encouraging students to take a greater leadership role at Rice and is a link to off-campus resources, such as the Hispanic consulates, the Institute of Hispanic Culture, and respected Hispanic figures and professionals, all of whom can share their experiences and provide networking opportunities.

“What impressed me most about how HACER has developed over time,” says Donald Niño, “is that it is not just a social organization but is involved in recruiting minorities to Rice, educating the community about Latinos, becoming involved in civil rights, and so much more.”

Maria Govea Villenas ’91 says that a return trip to campus to attend a HACER party amazed her as she observed the transformation in Rice culture. “When I walked into the room and saw so many brown faces, I was so surprised to see the growth of the club.” She says she was even more surprised “when at one point during the party, a group of students went up to the front and did a demonstration of how Tejano music is danced. One of the students came to my table to ask me to join the group’s demonstration. I could not believe I was dancing Tejano in front of a Rice audience—sharing my cultural heritage in Farnsworth Pavilion! I credit HACER for this change in the Rice culture.”

Today, Rice is ranked by Hispanic Magazine among the top five universities that are succeeding in recruiting and retaining Hispanic students, and it has been top-ranked four consecutive years. The magazine lauded the many academic opportunities and social activities in which Latino students can participate. This year, Hispanic Network Magazine ranked Rice number three in the country for Hispanics. (See "Thumbs Up".) It seems that 30 years after the creation of RAMAS, Tapia’s original goal of showing Mexican American students that they can achieve excellence has grown into a multifaceted, “multiflavored” cultural and educational boon for Rice.

To find out more about HACER, visit the club’s website at http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~hacer.

—Jennifer Evans