<p>How are women treated on this campus? My D. will be attending in the fall. I am not thrilled to see the CLAYTON WILLIAMS PLAZA. I will never forget what he said about rape. Does the university share his view? Women are not allowed to be yell leaders? Why? And don't tell me tradition. When women were allowed to attend A&M that tradition should have changed also. I just want to be confident that my D will not be treated differently because of her gender.</p>
<p>Of course she won’t be treated “differently”. Women cannot be yell leaders because that’s just how it’s always been. The school was all-male before and then they allowed females. I wouldn’t judge A&M just because the do not allow females to be yell leaders. Honestly, I think that’s a little excessive to judge an entire university based on a building named after someone who made a stupid comment. Given that the male to female ratio as about 1:1, I really don’t think you have to worry about your daughter being discriminated against or treated differently. It’s a massive public university and one of the biggest in the country. They don’t have a history of discriminating against women.</p>
<p>I must inform you that the idea that women cannot be Yell Leaders is absolutely false and often repeated erroneously.</p>
<p>The Yell Leaders are elected and anyone, including females, are allowed to run and have run in the past. It is just not a popular idea up to this point to have a female Yell Leader, so none have been elected by the student body (which includes about 25,000 potential female votes). There is currently a female running for Yell Leader for next year and may very well be the first.</p>
<p>I went to A&M as a women in the 80’s. I NEVER felt discriminated against. This, for whatever reason, is another one of those myths about A&M that gets perpetuated. Maybe because the student body tends to be more conservative, the school was once all male/all military, or it’s in the south. Who knows for sure. That was 30 years ago. I’m fairly confident it hasn’t reverted to the 1950’s since I was there.</p>
<p>In any group there will be a few people who act as jerks, but that can be said in any huge group of people, and it’s often blown way out of proportion. Please relax. You will be fine.</p>
<p>I think the liberal, conservative ideas are the biggest divide on this campus and that’s not even an issue really. There’s lots of diversity in males and females, and more and more with regards to ethnicity too.</p>
<p>This is why there is a Clayton Williams Plaza:
Wikipedia –
As a philanthropist, he was a founding member of the Presidents Endowed Scholarship for Gifted Students at Texas A&M. He was also the founder and director of the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, which is dedicated to the study of desert animals and plants of southwest Texas and Mexico. He also made several significant monetary donations to Texas A&M, including underwriting half of the cost for an alumni center, which bears his name.</p>
<p>I don’t know Mr. Williams, but he may have some redeeming qualities. Go look at the TAMU web site, and look at who is being celebrated for their achievements. I bet you’ll find some wonderful young women being lauded. These outstanding young women would not enroll if they felt disrespected. </p>
<p>The few times I’ve been on campus, it was refreshing to hear young men saying “Yes Ma’am” to my wife. My experience is that the student body is conservative and extremely open minded, service-oriented and inclusive. It’s a wonderful, inclusive, respectful, and special place. </p>
<p>Tradition is very much a part of the school, but it has continually evolved from all male military school to world-class university. I don’t think that would be possible if there was a pervasive culture of disrespecting anyone.</p>
<p>Have you heard of the term “southern hospitality?” Women are treated great at A&M. Especially with the whole conservative thing thrown in there. You’re fretting the small things. </p>
<p>TAMU has a few different ways to protect your daughter, too. It’s one of the safest campuses (besides the weather) and I’ve heard multiple girls there say they have not once felt threatened, even walking alone at night to their car. It’s a great town.</p>