El Independiente

              El Independiente South Tucson's Enghsh-Spanish Newspaper
Washing away troubles
photo by Sarah Thonrp005
Bill O'Brian, a homeless man, flags in potential customers for
a car wash organized by Church on the Street, 2113 S. 6th
Ave. The mission uses the money raised to help homeless
men in South Tucson to quit drugs and alcohol.
Hispanic students
struggle with low
scores on SAT, ACT
By Erin Mahoney
For the first time in a long time, José
Loya was nervous about a test.
On April 7, the Pueblo High School
senior and straight-A student compteted
the last of his college preparatory
requirements: the ACT, an exam required
for admission to many universities.
By most standards, Loya had tittte reason
to be concerned about the test. He is one of
the top students in his graduating class, a
math whiz who has already been accepted to
the University of Arizona. But, for att his
achievements, research suggests he has one
thing working against him his ethnicity.
Statistically, Hispanic students like
Loya perform significantly worse on the
ACT and the SAT t, the two most
prominent college-preparatory tests,
leading some to question their validity.
In February, Richard Atkinson,
president of the University of California
system, proposed eliminating the SAT from
UC schools' entrance requirements, leading
some analysts to speculate that the test -
or California's standards for it -.. was a
drag on the colleges' minority recruitment.
Although officials at the University of
L
Arizona say no such plans are in store for
them, some Tucson high school officials
said a change would be welcome.
"t would like for it (the SAT) to not play
a big rote in admissions and scholarships,"
said Estehela Gonzalez, director of
counseling at Pueblo High, which is g5
percent Hispanic. Gonzalez said the UA
places too much emphasis on standardized-test
scores.
Pueblo and Tucson high school officials
say the SAT and ACT don't hinder their
students' chances to be admitted to the UA,
since admission requirements are lenient for
Arizona residents. However, students
applying for admission to schools outside
the state, and those applying for
scholarships can be hurt by low test scores,
they said.
Last year in Arizona, Mexican and
Mexican American students who took the
SAT had a composite score of 962 out of a
possibte 1600, according to statistics from
the College Board, the company that
sponsors the SAT. White students scored
an average of 1070.
Kris Zavoli, Western regional director of
secondary school services for the College
Board, said low educational standards -
not the SAT - are to blame for low
minority test scores.
"It's a symptom of a disease," she said.
"What I'd rather us wrestle with is why we
don't have equal access (lo education) for
see STUDENTS page 4
Trucking across the border
Many hurdles remain
before NAFTA agreement
becomes a reality
By Ryan Eigenbrode
A North American Free Trade Agreement
arbitration panel recently increased the likelihood
that Mexican trucks will be driving on Arizona
highways by giving the go-ahead to eventually open
the United States border to non-U.S. carriers.
The panel decided in February that U.S. roads
must be opened to Mexican trucks by the provisions
set forth in NAFTA. After the panel's decision, the
Bush administration said it would outline new
regulations, leading to a proposed border opening
Jan. t.
The plan still has several kinks to work out, but
it could become reality in the next year. Among
other problems, Mexican and American drivers are
unfamiliar with roads and services in each other's
country.
The proposal's doubters also say infrastructure
problems in Mexico, such as poor road conditions
and less than adequate services, could hamper the
proposal.
tn the past, Mexican trucks have only been
allowed to enter the United States through the
Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, or border
crossings in other states, only to drop off their cargo
at warehouses within a 12-kilometer radius of the
border.
However, the change would allow Mexican
trucks to pass through the border and deliver their
cargo anywhere in the United States.
Much of the cargo shipped from Mexico is
produce. According to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Mexican-grown fruits and vegetables
make up almost 20 percent of produce consumed in
the United States each year. That produce is shipped
from farms in Mexico, many as close to the border
as Hermosillo, but must be unloaded from Mexican
trucks as soon as it crosses the border.
There, buyers often check the produce for quality
before il is loaded onto a
U.S-based truck and shipped
to a distribution warehouse
elsewhere in the country.
Under the plan, American
truckers will also be able to drive into Mexico to
deliver their shipments.
Mexican trucks would also have the option of
driving into the United States and loading the cargo
onto railroad cars, which could carry the produce or
other cargo to the destination.
Because produce is damaged each time it is
handled, buyers say it would be ideal to allow the
produce to be loaded onto trucks and shipped
directly to the distribution warehouses.
The Tucson-based National Law Center for
Inter-American Free Trade has been one of the
leading supporters of the proposal.
"You will have a number of shipments that wilt
not change trucks, maybe even drivers," said David
Gantz, the center's associate director and a
University of Arizona law professor.
However, Gantz said there are still many
obstacles to clear before the proposal becomes a
reality.
Traduccíon
en página 3
see NAFTA page 3
1200
1000
800
600
400 -
200 -
American
Indian/
Alaskan
Native
Mexican!
Mexican
American
Verbal
Los estudiantes hispanos luchan
con las puntuaciones bajas
Por Erin Mahoney
Traducido por Kirsten MaCcIO
Por la primera vez desde hace mucho
tiempo, José Loya se siente nervioso al
tomar un examen.
Et 7 de abril, el estudiante de último año
en Pueblo High School y de calificaciones
perfectas, completó et último de sus
requisitos en preparación para la
universidad: el examen ACT, el cual se
requiere como parte del proceso de ingreso
en muchas universidades.
Por lo general, él no tiene por qué véase ESTUDIANTES página 4
Free/gratis h t tp : / /jou mal ism. arizo n a ed u / indy May/mayo 2001
preocuparse al tomar su enamen. Loya es
uno de los mejores estudiantes de la cluse
que está por graduarse, es un fenómeno en
las matemáticas y
ya ha sido aceptado traducción para ingresar en la
Universidad de
Arizona. Sin embargo, a pesar de sus
logros, la investigación en cuanto a los
exámenes preparatorios demuestra que
Loya ya tiene un factor en su contra - su
etnicidád.
Puerto Other White
Rican Hispanic
source: Collane Sourd Online, etwa cullegeboard.com graph by Sederete Kind