Connexus began in fall 2000 when Gateway, a similar program, was handling too many students, Hale said. One division of Connexus is dedicated to monitoring Longhorn Scholars and helping them keep up academically. But since many of the Longhorn Scholars are minorities, several had the misconception that they were put into the program because of their race, when in fact, the program was set up to escort Longhorn Scholars through their college experience, administrators said. They did not help students feel like the are part of a diverse campus, he said. Stephen Ward, an assistant instructor of African-American Studies and the undergraduate adviser for the department, said putting student groups at the center of the University experience and and allowing students to sepatate into cultural groups can be a way for minority students to combat the uneasiness of attending a predominantly white university.
Student organizations tend to lead to more cultural experiences.
To better integrate herself into the UT community, Stevenson joined the Black Student Alliance, Alpha Lambda Delta honor society, the African American Culture Committee and Umoja, a group formed to support black women on campus. Despite her involvement in the black community, Stevenson said she had hoped to see more interaction between racial groups on campus. I don't see any unity on this campus. Hernandez said he was disappointed because there was such an underrepresentation of non-white groups at the University. Konavis Smith, a business sophomore and Longhorn Scholar, said students have to work at making their experiences at the University positive ones and must reach out to different cultures.