April 22, 2002
DeLay has history with two Texas schools he criticized
___By Marv Knox
___Editor
___U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, a "longtime supporter" of two Texas schools he recently criticized, has a longtime history with them, too. He was "asked not to re-register" at one after playing "pranks" at another.
___DeLay angered alumni of Baylor and Texas A&M universities when word spread that he told a Baptist group not to send their children to the schools.
___Talk radio across Texas zeroed in on DeLay April 18, after a copyright Houston Chronicle article reported he said: "Don't send your kids to Baylor. And don't send your kids to A&M."
TOM DELAY
___DeLay made his remarks April 12 during a meeting at First Baptist Church in Pearland. A questioner, lamenting that creationism is not taught at major Texas universities, prompted the congressman to wave young people away from the two schools, the Chronicle reported.
___After telling parents not to send their children to Baylor and A&M, historically known as two of the nation's most conservative major universities, DeLay said: "There are still some Christian schools out there--good, solid schools. Now, they may be little. They may not be as prestigious as Stanford. But your kids will get a good, solid, godly education."
___He particularly focused on A&M, where his daughter, Danielle, graduated in 1995 and was repulsed by students who had sex in dormitories. "Texas A&M used to be a conservative university," the Chronicle reported the congressman as saying. "It's lost a lot of its conservatism, and it's renounced its traditions. It's really sad. My daughter ... had horrible experiences with coed dorms and guys who spent the weekends in the rooms with the girls, and all this kind of stuff went on there. It's just unbelievable."
___As House majority whip, DeLay is the third-highest-ranking Republican. His remarks to the audience of about 300 people were taped without his knowledge, the Chronicle said.
___Shortly after his comments became public, DeLay issued a statement regarding his relationship to the two Texas schools.
___"My response to a concerned parent has created a misunderstanding," he said. "I was giving advice for the specific type of education they were seeking for their child.
___"Let me make it clear: I've been a longtime supporter of Baylor and Texas A&M. My daughter went to A&M, and in Congress I've worked hard to help fund these two prestigious universities.
___"I apologize for any misunderstandings my comments may have caused."
___DeLay may get a chance to clarify those misunderstandings at Baylor in person, according to university spokesman Larry Brumley.
___"Apparently Congressman DeLay's perceptions of Baylor have been influenced by people who are uninformed or misinformed about the Christian character and mission of Baylor University," Brumley said. Baylor has asked DeLay to visit the Waco campus "and see firsthand the nature of this university, it's students, faculty and staff."
___"He will find an institution ... that is seeking to enter the top tier of American universities, while reaffirming and deepening its distinctive Christian mission."
___DeLay spokesman Jonathan Grella said the congressman's remarks reflect his sentiments about a narrow issue, not the universities in general.
___"He was responding to a specific comment at the event, and he gave (parents) frank advice," Grella told the Baptist Standard. "He said, 'If you're seeking a Christian education for your children, this is what you can do.' It was in relation to this specific context."
___Grella also confirmed DeLay's specific early relationship to both Baylor and A&M.
___DeLay attended Baylor from 1965 to 1967 before graduating from the University of Houston in 1970. But DeLay ended his student relationship with Baylor because of something that happened on the A&M campus.
___"He was asked not to reregister" at Baylor, Grella acknowledged. "When the congressman was younger, his extra-curricular activities got him in trouble. He had a vigorous social life and accepts the consequences of his actions."
___Asked if those actions took place at A&M during DeLay's student days, Grella told the Standard: "Yeah. ... They played some pranks."
___Baylor's disciplinary action turned out well, Grella reported. "He has said they did him a favor."
___DeLay became friends with Baylor Vice President W.C. Perry, who expelled DeLay but later supported his run for Congress, Grella said.
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