Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE) Records

The records of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education are comprised of foundational documents such as charters and by-laws, as well as meeting minutes, correspondence, financial documents, annual conference materials, publications, reports, and legal documentation generated by TACHE. The collection is arranged into seven series: General, Executive Committee, Committees, Conference Materials, Binders, Chapter Records, and Collected Material.

The first series, General, contains copies of the original Constitution and By-laws of TACHE and the organization's Articles of Incorporation, as well as later revisions of these documents.

Executive Committee, the second series, documents the functions of the committee presiding over TACHE at the statewide level. The name of this committee and its officers have changed considerably over time; however, the nature of the documents in this series remains generally consistent. Executive committee meetings are well documented through minutes, agendas, and handouts relating to topics addressed. Correspondence of selected Presidents, Secretaries, and Treasurers round out the bulk of this series. Also noteworthy is correspondence between the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and various members of the TACHE executive committee, mostly on the topic of Affirmative Action. Additional records documenting the role of regional representatives within their regional and local chapters are found in series six.

The third series, Committees, contains the records of the nonexecutive TACHE committees: Awards, Scholarship, Legislative, Programs, and Publications. Much like with the Executive Committee, the names of many of TACHE’s committees changed multiple times, for example, the Legislative Committee subseries also contains materials produced by the Legislative Action Committee, and the Legislative Session. Publication materials included in the records of the Publications Committee make up a large portion of the Committees series. El Noticiario and El Cuaderno, and certain Research Reports were published for the TACHE membership as well as the general public and take the form of newspapers and booklets. Other publications such as the President’s Message, and Annual Membership Directories, were distributed only to members of the organization.

Conference Materials, the fourth series, documents the planning, proceedings, and evaluation of TACHE’s annual conferences. Materials in this series are arranged chronologically by conference year. Conference packets distributed to conference attendees are the most frequently occurring materials in this series. These packets include schedules, organizational brochures, and information concerning the location of the conference. This series also includes one videocassette documenting the “Higher Education Policy Forum” of the 2001 conference.

Binders, the fifth and largest series, represent the majority of the TACHE records from the years 1992-2002 that have been accessioned in this records group. Because the binders demonstrate the organizational intentions of their creator, the original order of these binders has been preserved. This series contains many of the same types of records as in the loose records in the six other series, including meeting minutes, correspondence, financial documents, and publications.

TACHE chapters represented in the Chapter Records, the sixth series, include the Central and Far West Regional Chapters and the San Antonio and El Paso Local Chapters. The bulk of these materials document Manuel Flores' involvement in the Central and San Antonio Chapters. Records include correspondence, meeting minutes, membership rosters, and newsletters pertaining directly to these chapters.

The final series, Collected Materials, includes publications, clippings, scholarly articles, and data analysis gathered by TACHE leaders over time on themes relevant to their organizational goals.

Part 2: Additions

The Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education Part 2 Additions consist of organizational documents that highlight the functions, collections, and history of TACHE. These materials date from 1976 to 2014, with the bulk of the collection originating between 1980 and 2010. These additions are organized into eight series: 1) Audiovisual Materials, 2) General, 3) Collected Materials, 4) Chapter Records, 5) Conference Materials, 6) Committees, 7) Executive Committees, and 8) Oversize Material. Most of the existing series from the original processed collection were carried over to the additions; the exception being the removal of the Binders series and the addition of Audiovisual Materials and Oversize Material series. All series are arranged chronologically.

The Audiovisual Materials consists mostly of photographs, with the addition of a VHS videotape. These materials document the social aspect of TACHE, the majority of the photographs being taken during the organization’s many conferences. Although many of the photographs are unlabeled, they provide insight into the organization’s culture, leaders, and members. See also the Oversize Material series for picture proofs of photographs by Dovalina.

In the General series, as with the original collection, consists of TACHE’s Constitution and By-laws, Articles of Incorporation, and various revisionary documents.

Collected Materials contains miscellaneous newspaper clippings, received publications, such as scholarly articles and research reports, and documents from related organizations. These materials highlight the outside content TACHE leaders were intent on keeping for future reference, particularly for their utility related to the organization’s mission and goals.

Chapter Records series is organized into four categories: Gulf, Central, South, and Far West. These regional materials consist of correspondence, memorandums, meeting minutes, and schedules created by and related to the various TACHE chapters. Although these materials are similar to those in the Executive Committee series, they were ultimately separated for clarity of their purpose and creators.

Conference Materials, ranges from 1975 to 2014 and contains conference packets, planning documents, and proceedings related to TACHE’s yearly conferences. Conference packets comprise the majority of this series and outline the theme, speakers, and events for each conference.

Committees series consists of the organization’s awards, research grants, membership directories, programs, and publications related to the organization’s various functions and responsibilities. These records were produced and related to TACHE’s non-executive committees, which separate it from the Executive Committee series.

The Executive Committee series contains materials created for and by those responsible for TACHE at the statewide level. These materials include rosters created by regional representatives, various treasurer’s financial documents and reports, general and president correspondence, meeting minutes, and documents highlighting the recruitment and application process. Although the names attached to these leadership roles changed considerably throughout the decades, the content created remained relatively similar.

The Oversize Material series includes picture proofs of photographs by Dovalina of the 1993 conference in Austin and a City of Dallas proclamation welcoming conference attendees to the 27th annual meeting.