RR TWU BESO Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO)
The Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO) is one of the oldest Latina organizations on
campus. Approximately thirty years ago, when the bilingual program was initiated in Texas, TWU was
one of the first universities to begin a bilingual teacher preparation program. Along with the new
program, Dr. Rudy Rodriguez began the student organization initially named the Student Association
for Bilingual Education (SABE), which was later changed to the Bilingual Education Student
Organization (BESO). The BESO students take an active part in support of all students on campus who
speak two languages or more and invite all future bilingual teachers to participate in their activities,
which include attending and participating in conferences related to bilingual education. Under the
guidance of the university's bilingual education faculty, a number of undergraduate and graduate
BESO students have attended, presented, and facilitated at the BEAM (Bilingual Education Association
of the Metroplex) conferences held in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the TABE conferences, and the NABE
(National Association for Bilingual Education) conferences. Many of them also volunteer their time in
surrounding school district classrooms as tutors for bilingual students.