Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Week 13 - Happy Thanksgiving
Week 12
The week is done and we are finally at thanksgiving break! The long needed break we have all been longing for and waited for all semester. The break is ultimately spent by students trying to catch up on readings and study for finals, while also trying to squeeze in family time. Regardless it is welcomed with open arms by the entire student body.
Let’s take a small break from all the excitement of vacation and talk about something that occurred this week that not many students know is available to them. This week at the Puerto Rican Latin American Cultural Center the student support services (SSS) hosted a study abroad evening. What many students are unaware of is that every student has the opportunity to study abroad and in some cases even receive financial aid in doing so. One can receive credits while studying in a completely different continent.
Programs being offered now can be found at studyabroad.uconn.edu some examples are programs in Denmark, Norway, and even Korea. What the study abroad program allows you to do is to surround yourself and learn from these wonderful new cultures; while also taking classes for UConn credits. Personally I am a senior at UConn and have never gone study abroad and I can honestly say it is my greatest regret. I wish I would have known about the possibilities offered sooner so that I could have taken advantage of the resources the university offers me.
The most interesting part of the whole study abroad experience is that you can go for as long as you would like. There are programs such as the Liverpool trip that SSS offers that lasts merely a few weeks. On the other hand there are some where you can be abroad for a year. A very appealing program for those who like to travel like myself is called a semester at sea. In this case you live off a boat for the semester sailing through the ocean and landing at different ports to explore.
SSS did their presentation on Liverpool on Monday. It was a treat to interact with those students who had gone the year before. Each student had a different story to tell and a different thing learned from the trip. It is a rare treat to be able to travel with fellow students and explore new cultures and be able to come with more of an open mind and knowledge than before. Since I have already registered for classes for next semester and am graduating in May the chance to study abroad has come and gone for me. Yet I do not want this to be the case for the readers who are just beginning. The university offers plenty of Study abroad fairs throughout the semester and has a study abroad office you could always go visit. If you have any interest in learning and exploring new cultures please visit studyabroad.uconn.edu and find out how.
Week 11
Hola Readers,
This week brought some very interesting presentations. We were exposed to a little art and music in a very cultural manner. 
The Hermanos (Brothers) of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Incorporated arranged for the presentations of The Poet Daniel (Daniel Jose Custodio) and Alma Moyo. The Poet Daniel 
had his presentation this past Thursday at the Student Union Theater and also threw in a special poetry workshop lunch for the students who were available. Alma Moyo had their presentation on Friday in the Union Theater.
The Poet Daniel is a slam poet, author, and teacher. Originating from Sleepy Hollow, New York, he works hard to show his audience and readers the life of a “first generation Latino, battling socio-economic oppression”. He has published two poetry books, one called “Rising to the Surface” and the other “Hooked”. At the lunch workshop, he offered a treat for those who attended. He gave a sneak peak at the show he would be giving and read some of his poems for those present. One poem was called Yankee Fitted. It truly was a treat to hear the poem spoke of those who allow themselves to fall into “capitalistic games” by buying that which is in trend. However, not simply just by buying what was in trend, but buying it while realizing that the family barely has money to survive. The poem is about how kids are so easily influenced and how the games that are played on them control their everything. The poem ends with an idea that in society today is unfortunately not addressed enough. If you were to ask a child today who Alex Rodriguez is they would be able to tell you all the facts and statistics they knew. It would be the back of his card completely memorized. However, ask that same child who Don Pedro Albizu is and they will have no idea. The Poet Daniel was and is not afraid to bring it all forth in his poetry. He speaks what he feels and that is what he presents. It was a great presentation and brought Latino art in a new way to our campus.
Now Alma Moyo is a musical group dedicated to preserve and educate about one of Puerto Rico’s African musical traditions called La Bomba. They are an Afro- Boricua musical group consisting of 17 members. They present various songs at their show on Friday however, not all 17 members were present. Regardless they knew just how to entertain and hype the crowd. Along with Alma Moyo’s presentation the event brought forth cultural groups from the university. The cultural student groups that performed consisted of the dance group B.A.I.L.E (Bringing Awareness Into Latino Ethnicities), UConn Step Team, and UConn Capoeira a martial art and dance form originating from Brazil. As vacation time approaches us and exams and papers begin to take a good portion of our lives as students keep in mind the university continues to offer events such as these as a nice stress relief. So to all students please keep in mind these events are for you, so keep your eye out for those that may be of interest to you.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Week 10
And the countdown begins till our thanksgiving break. It is around that time for most classes to give their second exams. So I recommend all readers prepare themselves! The University offers plenty of opportunities for those who wish to excel in their exams. Many students are very busy throughout the day and we choose to do our work in the evening till well into night. At times it becomes difficult for students to study in their rooms because honestly speaking our beds have a tendency of calling us after long days. An alternative would be to go study at the library. The library is open till about midnight in which case many students go home at that time. However, if you need to continue studying or doing work Bookworms (the library coffee house) is open 24 hours and becomes a quite place later in the night.
Along with the hours available the library offers tutoring for those of you who need it. They help you in anything from calculus to anthropology papers. The Q center is available for mostly scientific and mathematical assistance. A student simply goes and signs in to meet with a tutor. They are undergraduates as well and try and help in anything they can. When it comes to writing the W center is where to go. The W center offers students with extensive training to help edit papers. They assist you in organizing your ideas, brain storming, and producing a successful paper to present. I highly recommend that students take advantage of all of these resources that the University provides for us.
Finally, exam and paper season can get very stressful. The final resource that the University offers that can truly help out in this time is the counseling and mental health services. Although it sounds like something that many students would quickly say “no thanks” you need to open your mind. It is an opportunity to assist you in staying sane during these difficult times. They offer suggestions on how to de-stress yourself along with workshops. They even offer people you can talk to in case you truly feel overwhelmed. Everything said is kept confidential and is provided for students to vent.
So I wish you all a successful exam and paper season and remember thanksgiving is right around the corner.
Week 9
I wish you all a safe night tonight! I hope many of you choose to partake in school sponsored events that secure your safety. There happens to be a gospel choir concert tonight as well for
all those that are interested. Nearly a week has gone by since the loss of our fellow Husky and although there is more normality in daily routines, it has not been forgotten. The student body is trying to move forward although the news continuously reminds us about what happened. There have been no arrests just yet but the police are working hard to try and find the person.This past Monday students all around campus tuned into the live reports from Jaspers funeral in Miami Florida. The UConn Football team was flow down to Miami to give their fallen team mates
their final respects. It was a touching ceremony streamed online as well, for those who did not have a TV available at the time. The memory of Jasper still stays dear in our hearts.On Wednesday night the university got into the Halloween spirit and brought Ryan Buell for the students to see. Ryan Buell happens to be a ghost Hunter. His show brought fear to many and caused many to rethink their belief in spirits. He presented films and documentaries in which his belief of the spirit world is demonstrated. Many were struck by the videos shown because something that they had never believed in was
suddenly being proven to them. It by far created the right atmosphere for Halloween week.Along with the Ryan Buell show on Wednesday there was also another very important meeting that started. The first HuskyTHON 2010 Dance Representative meeting occurred on Wednesday night. HuskyTHON is an annual fundraising event that the university supports to raise money for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. It was created by the office of fraternity and sorority life in 1998. However PRLACC lead the way for cultural centers in HuskyTHON 2009. We became the first cultural center to participate. The goal of HuskyTHON is to raise as much money as possible to donate to the nonprofit organization. It is an 18 hour dance marathon in which students get sponsored to stand for the full 18 hours. Entertainment, games and food are all supplied, yet nothing puts a price on the faces of the children that come to visit. Each
group has a survivor assigned to them. We meet the child and they tell us there at time heartbreaking survival story. I encourage all reader to partake in this wonderful community service opportunity and fundraise with an organization. I know for a fact that the cultural centers are always looking for people to help support the cause. 
The pictures included are from HuskyTHON 2009 in hopes of motivating readers to volunteer :)
Week 8 Dedicated to a Fallen Husky
Week eight at the University of Connecticut was a sad week. Although you normally read about a typical life of a student on the blog, this week will be a little different. You see this week was no typical week for our students here at UCONN. Unfortunately this week on Sunday morning we lost a fellow husky. Jasper Howard was a football player, and expectant father, and beloved member of our UConn co
mmunity.Unfortunately Jasper was lost in a stabbing from a fight that occurred outside of the Student Union. The fight broke out when a fire alarm was pulled forcing well over 300 hundred students to evacuate the Student Union. The Union remained closed the rest of the Sunday of the incident. The stabbing was reported all week on a daily basis in the news. The person who had stabbed Jasper was and is still not found. The Police are asking any student with any type o
f information to please come forward with it. This news took a toll on the student body. It was stunning to hear of something so horrific happening on our campus, our home. The student body received text messages early Sunday morning letting us know a stabbing has occurred. As the News casts began to report about what had truly happened throughout the day, the student body slowly found out everything. Well not everything, but at least more information than was given. 
The Monday after (10/19/09) small memorials were held in Jaspers honor. Students met outside of the football complex and said a prayer together while memorials made by students were presented. Tuesday became the day of unity throughout campus. We may not have all known Jasper, but we knew he was a fallen husky, who was taken to early. In turn the campus united in a “Black out” day of silence. The Black Students Association had asked all huskies to mourn together for the day and in remembrance of jasper wear dark or black clothes. With this we could show that we are all united in mourning the loss. The following day was by far one of the largest memorials we had for Jasper (or Jazz as he was better known) this past week. Wednesday night over 1000 students presented themselves to the candle light vigil in Jaspers honor. The night consisted of a touching speech from Coach Edsall directed to the student body and his players. A quote that truly stuck out from the night in regards to Jasper was “God never makes mistakes when picking his angels”. Following coach Edsall’s speech some of Jaspers team mates went on stage as well and said a few words in the memory of their brother. There were beautiful songs dedicated to Jasper sung by the A Capella group A- minor. Candles provided by the University were lit in memory of Jasper during one of the performances and a procession to mirror lake followed the vigil. Thursday and Friday were days of reflection for the university. Students were asked to write notes or letters to the family of Jasper sending condolences and memories they shared with him. Ultimately although this expectant father, friend, teammate, and son has passed he will forever stay in the UConn communities hearts. He will be greatly missed.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Week 7
Welcome back readers, for all those of you who were at the University of Connecticut I hope you enjoyed an event filled Homecoming week. The week began with the Homecoming Parade on Sunday at 1:00pm. All organizations were given the chance to display their Husky Pride in the parade as well as incorporate the overall homecoming theme which was “A Spoonful of Fun”. Each group picked a breakfast cereal and with a little creativity and husky pride they each presented great floats. However there were also the opportunities to present a marching group instead of a float. The cultural centers all had marching units in which the student portrayed the theme and husky pride. The marching units ranged from groups of 20 to approximately 80. Although there was a prize for first place in both floats and marching unit the parade was not about the prize but instead about the pride. It was a good time for those marching as well as those watching with music all around and even entertaining acts walking between the students floats. Immediately following the parade the university tried something that had not been done before. A carnival was offered to the students and those attending the parade. The carnival included rides and treats such as fried dough and ice cream and what not. All in all it offered a great time to the students and a wonderful way of kicking off homecoming week.
On Wednesday evening was the Homecoming Royalty Pageant. The university student body had taken part in voting for a representative from each organization that they felt would make a good homecoming king and queen. On Wednesday night the top 6 representatives for king and queen got a chance to convince a panel of judges that they were the best choice. The pageant included a talent portion, a costume portion (students had to represent their involvement and their homecoming theme), and a question and answer portion. The question part included a variety of campus related questions such as “ The administration is trying to work on making spring weekend a more university acceptable weekend what are suggestions you would make to help this take place”. Each student gave wonderful answers but at the end Liz Stolow and Kevin McQuade walked away as UConns homecoming King and Queen Congratulations!
Thursday night was the night that many cultural centers and organizations were looking forward to; it was Lip Sync night. Lip Sync is the biggest competition of the homecoming week each organization puts together a dance routine and performs a routine that with dialogue and props incorporates UCONN pride and their chosen homecoming theme (which would be whatever breakfast cereal they picked). The night included many great routines and but ultimately the Asian American Cultural Center, Global House, and Kappa Kappa Gamma prevailed and each won first place in their respective groups. The whole show offered about 16 different acts so congratulations to those groups who were able to shine and job well done to the other groups who put many hours of work to put on great shows.
The Homecoming festivities could not end on a greater not on Saturday morning when the football team won the homecoming game over Louisville. Although it was a chilly day the football team put all their might into the game and prevailed so job well done boys the University could not be prouder.
Pictures presented are provided from myself and other students at the different cultural centers.
Week 6
Hello readers, this week at UConn was all about Metanoia and preventing violence against women. Metanoia week has been occurring on campus since 1979 in which the theme was “violence in the community”. This was a weeklong event that started mostly with a very powerful rally on Monday
Called the “What Will You Do Rally”. The rally was set up outside of the student union and had the purpose of raising awareness of sexual assault. More importantly it tried to show ways it can be prevented. The rally served to show that UConn has a zero tolerance for sexual assault. There were many performances and students speaking and for a cold fall night the student attendance was a good size.
UConn also offered their students a little treat this week. On Wednesday students were offered a little relaxer during the stressful times of midterms. In the Student Union there was make you own cookies set up for students. A nice little pick me up for those who needed the sugar rush. This week began lovely midterm season. The following three will be interesting considering next week is Homecoming week here at UConn and midterms will not even be half done for many students. One could begin to see the stressed faces on students this week especially the freshman which were easily identifiable. So to have Subog offer a decorate your own cookie was a good idea as a little break between studying for the students. However many students are not aware that SUBOG (a organization in charge of putting together activities for students) organizes activities for students throughout the semester. Students can look at the subog.uconn.edu website and see what more this organization has to offer for the students.
While the student body is being offered activities by SUBOG the seniors are being offered appointment days for senior portraits. The time has come for the realization to fully hit that senior year is flying by. Seniors have reached the time to begin to apply for graduate school and even in some cases apply for graduation. Where have the last three years gone is what can be heard from many seniors as they walk around campus reminiscing with friends. Yet although senior year is quickly flying by senioritis is being fought all around by senior who know that even though it is your senior year you have to go out with flying colors. So students best of luck on you midterms and seniors enjoy next week and your final Homecoming week at the University of Connecticut.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Week 5
Hola readers, welcome back. We continue with Latino Heritage month. This past week on Thursday at 3:30 was the opening of the Art Exhibit in the student union gallery. The artists included Jose Aguay and Alexander Sarria. Unfortunately, Mr. Sarria could not make it, but I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Jose Aguay. Aguay’s paintings were absolutely beautiful. They depicted the scenery found in Puerto Rico and the natural beauty that can be seen there.
Alexander Sarria’s paintings are a little bit different, they are the other side of what is not seen. He does not paint the scenery; he paints what is seen from a residence perspective not a tourist. I added some pictures if you guys did not have a chan
ce to go and see the art show. Some include Dr. Rios (the director of the institute of PRLS) and students and other faulty. However, you can also get a glimpse of the art work in the back. If you get a chance they are completely worth going to see. They really leave you thinking. Especially Sarria’s, with titles such as “Humanities Crucified”. The art show is free of cost and is open through the day so any free second you have please stop by. It is on the third floor of the Student Union.Students on the other hand are getting closer and closer to the midterm season. You can see the stress pilling up on people’s faces. The library is slowly filling up more and more with students who are willing to start studying a little early. In some cases bookworms café ( in the library) holds those students overnight who wait to study last minute. So as the time for midterms get closer I wish all luck. In case there are any stress problems the University of Connecticut offers a lot of stress relief options. The main place to visit on campus would be the counseling & mental health services. They are more than willing to help out with anything they can. Also the Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center will soon be hosting a group meeting session called “hablamos”. It will serve as a round table discussion, and will keep everything confidential. Students will be invited to come and vent with the group about anything and everything that could be stressing you out. It will be held on Thursday nights at the Puerto Rican/ Latin American Cultural Center so if you feel the stress approaching please feel free to come and well, “hablamos” (lets talk) there.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Week 4
Hey readers, week four of school is done. Where has the first month of school gone? Well the date to add or drop classes has gone by.At this point most students are most likely than not staying in their class. With some you see the comfortable faces as they walk by feeling sure of the classes they picked. Yet most importantly feeling as if they know what they got themselves into. Others, not so much, the anxiety radiates from their face when walking out of classes. The time has come that we as students settle in to the university all over again. The real work in classes have started. Exams are quickly approaching, and papers are but days from being due. I guess you could say that the “real” college life has begun.
Jobs around campus have been mostly filled by now, especially those of work study. Work study is a program the government offers as a form of financial aid. You work during the semester to earn a designated amount of money paid to you by the government. Although many want it, it is strictly given on a need basis. However, some students are willing to go above and beyond in the aspects of work. In this case I could not be prouder of a student from PRLACC. See this student came to me to assist them in creating a resume. Yet unfortunately the student was missing work experience. We spoke and brainstormed. I gave them different alternatives they could present. Eventually they went to a graduate student and asked for an internship. Unfortunately they did not have work study so they were not going to be getting paid, but for them that was the least of their concerns. The student was willing to go above and beyond and do it as a volunteer basis, simply for the work experience it offered. What I see more and more each year that has passed is students look for the cushioned job. One in which they get paid from work study to do nothing but sit around and waste time. The sad part is that when they don’t find those jobs many let their work study go to waste. They let the day pass where you can no longer redeem your work study. The most upsetting part of all that, is there are plenty of students who need that work study. Those that try and fight for the work study that so many others simply throw away.
Just as a heads up reader’s week five will bring feedback from an art show at the student union art gallery.It is offered by PRLACC, the Institute for PRLS, Eliana Rojas Program, and others. Please feel free to come view the art on display, but if it is absolutely impossible I will be taking pictures as well for you to see. So until next week enjoy week five of school.
Week 3
Hola readers, lets fill you in a little on how the third week of UCONN went. Well Tuesday of this past week marked the start of a very important month for Latinos. From September 15th through October 15th we celebrate Latino Heritage month. What more of an appropriate way to celebrate than to have the first day of Latino Heritage month also be the day of LSA’s (Latino Student Association) first biweekly meeting. At the meeting LSA executive board members introduced the organization and how it should be used as a resource. They spoke of how they would bring in speakers and host de-stress game nights around the times exams seem to get heavier. All in all it introduced itself as an ideal organization for someone who wants to be involved, but doesn’t want to feel obligated to attend every meeting. They offer very flexible hours. So for the student readers who are looking to get involved LSA is highly recommended (and of course it is not strictly for Latinos all are welcome).
However, September 15th was also a crucial day for many student organizations. It began the month count down for a very large event held at the university during homecoming week called lip-sync. Lip-sync is quite possibly the biggest competition between the cultural centers, Greek life, and student organizations on campus. It is a huge dance competition (and lip-syncing of course) held at Gample Pavilion (our designated basketball stadium). The organizations involved practice day and night to get their seven minute show routine exactly on point. It is an exciting moment to perform at lip-sync because it is a performance in front of all our peers.Gample Pavilion ends up full of students waiting to watch the exciting competition. Working so closely with PRLACC and dancing for them for the last three years, I know firsthand the experience of walking onto the dance floor after hours of practicing.Everyone leaves it all on the dance floor. PRLACC had the honor of winning first place last year.With that being the case they are working hard to bring the trophy back. There’s not much I can say about the routines and the show for PRLACC because of the intensity of the competition. Yet what I can say is that it will most definitely be a good show, and recommend that all you readers head over to Gample Pavilion if you can on October 15h.
Week 2
Welcome back readers; let’s fill you in on the second week of school. Well the best choice of where to start would be with academics. The campus was buzzing with students both new and returning. Observers would quickly notice students in a hurry to get to their next class.They want to make those positive impressions on the professors early in the game. However as much as they hurried they also seemed very relaxed; it could be because the countdown till the weekend went from five days to four thanks to Labor Day. However with the start of the new semester and it being the second week of school, the campus was buzzing with information about homecoming and rushing fraternities and sororities. The event to attend for the week was definitely the involvement fair which was held on Wednesday September 9th. The involvement fair brought together all organizations around campus.It allowed each to present their group to the students attending the fair. The involvement fair is mostly aimed to pull in the freshman and give them a feel of what groups, organizations, and clubs are offered here at the university. Walking in I saw a whole bunch of happy faces, by the young faces I assumed they were freshman. It was definitely a reality check and a memory jogger. What could possibly be more helpful to a new student wanting to get involved than an involvement fair? It’s interesting to see how each year the number of organizations and booths increase drastically. This year much like the last three years, the involvement fair was held in the student union (a resource for the students). The “U” or union as the students like to call it had two floors full of booths, and even some that expanded up and went to the fourth floor. The variety of activities was astounding, you could find things from any ethnicity, any Greek life, and even clubs for the fantasy lovers. Of course being a Latina, I wanted to make sure we were properly represented at the involvement fair. I was on an adventure to see what I could find. I was so proud to see that not only were we represented in excellent ways, but we did not all stick together as is assumed from most Latino stereotypes. We had representation of a Latino organization on every floor and in every room. It’s great to see how far the Latino community has come at UCONN. My freshman year the involvement fair simply offered B.A.I.L.E (Brining awareness into Latino Ethnicities dance group) and LSA (Latino Students Association) and the booths were right next to one another. Now attending the Involvement fair as a senior it has become a completely different world. We still offer B.A.I.L.E and LSA but there are now three fraternities offered to the Latinos on campus (they are open for all ethnicities to join) along with a sorority and a mentoring program (M.E.T.A.S). However, the Latinos are not the only ones expanding at UCONN. Next to B.A.I.L.E this year was the Pakistani club available as well, along with so many offered from the many cultural centers on campus. It’s great to see how the UCONN community is evolving through the years cultural wise. It is important for organizations come forth to help our minorities on campus feel that much more at home.