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.

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 chance 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.

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 15^th through October 15^th 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 15^th 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.

This week also happened to be suicide prevention week at UCONN. There were many events offered throughout the week such as keynote speaker, suicide prevention training, and movies. I was able to attend the showing of Prayers for Bobby. A very sad movie focusing on the effects that homophobia can hold on a young adult. Bobby was born into a very Christian family. When he confided in his brother that he was homosexual his family found out. His mother refused to accept that it could be true. She told Bobby to submerge himself into religion even more to convince himself that it is not true; he couldn’t possibly be gay. The disapproval and self hating emotions his mother made him feel about himself for being gay got the best of Bobby. He grew so depressed that he could not hold it anymore and he took his life. It was a hard recovery for his mother, but ignorance no longer led to bliss.She began to preach and tell her story. She wanted to prevent other mothers from following in her steps. It was a beautiful movie about acceptance that could be applied to many aspects such as ethnicity, sex, and of course gender preference. It is available to view if you search for it and again a highly recommended movie for all readers. It shows how ignorance still exists and how dangerous it can be

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 9^th. 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.

Week 1

Welcome I am an intern for the Institute for Puerto Rican and Latino Studies at the University of Connecticut. I’m here to present readers with a new perspective of student life, a Latina student’s perspective. The Institute of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies (PRLS) has been in service since fall 1994. It’s a multipurpose program that includes interdisciplinary research and a teaching program. It includes a “comparative focus on the Puerto Rican, Mexican, and other Latin American origin populations in Connecticut, the northeast, and other regions of the continental United States, as well as in Puerto Rico”. More information about PRLS can be found on their website web2.uconn.edu/prls.Throughout the blogs you will also read about the Puerto Rican/ Latin American cultural center (PRLACC). A common misconception is that the two are the same or are an extension from one another, this is not the case. PRLACC is a cultural center offered to the students as a place to go and do school work, relax, or socialize. On the other hand PRLS is a strictly academic institute offering classes teaching experience and resources. The two work hand in hand in helping the Latino culture come forth at the university.

First off let me begin by somewhat introducing myself. I am a 20 year old Latina at the University of Connecticut. I am a student pursuing an English major with a concentration in higher education. Yet most importantly, I am a first generation Latina College student. Having that said I set the example for any relatives younger than myself. I am proof for them that a college education is possible with effort. I pave the way for a new generation in my family that can be full of college educated Latinos. That in itself is a lot of pressure. It all seemed to finally sink in, as I was driving to campus to start off my senior year. This year the move in date was a little earlier for me in comparison to others. I had applied to be a mentor for the M.E.T.A.S mentoring program (volunteer service program) offered at the Puerto Rican/ Latin American Cultural Center (PR/LACC). Luckily for me, my application was accepted. However, along with the acceptance came mandatory training. This meant leaving home that much earlier. Once on campus the reality hit me like a ton of bricks.I’m sure it hit many of my peers similarly. I was about to begin my senior year at the University of Connecticut. I suddenly realized how quickly time had flown by, and if the three years went by in a flash what was to stop my final year from doing the same. Yet the biggest shock was finally accepting that in less than ten months I would be a university graduate. I found comfort at M.E.T.A.S training when I was reunited with friends that had traveled the journey of education with me these last three years. They were expressing the same fear’s, realization’s, and ultimately insecurity towards graduation. It is not that we as students are not prepared to go and show the world what we have been taught. Or that the university education has made us insecure with its level of education; it’s just that we are not ready to go. The Puerto Rican/ Latin American cultural center has created a home environment for the students who have entered the center for the past three years.With the amazing Dr. Perez (previous director) being the wonderful motherly figure for us, a person we could talk to, get advice from, and just count on for help. As students of the center it seems like we are not ready to walk away from that home environment that Dr. Perez had so graciously established for us. With Latinos having an established home environment on campus that is as close to our real homes as can be is very comforting. I have seen firsthand how it has helped many students adapt to the university in an easier manner. So I enter my senior year, with head held high pushing for success in all my endeavors. From events, shows, and academics to prove to myself and all those behind me that although it will be hard at times a Latina college student can come out on top.