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.