Fall 2010 Week 4

Week 4

            Hello again Readers, and welcome to another edition of Student Lens, a student’s perspective on the latest happenings within the Latino student community here at the University of Connecticut.

            With week 4 coming to a close midterm fever is just starting up so it’s no surprise that everyone is a little short on time with long To-Do lists, especially with Lipsync just around the corner.

            For those who may not know what LipSync is, let me give you a brief overview. LipSync is one of the largest annual events here at UConn. Every year a theme is designated for homecoming and within that theme the various student groups, cultural centers and Greek organizations pick smaller themes within it to portray. For example, last years over arching homecoming theme was a Spoonful of Fun so every group chose a different cereal to portray. From there, each organization comes up with an 8-minute mini-musical to perform in front of the entire university in a contest we like to call LipSync. During each musical number students dance and then have lip-syncing performers who play to the crowd. This event takes weeks of planning and practice and in the end the payoff is great but this brings me to an issue a lot of students have on campus. LipSync this year will be on Sept. 30^th, the year before that it was during the first week in October, and the years prior to that it was during the second or third week of October. Most of us are still getting into the swing of thing and then to have to plan LipSync and homecoming events on top of that isn’t exactly conducive to our educational careers. Perhaps we as a university should really consider the older LipSync dates as an option for next year. With studying, Homecoming, and the hundreds of other responsibilities here on campus I think I speak for everyone when I say, “Having LipSync pushed up 3 weeks is a lot more stress than any of us need right now.”

           

I suggest everyone attend at least one LipSync during his or her college careers but in case you miss this year’s festivities I’ll post a full synopsis of the event on next week's post so be on the lookout.

            Another responsibility that some of us within the Puerto Rican Latin American Cultural Center along with the Asian American Cutural Center have is KUBE (Kids and UConn Bridging Education). KUBE is a program where students here on campus connect with students between 4^th and 8^th grade from Killingly and Windham public schools. One Saturday a month our “Bigs” (mentors) meet with their pre-assigned Littles (mentees) and participate in a day of fun-filled activities here at the University. Originally this program was strictly a partnership between the Asian American Cultural Center and Killingly Public Schools, but for the past two years we at the Puerto Rican Latin American Cultural Center, and the students from Windham Public Schools have been invited to join the program and it has been a huge success. Each KUBE day we have a theme and we schedule activities to go along with that theme. For example, this past KUBE day we celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month. Throughout the day we showed the students different aspects of the Hispanic and Latino Culture, activities included piñata hitting, salsa lessons (provided by yours truly), maraca making, and culminating with some tres leches (three milks) cake a delicious Latin-American treat. KUBE has been going strong for 15 years now and I know that with such strong community collaboration behind it, it'll keep going for at least 15 more.

For more information about KUBE feel free to visit: http://asacc.uconn.edu/programs/kube.php   

Or simply stop by the Asian American or Puerto Rican Latin American Cultural Centers located on the fourth floor of the Student Union.

            As I said earlier, be on the look for a full rundown of the upcoming LipSync celebration and I wish all of you good luck on midterms, I know I’ll be paying frequent visit to good ‘ol Homer Babbidge for the next few days as well. 

Fall 2010 Week 2 (Slight mix-up)

Week 2

How’s it going readers?

           My apologies, it's not a typo I accidentally forgot to post the latest and greatest from Week 2 here at UConn. Don't think that nothing eventful happened during our second week of classes, just know that I had a bit of a memory lapse and forgot to check my "Drafts" folder.

           If your anything like me then a new school year is a time to meet new people, along with figuring out a new schedule. (Personally I still find myself taking quick glances at my class schedule every now and then) But if you're looking to fill up an empty schedule, you can get involved and meet people here on campus and the Involvement Fair is a great way to do so. The fair went all out this year spanning over four different locations in the Student Union and as usual it was a fun and eye-opening experience. I had no idea that there were so many student groups and clubs on campus. Anything you could possibly be interested in, they have here at UCONN and I think this year they added even a few more. Everything from sky-diving to horseback riding was well represented, so there’s really no excuse to not be involved in at least one, two, or maybe ten things on campus. Two things I’m involved in here on campus are BAILE (Bringing Awareness Into Latino Ethnicities) and LSA (Latino Student Association).

            BAILE is exactly what it says it is dancing, and that’s what I love most about it. All skill levels are welcome and you will never have to worry about being judged, we all were beginners at one point. We teach predominantly three styles of Latin dance: salsa, merengue, and my personal favorite, bachata, however every once in a while we try to throw in a different style such as tango, or cha-cha. My freshman year I couldn’t tell bachata from salsa, and now I find myself dancing 24/7, 365 days a year. I’ve met plenty of great people through dance, and I have BAILE to thank for that. So if you’d like to meet new people, listen to great music, and maybe even be able to perform at various events on campus, I suggest you come check BAILE out. BAILE meets every Thursday from 6:30pm-8:30pm, in the Student Union Rm 304B.

For more information about BAILE visit: uconnbaile.org

            If dancing may not be your thing, another great way to be involved here on campus is the Latino Student Association. LSA is, more than anything else, just a great time. Every other Tuesday, LSA meets in the Puerto Rican Latin American Cultural Center and discusses different issues concerning the interests of not only the Latino population, but also the student population here on campus. Whether it’s issues of Latino enrollment in college, immigration laws, or anything in between, you can expect to have a great conversation and learn something new in the process. But please don’t think that LSA is all work and no play, there are events planned all throughout the year ranging from ice cream socials and dinners, to our annual Gala Night, and even if there is nothing planned specifically, there’s plenty of guest speakers, board games, (Taboo has always been a favorite of mine), and arts and crafts to entertain you as well.

For more information about LSA or upcoming events, you can visit the Facebook page at: 

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2215643049&ref=ts

            Even if these two things may not be for you, remember, there’s always something to do here on campus, I’ve done capoeira, looked into various community service groups on campus and have even attended a few meetings of the Japanese Anime club here on campus. Anything you even think you may be interested in is worth checking out. Who knows, you may find a passion for chess, mixed martial arts, or maybe even skydiving. Whatever the case may be I suggest everyone go out and get involved, it helps make your college experience all the more memorable. 

Fall 2010 Week 3

Week 3

Welcome Back Readers,

           

            With the first two weeks of school coming to a close and as students begin to put away their campus maps, classes begin to pick up pace. Along with classes, the amount of events on campus is increasing as well.

            One thing I found particularly interesting was the Hispanic Heritage Exhibit currently on display in the Student Union from Sept. 13 to Oct. 1 in room 310. Now I know what some of our student readers may be thinking, “Great, another boring art exhibit.” Let me tell you from the perspective of a 3^rd year student here at the university, this was probably one of the most entertaining and interesting things, let alone art exhibits, I’ve ever been to. The exhibit is entitled Latino Complexity: Past & Present, and it showcases multiple works by Valentin Tirado, as well as a photography exhibit and memorial to Fernando Olmo, a UCONN alum.

            A few of the works which I found to be personal favorites were, “The Puerto Rican Struggle” and “The Invasion of Grenada” both of which are acrylic on canvas works by Tirado and I felt they truly captured the mentality of Latino Complexity. “The Puerto Rican Struggle” is a piece that my friends and myself found to be a bit controversial as to what exactly it depicts. Personally I see a man reaching for the star within Puerto Rican flag, giving the viewer a “reach for the stars” message. However, one of my friends says he sees a man shooting a bow towards the star, representing a struggle against something, possibly the United States or maybe just a governing body in general.

            “The Invasion of Grenada” seems to be a much more weighted political piece. It depicts the island of Grenada and is residents in the bottom corner with multiple skull faced soldiers, and former president Ronald Reagan with vampire teeth, all bearing down on the island, clearly referencing US invasion of Grenada during Reagan’s term in office. The way Tirado uses color and detail in his pieces truly gives gallery goers a clear understanding into his feeling on the various subjects this exhibit touches on and overall I must say I truly enjoyed the exhibit as a whole.

            Another great event coming to the University that should be a great opportunity for minority students is the SACNAS conference coming September 23, 2010 in the Student Union Room 331 from 6:00pm-8:00pm. SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science) works towards increasing opportunities for minority scientists and students in the field of science. Dr. David Burgess, will be the speaker for the event, and as a Professor of Biology at Boston College I’m sure he has a lot of great insight and advice for science and minority students alike. I recommend everyone go and benefit from what will be an entertaining experience.

For more information about SACNAS visit:  http://www.sacnas.org/index.cfm

Well readers, be on the look out for more upcoming events and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on the latest and greatest here at the University of Connecticut.  

Event Information: PRSA Conference

As an intern of the Puerto Rican and Latino Studies Institute here at UConn one of my duties is to help spread awareness of events that can further unify and strengthen the Latino community. From October 21-23 the Puerto Rican Studies Association will be holding its biennial conference geared towards the advancement of Puerto Rican studies. 

I'd like to thank Charles R. Venator-Santiago, Assistant Professor within the Department of Political Science for providing the following information regarding the conference.

Cuerpos vigilados y castigados:

Resistance and Empowerment in the Body Rican

Hartford, CT

October 21-23, 2010

      Since our formation the topics discussed at our biennial meetings have always been related to scholarly trends (empirical and conceptual) in the inter-disciplinary field of Puerto Rican Studies, primarily across the social sciences and the humanities, although we also have had participation from the professional schools and the human services. For example and looking at our most recent conferences, the 2010 theme of Cuerpos vigilados y castigados: Resistance and Empowerment in the Body Rican, to be celebrated at Hartford, Connecticut on October 21-23, is going to center on sites of social control, both related to governmental practices and to everyday life within civil society. It will also explore the ways in which Puerto Ricans have pursued and continue to create critical, social, cultural, political and economic opportunities for civic action. In 2008 the main conference topic was “Cartographies of Identities: Puerto Ricans in the XXIst Century,” San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 1-4. This theme used the metaphor of mapping to reflect on the social and physical spaces that produce and frame social behavior, as well as identity categories, lived labels, and cultural performances. In 2006 the Conference focused on “Speaking the Unspoken: Race and Its Intersections in Puerto Rican Experience,” Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, October 5-8. This conference positioned “race” at the center of our collective discussions, including how “race” among--and in relation to--Puerto Ricans has emerged interdependently with gendered and class subordinations and their corollary identities. In 2004 the conference celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños, its formation, impact, and legacies. It was held at the Graduate Center, CUNY, NYC, on October 21-24.

     Each conference since the Founding Conference in White Plains, New York (September 18-20, 1992) has had themes that brought together academic faculty, teachers, students, artists, and activists from diverse fields and professions.  For example, at the 1994 conference "Beyond Survival: New Directions in Puerto Rican Studies” held in the Westin Hotel in Waltham, Massachusetts, September 29-October 2, the title was an homage to Frank Bonilla, who was honored at this conference for his lifetime achievements. However, we have also considered additional linkages and issues. In 1996 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, September 26-29, the theme “Transcending Boundaries: Fostering Dialogues Between the Island and Its Diaspora,” examined the connections between research done on and from the Island as compared to research done on and from the Puerto Rican diaspora. The 1998 conference “Affirming Identity, Citizenship and Nationhood: Los Ultimos Cien Años” at Brooklyn College, CUNY, New York City, October 15-18, addressed issues of citizenship, nationhood and identity for Puerto Ricans after a century of being socio-politically tied to the United States. In 2000 the conference at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, October 26-28, brought together multiple conceptual frameworks and perspectives to Puerto Rican studies, comparing social science approaches to those originating in the humanities. The 2002 conference “En La Brega” at the Congress Plaza Hotel, Chicago, Ill., October 3-5, considered issues ranging from feminist theories and activism, labor and working-class history, and Puerto Rican community formations in and outside the U.S., to analyses of political parties and social movements in the Island during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, together with questions of science, health, activism, education, popular culture, and literary expression.

For more information please visit: http://www.puertorican-studies.org/

Fall 2010 Week 1

Welcome readers!

            It’s August 30, 2010 and as the buses crowd with students on the way to their first classes this can only mean one thing: a new school year is upon us. The campus brims with a feeling of excitement and eager anticipation. With a new school year, comes new opportunities, not only to create new memories, but also to begin anew and learn from those we already have.

            As a new field intern for the Institute of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, I hope to give our readers a look at life here on campus from a new perspective and hopefully provide insight to the concerns that students here face on a day to day basis. This perspective however, will not be from that of a traditional Latino student. While I do have ancestral roots in Puerto Rico, Panama and Spain, they do not make up the majority of my ethnic heritage. Being predominantly Jamaican and Trinidadian, I am what you could call a “Latino by association.” All throughout my upbringing I have identified with and have been welcomed by the Latino culture. Since my arrival on campus as a 17 year old freshman back in the Fall of 2008, I have been heavily involved in the Puerto Rican Latin American Cultural Center (PRLACC), and now as a 19 year old junior, pursuing a double degree in Special Education and English with a minor in Puerto Rican Latino Studies, I have become even more immersed and concerned with the issues affecting not only the Latino student population here on campus but affecting minority students as a whole. Even beyond my role here on campus, I represent the aspirations of a family who like many families has plenty of concerns beyond the education of their oldest son.

            Coming from a non-traditional household, dealing with financial issues at home, along with a plethora of other concerns may sometimes deter students from pursuing higher education and this is a problem that minority students particularly struggle with. However, this is where the Latino community here on campus comes together to make sure we take care of our incoming freshman and transfer students through the METAS program. METAS (Mentoring, Educating and Training for Academic Success) is a year-long program designed to help students with the transition into campus life. Each incoming student mentee is paired with an upper classmen mentor who acts as not only a resource, but also a friend here on campus, a campus that can seem rather intimidating to those who may not be familiar with it. While I was never a mentee within the program I jumped at the chance to be a mentor this year, and I must say that even within this first week of class so far it has already been a rewarding experience. METAS provides more than just a resource for incoming students it provides them with a gateway into the different aspects of campus life as well as a family away from home. METAS also consists of two course components, a mentor class (PRLS 3295, Latinos Leadership and Mentoring) where we develop their awareness of issues affecting Latinos in higher education, and a mentee course (INTD 1820 Conectate with METAS) where mentees gain a better understanding of campus and Latino issues in education as well. While I never attended the class as a mentee, I must say that even in this first week of class as a mentor it has been quite enlightening.

            With the arrival of new students, we say farewell to the University of Connecticut’s Class of 2010. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors, knowing that as they step into this thing known to us undergraduates as, “the real world,” they will face challenges with the same determination and motivation that has granted them success thus far.  They have provided a model for all of us who come after them and for this we thank them. As they depart we form questions concerning this coming school year, ranging from: “Who will win Lipsync?” to concerns about possible tuition increases, and even hopes of another successful year for our sports programs. Now while these questions may go unanswered for now, I am certain of one thing: it will be another great year at the University of Connecticut.