Fall 2010 Week 12

Week 12

How goes it Readers?

            Hopefully you’re not like me and still on campus but are home safe and sound. Whether your preparing your stomachs for Thanksgiving or your wallets for Black Friday, I hope you all enjoy your break and take advantage of some well-deserved down time.

             This past Tuesday was I-Nite at the Rome Ballroom above South Dining Hall and much like Cultural Explosion it was a night to showcase our cultural pride here at UConn. I performed with BAILE (Bringing Awareness Into Latino Ethnicities) but there were plenty of other performances such as UConn Taiko and The Steel Pan Drum Club. The event always proves to be a great time and I recommend that if you haven’t attended in the past that you attend I-Nite next year. I guarantee a good time, plenty of good music, lots of great people to meet.  

            This week at UConn was definitely a cold one, and I must say I was rather sad to have to break out my winter coat. However an event here on campus raised awareness for those who may not have a winter coat to speak of. The Homelessness Sleep Out took place on Wednesday behind the Student Union and let me tell you it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. The purpose of the sleep out was to raise awareness of the homelessness epidemic that is sweeping not only our state but our country, and with that in mind, students were challenged to build a shelter out of cardboard boxes and compete against one another to see who could create the warmest and most creative homes. While the shelter construction took place, there were testimonials from people who’ve had experiences with being homeless, hot chocolate and chili were handed out, and there were various performances to help keep our morale up. The only way to truly sympathize with those less fortunate is to be placed in that situation, so students were encouraged to stay in their cardboard abodes for the night. I was unable to stay the entire night but let me tell you I have a new found respect for those less fortunate, and I encourage you all to sympathize with them next time you meet someone who may not be as well off as you are.

        Also on Wednesday was the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) event in the Student Union Theatre. This event brought together speakers from all realms of education as well as representation from the various cultural organizations and groups here on campus. Not only did BAILE perform there as well but there were also sinlge acts by students here and the step/dance groups UConn All Stars took the stage for a hip-hop performance.

For information about UNESCO or to learn how to get involved visit: www.unesco.org

            One last thing that has actually been ongoing for the past few weeks that is especially important to us at PRLACC and PRLSI is the search for the next PRLACC director. Over the past few weeks we’ve been interviewing potential candidates and attending presentations they’ve been giving in the PRLACC program to help us get a better understanding of their cultural views and understanding of how the center should and could be run. The candidates we’ve met so far have all shown that they would be excellent additions to the faculty here at UConn, each with their own strengths and weaknesses and while this has been a thoughtful and interesting process I’m sure we’ll be able identify our next director soon enough. Be on the lookout for any updates or further information. 

           

            As I said earlier Readers, I wish everyone a safe and restful break and I look forward to our UConn family regrouping after a long well-deserved break. Take care!

              

Fall 2010 Week 11

Week 11

            Hope the semester’s treating you well readers. Thanks again for tuning into the latest posting of Student Lens: A student perspective on the latest news, events and current events from the University of Connecticut's Institute of Puerto Rican & Latino Studies.

            By now your midterms should be done and over with, your classes: picked, and you should be involving the “calm before the storm” so to speak. Not to frighten anyone but if your like me this is the part of the semester where we relax, catch our breath, and then get back in good ol’ Homer Babbidge Library to start preparing for finals. A word for the wise: don’t wait until finals week to start studying for finals. The library is open 24 hours a day but please believe that it will be packed 24 hours a day. If you can, start studying for you finals or working on your final projects now. That way when the time comes all you have to do is review your notes or outline, putting the finishing touches on your term papers, and focus on getting a good night’s sleep. Also even though Thanksgiving break is a time for relaxing don’t be afraid to crack open a book or two during that week off either. Who knows? That extra hour of studying can equate to an extra 20 points on an exam. That’s my college career tip of the so moving on to this week at UConn.

            To all my poets, spoken word artists, story tellers or those who just enjoy all of the above I encourage you to attend a Long River Live, a bi-monthly art series, usually on Mondays, where writers can go to share their works with other writers. I’ve been to many of their meetings especially during my freshman year when I was more in touch with my poetic side and I can say it’s really refreshing. No two meetings are ever the same and most meetings there are featured writers who perform a few of their pieces, and very often give the story behind their works. Not too long ago there was a puppet show performance that proved to be very entertaining so as you can see almost any genre is welcome. For more information you can visit the CLAS website or look for the emails sent out through the UConn Student listserv.

            Following on with the poetic theme for this week, Kelly Tsai, Asian American spoken word artist, performed at the Student Union Theatre, this past Wednesday. She’s performed all over the country in over 450 different venues and she’s even been featured on Def Poetry Jam multiple times. I had seen her performances on YouTube, and had heard great things about her live performances so needless to say I was excited to catch her at the theatre. She hit on just about anything you could think of, love, hate, politics, remembering lost loved ones, music and even a few subjects us college students could relate to such as nagging parents. The energy she brought to her performance was simply amazing and I recommend her to anyone who has a love for spoken word.

            If you want to learn more about her go to website: http://www.yellowgurl.com/

           

            In addition to the poetic flow that surrounded campus, the Amnesty International Club met this week as well. As stated on a handout I received at their meeting this past Tuesday; “Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights to be respected and protected for everyone.” This week’s focus for the meeting was the evictions of thousands of families in Nigeria and Roma, and how it’s led to a homelessness epidemic oversees. They also addressed the Homelessness Sleep Out next week, look out for coverage of that next week. Overall I think this could be one of the up and coming student groups here on campus and I look forward to seeing what they have planned in the future. Their next meeting is November 30^th 2010 at 9pm in Student Union Room 221. If making a difference is your thing, stop by and check it out, I know I’ll be there.

           

            Well readers be on the look out next week for coverage of next week’s Homelessness Sleep Out in addition to more of the latest and greatest before we all leave for our Thanksgiving break.     

Fall 2010 Week 10

Week 10

            Thanks again readers for tuning in to the latest post of Student Lens: A student’s perspective on the latest and greatest here at the University of Connecticut.

            Hopefully everyone’s Halloween week went well and with a little over a month left in the semester I’m happy to say we’re coming into the home stretch. This week at UConn was a week full of thinking, pondering, contemplation and any other synonyms you can possibly think of for thinking.

            With the class picking process in full swing it’s almost like going into yet another set of exams. You have to check to see when your pick date is, research classes, consult with other students, consult with you advisor, and then last but not least when it finally time for you to hit that “enroll” button you hope you planned it all out correctly so that it all works out in your favor. Picking classes can almost be as stressful as the work we receive in the classes themselves.

            Not that you’ve moved past picking classes though try thinking about something a little less stressful. The hermanos of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. held an event in the Puerto Rican Latin American Cultural Center entitled “Capture Your Thought” this past Monday, and it definitely made you think more than anything else. The goal of this event was to raise awareness of the more overlooked issues here at UConn, not necessarily budget cuts and issues with the university itself but the issues that occur on a more personal level, such as hate crimes, ignorance and discrimination. The university community was challenged to take pictures of things that we saw as injustice, whether it was Facebook/Twitter posts, bathroom wall writings, graffiti, or even just things written on desks. The way that people express themselves directly reflects the deeper issues that may go under the radar and this event brought these issues to light. This event truly made you rethink every bit of ink that we see on mediums other than paper here on campus. We discussed possible causes of the feelings behind the content of these photos, who was being victimized in each instance and picked out constant thread between the various photos. This was definitely one of the more entertaining, interesting and innovative events I’ve attended this semester. A gallery of the photos taken will be on display in the library outside of Bookworms for a majority of the month of November and new photos and findings are being rotated through the gallery all the time. I definitely urge you to take a look.

            If discussing social injustice isn’t your cup of tea, how about pondering the greater debates of the universe. The brothers of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. presented a new lecture series they have started here on campus call iThink geared towards just that, thinking. This week’s lecture took place in the African American Cultural Center and pondered the great debate over the Mind v Brain and whether or not they are one in the same, separate entities, or something else. It began with a presentation on the subject by Dr. Crawford L. Elder, then a discussion on the different opinions on the subject between all who were in attendance. Even if you didn’t contribute to the conversation just listening to the various view on the topic was enough to get your mind moving.

            This week was definitely a good jolt to get out minds moving again and have us all thinking out of the box, have to stay sharp for finals, they’ll be here sooner than you think.

           

            Well readers be on the look out for next few weeks here on Student Lens. With Thanksgiving break, finals, and plenty of other events approaching quickly I’m sure you won’t be disappointed! 

Week 9 Halloween has arrived!

Week 9

            Hola Readers,

            Week 9 is upon us, the final week in October as a matter of fact, and wouldn’t you know it, Halloween has taken the campus by storm. The dorms are decorated, the smell of pumpkin coffee and muffins fills the Student Union, and the debate over who will have the best costume for this weekend is in full stride. While the temptation to go out and party the weekend away may be strong, we need to remember that we are college students, and can’t forget our studies. There are plenty of fun things to take part in here at UConn that won’t conflict with our studies but can still give us students a chance to release some stress.

            When in doubt, look to your local campus organizations to throw Halloween parties. I’ll be the first to admit that the idea of going to a Halloween party in the Student Union may seem a little lame, but trust me when I say, they can turn out to be a lot of fun. This Tuesday LSA (Latino Student Association) held their annual Halloween party in the PRLACC (Puerto Rican Latin American Cultural Center) program room and it was a great time. Students came in costume, played games, enjoyed some free food and candy, and were even able to throw on their dance shoes for a little dance contest, where the winning couple received gift cards to the Co-op. The festivities began at about 7pm and were done by 9pm. Let’s be honest people, Homer Babbidge Library doesn’t close till 2am that still leaves with you about 5 hours of study time.

            If all else fails Late Night is always a great alternative to staying out partying away your valuable study time. The theme this week was “Ghouls, Ghosts and Goblins at Late Night” and this like every other Late Night I’ve attended proved to be a lot of fun as well. If you were   looking for a souvenir to remember the night by take a ghostly photo or decorate a Halloween cookie to eat later on, or maybe you were feeling a bit curious and adventurous last Friday night, you could’ve asked one of the psychics or tarot cards readers that were there to predict your future. Maybe you'll end up having the best Halloween costume after all?

            Also the residence halls held plenty of events as well, for example in Charter Oaks not only were their various programs held by our resident assistants but on Saturday if you were around during the early afternoon you could hand out candy to kids from the local community at no cost to yourself. All you had to do was hand out candy and get in the Halloween spirit.

              In my 3 years of being here, I’ve seen that Halloween and Spring Weekend are two of the most socially active weekends for students here at UConn but they’re also the times when students begin to lose track of academics, and while there’s no reason for this to be the case, I know it will still happen to a few students here. Even though some of you may still go out and party all weekend I encourage you to at least be safe in the process. If you do go out please remember, to:

1. Always travel with a group of friends that you know and trust. Use the buddy system there’s strength in numbers.

2. If you’re going to a party, plan ahead, make sure you know where it is and how your getting back, the last thing you want to happen is to be stranded somewhere with no way of making it back to your room.

3. If you choose to have a refreshment make sure you know what you’re consuming and don’t put your cup down for any reason. It’s better to be safe then sorry.

 I want to wish you all a happy Halloween week, and I encourage you to be on the look out for the next posting of Student Lens.

Have fun and be safe Readers!  

Fall 2010 Week 8

Week 8

            Hey Readers!

             With Week 8 upon us this is where the Fall semester truly tests us, we’ve made it through midterms and projects and are beginning the second half of the semester, and while it is relieving it can also be overwhelming at the same time. It can almost feel like we’re beginning a whole new semester now. At times like this it’s essential that we just stay motivated and aren’t afraid of looking to others for help. This theme of collaboration has been more evident this week than any other here on campus and as a result I was able to attend two great collaborative events.

            Greeks (fraternity and sorority members) form a great population here at UConn and two of our Latino organizations here were able to put on some very enlightening and helpful events. . The hermanos (brothers) of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda, Fraternity Inc, held an event in the Rainbow Center entitled “Masoquista: I am a Gay latino.” To begin with the event discussed some of the stereotypes surrounding the GLBTQ (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) community, the minority community, and the stigmas that unfortunately have come to be associated with being a member of both communities. Through a discussion facilitated by Kenneth Dortche, students were able to discuss any misconceptions they had while at the same time raising awareness of the issues that these various communities. Moving from there, students discussed issues that can arise as a result of the pressures placed on members of the GLBTQ community and ethnic minorities. What was found was that many of issues faced by one group is often faced by another, and as a result this event better opened eyes to the overlapping concerns and issues faced by everyone regardless of who they are or what they identify themselves as. This culminated in a presentation by Fleurette King, director of the Rainbow Center, during which she further clarified any misconceptions we may have still had and at the same time further reinforced the concept of allies. We as minority communities do share most of the same issues whether we’re Black, Latino, Asian, Women, LGBTQ, etc, and this event helped us realize that an the importance of banding together and tackling these issues as one greater force.

            Afterwards the ladies of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. along with members of UConn Tae Kwon Do gave us some instruction on how to physically defend ourselves here on campus. UConn Tae Kwon Do demonstrated how to actually perform the moves then gave us some time to perfect them with our partners. Despite the instructors expertise on the subject they were sure to emphasize the fact that the techniques they taught us should not be used in place of safer alternatives, such as traveling in groups, using the Husky Watch and Blue light services here on campus, and calling the proper authorities.

            Both of these events took place in the Rainbow Center, and were attended by members of not only all the organizations involved but by various communities on campus as well. Through collaboration these events were made possible and that just goes to show you the power in numbers. So as this semester continues don’t be afraid to work with others towards a common goal. Whether its finishing a class project, studying for an exam, or asking for advice about something your not familiar with, it always pays to ask those around you for a helping hand, I’ve always done so and it has continued to help me be successful in every aspect of my life.

Take care Readers!