Fall 2010 Week 15

Week 15--by C. Sopa

Hi Readers,

            Hope the end of the semester is treating everyone well. Doesn’t vacation feel so close yet so far at the same time? Frustrating isn’t it? Just take it one day at a time and before you know it you’ll be back home and hopefully relaxing, or working to get ready for next semester if you’re like me. Trust me folks, the last thing you want to do is try and start vacation early and slack off before finals, that could definitely prove to be disastrous. If we just stay focused on finishing the semester strong then winter break will be here before we know it.

             This week started really well with an amazing cultural dinner held by the T.I.A.R.A.S of the iCONNic Concordia Chapter of Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority, Inc. on Monday. It was a potluck affair so members of their organization made a dish to share. The variety of food was great. There was curry chicken, corn bread, empanadas, macaroni and cheese, rice pudding (which I never had before but was amazing!) and a whole lot more food. The dinner acted as a fundraiser for their organization, and I think it ended up being a huge success. After dinner was over they turned the radio up and opened the floor up for some dancing to help burn off all that food we just had. Overall it turned out to be a great break from studying.

            On Tuesday, the opened my EDCI 3000 class up to the public for The Young Poets performance. The Young Poets is a group of high school students led by their teacher and mentor Mrs. Lynn Frazier. Everyone needs an outlet, for some it’s singing, for me it’s dancing and for these students its poetry, and let me tell you they are good at what they do. The emotion and feeling that they bring to the stage is like nothing I ever experienced. These students have been through a lot in life and the fact that they can release their frustration, sadness, and anxieties is truly commendable. They hit a wide range of topics from drugs, to broken homes; even AIDS and they showed all of us just how strong today’s students are. We as future teachers really learned not only how to appreciate life but how to not judge our students based on the image they portray but the person they truly are.

            Now as some of you may know, the search for the new director of the Puerto Rican Latin American Cultural Center has been narrowed down to two finalists, however the final decision is yet to be made. Now even though a program director is something that is essential to the center we as students also recognize that we play a huge role in the dynamics of the center, which is why some of us have chosen to revive the Latino Organization Council. A few times a semester the leaders of all the Latino organizations here on campus such as the Latino Student Association, The Spanish Club, and various Greek organizations, just to name a few, gather together and discuss issues concerning PRLACC that we think need to be addressed. This Wednesday was the first meeting in almost two years and I think it proved to be a rather productive meeting. I’m sure that in the future we’ll be able to address some more serious issues concerning not only PRLACC, but the Latino student population as a whole and really make some great changes here on campus.

               On Thursday, we finished the week off the same way we began it with the METAS Holiday dinner. Even though it was predominantly a mentor and mentee affair we did have a few close METAS family friends attend help us celebrate the end of the semester and the upcoming holidays. The food once again was great! We had pernil (roast pork), pollo guisado (stewed chicken), arroz con habichuela (rice and beans), arroz blanco (white rice), maduros (sweet fried plantains), and flan (custard) for dessert. Even though the food was a tease for us because most of us won’t have food like this again until winter break begins it did give us mentors and mentees one last way to bond and remember the semester together.

            Well folks like I said earlier we’re almost at the end of the road. Next week is finals so in parting I want to wish you all, all the best on your exams and a happy holiday break.

           Next week’s post may be a bit unorthodox but it should prove to be entertaining nonetheless, so look out for that.

Be safe and good luck to you all!  

Fall 2010 Week 14

Week 14-by C. Sopa

Welcome back readers!

            Hopefully you all had a relaxing and well-deserved break from the academic grind for a few days. If your vacation was anything like mine, you did a lot of sleeping, eating, and spending time with family, so it was probably pretty enjoyable. It's always good to step away from papers and exams every once in a while and just spend time catering to yourself. It keeps us from getting burnt out, especially those of us with heavier workloads. Even though, we all put that vacation to good use we really to get back in study mode and spend those endless hours in Homer Babbidge, fine tuning final projects or papers, and preparing for finals week. Trust me, if you start preparing now, it will pay off ten-fold at the end of the semester.

            This week back was a bit quiet with everyone getting back into the swing of things however that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty to do. This week was AIDS week here at UCONN and as usual the campus was alive with events planned all week. Tuesday was UConn’s Wear Red Day in order to not only raise awareness but show support for those who are battling the disease today. I chose to don a red tie, with a white button down, blue jeans and some red sneakers. If you’re going to represent may as well go all out I always say.

             The 5^th Annual Opening of the Art4AIDS exhibit was on Wednesday in the Student Union Art Gallery and as always it was very entertaining and enlightening. During the opening of the exhibit there were performances by various a capella groups who sang songs of encouragement, while art lovers and activists enjoyed light refreshments. The exhibit is a compilation of paintings, sculptures, photographs and any other mediums that people have used to express their feelings about the AIDS epidemic. Some pieces were focused on more personal experiences while others were more informational displays of how to prevent the spread of the disease but the overall theme of the exhibit was to raise awareness, and bring an issue, which people often shy away from, to the forefront. I encourage anyone who hasn't done so already to go check it out.

            Also on Wednesday, the sisters of Lambda Theta Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the sisters of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. held a talent show in the North Lobby/Lounge the Student Union. The show acted as a fund-raiser for Journey House, Natchaug Hospital’s residential treatment program for girls, here in Mansfield, CT. The acts ranged from piano and vocal performances, to Greek salutes and strolling displays. It was a great time, and I personally can’t wait till next year.

            As for next week’s festivities I encourage you all to attend the Cultural Dinner held by the TIARAS of the iCONNic Concordia Chapter of Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority, Inc. on Monday Decmeber 6^th from 6:30-8:30pm in the Puerto Rican Latin American Cultural Center. I’ve been to about 4 or 5 dinners already and the food is always top notch and reminds me of back home. It’s $7 a plate and $1 for seconds, trust me it is well worth it!

            Also on Tuesday, December 7^th at 6:30pm in ITE C80 (the huge lecture hall in the basement) as part of the EDCI 3000 class there will be a performance by The Young Poet’s, a group of teenage poets who use both written and spoken word to express themselves. I’ve seen them perform multiple times and I can honestly say every performance is always great. The performance is open to the public, so if you enjoy poetry, or if you enjoy discussing educational issues I encourage you to join us. 


Well readers, I wish you all well as we enter the homestretch of the semester. One week of classes then  one week of finals...
Take care!

The DREAM Act

The following is an email that was forwarded to me. I've taken the names and any identifying personal information out of the email in order to protect the privacy of the sender and primary recipient. 

"Dear (blank),

Over this past weekend I got to spend Thanksgiving with my family and friends, all thanks to you. Because of your advocacy, I was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being incarcerated for almost two months. In a flash, I went from hanging out with my friends and going to school to being thrown in a detention center in Arizona.  None of this made sense to me. I was only allowed outside for one hour a day.  For 64 people, there were just three toilets and four showers.  There had to be a guard with us everywhere we went. There was no freedom or privacy.  I was treated like a criminal and I felt helpless.

Even though I’m back home now, I’m still at risk of being deported and there are many people who are in the same situation as I am.  Over 65,000 undocumented students graduate from a U.S. high school each year and are at the same risk of deportation that I faced.  We have to do something to stop this from happening to another innocent student.  These are our future teachers, nurses, doctors, and lawyers that are just as American as their peers, but, like me, don’t have legal status.

This week Congress will be debating an important piece of legislation called the DREAM Act, a bipartisan bill that could provide a pathway to legalization for undocumented students just like me if they attend two years of college or serve two years in the military.  I am home today because of you. You made a difference in my life and together we can make a difference in the life of many others by helping to pass the DREAM Act.  Please take action today.  Thank you.

Sincerely,

(blank)"

TAKE ACTION NOW

1. To call your own Senator, please dial 866-996-5161. Ask them to vote YES on the DREAM Act this week.  Do they already support it?  Great, urge them to advocate against any bad amendments that will come up during the voting process.
2. To call your House of Representative, please dial 866-967-6018.
3. Join a phone bank in San Francisco tomorrow, November 30th, on the National Day of Action for DREAM Act. Find out more at www.bringstevehome.com.

For information on what exactly the DREAM Act is and how to take action against it, visit: http://dreamact.info/