El Sol Latino | October 2022 | 18.11

Puerto Rico Struggles to Recover after Hurricane Fiona

Puerto Rican community-based organizations are providing relief services across the island.

Earthjustice Declaration on Hurricane Fiona’s Devastating Impact on Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, PR and MIAMI, FL | EARTHJUSTICE | September 19, 2022Hurricane Fiona barreled through the archipelago of Puerto Rico, leaving the entire territory powerless and thousands of residents without access to drinking water. According to local reports, the storm brought unprecedented levels of rain, and, in the words of Governor Pedro Pierluisi, the reported damages are “catastrophic.” Meanwhile, rooftop solar and storage systems were critical during and immediately after Fiona, especially for the few Puerto Ricans who have access to them.

Want Sun (Queremos Sol). It is urgent that the reconstruction of our vulnerable centralized energy system stop burning fossil fuels and use the sun as the resource we have on the island. We have plenty of it,” Conty added.

“Every critical facility in Puerto Rico lost power as soon as the storm landed. Critical facilities like hospitals and fire stations cannot be at the mercy of a centralized grid this vulnerable,” said Raghu Murthy, attorney at Earthjustice. “They need to switch to rooftop solar and storage systems, as do rural communities that could take weeks to get power back. Distributed generation in Puerto Rico has proven its resilience through storms, and every Puerto Rican household deserves access to this readily available technology.”

Puerto Rico needs your help now, so please consider making donations to the following environmental and community-based organizations on the island:

Even though it has been five years since the sweeping loss of human lives and natural destruction brought by Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico remains beholden to an obsolete centralized energy grid that cannot withstand the current effects of climate change. In the wake of the devastating news coming out of the archipelago, Earthjustice and its Puerto Rico partners have released the following statement:

“Many communities have been flooded here in Salinas and in other parts of southern and central Puerto Rico,” said Ruth Santiago, attorney, Puerto Rico-based environmental health advocate, and Earthjustice board member. “People who have solar panels and batteries have electric service. Some people have generators, some of which are failing. Most people have nothing and some may die as a result of this complete power outage.”

“Once again our archipiélago suffers environmental injustice due to climate events. It is unbelievable that after five years, on the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico was hit again by another storm, causing another humanitarian crisis. I hold the bureaucracy and lack of quick response of Puerto Rico’s government, Junta Control Fiscal, FEMA and HUD accountable for not using the funds approved for the recovery of Puerto Rico soon enough to mitigate the effects of natural disasters. Since Hurricane María, it’s evident that Puerto Rico’s centralized energy system has failed us repeatedly, due to the vulnerability of its transmission and distribution system -- from south to north, crossing many mountains,” said Myrna Conty, a local Puerto Rican community leader with the group Amigos del Rio Guaynabo

“I insist that the historical funds, which amount to $14 billion and were approved to transform our energy system, should be used immediately for renewable energy and specifically for rooftop solar panels with batteries. The people of Puerto Rico cannot wait any longer, as climate change is real.

Hurricane Fiona left millions of people without power and water and our lives are in danger. Since 2018, we’ve had an alternative: our proposal called We

• Casa Pueblo (casapueblo.org) serves municipalities in the mountainous center of Puerto Rico.

• Iniciativa de Ecodesarrollo de Bahia de Jobos (IDEBAJO) (redapoyomutuo.com/iniciativa-ecodesarrollo-de-bahia-de-jobos) serves communities on the Eastern side of Puerto Rico.

• Taller Salud (tallersalud.com) works with Puerto Ricans in and around Loíza.

• Brigada Solidaria del Oeste (elpuente.us/el-puente-puerto-rico) serves communities on the Western end of Puerto Rico.

• El Puente Puerto Rico (elpuente.us/el-puente-puerto-rico) is focused on the San Juan metro area.

Note of the editor.

The following organizations were added to the list by El Sol Latino. They are not part of the original organizations compiled by EarthJustice.

• Techos Pa’ Mi Gente -TPMG Corp. (en.tpmgcorp.org) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the construction of decent roofs and housing rehabilitation in communities affected by natural disasters.

• Unidos por Utuado, Inc. (cooperativahidroelectrica.coop) serve the residents of the Cordillera Central region. This initiative reflects the community’s focus, determination and vision to assert control over its energy through a cooperative model due to the lack of resilient and reliable energy vulnerability of the community.

EARTHJUSTICE is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.

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Puerto Rico’s Vulnerability to Hurricanes is Magnified by Weak Government and Bureaucratic Roadblocks

by CARLOS A. SUÁREZ CARRASQUILLO and FERNANDO TORMOS-APONTE

This article was originally published in The Conversation | September 21, 2022

Five years after Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico, Hurricane Fiona has killed at least four people, caused widespread flooding and left hundreds of thousands of residents without water or power. Maria caused extensive damage to Puerto Rico’s power grid in 2017 that left many residents without electricity for months. Rebuilding it has been hampered by technical, political and financial challenges.

Carlos A. Suárez and Fernando Tormos-Aponte are social scientists who study Latin American politics and environmental justice. They explain some of the factors that have hindered efforts to recover from Maria and prepare for subsequent storms on this island with a population of 3.2 million people.

Failed promises from privatization

Carlos A. Suárez Carrasquillo, Associate Instructional Professor, Political Science, Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida

In less than a century, Puerto Rico’s electricity system has gone full circle from private provision of electric power to a state-led effort to democratize access to power, and then back to a public-private partnership with a strong neoliberal ethos. Yet Puerto Ricans still face daily challenges in obtaining affordable and efficient electricity services.

When the island’s electric power system was created in the late 1800s, private companies initially produced and sold electricity. During the New Deal era in the 1930s, the government took over this role. People came to see electric power as a patrimonio, or birthright, that the government would provide, at times by subsidizing power for lower-income residents.

In the 1940s, Puerto Rico launched Operation Bootstrap, a rapid industrialization program that sought to attract foreign investments in industries such as textiles and petrochemicals. One important element was reliable and cheap electricity, provided by the state through the Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica, a public corporation known in English as the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or PREPA.

Many interests coalesced around PREPA, including elected officials, labor unions, the domestic oil importers and, most importantly, the Puerto Rican public. Patronage and party politics often influenced the company’s hiring, contracting and financial decisions.

PREPA took on significant debt, often at the request of elected officials. For example, in 2011, then-Speaker of the House Jennifer González legislated for the company to obtain a line of credit from the Banco Gubernamental de Fomento in order to reduce power bills ahead of the 2012 elections.

Gov. Alejandro García Padilla and Puerto Rico’s Financial Oversight and Management Board imposed austerity policies in 2012-2017 that subsequent governors have kept in place. This left PREPA with limited resources to prepare for Hurricane Maria or make repairs afterward.

In 2021, Puerto Rico’s government and the financial control board privatized power delivery on the island. PREPA continued to generate electricity, but LUMA Energy, a U.S.-Canadian consortium, received a 15-year contract to transmit and deliver power to customers.

LUMA is at the center of many controversies. It has resisted recognizing the largest and most powerful union in Puerto Rico as its employees’ exclusive representative. Many consumers’ monthly electric bills have increased significantly. LUMA was supposed to upgrade Puerto Rico’s grid, with billions of dollars in federal support, but outages continued. Critics have called the company secretive and corrupt.

Labor groups, environmentalists and academics have offered comprehensive alternatives, such as Queremos Sol, a proposal to install distributed solar power across the island, to reduce Puerto Rico’s dependence on fossil fuels and what they see as incompetent private administration.

But the changes needed to address Puerto Rico’s energy crisis are inherently

political. Enacting them will require support from the federal fiscal oversight board and Puerto Rican politicians. I believe the public will have to mobilize and rally to convince authorities that the PREPA of old and LUMA today are antiquated organizations that are unable to meet Puerto Ricans’ current needs.

Who gets disaster aid?

Fernando Tormos-Aponte, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Pittsburgh

Disaster aid has been slow to come to Puerto Rico. Five years after Hurricane Maria, the U.S. government is channeling funds to rebuild and harden the archipelago’s energy infrastructure. But only a few of the planned multimilliondollar projects have been even partially approved.

In addition to privatization of the power system, residents have also contended with bureaucratic obstacles and the use of disaster resources for political gain.

Damage assessments after Maria were rough estimates because the storm was so destructive. The U.S. government ultimately calculated total damage to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin islands at US$90 billion.

Now, Hurricane Fiona has caused further damage, which will require even more significant investments. No government authority has sufficient resources on the ground in Puerto Rico to conduct such an assessment, let alone react swiftly to the disaster.

Local elected officials are often eager to claim responsibility for securing funding. However, investments in disaster preparedness, such as improving the electric grid, have less impact on public perceptions of government performance than recovery funds that are disbursed shortly after a disaster strikes.

I expect that the Biden administration will seek to respond faster and more substantively to Hurricane Fiona than the Trump administration did after Hurricane Maria – but not necessarily out of compassion.

Presidents tend to use disaster resources to gain electoral advantage, reward supporters and portray themselves as capable disaster managers. And they typically are more vulnerable in election years.

Maria hit Puerto Rico during Donald Trump’s first year in office. Puerto Rican voters lean Democratic when they move to the U.S. mainland – as a commonwealth, the archipelago does not cast electoral votes – so Trump likely did not perceive Puerto Ricans as important to his election. The Trump administration engaged in deliberate efforts to delay disbursing Hurricane María recovery aid and denied the real toll of the disaster.

In contrast, Joe Biden relied more heavily on minority support for his 2020 presidential victory, and Hurricane Fiona has struck just two months before the 2022 midterm elections. Responding offers Biden an opportunity to prove himself a capable disaster manager and attract votes.

Even if the Biden administration is better organized and more responsive, however, marginalized communities often are hampered by administrative burdens when they try to access government resources.

For example, I have interviewed mayors in Puerto Rico who issued contracts to local providers to address urgent needs after the Federal Emergency Management Agency promised reimbursement. To this day, FEMA has not paid some of these mayors back, and the mayors fear that local vendors will not want to do further business with their governments.

Identifying and applying for U.S. government grants is a complex and tedious process that requires training. Access to that training is uneven, and language barriers often keep communities from seeking grants.

4 El Sol Latino October 2022 After Hurricane Maria, few Puerto Rican communities had the resources and support needed to cope with these barriers. In my view, governments must prioritize marginalized communities in their response to Hurricane Fiona to avoid reproducing the inequalities that marked the Hurricane María recovery. Elected officials must demand transparency and accountability from those tasked with distributing aid, while holding themselves to the same standards.

Springfield Puerto Rican Parade

Puerto Rican Parade 2022

Education Advocates call on State Leaders to Address Issues of Equity Head On

BOSTON, MA | MASSACHUSETTS EDUCATION EQUITY PARTNERSHIP | September 14, 2022 – The Massachusetts Education Equity Partnership (MEEP) released There Is No Excellence Without Equity: A Path Forward for Education in Massachusetts, calling on current and future state leaders to make tackling the Commonwealth’s long-standing educational inequities a top priority. The report puts forth recommendations for how state leaders can seize this pivotal moment in our educational system to remedy persistent and growing disparities that underserved students and communities face in achieving equal education opportunities.

“We must recognize both the urgency and the opportunities before us to improve our education system. The next phase of educational improvement for our state must focus on confronting and addressing the profound inequities present long before the pandemic,” said Edith Bazile, Executive Director & Founder, Black Advocates for Educational Excellence. “This report is a powerful tool for state leaders with clear, measurable, and aspirational recommendations that focus on areas that are especially important for advancing equity to ensure all students have access to high-quality opportunities from birth to early adulthood.”

“The hard truth is that the same data that gives Massachusetts its No. 1 status shows that the level of education that Black and Latinx students receive in our state is more similar to that of the average student in the lowest performing states than to their peers in the Commonwealth,” said Kerry Donahue, Chief Strategy Officer at Boston Schools Fund. “With billions in new state and federal funding for education on the table, we must - and can - do dramatically better for our students and families.”

The moment could not be more urgent. In 2018, MEEP’s report Number One for Some: Opportunity & Achievement in Massachusetts highlighted the pervasive inequities that undermined learning experiences and outcomes for hundreds of thousands of children across the state. Since then, despite the dedicated efforts of educators, students, and families to keep students safe and learning, more than two years of pandemic-related disruptions have only widened these disparities.

As this report demonstrates:

• Even before the pandemic, half of Massachusetts families and even more Latinx families and families in low-income neighborhoods – lived in childcare deserts. Since then, the number of early childhood seats has declined by more than 20%.

• The percentage of Black and Latinx third graders reading on grade level dropped from 38% to 32% and 28%, respectively, while the grade-level rate for White students stayed steady at 61%.

• Only 58% of ninth graders from low-income families passed all their classes in 2021, compared to 88% of their wealthier peers — an even wider gap than before the pandemic.

• Just 39% of 2021 Latinx high school graduates enrolled in college 16 percentage points less than before the pandemic. Among 2021 White high school graduates, 69% enrolled in college – about a 7 percentage point decline since 2019.

In There Is No Excellence without Equity, more than 30 social justice, civil rights, and education advocates from across the Commonwealth put forth a vision for a more equitable education system – early through postsecondary education – and offer concrete recommendations for current and future state leaders to make this vision a reality.

At the early education level, MEEP urges state leaders to focus on improving access to and affordability of early learning for underserved children and families while strengthening support for the early education workforce. MEEP recommends, for example, that state leaders:

• Increase investment in early childhood education so that families especially those with lower income levels – pay no more than the federally recommended 7% of their income for child care

• Use statewide quality standards and financial incentives to expand access to hard-to-find care, including linguistically diverse programs, programs that operate outside the traditional workday, and programs that serve geographic areas that currently lack child care options.

• Implement a statewide payscale for early childhood educators that ensures they are compensated at levels commensurate with public school teachers with equivalent credentials.

“The first few years of life are critical for children’s growth and development. What happens in the first five years lays the foundation for future success. High-quality early childhood experiences are essential for all children, including children from low-income families who often begin kindergarten already behind their peers. Yet, it’s nearly impossible to close this early opportunity gap with the rising costs and limited access to childcare programs due to ongoing staffing shortages.” said Amy O’Leary, Executive Director at Strategies for Children. “State leaders must ensure that all children - regardless of their zip code - have a strong start. We must build on the current public momentum for early education and care, and continue to invest in our youngest children, their families, and early educators.”

At the K-12 level, MEEP’s recommendations are aimed at ensuring that in schools across the Commonwealth, all students feel welcome and respected, receive the rigorous, culturally-responsive learning experiences they need to thrive, and have access to well-supported and diverse teachers - a vision that falls far from today’s reality for many students of color, students from lowincome families, English learners and students with disabilities. MEEP urges state leaders to, for example:

• Help districts become community hubs that can connect families to community resources and services to ensure that all students and families receive the mental health, academic, and wraparound supports they need.

• Ensure that Massachusetts’ academic standards reflect and affirm the identities of all students, elevate the history, achievements, and key writings of communities of color, and combat racial and cultural biases.

• Invest in high-retention residency and community pipeline programs with a demonstrated track record of success for educators of color, and incentivize traditional programs to adopt elements that make these pathways successful. All of these recommendations must be implemented in collaboration with students, families, and educators.

“If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s how imperative close collaboration between families and schools is to student success,” said LaTonia Monroe Naylor, Co-founder of Parent Villages. “As things begin to reach some level of normalcy, we must remember the lessons we learned: that we cannot build a more equitable system without partnering with communities that share students’ lived experience.”

When it comes to postsecondary education, MEEP urges state leaders to focus on expanding access to and affordability of public postsecondary institutions, and to ensure that all students have the support they need to successfully complete their degree. MEEP recommends that state leaders:

• Work across K-12 and higher ed to reimagine and implement a comprehensive, statewide approach to postsecondary planning, including a series of career exploration and postsecondary planning courses required for all middle school and high school students.

• Increase the amount and accessibility of need-based state scholarship funding, including the MassGrant and MassGrant Plus.

• Develop guidelines and standards for strengthening academic and general advising services in public colleges and universities to make sure that all enrolled students receive the support they need to complete their degrees.

Educación

STCC to Celebrate Innovation, Resilience at Awards Gala

SPRINGFIELD, MA | SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE |

September 13, 2022 - Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will celebrate innovative champions at a gala held at the Marriott Springfield Downtown on Oct. 6, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

The STCC Resilience Awards and Gala recognizes the college’s 55th year. The theme, “55 Years of Gratitude and Grit,” reflects the resilience of students and STCC alumni.

The STCC Foundation, which supports the mission of the college, is seeking sponsors and invites the public to join the event. The cost is $100 per guest or $55 for student tickets. Proceeds will go toward supporting STCC students. Visit stcc.io/55 to RSVP.

In keeping with the theme, STCC will honor community leaders who have demonstrated resilience and innovative excellence through their work and service within Western Massachusetts. STCC, the only technical community college in Massachusetts, features a wide variety of programs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) as well as manufacturing, healthcare, business, social services and the liberal arts.

“We will honor entrepreneurs, business and civic leaders – and STCC alumni –who have used their time, treasure and talent to improve and transform lives, neighborhoods and communities,” said Dr. Shai Butler, Vice President of Advancement & External Affairs.

Jennifer Brown, president of the STCC Foundation, is inviting alumni and friends of the college to attend the gala.

“We want to celebrate those in our community who have made a meaningful difference – those who have had an impact on the Western Massachusetts workforce,” Brown said. “Join us to be a part of this amazing and unique celebration of STCC and area leaders.”

Gala co-hosts are Dr. Butler and Dr. John B. Cook, STCC President. Co-chairs are Brown, who is senior manager of professional sales, Masis Professional Group, and Frank Quigley, STCC Class of ’77, president of F.D. Quigley & Associates.

Gala Distinguished honorees include:

Community Innovation Champion

Helen Caulton-Harris, Health and Human Services Commissioner for the City of Springfield Industry Innovation Champion Nadim Kashouh, Owner, Nadim’s Mediterranean Grill

Government & Public Affairs Champion

State Rep. Angelo Puppolo, Legislator, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Alumni Champion

Louis Weir ’00, Assistant Superintendent of Special Ops & Chief of Security at Hampden County Sheriff’s Department

For more information, including how to RSVP and be a sponsor, visit stcc.io/55

STCC, HCC Partner with Workforce Training Company to Expand Tech Job Opportunities

SPRINGFIELD, MA

|

SPRINGFIELD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE |

September 13, 2022 - Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) and Holyoke Community College (HCC) announced a partnership with Upright Education to offer training for skills in technology, including software development and design.

In an announcement at STCC on Tuesday, Sept. 13, college officials said they were excited to partner with Upright, a workforce training company, to create more technical jobs, including in the growing information technology (IT) sector, and skilled labor opportunities for the Western Massachusetts workforce.

The colleges and Upright are offering online educational opportunities for adult learners looking for a new career in technology. No experience is necessary to enroll.

STCC is an institution dedicated to closing gaps in opportunity and achievement for students who traditionally face disproportionate challenges in the professional sphere. HCC pursues a similar mission by fostering a connected college experience designed to educate students holistically in an open and inclusive atmosphere. Both are also designated Hispanic Serving Institutions dedicated to promoting diversity in public education in Massachusetts.

Upright President and CEO Benjamin Boas and the presidents of both colleges participated in a formal announcement on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022.

STCC President John B. Cook said, “STCC is excited to partner with Upright Education to offer short-term certificate programs that will help anyone in Western Massachusetts who would like to change their career or develop technical skills to find jobs in high-demand fields, which includes high tech. This new partnership aligns strongly with STCC’s technical mission and helps meet the demand for skilled workers in the region.”

HCC President Christina Royal said, “HCC is happy to join in the announcement of our joint partnership with Upright to provide 21st century skills for today’s job seeker. The development of skills in IT will make our students more ready for

the jobs in the future. Together Upright, HCC and STCC will help make jobseekers of Western Mass. job ready.”

Along with Greenfield Community College, Upright now partners with three different colleges in the Massachusetts area. These partnerships represent Upright’s investment in the growing tech sector in the state, particularly surrounding Springfield, which Boston Business Journals ranked the #1 city in the country for tech job growth in 2021.

Massachusetts has received support and resources for its tech sector from major companies in the tech industry, including an annual donation of $500,000 of cloud computing resources from Microsoft. Upright’s presence also continues to grow in the Northeast more broadly, where its partnerships include multiple schools in New York and Vermont, and nationally, where it has signed 11 total education partnerships to date.

“Adults working hourly jobs want salaried careers where they can work remotely, enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, and reside in a neighborhood that doesn’t break the bank. Western Massachusetts represents a landscape that is ripe for providing these career opportunities in the growing tech economy,” said Benny Boas, CEO, and founder of Upright Education. “Upright’s partnership with Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College provides direct-to-career pathways for in-demand technology jobs through accessible programs, which don’t require industry experience or a college degree.”

Upright’s full- and part-time boot camps and individual courses currently maintain a job placement rate of 92 percent and offer a 30 percent increase in salary for students coming from prior careers.

Expanding services in areas like Springfield supports Upright’s mission of stimulating economic growth in areas where large populations of working adults stand to benefit from innovative educational opportunities and skilled training in burgeoning professional fields like software development and designing visual elements on a website and improving user experience and user interface with the website (UX/UI design). Upright is proud to be taking this vital step toward its stated goals.

If you are interested in learning more about these programs, an informational session hosted by the enrollment team will be taking place via zoom on Thursday, Sept. 22, at noon. Register here.

For more information about STCC’s Workforce Development Center, visit stcc.edu/ wdc. For more about the fast-track career bootcamps at STCC, visit stcc.webflow.io. For info about HCC Workforce Development, visit hcc.edu/workforce. For more about the fast-track career bootcamps at HCC, visit bootcamp.hcc.edu.

From left, Assistant Vice President of Workforce Development Gladys Franco, STCC President John B. Cook, Upright CEO Benny Boas, HCC President Christina Royal and HCC Vice President for Business and Community Jeffrey Hayden.

Educación

Científicas Puertorriqueñas Sintetizan Medicamentos Mediante Química de Flujo

Por BONNY M. ORTIZ ANDRADE Molecular Sciences Research Center

Universidad de Puerto Rico – Recinto de Río Piedras

RÍO PIEDRAS, PR | UNIVERSIDAD DE PUERTO RICO – RÍO PIEDRAS | 6 de septiembre de 2022 - Hace poco más de un año que Puerto Rico incursionó en la química de flujo, enviando una de sus investigadoras a Bélgica para aprender dicha tecnología. Fruto de este trabajo colaborativo, Diana Silva Brenes, junto a otros investigadores de la UPR y de la Universidad de Lieja (Bélgica), publicaron la primera síntesis en flujo del medicamento modafinilo.

Este sistema de fabricación farmacéutica de extremo a extremo consta de tres pasos. El primero, de síntesis, se prepara en colaboración con Dr. J.C. Monbaliu (Lieja), y Dr. Cornelis Vlaar (UPR), mientras que el segundo y el tercer paso -de cristalización, purificación y formulación-, se realiza en Puerto Rico dirigido por el Dr. Torsten Stelzer, del Recinto de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad de Puerto Rico (UPR).

El conocimiento se transmite

Por primera vez este verano, una estudiante subgraduada del Departamento de Química de la UPR en Río Piedras viajó a Bélgica para recibir entrenamiento de primera mano en el laboratorio de J.C. Monbaliu. Stephanie K. Reyes Vargas recibió fondos del programa Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) para una estancia de dos meses en la Universidad de Lieja. Esto hace parte de los esfuerzos por asegurar que los estudiantes de Puerto Rico tengan experiencias de primer nivel en tecnología avanzada de síntesis química y que el talento local tenga conocimiento de vanguardia en la preparación de compuestos.

“Se trata de educar una generación completa de químicos en una técnica que en Puerto Rico no existe ahora mismo. La idea es lograr que Puerto Rico no se quede atrás en este conocimiento y que se pueda continuar aportando al desarrollo económico de la isla”, comenta Silva-Brenes.

No solo es la primera vez que se lleva una estudiante subgraduada a la Universidad de Liege (Bélgica), sino que es además la primera vez que un miembro de la familia de Reyes-Vargas logra acceder a un grado universitario.

Es la primera vez que dicho medicamento es sintetizado usando esta tecnología que constituye un proceso más eficiente en términos de pureza del medicamento, tiempo de reacción, e impacto ambiental. Concretamente, en menos de 10 minutos se puede obtener el material correspondiente a una dosis del medicamento, en alta pureza.

“Los solventes que se utilizan, los productos secundarios, la eficiencia de la reacción que forma un compuesto de alta pureza y el hecho de que eliminas procesos de purificaciones extensas, representa una opción mucho más verde que lo que usaría la industria ahora mismo”, afirma Silva-Brenes.

El estudio Out-smarting smart drug modafinil through flow chemistry fue publicado en la reconocida revista Green Chemistry y, además, fue seleccionado como Hot Article por su gran importancia y aplicabilidad en la comunidad científica. Así mismo, ha sido señalado como un artículo de relevancia para la industria por la revista Organic Process Research & Development (OPR&D).

Modafinilo se seleccionó porque tiene propiedades únicas para regular los ciclos de sueño sin causar adicción, lo que lo hace particularmente importante, entre otros, para misiones espaciales. El propósito final del equipo es elaborar una máquina que se transporte fácilmente y que sea de utilidad para sostener la salud humana durante misiones espaciales de larga duración.

“Desarrollamos la síntesis de flujo en Bélgica y ahora en la UPR se está trabajando la cristalización en flujo y la formulación en flujo. La meta es que sea un solo paso de principio a fin; que esté todo continuo”, puntualiza Silva-Brenes.

“Al inicio, me dio nervios porque nunca había estado tan lejos de mi hogar y familia, pero ha sido un proceso que me ha ayudado a adquirir nuevas experiencias, no sólo en el área profesional sino en el área cultural. Son experiencias que te ayudan a crecer como ser humano”, reflexiona ReyesVargas.

Reyes-Vargas, oriunda de Toa Alta, recibió entrenamiento intensivo en la química de flujo ya desde Puerto Rico y avanza, junto a sus mentores, en la síntesis de Warfarina, un medicamento que evita la formación de coágulos y hace parte de los medicamentos necesarios en la Estación Espacial Internacional.

“Ha sido un proceso de constante aprendizaje, ya sea en cuestión de adaptarme a un país distinto, con un idioma y cultura totalmente diferente. En la química, he aprendido a desarrollar y aplicar el pensamiento crítico dentro del laboratorio. También, estoy aprendiendo a ser más independiente y a sentirme más segura a la hora de trabajar dentro de un laboratorio químico. No es lo mismo aprender las cosas teóricas que aplicar y hacer la práctica de lo aprendido, más con Diana y con química de flujo, que es algo más innovador aún. Ha sido un proceso de aprendizaje completo el cual me siento muy bendecida y agradecida de haber tenido esta gran oportunidad para mi desarrollo profesional y personal”, comenta Reyes-Vargas.

Una vez en Puerto Rico, Reyes-Vargas será el enlace entre Silva Brenes y los estudiantes que ingresan, multiplicando así el aprendizaje adquirido. El intercambio internacional fortalece a la UPR en conocimiento de tecnologías de vanguardia y se avanza en el desarrollo de la industria farmacéutica y de manufactura en la isla. Es un avance científico, académico y de desarrollo económico que muestra cómo las instituciones e investigaciones crecen mediante el intercambio de aprendizajes.

Dra. Diana Silva Brenes y la estudiante subgraduada Stephanie K. Reyes Vargas

Educación / Education

Dos Catedráticos del RUM formarán parte de La Academia de Liderazgo de HACU

por MARIAM LUDIM ROSA VÉLEZ | Prensa RUM | mariam.ludim@upr.edu

MAYAGÜEZ, PR | UPR - RECINTO UNIVERSIRARIO DE MAYAGÜEZ | 9 de septiembre de 2022- Dos catedráticos del Colegio de Ingeniería del Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (RUM) de la Universidad de Puerto Rico (UPR), fueron elegidos dentro del selecto grupo de educadores que formará parte de La Academia de Liderazgo 2022-2023 de la Asociación Hispana de Colegios y Universidades (HACU).

Los doctores Jonathan Muñoz Barreto y Alesandra C. Morales Vélez, ambos del Departamento de Ingeniería Civil y Agrimensura (INCI), quienes actualmente se desempeñan como Decano y Decana Asociada de Estudiantes, integran el cuarto cohorte de La Academia, compuesto por 39 becarios.

Este programa tiene como objetivo aumentar la representación diversa en puestos ejecutivos y de alto nivel en la educación superior.

“Felicito a los doctores Muñoz Barreto y Morales Vélez, ambos profesores jóvenes, quienes con ocho y siete años de trayectoria en nuestra institución, respectivamente, se han destacado como educadores, investigadores, líderes y administradores del Recinto. Esta excelente oportunidad, los convierte en un ejemplo para los colegiales y la juventud puertorriqueña, ya que ambos son egresados del RUM, y han tenido una exitosa carrera profesional.

¡Enhorabuena!”, indicó el doctor Agustín Rullán Toro, rector del RUM.

Muñoz Barreto, egresado de la clase de 2009 del programa de Agrimensura, obtuvo su maestría y doctorado en Ingeniería Civil con especialidad en Recursos de Agua en la Universidad de la Ciudad de Nueva York (CUNY-City College)

Fue seleccionado como parte del NOAA CREST Fellowship, del City College of New York, del 2009 al 2014. La mencionada entidad lo reconoció en el 2013 con el Professional Excellence and Outstanding Voluntary Service Award. Del mismo modo, recibió del 2010 al 2014, el Alfred P. Sloan Scholarship for minority Ph.D. Students que otorga el Sloan Foundation.

Asimismo, le fue conferido el Science Fellowship del City University of New York, del 2010 al 2014.

Enseña cursos de ciencias de la ingeniería geoespacial. Su trabajo de investigación ha sido financiado por múltiples agencias federales y estatales, incluida la Fundación Nacional de las Ciencias (NSF), la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA), el Servicio Geológico de los Estados Unidos (USGS) y el Departamento de Educación (DE).

Antes de unirse al RUM, en el 2014, Muñoz Barreto trabajó en el Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército de los EE. UU., como planificador de proyectos de reducción de daños por tormentas y laboró en diversas iniciativas de restauración del huracán Sandy.

“Estamos sumamente honrados con nuestra selección para formar parte de La Academia de Liderazgo. Esta experiencia nos permitirá trabajar y colaborar con líderes de distintas universidades nacionales en los retos que enfrentan las instituciones de educación superior hispanas de cara al futuro. Nuestro norte siempre es poder adquirir las destrezas y conocimientos necesarios para ofrecerle a nuestros colegiales, la mejor experiencia universitaria de todo Puerto Rico”, indicó el Decano de Estudiantes.

Por su parte, Morales Vélez obtuvo su bachillerato y maestría en INCI del RUM. Completó su doctorado en Ingeniería Civil de University of Rhode Island. Del 2005 al 2006, mientras todavía era estudiante de bachillerato del RUM, recibió el Dwight David Eisenhower Fellowship. Como alumna de maestría, fue seleccionada como parte del DOE-SR Fellowship, del 2008 al 2009. Durante sus estudios doctorales, se le otorgó el RIDOT’s Doctoral Fellow, del 2010 al 2013. En reconocimiento a su compromiso con la investigación del transporte y sus logros académicos, el Centro de Transporte de la Universidad de Rhode Island (URITC) la seleccionó como su Estudiante Destacada del Año 2013.

Sus principales intereses de investigación son la licuefacción de suelos únicos, como arenas calcáreas y limos dilatantes no plásticos, las propiedades de durabilidad a corto y largo plazo de los agregados de piedra caliza triturada y la vinculación del comportamiento de los suelos en el laboratorio y en el campo utilizando la velocidad de las ondas de corte. Es integrante de la Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance Association y ha colaborado en dos esfuerzos de reconocimiento (Terremoto México-Puebla M7.1, 2017 y Huracanes Irma y María, 2017) y ha liderado un esfuerzo de reconocimiento (Terremoto Punta Montalva PR M6.4 , 2020). Es parte de la junta del United States University Council on Geotechnical Education and Research (USUCGER). Además, es miembro del Grupo de Trabajo de Patrocinio de SACNAS Puerto Rico.

“Es un gran privilegio que podamos integrarnos al cuarto grupo de La Academia de Liderazgo. Los sobre 100 años de experiencia combinada en gerencia universitaria que poseen los recursos que ofrecerán los talleres, nos permitirá expandir y tener nuevas perspectivas de estos retos, para aplicarlos aquí en el Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez”, manifestó la Decana Asociada de Estudiantes.

El programa de becas de un año incluye seminarios web y tres seminarios, con un seminario web de orientación el 21 de septiembre de 2022. El primer seminario se llevará a cabo en octubre de 2022 junto con la 36.ª Conferencia Anual de HACU. El segundo, se llevará a cabo en Washington, DC, en abril de 2023, en el Foro del Capitolio Nacional de HACU. El tercero, tendrá lugar en un foro internacional que se llevará a cabo en la primavera o el verano de 2023.

El cuerpo docente de La Academia de Liderazgo está formado por presidentes y administradores de amplia trayectoria en el contexto universitario. Los seleccionados tendrán la tutoría directa de estos para desarrollar un proyecto especial, diseñado para tener un impacto en la institución del becado

Dra. Alesandra C. Morales Vélez

Dr. Jonathan Muñoz Barreto

Educación / Education

RÍO PIEDRAS, PR | UNIVERSIDAD DE PUERTO RICO – RÍO PIEDRAS | Septiembre 15, 2022 - Recientemente se firmó un convenio de colaboración que vincula a los recintos de Río Piedras y Mayagüez de la Universidad de Puerto Rico (UPR) con el Middlebury College, institución de educación superior estadounidense reconocida por su excelencia y liderazgo en las áreas de enseñanza de idiomas, estudios ambientales y estudios internacionales, entre otras.

Con esta alianza, sus recintos en los estados de Vermont y California y con escuelas en 16 países a través de Europa, Asia, África y Latino América, Middlebury College ahora contará con su primera universidad colaborativa en el Caribe.

“Para nuestro recinto es un privilegio enorme concretar este convenio con una institución de la categoría y proyección incuestionables del Middlebury College, alianza que definitivamente beneficiará a ambas partes gracias a esta iniciativa de intercambio que viabilizará experiencias de valor inmenso, tanto para nuestros estudiantes como para los que nos visiten”, aseveró la Dra. Angélica Varela Llavona, rectora de la UPR en Río Piedras. “Agradezco y felicito muy cálidamente a todas las personas que han hecho posible la materialización de este proyecto, con la certeza de que rendirá los frutos esperados”.

A través de la Escuela de Middlebury en Puerto Rico, estudiantes de Middlebury College y de otras universidades en Estados Unidos podrán venir a Puerto Rico a tomar clases directamente en los recintos de Mayagüez y Río Piedras de la UPR, por un semestre o un año escolar. De este modo, tendrán acceso directo al amplio currículo académico ofrecido por ambos recintos y podrán tomar los cursos junto a sus estudiantes. Asimismo, los estudiantes que vengan a la UPR, también podrán enfocarse en áreas de estudio dedicadas a la sustentabilidad y la eco-justicia, los estudios caribeños y puertorriqueños, los estudios feministas interseccionales y los estudios de afrodescendencia, entre otras.

«Este acuerdo colaborativo nos permite ampliar nuestra agenda educativa al impactar a alumnos de los Estados Unidos, tanto en la parte académica, como en conocimiento cultural y social de nuestra isla. Del mismo modo, abre una ventana de oportunidades para nuestros jóvenes, quienes también se exponen a nuevas experiencias. Sin duda, esta alianza interuniversitaria es de beneficio mutuo y la acogemos esperanzados de que sea el inicio de una larga colaboración con Middlebury College», expresó, por su parte, el doctor Agustín Rullán Toro, rector del recinto mayagüezano de la UPR. Además, los estudiantes de lo srecintos de Río Piedras y Mayagüez tendrán la oportunidad de solicitar admisión a diversos programas de Middlebury, tales como las escuelas de Middlebury en el extranjero (Middlebury C.V. Starr Schools Abroad), las Escuelas de Idiomas de Middlebury (Middlebury Summer Language Schools), el Instituto de Estudios Internacionales (Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California), así como a programas de verano, incluyendo el programa de Museum Studies en la Universidad de Oxford, Inglaterra. Middlebury College ha seleccionado a la Dra. Teresa Peña Jordán como Directora y Profesora Asociada de la Escuela de Middlebury en Puerto Rico, cargo que ocupa desde el 1ro de julio de este año.

La Dra. Peña Jordán ha trabajado como directora del Programa de Estudios de Mujer y Género de la UPR-Río Piedras y como profesora adjunta en las facultades de Estudios Generales y Humanidades, también en este campus. Completó sus estudios de bachillerato en Carnegie Mellon University y obtuvo su maestría y doctorado de la Universidad de Pittsburgh, en Pennsylvania. La Dra. Peña Jordán estará encargada de la implementación de los acuerdos académicos entre las instituciones y servirá como contacto primario de la Escuela de Middlebury en Puerto Rico.

Para más información, puede comunicarse con la Dra. Peña Jordán vía correo electrónico a la siguiente dirección: tpenajordan@middlebury.edu.

El Colectivo de Psicología y Acción Social (de ahora en adelante El Colectivo) agrupa a psicólogos, psicólogas y estudiantes de psicología preocupados por las situaciones sociopolíticas y económicas del país y como estas afectan el bienestar de las personas que viven en Puerto Rico. A través de este comunicado de prensa el Colectivo denuncia que la falta de atención a los problemas estructurales del país y a la crisis climática exacerba el riesgo a la salud física y emocional de las personas que residen en el archipiélago de Puerto Rico.

El huracán María fue un evento atmosférico que marcó la vida de todos y todas. El trauma experimentado por las pérdidas materiales, personales y ecológicas todavía se evidencia en nuestras emociones y en el dolor que produce rememorar este evento. Y aunque bien es cierto que el evento natural marcó nuestras vidas, la reacción inadecuada y en algunos casos negligente de las estructuras gubernamentales del país exacerban la preocupación por futuros eventos atmosféricos y su impacto en nuestras vidas. Ciertamente, aunque los eventos son naturales los mismos han sido exacerbados por la falta de atención a la crisis climática y por la ausencia de una planificación que ayude a mitigar el daño que puedan causar. Menciona la Dra. Luisa Ortiz que “A la incertidumbre asociada a estos fenómenos se unen las inacciones políticas y sociales de los gobiernos que afectan mayormente a las mujeres, niñas y personas de la comunidad LGBTQI+, que son el porcentaje mayor en nuestras poblaciones más desatendidas, y por ende se vuelven más complejas, las disparidades sociales que nos afectan”. A esto añadimos el efecto negativo en nuestros adultos mayores y personas con diversidad funcional. Cómo psicólogos y psicólogas conocemos el trauma y el sufrimiento que provocó este evento y que se ha agravado con otros sucesos traumáticos como los terremotos y la pandemia del COVID-19. Esto resalta la urgencia de tener una preparación efectiva a nivel gubernamental, comunitario y familiar.

Las lecciones de María debieron haber producido una mayor conciencia ambiental y de los efectos de la crisis climática, siendo PR el lugar más afectado por esta realidad en el 2017. Si embargo, el país ha visto pocos avances en la preparación para enfrentar eventos climáticos como el que se avecina. Peor aún, hemos sido testigos de como se siguen otorgando permisos para construir en áreas que expertos y expertas indican que no deberíamos construir porque aumentan la vulnerabilidad de todos y todas. Hemos observado además como los fondos de recuperación no han sido usados ampliamente para fortalecer la infraestructura de nuestras comunidades, en particular aquellas que viven en pobreza. La ausencia de preparación efectiva tiene consecuencias en la integridad física de las personas y en su salud mental. La Organización Mundial de la Salud reconoce el impacto de la crisis climática en la salud mental y recomienda acciones a nivel gubernamental y comunitario para aumentar la preparación para estos eventos y para reducir los riesgos. Esta estrategia es importante para que las personas puedan tener mayor sentido de control y autonomía, factores que se han visto asociados a aumentos en problemas de salud mental en lugares impactados por la crisis climática. La propia OMS propone un modelo de Ciudades Resilientes y Reducción de Riesgo que incorpora la salud mental como eje central. Igualmente, la Asociación de Psicología Americana entiende y acepta que el cambio climático y tiene un efecto directo en la salud mental (mirar: https://www.apa.org/news/press/ releases/2017/03/mental-health-climate.pdf).

Es imperante que el gobierno de Puerto Rico cambie el rumbo de su inacción ante la crisis climática y genere iniciativas multisectoriales en colaboración con comunidades, Organizaciones sin Fines de Lucro, la academia y el sector privado. El no hacerlo continuará agravando la situación de salud mental y afectando el bienestar emocional en el país la cual es altamente preocupante y se agrava por problemas de acceso a servicios relacionados a las fallas de los planes médicos y las consecuencias de la austeridad impuesta por la Junta de Control Fiscal. Uno de los representantes del Colectivo de Psicología y Acción Social, el Dr. Eduardo A. Lugo comentó que: “Seguir apostando a las habilidades de nuestra gente para manejar las crisis es violento. Las personas están cansadas de que le exijan resiliencia. Incluso, muchas personas comienzan a odiar esta palabra porque se le ha puesto el peso en sus hombros de aguantar las consecuencias de la inacción gubernamental y la precariedad de recursos. La resiliencia no se da en un vacío, sino en el contexto de tener recursos adecuados.

La gente no quiere ya tener que ser resilientes, ni tener que sentir que siguen en modo de sobrevivencia. Las personas que vivimos en PR queremos triunfar, desarrollarnos en contextos que promuevan la salud y las posibilidades de futuro. Para esto hay que atender la crisis climática ya”. Instamos al gobierno de Puerto Rico a atender con urgencia la crisis climática desde las voces de los expertos y expertas en este tema y a considerar la salud mental y bienestar de las personas en todas las acciones que se tomen.

Eduardo A. Lugo Hernández, PhD Representante ealugo8@hotmail.com (787) 504-2308

Ivelisse Torres Fernández, PhD Representante

Luisa F. Ortiz Reyes, PsyD Representante

Edil Torres Rivera, PhD Representante

Heyda M. Martínez, EdD Representante

Política

Politics

Stop Using ‘Latinx’ if you Really want to be Inclusive

by MELISSA K. OCHOA Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies, Saint Louis University

This article was originally published in The Conversation | September 9, 2022

Most of the debates on the usage of “Latinx” – pronounced “la-teen-ex” – have taken place in the U.S. But the word has begun to spread into Spanish-speaking countries – where it hasn’t exactly been embraced.

In July 2022, Argentina and Spain released public statements banning the use of Latinx, or any gender-neutral variant. Both governments reasoned that these new terms are violations of the rules of the Spanish language.

Latinx is used as an individual identity for those who are gender-nonconforming, and it can also describe an entire population without using “Latinos,” which is currently the default in Spanish for a group of men and women.

As a Mexican-born, U.S.-raised scholar, I agree with the official Argentine and Spanish stance on banning Latinx from the Spanish language – English, too.

When I first heard Latinx in 2017, I thought it was progressive and inclusive, but I quickly realized how problematic it was. Five years later, Latinx is not commonly used in Spanish-speaking countries, nor is it used by the majority of those identifying as Hispanic or Latino in the U.S.

In fact, there’s a gender-inclusive term that’s already being used by Spanishspeaking activists that works as a far more natural replacement.

Low usage

Though the exact origins of Latinx are unclear, it emerged sometime around 2004 and gained popularity around 2014. Merriam-Webster added it to its dictionary in 2018.

However, a 2019 Pew research study and 2021 Gallup poll indicated that less than 5% of the U.S. population used “Latinx” as a racial or ethnic identity. Nonetheless, Latinx is becoming commonplace among academics; it’s used at conferences, in communication and especially in publications.

But is it inclusive to use Latinx when most of the population does not?

Perpetuating elitism

The distinct demographic differences of those who are aware of or use Latinx calls into question whether the term is inclusive or just elitist.

Individuals who self-identiy as Latinx or are aware of the term are most likely to be U.S.-born, young adults from 18 to 29 years old. They are predominately English-speakers and have some college education. In other words, the most marginalized communities do not use Latinx.

Scholars, in my view, should never impose social identities onto groups that do not self-identify that way.

I once had a reviewer for an academic journal article I submitted about women’s experiences with catcalling tell me to replace my use of “Latino” and “Latina” with “Latinx.” However, they had no issue with me using “man” or “woman” when it came to my white participants.

I was annoyed at the audacity of this reviewer. The goal of the study was to show catcalling, a gendered interaction, as an everyday form of sexism.

How was I supposed to differentiate my participants’ sexism experiences by gender and race if I labeled them all as Latinx?

The ‘x’ factor

If a term is truly inclusive, it gives equitable weight to vastly diverse experiences and knowledge; it is not meant to be a blanket identity.

Women of color, in general, are severely underrepresented in leadership positions and STEM fields. Using “Latinx” for women further obscures their contributions and identity. I have even seen some academics try to get around the nebulous nature of Latinx by writing “Latinx mothers” or “Latinx women” instead of “Latinas.”

Furthermore, if the goal is to be inclusive, the “x” would be easily pronounceable and naturally applied to other parts of the Spanish language.

Some Spanish speakers would rather identify by nationality – say, “Mexicano” or “Argentino” – instead of using umbrella terms like Hispanic or Latino. But the “x” can’t be easily applied to nationalities. Like Latinx, “Mexicanx” and “Argentinx”

don’t exactly roll off the tongue in any language.

Meanwhile, gendered articles in Spanish –“los” and “las” for the plural “the” – become “lxs,” while gendered pronouns –“el” and “ella” becomes “ellx.”

The utility and logic of it quickly falls apart.

‘Latine’ as an alternative

‘Latine’ is much more adaptable to the Spanish language.

Mario Garza, CC BY-SA

Many academics might feel compelled to continue to use Latinx because they fought hard to have it recognized by their institutions or have already published the term in an academic journal. But there is a much better gender-inclusive alternative, one that’s been largely overlooked by the U.S. academic community and is already being used in Spanish-speaking parts of Latin America, especially among young social activists in those countries.

It’s “Latine” – pronounced “lah-teen-eh” – and it’s far more adaptable to the Spanish language. It can be implemented as articles – “les” instead of “los” or “las,” the words for “the.” When it comes to pronouns, “elle” can become a singular form of “they” and used in place of the masculine “él” or feminine “ella,” which translate to “he” and “she.” It can also be readily applied to most nationalities, such as “Mexicane” or “Argentine.”

Because language shapes the way we think, it’s important to note that gendered languages like Spanish, German and French do facilitate gender stereotypes and discrimination. For example, in German, the word for bridge is feminine, and in Spanish, the word for bridge is masculine. Cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky had German speakers and Spanish speakers describe a bridge. The German speakers were more likely to describe it using adjectives like “beautiful” or “elegant,” while the Spanish speakers were more likely to describe it in masculine ways – “tall” and “strong.”

Moreover, the existing gender rules in Spanish are not perfect. Usually words ending in “-o” are masculine and those ending in “-a” are feminine, but there are many common words that break those gender rules, like “la mano,” the word for “hand.” And, of course, Spanish already uses an “e” for gender-neutral words, such as “estudiante,” or “student.”

I believe Latine accomplishes what Latinx originally meant to and more. Similarly, it eliminates the gender binary in its singular and plural form. However, Latine is not confined to an elite, English-speaking population within the U.S. It is inclusive. Nevertheless, problems can still arise when the word “Latine” is imposed onto others. “Latina” and “Latino” may still be preferable for many individuals. I don’t think the “-e” should eliminate the existing “-o” and the “-a.” Instead, it could be a grammatically acceptable addition to the Spanish language.

Yes, Argentina and Spain’s ban of Latinx also included a ban on the use of Latine. Here is where I diverge from their directive. To me, the idea that language can be purist is nonsensical; language always evolves, whether it’s through technology – think emojis and textspeak – or increased social awareness, such as the evolution from “wife beating” to “intimate partner violence.”

Linguistic theory posits that language shapes reality, so cultures and communities can create words that shape the inclusive world they want to inhabit.

Language matters. Latine embodies that inclusivity – across socioeconomic status, citizenship, education, gender identity, age groups and nations, while honoring the Spanish language in the process.

MELISSA K. OCHOA is an Assistant Professor in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department at Saint Louis University. Her research connects the micro-level displays of power in gender to a larger, oppressive system. Dr. Ochoa is looking to understand the normalization of sexism by studying which actors embrace, perpetuate, and contribute to these sexism frames and the ways in which they do it.

She has a PhD in Sociology and a Women’s and Gender Studies certificate from Texas A&M University. She obtained two undergraduate degrees, Psychology and Public Relations & Rhetorical Advocacy, from Purdue University in 2009.

The White Indians of Mexican Cinema: Racial Masquerade Throughout the Golden Age

by MÓNICA GARCÍA BLIZZARD | NEW YORK, NY | SUNY PRESS | April 1, 2022 | 309 pages

Description:

The White Indians of Mexican Cinema theorizes the development of a unique form of racial masquerade—the representation of Whiteness as Indigeneity—during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, from the 1930s to the 1950s. Adopting a broad decolonial perspective while remaining grounded in the history of local racial categories, Mónica García Blizzard argues that this trope works to reconcile two divergent discourses about race in postrevolutionary Mexico: the governmentsponsored celebration of Indigeneity and mestizaje (or the process of interracial and intercultural mixing), on the one hand, and the idealization of Whiteness, on the other.

Close readings of twenty films and primary source material illustrate how Mexican cinema has mediated race, especially in relation to gender, in ways that project national specificity, but also reproduce racist tendencies with respect to beauty, desire, and protagonism that survive to this day. This sweeping survey illuminates how Golden Age films produced diverse, even contradictory messages about the place of Indigeneity in the national culture.

This book is freely available in an open access edition thanks to TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem)—a collaboration of the Association of American Universities, the Association of University Presses, and the Association of Research Libraries—and the generous support of Emory University and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Learn more at the TOME website, available at: https://www.openmonographs.org/. It can also be

Finanzas / Finances

found in the SUNY Open Access Repository at http://hdl.handle. net/20.500.12648/7153

Review:

Well written, tightly argued, and thoroughly researched, The White Indians of Mexican Cinema promises to make a lively and important contribution to studies of Indigenous representation in Mexican cinema. -- Dolores Tierney, author of New Transnationalisms in Contemporary Latin American Cinemas

Author:

MÓNICA GARCÍA BLIZZARD received a B.A. in Romance Languages and Literatures with minors in Anthropology and European Studies from the University of Notre Dame, where she also completed an M.A. in Italian studies. She holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Latin American Literatures and Cultures from The Ohio State University. Prior to joining the faculty at Emory in the fall of 2018, she was Visiting Assistant Professor at Kenyon College. Dr. García Blizzard’s research interests lie at the intersection of Latin American Cultural Studies and Film Studies. Her primary scholarly focus is race and national identity in Mexican cinema. Her dissertation received the 2017 LASA Mexico Section Award for best dissertation. She has written articles and reviews published in Alternativas: Latin American Cultural Studies Journal, Vivomatografías: Revista de estudios sobre precine y cine silente en América Latinoamérica, Studies in Spanish and Latin American Cinemas, and Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies. She has forthcoming publications in Revista Canadiense de Estudios Hispánicos and Estudios Mexicanos/Mexican Studies

Mónica was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Mexican parents from Mexico City and Guanajuato, and was raised primarily in Texas. Her transnational, transcultural, and multilingual life experience has shaped her hemispheric perspective, as well as her focus on nationalisms, racial formations, and marginality.

Protecting Our Aging Parents and Loved Ones from Falling to a Scam

Happy fall, friends! It’s the busiest time of the year for me with outreach activities. Unfortunately, it’s also the time of year when I begin hearing the unnerving stories about scams from consumers, in particular older Americans.

In late September, I gave a presentation at a local senior center and met a consumer who was the victim of a scam, losing thousands of her retirement savings. She said she was eager to attend the event so she could talk to me, not knowing where else to turn other than law enforcement. Which brings me to deliver this important message to you, children of aging parents, and those who have older relatives, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

As caregivers, we have an obligation to help protect our loved ones in every possible way, just as they did when we were young. They provided us with advice, support, and encouragement when we needed it most, regardless of whether or not we asked for it. Now it’s our time to reciprocate.

I can honestly say that seniors have candidly admitted to me that,

• “I fell for the scam because I was lonely and isolated, and didn’t have anyone to talk to.”

• “I trusted them and believed what they told me.”

• “I was threatened by the scammer.”

• “I was embarrassed to tell anyone about what happened.”

According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov) 2021 Elder Fraud Report, 92,371 victims lost $1.7 billion to scams and fraud, an increase of 74% from the previous year. Honestly, that’s was 92,371 too many.

As you probably know, scams are not leaving us any time soon and are

by MILAGROS S. JOHNSON

likely to be around for an indefinite period of time. Obviously, scams do not discriminate against any age and prefer to target our aging population. This validates the reason for us needing to talk about it, making it a topic of conversation when we are visiting or gathered with our family members. We must work collaboratively on getting our parents and relatives to listen, and listen well.

An excellent guide we should keep readily available at their households is the Massachusetts Attorney General’s $avvy $eniors: How to Avoid Financial Scams. It is an excellent read for them with a large font, and provides them with the information and steps they need to take, should they fall victim to a scam, fraud or identity theft.

Remind your aging loved ones that if anyone makes them feel uneasy or uncomfortable, demands money or personal information from them by phone, email or text, or instills fear in them with threats, to immediately contact their local enforcement, and then you.

So, the next time you check on your parents or loved ones, you may want to ask them, “Is there anything important I need to know so I can help you?”

Hopefully this will open a dialogue at their time of need.

For more information, or to speak with a Consumer Specialist, call (413) 787-6437 or email us at moci@springfieldcityhall.com

MILAGROS S. JOHNSON is the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Consumer Information in Springfield, a Local Consumer Program funded by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

Fotos cortesía de Springfield Otsl / Indihira Peña De Souza

Octubre 2022

Alfredo Rodríguez and Pedrito Martínez Duo

Jueves, 20 de octubre, 7:30 p.m. Bowker Auditorium

Asientos Reservados $35, $25

Jóvenes menores de 17 y estudiantes de los Five Colleges $10

Tenemos una serie de espectáculos de jazz realmente fenomenales para ofrecer esta temporada, ¡y la estamos comenzando con una joya absoluta que no se puede perder!

Alfredo Rodríguez and Pedrito Martínez son estrellas del mundo de jazz afro-cubano y dos de los músicos mas electrizantes de hoy. Ambos nacieron y se criaron en Habana, Cuba. Rodríguez, cuyo padre era un popular cantante y presentador de televisión, creció dentro de las tradiciones de la música clásica y popular. Estudió piano clásico en el prestigioso Conservatorio Amadeo Roldán y en el Instituto Superior de Arte mientras tocaba música popular en la orquesta de su padre. Martinez honed his craft on the streets of the Cayo Hueso

Evento Auspiciado por

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Fine Arts Center

neighborhood of Old Havana, where he learned the vast percussion and vocal forms of Santería/Lucumí folk religion. In the United States, both artists have established reputations as stellar musicians and innovative composers.

Su álbum colaborativo, Duologue, producido por el legendario Quincy Jones, estableció el duo como una fuerza dominante en el mundo del jazz. Su reputación creció con sus inolvidables presentaciones en vivo. “La verdadera belleza de Duologue es el gozo que emana de cada nota que Rodríguez and Martinez tocan juntos. Sus estilos se combinan para crear canciones con liricismo y coloridos paisajes musicales con cautivadores ritmos de mambo,” dice JazzTimes.

Únase a la celebración de la apertura de la Temporada 2022-2023 del Fine Arts Center con una serie de eventos virtuales y presenciales que celebran la humanidad presente en todos nosotros.

adherirá a las políticas actuales de la

actualizada para los eventos en el campus UMass Amherst:

Photo by Roberto Cifarelli / Pedrito Martínez Image Courtesy UMass FAC / Alfredo Rodríguez

Photo by Anna Webber / Alfredo Rodríguez and Pedrito Martínez