¿Qué Pasa, OSU? magazine, The Ohio State University, Spring 2011

Volume XVIII Number 3 Spring 2011 An Independent, Community-Based Magazine About Latinos at Ohio State

www.quepasa.osu.edu

A Sensible Take on the Mysteries of Graduate School Lilia Fernรกndez Honored with Distinguished Teaching Award Basketball and Culture in Oaxaca, Mexico and Los Angeles, California Proposed OSU Ethics Center Plans Year-Long "Conversation" on Immigration LASER Seeks to Build on Momentum of First Year

An Examination of Land Conflicts in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago of Panama

Warm Wishes for Spring

By Michael J. Alarid

My dear friend, so sweet and distant, Take farewell from all my heart, As takes a wind in a somber instant, As takes a friend before a prison

Esquina del Editor

Will split those dear friends apart.

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— Farewell, Alexander Pushkin, 1817

Welcome to the spring edition of ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? and to my last edition as editor of this publication. In the last two years that I have been a part of this magazine, we have produced a total of seven editions. During that time I have had the opportunity to meet many of you, both on campus and in the community. I have engaged in numerous social activities; interviewed scholars, students, and community members; and met too many kind people to recount.

My time as editor has been exciting, full of change, and never without challenges.

I am proud of how this publication has developed during my editorship; especially of the addition of an academic component to this magazine, which has happened during the last two years.

My hope is that my small contribution has enhanced the variety of articles for you the reader. Proudly and along with Christopher Gonzalez, Emily Strouse, and Yolanda Zepeda I present to you this final edition.

This is an important time of year: we are in the middle of Hispanic Awareness Week at OSU, which is dedicated to highlighting the important issues impacting the Latino community at OSU and beyond. This event gives students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to come together and discuss Latino culture. From the Latino Film Series, to health seminars, to the academic presentations I hope you have taken advantage of these opportunities to increase your knowledge about Latino issues.

As always this edition contains faculty and student profiles; our advice to students comes from Samuel Saldivar

in “An Adventurous Road,” the insiders guide to the graduate experience; while Christopher Gonzalez seeks to update us on the progress LASER is making in “The Mission Continues.” Our Folklore Series continues with “The Socialization of Sports in Latin America,” by Bernardo Rios; our Latino Studies Series highlights the problems brought by immigrants in “Tourist Invasions,” by Gayatri Thampy.

In “COMPAS Comes to You” Piers Turner highlights the OSU Ethics Center’s plan for a conversation on immigration; while Bradley Okdie updates us on how your online presence affects you in “Technology and You.” Finally our food review rates Katalina’s Café Corner, a small restaurant with some very traditional Mexican fare. There are many more articles in this edition, so we hope you will discover them on your own.

During my time at OSU, I have had the honor of working with numerous high quality people. In my first year at ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? I was fortunate to work with Bruno Ribeiro, one of the finest designers I have ever known and a person I am proud to call friend. His professional influence helped create the design that now defines this publication. I also worked with Assistant Editor Giovana Covarrubias, who contributed four years of dedication to this magazine. I had the opportunity to work with Dr. José Villa and Normando Caban, both of whom proved to be truly supportive during the transition of this publication to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. And of course I must thank Victor Mora, who entrusted this publication to me two years ago and whose years of service and dedication remain imprinted on the subsequent pages.

In this final year I have had the true pleasure of working with Yolanda Zepeda, whom I admire and enjoy working with. I am confident that under her guidance this publication will continue to grow in years to come.

I have witnessed the addition of Emily Strouse’s fine photography, which has enhanced the professional feel of this magazine and her touches as a

designer. Finally, Christopher Gonzalez has brought superior editing skills and strong journalistic writing, while the efforts of the good-natured Jose Cabral have ensured that the editorial board remains involved in the process. No doubt there is still much change ahead, but the future looks bright for our publication.

As for myself, I am preparing to move forward with my life. I am completing my PhD in the Department of History, a degree that has taken much time and effort to attain. During my years at OSU I have been fortunate to work with numerous world class scholars. There are so many, but I want to individually thank Randolph Roth, Kenneth Andrien, John F. Guilmartin, and Allan Millett for their unwavering support during my years of study. I am also indebted to the Department of History as an entity for all the support they have generously provided to both me and my project.

Thanks to my family for their patience and to my dear friends in Columbus for their kindness. Last but certainly not least I must thank my dearest wife, without whose support I would not be the person that I am. Together, we are now off to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where my wife and I have taken positions, she as a professor and me as a research fellow.

My hope is that in my time here at ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? I have contributed not only to the publication, but to the Latino community as a whole. To all of you I say: may you find happiness and success in your time at OSU. I most certainly have!

Kindest regards, M.J. Alarid

Editor Michael J. Alarid Assistant Editor Christopher Gonzalez Designer & Photo Editor Emily Strouse

Volume XVIII Number 3 Spring 2011

Editorial Board Jose Cabral, Chair Frederick Luis Aldama Francesca Amigo Normando Caban Jeff Cohen Ignacio Corona Andrea Doseff Francisco-Xavier Gómez-Bellengé Indra Leyva-Santiago Victor Mora Patricia Palominos-Dunaeff Abril Trigo Fernando Unzueta Yolanda Zepeda, Ex Officio

Features

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The Mission Continues LASER Seeks to Build on Momentum of First Year

By Christopher Gonzalez An Adventurous Road A Sensible Take on the Mysteries of Graduate School

By Samuel Saldivar Student Corner Adrian Huerta Leaves His Mark at OSU By ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Staff Conceptions of the Sacred A Symposium on Religious Crossings in Literature, Art and Practice

By Christopher Gonzalez

12 13 20 21

Full Throttle Passion for Fiction Fuels OSU Professor's Research

By Christopher Gonzalez Latinas in Ohio Third Dialogue of Latinas in Ohio Held at OSU

By Lorena Mora-Mowry

Contributors John M. Bennet Lilia Fernández Don Hubin Susana Del Rio Kuroiwa Francisco X. Gómez-Bellengé Lorena Mora-Mowry Bradley Okdie Joselyn Del Pilar Bernardo Ramirez Rios Samuel Saldivar Gayatri Thampy

COMPAS Comes to OSU Proposed OSU Ethics Center Plans Year-Long "Converstation" on Immigration

By Piers Turner Technology and You How Online Communication is Affecting Your Relationships

By Bradley Okdie

Reviewers Jose Cabral Normando Caban Yolanda Zepeda

Sections

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Esquina del Editor Warm Wishes for Spring

By Michael J. Alarid Faculty in Focus Recognition Lilia Fernández Honored with Distinguished Teaching Award By ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Staff Student Profile Cassie Patterson Graduate School Not Just a Road to a Degree

By Christopher Gonzalez OSU Student Portraits Latin American Students and Their Research

By Joselyn Del Pilar and Susana Del Rio Kuroiwa Folklore Series The Socialization of Sports in Latin America Basketball and Culture in Oaxaca, Mexico and Los Angeles, California

By Bernardo Ramirez Rios

www.quepasa.osu.edu

18 22 23 24

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Latino Studies Series Tourist Invasions An Examination of Land Conflicts in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago of Panama

By Gayatri Thampy

Cover: Photo by Emily Strouse.

Melville Bell Grosvenor, Editor. James M. Darley, Cheif Cartographer. Ralph E. McAleer, Assistant Cheif Cartographer.

Wellman Chamberlin, Carographic Engineer. National Geographic Globe, Washington, D.C., The National Geographic Society, 1961.

Back Cover: Photo by Emily Strouse This publication is supported by the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and under the auspices of the Hispanic Oversight Committee.

Issue production is a collaboration of the ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Editorial Board and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

In the Community Accessing Education Dalia Rodriguez Shares Life and Experiences with OSU Students

By Francisco X. Gómez-Bellengé Creative Corner Poemas de John M. Bennett de su libro inédito, CaraaraC

By John M. Bennet

The Ohio State University is not responsible for the content and views of this publication. The publication does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the staff and Editorial Board.

All submissions for publications must include the name and phone number or e-mail address of those responsible for the submissions. ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? reserves the right to refuse any submission for publication.

One-on-One A Vision for the Future Valerie B. Lee Leads Office of Diversity and Inclusion By ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Staff Food Review Katalina's Café Corner For Breakfast or Lunch, Katalina's Satisfies

By Michael J. Alarid, featuring La Gringa

For questions and inquiries, please contact Zepeda.3@osu.edu.

Note: We use the term "Latino" to represent both Latino and Latina.

Spring Quarter 2011

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Recognition Lilia Fernández Honored with Distinguished Teaching Award

Faculty in Focus

By ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Staff

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Lilia Fernández, Assistant Professor of History at OSU, is among this year’s outstanding teachers as recognized by present and former students and colleagues. In only her fourth year of teaching at OSU, Prof. Fernández has been awarded the 2011 Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching. During her time at OSU, Prof. Fernández has taught courses at all levels in the Department of History, and has contributed to the continued diversification of the department’s curriculum—particularly her emphasis on Ethnic History and courses that explore issues of race and ethnicity in the US. In addition, Prof. Fernández has emphasized mentoring undergraduate students as a part of her pedagogical philosophy.

“My approach to teaching has at its heart a desire to expand students’ thinking, challenge their world view, and motivate them to look at their social environment more critically,” Prof. Fernández states. “I aim to develop students’ analytical and critical thinking skills in exploring the past.” Perhaps more importantly, Prof. Fernández works to introduce students “to alternative perspectives and voices from the past, and non-traditional views compared to those they have usually received in their K-12 education.”

And how does she link courses on history to current issues or make students see the past connecting to their own lives? “Teaching courses that deal with historical topics such as immigration, labor, imperialism, which continue to resonate with controversies and dilemmas today can often be challenging,” she confesses. “Students sometimes have never explored these themes in depth or may feel resistant to historical interpretations that challenge what they have learned already. Still, it is very rewarding to get students to engage in such topics and to get them to think about their contemporary world more critically and to be more informed with knowledge of the past. It gratifies me to know that so many students are enjoying my classes and responding

Photograph by Kevin Fitzsimmons.

positively to my teaching.”

Recipients of the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching receive a cash award of $3000, made possible by the Alumni Association, friends of Ohio State, and the Office of Academic Affairs. Prof.

Fernández will also be inducted into the university’s Academy of Teaching, whose mission it is to enable the continued improvement of teaching at OSU. As a true friend of this publication since her time here at Ohio State, ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? is honored to congratulate Prof. Lilia Fernández on this outstanding achievement.

Cassie Patterson Graduate School Not Just a Road to a Degree

By Christopher Gonzalez

www.quepasa.osu.edu

didn't go many places, and so my father learned to love the small things. He would always point out little things to me; he liked me to see and appreciate everyday things, like an orange tree branch hanging over the neighbor's wall so that anyone walking down the street could take and eat one. I like to think that I've translated his love of small things into my love for the study of folklore. When I think of Dad I think about how many things I can be happy about, and then I smile.”

As she nears the fruition of her English doctoral work in Folklore, Appalachian Studies, and Literacy Studies, Cassie recognizes those who have been so instrumental to her success. “My family has been a major source of stability that has allowed me to venture out and try new things— even to move across the country!

Mentors at both my undergraduate institution, California State University San Bernardino, and at OSU have helped guide me to the resources that will help me be successful. Even more than that, they have given me what most students need most: a combination of intellectual and emotional support.”

While her academic training continues to inspire her, Cassie still draws on the determination exemplified by her mother and the sense of wonder instilled in her by her father. “I believe that my intellectual perspective is also my personal perspective on life, and so what I choose to read and write about is a process of self-discovery and reflection. Graduate school, to me, isn't just a road to a degree; it's a process of coming to understand those around me and myself. Given that, it's important to me that my mentors also care about me as an individual, and I feel that that has been the case at both my undergraduate and graduate institutions.” Cassie has indeed made the most of her opportunities, and she shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Student Profile

There are many starting points to a journey. In fact, there are many journeys.

For Cassie Patterson, a second-year PhD student in the Department of English, her current journey began with a simple conversation at the McNair Scholar’s Conference in 2006. At that time, Cassie was nearing the completion of her undergraduate degree at California State University, San Bernardino.

Though she had already given graduate school a great deal of thought and had initiated the application process, Cassie was still undecided as to her school choice. A chance meeting turned her attention to Ohio State University.

At that McNair Conference, Cassie met Kathleen Griffin, Graduate Program Coordinator in the Department of English at OSU. “I had a conversation with Kathleen,” Cassie recalls. “I mentioned where I was applying to graduate school, and she suggested that I put in an application to OSU. As it turned out, OSU was a perfect fit for me.

OSU also provided excellent funding, so I accepted their offer.”

Google Maps proclaims there are roughly 2,200 miles between Rancho Cucamonga, California (Cassie’s hometown) and Columbus, Ohio. With so many great graduate programs closer to home, one wonders why Cassie decided on OSU. Her answer reflects the program’s strength and Cassie’s own enthusiasm: “OSU is a perfect fit for me because of the up-and-coming Folklore concentration offered through

the English Department.

There are plenty of resources for me here as a folklorist, including the Center for Folklore Studies, the very active Folklore Student Association, the numerous folklore faculty members, and the fact that the American Folklore Society is housed at the Mershon Center on Neil Avenue.” Though access to such amazing resources allows Cassie to engage in top-notch research, the social component of the program is equally crucial to her success. “The faculty here is very supportive of their students and is also very sociable, so I feel like I have a very strong community of scholars that I can interact with on a daily basis. Now that I'm here I can't really imagine being anywhere else!” It is that sense of community and family that has been a source of strength and motivation for Cassie long before OSU. “I definitely draw my inspiration from my parents,” she admits. “They are truly wonderful people. My mother, Maritza Patterson, is and has always been the hardest worker I know. She came to the United States from El Salvador when she was very young and struggled to learn the language because there was no ESL program at the time. As an adult, she was determined to become a teacher; she went to night school for as long as I can remember. Mom has her own class now and has just finished the requirements for her credential last quarter.

No matter what stood in her way, my mother was determined to succeed, and I draw from her determination whenever I encounter obstacles.”

Cassie’s father, Mike Patterson, urged her to take note of the wonders of the quotidian that often go unrecognized.

“He grew up with his eight siblings in Long Beach, CA. They were poor and

Spring Quarter 2011

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The Mission Continues LASER Seeks to Build on Momentum of First Year

By Christopher Gonzalez

It was scarcely one year ago that OSU’s LASER program launched to great fanfare—an initiative sponsored by our Office of Diversity and Inclusion. An acronym for Latino and Latin American Studies Space for Enrichment and Research, LASER’s mission is to create, first and foremost, a center in which professors, students, artists, and staff “engage with one another in scholarly discourse, ensuring that the most up to date body of knowledge and research concerning Latino and Latin American studies is communally dispersed,” according to its website. Under the direction of Dr. Frederick Luis Aldama and in close collaboration with the Multicultural Center, not only has LASER brought together a community of scholars here at OSU, but the continued

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interconnections to other researchers and theorists around the country are aiding in the recognition of a significant presence of Latinos in the Midwest.

LASER has become the center at OSU for fostering a new generation of Latino/a scholars through personal interactions between OSU graduate student mentors and undergraduate students considering graduate school. A brief retrospective of the past year gives the highlights of the program’s commitment to staying true to its mission.

LASER has sponsored or co-sponsored many events during its first year.

It kicked things off with an exhibit of Theresa Rojas’s art in the LASER space located in Smith Labs. Rojas, an artist and PhD student in the Department of English, showcased her work, ranging

from intricate watercolors, striking acrylics, and a faux-mosaics that call our attention to the sublime with renderings of the life-giving sun and the solitude of an autumn afternoon, to name but a few. Soon after, LASER was in full stride, first bringing Larry La Fountain-Stokes of the University of Michigan, who read from his collection of short stories, Uñas pintadas de azul/Blue Fingernails. His bilingual reading was impressive not only with the craft of his prose but the resonating quality of his voice. Gabriella Nuñez of the University of Louisville presented on youth in the borderland provided sustained attention to children in these liminal spaces—particularly in documentaries and journalism.

Making full use of recent technological advances in teleconferencing,

LASER was able to bring Juan Felipe Herrera of UC-Riverside, “virtually.” From thousands of miles away in California, Herrera read selections of his poetry, spoke about the ramifications of antiillegal immigration laws, and engaged his audience in the Multicultural Center with his terrific wit and humor. Later, Luís León of the University of Denver and Inés Hernandez Avila, Director of the Chicana/Latina Research Center at UC-Davis presented research on "El Llorón, Machismo and Christianity" and "Cautlicue, Coyalxauhqui, Chicana Feminisms, and the Re-Membering Earth" respectively. But the major LASER event for Spring 2010 was “State of Chicano/a, Latino/a, and Mexican Arts” featuring talks by Arturo Aldama of the University of Colorado-Boulder, creative artist Coco Fusco, among others. This event was a part of the UNIDAD, Sabor Latino week in May 2010.

In Autumn 2010, LASER featured an event titled “Immigration and Latinos in the Cultural Imagination.” William Nericco of San Diego State University and Otto Santa Ana of UCLA spoke on the topic of Mexiphobia in its various manifestations and guises. Though Latinos like to celebrate achieved and earned progress, Professors Nericco and Santa Ana reminded the audience that there are still very powerful forces working against Latinos in the political sphere and news media reporting. Philip Serrato of San Diego State University intrigued audiences with his presentation on Latino Young Adult fiction.

Camille Fojas of DePaul University examined the film Traffic, extending her research on race in Hollywood.

Moving forward, 2011 looks impressive for LASER as well. Gina Perez of Oberlin College shared her fascinating work on militarization and Latino/a youth, while Dalia Rodriguez of Syracuse University provided insight to the recruitment and retention of Latino/a students and faculty at the university level. (See Francisco X. GómezBellengé’s article in this issue.)

And in April 2011, LASER will feature documentary filmmaker Professor Paul Espinosa and Professor Marta Sánchez of Arizona State University as they address issues of immigration in their co-featured talk, “Rethinking the U.S.-Mexico Border A Transnational Perspective through Film.” Professor

www.quepasa.osu.edu

Espinosa’s work has been seen by PBS audiences for decades in such established series as American Experience and American Playhouse, his notable adaptation of Tomás Rivera’s …and the earth did not swallow him…, among his many other impressive films that range from the Mexican Revolution to the Lemon Grove Incident (a legal challenge to segregation that predates Brown v Board of Education by several decades) to the hunt for Pancho Villa. Professor Espinosa’s work calls attention to the fact that what some perceive as recent issues concerning the US-Mexico Border and immigration have actually changed very little since the nineteenth century.

Professor Sánchez, whose work had its inception with Chicana poetry, now turns to issues of translation and transnationalism in Latino literature.

Coordinating closely with the Multicultural Center’s Hispanic Awareness events, LASER will feature Robert Rodriguez who will speak about Arizona’s anti-immigrant polices, especially those that impact the K-College curricula; LASER’s guest speaker and multimedia visual artist Dr. John Jota Leaños will be the keynote for Hispanic Awareness week. LASER is also co-sponsor of “Religious Crossings in Literature, Art and Practice: An interdisciplinary symposium on the sacred in Latino/a, African American, Asian American and Native American contexts and texts,” an event that not to be missed. (For more on this symposium, see page 11.)

In addition to continuing to bring together top-notch scholars, LASER is poised to launch a new magazine in the Autumn of 2012. LASER: Magazine for Latino and Latin American Short Fiction will be published in the fall and spring of every year. The magazine will publish stories (specifically, “flash fiction,” which is characterized by being 500 words or less) by Latino and Latin American authors as well as by authors generally whose fiction is about Latino and Latin American experiences. Each story will appear in both English and Spanish.

LASER: Magazine for Latino and Latin American Short Fiction looks to make visible the rapid rise in popularity in the US of this storytelling form. It is an exciting endeavor to say the least.

Overall, LASER’s first year appears to be a tremendous success. The exchange of research, ideas, along with the

formation of new friendships, exemplifies what LASER is all about. At its core, LASER seeks to strengthen the interconnections between the many significant Latino organizations and entities at OSU. But more than that, LASER is interested in people—in community. In a university the size of OSU, it is easy to get lost in one’s home department or area of study.

LASER is doing a terrific job of bringing together scholars and thinkers from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the Department of Comparative Studies, the Department of English, Latino Studies, the Department of Women’s Studies, and the Multicultural Center, to name a few. Based on its auspicious first year, LASER looks ready to continue to build on its very important work. And LASER’s second year already looks to kick off with a bang. LASER has already scheduled a “Grand Slam” in the Autumn of 2011 that will feature Stanford’s José David Saldívar and Héctor Hoyos. One of the preeminent Chicano scholars of our time, Professor Saldívar, author of influential book The Dialectics of Our America: Geneology, Cultural Critique, and Literary History, has recently turned his attention to more recent works of Latino authors such as Junot Díaz. Professor Hoyos’s specialty is Latin American Literature and Culture. He currently is preparing two book-manuscripts, entitled Beyond Bolaño: The Global Latin American Novel and El deber de la travesura: César Aira y la crítica cultural.

The event gives OSU students and professors an exciting opportunity to meet these terrific scholars and discuss their fascinating work with them.

If you have not yet attended a LASER event, or you still do not know much about the program, there is not a better time than now to jump in and become a part of it. Since LASER is a collaborative effort, you can still be a part of it while maintaining other affiliations with other important organizations. Contact Professor Aldama or any of the LASER Graduate Mentors for more information on this important program here at OSU.

You can find out more about LASER at its website: http://laser.osu.edu/

Spring Quarter 2011

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An Adventurous Road A Sensible Take on the Mysteries of Graduate School

By Samuel Saldivar

Although we are in the middle of a chilly winter, spring is quickly approaching with the time-honored tradition at Ohio State—Graduation in The Shoe. This is an impressive achievement—one to be cherished by friends and family, not least of all you who put in the time and effort to make the baccalaureate degree a reality.

As many of you prepare for the exciting events that await you after graduation, I hope you have paused to give graduate school a bit of thought. Maybe it is that some of your friends have thrown around certain buzzwords surrounding graduate school, or perhaps you know of someone who has “gone that route” towards that mysterious hereafter that includes applications, scholarship, funding, research, more applications, and lots of heavy thinking. You may view graduate school, as I once did, as a strange neverland that was as far from my reality as Oz—a space in the university that no one really knows about or understands until they become a part of it.

You have no doubt heard the legends of the grad students who walked into their office and disappeared for two years

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under mounds of work and pressure. Or the legend of the undergraduate student who dreamed of grad school only to be destroyed by a mountain of monstrous expectation they were never able to live up to. Worse still, you may have heard people bemoan graduate school as something akin to Dante’s Inferno with variegated levels of punishment according to research interests. While these hyperbolic tales are warranted for a small fraction of students graduate school is, for the most part, a wonderful opportunity to grow as a scholar. Graduate school allows you to explore and challenge the theories you have begun to talk about in your undergraduate courses. Most importantly the graduate school experience allows you to focus your research on ideas that interest you the most, all while staying within the department to which you apply.

In my case, obtaining a bachelors degree in English was as far as I was planning to go. I was going to graduate from OSU, travel back home and become a school teacher. It wasn’t until a few helpful professors asked if I had considered pushing my education further by applying

to graduate school.

Honestly, the question seemed quite outlandish to me at the time.

Growing up, I hadn’t expected to get into college much less apply to graduate school. As a first generation college student I was quite content with obtaining my bachelors, going home and working for the rest of my life. Familial responses from home constantly reminded me that once I had reached the “top” of the colligate mountain and obtained my bachelors degree, I would be “set for life.” Indeed, graduate school seemed like a way of staying in school longer working towards a graduate degree that I knew nothing about, but I was so impressed that my professors saw something in my work that warranted questions about graduate school. Maybe I was cut out graduate school after all. Gradually, I began to think that I was capable of becoming a graduate student. The legends that had kept me away no longer seemed as intimidating. My growing interest in graduate school led me to consider the mystical nether region that is the graduate application process. As I began exploring what graduate schools were looking for, I soon found out it to be quite similar to my undergraduate application experience.

The mystical quality of graduate school was beginning to fade.

In attempting to shed some light on the grad school process, I would like to offer some tips, ideas, and thoughts that have aided my graduate school experience thus far. First, if you are considering graduate school, get to know the professors that teach courses you are interested in and conduct research in fields you’d like

to know more about. Seek these professors out; it is often up to you to make the first initial steps. Let them know you are interested in graduate school and would like to discuss how their work is influencing your own interests. Admittedly, initially approaching your professor may feel a bit intimidating, and you may feel like they will brush you off. The superior professor will always seek to aid a future scholar; many of them are eager to discuss their work and help others with their own.

Always remember, though, that professors tend to welcome inquiry. They know they assume the role of teacher and mentor. In fact, most professors really enjoy discussing the things they teach with students who are interested in the topic.

In my case, the professors who asked me about graduate school, like Dr. Amanpal Garcha, became important guides when I began my application process. After I began my college search, I would often stop by Dr. Garcha’s office to ask quick questions and directional advice. His willingness to help always seemed to motivate me to keep working towards the graduate admission application. So, for example, if you find yourself interested in a Latino literature course and want to learn more about it, let your professor know, and ask if there are any graduate school opportunities that focus on Latino literature or the like. In other words, don’t hesitate to approach your professor if you are really interested in expanding your knowledge base in the field of your interest.

Getting to know the field you are interested in can give you some perspective about potential universities or colleges you can begin to research and request information from. In keeping with our example, if you are interested in, say, Latino literature, go to a university’s English website and read over the department’s faculty biographies. In my case, my interests in Chicano literature and Mexican film led me to the biographies of Dr. Manuel Martinez and Dr. Frederick Aldama. These two professors became instrumental advisors once I began my application process. If when looking through a particular departments biographies you do not find anyone who shares your research interests, that particular university may not be the best fit for you because they will not be able to foster and expand your research interests.

When you do find a university with faculty who share your research interests, talk

www.quepasa.osu.edu

with your current professors about your findings and see what kinds of advice they might be able to offer. After you have narrowed your search down to the colleges you are interested in, you should start finding out what that college or university’s admissions criteria are and what materials will be needed to complete a graduate application. This information can usually be found by surfing the particular school’s graduate admissions website or by contacting a graduate admissions counselor. For example, looking at Ohio State University’s website (http://gradadmissions.osu.edu/) provides a useful example of what you might expect from other university graduate admissions sites.

While every university/college has different admissions criteria, most graduate applications require submission of some if not all of the following by a particular deadline (these, naturally, vary by college): • A completed Graduate Application to the university (costs will vary) • A personal statement that discusses your purpose for applying to graduate school, your research interests, and lists the faculty you hope to work with • A strong sample of related work (i.e. writing sample) • Three letters of Recommendation from recommenders who are familiar with your work • Official Transcripts from institutions you have attended • Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores Once you have acquired the necessary information regarding your graduate admissions application, it would be wise to create some sort of checklist for each college you apply to so that you do not mix up application materials.

Having talked about the role faculty members and the graduate application process, talking about the expectations of graduate school becomes the next topic of conversation. In discussing your area of research, it should be stated that if you pursue graduate work in a field you do not enjoy or are not comfortable with, the experience will suffer. Anticipating my first year, I became anxious about workloads, grading, and being able to “survive” in grad school. I anticipated all class conversations flying right over me as I struggled to stay afloat. Once graduate school began, I found that the workloads

were manageable and my classes dealt with topics that I was genuinely interested in. I wasn’t the only graduate student at Ohio State, clearly, and, after befriending individuals within my department, I became part of a graduate support group that made the transition into graduate school much more enjoyable. The graduate support group, I found, became an invaluable resource—a second family of support, of sorts. Although my family back home agreed with my decision to attend graduate school, the classmates I befriended were there to support my progress.

Going back for more education may not always seem like the best idea for someone on the outside the academic world looking in. Many students think that after they obtain their bachelors degree they need to start making money as soon as possible. For some students taking some time away from college may be a necessity given particular circumstances.

You may wish to save up some money, or have begun a family. Perhaps you need to spend time with your already existing families. Whatever the reason, remember that once you have completed your undergraduate degree walking away from college for a spell will not eternally shut the doors to graduate school. In fact, once you obtain your degree, graduate school should always be seen as an option. And while going back to school to pursue a graduate degree may delay an increase an income, it can open the doors to many more opportunities.

Admittedly, I consider myself a student who never thought about going to graduate school for the aforementioned reasons, but after working with some professors, and checking out universities all over the country, I entered a place that has met all of my expectations. As a graduate student at Ohio State I have found a faculty group that is willing to work with me and a support group that I have learned to rely on—one that has learned can rely on me.

If for some reason you have not thought about graduate school or maybe felt that it is not your place (as I did), I urge you to explore the possibility of it before shutting the door. As I am in the midst of my own graduate career, I can honestly say that my graduate school experience made me grateful that I was led to this decision. My hope is that some of you will also take a chance on graduate school.

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Student Corner Adrian Huerta Leaves His Mark at OSU By ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Staff OSU alumnus Adrian Huerta is part of a vanguard of scholars researching Latino male participation in higher education. As he prepares for doctoral study, Adrian shares his thoughts about the Latino education experience.

QP What is the status of Latinos in post-secondary education?

AH Each underrepresented racial and ethnic group experiences different challenges in accessing and succeeding in higher education. The Latino postsecondary graduation rate hovers around fifty percent. Challenges of degree completion can be attributed to multiple factors for first-generation and low-income Latinos including campus climate, cultural isolation, financial aid knowledge, and peer support.

Nationally, one in two Latino students uses community college as the primary gateway to higher education, however less than fifteen percent actually transfer to a fouryear institution. So while Latinos begin their postsecondary education at community colleges, this can create another layer of barriers related to transfer. These institutions offer open-access, cheaper cost, and proximity to residence, so it’s hard to ignore their potential to impact Latino higher education trajectories. In the Midwest, the absence of a concentrated Latino middle class can impact the ability to advocate for Latino issues and education. Latinos care about education. But some do not have the social and cultural capital to articulate their needs or the ability to demand better opportunities for their children. We need more Latino teachers, school counselors, university and college administrators who can assist students in their educational pursuits.

QP What does research on Latino males tell us?

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AH Previous research has documented the general academic and social experiences of students of color in postsecondary education. In the mid 1970s, Latino male college enrollment began to decline after significant increases in the 1960s and early 1970s.

This decrease was documented as early as the 1990s, however scholars did not isolate the voice of Latino males to understand their successes and trials to reach higher education until the last fifteen years. If we don’t understand how Latino males are navigating the educational pipeline, it will be difficult to support their development and academic success. Current literature suggests Latino males lack access to financial aid information, college preparation programs and academic resources, and feel pressure to leave high school to support their families, and/or join the military. One of the major factors to account for is the continuous growth of the Latino community across the US. In the past, Latinos primarily were concentrated on the West Coast and Southwest, and now have moved to the East Coast and Midwest.

These changes in migration patterns have really transformed traditionally White and Black communities with respect to education, economics, social services, and local governments.

QP How would you describe your own experience at OSU? AH I was the only Latino in my graduate program, and I definitely experienced social and cultural isolation. Being the only Latino caused me to reevaluate my sense of who I am; I felt pressure to represent Latinos in a positive way. My mentors helped me process this experience: Dr. Jose Villa, Dr. D’Andra Mull, Dr. Frederick Luis Aldama, Norm Caban, my faculty advisor Dr. Tatiana Suspitsyna, and others too. When I met a few Latino males from the West Coast and Southwest, we connected instantly because we were in a culturally and geographically different environment from

home. We all traveled from different places with a shared goal—to graduate and represent the Latino community. Though it was challenging being at Ohio State, in the end I am grateful that I joined the Buckeye family.

QP You helped to establish SUR, an OSU group that continues to meet today. What is SUR? AH Strength, Unity, and Respect (SUR) was a collective idea between Alberto Pereda, a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science, Jose Delgado, a medical student, and me.

We recognized a need for a network of students, staff, and faculty that share a philosophy of support and brotherhood. Our major ambition was to challenge the lack of campus involvement of Latino males, so we established an academic community where undergraduates, graduate, and professional students could build relationships and provide support to promote Latino academic success. Although college can seem like an individual experience, it’s not.

You have friends, mentors, student affairs professionals, and faculty who help shape your experiences and satisfaction at the university.

QP What are your near-term and longer-term goals for your scholarship and your career?

AH My goals have become very focused in the last few months. I will begin doctoral studies in Higher Education and Organizational Change at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) this fall.

During my time at UCLA, I will continue researching Latino males and their experiences in the postsecondary pipeline.

My hopes are to build my scholarship to develop programs to increase Latino male four-year enrollment and graduation rates.

Long-term, I would like to pursue a tenuretrack faculty position at a research university to continue studying Latino males until this community reaches social and educational parity.

Conceptions of the Sacred A Symposium on Religious Crossings in Literature, Art and Practice

By Christopher Gonzalez On April 28-29, 2011, OSU will host a symposium titled “Religious Crossings in Literature, Art and Practice,” sponsored

by Latino and Latin American Space for Enrichment and Research—LASER (OSU Office of Diversity and Inclusion); Latino/a Studies at OSU; Department of Comparative Studies; Center for the Study of Religion; Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; Multicultural Center; Diversity and Identity Studies Collective— DISCO; Asian American Studies Program; American Indian Studies Program; English Department; Department of African and African American Studies; Center for Folklore Studies; and the Ohio Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

QP caught up with Theresa Delgadillo, Assistant Professor in the Department of Comparative Studies in Humanities, who has been the organizing force behind the symposium, and some of the invited participants, including Leslie Wingard, Assistant Professor of English at the College of Wooster; David Delgado Shorter, Associate Professor of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA; and Jane Iwamura, Assistant Professor of American and Ethnic Studies at USC.

Delgadillo This symposium offers an opportunity to achieve two things that have either rarely or never occurred at OSU, and that will benefit Ohioans in unique ways. The first is the realization of a public symposium, open to all Ohio students, faculty and staff as well as Ohioans generally, dedicated to exploring conceptions of the sacred in Latino/a, Asian American, African American and American Indian texts and contexts. A second important benefit of this program is the opportunity to create collaborations both on the OSU campus and between the OSU campus and Ohio communities.

Iwamura The spiritual heart of a people can be best found in their cultural production and creative work. The scholars that will assemble for this symposium give voice to the unique and significant religious visions of the world that are found in art, literature, and film. Wingard: I'm most interested in focusing on 20th and 21st century African-American fiction writers, and complementary filmmakers, musicians, and visual artists, who purposely break religion from sexuality or religion from progressive politics in order to then mend the two.

QP: What is the aim of the symposium?

QP What might someone interested in attending the symposium expect?

Delgadillo We hope to inspire, prompt and provoke participants—speakers and audience alike—to consider the contemporary and historic crossings that shape and have shaped minority religiosities and that might connect different ethnic and local communities.. I think it will be of great interest to everyone, and especially students, don’t you think, David?

Delgado Shorter: Yes, as teachers, we are compelled to engage students where they are in their lives, and our classrooms are filled with individuals trying to better make sense of their world.

QP What else should people interested in attending know?

Delgadillo All events will be open to the public and offered free of charge. All events will take place in the OSU Student Union. People should also know that this event is made possible, in part, by a generous grant from the Ohio Humanities Council, which is a local affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Schedule of Events Thursday, April 28, 2011 at the Davis Interfaith Room, Ohio Union 10:15 a.m.

Leslie E. Wingard, The College of Wooster on “Sacred/Secular Spaces and Masculinity in Ernest Gaines’s ‘The Sky is Gray’ and Michael Roemer’s Nothing But a Man” Suzanne Silver, OSU Art, “Kafka in Space” 1:30 p.m.

Laura E. Perez, UC Berkeley on “The Politics of Spiritual and Aesthetic Alterities in Chicana Art” Queen Brooks, Columbus Artist on “Making Art with Spirit” 3:15 p.m.

Luís León, University of Denver on "Cesar Chavez as the Anti-Macho: Decolonizing Latino Masculinities" Judy Wu, OSU Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies on “Thich Nhat Hanh and the Antiwar Movement”

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Friday, April 29, 2011 at the MCC Meeting Room, Ohio Union 9:00 a.m.

David Delgado Shorter, UCLA on “Spirituality” and Colonialism: Moving Toward a Post-Cartesian Indigenous Studies” Chadwick Allen, OSU English on “The Process of Literary Text: Animating Indigenous Spiritual Connections” 10:45 a.m.

Jane Iwamura, University of Southern California on “American Dreams: Alternative Civil Religious Visions of Filmmakers of Color” Theresa Delgadillo, OSU Comparative Studies on“Documentary as Liturgy” 1:45 p.m.

Valerie Smith, Princeton University on “Trouble in Paradise” Simone Drake, OSU Africana and African American Studies on “Toward a Self-Love Ethic: Incestuous Desire and Transnational Belonging in Toni Morrison's Paradise”

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Full Throttle Passion for Fiction Fuels OSU Professor’s Research

By Christopher Gonzalez

MULTICULTURAL

Comics

FROM ZAP TO BLUE BEETLE

E D I T E D BY

FREDERICK LUIS ALDAMA FO R E WO R D BY

DEREK PARKER ROYAL

Frederick Luis Aldama, Arts and Humanities Distinguished Professor of English, has been on an impressive streak of publications in the last few years. In addition to mentoring OSU students, running the LASER program, and teaching the subjects he is so passionate about, Professor Aldama has kept busy by contributing to our understanding of how fiction works. But the inception for his productivity originates from his formative college years. “As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley,” Aldama explains, “I wanted to understand better how this the storytelling by and about Latinos worked. I was simply drawn to their narratives because of a strong identification with the characters and their settings.” It wasn’t long, however, before Aldama saw that the “theme and character approach” to literature, as he puts it, “left out much else that was happening in their fictional worlds.” In pursuit of accounting for what was being left out of his examination of fiction, Aldama wondered why he was so attracted to narrative fiction generally, and why, for instance, narratives seemingly had the power to move him in ways that mimicked real-life experiences.

Two research areas proved to be invaluable for Aldama’s research. Narratology (the study of structures and devices used by authors to engage and move

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their readers) as well as the advances in research in the cognitive- and neurosciences allowed Aldama to understand how Latino narrative fiction is what he calls “an idiosyncratic expression of our universal capacity to tell and consume stories.” Aldama describes the synthesis of these methodologies as they operate in his work: “For instance, in my book A User’s Guide to Postcolonial and Latino Borderland Fiction I show how fictional emotions can be studied on the basis of real world emotions (through neurobiology, cognitive science and developmental psychology) as well as narrative procedures and depictions of characters (through narratology). This opens up a deeper understanding of how fictional events together with narrative rhythm lead to emotional peaks (concerning fear, anger, happiness, love, and so on) and to the creation of a lasting mood by the story as a whole (energetic, calm, melancholic, etc.) in the reader.” Through the publication of eleven books, Aldama has built on his exploration of the nexus of narrative and cognition.

Two of Aldama’s most recent volumes, as well as a forthcoming book, further delve into this rich intersection between narrative, ethnic experience, and cognitive neuroscience. In Toward a Theory of Cognitive Acts (2010), Aldama brings together essays that explore recent findings in a multitude of disciplines— psychology, linguistics, evolutionary biology, and cognitive sciences—as a means of exploring literature, art, film, and music. Aldama’s work on Latino literature, comic books, and film “reminds us that we can learn much from the social and natural science disciplines—and perhaps they too can learn from our work—in the building of knowledge about ourselves and about the world we create and inhabit.” Building on the momentum generated by his 2009 book Your Brain on Latino Comics, Aldama’s Multicultural Comics: From Zap to Blue Beetle (2010) collects essays that explore the heretofore unexamined subject comic books by and about race and ethnic identity and experience.

Aldama’s newest project set for release later this year, Analyzing World Fiction: New Horizons in Narrative Theory (2011), now turns to narrative analysis of world fiction.

Aldama wonders, “How is it that authors like Salman Rushdie, Zora Neale Hurston, R.K. Narayan, Maxine Hong Kingston and directors like Alfonso Cuarón and Yash Chopra can craft compelling stories and complex fictional lives and minds that intrigue and deeply satisfy readers the world over?” These are particularly salient questions in a world that continues to insist that we are global consumers—and in this case, we think of the global consumption of fiction in all of its forms. Analyzing World Fiction brings together the work of fifteen internationally renowned scholars that surveys fiction from heritages of the African-, Filipino- and Asian- Americas, French-Algeria, China, South Asian India, Mexico, and Afro Caribbean.

Upcoming projects for Aldama include a history of Latino literature and an investigation of Hispanic Pop Culture (coauthored with Ilan Stavans). And now, after years and years of writing about fiction, Aldama has been “sitting on the other side of the table, actually writing fiction.” What type of fiction moves such a thinker to conjure his own narratives?

“Mostly flash fiction (250 words or less).”

For Aldama, the decision was a natural one. “It's putting into practice what I've always known from other authors and their work: taking the building blocks of reality and using devices such as temporal play and point of view as well as style (syntax, word choice, sentence rhythm) to reorganize this reality. I recently finished one that takes on the perspective of a young girl who can read—before she can talk.” Ultimately, Professor Aldama’s work on Latino literature, comic books, and film reminds us that we can learn much from the social and natural science disciplines—and perhaps they too can learn from this work—in the building of knowledge about ourselves and about the world we create and inhabit.

Latinas in Ohio Third Dialogue of Latinas in Ohio Held at OSU

By Lorena Mora-Mowry

Latina women came from different areas of Columbus to meet at the third dialogue for Latinas in Ohio on March 12 at the Multicultural Center at Ohio State University. This dialogue is part of “Latinas in Ohio: Facing Challenges and Taking Action,” a community-based program which offers a secure space where Latinas can share their experiences, acknowledge the obstacles they face, take action and identify leaders.

Jacqueline Rioja-Velarde, Sandra López, Dr. Eréndira López-García and Lorena Mora-Mowry were inspired to create “Latinas in Ohio: Facing

www.quepasa.osu.edu

Challenges and Taking Action” after seeing many Latinas living isolated, whether professionally or socially.

This initiative has several objectives, namely, (1) to facilitate the building of a community with common needs, (2) create a space for the dialogue to share experiences, (3) identify challenges, (4) assist in the creation of a plan of action to address the challenges, (5) identify leaders, (6) give support to find other ways to help the community, and (7) to connect Latinas in Ohio.

Dr. Eréndira López-García, Psychologist and Associated Director of

Psychological Services and the Training Clinic at Wright State University in Dayton, says, “These meetings are of the most importance because they weave a net of connections that work to listen, support and help the Latinas in Ohio. If we don’t know who we are we will continue to be isolated and our voices will continue to be weak.”

This program has been presented at Miami University in Oxford, Su Casa Hispanic Center in Cincinnati, and has connected Latinas in Dayton, Columbus, Kent, Oxford, and Cincinnati.

Latinas have the ability to overcome, are proud of traditions, but also are women who are breaking cultural barriers. They would like to be understood, and they are looking for economic, emotional and motivational independence. “Knowing who we are, sharing our challenges and reflecting our life experiences are a treasure that makes this a unique experience of being Latina/Hispanic women in Ohio,” says Dr. Eréndira.

“Latinas in Ohio: Facing Challenges and Taking Action” has two phases. In the first phase, the women recognize who they are, what challenges they face, and what unites them. In the second phase, it is determined what actions to take and the identification of leaders to carry out the action decided best for the group.

Approximately forty Latinas in Columbus participated in the first phase of the program “Latinas in Ohio: Facing Challenges and Taking Action,” and in June the second phase of the initiative will help them to overcome the challenges that they face in their everyday lives.

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OSU Student Portraits Latin American Students and Their Research

By Joselyn Del Pilar and Susana Del Ro Kuroiwa

I'm Joselyn Del Pilar. I was born in Puerto Rico and finished my B.S. in Chemistry in the University of Puerto Rico. Currently I am a graduate student at The Ohio State University in the chemistry department and this summer I defend my Masters thesis. My project consist of mimicking photosynthesis in order to produce hydrogen which could be later used as an alternative fuel. Plants use the sun to brake water into oxygen and hydrogen molecules that aid in the production of sugars (plant's food). In our lab we

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use a chemical that absorbs the light and transforms water into hydrogen and oxygen. However this process is really hard and to aid in the conversion a molecule called a catalyst is needed. The catalyst facilitates the process and even makes it faster. My job is to create that catalyst. Research has been a really important and regarding part of my life because I get to make a difference in the world. It also allows me to be creative and to experience something new everyday.

My name is Susana Del Rio Kuroiwa. I am from Lima, Peru, where I have lived until coming here to Ohio State. I am a MFA candidate at The Ohio State University’s Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD) and the Design Department. Currently, I am in the third year of the Digital Animation and Interactive Media (DAIM) program.

In my thesis project, I am creating a 3D computer animated Peruvian retablo. A retablo is a folk art craft, which incorporates Andean practices and traditions. Retablo contains hand-crafted dolls made of plaster, flour, and potato.

www.quepasa.osu.edu

My 3D virtual models and textures are inspired by this particular art style. In my retablo design the figures perform Peruvian dances and everyday events displaying their potato-plaster nature through the quality of their movements. I am using motion capture technique to animate these figures. This technique consists of capturing the performers' movements and mapping their motion into my virtual characters.

In Spanish the artisans that create retablos are called “retablistas”. As part of the study, I am also doing a video documentary consisting of interviews in Spanish I conducted with Peruvian retablistas in Peru.

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The Socialization of Sports in Latin America Basketball and Culture in Oaxaca, Mexico and Los Angeles, California

By Bernardo Ramirez Rios Industrial Revolution saw them and other European countries who had not previously been active in Central and Southern America move into these southern regions as part of their economic expansion of the Atlantic region.

Germany secured the coffee trade in Guatemala 1891 and US companies took possession of the sugar industry in Cuba around 1898. Their interests were not singularly focused on economics and their presence had a profound cultural affect throughout the region.

In Oaxaca, Mexico basketball encompasses sport and culture. In Los Angeles, Increased trade California older men compete at the highest level to bring victory to their family, associated with friends, and town. The minimum age in the Veterans division in Oaxacan the growth of capibasketball is 40 years old. Men play until they can’t play anymore. talism resulted in Photograph by Bernardo Ramirez Rios. continuing waves of immigrants Contemporary sport in Latin America is from these countries, primarily from the reflective of the intense economic inter- middle and upper classes. As Europeans actions of the nineteenth century with formed new communities that resembled Europe and the United States. In the nine- their home countries, they sought ways teenth century Great Britain played a sig- to not only create a piece of home but nificant role in the introduction of several also to differentiate themselves from the contemporary sport pastimes when they local people through particular cultural introduced cricket, rugby, soccer, polo, practices such as sport. European athletic fencing, rowing, cycling, and gymnastics clubs in Latin America were designed into Latin America and forged the founda- to promote cultural values and create tion for competitive sportsmanship. The solidarity among the non-Latin American introduction and development of these populace. Later, European socialized sports closely mirrored the growth of sport sports were used to assimilate the local in Europe and served as a point of identi- populations to Western notions of culture, fication for European immigrants who felt but local communities adopted the new displaced from their home country. While sports and incorporated them within their Great Britain was not an early actor in the own cultural practices. colonization of Latin America, the The game of soccer was the most

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popular sport played during the nineteenth century in Latin America; however, the rise of athletic clubs and youth sports participation in schools did not reach commanding heights until the early twentieth century. Traditionally, sports were used in the schools as a main focus to tie the European youth together and distinguish their cultural values from local populations in Latin America. J.A. Mangan contends that for Latin America, as with the rest of the world, the core of modern sport innovation was principally England, but the United States and France also brought large influences of sport and culture into Latin America. Therefore, socialized sport as an assimilation tool was used by dominating European populations during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but rather than assimilation local populations enculturated European socialized sports into rich cultural traditions that distinguished them from the dominating class.

The empowering capability of European socialized sport is representative in both uses of sport by European and Latin American populations.

By the twentieth century, European sports entering Latin America were displaying characteristics that are associated with the evolving cultural values from which they were derived. This is conveyed by the beliefs of some Latin American politicians and policy makers that imported sports could serve as a behavioral teaching mechanism for the advancement and modernization in their societies; although amateur sports were preferred over professional forms, they could become symbols that the selected groups were achieving new levels of sophistication and status. The relationship of sport as a tool for behavioral modification was not new in the twentieth century; in fact early Spanish efforts to suppress Mesoamerican ball games was a result of the games’ tie to cultural values. Joseph L. Arbena has argued that “The North American influence on sports and physical culture in Latin America can be understood only in this wider context of an already ongoing process of dissemination, assimilation and adaptation that had its origins to a large

www.quepasa.osu.edu

schools and teachers and allocated more than 45 million acres of land back to the peasantry. Cardenas formed the “Ministry of Education” that directed the numerous re-development projects in the state; “The four Ministers of Education in the period (José Manuel Puig Casauranc, 1931; Narciso Bassols, 1931-4; Ignacio García Téllez, 1935; and Gonzalo Vázquez Vela, 1935-40) consistently advocated expansion and reform of urban secondary and technical schools.” With the new allowance of funds many rural areas began to see the construction of basketball courts in their communities. For the southern states of Mexico, Guerrero, Puebla, Chiapas, and Oaxaca, whose rugged topography prevented large soccer fields, basketball courts were constructed even in the most isolated places. The game of basketball was a tool used in the national development process to improve a national identity.

Basketball has remained a stable part of a growing national identity; however, rural communities have transformed basketball into a sport illustrated by community and culture. This representation can be seen through migration and transmigration patterns where basketball is used as an instrument to promote, enhance, and reestablish Oaxaqueño identity.

Basketball was brought to the state of Oaxaca in the 1930s as part of the physical fitness campaign of the larger Mexican state. Many courts were made of dirt, the balls were constructed of deerskin, and the baskets were nailed to posts to form a goal.

The rules of basketball were not communicated well and remained unclear but that did not stop the progression of basketball from being appropriated by indigenous and poor communities, quickly becoming a native ball game. The meaning of basketball to the people of Oaxaca is very different from the interpretations and meaning of basketball in the US. As a matter of fact, the idea surrounding the constructions of basketball in Oaxaca is very different from the historical juggernaut of soccer. The meaning and understanding of basketball in the Oaxacan sense is a mirror of cultural and social understanding of life, as one player puts it, “it’s the quintessential tie to our communities and people.” The game of basketball is a social mechanism used to bring together members of a community.

The movement of basketball into migrant communities in the US creates cultural continuity that symbolically and literally bridges Oaxaca with the US. For

many immigrants in the United States, the ties to family and community remain a primary focus and serve as the guiding force despite geographic distance. There is a large Oaxacan population in Los Angeles, California and many of these immigrants turn to basketball to maintain ties with their people and community. There are Oaxacan basketball tournaments nearly every weekend in the Los Angeles region, where fifteen to sixty teams compete in a tournament. In addition, many of the teams that participate in tournaments are based around members of distinct villages in the Oaxaca region and many tournaments are designed to provide financial support to the affiliated villages. More tournaments are developed every year and the proceeds from these tournaments comprise a large portion of the economic stability to rural villages in Oaxaca. Hence, basketball for many Oaxacan players represents ties to a community or village and the chance to show their pride for their community.

In closing, the basketball court has set new boundaries and continues to represent the people of Oaxaca within a spatial association to the game. The space occupied by the community, players, and family participating in the Oaxacan tournaments in Los Angeles share a unified space; this space and the moment it is occupied is representative of the way in which space is used in Oaxaca with regards to basketball and the functionality of tournaments. Spatial identity continues to remain a vital part of the sport of basketball for Oaxaqueños. The basketball court and all its surroundings represent what it means to be Oaxaqueño. The game of basketball in the US may not constitute the same cultural values as the game played in Oaxaca. Oaxacan basketball is a representation of culture, deporte es cultural (sport is culture). The game encompasses religion, politics, economics, family, and community amongst other social characteristics. For Oaxacan’s the game of basketball is their game, played their way.

Folklore Series

extent in Britain and its empire.”

The North American sport that historically has had the greatest impact on Latin America over the longest period of time is baseball. The game of baseball is derived from the English stick ball games, and the playing of baseball hit rapid growth in the mid-nineteenth century. However, it was not until the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that the game of baseball began to gain wide spread recognition in Latin America. The impact of baseball is best illustrated in Cuba where the sport became a symbol to differentiate native Cubans from Spanish heritage and to admire the political, technological, and economic advancements of the United States. The 2010 major league season began with Latinos accounting for over twenty percent of the rosters and the numbers continue to grow every year.

The adoption of baseball in Latin America, however, is more of an expression of transcultural diffusion rather than cultural imperialism or colonialism.

The evolution of modern sport in Latin America has been intertwined with European and American influence, and the modern sport of soccer holds a history of early European influence not only in Latin America but also around the globe. In fact, the World Cup soccer championship is held every four years and remains the only professional sports competition that yields a true world champion. However, the introduction of soccer was an early European influence and the launch of baseball was purely a North American objective, but another sport that has continued to gain recognition and attention in Latin America is basketball. Basketball is the new pastime of North America and the continued exposure of basketball across the globe has influenced many countries to begin basketball traditions. In fact, as of the 2011 season, the National Basketball League (NBA) contained eighty-four players from thirty-eight countries (N.B.A 2011). With the continued growth of basketball in the US the attention in basketball has gained wide interest in other parts of the world as well. Only one player (Eduardo Najera of the Charlotte Bobcats) from Mexico is represented in the NBA, but the sport continues to gain interest in Mexico and its corresponding Latino communities in the US. In the early parts of the Mexican revolution there were many rural development projects. President Lazaro Cardenas (1934-40) increased the number of rural

For a version with full citations, please see the online version of this article.

Portions of this article were taken from my book Torneo Transnacional: Shooting Hoops in Oaxacalifornia, PAST Foundation 2008. For more information on Oaxacan basketball, please visit my website oaxacaliforniahoops.com.

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Tourist Invasions An Examination of Land Conflicts in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago of Panama

By Gayatri Thampy

Bocas del Toro

The tourism industry in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago on the Caribbean coast of Panama is nascent. But in its approximately twenty years of development, it has grown to be the dominant industry and major employer in the archipelago. Tourism development in Panama is part of a set of neo-liberal market reforms that includes opening the local land market to global market forces in order to attract foreign investment and boost the development of the region. To

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estates in Bocas del Toro. This influx of elite retirees tagged on by transnational real estate companies and private realtors resulted in a scurry to grab as much land as possible to be sold at inflated prices to retirees looking for a cheaper retirement plan.

In my dissertation project, I examine the legal, social, and political contexts of these land conflicts in order to understand the variation in how indigenous Ngöbe, Afro-Caribbean, and mestizo households in Bocas respond to similar situations. More specifically, I am interested in understanding how ethnicity and social capital influence the outcomes of these conflicts.

I first went to Bocas del Toro during the fall of 2005 to study howler monkeys.

It was easy to fall in love with these beautiful Caribbean islands and its people.

They reminded me so much of my own hometown in India. After my project with the howler monkeys was completed, I decided to stay back to learn Spanish.

This gave me an opportunity to talk to the local residents of the islands. During these Top photo taken from: Melville Bell Grosvenor, Editor. informal conversations over cups of chicha James M. Darley, Cheif Cartographer. Ralph E. McAleer, and plates of arroz y pollo con salsa at the Assistant Cheif Cartographer. Wellman Chamberlin, local restaurants, I realized that the benefits Carographic Engineer. National Geographic Globe, Washington, D.C., The National Geographic Society, 1961. of tourism were irregularly distributed across the archipelago. People were concerned about loss of land due to tourism.

Lower photo taken from: Instituto Geográfico Nacional The opinions that they expressed were Tommy Guardia. República de Panamá. Síntesis poignantly emotional. Land is a producGeográfica. Edicíon 2. tive resource and is an important source of Apartado, Panamá: Universidad de Panamá. subsistence to a substantial section of the population of Bocas del Toro. Loss of land this end, since 2000, the Panamanian gov- for a sub-section of a region’s population ernment has been trying to enact a series of can have profound impacts on the society laws aimed at parcelling and titling land in as a whole. The poignancy and personal the archipelago. Prior to this, the islands did tragedies underlying many of the stories of not permit titles to land. One could have use land loss that I came across inspired my disrights or Derechos Posesorios, but not titles sertation project. I conducted ethnographic or titulos. interviews with Panamanian and expatriate The boom in “retirement tourism” residents, government officials, NGOs, and coupled with the land privatization indigenous leaders over an eleven month programs have resulted in numerous land period between 2006 and 2009. conflicts among resident Panamanians, One of the ubiquitous reasons for land immigrating expatriate populations, real conflicts is related to the way indigenous estate developers, and elite Panamanians. people practice subsistence agriculture.

“Residential tourism” refers to retirees, People practicing subsistence agriculture largely from the US and Europe, settling in Bocas del Toro have a patchy use of land. down in homes, condominiums, and large This means that portions of a property

Latino Studies Series

Interviewing some residents from one of the mangrove colonies in Bocas. These colonies are built on top of marsh land retrieved from cutting down coastal

mangrove trees. Some of these residents were displaced from their land in other parts of the archipelago. But the majority are immigrants from the Ngöbe Comarca or indigenous reservation who moved to Bocas in search of wage labor in the tourism industry. Photograph by Feliciano Santos.

may be fallow at various times in a year or between years and therefore does not look “tamed” to the western eye. For example, people may plant yams in one section, plantains a little further away, coconut trees down the hill from the house, or lime trees around the house. So all land used is not cleared away completely. Crops are planted alongside fallen trees and other debris—a method known as “slash-and-mulch.” This gives the land a more “foresty” look. To westerners who come looking for land, such land may “seem” uninhabited and forested, when in fact it is land being used for subsistence agriculture. Unscrupulous foreign investors use this to claim that land is not being used and usurp the land for development purposes. This is especially the case because the region does not have an inventory of the people residing on the land and the property that they use for various purposes.

In such cases, even if one did have rights of

www.quepasa.osu.edu

possession for the property, it is very difficult to prove one’s case to authorities because of lack of access to capital and legal resources and an incomplete understanding of their rights.

On the other hand, these ubiquitous land conflicts, territorial disputes and the visual and social impacts of Western concepts of property bounded by fences and walls with no rights of public passage have started to take a toll on both indigenous and nonindigenous ideologies of property in Bocas del Toro. Fences and walls have come to symbolize “tourism” for many Panamanian residents of the archipelago. Increasingly, these exclusive concepts of private property percolate the indigenous psyche, too.

Towards the end of my study, I found that more and more indigenous households in the archipelago either had rudimentary fences around their land or hoped to have one as soon as they could save some money.

Bocas del Toro is a small quaint place and

attracts tourists for just that reason. Many visitors have settled down and become residents of the region. However, the gaps between tourists, Ngöbes, Afro-Caribbeans, and Latinos are enormous, with each group living in their own bubble. Opinions of local people about tourism indicate enormous latent antagonism and a feeling of loss of identity and control over their lives.

Residents complain about lack of access to beaches and recount stories of how they have been intimidated by a resident, gunwielding expatriate because they happened to “trespass on their territory.” In addition to equity and social justice, integrated development is essential to prevent this antagonism from exploding. In order to do this, it is crucial that the government of Panama recognize the customary land tenure practices of the indigenous Ngöbe people in Bocas as has been done in countries such as Belize, Canada and Australia.

Spring Quarter 2011

19

COMPAS Comes to OSU Proposed OSU Ethics Center Plans Year-Long “Conversation” on Immigration

By Piers Turner In the autumn of 2009, the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Research awarded an Innovation Group Grant for the development of an OSU Center for Ethics and Human Values (ethicsandhumanvalues.osu. edu). As part of its effort to promote civil and informed debate on important social and political issues, and to bring together researchers and students from across the university, the nascent Center is planning a “year-long, university-wide conversation on immigration” during the 2011-2012 academic year.

This program—the first in a proposed series called “Conversations on Morality, Politics, and Society” (COMPAS)—will comprise two major conferences, six smaller academic events, and a host of coordinated activities organized by the Buckeye Book Community, the Undergraduate Colloquium series, the Wexner Center for the Arts, University Libraries, the Multicultural Center, and a number of other units.

Immigration’s importance as a contemporary social issue is rivaled only by its complexity. Public discourse on the topic, however, rarely reflects that complexity. The COMPAS organizers—Don Hubin and Piers Turner from Philosophy, and Eric MacGilvray and Michael Neblo from Political Science—argue that OSU can raise the level of that discourse dramatically by bringing an unusually wide range of experts into dialogue with each other, and with public officials, civic groups, students, and the general public.

The interlocking array of issues posed by immigration is practically pan-disciplinary—the planning committee alone includes professors from ten different departments—and its connections to a number of fundamental moral questions make this an ideal topic to kick off the COMPAS program.

The Immigration COMPAS has three main parts: a core academic program of conferences and smaller speaker events; a university outreach program to encourage and coordinate activities among a variety of university programs and units and to reach out to the

20

broader community; and an educational program.

Planning for the core academic program is well underway. The fall conference—“Immigration: What’s at Stake?”—will include panels on fundamental questions underlying the immigration debates, including the ethical, economic and cultural impact of immigration and the impact of immigration on Ohio and the Midwest.

External speakers will include George Borjas (Economics, Harvard), Mark Rosenzweig (Economics, Yale), and David Miller (Politics, Oxford), among others. The plenary speaker will be Jorge Castañeda, the Foreign Minister of Mexico from 2000-2003, and now Global Distinguished Professor of Politics and Latin American and Caribbean Studies at New York University. Faculty involved in planning the conference include Joyce Chen (Agricultural Economics), Jeffrey Cohen (Anthropology), and Richard Herrmann (Political Science).

For more information, contact Professor MacGilvray (macgilvray.2@polisci.osu. edu).

The six smaller academic events, which will occur at regular intervals over the course of the academic year, will cover a variety of topics proposed by faculty from History, English, Comparative Studies, Education, Sociology, Spanish & Portuguese, and Theatre. A second conference in the spring—“Immigration: What’s to be Done?”—will focus on practical and policy questions, and is expected to include a political figure of national prominence.

The academic outreach program is also developing quickly. The Buckeye Book Community is in the process of selecting a book on the topic of immigration as part of the First-Year Experience.

The coordinators of the Undergraduate Colloquium series, which puts on more than a dozen events each year, has also agreed to make immigration their unifying theme. Discussions with the University Library have raised the possibility of displaying immigrationrelated political cartoons from various

historical periods at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, as well as the creation of an audio archive program for OSU-related immigration stories. The Wexner Center for the Arts is planning a performance in the fall on the topic of nationalism and is pursuing the possibility of a film presentation related to immigration. The Multicultural Center is looking to involve student groups in imaginative ways. With the involvement of so many different units on campus, the Immigration COMPAS will be a truly campus-wide project.

The educational program is also largely in place. The linchpins of this program are the COMPAS-related courses, ASC 230 and ASC 230E (an honors embedded course). Each of these will qualify for GEC Arts & Humanities credit in the Cultures & Ideas category or, at the student’s choice, GEC Social Sciences credit in the Individuals & Groups category. Students interested in these courses are encouraged to contact Professor Neblo (neblo.1@polisci.osu. edu) for more information. The organizers also plan to fund a prize for undergraduate research on immigration in the year following the COMPAS program.

The Immigration COMPAS hopes to provide the basis for an intellectually rich and fruitful exchange, modeling the best of productive, civil discourse.

In addition to the Center for Ethics and Human Values Innovation Grant, the program is being supported by President Gordon Gee, Joseph Steinmetz (Executive Dean the College of Arts and Sciences), the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, Valerie Lee (Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion), the Institute for Collaborative Research and Public Humanities, the Initiative in Population Research, and the Department of Philosophy. Anyone who would like more information about the Immigration COMPAS events, or who would like to coordinate their own group’s activities with those events, should contact the organizers at immigration@osu.edu.

Technology and You How Online Communication is Affecting Your Relationships

By Bradley Okdie

Think of the last time you met someone new you found attractive in class for the first time. After gaining the courage to approach the person, your palms likely became damp as you hurriedly tried think of things to say. You were likely very aware of your appearance and were concerned about the impression you were making. Now imagine if this meeting were to happen online via instant messaging or email. What might differ?

What would stay the same? Would your appearance still concern you? Would you still feel rushed to find the appropriate words for the conversation?

The expansion of the Internet (wireless networks are found almost everywhere) has contributed to the drastic increase in the use of new media technology for interpersonal communication over the past decade.

The Internet has transformed from a means of finding information to another avenue of social communication. While there are a multitude of ways people communicate online (e.g., email, instant messenger), they all share common characteristics that make them different from traditional face-to-face (FtF) communication: 1) reduced importance of physical appearance and geographic distance, 2) increased control over the time and pace of the interaction, 3) and the feeling that one is anonymous.

www.quepasa.osu.edu

Research suggests that these differences affect how first impressions are formed and also increase our ability to control the impressions we leave on others. So, what do we use to form impressions of others online in the absence of physical appearance and nonverbal cues such as gestures and voice inflection? My research shows that people have greater difficulty coming up with topics to discuss but are be more accurate when forming impressions of others offline. People also like and feel more connected to others when interacting online. Therefore, forming impressions online is less accurate but also fosters liking and connectedness.

Communicating online allows people to present themselves more positively than they could in person.

For example, most people choose particular (often slimmer and younger) pictures to represent themselves online.

My recent research suggests that men may be more likely to engage in such behavior in online dating profiles. My colleagues and I asked single men and women to complete one questionnaire about their personality and other characteristics. One week later, the same students returned for a different study examining online dating. Students in this second study answered many of the same questions that were asked earlier. When filling out the questionnaires under the pretense of an online dating profile, men who were told they would meet a potential date online significantly enhanced their evaluations of their positive personality traits (e.g., kindness) and significantly decreased ratings of their negative personality traits (e.g., emotional reactivity). Additionally, men significantly enhanced their self-rated attractiveness when they thought they would be meeting a potential date online rather than FtF. When men thought they would meet a potential date FtF—providing less opportunity to self-enhance—they were significantly less likely engage in deceptive reporting of their characteristics. Women did not present themselves

differently across contexts. This research suggests that in a dating context, men are more likely to present themselves deceptively when they believe their first meeting with a date will be online rather than FtF. So where does this leave things? Is the Internet bad or good for meeting people for the first time? As people increasingly use new media technology to form and maintain interpersonal relationships, our need to understand the impact of these new media technologies also increases. Perhaps, using new technology to communicate is neither bad or good, but just different. Gaining a clear understanding of the differences between meeting people online or FtF should allow you to avoid pitfalls (e.g., inaccurate impressions) and capitalize on the benefits of online communication (e.g., greater connectedness).

So, the next time you send a Facebook friend request to someone you have not met offline, think about what might be different if it were a meeting in person.

I am honored and excited to join The Ohio State University academic community this Fall. As a social psychologist who conducts research on interpersonal relationships online and social influence online, I love working with undergraduates on research and believe that they are essential to building any successful research program. Specifically, when studying the effects of new technology such as email and Facebook, the students in my lab provide crucial insight into the use of these new technologies. Typically, I work with 10-15 undergraduate research assistants in my lab. They help me with most components of the research process: idea generation, research methodology, data analysis, and manuscript preparation.

Students who are interested in conducting research on new technology or social influence should feel free to contact me at Bradley.Okdie@gmail.com.

Spring Quarter 2011

21

Accessing Education Dalia Rodriguez Shares Life and Experiences with OSU Students

In the Community

By Francisco X. Gómez-Bellengé

22

As a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Professor Rodriguez felt a certain kind of loneliness and alienation. At the beginning of her second term there, a department administrator approached her with a surprised look on his face and noted that she was “still here.” After processing this unusual statement, Dr. Rodriguez realized it meant that this faculty member had expected her to fail academically and drop out after only one term, and that this expectation was due solely to her status as the only Latina graduate student in that department.

Syracuse University Associate Professor of Education Dalia Rodriguez addressed a group of nearly forty Ohio State students, faculty and staff Monday March 7, 2011 at the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center.

Her visit was sponsored by the Organization of Hispanic Faculty and Staff. Speaking from the heart, she spoke about the problems faced by Latinas in higher education, especially the isolation and low expectations experienced by her and her peers.

Dr. Rodriguez earned her PhD in Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2005.

She is associate professor of Cultural Foundations of Education at Syracuse University. When Dr. Rodriguez started at Syracuse, she was the only minority in her department. Since then, Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor has significantly increased the number of minority students and faculty at the

university. President Cantor says that “The people who represent our future talent base and competitive edge in the global knowledge economy are increasingly coming from groups with histories of exclusion.”

Professor Rodriguez is widely published and has presented at numerous conferences. Her research focuses on issues of access to education, racial inequality, and multicultural education. Most recently, she has published “Storytelling in the Field: Race, Method, and the Empowerment of Latina College Students (2010) and “The Usual Suspect: Negotiating White student Resistance and Teacher Authority in a Predominantly White Classroom” (2009), both in the journal Cultural Studies/Critical Methodologies.

In her research, Dr. Rodriguez speaks to students wherever they congregate, be it dorm rooms, sorority houses or the like.

They speak to her about what are called microagressions, personal experiences of discrimination that happen over the course of a day in or out of the classroom. For example, silence in the classroom can be misinterpreted by majority faculty as lack of engagement when it may be a sign of respect. Racialized looks can send the notso-subtle message that “you don’t belong here.” Low expectations can manifest themselves actively by students being told that “graduate school is too hard for you” or equally harmfully, not being told anything about your potential because you are seen as a Latina first, and not as the high-potential student you are.

To counter this, argues Dr. Rodriguez, informal support networks are more important that formal support services. A formal mentorship program is less effective than the development of personal relationships between students and faculty, or even between students themselves. Barajas and Pierce write of the importance of “cultural translators” that help students navigate a new and often intimidating, somewhat

hostile environment. Cultural translators teach students to survive in a majority environment without compromising themselves.

Policy, believes Dr. Rodriguez, must serve different purposes and be applied at different levels, from the state and national realm to the university, college and department level. Only with strong leadership at every level can conditions be made more favorable for Latinas and Latinos to succeed in college. There is an interdependence and synergy between the recruitment and retention of students of color and the recruitment and retention of faculty of color. Faculty also need to be advocates for students of color. Mentorships help students develop a positive sense of self and are particularly important for graduate students.

The dissemination of information is crucial, especially for first generation students.

For example, it is important to know the unwritten rules of the university, campus, or department that, when unheeded, can lead to failure. Culturally-specific resource guides are crucial; these should guide new students to support services, cultural centers, and other resources. Racial/ethnic themed housing options can also serve an important purpose but are rare in U.S. universities. Many institutional supports for minority students are based on old models from the 1970s and 1980s and need to be replaced by more comprehensive K-16 consortia.

Finally, Dr. Rodriguez spoke about our nation’s future challenges and cited some worrisome statistics.

Although Latinos/as are the fastestgrowing demographic group, they have the lowest educational attainment of all racial and ethnic groups; only 26% of Chicano/a elementary students go on to college. Only 23% of Latinos/as who enroll in college earn a degree within ten years of graduating from high school. Currently, there is no consistent policy to respond to these demographic changes. Our nation needs to develop proactive, measurable policies that will address these challenges.

Poemas de John M. Bennett de su libro inédito, CaraaraC

Exámen excordio me siento y me siento con una flor niquelada es la excisión de mi ejercicio exangüe ,placa inodora de mi cara en olvido que se me acuerda y miro por una ventana pájara ,extinta y cloriformada como mis pilas excesivas .así que extendo la pierna hacia el exordio ,el exánimo ,la exencia de mis días que circ ulan un lago ,un vaivén de ex insistencia de exhumación circular

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~iii~ ce ec iiiiiii

La Espera sobre mi brazo un foco sobre mi cabeza una lista sobre mis rodillas una billetera de piel sobre mis costillas el aire sobre el dedo de mi pie el mentón de la luz sobre mi pluma los motes de polvo de lo que pensé ayer sobre la cloaca de mi pierna una culebra sueña con cóatl sobre mi mano un libro desmoronándose y sobre mi pulgar la tinta roja de la convalescencia sobre mi cogote una cabeza llena de la nada que es el día detallado de calles y comidas de la voz de mi mujer de la ventana que se abre y se cierra en un ritmo sincopado y cada vez más lento sobre mis dientes una moneda que brilla como piedra

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Ó no era )no(

www.quepasa.osu.edu

Creative Corner

Poems by John M. Bennett

Spring Quarter 2011

23

A Vision for the Future Valerie B. Lee Leads Office of Diversity and Inclusion

One-on-One

By ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Staff

24

In November of 2010, Dr. Valerie B. Lee was appointed Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Ohio State University.

She brings intellectual and administrative acumen to carry forward the forty-year legacy of the Office of Minority Affairs, now under an expanded vision of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

award, the Faculty Award for Distinguished University Service, Dr. Lee has advised nearly a hundred MA and PhD students and served on some fifty service committees, including the University Diversity Council, which she also chaired.

Outstanding Leader

Through her scholarship, teaching and administrative experience, Dr. Lee has cultivated multiple perspectives on academic excellence and diversity, observing that “Diversity as a term has become multilayered and as a concept is constantly evolving. Yet it remains heavily embedded in historical, cultural, and legal contexts.”

Pointing to demographic shifts, more complex and inclusive definitions, and a different legal climate than previous decades, Dr. Lee notes that our thinking about diversity extends beyond “minority” to embrace a broader vision represented by terms such as: access, equity, and inclusion.

Looking back to 1970, when the Office of Minority Affairs was created, the mission was to support minority students, faculty and staff at The Ohio State University.

Meanwhile, its programs and constituents have become far more expansive than the name implied. “The name, ‘Office of Minority Affairs,’ no longer fit with what we are, what we do, or what we can become,” explains Lee. “We want to be in a position to help set the national agenda for discussions about diversity and inclusion, but we had a name that limits that conversation.”

Scholar,

Teacher,

and

Dr. Lee is active in all areas of her profession: teaching, research, and serving the university with distinction in multiple roles. She holds a regular appointment of Professor of English, with courtesy appointments in the Department of African American and African Studies, the Department of Comparative Studies, the Department of Women’s Studies, the Center for Folklore Studies, and the Center for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy Studies. Recent book publications include Granny Midwives and Black Women Writers: Double-Dutched Readings and The Prentice Hall Anthology of African American Women’s Literature; and her numerous journal articles span areas of African American Literature, Multicultural Literatures, American Literature, Gender Studies, and Critical Race Theory. Dr. Lee has chaired the national organization for departments of English and is the co-editor of the book series on Black Performance, Literature, and Culture. Her scholarship extends beyond the academy walls, however, with her twenty-year tenure as Executive Director of Womanist Readers, a community group devoted to reading African American Literature and providing outreach activities to the larger Columbus community.

Dr. Lee honed her academic leadership skills as chair of two Ohio State departments: the Department of Women’s Studies and the Department of English, where she was the first woman and the first African American to hold the post. Recipient of Ohio State’s highest teaching award, the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching, as well as the university’s highest service

A Multi-Layered View of Diversity and Inclusion

On October 28, 2010, the Board of Trustees approved changing the name to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Lee assures the community, “We won’t stray from our core mission to serve the people of and celebrate the contributions of African Americans, Appalachians, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and Hispanic Americans.”

Programs will continue to emphasize the recruitment, retention, and timely graduation of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from these communities.

The new title is more inclusive, sending

a welcoming message to students who may face social and economic barriers in higher education, but who do not identify with the term “minority.” Participation and success of first-generation college students and the economically disadvantaged, of single parents and other non-traditional students all contribute to the vitality and academic excellence of OSU. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion advocates for educational access and success for all students regardless of their social or economic background, or disability status.

Collaboration is Key The new title also emphasizes the incorporation of diversity into the core of university life and into the mission of every campus unit. Thus, the role of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion not only provides services for underrepresented groups, it provides leadership to help all members of the university advance educational excellence through diversity. Dr. Lee views partnerships as paramount to this work, noting that the Office cannot effectively implement its mission without working with a number of units and programs across the university.

A prime example of collaboration is the Latino and Latin American Studies Space for Enrichment and Research (LASER), a forum that promotes research and exchange among faculty, students

and staff in the field of Latino and Latin American studies. Other examples of collaborative activity include: • co-sponsorship of major programs for a wide range of diverse groups, such as a journal on race published with the Kirwan Center, a Thanksgiving Dinner with International Affairs, and many lectures and workshops throughout the year; • coordination with Enrollment Management on scholarship criteria and delivery; • partnership with the academic units for recruitment and retention initiatives; • collaboration with the Graduate and Professional Schools for our annual visitation days and work with McNair Scholars; • coordination with the Columbus City Schools and the statewide urban districts for pre-collegiate pipeline programs; • co-sponsorship of many program with the Multicultural Center • partnership with the Office of International Affairs to establish an annual year-long internship for a recent graduate interested in the field of international education The Office of Diversity and Inclusion has also announced new programs that encourage research and academic activities addressing diversity themes.

The Faculty Fellows Program provides an opportunity for faculty who want their service tailored to their research or teaching interests in the areas of diversity, equity, and social justice. Fellows are supported for up to one year.

Diversity Research Grants will be awarded to faculty and graduate/professional students who are working on interdisciplinary research projects that have as their central focus such topics as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

Conference/Symposia Grants are available to support a conference or symposium that directly addresses issues of diversity and inclusion. Students, faculty, or staff sponsoring events are eligible to apply.

Education Abroad Scholarships will be awarded to graduate or professional students conducting research on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Undergraduate scholarships will

www.quepasa.osu.edu

be awarded to students who are enrolled in a university-approved program, and special consideration will be given to those students from underrepresented groups, and/or first-generation students going abroad for the first time to study, conduct research, or render service.

Program details and application information can be found online at odi.osu.edu/ new_initiatives.htm Building on Success In addition to its new initiatives and collaborations, Dr. Lee is committed to strengthening its unique and signature programs. She points to immediate goals focused on accountability and efficiency, “We are developing more robust recordkeeping and reporting practices to better understand the impact of our programs, and to communicate that impact regularly with our constituents.” Insisting on vigilance about how resources are used, Dr. Lee says, will ensure that the office operates in the most efficient manner possible: “We want to ensure that we adequately resource those areas that help us achieve our highest priorities, and eliminate expenses that are not strategic to our goals.”

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion will continue to support student access and academic success through its established programs. Pre-collegiate pipeline programs such as the Young Scholars Program and the Upward Bound Program develop diverse prospect pools for Ohio State, and major scholarship programs such as the Morrill Scholars Program and the Freshman Foundation Program put college in reach for many students who enhance the diversity of the university learning community. The Post-baccalaureate Preparation Program (PPP) (formerly the Mentoring Program) conducts programming to assist them in preparing for an appropriate postbaccalaureate option of either graduate school, professional school or direct entry into the workforce.

Several signature programs have achieved national recognition for the unique contributions they make to understanding or enhancing inclusion and diversity in higher education. The Todd Bell Resource Center for African American Males has demonstrated impressive results in retention and graduation rates.

African American males participating in

the center’s Early Arrival Program have a retention rate of 97.2%, surpassing that of non-participating African American males at 91.2%. The model has proved so successful that the Association of Public Land Grant Colleges and Universities has chosen partner with the Bell Center to establish and grow centers for underrepresented males nationwide.

The Frank W. Hale, Jr. Black Cultural Center has become one of the finest black cultural centers in the country, celebrating the contributions of African Americans in the world of arts, letters and science since its establishment in 1989. It is one of the few such university centers that houses social, cultural, and educational projects, with technology and smart classrooms making it a hub for intellectual engagement.

ACCESS Collaborative works to increase retention and graduation rates of low-income single parent students. The program coordinates university and community support services to meet parents’ needs as students and as heads of household. Students receive academic support through advising and tutoring and workshops addressing child development and nutrition; financial literacy; life skills; stress management and career development.

Diversity as a Hallmark of Academic Excellence Dr. Lee affirms that diversity enriches the educational experience, “A diverse learning environment encourages critical thinking and prepares students to be successful in an increasingly complex, pluralistic society.” She points to the university vision which embraces it as a core value.

Supporting this core value, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) is committed to promoting the diversity agenda across the university. As Dr. Lee observes, “Our longer term goals are focused on the broader university community. We strive to build capacity among academic and other service units to create a welcoming campus climate, one that nurtures the success of all members of the community, and that truly reflects the vibrant social, cultural and intellectual diversity of a global university.”

To learn more about programs and activities, readers are invited to visit the Office of Diversity and Inclusion online (odi.osu.edu) or on the third floor of the Student Academic Services building.

Spring Quarter 2011

25

Winter 2011 Graduates

Winter 2011 Graduates

Bachelor’s Degrees

26

Master's Degrees

Name

Citizen Degree

Major

Name

Citizen Degree

Major

Anastasi, Zachary

USA

BA

Sociology

Burbano Figueroa, Oscar

COL

MS

Plant Pathology

Black, Cacey

USA

BA

Political Science

Hauad, Veronica

USA

MA

Edu. Policy & Leadership

Bosque, Jocelyn

USA

BS

Human Dev & Fam. Science

Pineda, Colleen

USA

MPH

Biology

Browning, Crystal

USA

BA

English

Olivares, Joseph

PAN

MSTSWK

Psychology

Cagle, David

USA

BS

Mechanical Engineering

Puffenberger, Synthia

USA

MA

Psychology

Cardona, Christopher

USA

BA

Political Science

Casado, Liset

USA

BA

International Studies

Collazo, Ana

USA

BA

Psychology

Cruz, Kenny

USA

BS

Agriculture

Daleccio, Jackeline

USA

BS

Biology

Name

Citizen Degree

Major

Duarte, Ramiro

NIC

BSECE

Elec. & Comp. Engineering

Pomeranz, Marcelo

ARG

PHD

Horticulture & Crop Science

Flores, Alexander

USA

BS

Mechanical Engineering

Gonzalez Rivera, Melvin

PRI

PHD

Spanish & Portuguese

Garnica, Julia

USA

BS

Psychology

Leyva-Guerrero, Elisa

MEX

PHD

Plant, Cell & Mol. Biology

Goings, Charles

USA

BS

FamIly Res. Management

Gomez, Dalia

USA

BA

Anthropology

Guevara, Antonio

JPN

BA

Criminology

Guzman, Maria

PRI

BA

Art

Hernandez, Steven

USA

BS

Mechanical Engineering

Houston, James

USA

BS

Psychology

Irwin, Monique

USA

BA

Speech & Hearing

Jackson, Jessica

USA

BA

Communications

Krings, Jose

USA

BS

Civil Engineering

Lautar, Margaret

USA

BS

Industrial Engineering

Lopez, Grisel

USA

BS

Tech. Edu. & Train.

Lopez, Eric

USA

BS

Biology

Mejia, Andres

USA

BA

Aviation

Nicklas, Audrey

BRA

BA

Psychology

Pabon, Sergio

USA

BS

Molecular Gen.

Palacio, Irene

USA

BS

Industrial Engineering

Pera, Antonio

USA

BA

Communications

Plasencio, Lindsay

USA

BA

Aviation

Ramos, Jorge

USA

BS

Elec. & Comp. Engineering

Rebollar, Monica

USA

BS

Human Dev & Fam. Science

Reckziegel, Franz

USA

BS

Economics

Rodriguez, Jimi

USA

BS

Famly Res. Management

Shalash, Sahar

USA

BS

Social Work

Simon, Marysa

USA

BS

Psychology

Snyder, Lauren

USA

BA

Sociology

Soto, Jessica

USA

BA

English

Thomas, Erick

USA

BS

Mechanical Engineering

Ubach, Antonio

USA

BS

Computer Sci. & Engineering

Zamudio, Eva

PER

BS

Operations Management

TangoOSU offers lessons for beginners on Saturdays 7:30pm at Pomerene Hall 213and Wednesdays 7:30pm at Denney Hall 311.

Major event on the weekend of May 13-15.

For more information please visit http://tango.osu.edu and TangoOSU on facebook

Doctoral Degrees

Do you wish to learn how to Tango?

Katalina’s Café Corner For Breakfast or Lunch, Katalina’s Satisfies

By Michael J. Alarid, featuring La Gringa

www.quepasa.osu.edu

that she preferred the chorizo to be less pronounced. We were taken by the aroma that emanated from their homemade salsa, as we applied it generously to our tacos.

At last the Slow-Roasted Pork Tacos came: stuffed with pork and delicately topped with the fresh ingredients named above. The pork was clearly of the highest quality, tender, smoky, with a light hint of sweetness. We inquired and the manager informed us that the pork, along with many of the other ingredients, was supplied by Bluescreek Farm Meats from the North Market. The superior quality of the products at Katalina’s bears witness to the benefit of buying at North Market, a practice that more local restaurants should consider. We added salsa, tasted the ingredients separately, then together, and savored every bite of what we agreed was our favorite dish.

If there is anything to lament about Katalina’s, it may be that we are impatiently waiting for them to expand the Latino section of their menu. Indeed, Katalina’s Café Corner is already working on this: during the weekends they serve Huevos Rancheros, a popular item at Katalina’s. Indeed, the cooks at Katalina’s have creative license and are constantly trying new and special dishes on a weekly basis. For food lovers like me and La Gringa, this is exciting news that promises to lure us back for more.

Katalina’s Café Corner 1105 Pennsylvania Ave Columbus, OH 43201 Phone: (614) 294-2233

www.cafecornercolumbus.com

����� Rating System:

5 chiles = Exceptional 4 chiles = Very good 3 chiles = Average 2 chiles = Poor 1 chile = Very poor

$$$$$

Food Review

Not far from campus and situated on the corner of 3rd and Pennsylvania Ave sits Katalina’s Café Corner, a little restaurant that stresses its use of all natural and local ingredients. There are sandwiches, local coffees, and plenty of hearty breakfast items. But a closer reading of the menu will reveal big surprises for those on their first visit: there is an unmistakable Latino influence at Katalina’s permeating into many of the dishes. As one reads further, the developing section of traditional Latino items makes the influence more apparent. It is this section that attracted ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? to this establishment.

Indeed, our time at Katalina’s convinced us that for those who enjoy high quality Latino cuisine there is much to be excited about.

We entered Katalina’s and were greeted by a friendly staff: the restaurant itself is not large but it is clean and well decorated; additionally, there is plenty of outdoor seating to take advantage of on a fine spring day. Before ordering I noticed the presence of five different hot sauces, all well known among lovers of Latino cuisine. La Gringa was immediately drawn to the sandwiches, while I focused on the two different taco plates. After a short discussion with the manager we placed our order: I ordered the award winning breakfast tacos (chorizo, egg, secret hot sauce, salsa, avocado, and cheese, $10.75) and the Puebla BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheddar, mayo, and spicy espresso chili sauce on toasted 9-grain bread, $8.25); La Gringa ordered the Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos (corn tortillas with avocado, tomatoes, feta, onions, cilantro, mixed greens, chimichurri sauce, sour cream, and salsa, $9.95) and the Cuban Pressed “Mixto” (ham, turkey, dill pickles, Swiss

cheese, and brown mustard pressed on sourdough, $8.95).

The Puebla BLT came first: crispy bread and robust bacon with fresh vegetables that were full of flavor. The first bite was crisp, but as one continued the slow smoky taste of chipotle and mole filled the palate, giving a spicy touch on the back end. La Gringa sampled the sandwich and was struck by the sauce as well, so we promptly asked for a side sample. Tasted alone, this spicy espresso chili sauce had quite a bite. Though I do not like espresso, I slathered more on my sandwich half and told La Gringa that I should prefer it without the mayo, especially since I prefer spicier dishes. La Gringa disagreed, noting that the subtle spice better suited her tastes. Still, we both agreed that this was a sandwich we hoped to have again.

Next we were served the Cuban Pressed “Mixto” Sandwich, which La Gringa ordered with mustard on the side for my benefit. Served on sourdough instead of Cuban Bread, this Cubano is Katalina’s take on a traditional and tasty classic. My first taste convinced me of one thing: Katalina’s interpretation worked for me. What was most impressive to me was the high quality of the bread and meat, which was seared with care. La Gringa enjoyed it as well, though she was more impressed with the cheese than anything else. We agreed that the Cubano was very well balanced and betrayed the skill of the local cooks.

Finally the tacos arrived: I ordered my Breakfast Tacos two ways, one as they appear on the menu and the other two without egg. It was immediately clear that the cooks understood both the proper technique for making tacos and the ingredients needed to make them. The tortillas were heavy corn, while the chorizo was extremely flavorful and the avocado had the creamy texture one craves. I concluded that they must shop at the same local Mexican stores that I have been frequenting for many years. Indeed the Breakfast Tacos tasted as though they had been made by a member of my family. I told La Gringa that I preferred the tacos without the egg but she disagreed, saying

Spring Quarter 2011

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The Ohio State University Student Academic Services Building, 3rd Floor 281 West Lane Avenue Columbus, OH 43210-1132 www.quepasa.osu.edu

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