Hispanic Initiative Report

Hispanic Initiative Report
CASA Latina/o de OSU
Winter 2008
Points of interest:
• The University Housing
and Dining Services
present Sabor Latino April
23 at Arnold Dining Center
from 5-8 p.m. Come enjoy
food, music, and other
festivities representing
Latino culture. For more
info call 541-737-4771.
• OSU Kaleidoscope of
Colleges and Cultures will
be held April 25. Contact
the OSU Office of
Admissions at 541-7374411.
• This month is the OSU
César Chávez Tribute
Month. Contact 541-7373790 for more info.
• Catch the OSU Beavers
home baseball games on
the radio en Español on La
X radio network. 660 AM
Mid-Willamette Valley;
1450 AM ESPN Deportes
Eugene; 1040 AM
Portland; 890 AM Boise,
ID; and 98.7 FM Yakima,
WA.
• OSU has created a new
website dedicated to ¡Sí
Se Puede! and other
Latino events. Visit
sisepuede.oregonstate.edu
for more information.
Issue 4
OSU Represents at Latino Youth Conferences in
Southern Oregon and Willamette Valley
▪ OUTREACH & RECRUITMENT
O
regon State University representatives were busy
on the Latino conference circuit during the winter
term promoting OSU and higher education. Medford’s
Rogue Community College hosted the Un Mundo De
Oportunidades Conference February 15, which saw 300
mostly Latino students from southern Oregon attend.
While over 1,500 Latino students from around the Willamette Valley had a chance to attend the César
Chávez Latino Student Leadership Conference three
Christina Chávez (far left), keynotes the conference
weeks later at Western Oregon University in Monnamed in honor of her grandfather and legendary
mouth. Representatives from CASA Latina/o de OSU, farm worker union activist César Chávez.
the Office of Admissions, and the OSU College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) had the opportunity to meet and introduce the university’s services to
the respective conference participants in Medford and Monmouth.
Wendy Aleman, the OSU CAMP Outreach & Recruitment Coordinator attended the César Chávez event
and noted that literally hundreds of students visited the OSU informational booth during the college fair.
“It went really well [and] it was nice to interact with all the students. I got to meet incoming CAMP students which allowed me a chance to build a relationship with students, [which will] help them transition
into college,” Aleman said.
Students at both conferences were able to take advantage of workshops, keynote speakers, culturally
relevant presentations, and meet college representatives from around the state.
Chicana/o Latina/o Alumni Reunion 2008
▪ ALUMNI ACTIVITES
By David Molina
• College and high school
students should visit:
www.getcollegefunds.org/
ong.html to get more info
on the Oregon Opportunity
Grant.
For more information
regarding these points of
interest, please contact the
CASA Latina/o de OSU at
541-737-9031.
T
he OSU Chicana/o Latina/o Alumni held their second reunion that drew over 75 University officials, faculty, alumni, students, and civic leaders to celebrate faculty and alumni achievement and success in research, teaching, and leadership at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center in Corvallis, Oregon on February 23. Naturally, attendees weren’t just paying lip service to the cause of creating an endowed scholarship for Latinos at
OSU. A silent auction drummed up over $3,000 for undergraduate/graduate
scholarships. Philosophy Professor, Dr. Jose Antonio Orosco officially began the endowment campaign with a personal check of $500—with the goal
of raising $50,000 in order to award scholarships from interest earned.
Dr. Jose Antonio Orosco
The OSU Chicana/o Latina/o Alumni are an official affinity group of the
larger OSU Alumni Association. It is also the first affinity group of its kind.
If you are interested in joining or participating with the OSU Chicana/o
Latina/o Alumni contact Mealoha McFadden at
Mealoha.McFadden@oregonstate.edu or at 541-737-7847.
Hispanic Initiative Report
CASA Latina/o de OSU
OSU Spanish Language TV Commercials to
Air on Univision and Telemundo
▪ MEDIA
I
n an effort to have a continued presence in the Latino community Oregon State University will be airing its second flight of 30
second television advertisements on the Univision and Telemundo networks of the academic year. The commercial will only air
on Comcast Cable which carries both networks. In November and December OSU ran ads promoting the Latino outreach event
called ¡Sí Se Puede! held at Forest Grove High School.
This flight of commercials targets Spanish speaking parents and family members who
have children attending high school or community college who would like more information related to opportunities at Oregon State University. The ad features images of current
OSU students, faculty, and graduates in the workforce. OSU has increased its name recognition by strategically placing advertisements on prime time programming on both the
Telemundo and Univision networks.
The production of the ads are a collaborative effort among various campus units including
Enrollment Management, University Marketing, and the CASA Latina/o de OSU.
Meso-American Student Association Hosts Noche de Gala
▪ STUDENT EVENT
T
he students of the Oregon State University Meso-American Student Association (MASA) hosted its annual Noche de Gala event March 14. The theme
of the night was Estrellas: Nuestra Cultura Ayer, Hoy y Siempre. MASA honors
Latino culture and shares its diversity with the OSU campus and the surrounding
community.
The fashion show was the highlight of the night.
The food was great and the briefs on of the [icons]
was key to know who the people were and why
they were of such great importance.”
This year the students wanted to introduce the campus community to Latino icons
in popular culture here in the United States as well as those throughout Latin
America. The event was kicked off by honoring the Latino community’s diverse
heritage by recognizing the flags of the countries that comprise the Americas. Students then physically replicated the Latino icons in a fashion show wearing customary attire that modeled the personalities.
The evening also included a dinner, a keynote address delivered by OSU Alumnus
Lupe Martinez, and OSU’s senior Hiram Cervantes applied his skills as the DJ for
a dance which capped off the festivities. Some of the icons that appeared in the
presentations were Dora the Explorer, Selena, Chalino Sanchez, Frida Kahlo, and
Diego Rivera, to name a few.
Student Salvador Miramontes who attended the event said, “It was a great turnout.
Sonia Galan and Oman Meza portray Mexican icons
Frida Kahlo and El Chavo del Ocho at the Noche de
Gala event March 14.
(541)
737-7847
Hispanic Initiative Report
CASA Latina/o de OSU
Syndicated Cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz Center
of César Chávez Tribute Month at OSU
▪ UPCOMING EVENT
N
ationally syndicated political cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz will highlight the month dedicated to César Chávez at Oregon
State University. Alcaraz will visit the OSU campus April 9 where he will be hosted by the staff of
the Centro Cultural César Chávez (CCCC). The entire month of April is dedicated to the legendary farm
worker, activist, and union organizer César Chávez. The CCCC will pay homage to Chávez’ legacy with a
number of activities, speakers, workshops, and events.
Alcaraz will be on the OSU campus for a community brunch, a workshop regarding Latinos in the Media,
and conclude his visit with a keynote address in the Memorial Union Ballroom at 6 P.M.
For more information on this event and the César Chávez Tribute Month contact the CCCC at 541-737-3790.
The César Chávez Tribute Month Calendar
•
April 1
Candle Light Vigil MU Steps 8:30 PM
•
April 8
Architects Workshop at CCCC 6 PM
•
April 9
Lalo Alcaraz Keynote MU Ballroom 6 PM
•
April 11
•
April 14
•
April 18
Conference “I heard it in class” MU 10 AM
•
April 29
César’s Birthday Celebration CCCC 1 PM
•
April 30
Symposium at MU 206, 208, 211 12 PM
•
May 1
Day of Action at MU Quad 11 AM
Tribute Dinner at MU Ballroom 6 PM
Bilingual Voter Registration at CCCC
Hispanic Initiative Report
CASA Latina/o de OSU
S o m e T h o u g h t s o n O r e g o n ’s To u g h e r
S t a n c e o n U n d o c u m e n t e d I m m i g ra n t s
▪ MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
O
Contact Information:
Hispanic Initiative Report
CASA Latina/o de OSU
A150 Kerr Administration
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Or 97331
Tel: 541-737-9031
Fax: 541-737–7874
E-mail:
javier.cervantes@oregonstate.edu
www.oregonstate.edu/dept/casa/
regon Governor Ted Kulongoski signed into law an anti-immigration bill—HB
1080—which undercuts undocumented immigrant’s ability to posses a valid
driver’s license. Proponents argue that the law secures the homeland, while the reality
is that many in the Latino community in Oregon will be left in limbo, wondering how
they will survive now that they will be hindered in getting to and from work.
States, local governments, and state agencies around the nation are taking it upon
themselves to enforce federal immigration policy—or at least they are trying to. No
CASA Latina/o de OSU
one argues that there is a need for security in the homeland, but let’s get real, the
ramifications of this law puts us squarely on a slippery slope and precariously close to Director Javier Cervantes
having untrained state employees become de facto deputized immigration officers who could be seduced
into profiling a person based on appearance alone.
It is not far fetched to come to the conclusion that the passing of the tougher DMV regulations is only the
first salvo in an attempt to target undocumented populations in Oregon. Two other bills are in the works
geared at undocumented immigrants, if not Latinos altogether. One proposed bill would prohibit teaching
public school students in a language other than English for more than two years. English as a Second
Language students would have two years to learn English and then be placed in mainstream classes—that’s
the idea anyways. The second proposal allows state cooperation with immigration enforcement. In other
words, a state agency could not prohibit cooperation with federal immigration officials if ordered.
Laws like the restricted driver’s license or state identification has emboldened some lawmakers to put on a
full court press on a community that already has few to no rights at all. As a state employee in higher
education would I be required to turn in people because I suspect them of not having documents? The
thought of hearing a person ending a sentence in Ey, as in, “I am Canadian, Ey”— makes me shudder. I
ask myself, “Am I capable of racial profiling?” If these laws pass I may have to answer that question.
Dr. Martin Luther King had a
dream that his children would
one day not be judged by the
color of their skin but by the
content of their character. Can
undocumented immigrants
share in that dream?
Typically, I would not write of such things in this newsletter, but part of my job at Oregon State University
is to educate the community, the campus, and its constituents on the happenings within the Latino
community. This is a pressing issue that is not only impacting undocumented residents of the US, but also
the families of US Citizens and Permanent US Residents—many of which have been adversely impacted.
Some of our OSU student’s family members are impacted as well, which is creating a strain and an aura of
uncertainty for the future; as if Latino college students did not have enough to worry about already. Studies
have demonstrated that of the best prepared white and Latino college students at non-selective colleges and
universities, 81 percent of whites complete a bachelor's degree compared to 57 percent of Latinos. As the
Director of the CASA Latina/o de OSU I find family stresses and finances as root causes of Latino college
student attrition. Laws that target Latino families will only add to the stress and financial hardships of our
students at OSU, thusly a greater achievement gap increases.
The unfortunate reality is that our state is becoming more concerned about the appearance of who lives
where rather than how people contribute. Really, are we not judging people based on character; instead
we’re being forced to judge people on appearance. Remember it was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who had a
dream that his children would one day not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their
character?
I hope Oregonians realize what happens when we start to demonize a group of people. I hope a student
who does not speak English and wants to learn is given the time needed to learn the language well. I hope
that I am never put in a situation where I have to be a snitch for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement
department because I detect an accent in a person’s diction which leads me to be automatically suspicious.
Ultimately, I hope that common sense prevails.