Autumn 2012

Volume XX Number 1 Autumn 2012 A Community-Based Magazine About Latinos at Ohio State

Calling for Critical Change in Graduate STEM Career Education Challenging Latino Stereotypes Through Artifacts of Visual Culture A Counter-Narrative to Puerto Rican Nationalist Discourse Activism and Networking Opportunities are a Treasured Part of the OSU Experience Former Surgeon General Named Distinguished Professor in College of Nursing

RODRIGUEZ

“Solid 70” Detroit Musician Had to Get Out of Town to Get His Due 18

www.quepasa.osu.edu

At the Heart of Our University ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Grows, Learns, and Shines

Esquina del Editor

By Theresa Rojas, Editor, ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? and PhD Student, Department of English

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Fall is by far my favorite time of year.

Years ago, the changing colors and dynamic skies of the Midwest are what inspired me to start painting. I’m fascinated by autumn colors. As I hail from San Francisco, where the leaves are generally green, dark yellow, or brown, I have come to appreciate the beautiful reds, magentas, oranges, and varied shades of yellow that often combine into fractal patterns. How the leaves of a single tree can create the illusion of illumination intrigues me. As I walk around campus this time of year, I often think of how privileged we are to have such a beautiful space. I firmly believe that access to the growth of nature inspires the growth of ideas.

As I take the reins from my friend and colleague, Dr. Christopher Gonzalez, our campus bears witnesses to a number of exciting changes, including the beginning of semesters, the viral success of the Ohio State Marching Band’s tribute to video games, the “But For Ohio State” fundraising campaign, Presidential visits to campus, and our first-year Latino cohort.

We welcome our new Editorial Consultant, Indra Leyva who offers precious experience as Intercultural Specialist for the Multicultural Center. Once again, Emily Strouse serves as our photographer and designer. Now in her third year of service to the publication, Emily helps push ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? forward with new ideas and a keen eye. We are also grateful to have Yolanda Zepeda, Assistant Provost, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, who tirelessly serves as our advisor. We extend our hands to welcome our campuses and research centers around Ohio: ATI (Wooster), Lima, Mansfield, Marion, and Newark.

The pieces in this issue reflect work by students, faculty, staff, and affiliates—each of whom shares a proud investment in our community. As we continue to grow our online presence, we invite you to follow our Twitter feed @QuePasa_OSU and “Like” us on Facebook: facebook.com/QuePasaOSU. We also welcome posts to our tumblr: quepasaosu.tumblr.com.

Our cover story shares the unusual journey of Detroit musician Sixto Rodriguez, whose music and mythology inspired a

generation of South Africans in the 1970s.

The recent documentary Searching for Sugar Man (2012) unfolds the mystery of his “disappearance,” and the growing appreciation of his music.

Our student profile introduces biology major Anthony Wiggins, a California native whose enthusiastic work on ecosystems is shaping his junior year. In the community, we are in conversation with Luis Machado, Senior Vice President, Legal, for Limited Brands in Columbus.

The OSU Hispanic Oversight Committee shares their efforts and challenges in fulfilling the vision of the Hispanic Action Plan while Danielle Olden calls for activism as a critical part of the OSU experience. Julia Marcela Hernandez’s piece suggests the need for critical change in Graduate STEM career education while Amber Seira writes about her experience being linked into the SPHINX Senior Honorary. Our interview with Lilieana Cavanaugh, Executive Director of Ohio’s Hispanic/Latino Affairs plots a vision for the future of Latinos in our state.

Our piece on the traveling exhibit, "Mextasy" includes an overview of the month-long event and full color photos.

The overwhelming positive response to the color photos in the center of our Summer Special Issue has inspired us to continue this format. It also allows us to present our first-ever full color comic. The original piece is my own autobiographical work that was created for last year’s IMPACT exhibition, the inaugural show at the College of Arts and Sciences Swing Space Gallery in Columbus.

The exhibition was presented in conjunction with the international conference on immigration: “What’s at Stake?” As comics are increasingly studied as both artistic and literary form, scholarly contributors to the genre include OSU's own Frederick Luis Aldama, Jared Gardner, David Herman, and Jenny Robb, among others. Ohio State is fortunate and proud to house The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, “the largest and most comprehensive academic research facility documenting printed cartoon art.”

This issue also includes work by Delia Fernandez who writes of her successful

bid to bring the MALCS Summer Institute to Ohio State, and Judith Rodriguez who shares an excerpt from her award-winning essay “Queering La Jíbara: A CounterNarrative to Puerto Rican Nationalist Discourse.” We also congratulate the accomplishments of our OSU family and offer a number of research opportunities.

Our issue concludes with the list of Summer 2012 graduates and a food review of El Arepazo Latin Grill.

To be sure, I proudly follow those individuals who have shared their time, energy, and dedication to The Ohio State University Latino community as caretakers of this publication. It is with great honor and excitement that I begin my tenure as editor.

Con amor,

Theresa Rojas

Editor Theresa Rojas Designer & Photo Editor Emily Strouse Editorial Consultant Indra Leyva

Volume XX Number 1 Autumn 2012

Features

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Queering La Jíbara A Counter-Narrative to Puerto Rican Nationalist Discourse

By Judith Rodriguez Richard Carmona Former Surgeon General Named Distinguished Professor in College of Nursing

By Ronna Colilla OCHLA: Vision of Economic Recovery Lilleana Cavanaugh Leads Ohio Hispanic/ Latino Affairs By ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? staff

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Mextasy Challenging Latino Stereotypes Through Artifacts of Visual Culture

By Theresa Rojas Rodriguez “Solid 70” Detroit Musician Had to Get Out of Town to Get His Due

By Theresa Rojas Reforming Graduate Education Calling for Critical Change in Graduate STEM Career Education

By Julia Marcela Hernandez From Vision to Action LASER Experiences Exponential Growth in Three Short Years

By Frederick Luis Aldama

Sections

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Student Profile Anthony Wiggins The World Through OSU

By Theresa Rojas In the Community Luis Machado Seizing Opportunities

By Vanessa Wong Bringing MALCS to Ohio State Bid for Summer Institute Earns Professional and Personal Success

By Delia Fernandez Hispanic Oversight Committee Forging a 21st Century Hispanic Action Plan

By Lilia Fernandez & Francisco-Xavier Gómez-Bellengé Creative Corner Comic and Poetry

By Theresa Rojas & María Celeste Pérez Báez

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SPHINX Senior Honorary Linking Proves Valuable Experience with Lifetime Benefits

By Amber Seira You Do Have Time Activism and Networking Opportunities are a Treasured Part of the OSU Experience

By Danielle Olden Noticias ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Recognizes Excellence at OSU

Editorial Board Jose Cabral, Chair Frederick Luis Aldama Francesca Amigo Normando Caban Jeff Cohen Ignacio Corona Andrea Doseff Francisco-Xavier Gómez-Bellengé Indra Leyva Victor Mora Patricia Palominos-Dunaeff Abril Trigo Fernando Unzueta Yolanda Zepeda, Ex Officio Contributors Vanessa Wong Lilia Fernandez Francisco-Xavier Gómez-Bellengé Ronna Colilla Julia Marcela Hernandez Amber Seira María Celeste Pérez Báez Danielle Olden Frederick Luis Aldama Judith Rodriguez Indra Leyva Delia Fernandez This publication is supported by the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, through 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.

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.

For questions and inquiries, please contact quepasa@osu.edu Note: We use the term "Latinos" to represent both Latino and Latina.

Summer 2012 Graduates

Food Review El Arepazo Latin Grill “Big Arepa” Delivers Huge Flavor A Bilingual Review by Theresa Rojas & Indra Leyva

All photos by Emily Strouse unless otherwise noted. Cover: Rodriguez.

Autumn Semester 2012

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Anthony Wiggins The World Through OSU

Student Profile

By Theresa Rojas, Editor, ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? and PhD Student, Department of English

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After driving cross-country last summer, biology major Anthony Wiggins is excited to take on his junior year. “I’ve found myself interested in the research on ecosystems” he shares, “ I’d like to pursue research at Stone Laboratory at Lake Erie. Finding out how ecosystems work can also show us how to fix natural problems. The Great Lakes have been undergoing a lot of natural stresses in recent years. Research on how to remedy these problems can help restore the region.”

A pre-med student, Wiggins views his field of study as a kind of gateway to the world. His fascination with the possibilities is evident in how he thinks about his studies: “The basic biology and chemistry courses are necessary to build a solid foundation for further learning. Upper level courses like Microbiology and Molecular Genetics have so many real-world applications embedded within the curriculum. You can see that advancements in the sciences directly affect advancements in medicine. You can find elements of the other hard sciences (physics, chemistry) within the material all the time. I always found it a more tangible subject for me than the other hard sciences.

For example, I can visibly see microorganisms in the lab. Dissections in the lab allow me to see how the body functions. Being able to physically see what I am studying is

really what made me choose to pursue biology.”

Originally from Paradise, California, Wiggins is the second of five siblings. His elder sister, Leticia, is a graduate student in the Department of History and LASER.mentor at Ohio State.

“Leticia really helped to guide me along my first year here,” he says. “From helping me find buildings on campus, to treating me to some off-campus food, she was always readily available if I needed anything. Her being here was probably another reason that my transition went so smoothly. You really appreciate your family when you become so far removed from them.”

Wiggins, whose father is a high school history teacher and mother is an accountant, further extolls the importance of family support in his endeavors: “Cliché as it sounds, I’d just say they always pushed us kids to be the best we can be. Raising five kids can’t be easy, and I have the utmost respect for my parents. They really pushed us to take advantage of opportunities to go to new places and see new things. They are so proud to have two Buckeyes in Ohio! My mom texts me during games and berates players and coaches just like any other fan would. Family is such an important part of my life. I take a lot of pride seeing my sister in graduate school studying history. My little brother is in his first year at West Point Military Academy. We are all very supportive of each other. That’s all I can ask for. " His summer road trip allowed Wiggins a chance to realize a dream adventure.

“Instead of taking the normal flight back home,” he recalls, “I decided it would be a

bit more adventurous to drive from Ohio to California. So a couple of my friends rode back with me, and we made stops at places like the Badlands in South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park. Stopping in little diners and towns was a great way to become more aware of the world around me. How many opportunities do you have in your life to take that trip across the country?

I personally hope for a few more.”

Wiggins is also concerned about keeping up with a world of other opportunities the University offers. He serves as a Peer Advising Leader for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. This new program sets up programs for freshmen minority students at OSU. In addition, Wiggins is a member of the John Glenn Civic Leadership Council, which focuses on encouraging civic engagement in the community and among students on campus. He explains, “it’s all about me finding a way to balance my time and resources during my time at OSU. With the JGCLC, I can keep up with the current issues in society and politics. Even though I’m a biology major, I still want to keep up with the other subjects that interest me.

Intramural sports also provide an outlet for me.”

Wiggins offers smart, heartfelt advice to future Latino/a students: “You’ll hear it a million times, but it’s really true: College is a whole different ball game than high school.

The amount of time and dedication it takes to be successful is exponentially greater than anything you’ve done before. It’s really important to take advantage of every resource you can. Tutors, advisors, and professors are all on campus to help. Don’t dig yourself into a hole early, because it will be really hard to climb out. Find a solid group of friends. Get to know people in your classes.

Take pride in the fact that you are here at OSU and are pushing yourself to succeed.

Research programs for students like you.

Making friends with other out-of-staters gives you some common ground to build relationships. Look for Latino clubs and events. It is important to hit the books hard during college, but it’s also a time to expand on your life experience in general. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try something new.”

Luis Machado Seizing Opportunities

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Luis Machado, this meant he needed to start looking for a new job.

Opportunity came knocking again, this time in the form of a call from an old friend and former partner back at Altheimer & Gray.

Limited Brands was looking to hire. By the start of the year, after a series of interviews, Machado was on his way to Columbus.

Deciding to join Limited Brands turned out to be the right choice. He notes, “When you work as an in-house attorney you have the opportunity to be involved in a variety of business questions and decisions, whereas law firm practice can sometimes require you to focus on only one thing.” Of Limited Brands, Machado says it is “a big company that does things in an entrepreneurial way-bigger, faster.” He enjoys working with fun, smart, and capable people on a variety of projects.

One of the assets Machado brought to Limited Brands was international experience. His bilingual skills have also proven advantageous.

The Latino culture’s family focus involves an ethic of helping people in one’s social group. It encourages cooperative work and helping each other. This has proven a strength in his career as well.

As the legal profession can be very demanding, Machado credits much of his success to his family’s support: “Knowing that no matter what, there is always this community

behind you looking to help you can give you a deep sense of comfort and security.”

When asked what advice he has for young Latino/as, Luis Machado says “take advantage of the opportunities you have— this is how we can improve our lives and those of our families.” He feels that making connections with other Latino/as and other people in general is very important; “we should try to connect with each other--try to help each other and help others make connections; we are all beneficiaries of those who brought us here. The best way to honor them is to help each other.”

Luis Machado has come a long way from his days as a boy from Jersey. A sense of responsibility to give back for the sacrifices his family made for him by coming here has brought him to where he is today. Both a humble and successful man, Luis Machado is an inspiration to Latinos across the United States.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY LUIS MACHADO

Luis Machado serves as Senior Vice President, Legal, for Limited Brands in Columbus, Ohio. He joined Limited Brands in 2010, and today is responsible for overseeing the company’s Legal Commercial and Contracts Group. Limited Brands, founded

by OSU alumnus Les Wexner, is the parent company of Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, Pink, La Senza and Henri Bendel.

Machado was born in Cuba. When he was four, his family immigrated to the United States in search of a better future.

After spending his childhood in Union City, New Jersey, he attended the University of Michigan where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish Language and Literature.

This led to a series of jobs such as working as a traveling sales representative for a photographic equipment company.

Thoughts about the future and getting married convinced Machado to go to law school. He worked full-time during the day and took classes at night at what is now Quinnipiac University School of Law. Hard work paid off for Machado when he graduated in 1994 from the Loyola UniversityChicago School of Law after transferring there to be closer to his wife’s family.

Machado began his legal career at Altheimer & Gray, the well-regarded Chicago-based firm, from where he was later recruited to work for what was then the business-to-business division of S.C. Johnson. During his seven years at S.C. Johnson Professional (now called Diversey), Machado continued to build on his knowledge base. He gained valuable experience while working on complex transactions and international deals working with diverse cultures. He also came to appreciate something he never learned about in law school: “a company’s most important assets are its people.”

While still at Diversey, Machado received a phone call from the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company. They asked for his time and as Mr. Machado puts it, “when you are in Chicago, you do not say no to Wrigley.” The call, along with a meeting at a local McDonald’s with their chief legal counsel, eventually led to a position in the company as Associate General Counsel. Three years later in 2009, Wrigley was sold to Mars, Inc. of Virginia. For

Autumn Semester 2012

In the Community

By Vanessa Wong, Student, Moritz College of Law

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Bringing MALCS to Ohio State Bid for Summer Institute Earns Professional and Personal Success

By Delia Fernandez, PhD Student, Department of History

Yalidy Matos and I were excited and nervous at the same time. It was the last day of the MALCS [Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (Women Active in Letters and Social Change)] Summer Institute. We were going to make a bid to bring the Summer Institute to The Ohio State University in the summer of 2013. MALCS, which started thirty years ago at the University of California- Davis, is a “national organization of Chicanas/Latinas and Native American women working in academia and in community settings with a common goal: to work toward the support, education and dissemination of Chicana/ Latina and Native American women’s issues.”

The Summer Institute has been an annual tradition since 1985. Members from across the nation come together for a three-day institute "with lectures, workshops, seminars, and various social activities...designed to challenge [members] intellectually by sharing work and ideas." If we could convince MALCS members that Latinas, Native Americans, and their allies in Columbus, were prepared to host MALCS, it would be the institute's first time in Ohio and only the third time in the Midwest. Yalidy and I both wanted our bid to be successful because we knew that OSU and Midwest Latinas and Native American women would benefit greatly from being

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connected to such an empowering organization.

The founding of MALCS in 1982 was groundbreaking.

After diligent participation in the Chicano Movement in the 1960s and 1970s, Chicana contributions were largely ignored in the discourse of the movement. To correct this, undergraduates, graduates, and professors came together to form an organization both to promote research and education on and by Chicanas, and also to reclaim their role in the Movement. Since then, the organization has grown to include all Latinas and Native American women. Also, the organization has always strongly advocated for both feminist and lesbian centered issues. The organization is now a nationwide support system for Chicanas, Latinas, and Native American women.

I quickly learned the value of this organization. While I was there to make a bid for OSU, I was also there to present my research.

This was my first trip to MALCS and I was very eager to get feedback on my Master's thesis. Maylei Blackwell, a prominent Chicana feminist historian, moderated my panel. Her comments and those of the other talented panelist were incredibly helpful. Had it not been for MALCS, I would not have had the opportunity to enhance my research and connect with cutting-edge scholars who work on Chicana and Latina feminist issues.

My panel, however, was only one part of the experience.

I attended plenaries and cultural events while I was at MALCS as well. Themes for the Institute varied from education, (im)migration, spirituality, gender and sexuality, and professional development. The institute also included a Noche de Cultura, which entailed an open mic night at a local Mexican restaurant. This allowed for participants to bond outside of an academic setting. The Tortuga Awards, an annual banquet that recognizes members for their service and contributions to MALCS, gave participants a chance

to socialize and network. The candid conversations at dinner and the shared dances really helped make new MALCS members like myself and Yalidy feel welcome. This was a life changing trip that helped me find an academic familia who encouraged me and understood the value of what I was doing.

The only request I had was that OSU Latinas and Native American women feel the same confidence I gained at MALCS. Yalidy and I had no reason to be nervous.

Our proposal was met with open minds.

MALCS members accepted our bid to hold the conference in Columbus. We explained that we had gathered support from academic departments and programs, student organizations, and OSU administration. We showed them letters of support from the Universitywide Council of Hispanic Organizations, the Hispanic Oversight Committee, The Women's Place, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. We touted the diverse and thoughtful programming of our student organizations, LASER, and academic departments. We closed with what it would mean for Latinas in the Midwest to cultivate the MALCS experience.

I knew that I was going to get valuable feedback on my research at the Summer Institute, but I had no idea I would find a sisterhood. These women spoke openly and bravely about real issues that pertained to women's everyday struggles and encouraged one another to continue to break down barriers. I left MALCS hopeful about my future in academia, but more importantly, I was thrilled to know the impact the conference would have on OSU. As a member of the site committee, I invite you to be a part of this momentous event. The conference is scheduled for July 17-20, 2013.

There are various subcommittees that would welcome anyone interested in making the Institute a success. On behalf of the site committee chairs, Yolanda Zepeda and Theresa Delgadillo, we hope that you too can find strength and rejuvenation next summer either as a participant or volunteer.

For more information on how to get involved please email MALCS2013OSU@gmail.com.

Queering La Jíbara A Counter-Narrative to Puerto Rican Nationalist Discourse

By Judith Rodriguez, Senior, Comparative Studies A memory is inscribed in my consciousness of sitting next to my mother on a cold wooden bench in the basement of a church in Westfield, Massachusettes. My father is preaching the word of God to 200 disadvantaged Puerto Ricans, my family included. Although at six I could not comprehend what was happening, I did understand the impact that my father’s performance had on the parishioners. It was extraordinary how he could evoke such emotion from the audience. Moreover, the audience consisted of a marginalized community who spent their long days working in factories and dealing with the struggles of poverty. For about two hours they seemed to feel free of their struggles and my father played a part in that.

Unfortunately, the relationship between my parents and I started to change as a result of my queerness beginning to seep through, inevitably creating my subversive identity at the tender age of thirteen. I unintentionally challenged familial and cultural ideals and by sixteen, I was forced to leave their house. I still long to hear those Puerto Rican Christian folk songs even though I am culturally dispossessed from that spiritual space. Gloria Anzaldúa writes about the“fear of going home” in relation to queer subjectivites in the mestizaje. She claims, “Fear of going home. And of not being taken in. We’re afraid of being abandoned by the mother, the culture, la Raza, for being unacceptable, faulty, damaged.” I found a profoundly passionate nationalism invoked by religious fundamentalism within the Puerto Rican diaspora that was vehemently xenophobic toward queer boricuas existing in the periphery of both the island and in the United States. This testimonio aims to confront and rethink nationalist discourses through my narrative as a Puerto Rican jíbara lesbian. How do these subjectivities threaten Puerto Ricanness and what violent struggles are entailed?

The homophobia encountered in the Puerto Rican diaspora leaves many displaced and wandering between cultural spaces. For some, it becomes a matter of life and death. For example, Puerto Rico made headlines when in 2009 Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado’s decapitated, dismembered, and partially burned body was found along a remote roadside near my mother’s hometown of Cayey. This was just one of 18 hate-induced murders that

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occurred toward the LGB and transgender community in Puerto Rico in 2009. That same year, I came out to my beloved uncle and he responded, “Qué te pasa, nena? No te gusta ser jíbara? (What’s the matter, girl? You don’t like being jíbara?).” I came to realize that my Puerto Rican jíbara identity was bound by my supposed heterosexuality. Moreover, I discovered a further complication as my own uncle and declared jíbaro is trigueño (dark-skinned).

Thus, our non-normative sexual and racial embodiments contradict the jíbaro culture as encompassing the national character for Puerto Ricans on the island and in the United States – light-skinned, heterosexual, humble, and hard-working people from the interior mountains deriving from the taíno natives. I recognized a correlation that demonstrated how the production of folkloric signifiers of national identity, such as the jíbaro, are employed concomitantly through (post)colonialism and nationalism in the Puerto Rican diaspora to veil racist, homophobic, and transphobic exclusionary acts.

This particularly gruesome violence is associated with Puerto Rican nationalism and Christian fundamentalism, which “constructs colonialism as ‘illness’ and nationalism as its ‘cure’.” This hegemonic notion of the colonial versus the national extends itself to sexuality claiming homosexuality as the “illness” transported from the United States and nationalism as the “cure.” The results are homophobic and transphobic calls to action by the nation.

Hence, sexual desire is disciplined and policed within the Puerto Rican diaspora and nonheteronormative bodies are threats to the national identity.

Antonio S. Pedreira constructs the national identity of Puerto Rico in his central text Insularismo (1934). Pedreira defines the national identity through the “neutralization and homogenization of diversity.” He believes that miscegenation confuses the native nationals (jíbaros) and allows for colonial ideologies to conquer their hearts and minds.

Pedreira’s national narrative excludes “the female subject and all alternate views on national and communal identity.” Additionally, this nationalist ideology declares non-normative genders and sexuality as ahistorical subjects, and thereby, denied citizenship into the nation. Juana Maria Rodriguez quotes

fundamentalist Christian commentator, Jorge Rascke, stating, “In this country we have more shame than in other parts of the World, they [homosexuals] should go somewhere else, they should go to Miami.” Queer Puerto Ricans must vacate the diaspora in order not to taint the “Christian spirit of life” or the national ethos of Puerto Rico.

In Puerto Rico in the American Century, Ayala and Bernabe claim, “Jíbara/o culture emerged from a racially mixed peasantry made up of displaced small farmers, runaway slaves, stowaways, army deserters, and fugitives, united in the desire to avoid subordination by an advancing state and plantation economy.” This description would contradict Pedreira’s intent to whiten the jíbara/o as a “solid basis for an emergent national character” and more closely resembles my family’s cultural history. However, the jíbara/o as the example of nationalist ideals is the description that was told to me by my family. My family and community of jíbara/os consist of trigueña/os as well as queers and other marginalized peoples in the Puerto Rican diaspora.

My grandfather told me as a child that I have the jíbara spirit in my blood; thereby, I queer the jíbara with my lesbian body. My family would disagree because they believe that my lesbian body erases my Puerto Rican jíbara identity. I have discovered otherwise.

Anzaldúa discusses her concept of la facultad stating, “Confronting anything that tears the fabric of our everyday mode of consciousness and that thrusts us into a less literal and more psychic sense of reality increases awareness and la facultad.” Writing my reticence will increase my intuitive perceptions of this complicated world and challenge the heteronormative mechanisms at work in Puerto Rican nationalism. Employing testimonio methodology will collectively historicize and politicize the divergent struggles of Latina/os allowing for resistance and resilience against the status quo.

Judith Rodriguez is majoring in Comparative Cultural Studies and minoring in Theatre Arts.

This essay is excerpted and revised from her work for Dr. Guisela Latorre’s Women’s Studies 340 course. Judith’s paper won the 2012 Award for Best Undergraduate Essay in Latino/a Studies.

For a full version visit QP online: quepasa.osu.edu.

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Richard Carmona Former Surgeon General Named Distinguished Professor in College of Nursing

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT

By Ronna Colilla, Student, Journalism and Sociology

The high school dropout who was raised in Harlem by a poor Hispanic immigrant family and went on to become a decorated war veteran and the 17th U.S. Surgeon General has landed at Ohio State.

The “only in America” story sounds like a teaser on the back cover of a novel on the fiction shelf at a bookstore. But it is the life summation of Dr. Richard H. Carmona, the recently appointed Dean’s Distinguished Professor of Health Promotion and Entrepreneurship at OSU's College of Nursing.

Carmona's tenure as surgeon general was highlighted by his work publicizing the dangers of secondhand smoke. Since then, he has been teaching, working in public health, and is running for an open US Senate in Arizona. “Tobacco is the No. 1 preventable cause of death and significant disability in our country,” Carmona said. “We have to do everything we can to eliminate it.”

Born in November 1949, Carmona’s future was shaped by firsthand experiences with homelessness, hunger and health inequalities, making him mindful of the relationship between culture, health education and economic status. Carmona’s parents struggled with alcoholism and substance abuse. He and his three younger siblings

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lived with his mother and grandmother in a small Harlem tenement apartment in New York City.

He dropped out of high school and joined the Army, but to join the Special Services and become a Green Beret, he had to get his GED diploma. Carmona credits the Army for his discipline and focus. He was wounded in combat and received numerous decorations, including two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.

After leaving active duty, he was focused on “the mission” to get through school. He didn’t have high GPA or SAT scores and several colleges turned him down, eventually earning an associate's degree from Bronx Community College. Carmona worked several jobs while pursuing his education.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of California, San Francisco and then his medical degree, receiving the gold-headed cane for being the valedictorian. Later he went on to complete a master’s degree in public health at the University of Arizona. “So I took the slow route to where I am today," Carmona said. "All of those stops were invaluable learning experiences.”

While continuing his medical career, he served more than 25 years in the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in Arizona

as a deputy sheriff, detective, department surgeon and SWAT Team Leader and was named National SWAT Officer of the Year.

Patricio Garcia, a senior consultant for the Food and Drug Administration, was Carmona's assistant while he was surgeon general. Garcia said one career led to another. “You’re getting more than a doctor,” Garcia said. “You’re getting all these experiences that come along with it.”

In March 2002 he was appointed the 17th U.S. Surgeon General by former President George W. Bush, and served out his tenure until the end of his term in July 2006. Carmona issued a landmark Surgeon General’s report on smoking and the dangers of secondhand smoke, which increased smoke-free environments worldwide, said Kenneth Moritsugu, vice president for global strategic affairs with the Johnson & Johnson’s Diabetes Institute.

Moritsugu was Carmona’s Deputy Surgeon General.

Carmona agreed with the Ohio Board of Regents' resolution that passed Monday, advocating that the various boards of trustees from Ohio universities establish a tobacco-free campus policy.

Carmona’s responsibilities at OSU will be to share his expertise in public health, health literacy and health innovation with students and faculty through keynote presentations and guest lectures. He will also be participating in community outreach projects.

Bernadette Melnyk, dean of the College of Nursing and the university’s chief wellness officer, said the university is lucky to have Carmona, who is a passionate advocate for wellness.

“I will continue to assist in my new position with Ohio State University, to the dean and the program because I really believe in it and it’s something that’s of value not only to Ohio but to the United States,” Carmona said.

Republished with permission of The Lantern, The Ohio State University.

Original publication: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Hispanic Oversight Committee Forging a 21st Century Hispanic Action Plan

By Lilia Fernandez, Associate Professor of History and Francisco-Xavier Gómez-Bellengé, Associate to the Dean, Fisher College of Business In May 1991, a committee appointed by the Provost released a Hispanic Action Plan for the recruitment, retention and academic enrichment of Hispanic students, faculty and staff at The Ohio State University. This plan recommended the following action items: • Identify Hispanics for senior admin-istrative positions • Initiate aggressive strategies to recruit Hispanic graduate students • Increase the recruitment of Hispanic faculty and of faculty whose scholarly work has a bearing on Hispanic issues • Introduce and highlight the content of Hispanic studies in the academic environment • Assess programing directed towards Hispanic undergraduate students to ascertain its efficacy in meeting student needs.

Over 20 years have passed since that time. The university, the state and the U.S. have undergone many changes since then.

In January 2011, Provost Alutto appointed a new Hispanic Oversight Committee and appointed us co-chairs. Ohio State has become an increasingly selective institution. At the same time, the Hispanic population of the United States has gone from 22 million, or 9% of the overall population in 1990 to 50 million or 16.3% of the population in 2010, about half of the total increase in U.S. population during that time period.

In Ohio, the Hispanic population has grown from 140,000 in 1990 representing 1.3% of the total population to 355,000 and 3.1% of the population in 2010, an increase of 253%. At Ohio State, the number of Hispanic students, faculty and staff have increased significantly during this time frame. While the proportion of undergraduates mirrors that of the overall Ohio Hispanic population at 3.1%, it falls short of the proportion of Ohio Hispanics aged 20-24 (4.1%). At the national level, 15% of all college students are now Hispanic.

In fact, college enrollment for this group increased by 349,000 from 2009 to 2010, contrasting with a decline of 320,000 for Whites. Clearly, a growing share of the college-aged and college-enrolled population is and increasingly will be Hispanic.

www.quepasa.osu.edu

In terms of staffing at OSU, the numbers vary but are rather low across the board.

Since searches for Faculty and Academic Leadership positions (e.g., Department Chairs, Deans, etc.) are national, Hispanics are better represented in these areas than in Executive/Administrative, Professional and Clerical/Secretarial positions. Even so, out of 37 colleges and major administrative units, 11 had no Hispanic staff, 26 had no Hispanic Executive or Administrative staff, 18 had no Hispanic Professional staff and 25 had no Clerical/Secretarial staff. For faculty, as of fall 2011, two academic units (colleges, regional campuses and library) had no Hispanic faculty, two had no tenure-track faculty and seven had no tenured Hispanic faculty. Although much progress has been made, much remains to be done.

The U.S. population is changing quickly.

The business world realizes that the college graduates they hire today will be the CEO candidates in 30 years when the U.S. will be a majority non-White country. This instills a sense of urgency in them because they realize that their leadership will need to be as diverse as its customers and employees.

American universities face a similar challenge. The leaders of tomorrow need to be recruited as students, junior faculty or entry-level staff today.

The Hispanic Oversight Committee has been meeting over the last two years with a number of university leaders. Although we are heartened by the understanding of the greater need for diversity expressed by many administrators, we are concerned about the lack of strategy for increasing the number of Hispanics in faculty and senior staff roles. We are equally concerned about a lack of visible Hispanic leadership at the university level.

Numbers only tell part of the story.

We continue to hear from many Hispanic students, faculty and staff that they feel isolated within their work or study environments. Hispanic professionals in the central Ohio community voice similar concerns.

Local companies sometimes find it difficult to attract and especially retain Hispanic employees, even when these are important to their missions. This makes efforts such as ¿Que Pasa, OSU?, the LASER center,

Francisco-Xavier Gómez-Bellengé and Victor Mora.

the Multicultural Center, the Latino Studies minor particularly important. Campuscommunity connections may be especially important for Hispanics. The Hispanic Oversight Committee hopes to continue forging such connections with local Latino community members and we welcome participation from students, faculty, and staff.

For more information, please contact Lilia Fernandez at fernandez.96@osu.edu or Francisco-Xavier Gómez-Bellengé at gomez-bellenge_1@fisher.osu.edu.

Autumn Semester 2012

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OCHLA: Vision of Economic Recovery Lilleana Cavanaugh Leads Ohio Hispanic/Latino Affairs By ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Staff QP: Thank you for taking time to share your work with the Que Pasa community. Tell us about your office and the Commissioners--what is your charge? Who do you serve?

LC: The Ohio Commission on HispanicLatino Affairs (OCHLA) provides leadership in addressing issues concerning HispanicLatino Ohioans. OCHLA serves as liaison between state government and the Latino community, and assists with the development and implementation of policies and programs to address their needs. Its three key mandates are to advise the governor and legislators on issues affecting the Latino community, to connect Latino and Latino serving organizations across the state, and to build the capacity of Latinos and organizations in Ohio. The commission is governed by an 11 member board appointed by the Governor; 4 legislative non voting members (2 state representatives and 2 senators). OCHLA employees a staff of two full-time employees, two part time contractors and hosts interns and volunteers on a regular basis. The commission focuses its resources on programs and activities in the areas of education, employment, health, equity, empowerment, leadership development and inclusion.

QP: You are held in high regard by individuals across different sectors and corners of the state. In a position like yours, you probably hear many conflicting demands from constituents and bosses who have different priorities and perspectives. How do *you* know that you are doing good work?

LC: I have served the Commission since August 2007, and assumed the role of Executive Director in December 2009. The priorities of our office are set by our board of Commissioners in open public meetings. The demands, opportunities and challenges of our commission are broad; this is a great time to be here, to be the trailblazers in the transformation of Ohio as it becomes more global, inclusive and welcoming to New

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Americans from every corner of the world.

To mention a highlight from last year’s review: “2011 was truly one of the most extraordinary years in the history of the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission! We are extremely appreciative of the support for our office reflected in Governor Kasich’s Executive Budget proposal as well as the overwhelming vote of confidence we received in both houses of our legislature. Moreover, after careful scrutiny by the Sunset Review Committee, we are

This is a great time to be here, to be the trailblazers in the transformation of Ohio.

extremely proud that our agency has once again been unanimously renewed for another five year term. Our sincere thanks to over 60 Latino leaders and organizations who reached out to our Governor and testified before multiple committees of the General Assembly on behalf of our Commission. Your selfless action helped to shine a bright spotlight on the value, relevance and effectiveness of our service to the state of Ohio.”

I am most proud of our dedicated staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to build the capacity of Latino and Latino serving organizations across our state. I also deeply appreciate the support and vision of our board of commissioners. For example, we recently hosted the first ever White House Community Action Summit in Ohio at Lorain Community College so our efforts have merited attention from our federal government.

Our greatest challenge is to serve the fastest growing demographic in Ohio. Our most satisfying moments are when we are able to appropriately highlight the positive contributions Hispanic Ohioans contribute to our state and nation: “Whether it be recognition

of the patriotism exhibited by over 15, 000 Ohio Latino Veterans, the service of Hispanic public safety officers, the growing economic impact of our minority entrepreneurs, the discoveries of Latino scientists and researchers, the dedication of our teachers, or the countless hours of community service offered by our families, we are pleased to share our community’s accomplishments for the people of Ohio.”

QP: The latest census figures show striking growth in the Latino population across the State. Can you paint in broad strokes a picture of the Latino population or populations in Ohio? Is the recent growth due to children born in the state, or are Latinos moving to Ohio?

LC: The Ohio Latino Affairs Commission was pleased to serve as a key member of Ohio’s “Hard to Count Committee” for the 2010 Census. We also provide detailed district reports of the Latino population for each member of the Ohio Legislature. Overall, the growth of the Hispanic population is due to a combination of Latinos moving to Ohio and expansion of existing Latino families. You can review specific analysis prepared by our office in the Latino Community Reports QP: What does this mean for your office?

What are the greatest opportunities and challenges to which we, in the State of Ohio, should be paying attention?

LC: The expanding Latino population creates exciting opportunities for our agency. For example, we now partner with the Ohio Hispanic Chambers of Commerce for our Legislative Visit Days so that our community leaders can share our positive contributions to Ohio’s economy. We have joined with the Ohio State University, the Gates Foundation and the United States Hispanic Leadership Conference (USHLI) to provide college fairs in order to encourage our young students to attend college. We are part of the Ohio Department of Education’s “Race to the Top” Steering Committee to address the achievement gap in our public

schools. We are working closely with the Ohio Department of Development and the Small Business Development Division to support and encourage the creation of Latino and Minority SBDCs. We are also involved with Jobs Ohio, the Department of Health, the Department of Job and Family Services to ensure that government services are reaching out to Latinos in the most effective and efficient possible manners. Our e-campaigns and social media efforts help alert Hispanic Ohioans to severe weather emergencies and health epidemics and serve as a great conduit for educational, outreach and services related information. Finally, as we approach the 2012 general election, our office has embarked on an ambitious voter registration campaign.

QP: I read recently that the Commission is forming a taskforce on the Latino workforce. What is the purpose and who will be involved in this work?

LC: The workforce development task force was a direct result of our meeting on December 12th, 2011, between the Governor and statewide Latino leaders. The meeting provided a critical interface for the Governor to learn about the priorities of this demographic and for the leaders of Ohio's Latino communities to see how they fit into the Governor's vision for Ohio. The conversation resulted in part with the formation of a task force dedicated to pairing Ohio Latinos with labor‐hungry industries and educating the Latino workforce both vocationally ‐ through licensure or certification ‐ and traditionally. The taskforce involves leaders who have expressed an interest in working closely with the state, and so far has provided insightful feedback to the Governor’s office. They continue working on an implementation agenda to ensure Hispanics are able to take advantage of job training and business opportunities.

QP: OCHLA seems to have a pulse on the ground level. Information and networks are important resources that you bring to your constituents. How do you stay connected to the many Latino communities across the state?

LC: One of the first initiatives I worked on for the commission was to set up the Latino Community Network – an effort to bring together all Latino serving

www.quepasa.osu.edu

organizations in the state.

Through OLAnet, our computerized database and library of resources, we have been able to create a virtual network not only of organizations, but also a means to share communications and information using the advantage of technology. We also engage personally with Latino networks across the state and participate in as many community events as possible. Our commissioners also play a key role in this area, by attending events, representing the commission and bringing the voice of what is happening in the communities back to our team.

For example, in 2011, OCHLA sent out 136 E‐campaigns to more than 245 community organizations in the OLAnet directory and the public. We have over 2,359 members who have voluntarily signed up to receive campaigns on news, events, services and initiatives that impact their communities and their areas of interest while helping to connect them to each other.

To continue building the audience for the valuable resources offered on the OCHLA website, and to create a presence among a younger demographic, OCHLA developed Facebook and Twitter web pages designed to promote the Commission’s resources, connect people with community and government services, and provide up to the minute information about statewide events and initiatives that benefit Hispanics and all Ohioans.

foundation for our prosperity and a pillar of strength for our economy.

QP: What would you like the Que Pasa community to know about you?

LC: I am a native of Costa Rica and proud mother of three children: two daughters Raquel and Natalia (both Ohio State alumna) and one son, Wesley. I am “Abuelita” to 3-year-old Sofia and her baby brother Benjamin Brown. I currently reside in Columbus with my husband, Dr. John W. Cavanaugh, President & CEO of Cross Cultural Communications, LLC. I am honored to live and serve our community in Ohio and look forward to continuing to inspire others to create opportunities out of challenges and make this the soil where our American dreams come true.

More information regarding the Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs and current Commissioners is available at ochla.ohio.gov.

QP: What do you see for Ohio’s Latinos in the next ten years?

LC: We expect even more impressive statistics to be reflected in the 2020 Census. We believe Hispanic Ohioans are now leading the way with respect to our state’s economic recovery in terms of business start ups, workforce development, and international trade. Latino veterans and active duty military personnel will continue to provide heroic service to our nation. Culturally, our festivals, food, and music enrich Ohio’s diversity. As for public service, we should see more and more Latino leaders serving on state boards as well as an increasing number of local, state, and national elected officials. In short, I see Ohio becoming an example of what our nation was built upon: the strength and contributions of immigrants who are a critical

Autumn Semester 2012

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Mextasy Challenging Latino Stereotypes Through Artifacts of Visual Culture

By Theresa Rojas, Editor, ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? and PhD Student, Department of English

Mextasy, the traveling exhibit curated

by San Diego State Professor William Nericcio and co-sponsored by LASER and the Multicultural Center captivated visitors to Ohio State’s Student Union in September, provoking questions about identity, representation, and the abundance of Latino stereotypes around the globe.

Dr. Nericcio, who grew up Laredo, Texas is a Professor of Latin American Studies, Chicano/a Studies, and English as well as Director of the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences (MALAS) program at San Diego State University, boasting “The West Coast’s Most Eclectic Cultural Studies Program.” Mextasy is the extension and evolution of Nericcio’s 2007 book Tex{t}-Mex: Seductive Hallucinations of the Mexican in America. Made up of pieces from Nericcio’s personal collection and those of numerous other contributing artists, the exhibit has been touring since 2010.

The Mextasy tour has taken Nericcio’s exhibit around the country from California to New York with different incarnations of

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the show at each venue. The exhibit takes shape based on the space and vision of its co-curators. The Ohio State University incarnation of Mextasy was co-curated by Theresa Rojas and Indra Leyva. “This exhibit here,” Nericcio said, pointing to the work on display at the East Art Space of the Ohio Student Union, “this configuration here, has never existed before…and it will never exist again.” At OSU, Mextasy was showcased in three separate simultaneous locations within the Ohio Union, including the Multicultural Center.

When one item—a ceramic stereotypical depiction of a Mexican campesino leaning up against a cactus taking a siesta—was damaged in shipping, it seemed the work would be a casualty of the U.S. mail. Instead, Nericcio declared it would remain in the show as a commentary on breaking the very stereotype it portrays. “You have to roll with it,” commented Nericcio, “Now it’s even more provocative.”

The eclectic displays include original art and photography, advertising, pulp movie posters, children’s toys, kitsch, and a wide variety of pop culture artifacts. Contributing artists include Perry Vasquez, Izel Vargas, Marisela Norte, and Memo Garcia, Nericcio’s artist alter ego. Among the notable original pieces are two large works on canvas tarp.

One, by Raul Gonzalez III, displays a graffititagged portrait of Benito Juarez, while the other, by Izel Vargas, proclaims “Estados Jodidos,” amid an outline of the United States bordered with images of a coyote, Dora the Explorer, and Jesus. The exhibit also included an array of images on bilingual newsprint, various prints of Rita Hayworth, Salma Hayek embodying the sultry Latina, Frida Kahlo paper dolls, Lucha Libre posters, an El Chavo del Ocho doll, a Pedro Infante poster, the Taco Bell Chihuahua, a “Maria” doll and advertisement, Dora the Explorer wrapped in “Police Line Do Not Cross” tape, and a Cantinflas candle that reads “Patron Saint of Mexican Cinema.”

The opening events for the exhibit included a live “fireside chat” with Nericcio in conversation with Dr. Frederick Aldama, Distinguished Professor in the Department of English and Director of LASER, as well as a formal talk the following day entitled

“Desired, Despised, Worshipped, and Sacrificed: Sex, Race and the Latina/o Body in the 21st Century.” In his opening conversation with Aldama, Nericcio explained his conception of Mextasy. “Mextasy is an attempt, by me as an artist, but also as a curator, to put together works that provoke and allow for the pleasure and the thinking about Mexican and Latino stereotypes and culture.”

Aldama notes: “In his work and art Nericcio investigates the pathological interrogation of Mexican, Latino, and Latin American one-dimensional and negative stereotypes, political, and cultural issues. In all his work, he digs into and chips away at the psychological marrow that holds up and feeds a sickened U.S. cultural corpus—those grand hallucinations that weave in and through the American psyche— brown and white. Hallucinations that set in motion cognitive scripts that straightjacket Chicano and Latino experience and identity.” Nericcio’s interest in repositioning graphic representations of Latino and Latina bodies is evident in the way he configures many of the works in Mextasy, often displaying pieces sideways and upside down, purposefully disrupting the viewer’s gaze. He further documents and collects odd artifacts of Anglo images into what he calls the “Caucasian Bestiary,” a collection of sundry items that heavily focus on unsettling advertising and commodities from the last sixty years.

Nericcio hopes that Mextasy will illicit conversation about the individual pieces and the stories they tell about the multiple levels through which Latinos are consumed.

His current work is informed by friends and colleagues who send him compelling artifacts or images thereof. Nericcio invites the public to contribute to growing Mextasy by becoming one of his art and artifact “correspondents.”

Since leaving Ohio State, Mextasy has been on display at Western University in London, Ontario and in New York City. In February, it will travel to The University of Washington in Seattle. For more information on Mextasy, including how to bring the exhibit to your venue, contact Dr. William Nericcio: memo@ sdsu.edu or visit mextasy.blogspot.com.

Mextasy has been traveling across the United States using original art and items from popular culture to provoke questions about how we consume stereotypical images of Latinos in general and Mexican-Americans in particular.

www.quepasa.osu.edu

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¡Disfrutando!

Ohio State Latinos and friends find time to unwind while reconnecting with old friends and making new ones at the Latino Welcome Cookout and La Fiesta. Students and staff also celebrated Latino achievers at the Governor's Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Awards gala. Special thanks to DJ Ritmo, Dejavu Latin Fusion Rhythms, and Zacundo for their great music!

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www.quepasa.osu.edu

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Š 2011 Theresa Rojas

Poetry

¿Curiosidad?

A veces la curiosidad no es más que el miedo más oculto en un recoveco inhóspito del alma.

Te confunde, te engaña y se apodera de tu mente: de tus deseos, de lo que sientes.

Lo que crees creer ya no está claro; se dispersa en la posibilidad de enfrentarte a aquello que te provoca ¿curiosidad? ¡miedo!

Siempre la ríes. Siempre lo gozas.

Hasta pondrías la mano en el fuego por llegar a experimentarlos, mas nunca imaginaste que verles venir te paralizaría tanto.

Si todavía crees que sientes curiosidad, déjame decirte que te equivocas. Ésa...ésa se hace añicos y se esconde para liberar dolor, pánico, ansiedad, llanto.

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No hay un tictac que pueda ser más lento marcado que el de la curiosidad cuando aprende que su frívola verdad es la rabia más profunda de un corazón amarrado.

Apariencias Cuando las cosas parecen lo que no son pero son lo que no parecen, se llega al punto en que no se sabe lo que se tiene o se tuvo ya.

Se intenta compensar ese espacio tan sólo pensando en lo que será.

Es seguro, enloquecerá tan sólo con pensar que aquello nunca tuvo y que jamás lo tendrá.

Creative Corner

By María Celeste Pérez Báez, Graduate Student, School of Public Health

Autumn Semester 2012

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Rodriguez “Solid 70” Detroit Musician Had to Get Out of Town to Get His Due Theresa Rojas, Editor, ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? and PhD Student, Department of English There is something inexplicably compelling about Rodriguez’s music. The grassroots street lyrics combined with haunting melodies that inevitably generate a ubiquitous earworm, convey an introspective anti-establishment sentiment that rings as true today as it did in the early 70s. It’s also genuinely good music. But I jump ahead.

Consider the unusual, inspiring, and compelling story of Sixto Rodriguez.

An aspiring musician born and bred in Detroit, Rodriguez released two albums Cold Fact

(1970) and Coming From Reality (1971) before slipping into relative obscurity in the United States. Meanwhile, in South Africa, he was becoming a superstar complete with an enigmatic mythology of suicide. But Rodriguez was alive and working as a demolition man back in Detroit—completely oblivious to how his music was inspiring a generation of South Africans to fight for the end of Apartheid.

Likewise, South Africans moved by his lyrics and haunting guitar knew little about the man they nicknamed “Sugar Man” after one of his best-known songs.

All they knew for certain was that he was a long gone man of mystery.

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The film Searching for Sugar Man (2012) directed by Swedish filmmaker, Malik Bendjelloul chronicles the journey of three South African fans whose own unique interest in Rodriguez brought them together to unravel the enigma of the musical idol of a generation. In the 90s, Rodriguez’s eldest daughter discovered the web site dedicated to gathering information about her father. An e-mail from her revealed that not only was her father alive, but still very much interested in music. In 1998, Rodriguez was welcomed to South Africa where he gave a series of concerts, reviving his career almost 30 years past due.

Since its release in July, the documentary has received critical acclaim around the world.

It has become an audience favorite at film festivals and is screening across the country in limited release.

My own awareness of Rodriguez’s story and music began just a few months ago.

Until then I was oblivious to both the musician and the film.

After viewing the documentary, it struck me that the tentacles of this story reach not only out of the past, but also well into the future.

I was fortunate to interview Rodriguez just before his November 1st concert at the Black Box Performance Space at The Wexner Center for the Arts. Following a brief sound check, I sat down with the musician. After shaking my hand, he said “Wait, let me put on the full image” and slipped on his trademark sunglasses. “I’m a solid 70, you know.”

Good natured and good humored, Sixto “Jesus” Diaz Rodriguez, goes solely by Rodriguez. He plays a $600 acoustic electric guitar that he says has paid for itself several times over. While a full orchestra beautifully accompanies many of the songs on his albums, Rodriguez holds his own with just the guitar. He played to a sold-out standing room only audience of about 500 later that evening. “It’s a real light piece,

it’s a Yamaha and the thing is they don’t make that model--the clef’s on the front as opposed to the center hole there. It’s light.

There’s other models like the Les Paul, but they’re very heavy.”

Rodriguez likes telling people he is a musical-political. Clearly invested in his Latino heritage, he says, “Our environment and culture, you know language shapes us all. I’m Mexican. I have the Hispanic experience. I was born and bred in Detroit. I’m a graduate of Wayne State University. It took me 10 years to get my bachelor’s— it’s a struggle. If you look at some of the issues that were becoming big in the 60s and 70s—jobs, women’s rights, war, police brutality—we have some similar situations today on the west coast and the east coast. Situations like police brutality were a huge issue in South Africa where you had apartheid.”

When I ask him his thoughts about the Latino boom in popular culture, he remarks, “Our history didn’t just start a few years ago. Both of my parents are Mexican.

Mexican people are indigenous peoples and there’s the Olmec culture that existed since 1200 B.C. The Mexicans are a high culture with the requisites for a high civilization. There is archeological evidence that there was trade between the Michigan Indians and the Aztecs. The word “alien” should be erased. We are talking about people who are originally from this country and they are referred to as aliens.”

On advice for other Latinos pursuing their dreams he says, “I think we all want to be something and I think we become what we want to be—we develop into that kind of skill or whatever, and it’s good to do self examination like Socrates, you know? The thing is, in my estimate of it, you only get a certain amount of time to figure it out.

And maturity, may I say, as I’ve said that I’m a solid 70, people mature differently. Some people mature chronologically, some mentally, some physically, some emotionally. Well how about financially? How about politically? How about artistically, you know? There’s a lot of disappointment, and criticism on that path so be ready for that. Prepare for that kind of contingency.

I’ve been lucky, but I’ve stayed with it and

COURTESY OF RODRIGUEZ

LIGHT IN THE ATTIC

so who would have thought? I think everyone wants an audience you know, a painting wants to exhibit. I’m a musician, I want a listener. I do covers—some bands they don’t do covers, which is okay—but I like other music too so I try to emulate and learn from ‘em.”

Following the Wexner concert, he generously signed autographs for every person waiting in line to see him. He posed for photographs with anyone who asked and seemed genuinely happy to do so. “We have to take pictures for rock ‘n’ roll history, you know,” he tells me, “this is a collaborative effort. I don’t, for one minute, suggest that this is an individual undertaking. This is done through the energy from a lot of sources, both family and outside, but again family is number one. You have to stick with it. Power to the people, get to your destinations, that kind of thing. Go the distance. In the sense the environment brings us down, also people bring us down and we bring ourselves down. I can point to ordinary things like a little bit of laziness, timidness—nobody’s got any place being timid, you know? So you have to get out and brush aside some of that stuff of self-consciousness. I know, I meet a lot of musicians and there’s a lot of inferiority complexes of one kind or another or they’re trying to overcome something so I just encourage them--you got to take it out in the field.”

At the end of our interview, he says: “Thanks for the air play! I’m anxious to get to the Hispanic market. They’re my people. I have this age thing, so I feel what I have to say has some social value. They say that the senses may diminish as you get older, but I think in some cases they get sharper, so I like to impart some wisdom on the youngbloods out there.”

Finally, he adds: “Get prepared, be prepared, stay prepared. Just like movies and music are joined, the arts have a juncture where they meet and are compatible always. In my case, I had to leave the Detroit area to achieve some recognition. So in the end, you need a passport. The foreign markets are there for us artists and musicians. That’s pretty much a bullet you gotta bite you know, you gotta get out of town.”

Special thanks to Yolanda Zepeda for pursuing this story; to Jennifer Wray from The Wexner Center for the Arts; and to Regan and Pete Barachkov for allowing access. Both albums and the motion picture soundtrack are available from Light in the Attic/Sony Legacy Records. The film will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in late January.

www.quepasa.osu.edu

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Reforming Graduate Education Calling for Critical Change in Graduate STEM Career Education

By Julia Marcela Hernandez, Grad/STEM Diversity Director, College of Arts and Sciences

I have been a Buckeye for a long time. I obtained my BS in Molecular Genetics in the spring of 1991 and enrolled in the Ohio State Biochemistry Program the following fall. I obtained my MS in 1995 and then worked for the university for a few years as a lab technician. While in my second position, I re-discovered scientific research and fell in love with it. My boss at the time encouraged me to go back to my graduate program and get my PhD, which I obtained in 2006. After that, for family reasons, I decided to do my postdoc here at Ohio State as well. Being at the same institution for an entire career is unusual in the life sciences fields, where people are encouraged to change institutions at every stage. This put me at a disadvantage.

However, because I have been at Ohio State for such a long time, I have accumulated a great deal of institutional knowledge, a vast network of people, and strong opinions about how we can improve the training of life scientists, and what reforms are needed to make this an attractive career choice for young people. All this made me a good candidate for an administrative position that is

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allowing me to work toward that goal.

I decided to leave research behind and get involved at the administrative level because I strongly believe that it is imperative to make changes in order to attract more young Americans to STEM careers and to assure that they will have a future in an increasingly competitive labor market.

Biology is expected to increase demand for workers by 21% in the next 10 years.

Although competition for basic research jobs will be tougher, applied science will bloom. This means that the demand for scientists at the BS and MS levels, as well as non-academic PhDs will increase. Given the current statistics on the status of graduate programs, it is imperative that reforms start taking place to make graduate school a more attractive and successful experience for young talented Americans.

The latest Ohio State doctoral programs review by the Graduate School indicate that in Engineering, students complete a PhD in a shorter time, which is probably why their graduation rates are 70% or better (compared to less than 50% in most life

sciences fields). Biology is currently losing the recruitment battle to Medicine, the Health Sciences, and Engineering. In order to compete, the length of time for a PhD, and graduation rates need to improve. We also need to address the need for training PhDs for careers away from the bench. Also known as “Alternative Careers,� these are non-research tracks that PhDs can pursue.

Training scientists in other areas will allow them to work at the intersection of disciplines, which many forecast as the areas in which the jobs of the future will be.

I am excited to report that in the last 12 months I have learned about programs and people at Ohio State who are working hard to make these changes. I am also encouraged to see institutions like the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and the Council of Graduate Schools recognizing that we have problems and that they are willing to help catalyze the changes.

Finally, a word about mentoring and advising: This is in my opinion the most critical component of success in graduate school. Based on my own experience, I am convinced that to learn how to find a good mentor has to be a priority for students considering graduate school, rather than what type of research to do. Graduate school is about learning how to formulate hypotheses, test them, understand the results and determine whether the hypothesis needs to change. A good mentor/advisor will train students to think critically and understand what the data is really saying, and during this process, will make them love the research they are doing. Once the student learns how to be a scientist, he/she can successfully research whatever they want.

Since not all students learn the same way, they need to learn to recognize what type of environment they thrive in, and then find exactly that. Different people need different things, so there is no single definition of a good mentor/advisor, but at the end they do need to teach how to do good research.

I believe that The Ohio State University has all the tools to become a leader in reforming graduate education. I hope to be involved in bringing about this change.

SPHINX Senior Honorary Linking Proves Valuable Experience with Lifetime Benefits

By Amber Seira, Senior, John Glenn School of Public Affairs As a first generation college student I had no concept of what it meant to be a university student. I had a big learning curve trying to catch up and understand the meaning of Buckeye Nation. I envied my peers who would proudly retell stories of their parents’ and other family members’ time at Ohio State or of growing up and looking forward to the day when they could officially call themselves a Buckeye. This common, reoccurring theme was a constant reminder of my outsider status at Ohio State.

I spent countless hours reading Ohio State history from the displays in the Union and cabinets dispersed throughout buildings on campus, feverishly trying to understand and memorize my university’s past. I continually struggled to grasp and embrace some concept of the true meaning of what it means to be an OSU student. To say I experienced culture shock fall quarter of my freshman year is a severe understatement.

As a Californian and a Latina, this feeling of being an outsider became a strong obstacle in my transition to OSU. My undergraduate career was a journey of both conforming and somehow shaping campus to best fit my individuality. It was in searching for this delicate balance of identities that I developed a sincere and deep pride for my school and the Buckeye Nation. Also during this time I and several other passionate students founded the Latino Student Association (LSA), thus seeking to alter the campus environment to better foster community for Latinos.

Our executive board dedicated a great deal of time and energy to improve and help progress our campus to reflect its Latino student body, yet through all the community building, I still felt like an outsider. A tiny wedge persisted in my mind, keeping me from feeling fully integrated with Ohio State. Unlike some of my peers, I felt I had little personal connection with the university’s rich history and traditions that I could pass down; it was the missing piece I longed to fit into my identity puzzle.

I wanted to be involved in Ohio State’s history—to truly be a part of the university—as it has become a part of me. I also was aware of how hard I worked to balance school, work, and extracurricular life and was

www.quepasa.osu.edu

interested in finding a way to gain recognition for those efforts. Thus my decision to apply to SPHINX, the oldest senior honorary on campus that deeply distinguishes my alma matter.

The best day of my life at Ohio State was Linking Day, when I was “linked” or inducted into the SPHINX Senior Honorary 106th class. Instead of notifying me of my acceptance, SPHINX surprised me on Linking Day. SPHINX is over 100 years old and the process of linking new SPHINXes involves classic University locations and traditions.

That year’s class goes around in the morning to find the new, unsuspecting SPHINX class members and pulls them out of their duties for the day. A current SPHINX links a new SPHINX into the society. The pair sticks together throughout the induction activities of Linking Day. I was working my Friday shift at the Multicultural Center when I was told to drop everything and join the linking ceremony. I followed the group around campus completing rituals such as the Long Walk. Also, I was the last “link” of my class and was given “the bat” (an actual bat) that will be passed on at the linking of the 107th class. There is a public induction event as well as a private ceremony.

After induction, I discovered the deep ties the society holds with the university and the legacy of the members on campus.

Here, I found the conviction that my university accepted and celebrated all of what I had given as well as newfound camaraderie among individuals who passionately love and want to continue building Ohio State. This dedication is fully commemorated and celebrated.

The section of the Oval between the Thompson Library and University Hall is SPHINX Plaza.

It houses the names of every SPHINX member since its inaugural year in 1907.

SPHINX is more than a gathering of accomplished individuals. It is a group that inspires its members to form bonds of friendship with each other and the university. It seeks individuals who uphold the “highest

ideals of scholarship, leadership, camaraderie, citizenship, and service at The Ohio State University.” It is our goal to “pass the challenge of SPHINX onto new and capable persons, in the hope that our love for the University and our concern for its betterment will continue to live and prosper in the future individuals of the classes to come.”

While SPHINX is a phenomenal mix of individuals from all over campus in various academic fields, Latino student representation is lacking. Thus, I strongly encourage every Latino undergrad to strive to do their very best in and outside of their classes so that when your time comes you are eligible to apply for SPHINX. Be aware that the applications are due in early January of the junior year and students may only apply to one honorary group. At Ohio State there are three senior honoraries: SPHINX, Mortar Board, and The Sullivant Society. It is a great honor and experience to enrich any student’s senior year at Ohio State and I know there are Latino Buckeyes of high caliber who would make excellent members of SPHINX. Amber Seira is a Public Affairs major specializing in non-profit management with minors in design and Latin American Studies. This fall she is a Glenn Fellow completing an internship for the U. S. Department of Education at the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Division in Washington, D.C. She graduates in the spring.

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From Vision to Action LASER Experiences Exponential Growth in Three Short Years

PHOTO PROVIDED BY FREDERICK LUIS ALDAMA

By LASER Director Frederick Luis Aldama, Arts and Humanities Distinguished Professor of English

As the Latino/a and Latin American Space for Enrichment and Research enters its fourth year, we look backward to look forward with satisfaction. Since 2009 when we launched, faculty, students, and staff at The Ohio State University have worked hard to achieve much in the way of mentoring, scholarship, networking, and expanded programming and curricular initiatives.

In close collaboration with the Multicultural Center and with boundless energy of Latino faculty, students, and staff, LASER has swiftly become one of the preeminent research and pedagogy initiatives in the country. Our success has many facets including the successful admittance of LASER undergraduate mentees into professional and graduate school programs, and the mentoring of Latino high school students in the Columbus area for successful entry to OSU and other 4-year institutions. One current mentee, Amber Seira, was linked into the SPHINX Senior Honorary, one of the highest distinctions offered by Ohio State.

In addition to outreach and pedagogy initiatives, LASER brings to campus many distinguished speakers, conferring more national and international visibility to OSU as a world-class institution for Latin/o American research. Recently, LASER joined San Diego State University (the nation’s premiere Hispanic-Serving Institution) in an NEH-funded study to enhance Latino cross-cultural understanding and assess its impact on the behavior and worldview of the U.S. population. In addition, LASER and the Multicultural Center hosted a

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month-long engagement of the traveling exhibit “Mextasy,” now gaining international acclaim.

In collaboration with the Humanities Institute, we are excited to have our first LASER/Humanities Institute Graduate Student in Residence Fellows (LASER/ HUM Fellows). Theresa Rojas (Department of English) and Doug Bush (Department of Spanish and Portuguese) were competitively selected based on accomplished work of the highest distinction, and on the promise of further outstanding achievements in the areas of diversity, inclusion, and with an emphasis on scholarship on the Latin/o Americas.

This year we continue to strengthen and grow LASER’s material and intellectual presence as a research and pedagogy hub.

We welcome Verónica Betancourt (PhD student in Arts Administration, Education, and Policy) and Leticia Wiggins (PhD student in History) as our new Graduate Scholar-Mentors in residence. Along with Theresa Rojas, they are mentoring six Latino undergraduates, a record from our first year with a single mentee.

Mia Underdown, who recently transitioned from undergraduate to graduate student, continues her work with Latino high school students, including Javier Del Valle (Dublin Scioto) who started with her last spring as a sophomore, and junior Jacob Farr (Dublin Coffman). Mia provides them with the test-taking tools and know-how (from difficult homework assignments to ACT and SATs) for successful college acceptance.

While we are the largest ethnic minority group in the country (where 1 in 4 primary school children are Latino), we continue to be the most underrepresented group to attend college—and this not withstanding our drive and ability. Indeed, for every 100 Latino elementary school students, only 46 will graduate from high school and only 25 will go on to college: 17 to community college, 8 to a 4-year BA/BS granting institution. While small in the big scheme of things, LASER is actively trying to bring back to balance such nonsensical numbers.

Last year’s major achievement that brought Ohio Latino high school students

to Ohio State for a series of talks and networking events was so well received that we will repeat our successful partnering with Cardinal Health and offer, on March 20th, our second annual “Latino Role Models in the 21st Century” in collaboration with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Junot Díaz, 2008 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and recipient of a 2012 MacArthur “Genius” Grant, will speak at the 2013 Latino Buckeye Awards dinner.

Presidential Medal winning Professor Ramón Saldívar is one of several other speakers we have lined up to showcase LASER at OSU. Saldívar, Chair of the Department of English at Stanford University, is the Hoagland Family Professor of Humanities and Sciences and Milligan Family University Fellow in Undergraduate Education. We will continue featuring distinguished Latino speakers and artists from all over the country, including here in the Midwest. Guests for 20122013 include Norma Cantú, Paula Moya, Pablo Mitchell, Charles Ramírez Berg, Ben Sifuentes-Jáuregui, and the performance artist, Margo Gomez. As such, LASER brings national and international visibility to OSU as a world-class institution for research in the Latin/o Americas.

We will further continue our outreach efforts, not only to Columbus city schools for our mentoring program, but also to build bridges with the Columbus community. Our new interlocutors include the city’s New American’s Initiative, Nationwide, and the Ohio Hispanic Coalition. To this end, we welcome Tara Polansky, artist and community organizer, as our new LASER Program Manager. Tara will cultivate LASER relationships and presence in area schools and community groups as well as help develop curriculum, learning goals, and outcome measures for LASER mentoring activities.

With the breaking of ground and rebuilding of Enarson Hall in the spring of 2013, LASER will have a new space for our mentoring program and for exhibiting art. We very much look forward to growing LASER arm-in-arm with our brothers and sisters from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Outreach and Engagement.

Campus Involvement: You Do Have Time Activism and Networking Opportunities are a Treasured Part of the OSU Experience

By Danielle Olden, PhD Candidate, Department of History I have always believed that college is about more than what happens in the classroom. This might sound strange coming from someone who aspires to be a university professor, but I truly believe that much of what we actually learn in college is the result of our engagements with our campus, local, and global communities. As a college student myself, I valued the knowledge and analytic skills my teachers passed on to me. But they could not make me apply it. It was up to me to bring my learning out into the world. I became active with student organizations and even found a campus internship that allowed me to participate in a Presidential advisory committee on women’s and minority affairs. This is where my learning began to take shape into something that could actually make a difference.

When I came to Ohio State as a graduate student, my initial inclination was to focus on my coursework and my research; I did not have time for anything else, or so I thought. Soon enough, I was bothered by what I saw and heard on campus. It is not uncommon to hear racist, sexist, or homophobic jokes walking around OSU, and it is easy for someone to ignore it. This happened a lot. I began to notice inequities in the distribution of campus resources and I started to be mindful of how few students were protesting these things. At first, I sought out allies who could share my experiences and provide a safe, friendly environment to socialize and network. I found that place in the Latina/o Graduate and Professional Student Association (LGPSA).

Here I met people in other fields who could relate to my feelings and who understood my need to be around people of similar backgrounds. Some of my best friends are LGPSA members and I truly value the organization for the “home away from home” that it provides me.

When I speak with new graduate students, one of the things I always tell people is that you will be amazed by what you actually do have time to do. You will read more than you ever thought you could, and you can write sophisticated, well-argued papers at the last minute. Life as an undergraduate does not necessarily prepare you for the life of a graduate

www.quepasa.osu.edu

student but once you get the hang of it, you become a pro. Time management gets easier, or—if you are like me—you just get better at procrastination. My point to all of this is that you do have time to get involved.

That is exactly what I did. I was not happy to just survive OSU, I wanted to change OSU. Toward that end, I have participated in a variety of student organizations, campus programs and initiatives that work toward a more inclusive and equitable OSU campus. I work closely with the Diversity and Identity Studies Collective at Ohio State (DISCO), where I have gotten the chance to work with and get to know faculty and graduate students in other disciplines. From the DISCO website, “DISCO is an interdisciplinary and university-wide project that seeks to coordinate and foster collaboration among a number of departments and academic programs that focus on aspects of diverse identities.” Through this project, I have been able to develop my organizing skills, share research, find teaching advice, engage interdisciplinary scholarship and participate in panels and other events that bring the OSU community together for learning and advocacy. DISCO meets several of my intellectual and personal needs, and also provides a space for me to explore my activism in nuanced ways, tying my research, teaching and activism together. As the new President of the DISCO Graduate Caucus, I have been able to work more closely with this organization, as well as develop leadership skills that I am sure will be utilized far into the future.

Other student initiatives have also been a valuable part of my graduate school experience. Balancing Education, Life and Latina Awareness (BELLA) brings undergraduate and graduate Latinas together to form mentor-mentee relationships, share resources, and network; all with a focus on the themes and issues pertinent to Latina lives. OSU StandYourGround (SYG) is a student-led movement that seeks to diversify our campus and create a more inclusive environment. Colorful Women in the Academy (CWA) is a new organization that brings graduate and professional women of color together with the goal of providing a nurturing, positive atmosphere for

academic and personal success. I choose to be involved in organizations that I believe are important for my development as a scholar, a teacher, a citizen, and a human being. In many ways, this is where my true learning has taken place.

Getting involved on campus is something I think every student, graduate or undergraduate should pursue. The learning that takes place in courses is invaluable; but the rewards of campus involvement— whether it is through organizing, activism, scholarship, or professional and personal networking—are beyond measure. As I near the end of my time at OSU, my only regret is not getting involved sooner. Trust me. You have time for more than you think you do.

Why not try to make a difference?

Danielle Olden is originally from Laramie, Wyoming. She received a B.A. in History from the University of Wyoming and an M.A. in History from Ohio State University. She is completing her dissertation, entitled Whiteness in the Middle: Mexican Americans, School Desegregation and the Making of Race in Modern America.

Connect with these and other resources through the Latino and Latin Americanist resources page at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion: www.go.osu.edu/lala

Autumn Semester 2012

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Noticias ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Recognizes Excellence at OSU received an OSU Humanities Institute grant to support a working group: “The Americas Before 1900.”

Rebecca Haidt (Spanish and Portuguese), Carolina Lopez-Ruiz (Classics), and Pedro Pereira (Spanish and Portuguese) received an OSU Humanities Institute grant to support a working group: “Iberian Studies.”

2012 LASER AWARDS

PHOTO PROVIDED BY KELLY ELISAR

Jordan Loewen was awarded the Mentee Award for Scholarly Success (MASS) for successful completion of the LASER Mentor program and entrance to graduate school at Princeton University.

Dr. Valente Alvarez (right) receives Gamma Sigma Delta award.

FACULTY PROMOTIONS

Verónica Betancourt received the Graduate Achievement for Latino/a Studies Award (GALaS) for her research paper, “Brillan por su ausencia: Latinos as the missing outsiders of mainstream art museums.”

Judy Rodriguez won the Award for Best Undergraduate Essay in Latino/a Studies (ABUELo/aS) for her essay, "Queering la jibara: A Counter-Narrative to Puerto Rican Nationalist Discourse."

Theresa Rojas (English) and Doug Bush (Spanish and Portuguese) were named LASER/Humanities Institute Graduate Fellows in Residence for 2012-2013.

PROMOTION TO PROFESSOR Patricia Enciso, School of Teaching and Learning ACCOMPLISHMENTS PROMOTION TO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR WITH TENURE Lilia Fernandez, History Eugenia Romero, Spanish and Portuguese Ozeas S. Costa, Jr., School of Earth Sciences Ronaldo da Costa, Veterinary Clinical Sciences Monica Giusti, M, Food Science and Technology PROMOTION TO PROFESSOR-CLINICAL Pedro Weisleder, Pediatrics

Gonzalo Adriazola-Mendoza, of Marengo, Ohio was crowned 2012 Ohio State Marion Homecoming King. Adriazola-Mendoza is a sophomore majoring in international business and has been on the Dean's list every quarter.

Freshman Jonathan Rodriguez was recruited to the Ohio State Football Team. The Cleveland native and ODI Young Scholar has long had his sights on his goal to study at OSU and play Buckeye football. “Making the team is an incredible accomplishment, sometimes it still feels surreal, but I couldn't be happier."

GRANTS & AWARDS Valente Alvarez (Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) received the Gamma Sigma Delta International Award of Merit.

This award, sponsored by the Mervin G. Smith Endowment, recognizes outstanding international achievements in Agriculture.

Armando Hoet (Veterinary Preventative Medicine) received the College of Public Health 2012 Excellence in Teaching Award. The award recognizes a faculty member who is nominated by students, faculty and alumni of the college for exemplary performance.

Lisa Voigt (Spanish and Portuguese) and Molly Farrell (English)

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Francisco-Xavier Gómez-Bellengé, Associate to the Dean, Fisher College of Business, has been elected to the Advisory Board of the Central Ohio Diversity Consortium, an organization of Chief Diversity Officers.

IN MEMORIAM Maureen Ahern passed away on June 20, 2012 following a short illness. Professor Ahern was Professor of Spanish, Latin American Literature and Culture at Ohio State University since 1990. She spent many years of work and travel throughout Mexico and Peru.

SILCS Institute

Students are chosen from a national pool of applicants and receive a $2,500 stipend for their participation. They gain experience with applying literary and cultural theory and learn how to make the moves that matter in scholarly discourse at the graduate level. They get GRE prep and meet a range of guest lecturers who provide candid insight about the world of graduate study and the life of a faculty member. What’s more, the bonds that often form within cohorts demonstrate the importance of personal and professional networking.

Again, applicants must be college juniors, with one year of undergraduate studies ahead of them at their institution. Applicants must be sponsored by a faculty member who agrees to support them through their senior year of college as they apply to graduate programs and prepare for their future. The extra year before graduation is crucial to the goals of the program, as it provides the necessary support and mentoring needed for the application to graduate school. Application information can be accessed from our website www.wheatoncollege.edu/silcs. The deadline is Feb 8th, 2013.

Feel free to contact Geffrey Davis or the SILCS office with any questions: gmd160@psu.edu (814) 769-9250 or silcs@wheatonma.edu (508) 286-3745.

SiGuE Program Seeks Applicants

IMAGE FROM TURBOSQUID.COM

Associate professor of molecular genetics Andrea Doseff mentors undergraduates and has established a new post-baccalaureate program for underrepresented groups. SiGuE provides an opportunity to enhance the research experience of postbaccalaureate students to make students competitive for MSc and PhD programs nationwide. The goal of the SiGuE program is to increase the representation and competitiveness of historically underrepresented groups in basic sciences. SiGuE reinforces academic training by providing an individualized student development plan with mentoring by faculties with strong academic programs. SiGuE strengthens professional skills that are needed to survive in a competitive science PhD program.

Opportunities

Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, SILCS is a fourweek, expenses-paid summer institute at Wheaton College (MA) for students between their junior and senior years, especially designed for those from ethnic or racial groups who are underrepresented in the field of English studies, as well as others committed to increasing diversity in the field. The purpose of the Institute is to introduce students to academic careers as English faculty and mentor them on their way to graduate school and beyond.

Professor Doseff’s laboratory focuses on the mechanisms of cell death and survival during innate immunity and cancer. Her team explores various molecular and biochemical mechanisms that regulate cell death. Professor Doseff supports a diverse team of undergraduate and post-baccalaureate researchers in addition to doctoral and post-doctoral scientists through multiple NIH and NSF grant programs.

Applicants interested in plant genomics, biofuels, bioenergy and plants for health are encouraged to apply. The program provides a six-month internship to enhance research laboratory and professional skills.

Visit sigue-caps.org for details.

Summer 2012 Graduates Associate's Degrees

Master's Degrees

Name

Citizen Degree

Major

Name

Citizen Degree

Major

Mera, Jhony

ECU

Hyd Power & Motion Control

Betancourt, Veronica

USA

MA

Art Education

Carter, Jary

USA

MBA

Business Administration

Cisneros Delgadillo, Fiorella

Peru

MS

Plant Pathology

Cordero, Maria

USA

MS

Dentistry

Fernandez, Delia

USA

MA

History

AA

Summer 2012 Graduates

Bachelor’s Degrees

26

Name

Citizen Degree

Major

Garcia, Timothy

USA

MS

Nuclear Engineering

Barber, Stephen

USA

BA

English

Heinrichs, Joseph

USA

MS

Mechanical Engineering

Benitez, Jorge

USA

BS

Marketing

Martinez, Dolores

USA

MA

Speech Language Pathology

Campbell, Ericka

USA

BS

Human Dev. & Family Science

Quinones, Adriana

USA

MS

Horticulture and Crop Science

Cardenas, Amanda

USA

BS

Animal Sciences

Ramirez, Ana

USA

MA

Public Policy & Management

Carroll, Valerie

USA

BA

Communication

Rodriguez, Edgar

USA

MS

Accounting

Cedeno, Jennifer

USA

BS

International Studies

Seger, Stephanie

USA

MSW

Public Policy & Management

Derosa, Stephanie

USA

BA

Evolution & Ecology

Torres-Garcia, Jose

USA

MS

Health Services Mgt & Policy

Devinney, Tessa

USA

BA

Political Science

Diehl, Jonathan

USA

BS

Plant Cell & Molecular Biology

Falkenberg, Lauren

USA

BA

History

Feliz Guillermo, Wendy

USA

BA

Spanish

Flores, Teresa

USA

BA

Biology

Name

Citizen Degree

Major

Gamez, Alyssa

USA

BA

International Studies

Diaz, Greetchen

USA

PHD

Mol, Cell & Develop Biology

Gonzalez, Michelle

USA

BA

Comparative Studies

Gonzalez, Christopher

USA

PHD

English

Gonzalez, Matt

USA

BA

Communication

Ortega Paredes, Juan Carlos

ECU

DMA

Music

Green, Jordan

USA

BA

Comparative Studies

Restrepo, Brandon

USA

PHD

Economics

Hecimovich, Brian

USA

BA

Communication

Higuera Ricardo, Esperanza

COL

BA

Psychology

Hobbs, Karly

USA

BA

International Studies

Joya-Estrella, Francisco

MEX

BS

Nutrition

Keech, Rafael

USA

BS

Information Systems

Lesch, Anna

USA

BS

Early and Mid Childhood Stds

Lincicome, Taylor

USA

BA

Speech and Hearing Science

Moratt, Shayna

USA

BS

Exercise Science Education

Mosquera, Juan

USA

BS

Intl Business Administration

Narciso, Diana

USA

BA

Criminology

Ortiz, Mark

USA

BS

Biology

Po, Caitlin

USA

BS

Biology

Reategui, Iris

USA

BA

Spanish and Portuguese

Rodriguez, Angela

USA

BA

Classics

Rodriguez, Rosalie

USA

BA

History

Rose, Amanda

USA

BA

Psychology

Ruiz, Viviana

USA

BA

Psychology

Saum, Corbyn

USA

BA

Political Science

Schwartz, Patrick

USA

BA

History

Serna, Julian

USA

BA

Economics

Villarreal, Nick

USA

BS

Logistics Management

White, Joseph

USA

BS

Electr & Computer Eng.

Whitelock, Sheree

USA

BA

English

Woody, Louis

USA

BS

Biology

Doctoral Degrees

El Arepazo Latin Grill “Big Arepa” Delivers Huge Flavor

www.quepasa.osu.edu

restaurante se encuentra localizado. El servicio es rápido y eficiente.

While Indra ordered the Bandeja Paisa, I ordered the Carne Asada.

Our companion ordered a huge burrito. Each dish included El Arepazo’s “Famous” house cilantro which is available in both a mild or spicy version. The sauce works well both as a topping a dipping sauce.

While my carne asada was a bit bland, the beans and arepita were excellent. Indra’s dish was visually stunning with a beautifully cooked chorizo (sausage)—crispy and scored on the outside while spicy and tender and juicy on the inside. I was more than a bit envious but consoled myself with two orders of arepitas to go.

La bandeja Paisa, originaria de Colombia, data del siglo 19 si no es que mas, tiene influencias precolombinas, así como influencias españolas, francesas, inglesas y africanas.

Pero no hay registro de este platillo sino hasta los anos 50’s. Es un platillo de paisanos, de la gente del pueblo, y representa la conexión de culturas europeas e indígenas del país. Cuando la comida arribó, los aromas de las carnes, el puerco frito, el pedazo de carne asada, los plátanos maduros fritos, arroz, frijoles, huevo y el chorizo llenaban de aromas en la mesa. Se tiene la opción de pedir salsa de cilantro ya sea picante o no picante. Dejando fluir mi mexicanidad y conociendo mi fervor por lo picante, decidí por dicha opción. Los sabores de la comida eran perfectos, un balance de especies, de carnes y la salsa de cilantro cremosa que exaltaba los sabores de la comida colombiana. Las arepitas incluidas en el platillo, son una a adición que puede crear adicción. Si,

las arepitas estaban en su punto, no secas, no a medio cocer, en su punto exacto.

It’s worth trying both locations for varied regional and daily specials. Those particularly concerned with parking should either leave extra time to locate a spot downtown or head for the Gahanna location. Above all, do not leave without taking at least one order of arepitas home to share (or covet).

El Arepazo Latin Grill 46 North Pearl Street Columbus, OH 43215 614-228-4830 93 North High Street Gahanna, OH 614-471-7296 www.elarepazolatingrill.com

$$$$$ Rating System:

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

����� Autumn Semester 2012

Food Review

One of the best parts of preparing the food review is the opportunity to savor delectable fare that is at once familiar and novel. El Arepazo Latin Grill, with two locations—Pearl Street in downtown Columbus and a new Gahanna location—offers plentiful, fresh dishes from Venezuela, Argentina, Columbia, Mexico, and Cuba. The protocol for the downtown location is to form a line to order and pay at the register, then have a seat and wait to be served. The Gahanna location boasts a beautiful bar and slightly more upscale experience with many of the same menu items as the downtown location, including the delicious arepitas and cilantro sauce. Parking is a major challenge downtown and while there is metered parking in front, expect that to be full.

Navigating the one-way streets of downtown Columbus is also a challenge. We found parking at a surface lot on a side street and paid $6 for one 3-hour pass.

Que mejor lugar para ir a comer comida Latina que en un ambiente bohemio en el centro de la ciudad de Columbus. Ya había escuchado sobre el Arepazo varias veces a través de amistades, pero nunca me había armado de valor para ir a probar su comida, ya que tambien había escuchado sobre la dificultad de encontrar estacionamiento cerca del lugar. Finalmente y después de estar buscando un lugar con arepas y con una buena bandeja paisa colombiana, decidimos ir a probar El Arepazo.

Perhaps you’ve never heard of an arepita (little arepa). To say that you’ve been missing out is an understatement. These small, saffron colored, disc-shaped grilled corn delicacies are a staple of both the restaurant and of Venezuela, from which owners Carlos Gutierrez and Eliezer Molina hail. For just $1.50, one can take home an order of five of these addictive bite-size corn cakes.

El stress de encontrar estacionamiento se termina en cuanto entras al corredor que te lleva al restaurante. La línea de espera era un poco larga, pero el aroma de la comida te invitaba a esperar. Al leer el menú me di cuenta de que la bandeja paisa, la cual tanto había estado añorando estaba incluida en el menú. Así que decidí ordenarla. El lugar es bastante acogedor, bohemio, las luces o tan brillantes y la vista al callejón en donde el

PHOTO BY INDRA LEYVA

A Bilingual Review by Theresa Rojas, Editor, PhD Student, Department of English and Indra Leyva, Intercultural Specialist, Multicultural Center

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