Vida Newspaper, Volume 22, Issue 2 - October 1993

VIDA CHICANO LATINO STUDENT SERVICES • LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY October 6, 1993 Circulation: 2000 During Convocation Hour on September 14, Takai Drums could be heard all over campus. Briefs for Thought A.I.D.S. and Breast Cancer Awareness Show Your Support and Wear Ribbons Breast Cncer Awareness and National A.I.D.S. Awareness month is here. Wear your ribbons and show your support! Interested in helping a boy become a man? There are hundreds of young boys in different neighborhoods throughout the Los Angeles area who are growing up without role models. As a Big Brother you have the possibility to change a young bo/s life. If you are interested in this private, nonprofit agency please call 213-258-3333. Nickerson Gardens Tutoring Program needs you! If your interested in being a tutor in the largest public housing development west of the Mississippi, and willing to make a difference then Nickerson Gardens is for you! Nickerson Gardens has approximately 5000 people and over one-half are children under the age of 17. The population is 60% African- American and 40% Latino. Spanish speaking tutors would be extremely helpful for the children. A computer center is available to work with them with books and homework. For more information call EPIC at 310-338- 2959 or check the Sursum Corda bulletin board on the second floor of Malone. Don’t miss out on the movie of the week sponsored by ASLMU. Experience “Benny and Joon” from October 4-8. During the week of October 11, “The Breakfast Club” will also be presented. “Sleepless in Seattle” will be shown from October 18 to October 22. The СТА office will be selling tickets before screenings for $2 and at the door for $3. Coming soon to Murphy Hall is Jerry Brown, former governor of California. He will be speak¬ ing during convocation hour, 12:15 p.m., on Tues¬ day, October 19. This event is sponsored by ASLMU. Admissions Counselor William Marmolejo is looking for students who would like to help recruit students from their high schools. If this sounds like something you would like to partake in, keep an eye out for a general meeting being held soon. Elizabeth Morales, class of ’84, will be speak¬ ing about her occupation as news producer for channel 4 in St. Robert’s 356 at 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. today. Compiled by Marisol Barrios New Program To Diversify Faculty By Analee Zelaya Loyola Marymount Univer¬ sity has initiated a new program to diversify its faculty and cur¬ riculum. According to Dr. Fernando Guerra, Assistant to the Prsident of Faculty Re¬ sources, LMU has been a leader among Jesuit and private uni¬ versities in diversifying its stu¬ dent enrollment, it has not kept pace with faculty diversity. Although the university had been internally funding pro¬ grams, including summer grants to professors for the preparation of multi -cultural classes, more resources are required. On March 26 of this year, Dr. Fernando Guerra submitted a proposal for a grant, entitled “Building a Multi-Cultural En¬ vironment” to the Irvine Foun¬ dation. On May 27, Loyola Marymount University was no¬ tified that they had been awarded a $600,000 grant, which is to be used over a three-year period. The Irvine Foundation, “one of the most prosperous founda¬ tion in California,” according to Dr. Guerra, “heavily invests in higher education, especially at private universities, such as LMU., Stanford and Pepperdine.” The Foundation has awarded funds to LMU in the past but “never a grant of this type,” Dr. Guerra said. The initial proposal submit¬ ted contained six major compo¬ nents, four of which will be funded by the Foundation. These four programs are faculty-ori¬ ented and target the increase of mul ti-culturalism . The first component involves the hiring of three new profes¬ sors, recruitment for which be¬ gins this year. The second component of the Irvine Foundation Program will support African-Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, His¬ panic/Latino or Native Ameri¬ cans, considering a career in uni¬ versity teaching, in writing their doctoral dissertations. Various benefits are available for the suc¬ cessful applicants, including a possible tenure track faculty po¬ sition. Third, the University will in- Photo courtesy of Dr. Fernando Guerra Dr. Fernando Guerra stitute the “Forgivable Loan Pro¬ gram,” whereby graduate stu¬ dents will be given loans with low interest rates. These loans will be repaid in 20 percent in¬ crements for each year that the student teaches at the Univer¬ sity. The fourth component in¬ volves the giving of grants to the faculty for the preparation of American Cultures courses. The new core program will be intro¬ duced in the Fall of 1994. Pilot courses, such as “Novels by Women: Three Cultural Views,” listed under “Cross-Cul¬ tural Studies, ”have already been offered this semester. Dr. Guerra commented that the grant received from the Irvine Foundation will “directly impact the classroom, our num¬ ber one area of concern.” Is There a Future in the Chicano Studies Department? By Ju an Torres Is there a future in Chicane Studies? Recently, LMUs Chicane Studies de~ • to discuss *WhIch Way for Chicano Studies?* on Man* :,day September 13, Chicane Studies chairpersons from California State University NorthridgeCCSUN), Univer¬ sity of California, bos Ange¬ les (UCLA), Occidental Col¬ lege and University of Cali* forma*, Irvine were in from LMU included Dr, |:*FereffoGum»{ehah>, E>r, Gloria Romero, and Mr* David Ayon* , All the panelists sat to address the students who at¬ tended* Al though thestudent turnout was low, those in- vol ved were highly interested in the .matter of the future of Chicano Studies here at LMU, 3|- ' Dr* Guerra moderated the fo¬ rum and. began by allowing each campus to inform the panel and students what status each Chicano. Studies Department held in the prospective universi- tiesr Sadly, most chairs informed the panel that the Chicano Stud- iesprograms have notbeen some¬ thing to envy,. ppDr, Leo Estrada, from UCLA, i stated that although the protest and hunger strike that occurred this past summer,, the Chicano Studies prbgram i snot a depart^ ! ment, but they were given hiring find firing: powers : of a; depart- ment. He alsoinformed that there is i opposition among the faculty re- garding this power. According to • Dr, Estrada, “UCLA has no con- . Crete vision to follow unfortunate hews about the sta¬ tus of their Chicano Studies De¬ partments. . Dr. Juana Mora* Chicano Studies, chair at CSUN, ex¬ pressed that she admired Northridge’s Chicano Studies Department which was referred to by Dr* Guerra as “one of the best* in California. Dr. Mora conveyed, ul would lika to see an expansion of na- : tionalities, gender* and sexual orientation discussed in the cur¬ riculum.” Other chairs agreed with her comment. ' :i‘:; When the • ' duced the.idea that UCLAis look¬ ing fora community scholar, con-: j corns were raised by other cam¬ puses* Dr* Gloria : I&mero as¬ serted that she saw no difference i bet ween a scholar and a commu¬ nity activist. . Manuel Pastor, Occidental ..College Chariperson, disagreed* he saw a clear distinction be- „ tween a scholar and a commu¬ nity activist. He believed that Chicano Studies remains an in¬ tellectual school of thought* • Several students aigued that thereshould be mare community involvement among Chicano Studies professors* “it would be great if all schol¬ ars were community activists, hut in reab ty notmany are” com¬ mented one student, ^ Senior, Ernie Gritzewsky , ut- i tered his amazement at the com¬ ments of the panel* fMy eyes just popped open when I heard you speak.” ; Overall the:, symposium, dis- : cussed the status of the Chicano Studies departments of the cam¬ puses involved. Unfortunately, many students were frustrated that their comments were not allowed until the last half hour of the two hour symposium < “I was under the impres¬ sion that this was going to be a discussion of the future of Chicano Stndiesbereat LMU, Mainly, I thought that this discussion would have In¬ cluded students much more,* remarked junior* Maria Guerrero, When the symposium : Camei tn :a conclusion, many people felt that they left with- : out really begirmi ng a discus¬ sion* / '•?: ; Both sophomores Claudia Hernandez and Ъщ Esparza were not satisfied with the symposium. “It ended before i t even started, . declared Esparza* . Many: students felt that although the discussion was isomewhathelpful, everyth! ng will remain the same for the future of Chicano Studies*