Spring Break
The Daily OrangeLatino studies program fails to make an impression on SU campus
By Joshua Alston
Posted: 9/19/05, 10:12 PM EST Section: Pulp
At a reception held Saturday for Latino alumni, professors and students, senior computer science major Zulay Olivo found herself at a loss for words.
After the 15 attendees made self-introductions, they began a discussion which dovetailed into a spirited debate about race, culture, class and the future of Syracuse University's Latin American/Latino studies program.
The exchange took place mostly in English, but occasionally in flurries of Spanish. Olivo, who is Latina, said she probably would have contributed more if she spoke Spanish.
Olivo's situation is indicative of a larger problem looming over the university's struggling Latino studies department. Despite being typically lumped together, the four-percent Hispanic enrollment at SU is comprised of students with widely diverse backgrounds, and it is because of this intra-ethnic diversity that the LAS department often has trouble communicating the benefits of its classes to seemingly indifferent Latino students.
Olivo, who serves as the education chair of La L.U.C.H.A. - Latin Undergraduates Creating History in America - has never taken a class in the Latino studies program, a decision she attributes to scheduling issues. This is a complaint she says she hears often.
"I felt like I wasn't prepared to take those higher level courses when I was a freshman, and now that I'm a senior they conflict with my schedule," Olivo said.
Jose Vilson, a 2004 computer science alumnus, has a more cynical explanation of why more Latinos do not take Latino studies courses.
"It has everything to do with our society," Vilson said. "We're focused on what will make us more money, so the program gets swept under the rug for more so-called 'professional' or trade-based majors."
Vilson said he did not know the LAS program was available until after he arrived at SU, but despite a stated belief in the importance of the program, he admits his support has its limits. "If I had known about the program, I still probably would have done comp-sci anyway," he said.
After the 15 attendees made self-introductions, they began a discussion which dovetailed into a spirited debate about race, culture, class and the future of Syracuse University's Latin American/Latino studies program.
The exchange took place mostly in English, but occasionally in flurries of Spanish. Olivo, who is Latina, said she probably would have contributed more if she spoke Spanish.
Olivo's situation is indicative of a larger problem looming over the university's struggling Latino studies department. Despite being typically lumped together, the four-percent Hispanic enrollment at SU is comprised of students with widely diverse backgrounds, and it is because of this intra-ethnic diversity that the LAS department often has trouble communicating the benefits of its classes to seemingly indifferent Latino students.
Olivo, who serves as the education chair of La L.U.C.H.A. - Latin Undergraduates Creating History in America - has never taken a class in the Latino studies program, a decision she attributes to scheduling issues. This is a complaint she says she hears often.
"I felt like I wasn't prepared to take those higher level courses when I was a freshman, and now that I'm a senior they conflict with my schedule," Olivo said.
Jose Vilson, a 2004 computer science alumnus, has a more cynical explanation of why more Latinos do not take Latino studies courses.
"It has everything to do with our society," Vilson said. "We're focused on what will make us more money, so the program gets swept under the rug for more so-called 'professional' or trade-based majors."
Vilson said he did not know the LAS program was available until after he arrived at SU, but despite a stated belief in the importance of the program, he admits his support has its limits. "If I had known about the program, I still probably would have done comp-sci anyway," he said.
