Athens Eco Latino

	Diciembre / December 2005 Vol. 3 Número / Issue 9

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Campaña de educación política organizada por estudiantes hispanos

por Amy Chance

Una feria educacional con el título de "Oye Mi Canto" y con el propósito de crear conciencia sobre los temas que afectan a los hispanos en la Universidad de Georgia y en todo el estado se llevó a cabo durante el Día de Elecciones, el martes, 8 de noviembre del 2005. El evento se realizó en el Tate Plaza del campus de la Universidad de Georgia en Athens de 11:30 a.m. a 2:30 p.m.

Jerry Gonzalez

La Asociación de Estudiantes Hispanos (HSA por sus siglas en inglés) se unió a las organizaciones 'Students for Latino Empowerment (SLE) y Lambda Theta Latin Sorority para crear el evento. El evento conmemoró la primera en que estas tres organizaciones hispanas unen fuerzas para llegar a la comunidad para informar sobre los importantes temas que vienen relacionados con el crecimiento de la población hispana y otras minorías en la universidad y el resto de Georgia.

Cuando se comenzó a planificar "Oye Mi Canto" a principios del 2005, estaba previsto que el evento sólo fuera una campaña de venta de camisas con un mensaje informativo y las cuales se llevarían puestas el Día de la Elección. Sin embargo, la campaña pronto se convirtió en un programa educacional e informativo, el cual llamó la atención de organizaciones a nivel local y estatal.

Varias organizaciones de la Universidad de Georgia y Athens, al igual que Atlanta, estuvieron presentes en "Oye Mi Canto". Estas organizaciones ofrecieron información sobre las oportunidades educacionales para hispanos en el estado, los cuales representan el 5,3% de la población total del estado pero sólo el 1,7% del total de estudiantes en la Universidad de Georgia en Athens. La inmigración y otros temas políticos también fueron mencionados durante las presentaciones y en los folletos informativos distribuidos por las organizaciones presentes.

Durante el evento, también hubo una actividad la cual consistía en pintarse la mano de colores y dejar la huella impresa en un pedazo de papel que cubría una de las paredes y en la cual se podía leer "Apoyamos la diversidad cultural en UGA". Se pidió a aquellos estudiantes que apoyaran la diversidad estudiantil, que por favor dejaran su huella. Cada color representaba una raza diferente. Los estudiantes que organizaron el evento tienen planeado ofrecer el mosaico al Presidente de la universidad, Michael Adams y así demostrar la creciente necesidad de tener diversidad en el campus, dijo Patricia Zurita, encargada de relaciones públicas para HSA.

Por su parte, Jerry Gonzalez, director de la Asociación de Representantes Latinos Electos de Georgia (GALEO por sus siglas en inglés), fue uno de los que se dirigieron al público presente. Gonzalez pidió que los latinos se involucraran más en la política local, estatal y nacional. Gonzalez también pidió que los latinos exijan más de sus representantes electos, admitiendo que su participación y sugerencias son muy importantes para el devenir de temas políticos que tienen que ver con los hispanos. "Los latinos pueden ser y serán importantes en la próximas elecciones", dijo Gonzalez.

Maria Baetti, estudiante de segundo año y miembro de HSA, ayudó a organizar "Oye Mi Canto". "Queríamos demostrar nuestra presencia y participación en la universidad compartiendo parte de nuestra cultura con los demás. También queríamos que se trataran temas importantes que afectan a los hispanos para que otros también los conozcan", dijo Baetti. Para más información, visite www.uga.edu/hsa.

Political Educational Campaign Organized by Hispanic Students at UGA

by Amy Chance

"Oye mi Canto," an educational fair aimed at raising awareness of current issues facing Hispanic minorities at the University of Georgia and throughout the state, took place on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8, 2005. The event was held at the Tate Plaza on the University of Georgia campus from 11:30 to 2:30 p.m.

The Hispanic Student Association (HSA) teamed with Students for Latino Empowerment (SLE) and the Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority to create this event. "Oye mi Canto" cites the first time these student organizations at the University of Georgia combined forces to engage the community in an informative dialogue about the increasingly important issue of diversity in the university community.

When the planning for "Oye mi Canto" began in early 2005, the event was originally intended to be a simple campaign to print and sell T-shirts to be worn on Election Day. However, the campaign quickly evolved into an educational and informational program that attracted statewide attention.

Various organizations at the University of Georgia and Athens communities were represented at "Oye mi Canto." These organizations provided information about educational opportunities for Hispanics in the state who make up 5.3% of the state's population, while only making up 1.7% of the University of Georgia's students. The ever-pending issue of immigration and legislation was also addressed in many informational brochures and pamphlets that were available for those in attendance.

Also featured at the event was a banner covered in multi-colored handprints with the heading, "We support cultural diversity at UGA!" Students in the Tate Plaza were asked to leave their handprints on the banner in the color that corresponded with their race.

The students organizing the event are planning on giving the banner to University of Georgia President Michael Adams to represent the increasing need for diversity at the university, said Patricia Zurita, public relations chair for HSA.

Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO), was the featured guest speaker of "Oye mi Canto." Gonzalez urged Latinos to become involved in local, state, and national politics. Gonzalez also called for Latinos to challenge their local elected officials, citing their input as crucial in political matters. "Latinos can and will make a difference in an election," said Gonzalez.

Maria Beatti, a second year student at the University of, was the chairman of "Oye mi Canto." We wanted to show our presence at the university by sharing parts of our culture with others. We also wanted to bring to light serious issues faced by Hispanics so others will know," said Beatti.

The University of Georgia will share a $12.3 million grant with the University of Texas at Austin to develop and launch a new collaborative pilot program designed to identify, implement, and evaluate best practices for recruiting, retaining and graduating Hispanic students. The grant is administered by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and supported by the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

"Georgia's Hispanic population has grown 300 percent in the last decade and is the third-fastest growing in the country," said UGA President Michael F. Adams. "Our ability to identify and participate in innovative programs that better serve the Hispanic community will benefit not only our state, but the country."

The University of Georgia was selected to conduct the pilot program because of the burgeoning Hispanic population in Georgia, where the university is situated. The program will be compared to the practices in place at the University of Texas at Austin, which has a long history of attracting and retaining students from an established Hispanic community. "As the number of Latino students in Texas continues to rise and the university explores how it can improve graduation rates among Hispanic students, relationships with organizations such as the Hispanic Scholarship Fund are important to our success," said University of Texas at Austin president Larry Faulkner. "We look forward to building on current programs whose aims are to retain and support our Latino students."

The grant was part of $22 million in funding announced today at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund to commemorate the organization's 30th anniversary. U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings was present to commend the organization on its mission of building a college-going culture among Hispanic families, ensuring more Hispanics enroll in college, and providing support to help Hispanics earn their degrees. "In our first 30 years, we were fortunate to have tremendous support from major corporations throughout America, and for that we are grateful," said HSF President and CEO Sara Martinez Tucker. "Today, with major foundations joining them, we will be able to continue to invest in the future of some of our nation's most promising young people, in ways that will yield returns on those investments for many years to come." For more information, visit www.uga.edu/hsa.